Chapter 6: Little Boy Lost...
	About a week later, in a small village on the island of Hokkaido...
	"Look out! It's a mad boar on a rampage!"
	"Shoot! Golly! Look out there's some guy on the road! He's gonna get
hisself squashed!"
	"Move it yuh darn fool!"
	The boy who was wearing a rather travelworn outfit, turned slowly. He had
a somewhat glazed, distracted expression on his face. He was somewhat
handsome, the effect ruined somewhat by his somewhat large canines, his
shock of hair held back by a spotted bandanna, on his back was what must've
been an extremely heavy backpack, lashed to which was an umbrella, but he
moved without seeming to notice it. He blinked wearily, finally focusing on
the rampaging boar roughly the size of half a Volkswagen which was bearing
down on him with incredible speed.
	One of the villagers wailed, "He's as good as dead, Ah cain't watch!"
	The boy gave a negligent shrug, a mildly happy grin on his face as he
gazed at the boar. This alone, by all rights should've given the beast
pause, if it weren't for momentum. He plucked the bamboo umbrella from his
backpack with a single fluid motion, lashing it out at the giant boar. 
	A few of the villagers with weaker stomachs immediately averted their
gaze, but those who didn't saw something incredible.
	The smiling boy, holding his umbrella out at arms length held the pig off
easily. They could see he wasn't even straining as the monstrous boar
huffed mightily against the blockage. It's hooves gouging deep furrows into
the ground as it fought to move forward. Its tiny, mad little eyes staring
at the boy who'd stopped it. The pig found something very disconcerting in
the somewhat cheerful look the boy gave it as he continued to hold it off... 
	"Hello, piggy," The boy said mildly, still smiling.
	The boar, somewhere deep in its crazed little porcine mind had a good idea
that it was by all rights a big pig. Not just big... he was really big...
as in all capitals BIG. The fact that it had just been called... piggy...
of all things was obviously NOT a sign of good mental health in the
individual calling the big pig... piggy. Its tiny, crazed little eyes gazed
into the bright happy eyes of the boy and decided that it had probably met
someone even crazier than it was... and with that... it backed off.
	"I don't believe it..." muttered one grizzled, old villager, "Did he just
outstare a boar?"
	"Bye-bye, piggy!" the boy smiled, waving to the boar as it scurried off,
more than a little embarrassed.
	He turned to the villagers, holding up a small map upside down in one
hand, "Excuse me... does anyone know where Furinkan High School is?"
- - -
	Akaru shuffled the papers a bit more on the desk in front of her.
Everything seemed to be in order, and the transition of power had gone very
smoothly. There were just a few more details that definitely needed to be
cleared up.
	Sho poked his head into her office, the dingy little basement room,
although she'd had the boys clean up the place a bit since she took over,
"Um... boss, Tatewaki Kuno's here to see ya."
	Akaru nodded, "Send him in. Thanks. And could you get me some hot water too?"
	Sho nodded in understanding, "Oh, to wash off the disguise, huh, boss?"
	Akaru smiled and nodded, "Yup."
	"I tell ya, boss. That disguise is pretty amazing." Sho said.
	"Thanks, you can show Tatewaki in now."
	"Sure thing, boss."
	Tatewaki smiled tentatively as the larger tough ushered him into the room.
>From behind her desk, Akaru smiled pleasantly, "Hello, sempai."
	"I will still have to get used to your looking like that." Tatewaki said
ruefully, shaking his head.
	Akaru shrugged, receiving the small kettle of hot water from Sho, who he
then dismissed from the room with a wave, "Well, I'm still sort of getting
used to it," as she splashed herself with the hot water, her body shrinking
slightly, and the contours redistributing.
	Tatewaki watched in amazement. He'd seen the transformation both ways a
few times already, but it was always quite a sight to see. He cleared his
throat finally, "I can not believe that they think it to be no more than a
mere disguise..."
	"People will believe anything." Akane said dismissively.
	"Um... you said you wanted to see me?"
	Akane smiled sweetly at him, "Yes. I've been looking over Gosunkugi's
records, and he kept surprisingly good ones..."
	"Ah... that's all quite interesting, but I fail to see--"
	"And I noticed your name on his list of assets... and some interesting
marks on his tally sheets..." she continued, still smiling.
	"Oh... ah, you don't say..? I wonder how that could've..."
	"He had you listed under the 'Loveletters solicitation, production and
delivery department' as head and only member of the production staff."
Akane grinned.
	"That was in his records?"
	"I told you he kept very good ones." Akane grinned.
	"Er... well, yes... I did write love letters on demand for him... if I
understand correctly he made a fairly handsome profit off of the freshmen
populace--"
	"A profit none of which you got any part of, I also noticed."
	Kuno shifted uncomfortably, "Ahh... well... it was..."
	Akane smiled slightly, "I was looking over his payment records and you
were not being recompensed at all for your services, now this tells me a
couple of things..."
	"Does it?"
	"Yes. First of all, since Gosunkugi has been very fastidious about keeping
these records, it doesn't strike me as likely that he would forget to
include how much you were costing him, so it seems likely that you weren't
being paid at all. Since he didn't note any alternate means of payment like
he did for some people, you were apparently doing it entirely for free
which leads me then to the obvious conclusion that he was blackmailing you
for your services," Akane leaned forward smiling cattily at him, "Which in
turn leads me to the obvious question... what did Gosunkugi have on you?"
	Kuno leaned back in his seat gulping nervously, "Ahh... erhm, how... how
interesting... well... I see you haven't simply been sitting idle then..."
he laughed nervously.
	"So... are you going to tell me or not?" Akane continued smiling, "I mean
we're practically family and all... even if I am helping you break up
reasonably with my sister..."
	"Er..." Kuno blushed, "This is rather a delicate private matter which
could result in a great deal of personal embarrassment for me and for
certain others... so I'm afraid I would prefer not to divulge the matter
for which Gosunkugi was able to impress my services."
	"Ahh... well if that's the case, then I guess I'm going to have to find
some other means of persuading you," she grinned, leaning back languidly.
	"Er..."
	Akane lightly ran her hand along the somewhat damp collar of her blouse,
"I really would like you to stay on in your former position, but, since I'm
not like Gosunkugi. This is not even mentioning how close," she paused,
savoring the word, "Our families are, it seems to me we could probably work
out some sort of..." she paused again, smiling almost meaningfully at him,
"Arrangement."
	Kuno gulped nervously, "Are you offering what I think you're offering?"
	Akane tossed him a sheaf of papers, "Standard employment contract, with
the usual bonuses commensurate with your position..."
	"Ahh..." Kuno cleared his throat, catching the papers, "But... what if I
wish to stop writing for you? I mean, this is quite a generous..." as he
glanced at the paper he blanched, "Is that a weekly figure?"
	"Plus bonuses of course." Akane grinned.
	"I don't know what to say..."
	Akane smiled, "Say yes."
	"Ahh... well, this is certainly more than my allowance... I accept then, I
suppose. Provided the work load remains the same as before?"
	"Of course. Wonderful!" she smiled then glanced at her watch, "Say...
Tatewaki, could you do me one more favor?"
	Tatewaki relaxed a bit, "Ahh, certainly."
	Akane swiveled her chair a bit, "The arm rests on this are kind of loose,
"Would you mind coming over here, and kind of putting some extra weight on
them to jam them back into the sockets?"
	"Oh, certainly." Tatewaki nodded, moving around the desk. He rested his
hands on the ends of the armrests, leaning forward, over Akane.
	Akane gave another glance at her watch as he stood over her, before she
suddenly snaked her arms up to encircle his neck. Kuno glanced down at her
as she did this about to ask what she was doing. It was at precisely this
point that the door opened.
	Sho poked his head in, "Hey, boss, I'm going off shift. It's Shigo's...
er... I'm interrupting aren't I?" he blushed.
	Both Akane and Tatewaki turned to look at him. Their position did seem
somewhat compromising, especially when one considered that Tatewaki seemed
to be leaning over her, keeping her pinned to the seat, and her own arms
were wrapped around his neck. Kuno blushed deeply, but stood frozen. Akane
merely looked at Sho with a mild smile, "Please knock next time."
	"Um... yes boss." Mumbled the tough, shuffling backwards, avoiding looking
at them directly.
	"And lock the door behind you!" Akane called out to the embarrassed
henchman merrily.
	"Akane!" Kuno said, the shutting of the door stirring him out of the
shock. He pulled back, "What was that for?"
	She flopped back into her chair, crossing her arms and looking up at him
playfully, "Don't get so defensive... it's part of the plan remember?"
	"But I was under the impression that some other woman would be..." Kuno
blushed again.
	Akane laughed then patted him lightly on the cheek, "Who else could we
trust with this? Besides, who knows, if we get someone else to act the part
of the other woman, she might even fall for you for real."
	"I beg your pardon?" Kuno looked disturbed at the thought.
	"Why not? You're good looking, rich, you're a nice guy... maybe you're a
little shy, but you're quite a catch."
	Kuno merely blushed and mumbled an uncertain thank you.
	She looked at him closely, unbidden a slight blush was rising in her
cheeks as well. She gave him a small, uncertain smile, trying to regain
control, "Ah... nevermind, Tatewaki-sempai... you've got a poetry club
meeting to attend in ten minutes, you'd better get going."
	"I do? Oh, yes that's right..."
- - -
	About a week afterwards, at a little used forest road somewhere in the
middle of nowhere...
	"So Tokyo is this way?" the bandana clad boy asked the man again
uncertainly pointing down the road.
	"No, no, no! It's that way!" The infuriated man replied, pointing in the
opposite direction. They'd gone over this at least twelve times already.
	"Alright. That way. Got it." the boy replied cheerfully, heading entirely
off the road, right into the dense forest.
	The man merely shook his head and shrugged. There was just no helping some
people.
- - - 
	"Hey, Tatewaki!" Akane called out, waving to him at dismissal time.
	Kuno turned around, smiling diffidently at Akane as she approached him,
"Oh, hello, Akane. Can I help you?"
	"Have you seen Ranma?" Akane asked.
	"I believe he, Nabiki and Kodachi were going for some ice cream."
	"And they left without me?" she felt miffed.
	"Well... you were busy with running your... ahem, business."
	She sighed, "Yeah, I guess. Why didn't you come along?"
	"Well... I feel a great deal safer being in Nabiki's presence when you are
nearby."
	"Really?" Akane said grinning slightly.
	"Something the matter?" Tatewaki asked, mildly concerned.
	"Not really. Oh! I've got something for you," she said smiling.
	"More requests?" he asked pleasantly. He'd been learning that she was a
far better boss than Gosunkugi had ever been. Prettier, certainly. He
blinked as the thought crossed his mind and quickly slapped it down.
	She stood in her usual Chinese shirt, bouncing lightly on the balls of her
feet, "No... just a little bonus. A kind of thank you for the good work
you've been doing these past couple of weeks..."  
	"Ahh... well, that's very nice of you Akane," Kuno stammered a bit
embarrassed.
	A few of the sharper-eyed students noticed this little exchange and paid
attention.
	She opened her bag and pulled out a small package, tastefully gift-wrapped
in simple brown paper. She handed it to him with little ceremony and a
bright smile, "Here."
- - -
	"Excuse me... is this Furinkan High School?"
	The student eyed the bandana clad boy with a small degree of confusion.
Very pointedly, he jerked a thumb at the large sign directly in front of
the boy, which said in quite large letters, 'FURINKAN HIGH SCHOOL'.
	The boy with the bandana smiled broadly, "Great! I finally made it!" he
turned again to the student he'd asked earlier and said, "Tell me, where
can I find Akane Tendo?"
	"Akane? Well she's usually..."
	"Is this what I think it is?!" a happy voice suddenly cried out from the
center courtyard.
	In the brief lull of the noise there was a reply, "It certainly is, a
first edition copy of Shakespere's sonnets," in a voice which our bandana
clad wanderer knew better than his own... a voice he'd been yearning to
hear for oh so very long. Akane's voice... Without wasting another second,
he immediately dashed into the courtyard, intent on the source of the voice.
- - -
	Tatewaki Kuno was hugging Akane and whirling her around with mad, gleeful
abandon. He was also laughing quite loudly and didn't seem at all concerned
about witnesses.
	Akane laughed with him, clinging to his neck as he spun her around. She
knew he'd like her little gift to him but she didn't expect him to be this
grateful.
	"It's wonderful, thank you!" Kuno whooped happily as he whirled to a stop. 
	Akane smiled up at him, his arms were still around her waist and her arms
were around his neck, "I thought you'd like it."
	"How did you know?" he asked.
	"I have my ways..." she smiled mysteriously.
	It was at this precise point that the bandana clad boy stumbled onto the
scene, "Akane! Akane it's..!" he stopped... stunned, "... me."
	He stared intently at the girl... it was definitely Akane. Almost nothing
had changed about her... except for one thing. She was in the arms of
another man. The perpetually cheerful look which he had worn for years was
suddenly wiped away. And he could swear her heard something like a crash
and a tinkle... the sound of a heart shattering... he stared at them...
utterly devastated.
	Akane and Tatewaki both turned to look at him. Kuno merely stared
wondering who this person was. Akane was reeled in surprise, but recovered
quickly. She immediately let go of Kuno, breaking free of his arms and ran
towards the bandana clad boy, smiling happily, "Ryouga?! Ryouga Hibiki! It
is you!"
	But as she got closer the dark cast to his features became more and more
obvious. She slowed to a walk and asked softly, "Ryouga?"
	Ryouga gave a sudden roar, pushing past Akane, tears streaming in his eyes
as he leapt at Kuno. Tatewaki gave a strangled yelp, leaping out of the way
quickly. Ryouga's fist crashed into the cement walkway, a circular area the
size of a car shattered into fragments. He snarled incoherently, lashing a
fist out in Kuno's direction, but the bespectacled young man had the
presence of mind to duck behind Akane.
	"Ryouga! What's wrong with you?!" Akane screamed at him.
	Ryouga rose to his feet, still surrounded by the shattered walkway, tears
streaming down his cheeks, "I just spent the past two years looking for
you... I followed you for thousands of miles... even all the way to CHINA,
only to find out you've gone off with another man, and you have the nerve
to ask me what's wrong?!"
	Akane blinked at Ryouga. Then looked over her shoulder at Kuno. She
adjusted her glasses, "Oh, Ryouga... this is not what it looked like?"
	"Oh yeah?! Well didn't everyone just see you two hugging?!"
	There were affirmative nods from the gathered crowd.
	"Er..." Kuno started to say.
	"Well I guess I don't need an explanation anymore why you didn't meet me
for our last date then?" Ryouga said sulkily.
	"Ryouga... I waited three days for you in the living room."
	"Yeah, but when I'd got there on the fourth day you'd already left with
your brother!"
	"Ryouga," Akane began patiently, "Why did it take you four days to find
the living room of your own house?"
	"What?! You don't think I was wandering around Japan for my health?! I
tried to get back as fast as I could!"
	"You were waiting at his house for four days?" Kuno asked Akane.
	She shrugged, "We were living together."
	Murmurs of shock and surprise rippled through the crowd... date... lost...
living together... Bad sense of direction... 
	"Hey, are you Akane's boyfriend?" asked one of the freshman girls of Ryouga.
	"I was." He replied flatly.
	More murmurs and rumors spread... 
	"You!" he pointed at Kuno, "What's your name?!"
	Tatewaki was feeling somewhat annoyed at the imperious tone that the boy
in the bandana was using on him. He frowned, straightening up to his full
height, "I am Tatewaki Kuno and you, vile recreant... boyfriend or no
boyfriend have no right to speak to Akane Tendo in so disrespectful a manner!"
	"Enough talk!" Ryouga said unshipping the umbrella from his backpack. He
flung it powerfully, snapping it open in midair as it whirled outwards. It
flew in a tight arc as Akane grabbed Kuno and shouted, "Down!" missing them
by a hairsbreadth.
	The flying umbrella's handle whacked a few students as it flew past them,
before it circled around the courtyard, and back into Ryouga's hand. He
snarled at Akane, "Akane Tendo, I'm going to destroy your happiness!"
	Akane blinked at Kuno, "Tatewaki... am I happy?"
	"Well, you have been rather chirpy of late." Kuno replied thoughtfully,
adjusting his glasses.
	"You're not helping," she frowned at him.
	"Prepare to DIE!!" Ryouga roared as he tore forward at tremendous speed.
Akane roughly shoved Kuno aside as she leapt over Ryouga. Most of the other
students scrambled to get out of the way of the mad charge, and everyone
watched in amazement as he crashed into the cement wall of the school...
then crashed all the way THROUGH the wall. They could eventually hear his
voice fading in the distance screaming, "Where are you Akane?! There's no
use hiding!"	
	Everyone could only watch in mingled awe and confusion as his voice faded
into the distance, the sounds of him crashing through wall after wall
punctuating his cries...
	"That... was your boyfriend?" Tatewaki finally asked Akane.
	"Um... he didn't always used to be so high strung," she replied weakly.
- - -
	Akane sighed as she relaxed on the porch of the dojo. Ranma walked up
behind her, plopping down to sit next to her, "Hey, sis... I heard Ryouga
dropped by the school after classes today."
	Akane sighed, "Please... don't remind me."
	Ranma looked surprised, "Why? I thought you'd be happy to see him?"
	"Well, I take it you didn't hear the rest of the story?"
	"What happened? All me and Kodachi hear was that he came to the school..."
	"Well... he caught me... er... being hugged by Tatewaki..."
	"Ohh boy..." Ranma winced, then blinked, "Why was Tatewaki hugging you?"
	Soun poked his head around the corner, "Who was doing what?!" he asked
suspiciously.
	Akane looked at her father in surprise, "Ahh... no one, daddy."
	Soun gave a shrug and an indifferent nod and went back to his room.
	"Anyway, he went nuts," Akane continued worriedly, "Did plenty of damage
to the school."
	"Who did?" Nabiki asked as she walked in, followed by Kasumi who was
putting the plates on the table.
	"Her old boyfriend," Ranma replied.
	Nabiki and Kasumi both stared at Akane, "You have a boyfriend?" they
chorused.
	Soun's head poked around the corner again, "Did I hear right? My little
girl has a boyfriend?"
	The Tendo siblings all turned to stare at their father a little anxiously.
	He nodded approvingly, "Bring the boy around sometime, I'd like to meet
him," he said before disappearing around the corner again.
	"I can't believe dad just said that," Ranma said.
	Kasumi gave a little disapproving glance at Akane and then said primly as
she set the table, "Well you're a little young for that aren't you?"
	"So... let's hear about this boyfriend, sis." Nabiki inquired.
	"Well, Ranma and I met him about two years ago, when we were wandering all
over Japan looking for his parents." Akane began, "We didn't always have a
place to stay so sometimes we... er..."
	"You what?" Nabiki prodded.
	"We challenged dojos," Ranma continued, "And if we won we'd ask them to
let us stay there and feed us or else we took their shingle away. We never
lost." He added proudly.
	Nabiki blinked, "You two were dojo destroyers?"
	Ranma squirmed uncomfortably, "Well... not in so many words..."
	Akane shrugged and grinned, "Basically. But its not like we ever actually
took away anyone's dojo sign. They were always more than happy to house us
and feed us to get their shingle back."
	"I still don't see how this relates to your boyfriend, Akane," Kasumi
prodded.
	"Well... about two years ago, we challenged the Hibiki dojo..." Akane
continued. She blushed and smiled slightly at the memory.
	"Their top student was the school's heir, Ryouga Hibiki," Ranma continued,
"Anyway, I beat him and his dad let us stay there for a couple of months."
	Akane meanwhile had been reduced to staring out at the koi pond, with a
wistful smile on her face.
	Ranma glanced at her and seeing she was in no condition to continue the
story, he shrugged and pressed on, "Well we got to know him pretty good, he
was a nice guy, good martial artist. Strong as an ox too... and we ended up
sorta buddies. Then one time we're hanging out on his porch and he
confesses he's in love with Akane."
	Akane gave a brief sigh. Nabiki stared at Akane. She'd never seen her
sister, (at least in the past month that they'd had to get reacquainted
with one another) reduced to such a level of... she didn't even know what
to call it.
	Ranma rolled his eyes, "Turns out, Akane was listening to the whole thing
and the next thing I know the two of them are an item."
	Kasumi held up a hand, a very subtle change in the usually placid
expression on her face, "When they were fourteen at the time?"
	Nabiki raised an eyebrow.
	Ranma did some quick mental calculations, "Yeah... yeah... I think so...
or about thirteen and three quarters something like that."
	Kasumi smiled vaguely, swooning as she got to her feet, "Excuse me, I feel
faint," they heard her murmur as she went into the kitchen.
	"You should've seen em... all sweet and mushy the whole time..." Ranma said.
	"And you were living in the same house with him?" Nabiki asked, "Didn't
his parents object or something?"
	Ranma replied, "Well, you see his entire family's got this problem. None
of them have a sense of direction. They get lost going to the bathroom. We
had to walk Ryouga to school everyday or he'd be lost for weeks. As it was
we got to his parents at the house maybe once every other week or so."
	"We had to leave kinda sudden... and they never really had a chance to say
good bye," he finished.
	"So now he's found her after all these years..." Nabiki hazarded a smile,
"Sorta romantic if you ask me. He sounds like a really sweet guy."
	Akane sighed, turning to face Nabiki, "Oh he is... sweet, kind-hearted,
sensitive. Only now I think he's out to kill me and Kuno-sempai."
	Nabiki blinked, "Wait a second... I think I missed something. I thought
you said he was your boyfriend?"
	"Uh-huh."
	"So why'd he be trying to kill you? And Tatewaki?"
	"Er..." Akane started uncomfortably, "Well, he caught us hugging. In front
of the rest of the school. And he's got a hair trigger temper."
	For some reason she couldn't quite fathom, Nabiki suddenly felt her anger
begin to rise. She spoke in a low voice glaring at Akane, "Let me get this
straight, Akane... you have a boyfriend who's been looking for you for a
couple of years now..."
	Akane nodded noting Nabiki's expression.
	"... and you're sleeping with Ranma..." Nabiki continued.
	Akane nodded again.
	Nabiki leaned forward, "And now you're making moves on Tatewaki?! My
fianc�? Haven't you got ANY shame?!"
	Akane' jaw dropped and she felt her own temper begin to rise. She'd never
been the focus of Nabiki's anger before, at least not to this extent, and
she certainly did NOT appreciate Nabiki's tone of voice, "Look... what
Ranma and I do is our business, not yours, even though you keep trying to
peek in on us..." Akane smirked in satisfaction as Nabiki gaped and
blushed, "As for Tatewaki, for your information HE was hugging ME. Which I
might also add is none of your business either, since, if I do recall
correctly, you don't even WANT him as your fianc�!"
	"Oh, so maybe you do?" Nabiki snapped back, rolling her sleeve up, "Going
to two-time this Ryouga person? No wonder he's after you."
	"Oh yeah?!" Akane shot back, rising to her feet.
	"Yeah!" Nabiki replied, likewise getting up.
	Ranma's head whipped back and forth between his sisters, he shushed them
desperately, "Hey, guys! Keep it down! You don't want dad finding out about
that too soon, he's go nuts... that or start crying... or both..."
	It was a little too late however, as the two had leapt out into the
courtyard as the sun dipped below the horizon and began exchanging blows.
	Ranma slumped, watching the two trade punches, kicks, blocks, and dodges.
Fortunately they were more or less evenly matched, neither one getting a
good shot in. Kasumi finally stepped out of the kitchen and blinked at her
two sisters, "Sparring before dinner to build up an appetite," she said
cheerfully, still holding the ice pack to her head, "What a wonderful idea!"
	Ranma's mouth quirked as he muttered to himself, "Kodachi'd laugh. Who'd
believe my sisters, actually fighting over Tatewaki." 
	Kasumi smiled vacantly at him then went back into the kitchen for some
more ice.
	He did his best to suppress a snigger, as he rose to his feet to break it
up, he couldn't help but wonder where Ryouga was...
- - -
	"This is the way to Tokyo right? You're sure?"
	"NO! This way! Stupid idiot!"
- - -


=====
TimeRunner's Page:
http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Towers/7482

icq: 7153134 (Keiichi)
=====

"The story grew in the most convoluted way, as many people will be
surprised to learn. Writing episodically meant that when I finished one
episode I had no idea about what the next one would contain. When, in the
twists and turns of the plot, some event su
ddenly seemed to illuminate things that had gone before, I was as surprised
as anyone else."

--- Douglas Adams, "A Guide to the Guide"

"Mos people who want to be writers don't really want to be writers. They
want to HAVE BEEN  writers."

--- James A. Michener