It was probably late in the afternoon or early in the evening, but the heavy mist that had settled over the woods made it difficult to tell. Ryoga sighed and bit down on the straps of his heavy backpack, dragging it with difficulty through the gnarled oak roots that broke up the rocky earth of this hellish place. He usually liked to keep the mentality that things could be worse, but that kind of thing was becoming a lost cause. He was cold, wet, and as usual... lost. He wondered what Akane was doing. Was she thinking about him? He hadn't been back to the Tendo dojo in several weeks. Surely she must have thought about him at some point. Hmph, he thought. Maybe as P-Chan. I'm sure she misses her pet, he fussed to himself. He hated the fact that the only way he could be close to the woman he loved was through his curse. It was pretty ironic. Love itself seemed like a curse to him. She would never think of him as more than a friend. If he could accept that, then maybe he could move on and be happy with someone else. No. There had to be a way! There's always a way. Love... finds a way. With renewed vigor, Ryoga dug his hooves into the ground and sped toward the woman he knew he was meant to be with.
Hours passed. The general dimness all around meant that night was falling. Maybe it was time to bunk down for the night. Maybe the mist would lift in the morning and he would be able to find his way a little bit easier. There was a gurgling noise in the distance, which meant that a creek or a river inlet was nearby. He decided to let it lead him. Even someone as directionally challenged as him could follow his ears. He would camp by the river. If he could get a fire going, he could boil water. Returning to his human form would make setting up a tent so much easier. After a few minutes, a rippling in the ground suggested that he had come upon the sand bank. He settled his pack against a tree and began hunting for some wood that was dry enough to burn.
Before he had gotten very far, there was a light splash, and the shape of a person popped above the surface of the water in the middle of the inlet. He put himself on guard, ready for anything... except a half dressed lady. When he saw the curvy physique, Ryoga bolted into his backpack and hid. This person may have seen him, but if he didn't move, perhaps she would leave. The figure moved a little closer. What on earth was that thing? she asked herself. After a moment, she shrugged it off and knelt down by the water to pick something up. Ryoga took a chance and peeked out of an opening in the pack. The lady was bent over quite seductively, and he was not prepared for this. A shocked and embarrassed noise escaped his throat with a sharp, "B-kee!" . At this, the lady jumped up and turned fully to face him. She walked with cautious deliberation up to the backpack and opened the top. She let out a relieved laugh when she saw the little piglet. "Why, you're just a little thing! You scared me to death!" she cried. There was some shouting and general commotion in the woods behind them. Ryoga barely took notice. He fainted from shame. "Lum! Are you out here?" An old man with five or six small children emerged from the tangle of trees.
The children ran up and wrapped themselves around the lady's legs. "Lum! What's taking so long? We've been waiting forever!" one of them exclaimed. "I'm sorry, Cho. I was pulling up the fishing net for tonight and some of the lines were caught. I had to go down and pull them free." Lum replied. "What? That water must be freezing! It's awfully cold out here. You're going to catch your death if you aren't careful!" the old man admonished. "I'm fine. It feels good to me, Mikhan." Lum said. She was getting dressed again while the children gathered up the fish and rolled up the net. "What's this?" One of the children picked up Ryoga and shook him a little. It didn't stir him. "Well, it looks like someone left their belongings out here. It's going to rain. We should take them inside. And their pet looks chilled to the bone!" Mikhan tutted. Lum nodded her agreement. "I suppose that's the nice thing to do. If they come looking for everything, the house is easy enough to find. You can see it from here." She lifted the large pack onto her back with relative ease and followed the old man and children into a nearby clearing.
Author's notes: I do not own the characters from Ranma 1/2: Ryoga and Akane. They belong to the talented Rumiko Takahasi. The Other characters in this chapter are mine, though. Please do not use them without my consent.