Ryoga's eyes found Ranma through the settling dust, and he tensed immediately. Ranma himself instantly was in a defensive stance, as Akane looked between them, and rolled her eyes, wondering what Ranma did this time to tick Ryoga off.
Ranma awaited Ryoga to make the first move, but was internally surprised that he had a chance to prepare for the lost boy. Ranma wasn't disappointed, as Ryoga dashed forward. The pigtailed martial artist was VERY surprised at Ryoga's speed, however...
"Whoa!" Ranma exclaimed, as he barely got his guard up, as Ryoga's form blurred. Ranma felt Ryoga's impact, and attempted to leap back, but found himself being held down by his legs.
"WHAT THE?" Ranma looked down, and found Ryoga grasping onto his legs in sheer desperation and panic.
"RANMA! YOU GOTTA HELP ME!" The bandanna-clad boy hysterically screamed to his rival.
Ranma blinked, as he stared at Ryoga frantically clinging to him, and turned to look to Akane, hoping she may have some explanation.
"Ah," was all Akane could get out, as she shook her head, and shrugged.
Ranma decided to see how bad the situation was, "Ah, problems, P-Chan? You ain't looking for a fight or something, are ya?"
"I'M NOT ALLOWED TO FIGHT ANYMORE! PLEASE JUST HIDE ME!" Ryoga wailed, attempting to climb up Ranma's leg.
Ranma noted no response to the 'P-Chan' taunt... in Akane's presence...
Yeah, it had to be something bad.
"Just what the hell is your problem?" Ranma almost growled, while trying to shake Ryoga from him
"HIDE ME! IT'S LIKE BEING MARRIED, BUT WITHOUT THE SEX!"
"Huh? Married?" Ranma repeated, before finding Ryoga climbing onto areas too close for comfort, "HEY! LEGGO!"
"She's, she's like a changed person! Every since that damnable TV program a week ago..."
"Ryoga, what are you talking about?" Akane asked, hoping at least her voice would calm him down, "Who changed?"
"RYOGA!"
Ranma recognized the voice, but decided it couldn't be her. You would hear her pet pig barreling down the way long before you could hear her shout.
"RYOGA HIBIKI! I NEVER SAID YOU COULD LEAVE THE HOUSE!"
It was then that they heard Kasunishiki's gallop arriving. "No way..." Ranma muttered, having his suspicions confirmed, "When did she get so, so..."
"Loud?" Akane finished, digging the earwax that had just risen in her ear.
"OH DEITIES! DON'T TELL HER I'M HERE!" Ryoga screamed, trying to make himself smaller, and hiding behind Ranma.
The hole Ryoga made in the dojo wall became bigger, and through the new cloud of dust, a massive sumo pig and its master riding atop could be seen en silhouette. "Hi Akane, Ranma!" Akari chirped cheerfully, "Have you seen Ryoga?"
"Ah..." Ranma suddenly felt slightly nervous, and shifted a bit, incidentally revealing a bit of Ryoga hiding behind him.
"THERE YOU ARE!" Akari's expression suddenly turned angry and dominating. Ranma could feel the lost boy almost physically shrinking behind him, "WHEN THE HELL DID I SAY YOU CAN GO ANYWHERE?"
"I DIDN'T MEAN TO, I SWEAR!" Ryoga screamed, clinging to the back of Ranma, and peaking over his shoulder in total terror.
"DON'T LIE TO ME! YOU CAME HERE TO FIGHT, DIDN'T YOU?"
"I gave up the art like you told me to, really!" Ryoga stated with adamant fear, "Tell her, Ranma! I didn't come here to fight you, right? We're best buds, right?"
"Okay, this is really starting to creep me out, now," Ranma stated, stepping from in front of Ryoga, "Leave me out of this."
"You're always so silly, Ranma!" Akari chuckled mirthfully. She blinked, and turned to Akane, "Oh! That reminds me, I saw the most interesting program on TV the other day; it was about women asserting themselves in a relationship with their partners, for a happier experience. Here, I bought you a tape recording of it..."
"Ah..." Ranma quickly stepped between Akari and Akane, snatching the tape before Akane could get a hold of it.
"Hey! She was giving it to me!" Akane quipped.
"Why don't we watch it together sometime?" Ranma replied, as he hid the tape behind his back, and clenched his hand.
"Honestly, Ranma," Akane huffed, "It's not like we're in a 'meaningful' relationship right now!"
"And I'd like to keep it that way," Ranma stated wistfully, feeling rather satisfied at the sound of crushed plastic behind him.
"Whatever," Akane retorted, apparently not noticing the cracking of the tape.
Akari snapped her fingers and shouted, "RYOGA!" The boy in question snapped to attention, but was shivering like a baby seal standing in front of a fur wearing man with a heavy baseball bat.
"Y-yes dear?"
Without saying another word, she pointed towards the hole in the dojo wall, knowing Ryoga knew she wanted him home ASAP. With a whimper of defeat, the once proud Ryoga Hibiki; great rival to the even greater Ranma Saotome, slinked through the hole like a mangy mutt with its tail between its legs.
"I'll see you two later!" Akari replied, waving back behind her, as she started off behind her man.
"I suddenly feel immense pity for him," Ranma stated, as he watched the couple and the gigantic pig disappear into the distance.
"That was... weird," Akane added, as she also watched the scene.
Ranma blinked, before turning to Akane, "It's kinda funny, Ryoga, before that, Ukyo goes all 180 degrees, and before that, Kasumi becomes a masochistic, constantly sexually stimulated nudist..."
"Are you still upset about Ukyo?" Akane griped, either ignoring the comment about Kasumi, or her mind could not wrap itself around the concept insuring that it didn't exist to her. "I'll tell you what, if you're really that upset about it, I'll go talk to her, okay?" Akane turned back to the hole in the dojo, "Wow, I never thought a guy like Ryoga would ever become so... whipped!"
Ranma could only give Akane a half-lidded stare in response, not that she seemed to notice. He had to admit, though, it was a rather dramatic change.
"Hey Akane!" Ukyo greeted, as the girl in question walked through the door of the restaurant. Akane had chosen a time when it would be least busy, so that she and the chef could talk. As much as Akane secretly hated having Ukyo as a rival, she didn't want to see Ranma lose one of his few friends.
"Hello, Ukyo," Akane replied, "I know you probably would rather me stay out of this, but I kind of wanted to know what happened between you and Ranma."
Ukyo gave Akane a smirk, which surprised the Tendou girl. "Don't worry, Akane-chan, I'm out of your hair now." Ukyo gave Akane a bright smile, "Guess that means we can be friends now!"
"Um... thanks," Akane replied, a bit confused to Ukyo's perkiness, "If you don't mind me for asking... why the sudden change?"
Ukyo stopped oiling down the grill, and sighed, "Well, a week ago, this cute little girl came in, wanting a meal. She wanted to pay for it, but didn't have all the money for it. I probably woulda shooed her out, if it weren't for the fact that she was homeless."
"That's sad," Akane interjected, "But what does this have to do with Ranma?"
"I was just getting to that part, sugar," Ukyo admonished lightly, "Well, I didn't have the heart to send her away hungry, so I whipped up something special for her, and told her to stop by again whenever she was hungry. She did for every day since then, always with a little change she found scrounging about..."
For some reason, Akane started to feel a bit uncomfortable, "Um, how old was this girl?"
"I think five or six," Ukyo replied, almost oblivious to what she was answering to, "Anyway, Ellisha-chan and me got to know each other pretty well," Ukyo sighed again, and warning bells were upgraded to defcon five for Akane, "We have so much in common, me and Ellisha-chan, and she got me to thinking about myself lately."
"Ah... sounds like she brought out the best of your maternal instincts, Ukyo," Akane stated, being very careful to keep her building stutter down.
"I realize that Ranma just wasn't right for me," Ukyo continued, seeming not to catch what Akane said, as she was in her own wistful little world, "So, I'm giving up on him." The chef allowed a small smile to cross her face, as she idly began oiling the grill again, "Ellisha-chan showed me that, and because of her, I don't think I've ever become happier with myself in my life..." Ukyo came back to the general shared reality, and noticed Akane, "You okay, Akane? You look a little pale..."
"Sorrygottagobye!" Akane immediately shot from her stool, and raced out the door.
"I wonder what that was all about." Ukyo mused out loud. She turned to Konatsu for his observation, and noticed he was once again giving her that weird sideways glare again that he started a few days ago.
(o.O)
Akane slammed the door behind her, and barely remembered to remove her shoes. Ranma came into the hallway, wondering who was in such a rush.
"Hey, Akane," he replied, not noticing her pale and frantic expression, "Did you find out what's up with Ukyo?"
Akane looked up, seeming to give a good once-over to Ranma's face with her wild staring eyes. Without answering, she ran into the kitchen, leaving Ranma blinking in confusion as to what he missed. After the sink was quickly turned on, and then turned off, Akane raced back into the hall with a glass of water, which she tossed in Ranma's face.
"WHADDYA DO THAT FOR?" Ranma-chan yelled; her cute youthful and feminine face showing her adorable irritation, that matched the tone of her almost childish voice. Even as well-endowed as Ranma-chan was, Akane had drawn a definite conclusion.
"Ah, I guess it was pretty bad?" Ranma-chan asked, timidly, as she watched Akane rush to the bathroom, and then heard her vomiting furiously...