Ryoko Past Arc

After my little 'spillage' on Utahime's shirt, she went to change out of the tear and snot covered shirt before she came back. Now wearing a black short sleeve T-Shirt but still the same red-tie-long-skirt. At least that is what I am calling it.

The following 10 minutes were spent on idle chat, her not daring to ask what my little spluge was about and me not wanting to bring it up.

After another 20 minutes of small talk, I decided to tell Utahime what my splurge was about. It was my responsibility to tell her, not her responsibility to ask.

So, after our conversation died down, I began.

"You want to know why I cried?"

Utahime didn't respond, letting me take as much time as I needed to speak of my troubles. Some would say that a man shouldn't vent his feelings, much less to a woman.

But, I didn't care. Call me a 'Beta', a weakling, whatever it was that soothed your own inner turmoil.

"I.. I was thinking about the consequences of using my cursed technique. And that, made me think of my past. Which-"

"I know."

..what? She knew?

"What?"

"Jikan, don't you remember?" Utahime's face lit up in a smile. "You saved my life, Ryoko."

Grabbing my head, it violently started to pound. Utahime placed her hand across the right side of my face for some reason. Seemingly remembering what had happened when I supposedly saved her life.

"Ryoko, your powers aren't as simple as you may think. You've saved me with them. Something I will never forget nor be able to repay."

Not caring about her calling me by my first name, I began to think deeply on what caused me to be so afraid of my powers to begin with.

Also, if I saved her life, why was she a bitch to me when the sparring session happened?

A piercing pain shot through my head, and I began to remember. My curse technique sending me the information on what had happened. As my 'baby drop reemergence' had influenced it.

——————

POV Ryoko past ark, 9 years prior, Ryoko age 6

Actual POV Narrator

"Bwat I don't wanna go to school!"

Ryoko's parents looked at him, a small grin on their faces. They, too, had been like this when young. Clearly it ran in the bloodline.

"Just go 4 more days, then we will give you all Saturdays and Sundays off, deal?" Ryoko's father said, deceiving the innocent child in front of him.

Ryoko's eyes lit up. Although he didn't know what the word deal meant, he could tell that was a good deal. He was part Chinese, about 15%.

"Dweal!"

Ryoko then was shepherded off to his parent's car. It took a couple minutes of driving to arrive at Ryoko's elementary school. After arriving Ryoko's parents said goodbye and left. Leaving Ryoko in the crowd of children.

The day went by quickly as Ryoko played with his classmates. Particularly having a lot of fun with a pink haired boy his age. And what shocked Ryoko the most was that this pink haired boy was stronger than him.

He had never been beaten arm wrestling with children his own age. His parents even slightly struggled against him.

Eventually, Ryoko managed to somehow wander off. Clearly, the teachers were not the best. After sneaking off, Ryoko began to trudge around the school grounds. Eventually ending up at the connected high school.

Being oblivious to the fact he wasn't supposed to be there, he began to wander through the high school. Thinking it was his own school.

Not minding the odd glances he was getting from the older children, Ryoko found his way outside again. Eventually ending up at the back wall of the school. Still not finding anything of interest to him, he simply snuck out of the school grounds.

Well, not really snuck. He merely waddled off.

Although a few adults were slightly concerned seeing a child walking on the streets, but most of them really couldn't care. It was actually a pretty common site seeing a young child on a walk alone in Tokyo.

Walking into an abandoned alleyway, Ryoko found something odd. It was a black barrier, and it seemed to be blocking him from seeing what was happening within.

Touching it, Ryoko found he could phase right through it. After pushing his hand back and forth a couple of times, Ryoko decided to go in fully.

Casually strolling through the barrier, Ryoko found a chaotic scene happening on the inside. A young woman was engaged in a battle with a fire breathing curse.

Although Ryoko had seen curses before, he had never seen one quite so powerful and large. Standing unmovingly, Ryoko watched on with amazement at the spectacle in front of him.

The battle soon started to come to a close, with the young woman on the losing side. Ryoko, deciding that he would rather the curse lose instead, ran to join the fight.

The curse, not suspecting a thing, was touched by Ryoko. Although Ryoko had never used his ability even once, not even knowing it existed, he instinctively used it.

The curse, being newly born at the semi-first grade. Had existed for around two and a half hours. A sorcerer being sent to immediately exorcise it.

Feeling a hand on its back it breathed out slightly, burning the face of the young woman, before it could even turn around, it had disintegrated. Being returned to the world.

Another semi-first grade curse would be born to replace it soon enough, but currently that did not matter.

Seeing the young woman in front of him with a massive burn scar across their face, Ryoko walked up to her in concern.

"Missy? Are you ok?"

The young woman looked up from the ground in which she had taken refuge, a blackened burn across the entirety of her face. Looking as if she put a black mask on, except not ever her eyes were spared. She would be blind from now on.

The young woman started to cry in immense pain, her face was unrecognizable and unrecoverable. Her life forever in shambles. That was, without Ryoko's new found technique.

Although drained from dissolving the previous curse, Ryoko still felt he had enough energy to help this 'missy'.

Placing his hand on the right side of her face, Ryoko used his cursed technique lapse. Reversal.

The blackened face of the young woman receded at a visible pace, although slower than it would have been if the semi-first grade curse didn't infuse cursed energy into its attack, 95% of the burn was gone before Ryoko's curse energy depleted.

Leaving a burn mark right below her left eye.

Gasping for air, she looked at her savior. Expecting to see a handsome young man in a shiny suit of armor, she was disappointed when she saw the young child in front of her.

But after taking a second glance at Ryoko, she realized she knew who he was. Red hair and white eyes are quite distinct after all.

"Missy? Are you ok now?" Ryoko echoed his earlier question.

Somehow mustering up enough amusement to laugh, she smiled. "Hey, Ryoko."

Ryoko was visibly shaken by Utahime knowing his name. His mommy said to never give his name to strangers.

Somehow this was the silver lining for Ryoko, causing him to dash off in fear of 'Stranger Danger'.

Before Utahime could even react, he was gone. Laughing loudly to herself, Utahime got up from her position.

"I'll pay you back for that, Ryoko. First day of academy."

Not bothering to chase him, Utahime merely smiled and walked away.

———

POV Ryoko, present.

The piercing pain in my brain died down slightly. But this still didn't explain why I was afraid of using my cursed technique?

The piercing pain came back to me once again, another set of memories overlapping this 'reemergence's' memories.

————-

POV Ryoko's past arc, part 2, 9 years prior, Ryoko Age 6

Actual POV Narrator

"Bwat I don't wanna go to school!"

Ryoko's parents looked at him, a small grin on their faces. They, too, had been like this when young. Clearly it ran in the bloodline.

"Just go 4 more days, then we will give you all Saturdays and Sundays off, deal?" Ryoko's father said, deceiving the innocent child in front of him.

Ryoko's eyes lit up. Although he didn't know what the word deal meant, he could tell that was a good deal. He was part Chinese, about 15%.

"Dweal!"

Ryoko then was shepherded off to his parent's car. It took a couple minutes of driving to arrive at Ryoko's elementary school. After arriving Ryoko's parents said goodbye and left. Leaving Ryoko in the crowd of children.

The day went by quickly as Ryoko played with his classmates. Particularly having a lot of fun with a pink haired boy his age. And what shocked Ryoko the most was that this pink haired boy was stronger than him.

He had never been beaten arm wrestling with children his own age. His parents even slightly struggled against him.

Eventually, Ryoko managed to somehow wander off. Clearly, the teachers were not the best. After sneaking off, Ryoko began to trudge around the school grounds. Eventually ending up at the connected high school.

Being oblivious to the fact he wasn't supposed to be there, he began to wander through the high school. Thinking it was his own school.

Not minding the odd glances he was getting from the older children, Ryoko found his way outside again. Eventually ending up at the back wall of the school. Still not finding anything of interest to him, he simply snuck out of the school grounds.

Well, not really snuck. He merely waddled off.

Although a few adults were slightly concerned seeing a child walking on the streets, but most of them really couldn't care. It was actually a pretty common site seeing a young child on a walk alone in Tokyo.

Walking into an abandoned alleyway, Ryoko found that nothing was amiss at all and continued on his way. After walking some more, he found three gangsters in an alley. Threatening some poor lady.

"Hway! You twee misters! It's not vwery nice to do thwat!"

When Ryoko was young, he had trouble pronouncing a lot of things.

The three gangsters looked at Ryoko, laughing loudly, they acted intimidating, "And what are you going to do about it?"