A/N: In Japan, you say the last name first. Hibiki Ryoga, not Ryoga Hibiki.
Hibiki Ryoga stumbled over a rock, not noticing its presence in the darkness of the night. This could not go on. If he was going to beat Ranma, and finally win Akane-chan's heart, he had to train in the wilderness, and in order to do that, he had to be able to find the wilderness. He was now in the middle of a city. He had to swallow his pride, smother his honor and ask for directions, or he may never get to the wilderness at all.
"Hey, you!" he called out to a random person on the street. "Which way do I go to reach the mountains?"
The person pointed towards the south, in the direction of a mountain range. "Go south, young man, and be strong!"
"Thanks!" smiled Ryoga, turning north. Ryoga sighed. This trip to the mountains would take a long time. At least he knew he was going in the right direction. However, due to his dismal sense of direction, little did Ryoga know that he was going the wrong way. That wasn't his only dilemma either. Because of his tough skin and resistance to pain, Ryoga didn't know that when he had tripped, a shard of a jewel had dug itself into his palm and was now disolving into his body.