Permanent part 13: Ryoga returns.
++++++++++
Akane flipped through the mail as she entered the
home and sighed lazily. She had just returned from a long
day at school and Ranma was following behind her, Ryoga sat
in the living room waiting patiently for them to return. He
immediately began to follow the redhead around like a dog.
Akane watched fascinated as the pair went from the room to
the bath and then down to the kitchen. This continued for
most of the day, whenever Ranma went anywhere in the home
Ryoga followed, they even had their bath together. She had
almost run into them when they emerged from the bathroom
clad in towels and headed for Ranma's room. Neither of them
spoke to each other while doing so and neither appeared to
notice each other.
Later that evening Nabiki snorted and sat down in
front of the television and ignored the pair as they passed
her on the way to the dojo. "What is the point of curing
him if he's just gonna act like he did before anyway?" she
said after they were out of earshot.
Akane gasped, Nabiki was right. Ryoga was acting
exactly like 'Mr.P' did when Ranma had first moved in,
before he started to follow her around instead. "Maybe it's
a habit?" said Akane after a moment of thought. "Do you
think we should say something?"
"Please Akane, that is more than a habit. I think
he's got something to get off his chest the way he's
following -her- around," said Nabiki calmly.
"You think he's in love with her?" gasped Akane in
shock.
"Quite possibly," said Nabiki without looking away
from the show.
+++++++++++
Ranma began her kata in the dojo and Ryoga started
his own on the other side of the room. "How long you gonna
follow me around Mr.P?" she said idly as she kicked her leg
out in a loose kick.
"I'm not leaving until you find a cure for
yourself," said Ryoga mechanically as he punched at his own
invisible opponent.
"Well if your gonna stay you might as well make
yourself useful; c'mon, lets spar a little," Ranma stopped
her exercise and faced him.
"All right," said Ryoga with a sigh as he put his
hands up. "I'm a little rusty..." he said and ducked under
Ranma's kick.
"You'll do all right, come on," said Ranma eagerly
with a small grin forming.
Ryoga straightened up and put his hands in front of
his face. He charged at Ranma and swung missing her head by
millimeters. He knew she was going easy on him, of course,
but it still felt good to come so close.
Ranma punched and kicked at Ryoga at speeds she
knew he could dodge well, testing his abilities. The truth
was, she had never really fought with him before. The
thrill of a new opponent excited her, he was very good and
with a few weeks practice he might become a decent sparing
partner. He was far above Akane's level at any rate. Ryoga
connected lightly with a punch at her mid section while she
was in thought. Ranma steeled herself and frowned. She
jumped over his head and kicked the back of his neck
lightly letting him know the match was over.
Ryoga sat down on the dojo floor still breathing
pretty lightly and looked at her coolly. "I've got to
practice, I shouldn't be so winded now," he muttered.
"Good, now you'll have something to do while you
wait for me to come home after school for a while," said
Ranma as she sat down across from him.
"I still haven't forgiven you for what you did to
me you know," said Ryoga a little bitterly.
"Then stop following me around until you get lost
or some...thing...." Ranma trailed off as she looked at
Ryoga closely. He shrank back uncomfortably from her gaze
and swallowed.
"You!" cried Ranma in shock. "I know you! Your the
guy from my old middle school! Your -that- Ryoga?!" she
said in amazement.
"You mean...you didn't know?" he stammered in equal
surprise. "I followed you to China after you ran out on our
duel!" he cried in shocked anger.
"Ryoga 'lost boy' Hibiki. Wow, who'd a thunk it?
You were him all along Mr.P," she muttered half way
ignoring him.
"How dare you forget about me Ranma!" cried the boy
angrily as he swung at Ranma again.
The girl smirked and grabbed his head and arms in a
complicated leg lock that brought him to the ground
helpless. "I waited three days for you to show up. I
figured -you- ran out on me, you cute little piggy," she
said with a sweet girlish smile.
"Don't you grin at me like that Saotome! I suffered
to meet up with you! Do you think I was on a casual stroll
for three days?" he growled angrily as he struggled to free
himself from her grip.
"So, you followed me to Jusenkyo?" asked Ranma with
her face becoming sullen all of a sudden. It had turned an
ashen gray.
Ryoga stopped struggling and looked at her
suddenly. "Yeah," he muttered looking ashamed. "You knocked
me off a cliff and into one of the springs when you were
chasing your father; He managed to fish me out of the pond
and brought me home to make dinner out of me after a couple
of minutes. You know the rest of the story...." said the
boy a little bitterly
"I knocked you..." said Ranma looking dazed.
"And then you saved my life, as far as I'm
concerned we're even for that. You've saved my ass more
times than I can even count since then, there is no way I
can repay you," said Ryoga firmly.
"I'm...sorry Mr.P," she said as she lay back on the
floor of the dojo with a sad gaze on her face. "How many
other problems have I caused? What else could I have missed
in my macho brainless jock youth?" she thought to herself
with a few bitter tears in her eyes. "Damn you old man, why
did you have to raise me to be such an insensitive prick?"
"Ranma?" said Ryoga quietly as he noticed her face.
"Yeah?" she said weakly.
"Look, I love you like a brother, you're a part of my
family now ya know," he said quietly.
Ranma just looked at the ceiling and said nothing.
"Could you please let me go now?" whispered Ryoga.
"Why would she do that? You should be honored, I
know boys who would give a million yen to be in your
position Ryoga-kun," said Nabiki from the dojo doorway.
Ranma sat bolt upright and looked at her in
embarrassed shock. "It's not what..." she stammered.
Ryoga just turned beet red and stared at her in
surprise.
"Relax guys, you two were making a lot of noise
that's all," she said with a smirk.
"What's going on?" said Akane as she walked up
behind her. She took a single glance at Ranma and Ryoga and
blushed almost as badly as Ryoga did. She turned wordlessly
and exited the room.
"Akane!" called Ryoga as he flailed in the dazed
Ranma's grip. "It's not what it..."
Ranma was just dazed and finally let go of Ryoga's
head and arms. The both of them looked over at Nabiki in
unison.
"Oh no, you two are on your own for this one I'm
afraid. Unless you can some how come up with a million
yen?" she said as she raised an eyebrow and looked at them
greedily. "I didn't think so, Ja!" she chirped as she
exited the room.
The pair sat in the center of the Dojo for a while
and said nothing. Finally Ranma spoke up. "Ryoga, go home."
"What?" said the boy with a look of horror on his
face.
"Take a few weeks off; Go find your family or at
least your house. When you get back I'll let you stay with
me until I find a cure, but you need a break. Enjoy being
human for a while, go on a training trip or something, when
you get back you have to start school," she said to him
with a friendly smile.
"At least I'm not behind," he muttered as he
remembered that he would indeed have to return there at
some point, especially if he had Ranma to lead him there.
A few minutes later Ranma sat in the living room
with Akane and her family around the dinner table. "Ranma
we need to talk," said the girl looking extremely
embarrassed.
"What is it Akane?" said Ranma after she had been
lead away from the table and onto the porch overlooking the
koi and the dojo.
"I realize that you are happy to see Ryoga and all,
you two must have had a hard time, him being a pig and
all...but you could be a little more secretive about it..."
she whispered.
"What the hell are you talking about Akane?" said
Ranma in confusion.
"Well, I sort of understand and all, but Kasumi is
a little old fashioned," said Akane.
"Huh? You mean..." said Ranma looking a little sick.
"Well, little things like the bath and changing
together," said Akane as she tried to calm her a little.
"Akane, this is Mr.P were talking about here; He'd
get lost if I didn't lead him around. It took him three
day's to find the bathroom in my apartment once, and it
only had two rooms," said Ranma looking at her
queerly. "Besides, he's seen me lots of times; He's not
some sex crazed pervert."
"You are being safe about it aren't you? I'd hate
to see you get pregnant. Your too young for a baby," said
Akane in a hoarse whisper.
"What do you mean? I don't know any spells that
would cause that. Even if I did there would be a counter
sp..." Ranma turned completely red. "I AM NOT SLEEPING WITH
MR.P!!"
The shout was heard in the living room and Soun
glared at Ryoga. "What's this about young man?"
Ryoga had frozen in terror and turned red once
again. "I didn't do anything I swear," he whined
pathetically.
Nabiki only smiled and munched on a potato chip
casually.
+++++++++++++++
Kodachi Kuno had not come out of her lab in a week.
She glared at charts and graphs. She had mixed countless
compounds and elixirs and still had come up with no
explanation for her brother's condition. She growled low
and tore at the folder that contained yet another
failure. "This will drive my poor school girl heart to
madness!" she said sweetly as she looked in a nearby
mirror. Her mannerism changed instantly as she turned away
from it and ground her teeth in frustration. "I know! I
have it! The perfect solution!" she said as a look of joy
appeared on her face. She turned and hugged the table that
had once held her notes. "I'll ask my brother!" she cried
looking proud of herself.
+++++++++++
Kuno sat in his room on a large backless chair with
a pair of reading glasses on. He was holding a book of the
great works of Shakespeare up to the light and reading
quietly. "Ah, but the great bard's words make my soul
sing!" he sighed as he used his wings to flick another log
into the large fireplace that he sat in front of, he was
becoming quite adept at using them. The book he held was
immense and held all of Shakespeare's works. It was about
three feet long and bound in heavy leather, it was hand
written on heavy hand pressed paper by some ancient monk in
a monastery many years ago and was Kuno's prized
possession, it weighed about a hundred pounds, and was made
to be used on a bookstand. Kuno held it up to the fire
light easily in his clawed hand and casually flipped the
pages with his other. Kodachi stormed into the room and
stood before her brother.
"Sister dear, did you not know it is the custom to
knock before you enter the chambers of another?" he said
with an exasperated sigh.
"Where? How? Where did you get those accursed
wings?" she demanded with a maddening gaze.
"Funny that you should call them cursed," snorted
Kuno as he ruffled them and folded them back into their
most relaxed position. He used to fear his sister a little,
not much, but enough to stay generally out of her way. Now
he didn't fear much at all.
"Tell me brother or I shall..." threatened Kodachi
with a maddening glare at the boy.
"Or you'll what? I doubt seriously that you could
do much to me any longer sister as I am far stronger and
more skilled than you now. I take my own meals and trust
you not. Therefore I see no real reason to partake in any
of your delusional questions. I have no wings, any fool can
see that, 'tis just another fit of your madness," said Kuno
casually as he returned to his reading.
Kodachi frowned and glared at him with almost
homicidal rage she shook with anger and resentment for her
sibling. "Fine if that is how you want to be, I shall leave
you," she said with her voice shaking in frustration.
Kuno peered at her from behind his book and a
conflict arose in his mind for a moment, a small pang of
guilt burned in his stomach. "If, and I say IF, I had
wings...which, I add, I do not. They could only be the
product of magical workings, be content with that sister,"
he said finally just as she was about to exit the room. He
smiled as the guilt vanished and returned to his book.
Kodachi froze in place and looked over to him with
an expressionless face. She turned wordlessly out the door
and into the hall. "Magic? Is such a thing possible?" she
wondered. "It seems I have at task for you Sasuke..." she
said as her servant emerged from the shadows nearby. "Fetch
me a sorcerer."
TBC...
