The Birthday Present
by ACJ Leveille
Author's Note:
Okay, I know that later in the series Ryoga meets a girl who helps him with his, ahem, problem. I think I've seen a couple of episodes with her in them, but I'm much more comfortable with the earlier storyline, so that's where this fits in. This is my first Ranma fic, but it's been bouncing around in my head for a couple of weeks now, so I finally broke down and wrote it. Let me know what you think! Usual disclaimers apply!
"Is everything ready?" Akane asked.
Ranma rolled his eyes. "I don't know why you're even bothering, he's not going to show up."
She rounded on him, furious. "If you're not going to help, just shut up!" She yelled.
"Hey, I thought you wanted my help!" He retorted, jumping to his feet. "I have plenty of things I could be doing besides this!"
"Please don't fight," Kasumi asked, walking between them. She carried a basket full of party favors before her, setting it down on the low dining room table. "You shouldn't fight right before a birthday party," she chided.
Akane lifted her head, stepping up on the ladder to reach the dangling banner. She attached it at the corner, and climbed off the stepladder to see how it looked.
"Uh... is it supposed to be that crooked?" Ranma asked, twisting his head to the side to read "Happy Birthday Ryoga!" spelled out in bright multi-colored letters.
Akane growled, stomping toward him, arm swinging back for a punch.
"Oh, that's great!" Nibiki said, reaching down to grab a chip from the bowl on the table. "Do you think he's actually going to show today, Akane?" She asked her sister.
The younger girl moaned. "Look," she said tightly, eye ticking, "Ryoga told me that he hadn't had a birthday party in years, so he's going to have one this year. Even if we have to wait all night!" She declared, sitting down at the table with her arms crossed.
Nibiki and Ranma looked at each other, then sighed, sitting down on either side of her. They waited, the silence stretching on. The trees outside rustled, and slowly the sun slid lower in the sky. Kasumi came in three times to ask if anyone had seen Ryoga yet. Soun came in, looked at the three, and sat down too. Even Genma wandered in, in panda form, to roll around in the corner of the room.
"I've been thinking about this," Ranma spoke finally, drawing everyone's attention. "Ryoga said he hadn't had a birthday party in years, and I think I know why."
Everyone looked at him.
Ranma shrugged. "He got lost on the way to the party!" He said.
Groans echoed around the room. Akane sat, still and waiting. On the table before her sat the package she had wrapped for Ryoga. It was a box, the paper covering it colored a bright yellow. A sleek red ribbon was tied around it. The present had taken all her money, (and some that she had "borrowed" from Nibiki, at an exorbitant interest rate) but it was going to be worth it when she saw Ryoga's face.
Kasumi brought dinner in. Talking and laughing, they ate. Akane, sighing, took up her bowl and ate as well.
Ryoga still hadn't arrived by bedtime, and Akane picked up her gift, cradling it in her hands, as she went to her room to prepare for the night.
"Told you he wouldn't show," Ranma said as she stepped past him. He was leaning against the wall in the hallway, outside of her door.
Akane glared at him. "He will have a party!" She said firmly, going into her room. She slammed the door in his face, then turned and set the package down on the corner of her desk. "Where are you?" She wondered, looking out the window and into the night.
"I am so late!" He said, head hanging. He dragged his umbrella behind him. It left a trail in the dirt road he was trudging along. It was night, and Ryoga Hibiki had been walking all day. "Oh, Akane!" He thought, pictured the dark-haired girl. "I'm so sorry!" He felt like crying. He kept walking.
"Why do I always have to get lost?" He wondered aloud. "I wonder what day it is!" He crested a hill, and found lights spreading out far below. "Nerima has to be close!" He said, heading down the hill - in the opposite direction of Nerima.
3 Days Later
"Finally!" Ryoga panted to a halt in front of the large gates of the Tendo Dojo. He looked at the sign, almost crying in relief. "I made it!"
"Ranma!" He heard behind him, the scream carrying all of Akane's considerable rage. With a smile, he turned to say hello to her. "Akane..." he began, but was cut off as Ranma tried to use his head as a trampoline. As soon as the pressure was gone, Ryoga echoed Akane's cry.
"Oh, Ryoga!" Akane skidded to a halt in front of him.
Blushing, he lowered his fist. "Um.. Hi, Akane!" He said.
"You're finally here!" She said, grabbing his wrist. She dragged him past a slit-eyed Ranma, who was waiting on the other side of the fence, and into the dojo.
"So you finally made it!" Ranma said, sitting down beside Ryoga in the dining room. "Where were you? China?" He asked.
Ryoga didn't hear him, he was looking around the room. Balloons hung from all corners, obviously once full of helium, but now just drooping bits of plastic. On the far wall hung a painted banner, saying "Happy Birthday Ryoga." It too looked like it had seen better days.
"I'm sorry about the decorations," Akane said, blushing, as she came back into the room. In her hands was the bright yellow present.
Ryoga blushed. "That's okay, I'm sorry I'm late."
"I looked better...." Akane started, then trailed off. "I'm glad you made it."
"It's beautiful," he assured her, feeling the blood pounding in his temples.
"You should have seen it on your birthday," Ranma grumbled under his breath. "It was actually nice."
Akane didn't notice that he had complimented her. Kasumi came in soon, once more carrying the bowl of party favors. She handed out hats and horns and smiled broadly at Ryoga. "Happy birthday!" She told him with a giggle.
"Uh.. thanks!" Ryoga said.
The others straggled in, Nibiki coming down from her room after Kasumi called, and Genma and Soun coming in from the backyard where they had been ... meditating.
"Oh.. let me get the cake!" Kasumi said, running back into the kitchen. She returned shortly with a chocolate-iced confection. She cut the cake, offering it to everyone.
Ranma, holding his stomach, shook his head. "I'm all caked out!" He said.
"I told you that you would be!" Akane hissed, smiling at Ryoga. He at least accepted his piece. Akane took one as well.
"Someone had to eat those other three cakes, didn't they?" Ranma fired back.
Akane rolled her eyes. "Happy birthday, Ryoga!" She said, leading off the singing. The others gamely joined in, singing over mouthfuls of chocolate cake. Finally, they trailed to a graceful end. Ranma took his hands off his ears.
"Here," Akane said, handing Ryoga the package.
He set the half-finished plate of cake on the table, looking at the present with awe. "For me?" He asked.
Akane laughed. "It is your birthday, isn't it?"
Ryoga blushed, turning the present over in his hands. "It's beautiful," he murmured. "Thank you."
"Aren't you going to open it?" Ranma asked, peeking over Akane's shoulder.
"Oh!" Ryoga blushed even redder. He peeled off the ribbon, baring the box with small rips. "Sorry, I don't get many presents," he confessed.
"I wonder why?" Ranma asked sarcastically, earning a black look from Akane.
"What is it?" Ryoga asked, looking at the box. It showed a small computerized device. He opened the box, taking out the black plastic object. There was also a book in the box - one that looked to be about three hundred pages thick. "Global Positioning System," he read, looking quizzically at Akane.
"What a great idea!" Soun said, nodding at his daughter. She smiled at him.
She took the device from Ryoga, and turned it on. "It's a map," she explained. "I put all the maps for Japan in it," she blushed to admit how much work she had put into the present. "All you have to do is press this button," she demonstrated, "and the GPS will tell you where you are."
Sure enough, the screen flickered, showing the street where the Tendo Dojo was located.
"Neat!" Ryoga said, eyes bright. He looked at Akane with tears in his eyes. "How can I ever thank you?" He asked.
She smiled, "come around more often," she said.
Ryoga blushed, laughing a little.
The party moved on, Ryoga got more gifts - gift certificates, books, and a new bandana from Ranma. All too soon, it was time for Ryoga to leave. Akane gave him a final hug, and Kasumi and Nibiki waved as he walked out the gate, turning to the right. His new gift, the GPS, was already up and running.
"Now... how," he muttered, pushing buttons. "At least it's backlit," he said, staring into the glowing green screen.
"Hey," Ranma said.
Ryoga jumped, whirling to look at the pig-tailed boy reclining against the wall. "What do you want?" He sneered.
"What? Is it so hard to believe that I just want to say Happy Birthday one last time?" Ranma asked.
"Yes," Ryoga said.
"Oh, all right." Ranma strolled over to the pig-boy, hands in his pockets. "Do you think you can use this thing?" He asked. "I may be able to help you."
Ryoga glared. "I don't need your help, Ranma," he said. "I can do this on my own. Why don't you just leave me alone?" He asked.
Ranma backed away, hands held high. "Hey, I was just trying to help," he said, backing into the gate to the Dojo. "I'll see you around, then," he said, and disappeared.
"Yeah," Ryoga said, staring after him. After a minute, he turned back to his now-dark screen. One touch of a button, and it was bright glowing green again. "This is cool," he muttered, smiling. "Thanks so much, Akane!"
The map on the screen blinked, the dot moving with each step he took. "Now, all I have to do is find out how to read a map!" Ryoga said, laughing.
"Ranma, what are you doing up there?" Akane called from her bedroom window.
"Nothing," Ranma said, not even looking at her.
Muttering, Akane shook her head and ducked back into her room, slamming the window shut with a thud. Ranma winced, but stayed focused on the figure down below. Ryoga was muttering to himself.
".... Learn how to read a map!" Ranma heard clearly, to his disbelief.
"What?" He gaped, eyes wide. "Ryoga can't read a map? This is sooo funny!" He laughed.
He watched a bit longer, the green light flickering from far away as Ryoga walked back and forth in the night. "At least now I'll be able to see him coming!" Ranma laughed, jumping off the fence. He went into the house, pausing to look back once more, shaking his head at the absurdity of it.
"Ranma," Kasumi asked, walking into the room, "I saw this weird green blinking light outside," she said, brow furrowed. "Do you know anything about it?" She asked.
Shoulders quaking with helpless laughter, Ranma shook his head and headed up to bed.
Kasumi shrugged, and headed back into the kitchen.
Outside, Ryoga pushed the button again, and again, and again, and again as he walked into the night.
THE END