Chapter 14_Ranma's Pig Problem

Ryoga gasped before leaning his head away from the tree and looked around him, turning his head from side to side. "Huh...?"

"Down here, kid..." the middle aged man said, waving to the lost boy with his other hand behind his back.

It was stunning to see someone so small, then again this probably shouldn't come as much of a shock to him, considering the fact that, that village elder was extremely short as well. Kneeling down the fang toothed boy stared at the man. "What do you mean, technique?"

"I see yer sorrow kid and I gotta' admit, it ain't too pretty, it can be put to better use for a martial artist like you!" he smiled, sticking out his hand. "Matsu is the name!"

Ryoga eyed his hand for a second before reaching out and shaking Matsu's. "My name is, Ryoga... but I don't think your technique can help me at all," Ryoga replied, unable to face the short middle aged man.

"In life we come across all manner of obstacles, finding ways to relieve that pent up energy is what can lead to true enlighten, especially when the moment dawns it's waking breath..." Matsu said, meeting Ryoga's eyes.

The fang toothed boy stood in a moment of silence but couldn't help but wonder why he would even try helping someone he didn't even know. It wasn't like he wasn't an example of that himself, given the fact that he was allowed to live with the Saotome family and even accepted as a member of the family... and now those feelings were conflicted, his heart scattered around like so many pieces of a puzzle. Feelings that he himself didn't really understand, these feelings he wanted to find an end to but fate saw this and entangled him in various issues. Was it at all right to chase these feelings? Was it worth the sorrow he was enduring at this moment?

Matsu's eye may have been cartoon like in appearance but they held grains of wisdom. "There's a lot on your mind... finding peace can be in releasing your distress, try it."

Ryoga realized that perhaps this man was right and he did need something to do, something to at least ease this pain inside his chest. The tightening inside of him that begged for recognition. That begged the question... was there a way to understand this thing? There had to be a reason he was feeling more than attraction towards Ranma and if he was this concerned with Ranma and feeling this way? Why did it allow him to feel both good and bad feelings? The moments where he felt closest to Ranma were his moments of pure bliss, moments which he wouldn't trade for the world. Though like many things it came with negative feelings as well, like when his piglet ear happened to get cut by a rose bush he was running by or when the soft feeling of grass was underneath his feet.

"Tell me how to do it..." Ryoga said, confirming his determination. He choose to endure this time, whether he fully understood these feelings for Ranma or not. He was going to find his outlet and this had to be the means in which doing so.

The strange little man clapped his hands together and smiled with glee. "Alright my boy... this is kinda' easy to get but I might have to teach you a few basic things about ki."

Ryoga paused for a moment and much like a dog, he tilted his head to the side in wonderment. "Ki?"

Matsu raised his hand and pointed upwards, closing his eyes and nodding his head. "Ki is the spiritual energy which flows through our bodies and can also be the source or our strength or ability to heal, one could go as far as saying it fuels our ability to dream..."

Ryoga raised his hand and scratched the side of his head, energy was always referenced as something that he needed to move around, at least that's what he made out to be the case when Genma kept hassling Ryoga to be work harder and claiming that even though he was older he could still do better than him. "It's kinda' hard to get, Matsu... all I knew is that it let's you move around."

"That's okay m'boy, this ain't all that easy to get cause some of it is still a mystery in someways... so, now you know that it let's us so more than just letting us move and everything else I said," Matsu paused. "This is where it gets interesting... Ki can be channeled like a stream and like many streams it usually has a beginning, like when snow melts on the tops of mountains to make rivers, that's where water gets it's beginning sometimes and now where do you think your beginning is?" Matsu asked.

Ryoga trying his best to follow closed his eyes and thought about it for a moment. "Uh... here?" he asked, pointing to his head.

Matsu chuckled before shaking his head, "No, that's something that gets the energy from the source."

Ryoga wasn't doing all too well understanding and decided that maybe it was best if he just gave up trying to find the answer. "I'm sorry... I can't tell." He sighed, lowering his head.

"Nice try my boy, gave up a little too soon but that's kinda' to be expected from first timers." Matsu said, before pointing to Ryoga's stomach. "This is your sea of energy... it has many names, like your pool of essence or your sea of chi but to me it will always be your center of Ki."

To say that Ryoga was confused would be an understatement but at least he knew where he could draw his Ki energy and that knowing where to start is the basis of many things to come. "Thank you... now how do I use it?"

"Getting down to the point I see... well, it is a tad bit late but I suppose I can show you quickly enough. Okay, first ya' gotta' make your Ki heavy with sad thoughts, enough to fuel what's needed of the trick, then you follow this stance..." Matsu said as he crossed his arms in an 'X' formation and then pulled his arms out from the 'X' formation to extend his hands. Though he was doing the stance, nothing seemed to be coming from his hands.

Ryoga expected for a blast to come from his hands but was greeted with nothing. "So..."

Matsu chuckled, "That's just the stance... now you get it, right? Try it."

Ryoga awkwardly mimicked the actions of Matsu and performed them to a key. "How was that?"

Matsu clapped his hands, "Not bad! I see you're good at listening, that'll get you places." Matsu commented before figuring it was time to show this boy the skill. "Alright, here's the real deal now..." Matsu stated, closing his eyes and focusing his ki and adding a sad thought to accompany it. Matsu performed the stance from before and shot his arms out, "Shishihoukudan!" he shouted, releasing a green beam of energy which shot through the forest and even brought down a couple of trees with it.

Matsu sighed contently, having released that thought through his blast. "This is the technique I'm giving you... because I can tell you need it," Matsu explained, gauging Ryoga's response. From what he could tell Ryoga was stunned to see such a devastating move being wielded so easily. "I know what you're thinking... but it comes with a back draw... this skill can consume you," Matsu stated.

"Consume, you?" Ryoga asked, not sure what he was getting at.

"Don't try focusing everything on this skill... because if you do, it'll only make you more depressed, leading to an unhappy life, it's only meant for when it's needed. It can also be used for extreme situations... especially when your protecting someone close to you, then if you need to go further there is the perfect shishihoukudan..." Matsu stated, reaching behind him and pulling out what appeared to be a scroll.

"This one is only the most dire of situations m'boy... but it's something I can't even master, especially with my advanced age..." Matsu said, chuckling and rubbing the back of his head. "So, I'm giving ya' this..." he said, handing it to Ryoga. "It looks like you might need it more than me."

Ryoga stared at the piece of paper and tenderly took it from Matsu's hand. The fang toothed boy shook his head and placed the scroll down next to him, there was something he had to do before he could willingly accept the scroll. Though he was doing this to prove himself worthy, he also knew that this path could lead to a potentially bad situation. He took a deep breath and readied himself for what was about to come.

His arms glided through the air smoother than a butterfly could, his Ki gathering to it's center and glowing brightly with him. Ryoga focused his feelings of rejection and reminded himself constantly of never again laying eyes on Ranma again, sparking even stronger ki to gather. Though this caused Ryoga's battle aura to become visible, which gave him a green battle aura "Shi...shi..." Ryoga continued, tears now following freely from his eyes. "hakudan!" he screamed, extending his arms and releasing a powerful lion's roar shot through the forest. The blast was so massive that it even caused his arms to tilt upwards and out into the air.

The blast sent shock waves into the ground and caused the ground around them to shake, as the technique continued to rip through the air and travel far enough to hit the nearest mountain. "Ranma!" Ryoga shouted as the force of his own skill caused him to be shot back and up against the nearest tree.

Matsu was shocked and quite frankly scared to see such raw power from such a gentle looking boy. "My word..." he said, dumbfounded to see that Ryoga had done better than he expected and on his first try no less.

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Ryoga lost all feeling in his arms and legs and fell to the ground on his knees, leaning back as to seat on the back of his heels. "W-why..." Ryoga cried, squinting his eyes and quivering his lower lip as his head tilted upwards to the starry sky.

Matsu went over to the scroll and shoved it down his shirt, seeing as Ryoga's arms seemed too tired to even moved. "Kid... you proved yourself more than anyone I've ever seen, this rightfully belongs to ya'." the aged construction worker stated before turning away and walking into the woods, vanishing as quickly as he had first appeared.

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Saotome home

Everyone in the house awoke to the feeling of the earth shaking underneath them. Genma had even stepped out of his room, expecting someone to be attacking them late at night but was only greeted with silence as the earthquake seized. "What the hell was that...?" Genma pondered as he stood in the dinning room of his home.

"Is it over?" Nodoka asked, poking her head out from her room.

Ranma opened the door to her room and seemed to frantically searching for something, dreading that whatever happened might have gravely injured Ryoga. "I don't know but Ryoga's not here! Whatever happened could have happened to Ryoga! I need to go search for em'!" Ranma exclaimed, running out of her room and out through the door.

"Ryoga!" Ranma shouted as she ran through the forest of ever ending trees.