AUTHOR: Ok Nabiki, hit it.

NABIKI: Ranma½ is the property of Rumiko Takahashi, not the author.

AUTHOR: Perfect performance.

NABIKI: Easy money. Oh, and there's something I need to blackmail, I mean talk to you about.

AUTHOR: HA! I've got nothing you can use against me!

NABIKI: So these photos of you walking around with a Sasami keychain on your backpack in high school don't mean anything to you.

AUTHOR: How'd you get those?

NABIKI: And you wouldn't care that it got out that an 18 year old guy walked around with a keychain of a little girl on his backpack.

AUTHOR:in tears: But she's my favorite character!

NABIKI: Uh, huh. Well, it'll cost you about 10 grand to keep my silence about your choice of backpack accessories.

AUTHOR: This is wrong. I'm just a poor college student…


CHAPTER 3: Messing With Destiny, Hibiki Style!

"Ok Luck, what the hell are you doing? You are messing with the fate of the world!" When the god Luck decided to help out Ryouga, he was indeed messing with people's fate, as well as changing a few destinies around. And he happened to have two elder brothers called Fate and Destiny. Needless to say, they were not pleased.

"This is also not the first universe that you have altered, little brother. Urashima Keitaro and Narusegawa Naru were fated to be with one another, but you screwed it up!"

"Oh, common. That girl was BIPOLAR! Mutsumi was a much better match for the Urashima kid."

"And what of the Masaki boy? There were no faults with Ryoko and Ayeka."

"Yeah, but how cool was it that Ayeka's little sister suddenly turned into a teenage goddess! You gotta keep the people guessing!"

"ENOUGH! Hibiki Ryouga and Tendo Akane were never meant to be. You know that. And what's the deal with making the Kiyomori boy crash-land on a populated, undeveloped planet like that? Chuck Norris' destiny was supposed to be the first Earthling to come in contact with aliens. Now it's Hibiki Ryouga!. HAVE YOU ANY IDEA WHAT YOU HAVE DONE?"

"Not really, no. But I know that you can't stop me now that things are in motion. Now, I have other matters to attend to. The final round of the world championship of poker is tonight. Farewell." And with that, Luck left his brothers' company.

However, Destiny had other things in mind as he gazed down on a cute looking girl walking next to an enormous pig. "We shall see about that, little brother. We shall see."


Ryouga and Kenji were walking home together, talking about Ryouga's big day today. Akane was coming over, and this was the perfect opportunity to score some points for the home team. Kenji looked up, thoughtfully. "Ok, you really want my advice? Well, I have a few things to offer you. First, end the feud with Ranma and at least TRY to get along with him." As expected, his friend grabbed him by the collar of his uniform.

"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?" the lost boy shrieked. "NO WAY IN HELL! THAT BASTARD-"

"Ruined your life?" Kenji cut in, his eyes closed, seeking patience for dealing with his raving friend. "Ryouga, I agree with you that it does suck to be turned into a little pig every time it rains. However, do you REALLY think that Akane actually enjoys you fighting with Ranma all the time? Be honest now."

Ryouga let his friend go and sighed. "I guess you're right. But I can't just say, 'Hey Ranma, I forgive you. Lets be friends!' "

"I'm not asking you to. Here's the deal. Next time you see Ranma, challenge him to a match set one week from whenever you happen to meet up with him. You will then train like mad for the match, and hopefully beat him. Still, win lose or draw, it ends. It is officially over."

Ryouga nodded. "Ok, I can live with that. I just need to be on top of my game."

The chi master smiled. "Don't worry. I'll teach you some tricks to use. It might help. My next bit of advice is to find any way you possibly can to spend time with Akane, and actually TALK to her. Don't just mumble nervously or proclaim your love. Pretend you're just hanging out with a friend. Once you know each other very well, then you can move on to more intimate things."

The lost boy considered this. "Hmm, I'll try. But how would I actually accomplish that? Every time I get to spend time with Akane, Ranma or someone else comes in and ruins it." Ryouga grit his teeth at this. Ranma would never leave them alone. If the jerk disliked 'the uncute tomboy' then why was he always in the way? 'That bastard is in love with her and he doesn't even know it.' Great, another thing to be angry at Ranma about. Ryouga seriously doubted that this whole 'getting along' thing would actually work.

Kenji whipped out a package from nowhere and passed it to Ryouga. "Here, this should help you with that. They're tickets to the fair, and some spending cash. And don't worry about outside influences. Me and Ukyoo will be there for damage control. Actually, the whole thing was her idea."

Ryouga was confused. He and his friend didn't have much money. "How'd you afford this? We don't have any money."

His friend snickered. "Heh, my teleporter also has a duplication function. I just duplicated some yen, and then bought the tickets with some of it."

"That's illegal! And wrong. I can't accept this."

"Oh common Ryouga! I promise I won't do it again. Are you gonna let this ruin your chance at happiness with Akane?" Kenji smiled. He knew all the right buttons to press with the lost boy.

Ryouga struggled internally. Eventually an image of a smiling Akane entered his mind and he just couldn't stand it. "Ok, just this once. But don't you EVER duplicate yen again! And please kami-samma, don't let Nabiki ever find out about that thing."


Strolling through the Nerima district, Unryu Akari was at a loss of what to do. The dying wish of her grandfather (ok, he wasn't REALLY dying, but… y'know.) was to find a suitable husband to take care of the Unryu Sumo Pig Farm. That in itself would've been fine, as Akari happened to be blessed with extreme cuteness and there were plenty of boys who would love to hook up with her. But pretty girls who had ties to fortune always came with a catch, and the Unryu girl was no exception. A suitable husband meant a boy who was capable of besting her pet pig in combat. Too bad the Unryu idea of a pet was a giant behemoth in the disguise of a pig. Akari patted the beast walking next to her. "Katsunishiki, you're just too strong. What am I going to do…"

Katsunishiki swelled with pride at the compliment and snorted happily. It'd take more than the wimps they had run into before to beat him. He was the best damn sumo pig on the farm! Suddenly, sensing worthy opponents nearby, the giant pig let out a grunt and charged off, his mistress running to catch up. "KATSUNISHIKI, NOOOOOO! NOT AGAIN!"


"I'm telling ya man, it's in the bag. Just work up the nerve to ask Akane out, and we'll take care of the rest." Kenji said confidently, walking with his arms resting behind his head.

"I know, but you're new here. Plans just don't seem to work very well around here. They always backfire. Always. I'll do my best, but I'm still worried."

"And I'm telling you to NOT worry. Me and… hey, do you hear that?"

The lost boy looked around, he could've sworn he heard thunder, but there wasn't a cloud in the sky. A few seconds later, the thunder grew louder and the ground started to shake. People looked around in panic, fearing an earthquake, when suddenly the side of a building exploded outward and something out of Ryouga's nightmares charged straight for the two martial artists. It was a pig, but it was huge. It was gigantic. It was colossal. It defined the words 'Big Pig'.

It was also causing a big ruckus, and must be stopped before someone got hurt. The lost boy unsheathed his umbrella from its resting place on his backpack and got into a baseball batter's stance, ready to hit a homerun. "Ok, Mr. Pig! Show me what you got!"

Katsunishiki roared back in reply and charged blindly into the lost boy. The onlookers gasped at what they saw as a very cruel way to die. They gasped again at the sound of umbrella smashing against skull and seeing the giant pig fly into another building, completely destroying it.

However, Katsunishiki was far from beaten. Pulling himself out of the rubble of the destroyed building, he slowly walked towards Ryouga, stopping a few meters away. The giant pig then stomped his left two feet and then the right two ones as a clear sign that the challenge had been given.

Ryouga looked over the pig and nodded, before taking off his backpack and putting down his umbrella. "You wanna test your strength against mine, eh? Let's dance!" Katsunishiki charged again and Ryouga charged as well, both opponents yelling out a battle cry.

Akari looked on from the far side of the street, rocking back and forth on her heels in anticipation. "Oh kami-samma, I hope he doesn't kill that boy." She felt a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

Kenji smiled down at the girl. "Hey, Hibiki Ryouga is as tough as they come. I'd be more worried for the pig. Wow, I never knew pigs grew that large. It's a monster!"

The Unryu girl swelled with pride. "At the Unryu farm, we raise sumo pigs. They're all much larger than regular pigs because of the care we give to each of them. Katsunishiki there is the strongest of them all. The only problem is that he runs off whenever he senses worthy opponents nearby."

The alien raised an eyebrow at this. "Worthy opponents?"

Akari blushed and looked down. "Well, I'm supposed to go find a suitable husband to take care of the farm, but grandfather says he has to be able to beat Katsunishiki. I hope your friend is as strong as you say he is, for his sake and… mine." The girl then burst into a fit of giggles as Kenji paled.

"Oh no, if Ryouga beats up the pig, then… RYOUGA IF YOU LOVE AKANE, DO NOT BEAT THAT PIG!"

Several buildings were destroyed as the battle raged between boy and pig, neither fighter willing to back down. Eventually Ryouga gained the upper hand, grabbing the giant pig and proceeded to do one of those ridiculously high jumps with lots of air time reserved for martial artists.

Halfway into the jump, Ryouga threw Katsunishiki to the ground, while still sailing upwards. The pig hit the ground hard, dazed for a vital few seconds. Once the lost boy began to fall back towards earth, he glared at the pig, a shishihokodan forming in his hands. "Time to end this!" That's when he heard it.

"RYOUGA IF YOU LOVE AKANE, DO NOT BEAT THAT PIG!"

Confused, he turned to look down at his friend, who was standing next to a girl. Ryouga dissipated the chi blast while still falling towards the ground. That didn't make sense. Of course he loved Akane, but what did she have to do with a giant rampaging pig? Ryouga's mind took some time to ponder this.

Katsunishiki recovered from his daze and saw the confused bandanna clad boy falling towards him, his back facing the giant pig. How dare he turn his back in a fight! Even a pig has his pride. With an indignant snort, Akari's pet head butted Ryouga off into the distance.

Kenji was relieved when he saw that Ryouga had stopped fighting but once again became alarmed as his friend was sent off into the distance. "Oh no, he's gonna get lost! Ok, think. With that direction and trajectory, he should land…" the alien then took out his teleporter and pressed a few buttons. A second later he was gone.

Akari sighed. It looked for sure that the boy was going to win. Too bad he got distracted by his friend shouting at him. Well, maybe next time. The girl then walked over to her pet pig. "Katsunishiki, are you ok? That was some battle!" she then noticed someone clear their throat behind her.

The police officer whipped out a notepad and began to tally up the damage costs. "Excuse me miss. This is your pig correct? How do you plan on compensating for all the property that it destroyed?"

"Oh, dear…"


Kenji found Ryouga lying in an impact crater, mumbling to himself with a dazed look on his face. The alien helped his friend up. "Hey, you ok?"

Ryouga thenfrowned at Kenji as if noticing him for the first time. "Hey, what's the deal with you telling me to lose the fight, huh? I had the pig right where I wanted it! Well, let's hear it!"

Kenji told him.

Ryouga hugged his alien friend. "Oh kami-samma! I almost got engaged! Thanks buddy. You saved my bacon, no pun intended."

Kenji grinned and nudged Ryouga in the side. "Hey, she's kinda cute. And I think she likes you, she was hoping you'd win the fight. It's not too late to change your mind, y'know."

"That's not funny!"

The two boys walked into Ucchans and received an annoyed look by two waiting girls. Ukyou was the first to speak. "And just where have you two been? Off fooling around, I bet! And you had forgotten that Akane was coming over today! No excuses, Ryouga go have fun with Akane while Kenji cleans the dishes from the after school crowd."

"What! Aww, no fair Ukyou..." The chi master sulked.

"I don't want to hear it, mister! YOU were the one who was supposed to make sure Ryouga got home on time."

"But…"

Ryouga and Akane decided it was best to leave the two arguing teens alone and headed upstairs to the room that Ryouga and Kenji shared. The two entered and Akane closed the door behind them. "Well Ryoga," Akane smiled. "You ready?"

Ryouga simply nodded, his higher bodily functions already shutting down one by one.

Back downstairs, Kenji and Ukyou were chatting to each other while performing the required chores to run a restaurant. "So Ryouga almost got engaged? That would've ruined everything! Leave it to him to almost ruin a perfect plan. I tell ya, I don't know how many times he's messed up one of our plans. Usually, it's not his fault alone, but the time at the Cave of Lost Love really pissed me off."

Kenji looked up from the dishes. "Cave of Lost Love? That doesn't sound very nice. Why would anyone want to go there?"

"It was me and Shampoo's idea. We brought Akane and Ranchan there to break them up. But of course Ryouga has to show up and run off with Akane. Somehow it ended up where everyone thought that WE were the one dating each other!"

Kenji laughed hard at that one, almost dropping the plate he was currently washing. "You and Ryouga? Man, that's rich!"

Ukyou glared at him, arms crossed. "What? You think I'm not good enough for that idiot?"

"No, you're cute and all. It just doesn't seem that you two would be good together." Kenji's attention went back to the washing of dishes and he didn't notice the slight blush on the okonomiyaki chef's cheeks, or the awkward silence that followed.

Upstairs, things were going good for Ryouga. He was finally able to form coherent words, and the two were getting some serious studying done.

"So Paris is just south of Okinawa?"

Too bad he still was hopeless with geography.

"No silly. Paris is in Europe."

"Yeah. Isn't Europe south of Japan?"

"Eh, let's move on to hemispheres. There's a north hemisphere, south hemisphere, east hemisphere, and west hemisphere. Which two do we live in?"

Ryouga's mind screamed at him. Argh! What the heck are you doing, fool! Ask her out! NOW! 'But what if she says no? She'll start avoiding me and-' Quit thinking that way! You wanna lose her heart to Saotome? 'HELL NO!' Atta boy, now do what needs to be done.

"Um Ryouga, are you feeling ok?" Akane asked worriedly, staring at the lost boy who was currently crouching in the corner, holding his head in his hands. Ryouga looked up at her with fire in his eyes. "Ryouga, you're scarring me…"

The lost boy grabbed her hands and looked at her with determination. "Akane-san…"

Relieved that he was ok, Akane smiled. "Yes Ryouga-kun, what is it?"

Fire was replaced with fear as Ryouga dropped her hands and started to fumble with his own. "Uh, uh… akanewillyougotothefairwithmeyoudonthavetoandifyoudontwanttoIunderstand."

The Tendo girl raised an eyebrow. "Um, run that by me again."

Ryouga calmed himself down. Everything was riding on him doing this. He had to do this. If he didn't… The lost boy looked up at the love of his life. "Akane, will you go to the fair with me on Saturday?"

Akane was surprised. This wasn't what she thought he was going to ask her. Then she thought about it. She wasn't doing anything that day, and it would be nice to get away from Ranma's insults for a bit. Heck, why not? "Sure. Come to my house at seven, ok?"

Ryouga couldn't respond as his brain had shut down to hold a grand party in his mind the second Akane had said 'Sure'. Conscience started break dancing, and sub-conscience started singing karaoke while the brain cells started up a conga line. Before it shut down, Ryouga's mind had remembered to put a stupid looking grin on his face.

Akane tried waving a hand in his face again, "Hey Ryouga! Earth to Hibiki Ryouga!" When she realized that he wasn't going to snap out of it anytime soon, she decided that it really was getting late and she should head home.

Humming a tune to herself, Akane walked downstairs into the restaurant, and then out the door. Kenji and Ukyou turned to look at each other. "You think that he managed to…"

The moment the Tendo girl closed the door behind her, they heard a loud THUD from upstairs. Wordlessly, they ran upstairs into Ryouga's room and found the lost boy lying on the floor, big goofy grin still on his face. The alien walked forward and nudged Ryouga with his foot.

The Hibiki boy started to laugh. "Eh, heh... Haha... WHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Alien and chef turned to grin at each other. "So it begins."


"I'm home!" Akane called, entering the house.

Kasumi greeted her at the door. "Welcome home Akane, did you have fun at Ukyou's?"

"Uh-huh, me and Ryouga got some good study time in. He's getting a lot better now. This time he knew what two hemispheres we live in" Akane beamed. Ha! She made a great sensei! The dojo was in good hands.

Ranma showed up, mouth full of whatever he had found in the kitchen. Swallowing it, he waved to get her attention. "Yo Akane, Pop and Mr. Tendo want us to go on another trainin trip this weekend, 'kay?"

Akane nervously shuffled her feet. "Um, I've got plans this weekend. We'll have to go some other time."

"Huh, what plans? You entering the tomboy of the year contest, or somethin?"

WHAM

Removing her mallet from her fiancée's skull, Akane started to angrily walk to her room. "Baka. Who asked you!"

Ranma got up and grumbled. "Stupid Akane, didn't have to go and hit me like that…" He knew that if he was ever going to find out why Akane of all people didn't want to go on a training trip, he had to ask a professional. Checking the amount of yen in his pockets, Ranma knocked on Nabiki's door.

The door opened and Nabiki grinned at one of her favorite suckers. "Well, if it isn't Ranma. What brings you here? Wait, let me guess. My little sister is mad at you again?"

"Erm, something like that. The tomboy doesn't wanna go on a training trip. So somethin's gotta be up. Said she had plans, yeah right."

"And you want me to find out what those are? What are you, a stalker?"

Ranma shoved some yen into Nabiki's hand to shut her up, which happened to work. "Just find out what it is, ok?"

Nabiki handed Ranma a cassette player and pressed the play button, which caused it to play some cheesy elevator music. "One moment please." She then proceeded to slam the door in his face.

Ranma waited for a few minutes in front of Nabiki's door, holding the cassette player, and generally feeling pretty stupid. The door opened slightly, and the middle Tendo poked her head out. "She's going on a date with Ryouga to the fair on Saturday."

"WHAT?" Ranma shrieked.

"Thank you for the business. Now go away." Nabiki grabbed the cassette player out of Ranma's hands and slammed the door in his face a second time. Ranma noticed none of this, however.

"Why that no good, fiancée stealing, PIG!" Ranma cracked his knuckles. "Ok P-chan, it's time you had another fiancée."


TO BE CONTINUED

Uh-oh. Looks like Ryouga's got problems coming over the horizon. Can Ukyo and Kenji keep our hero out of trouble? Is Akari going to give up so easily? What is Ranma planning? Will Ryoga even make it to the fair? Find out next chapter of A Fighting Chance!

Responses:

Ryo-chan wolfgirl: Muwhahaha, it gets even better next chapter, so stay tunned.

Lord Kamui: Who said she ISN'T going to sell the info to Soun and Genma? And yes, they'll get new stuff too.

w00t! Finals are over, and I beat Chrono Trigger, again! What does this mean? It means I'm going to slack off writing fanfiction and enjoy my summer! Screw you all! Just kidding. More free time means more time to think up weird situations to shove Ranma½ characters into. See you next chapter.