Gah... I can't count how many times I've rewritten this...
okay. Part 2 (formerly known as Nerima by Night) is still there
part 1 is totally revamped, and the preuldes were tweaked up a bit.
anyways, I'm stuck, again, and I'm doing this to see if maybe any
C&C might jolt me out of my slump.
Yeah, I know there's probbably tons of grammar errors on it.
Bug me about it when I'm near the final version. Who knows, I
just might junk it again and start from scratch for the Nth time...
Ah, oh well, here it goes.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
I N T R O D U C T I O N S
(A summary of what had occurred in "The Pursuit Of Happiness")
(See ftp.upw.edu under archives/anime-fan-works/Miscellaneous)
(See also, fanfic mail server, tpoh@ranma.net)
============================================================================
Once Upon a Time In Nerima...
A chain of events was set off when Ranma Saotome had finally come to a
decision regarding his fiancees. With three little words, he won over
Akane's heart and shattered four others.
It didn't matter that a touch of passion spice was involved. It just
speeded up the inevitable.
Shampoo and Kodachi were driven to a violent fury.
And Ukyo, being not only a fiancee but Ranma's longtime friend, decided to
try and get on with her life, although she was as heartbroken as anyone
could be. Then she met Ryoga, who had also been heartbroken. Stricken with
grief that he had never felt before, Ryoga took up the life of the homeless,
sleeping in alleyways and dodging his memories with alcohol. Since she
was a friend of his as well, she wouldn't let him continue like this,
and took him in as a housemate.
Together, two broken hearts, they lived under the roof of Ucchan's
Restaraunt and tried to start their lives anew, as friends supporting
each other through rough times.
And then Ryoga's life took interesting turns. Ranma and Akane decided
that those two would make an interesting couple and gently tried to
nudge them together.
Gosunkugi gave up on Akane, was given many 12 step help books by his
parents, and bought a rather old book that hinted of magic.
And then Ryoga accidentally beat Shampoo. Since he was not currently
engaged to anybody, Cologne pushed for this engagement to work.
Neither side was pleased.
Tsubasa, finding that his costumes were being destroyed all the time,
decided to upgrade to mechs, and found that he had a natural talent
for it.
And then an old rival, Ryo Muhoshin, who Ryoga barely remembered, came to
Nerima, armed with an umbrella and a mission. There was much confusion
upon his arrival, since (by wild coincidence) he looked very much like
Gosunkugi, but with a much more destructive demeanor.
A giant pig was rampaging through Japan.
Kodachi had an unfortunate accident with a love potion, and became
fixated on _both_ Ranma and Ryoga.
Mousse finally caught Shampoo off guard and struck her down, meeting the
Amazon Laws of Marrige and finally earning the right to court her.
Having no reason to stay in Nerima, Cologne, Mousse, and Shampoo left
for China.
Ryoga and Ukyo grew closer and closer, but never gave any thought to the
possibilities. They were still scarred by their broken hearts.
Ryo and Ryoga had a disasterous battle, which ended in an immense
explosion from Ryoga's Full Shishi-Houkou-Dan and the apparent demise
of both fighters.
In truth, they were knocked senseless and carried downstream. They both
awoke with amnesia and wandered the earth seperately for a month.
A grief stricken Ukyo was befriended by Gosunkugi. They
became friends and he wondered if he had a chance with her.
Ryo tore a path through Asia, leaving a trail of destruction
in a few places, until he was recruited by the leader of the
infamous Shadoloo in exchange for restoring his memory.
Ryo walked away from the deal with a full memory, and also
accidentally linked with a mysterious and powerful energy known
as Psycho Power.
Ryoga wandered across the world, meeting people, including one Manami
Hinako who fell in love with him, but didn't know his name since even he
didn't remember it. He wandered back to China, feeling deep in his
soul that there was something he had to visit there. As a result,
he returned to Jusenkyo and shed his pig curse forever. Unfortunately,
as an accident of Chinese Bureucracy, many of the springs had been
destroyed, including all that contained curses linked to men. Ryoga was
now Ryoga-chan when wet. The shock of seeing Jusenkyo brought back
Ryoga's memories, and so he headed back to Japan.
Ryo Muhoshin's sister, Ryoko, came to Japan. She had fallen for Ryoga
many years ago, and was now set on making him hers. Two other
siblings, Megane and Kyoko, came along as well, just for fun.
Akari Unryuu came to Japan. According to her grandfather's last wishes,
she was only allowed to date those who were strong enough to defeat her
giant pig. And so she came to Nerima looking for a boyfriend.
Manami Hinako, who had previously been living in San Francisco, moved
back to Tokyo. She wondered if she'd ever see that strange boy that
wandered into her life...
Gosunkugi was confronted by mysterious figures about his destiny.
Apparently, he was told that he had the potential to become the
greatest magician in modern times. He finally started to get
a few spells right. This, of course, was a big ego boost.
Ryo returned to Japan, charged with power and ready to kill Ryoga.
Unfortunately, a bizzare accident drained him of some of his abilities
and gave them to Tatewaki Kuno.
And so one day, while walking along, Ryoga was ambushed by Kuno, Ryo,
Mecha-Tsubasa, Gosunkugi, Kodachi, and Akari's pig. Out of bad luck,
Happosai and Ranma was dragged into the fray.
And then there was the matter of the passing gasoline truck, and
the electrical lines nearby, and the gas main under the street,
and _many_ of Happosai's bombs...
And so, everyone had earned a lengthy stay in the hospital.
In the same hospital room. For weeks.
Ryo and Kuno, at the hands of Gosunkugi, seemed to loose
their powers.
It should be noted that Ukyo was glad to see Ryoga.
He was glad to see her too. Unfortunately, neither
had the nerve to take any steps forward in their
relationship....
===========================================================================
==========================================================================
"A man who has been through as much suffering as I have... CANNOT DIE!"
-Ryoga Hibiki
==========================================================================
(Several months ahead...)
Ryo crawled away, on his hands and knees, coughing up blood. He felt
the wound in his gut, amazed at how big it seemed. His vision was
beginninng to waver and the world was slowly getting cold. Ryo leaned
against a boulder and rested, trying to focus.
He looked around at the devastation in this "magic" land. To think
that Ryoga turned female... he snickered uncontrollably, spitting up more
blood. Ah, well, he sighed, just when you think you've seen it all, eh?
He looked away to where Ryoga's still body was, surrounded by Ranma,
Akane, Mousse, Shampoo, and Ukyo.
Ukyou in particular was sobbing harder than the rest. It was obvious,
really, to anyone that observed. She must have cared about him deeply.
Now Ryoga was gone.
And I, thought Ryo, will follow soon.
Ryo's vision was getting bad now, everything was a blur. He couldn't
move, not an inch. It was so cold. He would've liked to pull out that
irritating sword that was currently running through him, but was too weak
to even try.
He wished _she_ was by his side one last time, just one more time.
He wanted to say he was sorry, he wanted to make things right. This was
supposed to be his last con, the one that would set him for life, and now
he was dying out here in China while she was back in Tokyo and must have
thought he was a total bastard...
Dammit, it all backfired.
With his last bit of strength, Ryo smiled. All in all, it was a
grand battle, wasn't it? If you're gonna go, go with a smile...
============================================================================
THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS
Preludes: Looking Ahead, Looking Back
============================================================================
Warning:
In an infinite number of worlds, anything is possible.
***
Several Weeks ago...
Ukyo shut all the windows and locked all the doors, with a tired but
happy Ryoga sitting peacefully at a table drinking some hot tea. He was
glad to be back, after wandering around so long. How much time passed?
A month? Well, now he was back, and he was glad to be back.
He briefly wondered whatever happened to Ryo.
"Well, get some rest Ryoga. You look a little tired," said Ukyo.
Ryoga smiled, got up, and then realized something.
"Um, Ukyo, where's my room?" He grinned, somewhat embarrased, and
scratched the back of his head.
Ukyo sighed, but smiled. He was cute when he's embarrased, she thought.
"C'mon, stupid, it's this way." She took him by the hand, which set off
a deep crimson blush from Ryoga (which Ukyo somehow failed to notice),
and led him to the attic door.
"Well, here's your room."
"Ah... thanks."
Before Ryoga could reach for the doorknob, Ukyo wrapped him in a hug.
"Welcome back," she said quietly, then gave him a friendly kiss on the
cheek then went to her room.
Ryoga stood there, totally at a loss for words.
The nighttime sky over Nerima was peaceful and quiet. Akane and Ranma
looked out to the skyline, in each other's arms. It was a beautiful end
to a beutiful day. As the snow fell all around them, they turned to each
other and kissed.
They didn't notice the flares of purple light coming from the warehouse
district.
Ryo shook his head, trying to clear out the haze that seemed to be
clouding it.
It was dark.
It was windy.
It was cold.
Those were the first three things that entered his mind.
Something was wrong. How did he get there? What was going on? He
touched a hand to his head. He absentmindedly wondered when he put on
gloves.
As his fingers touched his face, they felt slick, wet, sticky...
He raised his hand up to the pale moonlight and could barely see what
it was, but the smell was unmistakable.
"Blood..." he mumbled in shock. "Blood?"
He looked at his other hand. It was also covered in blood.
What the hell happened?
He got up fast, looking around. He was at a warehouse. In front of it,
actually. He unsteadily took a few steps forward and peeked into the
warehouse.
Blood was everywhere. The floor, the walls, the windows. The stench
of it was everywhere. Then there were the bodies. For the most part,
they were stabbed and bludgeoned.
Who, he wondered, did this? Me? He looked down to his gloved and bloody
hands. Then something caught his attention.
It was an umbrella, western style, and it was drenched in blood.
He took a few steps back, stunned. "I... I don't remember..."
Then, as if on cue, a flood of memories, his own memories, and yet not his
own memories, came flooding into his head.
He did it.
Ryo Muhoshin was a killer. In his mind he could remember every little
detail. And why? Oh, of course, it was the favor that the Lord of the
Shadoloo asked of him. Naturally, he'd get compensated richly.
Ryo grinned. He knew he could do it now. He had what it took to kill
Ryoga. And he _would_.
Thousands of miles away, the Lord of the Shadoloo stood in his chamber.
He grinned. It was a job well done indeed, and nothing could tie him to
the crime. What a useful little puppet, that Muhoshin...
***
(Many Months Ago...)
Ukyo walked, actually wandered around the streets of Nerima in a daze.
{Ranchan, why? Why not me? I thought you loved me!}
It had been several days since Ranma made his announcement, officially
becoming an item with Akane and declaring all his other engagements void.
{Why....}
She cried, of course. She didn't like doing that. It made her feel
weak, and that was another thing that she didn't like.
{Damn you...}
She _begged_ him to change his mind, she yelled at him in anger for
betraying her like he had, and she walked away feeling foolish, betrayed,
and so very much alone.
So, when does the pain stop? she asked herself.
She decided to close down the shop for a couple of days. Her emotional
state was ruining her cooking technique. Staying in the house was all she
could bear to do, at first, but the depression caught up to her, and she
decided to wander.
Just wander.
No particular place in mind, really.
Maybe it would help her forget?
So, she thought, maybe this is the real reason Ryoga is lost so much?
She laughed bitterly at her own joke as she walked by shops, markets,
buisness offices, and just kept on moving. A tear formed in her eye.
Dammit, she thought, I am _not_ gonna go to pieces over a guy!
I'm not...
I'm...
"Hey, you, get a move on!"
"Go 'way."
Ukyo snapped out of her haze.
I know that voice, she thought. That's...
Nearby, in an alley, an officer was standing angrily over a ragged,
dirty, unkept, and apparently drunk Ryoga.
Oh man, she thought, he looks like a wreck! Ryoga, you dummy.
"Officer! I know this guy! I'll take care of it," she said, rushing
over to them.
The officer turned, examined her, and said, "you'd better get him outta
here, right now. We've been getting complaints."
"Sorry that he's a bother, sir. C'mon, Ryoga, let's go." She pulled
him to his feet, put his arm around her shoulder, and together they
staggered away.
Ryoga, not in much shape to do anything, didn't, as Ukyo helped him
stagger some blocks away. After some distance, his brain finally kicked
in and decided to find out what was going on. As far as he could tell,
he was in a commercial neighborhood, with Ukyo, helping him walk.
"Wha... Ukyo... whacha doin?"
"C'mon, stupid, let's get you cleaned up."
"Don'wanna."
"What then hell are you doing to yourself? You stupid jerk! You're
gonna get yourself in trouble."
"Shadup."
Ukyo stopped.
"_What_ did you say?"
"Go'way, dammit."
Ukyo angrily grabbed Ryoga by the collar. "LISTEN UP YOU IDIOT! IF YOU
KEEP THIS UP, I _WILL_ LEAVE YOU OUT HERE ON THE STREET TO ROT! IF IT
WEREN'T FOR THE FACT THAT WE'RE FRIENDS, I'D KICK YOUR ASS RIGHT NOW, GOT IT?
NOW STOP PUTTING UP THE ATTITUDE AND SNAP OUT OF IT!"
Ryoga blinked, then snarled. "Lis... listen up, y... you bitch..."
Ukyo's fist clenched. She started to do that blue glowing bit that
Akane does so well.
Ryoga, ignoring Ukyo's flaring battle aura, continued, "I DON'T NEED
YOUR HELP! I DON'T NEED ANYBODY! GOT THAT?! LEAVE ME ALONE!"
"You jackass!!!" Ukyo looked around for something to hit Ryoga with, and
picked up a nearby bucket full of water.
-clang- *SPLASH*
"Bwee!"
Ukyo blinked in surprise. "P-chan?" She picked up the squealing,
snarling piglet with the yellow bandanna. "YOU were P-chan?"
P-chan glared at her.
She started shaking, covering her mouth.
"HAAHAHAHHAHAHA! Oh, this is funny." She continued giggling, with
P-chan still held up by his bandanna. He squealed angrily and tried to
get loose.
"Say, I wonder what Akane'll think if she finds out, eh?"
"BWEEEEEEE! BWEBWEBWEBWE!"
"Calm down, I'm just joking!" She patted P-chan on the head. He
settled down, but still looked angry. "C'mon, piggie, let's get outta
here."
She couldn't wipe the smirk off her face. No wonder Ranchan kept
on calling Ryoga P-chan! Ha!
Then she remembered Ranma and her mood crashed back down. "C'mon,
pig-boy, stop squirming."
P-chan stopped struggling and settled into a piggish sort of grumpiness.
***
Several Months Ago...
EDNOTE: "cave of lost loves" oav scene pov
***
Several more months ago...
Ryoga was frustrated.
He was hanging from a rope, high above the ground. He was bruised,
battered, insulted, tired, hungry, and now a little cold.
And on top of all that, he still hadn't mastered the Bakusai ten-ketsu.
<Look with your mind, not with your eyes!> drilled Cologne.
That phrase echoed through his mind, over and over. With the mind? But
how? Ryoga slumped, still tied up in ropes high above the ground. He looked
absently at the boulder tied up in the air next to him.
"With the mind..."
Feeling tired, Ryoga began to doze a bit, his mind relaxing, fading into
a tranquil state. And then he saw it.
There was a point on the boulder. A single distinct point that came into
focus. Ryoga became mesmerized by that point... he pushed the bounder away
and watched, fascinated. More and more points appeared on the boulder. So
many options, really, but he saw the ONE point that cause the greatest
explosion...
"BAKUSAI-TENKETSU!!!!!!"
The rock exploded, shattering into debris and dust. Ryoga got pelted
hard by the debris but didn't feel a thing. He looked around in wonder.
There were breaking points _everywhere_. In the trees, in the ground,
in the rocks...
He held up his hand and looked carefully. There were breaking points
_in_his_hands_.
<Ranma> he thought, <tomorrow I will crush you!>
Ryoga started laughing maniacally.
***
(Four years ago, Unorthodox Weaponry dojo...)
Ryo breathed hard. The sparring today was especially tough. He'd
finally felt the full hit of Ryoga's new umbrella. Damn, that thing
was heavy. It felt like someone hit his side with a steel club. The
rest of him wasn't doing so great either, being bruised or very sore.
He limped sideways, wary of Ryoga's advance, and readied his umbrella
for one last-ditch attack that he'd learned recently.
Ryoga cautiously edged forward, umbrella at the ready. This was one
intense sparring session, and he was fully into it. Whenever he started
fighting it was hard for him to stop, and it seemed Ryo wanted to take
this as far as he could too. He waited for Ryo to make the first move.
Ryoko watched nervously from the side. She wanted to stop them, but
knew that both people didn't like a good sparring session interrupted.
If it kept up like it was, she thought, then somebody would end up dead.
She wished Kyoko or Megane was here, instead of on that training trip.
They didn't see Ryoga much, and Ryo always seemed to hold back when
Kyoko was watching.
Ryo lost patience. He shifted his grip on his umbrella to the 'bludgeon'
position and charged at Ryo. "DIIIIIIIEEEE!!!"
Ryoga shifted into a defensive stance, but was startled when he saw
Ryo's umbrella handle start to glow. He jumped back as Ryo charged
and began his swing. No way was he gonna try and block that...
Ryo yelled "GEKIHOU!" and brought the umbrella down hard. There was an
explosion, a burst of light, and then there was a small crater in the
middle of the floor.
"Ryo! Stop!" Ryoko yelled.
Ryo yelled again, and charged at Ryoga once more. Ryoga swiped at
Ryo's midsection, but Ryo slid under the attack, snared Ryoga's ankle
with the umbrella hook, and knocked him off his feet. Ryo got up to his
knees as fast as he could and thrust the sharp tip of his umbrella towards
Ryoga's throat.
He stopped.
The point pressed lightly against Ryoga's throat.
He felt Ryoga's umbrella, lightly touching next to his skull. Ryoga
could've smashed his brains out, and Ryo knew it.
You know, you could kill him, right now, a voice in his head whispered.
You know you wanna do it. Get the upstart outta the way and earn back the
title of Best in the Dojo. C'mon.
Ryoga looked nervously up to Ryo's eyes. He didn't like the way they
were twitching.
"Ryo! Hey!" Ryoko yelled.
Ryo slowly pulled his umbrella away from Ryoga's throat. "Good match," he
said calmly.
"Yeah, you actually managed to get a draw from Ryoga!" teased Ryoko.
Ryo twitched again. He signed inwardly, knowing that he passed up a great
opportunity.
"C'mon guys!" said Ryoko happily, pulling them both by the arm. "Let's
go hit the soda joints!"
Ryo seemed disoriented for a moment, then smiled. "Yes, a vanilla
milkshake would be nice, hm?"
"Um, yeah," said Ryoga nervously. He didn't like the look he saw in
Ryo's eye. Maybe he was taking their matches a little too seriously.
***
(Five years ago)
Two young people walked slowly down a street, both in boy's school
uniform, looking somewhat tired. One had short hair, and the other
had a long ponytail.
"Man, that teacher is tough," said Ryuunosuke.
"Yeah, I've got a ton of homework tonight," said Ukyo.
"Onsen Mark was a bit trigger-happy today too."
"No kidding! He threw so many erasers around I had to duck for cover!"
Both started laughing a bit.
"Hey, Ryuunosuke," said Ukyo, "I think that girl is looking at'cha."
Ryuunosuke looked around, and saw the girl that Ukyo was talking about.
"Hm. Not interested. Why don't you go for it?" she asked.
"Me?" said Ukyo, "Er, no."
"Why not? She's a girl, you're a guy."
Ukyo paused at that statement, but said nothing more. She frowned and
looked at her friend of several years. "Um, Ryuunosuke," she said, blushing.
"Hey, something bothering ya?"
Ukyo sighed inwardly. No, she decided, she couldn't tell him. He'd
probbably freak out, think she was a freak, and tell everyone. She wished
she could at least tell Ryuunosuke. Maybe he'd... no. Probbably not.
Damn that Saotome!
"Nah," she said, "just thinking about somebody I knew a long time ago."
***
(Six years ago)
He looked upon the infinite, with the universes and stars swirling
around him. He looked out and saw his "brothers" amongst the stars.
"You know," he thought, "we really ought to form a union or something."
***
Two very young children raced down the streets, dressed in school
uniforms. One seemed annoyed while the other was angry.
Ranma sighed. The guy seemed so pathetic, unable to find his own
house. Well, Ranma thought, he _was_ a neighbor and martial artists are
supposed to help people in need, so...
"Curse you, Saotome! Slow down!"
"C'mon, Ryoga! You're moving too slow!"
He'd been doing this for some time now, and Ryoga was always such a
jerk about things. If only the jerk wasn't so pathetic about directions.
"If you weren't so stupid about directions, we wouldn't havta do this!"
"Shut up!"
***
(Twelve years ago)
Outside, the rains that had plagued the city for the last several days
continued to pour.
Inside, A boy stood in a cushioned cell, wrapped by a straitjacket, but
as calm as a five year old shouldn't be.
He blinked, as his mind replayed recent events...
-
It was raining that day. Mom and Dad wanted to make it home before
the rains got so bad they were flooded out. They huddled around dad's
umbrella and ran for the car, and everyone was wet but still we had
to hurry home dad said.
They were driving really fast, mom and dad were.
And so was the other guy.
There was a bang. A really loud noise, louder than he'd ever heard
before.
Everything was moving around so fast! Mom and dad were screaming, so
was his sisters and brother.
And then everything went black, for a while.
He opened his eyes slowly. He hurt. All over. His vision was blurry.
"Mom? Dad? Wha'happen?"
The rain continued to beat down.
"Mom? Dad?"
He finally realized that something was all over his face. He wiped his
eyes, finally getting a clear vision, and his hand was now covered in
something slick and red. He squirmed out of the car, stumbled a bit,
and looked into the front seats.
He saw mom.
He saw dad.
And he knew they weren't going to be moving, ever.
"H-help... me...."
The boy turned around with a scowl. There's the other car. The one that
HIT US. It's HiS FaUlt! HIS!
"Oh God... I'm trapped... it hurts... help..."
He reached in, pulled out his parents' umbrella, and walked to the other
car, a scowl on his face.
"Kid... hey... you... get help... please..."
This man, he didn't look as bad as mom and dad did. He could still make
out the man's face.
"Hey... wha... you...doin..."
The boy remembered something as he stood above the one that took his
mom and dad away. This looks an awful lot like that umbrella his uncle
gave his dad.
He looked for a particular button.
-click-
A blade emerged from the point.
oH gOOd, It WAs.
-
He stood there, in the padded cell, feeling confused.
He should't be there. He'd just act like a good little boy until they
see, he doesn't belong there, not at all....
AccidenT? WhAt accidenT? nO, i doN'T reCALL any aCCident.
WhERE's mom and dad?
***
(Twelve years ago)
(Translated from Chinese...)
A very young Shampoo cautiously entered the hut where the visitor was
staying. She was curious. She'd heard that the old man was a seeker of
ancient lore and legend, and Shampoo always did like a good story.
"Well, hello there, little girl," he greeted. He was an elderly man,
dressed in typical chinese garb, with long white hair. His shoes showed
signs of long travel, and he seemed to be very tired.
"Um, hi."
"May I help you with something?"
"You're the one that has many stories?"
"Hm? Oh, if you mean I know alot about legends and such, well yes, I
guess I am."
"Oh." Shampoo wasn't exactly sure what to ask next. She was terribly
shy around grownups.
"You want to know why I'm here?" he asked, trying to be friendly.
"Yes, I guess."
"Ah, well, I'm on the trail of one last legend."
"A legend? Here?"
"Oh, yes. I'll tell you what I've found, in fact. Would you like that?"
"Yes! Please!"
"Right then," he said, smiling. He reached into a travel bag and pulled
out an old scroll."
"See this?" he said, showing it to her. "This is a rather unusual scroll.
Your great grandmother had a look at it."
She peered curiously at the scroll. "What's strange about it?"
"Now, just look at it from the corner."
She did.
"Tell me, without moving your eyes, is it a page full of words?"
"Yes."
"Any blank parts?"
"No."
"Now read it."
"But it's in a weird handwriting. I don't think I can."
"Trust me."
She began to read...
And noticed that certain parts dissapeared before she read them.
"Wow."
"Almost as if it doesn't want to be read, hm?"
Shampoo nodded. "How does it do that?"
"Magic, I suppose."
"Great-grandmother is good with magic."
"She is, but even she was not able to read all of the scroll. Do you see
this bit at the bottom?"
"Yes."
"It is a notice and a warning. That much can be read."
"What's it say?"
"Basically, it says 'I have cast these words into the infinite void, and
only those that are worthy of my legacy shall read them in full.'"
Shampoo looked a bit sad.
"Something upset you?"
"I wanted to know the story about that," she said, poking the scroll.
"Well, I'll tell you what I have been able to read, what has been told
from generation to generation from other towns, and where I found this
scroll."
Shampoo smiled.
"You see, a long time ago, there was a wizard. A good man, actually,
and he served a rich and powerful family. He had his own family to look
over, a lovely wife and several children. His life was pleasant, for the
most part."
Shampoo yawned.
"Hey now, don't fall asleep on me yet. The story has yet to begin!"
"No action." she flatly said.
"Wait for it, it'll be worth it. Anyways, a chain of events began that
would lead to great misfortune for all involved. A very tragic story
indeed. It all began..."
***
(Several hundred years ago...)
The wizard, disarmed and wounded, stumbled back. He knew this was the
end. He defiantly spat blood at those who would blindly follow the words
of the royalty and the rich and the warlords and all of their ilk. Fools!
Puppets! He coughed up blood.
"Foul sorcerer, know that this is your end."
He was so close. So very close. He watched sadly as the great column
of blue hued energy that was meant to bring him power was suddenly sent
off-course by his enemies, landing in a distant place.
I'm sorry, my love, he thought, I have failed to avenge you and ours.
This is my end. He didn't like the way that sounded. No, he decided, it
won't end like this.
He looked up defiantly, and with his last energy said, "I will have
revenge."
"Not if you're dead." A quick slice later, the wizard was beheaded.
The swordsman fell to his knees, exhausted from the long battle. Nearby,
his allies were also on the floor, recovering from the long battle. There
were many henchmen and bizzare creatures that they had overcome, and the
battle against the wizard wasn't easy either.
The group gave a moment of silence, in honor of all that had died before
the rampage of the madman, which included royalty, soldiers, citizens,
and loved ones. Nobody knew why this once honored mage turned so very
psychotic. It was, they guessed, a sad case of madness overwhelming an
old mind.
All of the four had a beloved to avenge, and now they hoped their
spirits could rest easy.
"Build a fire," said the swordsman, "the body must be burned to ashes."
Nearby, the wizard frowned. He didn't like being dead. There wasn't
much one could do in an ethereal state aside from move a few dust particals.
Magic seemed to be not quite working either. He'd been stomping on the
foot of the swordsman for some time, but apparently it wasn't working.
"Arrogant, self-righteous bastards!" he angrily yelled.
"Pompus sons of bitches!"
"Moronic simpletons!"
He noticed that they were starting to burn his body.
"Damn you all!"
Then he noticed that he wasn't alone.
He nervously peered behind him.
"You are the self-proclaimed wizard-king, right?" a feminine voice asked.
He blinked. "Yes. You wouldn't happen to be..."
"Yes, I am."
He frowned in confusion. He thought death would be some large scary
figure in ebony with the body of a demon, not a girl. It wasn't that the
girl wasn't dressed to the theme (she was _very_ pale, and wore all-black),
but that death was... well...
"You're female," he bluntly said.
"Yeah. Surprised, right?"
"I guess I am. One tends to put grand expectations on his demise and
the events afterwards."
"So, you're saying I'm not right for the job?" She lowered an eyebrow.
"No, no. You're just surprising, that's all. So what happens now?"
"Whenever you're ready, we go."
The wizzard paused, looking out at the scene of the four bastards that
interfered.
"You know," he said to her as he watched his body consumed by the fires,
"I was so very close to absolute power."
Death shrugged.
The wizard grinned. "Hm, I would've kept you busy had it all worked out."
"Such is life," answered Death.
The wizard's features sombered, and he looked deep in thought.
"I wish to do one last thing." he said.
"Hurry, you haven't much time."
He grinned and stepped to the middle of the group that had dared defy him.
"To you that dared defy my will, I vow to have my revenge upon you and your
families. I curse thee..."
Lo Shun shivered.
"Hey, Shun, you okay?"
"Yes," she said, "I just felt a chill." She looked out across the many
springs that covered the landscape, and thought she heard an evil laughter
echoing in the wind.
Meanwhile, somewhere far away from China...
Akemi watched the skies, always fascinated with the clouds, the sky,
and the stars. Today it was very cloudy.
"Hey, Akemi, quit daydreaming," said her mother.
"Sorry Mom!"
Then she noticed it. A column of blue colored light, spinning madly
like a tornado, striking out from the clouds.
"Mom! Quick!" she yelled.
"What's bothering you... oh my, what is that?"
They were not the only ones to notice. The whole market crowd pointed
up in the sky at the energy form. As it came closer, everyone ran for
cover.
Akemi's mother took her hand and pulled hard. "Come on!"
As they ran away quickly, Akemi looked back. She noticed one person
in particular, who looked hypnotized by the energy. He wasn't running.
The tornado of energy suddenly struck down hard, becoming a beam of light,
and the man was engulfed in otherworldly energies...
There was a scream.
For a moment, there was silence.
Then the beam stopped. What it left behind was the smoking remains
of the foolish man.
He groaned.
"Mom, he's still alive!"
"He... help..." the man croaked.
"Help... me..."
-end preludes-
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
============================================================================
THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS
Preludes part 2
============================================================================
TWO WEEKS TO GO
It was two weeks. Two weeks before Ranma could be released from
the hospital. It was two weeks before Ryoga or Kuno would be released
as well. Ryoga he could put up with, but Kuno... it wasn't enjoyable
company.
"She's coming! She's almost at the front door!" yelled Tsubasa.
Gosunkugi cringed. He started burrowing under his covers.
Ryo sighed and resumed reading his newspaper. He missed his "Psycho
Power" at times like this. No more teleporting around.
"Ranma, it'd better not end up like last time, got it?" said Ryoga,
bearing his fangs.
"Saotome, you louse, you had best watch your tongue and mind thy manners
before the beautious Akane Tendo, else we may be forced to smite thee!"
warned Kuno.
Ranma looked around nervously. He was surrounded, outgunned, still not
100%, and SHE was coming again.
"Guys, c'mon, it wasn't my fault!" he protested.
He recieved sarcastic glares in reply.
"Look," said Tsubasa, "can't you two just GET ALONG? Or at least try to
avoid getting her so pissed off that she BRINGS OUT THE MALLET!" He had a
reason to be upset. The last time she brought out the mallet, he was an
accidental victim. In fact, there were mallet dents all over the room.
"Ranma, stop acting stupid," said Ryoga.
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"
Kuno took over. "Saotome, you oft use many variations on the words
'uncute', 'tomboy', and 'clumsy'. Thy grievous insults may not be of
those exact words all the time, but they are always synonyms of it."
"Wha..." He couldn't believe he was having this conversation.
"And it saddens this noble heart to criticize her ways, but the fair
Akane Tendo unfortunately has the same inability to be innovative. Tis
always a synonym for 'jerk', 'pervert', or 'idiot'. I do not disagree
with her, and yet after weeks of being subjected to the atrocious sound
of thy constant bickerings, I must request a change."
Ryoga blinked. He never realized this. "Hey, you're right. I never
realized that, but now that I think about it, Akane does..."
"Hey, shut up you jerks!"
*knock*knock*knock*
Everyone gasped.
"Hey guys!" said Akane and Ukyo.
"Oh, hi!" said Ranma. He felt the eyes of everyone in the room on him.
"Ukyo, Akane, good to see you," said Ryoga.
"Ah, the incomparable Akane T-"
*WHAP* "Cut it out, Kuno." Akane put away her mallet.
"You guys'll never guess what we made," said Ukyo. At the mention of
this, Akane seemed to brighten up again.
"Er, a quilt?" asked Ranma.
"A scarf?" guessed Ryoga.
"Lunch!" said Akane happily, unveiling her creation to Ranma.
Everyone else except Ukyo cringed. The last lunch Akane brought had to
be beaten down with a broomstick and a bedpan. It mauled Gosunkugi badly
and scared the daylights out of nearly everyone. Kuno felt that his
sister had a hand in the creation of the meal, since surely Akane could not
create such a monstrosity...
Akane's newest attempt didn't look half-bad. In fact...
"Oh God, we're gonna die!"
Everyone fell silent. They glared at Ranma. They heard it, they
definitely heard it. The idiot insulted Akane.
Ranma looked around desperately. "Um, Akane... wait..."
Too late. She was already radiating battle aura.
"Ranma, you..."
"It wasn't me! I swear! Guys?"
Behind his newspaper, Ryo smirked. Next to his bedstand was the book
"Voice Illusions Done Easy."
Meanwhile, Ranma was scrambling as Akane pulled out her hyperdimensional
mallet. Everyone else in the room scrambled to get out of their way.
*WHAM*
"Look out!"
*WHAM*
"Get outta my way!"
*WHAM*
"Hey! Quit it!"
*WHAM*
"Smite him, my love!"
*WHAM*
***
Later...
"Hey Ryoga," said Ranma. He was still wobbly from the mallet job that
Akane had applied to him. Mercifully, she was gone.
"Yeah?"
"Hey, um, listen man, I've known you since Junior High, and well, we've
been through alot together, y'know?"
"Yeah, I think." Ryoga remembered that time when Herb and his gang
came through town. Him, Ranma, and Mousse ended up fighting for their
lives and watched each others backs. It was a weird, violent sorta
male bonding thing.
"Well, I just wanna say... I love you, man!" Ranma started sobbing.
Ryoga was silent for a moment.
"Ranma..."
"You're not getting my Okonomiyaki."
"C'mon, man! Have some mercy!"
"Hey, Akane worked hard to make that... stuff for you. Make her happy!"
"Gah. Hey Kuno, wanna trade?"
"Saotome, it appears that my sister had already worked her toxins on
Akane's lunch. I suggest you strike it down with thy fork before it escapes
from the container, like last time..."
Gosunkugi shuddered. He remembered how Akane's lunches were...
***
There was a place, that wasn't exactly anywhere in particular, but was
nevertheless a rather nice place to visit.
There was a field of grass, stretching everywhere, moving gently with
a mild breeze.
There was a large tree, that provided lots of shade.
There was a river by the tree that was crystal clear.
There was a surprising lack of life other than the grass and tree.
And then there was the large group lounging around under the tree.
They were all of roughly the same height, with little differences.
"We did a great job on this place."
"Yup, it was worth the effort."
"Say, how's that Gosunkugi doing?"
"The fella with the thing for paper dolls?"
"Yeah. You remember. We did the whole TALK LIKE THIS and wear mysterious
robes hiding our faces routine on him."
"Oh, THAT one. He's coming along slowly. Oughta be a serious power in
maybe ten years."
"Ten years?"
"He's one of the meekest I've ever seen. Meeker than number 15 over
there."
"I was not meek!"
"Whatever. But I think there's a problem."
"Oh? He's not going rogue on us, is he?"
"No. But I think there _is_ a rogue in the area."
"What? Why haven't we sensed him?"
"I think it's _that_ rogue."
"You don't mean..."
"Yup."
"Okay, that could be bad. We oughta send out some guys to do some
recon, right?"
"Right."
***
The Lord of the Shadoloo* sat in his command chair, dissapointed.
He'd given Ryo Muhoshin the Power, in hopes that he'd cause major
destruction and chaos in Japan.
That didn't happen.
Instead, he seemed to have gotten himself killed.
He was useful, as a puppet. When he gave Ryo the Power, he was also
making Ryo a puppet, to be controlled at any time. With that little
ability, he used the boy to kill one of his rivals, and then implanted
the memory of it being a job he was paid to do so as to not arouse
suspicion. He even sent Ryo a modest check.
But recently he sensed his link to Ryo disconnected. That could only
mean one thing. Ryo was dead. After all, he didn't know about the link
and definitely wouldn't know how to disconnect it. Once someone becomes
fused with the Power, it _never_ leaves them. Even magic wouldn't be enough.
He sighed, feeling dissapointment, and resumed with his schedule.
"Sagat," he said over a telephone, "you're scheduled to take on
Zangief tomorrow. Don't forget."
||But when do I get to fight Ryu!||
"Have patience."
-----------------
* There was much confusion about his name. Some thought it was Bison,
others thought it was Vega. More people insisted that Vega was the
assasin from Spain that he hired, and others insisted that Balrog
was the name of the Spaniard. It was a bit confusing, and also
hazzardous. The last guy to ask the boss about the name thing was
blasted into ashes. From that point on, the staff just used various
synonyms of the word "Boss."
***
The bar had a light crowd today. It was a nice little bar, cozy in
a way, because of the soft lighting and comfy furniture. At the front was
the band, which played pop, jazz, classical, or even alternative. In
fact, they had just hired a new musician, Megane Muhoshin, rumored to
be really mean with a saxaphone...
From behind a bar, a lady of middle age, with short brown hair, clad
in a feminine kind of tuxedo outfit surveyed the people and cleaned off
some glasses with a towel. This was King.
King looked at her establishment and smiled. Business was doing great
and all her years of saving up money while working for the likes of
Geese Howard and Mr. Big were finally paying off. She cleanly cut her ties
to that past, and had a fresh start here in Japan.
It wasn't so bad being a bartender. In fact, it felt pretty good.
She got to meet people.
For instance, there seems to be someone kinda sad right now, idly stirring
a soda.
"Hey, kid, you okay?" asked King.
"Hm? Oh, I don't wanna bother you with it," she said, and looked down
into her drink.
"I won't mind. Maybe I could help? The name's King."
"Manami."
"Nice to meet ya." King smiled warmly.
She sighed. "Well, there's this guy..."
King smiled quietly. Wasn't there always a guy in stories like this?
*
one week to go
One week, thought Ryoga, and I'm free of this place.
At least Ryo was gone. He'd recovered somewhat faster than the doctors
had anticipated. Gosunkugi and Tsubasa had managed to recover as well.
Now it was just Ranma, himself, and Kuno.
"Hey," asked Ranma, "seriously, what's going on with you and Ucchan?"
"Huh? Nothing." Ryoga's expression saddened a bit, but otherwise didn't
change much.
"And what of my pig-tailed goddess, knaves?" asked Kuno.
Ranma and Ryoga sighed. "SHUT UP!" they yelled.
This didn't do anything to ease Kuno's suspicions. If anything, they
made them worse.
"I wonder what Ucchan is up to," quietly said Ryoga.
Ranma's ears perked up at that. "Hm? What's that you said, Ryoga?"
"Er, nothing! I was wondering what Ukyo was doing!"
"Right."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"You're not interested in anybody?"
"No!"
"So you're not really dating that Ryoko girl."
"Well, no..."
"Whenever she comes in here, you start acting kinda like how I was
around Shampoo."
"That obvious?"
"Definitely."
"And she doesn't notice..."
"She doesn't look as dense as Shampoo, but who knows..."
***
In some cafe, Ryo sat quietly, nursing a soda. He ignored the people
around him.
He had more pressing matters to attend to, like the letter he and his
siblings had recieved recently. It didn't look good.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
TO: All UWSMA Members/Staff/Faculty/Students
RE: UWSMA Status
Due to internal problems in the management and records division, the
UWSMA is currently no longer in existence. We apologize for the
inconveniences.
All previous orders and projects are hereby recalled and cancelled.
-UWSMA Home Office
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Damn bureaucrats," Ryo muttered. Ever since the masters hired that
bunch of bureocratic pansies to manage the school, everything started going
to hell. It was already looking annoying when he left, and now _this_.
"You got that right," muttered a young man in a brown suit.
"Damn bureocrats indeed," agreed another young man in a green suit.
Ryo looked at the one in the brown suit, mildly upset.
"Sho, Eiji, you're ruining the atmosphere."
"Hey, if you can carry your umbrella around, I can carry my bench around."
Sho was a fairly normal looking young man, rather sharply dressed today,
and was sitting on a small foot-long wooden bench. That wouldn't be a problem
normally, except that they were in a fancy cafe and Sho's simple wooden bench
was severely clashing with the Euro-style black seats.
Eiji's problem was a bit more prominent. He had a shovel strapped to
his back. "C'mon, what am I gonna do, leave my weapon at the door?"
"Fine, fine," conceded Ryo. He paused to stir his drink and take a sip.
"You're in town for a couple of days?"
"Yeah, got a job interview with some rich families," said Eiji.
"Same here," said Sho. "With that rash of kidappings, there's demand
for security, and that's what we were trained for, right?" The others
nodded solemnly, knowing all about the frequent kidnappings of the children
of rich families that had been striking Japan that year.
"So what're you up to, Ryo?" asked Sho.
Ryo frowned. "I have no idea."
"Why don'cha apply for some security detail, eh?" nudged Eiji.
Ryo thought on this a moment. He idly stirred his coffee, a slight
frown crossing his face. "Hmm... it isn't me."
"It isn't?" asked Sho.
"Well, you've always been the offensive type," said Sho.
Ryo glared at him.
"I, er, I mean you were always more of attack kinda guy, y'know?"
Ryo turned off the glare and added a mountain of sugar to his coffee.
"Maybe you oughta get a job as an assasin or something..."
Ryo raised an eyebrow to that suggestion. "I... I'll just sit back for
now, I suppose. Still have some savings left. I've got time to think."
"Hey," said Sho, "is your sister still single?"
Ryo hesitated. How to answer this... he didn't think this obsession
with Ryoga would work, and Ryoga never really _said_ anything about them
dating..
"Yes, she's still single, but she'll maul you if you even try."
"Still like that, huh?" said Eiji.
Ryo shrugged and downed his coffee in one gulp.
"That's disgusting," said Sho.
*
Ryoko sat, rather agitated, at King's cafe.
"Yo, King-san, another shake-a-chino*"
-----------------
* Coffee, milk, and ice-cream. This proves that nowadays people will
add coffee to anything.
-----------------
"Hey, Ryoko, you're gonna end up a nervous wreck if you keep on drinking
like that."
"I've got a lot on my mind." She was thinking of a certain person
in the hospital, and how he seemed to be _very_ uncomfortable around
her. "Ryoga, you dummy, what's the matter with you?" she said quietly.
"Ryoga again?" asked King.
Ryoko sighed. "Yeah. I... I dunno. Maybe I am kidding myself. He
just doesn't seem comfortable around me."
"Hm. Tell me, kid, what were ya to him before?"
"Well, a good friend, I guess."
"Y'know, I heard he was really in love with this girl recently. That
would definitely explain why he doesn't wanna start anything."
"Oh... no wonder he's a bit shy." Ryoko thoughtfully stirred the contents
of her glass and thumbed through the newspaper. She realized that she was
acting alot like her brother at the moment and put the newspaper, looking
for some women's magazine instead.
"King?"
"Hm?"
"Where'd you hear all this?"
"Hear what?"
"About that bit with Ryoga."
"His friend Ukyo. She comes in here sometimes. Nice girl."
"I met her once, briefly. Makes a mean okonomiyaki."
"Best in town, I believe."
Ryoko frowned for a moment. "Hey, she and Ryoga, they aren't..."
"Nah. I don't think they are, anyways."
Ryoko couldn't help but ask the next question. She loved gossiping.
"So, who's Ukyo after?"
"Nobody. She's in the same shape Ryoga is."
"Huh?"
"She was in love with someone. He was in love with someone else."
"Ooooh. Who?"
"Guy named Saotome. Supposed to be a good martial artist too."
"Oh, I think he's one of those guys that was in the hospital with us."
King paused. "Hospital?"
"Ah, big fight, long story, I stayed in the hospital for a week."
"Anyways, he ended up choosing some other girl, kinda broke Ukyo's heart."
"What a shame. He sounds like an ass."
Ryoko took a long sip of Shakeachino, then asked, "So, who's the girl
Ryoga used to like?"
"Oh, that... that's where things are ironic."
"Oh? How so?"
"She's the girl that Saotome's dating."
"Wait... so then the guy she was in love with... and the girl he was in
love with..."
"Yup. Ain't life weird?"
"Wow."
Ryoko took another sip from her drink and relaxed a bit.
"Hey," said King, "lemme ask ya something."
"Hm?"
"Are you _really_ in love with this Ryoga guy, or just in love with the
_idea_ of being in love?"
"Um, what do you mean?"
"Well, I mean, you talk about what the two of you would do together
if he wasn't in the hospital alot. Then there's this wedding talk you gush
alot. You ever consider how he felt?"
Ryoko stared into her drink.
"You ever asked?"
"No," she said quietly.
"Hm. Incoming." said King, looking at the front door.
"Incoming?"
The door opened, and a long-haired girl walked in slowly.
"Hey! Akari! Howyadoin?" said King happily.
"Alright, I guess."
"C'mon over, have a seat. We're just having a little girl talk here."
Ryoko quickly examined this new arrival (it was a habit she picked up
from her paranoid older brother) and deemed her a non-threat.
"Ryoko, this is Akari. Akari, Ryoko."
"Um, hi," said Akari.
"Hi." Ryoko was relieved that their conversation had halted. She
was feeling very uncomfortable with the questions King was asking.
"So," said King, "You find your boyfriend yet?"
"Nope. And nobody's been able to beat Katsu-chan yet either."
Still in the mood to gossip, Ryoko couldn't help but ask, "Pardon my
asking, but what's this about?" said Ryoko.
King smiled. "I'll let Akari explain."
"Well, um, it was my granddad's wish that, well, only a boy that beats
Katsu-chan can date me."
"Oh? Who's this Katsu-chan? Your dad? Brother? Family friend?"
"My pet sumo-pig."
Ryoko blinked. "No."
"Yup."
"Hm. Weird. Hey King, got any more pretzels?"
"Ryoko," asked King, "I'm just curious. How're you paying for your
stuff?"
Ryoko smiled. She held up a wallet and several rolls of money.
"Let me guess," said King, "You swiped your brother's wallet again."
"And?" Ryoko asked.
"And you've been hitting the local gambling dens again, haven't you."
"Yup!"
"Kid, I told ya it's dangerous in those places."
"I can take care of myself."
"I hope you know some martial arts."
Ryoko smiled.
"If you wanna get some money hazzard-free, I could use some help
around here."
This was a tempting offer to Ryoko, more than she'd want anyone to know.
A chance at a normal life...
"I'll... think about it, okay?"
"Alright, but why do you keep on doing that anyways?"
"Doing what?"
"Stealing."
"Oh... well... I guess I picked it up from my brother, kinda."
King looked over to the band stage and eyed Megane suspiciously. "Megane?
He's a thief?"
"No! Ryo, my other brother."
"Haven't met him yet."
"He used to be a bit... shady. Kinda did alot of things trying to find out
what he wanted to do in life. Tried thievery for a while. I used to hang
around with him alot, guess I picked up a few habits."
"And what about Megane over there?" asked King.
"Him? Hm... can't say much. He plays music, womanizes a little, and
doesn't care about much else."
"Not talkative, is he..."
"Nope."
***
Ryo sat in the apartment room, looking through all the belongings that
his family ever had, from generation to generation. Mostly, it was photos
and journals. He did this sometimes whenever he felt moody.
He was mulling over the bakusai ten-ketsu attack. It worked on trees.
Trees were organic. He decided to go find a turtle later on and try
something.
He noticed an old box, locked.
"Kyoko," he said, "you ever notice this before?"
"Nope."
"Hm."
Ryo picked the lock.
"Looks old, kid. Something from our grandparents, maybe."
"How was granddad anyways?" asked Kyoko.
"Dunno. He died before we were born." Ryo fumbled with the lock a bit,
and finally just yanked the box open. "Ah, here we go, hm?"
The small wooden box opened to reveal a black cloth glove, with no
fingers. It was in surprisingly good condition.
"That's strange," said Ryo.
"Hey, look, there's a paper in there!" said Kyoko.
Ryo unfolded it. He wasn't sure what to make of the contents, though.
It was a very old drawing, depicting a person in old Japan (possibly an
ancestor) wearing the glove. His had was surrounded by an aura.
"What's so special about that?" asked Kyoko. "You do that all the time
with your umbrella, and that's better, I think."
Ryo's gears were spinning. He remembered his fight with Ryoga on the
bridge. Without his umbrella, and badly injured, he was forced to focus
his ki through his fist in a punch. The problem was that there was
something wrong with Ryo, something that no martial artist ever did figure
out. He couldn't project ki alone safely. It had to be channeled through
other items, like, say, an umbrella.
He realized that maybe his problem was genetic... and if so, maybe his
ancestors found ways around it...
"External objects," he muttered to himself. "Hm..."
He put the glove on, and concentrated...
***
Back to Normal, well, not exactly.
Gosunkugi wandered around the Nerima streets, on his way to the bookstore
again. He'd been having some serious thoughts about his life direction since
the big explosion that landed everyone in the hospital.
He still wasn't fully recovered, as he was using a crutch to get around
and his left foot was still in a cast. Ever since the disaster, he'd
been thinking that maybe this whole love thing was crazy. Maybe he'd best
wait a couple of years first, and preferably move to another city where
martial artists aren't so numerous.
Yup, he thought, no more girls for me.
Not for a little while, anyways.
So there he was, on a somewhat cold late January day, on crutches, and
by Murphy's law someone should be along soon to bump him off his feet and
shove him in front of an oncoming bus.
Someone bumped into him from behind.
He wobbled, and stumbled towards the street.
A bus zoomed and skidded to a halt.
*WHAM*
Fortunately, the bus was a bit early, so Gosunkugi had only banged his
forehead against the side. If he knew how close to dying he really was,
he would have been in a better mood knowing he survived it. Instead, he
wobbled away from the bus and flopped to the ground like a fish out of
water.
"Ow."
His vision was blurred. The world was a bunch of greyish blobs.
"Oh my. Are you alright?"
Hm, thought Gosunkugi, that voice was definitely feminine.
"Oh, you've got a nasty bump on the head. C'mon, let's get you to a
doctor." Two soft hands gently helped him to his feet.
"Wah... a.. awaza..."
"Shh. C'mon, let's go. By the way..."
"Awha?"
"Where is the doctor? I'm kinda new in town."
Let's see, Gosunkugi thought, Doc Tofu oughta be, hm, west of here.
"Wugh," he said, and nudged his head to the west.
"That way? Right."
*
"Hey, where's Manami?" asked Akari.
"She sure is late," said Ukyo.
"I'm sure she's fine." Ryoko assured them. "Anyways, put yer bets up."
The three girls sat around a round table at King's cafe for their usual
poker matches. Ryoko grinned evily. They were all sure she was cheating
somehow, but nobody could catch her.
"I'm in for a hundred."
"Same here."
"I'll see that, and raise it by two hund... hey, what's that?" said Ryoko,
pointing behind them.
The girls frowned.
"That's the oldest trick in the book," said Akari.
"No! Really! There's Manami! Hey! Manami, over here!" Ryoko looked
and waved towards the doorway.
"Guys, sorry I'm late!" a familiar voice yelled.
Ukyo and Akari turned around. "Manami! Where've you... hm?"
They both noticed the scrawny boy with the bandage on his head and how
interestingly Manami seemed to be holding his hand.
"I was wandering around when I got lost and then I bumped into this guy
and he hit his head against the bus so I...."
The ladies smiled. To think that less than two weeks ago she was shy,
quiet, and tight-lipped. Well, she was still tight-lipped, but was now
prone to bouts of babbling like she was right there.
Ryoko smiled, as she observed everyone else distracted, and pulled an
ace from her sleeve.
"...and so anyways, here we are!" Manami finished, smiling and blushing.
Ukyo blinked. "Gos, is that you under that tape?"
"Oh!" said Manami, "you know him already? Gosh, I never asked his name
yet!"
"Yeah, he's Hikaru Gosunkugi. Nice guy you caught there, Manami." Ukyo
gave Manami a wink and a smile. Those two, she thought, might go well
together.
Gosunkugi blinked. Ah, he thought, I have been brought to a bar full
of beautiful women! And one of them is holding my hand! I must still be
halucinating.
Manami smiled sheepishly and squeezed Gosunkugi's hand.
*********
"Yo, I'm home!" yelled Ranma. He strode into the house, incredibly
relieved to be back.
Kasumi emerged from the kitchen, smiling. "Hello Ranma! Welcome back!"
Nabiki looked up from her manga. "Oh, it's you."
From upstairs, Akane yelled, "Is he back?"
"Yeah, sis," said Nabiki, "it's him."
She bounded downstairs and wrapped him in a hug, knocking them both to
the floor.
Mr. Tendo and Mr. Saotome would have been incredibly happy to see this
scene. Unfortunately, they weren't around.
"Hello there," she whispered in his ear.
"A...Akane," he groaned.
"Hm?"
"My rib is still sore. Please get off."
"Oh!" Akane felt guilty immediately, and helped Ranma to his feet.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"
"Stupid girl," he muttered to himself, not thinking about who else might
hear him.
"I said I was sorry!" Akane protested, starting to get _mad_ "You jerk!"
"Okay, okay," said Ranma, "apology accepted."
Akane waited...
Ranma noticed. "What's bothering you?"
"I do something accidentally... and I apologized"
"Yeah?"
"And you insulted me on purpose..."
Ranma shrugged. "What's yer point?"
It was at this point that Genma walked by...
***
Ryoga stood in the street, feeling incredibly stupid.
What, he wondered, was I thinking?!?!? Running off like that...
Now he had an entirely new problem.
"WHERE THE HELL AM I NOW?!?!??!" He was lost. Stupidly so. He should
have called Ukyo and had her meet him at the hospital, but no...
There was a tap at his shoulder.
"Hm?" He turned around.
"Hey stupid, welcome back." Ukyo stood there with a light smile on her
face.
"U... Ukyo? I..."
"Ryoga! Hiiii!" Ryoko emerged from the corner. Ryoga winced.
He looked at Ukyo. She didn't seem mad, but that smile on her face had
definitely dissapeared.
"Um, Ukyo... I..."
"C'mon, Ryoga! Let's go out and celebrate your return!" yelled
Ryoko.
"Go ahead, Ryoga, celebrate a little." Ryoko didn't catch the slight
hint of bitterness in Ukyo's voice. Ryoga did. "I'll work the store
just fine, alone."
"Um, Ukyo, are you s-"
"C'mon, Ryoga!" yelled Ryoko as she grabbed his arm and blazed down
the street with him in tow.
Ukyo watched the dissapearing figure of the two as they faded from view.
"Ryoga you idiot."
*
Ryo sat in his apartment, smiling.
Around him, miscellaneous metal parts were strewn everywhere. In front
of him was a rough sketch of the design of his new umbrella.
He'd solved it.
At last.
Amazing, how volatile those turtle shells were...
He thought he solved it at that moment, as he tapped the turtle on its
shell. But he paused... turtles aren't the same as humans. There's the
matter of all that flesh covering the bone.
Ryo held the umbrella and pressed a button near the shaft. A four
inch needle popped out of the tip.
Yes, he thought, this oughta work.
*
"YAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" *SPLASH*
"Now apologize to your fiancee!" Genma yelled, and walked out to the
back porch. He sat down and rejoined Soun in a game of Shogi.
Ranma-chan grumbled, pulled herself out of the pond, and went inside.
"The more things change...." said Genma.
"... the more they stay the same." finished Soun.
"Hm."
"Hm."
The two concerned parents sat there, concentrating. Leaves fell. A
gentle breeze blew by. The clouds rolled across the sky. Birds sang.
Ranma crashed out of Akane's window and landed in the pool.
*
"Hey, what's going on?" asked Kyoko.
Ryo sat silently, building one of his trick umbrellas.
"Hey, Ryo, hey," said Kyoko.
Ryo reached for a ratchet, and tightened a few bolts on the shaft.
"HEY!"
Ryo blinked. "What?"
"What'cha doing?"
"Building." Ryo went back to his construction project.
Kyoko frowned. She knew what was going on. Ryo was usually more verbal
about things. More... casual. But lately he'd been quiet, really quiet.
When he talked it was with five words or less, and he had been looking deadly
serious as of late.
The last time he was acting like this, he was scheming his revenge on
another UWSMA student that offended him deeply. And that poor guy ended
up in traction for a while.
"Hey, you're not scheming something again, are you?" she asked.
"Bad mood, don't ask."
Yup, she thought, he was mad about something.
Unknown to her, Ryo was greatly upset with himself. Sure, he'd been lax
in the past, but he'd also been successfull. Suddenly he comes to this part
of Japan and -poof- his success rate plummets to zero. Happosai was alive,
Ryoga was alive (and officially off the hook, to add insult to injury), and
that left him angry.
He was a villian without a cause.
"I'm going for a walk."
*
Somewhere out there, Ryoko sighed and looked around. She knew what just
happened, but didn't believe she let it happen. Ryoga was just behind her
for a moment, when she let go of his hand... she turned left and
suddenly he was gone.
"Gotta remember his stupid sense of direction," she muttered to herself.
*
Ryo walked grumpily down the somewhat empty streets, idly twirling his
umbrella.
"HEY! YOU!"
He stopped.
"MUHOSHIN!"
Ryo frowned. That almost sounded like a challenge. He turned around
to see his antagonist....
... who was apparently sitting down, on the sidewalk.
Ryo blinked.
"I CHALLENGE YOU!" the challenger yelled angrily.
"Do I... know you?" asked Ryo in a bored tone.
"You don't remember?!?!?!"
Ryo examined his opponent. Oh, he thought, it's the tea ceremony
martial artist. Feh.
"Go away, Sentarou," said Ryo in a deadly tone.
"I CHALLANGE YOU!"
"When last we met, I told you it was business."
"You dared to mock our dojo!"
"It deserved mocking."
"You dared humiliate me in front of my wife and mother!"
"If you had more skill, or practiced some decent martial arts, it would
not have happened."
"To regain the honor of my school, I CHALLENGE YOU!"
"Your art is a joke." Ryo grinned. He was enjoying this.
"TAKE THAT BACK!" Sentarou shook with righteous anger.
"No."
"DIIIEEE!!!" Amazingly, Sentarou charged at Ryo without standing up or
using his hands (a special technique of the Tea Ceremony Style Martial Arts)
and readied himself for his Ultimate Tea Ladle Attack.
Ryo smiled and dropped his umbrella. He adjusted the leather gloves
on his hands...
*
Ranma really wished he didn't run into him, but it was too late. In fact,
he knew he really didn't have to do this, but Ryoga _was_ a friend, sorta,
and he was Ucchan's friend, so Ranma felt he owed it to them both to guide
the moron back.
"Y'know, you don't havta walk me home," said Ryoga angrily.
"Believe me, P-chan, I wouldn't-"
"SHUT UP!"
"-except that I'm doing this because Ucchan likes ya."
"At least slow down, dammit!"
They walked silently for a while.
"What was that you said?" asked Ryoga.
"What was what?"
"Never mind."
"Right."
They walked further along in silence.
"C'mon, honestly, y'never thought about Ukyo?" asked Ranma.
"Huh?"
"Y'know, datin' her."
"What? NO!"
"C'mon, I remember how you two were actin' like in that cave."
"What cave?"
"That haunted cave thing! You remember, don'cha?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
Ranma sighed. "It was a vacation trip. There was those ghosts, y'know?"
"Oh... that cave."
"Yeah, and you were stickin' by Ucchan the whole time!"
"Hey! I had my reasons!"
The Cave of Lost Loves was, in concept, a good idea for anyone that
wished to break up a happy couple. Its success rate was phenominal, a
staggering 100%. NO couples had ever gone through that tunnel and left
AS a couple. Ukyo and Shampoo schemed for Ranma and Akane to go through
that tunnel, and break up. Ryoga, of course, helped.
None of them took into account exactly WHAT kind of couple Ranma and
Akane was, which was a very violent, angry, duo that _barely_ qualified as
a couple. The spirits of the cave decided that they weren't.
Ukyo and Ryoga on the other hand, were acting as a team, working to
seperate Ranma and Akane. They acted suspiciously like a couple, and as
a result, Ranma and Akane thought they were dating, and the spirits of the
cave pummeled them senselessly.
"Just bet ya did, pal." Ranma grinned.
"Shut up!"
"Okay, be that way."
*
Ryo put down his left fist. The right fist was busy choking someone.
"Understand," said Ryo, holding Sentarou's neck, "that I respect
family. I respect that very much. And I know you're married."
Sentarou gurgled. Choking does that to people.
"That is why you will live. Understand?"
Sentarou ack-ed.
"I hold no grudge against you, but should you ever become a nuisance,
I will kill you. Understand?" He slapped Sentarou to punctuate his remark.
"And if I were you, I'd learn some real martial arts."
Ryo flung Sentarou aside casually, picked up his umbrella, and resumed
his trip to nowhere in particular.
*
"So," asked Ryoga, "how's things with you and Akane?"
"Alright, I guess."
Ryoga smiled. "And the cooking?"
Ranma sneered. "Whadda YOU think?"
They walked along the side of the aquaduct, with Ranma on the fence as
usual, and Ryoga grumpily following on the ground.
"But hey, you'll be lucky when it comes to cooking," said Ranma.
"Wha?"
"Ukyo cooks the best okonomiyaki in town."
"Don't start that aga-"
"And she can draw little love notes on it JUST for yo-" *SPLASH*
Ryoga landed neatly, putting his umbrella back into place. Ranma
emerged from the aquaduct, feminine and angry.
"What'cha do THAT FOR?!?!?" she yelled, as she jumped back on to the fence.
"Stop buggin' me about Ukyo!"
Ranma-chan climped angrily out of the water and back to the sidewalk.
"You're _such_ a baby, Ryoga. Always overreacting... what a crybaby."
Ryoga fumed. And then suddenly, he had a rare moment of inspiration.
Not just another punch to Ranma's face, but a few words that'd really make
him mad....
"Hey, Ranma."
"What now?"
"You know... you're exactly like your dad."
"What?"
Ryoga deeped his voice in an attempt to immitate Genma Saotome, and said,
"You go and show Ukyo a good time, y'hear?"
*SPLASH*
Ryoga emerged from the aquaduct, rather wet and feminine. "HEY!"
"I am NOT like my dad!" yelled Ranam-chan.
The two soaked girls angrily resumed their walk to Ucchan's.
*
Ryo walked along, feeling better now that he had vented some of his
frustrations on someone. He whistled and twirled his umbrella when a
piece of wood flew from nowhere and struck him in the back of his neck.
He reeled from the blow and stumbled forward, when even more boards
slammed against his head and face. His nose felt bad, not broken but
definitely not feeling good. The cowardace of the attack enraged him
and he jumped clear of the area, still somewhat disoriented.
"Who's there?!" he yelled, as he stood in a treetop for safety.
"Ohohohoho. You're not looking so smug now, young fool." A giant
figure stood in the street, with a swarm of dojo signboards swarming
around him like planets around a sun. He cast both hands forward and a
flury of signs plowed into the tree, destroying it and knocking Ryo
against a wall.
"Get up, Muhoshin. I'm not through with you yet."
*
"Yo, Ucchan!" said Ranma-chan as she entered. "Got one lost boy here!"
"Shaddup!"
"What, back so soon?" asked Ukyo, looking up from her grill.
"Er, hi." said Ryoga-chan sheepishly.
"I think you can guess what happened," said Ranma-chan.
"Shut up," said Ryoga-chan irritably.
"Got lost again, Ryoga?" asked Ukyo.
"I-"
"Did ya really havta ask, Ucchan? I mean, c'mon, this is Ryog-"
*CLANG*
"Stop picking on him, Ranchan."
From under the megaspatula, Ranma grinned. "Why, Ucchan, I didn't
know you cared about him that way..."
Ukyo blushed. "Hey, it isn't like that..."
*CLANG*CLANG*CLANG*
"Shut up!" yelled Ryoga, as he pulled the titan-spatula away from Ranma's
head and handed it back to Ukyo.
"Ow... gosh... feels like home, getting beaten up by violent tomboys
all the time. Whoops, hey, wait, I was just jo-" *WHAM*
*
Ryo pressed a button and the needle popped back into place. He turned
and stood over the Dojo Destroyer.
"A sneak attack. I can respect that."
The dojo destroyer writhed in pain.
"In fact, that's exactly what I'd have done." said Ryo.
Blood was sprayed everywhere. The Dojo Destroyer was pale because of
a lack of it. He had only one wound, a stab to the leg, but the amount of
blood that came from that wound was amazing.
Ryo kicked it. He howled in pain.
"Feel honored to be the first victim of the Bakusai-ten-satsu."
Ryo hummed happily. He'd confirmed two new techniques in one day.
"Ah, what a day..."
-end preludes part 2-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS
Part 1
MONDAY MORNING
Ranma got up, half-asleep, and stepped into the living room. Akane was
already there, didn't look very much awake either.
"So, what is it today?" asked Ranma.
"Sumo day."
"Sumo day?"
"Sumo day."
"I hate sumo day."
Much later...
"So, they still do this every morning?" asked Ryouga.
Nabiki nodded casually. "Well, ever since they announced they WOULD go
through with the marrige after all, things got ugly."
"I feel sorry for'em," said Ukyo.
They watched from atop a wall as Ranma and Akane plowed into a horde of
sumo wrestlers.
"And they're even on a schedule too," said Nabiki.
"Schedule?" asked Ukyou.
"Let's see... for this month, it's the Sumo Squad this morning, and the
Tennis Team this afternoon."
A sumo wrestler entered Low Earth Orbit. Another went to the second floor
via Akane Express.
"Hm... Tuesday morning is archery, afternoon is... ah..."
A sumo wrestler was thrown through a window into a room, where, seconds
later, an explosion and purple smoke emerged.
"Oh yeah, Chem Club."
"Them too?" asked Ukyou.
"Yup. And Wednesday it's Akane's Stormtroopers."
"Akane's what?" asked Ryoga.
"Oh, those guys," answered Nabiki, "just a bunch of students. Don't belong
to any club, and their only goal is to date my sis."
"Why," asked Ukyo, "is the whole school so obsessed with Akane?" She
wouldn't admit it, but she was feeling a little jealousy.
"I have no idea," said Nabiki. "AAAnyways, Wednesday morning is the Hockey
Team, Wednesday afternoon is the Baseball Tea-"
"Okay, okay, we get the idea!" said Ukyo.
"How about Kuno?" wondered Ryouga.
The three of them ducked as a sumo wrestler zoomed through the air.
"Kuno-chan? He's up on Friday mornings, along with the kendo squad."
The three watched, slightly bored, as Ranma and Akane dismissed the last of
the Sumo horde for the day.
"Hey! Ranma! Akane! Hurry up, you're gonna be late!" yelled Nabiki.
"See ya later, Nabiki," said Ukyo as she headed out into the hallway crowd
and after Ryouga. "Hey! Ryouga! That's the wrong way! Wait up!"
And so, life resumed in Furinkan High.
The classes passed in a haze, as usual, but the lunch hour was another
matter entirely.
The guys and the girls, as usual, seperated into their seperate little zones
and talked of life, love, and the pursuit of happiness.
And boys.
In particular, Sayuri, Yuka, Akane, Akari, and Ukyou were gathered at a
table, gossiping in general.
"You know, the spring dance is coming up," said Yuka, "I'm so excited!"
"Is Daisuke seeing anybody?" asked Sayuri, "I think I'll ask him."
"Ranma asked you to go already, right?" asked Yuka.
"Well, not yet," answered Akane reluctantly.
"How about you, Ukyo?" asked Akari.
"Hm? What about me?"
"Hasn't Ryoga asked you to the dance yet?"
"WHAT?"
"C'mon," said Yuka, "don't tell me you two aren't an item."
"It's not like that!"
"What's wrong with him? He does look kinda cute," said Akari.
"We're just friends, really!"
"Riiight," said Sayuri.
Meanwhile, somewhere on the boy's side of the lunch zone, Daisuke, Hiroshi,
Ranma, and Ryoga were settled under a tree, digesting and such.
"You watch that game last night? Man, it was great," said Daisuke.
"Man, this is the most disgusting sandwich they've ever made," said Hiroshi,
spitting out some of the caffeteria's fine cuisine.
"Akane must've cooked it," said Ranma, then quickly checked to make sure
that she didn't hear that.
"Speaking of Akane," said Hiroshi, "you DID ask her to the dance, didn't
you?"
"The what?"
"The spring dance! You know, the first dance in a LONG time that Principal
Kuno approved?"
"Che, Principal Kuno'd probbably have us shave our head or somethin'."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever, so you've asked Akane, right?" wondered Daisuke.
"I, ah, well, no."
Hiroshi said, "You WANT Akane to pound you, then?"
"No! It's just-"
"Ranma's lucky, though," said Daisuke, "he's got someone to ask."
"How about you, Ryoga?" asked Ranma, hoping to get the spotlight off of
himself, "you gonna ask Ucchan?"
Ryoga blinked. He wasn't used to being a focus of attention. "What?"
"You heard, me, c'mon, ask her out."
"Oh, that's right," said Hiroshi, "I forgot that you and Ukyo were a couple
too."
Ryoga choked on a sandwich bit.
"So, when are ya askin' her out, Ryoga?" asked Ranma.
Ryoga spat out some processed tuna, stil coughing a bit.
"Surprised nobody else asked her," said Hiroshi.
"You're a lucky guy, Ryoga," said Daisuke, "she's cute and can cook."
Ryoga, finally clearing out his throat, yelled, "WHAT?!"
"You two even live together already," said Hiroshi.
"Hey hey, have you two, well, you know," asked Daisuke, elbowing Ryoga a
bit. This wasn't wise.
"IT ISN'T LIKE THAT!!!" yelled Ryoga.
Ranma stayed quiet, enjoying the show. He was only too glad to have Ryoga
take the spotlight for once.
"You two aren't?" asked Hiroshi.
"NO!"
"Why, you think she's too ugly? You just aren't attracted to her? What?"
asked Daisuke.
"Yes! NO! ARGH! Stop asking me!" yelled Ryoga.
Unfortunately, Ukyo was nearby, and she heard the bit about being too ugly.
She calmly walked over with a hint of menace in her eyes. "What's that, Ryoga?
You think I'm ugly?"
"Um, no, wait, I didn't mean that!"
"So you DID say it." She lifted her spatula from the sling and twirled it.
"I didn't say it! UGH!"
Normally, the UGH would have been caused by a spatula to the head.
Not today.
"Oh-hohohohohoho! Ryoga-sama! How I've missed you," purred Kodachi as she
latched onto Ryoga and glomped him, firmly.
She was, again, in her leotard.
And holding him tightly.
Ryoga promptly sprouted a nosebleed and passed out.
"Ryoga-sama?" she asked.
"What a wimp," muttered Ranma.
"Ranma-sama!" said Kodachi. She sprang from Ryoga, dropping him to the
floor, and soon had Ranma in her arms (and struggling to get out.)
"Hey! Leggo!"
"RRRRRAAAANMMAAA!!!!"
<Oh no> thought Ranma, <that yell>
Akane approached, blue battle aura and all.
"No! Wait! This isn't what it looks like!"
*WHAM*
*
King's Cafe, the lunch hour.
The bar was closed, reserved actually, for a private gathering.
At a long table was seated a large amount of people, roughly 50, all dressed
in business garb and in a quiet and subdued manner. Seated at the head of the
table was an old man, also in a suit. He seemed to radiate authority and
respect. A few others were of middle age, but the rest of them were rather
young, in their late teens or early twenties.
King heard vague rumors of the elderly man at the head of the table. He was
a master of some secret school of martial arts, but beyond that, she did not
know. Naturally, she watched from a distance with great curiosity.
Ryo Muhoshin sat quietly near the end of the table, surrounded by his
siblings and other members of the now defunct UWSMA. He looked at who was
seated at the front of the table and was rather impressed. There was Sensei
Tanaka, who took part in training Ryoko under the recreational equipment
division. There was Sensei Yamada, who could not only take down several
opponents with kitchenware, but could also use, for example, a salmon, and
defend himself well. There was Sensei Morimoto of the gardening division,
Sensei Matsuzushi of the hair care division, and there was Sensei Kobayashi,
a living legend, and master of forest survival. Leave him in the forest,
unarmed, and in an hour he'll have assembled a weapon or two, and only need to
use a clump of dirt and a weed to bring you down. And then there was one of
the higher ranking masters, Sensei Miyaji. He was also Ryo's legal guardian.
"Ladies, gentlemen, it's good too see you all looking well," said Sensei
Miyaji, stroking his beard. "This will probbably be the last gathering of
what was once a proud and long-lived school of martial arts..."
The crowd seemed to be saddened at this point.
"... but I an not content to see it die in such an undignified way. There
will be a rebuilding. I've talked with other elder senseis, we'll see what can
be done. Until then, I wish you all the best in your new lives."
The applause started.
"Oh, I should mention that one of your colleagues, Ami, could not be here,
but she sends her regards," he continued, "but the good news is that she is now
serves the royal family."
The crowd cheered at this. It was quite an achievement to get that
position.
"Now, let's enjoy our lunch."
The crowd ate, a bit subdued, but still with conversation. People caught up
with what was happening with others, congratulations and condolences were
given, and a generally pleasant time was had by all.
Except Ryo.
After the lunch.
As Ryo and his siblings exited the cafe, he heard an *ahem* behind him, and
turned to see Sensei Miyaji standing behind him.
"Young man, I wish to talk to you."
Ryo looked at his sisters and brother briefly. "Go on home," he said.
Ryoko looked at her watch. <Hm, by now Ryoga oughta be...> "I'm gonna go
visit Ryoga, be back home later."
They left.
"Come, let us walk a bit," said the sensei.
*
"What a day," muttered Ryoga, trudging home, feeling relieved that the
school day was over.
"No kidding," said Ukyo, who walked along with him, and pulled him back in
the right direction every now and then.
"How dare the ask me if I... ah..."
"Hm? Ask ya what?" queried Ukyo.
"Um, never mind."
"C'mon, tell me!"
"I'd rather not."
"Okay, fine, be that way," muttered Ukyo.
"What do you mean by that?!"
"Pigheaded," said Ukyo. There was a hint of a smile on the edge of her
face, but Ryoga didn't notice it.
"HEY!"
"Just kidding!"
They walked on in silence for a while longer.
"You really don't wanna say? Okay."
"It's just that the guys were asking me, um, who I was gonna ask to the
spring dance," said Ryoga, blushing lightly.
"Oh, ah, that." Ukyo suddenly wished she hadn't asked.
"They were just, well, wondering when I'd, um, ah, ask you to..."
"RYOGA-SAMA! OH-HOHOHOHO!"
Ryoga froze in horror. <Please not Kodachi, please not Kodachi, please->
It was Kodachi.
"Ryoga, darling, have some roses," said Kodachi, tossing a bouquet of black
roses at him. Ryoga batted it away with ease. He was a victim of her roses
once already, and he didn't care to be one again.
"W-what do you..."
Ukyo sighed. <Somebody buy Ryoga a spine, please.>
"Just came here to remind you, Ryoga-sama, about the spring dance. We are
going, aren't we?"
"WHAT? NO W-"
"A school dance? Ryoga, you were gonna ask me, right?" said Ryoko as she
arrived on the scene.
<Shouldn't these things> wondered Ryoga <be happening to Ranma?>
"And who are you, peasant girl?" sneered Kodachi.
Ukyo would've said something at this point, but she was momentarily
paralyzed, and not too happy either.
"Peasant girl???" Ryoko pulled out her twin iron-weighted yo-yos and
approached Kodachi with extreme malice.
Ukyo, seeing a possible disaster building up, tried to cool things down.
"C'mon, girls, calm down, let's not fight, okay?"
"Oh-ho, so the hack chef has an interest in my Ryoga-sama too?"
Ryoko blinked.
"IT'S NOT LIKE THAT!!!" yelled Ukyo.
Ryoga finally decided that enough was enough and tried to step in.
"Take this, you wenches!" yelled Kodachi as she tossed a gas grenade at
them. Ukyo and Ryoko managed to get clear, but Ryoga didn't see it coming.
He was, again, paralyzed by Kodachi.
Then the fighting got underway.
*
Ryo and Sensei Miyaji took a stroll through the park.
The sensei seemed to be relaxed, but Ryo was dreading the conversation that
was about to take place.
"Ryo."
"Hm?"
*whap*
"Talk properly, boy!"
"Ow... yes, sensei."
"I want to talk to you about a few things."
Ryo frowned.
*WHAP*
"Show some respect for your elders!"
"YES SENSEI!"
"Now... first of all, how are your brother and sisters doing?"
"I see no need to worry about them, sensei."
"I take it that means everything is fine?"
"I suppose, sensei."
"And your sister, Ryoko, she has given up on the boy Hibiki?"
"Yes, sensei," lied Muhoshin.
"Hm. I must talk with her later."
"Of course, sensei."
"Where was I, oh yes, first of all, I'd just like you to know that I've
heard about what you've been up to, and I don't like it."
Ryo remained cautiously silent.
"Our school was founded for the purpose of PROTECTING lives, not ending
them! You are taking everything we've taught you and tarnishing it."
Ryo winced.
"Muhoshin, I know that the other instructers pushed you by comparing you to
that Hibiki boy all the time, but it was not supposed to lead to a burning
hatred for him."
"Right."
*WHAP*
"Right, Sensei."
"And furthermore, you're loosing touch with your heratige, boy. Sending you
to America over the summer those years ago was an obvious mistake. Look at
you, quick to anger, rude to your elders, more greedy and selfish than ever."
"Yes, Sensei."
"And I heard... I heard you were dealing with the Shadoloo, boy."
Ryo decided to remain silent on this topic.
*WHAP*
"What... was that for..." yelled Ryo.
"You had it coming. You know not what you deal with when you deal with the
Shadoloo, boy."
"I think I do."
"Oh, so you think you're better than I?"
"Yes."
"Well then," said Sensei Miyagi, "let's see about that." He pulled out a
twin set of fans.
Ryo adjusted the gloves on his hands and looked at his sensei from the
corner of his eye.
"I've learned a few things," he said, and his fists began glowing with
ki-energy.
*
Ryoga wasn't in a good mood. He was also still paralyzed.
"Oh-hohohohoho! Fighting with toys, little girl?" taunted Kodachi.
Ryoko slung her yo-yo out and broke Kodachi's nose with lightning speed.
"You liddle bidth! You shall bay for dat!" sneered Kodachi, while she held
her now bleeding nose.
"Not if I get you first!" Ukyo charged with her spatula, but Kodachi
managed to spring free and whip around wildly with her ribbon.
Ryoga was definitely not in a good mood. <These things> he thought <happen
to Ranma, not me!>
Kodachi snared a park bench and tossed at Ryoko, who dodged easily.
Instead, the bench hit Ryoga.
<All this, because everyone thinks I love somebody...>
Ryoko slung her yo-yos and snared Kodachi by the ankle, then pulled hard,
swinging her around. Unfortunately, Ukyo was in the way.
<Love. Ha. I've had enough of that. Nothing but hurt and dissapointment,
if you ask me.>
Ukyo shoved Kodachi away, but unfortunately Kodachi's ribbon was beginning
to tangle everyone up...
<Love? Who needs it?! Not me!>
Ryoga was beginning to glow, and it wasn't exactly from depresson either.
The three girls, now a tangled mess of ribbon, yo-yo wire, and small
spatulae, rolled across the sidewalk.
"WHO NEEDS IT!!!"
The three girls froze from the sudden outburst, as Ryoga overcame massive
chemical poisoning to stand up in a pose of anger and angst.
"Ryoga-sama?" asked Kodachi.
"Ryoga?" asked Ryoko.
"I'm _not_ going to the spring dance with anyone, I'm not dating anyone, I
DON'T want to date anyone, I DON'T LOVE ANYBODY!!!"
This brought an immediate halt to the squabbling of the ladies.
"Ryoga, you don't mean it..." said Ryoko.
"EVERYONE JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!!!" Ryoga ran off, very angry, leaving behind
three stunned and silent girls.
*
"You see, Muhoshin, the student has yet to surpass the master."
Ryo mumbled.
"Now, take my advice, boy, first of all, learn from your mistakes, don't be
angry from them."
Ryo groaned.
"Second, get back to your roots and mind your manners."
"That's... three."
*WHAP*
"Ow."
"Don't contratict me. Anyways, fourth, don't hold on to your hate,
Muhoshin, it serves only to hinder you."
"Right..."
*WHAP*
"Right... Sensei."
"And finally, you were trained to be a protector, not a criminal!"
"Yes... Sensei."
"Very well then. I'm going now."
"Sayonara, Sensei."
"And I'll be in touch again, keep that in mind."
"Oh, good."
*WHAP*
"Don't be a smartass, boy."
"Y-yeah, sensei..."
"And one more thing... I hear you've been taking on Happosai."
Ryo blinked. How'd the Sensei hear of him?
"Don't bother, boy, greater men than you have tried to kill him."
"I nearly succeeded."
"Did you pierce his body with a spear? Drown him in a river? Toss him in a
cave full of explosives?"
"No..."
*THWAP*
"N-no, sensei."
"Then you haven't even come close to the best of efforts. He gets hurt, oh
yes, but he NEVER dies. He is amongst the greatest evils of Japan today, boy.
If you had hurt him, he was probbably playing with you. He does that, you
know, finds an adversary and teases him for YEARS."
Ryo nodded slowlly.
"Now get your act together, boy, Or Else."
Sensei Miyaji walked away, calmly, and fanning himself casually.
Ryo was imbedded in a wall, upside-down, cut, singed, and worn out.
When he was sure he was out of sight, Sensei Miyaji started to limp down the
street a little and rub some spots where singe marks were.
*
Ranma and Akane walked out of the house as the sun rose, still somewhat
tired.
"What day is it?" asked Ranma.
"Stormtrooper day."
"Stormtrooper day? That's not so bad."
And so another Wednesday began in Nerima.
Akari, Nabiki, Yuka, Sayuri and Ukyo watched from afar as Ranma and Akane
charged into a horde of miscellaneous students.
"So, Ryoga still hasn't come back?" asked Akari.
"No, but I'm sure he's okay," said Ukyo, although she didn't sound
convinced herself.
"Come on, admit it, you kinda like him," said Sayuri.
"No!"
"Gotta admit, he's got a nice bod," said Nabiki.
The five of them ducked as a student flew by them.
"What's that?!" asked Ukyo.
"Cute butt too," said Yuka, giggling.
"I don't believe you guys!" said Ukyo, but couldn't supress a little smile.
"Fine, fine, you don't have a thing for him," said Nabiki in a sarcastic
tone.
"Riiiight," agreed Akari.
They watched in silence as Ranma sweep-kicked a wave of Stormtroopers away.
"It has been a while since he left, though, hasn't it?" asked Yuka.
"Three days now," said Sayuri.
"Come on, you know how Ryoga is," said Ukyo. "He's probbably in Kyoto by
now. Right?"
"It is a possibility," said Nabiki. "The odds are likely."
"And you're not worried?" asked Akari.
"Of course not!" said Ukyo, looking mildly offended. <Ryoga, where the heck
are you, idiot?>
*
Ryoko polished the tables slowly, in lazy circles. Around... and around...
"Hey, kid, something bothering ya?" asked King.
"I... well..."
"I thought you were on your way home after that big luncheon."
"I guess, well, Ryoga just dumped me, I think." Ryoko slumped in a chair.
"Jeez, sorry to hear that," said King. She handed Ryoko a tall glass of
cola. "Have a soda on the house."
"Thanks, boss."
"Wanna talk about it?"
"No, not really."
"Okay, you say so."
*
Meanwhile, somewhere out there....
"Excuse me, can you tell me where the Nerima is?"
"Que?"
*
Ukyo, Manami, Sayuri, Yuka, and Akari strolled out of the school, tired.
"Ah! What a day!" said Yuka. "I need a break!"
"And next week'll be filled with exams," sighed Sayuri.
"Poker night, tonight?" asked Manami, "maybe we can all study after?"
"Sounds alright to me," said Ukyo.
"I, ah, can't make it tonight," said Akari.
"What? Why not?" asked Manami.
"Oooh, I bet she's got a hot date!" teased Yuka.
"Well, sorta," squeaked Akari.
"WHAT?" the other girls yelled. "Who? Is he cute? When did you meet
him? Did he beat that sumo pig of yours?" they asked her.
"Gosh, look at the time, I gotta run or I'm gonna be late! See ya
later!" Akari ran off.
"Details, we want details!" demanded Yuka.
*
Meanwhile, somewhere else, three shady gentlement were having a
conversation in a cafe somewhere.
"What happened to you?"
"I'd rather not say."
"So, what's the plan?"
"We're all a little low on cash right now, eh?"
"Yeah."
"True."
"Gentlemen, she's a bit on the gullable side, doesn't suspect a thing,
and she's the daughter of a rather wealthy family."
"You're not suggesting..."
"Hey, wait a minute now..."
"Is this hesitation I sense? I know you two are nearly at the end of
your finances."
"But this-"
"C'mon, it's too-"
"This will be a safe operation."
"Wait a-"
"We can't-"
"Care to be homeless and broke?"
The other two remained silent.
"So... are you in?"
"Yeah, I guess."
"Alright."
"Wait a minute.... Damn!"
"What?"
"I'm supposed to be meeting her now. See you later, gents."
*
Akane walked over to Ranma's room and prodded him until he was awake.
"Uhm... I'm awake, I'm awake."
"C'mon, get up, we'll be late."
"What day izzit?"
"Kendo."
"Kendo?"
"Kendo."
"I really hate Kendo."
And so, Friday in Furinkan High began, as usual.
"Where is that idiot," muttered Ukyo as she watched Ranma and Akane dive
into a sea of kendo practicioners..
"C'mon, you said that Ryoga could take care of himself," said Akari.
"Yeah, but he's been gone for four days now..."
"You know how he is, he's probbably in New York or somewhere else," said
Sayuri.
"But still, I dunno, I..."
"Hey, you're not actually worried about him, are you?" asked Yuka.
"I bet she is!" teasted Sayuri.
"OF course I'm not!" yelled Ukyo.
"Duck," said Nabiki.
The four of them ducked as several kendoists flew past then and into the
classroom through the window.
They lapsed into momentary silence and watched as Ranma hit Kuno 315 times
with the tenshin-amaguri-ken technique.
"I'm just worred about him AS A FRIEND!" yelled Ukyo.
"So you are worried about him!" said Akari.
"So what?"
Ranma watched in surprise as Kuno arose from the ground, still ready to
fight. Ever since the accident that landed them in the hospital, Kuno's
endurance seemed to be up.
"Isn't that sweet?" asked Sayurki.
"Touching, really," said Yuka.
"Cut it out guys," grumbled Ukyo.
Akane kicked Kuno in the gut, and Ranma followed with another barrage of
punches. Kuno flew back into a tree, but got up once more, only slightly worn
down.
"I FIGHT ON!" he declared.
"Wow, Kuno-chan's endurance has _improved_," said Nabiki.
"Oh, so you're after Kuno, Nabiki?" asked Ukyo.
"No, not really."
"I heard you were dating that Isamu guy, is that true?" asked Yuka.
"I decline to comment at this time," said Nabiki with a smirk.
"I SHALL SMITE THEE!!!" roared Kuna as he charged at Ranma. A streak
of lightning ran across the sky.
"How he does that, I'll never know," mused Nabiki.
"Oh jeez, we're gonna be late!" said Yuka, staring at her watch.
"Hey! Ranma! Hurry up!" yelled Nabiki.
"He shall be joining his ancestors in but a moment!" ranted Kuno as he
slashed wildly, demolishing another part of the Furinkan High walls.
"I'm trying, okay?!?!" Ranma yelled back, springing off a wall and
smashing a knee into Kuno's head. Akane followed up with a kick to
Kuno's gut, which once again, knocked him off of his feet, and finally
knocked him out.
"Jeez," said Ranma, breathing hard, "what's with Kuno?"
"He used to fall down ALOT faster," said Akane.
For the last several weeks, in fact, Tatewaki Kuno had displayed a
remarkable and alarming endurance. Where once he would have been knocked
out easily, he now merely took the hit and fought ever onward.
Basically, he was approaching levels of endurance somewhat under
Ryouga's, which was high indeed.
The school bell rang.
"Oh great, we're late," muttered Ranma.
*
Ukyo sat in economics class, bored.
She dealt with economics every day, since she was running the
restaraunt, and she strongly felt that sitting through this class was
incredibly redundant.
Ukyo did what every bored studend did when this crisis hits them.
She doodled.
She scribbled out spatulas, and okonomiyakis, and every now and then,
a figure with a bandanna with the word "STUPID" written over it.
<Where is that idiot anyways> wondered Ukyo.
"Kuonji."
<Stupid jerk. Doesn't even call to say that he's alright.>
"Ukyo Kuonji."
<Not that *I* care if that idiot gets himself lost in Bangladesh, or
Libya, or... or... whatever!>
"KUONJI!"
Ukyo snapped to attention. "WHAT?! WHAT?!"
"That's it! BUCKET! HALL! NOW!"
A moment later...
"So, what're you out here for?" asked Ranma.
"I, er, wasn't paying attention in class," muttered Ukyo. "And you two?"
"Late," said Akane.
"Jeez, these are kinda heavy," said Ukyo, lifting up a bucket of water.
"Ya get used to it," said Ranma, "and besides, it builds strength.
Just look at Akane. I mean, she's strong as a gorilla an-" *WHAP*
"Shut up!" yelled Akane.
"Jeez! What'd I say?"
After a two minute arguement, which seemed to Ukyo (and an alarming
number of Furinkan High students) like it was a badly written script
involving the use of the word 'Tomboy' and 'Jerk', things settled into an
uneasy sort of silence.
Ukyo couldn't stand it.
"Hey, ah, any of you guys heard from Ryouga lately?" she asked.
"Lost boy? He's probbably in Australia or somethin'."
"You mean he hasn't been back yet?" asked Akane.
"Nope."
"And the dance is tonight too," said Akane.
"Hm? What's that supposed to mean?" wondered Ukyo.
"He was going to take you to the dance, right?"
"What? NO!"
"C'mon, you want him to, don't ya," teased Ranma.
"Oh shut up."
*
Meanwhile...
"Excuse me, can you tell me where Tokyo is?" asked a somewhat ragged
and exhausted Ryouga.
The store owner blinked and pointed to a spot _behind_ Ryouga, who
turned around to see skyscrapers decorating the skyline.
"Oh, I'm here?!?!"
The storekeeper nodded slowly.
"THAT'S GREAT! Now tell me which way to Nerima?"
The storekeeper pointed south.
"Thanks!"
Ryouga went north.
*
Sunset, Nerima...
Ukyo closed up shop a little early, feeling tired for some reason.
She hung up the sign, locked up the doors, then sat down in a chair,
giving off a sigh.
Moments later, a chair flew out of the front door, propelled by a
mighty swing of Ukyo's combat spatula. It hit a lamp pole with a loud
*CLANG* and sagged to the floor. Surprisingly, the chair wasn't
damaged, but instead sprouted a head and some limbs and wobbled off.
The lamp pole was ruined.
"Wow, not a scratch," said Tsubasa as he wobbled down the street.
"AND STAY OUT!!!" yelled Ukyo, and slammed the door shut.
"Just great," she muttered, "one hell of a day, really."
Ukyo changed into her house clothes, a simple t-shirt and shorts, and
promptly became one with the nation, via the miracle of tv.
She had one thing on her mind, or to be accurate, one thing that she
decided was not on her mind.
<Who cares if the dance is tonight. Who cares if I'm missing it. Who
cares if everyone thinks I've got a thing for Ryouga. Not me, dammit.>
The front doors clattered a bit.
"Ryouga? You there?"
Ukyo went to the front doors and checked, but they were still locked.
"Just the wind, I guess," she said to nobody in particular.
She wandered back into the residential part of Ucchan's, and paused as
she passed by the attic stairs. Ukyo stood there for a moment, climbed
up the stairs, knocked on the attic door, and peeked in.
Empty.
<Why did I even bother.>
She sighed, not feeling peaceful enough to vegitate in front of the
television, not energetic enough to go out.
Ukyo did the only thing left that she knew might ease.
*
Ryouga, crawling on his hands and knees, exhausted, reached weakly for
the backdoor of Ucchan's.
"I... I made it back..."
He touched the doorknob and pulled.
It was locked.
He tugged on the door.
"IEEE! THIEF! BURGLAR!"
"What the..." stuttered Ryouga.
*WHAM*WHAM*WHAM*
"Owww."
Ukyo stopped swinging madly with her megaspatula and paused to look at
who she was hitting.
"Oh! Ryouga! I'm sorry! C'mon, let's get you in the house."
And so, after several days of being lost, tired, and desperate, Ryouga
finally was dragged back 'home'.
*
Gosunkugi was having a blast.
Ever since he got a bit sharper with his magic, he'd been dazzling his
fellow students with minor yet rather nifty magic tricks.
Tonight, for instance, the dance was not illuminated by lightbulbs,
but by nice fuzzy glowing spheres cast where lightbulbs would normally
be. Needless to say, he gained much respect, quickly.
Tonight, he was dressed fairly well, in a nifty blue suit, white
shirt, and nondescript tie, and his date was in a somewhat elegant light
blue dress. They matched rather well.
And now... and now... they were slow dancing.
This, in Hikaru Gosunkugi's short life, was a major milestone.
Meanwhile, Ranma and Akane were also slow-dancing, but rather cautiously.
"Watch your feet!"
"I am, you jerk!"
"Slow down, I'm supposed to lead!"
"Is that so?!"
"_Yes_it_is_."
Some things never change.
And so, amongst the swirl of the crowds, these two couples swayed,
content in their own...
"You stepped on my foot again!"
"You got in the way!"
... unique way.
The music died down for a brief break, and the couples on the dance
floor of the gym moved to the sides and idly chattered.
"I guess Ryouga isn't coming after all," said Akane.
"Probbably in Alaska or somethin'," said Ranma. "Saaaay, you seen
Daisuke or Hiroshi anywhere?"
"Well, I think I saw Hiroshi talking to some girl named Hiroe."
"Hiroshi and Hiroe... hm, sounds catchy."
"What's with the lights?" asked Akane.
"What about'em?"
"Look, a few of them are getting kinda dim."
"Better ask Gos about it."
Gosunkugi noticed. It started when the couples started dancing
again. There was this... this _area_ where the lights that he cast
briefly faded for some reason, and that area seemed to be moving around.
Finally, the music faded and the couples dispersed once more.
He watched from a table (with a candle on it, lit by Gosunkugi's magic)
as the dar area moved around the room.
And the area in dark seemed to be head right at him.
"W-w-what's t-that?" stuttered Gosunkugi.
Suddenly, someone emerged in front of him, in flapping folds of black,
and reached out for his date, Manami.
"Hey! Manami!" Akari cheerfully said, "You made it!"
"Akari! Hey!" Manami and Akari gave each other a quick hug.
Gosunkugi sat there, a tad shellshocked.
"Wow, Akari, nice dress! But all black is kinda... grim, isn't it?"
asked Manami.
"Well, my date likes it."
"Oh! Who's your date?"
Suddenly, the lights near them got much darker.
"Akari? Ah, there you are. I was wondering where you went off to."
Akari turned around and took someone by the hand.
"Manami, Gos, I want you to meet..."
Ryo Muhoshin narrowed his eyes at Gosunkugi. "We've met."
"Y-you!"
"Oh, so you've met," said Akari.
"Er, yeah," muttered Manami. <ednote: put in Ryo v Ryouga w/Manami
interruption in previous section>
"Yesssss, we have," said Ryo. He narrowed his eyes, grinned, and
leaned towards towards Gosunkugi. "You could say we're familiar faces,
hm?"
Akari, sensing some unneeded tension, pulled Ryo away. "C'mon, let's
dance again!"
"Ah," said Ryo, smiling, "another slow song?"
Akari nodded and pulled on his arm, and the two of them went off.
Manami shivered as she looked, worried, at her friend dance away in
Ryo's arms. "Why's there that weird darkness around them?" she asked.
"Dunno," answered Gos.
Akari swayed in Ryo's arms, happy to finally find someone that was
good enough to beat her pig, and so much a gentleman too.
Ryo smiled, but not for the obvious reasons.
*
"Um, sorry about that," said Ukyo, somewhat embarrased.
"S... s'okay, I understand," replied a somewhat battered Ryouga, who
was sprawled on the living room couch. Four days of global travel and a
beating by spatula left him totally exhausted.
Ukyo sat in the lounger, Ryouga continued to melt into the couch.
There was an awkward silence.
"So, um, what'd I miss?" asked Ryouga nervously.
"Hm? Not much, not much. There's some homework you might've missed.
Better ask your classmates about that."
"Yeah."
"There's also that dance tonight," said Ukyo in an I-don't-really-care
tone of voice.
"Dance?"
"School dance."
"Ranma and Akane are there, I guess."
"Yeah."
There was another moment of awkward silence.
"I, ah, I'm sorry I'm late," said Ryouga.
"Late?"
"Er, I mean, lost. Sorry I got lost."
"Oh, okay."
Once more, there was a total absense of noise.
"Well, I didn't want to go anyways," said Ukyo.
"Go?"
"Um, to the Spring Dance."
"Oh."
"How about... how about you?"
"Me?" asked Ryouga, "I can't dance anyways, it wouldn't matter."
"You don't know how to dance?"
"No."
"Not at all?"
"Not really, no."
"At least slow dance. Anyone can do that."
"Actually, I've never even tried. Being lost all the time, I never
really had much time to, well, dance."
"No wonder you didn't win over Akane. Can't dance, can't even tell
her you like her, and you freaked out around her way too much," teased Ukyo.
"HEY!"
"Just teasin' ya, lost boy!"
"Oh, okay."
"Oh, c'mon, I'll show ya!"
"What?!"
"C'mon, it's fun. Easy too. You've got to know how to dance in SOME
way, Ryouga. How else are ya gonna win over the next lucky girl you go
after?"
"Good point." Ryouga shrugged.
"Hold on, lemme see, I've got a CD around here somewhere... Ah, here it
is! Of course, I don't know half of what they're saying, but still, the
music sounds nice."
Ukyo turned on her CD player and put in a CD. A somewhat slow tune
began to play.
Generally, a nice tune, although Ryouga couldn't understand most of it.
It was in English.
o/" When the night has come o/"
o/" And the land is dark o/"
o/" And the moon is the only light we'll see o/"
"Sounds kinda old," said Ryouga.
"I think the Americans call it Motown," answered Ukyo.
"Motown?"
"Don't ask. Anyways, here's how it works. Stand up a sec, willya?"
"Alright, alright." Ryouga got up slowly.
"Okay, now, you put your hands on my hips."
"What?!?!"
o/" No, I won't be afraid o/"
o/" No, I won't be afraid o/"
Ukyo bapped Ryouga on the head. "It's dancing, not groping. Stop
thinkin' perverted thougths. I'm just teaching you, got it?"
"Oh, ah, sorry."
o/" Just as long o/"
o/" as you stand o/"
o/" stand by me o/"
"Now, your hands on my sides..."
Ryouga put his hands on her sides, just above her hips.
"And your dance partner will usually put her hands on your shoulders
like this..."
Ukyo put her hands on his shoulders.
"Now what?" asked Ryouga.
"Just sway a bit."
o/" So darling, darling o/"
o/" Stand, by me, o/"
"Ow!" yelled Ukyo.
"Sorry! Sorry!"
"Slow down a bit, and watch your feet!"
"I said I was sorry!"
"Okay, okay, now shut up and relax."
o/" Oh, stand by me o/"
o/" Oh stand o/"
o/" stand by me o/"
o/" stand by me o/"
"Hey, this isn't hard," said Ryouga.
"See? Easy, huh?"
"Yup."
Ryouga began to relax, forgetting that he had a rather cute girl in
his arms, and swayed to the music, relaxed.
Ukyo forgot that she was in the arms of a rather hansome young man,
and relaxed, putting her head on his shoulder. Either Ryouga didn't
notice, or didn't mind.
o/" If the sky that we look upon o/"
o/" should tumble and fall o/"
o/" or the mountains should crumble to the sea o/"
o/" I won't cry, I won't cry o/"
o/" no I won't shed a tear o/"
"Wish I could've danced with Akane like this," sighed Ryouga.
"Wish I could've danced with Ranchan like this too," said Ukyo.
o/" just as long o/"
o/" as you stand o/"
o/" stand by me o/"
"Hey, Ukyo."
"Hm?"
"Ah... thanks for the dance lesson."
"No problem. S'what friends are for, right?"
"Yeah, I guess."
"Just don't ask me to teach ya the Lambada."
"The what?"
"Never mind."
o/" So darling, darling, o/"
o/" stand by me o/"
o/" oh, stand by me o/"
o/" oh stand o/"
o/" stand by me o/"
o/" stand by me o/"
-end-