The Middle of Nowhere
~by Katala~
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Ranma½ characters, they belong to the great Rumiko Takahashi…I hope she doesn't mind if I borrow them, just for a little while…
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Huddled beneath a stand of trees in the middle of nowhere, Ryoga Hibiki glared out at the wet world from the protective shelter of his red umbrella.
"Stupid rain. Stupid world! Stupid LIFE!" he yelled, unable to contain his rage. And it was all Ranma's fault. His anger increased at the mere thought of his rival's name. "Ranma…someday you will pay for all you have done to me!" It was just like that hentai to trick him like this. He should have known better then to trust him! And to think, he'd even been grateful for Ranma's help…
He closed his eyes with a bitter smile as he remembered the events of that afternoon…
* * *
"A-akane?" Ryoga stammered, his cheeks suddenly warm, "You really mean it?!"
"Of course, baka," she replied, but her smile took the edge off the insult. Somehow she could never be too angry at Ryoga. Unlike Ranma… "Why would I invite you to dinner if I didn't want you to come? Besides, you've eaten at the Dojo plenty of times before!"
"Oh, thank you Akane, thank you!" Ryoga yelled, his heart nearly bursting with joy. Akane, inviting ME to dinner?! She really DOES love me!!
"…Akane?" Where had she gone? He felt the familiar fear as he realized that he was lost. Again. He searched frantically through the crowd, trying to find a familiar face.
"Hey, Ryoga!" a loud voice called from behind him.
Ranma
. Ryoga tensed, feeling the familiar anger building up inside him. He forced it down. I hate to ask Ranma for anything, but maybe he can keep me from getting lost…"Hi, Ranma," he said, forcing a friendly smile.
Ranma was puzzled. "Uh, Ryoga, are you feeling okay? No attacks, no yelling, just…'Hi'?" He rubbed the back of his neck, an uneasy grin on his face.
"Just fine. In fact, I've never felt better," Ryoga replied. He liked making Ranma uncomfortable for a change. "I was wondering if you could do me a favor?"
"Uh…sure. What do you need?"
"Well…Akane kinda, um, invited me to dinner tonight…"
"So? What do you want me to do? Tell her you can't go?"
"Oh, no, no!" Ryoga was getting embarrassed. "It's just…I mean…well, I'm sort of…lost. Could you, um, show me how to get to the dojo?"
"Well, sure, I can do that! Anything for my buddy Ryoga!" Ranma patted him enthusiastically on the back. "Here, I'll draw you a map." Ranma rummaged through his bag until he found a pencil sharp enough to write with and a piece of mostly unwrinkled paper. He sketched for a few minutes, then handed it to Ryoga…
Who was now wandering down the halls of Furinkan High. Ranma ran after the Eternally Lost Boy. "Hey Ryoga, wait up!" he yelled, catching up. "Gee, if I hadn't noticed you over here, you'da been in big trouble!"
"What do you mean?!" Ryoga was puzzled. The other boy simply pointed to the sign on the door in front of them.
Girl's Locker Room.
"oh-oh-ooooo…" Ryoga sank to the floor as his knees gave out, his face bright red. Ranma looked at him, concerned.
"Y'know, Ryoga, I think your sense of direction is getting even worse. You'd better be careful-" he broke off as the bell rang, signaling the end of the lunch period.
He shoved the map at Ryoga. "Sorry, I gotta get to class. Ms. Hinako will kill me if I'm late!" He sprinted away, leaving an embarrassed and disoriented Ryoga holding the map.
* * *
Ryoga growled softly, showing pointed canines. This was where it had led him. The middle of nowhere, in a forest, of all places. He huddled under the trees, trying to avoid the beads of ice cold water that dripped from the edges of his umbrella, as the rain continued to pour down from the sodden sky.
His attention was drawn again to the crumpled piece of paper in his hands as he tried to figure out where he had gone wrong, which turn he had forgotten, which street he had missed. No, I'm sure I followed it exactly…
Still, something seemed subtly wrong as he stared intensely at the paper in front of him. A familiar feeling of horror washed over him as he realized what the problem was.
Maniacal laughter rang out from beneath the trees as Ryoga carefully reversed the direction of the map…the map he had been holding upside down.
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Author's note: This story has the potential to be added to…I have a few ideas, but it won't happen in the near future. Poor Ryoga has suffered enough for now… This is my first fanfic, suggestions and critiques are welcome…hope you liked it!