Akane's vision became clearer, and she could see exactly where she was. In a jungle. Complete with trees, vines, large exotic flowers, tall grass, and many small birds and bugs she couldn't begin to identify.
"Did you say the Congo?" She asked. "As in the African Congo?"
"How many Congo's do you know?" Ranma asked back, making another turn when he had to opportunity.
"We're in Africa?" Akane asked, still shocked.
"Does it always take this long for your mind to connect the dots?" Ranma remarked.
The insult annoyed her which helped her get over her shock, and she started resisting his hold. "Put me down you jerk!"
Ranma came to a stop and let her down. "Okay, we're away from the cryptosaur but there might be more around. Whatever you do, don't draw attention to yourself."
"Just get us back to Japan idiot!" Akane yelled.
Ranma rolled his eyes. "Oh gee, why didn't I think of that?" He then gave her a serious look. "It was a one-way teleporter Tendo. I can't get us back the same way I got us here."
"Why would anyone have a one-way teleporter?" Akane asked.
"For quick and immediate removal of a cryptid that happens to be in the wrong place. Like that tyrannosaur I just saved you from. The only problem was I couldn't get rid of it without sending you with it, so I had to tag along for the ride. So if you want to go back home, how about you let me handle this?"
"I got a better idea." She remarked, taking out her cellphone that Nabiki had helped the whole family get. Without her the Tendo's likely wouldn't have bothered getting anything other than a home phone. She tried to call her house, but the call couldn't go through.
Grumbling in annoyance, Akane pocketed the phone. "Apparently I don't get reception here, so how exactly are you going to do get us out Mr. Dino Expert?"
"First we find some shelter. There are more cyptosaurs here and they're not even the only things that are dangerous. Everything else in this jungle has had to evolve to survive alongside them after all. Fortunately there should be some cryptozoologist safe places here, but since I don't know where any are we'll have to look the hard way."
"So start looking then."
Ranma stopped and looked her in the eyes. Akane flinched, his gaze reminding her of the times when either Kasumi or Nabiki were short on patience with her one way or another. "And what exactly are you going to be done then? I'm searching, foraging, fighting, what are you doing? Just following behind me not searching too? Or do you expect me to carry you?"
"Hey don't pull an attitude with me!" Akane all but shouted defensively.
"And why the hell not? I get it, all this is new to you and you don't know how to handle it, but I do and you've been fighting me the whole way! I've been trying to keep you safe, so it's in your best interest to work with me rather than against me!"
"Well how do I know that you aren't just trying to get me to lower my guard so you can molest me out here?" Akane protested, saying the first comeback that came to her mind.
Ranma blinked then grit his teeth and clenched his fists, looking ready to wage war. "You think that's my plan? That I took you to Africa just to harass you? If that really was true, then why am I not doing that right now?"
"Because you know you can't make me submit to you." Akane said, sounding a little smug.
"Want to prove it?" Ranma challenged.
Akane looked surprised, then panicked as Ranma quickly got into a stance and threw a kick at her. She reacted fast enough to duck under and move away but he closed the gap, throwing a punch that she blocked. "What the hell?! Couldn't you have at least warned me?!"
"Would a real molester warn you?" Ranma asked, jumping over her and landing behind her. Akane spun around and just managed to throw a punch while he merely flicked her forehead. The force of her punch pushed him back and made him on his knees while somehow his flick made her fall back on her rear.
'What the...? Did he really knock me down just with his fingers?' Akane asked herself. 'No, of course not, he just surprised me.'
Ranma got up to his feet and held out his hand to help her up, which she didn't accept. "I think I proved my point. If I wanted to hurt you, I could. But I don't want to hurt you, and I don't want you to keep thinking the worst of me. Can we at least come to some kind of understanding and work together to get back to Japan? Or do you actually want me to be an enemy? It's your choice Akane."
Akane frowned but accepted his help up. "Fine, but you're still a jerk for fighting a girl."
"I used to think the same." He admitted, with her not expecting that. "I thought fighting girls was inexcusable, but Pop has trained me for years to fight wild animals the likes of which you've never even heard of. He taught me that holding back against my opponent only put me at risk, so while I don't have to seriously hurt them I should never let them hurt me."
"You're exaggerating."
"I deal with cryptids. They're unknown and undocumented animals. That means they're full of surprises and hidden tricks. I once got ambushed by some sheep in Europe that turned out to be meat eaters, and one time in Australia I got pelted by Drop Bears." He then moved the left side of his shirt collar aside to show a scar. One that clearly looked like an animal bite. "That's how we found out those things are poisonous."
Akane looked shocked, though she had no idea what a drop bear was.
"Fortunately it wasn't strong enough to kill a human, but I felt sick to my stomach for three days. So even if my target looks cute and harmless, I have to fight it like it's a real threat to me. That includes people too. You being a girl doesn't make you exempt. If anything, the female of the species is more dangerous than the male." Ranma told her, then started to walk while looking around as if foraging. She followed behind him.
"Ranma, is this... is all this, really what you like doing?" Akane asked.
"It's all I know how to do." He replied without looking at her.
"But you fight dangerous animals all the time. Hell just a little bit ago you risked getting eaten by an actual dinosaur. What makes this worth it to you?"
"So many things. But if I had to say one thing above all others, it's the thrill."
Akane came to a stop. "Thrill? You think this is thrilling?"
He kept walking. "We just dealt with dinosaurs, at what point were you bored?"
"I was too terrified to be bored!"
Ranma nodded. "So was I."
Akane blinked. "You were scared? But you were the only one fighting back."
Ranma chuckled. "If you aren't afraid of fighting a dinosaur, you're not alive. Just because you're afraid Akane doesn't mean you can't fight back."
'That... actually makes a lot of sense. It's like how I feel about the Hentai Horde. I'm horrified at the thought of what could happen to me if one of those perverts ever managed to beat me. That's why I fight them so hard. Ranma must feel the same way when he fights these animals. But I never once thought of fighting those jerks as fun.'
Akane had to admit that she didn't know what to think of Ranma, and she didn't like that. She didn't have the patience and optimism of Kasumi, nor the observation skills and forethought of Nabiki, so when it came to getting to know people Akane tended to go primarily off of first impressions and cynic interpretations. She had been getting a lot of negative vibes from Ranma since she met him, yet there wasn't a single one he hadn't been able to justify. Akane didn't like that, it was like he was saying she was wrong to be distrusting of him.
Up ahead the two teens could see a large stone building. It was covered in overgrown foliage and crumbled in some places but overall still intact. The stones were grey and rather large, the smallest ones looking like they were the size of cinderblocks. It almost looked like a pyramid given it was vaguely shaped like a trapezoid, or rather one layered on top of the other. There was a rectangular portion in the front with stairways on both sides and the front, giving three ways to enter a vacant opening on the top. Or there would be three if one of the stairs hadn't been reduced to ruin over the eons while the others had somehow survived.
"Whoa, this is like something out of a movie." Akane said, gazing upon the ancient building. She took her phone out again and took a picture.
"Wait, this doesn't look right." Ranma said.
"What do you mean?"
"This doesn't look like it should be here. I mean, this looks like it should be in Egypt or maybe Mexico. Not here in the Congo."
Akane shrugged. "So now you're an archaeologist? It's just an old temple, those exist in jungles. Let's see if it's safe to go inside, away from the dinosaurs."
Akane walked towards the building and Ranma decided to follow despite his reluctance. Sure he was pretty ignorance regarding people, and human history wasn't one of his areas of study, but he still suspected that this structure was out of place in this part of Africa.
The front stairs were still intact so the two went up there, struggling only when it came to stepping around moss or fungus or whatever remains of small dead animals were still there. They got to the entrance, where there was no door but plenty of hanging vines, and pushed their way inside. It was roomy, dusty of course, and the air smelled much fresher than they feared. No obvious spiderwebs or coiled snakes, it was just a hallway leading to a bigger room that was just somewhat visible but mostly shrouded in darkness.
"Okay, looks like we're safe for now. Still no way to contact anyone, but at least we're sheltered." Ranma said, looking around.
Akane's eyes kept looking down the hall. "I wonder what's down there."
"Maybe a lot of bats and other things that don't like being out in the sun?" Ranma suggested.
Akane trembled at the mental image of being attacked by hundreds of sharp-toothed red-eyed bats, but at the same time she couldn't stop her feet from taking her deeper inside.
"You really up to this?" Ranma asked, going alongside her.
"No, but I feel... I dunno, compelled to go down here. Like... like there's something down here I need to see." She explained, not even sure what she herself was saying. But it felt too true to just brush off even if it didn't make any sense.
The hall was vacant of living things except a lot of insects on the walls which didn't bother them, so the teens pressed onward. They got closer to the end and saw it was covered in a lot of vines with some light shining through. Ranma and Akane tried to pull them apart, with the vines resisting. After a bit they gave in and the two could see the other side. Right there was a large domed room like something one might expect from a Roman ruin. Open gaps were around the domed top letting in light and drooping foliage, with some pools of stagnant water at the stone floor.
The center was the most eye grabbing. It was a stone structure that made Ranma think of a Roman aqueduct but Akane saw it as more like a stone torii gate. It was covered in moss and some kind of carving, and on top was a huge serpent. One that couldn't possibly be less then fifty feet long with the head being three of those fifty feet, two feet wide and colored dark green with brown spots.
Akane shivered in fear and without realizing it clutched onto Ranma's arm. "Is... is that...?"
"Some kind of giant python. Hopefully it's just soaking up some sun, though I don't know why here." Ranma whispered reassuringly. He looked down and saw the rest of the center area. Under the stone arch there was some kind of statue but it was eroded and incomplete. If he had to guess it looked like some kind of snake or dragon. He stepped forward, but Akane pulled him back.
"WHAT ARE YOU-?" She shouted before Ranma put his hand over her mouth and gestured towards the python. Her eyes widened and she nodded, so he removed his hand. "What are you doing? Don't get closer to the big snake." She whispered.
"If it's a cryptid then it can't hurt me, and I won't let it hurt you." He told her.
"And if it's not?" She asked.
Ranma chuckled. "If I can't control that thing, then I'll actually let Pops put me in your boring school." He stepped forward and Akane didn't stop him, nor did she let go of his arm.
The snake ignored them, giving them a chance to explore a little more. Desperate to get her mind off her fear, Akane tried taking more pictures of the area, zooming in on the walls when she saw some strange hieroglyphics. The sounds of pictures being taken caught the attention of the python, who slightly raised it's head and stared at them. Akane ceased her activity while Ranma's eyes glowed and he made eye contact with the large reptile. "We are not threats or food, ignore us."
The python kept its eyes on them, leaning in closer like it wanted a good look.
"Ranma..." Akane quivered.
"It can't hurt me unless I want it to now." He assured her.
The python started slithering towards them, flicking its tongue.
"I don't think it's listening to you." Akane insisted fearfully.
Ranma put up a tough front but now he was getting nervous too. 'The cryptosaurs were resisting me too. Is there something different about Congoese cryptids that makes my powers ineffective against them? Is that why Pops never wanted me to come here?'
The python slowly opened its mouth, and Ranma decided to stop trying to control the serpent. Instead he was going to fight back. The snake lunged at him, moving quickly but obviously slowed somewhat by its size, allowing Ranma to dodge at the right moment. He tried to grab the side of its head and jump up, but the head moved past him already and there was nothing to grab on the body of the serpent.
The snake was quick to turn in the enclosed area and Ranma knew that if he didn't move quickly he'd be crushed like a mouse. He jumped to the body of the snake as it tried to coil around him and used it as a springboard to jump up higher and over. Sadly it seems the snake was aware and struck again at him in midair above the body.
'Oh crap!' Ranma thought, quickly grabbing the fangs of the snake and putting his feet against the lower jaw when it almost got him. He pushed with all his might to keep the reptile from clamping down on him.
Akane rushed in from the side and punched the giant snake in the side of its head. While her punches were powerful, they weren't enough to send a creature like this flying back. It did however hurt it and make it release Ranma who got away.
"Let's just get out of here!" He told her and she nodded. He grabbed her and put her on his back, making her yelp but not protest, then he rushed out of one of the holes in the wall and used the trees to rebound and make his way to the top of the temple. Now they had a vantage point to see over the trees of the jungle.
"There!" Ranma shouted, pointing eastward. Akane couldn't see anything. "There's a safe spot!"
"How can you tell? I just see more trees." She asked.
Ranma took her hand and had her follow him back to the ground rather than answer her. They headed east with her releasing herself but still following. After about two minutes she could see what Ranma had seen, a building in a tree much like a treehouse with a camoflauge tarp on the roof and an orange flag. There were no signs of a way to get inside though.
"How did you see this? The flag?" She asked.
Ranma nodded. "Don't feel bad, you're more used to an urban environment. It's unlikely you'd truly notice what's out of place in an environment like this."
Ranma went up to the tree that the treehouse was built on, moving some vines to expose a keypad attached with wires going up to the treehouse. However the wires were severed, looking more ripped than actually cut or snipped. He raised an eyebrow and looked up, seeing claw marks in the bark going up.
"Do you want to go up or stay down here?" He asked, eyes still upward.
"No way I'm staying down here alone." She insisted.
Ranma knelt down and Akane got on his back piggy-back style. The pigtailed boy then tried climbing the tree the old fashioned way, using the claw marks as grasping points. This wasn't that easy since whatever had climbed up here wasn't human-sized, but Ranma slowly managed to get all the way up. He went to the door, seeing it closed but damaged, and he easily opened it.
The interior showed a simple room with one door at the back. Overall the room resembled a watch tower room with a small lab in the corner, but the first thing that stood out was clear signs of a struggle. A chair was hurled against a dented wall, papers and small objects were scattered around, and a dead body was laying on the floor face down.
Right away Ranma and Akane went to check on the body. Ranma turned it over, seeing it was a caucasian man with black hair and a set of broken glasses on and a white lab coat.
"He's a secret scientist, must have been stationed out here." Ranma said. "I don't recognize him, but I think he's only been dead for a few days at most."
Akane looked like she wanted to vomit. "What's that in his arms?"
Ranma saw this man had been holding something like he had been trying to hide it. It was some kind of large rock, more like a chunk of a broken rock, and it had some images on it. Nothing that looked like any known alphabet. Ranma took it out of the man's hands, inspecting the stone. One side was blank and perfectly smooth, clearly the work of a fracture.
"Whatever it is, it's not the whole thing. Maybe I should show it to Pops."
Akane looked to the lab and saw that the computer was undamaged. "Can we use that to contact someone?"
"Let's try." He replied, moving to it. He saw the screen and apparently whoever had been here had already tried to contact someone, the name on the screen being Henry Chiveyo, but apparently no connection had been established. Ranma tested the computer by pulling up another window and finding the communication function. He went to the recipient part and typed in the way to get in touch with Genma Saotome, then made the call.
"Let's hope this works."