This is a dark fic, so if you are of weak heart or if your offended by 
violence and bad language (or if you just don't like Ranma 1/2 in 
general) I would not recommend reading this. For those who don't fit in 
those categories... I suggest that you let your emotions run wild while 
reading.

Most of the characters within the story are from the Anime Series, Ranma 
1/2 and are property of Rumiko Takahashi, and whoever else may own the 
rights. I write this without permission and do so with no attempt to 
profit off of the marvelous works, rather I do so for everyone's 
benefit. Please enjoy and tell me what you think.

Notes:  <Chinese>
	"Japanese"
	'Thoughts'


A Ranma 1/2 Fanfiction: Vengeance
	Prelude: Ryouga Plots Revenge
		by Ryan Erik


        The rain poured endlessly over the near-flooding streets of 
Nerima on that Monday morning. Merchants along Nerima's streets closed 
shop early due to the storm and the people's unwillingness to leave the 
safety of indoors. Hitoshi Yoshida was one such merchant, owning a 
flower shop which did oddly well in all seasons.
	  Hitoshi gazed outside through his glass door watching the rain wash 
the street clean of anything and anyone who stupidly attempted to brave 
it. He didn't care much for the very odd weather patterns that Nerima 
had picked up in the last couple of years, but business certainly
had never been better. Strangely enough, his best customer hadn't been 
seen for days. "I wonder what happened to that fool Kuno?" he muttered 
to himself.
        He didn't think that he would see anyone else today, so he went 
to flip the 'Closed' sign, but the door gave way to allow a young man 
enter before he had the chance. Hitoshi looked at this customer closely 
not recognizing him to be one of his regulars. 'Only Kuno would be 
foolish enough to actually buy flowers on a day like this... but maybe 
not.' He smiled and moved out of the way allowing his customer to enter. 
The young man closed his red umbrella vary warily and attached it to his 
backpack, giving Hitoshi a good view of the stranger.
        Standing quite tall, the man loomed over the short merchant by a 
good foot or more. His black hair was pretty short, but somewhat shaggy 
hiding a yellow and black spotted bandanna,  only visible on the back of 
his head. He wore a look of confusion on his face that suggested he was 
lost. He looked like a boy who lost his way from home, but this was no 
child. The young man looked Hitoshi's way giving him a good view of his 
face even though it was somewhat dark in the shop. His young but 
roughened features, look as if he has been through much weathering. Many 
girls would find him quite attractive, or so Hitoshi thought. His eyes 
were what made the man seem unordinary seeming to carry a great burden 
and hopelessness that were probably fueled by some inner self-loathing. 
Hitoshi considered himself a good judge of people who he just met, and 
this young man seemed very troubled.
        "Can I help you, young man?" Hitoshi asked a few moments after 
the young man had entered his shop and settled himself. "Are you looking 
for something or just trying to get out of the rain?" The man looked at 
him with a definite internal struggle going on within. The youth seemed 
very unsure of himself at that moment.
        "Umm... well, I'm looking for Nerima. You wouldn't happen to 
know where that is?" He looked at the merchant smiling warmly at him.
	"You do not have to look far, young one. You are standing in my flower 
shop that is within the center of Nerima." The shock on the youth's face 
turned to ecstasy after a few moments. Hitoshi thought he heard the 
youth mumble something about thanking fate. "Well, you might as well 
make yourself comfortable. No one with any common sense would walk out 
in that downpour." The youth smiled at him showing a fang-like tooth.
        "Now why don't you tell me why you are so troubled while we wait 
for this storm to pass us by?" The youth took a seat and set his large 
pack on the floor. "Oh, I forgot my manners. I am Hitoshi Yoshida, owner 
of this fine establishment, the Flower Emporium." He stood up briefly 
and bowed to the youth before returning to his seat.
        The young man stood up bowed and said, "I'm Ryouga Hibiki." He 
sat down once more and appeared to be thinking deeply. The merchant 
relaxed in his chair and gave Ryouga his time to answer his first 
question. The youth looked eager to pour out his woes just as the 
heavens poured rain upon them this very day.


	"I'd rather not," Ryouga confessed trying not to think of his troubles 
himself. Lately, he found himself becoming more and more unable to 
control the raging depression that lurked within him. At times, it felt 
as if something was residing within him making him do things that he 
would not normally do under most circumstances.
	Controlling his depression was less of a problem than controlling the 
rage that followed. Quite a bit of property damage had begin to 
accumulate to his name where usually he could get away without the 
consequences. Weeks before he lost himself for the thousandth time, he 
had been helping some folk in a town outside of Hokkaido repair the 
damages that he had caused with his pent up chi energy in the form of a 
Shishi Hokodan. While he repaired more damage than he had actually 
caused, he still felt very bad about endangering so many lives.
	"It has to do with a girl, ne?" The merchant caused Ryouga to sigh 
going into a deep fantasy of the girl who possessed his heart.

	"Oh, Ryouga!" she would say to him.
	"Akane, my love! I will never let Ranma hurt you with his words again!" 
A smile bloomed on his face.
	"What would I ever do without you?" She fiercely grabbed him into an 
embrace and they became one. His lips closed in on hers; everything was 
right in the universe.
	Akane tried to speak only coming out with muffled words causing him to 
pull away.
	"What is it, my love?"

	"Ryouga-san, are you well?"
	Ryouga's eyes focused in on the speaker shattering his fantasy. "Hai." 
His mind still on Akane, he couldn't answer any better.
	"I was right; it is a girl," Yoshida-san said with a grin. "Why don't 
you tell me about her?" Ryouga considered the merchant's request. What 
could it hurt?
	"She is like no other," Ryouga began, trying to concentrate. "Her 
kindness goes is only rivaled by her beauty." He closed his eyes, Akane 
firmly pictured in his mind. "Before I met her, life made no sense. I 
was alone. I had been alone for the majority of my life." Unshed tears 
formed in his eyes threatening to copy the sky outside in its downpour. 
"Now just a thought of her brightens my day and the sight of her addles 
my brain." He focused on the picture of Akane looking at her intently. 
Glittering, her beautiful brown eyes blinked in response. He looked into 
them so deeply. "Her eyes suck my very soul from my body! Oh God! How 
unfair life is!"
	The merchant placed a hand on his shoulder comforting the younger man. 
"You know you love her. Does she return your love at all?"
      "I don't know," was all Ryouga could say. "She..." He paused for a 
moment collecting himself. "She has a fiancee." His shoulders slumped 
and his head fell low. He forced himself not to block out the rage of 
depression that began to generate within him. "I know she doesn't love 
him though! He is a horrible person and can only insult her."


	The merchant looked at him confused and Ryouga explained further, "It 
was an arranged marriage." Yoshida nodded in solemn empathy having been 
in that situation himself when he was a youth. He fell in love with the 
daughter of a wealthy businessman at an early age, only to have his love 
shattered by her father arranging her marriage to another. She didn't 
have the courage to go against her father's will and they were forced to 
part ways. No matter how far in the past it lay, the thought of it still 
hurt as if it were yesterday.
	"You should tell her of your love, and let her make of it what she 
will. That is the only way you'll ever know if she loves you, or could 
love you back." Ryouga looked like he was on the verge of tears. "You 
are having problems working up the nerve, ne?" Ryouga nodded and Hitoshi 
spoke again. "Well, you have to tell her now, or never." Before it's too 
late...

                *               *               *

      The rain stopped and Ryouga Hibiki bid the very generous flower 
shop owner farewell. He looked at the beautiful bouquet of roses that he 
held in his hands, which Hitoshi had generously offered to him 
half-price. He would win Akane's heart tonight... 
	He neared the Tendo dojo at dawn the next day and was exhausted from 
lack of sleep. He daydreamed as he walked in the doors...

      "Oh Ryouga!" Akane fell into his arms and embraced him.

	His fantasy was short-lived though, for he failed to watch where he was 
going and walked straight into the koi pond. 
      "Bwee!!" A small black piglet, wearing a familiar yellow bandanna 
with black spots, emerged from the pool instead of the young man. The 
small pig squealed starting to swim to the edge until he felt someone 
pick him up by his bandanna.
      "So Ryouga, you decided to show up after all." The black pig 
glared at the young redhead, who held him, trying to bite her. "Hey now! 
No need to be rude, sheesh." She dropped him on the ground squarely on 
his behind, causing pain to spread throughout his entire being.
      The young woman collected Ryouga's gear from the koi pond managing 
to grab the flowers before they were ruined. "Are these for me Ryouga?" 
she teased. "You shouldn't have."
	Anger flooded the mind of the small black pig. The flowers that he got 
for Akane would now be stolen by Ranma, the bastard. 'You are so dead!' 
the small black pig thought.
      The girl, named Ranma, managed to pick up Ryouga by the bandanna 
and carry him into the dojo. "You stay right here. I'll get us some hot 
water." She left him alone on the blue floor mats. He thought of all the 
horrible things he wanted to do to Ranma.
      A handsome young man returned in her place, his hair soaking wet. 
"So, did you get our invitation? We knew we'd have to send one out to 
you earlier then everyone else's so you'd arrive on time." As the young 
man poured hot water over Ryouga, changing him back into a human, the 
lost boy could only stare at him in confusion.
      Ryouga quickly dressed himself and picked up the flowers. "I don't 
know what you're talking about Ranma, but I won't fall for any of your 
tricks today!" He passed Ranma, brushing by him angrily. Ryouga turned 
to look at him and glared. "Invitations for what?" His face wrought with 
confusion and anger.
      "Well, the wedding of course! So, you didn't get it?"
      "Who's getting married? Did Dr. Tofu finally ask Kasumi to marry 
him?" Ryouga asked causing the pig-tailed boy to laugh out loud. 'He 
will pay for mocking me.' Ryouga attacked him with a fierce punch to the 
face, which Ranma dodged with ease.
      "Cool down, man!" Ranma tripped Ryouga and sent him sprawling onto 
the floor. "Akane and my wedding, you dolt!"
      Anything Ryouga could or would have said stopped short. He started 
to pull himself off of the floor but his legs were unwilling. His whole 
world seemed to be crashing down on top of him at that moment, and he 
hoped it would crush him. There was nothing left. Nothing. He felt 
nauseated and fell back to the floor unconscious.

                *               *               *

      Ryouga opened his eyes and stared into the eyes of his goddess. He 
gazed into those brown orbs and drowned himself in them. Moaning softly, 
his head flooded with the pain of memory. "Oh, I think he's awake!" came 
a voice, the soft voice that he loved so much. It was the owner of the 
voice that cared for him so many times when he was down or injured. "Are 
you okay, Ryouga?"
      Ryouga came to and looked around. He was in the Tendo's living 
room, and leaning over him was his one and only love. Akane. "Yeah," he 
muttered faintly. He sat up watching Akane smile at him. 'Can this be a 
dream? I'm with her and I'm not a pig! She seems happy to see me!' He 
then noticed Ranma a few feet back and realized the gravity of the 
situation. "Is it true Akane? You're getting married?"
      Akane's eyes dazzled and she beamed at him. "Yes! We're getting 
married in the spring!" That was like a dagger in the heart to poor 
Ryouga who fell back on the sofa. Ranma had won. Ranma had won a battle 
so final that there was no second chance. His mouth ran dry and his 
thoughts simply vanished. She was marrying his most hated enemy.
	Ranma came over and smiled at him but Ryouga's icy return causing him 
to back off. "I'm going to head out. I'll be back soon, Akane." Ranma's 
departure enabled Ryouga to breathe once more. How could this be 
happening?
      A few moments passed and Akane stood up. "Can I get you some tea 
or water, Ryouga? You've been out for most of the day." He knew what he 
had to do. "Ryouga?" Akane pressed her hand against his forehead trying 
to feel for a temperature. "You don't have a fever." He stood up next to 
her and grabbed her hands gently.
      "Akane... I... I... I'm sorry. I have to go for good this time." 
She looked at him with a compassion that only she could show to him, the 
lost boy. He released her hands, and she tried to stop him as he turned 
and fled.
      "Ryouga, wait! Please don't go!" Her pleas turned his heart to 
mush as he ran from the accursed house. "Ryouga! Please stop..." He ran 
as fast as he could, putting as much distance as he could between Akane 
and himself. Tears flooded his eyes and he had no idea where he was 
going, but he didn't care anymore. His heart of glass shattered, and he 
had only himself to blame. He never had the nerve to tell Akane his true 
feelings, and Ranma beat him to the punch. Ranma. The name was the only 
thing in his head right now. The name that brought him so much pain in 
the past was the name of the person who delivered the fatal blow. 'How 
could Akane love such a worthless piece of shit??!!'
	Wandering sounded pretty good at the present time.

                *               *               *

      Ranma Saotome left the dojo in low spirits. He didn't want to be 
on bad terms with any of his old friends, especially not so near to his 
wedding. Ryouga showed up on cue and he expected the pig-boy to listen 
to reason and just live on. 'I expected that? from Ryouga?' He laughed 
inwardly, but he found little humor in it. He set his mind up for what 
he was doing next.
      Ukyou Kounji, his best friend, was leaving town today and he was 
going to her restaurant to wish her farewell. Another friend was leaving 
his life today. She had refused his invitation to the wedding stating 
that it would be too painful, and that she needed to move on into the 
next chapter of her life. Life without her wouldn't be as pleasant, but 
life always goes on.
      He neared Ucchan's, the restaurant she had named after his pet 
name for her. There were no customers today, for she was packing up and 
moving out. He walked in receiving a cheerful greeting, "You came, 
Ranchan." She seemed to say that to reassure herself more then anything. 
She smiled and greeted him with a hug.
      "Of course I did, Ukyou! What are best friends for?" His last 
words seemed to make the mood a little more dim, but she brightened up 
quickly. "I'm sad that you have to leave Nerima... I'll miss ya." He 
smiled faintly at her, and she beamed one back.
      "You'll have very little time on your hands, especially with Akane 
becoming your wife and the two of you running the dojo." He nodded but 
it was only half sincere. "Since you're here, why don't you help me 
pack?" He nodded and they the rest of the day packing her equipment, and 
other items.
      Day turned to night and their job was finished. "Thanks, Ranma." 
She walked over to him from her seat at the grill. "I'm going to miss 
you so much." Tears started to flow from her eyes and she reached out 
for him.
      "Don't cry, Ucchan. I'll always be there for you when you need 
me." He always hated when girls cried, especially when he was to blame. 
He held her tightly, and then she tilted her head and kissed him fully 
on the lips. After she released him, he stumbled back a little 
embarrassed.
      "You have my promise that I will never interfere with yours and 
Akane's lives again." He nodded sorrowfully as she walked him out of her 
shop and closed the doors behind him. Tomorrow would be a day of new 
beginnings for her, and he only could hope and pray that she would 
recover quickly.
      He headed back to the dojo, not noticing the figure who witnessed 
the whole scene from across the street.

                *               *               *

      Night fell upon the lost boy, and he once again was somewhere 
unfamiliar. His eyes still red from a recent cry, scanned his 
surroundings, which placed him within a city. He noticed the signs were 
still in Japanese, so he couldn't have wandered too far from Nerima, 
though it was his intent.
      As he chose to lose himself in the vastness of the world, fate 
took over and guided him to where he was meant to be at the right 
moment. He hated putting his life in its hands, but the majority of the 
time he had little or no choice. Why he ended up at Ucchan's, he did not 
know but he decided to approach it and maybe get a few bites to eat. 
Ukyou was always a good friend to him when it came to feeding him.
      He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the young man in the red 
Chinese shirt and baggy black pants. "Rannnnma," he growled under his 
breath in an attempt to avoid drawing attention to himself. He watched 
the scene before him intently. Ranma and Ukyou were talking when 
suddenly they embraced and he saw them began to kiss deeply. His 
thoughts burned with hatred and renewed anger for Ranma Saotome. He 
would kill him right now if he were able but that would only bring more 
trouble than good it could possibly do. Now anyway. 'Ranma, you will pay 
for his unfaithfulness to Akane!'
      He concealed himself in the shadows as Ranma exited Ucchan's and 
walked down the street. He thought about following for a moment, but it 
was already too late, for Ranma had disappeared out of sight.
	Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to visit Ukyou after all.

                *               *               *

Four days later.

      It was another one of those long days for young Ranma Saotome. As 
always, his father woke him up early for a special training idea that he 
concocted from his stupid panda brain. As if on cue, he fell into the 
koi pond requiring hot water to reverse his curse. Unfortunately, he 
never got to use it for Akane punted him far away for commenting on her 
horrible cooking. He landed squarely on Kuno, who in turn chased him 
around Nerima for a good half an hour before he could get back to the 
dojo and change back with the hot water that he had prepared earlier. 
Now, he was off to try and convince Cologne and Shampoo, for the 
thousandth time, to back off and let him marry Akane.
      "Airen!" The expected cry came from the restaurant that he was 
approaching and a familiar purple-haired girl came rushing at him. He 
sighed an prepared for the upcoming glomp, but it never came. "You get 
rid of Violent Tomboy and marry Shampoo now, yes?"
      Ranma sighed. He knew this wasn't going to be an easy task, but it 
had to be done. "Shampoo, please listen to me for a minute." She nodded 
in consent and he continued. 'Shampoo, I can't marry you. I love Akane, 
and nothing is going to break the bond that we share. Great, now all I 
have to do is say it!' "Umm... Shampoo?"
      "Nani?" She smiled at him affectionately.
      "I don't love you." His heart started to race and he regretted his 
words right after he said them. 'Good going, slick,' he thought to 
himself. She only stared at him, her eyes filled with sorrow. She was 
about to say something but he cut her off. "I-I... love Akane, and 
nothing anyone can do will ever make me change my mind." His heart beat 
quickly as he held his breath, waiting for a reaction.
      She sighed aloud and spoke, "Great-grandma prepare Shampoo for 
while now. Shampoo no cry." He finally took in a breath. He hated seeing 
women cry. "Come here, Ranma." She pulled him by his collar into a 
vacant side alley. Deep consideration in her eyes, she looked at before 
drawing him close into an embrace, kissing him for a moment before 
releasing.
      "Uhh... Sh-sh-shampoo?? What was that for?" he wondered how the 
old Ghoul had prepared her for him and he started to panic even more. 
Shampoo let him take a few steps back then she sighed.
      "That how Shampoo say bie liao, Air... Ranma."

                *               *               *

      From across the street, once more Ryouga watched Ranma take 
advantage of another girl! 'His day of death is now!'

                *               *               *

	Ranma started to make his way away from Shampoo and back to the Tendo 
Dojo when he heard a familiar battle cry. "Prepare to die, Saotome!" He 
rolled his eyes and took a defensive stance as Ryouga charged him. 
"You'll pay for what you've done to Akane!" Ryouga closed the ground 
between them quickly and Ranma prepared for Ryouga's very anticipated 
attack. "Bakusai Tenketsu!" The ground exploded, spraying pieces of 
concrete everywhere, but Ranma was well aware of the range that Ryouga's 
over-used move gave him. "Die for Akane!" He rushed Ranma like the fool 
he was and jumped into the air bringing his foot down to crush the life 
from his victim.
      Ranma dodge this attack, moving just far enough not to get hit 
then closed in on Ryouga. "Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken!" Ryouga managed to 
block a few of the punches, but nearly one hundred slipped through his 
defense.
      "Gah!" Ryouga, taking the beating, then attacked Ranma with a few 
swipes of his umbrella. Ranma dodged his strikes again and then 
countered with several punches that struck Ryouga. Unexpectedly, Ryouga 
jumped back and instead of his normal "go for the kill move," he 
unleashed a storm of bandannas. Ranma dodged the missiles and made his 
way towards Ryouga cautiously. 
	Ryouga's battle aura was flaring now, and he jumped high into the air 
in preparation for another jump kick.
	'What a fool.' Ranma, as a near master of the Anything-Goes Martial 
arts system, was a aerial combat expert. Ranma threw himself up into the 
air and engaged the lost boy like he has done with his father every 
morning of every day. Ryouga was quick to fall and Ranma realized his 
mistake.
	"You are going to die!!!! Bakusai Tenketsu!" The blast caught Ranma, 
near full on this time, as he landed from their aerial brawl. He had 
barely enough time to bring up his arms and protect his face from the 
blast.
	Ranma, bruised and bleeding in more than a few areas, angrily lunged at 
Ryouga, kicking him in the face hard. Ryouga tumbled backwards with the 
blow, but still got up. 'Man, he just won't quit!' Ryouga, once again, 
charged with a barrage of punches, kicks, and umbrella slashes. Ranma 
used his Amaguriken to block every single attack.
	Angered at his failure, Ryouga jumped back.
	"Come on man, let's talk about this?" Ranma offered which Ryouga 
answered with a rising battle aura. 'Damn it! He's going to use the 
Shishi Hokodan! He'll level the whole area for sure!' Without a second 
thought, Ranma charged Ryouga and leveled him with a kick that would 
have destroyed a brick wall.
      Ryouga fell to the floor obviously unconscious and beaten. "Stupid 
P-chan! Why do you gotta always go pickin' fights with me?" He looked at 
Ryouga's limp form and decided he'd had enough of him and left him on 
the street. He examined his favorite red shirt, which was now 
blood-stained and ruined. 'I'm getting careless. He shouldn't have hit 
me.' He took one last look to see a small crowd looking over the 
unconscious fool. 'He'll be okay enough to attack another day...'

                *               *               *

      "Ryouga, you took some nasty concussions, but you'll be fine." The 
voice seemed confident, and concerned for him. He managed to shift one 
eye open, but his vision blurred and the bright light hurt his adjusting 
eyes.
      'How many times this week will I need to be revived?' he wondered. 
He shifted his other eye open and tried to focus on what was in front of 
him. White. He was staring at a white ceiling.
	"Your going to be okay, Ryouga." The familiar voice said reassuring 
him. "You just had a nasty concussion, but you should heal pretty 
quickly and be ready to leave tomorrow." He returned Dr. Tofu's stare.
      Ryouga tried to pull himself into a sitting position but Tofu held 
him down. "Try not to strain yourself. You'll recover quicker that way." 
Yes. He must recover to exact revenge on Ranma somehow. All of a sudden 
he felt very drowsy.  'I... can't stay... awake.'

      Ryouga's eyes shot open and he sat up immediately. He felt 
strangely refreshed, and his head barely hurt at all. He remembered the  
events of the day before and tried to hold back his anger. 'No reason to 
get upset now... I must concentrate and get revenge on that filthy 
cheating bastard.'
      "I'm glad your awake. You can go whenever you want now. I held you 
back a couple more days so you could at least be in good shape before 
you go out charging into a fray once again."
Dr. Tofu knew him too well. Ryouga gathered his gear, after thanking the 
good doctor, and made his away towards the Tendo Dojo which, because of 
fate, he would not see for a good deal of time.
______________________________________________________________________

In the next part Ryouga wanders and finds himself
in China, with a cure to all of his problems.
Ranma and Akane's relationship just seems to get
better and better, but how long can it last before
something bad happens? Find out in the first part
of Vengeance.


Ryan Erik
ryanerik59@hotmail.com or
magusbloodstone@hotmail.com

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