Master of Ki
Chapter 3
By Leif Johnson
Disclaimer: This humble (I AM LEIF JOHNSON, EXPERT AUTHOR AND MASTER OF
IC-NESS!) author did not create the characters in this story that share
the same names as any character in Ranma 1/2. The rest are mine.
***
"Not the Spring of Drowned girl, the Spring of Drowned Akane." Ryoga
toyed with a pair of chopsticks the guide had left on the table.
"Akane...? The girl you love? But, this means she's... oh..." Kijo
said, his eyes widening in shock.
"No! No, she's alive," Ryoga said quickly, holding up a hand. "She
*almost* drowned in the spring, but the magic was so potent it left a
curse," he explained.
Kijo breathed a sigh. "Thank goodness. For a moment there, I was afraid
I was going to have to help you through a major emotional crisis...
Something I don't think I could do." He leaned back against the wall,
then sat straight up again. He stood up and walked over to a mirror.
"So this is what she looks like..." he mused, turning slightly to get a
better look. "Hey!" he exclaimed, snapping his fingers. "That's the
girl that malleted me that one time!"
"Huh?" Ryoga said, walking over.
"I heard sounds of violence," Kijo explained, pouring a kettle of water
over himself, "and rushed over to this wall to see if I could stop it.
I climbed it, and saw her chasing after this other girl... Ranma? And a
panda. She hit me with the mallet. Hurt like hell," Kijo added,
frowning.
"Well..." Ryoga said, rolling his eyes, "she always fights with him."
"Hm. Brother and sister?" Kijo asked, flopping down on the bed.
"Of course not!" Ryoga said quickly.
"Oh?" Kijo said, raising an eyebrow. "Then what?"
"They're... engaged," Ryoga said bitterly.
"HUH?!?" Kijo grunted, falling over. "You're going after someone who's
already *engaged*?" he asked, in disbelief.
"But they hate each other! He treats her badly, and fights with her,
and goes after other girls!" Ryoga shouted, sitting up straighter.
"I mean, jeez Ryoga, that's really low," Kijo continued, not hearing
Ryoga. "Trying to woo a girl who's already promised to another... I
thought better of you..." he rested his elbows on his knees and swung
his head back and forth, muttering to himself.
"Are you even listening to me?" Ryoga grumbled, bonking Kijo on the
head.
"Eh?" Kijo said, snapping his head up. "What were you saying?" he
asked, blinking.
"I said," Ryoga said slowly, clenching his fists, "they hate each
other, he-"
"You were trying to *justify* yourself?" Kijo cried, shocked. "How can
you? That's... dishonorable! And wrong! And... something else!" he
ranted, pacing around the room. "What brought you to this? I never
suspected you would actually DO something like-"
"THEY DON'T WANT TO BE MARRIED!" Ryoga thundered, slamming his fist on
the table, knocking over a vase.
Kijo jumped slightly to avoid the spilt water and shook his head.
"That's not good enough! *I* don't want to be married now, but that
wouldn't stop me from liking someone!"
"But they don-" Ryoga protested, standing up.
"Ryoga, I'm going away. I'll be back tonight. Think about this, and
tell me when you finally see the simple fact behind this..." Kijo
sighed and strode out the door.
Ryoga blinked, staring out the door. "Hey!" he cried suddenly and
dashed out. "You don't understand..." he trailed off as Kijo hunched
over. "Kijo!" he growled. Kijo stood rock-steady, not moving a muscle.
"Kijo, what the hell..." Ryoga grumbled as he walked up to him and
reached out to smack him over the head. "GYAH!" he cried as Kijo
rocketed into the air, causing him to stumble backwards. He watched his
form zip over the tree tops and disappear. Ryoga sighed and unclenched
his fist. "Now I'll never find him..." he muttered, turning swiftly and
walked away from the guide's hut.
He stopped, blinked, and turned around. "Ah!" he cried, and rushed past
it. He stopped, looked around, and spotted it again. He took off again
and stopped when he realized he was looking out over the springs. "Damn
it all..." he grumbled and spun on his heel again.
***
Kijo sat on the top of the cliff overlooking the valley, his chin
resting in his palms. He absently tore the grass surrounding him into
tiny pieces. "Ryoga, I'd thought better of you..." he said softly,
gazing out over the legendary training ground. His head snapped up as
he heard a rustling noise behind him and spun around, focusing on the
shape hidden by the shadows. Kijo gasped.
A snickering sound emanated from the shape. "It... it's *you*..." Kijo
choked out, eyes wide. The thing snickered again and stepped out of the
shadows.
Kijo jumped up in terror as the thing stepped out into the moonlight.
He blinked, then rubbed his eyes. Groaning out loud, he flopped down
and threw a clod of dirt at the furry little animal. "Stupid thing..."
he muttered as it scampered off.
***
Ryoga leaned against the guide's office, arms crossed, glaring at the
moon, for lack of anything else to glare at. He had a right to glare,
didn't he? After all, Kijo made it seem like he was doing something
horribly wrong, when all he was doing was following his heart. So what
if they were engaged? They hated each other. It was Ryoga who Akane
held close, and treated kindly. True, he was a pig at the time, and she
didn't know the truth, but that was beside the point.
Akane needed someone better than Ranma. Ranma was never kind to her, he
was a womanizer, and an arrogant jerk, among other things. But...
Although Ryoga would never admit it, he didn't hate Ranma absolutely.
He had his moments, however few, small, and far between. That was still
no excuse, he didn't deserve Akane.
Ryoga sighed deeply, and hefted his pack. He felt like a little stroll
around the springs was in order...
***
Kijo lay on his side, a bit of drool coming from his open mouth. He
grunted in his sleep as an itch sprang up, and rolled over
unconsciously. He was awaked abruptly by the branch smacking him in the
face. "OW!" he cried as he sat up. Or tried to. He screamed and
hurriedly tried to summon enough energy to keep himself from being
brutally slammed against the ground below.
It didn't work. "AAWWOOFF!!!" he gasped as his breath was slammed out
of him like a sledgehammer to the chest. He doubled over clutching his
stomach and spit out a little bile. He moaned loudly and stood up
shakily.
"Mental... note..." he gasped, grabbing a nearby stick and using it to
drag himself towards the guide's office. "Don't... sleep...o.. on..
cliffssss..."
He collapsed in front of the door and shook his head. After a minute,
he stood up slowly and placed a hand against the wall for support.
"Ryoga?" he called. Receiving no answer, he stepped inside and looked
around. Ryoga was nowhere to be found. He looked over at his pack and
realized that Ryoga's wasn't there.
"DAMN IT ALL!!! HE'S LOST *AGAIN!*"
A low groan came from a nearby room. "Please Mr. Customer, do not
scream so loud so early in morning...."
***
Ryoga woke up to the sound of a large animal marching nearby. Whipping
his head from side to side, his gaze rested on several men riding...
elephants? White elephants, no less... "Excuse me!" he called out.
"Where am I?"
The leading man said something in another language to the other man
riding on his elephant, who replied, "India, sir."
"Damn."
***
On the way to his house via taxi, Kijo wondered where Ryoga was now. He
had known that trying to find him in a country as big as China would be
impossible, so he decided to just go home. Ryoga had made it to Nerima
from China once before, he could do it again, right? He glanced out and
briefly watched a young man cross the street behind him. He turned away
just to miss him step on a manhole cover and fall through with a shriek
as it crumpled under his feet.
Maybe Ryoga wasn't even in China?
***
Ranma sat on a rooftop, sulking. *That uncute tomboy.* He growled and
lay on his back. *I didn't even DO anything.* He frowned. *I think.*
"Shampoo! I knew I'd find you!"
Ranma blinked just before Mousse enveloped him in a hug. He swiftly
punched him in the face and snapped, "Who are you calling Shampoo?"
Mousse shook his head and slipped his glasses over his nose. "Oh, it's
you," he muttered, and sighed. He jerked his head up and glared at
Ranma. "Where's Shampoo?!?" he demanded. Ranma blinked.
"Huh?"
***
For some reason, Kijo could find absolutely nothing to do in his house.
Boredom seemed to seep from every square inch of the place. *Funny,* he
thought. *It never was this uninteresting before.* Sighing, he felt
that a stroll would help somewhat. It usually did.
***
"I don't know where Shampoo is! Why are you asking me?" Ranma asked,
frowning.
"She's gone!" Mousse wailed, clenching his fists and gazing at the sky.
"I haven't seen her since this morning!"
Ranma shook his head and jumped down from the roof. "Whatta moron. Now,
what was I doing here?" he asked himself, stopping. "Oh yeah," he said,
walking again with a slight slump. "That uncute tomboy booted me
here." He yelped slightly as Akane walked right past him at that
moment, grumbling to herself. He blinked and stared after her. "Hey,
Akane!" he called.
She kept walking, apparently ignoring him. "Hey!" Ranma called again,
running up to her. She stopped, and turned slightly.
"Me?" she asked, eyebrows raised.
Ranma frowned. "Well, duh, who else? What's up with you?" he asked,
tilting his head to the side quizzically.
"Ummmm," she replied, eyes darting from side to side. "Nothing. Just,
thinking. Yeah, lost in thought. I, um, gotta go... bye!" she said
quickly and dashed off.
Ranma scratched his head. "That was weird..."
***
Kijo stopped around the corner and leaned against the wall. "Whew!
Close one," he muttered. "Man," he said, looking down at his feminine
hands, "this is weird." He resumed walking. "Everything's so...
different," he mused, walking slowly down the street. "A girl, eh? No,
not just any girl, but 'Akane.' Apparently, Ryoga loves her, and she's
engaged to Ranma," he said aloud, not paying attention to his
surroundings.
"They hate each other. Ranma's a lady's man? This is shaping up to be
something odd..." He sighed and stepped into a store. The bells
jingled quietly, heralding the arrival of a customer.
"Hello," a voice called from a darkened hallway. A middle-aged man with
brown hair and glasses stepped up to the desk. Kijo blinked, then
remembered that this was the bookstore he had seen when he first got
here.
"May I help you?" the man asked politely. Kijo shook his head.
"Just lookin'," he replied and turned to the shelves. He sat down in
a nearby leather chair and sighed. What to do? What was there to do?
He stood up and paced around the store. *Why worry? Just let Ryoga
work it out. Yeah, it's his business, and if he wants me to do
somethin', I will! But, if he doesn't... then I won't.* He stopped,
and looked around.
"Hmph. Ryoga, you idiot," He said aloud. That pretty much summed it
all up...
"Is something the matter?"
Kijo jumped and turned around. The shopkeeper was standing there,
beaming the essence of gentleness. "Uhhhh... not... really... Well..."
Kijo said slowly, fidgeting.
"Oh, it's not any of my business, sorry," the man said and turned away.
Kijo watched as he walked behind the counter and sat down in a wooden
chair. Kijo bit his lip, thinking.
*Well, he wouldn't recognize me, I'm in a whole new body, it's not like
it matters...* Kijo cleared his throat. "Well, I have this friend..."
***
"WHERE ON EARTH AM I NOW?!?" Ryoga screamed, leaning back, fists
clenched, eyes closed as he faced the heavens. Suddenly, a trash can
lid bounced off the back of his head.
"For the hundredth time, get out of my yard!" an old man shouted from
his porch. "Damn kids, never know when to leave well enough alone..."
Ryoga blinked, and walked off, absently kicking down the man's mailbox
on his way.
"Hey!" the man shouted from his window. Ryoga ignored him. He had been
sure that the boat he had taken was headed for Japan, but he had no
idea which part. He had been wandering for the past three days, and he
thought he was starting to see familiar landmarks. The fact that he was
on a one-kilometer-square island with only two inhabitants had not yet
occurred to him.
He stopped in front of a building. "I'd swear I've seen that house
before..." he mused.
"Jeez, boy, are you lost or what? This is the forty-seventh time you've
been here!" an old lady called from the porch.
"No, I'm *not* lost! I know exactly where I... er... where am I?" he
asked sheepishly.
The old lady shook her head in exasperation. "Listen boy, do you need a
ride off this island or what?"
"Um, do you have one?" Ryoga asked, scratching the back of his neck.
***
The shopkeeper leaned over his counter, tapping his chin. "Well, that's
an interesting little mess, isn't it?" he said thoughtfully.
"You could say that," Kijo said quietly from the chair he was slumped
in. He watched the man tap his fingers on the countertop absent-
mindedly. He sat up straight and adjusted his glasses.
"Well, you might want to-" he started. "EEEYYAH!" he shrieked as Ranma
came crashing through the door. He lay on the floor twitching for a
second, then jumped up.
"Dirty old goat! I'll get you for that!" he cried and leaped out
through the hole. He stopped suddenly in the middle of the street, and
started to turn around. Kijo looked curiously at him then noticed Akane
standing on the sidewalk.
"Ack!" he exclaimed.
Ranma dashed back into the store and looked around. "That's funny," he
said, scratching his head. Suddenly he perked up. "Oh yeah! Happosai!"
he cried, snapping his fingers. "You old freak!" he yelled, running
outside again.
Kijo groaned and lifted the fallen bookshelf off of himself. "That...
was close," he said, shaking his head briskly. "I'd better go!" he
cried, taking off down the hallway to the back door.
The shopkeeper stuck his head above the counter nervously. "Is... is it
over?" he asked shakily. Then he saw the gigantic image of a shriveled
old man blast a ball of energy in his direction, missing its true
target. "EEK!"
***
Ryoga stood on a bridge overlooking the city. "I... I've made it..." he
announced triumphantly, clenching his fist and turning his head
upwards. "Now," he cried, jabbing a finger in the air, "nothing can go
wrong!"
"Look out!" he heard someone scream, and jumped away from the car that
came barreling his direction, and saw the driver shake a fist at him.
"Eep!" he cried, noting that he had jumped off the bridge. And a bridge
is usually is over water...
"Bu-kee!!" he squealed, using his pack as a raft. *I spoke too soon...*
***
"RRRRAAAANNNMMAAAA!!!!!" Happosai roared. "YOU WILL PAY!!!" So saying,
he released a blast of ki at his wildly dodging form. It caught Ranma
square in the chest.
"UMPH!" he grunted as he slammed into the ground. "You... freak..." he
muttered, getting to his feet.
Happosai laughed evilly. "You'll pay for messing with my fun!" he
declared, jabbing an enlarged finger at Ranma. Ranma defiantly glared
at the old pervert, clenching his fist.
"In your dreams, freak!" he said loudly, leaping at him.
"HAPPO FIVE-YEN SATSU!" Ranma's eyes widened upon hearing the words,
and he desperately attempted to calm his aura. Happosai was not so
lucky, and got hit by the brunt of the attack. Ranma looked up at an
adult Hinako as she booted the *very* shriveled Happosai away.
"Th... thanks, teach..." Ranma gasped, leaning forward.
"Senile delinquents must be taken care of," Hinako said simply. Ranma
nodded, getting to his feet slowly. Standing straight, he looked across
the street at Hinako, who looked calmly back.
Then, they both watched Happosai float in on a breeze.
"He *doesn't* go away!" Ranma yelled, viciously stomping on him.
Happosai crumpled like a dry twig under a steamroller.
"Excuse me," Ranma heard someone say behind him.
"Yeah?" he asked, turning around. A boy about his age stood before him,
decked in several layers of clothing. He wore a Maoist cap, a normal
shirt and pants, a vest, then a jacket, then a robe, then a cloak. He
had heavy boots on and wore gloves with open fingertips. All of his
clothing was black.
"What city is this?" he asked.
"Uh, Tokyo, Nerima District," Ranma answered. The boy shook his hand.
"Thanks a lot. I'll be on my wa-AAYY!!!" he yelled as he stepped
on a manhole cover, and fell through as it crumpled. His exasperated
voice came drifting from the street. "Should make those things more
sturdy..."
"Hey, you okay?" Ranma called down the hole.
The boy looked up at him. "Oh yeah, just fine," he replied, laughing
casually and waving his hand. Ranma sat back and shrugged, just before
the boy burst from the street in front of him.
"YIPE!" Ranma cried and jumped back. The boy scratched the back of his
head and looked down at the hole in the road.
"Eh, I missed," he said, sounding embarrassed. He shrugged. "Oh well."
"Hey," Ranma said, gesturing. "There was a ladder, y'know."
"It wouldn't work," the boy said, turning away.
"Why?" Ranma asked, confused.
"Never mind. Thank you for your help," he said, turned his head in the
direction he was walking. He promptly tripped over a banana peel
someone had left on the sidewalk, and fell into a street lamp. To
Ranma's surprise, it immediately toppled over, falling on the boy.
"Heh, people should be more careful where they put those..." he said,
standing up.
Ranma blinked as the boy began walking away again. "Weird..." he said,
scratching his head.
***
Kijo jogged down the streets, thinking. *Wonder what that guy was about
to tell me. Ah, couldn't a been that important, anyway...* He slowed
to a walk, and stuck his hands in his pockets. *Where IS that idiot,
anyway?*
"Eh?" he said as the ground below him swelled up.
"SHISHI HOKODAN!"
"DYAHH!" Kijo cried as the blast carried him high into the air. Ryoga
stepped out of the hole he had created.
"Now where am I?" he asked no one in particular. Then, Kijo smacked
into his skull. "OH!" he cried, seeing who it was. "AKANE! What have I
done!" he said angrily, shaking him.
"Mm? Ryoga?" Kijo muttered weakly.
"AKANE! I'M SO SORRY!!! PLEASE FORGIVE ME!!!" Ryoga nearly shrieked,
bowing so rapidly so much Kijo was afraid he'd get a concussion from
bashing his forehead into the ground.
Kijo blinked as bits of cement flew upwards. *Or maybe not.* "Ryoga,
you're such a moron..." he sighed, shaking his head.
"What?" Ryoga gasped, looking up her with tears in his eyes. "Do you...
really mean that?" he said pitifully.
Kijo leaned backwards and chuckled. "You should be glad you weren't
doing this in front of Akane, or she'd think you were really
pathetic." Ryoga blinked at her with wide eyes. He glanced down at
Kijo's arm, and poked at his brown leather jacket. He then returned his
gaze to Kijo's face.
"Don't DO that to me!" Ryoga exclaimed, smacking Kijo over the head.
"Heh," Kijo chuckled as he sat up again, a bump now on his head. "You
dope."
"Why you..." Ryoga growled. He stopped, blinked, then handed Kijo a
thermos. "Change back now. I feel like I have actually struck
Akane..." he said softly, face downcast.
"Oh, thanks," Kijo said, and dumped the contents over his head. "Ah,
much better!" he said, relieved. "So," he asked casually as they began
walking down the street, "You finally made it back. I knew you would! I
mean, you did last time..." he added, waving his hand.
"Yes, I did," Ryoga said gazing off at the sky. "But it was difficult,
fraught with the terrors of-"
"Oh, stuff it."
They glared at each other for a minute, then resumed walking with a
chuckle. Kijo noticed a woman standing in the middle of the street,
turning to see a heavily-dressed boy run up to her. "Excuse me,
ma'am!" the boy called, reaching her.
"Yes?" she replied, absently shifting her katana to her other hand.
"Do you know where I can get a map of this city?" he asked, glancing
around.
"Why yes! You go to the..." she trailed off as she heard a screeching
sound, and they both turned to see a car barreling down the street,
straight towards the two.
"Oh no!" Ryoga and Kijo cried, leaping forward.
"No good! We're too late!" Ryoga yelled.
The boy glanced at the drunk driver, tensed slightly, then rushed at
the car in a shoulder charge.
"Is he CRAZY?!?" Kijo yelled. "He'll be killed!"
"You FOOL!" Ryoga cried out, just before the explosion caused all of
them to turn away.
The woman with the sword stumbled, and Ryoga caught her before she hit
the ground. All three of them stared into the smoke cloud, and Kijo
announced, "He's a goner, for sure." Ryoga gaped in shock.
Then, heavy footsteps were heard, and the boy walked into view,
carrying the man over his shoulder. He looked a little burnt, but
pretty well off. "You..." the woman said uncertainly, pointing a finger
at him.
"I'm all right. Do you know where a hospital is? He needs attention,
now," he said, gesturing to the unconscious man draped over his
shoulder. She nodded and pointed off at a large gray building nearby.
Wordlessly, he turned and began to jog.
"Who are you?" she asked shakily.
The boy stopped, and glanced back at her. "I'm called Ranma. Ranma
Saotome." She gasped. Ryoga blinked. Kijo scratched his head.
"R..R...Ranma...?" the woman stammered.
"Yes," he replied, jogging down the street towards the hospital.
The woman stood still for a moment, then cried, "Wait!" The boy,
however, was out of earshot. She chased after him frantically.
Kijo and Ryoga stood there like statues. "What," Kijo said suddenly,
scratching his head, "was THAT all about?"
Ryoga shook his head helplessly.
***
Happosai was angry. Ranma had managed to escape his wrath, all because
of his former student, Hinako... If he wasn't feeling so weak, and
shriveled, and helpless, and sickly, and if he was able to move...
Well, he'd show Ranma a real fight. He'd make that insolent, arrogant
boy PAY for his crimes. But for now...
"Look, Mommy! It's a little troll!" Happosai tried to blink, then saw a
little girl pick him up. "Can I keep it, Mommy? Can I?"
"Well, I guess so," the girl's mother said sweetly.
"Thank you, Mommy!" the girl squealed, hugging Happosai close.
*Heeeelp...* he thought weakly.
***
Ryoga and Kijo began jogging towards the hospital. "I wanna know," Kijo
huffed, "what that was all about."
Ryoga nodded, not even slightly out of breath. "I want to know how he
stopped that car so easily," he said, frowning.
"Yeah," Kijo wheezed, "that too."
"Out of the way! She's crazy!"
"Huh?" Kijo said, turning just in time for Ranma to leap off his face.
"Ohohohohoho! Ranma-darling, why do you run away?" Kodachi laughed
shrilly, and Ryoga shivered. She swung a bouquet of black roses around
as she leapt after Ranma, and they caught Kijo square in the face as
she leapt over him.
"Akthph!" he sputtered, then his eyes widened. "I..." he started, his
eyes darting around.
"What?" Ryoga asked, an eyebrow raised.
"I cnnt mv," Kijo answered between his teeth.
Ryoga shook his head and picked Kijo up, who was as limp as a rubber
band. He turned back to what he thought was the hospital, and stopped
when he noticed he was standing in front of a floral shop. "Drat it
all," he grumbled, turning on his heel.
"Is she gone?" a nearby flowerpot asked cautiously.
"Eh?" Ryoga grunted, dropping Kijo, who squeaked upon impact with the
street.
Ranma popped up from the display, the flowerpot on his head. He swung
his head from side to side rapidly, then sighed in relief.
"So, Ryoga, what brings you here?" he asked, stepping out of the hole
the flowerpot had been resting in.
Ryoga shook his head and picked Kijo up again. "We were just following
some guy who says he's you," he answered casually.
"What?" Ranma blinked.
"Yeah, he saved this lady with a katana, and she acted all funny when
he said he was you," Ryoga explained, turning. Kijo's head smacked into
the wall. He groaned through his teeth.
"Ka...ta...na...?" Ranma said slowly, his eyes blank. Suddenly he
slammed his fist into the door frame. "Not AGAIN!" he shouted angrily.
"Eh?" Ryoga grunted, stepping backwards, accidentally ramming Kijo into
a flowerpot.
"This is the LAST time someone plays with my mother's heart!" Ranma
declared, jabbing a finger into the air. So saying, he turned to Ryoga
quickly. "Which way did he go?"
"Uh, the hospital," Ryoga answered nervously.
"Then I'm off! I'll make him wish he was never born," he muttered under
his breath and dashed down the street. Ryoga blinked then suddenly
remembered what he had been doing. He dashed after Ranma, not noticing
that Kijo's head kept slamming into random objects.
"Nnnnnnggggghhh......" Kijo groaned as a Chihuahua latched onto his
hair angrily.
***
"Wait!" Nodoka cried, flinging the doors open. She dashed across the
waiting room to the boy who claimed to be Ranma. He had just turned the
man over to the hospital and was about to leave.
"Yes?" he asked tonelessly.
"Ranma..." Nodoka said softly. "My son!" she cried, enveloping him in a
hug. He blinked.
"Umm..." he said nervously, placing his hands against her shoulders and
pushing slightly.
"Ranma... what?" Nodoka said tearfully.
"Do I know you?" he asked quizzically.
"I'm... I'm you mother!" she said, clasping his hands in hers.
He looked at her for a long moment, then turned away. "I've never seen
you before," he said, walking off.
Nodoka quickly explained, "You left when you were very young, so you
wouldn't remember me."
The boy shook his head. "Some things.... aren't as they seem." So
saying, he walked out the doors, leaving behind a very disheartened
Nodoka.
***
"Hey, you!" Ranma cried, jabbing a finger at the boy as he stepped
outside. He stopped.
"What?" he asked, confused.
"How DARE you toy with my mother like that!" Ranma growled, cracking
his knuckles.
The boy raised an eyebrow. "Do you want a fight, or something?" he
asked, gesturing at Ranma's offensive stance.
"You bet!" Ranma cried, leaping forward. He launched a strong punch
into the boy's abdomen. The boy smirked slightly as he gripped Ranma's
wrist. He swung Ranma around and slammed him brutally into the ground
several times, leaving small craters each time.
Ranma grunted with each impact. The guy's grip was incredible! Try as
he might, he couldn't get his wrist out of his opponent's iron grasp.
The boy slammed Ranma into the ground again, and let go. Ranma groaned
and got to his knees. The boy grabbed the back of his neck from behind
and lifted him into the air. Ranma jabbed his elbow back and felt it
hit his target solidly. The boy simply brushed it off, however, and
slammed Ranma's face into the ground viciously.
Ranma groaned and placed his palms against the ground to push himself
up, but suddenly the boy jumped up and stomped on Ranma's back, which
drove him several feet down into the street. He felt all the air get
knocked out of him, and then he passed out.
***
Ranma woke up to discover a few things. First, his back hurt, a lot.
Second, everything was dark. Third, everything was cold.
"You think he'll wake up soon?"
"He should, he's been out for about a half-hour now."
Fourth, someone was talking, and the voices came from above.
"Don't you think we should have at least pulled him up out of that
hole?"
"Nah."
Oh. That would explain it...
Ranma let out a low groan and pushed himself up. He climbed out of the
hole and saw Ryoga and Kijo, who had been drinking tea, turn to him.
"About time," Ryoga said, sipping from his cup.
"Yeah, we almost got worried," Kijo added.
Ranma pulled himself up to the table and joined them. "Man," he said
thoughtfully. "That guy's last attack REALLY hurt."
"What?" Ryoga said quizzically, setting his cup down. "All he did was
stomp on you."
"Eh?" Ranma said with wide eyes. "Geez, it felt like a three-ton
boulder!"
"Actually, the last time you got hit by a three-ton boulder, you didn't
get knocked out," Ryoga argued.
Ranma blinked, and rubbed his chin. "Oh, yeah. Okay, then a ten-ton
boulder."
Kijo scratched his head. "What the heck are you guys talking about?" he
asked, giving them both odd looks.
Ryoga and Ranma shook their heads. "Nothing," they answered casually.
Kijo shrugged it off and took another drink of his tea.
"Anyway," Ranma said in a low voice, "I'll make him pay for doing that
to my mom."
"Aaaaactually," Kijo said, rolling his eyes, "we talked to him a little
after you were conked out."
"Yeah?" Ranma questioned, leaning backwards, forgetting his was sitting
in the middle of the street.
"Yeah. If you'll sit up straight, I'll tell you. Okay, after he jumped
out of the hole..."
***
"Neat trick," Kijo commented.
The boy smirked. "It's part of my life-time training."
"Really?" Ryoga asked, arms crossed.
"Yeah, it's in the clothes," the boy explained, lifted his arms a
little. "I've been wearing them for years."
"How does your clothing help you stomp someone five feet into the
ground?" Kijo asked, his eyebrows creased.
"It's heavy," the boy replied simply.
"Alright, but why do you call yourself Ranma?" Ryoga prodded.
"That," the boy said, turning his head to the sky, "is my own
business." He started walking away. "By the way," he said, almost as an
afterthought, "Who is he?" he asked, pointing toward the hole.
"Umm, that's Ranma Saotome," Kijo answered, confused.
The boy's expression changed suddenly to awe, then utter confusion.
"But, that doesn't make any sense..." he muttered, walking off
thoughtfully.
***
"That doesn't explain ANYTHING!" Ranma exclaimed angrily, smacking the
table with his palm.
"It explains why you went from a fight to a spelunking expedition in
mere seconds," Kijo offered. He got a tea-cup in the face for said
offer.
"But what about my mom?" Ranma demanded. "I can't let him do that to
her! Once is barely forgivable, I won't be able to live with letting it
happen TWICE!" He was frantic by then.
"Just how heavy IS he, anyway?" Ryoga wondered aloud.
"I dunno," Kijo replied, looking perplexed, "but it doesn't look like
he should be able to do that," he said, gesturing to the hole in the
street, "with just what he's carrying."
"Do you mind?!" Ranma growled. "I'm in the middle of a big family
problem here, and you're not helping!"
"Well, excuse me," Kijo said, with just a trace of sarcasm in his
voice. He leaned back, temporarily forgetting his position. "Um, I
suggest you, uh, ask him, um, why he's... posing as you?" He suggested
from the ground.
"He'd better have a REALLY good explanation!" Ranma cried, jumping up.
"Which way did he go?" he asked suddenly, gripping Kijo's shirt.
"Oh, just down the street. Hey, c'mon, this shirt's new," Kijo
protested.
Ranma dropped him and dashed wordlessly down the street.
"Boy, he's easily excited, ain't he?" Kijo said, standing up.
Ryoga shrugged and stood up too. "Should we follow?" Ryoga inquired,
gesturing down the street.
Kijo thought about, holding his chin in his hand. He looked up and
grinned. "Sure! There's bound to be a fight. Wouldn't wanna miss
that!" So saying, he bounded off in the direction the other two had
gone.
Ryoga followed after a moments hesitation. *What's so special about a
fight?*
***
"Where is he, where is he, where is he..." Ranma repeated this simple
mantra as he ran through the streets in search of his target. "Stupid
moron, I'll teach him..." A grinding noise caught his ear, and he
whipped around to see... an empty street. He looked back and forth a
few times, then turned to go.
"DAMN those manhole covers!"
Ranma whipped around again at the frustrated shout, and saw the boy
leap through the center of the street.
"I've gotta watch where I'm going..." the boy muttered, starting to
walk again.
"HEY!" Ranma shouted angrily.
"Eh?" the boy said inquisitively, turning around. "You again?" he
questioned, then shook his head. "So, you call yourself Ranma Saotome,
eh?" he said with a chuckle.
Ranma's face darkened. "Why you..." he growled, leaping forward. The
boy waited for Ranma to land a punch, then grabbed at his wrist again.
To his surprise, however, it wasn't there. The next thing he knew,
Ranma was behind him, laying down a painful array of punches.
The boy spun around and swung at Ranma, but he was already gone. He
glared as he saw him standing down the street from him, an angry
expression on his face. The boy rushed at him, pulling both arms back.
"For what you've done..." Ranma started, his foot positioning changing
slightly, "You will PA-OOMHP!!!" He had attempted to slip inside the
boy's defenses and land several blows, and he had succeeded. What he
hadn't counted on was the boy's momentum, mixed with his incredible
weight.
He struggled to toss his burden off of him, and succeeded in tossing
him a short distance. *God!* he thought, in disbelief, *He weighs a
TON! No, make that ten tons.* He watched the boy run at him again, then
hit him with a blast of ki.
"Moko Takabisha!" he cried. To his surprise, his opponent didn't go
flying backwards, but was knocked to the ground. He made a loud *THUMP*
upon contact.
The boy stood up quickly, and shook his head. He then advanced upon
Ranma again.
*Man!* he thought, exasperated, *this guy really takes a beating!*
***
Kijo ran down the streets, his head whipping around, trying to locate
what he assumed would be, if it wasn't already, a battle. He stopped at
an intersection and glanced down all four streets, then pulled a coin
out of his pocket. "Heads, I go down the...." he trailed off as he
noticed Ryoga wasn't with him anymore.
He gnashed his teeth and threw the coin to the ground. "Dammit Ryoga!"
he growled, frustrated. Suddenly, he heard an explosion and a cry of,
"Moko Takabisha!"
Torn between finding Ryoga and watching the fight, he eventually
decided on the latter. "He'll find his way back, always does," he
reasoned to himself.
***
Ranma grimaced as he drew his opponent into the spiral. He had decided
that just beating on him wouldn't work, he had way too much endurance.
The blasts of ki weren't doing much, either. The guy was slow, but when
he did get a hit in, it really, REALLY hurt. Maintaining his 'soul of
ice,' he thrust his fist upward, and cried, "Hiryu shoten ha!!"
The boy's snarling face abruptly turned to surprise, as he felt himself
being lifted upward, albeit very slowly.
Ranma watched with wide eyes at the sight. It wasn't quite like he had
expected. The boy was being pulled into the tornado, but he was moving
like molasses. He was hardly four feet off the ground by then.
Frustrated, Ranma shot him with another ki blast, accidentally losing
his 'soul of ice' in doing so. With an angry bellow, he shot upwards.
The other boy had finally lost his battle against the high-speed wind,
and was being tossed around, more or less, like a rag doll. He felt
himself being pulled towards the eye of the storm, and when he reached
it, he dropped like a stone. His eyes widened as he saw the ground
rushing towards him at an amazing rate, and cried out in terror just
before he struck.
***
Kijo turned the corner and fell backwards in surprise. While he had
expected to see a fight, he had not expected to see THIS. Numerous
craters were scattered around the street, and both boys were trapped
inside a huge cyclone. He stood up shakily and peered into the raging
winds.
He saw a speck appear, and as it drew nearer, he saw it was the other
boy, and he had a terrified expression on his face.
"Oh my go-" Kijo breathed just as the boy struck the center of the
street. He made a horrible, grinding, cracking, crunching noise as he
drove deep into the earth. The resulting hole had a fairly wide mouth,
and funneled downwards nearly two hundred feet.
Kijo looked up again and saw Ranma shoot a large ball of ki into the
hole, presumably just to make sure. Ranma slammed into the street, and
stood up shakily as the winds died down.
Ranma bent over and placed his hands on his knees, breathing heavily.
"He HAS to be down, now," he muttered.
Kijo cautiously walked over to the edge of the hole and peered in. He
saw a form at the bottom and called out, "It doesn't look like he's
moving. I'd saw you won."
Ranma grinned and stood up a little straighter.
Kijo squinted and looked again, only to see a shower of dirt appear
from nowhere, at the bottom. "What the.." he said, jerking back. Ranma
stood beside Kijo, staring down into the hole. They saw the boy's form
moving up the side, but it looked bigger, somehow...
"No way...." Ranma gasped.
As soon as the boy had enough light on him, Kijo breathed a sigh of
relief. "Ryoga!" he exclaimed.
Ryoga gritted his teeth and sunk his hand into the dirt, as there were
no handholds.
Ranma let out a breath. "I knew he wouldn't be able to walk after
that..."
Ryoga gripped the edge of the hole, and pulled himself out. He
collapsed in a heap and dumped the boy onto the ground.
"God!" he exclaimed, slumping to his hands and knees. "He's HEAVY!"
Ranma raised an eyebrow. If he was heavy enough to wear Ryoga out, he
must weigh... who knows?
***
Kasumi looked up and saw Ranma, Ryoga and another boy carry someone
into the yard, and they all abruptly dropped him to the ground with
assorted groans. "Hello, Ranma!" she called, stepping outside. "Who's
your friend?"
Ranma waved a hand at Kijo, who said, "I'm Kijo Kuraki. Nice to meet
you."
Kasumi smiled cheerily. "I'm Kasumi Tendo. Who is he?" she asked,
pointing to the unconscious boy.
Ranma shook his head. "I dunno. He calls himself me."
Kasumi crinkled her brow slightly, but shrugged it off. "You can use
the bath if you like," she offered, walking into the house.
The boys nodded weakly and flopped down on the grass. Kijo wiped the
sweat off his brow, then froze as a groan escaped the other boy's lips.
All three of them turned to the stranger, who sat up shakily.
"What the hell...?" he muttered, as his eyes focused on his
surroundings. His gaze wandered over Ryoga and Kijo, then stopped on
Ranma. He stared at him for a moment, then looked away. "I guess you
really are Ranma," he said grudgingly.
"Of course I am!" Ranma growled, smacking him over the head. "Just who
the hell are you?!" he demanded.
The boy looked back at Ranma, then shrugged. "My real name is Thyme,"
he said simply.
"Thyme?" Kijo asked, smirking. "What kinda name is-"
"You wouldn't be a..." Ryoga interrupted, pointing at Thyme
uncertainly.
"A what?" Thyme asked quizzically.
"Where were those guys from, Ranma?" Ryoga asked Ranma suddenly.
"The Musk Dynasty?" Ranma suggested.
"Yeah, that's it," Ryoga said, nodding his head. "Are you from th-"
"Yes," Thyme cut him off, "I have parted ways from the Musk, on less
than agreeable terms."
"So you're an exile?" Kijo blurted.
Thyme smacked him over the head. "Do you have to put it so bluntly?!?"
"Whadja do?" Ranma asked, crossing his legs and leaning forward.
Thyme leaned back and smirked arrogantly. "None of your business."
Ranma narrowed his eyes, then brought a mallet down on his head, which
shattered, but Thyme still fell over.
"Yes, it IS my business," Ranma growled, grabbing Thyme by the front of
his shirt.
"Ah, aheh," Thyme stuttered, waving his hand, "of course. You see, they
wouldn't allow me to enter any houses..."
"Why?" Ryoga interrupted.
"Because," Thyme explained, not-so-patiently, "I always broke through
the floor."
Ranma, Ryoga, and Kijo all stared at him.
"Um, ever try changing your clothes?" Ryoga suggested.
"Ah, but it wouldn't matter," Thyme said dramatically, clenching his
fist. "I am under a curse, you see, that increases the weight of my
clothing a thousand-fold. Or something like that."
"Then why do you wear so many layers?" Kijo asked, tilting his head to
the side.
"I come here seeking an artifact," Thyme continued, ignoring Kijo,
"that allows me to control my curse. It is a magic bottle that, when
used properly, sucks away any curse that the user has."
Ranma, Ryoga, and Kijo froze.
"Did you say..." Ryoga started.
"It takes away..." Kijo said.
"Any curse?" Ranma finished.
Thyme nodded. "If I have that, my troubles will be over!" he said, with
a smile on his face. "Although, " he added, looking down at himself,
"Having to spend my whole life dragging this much weight around has
certainly been good training..." He suddenly noticed the three faces
bearing down on him.
"Take us to it!" they demanded.
Thyme sweatdropped. "Er, I don't really know where it is..."
"Grrrr...."
End chapter 3
Chapter 3
By Leif Johnson
Disclaimer: This humble (I AM LEIF JOHNSON, EXPERT AUTHOR AND MASTER OF
IC-NESS!) author did not create the characters in this story that share
the same names as any character in Ranma 1/2. The rest are mine.
***
"Not the Spring of Drowned girl, the Spring of Drowned Akane." Ryoga
toyed with a pair of chopsticks the guide had left on the table.
"Akane...? The girl you love? But, this means she's... oh..." Kijo
said, his eyes widening in shock.
"No! No, she's alive," Ryoga said quickly, holding up a hand. "She
*almost* drowned in the spring, but the magic was so potent it left a
curse," he explained.
Kijo breathed a sigh. "Thank goodness. For a moment there, I was afraid
I was going to have to help you through a major emotional crisis...
Something I don't think I could do." He leaned back against the wall,
then sat straight up again. He stood up and walked over to a mirror.
"So this is what she looks like..." he mused, turning slightly to get a
better look. "Hey!" he exclaimed, snapping his fingers. "That's the
girl that malleted me that one time!"
"Huh?" Ryoga said, walking over.
"I heard sounds of violence," Kijo explained, pouring a kettle of water
over himself, "and rushed over to this wall to see if I could stop it.
I climbed it, and saw her chasing after this other girl... Ranma? And a
panda. She hit me with the mallet. Hurt like hell," Kijo added,
frowning.
"Well..." Ryoga said, rolling his eyes, "she always fights with him."
"Hm. Brother and sister?" Kijo asked, flopping down on the bed.
"Of course not!" Ryoga said quickly.
"Oh?" Kijo said, raising an eyebrow. "Then what?"
"They're... engaged," Ryoga said bitterly.
"HUH?!?" Kijo grunted, falling over. "You're going after someone who's
already *engaged*?" he asked, in disbelief.
"But they hate each other! He treats her badly, and fights with her,
and goes after other girls!" Ryoga shouted, sitting up straighter.
"I mean, jeez Ryoga, that's really low," Kijo continued, not hearing
Ryoga. "Trying to woo a girl who's already promised to another... I
thought better of you..." he rested his elbows on his knees and swung
his head back and forth, muttering to himself.
"Are you even listening to me?" Ryoga grumbled, bonking Kijo on the
head.
"Eh?" Kijo said, snapping his head up. "What were you saying?" he
asked, blinking.
"I said," Ryoga said slowly, clenching his fists, "they hate each
other, he-"
"You were trying to *justify* yourself?" Kijo cried, shocked. "How can
you? That's... dishonorable! And wrong! And... something else!" he
ranted, pacing around the room. "What brought you to this? I never
suspected you would actually DO something like-"
"THEY DON'T WANT TO BE MARRIED!" Ryoga thundered, slamming his fist on
the table, knocking over a vase.
Kijo jumped slightly to avoid the spilt water and shook his head.
"That's not good enough! *I* don't want to be married now, but that
wouldn't stop me from liking someone!"
"But they don-" Ryoga protested, standing up.
"Ryoga, I'm going away. I'll be back tonight. Think about this, and
tell me when you finally see the simple fact behind this..." Kijo
sighed and strode out the door.
Ryoga blinked, staring out the door. "Hey!" he cried suddenly and
dashed out. "You don't understand..." he trailed off as Kijo hunched
over. "Kijo!" he growled. Kijo stood rock-steady, not moving a muscle.
"Kijo, what the hell..." Ryoga grumbled as he walked up to him and
reached out to smack him over the head. "GYAH!" he cried as Kijo
rocketed into the air, causing him to stumble backwards. He watched his
form zip over the tree tops and disappear. Ryoga sighed and unclenched
his fist. "Now I'll never find him..." he muttered, turning swiftly and
walked away from the guide's hut.
He stopped, blinked, and turned around. "Ah!" he cried, and rushed past
it. He stopped, looked around, and spotted it again. He took off again
and stopped when he realized he was looking out over the springs. "Damn
it all..." he grumbled and spun on his heel again.
***
Kijo sat on the top of the cliff overlooking the valley, his chin
resting in his palms. He absently tore the grass surrounding him into
tiny pieces. "Ryoga, I'd thought better of you..." he said softly,
gazing out over the legendary training ground. His head snapped up as
he heard a rustling noise behind him and spun around, focusing on the
shape hidden by the shadows. Kijo gasped.
A snickering sound emanated from the shape. "It... it's *you*..." Kijo
choked out, eyes wide. The thing snickered again and stepped out of the
shadows.
Kijo jumped up in terror as the thing stepped out into the moonlight.
He blinked, then rubbed his eyes. Groaning out loud, he flopped down
and threw a clod of dirt at the furry little animal. "Stupid thing..."
he muttered as it scampered off.
***
Ryoga leaned against the guide's office, arms crossed, glaring at the
moon, for lack of anything else to glare at. He had a right to glare,
didn't he? After all, Kijo made it seem like he was doing something
horribly wrong, when all he was doing was following his heart. So what
if they were engaged? They hated each other. It was Ryoga who Akane
held close, and treated kindly. True, he was a pig at the time, and she
didn't know the truth, but that was beside the point.
Akane needed someone better than Ranma. Ranma was never kind to her, he
was a womanizer, and an arrogant jerk, among other things. But...
Although Ryoga would never admit it, he didn't hate Ranma absolutely.
He had his moments, however few, small, and far between. That was still
no excuse, he didn't deserve Akane.
Ryoga sighed deeply, and hefted his pack. He felt like a little stroll
around the springs was in order...
***
Kijo lay on his side, a bit of drool coming from his open mouth. He
grunted in his sleep as an itch sprang up, and rolled over
unconsciously. He was awaked abruptly by the branch smacking him in the
face. "OW!" he cried as he sat up. Or tried to. He screamed and
hurriedly tried to summon enough energy to keep himself from being
brutally slammed against the ground below.
It didn't work. "AAWWOOFF!!!" he gasped as his breath was slammed out
of him like a sledgehammer to the chest. He doubled over clutching his
stomach and spit out a little bile. He moaned loudly and stood up
shakily.
"Mental... note..." he gasped, grabbing a nearby stick and using it to
drag himself towards the guide's office. "Don't... sleep...o.. on..
cliffssss..."
He collapsed in front of the door and shook his head. After a minute,
he stood up slowly and placed a hand against the wall for support.
"Ryoga?" he called. Receiving no answer, he stepped inside and looked
around. Ryoga was nowhere to be found. He looked over at his pack and
realized that Ryoga's wasn't there.
"DAMN IT ALL!!! HE'S LOST *AGAIN!*"
A low groan came from a nearby room. "Please Mr. Customer, do not
scream so loud so early in morning...."
***
Ryoga woke up to the sound of a large animal marching nearby. Whipping
his head from side to side, his gaze rested on several men riding...
elephants? White elephants, no less... "Excuse me!" he called out.
"Where am I?"
The leading man said something in another language to the other man
riding on his elephant, who replied, "India, sir."
"Damn."
***
On the way to his house via taxi, Kijo wondered where Ryoga was now. He
had known that trying to find him in a country as big as China would be
impossible, so he decided to just go home. Ryoga had made it to Nerima
from China once before, he could do it again, right? He glanced out and
briefly watched a young man cross the street behind him. He turned away
just to miss him step on a manhole cover and fall through with a shriek
as it crumpled under his feet.
Maybe Ryoga wasn't even in China?
***
Ranma sat on a rooftop, sulking. *That uncute tomboy.* He growled and
lay on his back. *I didn't even DO anything.* He frowned. *I think.*
"Shampoo! I knew I'd find you!"
Ranma blinked just before Mousse enveloped him in a hug. He swiftly
punched him in the face and snapped, "Who are you calling Shampoo?"
Mousse shook his head and slipped his glasses over his nose. "Oh, it's
you," he muttered, and sighed. He jerked his head up and glared at
Ranma. "Where's Shampoo?!?" he demanded. Ranma blinked.
"Huh?"
***
For some reason, Kijo could find absolutely nothing to do in his house.
Boredom seemed to seep from every square inch of the place. *Funny,* he
thought. *It never was this uninteresting before.* Sighing, he felt
that a stroll would help somewhat. It usually did.
***
"I don't know where Shampoo is! Why are you asking me?" Ranma asked,
frowning.
"She's gone!" Mousse wailed, clenching his fists and gazing at the sky.
"I haven't seen her since this morning!"
Ranma shook his head and jumped down from the roof. "Whatta moron. Now,
what was I doing here?" he asked himself, stopping. "Oh yeah," he said,
walking again with a slight slump. "That uncute tomboy booted me
here." He yelped slightly as Akane walked right past him at that
moment, grumbling to herself. He blinked and stared after her. "Hey,
Akane!" he called.
She kept walking, apparently ignoring him. "Hey!" Ranma called again,
running up to her. She stopped, and turned slightly.
"Me?" she asked, eyebrows raised.
Ranma frowned. "Well, duh, who else? What's up with you?" he asked,
tilting his head to the side quizzically.
"Ummmm," she replied, eyes darting from side to side. "Nothing. Just,
thinking. Yeah, lost in thought. I, um, gotta go... bye!" she said
quickly and dashed off.
Ranma scratched his head. "That was weird..."
***
Kijo stopped around the corner and leaned against the wall. "Whew!
Close one," he muttered. "Man," he said, looking down at his feminine
hands, "this is weird." He resumed walking. "Everything's so...
different," he mused, walking slowly down the street. "A girl, eh? No,
not just any girl, but 'Akane.' Apparently, Ryoga loves her, and she's
engaged to Ranma," he said aloud, not paying attention to his
surroundings.
"They hate each other. Ranma's a lady's man? This is shaping up to be
something odd..." He sighed and stepped into a store. The bells
jingled quietly, heralding the arrival of a customer.
"Hello," a voice called from a darkened hallway. A middle-aged man with
brown hair and glasses stepped up to the desk. Kijo blinked, then
remembered that this was the bookstore he had seen when he first got
here.
"May I help you?" the man asked politely. Kijo shook his head.
"Just lookin'," he replied and turned to the shelves. He sat down in
a nearby leather chair and sighed. What to do? What was there to do?
He stood up and paced around the store. *Why worry? Just let Ryoga
work it out. Yeah, it's his business, and if he wants me to do
somethin', I will! But, if he doesn't... then I won't.* He stopped,
and looked around.
"Hmph. Ryoga, you idiot," He said aloud. That pretty much summed it
all up...
"Is something the matter?"
Kijo jumped and turned around. The shopkeeper was standing there,
beaming the essence of gentleness. "Uhhhh... not... really... Well..."
Kijo said slowly, fidgeting.
"Oh, it's not any of my business, sorry," the man said and turned away.
Kijo watched as he walked behind the counter and sat down in a wooden
chair. Kijo bit his lip, thinking.
*Well, he wouldn't recognize me, I'm in a whole new body, it's not like
it matters...* Kijo cleared his throat. "Well, I have this friend..."
***
"WHERE ON EARTH AM I NOW?!?" Ryoga screamed, leaning back, fists
clenched, eyes closed as he faced the heavens. Suddenly, a trash can
lid bounced off the back of his head.
"For the hundredth time, get out of my yard!" an old man shouted from
his porch. "Damn kids, never know when to leave well enough alone..."
Ryoga blinked, and walked off, absently kicking down the man's mailbox
on his way.
"Hey!" the man shouted from his window. Ryoga ignored him. He had been
sure that the boat he had taken was headed for Japan, but he had no
idea which part. He had been wandering for the past three days, and he
thought he was starting to see familiar landmarks. The fact that he was
on a one-kilometer-square island with only two inhabitants had not yet
occurred to him.
He stopped in front of a building. "I'd swear I've seen that house
before..." he mused.
"Jeez, boy, are you lost or what? This is the forty-seventh time you've
been here!" an old lady called from the porch.
"No, I'm *not* lost! I know exactly where I... er... where am I?" he
asked sheepishly.
The old lady shook her head in exasperation. "Listen boy, do you need a
ride off this island or what?"
"Um, do you have one?" Ryoga asked, scratching the back of his neck.
***
The shopkeeper leaned over his counter, tapping his chin. "Well, that's
an interesting little mess, isn't it?" he said thoughtfully.
"You could say that," Kijo said quietly from the chair he was slumped
in. He watched the man tap his fingers on the countertop absent-
mindedly. He sat up straight and adjusted his glasses.
"Well, you might want to-" he started. "EEEYYAH!" he shrieked as Ranma
came crashing through the door. He lay on the floor twitching for a
second, then jumped up.
"Dirty old goat! I'll get you for that!" he cried and leaped out
through the hole. He stopped suddenly in the middle of the street, and
started to turn around. Kijo looked curiously at him then noticed Akane
standing on the sidewalk.
"Ack!" he exclaimed.
Ranma dashed back into the store and looked around. "That's funny," he
said, scratching his head. Suddenly he perked up. "Oh yeah! Happosai!"
he cried, snapping his fingers. "You old freak!" he yelled, running
outside again.
Kijo groaned and lifted the fallen bookshelf off of himself. "That...
was close," he said, shaking his head briskly. "I'd better go!" he
cried, taking off down the hallway to the back door.
The shopkeeper stuck his head above the counter nervously. "Is... is it
over?" he asked shakily. Then he saw the gigantic image of a shriveled
old man blast a ball of energy in his direction, missing its true
target. "EEK!"
***
Ryoga stood on a bridge overlooking the city. "I... I've made it..." he
announced triumphantly, clenching his fist and turning his head
upwards. "Now," he cried, jabbing a finger in the air, "nothing can go
wrong!"
"Look out!" he heard someone scream, and jumped away from the car that
came barreling his direction, and saw the driver shake a fist at him.
"Eep!" he cried, noting that he had jumped off the bridge. And a bridge
is usually is over water...
"Bu-kee!!" he squealed, using his pack as a raft. *I spoke too soon...*
***
"RRRRAAAANNNMMAAAA!!!!!" Happosai roared. "YOU WILL PAY!!!" So saying,
he released a blast of ki at his wildly dodging form. It caught Ranma
square in the chest.
"UMPH!" he grunted as he slammed into the ground. "You... freak..." he
muttered, getting to his feet.
Happosai laughed evilly. "You'll pay for messing with my fun!" he
declared, jabbing an enlarged finger at Ranma. Ranma defiantly glared
at the old pervert, clenching his fist.
"In your dreams, freak!" he said loudly, leaping at him.
"HAPPO FIVE-YEN SATSU!" Ranma's eyes widened upon hearing the words,
and he desperately attempted to calm his aura. Happosai was not so
lucky, and got hit by the brunt of the attack. Ranma looked up at an
adult Hinako as she booted the *very* shriveled Happosai away.
"Th... thanks, teach..." Ranma gasped, leaning forward.
"Senile delinquents must be taken care of," Hinako said simply. Ranma
nodded, getting to his feet slowly. Standing straight, he looked across
the street at Hinako, who looked calmly back.
Then, they both watched Happosai float in on a breeze.
"He *doesn't* go away!" Ranma yelled, viciously stomping on him.
Happosai crumpled like a dry twig under a steamroller.
"Excuse me," Ranma heard someone say behind him.
"Yeah?" he asked, turning around. A boy about his age stood before him,
decked in several layers of clothing. He wore a Maoist cap, a normal
shirt and pants, a vest, then a jacket, then a robe, then a cloak. He
had heavy boots on and wore gloves with open fingertips. All of his
clothing was black.
"What city is this?" he asked.
"Uh, Tokyo, Nerima District," Ranma answered. The boy shook his hand.
"Thanks a lot. I'll be on my wa-AAYY!!!" he yelled as he stepped
on a manhole cover, and fell through as it crumpled. His exasperated
voice came drifting from the street. "Should make those things more
sturdy..."
"Hey, you okay?" Ranma called down the hole.
The boy looked up at him. "Oh yeah, just fine," he replied, laughing
casually and waving his hand. Ranma sat back and shrugged, just before
the boy burst from the street in front of him.
"YIPE!" Ranma cried and jumped back. The boy scratched the back of his
head and looked down at the hole in the road.
"Eh, I missed," he said, sounding embarrassed. He shrugged. "Oh well."
"Hey," Ranma said, gesturing. "There was a ladder, y'know."
"It wouldn't work," the boy said, turning away.
"Why?" Ranma asked, confused.
"Never mind. Thank you for your help," he said, turned his head in the
direction he was walking. He promptly tripped over a banana peel
someone had left on the sidewalk, and fell into a street lamp. To
Ranma's surprise, it immediately toppled over, falling on the boy.
"Heh, people should be more careful where they put those..." he said,
standing up.
Ranma blinked as the boy began walking away again. "Weird..." he said,
scratching his head.
***
Kijo jogged down the streets, thinking. *Wonder what that guy was about
to tell me. Ah, couldn't a been that important, anyway...* He slowed
to a walk, and stuck his hands in his pockets. *Where IS that idiot,
anyway?*
"Eh?" he said as the ground below him swelled up.
"SHISHI HOKODAN!"
"DYAHH!" Kijo cried as the blast carried him high into the air. Ryoga
stepped out of the hole he had created.
"Now where am I?" he asked no one in particular. Then, Kijo smacked
into his skull. "OH!" he cried, seeing who it was. "AKANE! What have I
done!" he said angrily, shaking him.
"Mm? Ryoga?" Kijo muttered weakly.
"AKANE! I'M SO SORRY!!! PLEASE FORGIVE ME!!!" Ryoga nearly shrieked,
bowing so rapidly so much Kijo was afraid he'd get a concussion from
bashing his forehead into the ground.
Kijo blinked as bits of cement flew upwards. *Or maybe not.* "Ryoga,
you're such a moron..." he sighed, shaking his head.
"What?" Ryoga gasped, looking up her with tears in his eyes. "Do you...
really mean that?" he said pitifully.
Kijo leaned backwards and chuckled. "You should be glad you weren't
doing this in front of Akane, or she'd think you were really
pathetic." Ryoga blinked at her with wide eyes. He glanced down at
Kijo's arm, and poked at his brown leather jacket. He then returned his
gaze to Kijo's face.
"Don't DO that to me!" Ryoga exclaimed, smacking Kijo over the head.
"Heh," Kijo chuckled as he sat up again, a bump now on his head. "You
dope."
"Why you..." Ryoga growled. He stopped, blinked, then handed Kijo a
thermos. "Change back now. I feel like I have actually struck
Akane..." he said softly, face downcast.
"Oh, thanks," Kijo said, and dumped the contents over his head. "Ah,
much better!" he said, relieved. "So," he asked casually as they began
walking down the street, "You finally made it back. I knew you would! I
mean, you did last time..." he added, waving his hand.
"Yes, I did," Ryoga said gazing off at the sky. "But it was difficult,
fraught with the terrors of-"
"Oh, stuff it."
They glared at each other for a minute, then resumed walking with a
chuckle. Kijo noticed a woman standing in the middle of the street,
turning to see a heavily-dressed boy run up to her. "Excuse me,
ma'am!" the boy called, reaching her.
"Yes?" she replied, absently shifting her katana to her other hand.
"Do you know where I can get a map of this city?" he asked, glancing
around.
"Why yes! You go to the..." she trailed off as she heard a screeching
sound, and they both turned to see a car barreling down the street,
straight towards the two.
"Oh no!" Ryoga and Kijo cried, leaping forward.
"No good! We're too late!" Ryoga yelled.
The boy glanced at the drunk driver, tensed slightly, then rushed at
the car in a shoulder charge.
"Is he CRAZY?!?" Kijo yelled. "He'll be killed!"
"You FOOL!" Ryoga cried out, just before the explosion caused all of
them to turn away.
The woman with the sword stumbled, and Ryoga caught her before she hit
the ground. All three of them stared into the smoke cloud, and Kijo
announced, "He's a goner, for sure." Ryoga gaped in shock.
Then, heavy footsteps were heard, and the boy walked into view,
carrying the man over his shoulder. He looked a little burnt, but
pretty well off. "You..." the woman said uncertainly, pointing a finger
at him.
"I'm all right. Do you know where a hospital is? He needs attention,
now," he said, gesturing to the unconscious man draped over his
shoulder. She nodded and pointed off at a large gray building nearby.
Wordlessly, he turned and began to jog.
"Who are you?" she asked shakily.
The boy stopped, and glanced back at her. "I'm called Ranma. Ranma
Saotome." She gasped. Ryoga blinked. Kijo scratched his head.
"R..R...Ranma...?" the woman stammered.
"Yes," he replied, jogging down the street towards the hospital.
The woman stood still for a moment, then cried, "Wait!" The boy,
however, was out of earshot. She chased after him frantically.
Kijo and Ryoga stood there like statues. "What," Kijo said suddenly,
scratching his head, "was THAT all about?"
Ryoga shook his head helplessly.
***
Happosai was angry. Ranma had managed to escape his wrath, all because
of his former student, Hinako... If he wasn't feeling so weak, and
shriveled, and helpless, and sickly, and if he was able to move...
Well, he'd show Ranma a real fight. He'd make that insolent, arrogant
boy PAY for his crimes. But for now...
"Look, Mommy! It's a little troll!" Happosai tried to blink, then saw a
little girl pick him up. "Can I keep it, Mommy? Can I?"
"Well, I guess so," the girl's mother said sweetly.
"Thank you, Mommy!" the girl squealed, hugging Happosai close.
*Heeeelp...* he thought weakly.
***
Ryoga and Kijo began jogging towards the hospital. "I wanna know," Kijo
huffed, "what that was all about."
Ryoga nodded, not even slightly out of breath. "I want to know how he
stopped that car so easily," he said, frowning.
"Yeah," Kijo wheezed, "that too."
"Out of the way! She's crazy!"
"Huh?" Kijo said, turning just in time for Ranma to leap off his face.
"Ohohohohoho! Ranma-darling, why do you run away?" Kodachi laughed
shrilly, and Ryoga shivered. She swung a bouquet of black roses around
as she leapt after Ranma, and they caught Kijo square in the face as
she leapt over him.
"Akthph!" he sputtered, then his eyes widened. "I..." he started, his
eyes darting around.
"What?" Ryoga asked, an eyebrow raised.
"I cnnt mv," Kijo answered between his teeth.
Ryoga shook his head and picked Kijo up, who was as limp as a rubber
band. He turned back to what he thought was the hospital, and stopped
when he noticed he was standing in front of a floral shop. "Drat it
all," he grumbled, turning on his heel.
"Is she gone?" a nearby flowerpot asked cautiously.
"Eh?" Ryoga grunted, dropping Kijo, who squeaked upon impact with the
street.
Ranma popped up from the display, the flowerpot on his head. He swung
his head from side to side rapidly, then sighed in relief.
"So, Ryoga, what brings you here?" he asked, stepping out of the hole
the flowerpot had been resting in.
Ryoga shook his head and picked Kijo up again. "We were just following
some guy who says he's you," he answered casually.
"What?" Ranma blinked.
"Yeah, he saved this lady with a katana, and she acted all funny when
he said he was you," Ryoga explained, turning. Kijo's head smacked into
the wall. He groaned through his teeth.
"Ka...ta...na...?" Ranma said slowly, his eyes blank. Suddenly he
slammed his fist into the door frame. "Not AGAIN!" he shouted angrily.
"Eh?" Ryoga grunted, stepping backwards, accidentally ramming Kijo into
a flowerpot.
"This is the LAST time someone plays with my mother's heart!" Ranma
declared, jabbing a finger into the air. So saying, he turned to Ryoga
quickly. "Which way did he go?"
"Uh, the hospital," Ryoga answered nervously.
"Then I'm off! I'll make him wish he was never born," he muttered under
his breath and dashed down the street. Ryoga blinked then suddenly
remembered what he had been doing. He dashed after Ranma, not noticing
that Kijo's head kept slamming into random objects.
"Nnnnnnggggghhh......" Kijo groaned as a Chihuahua latched onto his
hair angrily.
***
"Wait!" Nodoka cried, flinging the doors open. She dashed across the
waiting room to the boy who claimed to be Ranma. He had just turned the
man over to the hospital and was about to leave.
"Yes?" he asked tonelessly.
"Ranma..." Nodoka said softly. "My son!" she cried, enveloping him in a
hug. He blinked.
"Umm..." he said nervously, placing his hands against her shoulders and
pushing slightly.
"Ranma... what?" Nodoka said tearfully.
"Do I know you?" he asked quizzically.
"I'm... I'm you mother!" she said, clasping his hands in hers.
He looked at her for a long moment, then turned away. "I've never seen
you before," he said, walking off.
Nodoka quickly explained, "You left when you were very young, so you
wouldn't remember me."
The boy shook his head. "Some things.... aren't as they seem." So
saying, he walked out the doors, leaving behind a very disheartened
Nodoka.
***
"Hey, you!" Ranma cried, jabbing a finger at the boy as he stepped
outside. He stopped.
"What?" he asked, confused.
"How DARE you toy with my mother like that!" Ranma growled, cracking
his knuckles.
The boy raised an eyebrow. "Do you want a fight, or something?" he
asked, gesturing at Ranma's offensive stance.
"You bet!" Ranma cried, leaping forward. He launched a strong punch
into the boy's abdomen. The boy smirked slightly as he gripped Ranma's
wrist. He swung Ranma around and slammed him brutally into the ground
several times, leaving small craters each time.
Ranma grunted with each impact. The guy's grip was incredible! Try as
he might, he couldn't get his wrist out of his opponent's iron grasp.
The boy slammed Ranma into the ground again, and let go. Ranma groaned
and got to his knees. The boy grabbed the back of his neck from behind
and lifted him into the air. Ranma jabbed his elbow back and felt it
hit his target solidly. The boy simply brushed it off, however, and
slammed Ranma's face into the ground viciously.
Ranma groaned and placed his palms against the ground to push himself
up, but suddenly the boy jumped up and stomped on Ranma's back, which
drove him several feet down into the street. He felt all the air get
knocked out of him, and then he passed out.
***
Ranma woke up to discover a few things. First, his back hurt, a lot.
Second, everything was dark. Third, everything was cold.
"You think he'll wake up soon?"
"He should, he's been out for about a half-hour now."
Fourth, someone was talking, and the voices came from above.
"Don't you think we should have at least pulled him up out of that
hole?"
"Nah."
Oh. That would explain it...
Ranma let out a low groan and pushed himself up. He climbed out of the
hole and saw Ryoga and Kijo, who had been drinking tea, turn to him.
"About time," Ryoga said, sipping from his cup.
"Yeah, we almost got worried," Kijo added.
Ranma pulled himself up to the table and joined them. "Man," he said
thoughtfully. "That guy's last attack REALLY hurt."
"What?" Ryoga said quizzically, setting his cup down. "All he did was
stomp on you."
"Eh?" Ranma said with wide eyes. "Geez, it felt like a three-ton
boulder!"
"Actually, the last time you got hit by a three-ton boulder, you didn't
get knocked out," Ryoga argued.
Ranma blinked, and rubbed his chin. "Oh, yeah. Okay, then a ten-ton
boulder."
Kijo scratched his head. "What the heck are you guys talking about?" he
asked, giving them both odd looks.
Ryoga and Ranma shook their heads. "Nothing," they answered casually.
Kijo shrugged it off and took another drink of his tea.
"Anyway," Ranma said in a low voice, "I'll make him pay for doing that
to my mom."
"Aaaaactually," Kijo said, rolling his eyes, "we talked to him a little
after you were conked out."
"Yeah?" Ranma questioned, leaning backwards, forgetting his was sitting
in the middle of the street.
"Yeah. If you'll sit up straight, I'll tell you. Okay, after he jumped
out of the hole..."
***
"Neat trick," Kijo commented.
The boy smirked. "It's part of my life-time training."
"Really?" Ryoga asked, arms crossed.
"Yeah, it's in the clothes," the boy explained, lifted his arms a
little. "I've been wearing them for years."
"How does your clothing help you stomp someone five feet into the
ground?" Kijo asked, his eyebrows creased.
"It's heavy," the boy replied simply.
"Alright, but why do you call yourself Ranma?" Ryoga prodded.
"That," the boy said, turning his head to the sky, "is my own
business." He started walking away. "By the way," he said, almost as an
afterthought, "Who is he?" he asked, pointing toward the hole.
"Umm, that's Ranma Saotome," Kijo answered, confused.
The boy's expression changed suddenly to awe, then utter confusion.
"But, that doesn't make any sense..." he muttered, walking off
thoughtfully.
***
"That doesn't explain ANYTHING!" Ranma exclaimed angrily, smacking the
table with his palm.
"It explains why you went from a fight to a spelunking expedition in
mere seconds," Kijo offered. He got a tea-cup in the face for said
offer.
"But what about my mom?" Ranma demanded. "I can't let him do that to
her! Once is barely forgivable, I won't be able to live with letting it
happen TWICE!" He was frantic by then.
"Just how heavy IS he, anyway?" Ryoga wondered aloud.
"I dunno," Kijo replied, looking perplexed, "but it doesn't look like
he should be able to do that," he said, gesturing to the hole in the
street, "with just what he's carrying."
"Do you mind?!" Ranma growled. "I'm in the middle of a big family
problem here, and you're not helping!"
"Well, excuse me," Kijo said, with just a trace of sarcasm in his
voice. He leaned back, temporarily forgetting his position. "Um, I
suggest you, uh, ask him, um, why he's... posing as you?" He suggested
from the ground.
"He'd better have a REALLY good explanation!" Ranma cried, jumping up.
"Which way did he go?" he asked suddenly, gripping Kijo's shirt.
"Oh, just down the street. Hey, c'mon, this shirt's new," Kijo
protested.
Ranma dropped him and dashed wordlessly down the street.
"Boy, he's easily excited, ain't he?" Kijo said, standing up.
Ryoga shrugged and stood up too. "Should we follow?" Ryoga inquired,
gesturing down the street.
Kijo thought about, holding his chin in his hand. He looked up and
grinned. "Sure! There's bound to be a fight. Wouldn't wanna miss
that!" So saying, he bounded off in the direction the other two had
gone.
Ryoga followed after a moments hesitation. *What's so special about a
fight?*
***
"Where is he, where is he, where is he..." Ranma repeated this simple
mantra as he ran through the streets in search of his target. "Stupid
moron, I'll teach him..." A grinding noise caught his ear, and he
whipped around to see... an empty street. He looked back and forth a
few times, then turned to go.
"DAMN those manhole covers!"
Ranma whipped around again at the frustrated shout, and saw the boy
leap through the center of the street.
"I've gotta watch where I'm going..." the boy muttered, starting to
walk again.
"HEY!" Ranma shouted angrily.
"Eh?" the boy said inquisitively, turning around. "You again?" he
questioned, then shook his head. "So, you call yourself Ranma Saotome,
eh?" he said with a chuckle.
Ranma's face darkened. "Why you..." he growled, leaping forward. The
boy waited for Ranma to land a punch, then grabbed at his wrist again.
To his surprise, however, it wasn't there. The next thing he knew,
Ranma was behind him, laying down a painful array of punches.
The boy spun around and swung at Ranma, but he was already gone. He
glared as he saw him standing down the street from him, an angry
expression on his face. The boy rushed at him, pulling both arms back.
"For what you've done..." Ranma started, his foot positioning changing
slightly, "You will PA-OOMHP!!!" He had attempted to slip inside the
boy's defenses and land several blows, and he had succeeded. What he
hadn't counted on was the boy's momentum, mixed with his incredible
weight.
He struggled to toss his burden off of him, and succeeded in tossing
him a short distance. *God!* he thought, in disbelief, *He weighs a
TON! No, make that ten tons.* He watched the boy run at him again, then
hit him with a blast of ki.
"Moko Takabisha!" he cried. To his surprise, his opponent didn't go
flying backwards, but was knocked to the ground. He made a loud *THUMP*
upon contact.
The boy stood up quickly, and shook his head. He then advanced upon
Ranma again.
*Man!* he thought, exasperated, *this guy really takes a beating!*
***
Kijo ran down the streets, his head whipping around, trying to locate
what he assumed would be, if it wasn't already, a battle. He stopped at
an intersection and glanced down all four streets, then pulled a coin
out of his pocket. "Heads, I go down the...." he trailed off as he
noticed Ryoga wasn't with him anymore.
He gnashed his teeth and threw the coin to the ground. "Dammit Ryoga!"
he growled, frustrated. Suddenly, he heard an explosion and a cry of,
"Moko Takabisha!"
Torn between finding Ryoga and watching the fight, he eventually
decided on the latter. "He'll find his way back, always does," he
reasoned to himself.
***
Ranma grimaced as he drew his opponent into the spiral. He had decided
that just beating on him wouldn't work, he had way too much endurance.
The blasts of ki weren't doing much, either. The guy was slow, but when
he did get a hit in, it really, REALLY hurt. Maintaining his 'soul of
ice,' he thrust his fist upward, and cried, "Hiryu shoten ha!!"
The boy's snarling face abruptly turned to surprise, as he felt himself
being lifted upward, albeit very slowly.
Ranma watched with wide eyes at the sight. It wasn't quite like he had
expected. The boy was being pulled into the tornado, but he was moving
like molasses. He was hardly four feet off the ground by then.
Frustrated, Ranma shot him with another ki blast, accidentally losing
his 'soul of ice' in doing so. With an angry bellow, he shot upwards.
The other boy had finally lost his battle against the high-speed wind,
and was being tossed around, more or less, like a rag doll. He felt
himself being pulled towards the eye of the storm, and when he reached
it, he dropped like a stone. His eyes widened as he saw the ground
rushing towards him at an amazing rate, and cried out in terror just
before he struck.
***
Kijo turned the corner and fell backwards in surprise. While he had
expected to see a fight, he had not expected to see THIS. Numerous
craters were scattered around the street, and both boys were trapped
inside a huge cyclone. He stood up shakily and peered into the raging
winds.
He saw a speck appear, and as it drew nearer, he saw it was the other
boy, and he had a terrified expression on his face.
"Oh my go-" Kijo breathed just as the boy struck the center of the
street. He made a horrible, grinding, cracking, crunching noise as he
drove deep into the earth. The resulting hole had a fairly wide mouth,
and funneled downwards nearly two hundred feet.
Kijo looked up again and saw Ranma shoot a large ball of ki into the
hole, presumably just to make sure. Ranma slammed into the street, and
stood up shakily as the winds died down.
Ranma bent over and placed his hands on his knees, breathing heavily.
"He HAS to be down, now," he muttered.
Kijo cautiously walked over to the edge of the hole and peered in. He
saw a form at the bottom and called out, "It doesn't look like he's
moving. I'd saw you won."
Ranma grinned and stood up a little straighter.
Kijo squinted and looked again, only to see a shower of dirt appear
from nowhere, at the bottom. "What the.." he said, jerking back. Ranma
stood beside Kijo, staring down into the hole. They saw the boy's form
moving up the side, but it looked bigger, somehow...
"No way...." Ranma gasped.
As soon as the boy had enough light on him, Kijo breathed a sigh of
relief. "Ryoga!" he exclaimed.
Ryoga gritted his teeth and sunk his hand into the dirt, as there were
no handholds.
Ranma let out a breath. "I knew he wouldn't be able to walk after
that..."
Ryoga gripped the edge of the hole, and pulled himself out. He
collapsed in a heap and dumped the boy onto the ground.
"God!" he exclaimed, slumping to his hands and knees. "He's HEAVY!"
Ranma raised an eyebrow. If he was heavy enough to wear Ryoga out, he
must weigh... who knows?
***
Kasumi looked up and saw Ranma, Ryoga and another boy carry someone
into the yard, and they all abruptly dropped him to the ground with
assorted groans. "Hello, Ranma!" she called, stepping outside. "Who's
your friend?"
Ranma waved a hand at Kijo, who said, "I'm Kijo Kuraki. Nice to meet
you."
Kasumi smiled cheerily. "I'm Kasumi Tendo. Who is he?" she asked,
pointing to the unconscious boy.
Ranma shook his head. "I dunno. He calls himself me."
Kasumi crinkled her brow slightly, but shrugged it off. "You can use
the bath if you like," she offered, walking into the house.
The boys nodded weakly and flopped down on the grass. Kijo wiped the
sweat off his brow, then froze as a groan escaped the other boy's lips.
All three of them turned to the stranger, who sat up shakily.
"What the hell...?" he muttered, as his eyes focused on his
surroundings. His gaze wandered over Ryoga and Kijo, then stopped on
Ranma. He stared at him for a moment, then looked away. "I guess you
really are Ranma," he said grudgingly.
"Of course I am!" Ranma growled, smacking him over the head. "Just who
the hell are you?!" he demanded.
The boy looked back at Ranma, then shrugged. "My real name is Thyme,"
he said simply.
"Thyme?" Kijo asked, smirking. "What kinda name is-"
"You wouldn't be a..." Ryoga interrupted, pointing at Thyme
uncertainly.
"A what?" Thyme asked quizzically.
"Where were those guys from, Ranma?" Ryoga asked Ranma suddenly.
"The Musk Dynasty?" Ranma suggested.
"Yeah, that's it," Ryoga said, nodding his head. "Are you from th-"
"Yes," Thyme cut him off, "I have parted ways from the Musk, on less
than agreeable terms."
"So you're an exile?" Kijo blurted.
Thyme smacked him over the head. "Do you have to put it so bluntly?!?"
"Whadja do?" Ranma asked, crossing his legs and leaning forward.
Thyme leaned back and smirked arrogantly. "None of your business."
Ranma narrowed his eyes, then brought a mallet down on his head, which
shattered, but Thyme still fell over.
"Yes, it IS my business," Ranma growled, grabbing Thyme by the front of
his shirt.
"Ah, aheh," Thyme stuttered, waving his hand, "of course. You see, they
wouldn't allow me to enter any houses..."
"Why?" Ryoga interrupted.
"Because," Thyme explained, not-so-patiently, "I always broke through
the floor."
Ranma, Ryoga, and Kijo all stared at him.
"Um, ever try changing your clothes?" Ryoga suggested.
"Ah, but it wouldn't matter," Thyme said dramatically, clenching his
fist. "I am under a curse, you see, that increases the weight of my
clothing a thousand-fold. Or something like that."
"Then why do you wear so many layers?" Kijo asked, tilting his head to
the side.
"I come here seeking an artifact," Thyme continued, ignoring Kijo,
"that allows me to control my curse. It is a magic bottle that, when
used properly, sucks away any curse that the user has."
Ranma, Ryoga, and Kijo froze.
"Did you say..." Ryoga started.
"It takes away..." Kijo said.
"Any curse?" Ranma finished.
Thyme nodded. "If I have that, my troubles will be over!" he said, with
a smile on his face. "Although, " he added, looking down at himself,
"Having to spend my whole life dragging this much weight around has
certainly been good training..." He suddenly noticed the three faces
bearing down on him.
"Take us to it!" they demanded.
Thyme sweatdropped. "Er, I don't really know where it is..."
"Grrrr...."
End chapter 3
