Author's Note:

An "Akita Inu" is a large dog breed (actually, the largest of the Japanese Spitz-type breeds), originating in Japan. To look fully in to the Akita Inu dog breed, the best thing you can do is to go to a Search Engine (preferably "Google"), and type in 'Akita Inu'. Then "Google" (or whatever Search Engine you prefer) will take care of all the rest.

To see what the Akita Inu (Ranma) looks like in this Fanfiction, go to "Wikipedia". ( -- I do NOT like this website, but the Akita Inu I see Ranma as is on it.) Just type in 'Akita Inu' in the Search Box, and then the Website will take care of all the rest for you.

I hope that wraps everything up, for now. So please; sit back, relax, and enjoy the Second Chapter of "Kibou".

Sincerely,

Howl Angelline Belladonna

Chapter 2

Pictures formed in his mind. What were these images? He did not understand them at all, and he could feel himself whimper, deep within his sleep. Strange two-leggers were in these pictures, and for some odd reason that he could never explain…

They felt like home...

"Come here, puppy," the elderly female beckoned to him, smiling warmly. He immediately stopped ripping up a dirty old shoe right at the sound of her voice, and ran over to her happily as she gave him a small bite to eat and patted him gently on the head.

She went by the name of 'Azumi'. That is what she told him. For one week, she had been taking care of him, and he didn't understand why. Weren't man supposed to hate him? Wasn't he despised? Grotesque?

Azumi was wonderful, and she smelled of something wonderful. He knew he could trust her, immediately. When he first woke up the day after he collapsed in this strange and frightening place, she took him in and kept him warm. She fed him, and kept him safe.

She truly was wonderful.

The people around them…he did not like these creatures, at all. They stood around 'fire', mans creation, like his mother once told him, and they tried to keep themselves warm. But they smelled bad. He did not like their smell. They sneered at Azumi, they taunted her, stole things from her; he did not like them. Not one bit.

Their den was not very protective. It was like his den back in the alley, where he was born. Mostly, the den was made up of rags, with a blanket here and there. But Azumi did make him feel safe. She was a light, like he always loved, and she was extremely kind and gentle.

And incredibly lonely and sick.

He didn't know what that smell was, at first. It penetrated through all of her other wonderful smells. It made his stomach turn and he would cry relentlessly. Something was wrong with her, and he was truly scared for her. He could feel her, slowly slipping away…

"We've seen better days," Azumi sighed in between coughs. He looked up at her sadly, knowing what she meant.

Everyday, they would sit at the same street corner in the city. And everyday, Azumi would keep an empty can out (usually the can that he would eat from) on a small table she would use, and men would put strange things in the can sometimes. She called it 'money'; she used it to get more food and blankets.

But today the can was empty. His stomach kept relentlessly growling at him, and he whined a bit. He hardly ate at all yesterday, and he was miserable. No 'money', no food. He learned that rule, very quickly.

Azumi kept coughing in to a rag and he put his head on her leg, whining a bit. He wanted to comfort her, to make her better, but how could he? She just kept coughing and coughing, and there was always sadness lingering in her eyes.

His mother would have known what to do, he was sure of it. She would have gotten food for Azumi, kept her warm, and safe. He whimpered again when he remembered his family. He hadn't seen his mother, nor his brothers and sisters, in over a week. He missed them, terribly. What had happened to them?

When he whined once more, Azumi smiled down upon him, quiet sadly. Suddenly, a flash of something went through her eyes, making her smile with amusement.

"Let's play a game, puppy!" she declared excitedly.

A game? He liked games. What game were they going to play? He wagged his tail furiously, liking the sound of this 'game'. But when she got out three empty shells and something small and shiny from out of her clothes, he stopped wagging his tail and tilted his head in confusion.

Azumi must have noticed his befuddlement. "This game is called 'Find the Pretty Jewel,'" she exclaimed excitedly to him. He kept tilting his head, dumbfounded.

"We put the pretty jewel under one of these walnut shells, and we switch them around like this," she switched around the walnut shells on the small table, "and then you have to guess which walnut shell hides the jewel!"

He looked up at her, not very pleased. This game didn't sound like much fun at all!

"Go ahead, find the pretty jewel," Azumi beckoned him. He lowered his head to the three walnut shells on the small table in front of them. For some odd reason, he knew this game. As if…he played it, somewhere before…

He used his nose to pick the shell he knew the jewel was under. Azumi gasped in shock when she picked up the shell and saw the jewel underneath it.

"Good puppy!" she patted him proudly on the head. "Good puppy!"

He loved praise. He started to wag his tail as he started to smell happiness radiate off of her. She put the shell back on top of the jewel and switched them around again. And once again, he knew which shell hid the jewel.

"Good puppy!" Azumi exclaimed even more excitedly. Shock was written all over her face, and he wagged his tail more furiously this time.

All of a sudden, money started to enter the can. It startled both him and Azumi, and they both jumped at the same time.

"Bless you!" he heard her cry happily. When he continued to play the game with Azumi, and when he kept finding the pretty small jewel, even more money entered the can. And even more…and more…and more…

Soon, a whole horde of men surrounded both him and Azumi. It made him nervous at first, but he saw the happiness written all over Azumi's face, and he didn't want to let her down. So he kept playing the game, kept finding the jewel, kept getting more money in. And each time the money hit the can, Azumi blessed every single person.

"Ah, you've got a nice lookin' puppy there!" a dark female explained as she walked up to both him and Azumi happily. She petted him, startling him at first, but then he leaned in to her 'pets'. It felt wonderful.

"What his name be?" the nice dark female asked, still petting him, while looking at Azumi. Azumi was silent for a moment, staring at the can overflowing with money. She whispered something both he and the dark female couldn't hear.

"Pardon?" she asked Azumi.

"Kibou…" Azumi answered, once again. She was smiling warmly at the dark female and then at him. Especially at him. "Kibou. For 'Hope.'"

Something sparkled through her eyes, but it was different, this time. There was no sadness in this look. There was no worry. No amusement. It was a look for just good times to come. A new start. A new beginning…

Of hope...

That night, they had a feast. While he ate the food from the cartons, very much like the food he had almost every single night with his mother when he and his family lived in the alley, Azumi did something productive.

"'Hope' by nature, 'Hope' by name!" she exclaimed excitedly, as she clasped her hands together. She put something around his neck after he was done eating and licking his lips.

He looked down at himself in confusion. "I know it isn't the best collar, but it'll do for you, Kibou." Azumi said, happily.

Collar…it was such a strange device. Something was written on a piece of cardboard with a weird plastic thing attached to it, which now hung down from around his neck. Surprisingly enough, as he looked down at the weird symbols, he immediately knew that it was his name. He knew how it was spelled, how to say it to himself, in his mind.

Kibou…

He looked up, happily, at Azumi. She smiled happily back, but then the smile was gone just as quickly. She started to cough and hack, and all he could do was whine. He licked her face when the attack went away, and she smiled warmly at him, once again.

"My, it sure is getting chilly out here. Let us go to bed, my Kibou." And with that, she picked him up and carried him in to the now warmer and more comfortable den with her. She laid herself down and put him by her side, and wrapped them both in a very warm, large, and fluffy blanket.

Azumi kissed him on the head and stroked his fur. "You are the best thing that could have ever happened to me," she said quietly to him. "You have given me hope, today…for the very first time in my life. I love you, Kibou."

And with that, they both fell into a very deep and peaceful sleep.