Broken Chopstick By Kyokukou Disclaimer : I don't own the characters from Ranma 1/2 only the characters that I write myself . So please don't sue me ! But if you try to use my characters .....there will be ...unpleasant consequences if I find out . Do not repost or reprint this without my permission , however if you do ASK there is a good chance I will let you . " BAKA he's got a gun , you can't block a bullet ! You want to LIVE NABIKI , LIVE !" -Tendo Nabiki Chapter 12 Damned Gaijin ! She had long since finished the last of the chores . Akane insisted on being left alone after she had doted on her youngest sister all day . The girl was still recovering her motor skills at a incredible rate , but she occasionally had lapses in strength . Still , Akane had promised that if she got into any trouble Otama would make sure to send some sort of signal to her . So she had left her youngest sister in her room . That left her with a free evening . Normally this would be a boon to be savored . But her usual occupations didn't call to her tonight . Morbid curiosity , however , was screaming for her . Which explains why she kept finding herself at the door to Ranma's room . That book . The one that holds Ranma's past . It called to her like a saké to an alcoholic . She'd had a taste for the book and ever since she had wanted more . But lifelong virtue held her true against such temptations . Except that her previous violation had already weakened that resolve . Which explains why she has the dammed thing in her lap as she sat on her bed with the door locked and curtains drawn shut . Stupid temptation . She had yet to actually open the tome and begin to read . For now the knowledge that she could was enough . Or not . She opened the book carefully , to that first page that held the watercolor painting of Ranma on it . It had been created by the hands that belonged to the man who had done something to Ranma she still could not and did not want to think about too deeply . She was about to turn further when she spotted something that struck her as very , very odd . Near the end of the volume a page had been dog-eared . Flipping to it she found columns of writing very different from the precise , perfect strokes of the other pages . This was smooth and flowing , instead of precise and perfect . Journal -Summer Solstice Finally , I have found Ryouga . The poor man had just gotten back from another realm , again . Now we can leave . But many doubts still harry me . Do I truly need to leave ? What summons me back ? What holds me here ? Masaru remains because he has a wife , an adopted daughter , and a child still in the womb . More fetters him to his era than to that of his birth . Ryouga wants to return to our era or origin for many reasons . The foremost being because in this epoch his curse of being eternally lost is much harder to bear . I suppose telephones and such are more important to him that me for that very reason . Why do I seek to return ? It has been years , and I have lost so much of myself . I doubt I resemble what , no , who I once was . Could my father recognize me ? Will he accept me and that which stains me ? Setting that aside , what about what fetters me here ? Megumi-chan is dead , Midori-san dead before her , and Sakuya-san was buried only two weeks ago . Love no longer binds me to this time . What of duty ? I swore fealty alongside my ancestors to my Lord . But he gave me permission to leave if I wished . Stay or go ? Go . I know the secret of the scroll . I can return if I wish it so . -Saotome Ranma , Living Kodachi Her mind boggling , she flipped back and forth . Indeed , after the last page of the original work Ranma had written a journal up until he left for this era . She looked back to reread three names . Megumi , Midori , and Sayuka . Her mind raced back to that morning in the furo . Where these the three girls he had been mumbling about ? They had to be . * * * She whirled desperately , kicking out with one leg and blocking two attacks with her arms . A collarbone shattered under her heel and two fists glanced off her . She dropped her weight , grasping the man she had just kicked and hurled his body into one of her opponents . The remainder lashed out with a savage kick of her own . She shifted position and took the blow , trapping the foot against her side with an arm . She kicked out at the hapless woman's knee and lanced a punch for the throat . The woman crumpled with hoarse gasping noises coming from her mask . She looked about wildly . They were all down , except for one . Where was that tall guy ? Her breath came in burning ragged gasps . She had not fought this many people in long time . The rustiness of her initial tactics had cost her early on , but had also made them underestimate her . Which was the only reason she was still on her feet . As Ranma was SOMEHOW still busy with the damn chopstick ! An unmistakable sound she had heard only a few times before froze her instantly . Despite how movie sound effects improved , no cinematic sound ever cut into her quite like the sound of an actual gun being cocked . " Impressive , most impressive . However , could your entire body move six meters to reach me , faster than my finger can pull this trigger ?" She turned just her head until she saw the silhouetted form of that missing tall ninja . " A gun ?" She said to herself in disbelief . " Nine millimeter Glock , semi automatic , one round loaded in the chamber and fourteen more in the clip , with what I believe is called 'hollow point' ammunition . As I said before , we are modern ." The tall man gave a short laugh , his eyes never wavering from their cold gaze . " Coward ." She heard herself state . Regretting the statement a nanosecond later . " BAKA he's got a gun , you can't block a bullet ! You want to LIVE NABIKI , LIVE !" Her mind screamed as her eyes fixed on the bore of the weapon . " Coward ? ... Maybe ." The tall man seemed to consider for a moment . " But it does not really matter . The gun allows something that no ancient weapon ever did , even the mighty chopstick , the ability to kill an opponent vastly superior to you ." " Wrong ." A voice both had grown to ignore suddenly cut in . Though Ranma's word had been offhand , something indefinite about the tone made the hairs on the base of her neck stand up more than the barrel aimed at her . " What was that ?" The tall man did not waver his gaze or aim , but something about his gaze told her he now included Ranma in his peripheral vision . " Wrong . Four little studied weapons , ancient weapons , allowed a man to kill hundreds of men superior to him in all ways of the warrior . These same weapons killed countless more inferior to him ." Slowly , she turned her head once more . Ranma had not changed position at all . He still stood by the lamppost , turning the chopstick over in his hands , examining it in fine detail . Looking for all the world completely oblivious to what had and was transpiring around him . " What ? The chopstick ?" The tall man's voice came from behind her . " I know it to be a mighty weapon of little recognition , but no weapon is that mighty ." " No ." Ranma held the chopstick in one hand , and raised it to the light . " I said weapons , four weapons . Although I do agree that despite how you misuse it , the chopstick is a mighty weapon in the right hands ." " Whose hands would that be ?" The man's voice held no fear , only curiosity . Although she was sure that if she looked the gun would still be aimed at her heart . " We , the Chopstick Clan , have scoured all of Asia and beyond for such a master or any of the works of past masters . We have found none to equal or exceed what we already know ." " Yes ." " Then I misunderstand you ." " No ." " Now you have me at a loss . If you would be so kind to clarify ." Ranma paused to lower the raised chopstick and take it in both hands again . This time he did not seem to be examining it any longer . He fiddled with it much as she would have hefted a bokuto as a warm-up . Despite how close she felt she had come to dying a few moments before , her heart somehow found that it could beat faster . Not a good sign . " The four weapons I shall list in order of power ." Ranma began his voice soft and grave . " Although only the most powerful will you even recognize ." " So I know this most powerful weapon of the four ?" The tall man's voice held suspicion of a trap . " Although not as the weapon it is ." " Ahh , much like the mighty chopstick . All know it , few truly know it !" The tall man's voice laughed again . " I feel fortunate to have met you . I think I understand you a little better ." " No . You do not ." Ranma shook his head in a way she thought to be perhaps ... ...sorrowful ? Despite the fact that nothing about Ranma's tone or posture changed she felt a chill run down her spine and she shivered in defiance of her best efforts not to . " The first weapon was called the Living Tanto , the second the Living Wakazashi , the third the Living Kodachi , and the fourth is and will always be , words ." " Words ?" There was no indignation or befuddlement , only further curiosity coming from the tall man's voice . Ranma turned to face the tall man , looking over her shoulder . " Do you mean magic spells ? Or the declaration of war ?" She heard soft footfalls behind her as the tall man moved to clear her from obscuring his aim at what he finally recognized as the real danger . " No , and I doubt you will ever learn what I mean ." Ranma shook his head a moment before brightening up like a kid . " Anyhoo I'll agree with you that the chopstick is mighty . I had a very close friend who could do some mind boggling stuff with a chopstick or a hairpin ." " I see . This is where you demonstrate what she could do on me . Very well , a duel . My gun and aim against your friend's trick and the chopstick ." " Cool ." Ranma smirked . " Alright let me get this grip right . And I gotta remember everything she said ta do ." " A duel does not begin until the two introduce themselves . The instant after you finish your name it begins ." Now out of the line of fire she started to backpedal . Whatever Ranma was going to do it had better be good . But by the feeling she had it was most likely to be much more than she wanted to be close to . 'the third the Living Kodachi ,' He had said . Those words would not stop echoing in her mind as she looked between Ranma and the tall man . Finally Ranma finished his work , he now held the stick just as one would hold chopsticks right before a meal , although he was missing the bottom stick . " I am Clanleader Sanjoro Heero ." The tall man stated and tensed all over . Ranma's face somehow looked different to her in the too slow moment before he opened his mouth to reply . Then it hit her . Although his eyes were blue , she should not be able to see that from this distance . Much more light was reflecting off them than there should have been . " I am Kodachi ." Ranma leaned back, in the artificial slowness caused by the adrenaline flowing through her veins the motion appeared almost lazy . Everything took on a red tint for an instant as the gun barked and the muzzle flashed . A definite instant later , instinctively she was sure he had been actually waiting , his hand jerked forward . Then something she had never seen before happened . A narrow whirlwind of ever so faint light hissed through the night to sever the bucking gun in two and continue on through the tall man's shoulder . The suction of the vortex yanked the hapless man's head onto his wounded shoulder , and this arm , ruined gun and all , folded up on it's way to strike it's owner's face as everything tried to fill the vacuum at once . The crisis past , time once more took it's normal tempo to her senses . She found herself running forward . Ranma was only staring at his hand as if it belonged to someone else and he could not figure out where his had gotten to . The tall man lay crumpled on the ground , moaning faintly . First thing is first . She wasted no time hurrying over to deliver a knockout blow to the coward's crying face . Never leave an able opponent at your back if you could help it , that policy makes retreating so much safer . Then she proceeded to beat feet as fast as her tired legs would carry her , she took Ranma by the collar as she raced past . " C'mon ! That gunshot is gonna get the Police here faster than you'd believe !" She said by way of explanation when Ranma began to keep up on his own . " What's wrong with the Cops ?" Ranma asked as if he were dazed . " I made a few enemies in the Police during my younger and stupider days !" " Oh ." The enemies in the police she had made were only the beginning of the problem . They would probably see her in an overnight holding cell at the worst . It was the other enemies she might meet again in that cell that worried her . But no need to explain that to Ranma while there was running to do and blocks that should be behind them . A few blocks later the adrenaline had been used , and the fight was reminding her how much it had taken out of her . She lead Ranma between some buildings to a common squat for the homeless . A number of men , women , and children poked their heads up or out to note the new arrivals . She quickly spotted a business acquaintance and waved . " S'alright they're no trouble themselves ..." The thirteen year old girl shrugged her thin arms through a ratty jacket's sleeves and stood . " Just keeping out of the cuffs ." She assured the girl . Everyone nodded knowingly and returned to their sleeping positions . The Japanese government held an unofficial policy of toleration of the homeless , but many of the homeless had to resort to petty theft to get by . Everyone was grateful that most Police didn't chase such criminals hard or long . However , most of the less official authorities were less courteous . Protection , and territorial gangs did chase hard and long , and did not use cuffs on their prisoners . The thin girl remained standing . She led Ranma over by the girl . " Ranma , this is one of my business acquaintances ." " Name's Tansaki Leonorah ." The girl introduced herself . " Yeah , I said Leonorah . I'm half gaijin ." She added by way of habit , expecting puzzlement at the foreign given name . Ranma never batted an eye . " K-I mean- Saotome Ranma ." Ranma shook his head as if to clear it . Leonorah gave her a meaningful glance the looked to Ranma . " What were you about to say ?" " Nothing ." Ranma hurriedly dismissed . " That's a lie ." Leonorah smirked and gave her a conspiratorial wink . " Leonorah-san is one of those rare people who're born lie detectors ." She explained . " She's a godsend for going against tough negotiations and good salesmen ." The earring she wore and it's potential to replace Leonorah crossed her mind briefly . She dismissed it just as fast as it had come , Leonorah was much more than just a lie detector . The earring could not do the girl's job . Ranma looked from here to Leonorah , his eyes violet . " Kodachi ," Ranma answered evenly . " I am called the Living Kodachi , in some places ." Leonorah squinted at Ranma for a moment before shrugging . " Alright , weird , but whatever . I like weird ." The thin thirteen year old girl slid her arms out of the sleeves of her zipped jacket and hugged herself underneath it . Almost as if on cue a chilly breeze found it's way into the alley and reminded her of how cold the night was going to be . But , luckily , she was spared being cold by virtue of a life or death workout minuets before . Still , it would not be too long before the sweat on her clothes would act as a conductor for the coming night chill . " How much is rent for the two of us , just until it's safe ." She asked Leonorah . Homeless squatted for free , the more fortunate could afford to pay to squat and were expected to . The thin girl glanced at Ranma and looked at her with a conspiratorial glint in her eyes . " Ah , a quickie while the thrill is still alive and parents no where in sight ?" " Just two seats by the firebarrel and that's all ." She said as normally as she could , she would not let the girl get the satisfaction of a rise or a blush . " Aww , no fun ." Leonorah snapped her fingers in disappointment . The gesture sounding muffled through her ragged jacket . " Fine , it'll be the usual rate , lookout included ." " Deal ." She said with a nod . " Now if you would at least do a good job of acting like you're not eavesdropping like everyone else here . Because I have to ask my friend here some questions ." Leonorah shuffled over to where she had been leaning against the wall and sat down , staring at the barrel of burning trash that was the centerpiece that everyone took positions and set their boxes around . " What the hell was that you did back there ?" She did not bother to lower her voice below what was needed not to attract attention from outside the alley . Everyone awake would be listening , and those who were asleep would hear the next day . " And don't just tell me it was just a trick Midori-san taught you ." Ranma nodded to her . Then he sat down in a space in the circle around the barrel that had just been vacated for them . He waited until she joined him before speaking . " I should not have been able to do that ." He said in that smooth voice he only used when his eyes were the deep violet they were now . " It was just at trick that Midori-san showed me . But something that I should not still have the ability for . It requires way too much control and ki focus . I lost that kind of level a long time ago ." " Then why were you going to use it if you didn't think you still could !?" She snapped for reasons she did not quite understand instead of calmly inquiring . " I dunno ." He shook his head once , slowly . " It was unreal , a part of me thought I was going to use it , but another part planned on just using the same technique the Chopstick Ninjas did and smacking the gun outta his hand . " The more we talked the more I kept remembering when she showed me how she did that . It just kept replaying over and over ...." She waited until she was sure he was not going to say anything more before speaking . " I hope that it was my overactive imagination , but I thought I saw your eyes become reflective before you threw . They were still purple , but they still reflected the streetlight , hell , even the muzzle flash ." " I thought so ." He said in a voice so low she had to read his lips to be sure of what he had said . " What ?" " Somehow , the memory or something more , but I slipped . I slipped back inside and the Kodachi , or more like a small part of the Kodachi , slipped out for a moment ." " Where did the bullet go ? I was sure that his aim was dead on ." " It was dead on , if I had been standing where he thought I was . But at that distance I could see his eyes easily . The bullet missed me by a good twenty centimeters if not more ." Having no idea how to reply to that she sat beside him in silence as minuets dragged on . Once she glanced up at him . Ranma stared at the flames without seeing them , his face showing fear and slowly growing puzzlement . Finally her mind found a gear it could work with . " What is the Kodachi compared to you ?" She asked . " Another person ? Some kind of multiple personality ?" " You have no idea how long it would take to really explain what I don't really understand myself . Even though I understand it better than even my Lord did ." " Start ." She folded her arms . " Fine . Kodachi isn't really another person , but not something as simple as a multiple personality ." " Since when are multiple personalities fitting into the simple category ?" Leornorah inquired . " You're acting like you're not listening , remember ?" Annoyed , she told the young girl without looking . " I'll add a bonus if it will improve your acting skills ." " She's right though ." Ranma sighed . " I think that one person understood it better than the others , better than even I do ." She waited through the pause while Ranma stared through the flames at someone who had been dead for centuries . " I'm not quoting , but Megumi-chan said that when I'm the Pure Kodachi I am the naked sword . When I'm the True Kodachi I'm sheathed , and as I am now I'm the sheathed blade wrapped in silk ." She thought about those words for a while . They helped , but sounded like something that would make perfect sense , after the fact . However , they were bumbling somewhere in the beginning of the fact . " I think I need more than that , Ranma ." " And I don't ?" He laughed . The laugh of someone to whom mirth is far away . * * * ' Let me read !' She gave Otama the mental equivalent of a bop on the head . ' HEY !' The sorceress mentally replied . ' Keep that up and I won't be able to maintain the spell !' ' Can't you maneuver the viewpoint closer ? Reading over Kasumi's shoulder is a bit too limiting .' ' I told you before . The viewpoint shows up to the naked eye as a little pinch of light . That close she'd see it for sure .' ' Fine , whatever .' Suddenly both of them fixed all of their attention on the eldest Tendo daughter . She was giggling so hard that the book fell from her hands . ' What was that about ?' Otama asked . ' I would know if you had moved us closer !' * * * " So how are we going to get back in now ?" She asked . " What do you mean ?" Ranma asked in return . " See the light on ? Kasumi is up ? Sneaking back in with her asleep is hard enough ." " I've come and gone before without her noticing ." Ranma shrugged . " She's got a lot on her mind lately ." " What are you talking about ? Last time I tried to ...nevermind ." " Tried to what ?" Ranma inquired . " Nevermind ! I gotta get this earring off me ." She absently poked the offending earlobe . " Take it off and put it in your pocket or something ." " I don't want to run the risk of losing it ." She peeked over the wall again , she glimpsed Kasumi's silhouette against the window . " No doubt about it , she's awake ... hey , since when do you sneak out at night ?" " I don't sneak , I just leave . Go about my business -which is none of yours- and come back ." " Whatever ." She snorted . " What's so bad about Kasumi catching us ?" " Well , she's a sensitive girl and I don't want her thinking that I'm conniving my way into your heart by taking you on a wild night out or a love hotel or something . Waitasecond ! This earring must be defective , I just lied ." " No you didn't ." Ranma's voice took on a more serious tone . " You just think you did or you wouldn't be able to say that you lied . Remember , if most of yourself - your subconscious especially- thinks its a lie or not then majority rules ." " So my brain is a democracy ?" She asked . " Looks like it , huh ?" " Damned gaijin !"