A/N: Okay, before I even get into things here, a warning to all you readers. This is going to be an eventual Ryoga x OC fic. There, I said it. Now I don't want to hear any bitching about it later on, go it? And for those of you who don't get all pissy at this sort of thing, enjoy the fic! I lub you!

Why did it always have to happen to him?

Leaves crunched under four little pig feet as said little pig wandered aimlessly through an unknown forest. It was just after dawn, and a light rain was falling through the canopy, soaking everything in sight.

And, of course, Ryoga had misplaced his umbrella…

As per usual, the bandanna-clad marital artist had no idea where he was. Was this Japanese soil he was walking on, or was he somewhere else entirely? The trees looked slightly familiar, but that might be because he was traveling in circles. He hoped that wasn't the case.

Sighing, he trudged onward through the thick underbrush of the forest, trying to get some sort of bearing on where he was. In the back of his mind, he knew it was a fool-hearted concept, but at least it passed the time. This rain couldn't last forever.

Unfortunately, his luck was about to go from bad to worse.

A low growl made him freeze, eyes going as big as plates. Slowly looking up, he saw a large tiger crouched on an outcropping above his head. And it probably wasn't licking its fangs because it wanted a clean mouth.

Breaking free of his shock, Ryoga took off as fast as his little legs would take him. Almost immediately he heard a thud right behind him, meaning that giant striped carnivore was giving chase. A moment later, the tiger came up beside him, running at an easy lope. It was playing with him before it killed him. The problem was: Ryoga was already running as fast as he could go.

Dammit.

The tiger fell back and out of his peripheral vision. For a brief moment, Ryoga thought it was giving up. That is, until he noticed big paws running on either side of him. The giant cat was running over him! Before he could fully comprehend it, he felt himself being plucked off the ground. The tiger had him by his bandanna, and he couldn't wiggle free.

And the rain had just started to stop, too…

Slowing to a walk, the tiger rumbled a bit, content with its catch. It changed course and walked deeper into the woods. The trees seemed to get larger and denser the further they went. Didn't tigers usually kill their prey immediately? Not that Ryoga was complaining; it just struck him as odd.

There was a break in the trees ahead. The predator walked into the clearing, revealing a large steaming hot spring directly ahead. Well, maybe this is a mixed blessing… Ryoga thought. The tiger walked around to one side and paused on a boulder, stopping at the edge. It then craned its neck and tossed Ryoga into the middle of the hot water.

As he hit the water's surface, he briefly wondered if it would be easier or harder to get away from the tiger in human form. Maybe human meat was more tempting than piggy meat. Humans were certainly a bigger meal. Before he could finish the thought, he went under.

The switch back was abrupt and before he could think of a plan, he had to crash to the surface for air. The first thing he saw through his soaking wet bangs was the large orange and black cat. Eyes bugging, it snarled in surprise and jolted off the rock it was perched on, losing its balance and falling into the water with a splash.

Ryoga arched a brow. Well, that was one way to deal with his dilemma. But of course answers to his problems were never that simple…

A redheaded girl splashed to the surface, coughing and gasping for air. She gaped at Ryoga, her eyes wide in shock.

Ryoga flew backwards as far as he could go, pressing his back against a boulder on the opposite side of the spring. He stared wide-eyed at the redhead, who had quickly covered her chest with her arms and sank lower into the water.

"You... You're human!" she sputtered.

"Y-yeah I am..." Ryoga replied, feeling himself going red in the face and a tickle start in his nose. No, no nosebleeds right now! "Who... who are you?"

"Kire..." the girl answered slowly. She quickly shook her head as if to clear it. "Wh-what are you doing here?"

"I got lost," Ryoga stammered. "I mean… the rain started, and I was trying to find shelter, and… and… What are you doing out here?!"

The girl stared at him for a moment, then shook her hand dismissively. "That doesn't matter right now. Ah, geez… You don't happen to have any cold water, do you?"

His shock receding a little, Ryoga shook his head. "No, but... My backpack isn't very far away. I have my clothes in it." So you're going to go prancing through the woods naked? Brilliant.

The girl Kire brought her hand out of the water and gestured vaguely to a tree off the side of the spring. "That tree has a towel in it, if you want. I'm just... gonna look this way." She turned her back to the tree with the towel and looked down.

Not bothering to ask any more questions right now, Ryoga carefully swam over to the spring's bank and, after looking over his shoulder and making sure the girl was still turned around, he hauled himself out of the water and darted to the tree, pulling a towel out from an old squirrel's nest. He wrapped it securely around his waist and cleared his throat. "Uh, I'll be right back..."

Heading into the woods the way they had come, Ryoga's mind wandered wildly. How many people have been to Jusenkyou?! It's just my luck. I was about to be eaten by a feral girl! It was another few minutes before Ryoga caught sight of his backpack lying haphazardly near a tree, his clothes strewn in a pile next to it. After pulling on his damp garb and checking his backpack to make sure everything was still there, he slung the towel around his neck and hoofed it back to the spring.

Only after he saw the redhead again did he realize he hadn't gotten lost.

He shoved the miracle out of his mind for another time. He had more pressing matters at hand. Like the naked girl in the spring. She eyed him cautiously as he came back into the clearing. Ryoga dropped his gaze and watched himself put his backpack down. "Erm... He-here's your towel," he stammered, holding it out towards the water and turning his head in the opposite direction.

He heard the water ripple and splash as the girl came closer and reached out for the towel. She plucked it from his hand as she pulled herself onto the shore and immediately wrapped it around herself. She stayed crouched on the rocks. "Thanks..." she said lowly, as if she wasn't sure whether to trust him or not.

Mumbling a little, Ryoga quickly dug through his backpack and pulled out a spare pair of black pants and his yellow sleeveless shirt. "You can wear these," he said, holding them out to her, still looking the other way. "It's probably better than a towel."

Once again, the girl took the objects in his outstretched hand and pulled back, muttering her thanks. She scooted further away from him and walked nearly silently backwards, putting a clump of bushes between him and her. She crouched low, so she could see just barely over the tops of the bushes, and watched him unblinking.

When she reappeared, she held the towel casually in one hand and was dressed in Ryoga's spare clothes. Her hair was drying, showing it to be a medium reddish-orange hue. It hung past her shoulder blades, her long bangs hanging to the side of her face. Her eyes were a vivid forest green. Those eyes were currently narrowed, staring him up and down. It felt as if she were sizing him up. It made the small hairs on the back of Ryoga's neck rise. There was something strange about this girl. He couldn't decide if it was her stare or the way she moved, but there was something very un-human about it all.

Leaving that worry for later, Ryoga cleared his throat. "Um, I'm Ryoga," he said, trying not to sound like an idiot. "Look, do you know how to get to Nerima from here? I have some… friends there…" He trailed off, realizing his reasoning would become a nervous ramble if he kept going. That unblinking stare was making him want to apologize for things he hadn't even done yet. I'm sorry for anything you want me to be sorry for, just stop looking at me like that! Shaking the thought out of his head, he watched as the girl narrowed her eyes slightly.

"Tokyo? It's not far from here; about a day's journey," she said after a moment of thought. There was an obvious growl to her voice; not a rasp, but an actual growl. "There's a deer path about three hundred yards behind you. Follow it north and it'll take you to the edge of the city limits."

Ryoga nodded vaguely. In the back of his mind, he knew he would never make it to Nerima, but he wouldn't admit to it. With an awkward "thanks", he turned and began heading towards the deer path.

"One more thing," came a call from behind him.

Ryoga turned around and saw the girl standing not far behind him. He hadn't heard her move through the foliage. "Yeah?"

"Don't tell anyone that I'm here," Kire said. "The last thing I need is people coming and poking around."

His brow furrowed. "You live out here?" He looked around the dense forested area. "Really?"

"Yes, I do," the girl replied. "And the last thing I need is curious people coming and ripping everything up."

Ryoga was silent for a moment. "I won't say anything," he said after a while, but curiosity was winning him over. "Why do you live out here?" he asked.

Kire regarded him for a moment, then blinked once and shrugged. Somehow, those movements made her more human to Ryoga. "I've got nowhere else to be. This has been my home for years. And call it personal preference, but I don't want to end up as some poacher's rug." She paused a moment. "And while I'm thinking about it, sorry about the whole 'trying to eat you' thing."

"I'm used to it," Ryoga dismissed.

One of Kire's eyebrows raised.

Quick, change subjects! "Uh, I'd better be going…" Ryoga quickly turned and headed towards the deer path. After a few steps, he looked over his shoulder, but Kire was gone.

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Nearly an hour later, Ryoga was still wandering in the forest. Hadn't Kire said there was a deer path around here? It couldn't be much further… Stopping under a large oak tree, Ryoga sighed heavily and dropped his backpack. He had to take a quick break.

"Forget something?"

Ryoga's head jerked up and he looked around for where the voice had come from. Above his head, reclining on a wide branch, was Kire. She was looking down at him, a mild curiosity playing on her face. Ryoga's jaw dropped. "Have you been following me?"

Kire looked like she was going to laugh, but bit it back. "Hardly. I haven't moved since you left."

"Well then how are you…" Ryoga trailed off as realization dawned on him. If she hadn't followed him, but she was above his head… His shoulders slumped a little. "Please don't tell me I'm back where I started…"

Kire was quiet for a moment. "Alright, then I won't tell you." She swung down to the ground easily and landed a few feet from where Ryoga stood stunned. "Those directions weren't that hard, were they?"

"N-no, I guess I just got turned around somewhere…"

"Well then you've gotten turned around a few times now. I saw you walk by here twice before I decided to say anything."

Well, so much for that bluff. Ryoga groaned and plopped down on the ground. "I'm never going to get to Nerima," he grumbled to himself.

"Want me to walk you there?"

Lifting his head, Ryoga scowled a little at Kire.

Kire laughed. "I didn't mean it like that. I mean, do you want me to help you get where you're going?"

Swallowing his pride, Ryoga stood back up and nodded meekly. "It's a family curse. No Hibiki can get to where they're supposed to end up. Not in less than a week, anyway…" He hefted his backpack off the ground.

Kire looked sympathetic. "Tough break. A Jusenkyou curse and a family curse."

"Yeah, lucky me," Ryoga grumbled. He blinked. "Hey, you're not… growling anymore," he observed as they started their journey through the forest.

Kire laughed again, another human action that made Ryoga feel more comfortable around her. "Yeah, sorry about that. I've been spending too much time in my tiger form lately. It takes a while to get everything working human-ly again after a long run."

"How long do you usually spend as a tiger?"

"Well… I've spent a better part of my life as a tiger, if that helps you imagine things," Kire said.

Leaving that bit of conversation for another time, Ryoga changed subjects. He'd ask questions and Kire would answer them, or vice versa as the day went on. Eventually it was late evening, and the pair had to stop for the night.

Ryoga pitched his tent and gathered some firewood, as he usually did at night. When the fire was crackling merrily, he looked around, only to find that Kire was nowhere to be seen. "Um… Kire?"

"Up here."

Looking up, Ryoga saw Kire stretched out on her stomach on a branch above his camp, her arms folded under her chin and her feet hooked behind her around the branch. "Are you really going to sleep up there?" he asked.

Kire shrugged. "I'm used to it. Besides, it doesn't look like there's really room for two people in that tent of yours. Not comfortably or decently, anyway."

It was dark; maybe she couldn't see him blushing. "Well, alright. Goodnight Kire." He quickly darted inside his tent, even though he wasn't tired. Geez, it had only been a day and already that girl could make him squirm…

PS: It's pronounced 'KEE-ray'. It doesn't rhyme with 'tire'...