Disclaimer: After seeing all those other writers say the same thing over and over again... What makes you think I'm any different? I don't own any of the characters made by the awesome Rumiko Takahashi. Although I damn sure wish I did! P

Betrayal?
By Relkan

It's a clear day in Japan, and not a cloud was in the sky. The peacefulness of this sunny day was disturbed by a figure trudging his way through a wasteland of sand. He's covered in a worn and beat up traveler's cloak, with a small scarf covering his mouth. Blue goggles were set over his eyes to protect them from the harsh desert sands, and a large pack complete with a bamboo umbrella rests on his back.

He held in his hand, a simple photo, one that had the faces of two grinning boys looking at the camera. One boy has a pigtail; the other has a yellow and black bandanna on his head. It still made him smile every time he looked at it. Remembering all the fun times he had with his only friend, if one could call him that.

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The whole journey for me started back in Junior High, when all the other kids made fun of me for my sense of direction. You know it's bad when you get lost in the damn Janitor's closet looking for the restroom.

It was even worse in the lunchroom, where it's an all out brawl for the last bread of the day. Eh, it wasn't so bad for me. Since I'm a martial artist, I always got the bread. Whenever I was there anyways.

All that changed when that pigtailed boy came. Not only was he was fast, not only was he was agile, but he was pretty good at using my head as a springboard. Which annoyed me to no end, he was stealing my only chance for fresh food!

You might ask why I say it's my only chance for fresh food. That's because, like me, my parents have a horrible sense of direction as well. Where do you think I got my sense of direction from? And like me, they don't get home much. That left the pantry and fridge empty or full with rotten food when I do make it to my house.

It got to the point where I was fed up with having my food taken and being used as a footrest one times too many. So I got it in my head to challenge him to a duel out in the school's courtyard the next time I make it to the lunchroom.

Took me almost a week to get from the classroom to the lunchroom. I should sue the builders for making the school such a confusing maze. Why anyone would put a sign on the wall saying the lunchroom was this way, when the entire floor was nothing but labs was beyond me.

The lunchroom was pretty much the same gruesome war zone for food when I got there. Hmm... I thought this might be my one chance to get some food. I didn't see that kid anywhere. Goody.

Boy was I wrong. The minute I leap to grab the bread, he bounded in out of no where and used my head for a footrest... again! I finally spat out my challenge at him, and I swear to you I saw a flame light up in his eyes. Like he was waiting for someone like me to come along.

Took me another day or so to get to the courtyard from the cafeteria. And the trip to get there was confusing. The door had a large red 'Exit' sign above it, and it led me to the restrooms, what's up with that!? Oh well, at least I know where they've been hiding the toilets anyways.

Anyways, he was there waiting for me out in the courtyard when I got there, and he had the gall to ask me what took me so long! Oh man was I gonna teach him that you just don't get in my way when it comes to fresh food and insulting me!

The fight, needless to say, was embarrassingly short. There was no way he could stand before my strength right? There was no way he could be better than I am at martial arts. And uh, he beat me. He beat me so soundly I was glad the courtyard was empty when we fought. The fight kinda went like this...

I got into my stance. my right arm out front and my left behind me, fist ready in case he decides to make the opening move. My right foot out front with the left shoulder's width apart behind me. A solid stance right? Was good enough to beat off the bullies. Him? He stood there casual as hell, with his hands laced behind his head. Arrogant or what?

Looking back on that fight I realize that my first mistake was making the first move. My plan was to just rush him and put him into the ground as quickly as possible. As I rushed him, getting ready to clock him good, he just stood there watching me run at him like a bull seeing red. At the last minute he jumps up and lands on my head, making me kiss the dirt.

Okay... so he got lucky, so what? Wont happen again. He did the same thing 2 more times. Now I'm getting pissed, not only is he stealing my food and insulting me, he's degrading me!

Time to pull out the big guns, so to speak. I whip out a few bandannas from around my head and infuse them with a little bit of Ki. Makes them nice and sharp. Hurling the bandannas-turned-projectile, I ran around him in an attempt to get behind him while he's distracted by the bandannas.

Perfect opportunity for a little payback, let's see how he likes having his face mashed into the ground eh? I threw a quick one-two punch combo at him. Coming from me, that one-two combo could easily put anyone face first into the ground. Of course, I didn't plan on him back-flipping to land behind me and pull a suplex on me.

With my face in the dirt for the fourth time that evening, I was humiliated. I would never be able to show my face in school again without being laughed at. Imagine my surprise when he offers me a hand up, and the first thing out of his mouth was an offer to be friends. I just tried to mow him down and he wants to be my friend. Wow, maybe someone up there does like me after all.

For the first time in a long time, I got to sleep in my own bed since he was kind enough to lead me home. He was there to lead me to school in the morning too! And for a while after that, we pretty much fell into a routine. He would come by every morning to lead me to school, and we would spar on the way there. Lunch wasn't such a bad time either since we double teamed everyone and split the food 50-50. On the way back home we'd spar some more, and then we'd spend the afternoon hanging out at my house.

Heck, I can't believe I forgot to mention his name before now. He was Ranna Saotome of the Anything goes School. Cool name for a school eh? It certainly impressed me with how easily he beat me in our duel. I even learned more from him during our spars than I did from my Jackie Chan movies!

The first time I met his dad did not go so well. We were sparing in an empty lot when Genma came by. In my opinion he was a fat, balding man who seriously had a lack of honor. I almost called him baldy just to spite him. But I didn't want to lose the first real friend I had, so I kept my lips sealed. When Ranma had told him that I was a martial artist too, he challenged me to a duel.

Unlike the fight I had with Ranma, I actually lasted a bit longer. Probably thanks to the spars we had. My opening move was my one-two combo, which got him in the gut and sent him into a pile of garbage. Of course, he's Ranma's dad who taught him everything he knows so far. Genma got right back up and proceeded to lay the smack down on me. Within reason of course. He didn't wanna go to jail for child abuse anyways. But Ranma did have to help me home since I was quite sore from the ass-whooping I got. Never did see Genma again after that. Good!

A couple weeks later when my birthday came around, Ranma swung by and we went to the nearby theater where a new Kung Fu movie was playing. It was pretty good for a martial arts comedy. After that we had hit the local food court for my birthday dinner. Man I was stumped at how much he got. Nearly broke my jaw from having it hit the table too many times. I laughed my ass off when I found out that he got the money from his Pop's hidden stash.

When we got home, I found that he had somehow managed to get two chocolate cupcakes. He even remembered the candles, how cool was that? The only thing missing now was my parents. Man I missed them.

Sadly, this friendship we had didn't last long. One afternoon Ranma had told me that Pops was getting skittish. Which meant they were gonna move again pretty soon. I almost cried when he said that, my only friend was gonna leave soon.

Later that night when I went to bed, I had this crazy thought. What if I went with them? I've got nothing here anyways, and I'll leave a note for mom and dad telling them who I'm with when they make it home. I ended up staying awake all night long plotting how I was going to ask them to let me come along.

The next morning was when I sent my plan into motion. When Ranma came by to pick me up, I challenged him to another duel in the lot behind my house. Told him I had something very important to ask him afterwards too.

Unfortunately my plan didn't work out so well. Took me four days to get to the lot from my house. It was pathetic! It's right behind my house not even 500 yards away! And when I got there, he was gone. He wasn't there at all. I cried his name out quite a few times, but only and empty lot answered me.

It was a painful experience, one that I hope I'd never go through again. The feeling of knowing that your closest friend had betrayed you. He knew my sense of direction was horrible. Even on a good day I couldn't make it out of my bedroom and down the stairs to the door. And it was even worse when I didn't get to ask him if I could go with him.

That day I swore I would get my revenge. Not only did he run from our man to man fight, he didn't even wait to see what I had to ask him that was so important. Feh, I'll crush him for that! I got my pack together, along with a Bamboo Umbrella that dad had gotten for me on one of his trips into China.

It took me a long while, but I finally manged to track Ranma down. Turns out he and Genma had gone to China to continue their training. How could he? Leave his best buddy to go on a training trip with that dishonorable man he calls a father!?

My hatred for Ranma built in China, because there it was nothing but one horror after the next, and it was because of him that I was here in the first place. First, I had followed him all over China, duking it out with mother nature every so often. It got worse when I came to a place known as Jusenkyo.

Standing near a cliff overlooking all these pools with bamboo poles sticking out of them, I hunted around looking for Ranma, cause I swear I heard him around here a minute ago.

You can imagine my shock when a huge frigging panda blew out of the forest behind me. Thanks to my skill I was able jump out of the way before that panda hit me. Although it kinda bugs me as to how the panda hopped from one pole to the next without breaking them.

What happened next was a bit weird, but horrifying all the same. I had landed a bit unsteadily since I was pretty close to the edge when that panda came through. Though right after that, there was a pissed off redhead chasing the panda. And I swear I heard her scream "Get back here pop!"

She was pretty too. Too bad she was so mad she didn't even notice me as she knocked me over the edge and into one of the pools below. I can't even begin to explain the sensation that came over me as I sunk into the pool.

It didn't stop there either. Like I said, it was one horror after the next. That panda from before had found me, and was skipping off to a nearby hut. Turns out I had become a piglet, and the guide that lives here was gonna cook me! Damn I was so gonna flatten Ranma for this hell!

I was glad when I got my human form back, the guide was kind enough to help me fish out my stuff and send me on my way to Nerima. The next place I heard that Ranma was going to. Just you wait Ranma! I'll make you pay for my suffering!

Author's notes:
So what do y'all think? Should I leave this as a one shot or should I use this as a basis to keep on writing? It's my first fic so please be gentle! oo