Chapter Two
"I'll drive you to the Tendo Dojo if you want." Mrs. Higurashi said as Ryoga stood up.
"Really?! You will?!" he asked, his new honey-brown eyes sparkling with hope.
Mrs. Higurashi nodded as she gave Ryoga a soft motherly smile.
"Of course. It would be no trouble at all."
Ryoga smiled back, showing off his new, sharper fangs.
"Thank you! This way I won't get lost!" he exclaimed, but he mumbled this last part. Unfortunately, Inuyasha caught every word.
"What do you mean, "you won't get lost"? he asked, narrowing his golden eyes.
Ryoga copied the dog demon's stance and crossed his arms over his chest in a show of stubborness. But, after several minutes of harsh glaring, Ryoga sighed in resignation as he answered.
"I get lost really easily, alright? Hell, I get lost just going to the bathroom. I'm not sure why. All I know is that it has something to do with my family."
Inuyasha smirked as he let out a smug chuckle.
"Really? Just going to the bathroom? That's so stupid!"
Ryoga gave a low growl from somewhere deep in his throat.
"What was that?!" he snarled, causing Kagome then turned to Inuyasha with a harsh glare.
"Inuyasha! Don't be mean to Ryoga!" she scolded.
"Tsk! Well, it is! How could anyone get lost in such a short distance? If it were me, I could just use my sense of smell to know exactly where I am!"
Just then, Ryoga sprang forwards with the same strength he would've used against Ranma, but he found himself moving much too fast, letting Inuyasha dodge his strike with ease. In fact, the silver haired demon was about to draw his sword when Kagome yelled out in an angry rant.
"SIT BOY!" she shouted, causing Inuyasha to slam into the floor with a startled yelp.
And seeing this had Ryoga letting out a loud burst of smug laughter.
"That is awesome! Kagome can stop you cold just by telling you to 'sit'! You must be more dog than human if that's all it takes to control you!"
Ryoga continued to laugh uncontrollably as Inuyasha glared up at him from the floor.
"Shut your mouth, you wolfish bastard!" he growled, finally able to move, only to jump up and grab hold of Ryoga's shirt.
As he did this, Ryoga gave the enraged demon a primal growl, "You wanna fight, tough guy?"
"Now, now. Break it up, you two." Mrs. Higurashi announced loudly.
Sighing heavily, Inuyasha reluctantly let go of Ryoga and nodded. Ryoga then picked up his backpack, not to mention, Kagome's oversized bag.
"Oh! Are you okay with holding my bag as well?" asked Kagome.
And Ryoga nodded his head as he answered.
"I'll be fine. For some reason, even my own overpacked bag feels light as a feather. It's kinda nice."
This statement caused Inuyasha to turn to Ryoga with a surprisingly friendly look.
"There's a reason for that, along with your overshot jump from earlier. Now that you're in your demonic form, you'll begin noticing a large increase in your senses, not to mention your physical strength."
Ryoga took a few minutes to think about this statement, after which, he turned back to the others with a wide grin.
"Well, let's get movin'." he said as the group walked out of the room and the house and into the front yard, only to have to walk for another several minutes until they finally reached Mrs. Higurashi's car.
"Are we going travel there in this?" Ryoga asked from the head of the group.
He turned around, only to see Kagome, Inuyasha, and her mother staring at him in stunned surprise.
"What?"
"Nothing. It's just…we thought you get lost easily? And not only that, but you somehow knew this was my mom's car."
However, this last bit of information was lost on Ryoga, for he was still stuck on something else.
"Wh…What was that first thing you said?" he asked in an awed whisper.
"We thought you get lost easily?" Kagome asked, confused.
"I…I didn't get lost!" he cheered happily. "I made my way somewhere without getting lost!"
As he yelled in joy, Ryoga spun around and wrapped his arms around himself with glee.
Kagome and Inuyasha each sweat-dropped as they watched the strange scene taking place in front of them.
"I've never seen someone so excited about not being lost." Kagome said to Inuyasha in slight amusement.
However, their attentions were quickly brought around to the sounds of Mrs. Higurashi giving a shrill whistle.
"All right, then. Everyone in!" she called out as she got into the front seat.
But, as Kagome got in the passenger side door and Ryoga got in the back, Inuyasha just stared at the car in confusion as his ears twitched slightly.
"Oh, that's right! You've never evevn seen a car before, have you, Inuyasha?" asked Ms. Higurashi in an amused tone.
Inuysha nodded as he continued to stare at the car with mistrust.
"I bet I could run faster than this weird hunk of metal." he said skeptically.
Ryoga, however, just rooled his eyes in annoyance.
"Why don't you just get in? Trust me, it'll go much faster than this conversation." he said with a slight smirk.
The silver haired demon glared at Ryoga in a show of stubborness.
"Why don't you just shut up?" he growled under his breath where only Ryoga would hear.
Ryoga growled back in response as Kagome sighed in exasperation.
"Inuyasha, get in. Or do I have to S-I-T you?" she said with a dark aura growing around her, causing Inuyasha to gulp as he quickly climbed in.
"Okay then. Let's get you to the Tendo Dojo." Mrs. Higurashi said as she started the car with a loud roar from the engine.
***TIME SKIP***
The group of four had been traveling for nearly thirty minutes when Kagome suddenly spoke up with a series of questions for Ryoga.
"So, Ryoga? Why exactly do you have to go to the Tendo Dojo before you leave on your travels? When you told us about it, it seemed to be important to you."
Hearing this, Ryoga's new ears flattened in embarrassment as he tried to decide how to answer her.
"Oh…! Um…just to see my friends before I go on my training mission." he said with a nervous laugh, causing Inuyasha to narrow his eyes in suspicion.
"Really? Your friends? What are they like?" Kagome asked, curiously.
"Well…I don't really see them as often as I'd like 'cause I'd get lost, but they're always nice to me when I do see them. And I do have a rival, but…" he said, trailing off. And Inuyasha ears perked out at that.
"Ya got a rival?" he asked as Ryoga nodded in way of an answer.
Yes. His name's Ranma. Ranma Saotome."
"But, how did you become rivals in the first place?" the dog demon questioned next.
"You don't want to know…" muttered Ryoga darkly.
Kagome and Inuyasha glanced at each other, then back at Ryoga when all of a sudden, Mrs. Higurashi called out to the entire car in a cheerful voice.
"We're here!" she announced as she pulled up just outside the dojo.
"Thanks for the ride, Mom!" Kagome said, opening the door and climbing out of the car.
Ryoga climbed out after her, then turned to Mrs. Higurashi and bowed respectively.
"Thank you for bringing me here, ma'am." he said before standing up straight and the older woman bowed her head in response.
"It was my pleasure, Ryoga."
Inuyasha climbed out last, muttering to himself, but, Ryoga's new ears flicked as he caught a few words.
"What was that?" he muttered back with a smirk in a low voice so only Inuyasha could hear.
This caused Inuyasha to round on Ryoga on him in anger.
"I said, 'I still bet I could go faster than this metal death trap." he said, crossing his arms stubbornly.
Ryoga opened his mouth to laugh, but was suddenly interrputed by a loud female voice yelling, "RANMA, YOU JERK!", along with a loud crash that each emitted from inside the house.
"Well…you kids have fun! And, Inuyasha, I'm trusting you to bring my little girl home safe." Mrs. Higurashi said before restarting the car and driving away, leaving the three teens standing outside the Tendo Dojo, listening to the sounds of angry shouts from the garden.
"Ryoga…are you sure this is the place?" Kagome asked nervously.
However, Ryoga just nodded before he quickly walked around to the back of the garden, only to be followed closely by Kagome and Inuyasha.
And there they found a dark-haired teen around sixteen years old facedown in the dirt in a heap, along with a short-haired girl around the same age standing over him with a large, wodden mallet.
"All I asked was for you to try my cooking! You didn't have to be so rude about it!" the girl snapped, obviously enraged.
"And Why should I try your cooking in the first place? You tryin' to poison me or something?" the young man yelled back, standing up and throwing his arms up in a rage.
The girl's eyes filled with tears before she slammed the overlarge mallet down on his head, causing Kagome and Inuyasha to wince in surprise.
You big dummy! See if I care!" she yelled as she turned and ran back into the house in tears.
The young man groaned as he got up from his hole in the ground.
"Stupid uncute tomboy." he muttered under his breath.
Unfortunately, however, Ryoga's new, more sensitive ears picked up every word.
"RANMA, PREPARE TO DIE!" he yelled as he charged forward at top speed.
The boy was able to dodge, but just barely. He landed carefully to the side and quickly set his body in a defensive stance.
"The hell, Ryoga! What was that for?" he screamed in anger, only to step back in shock when he saw Ryoga's strange new features.
Ryoga, however, continued to growl as he answered.
"This is for what you said about Akane!" he bellowed in a rage.
He tried to charge forward in an attack on Ranma, but before he could move two inches, Inuyasha grabbed Ryoga by the wrists to hold him back.
"What are you doing?! Let me go!" Ryoga snarled as he fought against his capturer.
But, Inuyasha just snarled back in response as Kagome stepped forward with a pitying look.
"Ryoga…Don't you think it's better to not attack your friends for no reason?"
Ranma blinked in surprise at these strangers, who were treating Ryoga with such familiarity.
""Who're your new friends, Pig-breath?" he asked, trying to keep a straight face.
But, as he was talking, Inuyasha was confused as to the curious new scent coming off the dark-haired teen.
'This is weird. This guy smells like both a male and a female.' he thought to himself.
Just then, an older girl with long brown hair tied back with a large white ribbon, came out into the garden and gasped in pleasent surprise.
"Oh my! Welcome back, Ryoga!" she said with a soft motherly smile, making Ryoga's new ears twitch in response.
"Would you and your new friends like to come in? We were just about to have some lunch?" the girl finished before she walked back inside.
"Food?" Ranma and Inuyasha asked at the same time and followed her into the house, causing Kagome to sigh in exasperation.
"Oh, Inuyasha." she said softly. "Let's just go inside then, shall we?"
Ryoga nodded in response as he followed the dark-haired maiden through the kitchen door. And once inside, Kasumi called upstairs for someone named Akane and Nabiki. After which, she led their visitors into the dining room, where Kagome and Inuyasha were surprised to see a large panda sitting on the open back porch, playing Go with an older gentleman wearing a simple green kimono with long black hair and a thick moustache. They said nothing as the group entered the room, but the older girl introduced the panda as Ranma's father, Genma Saotome, the older man as her own father, Soun Tendo, and herslf as the eldest daughter, Kasumi Tendo. Soun then gave the group a kind smile while the panda held up a wooden sign that read "Hello".
Suddenly, the short-haired girl from earlier came into the room with a tall girl with a dark brown bob and mischevious eyes.
"Oh! Welcome back, Ryoga!" the older girl said happily as she sat down next to him, making his tan cheeks turn a pale pink.
The girl then smiled at Inuyasha and Kagome, giving a slight jump when she saw the way Inuyasha was devouring the bowl of steaming ramen Kasumi had placed in front of him.
"He…Hello there! My name is Akane Tendo and this is my older sister, Nabiki." she said, pointing to herself and the taller girl.
As Kasumi finished handing out bowls of ramen and was now pouring mugs of fresh green tea, Nabiki pointed to Ryoga and Inuyasha's ears with an interested look.
"So…why do you two have those weird ears on your heads? Some kinda new fad I've yet to hear about? And is your hair really that silver or is it dyed that way?" she asked with an odd look that had Inuyasha thinking carefullt about what to share.
But, eventually, he just settled on the truth.
"We're both half demons and, yes, my hair is naturally silver."
Several seconds passed before they all screamed at the same time, "HALF DEMONS?", while Genma was holding up a sign with the words on it, causing Ryoga and Inuyasha to clutch their heads in pain as their ears lay flat against their skulls.
"That's what I said, didn't I?" Inuyasha yelled in irritation.
After the initial shock had worn off, Ranma gave a loud burst of laughter.
"Sweet! So, all this time…I've been beating a half demon at every opportunity?" he said with a smug smile.
"Human, actually." corrected Kagome. "For some reason, Ryoga was in his full human form until now."
This had everyone at the table nodding their heads in acceptance, except Inuyasha who was still slurping his bowl of raman in delight.
"So, exactly what kind of demons are you two?"Soun asked with surprising enthusiasum.
This caused Inuyasha and Kagome to gape at the group in utter shock.
"You mean…you all aren't scared? You aren't even surprised in the least?" Kagome asked, confused.
To answer her questions, the group let out a round of amused laughter.
"Trust me…" Akane said with a wide grin. "If you knew the weird stuff we've gone through since Ranma and Mr. Saotome moved in, you wouldn't question our reaction your news."
After taking a few seconds to absorb this, Inuyasha set his bowl on the table with a dull thud.
"Well then, to answer your question, I'm half dog demon and he's half wolf."
"I see…" Nabiki said with a sly grin while Kasumi went back into the kitchen.
Akane then smiled at Ryoga, who was still staring at her with a slight blush.
"So, what are you going to do now that you're half demon? Are you still planning to travel?" she asked with a concerned look.
"Probably. After all, I still need to…" he suddenly stopped talking, but was saved from explaining by Kasumi walking back into the room.
"Father, I need to go to the market. We need some more rice and vegetables for dinner."
Soun nodded in response to his daughter's request, "That's fine, Kasumi."
And, suddenly, Ryoga stood up in an obvious rush.
"I'll come with you. I need to buy some food and supplies, anyway."
Kasumi gave him a kind smile as she answered him.
"Why, thank you, Ryoga. I'll be glad for your help."
And with that, Ryoga and Kasumi left the dojo for the market and Ranma turned to Inuyasha with a slight smirk.
"So…you do any fighting?" he asked.
"Mostly with my sword, but I can also fight hand to hand. Why?"
"How would you like to spar a bit?" Ranma asked, standing up.
"You're on." the silver-haired teen said with a confident grin.
"You comin', Akane" Ranma called over his shoulder.
"Sure thing. I'll be there in a second."
So, Ranma and Inuyasha left the room as Akane turned to Kagome with an interested look.
"So, how long have you been dating Inuyasha?"
And her question caused Kagome's face to turn a bright cherry red from embarrassment.
"We're not…I mean, that's just…"
Suddenly, Akane gave an amused giggle as she watched Kagome's reaction.
"I was only kidding, but now I see you do have strong feelings for him. But, if he's anything like Ranma, he's probably completely oblivious to how you feel. So, all I can say is…best of luck. Later!" the short-haired teen finished with a small smile as she stood up from her seat and headed for the dojo to spar with the boys.
Just then, Nabiki got up and grabbed up Ryoga's backpack, only to drag it closer to her and Kagome and sit down next to it.
"Wha…What are you doing?" Kagome asked as she watched Nabiki open the bag's clasp.
"I've never gone through Ryoga's bag. He always keeps it close to him and doesn't let anyone touch it. I wanna know why." the scheming teen said as she continued to rummage through it.
"Well, I'm sure he has a good reason why he doesn't like people going through his things." Kagome reasoned while Nabiki began to pull things out of the backpack.
"Should…Should you really be removing anything?" Kagome questioned nervously.
"It's fine. It's fine. I'll put everything back." Nabiki said with a dismissive wave.
Kagome turned to Soun and Genma to help her out, but they were completely immersed in their game and totally ignoring what was going on in front of them.
At that moment, Nabiki pulled out a small photograph.
"No way! Is that a young Ryoga?" she gasped before she passed the picture to Kagome, who stared at it curiously.
The boy in the picture looked to be about five years old and was smiling at the camera with a fanged grin. He had short, shaggy black hair and bright honey brown eyes. It looked her as if the boy were reached out for whoever was taking the picture. Indeed, it was a younger Ryoga Hibiki.
"Awwwww! He looks so cute!" the ebony-haired teen squealed in delight.
Just then, Nabiki was able to find another photograph from the depths of the bag.
"Wait a second. Who's this boy?" she questioned in wonder.
Kagome took this picture from her as well and glanced the image with her own curiousity.
The boy in question had long wavy black hair that reached his shoulders and was pulled back in a low ponytail down his back, while his eyes were colored in a shade of deep gold. His clothing consisted of a casual black kimono and a pair of bamboo sandals. He looked incredibly familiar, but when Kagome tried to recall from where, a white-hot pain shot out from behind her eyes and through her entire skull.
"AGH!" she cried out as she clutched the side of her head in surprise.
"You ok?" Nabiki asked, glancing up in confusion.
Kagome nodded as she gave her a weak smile, "Fine. I just felt a little dizzy, that's all."
Nabiki shrugged dismissively as she continued her search through Ryoga's backpack. And, after another few minutes of digging, the mischevious teen pulled out a VHS tape, with a sticker on it that read "DO NOT TOUCH!" in both Japanese and Chinese.
"Hmmmm. I wonder what this is?" she muttered to herself as she set it down beside her.
And at that moment, Akane stormed back into the room, followed closely by Ranma and Inuyasha.
"Geez, Akane! All we did was beat you in a practice fight! Why do you have to make such a big deal out of it?" Ranma was saying to her as the short-haired teen sat down next to Kagome in a huff. She even wore a heavy frown on her face as she continued to glare angrily at both boys.
"It was supposed to be 1on1, but, instead, you both ganged up on me!" she yelled furiously.
"How?! How did we do that?! All we did was tap you on the head to win the fight!" Ranma said with a sigh.
"You don't have to rub it in, you jerk!" Akane yelled as she finally lost her temper and threw him out of the room and into the small pond located in the middle of the outside garden. And after a few seconds, the teen resurfaced as an incredibly busty redheaded girl.
"YOU ARE SO UNCUTE!" she yelled in a huff before sticking outnher tongue.
"I KNEW IT! I KNEW YOU WERE HALF FEMALE!" Inuyasha shouted in triumph as Ranma rung out her now too-big shirt and reentered the room.
"How'd you guess? Could you smell it or something?" Ranma asked as she grabbed a tea kettle filled with boiling water. He then poured over himself, causing the teen to change back into his male form.
"Wow! What is it? Some kind of magic?" Kagome asked in awe.
"Sort of." Ranma answered as he sat back down at the table, "I'll explain. Me and Pop were off on a training mission to China. And once there, we made our way to a hidden training ground known as Jusenko. Excited for the challenge, Pop 'nd I began to spar, not realizing the place was cursed. I knocked Pop down first and fell into a pool of water known as the Spring of Drowned Panda…" at that moment, Genma held up another sign that read, 'After which, I knocked Ranma into the Spring of Drowned Girl'.
"I see." Kagome said as she nodded in understanding.
"So, Nabiki…why are you taking things out of Ryoga's bag?" Akane asked as she finally noticed the small pile of items at her sister's feet.
"I wanted to see what's in it." Nabiki answered like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Hey, what's this tape of?" Ranma asked as he picked up the VHS tape curiously.
"Not sure. Why don't we find out?" Nabiki said with a devious gleam in her eyes.
"But, should we really?" Akane questioned in a worried tone.
She looked toward Genma and her father, but once again, they ignored everything for the sake of their game.
After a few seconds of thought, Ranma just gave the group a slight shrug.
"He'll never know if we don't tell him." he said as he placed the tape in the player and turning on the TV.
"Here, here!" Nabiki said, picking up the remote and pressed play…