CONTINUED FROM PART 5 PAGE 4 of 5....

THE BRIDGE
1:15 P.M.

	Ranma felt his heart pounding as he reached the bridge where 
he was to face Ryouga.  He wondered to himself why he bothered since
Ryouga would most likely get lost on the way and not show up for days.
But he had needed the excuse to get away from Ucchan.  To stop himself
from....

	Ranma forced his encounter with Ukyou out of his mind.  If 
Ryouga were here, he couldn't afford to let his mind wander.  He had to
fight him focused and calm so he could end it as quick as possible.

	With Ryouga on his mind and Ukyou in his heart, Ranma stood
on top of the bridge and looked around for Ryouga.  "Hey P-Chan!!  Here
I am!"  Ranma shouted.

	"Who are you calling P-Chan!!"  a voice replied from under the bridge.

	Ranma blinked in surprise and jumped down to the ground 
below the bridge and came face to face with Ryouga.

	"So you actually made it here without getting lost."  Ranma
marveled.

	"Not to mention on TIME!"  Ryouga snapped.

	Ranma winced.  "Sorry, I was....delayed."

	"You call that an excuse?!  Well, do you!?!"  Ryouga angrily
replied.

	"I'm here now!  So let's fight already!"  Ranma said as he 
assumed a combat stance.

	"Fine with me!"  Ryouga smiled as he matched Ranma's 
stance.  They both looked at each other for a few moments before 
Ryouga grabbed a handful of bandannas and threw them at Ranma.

	Ranma leapt up high, avoiding the deadly cloth blades as he
straightened out his leg for a kick.  Ryouga blocked it with his arms
and tried to grab it only to have Ranma flip in mid-air, keeping it out
of Ryouga's reach.  Ryouga then attempted to throw Ranma over his 
shoulder only to have it reversed on him.  Ryouga flew over Ranma's 
shoulder to crash hard against the side of the bridge, making a large
dent.  Ryouga slid down the wall to land on his back on the ground.

	"Heh."  Ranma smirked.  "That was eas...."

	Ranma moved his head as a bandanna nearly sliced his right 
ear clean off.  Ryouga rose to his feet, a look of hatred on his face as
he stalked towards Ranma.  Ranma calmly waited for Ryouga to attack
him.

	"Try a taste of this Ranma!"  Ryouga bellowed as he sent 
another barrage of bandanna blades at him, followed by a tomahawk
kick.  Ranma again leapt above the whirling blades and tried to heel
kick Ryouga, only to have his ankles grabbed in mid-air.  Ryouga threw
him hard towards the bridge, but Ranma used his legs to bounce off the 
bridge, leaving small dents from his feet as he flipped backwards to
land on his feet.  Ranma then turned around to face Ryouga only to have
the tip of his closed umbrella violently smash him in the nose.  Ranma 
yelped in pain and clenched his fists in anger as Ryouga smirked at
drawing first blood on Ranma.

	"That's it!  Now you're gonna pay!"  Ranma promised as he charged
Ryouga.  Ryouga waited until Ranma was almost upon him and then he
thrust his hands towards him while screaming.

	"SHISHIHOKODAN!"  

	Ryouga's energy blast caught Ranma flat in the chest but to Ryouga's
surprise, it didn't seem to hurt Ranma as much as it should have as
Ranma was thrown back several feet but that was all.

	"What's the matter Ryouga?"  Ranma asked as he rose to his feet, 
dusting himself off.  "That blast didn't hurt nearly as bad as it used
to.  Either I'm getting stronger or you're getting weak...."

	"DIE RANMA!!!"  Ryouga's eyes had fire in them as he charged 
Ranma, throwing caution to the wind, only to be thrown back hard against
the walls underneath of the bridge, cracking the cement and almost
falling in the water.  Ranma quickly followed him and prepared to attack
again when Ryouga leapt back up with fists flying.  Ranma dodged and
jumped repeatedly as Ryouga made impressions of his fist all over the
walls.  Then Ryouga withdrew his belt blade and swiped it repeatedly at
the moving Ranma, both of them trying to avoid falling into the stream
that ran through the middle underneath the bridge.

	Finally Ranma had had enough and lashed out with a kick, knocking
Ryouga's belt blade from his hand and impaling it in the wall. Then
Ranma unleashed a barrage of punches, trying to drive Ryouga into the
stream.

	"TENSHIN AMAGURIKEN!!"  Ranma screamed as he rapidly 
punched Ryouga over and over again, being careful to hit the one spot on 
him, otherwise it would be ineffective.  In desperation, Ryouga lashed
out with a two fist combination, followed by a legsweep.  Ranma blocked
both punches easily and jumped over Ryouga's leg, countering with a hard
punch to the kidneys.  Ryouga forced himself not to double over, his 
stomach in tremendous pain as Ryouga caught Ranma off-guard with a
headbutt then Ryouga grabbed Ranma's head in a front face-lock and
thrust himself downwards, causing Ranma's head to crack against the
pavement.  Ranma was motionless for a long moment and Ryouga wondered if
he had won when Ranma lifted his lower body off the ground, locking his
legs around Ryouga's neck.  Before Ryouga could break free, Ranma used
his leg muscles to flip Ryouga over and around to land chin first
against the ground.  Ryouga tasted blood in his mouth as he rose to face
Ranma only to be blasted backwards by Ranma's own chi-blast.

	"MOKO TAKABISHA!!!"  Ranma yelled as the ki-power of his 
pride slammed into Ryouga with the force of a truck.  Ryouga was blown 
clear of the bridge as he flew backwards to rest on the other side of
the stream.  Ryouga unsteadily made his way to his feet while Ranma 
emerged from the bridge.

	"Give up now Ryouga.  Before I have to hurt you."  Ranma
said as he approached the lost boy.

	"BAKUSAITENKETSU!!!"  was Ryouga's only response as he
struck the ground in front of him with his finger, a heavy cloud of dust
surrounding him as Ranma leapt across the stream to confront him....

	Only to have the dust cloud clear and Ryouga was no longer in
sight.  Ranma frowned as he searched the bank for any sign of him.

	"Ah man!  Why'd you have to get lost now!?!"  Ranma was mad.
He had been enjoying the fight, it had been helping him keep his mind
off of what happened between Ukyou and himself earlier but now it seemed
the fight was over as he searched in vain....

	
*	*	*
	

	Ryouga felt tremendous guilt at using his invisibility technique 
like this.  He had used his exploding point technique to conceal it as
he opened his mind to everything around him.  He had never used the 
technique this quickly before and was relieved when Ranma didn't appear
to be able to see him.  He knew it was only a matter of time before
Ranma would leave or he would lose his concentration so Ryouga decided
to use it when Ranma's back was turned and he was at his most
vulnerable....

	"Forgive me Ranma for this dishonorable action, but I can't let
you defeat me...."  Ryouga thought somberly to himself as he slammed his
finger into the ground directly behind Ranma, becoming visible as he 
did so.

	"BAKUSAITENKETSU!!!"

	Ranma screamed as rock fragments tore into his back, 
ripping his flesh as he fell.  Ryouga walked towards Ranma, guilt and
shame evident on his face as he decided to check to make sure Ranma
was okay.

	"R....Ranma?"

	"Where the hell did you come from?!"  Ranma growled, his 
eyes full of anger as he got to his feet, wincing at the rock shards in
his back.  "Now I'm REALLY mad!!!"

	Ranma didn't fool around this time as he launched a barrage
of punches and kicks at Ryouga, driving him back towards the stream.
Ryouga tried to block, to counter, but it only served to make Ranma
madder as he unleashed everything he had at Ryouga, continuing to 
push him back until he was teetering on the edge of the stream.

	"Go soak your head!"  Ranma yelled as he shoved Ryouga
into the cold stream.  With a loud splash, Ryouga hit the water and
sunk below the surface.  Ranma glared at the stream, his anger 
beginning to fade as he realized P-Chan might drown if he wasn't
pulled out of the water.

	Ranma started to enter the water up to his knees, changing him 
into a girl as he proceeded further to her waist.  Then she felt her leg 
hit something and she reached down to pull it out when suddenly 
Ryouga emerged from the stream, fully human and with an evil grin on 
his face.

	"R....Ryouga?!?"  Ranma-Chan gasped.

	"Surprise!"  Ryouga replied as he put everything he had into a 
single punch.  Ranma-Chan was too shocked at Ryouga not transforming
into a pig to notice the punch until it was too late.  Ranma-Chan cried
out as she flew towards the bridge, smashing hard against the supports 
and crashing to the ground in a heap.  Then the bridge began to creak
ominously and before Ryouga could react, it finally collapsed from 
the repeated hits....

	Right on top of Ranma-Chan....

	"NO!!!"  Ryouga screamed in horror as he rushed towards the 
wreckage, visions of Ranma's broken body flooding his mind.  He 
didn't want it to end this way!  He never wanted to kill Ranma, not 
anymore!  If Ranma was dead, everything was ruined, his plans, his 
dreams....

	....Akane....

	Ryouga frantically searched through the wreckage, calling 
Ranma's name as he did so.  Tears began to form in his eyes as he
continued to find no signs of life.  

	Then he heard a sound, the sound of someone coughing!  
Ryouga lifted a large section of bridge from the source of the coughing
and looked down to see Ranma-Chan lying on a slab of stone, still alive
and looking relatively intact.  The portion of bridge Ryouga had lifted
had sheltered her from injury.  Ryouga breathed a sigh of relief and
then gently lifted Ranma-Chan in his arms.  She looked up at him, a
mixture of anger and gratitude evident in her eyes as she weakly said.

	"Jeez Ryouga....First you want to kill me then you save my life.  Make
up your mind, why don't ya?"

	Ryouga smiled.  "I already have."

	"Huh?"  Ranma-Chan confusingly said.

	Ryouga slugged Ranma-Chan across the jaw and she passed 
out obligingly.  Then Ryouga slowly lowered her to the ground and 
walked over to his backpack.

	"Good thing I decided to move this before we started to fight."
Ryouga remarked as he opened it and ruffled through it.  Then he
carefully pulled a plastic jar filled with water out of his backpack. 
Checking the hand printed label, he confirmed it was the right one and
then slowly walked over to the prone form of Ranma, his face
expressionless as he began to unscrew the top.

	"Consider this my gift to you, Ranma."

	Ryouga finished unscrewing the top, looked around him to make 
sure he was not being watched and then he poured the entire jar over 
Ranma-Chan's body, then stepped back and waited for the change to 
occur.... 


(Fade to Black)

	How's that for a cliffhanger? ;)  E-mail with your C&C and feedback!

	I'd like to personally thank Webdragon for his tireless efforts in
taking the time to throughly C&C my fics, point out my grammer mistakes
and make my sentences clearer, (especially in Page 4!)  So a big thank
you from me!  You deserve it!

	After finally finishing Part 5 of Wishing and recently finishing Part 4
of the "Legend of Ranko" (posting on the list sometime tonight) and
"From Dawn till Dusk" AND "Wild Stallion in the Mist Part 1" All I have
to say is....WHEW!  What a week!

	I'll be working on the second part of "Wild Stallion in the Mist" and a
new one which I've hinted at the bottom of my last few e-mails.  I'll
still be working on the other series of course, I'm just not sure what
order I doing them in yet.

Sincerely,

Megane 6.7


SHIMIYENU IS COMING.................