Author: Jedi Goddess Zara E-mail: jedigoddesszara@cutey.com URL: http://embark.to/goddessbaz Rated: PG Special thanks on this one go to Jedi Goddess Bixy-chan and Hunter Goddess Ayila-chan for their support and encouragement. Thanks also go to Ranma-Jadeite for the positive feedback. Night to Night: The Flaming Wind Tournament -------------------------------------------- Part One: Night Hino Hikari looked up from her book, a curious expression on her face. "Training late again?" she asked casually as Hino Kaze tossed her bag onto the couch. "Yuh, just taking a trip down memory lane." Hikari raised an eyebrow. "If only that road actually went somewhere, ne?" Kaze grinned. "Hai, well, at least it gave me an idea of what's to come, even if it was a blow to my ego." Hikari frowned at her sister. "I thought the oldest sibling was always full of confidence. What happened?" Kaze sighed as she sat down on the ground. "I saw Ryu." Hikari sat up quickly. "Ryu!? You mean he's gonna be in the tournament tomorrow?!" Kaze nodded. "Unfortunately, yes." Hikari frowned. "What do you mean 'unfortunatley'? You haven't seen him since you guys were kids." Kaze sighed again. "Hai, I just wish that he hadn't become such a good fighter in the time we've been apart." Realization dawned on Hikari's face. "You mean...you think he can..." "Can beat me?" Kaze finished. "If what I saw today was any indication of his fighting talent, I'd say that he could beat me without breaking a sweat." Hikari leaned back again, her eyes wide. "Wow, I never thought that he'd be so strong when he came back here. What did he think about your fighting ability?" Kaze shrugged. "I don't know, He didn't really see me. I was sorta...hiding." "You were spying on him?" Kaze blushed. "Hai, I guess..." Hikari coughed loudly. "Well, don't you worry about the tournament!" she said with forced cheerfulness. "Ganbatte! Believe in yourself!" Kaze smiled weakly as she stood up. "Hai, your right." The older girl picked up her bag and brushed a strand of blue-green hair away from her face. "I'll just go take a shower and get some sleep. There's not much I can do in one night, ne?" "Hai," Hikari replied firmly. "You just get a good night's sleep sis. I'll wake you in the morning." Kaze's smile grew wider, infusing her features with warmth. "Arigato Hikari. Ja ne." Hikari smiled in return. "Ja ne Kaze." "Suzu," the young man whispered into the young woman's ear. "Suzu, we're here." The woman opened her eyes and blinked sleepily. "Nani?" "We're here," the man repeated, brushing the girl's cheek with his fingers. The woman smiled, stretching in her seat. "Alright," she said sleepily, standing with the man's assistance. The pair picked up their duffell bags and began to walk down the aisle of the bus. "So this place we're going to, what's it called again?" the girl asked, flipping a pink pigtail over her slender shoulder. "The Flaming Wind Training Hall," the man replied as they stepped onto the sidewalk. "Apparently the tournament is being overseen by the Hall's headmaster, Sensei Nishi Clef. The judges are from outside of the city, and the fighters are from all over Japan." The girl raised an eyebrow. "Hai Reshi, but the real question is whether or not any of the fighters will be a challenge to us." Reshi laughed. "Although I doubt that any fighter could rival your talent Suzu, there are two challengers that may prove interesting." Suzu laughed as she opened her umbrella for protection from the light drizzle. "Hai, I know that that girl that trains at the Flaming Wind is one of them. I hadn't heard about another though." Reshi's face grew serious. "The other...the other is the one I'm really worried about." Suzu's eyes widened. "You? Worried? He must really be good then." "Hai, but that's not what worries me," Reshi replied thoughtfully. "I'm worried that his prescence might have an affect on the chi of that girl Kaze, the Flaming Wind student." "You mean like the affect that we have on each other?" Suzu asked. "The chi balance where we fight using our own chi as well as each others?" "Sort of," Reshi replied, pausing under an overhanging roof to put on a pair of gloves. "But I think that it might be a bit different. You see, the flow in Kaze's chi is extremely strong, but she's had some problems removing 'chi blockers', the obstacles within herself that preventher from achieving her full potential. I think that it's quite possible that the prescence of that man, Yuki Ryu, may provide her with an opportunity to work past some of them." Suzu frowned. "I'm not sure that I understand what you're getting at. How is this Ryu person going to help the girl? And with something as personal as the flow of chi?" Reshi smiled. "Ah, but Kaze and Ryu were childhood friends. Some of Kaze's chi blockers were actually caused by him, and his absense from her life." Suzu grinned. "You make it sound like they were more than friends." "Well," Reshi replied. "I believe that Kaze might have wanted that kind of relationship." "And relationships of that kind often form strong bonds-" "Which can help a fighter tap into their own chi-" "Which would be bad new for us," Suzu finished. There was a pause, and the pair cotinued walking in silence. "Reshi?" Suzu asked quietly. "Do you think she can beat us?" The young man smiled, his face reflecting his confidence. "Suzu," he said, pulling the girl closer to him. "As long as we're together, you have nothing to worry about. Nandemo." The fire in the pit was low, casting deep shadows in the small, chilly room. The woven mat on the floor was warmed by the heat of the flames, and the smoke that filled the room gave it an air of mystery. A pale and slender hand reached into a large box and removed a handul of wood chips. Throwing them into the pit, the figure moved closer to the leaping flames. The light illuminated the girl's face, revealing molten hair with lighter streaks. The girl stepped back from the fire again and began to rummage through a series of small boxes. A line of light appeared on the wall in front of the girl, and she turned quickly. "Uncle!" she exclaimed. "I thought that you wouldn't be in for another hour. I'm still preparing everything." The man standing in the doorway smiled. "That's alright Jana," he said, taking a few steps forward. "I'll finish preparing the room myself." Jana frowned. "Uncle Nishi, are you alright?" Nishi's face grew serious. "I'm fine, I just need to be alone for awhile," he replied. The girl nodded and quickly exited the room, closing the door behind her. Walking toward the fire, Nishi pulled out a handful of incense granules from a pocket in his robe, then sat on the mat in front of the fire. Tossing a few granules into the pit, Nishi's clear blue eyes followed the curls of smoke as he let himself slip into a trance-like state. "Great spirits of battle," he intoned softly. "Bless us and guide us in tomorrow's tournament. Remind us that the true spirit of battle is self-discovery and self-discipline. Let us remember you spirits that guide us, and let us be thankful for all that you give us." Closing his eyes, Nishi hummed softly, feeling his chi become concentrated in his mind and his heart. The incense smoke began to swirl faster, and the flames lept up violently. "Nani!?" Nishi exclaimed, jumping up and staring at the fire. The flames had become an iridescent blue color that cast a strange light around the room, and in the middle of the pit there was a rising form. Stepping back, Nishi watched in awe as a man with long hair emerged from the flames. As the man stepped out of the pit - apparently unharmed by the fire - he turned to Nishi and smiled. "Greetings Sensei Nishi," the man said with a bow. "I am Oni, a spirit of battle. I am here to view your tournament."