PART 2 - "THE LOVE POTION MISTAKE"
Three days later, Ryoga returned back to Akane's school, or rather he managed to find himself there after getting lost in Nermia. His bad sense of direction had struck again. But he never let it get him down because he always seemed to find his way to where he was going, no matter the odds. And if fate had forced him on a detour, then so be it. The Luck Gods had finally shown him the way back. And he thanked them.
Surprisingly enough, Gosunkugi was waiting for him at the exact spot they had chosen to meet three days prior. The kid looked just as tired and weird as he had then. Gosunkugi held something small in his hand when Ryoga arrived at the school enclosure gate. It was a vial of sorts. Was this the love potion?
Ryoga straightened to his full height and quickly thought of an excuse of why he was late. But would it make any difference? He was known around town as the Lost Boy because he often took wrong turns despite being told exactly where to go. But if Gosunkugi didn't mention anything, neither would he.
"Is that it?" Ryoga said, pointing to the vial in Gosunkugi's hand.
"Where have you been? I've been here three days!"
"Something came up," he lied.
Gosunkugi smirked thinly. "Did you get lost again? Maybe you should buy a compass."
Ryoga growled, more to hide embarrassment than anger. "I got lost, so sue me!"
Gosunkugi chuckled. "Anyway, here's the love potion." He handed Ryoga the small vial with pink liquid. Were the chemicals inclusive in its make-up making it that color or was it symbolic? "Pour this into any food or drink and mix it. After Akane swallows it, the effects will be almost instantaneous. But, and I must emphasis this, you must be the first person she looks at or disaster will strike."
"What sort of disaster?" Ryoga asked, as he handled the vial with forefinger and thumb in his left hand. "This isn't poison is it? It won't explode, or cause something horrible to happen. Will it?"
Gosunkugi shook his head. "No, but the person who drinks it will fall head-over-heels in love with the first person he or she sees. It's a love potion, and you want Akane to love you, right?"
Ryoga nodded. Even if won't be a natural love, he'lltake anything to beat Ranma. And if Akane loved him, then that would be the ultimate victory over Ranma - one Ranma would never be able to overcome. He'd defeat Ranma without even needing to strike a single blow.
The hardest blow is, ultimately, is to the heart.
Ryoga smiled, looking at the vial. "That'll be easy," he said.
"Even with Ranma around?"
"I can take care of Ranma. He won't be a problem. I won't let him fowl up my plans."
Gosunkugi smirked. "You sound like a super-villain from a Manga."
Ryoga shrugged indifferently. "Well, Ranma and I are rivals. We fight each other all the time." Then Ryoga smiled like a super-villain with evil thoughts. "And Akane will fall in love with me!"
"I've heard of people mixing things like this before with bad results," Gosunkugi said. "But I know what I'm doing. It…should work." Ryoga cocked an eyebrow at the word should. "Normally, a love potion enhances the true feelings of a person towards another. If they like you, they really like you. If they love you, they really love you… Well, you get the idea, right?"
Ryoga nodded.
"But, I have to warn you. Like I said, her true feelings for you will come out. What if she hates you? Could you handle that?"
Ryoga blinked concerned. "What? But…why would she hate me?" He suddenly felt a deep depression inside him, as if, yes, what if Akane did really hate him, and she was only being his "friend" out of sympathy because he always lost to Ranma when they fought? She had mentioned…once, that she did only want to be his friends, only friends, when he once fought Ranma in the school yard. He was attempting to perfect his Shi Shi Hokodan (Lion Roar Shot) technique.
Yes Ryoga, let's be friends…
She had said, when he was at the bottom of a crater he had created with a single blast from his powerful new technique at the time. The crater itself a symbol of the depression he was expressing at the time, which then made him spiral further into the depths of despair. Friends? Let's be friends? He wanted more than to let's just be friends. Why, for heaven's sake, couldn't Akane realize Ranma is just using her, that he has no true interest in her.
This made him anger and he snorted and growled under his breath.
"Um, is everything okay, Ryoga?"
Ryoga shook himself out his reverie and looked at Gosunkugi. "Yeah, everything's just perfect." He looked at the vial. "At long last, I will be finally be the victory in our forever rival. And Ranma will run away."
"Whatever," Gosunkugi said. "Just don't tell Ranma I helped you out, or he'll hit me."
"I hate bullies," Ryoga said.
"So do I. That's why I do everything I can to try to avoid them." And Gosunkugi left.
Ryoga stood at the enclosure wall alone, and he smiled as his mind raced with so many warming thoughts of the life he and Akane would at last start leading together after she drank the love potion.
How many kids would they have? Would he take over the Tendo Dojo Training Hall after Ranma and his father were sent packing? He bet he could get money flowing into the house after signing up students for his Anything Goes Martial Arts style.
Hours past as he stood there thinking warm thoughts holding the vial in his hands, when suddenly the school bells rang out to end the school day. As watched students shuffle out of the main gate, they gave him strange looks, many of them probably wondering why he was there and just standing there, looking like some sort of statue.
"Oh, hey man," Ranma said, walking out with Akane with book bags in hand. "Long time no see," he lied. It was obvious he was protecting Ryoga's secret as P-Chan. And P-Chan had been staying at the Tendo household for sometime, weeks in fact.
"Yeah, Ryoga, you've been gone a long time," Akane remarked.
"True, but I bet he's been eating like a pig." Ranma grinned mockingly.
Ryoga sneered. Ranma knew Ryoga was P-Chan, but Akane didn't. So every chance Ranma got, he'd tease Ryoga about it. And every time it burned Ryoga inside. Ranma knew how to push his buttons.
But he knew he'd have the last laugh. So he let the insult go for the moment.
"I've been traveling," he lied.
Ranma smirked. "Yeah…sure. So, if you've been on a trip, where's Akane's present?"
Ryoga gasped slightly. "Akane's…present?"
"Yeah. You always bring back something for her on your travels. What, being stingy this time?" Ranma laughed.
Ranma was right. He always brought back something for Akane on his travels. Oh, no…
He looked into Akane's eyes, she could tell he was lying. He had to think fast!
"What's that in your hand, eh?" Ranma commented, pointing at the vial of liquid. "What is it?"
Ryoga quickly hid it behind his back, but Ranma with his awesome quickness snatched it and brought it forward. He twirled it through his left hand fingers and then looked at in in the sunlight with finger and thumb. "It's…pink. What is it, some sort of woman's soap cleaner, or sumthin'? You bought liquid soap?" With one sniff, Ranma then said, "Pink soap has a lavender scent, doesn't it? I smell nuthin'?"
Ranma was about to pop off the vial rubber stopper when Ryoga shouted, "Stop! Don't do that!" Then grabbed it back with his own swiftness. "That's none of your business, Ranma!"
"Secret bath soap, eh? Well, don't come around the Tendo Training Hall with 'secret liquid bath soap' for Akane. We don't like secrets."
"Hey!" Akane finally spoke up. Her voice a little angry. "Ryoga is invited to my home any time he wants. You're a freeloader, Ranma!"
"We're engaged, remember? Kinda negates the freeloader stigma."
"Maybe that'll change someday."
"And what the hell does that mean, eh?"
Ranma and Akane gazed at each other with hateful daggers in their eyes. Oh, no. Another argument, Ryoga thought. And he was the instigator of it this time. All over a lie. But he couldn't tell the truth. Both of them were hot-heads, always over-sensitive on every issue that concerned them. Was it pride or ego, Ryoga didn't know, but something kept them together nonetheless. Something.
But once Akane swallowed the love potion, all that will stop, and she'll love him.
No more Ranma. It will only be Ryoga and Akane, forever.
He smiled at that thought. But at that was the moment, he let his guard down and Ranma quickly snatched the vial back. "So, tell me what's in this thing?" he demanded, twirling the vial through loose fingers.
"Careful, you idiot!" Ryoga said, weaving back and forth, his arms out-stretched to catch the vial if dropped. "It's fragile."
"Then tell me what this liquid is?"
"He doesn't have to, Ranma," Akane said. "If it's personal, leave it. Give it back to him!"
Oh great, now Akane thought he was keeping secrets from her. "Okay, okay. It's…water from…Jusenkyo," he lied.
Ranma juggled with the vial momentarily after Jusenkyo was mentioned, but caught it in hand. "What? Did you say water from Jusenkyo?" Ranma scrutinized it. "But it's…pink? What, did you get suckered by some merchant again?"
Ryoga sighed, he'd have to lie…again.
"During my travels, I went back to Jusenkyo and gathered some water from one of the springs. Spring of Drowned Man. The guide told that that he put a drop of something into it, to preserve it, so the water didn't evaporate on my way back."
Ranma eyed him suspiciously. Ryoga nodded, only for Akane's sake. Ryoga hoped Ranma would see his subtle hint of deception and lay of questioning him about it, and ask later. Ryoga didn't want it to appear he was lying and have Akane question him about it.
And Akane knew Ryoga knew about Ranma's curse.
"Seriously?" Ranma said, his eyes widened.
"A cure?" Akane gasped surprised. She turned to Ryoga with awe. "Ryoga, you went all the way to Jusenkyo, all that way, all the way to China - for a cure for Ranma's curse?"
Ryoga blinked. "Ah," was all he could say.
And suddenly, Ranma popped off the stopper and downed the liquid in a single gulp.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Ryoga shouted! "You idiot! What have you done?"
Ranma licked his lips. "Tastes kinda bitter," he said.
To be continued…