Brothers Saotome
A Tangent Tale
The characters of Ranma 1/2 are the property of Rumiko Takahashi. I am
writing this story, clearly for entertainment, and because I want to make
my own spin on it.
Italic: Thoughts.
Prologue
In the Chinese Himalayas are many unexplored and undiscovered areas, some are still looking for fabled Shangri-La, or This Chinese Bhuddist Temple that only those seeking enlightenment never return to the world of man as they begin or continue their journey to become pure. But in Ryoga's case he has been here 7 times, for a guy who gets lost a lot, he sure finds sacred places very easily on accident
"You have return. Don't you feel that Bhudda has brought you here to sure us?" The Head Monk asked after seeing him again, "people who leave here rarely come back, son."
"I am sorry," spoke a tired Ryoga, "But, it's just that I need to return to.."
"I know, I know,"spoked the irratated Monk " you desire to return to Nerima Ward, In Tokya Japan, yet you are here in the himalayas"
"Really?" as Ryoga was Surprised "No wonder it was so hard to breathe air here"
The monk took a facefault at that statement, and got up quickly to regain his composure to look at Ryoga "This place is something magical, and to come here is rare but given your track record is miraclous"
"What's so special about this place, anyways" asked Ryoga "well..," The monk spoke, "This place has a magic well that can grant wishes of any kind but it comes with a great price."
"You mean, I could ask to make someone love me?!" as Ryoga was getting very excited "That would be so good"
"It may, " spoke the Monk calmly, "But this will cause a dilemna for you, you see if she loves you by magic, the it's not true love and you will never know if her love for you is real or not."
"oh," Ryoga was dejected "I want that love to be true more than anything, what if I wish for someone dead?"
"And rob yourself of true victory," Spoke the monk, "it is better to achieve victory on your own, than with any outside help, magical or otherwise."
"You have a point," Ryoga spoke in thought "Has anyone ever made a wish in that well before?"
"Only a few," as the monk was tending to the garden "Most who come here don't like to change anything magically, and stay to become enlightened"
"I see, maybe" Ryoga was thinking and that was dangerous "if I was to go back in time, and beat Ranma, then I would get a lot of satisfaction."
"You may change a part of the past," The monk makes a wild guess on this, "But you leave the present behind, and your history up to that point in time. Would you throw everything behind for a chance to change the past"
"Yes," Ryoga asked, "My life is hell, I hate the hell, that I gone through, I would relish in changing my past a bit"
"be careful what you wished for," Spoke the monk, while wagging his finger at him, "cause, you will get more than you bargained for, the price may be to great."
"No price is too great," Ryoga spoke with determination "Then to go back in time and beat Ranma at Furinkan, wait that's when I cut her hair, no I got the perfect place in time." "Let me take you to the well," offers the monk as he gives up his argument, "The price will be too great, you may never know the price if you change the past."
"I am ready, let me make my wish" was his remark, as he cracks his fingers
As they arrive at the center of the building, they find the pool is in fact old stone well in the monastery.
Ryoga facefaulted, "This is the magic well, it looks like a regular well"
"It is magical, I promise you" The monk spoke defensively "Just toss a coin in"
Ryoga was angry, "you are telling me, if I toss this coin, and say I wish I could go back in time and be able to fight Ranma in that vacant lot, that my wish will be." as he tosses his coin into the well absentmindedly.
"GRANTED!!" Spoke the well, and thunder crashes in the distance.
"But that wasn't my wish, I."spoke a scared Ryoga as he faded away to the past.
"I told you" spoke the monk "Be careful , what you wish for, but what will be the terrible price you will pay for that wish, you might never know, as one timeline is erased another one is rewritten, Good luck child."
As Ryoga travels through time to the past, he hears a voice telling him, "your skills will be stripped from you, Ryoga. But you will make your duel, and not remember what will happen in the future because if you time travel toward your second chance with future knowledge it wouldn't be fair. So I must erase all memory of what happened after you missed your duel with Ranma. Destiny is going in a whole new difference direction son, good luck" and with that Ryoga's memory was selectively removed.
Back to the past and the Vacant lot
In a vacant lot behind a house in Tokyo, a young boy of thirteen in a school uniform was standing with his arms crossed, as he awaited the arrival of his opponent. The boy had raven hair done up in a pigtail and his blue eyes were angrily glaring at the entrance to the lot.
"Stupid Ryoga!" Ranma Saotome swore to himself. "Should have known that he would get lost! I've been waiting for him for three days!"
A block away from the lot, another boy was trudging along the street toward the appointed place. He was about Ranma's age and had a yellow tiger- striped bandanna wrapped about his forehead. He was panting hard after taking a long and difficult route to the vacant lot. He was wearing a sleeveless blue shirt and black trousers.
"I- I did it! Finally, I'm back in Tokyo!" Ryoga gasped as he neared the lot. "It's a good thing I decided to go left at that fork in the road instead of right! I would have ended up in Yokohama! It would have made me another day late!"
At the lot, Ranma was getting more irritated by the minute, when a fat and balding man arrived. The man appeared to be in his late thirties and wore thin-rimmed glasses and a white gi.
"Ranma! Is this where you've been for the last three days?!" Genma yelled as he approached his son. Grabbing him by one of his son's sleeves, the angered father began to drag his offspring off the lot. "Come on, boy! We've got to get going to China to continue your training!"
Ranma dug his heels into the ground as he tried to resist his father's efforts to pull him away from his duel of honor.
"Pop! I can't go just yet! I'm still waiting to fight a guy! It's a man-to- man fight!"
"Foolish boy! Don't you know that you've neglected your training for the last three days? We were supposed to have been in China yesterday! We've got no time for you to fool around with some kid!"
Now in the Ranma Universe that we all know and love, Genma was successful in dragging his son off from his man-to-man fight with Ryoga. However, in this case, Ranma was very determined to uphold his agreement with the Hibiki boy. For once, at this young age, Ranma managed to get the drop on his father.
"Listen up! It was bad enough that you put me through that stupid Cat Fist training! I didn't like it when you made me leave Ucchan! We haven't seen Mom in seven years! There's no way you're going to make me miss this!"
At the mention of his wife, Genma froze up as he recalled his promise of seppeku. This slight distraction was all Ranma needed. Moving toward his father, Ranma reversed the hold that the older man had on his arm, twisted toward him. With adrenaline pumping, Ranma bent forward and used his judo training to toss the fat martial artist over his shoulder.
"AAAAHHHH!" Genma went flying and made an abrupt stop, when his face made contact with one of the stone walls that surrounded the lot. He slid painfully to the ground and was swiftly in la-la land.
Ranma smiled as looked at his handiwork. It was the first time ever that he had managed to catch his father off guard like that. The fact that Genma outweighed his son by about two hundred pounds made it more satisfying. It was then that he heard a familiar cry.
"Ranma Saotome, prepare to die!"
Ranma's smile became even wider as he turned around and saw Ryoga plod toward him. The heir to the Saotome Anything Goes Martial Arts took a stance as he shouted to his opponent, "It's about time!"
Twenty minutes later
"I don't need your help!" Ryoga grumbled as Ranma was binding up his head with a bandage. The two of them were in Ryoga's house and were sitting at the dining table. Genma was lying on a bed in the guest's room, still unconscious from his personal encounter with a concrete wall. Ryoga's parents were not home, which wasn't surprising since they also shared the family trait. They got lost very easily. Ryoga's parents had left on a business trip for two weeks and have been gone for three months.
"Geez, you're a sore loser!" Ranma said as he finished up with tending to Ryoga's injuries. Both of them were battered and bruised, but the bandanna- wearing Hibiki was worse off. "I thought you'd be happy that we had our duel! Heck! I had to wait three days for you to show!"
"I lost the fight! Why should I be happy about it?" Ryoga growled as he glared at his former opponent. There was a tense silence as the two of them looked at each other with some hostility. Finally, Ryoga relaxed somewhat and said grudgingly, "All right. You did beat me fair and square. I guess my honor is satisfied."
"Hey, no problem! I mean we can still be friends, right?"
"F-F-Friends?" Ryoga became very confused.
"Sure! I mean, I had to lead you to school and home all the time. Except for the bread feud, we really don't have anything against each other. Now that we've had our fight, there's no reason why we can't get along."
"Maybe," Ryoga said with caution.
Ranma shook his head slowly as he got up and headed to the guest's room. "I guess I better go check on my old man." The pigtailed boy left Ryoga alone as he entered the room where his father was.
Ryoga sighed as he sat in silence. A moment later, his dog Kuroshiro padded up to him and laid herself at her master's feet. Ryoga gave her a small smile and began scratching her from behind the ears. A minute passed and suddenly, Ryoga heard an excited voice from the room across from the hall.
"ALL RIGHT!!!"
Ryoga and Kuroshiro looked up in the direction of the sound and saw Ranma happily skip out of the room and waving a piece of paper. "Ryoga! Where's your phone? Oh never mind! I'll find it myself!"
The Hibiki boy and his pet looked in confusion as Ranma turned around the corner and picked up the handset from the wall phone. As he began dialing, Ryoga thought to himself. So that's where the phone was! I ended up in Hiroshima looking for it!
"Hello Mom? It's me! Ranma!"
An hour later, Genma finally came to his senses (relatively speaking), and the first image that he saw was that of his son and Ryoga who were at his right side of the bed. However, when he looked to his other side, he saw a woman in her mid-thirties looking over him. The sight of her almost gave him a stroke and put into a coma when he instantly recognized her.
"N-N-Nodoka!" Genma stammered as he shot up from the bed and scampered a bit away from her. He noticed that she still carried her katana with her. "What are you doing here?"
The mother of Ranma Saotome smiled sweetly as she replied, "Why I'm here to see my son and husband, whom I haven't laid eyes on for the last seven years! It's a good thing Ranma found that phone number and called me when he did. It was also fortunate that Ryoga's parents happen to be old friends of mine. I was easily able to find this house. Who knows how much longer it would have been before you would have finally contacted me." The last sentence was said in a slightly deadly tone which made Genma gulp.
"I-I-I would have called you sooner but."
"You can stop groveling Genma. I am not angry. At least for now."
"You know my mother and father?" Ryoga asked.
Nodoka smiled as she replied, "Why yes! Aki and Tanaka were classmates of mine in high school. Apparently, they shared the same problems that you have now. I'd constantly had to lead them to school and back. I haven't seen them in over twelve years, although we have kept in touch. Of course, since they had a problem of finding their home at times, I never did receive many responses to my letters. I am very pleased to meet their son." Nodoka then turned back to her husband with a stern eye. "Now then, Genma. I would like to know what kept you and my son so busy for the last seven years, that you failed to contact me. The only thing I ever got from you were the occasional letter and even they were quite vague."
Genma became very agitated as he watched his spouse finger the hilt of her katana. He knew that if he told her the truth, he would certainly be getting up close and personal with that sword. He began to sweat buckets as he silently prayed to the Kami-sama to give him a reprieve.
As if in answer to his prayers, the phone rang.
"I'll get it." Ryoga said as he went off in the opposite direction.
Ranma shook his head as he placed a hand on the lost boy's shoulder and pointed in the correct direction. "That way!"
Ryoga scowled a bit before going in the indicated direction and picked up the handset. Nodoka smiled as she remarked, "Just like his parents."
After picking up the phone, Ryoga spoke into the receiver, "Hello? Yes, I'm Ryoga Hibiki. Yes, they're my parents. What? WHAT?! No, no, no it can't be! This is a joke right? NO! You're lying! THEY CAN'T BE!!!" NOOOOOOO!!!!!
Ranma and his parents looked on in confusion as Ryoga became louder in his denials. After a minute, the son of Aki and Tanaka Hibiki sank to his knees as he dropped the handset to the floor. Ignoring the voice on the phone, the lost boy began to sob uncontrollably. Kuroshiro went to her master and tried to comfort him by licking his face. Ryoga embraced his pet, while still crying.
Ranma was most surprised to see the usually tough and hardened boy break down in tears. Seeing that he needed comfort, the son of Genma and Nodoka went over and put his hand on his former opponent's shoulder. He then asked in a quiet voice, "Hey man! What's wrong?"
A week later
Aki and Tanaka were laid to rest on a somber and rainy afternoon in the city cemetery. Ranma's family was there to attend the funeral with Ryoga, since they were the only people closest to him. Other than them, Ryoga had no other relatives. As the coffins were lowered and were covered with soil, the Saotomes took the distraught boy off to their house in order to comfort him.
"It's so stupid!" Ryoga said as they sat down at the dining table. "Mom and Dad finally managed to find the right airport and even get on an early flight to get back home! Why did they pick a plane with a bomb on it?"
"Hey man! There was nothing you could have done! I mean, how were you to know?" Ranma said as he tried to ease the lost boy's pain.
"Is there anything that we could do for you Ryoga?" Nodoka asked tenderly.
"I-I-I don't know. I can't go home now! It's really great that you let me stay with you for the last week, but I'm totally lost as to what to do now."
Ranma winced at the word 'lost,' but he had the good sense not to say anything rude about it. Now was not the time.
Nodoka smiled sadly at the son of her departed friends and said, "Ryoga, I know this has been a terrible experience, and I want you to know that you're welcome to stay with us as long as you want."
"Yeah man! I mean it's been great having someone else around!" Ranma said.
"Y-you mean it?" Ryoga asked as he looked at Ranma.
"Heck yeah! After all the time I've spent with Pop, having you around was the best thing that's happened to me in a long time! I don't get to make many friends!"
"Y-you think of me as a friend?"
"Sure! I'm not going let a little thing like bread mess up our friendship! So come on! What do you say? Stay with us! At least until you're over this!"
Ryoga remained silent for a long time.
Three months later
"Come on you two! You've wasted enough time here! It's time to get going!" Genma shouted as he exited the house with a backpack slung over his shoulder.
"We're coming, Pop!" Ranma responded as he rushed out the door with a backpack as well. He was followed with a playful dog, which nipped at his heels. Looking down at the canine, Ranma smiled and said, "Sorry Kuroshiro, but you can't come with us." He then called into the house. "Come on Ryoga! You want to get better, don't you? Unless you've changed your mind about that rematch?"
"No way!" Ryoga declared as he ran out of the house, with a backpack and a bamboo umbrella. "I'll beat you, someday!" Ryoga was a bit more light- hearted in his step as he joined Ranma and his father on the road, which headed out of town. The two boys exchanged friendly punches and slaps on the back. Behind them, Nodoka stood with Kuroshiro at the door as she waved them off.
"Remember Genma! I expect BOTH of my sons to be men among men when I see you again!"
Genma, Ranma and the newest member of the Saotome clan set out toward their destinies.
And so it begins anew
Author's Notes This story is whole new and different and where it goes will depend where the fans or I want it to go. I may use this story to try to explain Mark Latus's Ryoga:Crosstime story, (Go to the church of Ryoga to read it, each variant made the alternate foamce for Ryoga make a lot of sense for the pairing, except for one, and although this pairing isn't famous, it is getting more popular, that being Nabiki, but this will be a TORN tale, a Tale of R---A amd Nabiki, but which one will it be. Ryoga made a wish to make the battle, but he lost his parents, and gained a family due to a wish, but he'll never know. This fanfic will be in the style of "Most Unlikely of Friends" I will intend to follow the original flavor with interesting and yet more humorous moments. This may take a while, but I will try to make the story interesting. Enjoy.
Moon Knight Triton, Tangent Tales
In the Chinese Himalayas are many unexplored and undiscovered areas, some are still looking for fabled Shangri-La, or This Chinese Bhuddist Temple that only those seeking enlightenment never return to the world of man as they begin or continue their journey to become pure. But in Ryoga's case he has been here 7 times, for a guy who gets lost a lot, he sure finds sacred places very easily on accident
"You have return. Don't you feel that Bhudda has brought you here to sure us?" The Head Monk asked after seeing him again, "people who leave here rarely come back, son."
"I am sorry," spoke a tired Ryoga, "But, it's just that I need to return to.."
"I know, I know,"spoked the irratated Monk " you desire to return to Nerima Ward, In Tokya Japan, yet you are here in the himalayas"
"Really?" as Ryoga was Surprised "No wonder it was so hard to breathe air here"
The monk took a facefault at that statement, and got up quickly to regain his composure to look at Ryoga "This place is something magical, and to come here is rare but given your track record is miraclous"
"What's so special about this place, anyways" asked Ryoga "well..," The monk spoke, "This place has a magic well that can grant wishes of any kind but it comes with a great price."
"You mean, I could ask to make someone love me?!" as Ryoga was getting very excited "That would be so good"
"It may, " spoke the Monk calmly, "But this will cause a dilemna for you, you see if she loves you by magic, the it's not true love and you will never know if her love for you is real or not."
"oh," Ryoga was dejected "I want that love to be true more than anything, what if I wish for someone dead?"
"And rob yourself of true victory," Spoke the monk, "it is better to achieve victory on your own, than with any outside help, magical or otherwise."
"You have a point," Ryoga spoke in thought "Has anyone ever made a wish in that well before?"
"Only a few," as the monk was tending to the garden "Most who come here don't like to change anything magically, and stay to become enlightened"
"I see, maybe" Ryoga was thinking and that was dangerous "if I was to go back in time, and beat Ranma, then I would get a lot of satisfaction."
"You may change a part of the past," The monk makes a wild guess on this, "But you leave the present behind, and your history up to that point in time. Would you throw everything behind for a chance to change the past"
"Yes," Ryoga asked, "My life is hell, I hate the hell, that I gone through, I would relish in changing my past a bit"
"be careful what you wished for," Spoke the monk, while wagging his finger at him, "cause, you will get more than you bargained for, the price may be to great."
"No price is too great," Ryoga spoke with determination "Then to go back in time and beat Ranma at Furinkan, wait that's when I cut her hair, no I got the perfect place in time." "Let me take you to the well," offers the monk as he gives up his argument, "The price will be too great, you may never know the price if you change the past."
"I am ready, let me make my wish" was his remark, as he cracks his fingers
As they arrive at the center of the building, they find the pool is in fact old stone well in the monastery.
Ryoga facefaulted, "This is the magic well, it looks like a regular well"
"It is magical, I promise you" The monk spoke defensively "Just toss a coin in"
Ryoga was angry, "you are telling me, if I toss this coin, and say I wish I could go back in time and be able to fight Ranma in that vacant lot, that my wish will be." as he tosses his coin into the well absentmindedly.
"GRANTED!!" Spoke the well, and thunder crashes in the distance.
"But that wasn't my wish, I."spoke a scared Ryoga as he faded away to the past.
"I told you" spoke the monk "Be careful , what you wish for, but what will be the terrible price you will pay for that wish, you might never know, as one timeline is erased another one is rewritten, Good luck child."
As Ryoga travels through time to the past, he hears a voice telling him, "your skills will be stripped from you, Ryoga. But you will make your duel, and not remember what will happen in the future because if you time travel toward your second chance with future knowledge it wouldn't be fair. So I must erase all memory of what happened after you missed your duel with Ranma. Destiny is going in a whole new difference direction son, good luck" and with that Ryoga's memory was selectively removed.
Back to the past and the Vacant lot
In a vacant lot behind a house in Tokyo, a young boy of thirteen in a school uniform was standing with his arms crossed, as he awaited the arrival of his opponent. The boy had raven hair done up in a pigtail and his blue eyes were angrily glaring at the entrance to the lot.
"Stupid Ryoga!" Ranma Saotome swore to himself. "Should have known that he would get lost! I've been waiting for him for three days!"
A block away from the lot, another boy was trudging along the street toward the appointed place. He was about Ranma's age and had a yellow tiger- striped bandanna wrapped about his forehead. He was panting hard after taking a long and difficult route to the vacant lot. He was wearing a sleeveless blue shirt and black trousers.
"I- I did it! Finally, I'm back in Tokyo!" Ryoga gasped as he neared the lot. "It's a good thing I decided to go left at that fork in the road instead of right! I would have ended up in Yokohama! It would have made me another day late!"
At the lot, Ranma was getting more irritated by the minute, when a fat and balding man arrived. The man appeared to be in his late thirties and wore thin-rimmed glasses and a white gi.
"Ranma! Is this where you've been for the last three days?!" Genma yelled as he approached his son. Grabbing him by one of his son's sleeves, the angered father began to drag his offspring off the lot. "Come on, boy! We've got to get going to China to continue your training!"
Ranma dug his heels into the ground as he tried to resist his father's efforts to pull him away from his duel of honor.
"Pop! I can't go just yet! I'm still waiting to fight a guy! It's a man-to- man fight!"
"Foolish boy! Don't you know that you've neglected your training for the last three days? We were supposed to have been in China yesterday! We've got no time for you to fool around with some kid!"
Now in the Ranma Universe that we all know and love, Genma was successful in dragging his son off from his man-to-man fight with Ryoga. However, in this case, Ranma was very determined to uphold his agreement with the Hibiki boy. For once, at this young age, Ranma managed to get the drop on his father.
"Listen up! It was bad enough that you put me through that stupid Cat Fist training! I didn't like it when you made me leave Ucchan! We haven't seen Mom in seven years! There's no way you're going to make me miss this!"
At the mention of his wife, Genma froze up as he recalled his promise of seppeku. This slight distraction was all Ranma needed. Moving toward his father, Ranma reversed the hold that the older man had on his arm, twisted toward him. With adrenaline pumping, Ranma bent forward and used his judo training to toss the fat martial artist over his shoulder.
"AAAAHHHH!" Genma went flying and made an abrupt stop, when his face made contact with one of the stone walls that surrounded the lot. He slid painfully to the ground and was swiftly in la-la land.
Ranma smiled as looked at his handiwork. It was the first time ever that he had managed to catch his father off guard like that. The fact that Genma outweighed his son by about two hundred pounds made it more satisfying. It was then that he heard a familiar cry.
"Ranma Saotome, prepare to die!"
Ranma's smile became even wider as he turned around and saw Ryoga plod toward him. The heir to the Saotome Anything Goes Martial Arts took a stance as he shouted to his opponent, "It's about time!"
Twenty minutes later
"I don't need your help!" Ryoga grumbled as Ranma was binding up his head with a bandage. The two of them were in Ryoga's house and were sitting at the dining table. Genma was lying on a bed in the guest's room, still unconscious from his personal encounter with a concrete wall. Ryoga's parents were not home, which wasn't surprising since they also shared the family trait. They got lost very easily. Ryoga's parents had left on a business trip for two weeks and have been gone for three months.
"Geez, you're a sore loser!" Ranma said as he finished up with tending to Ryoga's injuries. Both of them were battered and bruised, but the bandanna- wearing Hibiki was worse off. "I thought you'd be happy that we had our duel! Heck! I had to wait three days for you to show!"
"I lost the fight! Why should I be happy about it?" Ryoga growled as he glared at his former opponent. There was a tense silence as the two of them looked at each other with some hostility. Finally, Ryoga relaxed somewhat and said grudgingly, "All right. You did beat me fair and square. I guess my honor is satisfied."
"Hey, no problem! I mean we can still be friends, right?"
"F-F-Friends?" Ryoga became very confused.
"Sure! I mean, I had to lead you to school and home all the time. Except for the bread feud, we really don't have anything against each other. Now that we've had our fight, there's no reason why we can't get along."
"Maybe," Ryoga said with caution.
Ranma shook his head slowly as he got up and headed to the guest's room. "I guess I better go check on my old man." The pigtailed boy left Ryoga alone as he entered the room where his father was.
Ryoga sighed as he sat in silence. A moment later, his dog Kuroshiro padded up to him and laid herself at her master's feet. Ryoga gave her a small smile and began scratching her from behind the ears. A minute passed and suddenly, Ryoga heard an excited voice from the room across from the hall.
"ALL RIGHT!!!"
Ryoga and Kuroshiro looked up in the direction of the sound and saw Ranma happily skip out of the room and waving a piece of paper. "Ryoga! Where's your phone? Oh never mind! I'll find it myself!"
The Hibiki boy and his pet looked in confusion as Ranma turned around the corner and picked up the handset from the wall phone. As he began dialing, Ryoga thought to himself. So that's where the phone was! I ended up in Hiroshima looking for it!
"Hello Mom? It's me! Ranma!"
An hour later, Genma finally came to his senses (relatively speaking), and the first image that he saw was that of his son and Ryoga who were at his right side of the bed. However, when he looked to his other side, he saw a woman in her mid-thirties looking over him. The sight of her almost gave him a stroke and put into a coma when he instantly recognized her.
"N-N-Nodoka!" Genma stammered as he shot up from the bed and scampered a bit away from her. He noticed that she still carried her katana with her. "What are you doing here?"
The mother of Ranma Saotome smiled sweetly as she replied, "Why I'm here to see my son and husband, whom I haven't laid eyes on for the last seven years! It's a good thing Ranma found that phone number and called me when he did. It was also fortunate that Ryoga's parents happen to be old friends of mine. I was easily able to find this house. Who knows how much longer it would have been before you would have finally contacted me." The last sentence was said in a slightly deadly tone which made Genma gulp.
"I-I-I would have called you sooner but."
"You can stop groveling Genma. I am not angry. At least for now."
"You know my mother and father?" Ryoga asked.
Nodoka smiled as she replied, "Why yes! Aki and Tanaka were classmates of mine in high school. Apparently, they shared the same problems that you have now. I'd constantly had to lead them to school and back. I haven't seen them in over twelve years, although we have kept in touch. Of course, since they had a problem of finding their home at times, I never did receive many responses to my letters. I am very pleased to meet their son." Nodoka then turned back to her husband with a stern eye. "Now then, Genma. I would like to know what kept you and my son so busy for the last seven years, that you failed to contact me. The only thing I ever got from you were the occasional letter and even they were quite vague."
Genma became very agitated as he watched his spouse finger the hilt of her katana. He knew that if he told her the truth, he would certainly be getting up close and personal with that sword. He began to sweat buckets as he silently prayed to the Kami-sama to give him a reprieve.
As if in answer to his prayers, the phone rang.
"I'll get it." Ryoga said as he went off in the opposite direction.
Ranma shook his head as he placed a hand on the lost boy's shoulder and pointed in the correct direction. "That way!"
Ryoga scowled a bit before going in the indicated direction and picked up the handset. Nodoka smiled as she remarked, "Just like his parents."
After picking up the phone, Ryoga spoke into the receiver, "Hello? Yes, I'm Ryoga Hibiki. Yes, they're my parents. What? WHAT?! No, no, no it can't be! This is a joke right? NO! You're lying! THEY CAN'T BE!!!" NOOOOOOO!!!!!
Ranma and his parents looked on in confusion as Ryoga became louder in his denials. After a minute, the son of Aki and Tanaka Hibiki sank to his knees as he dropped the handset to the floor. Ignoring the voice on the phone, the lost boy began to sob uncontrollably. Kuroshiro went to her master and tried to comfort him by licking his face. Ryoga embraced his pet, while still crying.
Ranma was most surprised to see the usually tough and hardened boy break down in tears. Seeing that he needed comfort, the son of Genma and Nodoka went over and put his hand on his former opponent's shoulder. He then asked in a quiet voice, "Hey man! What's wrong?"
A week later
Aki and Tanaka were laid to rest on a somber and rainy afternoon in the city cemetery. Ranma's family was there to attend the funeral with Ryoga, since they were the only people closest to him. Other than them, Ryoga had no other relatives. As the coffins were lowered and were covered with soil, the Saotomes took the distraught boy off to their house in order to comfort him.
"It's so stupid!" Ryoga said as they sat down at the dining table. "Mom and Dad finally managed to find the right airport and even get on an early flight to get back home! Why did they pick a plane with a bomb on it?"
"Hey man! There was nothing you could have done! I mean, how were you to know?" Ranma said as he tried to ease the lost boy's pain.
"Is there anything that we could do for you Ryoga?" Nodoka asked tenderly.
"I-I-I don't know. I can't go home now! It's really great that you let me stay with you for the last week, but I'm totally lost as to what to do now."
Ranma winced at the word 'lost,' but he had the good sense not to say anything rude about it. Now was not the time.
Nodoka smiled sadly at the son of her departed friends and said, "Ryoga, I know this has been a terrible experience, and I want you to know that you're welcome to stay with us as long as you want."
"Yeah man! I mean it's been great having someone else around!" Ranma said.
"Y-you mean it?" Ryoga asked as he looked at Ranma.
"Heck yeah! After all the time I've spent with Pop, having you around was the best thing that's happened to me in a long time! I don't get to make many friends!"
"Y-you think of me as a friend?"
"Sure! I'm not going let a little thing like bread mess up our friendship! So come on! What do you say? Stay with us! At least until you're over this!"
Ryoga remained silent for a long time.
Three months later
"Come on you two! You've wasted enough time here! It's time to get going!" Genma shouted as he exited the house with a backpack slung over his shoulder.
"We're coming, Pop!" Ranma responded as he rushed out the door with a backpack as well. He was followed with a playful dog, which nipped at his heels. Looking down at the canine, Ranma smiled and said, "Sorry Kuroshiro, but you can't come with us." He then called into the house. "Come on Ryoga! You want to get better, don't you? Unless you've changed your mind about that rematch?"
"No way!" Ryoga declared as he ran out of the house, with a backpack and a bamboo umbrella. "I'll beat you, someday!" Ryoga was a bit more light- hearted in his step as he joined Ranma and his father on the road, which headed out of town. The two boys exchanged friendly punches and slaps on the back. Behind them, Nodoka stood with Kuroshiro at the door as she waved them off.
"Remember Genma! I expect BOTH of my sons to be men among men when I see you again!"
Genma, Ranma and the newest member of the Saotome clan set out toward their destinies.
And so it begins anew
Author's Notes This story is whole new and different and where it goes will depend where the fans or I want it to go. I may use this story to try to explain Mark Latus's Ryoga:Crosstime story, (Go to the church of Ryoga to read it, each variant made the alternate foamce for Ryoga make a lot of sense for the pairing, except for one, and although this pairing isn't famous, it is getting more popular, that being Nabiki, but this will be a TORN tale, a Tale of R---A amd Nabiki, but which one will it be. Ryoga made a wish to make the battle, but he lost his parents, and gained a family due to a wish, but he'll never know. This fanfic will be in the style of "Most Unlikely of Friends" I will intend to follow the original flavor with interesting and yet more humorous moments. This may take a while, but I will try to make the story interesting. Enjoy.
Moon Knight Triton, Tangent Tales