A year had gone by since Muro Orokukawa had left his lord and his unconsummated love with his childhood friend Hirome.

Hirome had argued bitterly with her husband over Muro when Muro left, knowing that the latter would not leave unless blackmailed or even ambushed and buried secretly. The lord never told Hirome that he hired a sorcerer to kill Muro in the most expedient but undetectable way. The demon lord Naraku, shoving aside the demon which was summoned to do the task, decided to turn the wheel of Fate and do just the opposite of that expected, then threw the sorceror around the room so badly, the latter was nearly killed. Once the demon Naraku transformed Muro's body into one with unending regeneration (thus eternal life) one full year ago, Muro simply packed and left. There would be no point in staying. His contemporaries, including his master and mistress, would age but he would not. The situation would become inexplicable, insupportable, and immoral. Though children came of the marriage, the lord's treachery against Muro left a rift between Hirome and he which never resolved.

Always on good terms with the Shinto and Taoist priesthood, Muro stayed at monasteries of which there were many in these times in feudal Japan. It was in these monasteries where Muro learned advanced skills in numerous martial arts. Because he was not born of the samurai caste, Muro remained essentially only a labourer, but though only a butler by profession, he was blessed with a strong and athletic body and was open to teaching, eventually teaching students himself, so quickly was his progress, thus one reason for his nickname "Sensei" which means "teacher". Some priests who were more psychically sensitive than others perceived his altered physical state. Muro confessed his immortality only to those he learned to trust. Numerous priests saw great capacity in him and taught him various non-physical arts like mantra sorcery, of which ironically, Muro was destined to need only one mantra: a spell to carry and conceal a fantastic samurai sword he would win in a dice game. The priests who were privy to his immortality treated him with unusual respect verging on reverence, though a cynic would argue they were "hedging their bets" and like a demon or god, it is better to have an immortal as a friend than an enemy.

Now, a year later, in a forest, the demon Naraku met Muro when the latter was travelling to his next monastery, telling Muro of the sole way in which he could die: a two-note musical sequence, which Muro reacted to with wry skepticism.

Strangely, Muro was not afraid of Naraku, having learned secrets from the priests that no one but they knew. By no means was he defenceless. In fact, knowing Naraku’s power, Muro struck with the only weapon that would be effective in the long-run: the weapon of the mind.

Muro: "So, Honourable Yokai, we meet once more. I have pondered long and hard about you—with pity. I am not privy to where you come from. Perhaps you come from the Earth itself. But wherever you come from, there are obviously no consequences to your actions. You can rage all you want. But here. Ah, such a combination of brutality and elegance! Allow me to instruct you in the fact of karma. For every action, there is a reaction. And human beings are social creatures, bound to cooperate or die."

"Then you will die!!"

Muro continued, deadly serious, but always with an undertow of incredulity. "But how? I am already immortal. Obviously since I cannot die, I must cooperate. Or become a dead thing like you. Ah, you are offended? Do simple words offend you? Unfortunately, I know minds such as yours! It is not allies you seek, but hysterical submission! You haven't the intellectual breadth to question your own motives! One thing alone drives you: power, and crushing those who could prevent this."

"Insect!"

"An accurate analogy, Honourable Yokai," making Naraku's eyes wide. "For just as the right insect can kill a man, so I will be an insect to you, a psychological insect, which will sting your mind and cause unforeseen consequences, and with luck, your necessary demise."

"Zen fool!"

And the demon Naraku struck out at Muro with tentacles of his own body. But Muro merely hopped out of the way, anticipating them all.

"Indeed I am," said Muro. "And I have the humility to admit it. Something which will never occur for you."

"Impudent!"

"Blah. Blah. Blah. Yes. Yes. Yes. 'I cannot be wrong.' 'The world revolves around me.' And you presume to call me mad. Well, Yokai. Hear this, my prediction. Allow this poor fool to enlighten even you. 1) There is always someone stronger than you, but he will not necessarily want to kill you. He may want you to live. Like what you have done to me, he may want you to live eternally, so you will suffer eternally. Do not think there is only one kind of madness. There is the madness which paralyzes the will. We shall see after 10,000 years whose madness has incapacitated: mine or yours! 2) There is always someone smarter than you. 3) Someone weaker than you may kill you. His weapons will be two things: Love and..." At this, Sensei started to laugh. "Chance! Ah, ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!!!!!"

Still jumping in the air and striking at Muro with extensions of his own body, the demon, faster than mortal eyes, was still too slow, like slow motion. Muro--like a chess master ten moves ahead of his opponent and knowing the strategies of a demon--was too quick, like outwitting an infant.

As Muro walked off, still laughing, he said, "You think me weak, Yokai. Perhaps I am, but I am alive. Better than you. I leave you now, for I weary of talking to myself. In eternity, you are already a dead thing. Already dead, for by your own actions, you cast out all possibility of love. Remember me, then, Honourable Yokai, while you can. I am your mistake! Indeed, my laugh shall be the last thing you remember!"

In that, then, Muro was both prescient then gone. Naraku searched everywhere, using all his skill, but Muro was long gone, having used secrets of the priests to deflect all evidence of his presence.

---

When the demon Naraku was finally vanquished (though discretion prevents revealing how), the unrestrained laughter of Muro Orokukawa was his last thought, before his mind exploded in shards.



The Holy Insurgent of Uncertainty
c2010

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The year was 1953. Ralph Dibny was a twenty-six year old doctoral student in biochemical research. His assistant was twenty-five year old graduate student Richard Allen, younger brother of Ralph's best friend, police scientist Barry Allen.

Ralph came from a wealthy family. His father was from a long line of successful business owners. Richard came from a working class family. The only reason Richard had a chance to attend Central City University was his good grades through high school, enough for a local scholarship. His goal was to get into disease research: diabetes, perhaps even cancer research. Ralph was doing his dissertation on Indian herbal remedies, how they affected the immune system, a topic considered "esoteric" by the establishment professors. He had just come back from a vacation in India, presenting Richard in the lab with a bottle he brought back.

"What's this?" said Richard, turning the ancient looking clay bottle in his hands.

"It's juice from a rare tree which only flourishes high up in the Himalayas. Getting it was a story in itself."

Richard only arched an eyebrow.

"I was in a small village," Ralph continued. "When I was in the marketplace, I had my fortune told."

"Oh, Ralph," Richard said, rolling his eyes.

"The fortune-teller was really a sight, Rick. He was really old and he looked like this." And Ralph made a decrepit look with his face and Richard smiled.

"Anyway," Ralph continued, "he said I was destined to be a hero. But only if I went to a certain spot in a nearby mountain and drink the juice from the berries of a certain tree called the Gingo tree."

"Uh-hunh."

"So I followed his directions and went up the mountain. When I got really high up, another old man noticed me, like he was expecting me. He didn't say a word, but took me right to the tree I was looking for, then walked away. I put the berries in my pocket, returned to the market, and bought this neat-looking bottle. I squeezed the juice from the berries into the bottle, after cleaning it up of course."

"Weird. What are the berries supposed to do?"

"The old man only said, 'You'll find out. The juice will not hurt you, no matter how often you drink it.' One other thing he told me that intrigued me."

"Yes?"

"He said, 'Before religions were formed, we used this...to work miracles with the body.'"

"Miracles?"

"He would not explain. I'm thinking it may be a local cure for disease."

"What kind of disease?"

"Who knows?"

"Let's study it."

"My sentiments exactly."

And that's just what they did.

But the more Ralph and Richard studied with their microscopes, the less they knew. Hours later, Richard removed his chemist's smock and hung it in the closet.

"That's it for me, Ralph," said Richard. "I'm bushed. Why don't you pack it in?"

But Ralph was still busy with his experiments, fascinated by this new substance.

"This is a mystery, Rick. You know I love a mystery. I've never come across any substance like this. And I want to continue work on this for a while."

"Well, you're the one that has to clean up then. Good night."

And Richard left.

Ralph was baffled by the berry juice. It seemed to have no properties. No recognizable acids. Not food, since it had no beneficial but no harmful qualities either. It contained no parasites, no bacteria. When Ralph dropped a drop of the juice on a slide of bacteria, he studied the slide under the microscope to check for effects. Nothing at first, then...the wriggling bacteria lengthened, some to ten times their normal length, others less but bent into long curved shapes. Ralph was open-mouthed, astonished. He had never seen anything like it. Some bacteria returned to normal length only to stretch out again, and again. A drop of the juice onto a slide of a few drops of Ralph's blood produced similar results. Ralph was dumbfounded to see the blood cells lengthen to the edge of the round slide and curve around the edge of the slide. The blood even ran off the slide.

'Impossible!' thought Ralph. 'An extension of the cells themselves. Seemingly without end. Where does the matter come from?' It did not take a doctor to know that matter does not extend without end.

At home, Ralph could not sleep. He kept thinking about this new substance. He had never heard of the Gingo tree before, nor did he know of any substance that could do what it did to the bacteria and blood cells. When he did fall asleep, he had a dream. He dreamed of the old men in the marketplace and up in the mountain, only they were juxtaposed. Ralph knew then THAT IT WAS THE SAME MAN. And Ralph saw visions of his own body doing things that no body could do. AND THE OLD MAN WAS TEACHING HIM WHAT TO DO. The dream scene changed suddenly, and he saw a car crash, glass all over the highway, two dead bodies.

Ralph woke up in a cold sweat and knew what he had to do. But first, he went to the kitchen of his father's house to make coffee. He had the third floor as his own apartment.

Ralph did not go to the university the next day. He went to St. Mary's cathedral and sat in a pew. The priest asked if he could help.

"The world is acting very strange, Father," said Ralph softly. "I'm a scientist. I could be on the verge of a breakthrough which could change the world."

"For the better?" asked the priest.

"I don't know, Father. But I think whatever happens, I will be changed."

"Life takes courage. The more we need, the more we must ask from the source, from God," the priest said softly.

When Ralph looked at the greying priest, he saw only the old man he met in India. And Ralph only swallowed, then the vision was gone. The priest smiled, then walked away.

Richard continued with other experiments at the university since Ralph, his tutor and friend, did not come in to the lab.

Late that night, Ralph was watching a murder mystery movie on television when the phone rang.

"Hello," said Ralph.

"Yes, is this the Dibny residence?"

"Yes, I'm Ralph Dibny."

"Are you related to Lorne and Marion Dibny?"

"Yes, they're my parents. Who is this?"

"It's the police department. I'm sorry to say this, Mr. Dibny, but your parents were involved in a car accident tonight. Both...were killed on impact. A drunk driver. I'm very sorry. We'll have a car sent over to have you identify the bodies."

"Thank you, officer." And Ralph hung up the phone. His dream! They had gone to the theatre.

Barry and Richard Allen, Barry's wife Iris, Ralph's fiancee Sue Dearbon, his friends, and his parents' relatives attended the wake and funeral. Ralph understandably looked shattered. And he noticed that Richard was as emotionally affected as Sue, not stoic like Barry.

A few days later, when Lorne Dibny's bank called Ralph, it was to read Lorne's Last Will and Testament. Ralph, as the only son, inherited his parents' estate. Since his mother came from an old and wealthy Pennsylvania family as well, Ralph became an instant millionaire. But there was no joy in the fact. He realized, though, that he still had Barry, Richard, Iris, Sue, his college friends. He was not alone.

When Ralph returned to the university lab, he wanted to continue his Gingo juice experiments with Richard.

Richard was glad to see Ralph back at work again, serious and searching in his experiments, trying to find the secrets of nature, a detective at heart.

Ralph told Richard about the bacteria and blood experiments. Ralph repeated the experiments for Richard. Like his friend, Richard was amazed at the results. Ralph told Richard about his dream.

"I want to test the Gingo juice on myself," said Ralph.

"What? Now see here, Ralph, remember Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde. You don't know what this will do to you. So you had a vivid dream," said Richard.

"I'm aware of the risks. I'm a scientist, and I don't give much credence to dreams. But this was much more than 'a vivid dream'. I think it was a premonition, not just of my parents' death, but my destiny."

"I am not going to watch you potentially maim yourself physically or emotionally for life. This stuff could kill you, for God's sake. No, Ralph. Are you suicidal because of your parents' death? Tell me."

"No. No, I'm not. And I'll do it with or without you. As a scientist, I'm asking you to help me in this experiment, Rick."

Ralph was determined, so Richard only wearily nodded. He got paper and pen to record the results of this experiment.

Ralph got out the bottle of juice.

"Here goes," Ralph said, and he swallowed a few drops, then closed the bottle and set it down.

"Taste?" asked Richard.

"Sweet actually, not offensive."

"How do you feel? Be specific."

"No change, physically. Mental state is just the same. Absolutely nothing."

Then, Ralph's arms began to stretch down to the floor, then continued lengthening along the floor like snakes.

"My God!" yelled Richard. Almost dropping his clipboard and paper, Richard said, "What's happening to you?! How is this possible?"

"I don't know," said Ralph, calmly amazed. With a thought, he retracted his arms to their normal state. He felt his hands, fingers.

"Can you do it at will?" said Richard.

And Ralph stretched out not just both arms but fingers as well.

"Fantastic," said Ralph quietly, then retracted them back to normal.

"How do you feel when this happens?" said Richard.

"Slightly euphoric," said Ralph. "But maybe it's just the excitement of being able to do this."

"Mental state?"

"Normal."

Ralph drank a few more drops of the juice, then waited a few seconds. He was smiling. The time was past seven at night, so the professors and most students had gone home. Ralph closed all the window shades and locked the door.

Turning to Richard, he said, "I want to know everything that I can do now. Put down your clipboard. I want you to help me. Record your data afterward."

"Sure," said Richard, a little nervous hesitation in his voice.

Though it took only a second to lay down his clipboard, when Richard turned his head back to Ralph, he saw Ralph literally stretching out of his clothes, like animated rubber. In only a second, Ralph's shirt, smock, pants, and even his briefs had flopped to the floor.

"M...my God," said Richard.

Ralph, back to normal again, put his briefs back on, and kicked the other clothes to the side.

"Rick?" said Ralph. "I want you to pull my arm."

Richard approached and began pulling Ralph's arm. The arm stretched to the floor. Richard kept pulling. The arm never stopped stretching.

"I don't need to remind you that this contradicts all known laws of physics and biology," said Richard, still pulling.

"I know," said Ralph, smiling.

Richard kept pulling. The arm never stopped stretching, nor did it thin out. It was as thick as Ralph's normal arm, but unbelievably longer.

Richard stopped when he got tired.

"God," Richard said, breathing hard, "won't it ever stop?"

"Maybe not," said Ralph smiling. Then with only a thought, Ralph retracted his arm back to normal.

They found out many fascinating things very quickly. Ralph could fit his whole body snugly into a large lab beaker. He could stretch his entire body through a paper towel tube. He could flatten his entire body, including his head, thin as a piece of paper, from front to back, side to side (the latter making him look like a profile photograph), or from any angle. He could stretch his neck. He could tie himself into knots.

Then, Ralph smiled broadly, getting an idea. He literally began to melt, feet first, into a puddle on the floor.

Richard gasped, not expecting this.

In only seconds, Ralph was only a puddle of formless flesh on the floor.

Ralph did not reform back to normal.

"Oh my God, this is it," said Richard softly. "He's not coming back. Oh Ralph, why...."

Then Ralph reformed back to normal surprisingly fast.

"You weren't worried, were you, Rick?" said Ralph ironically.

"You're goddamn right I was!" said Richard, his whole body shaking. "I don't want to see you hurt...or...or dead!"

Ralph could see Richard's concern wasn't bluster. He really meant it.

Ralph took off his briefs and threw them with his other clothes at the side, then looked at Richard.

"Rick, I need to know everything that's possible for me now. Come here."

Richard approached.

"Pull my dick," said Ralph.

Richard hesitated, then smiled.

"Go ahead," said Ralph.

Richard pulled Ralph's penis very carefully. He stretched it to the floor and just kept pulling.

"Tell me when to stop," said Richard.

But Ralph just smiled and watched as the penis never stopped stretching.

Richard swallowed and started quivering a bit.

"I don't know how you'll feel about this, Ralph," he said, "but I should tell you that I'm finding this an incredible turn-on."

"Me too," said Ralph.

Richard stopped pulling and they looked at the limp penis on the floor, long as a garden hose.

Ralph retracted it carefully.

Richard hung his head, pained, trying to find the right words.

"I might as well confess, Ralph. If you think I'm a pansy, well..." and he looked right into Ralph's face, "...I am. I've always wanted to hold you, Ralph, touch you, ever since I first met you at the university gym. Getting the chance to work with you was just a bonus. I know you're straight, Ralph, but I felt you should know." And Richard adjusted his erect penis in his own pants.

Ralph only nodded but did not look offended. He only took a few steps back and, looking directly at Richard, began doing some incredible contortions with his body: putting his legs over his shoulders; now bending backwards until his back looked completely folded over; now bending his legs around at the hip joints as if he didn't have any joints, around and around like the handle of a hand-held coffee grinder; now bending his arms around the shoulder joints in the same manner; now bending his forearms at the elbows until his hands caught in front of the armpit at the triceps; now doing a slow dance for Richard like a male stripper, undulating his whole body like he had no bones at all. Richard remembered whenever they were all together with Sue or the Allens, Ralph loved being the center of attention. Still, Richard was breathing very hard.

"Ralph...stop doing that....You're...making me come," Richard said quietly between long-drawn breaths.

"Who, me?" said Ralph, still waving and undulating like a man made out of rubber.

Ralph finished his uncanny liquid dance and came close to Richard.

"Take off your clothes, Rick," said Ralph quietly. "The shades are drawn. The door is locked."

Richard was quivering and anguished.

"Y...you're engaged to Sue," stammered Richard.

"It's just an experiment, Richard," said Ralph. "If you get pleasure from it, I don't care."

Richard took off his clothes, never taking his eyes off Ralph.

Ralph stepped back again and bent down with no effort and began loudly sucking his own penis, his head jerking wildly as his whole penis, which itself started getting hard, went in and out of his mouth.

"Oh God, Ralph...."

Richard was naked in only a few seconds and he approached Ralph shyly.

Ralph and Richard had gone to the gymnasium since they began as undergraduates. Ralph had a naturally athletic build and with his training now had a body that any woman (or homosexual man) would die for.

Richard touched Ralph's perfect pecs.

"I've wanted to do this for a long time but...."

"Shhh..." said Ralph. "Do what you want. My treat."

And Richard fondled Ralph's pecs, then scrunched them and they yielded like soft rubber. Ralph smiled. Richard fondled more and became speechless with the pleasure of it. Ralph wasn't stupid and could see, but perhaps not understand, Richard's obvious delight.

Richard stretched Ralph's head from the scalp. It made Ralph's whole head long and tubular like a large snake. When it retracted, Ralph only chuckled.

Then Richard kissed Ralph's face with firm long kisses, sucking Ralph's cheeks right into his mouth. He sucked Ralph's tongue and then caught it lightly with his teeth and stretched it out nearly three feet long, then gathered it all up into his mouth and ecstatically sucked it. Ralph retracted his tongue slowly.

Richard wrapped Ralph's arms around him like a young woman trying on a fur coat that she simply had to have. Then he let Ralph retract his arms again.

Richard hugged Ralph until Ralph's body yielded and constricted like foam rubber.

Richard then sucked Ralph's penis hungrily, stretching it out with delight and sucking this incredibly long hose.

Then Richard got behind Ralph and grabbed the latter's body around the front, making Ralph wonder what he was going to do. He gasped in surprise as Richard eased his own erect penis into Ralph's ass and began pumping wildly. Ralph's whole ass yielded like soft rubber, bending in and stretching out with Richard's every stroke.

Richard thought this was the ultimate, and he came inside Ralph. Then he let go and flopped exhausted to the floor.

Ralph laid down beside Richard.

"You all right?" said Ralph quietly.

Richard could only nod yes.

"You've become a god," whispered Richard. "But then, since it's confession time, I always thought you were, Ralph. I worshipped you since day one."

"I know," said Ralph. "I saw how you looked at me in the gym and in the showers. I've always known."

Richard turned away. "I don't care what you do to me, Ralph. Turn me in to the Anti-American Activities Committee. All the pansies are blacklisted. I knew it would come to this some day. But I don't care. I'll say right to Senator Joe McCarthy's face, 'Yes, I did make love to a man. And I liked it. In fact, I LOVED it.' I'll always love you and lust for you, Ralph. Sorry, but that's the truth. I guess this is the end for us, huh?"

"No. What are you talking about, Rick? I'm not going to turn you in. In fact, I liked it too. It was...unexpected, and I can't say I'd do it often. But...maybe just for you. You're a good kid."

And Ralph wrapped his stretchable arms around and around Richard, and they kissed.

Needless to say, when Richard got his strength back, the experiment went on for the rest of the night.

The next day, Richard made up publishable notes on the Gingo experiments, excluding the lovemaking. But Ralph opposed the idea of publishing the data.

"I want the secret of the Gingo tree and its juice to be just between us for now, Rick," said Ralph. "The old Indian man said I would become a hero. This is how I will do it. If you'll keep my secret, I'll keep yours."

Richard nodded, knowing Ralph meant Richard's homosexuality.

Later that year, Ralph married Sue Dearbon with Barry Allen as Best Man, Richard Allen also standing up for the marriage, Iris Allen as Matron of Honour.

Ralph, now a millionaire, could do whatever he wanted. He gave up his doctoral courses and studied criminology. He got an undergraduate degree by the time he was thirty.

Ralph knew enough about biochemistry to be able to make synthetic Gingo juice, which he now called Gingold, in his own home. He fashioned a bodysuit, like rubber spandex, based on the molecular structure of Gingold, which neither Ralph nor probably any physicist or biochemist could understand. Ralph called himself The Elongated Man when he put on this suit. He joined the Justice League of America along with The Flash (who he found out to his surprise was none other than Barry Allen), Batman, Superman, and many others.

Ralph Dibny's night of experiments (including the sexual experiments) changed him. Of course he was affable if not silly before, but now he had a keen empathy for men like Richard Allen. He became even more gregarious sometimes to the point of eccentric. Richard expressed to Ralph his fear that the Gingold and its power may never harm him physically but could affect Ralph's mind, perhaps driving him insane. Ralph was not worried, and, taking a rather Zen approach to life, said that whatever happened, he chose that path willingly and would do it again given the choice, and that one should live each moment to the best of one's ability and not worry about the future. Ralph found out more on the McCarthy purges and blacklisting of suspected Communists and homosexuals, and he came to loathe such hysteria and the hysterics, propagandists, and homophobes that promoted it.

When Ralph changed his course of study, he saw less of Richard in the lab, but remained close, one might say intimate, friends. Sue was often jealous of how Ralph would literally wrap his arms or his neck like a friendly boa constrictor around Richard at restaurants or house parties, and, far from shrugging off these gestures, Richard shyly enjoyed them, sometimes to embarrassment. After that one special night, Richard had expressed to Ralph, though guiltily, how jealous he was of Sue to have Ralph as her husband. Ralph never forgot that.

By the time Richard got his doctorate, Ralph was already on missions with the Justice League of America or travelling America by car with Sue, often getting caught up in private criminal investigations of his own. His serious side balanced his usual silliness, and he was affectionately dubbed "the ductile detective".

Ralph knew Richard was alone a lot and hated the fact. When Richard, at a dinner conversation, mentioned cutting edge cancer research opening up in San Francisco, Ralph took to thinking.

A few days after that conversation, Ralph took Richard personally to San Francisco, helped him find a small house and gave him a cheque for $50,000. Of course Richard at first refused, but Ralph insisted.

Not long afterward, Richard was hired at a cancer research clinic and became a respected researcher in the field. San Francisco was also ideal for Richard for personal relationships. There were many bars for homosexual men. Richard met a twenty-four year old male American Olympic Team gymnast candidate from University of California at San Francisco who looked surprisingly like Ralph Dibny. Needless to say, Richard was delighted when the attraction was mutual and they moved in together. Of course, Richard's beau Jim was no Elongated Man, but Jim had a silly sense of humour like Ralph, a demand to be the center of attention (though in a gay man's way, "dahling"), and being a professional gymnast was extremely physically flexible, almost rubbery, which gave Richard endless hard-on's.

Unlike The Flash, whose identity was secret even to Richard (though The Flash was his own brother!), Ralph couldn't have cared less who knew about his extraordinary ability. Only the source of the ability, Gingold, remained a secret to everyone but Sue and the Justice League. So, Richard told Jim, relishing the fact, that he was probably the only man to make love to Ralph Dibny. Jim did his best, being a gymnast, to live up to Richard's ideal sexual parter, The Elongated Man.

The Holy Insurgent of Uncertainty

c2001