Author's Notes: Hey everybody. I know, words cannot describe how long it's been since I posted my last story. There's really nothing I can say to explain why it's taken so much time. I've been trying so hard to get so many projects off the ground. But I guess the old saying still holds true…Life is what happens when you're making other plans.
I know a lot of people were expecting my next story to be the latest in my Danny Phantom library…mostly because I essentially said as much a couple months ago. And rest assured, that is still a work in progress. But a couple weeks ago, I got into Funimation's anime streaming service for the first time, mostly because I noticed they had some Viz properties on there. And I found myself reacquainting myself with an old love in Ranma ½.
And that's when a really strange thing happened.
Much in the same way Disney XD reignited my love of Gargoyles, which inspired me to write my story, "The Path Unfolding" (seriously, read it if you're a Gargoyles fan… I'm very proud of it), watching Ranma ½ on the Funimation streaming service inspired me to write one of my long-awaited sequels to my story, "Out in the Open: Ranma and Akane's Retreat", which have been locked in the planning stages for years. Before I knew it, all these ideas were just flooding into my brain and I just HAD to get them out and on the page. And since these stories have been in limbo for even longer than a lot of my Danny Phantom ones, I opted to put the DP one on the back burner for just a little while longer and focus my attention on this one.
It took me less than a week to get all missing pieces together. It took even less time than that to write it all down, which was beneficial, since I REALLY wanted to put out at least ONE new story out before New Year's. And it also helped me shake off any lingering writing rust in my time away, since it's really been that long since I last wrote anything.
So for everyone who's a Ranma ½ fan and a fan of my previous story, "Out in the Open: Ranma and Akane's Retreat" (seriously, read that one, too, if you haven't yet, or certain elements in this story won't make sense), this one's for you. It's not nearly as long, but that, to me, is a good thing. And hopefully, you'll still come to appreciate this new story just as much. As for everyone else, know that my next DP story is on the way and will hopefully be out very soon. Either way, that's enough of my self-serving ramblings. Enjoy the show. ^_^
Ranma ½
For Akane! Ryoga's Last Stand
By Aaron
The morning sun shone brightly through the halls of the Tendo Dojo, heralding the start of a brand-new day. Before long, Akane was stirred awake by the sounds of chirping birds and the fresh scent of a cool breeze wafting in through her bedroom window. As her eyes slowly adjusted to the light, a contented grin crossed her lips as she eagerly anticipated the promise of the day to come.
Just then, she felt a slight shift in the mattress behind her and all other thoughts fled her mind. Even though she knew exactly what it was, she could still feel her heart skip a beat. And as Akane rolled over to see Ranma laying next to her, his head propped up on his hand and staring down at her, there was only one thing she knew at that moment…
…It was already the start of a lovely morning.
"Hey," Ranma greeted with a warm smile.
"Mmm…hey," Akane replied dreamily as Ranma leaned down, pressing his lips to hers in a set of soft, lingering kisses.
This had become a fairly common occurrence in the weeks since Ranma and Akane had confessed their feelings to one another. Most nights, Ranma would steal into Akane's bedroom and the two would curl up together as they did on that final night of their camping trip. Holding each other close, they would savor their closeness and warmth before eventually trading kisses and ultimately drifting off to sleep in each other's arms.
"What time is it?" Akane asked, after their lips finally parted.
"Just a little after 7:00. We're not hurting for time yet," Ranma answered as he gently brushed her bangs from her eyes.
"How long have you been up?" Akane wondered.
"I don't know," Ranma replied with a shrug. "About an hour, I guess."
"An hour?!" Akane exclaimed. "And you didn't wake me up?"
"What's the big deal? I didn't think you'd mind a little extra rest," Ranma responded innocently as he fidgeted a little and a slight blush came to his cheeks. "Besides, I…kinda…like watching you sleep. You look so peaceful…and, you know…cute…"
Hearing Ranma call her cute brought a blush to Akane's face as well. Instantly feeling guilty for chiding him over something so minor, she rolled over to avoid his gaze.
"Hey, are you okay?" Ranma asked. "You want to tell me what that was all about it?"
"Nothing," Akane replied as she partly hid her face under her blankets, "It's stupid."
"Well yeah, I figured THAT," Ranma chuckled as he slid in close and put his arms around her. "But you want to tell me anyw…? *ghh!*"
"Thanks a lot," Akane responded sternly with a sharp elbow to Ranma's ribs. But a moment later, she let out a heavy sigh and rolled back over to face him.
"I'm sorry Ranma. It's just…Look, I know we're not telling anyone about…you know…US. And obviously that's for good reason," she explained. "And I guess it hasn't been all that hard to sneak in some kissing and stuff during the day when no one's looking…"
"It's just that this…here…now…is the only way we really get to spend any time alone. And we're asleep for most of it," Akane continued. "Part of me can't help feeling that's just a little sad…you know?"
"Hmmm," Ranma mused as Akane's words sank in, "So…what I'm hearing you saying is…"
"Woah!" Akane blurted out as Ranma put his arms around her and rolled her over on top of him before finishing his thought.
"…that we need to start making every moment count."
"Mmmm," Akane cooed with a loving grin. "I guess that's one way of looking at it."
Reaching up to gently caress Ranma's cheek, Akane found herself getting lost in his eyes for a moment before finally leaning down to kiss him. But Ranma quickly caught her off guard as he shifted his head and started kissing her neck.
"No…Ran…Ranma, cut…cut it out! You…you know that tickles!" Akane giggled as she flailed and kicked wildly.
Ranma couldn't help chuckling himself as he backed off, letting Akane roll him over on top of her. And as Akane found herself once again falling deep into his eyes, she couldn't help but let out a dreamy sigh, realizing that a good laugh was exactly what she needed at that moment.
"I still can't believe how long it took us to get to this point," she murmured softly.
"Was it worth the wait?" Ranma asked, only to have Akane take his face in her hands and graze a feathery kiss across his lips.
"Every second," she answered, her eyes welling up with emotion as they pressed their foreheads together. "I love you so much."
Nothing more needed to be said as the pair leaned in and began trading kisses back and forth. Little by little, the world began to melt away and nothing else seemed to matter as each kiss grew deeper and more passionate than the last…
"Hey, Akane," the sound of Nabiki walking into her bedroom immediately snapped Akane back to reality as she tore her lips away from Ranma's and shoved him under her blankets.
"Nabiki, don't you know how to knock?!" Akane snapped, pulling her blankets up over herself while Ranma lay curled up beside her in a ball, praying that Nabiki wouldn't think to look to closely.
"What's the big deal?" Nabiki responded with a shrug. "What, are you naked or something?"
"What…No!" Akane shot back, her face immediately turning red as Ranma's eyes went wide at the direction this conversation had suddenly taken.
"Hey, it's nothing to be ashamed of," Nabiki remarked. "I mean, I sleep naked all the time in the summer…"
"I AM NOT NAKED!" Akane shrieked in protest.
"Alright, if you say so," Nabiki relented before rummaging through Akane's closet. "You mind if I borrow one of your shirts today?"
"Depends. Are you actually going to RETURN it this time?" Akane answered cynically.
"Trust me, you have my word," Nabiki assured her before grabbing the shirt she was looking for and heading out of the room. "Better get a move on. Kasumi will have breakfast ready soon."
"And close the door on your way out!" Akane barked at her.
"Of course. You know I'd never do anything to embarrass my dear little sister," Nabiki replied jokingly.
With that, Nabiki was gone. And Akane couldn't be more relieved as she threw her blankets off.
"Okay, that was WAY too close," Akane sighed heavily, still trying to stop her heart from racing.
"Yeah…not to mention WAY too much information," Ranma shuddered, desperately trying to expel the lewd image that Nabiki had just planted into his brain.
"Ranma…what are you thinking about?" Akane asked, tossing a suspicious glare.
"Uuuuuhhhhh…," Ranma droned nervously, his eyes darting back and forth before finally managing to answer. "I'm…thinking…I should probably get back to my room before Pop wakes up and finds out I'm not there."
"I'm thinking that's a good idea," Akane responded acidly.
Taking full advantage of the out Akane was giving him, Ranma hopped onto the windowsill and prepared to take his leave. But he still couldn't help turning around and tossing a warm smile in Akane's direction.
"So…see you downstairs for breakfast?" he asked, drawing a slight giggle out of Akane.
"Mm…it's a date," she answered softly before leaning in and meeting Ranma's lips for one last lingering kiss.
"Hey Akane, I almost forgot," Nabiki called out as she barged into Akane's room again, causing her eyes to snap open wide as she instinctively shoved Ranma out the window. "Kasumi wanted to know if there was anything specific you wanted for lunch today."
"Oh, you know, nothing special," Akane answered, laughing nervously, "You know me, I'm good with just about anything."
"O-kayyyy…," Nabiki replied, raising a bewildered eyebrow at Akane's flustered behavior before heading back out into the hall.
No sooner had Nabiki closed the door than Akane immediately clambered out the window in a panic. Creeping along the roof as fast as she could, she peered over the edge, only to wince with guilt and discomfort at the sight of Ranma laying on his back, in the middle of a miniature crater in the courtyard.
"…Sorryyyyy…," Akane whimpered as Ranma could only respond with a dazed groan of aggravation.
Morning soon gave way to afternoon, and the bright sun to dark clouds. As the rain came down, Ryoga Hibiki walked along the streets of Tokyo, trying his best to stay dry under his umbrella, for obvious reasons.
"Huh…well, looks like it's just a little cloud burst. Still, this is awfully strange weather for Hokkaido. It shouldn't be the rainy season yet," Ryoga thought out loud. "I'm just glad I was paying attention and got my umbrella out in time. The last thing I need right now is to be…*blub!*"
Ryoga never got the chance to finish his thought. For just as he happened to turn the corner, a large delivery truck sped past, dousing him from the side with a wave of water from the flooded street. Just up the block, a sign posted by city workers announced that repairs were being made to a damaged water main in the neighborhood.
"Well, looks like we didn't need the umbrellas after all," Akane remarked, taking note of the clearing sky as she walked home from school with Ranma. "Still, better that we brought them, right?"
"Eh, I could have told you that the rain was gonna clear up," Ranma muttered unhappily. "I figured as much when my T12 and L1 vertebrae stopped aching."
"Oh, would you stop? I said I was sorry about this morning and I meant it. If I thought I was going to have to give you 50 million more apologies, I never would have given you the FIRST one," Akane argued. "Besides, would you have honestly preferred it if Nabiki had caught us? Seriously, think about it. Do I REALLY need to lay out what our lives would turn into if she was suddenly armed with THAT information?"
Ranma didn't respond at first, merely staring out into space with a pair of wide-eyed blinks as he walked. Of course, he hardly needed to. His horrified shudder just a few seconds later was all the answer Akane needed.
"Okay, you've got a point," he admitted reluctantly. "I'll shut up now."
"Thank you," Akane replied with a slightly irritated tone, even though a tiny grin crossed her lips a moment later as she leaned up and sneaked a quick peck on Ranma's cheek. "I really am sorry about this morning, though."
"Yeah, I'm sorry too," Ranma conceded, acknowledging that he shouldn't have milked the situation for as long as he did. "You know, is it just me, or were things A LOT easier when we were just being petty and selfish all the time?"
"Maybe sometimes," Akane answered with a shrug before leaning over and resting her head on Ranma's shoulder. "But were you really HAPPIER that way? Because I KNOW I wasn't."
Ranma didn't need to answer that question either. He simply leaned over and smiled, resting his head next to Akane's as the pair continued to walk home.
"Just as a point of clarification, though," Akane asked, "When you say 'petty and selfish', you mean YOU more than ME, right? I'm just saying, because when it comes to me…"
"Don't you start," Ranma argued jokingly as Akane giggled.
"You know, I've been thinking about something," Akane mentioned as they were only a few blocks from the Tendo Dojo. "Maybe you and I should come up with things to start fighting about from now on."
"'To START fighting about'?" Ranma replied with a bewildered look. "When did we actually STOP?"
"Okay, I'll grant you that," Akane confessed. "But…they're all just little tiffs now. They come and they go, and then we just forget about it. I don't think we've actually had a genuine knock-down, drag-out since the camping trip. And people are starting to notice. Even Dad mentioned the other day that we're hardly fighting anymore."
"I'm just thinking, maybe one really good blow-up every week or two, just to keep up appearances. What do you think?"
"I…guess," Ranma agreed with a shrug. "So, what do you want to start with? Maybe Shampoo? She's usually good for getting you all revved up."
"Mm…an oldie, but a goodie," Akane admitted as they rounded the corner. "Of course, we could always shake things up and go with…P-Chan?!"
"P-Chan…?" Ranma wondered until he followed Akane's gaze and saw the little black pig's sopping wet body shivering up the block.
"What happened to you?!" Akane exclaimed, running over and scooping up P-Chan in her arms. "Oh, look at you. You're soaked right through. Did you get caught in that rainstorm? We need to get you home and dry you off right now."
P-Chan was even more surprised to see Akane than Akane was to see him, having clearly lost track of where he was. But as Akane held him in her arms, trying to comfort him and keep him warm, neither of them noticed the wide-eyed look of concern splashed across Ranma's face.
Before long, Akane was watching television in the living room, with P-Chan on her lap, drying him off with a small towel. And P-Chan was more than willing to accept the attention Akane was lavishing onto him. But what neither of them was aware of was Ranma coming back and forth down the hall, each time coming back to the front door with another armload of camping supplies.
"Ranma?" Akane inquired, heading into the hall with P-Chan in her arms after she finally noticed him on the third pass. "What's all this?"
"There's something really important I need to take care of," Ranma explained as he prepped his backpack for travel.
"So…you were just going to leave?" Akane asked, completely baffled by what she was seeing. "When did this happen?"
"Look…it's complicated. It completely slipped my mind until just now," Ranma answered pensively, slinging his backpack over his shoulders. "But I don't have the luxury of putting it off. If I'm lucky, I'll only be gone a few days."
"Ranma," Akane called before placing P-Chan on the steps and running around him to block his path to the door. "Ranma, wait!"
Ranma was clearly unwilling to divulge any details of this sudden mystery trip, but he couldn't escape the worry in Akane's eyes. Especially not when she reached out for his hand, her fingertips just barely intertwining with his, much to P-Chan's shock.
"Ranma…what's going on?" Akane whispered, trying not to alert the entire house to their conversation. "Come on, talk to me. I thought we were past this."
"We…we are, okay? And if it was just about me, then I'd tell you in a heartbeat," Ranma murmured back. "But this time…I'm not the only one affected."
"Hey…" he coaxed, propping Akane's chin up under his thumb so she could look him in the eyes, which again drew a squeal of surprise from P-Chan, "…I need you to trust me on this one…Please?"
P-Chan was mostly frozen in disbelief, unable to process what his eyes were seeing as the moment played out. Why did Ranma and Akane suddenly appear to be so…intimate? But nothing could have prepared him for the sight that came next.
"Okay…THIS time…," Akane conceded with a heavy sigh.
Just then, she took a quick look in all directions to make sure no one wasn't around. And once she was confident in their privacy, she reached up with her free hand, gliding her fingers along Ranma's cheek and met his lips with a set of soft, lingering kisses, causing P-chan's eyes to bulge in astonishment.
"Just…hurry back, okay?" Akane breathed on Ranma's lips as she pressed her forehead against his.
"I'll try, but I can't promise it," Ranma replied with a gentle smile.
For P-Chan, what he was experiencing could only be described as a living nightmare. It was so horrible he couldn't even bring himself to move. It was only when Ranma looked down at him with a deathly serious expression before trotting out the door, that P-Chan was able to shake himself out of his stunned state, squealing in fury. But before he could even think to lunge after Ranma in pursuit, Akane scooped him up in his arms once again.
"Well…I guess it's just you and me now," she remarked with a giggle, running up the stairs to her room as P-Chan struggled to break free. "Come on, I have to GOT to tell you what happened to me a few weeks ago. You are absolutely NOT going to believe it."
"RAAAANMAAAAA!"
Ryoga's voice echoed through the neighborhood as he tore up and down the streets in a frenzy, not 20 minutes after Ranma had left the Tendo house. So blinding was his rage that he had no established plan or agenda for where he was going. Every instinct in his body was just propelling him in a mad dash forward.
"I'm going to find you Ranma, you'd better believe that!" Ryoga bellowed as he raced on. "And when I do, you're a dead man!"
"Yo!"
An all-too familiar voice ground Ryoga to a screeching halt. Whirling around, he caught site of Ranma in the middle of setting up camp in a vacant lot that appeared to be preparing to break ground on a construction project soon.
"You!" Ryoga growled under his breath.
"Yeah, I know. I'm surprised, too," Ranma replied. "I thought I was gonna be sitting out here for a WEEK at least."
"To think I found you this fast…I have to believe that this is the will of God Himself," Ryoga stated, his voice rising to a roar as he charged forward at top speed. "You'd better hope you've made your peace with Him, Ranma…"
"…Because for what you did to Akane, TODAY IS YOUR LAST DAY ON EARTH!"
"P-Chan! P-Chan, where are you?!" Akane shouted as she ran along the streets around the Tendo house.
'I don't understand…what could have gotten into him?' she thought worriedly, 'I was just telling him about my weekend camping trip with Ranma when he suddenly went wild and jumped out the window. He wasn't in the courtyard when I got downstairs, but I hope he didn't hurt himself. Where could he have gone?'
"P-Chan!" she called out again as she passed by a nearby playground, only to be drawn by what sounded like a pig squeal from a stack of concrete pipes nearby.
"P-Chan, is that you?" Akane responded as she slowly inched forward, following the grunts and squeals. "It's okay, it's just me. You don't have to be afraid. I just want to make sure you're not…WAAAAAAAH!"
Akane's coaxing voice rose to a panicked shriek as a massive figure emerged from the stack of pipes, lifting one up in the air and slamming it into the ground, just missing her by inches as she jumped away. But as Akane lay sprawled on the ground, trying to get her breathing back, she was able to get a closer look and noticed that her would-be assailant was the giant Katsunishiki, 14th Yokozuna of pig sumo, draped with his usual tsuna and kensh ō-mawashi around his neck.
"Wait a minute," Akane noted, now more curious than frightened, "Aren't you…?"
"Oh, I'm so sorry," a delicate female voice responded as another familiar face popped up over Katsunishiki's shoulder. "You're not hurt, are you? We were only getting in a bit of light practicing."
"A…Akari Unryū?!" Akane blurted out.
"Akane? Is that you?" Akari called down with a pair of wide-eyed blinks.
"You should have kept running when you had the chance, Ranma!" Ryoga shouted, unleashing a flurry of rapid-fire strikes with his umbrella. "Who knows how much longer you would have lived until I found you!"
The battle between Ranma and Ryoga was officially in full swing as Ranma remained focused, dodging Ryoga's relentless assault. While none of Ryoga's strikes were making contact, he was still managing to force Ranma back, eventually cornering him against a retaining wall on the far end of the lot. Blindly moving in for the kill, Ryoga lunged forward to run Ranma through. But Ranma was able to evade him once again, leaping over his umbrella as Ryoga plunged it into the hard concrete, then landing on the shaft.
"'Running'? THAT'S what you thought I was doing?" Ranma asked, perched casually on Ryoga's umbrella as he desperately tried to free it. "I've been waiting on this for WEEKS. I knew the very next time you waddled your little tail into the house, Akane was going to tell you everything that happened. Of COURSE, she was. How could she NOT?"
"Yeah, right!" Ryoga yelled as he finally was able to tear his umbrella out of the wall, forcing Ranma to jump away. "Is that why you took off as soon as you saw me?!"
"I took off because I knew it was going to come to this!" Ranma answered as he landed several yards away. "And the last thing we needed was for you to be…you know…YOU…and start shooting your mouth off about it in front of everyone like an IDIOT!"
"What makes you think I give a damn about your privacy, Ranma?!" Ryoga snarled as he charged in to attack again.
"Okay! And just how were you planning to explain yourself to Akane when she asked how you found out?!" Ranma argued. "Because she KNOWS I wouldn't have told you!"
"…Eh…?" Ryoga blurted out as his body froze to stone in mid-strike, allowing Ranma to easily dodge him and sending him crashing to the dirt a moment later with a well-placed elbow to the back of the head.
"Yeah…didn't think about THAT one, did ya?" Ranma scolded as Ryoga coughed and sputtered on the ground. "See? There I go, saving your bacon again. Not that I know why I bother, with a miserable ingrate like you."
"You…you think I owe you gratitude…?" Ryoga growled as struggled to his feet. "The only thing you've earned is my contempt, taking advantage of Akane the way you did, you letch!"
"Wait a min…'taking advantage'…?" Ranma responded uneasily, seeming to have been caught off guard for the first time since the fight began. "Hang on. What was she saying we DID?"
"I know all I need to know!" Ryoga declared, plunging his hands into the ground and actually ripping a huge boulder out of the earth.
"Yeeeeeee!" Ranma exclaimed in a panic at the sight of Ryoga holding the massive ball of rock over his head.
"What I do now, I do for Akane and for women everywhere!" Ryoga proclaimed. "BAKUSAI TENKETSU!"
Ryoga's Breaking Point technique struck the boulder with its usual flawless precision, sending a hail of rubble firing in Ranma's direction. Luckily, Ranma was able to regain his composure, leaping up high and using the speed of his Chestnut Fist technique to pluck the rocks out of midair before they could even touch him. Before Ryoga even realized what was happening, Ranma had landed with an armload of ammunition, which he flung back at Ryoga with the rapid-fire speed of Chestnut Fist, striking a single point in the side of his ribs. And as a stunned Ryoga staggered back, Ranma pressed the opening, charging forward and planting a firm straight kick into the exact same spot on Ryoga's ribs, sending him flying across the lot.
"Alright, let's get one thing straight! You need to get your head out of the gutter!" Ranma argued, a faint blush coming to his cheeks as Ryoga tried to get up again. "Akane and I aren't…you know…'there' yet. We're not even TALKING about…you know…'there' yet. We didn't do anything like THAT when we were on that camping trip. All we did was…make out a little."
"…Ghk…!" Ryoga gurgled as a vein popped on his forehead.
"Well…okay, I guess we made out A LOT," Ranma continued as he shrugged and fidgeted, trying to sound innocent but not realizing he was making Ryoga angrier with every word. "And yeah, there was that…last night where we…slept together. But it's not like we DID anything! It was all perfectly innocent…"
"SHUUUUUUT UUUUUUP!" Ryoga screamed at the heavens, rearing back on his feet and charging at Ranma once again. "You expect me to believe that someone like Akane did all that of her own free will and you didn't just have your way with her, you…!"
Ryoga didn't get the chance to finish his accusation as Ranma stepped into Ryoga's attack and planted his foot hard, tripping Ryoga up. And as Ryoga lost his balance, Ranma whirled around behind him, planting an elbow between Ryoga's shoulder blades and sending him crumpling to the ground again.
"Huh…you so DESPERATELY want to believe that don't you?" Ranma mocked as a baffled Ryoga looked up at him.
'What is going on? He's been one step ahead of me this entire time. Could that one fight with Saffron really have improved him THAT much?' Ryoga's mind raced as Ranma stood over him indignantly. 'No…it's more than that. Something's different about him now. I can see it in his eyes…'
"Look man, Akane and I didn't go on that camping trip, planning for any of this to happen, okay?! But am I sorry it did?! NO!" Ranma shouted. "We don't owe ANYONE an apology for this…LEAST of all, YOU!"
"What did you say…?" Ryoga hissed angrily.
"And while we're on the subject, let me just point out that I'm getting DAMN sick and tired of being blamed for every little thing that bothers YOU!" Ranma added. "Yeah, okay, there are some things that happened between us that I can't avoid taking responsibility for! Fine! I admit that! But you're not exactly guilt-free, yourself, pal!"
"Use your head! You didn't have to come running after me to Jusenkyo! You could have just dropped the whole thing! Or if it REALLY meant that much to you, you could have had someone take you by the hand to that spot for our fight! Then I could have kicked your ass like I usually do and this whole thing would've been over with YEARS ago!" Ranma went on as Ryoga wobbled to his feet again, bracing himself against the retaining wall. "But if any of that had happened, you never would've fallen into that dumb spring! And you never would have even MET Akane in the FIRST PLACE!"
"WHAT DOES IT MATTER WHEN YOU HAVE HER NOW!" Ryoga bellowed as he whirled around, the tears in his eyes and the ominous red glow surrounding his body forcing Ranma to step back. "It would've been better if I'd never met her at all…than to have to feel…like this…"
"SHISHI HŌKŌDAN!"
"So you've been looking for Ryoga this whole time?" Akane asked, sitting next to Akari on the playground swing set while Katsunishiki practiced his sumo slaps on the giant concrete pipe.
"We get to see each other so infrequently," Akari replied solemnly. "I couldn't help myself. I had to try something."
Akane nodded, identifying with Akari's heartache. But her understanding was slightly diminished when Akari unfolded an enormous scale map of Japan on the ground at her feet, peppered with hundreds of red dots.
"Each of the points on this map coincides with a sighting of someone matching Ryoga's description," Akari explained plainly. "I've been trying to extrapolate a pattern of travel, to see if I could predict where he'd turn up next. But based on this, it's almost like every five or 10 kilometers, he gets his head turned around and sets off in a completely random direction. It's…chaotic."
'Wow, she's…REALLY put a lot of effort into this,' Akane thought to herself, not sure whether it was the size of the map or the number of sightings Akari recorded that made her more uncomfortable. 'If I were Ryoga, I'm not sure if I'd be flattered or FRIGHTENED.'
"There is one common element, though…this area," Akari continued, pointing at a location in Tokyo that Akane immediately recognized as her neighborhood. "Every month or so, he passes through. I mean, he finds his way HERE more than he finds his way HOME."
"So, I was thinking, maybe if we established a branch of pig sumo here, that would increase the odds that we'd run into him. Do you think it would work?"
'She's willing to open a whole branch…just for the possibility of finding him?' Akane thought, seeing the hope sparkling in Akari's eyes. 'Ryoga…I hope you realize just what you've got here.'
Just then, their conversation was interrupted when a strange crimson glow seemed to blanket the entire area. Whirling around, Akane gasped at the enormous red beam of light exploding into the sky, which could be seen for miles around.
"That's…," she whispered, recognizing it immediately, "Could it be…?"
"What is that?!" Akari exclaimed in fright.
"Come on!" Akane responded, grabbing Akari's wrist and running out of the park, with Katsunishiki close behind. "I think today just might be your lucky day."
"Yeah…I had a feeling it was gonna come to this," Ranma sighed, looking up into the sky as Ryoga's Shishi Hōkōdan continued streaming upward, seemingly without end.
Ranma knew exactly what was coming next. After what seemed like forever, Ryoga's cries faded and his body went limp, almost as if he were unconscious. It would only be a matter of seconds before the ki he unleashed coalesced into a giant sphere and crash to the earth with massive destructive power. Of course, the sphere, itself, was easy enough to avoid, but Ranma knew he couldn't win that way. But against something so massive, how COULD he win?
The answer to that question came in the form of Ranma doing the last thing anyone who might have been watching would have expected. He ran straight into the crater Ryoga's initial stream of ki created, just as the sphere began to descend.
"Alright," he thought out loud, narrowing his focus as tightly as he could as a golden glow began to emerge from his body, and he raised his hands to the sky. "Here goes everything…"
"MŌKO TAKABISHA!"
"Hurry!" Akane shouted to Katsunishiki, who thundered through the streets with her and Akari on his back. "The closer we get before that sphere falls, the better chance we have of finding him!"
"What is THAT?!" Akari cried out, pointing up to the sky.
Akane immediately looked up, only to gasp in shock as an enormous stream of golden light shot upward, slamming into Ryoga's sphere of ki. Just the sight of a stream of ki matching the Shishi Hōkōdan was surprising enough. But within moments, the second ki actually penetrated Ryoga's sphere and caused it to explode in midair.
'What could have…?' Akane thought, even as she knew the second stream of ki looked so familiar. 'Could that have been…Ranma?'
"Come on!" she called to Katsunishiki, urging him to run faster. "We don't have any time to waste!"
When the sphere of ki from the Shishi Hōkōdan was destroyed, Ryoga suddenly snapped back into consciousness. But as he stared upward at the glitters of red light, floating to the ground like fireworks sparks, even though he knew that he was seeing, he still couldn't believe it.
"The… Shishi Hōkōdan…," Ryoga stammered as he stood trembling in the crater, unable to take his eyes off the sky. "…He…he actually shattered it…"
"RRRHAA!" Ranma snarled as his fist plowed into Ryoga's cheek, sending him spiraling into the wall of the crater and rolling up the side to finally end up lying slumped over the edge in a heap.
"And…and stay down…," Ranma panted before breathing a heavy sigh of relief at his victory.
It was only a few minutes later that Ryoga regained consciousness, after which, he was sitting beside Ranma against the retaining wall. Ranma was still in need of some rest, but he was only tired. Ryoga was in far worse shape as he curled up into a ball and hid his face from the world, not wanting anyone to see his humiliation.
"Hey…you okay man?" Ranma finally called over. "Ryoga?"
"I never even had a chance, did I?" Ryoga replied, his voice muffled from his face still hidden.
"Huh?" Ranma responded in bewilderment.
"Don't patronize me, Ranma! This was a total defeat!" Ryoga shouted, finally poking his head up. "You and I both know your Mōko Takabisha technique gets its power from your confidence, right?! Well, there's only one possible way you could have mustered up enough confidence to crush a fully perfected Shishi Hōkōdan! And that's if you already knew, going into this fight, that there was absolutely NO WAY you could lose…!"
"…Because even if I'd somehow managed to beat you…what difference would it make? Akane's made her choice."
"Ryoga…," Ranma uttered, unsure of what to say.
"Oh, who am I kidding?! Akane made her choice a long time ago!" Ryoga shouted, clenching his fists so tightly, it seemed his knuckles would pop, "And so did YOU, even if you wouldn't admit it!"
"Come on! Shampoo…Ukyo…Kodachi…! Why do you think they're all so scared of her?! Because they've known all along that SHE'S the one you've always wanted!" Ryoga went on, as Ranma could only turn away and hang his head, knowing he couldn't dispute it. "It's the same reason they know they can't touch her either! Because if anything ever happened to her, they know you'd never forgive them!"
"Well…I guess you've got yours then, huh?" Ryoga sighed, looking up at the clouds solemnly. "Even if that means I'll never find mine…"
Of course, Ranma wasn't about to stand for that. No sooner did the words escape Ryoga's lips than Ranma's fist clocked him over the head.
"What was that for, you jerk?!" Ryoga objected, only to have his entire backpack dumped on his head by Ranma.
"I can't believe all that smart talk a minute ago came out of a mouth so stupid!" Ranma snapped back as Ryoga looked down at the contents of his backpack, half of which were pictures, letters and gifts from Akari Unryū. "You're gonna sit there and try to tell me you don't have ANYBODY?"
"Uuuuuhhhhhh…" Ryoga droned nervously, remembering all the things he had been carrying around the whole time.
"PLEASE don't tell me you actually FORGOT about her in the middle of all this," Ranma scolded in annoyance. "Do I need to point out all the ways that girl has been nothing but good to you? And SHE likes you for ALL of you, not just bits and pieces."
"And while I'm at it, let me point out that if you hadn't fallen into the dumb spring, you never would have met HER either."
But Ryoga was already drowning out Ranma's words. His mind was already drifting to his moments with Akari…every act of kindness she ever showed him…all the understanding and unconditional acceptance. At that moment, he realized he didn't need Ranma to shame him over wiping her from his mind so easily. He felt more than enough shame all on his own.
"All I'm saying is, if I were you, I'd get my priorities straight in a BIG hurry," Ranma continued to lecture. "A girl like that doesn't deserve to be ANYONE'S second choice. Even a guy as clueless as me knows at least THAT much…Huh?"
Just then, Ranma looked over to see that Ryoga had already back on his feet. His backpack was already fully packed up and slung over his shoulders. But as his back was turned, he still seemed so tense, causing Ranma to question what was about to happen next.
"Ryoga?"
"I think I need to go away for a while…clear my head," Ryoga declared simply.
"Hey…now wait a minute…," Ranma began to protest.
"You don't have to worry, Ranma. I'm not gonna go blabbing to anybody," Ryoga assured him. "I get why you and Akane don't want anyone to know about this just yet. So, for HER sake, I'll keep your secret…"
"But mark my words, Ranma! If you don't make her happy, I'D BETTER NOT FIND OUT ABOUT IT!"
With that, Ryoga turned on his heels and made a mad dash out of the lot, before Ranma could say or do anything to stop him. Making sure to look away, he couldn't bear to let Ranma see the pain on his face or the tears in his eyes, forcing himself to give Akane up. But just as he reached the entrance to the lot…
"Ryoga!"
"EEEEEEEEEE!" Ryoga shrieked in alarm as Akane appeared around the corner, ruining his perfectly dramatic exit.
"So, I was right. That light in the sky WAS you," Akane noted happily. "I'm so glad to see you."
"You…you are?" Ryoga replied, fidgeting nervously in the face of Akane's glowing smile.
"I've got someone here that I think wants to say, 'Hi'," Akane chimed.
"Ryoga!" Akari exclaimed, running towards him.
"Akari…? Oof!"
Ryoga was shocked beyond words as Akari threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly, burying her face into his chest. So stunned was he by the act of affection that he found himself rooted to the spot, unable to move. Akane, meanwhile, merely stood off to the side with a smile, being perfectly happy to let the moment between them play out. That is, until she looked over and saw Ranma still seated on the ground against the retaining wall on the far side of the lot.
"Ranma!" Akane exclaimed, running towards him.
"Akane…? Oof!"
Ranma was every bit as surprised as Ryoga was by Akari. Granted, Ranma wasn't expecting Akane to suddenly throw her arms around him. They couldn't risk displays of affection THAT public. But he wasn't expecting her fist to come clunking down onto his head, either.
"Hey, what'd you do THAT for?!" Ranma protested.
"Please don't try to tell me that THIS was the earth-shattering emergency you had to leave home to take care of," Akane argued. "A fight with Ryoga?!"
"Look, I told you, it's complicated, okay?!" Ranma replied defensively.
"Oh, please! You and Ryoga fight over the time of day!" Akane shot back. "What's 'complicated'?!"
Even while still in Akari's arms, Ryoga couldn't help but turn to watch Ranma and Akane's spat. To the anyone else, it would have looked like just another of their usual fights, with the two of them sniping back and forth. But to Ryoga, something was definitely quite different.
'Huh…she's not yelling at him half as loud as she usually does,' Ryoga thought to himself, 'And that knock on the head…she barely grazed him…'
'Oh, Akane…you really ARE happy with him, aren't you?'
"Oh, Ryoga, I understand completely," Akari announced, overjoyed, as she took his face in her hands. "We've been apart for so long, I'm crying, too. But it's alright. We're here together, now."
It was only at that moment that Ryoga noticed the tears streaming down his cheeks as he looked down into Akari's eyes. There she was, innocently crying for him…faithfully thinking of NO ONE but him. And yet, there HE was, actually shedding tears for another. And that caused Ryoga to start breaking down for an entirely different reason as Ranma's final words echoed into his head.
"…All I'm saying is, if I were you, I'd get my priorities straight in a BIG hurry. A girl like that doesn't deserve to be ANYONE'S second choice. Even a guy as clueless as me knows at least THAT much…"
"Akari…AKARI, PLEASE FORGIVE ME!" he cried as he threw his arms around her, both of them bawling uncontrollably, while Katsunishiki tromped over and picked them both up in a tight embrace.
"Oh…I'm so glad I got her here in time," Akane stated happily. "Isn't it romantic, Ranma?"
"It's…something, I'll give it that," Ranma replied with a shrug as the emotional…albeit, rather bizarre…moment played out.
The afternoon eventually gave way to evening and then, to nightfall. As the stars glittered outside Akane's bedroom window, with only her desk lamp for light, what had become an all-too familiar scene in recent weeks was playing out. Akane was laying on top of Ranma in her bed, under the blankets, with her arms crossed over his chest to prop her head up. And as Ranma had one hand behind his head and the other around Akane's waist, the two of them simply stared dreamily into each other's eyes, letting the rest of the world simply take care of itself.
"Well, this turned out to be a good day," Akane finally noted after a few more moments of blissful silence. "I'm really happy for Ryoga and Akari."
"Mmm," Ranma replied with a simple nod, his mind drifting back to a short while later, after they'd left the vacant lot.
… … … …
…"THIS is what you call a BRANCH?!" Akane exclaimed as she, Ranma and Ryoga could only gaze in wonder at the massive structure before them. Seemingly like a palace, the entire property easily dwarfed the entire Kuno Estate.
"Breeding and raising champion Sumo Pigs requires a lot of space," Akari explained plainly.
"Huh…this gig's more profitable than I thought," Ranma noted, being forced to admit that even he was impressed. "Feel like getting your priorities straight NOW, Ryoga?"
Ryoga didn't reply to Ranma's taunting question. He was too busy laughing nervously at the splendor he now found himself in…
… … … …
"So…do you think things have a chance to really work out between them this time?" Akane wondered.
"If he's got any common sense, it does," Ranma answered.
"Yeah…and if SOMEONE in this bed, whose name I won't mention, has the common decency to not go butting into his personal life," Akane countered, poking Ranma lightly in the chest.
"Hey, you have my word…I'm gonna be 100 percent hands-off on this, okay?" Ranma assured. "Ryoga's on his own."
"Speaking of which…," Akane added, tilting her head slightly. "You really AREN'T going to tell me what that was all about today, are you?"
"Akane, my hands are tied," Ranma replied, throwing his hands up defensively. "Like I said, it doesn't just affect me."
"Oh, come on," Akane giggled. "It's Ryoga. What could possibly be so horrible?"
"Look, I've known him for longer than you have and there's just a lot of stuff he's sensitive about," Ranma answered, telling Akane as much of the truth as he dared as he smiled gently and propped her chin under his thumb. "You DID say you were gonna trust me."
"Oh…alright," Akane relented with a sigh before a soft grin crossed her lips and she ran her finger along Ranma's nose. "I guess you did manage to come home soon like I asked you to…which is pretty lucky, considering it was Ryoga."
"'Lucky'? With Ryoga, it's more like a miracle," Ranma noted, nuzzling up against Akane's nose as she giggled.
Nothing more needed to be said as the pair leaned in and began trading kisses back and forth. Little by little, the world began to melt away and nothing else seemed to matter as each kiss grew deeper and more passionate than the last…
"Ranma!", Akane suddenly blurted out as a shadowy figure darted in through her window and plopped onto the bed, much to her and Ranma's alarm.
Trying not to wake the entire house, Ranma instinctively pulled Akane to the head of the bed, while staying in front of her for protection as he grabbed her desk lamp. But as he shone the light towards the corner of the bed, what they found was.
"P-Chan?!" Akane cooed happily as she crawled out from behind Ranma and picked him up. "Where have you been? I'm so glad you're not hurt. Do you have any idea how worried I was about you?"
"What's the big idea, pig? I thought we were done with this," Ranma grumbled as P-Chan hopped onto Akane's lap and began oinking at him, almost like a barking dog.
"What..? P-Chan, calm down. What has gotten…?" Akane blurted out, trying to restrain her struggling pet. "Ranma, I'm sorry, but can we maybe take a rain check for tonight? I don't know what's going on, but he's been REALLY worked up today for some reason. Maybe if he just gets a quiet night in bed, it'll be enough to calm him down."
"You actually think it's gonna CALM him down?" Ranma asked cynically.
"Oh, come on. Don't be like that," Akane coaxed, leaning in and placing a soft, lingering kiss on Ranma's cheek as her voice lowered to a whisper. "I promise, I'll make it up to you."
"Huh…I'll take THAT bet," Ranma muttered under his breath as he frowned down at P-Chan, who simply glared back and squealed in defiance.
It wasn't long before Ranma couldn't help but venture out of his room again to see what P-Chan was up to. Peering in through Akane's window, he could see Akane sleeping peacefully. Just seeing her look so content was enough to make him smile. But his attitude immediately shifted when he saw P-Chan not in Akane's bed, but actually sleeping on the floor, almost like some kind of guard dog. Especially when he popped one eye open and growled in Ranma's direction.
"Why you..." Ranma muttered as his fist trembled.
It was then that Ranma understood the true game being played. P-Chan may not be trying to take advantage by sleeping with Akane. But as long as he was around, Ranma couldn't sleep with her either. A fact that P-Chan was well aware of as he closed his eye and went back to sleep, but not before letting out a few quiet grunts that sounded almost like a vindictive chuckle.
The End