Disclaimer: Soooo... any and all semblance that any and every character bears to any and each copyright out there is either intentional or not. Meaning... Any Ranma characters are subject to being removed from the story.

Once again, school takes hold and messes with my mind. I can't get any ideas. Although, a good weekend of doing nothing helps. I think I've got some interesting stuff lined up for this chapter. Enjoy. Oh, and by the way, I'm gonna label these chapters starting from Ch. 8 being Ch.1, and so forth and so on. So, that would make this...

Chapter Two: A Monkey in an Urban Jungle

-

"Wow... this place is amazing" Akane stared off in a haze at the modern-day city of London, England. They had arrived at their hotel via taxi only seconds before, and Akane was already marveling at the grandness of the city. Fortunately for the group, Nabiki knew enough English to get by, so she was the one to pay the taxi fare, and the one to check in at the front desk at their hotel. On the fifth floor of the building, Nabiki showed her companions their three rooms. One was for Ryoga and Ukyo, one was for Ranma and Akane, and one would be for Nabiki. The little card keys puzzled them, until Nabiki instructed them on the proper technique.

The rooms were only mediocre, but compared to the rooms back in Nerima, they were strange and spectacular. They were all two-bed rooms, with a bathroom, TV, radio-clock, and a window overlooking the sprawling city. Rivers, skyscrapers, and even an amusement park could be seen from their windows. Akane had her nose pressed against the glass, taking in as much of London as she could. Ranma, a bit woozy from the long flight, collapsed onto one of the beds. Ryoga started to unpack his stuff, while Ukyo hopped into the shower. Nabiki, who had traveled like this before, tossed her things onto the bed, and immediately began to read over the tournament info.

The participants were to check in at the downtown headquarters, where they would register, pay the fee, and recieve their ID's. Nabiki guessed that not all of the tournament hopefuls would be as quick to arrive, so they wouldn't have to wait in any large lines. But if they didn't go soon, it might be a bit difficult to recieve spots. After all, the brochure stressed that spots would be assigned on a "first come, first serve" basis.

Nabiki took a second to sit down and calm her nerves. It's okay, Nabiki. Be calm. We just got here. It's not like... She glanced out the window, and imagined a familiar, comforting figure, sitting on her window sill. It's not like we're gonna find him that easily. She sighed, and fingered the little gold emblem that hung from her neck. But I will find him. Sooner, if not later.

Akane was able to peel her eyes away from the beautiful view, and saw Ranma, about to fall into a nice, post-flight slumber. But she wouldn't allow it, and with a smirk, she hopped onto Ranma's bed, bouncing him out of his snoozing.

"Hey! What's the big idea? Jeez, can't ya leave me in peace for just a sec"

"Oh, c'mon, we came all the way here, and you wanna sleep? There's so much to see! Besides, we have to go register, or else you're gonna be out of the tournament."

Ranma grumbled, but realized her truth, and sat up. "Fine, fine. Well, when do we wanna go"

Akane wrapped her arms around his waist. "Actually, Uyko's taking a bath, and Nabiki's busy planning, so we have a few minutes to relax." She weighed him down, and they lay there, side by side, bathing in an afternoon sun.

Ranma poked her gently in the gut. "Man, you really need to make up your mind. 'Up, Ranma, down, Ranma.' I feel like a dog."

"Oh, phooey. You know that you feel perfectly content right now. Look, you're even smiling."

Ranma couldn't help it. He did feel pretty relaxed, and his mouth curved up against his will. "Well, your face'll do that to a guy."

Akane blushed a bit, and turned her head away. "Stop it."

"No, really. It's like a really good joke..." At this, he burst out laughing, until Akane commenced to pummel him with her fists. "Ow, ow OWW"

-

Ryoga tried ignore the scuffle in the next room, but he also couldn't stop a small grin from forming. He finished setting his clothes neatly in the room's cabinet, and closed the drawer. He plopped onto one of the beds, and flipped on the TV. Bah. Everythings in English, here. I can't understand a thing. He switched it off again, and shifted onto his side. He heard Ukyo singing to herself in the shower, and a few thoughts flitted through his mind. Thoughts that caused him to blush furiously. Stop it, Ryoga. Ukyo is your friend, but we're not THAT close. Although... She IS really pretty. Beautiful, actually. He pictured her again, this time fully-clothed. Brown-chestnut hair, boyish blue garments, and the giant spatula that was her trademark. A beautiful girl indeed. He closed his eyes, and let a little peace settle over him. The steam from the bathroom was starting to spread throughout the room. The moist warmth was caressing his skin. It felt real close, real comforting. He took a breath, and the vapors filled his lungs. A sweet, flowery scent filled his nostrils. Mmm. A nice smell. I must be dreaming. He opened his eyes to his dreamworld, to find Ukyo, clad only in a towel, bent over and staring directly in his face. Her hair was dangling about. Wow. What a dream.

"Hey, dreamer-boy." Ukyo spoke, in an annoyed tone of voice. Ryoga rubbed his eyes, waking himself up, only to find Ukyo still there.

"WHAAAAAAAHHHH" Ryoga almost had a nosebleed, as he retreated awkwardly away from the naked girl. He tumbled over the edge of the bed, and landed on his back. His foot caught the cord of the alarm clock, and it fell onto his head, cracking on impact.

Ukyo cocked an eyebrow. "Uhhh... where are my clothes"

He lifted a finger, and pointed to the dresser. "I stuck your bag in there."

"Thanks." She shrugged it off, and walked over to retrieve her stuff. Huh. He acts like he's never seen a girl before. She smilied a devious smile. Say... She walked over to where Ryoga was laying, eyes closed shut. She loosened her towel, just enough to expose some bust, and leaned over sexily. "It's okay, Ryoga. You can open your eyes now."

"Ahh, thanks, Ukyo. I didn't want to..." He opened eyes, to find Ukyo where she was, exposing more skin than before. He had nowhere to retreat to this time, and so rolled his eyes to the back of his head, and fainted. A small trickle of blood oozed out of his nose. Oh, the poor thing. I didn't mean to take it that far... Ukyo quickly dressed, and hoisted him back onto the bed, dabbing his nose with a towel.

-

An hour later, the five teenagers were walking along a large, central avenue. Since Akane wanted to see some sights, they decided to save money that would have been used for a cab, and walked over to the registration office. It was a nice day for walking, even though it was closer to night, seeing as how the sun was nearing the horizon. Ryoga walked in silence, still a bit miffed about Ukyo's little prank. Akane, armed with a cheap, 9mm throw-away camera, was snapping pictures left and right, and running out of film rather quickly. Nabiki was apparantly immersed in the tournament info, but really, it was just an attempt to avoid any conversation. She had an unsettling feeling in her gut, walking around the unfamiliar territory. He's here. In this very city. And yet, I have no idea where to start looking. This city is so huge!

Ranma, his hands behind his head in their usual position, tried his best to ignore the sights and act nonchalant, but he couldn't help but be impressed at the modernity and scale of London, England. The buildings were foreign, and built in a strange style, but they towered many many stories up into the sky, and some even seemed to reach above the clouds. Some were even made entirely out of glass, which puzzled everyone but Nabiki. Those buildings caught the light of the setting sun, and sparkled a dazzling orange glow. Akane used her last few shots to get the group next to one of the skyscrapers, and was crestfallen when she discovered her ammo had run out.

"Aww. Ranma, tomorrow, you're gonna take me to get another camera! There's so much to see here"

"Yeah... I just hope there's enough money for food... I don't wanna starve because SOMEONE wasted all our money...

Akane grabbed his ear, and yanked him aside. "Did you say something, Ranma sweetie"

"Nope. Nothing at all."

She growled, and tried to sock him in the gut. He took the opportunity to redirect her attack, and she nearly stumbled into a water fountain. He was able to grap the collar of her shirt, and keep her aloft.

"Ooooh, Ranma, if you had let me fall in..."

"What? What were you gonna do"

"I'd go and sleep in Nabiki's room."

Ranma hung his head. "Uhhhhh... sorry."

She grabbed him by the waist, and jumped onto his back. "Oh, you look disappointed. Where you planning anything"

"Hmph. Not a thing."

"Really"

"Really..."

As they continued to squabble. Ukyo was trying to comfort Ryoga.

"Ryoga, I'm sorry."

"You've told me that a thousand times before, Ukyo."

"I know, but you're not acknowledging me. I'd like you to say something."

"Like what"

"I don't know, like 'I forgive you', or something along those lines."

He didn't respond. She suddenly gave up, and began to mimic Ryoga, turning her head away, and crossing her arms over her chest. He didn't realize what she was doing until he noticed the sudden quiet, and he looked up to find her staring away from him.

"Uhhh... Ukyo"

She glanced over at him, but quickly turned away again. He became a little worried. Uh-oh. I hope she's not mad at me. I mean, it was her fault, and I have every right to be angry, but... Ah, maybe I should have just said 'It's okay' or whatever.

"Uhhh... Ukyo" He repeated his call. "Listen, uh... I'm sorry, but, it's just... that was mean what you did, you know"

"Yeah, I know. But I said I was sorry, and I was sincere. It's very rude to reject someone like that. You could hurt their feelings."

Ryoga rubbed the bridge of his nose. Great. She IS mad at me. Oh well...

"But..." Ukyo shuffled back over to Ryoga's side. "Since you did apologize, I guess I can forgive you. Now then, Ryoga. I'm only gonna say it one more time. I'm sorry, okay"

Ryoga looked over to her, and smiled. "OK, Ukyo. It's okay."

Ukyo looked very pleased with herself, and proceeded to take his hand. "Now, then, let's be friends, allright"

Ryoga blushed, and turned his head away slightly, to hide it. "Yeah, sure Ukyo..."

Nabiki ignored the two pairs behind her. Ahead of them, she spotted what looked like the building from the brochure. Sure enough, as they neared it, Nabiki was able to identify the sign.

" 'Zilart Tournament Entry Office'. This is it guys." The entire group came to a halt when they heard Nabiki finally speak up. The building she had mentioned was a large, marble patterned building, black and green all around. The sign that Nabiki had spotted was only a temporary one, hung above the central door. It must have be some sort of business hosting this tournament. I wonder who Zilart is. I don't recognize the name.

They stepped inside, and were greeted by a wonderful arrangement of statues, plants, and various other things that matched the color of the outside of the building. Nabiki headed straight for the desk, and within a few minutes, had four ID's fresh from lamination for the four entrees.

"It's really quite simple. You all have respective numbers. Each day, an announcement will be made at a square not too far from here. About ten battles will be held daily for two weeks. At the end of that time period, the winner will be the one with the most victories. If there is a tie, a tie-breaking match will be held the final day. And that's about it."

Ranma clenched his fist. "All right. We'll start training first thing tomorrow."

Nabiki shook a finger. "Uh-uh, Ranma boy. Tomorrow, early in the morning, is the preliminary announcment. The sponsor of the tournament will be there, and anyone who's registered has to show, or else he is disqualified."

"Awwww... a boring meeting"

"Pretty much."

Ranma hung his head. "Well, if I gotta..."

Akane carressed his cheek. "Don't worry, Ranma. We'll do something fun tonight, like go out to eat. After all, this is sort of like a vacation for us. So let's enjoy it! Nabiki"

"Let's see... here. This restaurant looks nice. Well, let's go get dressed. It's a fancy restaurant."

Ryoga and Ranma chimed in unison. "Do we gotta dress up"

The girls yelled in annoyance. "Yes"

"Awww..."

-

"Man, this tie's killin' me" Ranma struggled with the piece of cloth that was wrapped around his neck.

"You said it." Ryoga was also trying desperately not to be choked to death.

Akane stomped over to them. "Oh, quit complaining. You two are both martial artists, yet you can't sit still for one minute"

"Uhhhh... I don't see you wearin' one of these." Ranma pointed to his tie.

"Of course not. We're girls."

Ryoga elbowed him softly. "Yeah" he whispered"girls have it nice when it comes to dressing up."

Ukyo pulled Ryoga away from his friend. "What did you say, Ryoga"

"N-Nothing."

Ranma and Ryoga were both clad in khakis, plain white button-down dress shirts, and a plain black tie. Ranma had on a maroon jacket, whle Ryoga had on a reddish-brown one. They looked sharp, but were both extremely uncomfortable. Akane had on a white gown-type dress, while Ukyo had on an aqua-blue sheath dress. Nabiki wore her crimson one, the same that she wore on her date with Jason. It was the last dress she had bought, and it had become her personal favorite rather quickly. The musical necklace she wore only helped to accentuate her features.

They took their seats at their table, a round one that overlooked the street below. Ranma and Ryoga loosened their uncomfortable garments a bit when they sat down, and stopped complaining once they were able to breathe. Akane and Ukyo didn't approve, but they allowed the boys to dine with their clothes loosened somewhat.

"All right, all right, now, what are we gonna eat"

Ranma and Ryoga scanned with practiced eyes over the menu, and quietly discussed possible orders with each other. Akane and Ukyo couldn't hear what they were saying, but it was sure that they were really dissecting the menu. The girls all together decided to order a large plate of shrimp that they could all share from, but it wouldn't cost too much.

"So, boys, what are you getting"

Ranma and Ryoga grinned widely as they lifted their heads from the menu.

"T-bone steak marinated in onion sauce, with three sides of potatoes, corn, and breadsticks"

"Grilled chicken salad with cheesesticks, garlic bread, and some shishkebab"

The two girls' jaws dropped to the table. "That much"

"Why not? We got some hard fightin' the next few days. Might as well stock up now, right Ryoga"

"You said it, Ranma"

Akane and Ukyo sighed in disbelief. Boys. All they think about is food. Akane glanced over to her sister, who seemed to be mesmerized by something. "Hey, sis, what's wrong"

"I recognize that man..."

"Huh" Akane looked over to where her sister's eyes fell. An older looking man, dressed in full tuxedo, was taking his seat next to an equally aged woman. It seemed that the waiters were treating them with special care and attention, helping the man into his chair. The older couple carried with them an aura of wealth, of upper-class attitude.

"That's Zilart. He's the sponsor of the tournament. I saw his portrait in the registration office."

"Oh. Well, fancy that, us seeing him here and all."

"Yeah..." Nabiki seemed unsettled. Something about the man didn't seem right. He looked uncomfortable, uneasy, like he didn't want to be here. He was constantly glancing around, searching for something. "I wonder..."

Suddenly, a loud crash cut short her train of thought. Patrons and employees began to yell in confusion as more noise ensued. The four martial artists instantly arose to try and pinpoint the source of the noise. Nabiki, however, remained calm, as she watched the older man's reaction. He seemed frightened, but he didn't try and leave. It's as if... he was expecting this...

A large trio of bodyguards quickly surrounded the man, and they all unholstered a single black pistol, all apparantly the same model. They flicked their gaze around the restaurant, searching for the disturbance. It was emptying quickly, but the five teens stayed put, ready for anything.

Another crash sounded out, this farther away, and out of the line of sight of Ranma and the others. However, the bodyguards seemed to spot something, and they commenced the firing of their weapons. Loud blasts were repeatedly spat from their guns, and more glass was being shattered.

One of the bodyguards took a bullet in the shoulder, and he went falling backwards. The other two tightened up the hole, making themselves human shields for Zilart. The group suddenly realized this was not a one-sided shooting. It was a firefight. Someone else had a gun, and was taking out the bodyguards. Sure enough, another of the guards went down from a shot in the leg, and only one was left standing. He ejected a spent clip, and reached down to his belt to grab another. But he wasn't fast enough. Before he could load the next one, a figure clad in dark grey whisked down from the ceiling and landed squarely on the guard's chest. He went flying backwards, and his gun was flicked away uselessly. The attacker landed nimbly next to the older man, and the latter's face went even whiter than before. The mysterious attacker put a revolver to the helpless man's head, and spoke a few, inaudible words. Ranma and the group rushed him, to try and stop a possible execution.

"Stand back, or he gets a head full of .45 lead." The assaulter's voice rang out angrily. In Japanese, no less. He must have recoginzed the martial artists nationality. Ranma and the others stopped running, not wanting to provoke him. All except Nabiki. She nearly tripped and fell when she heard that voice. So familiar... too familiar... could it be... Jason?

"Jason"

The armed man turned his head for the first time, and stared at Nabiki. She almost choked when she saw his face. It was a harder, tougher face than she had remembered, but the eyes were the same. Piercing, and knowledgeable. They twinkled a bit when they found Nabkiki. He froze, completely ignoring his hostage, but a loud stomping sound snapped him out of his mesmiric state. The large double doors burst open, and a police squad began engulfing the darkly-dressed man. He managed not to be encircled by retreating to the rear of the restaurant, but by leaving his hostage behind, the police had the ability to open fire, which they did. The gunman leapt out of the window from whence he came, and Nabiki followed the police to the hole in the building.

Since they were on the fifth floor, it was quite a fall, but the man was not falling, but rappelling. A rope with a hook on the end was connected to the window sill, and he was lowering himself quickly to the ground. One of the policemen hacked the rope with his knife, but the gunman was low enough to make a nimble landing, and he could be seen running off into an alley. A few more shots were heard, but from the squabbling on the radios, it sounded like he had escaped. Nabiki collapsed onto the ground, clutching her necklace. Akane and the others made their way over to her, and tried to comfort her, but she was in too great a state of shock.

Jason... why? Why would he do such a thing?

-

AN: Yay, another long delayed chapter posted! I hope people still have intrest in this story. But now, I think my creative spark has returned, and bestowed at least enought inspiration to finish the story. So rejoice, celebrate!

Song, song, song... How about when Jason completely cleans out the place? That would be... Hash Hash, from the Trigun OST The Second Donuts. It's got that nice 'I'm a crazy guy who's gonna kill you' guitar sound to it.

Ah, and one more thing. I might get a bit lazy with the whole language barrier, so if I do... don't tell me. I like to be lazy. It's good for the constitution. Fung Shui, or whatever.