ButterFly Lovers
By: DaisukiFox
Hey there readers! I wanted to try something like this because one time while I was playing Smite with a few friends a while back. I looked into some history for the Chinese gods and eventually found myself looking up things about old Chinese romances. Like Hou Yi and Chang'e. I eventually found this video about the ButterFly Lovers. I drew some comparisons from my fanfiction and thought... this would make an interesting story.
Then I tried to absorb an entire movie to make it feel more authentic... unfortunately, all I found was something that would take far too much time and investment. So I decided to play with the idea in my own way but in a way that explores the dynamic Ranma and Ryoga could have as a couple.
You'll see what I mean! XD
I tried to respect the characters from both Ranma 1/2 and the fable of the Butterfly Lovers.
Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma 1/2, Ranma 1/2 is owned by Rumiko Takahashi and Viz Media, please support the official release.
Tense was the best way to describe the current situation with Ranma and Akane, the two strolled along the side of the ditch, Ranma of course walking on the railing as though he were some alley cat. Arms behind his head as the prodigy looked to the blue haired girl, "Come on, Akane... we've been over this...it was pops! I got nothing to do with it! Really... what a great king to have not even bothered to check if the one he was betrothing his son to, was a guy!" Ranma shouted.
"I get it! alright! I just wish you'd understand how odd it makes things for me! We were almost married and things like this are still happening!" Akane stated, letting out a sigh shortly after.
"How do you think I feel, huh!? Cause I'm telling you now, it ain't some walk in the park, that's for sure!" Ranma retorted, both stopping to meet eyes, Ranma's hands on his hips.
Akane's mallet began to form but she suppressed it, 'Such a compassionate and understanding fiance I have...' she thought begrudgingly. "What do you expect me to do!? Do you know how weird I look to everyone!? Akane the girl who can't keep her fiance faithful! Why is everything around you so crazy and weird!?" she asked as if demanding a real answer for her question, frustration radiating in the form of anger.
Ranma's eyes widened as he sensed doubt in his strained relationship with the Tendo girl, he noticed Akane's inner fire die down, then witnessed her clenching her fist as her eyes trembled. To think they had gone from nearly getting married to back to just fiancees, 'Geez Akane... ever since the others screwed the wedding up,' Ranma thought, unsure of his feelings for Akane exactly. He knew that if the others hadn't intervened, that both he and Akane would have been married by now, so, now he felt that it was alright to be a little more open about how he felt for the youngest of the Tendo's.
"I'm weird? Who has a whole school of guys chase after just one girl!? Especially some tomboy who borders on-" Ranma only got so far before Akane's bookbag smacked into Ranma's chin.
"You say I'm the only one with anger issues, jerk!" Akane screamed as Ranma fell, Ranma looking only moderately annoyed, looking more as though he was annoyed with himself for not expecting this reaction.
Ranma emerged from the water, this time as her female form. She turned to where she had last seen Akane and saw nothing but an empty space, "Well... guess I won't be seeing you at home!" she shouted, pretty much calling to the wind and knowing it.
She scoffed and with a scowl, deciding to go anywhere that wasn't near Akane.
Shampoo hopped from rooftop to rooftop on her bike, looking at the strange package that was in her bike's basket. She looked at it closely, given its general shape, she was almost certain it was a bird's cage with some exotic creature under a sheet.
"Why bird no make sound? Is dead or shy?" she questioned no one, in particular, only speculating. Her curiosity getting to her, much like the feral she became with her curse.
"Shampoo... remember not to let this package fall, I'm sorry I can't tell you what it is, just know, we've been tasked with its safe keeping..."
Those were Cologne's final words before she departed to get this concealed bird's cage. "What so special?" she continued to wonder as she leaped onto another rooftop as if she were just casually riding onto it. That was until she heard a sound coming from a nearby alleyway.
"Damn you, Ranma! Prepare to die!"
Walking with her hands in her pockets the redheaded martial artist pondered her next course of action, 'Should I get some of those girly parfaits I like so much...?' she thought, though, took a moment to pause and consider Akane, she ultimately concluded that she'd just go around the marketplace and see how she felt later on.
Heading towards her direction was a yellow blur in the distance, Ranma was lost in her thoughts about whether or not she should sneak into her home to change her outfit, 'What disguise haven't I used...?' she thought until she heard a voice call to her.
"Ranma Saotome!" Ryoga exclaimed, stopping a few yards away from his currently female adversary. "I've come to settle the score! Once an for all!" Ryoga exclaimed, holding out his trademark umbrella as though it were a sword being held by a noble knight.
"Hey, Ryoga..." Ranma passively greeted. Casually strolling by the lost boy, hand now on her chin, undeterred from his original goal of whether or not she should put her cutesy act up for some guy to get free food.
Ryoga stared in disbelief, his eyes had widened in shock, his threats or calls to battle treated like something to just shrug off, "Pay attention when someone's trying to defeat you!" Ryoga shouted with a bloodlust in his eyes as he swung at the redheaded girl. She dodged as Ranma kept her quizzical posture, he swung again, only to see her jump over his attack as though she had just skipped some rope.
At last Ranma felt her nerves bulge in annoyance, she found herself facing the lost boy and stomping her heels, "Hey! I'm not in the mood! I just had a fight with Akane, so would you knock it off!?" Ranma demanded, glaring as though daggers could shoot out from her eyes.
It was at that moment that Ryoga's battle aura flared, his eyes wide in rage filled horror, baring his fangs he swung his umbrella upwards. Ranma all the while maintaining her ticked expression, time coming to a crawl as she tried to lean her head back but before she could, she felt the end of his umbrella to her chin, sending her flying into the air, causing Ranma's eyes to go blank for a second, she recovered while in mid-air and backflipped into a hunched position, 'How'd he...?' she thought, rubbing her sore chin.
"How dare you make Akane unhappy!" Ryoga exclaimed, leaping towards Ranma in a single bound, his weapon drawn back, to which Ranma responded in a timely manner, ducking and rolling her way safety.
"What's your problem!?" she shouted, getting to a standing position before letting out a battle cry. "Don'cha have Akari you two-timing pig!?" Ranma demanded, going on the offensive with her own hail of punches and kicks.
With almost laser precision Ryoga met Ranma's attacks with his umbrella, the two resembling a mass of blurry fists and red umbrellas, the only clear visuals were their faces, "That's none of your business!" Ryoga shot back, eventually slapping Ranma across the face with the end of his umbrella, clearly taking an advantage of an opening in Ranma's attacks.
"Omph!" Ranma grunted, shortly after getting hit at the underside of her ribcage, 'What the hell!? How'd he-' she thought, a little panic in her voice as his attack had literally knocked some wind out of her lungs, thankfully the stubborn Saotome had taken far worse than this.
She saw that another attack was headed her way, she reacted much like a cat seeing a stream of water heading towards them, she jumped back. "No fair getting a new trick, Ryoga..." Ranma commented, wiping the corner of her lightly bleeding mouth, 'Is Pig-Brain here finally a challenge, again?' she wondered, the corner of her mouth curling into a cocky grin.
"I said I'd settle the score, Saotome..." Ryoga's voice felt as though it was rumbling with anger and power.
Now that Ranma got a clear look at him, she saw that his hands had been glowing with a green colored hue. "Damn it, why the heck are ya' so good with ki stuff, huh!?" Ranma groaned, remembering her first encounter with ki attacks.
"Just like you, Ranma... I don't stop till I win..." Ryoga commented, showing an eerie level of control, it reminded Ranma of something, she recalled that empty stare in Ryoga's eyes from the first time he performed "The Perfect Shishihokodan".
"My speed versus yours, huh?" Ranma asked rhetorically, now taking this serious, she could always use the distraction and something to remind her of how much more adept she believed herself to be, compared to Ryoga.
"As much as I like hitting you with my umbrella, it just isn't as gratifying as punching that face of yours..." Ryoga said, sheathing his weapon and dropping his bag with a thud, as the umbrella had fallen with it.
"Sure you just don't want to add me to your little love triangle, Ryoga?" Ranma asked, giving him a flat and accusing glare.
Ryoga's eyes expanded as he became flustered for a moment, he clenched his fist, returning the stare with one of his own, "As if! This is about who's better!" Ryoga shot back, bringing them back to their fight or at the least, trying to.
"We already know the answer to that!" she said in response, trying to overwhelm the lost boy by actually trying to go faster, only to have her speed met, beads of sweat forming on their faces.
"Face it, Saotome! I've got you now!" Ryoga declared.
'Pig-face r-really stepped up his game...' she thought but at that moment a thought formed in Ranma's mind. "A-Akane!?" Ranma gasped, eyes in a state of shock as she looked past Ryoga's shoulder.
"Akane!?" Ryoga's face went blank as Ranma called the blue haired girl's name out, only to be struck several times in the torso, throwing him back into a wooden fence, which broke upon contact with the lost boy.
"Gullible as ever, eh? P-Chan?" Ranma taunted, though she was confident, she still had to breathe rather deeply, as if she had just taken a very long jog and exhausting jog.
"Damn you, Ranma! Prepare to die!" Ryoga cried, quickly coming to a stand, a small bit of wood falling off his shoulder as leaped towards where they had been fighting, prior to Ryoga's in-air trip.
Ranma got back on the defensive, holding her arms up, ready to face any attack the lost boy could dish out.
"Hah-" Ryoga was cut short as a bike wheel's tire wound up on the back of his head, causing his eyes to bug out and his posture to shift to that of someone who had just been whacked on the back of the head with a bat, his hands warding evil.
"Ni-hao, Ranma!" Shampoo greeted, slouched over on her bike as she looked past the bird cage perched in her basket.
"Shampoo! I'm kinda' busy here with Ryoga and all..." Ranma began, twirling her wrist and gently nodding her head.
"Shampoo only wish to ask Ranma on-"
"Get off me!" Ryoga shouted, feeling steam rising to his face as he sent the purple haired girl soaring into the air with one massive uppercut.
Shampoo's eyes went wide as she realized that the package she had been entrusted to protect was now flying in the air like the animal it was meant to cage. "Shampoo's bird!" she exclaimed, trying to reach for it while airborne, looking as she was struck in a backflip whilst reaching for her cage, only to flick the corner and cause it to spin away faster from reach.
"Aiya!" she squealed in fear and watched as it crashed into the ground near her launch point.
Ryoga paid Shampoo no mind as he went back to relentlessly attacking the Saotome prodigy, "No more interruptions, Saotome! This is the end!" Ryoga announced, shifting gears and firing at all cylinders with how fast he had been going, his hands noticeably glowing as the two began to feel their fists getting sore from repeated contact.
"Bring it!" Ranma shot back, gritting her teeth as she met Ryoga's attack, yet again. Beads of sweat moving away from their faces as if they were standing in front of a high-speed fan.
Both were wearing the other down, however, from behind Ryoga, at the corner of her eye, she spotted two translucent butterflies. "What the hell-" she muttered under her breath, being momentarily distracted herself, she found Ryoga's fist colliding against her cheek, sending her flying back with the speed and force of what Ranma would assume being hit with a car would be like.
"Y-you never-never let up, do you...?" Ryoga said, speaking through shallow breaths, his chest heaving up and down as he had a cold sweat, 'Damn... didn't think I'd need this much ki to beat Saotome... the guy did take down Saffron, after all...' Ryoga thought until something landed on his shoulder.
Ranma grunted as she slid across the pavement, quickly sitting up and rubbing her sore cheek, 'Really wish I hadn't done the Hiryu Shoten Ha so much on Porky here...' Ranma thought, facing to her arch nemesis as she rose from defeat, her clothes scuffed as just as much as Ryoga's was.
"You're mine now, Saotome!" Ryoga exclaimed, charging like a raging bull.
Ranma furrowed her brow and tried to meet Ryoga's aggression, that was before they both noticed something on one another's shoulder, glowing bright suddenly as they clung to the shoulders of the martial artists.
"What the!?" they shouted in unison before the luminescent insects merged themselves into the shoulders of the two martial artists.
Shampoo ran back to the scene of the crime, having returned from her flight, in order to get some much-deserved payback and also to find the bird that may have escaped from the cage. She came back in time to see Ranma get jabbed so hard that the Saotome was sent skidding back onto the pavement.
"Airen!" she cried, only to have Ranma ignore her and see that something had startled her, she was about to dash to aid her supposed dearest, but what came after shocked the amazonian more, there was a glowing creature on Ranma's shoulder, it faded into Ranma's body, much like a spirit possessing a body.
"Ranma! Are you okay?" Ryoga asked, looking genuinely concerned for his sworn enemy.
His words caught Shampoo by surprise, so much, so, that she stopped as if she was told to freeze.
"Y-yeah... ya' ain't gotta' worry about me," Ranma looked away from the lost boy, unable to see him eye-to-eye for whatever reason, a rosy red tinge to her cheeks.
Ryoga bowed his head a little as if ashamed of what he had done, 'Ugh... what's wrong with me? I finally have the upper hand and I can't...' Ryoga thought, swallowing hard as he looked up to Ranma, trying to keep his cool but failing, for at that moment Ranma gazed into Ryoga's eyes.
The amazonian warrior gawked, she seemed frightened and bewildered, her head darting from left to right.
Ranma deeply through her nose, her breathing uneven while they locked pupils, 'Ryoga... damn it! What's wrong with me!?' the redheaded girl thought, shaking her head, unknown to her, Ryoga's actions mirrored hers.
"Aiya! Shampoo save Ranma!" she exclaimed having gotten extremely powerful vibes from this situation that something was wrong and leaped into action, using a mailbox she had yanked straight from someone's front yard she attempted to bring it down on Ryoga as if she were some cartoon character about to comically bash someone over the head.
As blatantly obvious as this was, Ryoga lazily dealt with it, simply raising one of his arms up, fist closed, sending the girl flying like the nuisance she was perceived to be by the two, oddly, starstruck rivals. "Shampoo save Ranma when land! Aiyaaaa!" she screamed, her voice getting fainter by the second until completely inaudible.
Continuing where they left off, it was as if they were trying to gaze into one another's very souls. The two stepped closer together, Ranma looking up to Ryoga. Her mind felt as though it was drawing a blank, unaware of what she was doing and if she had to describe it. It was as if it were a pleasant dream, not a care or thought in the world.
"Hey, Ranma..." Ryoga began, breaking the silence as he just found himself feeling rather tamed, almost as though he had achieved some sort of inner peace.
"Sup?" Ranma blinked, quickly looking down before back to Ryoga, then off to the side.
"Do you want to... I don't know, hang out?" Ryoga offered, a nervous atmosphere set by how awkward it was for the girl to meet his eyes, 'Wasn't I trying to defeat Ranma...?' Ryoga's inner voiced asked, sounding as if he were partially asleep.
"Yeah... I was gonna' go get something to eat, just wondering how I was gonna' pay for it..." she muttered, feeling uneasy and even hopeful looking in some way.
Ryoga paused and clenched his fist, then nodding to himself and looked back to Ranma, "Instead of trying to score some free food, Saotome, you could just let me pay for it..." looking more like he was trying to spare her dignity, though, he did have to wonder if she indeed liked conning men out of their money.
"Alright, Pig-Face but don't think this means I owe ya'..." Ranma replied, crossing her arms and trying to figure out why she was so calm around the lost boy, 'Why do I feel so relaxed right now...?' she thought, though considered it weird on account of the fact they were just fighting, she would have thought deeper about the situation but felt her mind drawing a blank whenever reaching that point in her thought process.
"Think you could... lead the way?" Ryoga asked, giving Ranma something else to ponder.
Ranma's eyes glowed for a second before dimming back down, almost as if they had been headlight slowly dying out. "You're hopeless..." she commented, chuckling before leading the two, leaping onto a rooftop with ease, Ryoga followed her lead.
Akane stood on her balcony, arms resting on the railing as she looked out into the distance, 'I thought I was stubborn...' she thought, thinking back to how close she was to marrying Ranma. She knew that Ranma wouldn't show up for a little, especially after one of their fights. Could things have turned out differently if she had just talked it through? She felt a vein twitch in her head, her husband to be, could be insufferably confident about how right he was sometimes.
"Wonder where he gets that from?" Akane mumbled as she heard Genma walk by her room, scratching his belly and suppressing a yawn. She dipped her head and released a deeply held in breath. To think she had finally gotten the courage to try and take a risk on Ranma, only to have him deny it. There was only so much she could take before even she felt that her relationship was a little rocky.
That wasn't to say Ranma was without any merits, he was kind and caring, self-sacrificing if it came down to it, 'Where's that Ranma?' she thought, thinking how she willed herself to take a blow for Ranma. What would it be like being married to Ranma? Would they take ownership of the house too? What exactly did her dad do for a living? Could he retire? Now that she thought about it, could the dojo even survive on students? They hadn't managed to pull any students, last she checked.
"Not like Happosai's doing the school name any favors, either..." she said, bordering on whispering.
"Akane!" Kasumi called out, getting the girl's attention. "It's time for supper!" her voiced echoed on the walls.
Getting snapped out of her thoughts, she blinked and looked over her shoulder, "I'll wait! I'm not going anywhere near that jerk!" Akane shot back, huffing after making such an announcement.
"Ranma's not with you?" Kasumi asked, standing at the bottom of the stairs.
Akane's eyes widened as she tightly gripped the railing, "What?" she blinked, all time she had assumed Ranma would have just been downstairs, goofing around or just minding his own business.
"Did you two have another fight?" Nabiki asked plainly, calling from the dining room.
"I believe so..." Soun commented, sounding defeated, whimpering a little.
"We were so close, Tendo..." Genma's sign read as he held it up and covered his stream of tears with his forearm.
"I'm sure they just need a little more time, dear..." Nodoka said, assuring her crying panda of a husband.
"Are you two still on that!?" Akane asked, walking back into her room before closing the sliding door to her balcony.
At the marketplace, the people of Nerima roamed the streets, minding their own business as they partook of the available delicacies. Near the very beginning stood two familiar martial artists. Ryoga's hands gripped his backpack's straps, about to take the lead until he felt Ranma putting her hand on his chest, halting him.
"Yo, Ryoga... how about I lead?" Ranma asked, looking to him, to which Ryoga lowered his head a little.
"Good idea..." Ryoga answered, looking off to the side as Ranma's hand went from his chest to his shoulder, smirking at him as she leads them, 'Even though we didn't find out who's better... I don't think I care...' Ryoga thought, letting arm fall limply to his side, his eyes going as blank as his mind.
"Aw man... that looks good..." Ranma commented as though she had discovered the holy grail itself, which she was right to some extent; at least in her opinion.
Searching for what caused Ranma's reaction, he saw that she was looking at an ice cream and desserts stand. The thing that caught Ranma's attention was one large, very girly looking sundae, a cherry landing at the very top. He saw that the order was being served to a couple, he became a little nervous at the implications. Without so much as saying a word, he walked up to the stand and held one finger up.
"Can I get the strawberry shortcake parfait with the champagne flute cup, please?" Ryoga ordered, surprising Ranma but also causing her to cross her arms and blush, she wanted to call him out but found that she just couldn't keep her eyes off the dessert. She watched it as it was put together, then upon serving the lost boy he turned back to her and handed it to Ranma.
"Here..." he stated, looking away as one hand held the large frozen treat to the girl, a light coloring to his cheeks as he waited for her to take her plastic cup.
Ranma's thoughts were clouded by just the very thought enjoying the delicious sweet in front of her, she cautiously reached out and swiped the delicious dessert from Ryoga's hand and turned around, using her martial artists level of speed, she quickly took a spoonful of parfait to her mouth, she closed her eyes and moaned in what Ryoga thought was far too cute.
"I'll go get me something small..." Ryoga cleared his throat, quickly going over to get his own treat.
From within walls of the Nekohaten, a few customers could be seen conversing among themselves. Cologne was seen on the other side of the counter, working the stove as she prepared noodles. The doors to the building were kicked open by a clearly beaten and clearly exhausted lavender haired Amazonian, a dinging sound followed immediately after her kick.
"Shampoo...?" Mousse gawked, stopping as he wore frilly apron, hands currently balancing two orders.
"Great-granddaughter? Where's the cage!?" she exclaimed, seeing that Shampoo had her bike tucked under her arm but that the cage she had been assigned to pick up had gone missing.
"Shampoo try to get but stupid Ryoga get in way! Send Shampoo flying, two times!" Shampoo said in her defense.
"Why was Ryoga in the way? Was it because you were interfering, perhaps?" Cologne asked, narrowing her eyes dangerously at the purple haired girl, 'Always getting distracted, this is why Shampoo can't surpass son-in-law...' she thought, her frustration being vented out in the form of a deep groaning in her throat.
"Shampoo only try to see, Airen!" Shampoo defended, earning a look of sorrow on Mousse's face as he went back to waiting tables.
"This is far worse than you think, Great-granddaughter..." Cologne hummed to herself in a nervous panic as she jumped down from the stool she was using to balance herself in front of the stove.
This caught the attention of the two Amazonians, Shampoo was the first to follow her great-grandmother to the backroom. The elder gestured for her to follow with a wave of her hand, jumping around on her cane as though it were a pogo stick.
"Shampoo you have to go find Ranma and Ryoga..." Cologne stated, looking over her shoulder with a look of urgency on her wrinkled mug. "Before it's too late..." she muttered, surprising the young klutz.
"Shampoo want know what in cage!? Great-grandmother!?" she questioned as they both ascended the stairs, panicking.
"I might as well tell you, now..." Cologne said, looking over her shoulder as she opened reached the end of the hall, turning knob and then bashing the top portion of her staff to open the door, she immediately hopped over to a nearby cabinet, standing on her beating stick she opened the twin doors, revealing a bone-white butterfly net with odd scriptures written all over the shaft.
"Why is we having butterfly net?" Shampoo blinked, still waiting for her grandmother's foretold answers.
"Shampoo... do you remember when you were but a small child, the tale of..." she paused as she took one of the mystical catching equipment.
"The ButterFly Lovers?"
Now that Ranma and Ryoga had taken to walking, they moved in relative silence, mostly because neither seemed to want to break the ice while they enjoyed their treats.
Ryoga was the first to finish and chucked his popsicle stick into a nearby public trashcan. The same couldn't be said for Ranma's as it was much larger than that of the lost boy's, so she held onto hers.
"Hey... thanks..." Ranma said out of the blue, looking to what remained of her strawberry shortcake parfait.
Ryoga's eyes follow's Ranma and he saw that she had almost finished eating, 'That really looked good... wish I could have tasted it...' he thought, his head dipping in misery. This didn't go unnoticed by the redhead, her eyes glowed momentarily before she sighed and held her hand out.
"Here... figured you'd want some..." Ranma said, almost as if doing this favor for him was like some sort of a sacrifice for her.
He could only stare as he saw this act of kindness from his arch-rival, "R-really...?" Ryoga gawked in disbelief, then looked back up to Ranma's face and then closed his eyes and blushed. "I-I couldn't Ran-" Ryoga's eyes widened as, during his refusal, the pigtailed girl saw that there was an easier solution than wearing Ryoga down.
"Good, huh?" Ranma smirked, before chuckling and pulling her spoon away from Ryoga's mouth.
"Yeah..." Ryoga mumbled, not needing to contain himself as this was the first time his taste buds had ever tried this sort of overly girly dessert. He also had an excuse as it was force fed to him by a pretty girl with blue eyes.
"Betcha wish I was a real girl doing this for ya', huh...?" Ranma commented and then downed the rest of the parfait, seeing that it hadn't bothered Ryoga she turned around and threw what remained in the same trash Ryoga had discarded his.
Ryoga under normal circumstances would have knocked her lights out for making such an insinuating remark but found his eyes glowing brightly, that was until something caught their attention.
"My... what a strange couple..." An old woman with a cane and hunch back commented as she walked alongside her husband.
No matter how hard they both tried, the idea caused the two to blush in embarrassment. They seized all movement, suddenly getting quiet as Ryoga's head looked to the ground from where they stood. "That was weird... " Ryoga commented, hoping to defuse some tension.
"Y-yeah... you and me..." Ranma muttered, stuffing her hands in her pants pockets.
"Almost as weird as that time you kissed me on that bench..." Ryoga added, his eyes shining like a flickering flashlight, recalling the kiss and how it happened. All he could recall exactly was that he was busy, minding his own business waiting to start his date with Akari, when all of a sudden Ranma came planted a kiss on him.
"T-that wasn't actually me, it's a long story..." Ranma began, unsure as to why she was so nervous in continuing, 'Maybe I can finally talk some sense into Pig-boy...' she pondered, trying to explain in a way that would let Ryoga know the actual situation between the two.
"What do you mean...?" Ryoga asked, locking pupils with the crimson beauty.
She squirmed under his wandering eyes, she rubbed the back of her head as she honestly tried to put everything together in a simple enough way for it to explain what happened but to also save her own image.
"Okay, it's long but pretty much... I and the old man got lost, found some mansion and I ended up tearing some curtain seal for this possessed mirror thing, my reflection got into it and then some girl spirit took my 'girl' form, turned out this happens a lot and every time they need to make a new curtain to keep the spirit sealed in, turns out she was a little boy crazy, then she found you sitting and..."
Ryoga smiled for a moment and chuckled, "Believe it or not, now I'm actually kind of glad..." Ryoga said, finding some relief in knowing that kiss, although not real, was technically still someone finding him attractive enough to place a kiss on.
"And why's that?" Ranma asked, curiosity getting peaked.
"Not to sound weird or anything..." Ryoga replied, suddenly choking on his words, about to wave his hand dismissively, that was till his eyes glowed a pale blue color, his throat relaxing. "To get a kissed by a redhead like that, well..."
Ranma took a moment of silence to process this, her dark blue eyes losing color momentarily, going pale before quickly reverting back to her sapphire orbs, "Really can't blame ya', so yeah, I get ya', there are worse things..." Ranma commented, clearing her throat as she did have her weird moments with that mirror clone of herself.
Ryoga couldn't help but think Ranma's thoughts were a little strange but then again here he was talking about a kiss they didn't actually share. Under normal circumstances, Ryoga would have probably accused Ranma of lying but found no such anger or suspicion dwelling inside of him.
"She wasn't too picky..." Ranma admitted, remembering how fickle the spirit had been, going as far as saying she loved Ranma only to immediately agree to spend time with other men in the very same classroom.
That tore apart the confidence that Ryoga had built, to think he was only a convenience for the strange copy making, cursed mirror. Then there was also that koi-rod incident, life had a funny way of messing with Ryoga but this brought only sorrow to him, "What did I expect...?" Ryoga asked, almost as if he had forgotten he was standing next to the redhead. It also meant that he had attacked an innocent person, twice.
"Hey! Don't get down on yourself... you just have bad luck, if I was a real girl, heck, I'd probably go for you..." Ranma found herself conflicted, as though she wasn't entirely sure why she was saying what she was, but she just had to comfort the lost boy, the impulse was just too strong.
That caught Ryoga by surprise, he looked at her, shocked to hear such a thing but not outright lashing out, "R-really?"
She met his gaze and averted her eyes, she quickly began to lead them again, getting to some familiar territory, "Y-yeah... you're strong and stuff..." she replied, clearing her throat as she really wanted to avoid this conversation.
From the looks of it, they were near the park, Ranma subconsciously leading them towards it. Ryoga followed but since he was following the redhead, she wasn't able to see the gentle smile that Ryoga made in return, "Thanks..." Ryoga said, seemingly out of the blue for Ranma.
"You don't need to say that... you're actually challenging, if kinda' annoying..." Ranma complimented but also felt that giving Ryoga a big head would only mean a weaker opponent for her to have fun with, 'Why did I say that...?' she thought.
To hear Ranma say such things, it was a little overwhelming for the lost boy, as if a part of his mind had received more recognition than was normal from Ranma. Why was this making him feel so good? 'Have I always wanted Saotome's respect?' Ryoga pondered.
Ranma noticed Ryoga's silence as they finally entered the park, she didn't even know why she was still spending time with the lost boy, had she gotten what she wanted? 'Guess I should get back to Akane...' Ranma's inner voice sounded crestfallen from the notion. "Hey, Ryoga..." Ranma muttered, gaining the lost boy's attention, who was snapped out of his trance-like state from Ranma's voice.
"Y-yeah?" he inquired, raising his head as he had been staring at the walkway they currently followed through the park.
"I should go home..." she said, borderline whispering.
She pointed in a seemingly random direction or at the very least it might as well have been, considering the present company. She began to walk off to the side, walking towards some trees where she would no doubt take as her shortcut.
For some reason Ryoga felt that something was slipping from his grasp the further Ranma got, he clenched his hand over his heart. He squinted his eyes tight for a second before opening them again, revealing two lime green eyes. He gulped before following after the redheaded girl, the closer he got the more nervous he got. So, this meant he was actively seeking her attention but failed to notice that she too was coming to a stop.
"Wassup...?" Ranma asked tenderly, stopping suddenly to look over her shoulder and see that Ryoga was but a few feet away.
He seized all movement and tried to speak out, only to retract his voice and say nothing, 'What do I even want!? Why am I following Ranma!?' he thought desperately as he became lost, not in his usual way but in the moment. It was as though his heartbeat had gone on a track field with how much blood it was pumping.
Ranma's situation was the same, everything inside of her screamed for her to stop what she was doing, 'Why don't I go!? I'm gonna' get yelled at... screw what he has to say! J-just go...' Ranma thought, squinting her eyes shut, clenching a fist as she revealed her own pair of fangs, she turned her head back in the direction of home, only to avoid eye contact with the lost boy. She snapped back to reality by a warm hand touching her shoulder, she opened her eyes and turned to see that Ryoga was behind her, she allowed herself to be turned around.
"W-what are you doin'?" Ranma questioned, leaning her head back and suppressing her quaking hands. It felt as though her brain was trying to signal some sort of warning but upon reaching a certain point, she began to feel pain in her head, her mind miraculously cooling down shortly after.
"I don't know..." Ryoga responded softly, as when Ranma turned around he removed his hand but kept it airborne. "Should I stop?" he asked, as his hands were taking the sides of her face.
They both breathed deeply as they became transfixed on one another's eyes, her breath shuddered against Ryoga's as only a few inches kept them from sealing a deal neither were sure was going to happen, they weren't even sure what was happening exactly.
It was as though they were compelled, the more distance the closed the more they'd feel a warmth spreading within them.
'What am I doin'...?' they thought at the same time.
Inside the Tendo abode, Akane worked on her homework, she stopped to check her nearby clock, "Ranma... where are you?" she asked with a groan of anger in her tone, with an angry twitch above her head.
"Akane!" Kasumi shouted from down the stairs, phone in hand, "Shampoo's great-grandmother is calling! She says it urgent!" she exclaimed.
"Cologne!?" Akane shouted, quickly jolting up from her seat and making her way downstairs, upon reaching the bottom she quickly swiped the phone from her sister, pressing it to her ear.
"Akane Tendo, I haven't much time to explain, it seems son-in-law has gotten into some trouble with a trusted relic from my tribe," Cologne's voice echoed into Akane's ear from the microphone piece.
Cologne on the other end hummed in her throat and hoped to save some time explaining, 'I need to explain to her well enough to save time and help my great-granddaughter, hopefully, she's aware of the tale...' she thought.
"What's going on!? How's Ranma involved!?" Akane inquired, her voice rising by a few octaves.
"Akane!? Are you familiar with the tale of The ButterFly Lovers? It's pretty much China's Romeo & Juliet!"
Akane's mind went into full panic mode, mainly because she knew that Ranma was probably being forced into some crazy supernatural love affair that required her, yet again, to act.
"I'm aware..." she answered, dread in her tone as she felt her hand tremble, 'Why am I acting like I'm surprised!? This is everyday life! From magical trees! To ghosts!' she thought, sounding as though she was on the verge of committing domestic violence; for what probably felt like the hundredth time.
"I can feel your aura from here, Akane Tendo... please put aside your anger for Son-in-law's sake as well as that of the Hibiki child's!"
"Ryoga? What do you mean?" she took in Cologne's words, her anger fading as her dear friend was mentioned.
"As you're aware, the tale says once Liang jumped into Zhu's grave, both she and Zhu emerged as butterflies! Back in the Jin Dynasty era, ancestral members of the Amazon tribe happened upon the very two butterflies destined to spend eternity together! Though their love was strong, powerful enough demons from that era sought only to control them! So they stepped in, every now and then the responsibility is passed on for a number of years!'"
"So the fairy tale is real... and they're in Ranma and Ryoga!?" Akane exclaimed.
"Yes! Help Shampoo find those two! Thankfully the effects are somewhat gradual and will only mature if there's a possibility between the two they've taken control of! As far as I know, Son-in-law probably has enough willpower to fight off the effects!" Cologne was about to remind Akane to go but only heard a dial tone ringing in her ears.
Kasumi raised the phone to her ear and with her eyes closed and one hand resting on her apron she spoke, "I'm sorry... Akane just left, please pardon her manners..."
"No need..." Cologne's voice rang in Kasumi's ear before hanging up.
"Hm... that was rude..." Kasumi commented with closed eyes and an anime sweatdrop from her head.
Nothing would escape Shampoo's hawkeyes, she strolled around on her bike, her head moving about so wildly one would have to wonder if she would be alright. Though judging by the branch hanging from her hair and slightly tattered clothing, she had already encountered some difficulties along the way. Not that she was even in any position to remove any of the trash from her face, one of her hands was being used to hold the strange butterfly net.
"Where Shampoo go?" she asked herself as she hit the brakes on her bike, stopping as she landed in the middle of a four-way intersection. "Shampoo no want to lose Ranma to stupid pig!" she shouted, then her eyes widened as she came to a conclusion, "If pig..."
"Shampoo! Where's Ranma!?" a voice cried out, gaining the girl's attention as she looked over her shoulder and down to a nearby sidewalk.
"Shampoo still no find! Great-grandmother tell you everything?" she asked still looking for her self-proclaimed husband.
"Yeah! She didn't explain that, though!" Akane said, eyes targeting the net the amazon was holding.
"Is only thing that can take butterfly out, Shampoo swipe over hearts and trap butterflies! She also say it glow when is close!" Shampoo explained, then it was at that very moment it began to glow.
"Hey! It's getting a little brighter!" Akane used her knowledge of the area to deduce that they were heading to the park. It was as though both girls drew the same conclusion, neither spoke as they bolted to the park as fast as Shampoo's bike and Akane's feet could carry them, Shampoo obviously getting the lead as she hopped from rooftop to rooftop.
Ranma's hands gripped at the fabric of Ryoga's shirt, holding Ryoga's lips at bay, though he was strong that did not mean she couldn't stop his actions, 'Why do I want this!? Why can't I stop myself...' Ranma thought, her mind sending intense mental signals for her to stop.
The same could be said for Ryoga, 'Akari... Akane... I'm sorry, I can't fight it...' Ryoga's thoughts wavered between aggressive and sounding as though he were about to pass out from sheer mental exhaustion.
Sparks flew wildly inside the two martial artists, bringing them to life as they dove into the waters of uncertainty. Her fingers kneaded into Ryoga's shirt before they traveled up towards his collar bone, her arms slithered up his form until coming together behind Ryoga's neck. They breathed deep sighs of relief, melting into each other's hold as they felt a level of peace neither had ever experienced up to this point in their lives.
It was as though bliss had completely overshadowed their ability to form conscious thoughts, they were adrift in the stars, floating ever further into nirvana. They were but astral bodies dancing among the stars and heavens, the etheric silhouette's eyes gazed softly at the other.
The auras that surrounded their forms bleed an energy trail, the pigtailed girl's body spiraled around the lost boy's.
To which he eagerly returned, they whirled around one another in harmony as they flew together in their mental cosmos.
The story outside their minds was a different case, the two were still in a heated lip lock. Ranma's back bumped up against a tree as Ryoga's hands gently memorized Ranma's curvature, drawing a mental image before stopping at her hips, one of his hands moving to the small of her back.
Opening their eyes, their pupils missing, their irises aligned as did the dim light that emanated from them. They stared lovingly before closing their eyes and getting back to their current interests, closing their eyes as Ryoga was the first to close the gap between the two, his eyes closing as his forehead rested against that of Ranma's, her eyes closed at the same pace as Ryoga's, their spirits resonating with one another's.
A dim white light orb of energy formed between them, from an outside perspective it was as though ghostly energy had formed a hazy looking ring that although was light, it didn't illuminate, it only contracted briefly and then expanded outwards. The transition caused the veil of existence to be pulled over the center points, where Ranma and Ryoga's chests met, displaying the true Butterfly Lover's.
Two women with oddly colored hair ran into the park, frantically looking around as the net in Shampoo's palms vibrated as though it were gas-powered. She stopped and held the net before her.
"What're you...?" Akane asked, only to see that Shampoo was waving it around, stopping as she noticed a spike in the vibrations.
Shampoo looked to Akane before smirked, receiving a roll of her eyes from Akane. They ran at full speed, Shampoo demonstrating her superior physical prowess. They eventually came across the denser parts of the park, although they didn't stand too tall they were enough to conceal the two celestial creatures they inhabited the once fierce rivals. Once making past the first row of trees the oddly colored duo easily spotted Ranma and Ryoga.
"Ranma!?" Akane and Shampoo screamed, gasping shortly after.
Shampoo let out a battle cry as she leaped into the air, arms raised over her head, while on her downward descent she happened across a curious sight. In the middle of Ranma and Ryoga's chest were two translucent butterflies, embracing one another as though they were on the surface of a mirror, even the wing flips appeared synchronized as though it were, in fact, a mirror.
"Gah!" Shampoo cried as she squinted her eyes shut, finding that an invisible barrier was keeping her from saving Ranma, clearly being close enough to see what was happening, she felt a vein twitch on her head. Shampoo used her anger to drive her forward, 'Stupid pig! Kissing Ranma!' she thought.
Every scripture written on the net came to life, having gone from a dim white glow to a radiant yellow color. A balloon of transparent energy erupted as though it been poked by a needle, the amazonian's net flying true as it swept through both Ranma and Ryoga's bodies as though it too were a spirit.
Akane arrived to see that Shampoo was forcing her way through a barrier, though that's not what caught her attention. From what she could see, Ryoga and Ranma were currently fighting over dominance over who's mouth, occupied the same space.
Their eternal struggle only caused the veins in Akane's forehead to expand, twitching almost violently as she saw that somehow Ranma had mixed her good friend into this chaos.
Their eyes gently fluttered open as if they had suddenly awoken from a long slumber. All it took was a few seconds before the two became aware of the fact they kissing. Even stranger Ryoga's hands and even Ranma's were in questionable positions over each other's bodies.
Most noticeably was Ryoga's hand atop of Ranma's right bosom.
"Poor Ryoga..." Akane mumbled as watched them jump away from each other, dropping to their knees and grabbing their throats, trying to spit out the flavors of each other's mouths, which was probably still very sweet, considering what they ate prior.
"What the hell is wrong with you!?" Ryoga demanded, hand over his throat as he felt like vomiting his insides out.
"Me!? You're the one feeling me up!" Ranma shouted, then before she could continue her argument any further she felt Shampoo's weight on her side lean her forward.
"Airen! Shampoo saved you!" the purple haired girl cheered, closing her eyes as the held the butterfly net with the magical troublemakers. "Shampoo buy some hot water then we go on date-" she stopped as she caught the sound of an enraged Akane.
"Ranma..." Akane groaned deeply.
"H-Hey! W-wait up! Akane! I was possessed!" Ranma exclaimed, holding her hands out as she then turned to Shampoo, trying to pry her off.
Ryoga only averted his eyes from Ranma and clenched his fist, trying to hide his face from Akane and Ranma's, 'I can't believe I did that... first on the cheek and now on the lips and I was feel-feeling her... Ranma's...' the lost boy thought, desperately wishing it wasn't so. He could only wonder how many more times he was going to lose his honor in front of Akane.
"Nevermind! I know it isn't your fault and I know Ryoga didn't want it either!" she turned to her friend and tried to reach out to him, knowing that he was quite sensitive when it all came down to it.
Ryoga felt a comforting hand touch his shoulder, he quickly looked to Akane with tears in his eyes before he gritted his teeth and ducked his head, his forearm reaching up to hide his disgraced face. He ran before Akane could fully explain the situation to him.
What could Akane do anyways? She simply watched as he ran way. Truly feeling bad for how often life mistreated her friend. The blue haired girl failed to notice Ranma's eyes following Ryoga.
Ranma's eyes following Ryoga as he ran, unable to stop staring as she was eventually shaken from her side by Shampoo.
'Ryoga...' Ranma thought, her mind's voice sounding like it was calling out to him.
"I told you Cologne, I just need to go to the bathroom is all!" Mousse pleaded, feeling some sweat trickling down the side of his head just try to get past his all powerful amazonian boss.
"And I told 'you'! We're not done with the day's shift! Besides, I know why you really want to go! So shut your mouth and get to work!" Cologne exclaimed as she was working acting as the head chef while Mousse ran back and forth. First taking orders and then immediately going to pick them up and then serve them.
"Shampoo back!" she announced going through the back door, her clothes only torn slightly from her encounter with The Butterfly Lovers.
"They've been subdued, quickly child, give me the net..." Cologne ordered, to which Shampoo quickly complied, handing it to the elder with the two wilted looking magical insects.
Inspecting it she looked to the two mystical creatures, taking a second to admire their majesty. "I must get them to a new cage..." Cologne commented as she hopped away with her cane and carried the net.
Shampoo and Mousse only watched but then saw that a few customers were ringing the bell they had on the front, "Shampoo no get date with Ranma..." Shampoo commented, lowering her head in a defeat, 'Is too late for date, anyway...' she thought, however, she noticed how happy Mousse was to hear that she had failed to get a date with Ranma, that earned a pout from her as she closed her eyes and went to the register.
In the privacy of her room, Cologne went over to a nearby birdcage and opened it. She made a sign with her hands before a sheet of paper flew out from her sleeve. She chanted in her native tongue before slapping a magical ward onto the cage. She swiftly placed the end of the net onto the cage and with her one free hand, escorting the two into their new cage.
"Hm..." she hummed, looking towards her window and narrowing her eyes, 'Hopefully Shampoo stopped them before they could mature... if not...' she pondered, tilting her head down and feeling a nervous sweat form on her forehead.
"No better excuse for dishonor than the hands of fate, I suppose..." Cologne said, genuinely sounding concerned.
Ranma sat on the Tendo roof, hugging her knees as she kept staring into space. She wasn't so sure why she was feeling odd since Ranma and Ryoga parted lips, all she knew was that she didn't like this and had no actual way of dealing with this situation.
All of it didn't matter not to Ranma, as baffling as it was to even herself, she couldn't get the image of Ryoga's sorrow out of her mind. The look of rejection from his face, almost as if it had been a tragedy that the act had even happened, 'Damn stupid butterflies making me...' Ranma thought, sighing before placing her hand to the side of her head.
From just outside Ranma's fence, a man with a large red umbrella over his traveler's backpack strolled the streets of Nerima, "Where am I now...?" Ryoga asked himself, his voice sounding lower than usual.
From Ranma's perch, she felt something, a familiar feeling inside her chest. It was the very same feeling she had when she was under the control of the female butterfly. To Ranma it was as if this feeling was calling to her, 'W-wouldn't this lead me to...?' she thought, stopping as she realized that, that maybe meant, Ryoga was nearby.
She wasn't sure if that was exactly the case until the feeling grew stronger in her. It was a little overwhelming how close this feeling was, that was until she heard a faint voice that triggered her memory, "R-Ryoga?" Ranma whispered in a shocked tone, stopping to blink.
Ryoga sighed as he lowered his head, 'I just need to get away from this district, why is that so damn hard right now!?' Ryoga thought aggressively as he closed his eyes, facepalming himself.
"Ryoga!" Ranma voice called out, catching the lost boy's attention as she hopped over the Tendo fence.
Ryoga's eyes shot open as she wondered if he was hearing things, though it was actually more like hoping he was hearing things.
"Ryoga!" Ranma shouted, catching the lost boy's attention as he finally turned around.
"R-Ranma!? What're you doing here!?" Ryoga asked.
"You're right outside Akane's house..." Ranma clarified, gesturing with her thumb to the wall she had just leaped from.
At that moment both locked eyes, the lost boy was staring in shock and horror. Everything felt far too tense for Ryoga or Ranma to really say anything off the top of their heads. She saw that Ryoga had broken eye contact as she saw his eyes wander, she followed them and noticed that he probably saw the little bit of cleavage her outfit revealed; If one could call boxers and a muscle shirt, clothing.
"Don't stare..." Ranma commented, crossing her arms over her chest, then finding her eyes widen as she actually tried to cover her modesty, like a girl. Ranma of course mentally berated herself for doing so.
"I-I wasn't staring..." Ryoga replied, realizing his blunder as he fought this tight feeling in his chest. It was though he had to use all his willpower not to make a repeat of what happened in the park. His memory played fresh in his mind, the feel, the taste, the inner peace he felt, the thought alone tamed the nervous panic in him.
The second Ryoga's aura became calm, Ranma's followed suit. Standing for what felt like an eternity, the lost boy took a calm and controlled step towards the redhead. Ranma flinched but kept herself from backing away any further.
'Why do I need you...? Why does it feel so...' they both thought, their thoughts sounded as though they echoed each other.
It took a second but Ryoga managed to take a step closer, to which Ranma didn't respond with a step backward. Rather she met his step with one of her own, her breathing noticeably deeper, Ryoga's as well.
Stopping the two looked to one another, the light of the moon shimmering in their eyes as they stared at one each other. Nobody said a thing, they certainly wanted to but found their voices caught in their throats.
Ryoga couldn't bring himself to look away from Ranma, he couldn't even bring himself to shout at her, blame her for everything that had happened. He knew it wasn't her fault, hell, he was pretty sure she wanted to do the same, why she hadn't is what caught him off guard most, 'Why can't I get angry...?'
"I should be stomping your face in..." Ranma muttered, sounding more interested in conversing with Ryoga than actually following through with her statement.
"Why don't you...?" Ryoga asked, almost as if he pleading to her softly, getting closer to the redhead.
Ranma was now within arm's length, she brought her fist up as she if she was about to strike the lost boy but only found her hand landing on Ryoga's upper body, "I don't know..." she responded, gritting her teeth as her other hand followed, gazing up at the man she often called her rival.
"Why don't you, huh...?" she asked, trying to keep the fire in her eyes but found that it kept fading away, being replaced with a strangely pleasant feeling of contentment.
"I don't know either..." he replied, his hands gliding onto her hips.
She responded by closing her eyes and twitching her hips, Ryoga following her example to some extent but upon opening his eyes, he found his rage subsiding, "I hate you..." Ranma whispered, shutting her eyes slowly before leaning in.
Ryoga saw this and obliged her request, they stopped as they were just about to press lips once more, "I hate you too..." Ryoga answered, sneaking in some anger before they continued.
Their eyelids trembled as they fought their urges, trying to envision the ones they believed to be their dearest. It was no use, they breathed in heavily before taking the dive. They kissed as though their lives depended on it. The two martial artists felt the harmony they had felt from earlier.
Life and all its troubles became inconsequential, their spirits resonated and took hold of them. Their hearts fluttering as though they too were, butterflies. Ranma broke away from their kiss and took a deep breath, holding Ryoga by his collar as she narrowed her eyes.
"If you ever tell anybody about this... I will kill you!" she warned, narrowing her eyes to slits.
To which Ryoga responded with a simple nod of his head, before going back at it. To them, there was only the moment... Only Ranma and Ryoga.
The New...
ButterFly Lovers.
Word Count: 9,969
It's a thin line...! Between love and hate! What's going on exactly? How much more is there to this? Guess that'll be up to your imagination! XD
This was honestly a blast to work on, despite how hard it was. Now I just hope some of you got something out of it and or maybe had a good time. I know that's what I was doing while writing this.
I hope you guys have the same experience... cause honestly, I like making people happy. I'm an entertainer I guess! Even if most people wouldn't be proud to admit they read fanfiction. lolz
Anyways, check out our comic if you guys want. It'd be nice to get some more feedback from the FF crowd on DeviantArt. FoxTales the comic is starting to gain a little steam and I've even been writing a book too. I may try to get published on Kindle or something... hm... I'll make sure to leave a link in my account page when I do.
I will be getting back to Ranma's Pig Problems soon, so to all those waiting for that, rest assured it's going to continue. Thank you for your continued support!
Now on this story... want more? I like where this ended. I already have some ideas as to how far this could continue but it'd probably be pretty short.
Anyways, take care guys!
Foxes from the Foxxy~
DaisukiFox~