Hmmm, I think my writing has actually improved through this. You think?
Contact me at: oddball22@hotmail.com
DISCLAIMER: I'm didn't create anything! The little elf on my shoulder
told me! Honest!
Ranma 1/2: New Challenges
Winds Calling
Chapter 2
"Hi Akane, what brings you by?" Ranma asked.
"What do you think you're doing!?" she demanded, her battle aura
flaring.
"Just kissing my fiancee, is that okay?" he asked.
Ukyo glanced back and forth between the two and wondered why
this situation felt so wrong. She shook her head. Ranchan had chosen
HER, as she knew he would. She had known him the longest and he had
promised to take care of her. From now on, her life would be perfect!
"I've won, Akane, why don't you just accept it?" asked Ukyo
condescendingly. "We can at least be friends."
Ranchan looked back at Ukyo and gave her a loving glance. Akane
looked ready to explode, then her aura promptly faded and tears began to
well up in her eyes. "If that's the way you want it, FINE!" She began to
cry. "Good-bye!" She turned and sprinted out of the restaurant.
Ukyo began to feel really sick to her stomach. She didn't
expect Akane to show so much emotion and caring since it didn't seem
that she even liked Ranma. She turned back to the pig-tailed boy who was
still smiling at her. What was on his mind?
"So, how about that okonomiyaki, darling?" he asked sweetly.
Ukyo blinked. "But what
about Akane?"
"What about her?" Ranchan's answer surprised Ukyo. I know he
seemed to be uncaring at times, but he always showed at least some
affection for Akane. What's going on?
"Uh, don't you think we should do something?" Ukyo answered. She
hopped over the counter and grabbed her Ranchan's arm. "Come on, I guess
we should go find her." Ranma let himself be dragged outside. "Akane!
Where are you?" she called, but received no answer.
She took off towards the Tendo dojo, practically dragging Ranma
with her. After running a few blocks, Ukyo began to get a funny feeling.
All the streets and houses looked different than she remembered. In
fact, she really couldn't pick out any signs or landmarks which would
lead her to the dojo, or anywhere for that matter. She stopped and
looked around at the place she thought would be the dojo, but it was
just another house.
"That's strange, I thought the dojo was right here," she said to
herself. She looked over to Ranma who just had a funny grin on his face.
She frowned. "All right, what's going on?" She shook Ranma. "Tell me!"
"Why bother?" came a new voice. Ukyo turned to see Ryoga sitting
against a wall.
"Ryoga-kun!" she exclaimed. "Where are we? What's going on?"
The lost boy got up and walked over to her. "Does it really
matter? Do you really care? I don't. One place is as good as another."
Ukyo grabbed him and shook him violently. "OF COURSE IT
MATTERS! WHAT'S YOUR PROBLEM!"
The sound of laughing could be heard and the two turned to see
Ranma cracking up in hilarious laughter. Ryoga very visibily became
enraged at that.
"STOP IT!" He pulled his umbrella out and Ukyo watched in horror
as he smashed it down on the laughing Ranma, who crumpled into a bloody
mess. All the anger promptly drained from the lost boy's face and he put
his umbrella back.
"RANCHAN!" Ukyo yelled as she dropped to her knees. "You killed
him!" She began to cry as she looked up at Ryoga. "Why!?"
Ryoga shrugged. "It's symbolic, I think. But you'd have to ask
the old ghoul. I don't really care, I'm all alone anyway, as are you."
Ukyo could only sob at the remains of her fiance.
"That's what I been saying," Ryoga said.
Ukyo glanced up. "What? Did you read my thoughts?" Ryoga only
shrugged.
"Come child, there's no need for tears," a old voice sounded
from behind her. She turned around to see Cologne balancing on her
staff.
"Cologne!" Ukyo exclaimed. "What are you doing here? Ranma's
dead and I... I..."
Cologne came up to her and brushed her tears away. "Shhh...
That's okay. Ranma's not dead, not as long as you want to keep him
alive. Do you?" Ukyo nodded slowly, not really understanding, to which
Cologne smiled. She took her staff and tapped the remains of Ranma.
Slowly, he unfolded and grew. In less than a minute, Ranma was back to
normal.
Ukyo gasped, then flung foreword and hugged him. "Oh, Cologne,
thank you!"
Cologne jumped back up onto her staff. "I did nothing, it was
you who decided you wanted him back."
Ukyo dried her tears. "So, where am I?"
Cologne shrugged. "You are here, but that's not important. It's
where you want to go that you should be asking."
Ukyo thought for a minute. "I need to find Akane and talk to
her."
Cologne smiled. "Good choice. But she is where you are not
ready to go. Still, there may be a way." She began to bounce off. "Come
child, follow me and bring those two idiots with you."
Ukyo shrugged, long past understanding what was going on. She
grabbed Ranma with one hand (who continued to grin wildly and chuckle
occasionally), Ryoga with the other (who still had that lonely and
dejected look on his face), and headed off after the old woman.
Hikaru Gosunkugi knew he was in trouble. Not just any trouble
mind you. After all, he'd been picked on by bullies, manipulated by
Nabiki and Kuno, and humiliated by Ranma. That kind of trouble he was
used to and could deal with. No, this was a different kind of trouble,
he could sense it.
Sense it? Yes, just in the past few days, he seemed to have
garnered a sixth sense. Not much of one, but enough to know he was in
trouble before it happened. It had allowed him to avoid the bullies on
the way to and from school twice now.
This particular day, the trouble came in the form a stalker.
Now, by nature he was a paranoid person, but he just knew someone was
following him. He'd turn around to try to catch a glimpse of his
follower and for a second he thought he saw something. Then the image
would disappear into the crowd and leave him wondering if something
really was there. He turned back around and continued on down the
street. As soon as he turned a corner, he broke into a sprint and raced
for home.
By the time he reached the door to his abode, he was severely
out of breath and panting heavily. But he was sure he lost his stalker.
Well, pretty sure anyway. After all, there was no way he could've
followed him here, could he?
Within the span of a few seconds, Hikaru was in his room and
locking the door. He barely paid any attention to his parents as he
whizzed by, and they returned the favor. They had learned long ago that
their son was a strange kid and needed his privacy. If he had anything
to tell him, he would.
Hikaru began to look through his magic books (all two of them),
for any type of spell that would help him learn the identity of his
stalker, or at least give him the means to defend himself.
Four hours later, he was fast asleep over his books. The sun
had gone down two hours ago and his parents had gone to bed one hour
ago. Perhaps if they were still up, they could've done something. Then
again, maybe not.
The window to Hikaru's bedroom slowly opened and several people
climbed in. Nodding to each other, they approached the sleeping boy. By
the time he woke up, it was too late. The men grabbed him and taped his
mouth shut before stuffing him in a sack. One of the invaders went out
the window with him. The other two brought out two more sacks and began
to collect everything not nailed down.
By the time the police arrived after being called by the
parents (they went to wake him up for breakfast), the room was stripped
clean and Hikaru Gosunkugi was gone.
"Did you hear?" Nabiki said while reading a book. "Hikaru has
been abducted."
She was laying on the couch while Genma and Soun were playing
Shogi (and cheating as usual), Ranma and Akane were playing cards (Ranma
was losing as usual), and Kasumi was doing the laundry just outside (and
seemingly oblivious to everything as usual).
"Oh dear," Kasumi said. "Who would do such a dreadful thing?"
Ranma's jaw dropped. "They got Gos? Why would anyone want him?"
Akane wacked him on the head with the most convenient item, a rolled up
newspaper. "What was that for!?"
Akane ignored him. "I guess Ranma has a point. Why would anyone
want to kidnap Hikaru-san? He's a little strange I'll admit..."
Nabiki raised and eyebrow. "A little? The boy wears candles on
his head, carries around voodoo dolls and a wooden spike, and hides in
bushes taking pictures of you."
Akane sighed. "Okay, he's very strange, but he's basically
harmless and his family's not wealthy or anything, so what would the
kidnappers want him?"
"It seems to be getting to be really unsafe around here," Kasumi
commented. "What with all the kidnappings and burglaries."
Nabiki smiled. "Yeah, and isn't it the duty of honor-bound
martial artists to keep the peace and end these kidnappings?"
The next noise to be heard was a splash, which drew everyone's
attention to the yard. In it, a panda was playing with a tire. A sign
was staked into the ground nearby reading, "I'm just a panda!"
Ranma sighed. "That's my pop, ever willing to throw himself
into danger for others."
Akane looked thoughtful. "Maybe we should look into this. After
all the police don't have a clue."
Nabiki got up. "Actually they do." Everybody turned toward her
waiting for an answer. "Which I'll gladly share for 1000 yen." To which
everyone face-faulted.
Akane nudged Ranma. "It's your turn to pay."
"Why is it my turn!?"
"Cause I paid last time!" Akane was about to scowl at him, but
got a better idea. Instead, she fixed him with her best, warm smile.
Ranma froze, like a deer caught in the headlights, and started
to sweat. I hate when she does that! "Yeah whatever, I got nothin'
better to do." I just can't resist that kawaii smile of hers. He
sighed and fished into his pocket, handing the money to Nabiki. "Do
tell."
Nabiki smiled victoriously. "Well, it seems all of the
kidnapped were into some strange stuff. Spirit worship, voodoo, magic
books, fortune-telling, that kind of stuff. So the police think it might
be the work of some sort of cult. Either they were taken by a cult, or
staged their kidnappings to join the cult."
There was silence for few seconds, then Ranma spoke up. "So I
guess that's why Gosunkugi was taken, but I don't see him joining a cult
willingly, so it would have to be kidnapping."
"You think that the wizard sects are at the bottom of this?"
Akane asked.
Ranma shrugged. "Could be, but I don't see why. I hate to say
this, but maybe we should ask the old ghoul." He stood up. "Anybody
coming with me?"
Nabiki backed up. "No thank you. I'm not a martial artist so I
don't get involved." She then trudged upstairs.
"I'll go with you, Ranma," Akane said standing up. "Shampoo will
be over there and someone needs to keep an eye on you two." She winked
at him as she left for the front door.
"Hey, hey!" Ranma stammered as he ran after her. "It's not like
that! Akane!"
"There's nothing like young love, eh Saotome?" said a teary-eyed
Soun
"Growph!"
Kenji awoke once again, and did not know where he was. He checked his body
and realized he was lupine at the moment. Locked in a cage. Again. He
didn't know if wolves could groan, but he did. The thoughts before his blacking out returned to him and
his mood went south.
he thought, darkly.
"Bwee?"
Kenji looked to his left, to see Ryoga's pig form locked in a
similiar cage, albeit smaller.
"Woof?"
"Bwee."
Kenji looked where Ryoga's little piggy hoof was pointing. It
seemed like he was in a large cabin, and a large pot was boiling on the
stove. It was tended by an older female dressed in a raggy conservative
dress that looked to be more homemade than store-bought. An older,
bearded man and a younger girl sat at a table playing cards, the girl
dressed similiarly to the woman. The man was dressed in a red, plaid
shirt, dirty jeans, and suspenders. Across the room, Kenji spied his
backpack and clothes, as well as Ryoga's.
"Woof?"
"Bwee."
"Oh look, Papa!" the girl, who looked to be in her middle teens,
exclaimed. "The doggy's awake!"
"So he is, darlin'," the girl's father replied. "How's that stew
comin', Hon'?"
"Almost ready, dear," the man's wife responded. "Now the only
question is, which do we eat first?"
"Bwee!" "Woof!"
"Do we have to eat them?" the little girl complained.
"Now darlin, you know we don't git much chance ta eat pig or
wolf," the father replied. "But tell ya what. We ain't gonna eat both
tonight, so ya can have one as a pet until then."
"Thanks Papa!" They turned to the cages.
"Now which one do we eat?" the mother asked again.
The truce went out the window, as Ryoga and Kenji pointed to
each other.
"Oh, isn't that cute!" the mother exclaimed. "They almost seem
to understand us!"
"Well, the pig is kinda small," the father reasoned. "So we
should wait until it's bigger. You can have the piglet as a pet and
we'll eat the dog tonight."
The pig sighed in relief while the wolf sweatdropped.
Ryoga thought.
Kenji thought. I never imagined my life
would end as someone's dinner. He brightened.
"Well, you better slaughter the wolf now, dear," the mother said
to her wife. "The stew needs to cook all day."
The man stood up and grabbed a large club that was nearby.
"I'll knock him out first, then cut him up." He slid a large knife into
a holster on his belt.
Kenji thought.
He played innocent as the man walked over to the cage and
fiddled with the lock on top. As the top of the cage opened, Kenji came
alive and sprung straight up. A whack from the club missed his head, but
struck his body and sent him sprawling across the floor.
"He's got out!" the girl squealed.
"I got `im!" the father yelled.
Kenji dragged himself to his feet, just in time to notice the
man approaching, club raised menacingly. The amnesiac wolf wasted no
time, but took off running in a different direction. His mind was wild
at the moment, trying to dodge the club and knife attacks, while also
trying to reach the boiling pot. He'd encountered a larger version of a
boiling pot before and, while he wasn't too keen on repeating the
experience, he'd become someone's meal if he didn't change back.
He continued to run through the house, knocking over tables,
chairs, lamps, and the occaisonal picture on the wall. Managing a full
circle to return to the kitchen, he leapt for the pot, the knife and
club wielding man right behind him.
The woman shrieked and back away.
During all this commotion, Ryoga was not idle. He knew he'd
become the meal if Kenji got away, so he was working on his own cage.
He'd never used the Bakusai Tenketsu as a pig before, but he thought now
was a good time to learn. As a result, his hoof was rapidly tapping away
at the bars.
Just as Kenji reached the pot, Ryoga hit the jackpot and the
cage exploded; which the man happened to be near at the time. He went
flying back into a wall as Kenji's upper half landed in the pot, tipping
it over and dousing both himself and Ryoga with scalding water.
The two boys shrieked in pain.
The woman shrieked at her husband hitting the wall.
The man shrieked at what he knew to be two evil spirits.
The girl shrieked at two naked boys. Her hands flew to her face
and she blushed furiously, but peeked out again to catch another
glimpse.
Ryoga and Kenji wasted little time in grabbing their clothes
and belongings. Then Kenji followed Ryoga through the hole made by the
lost boy, and the two almost-dinner victims fled into the forest.
Back in the cabin, the girl asked, "Does this mean I don't get
my pet?"
Several hours later, the two boys were dressed and traveling
again in silence. Kenji had checked the amulet and proceeded in the
direction it pointed, and Ryoga followed him for a reason neither one
could think of at the moment.
Both boys were in a sour mood.
Ryoga was originially headed to Nerima to get his revenge on
Kenji and Ranma. He had found Kenji, yet the fight hadn't ended the way
he wanted it to. He didn't feel like another round of combat, so he
instead settled on following the amnesiac until he could decide on a
course of action.
Kenji knew Ryoga was following him, but didn't know what to do
either. He didn't want to fight the lost boy again, since he was pretty
sure he'd lose. Ryoga was just too strong. He settled instead on
assuming a fast pace in the hopes that he'd lose his follower, since he
remembered Ranma telling him of Ryoga's bad direction sense.
However, it was not to be. After several grueling hours, Kenji
was exhausted while Ryoga's enormous endurance prevented him from
becoming winded at all. The amnesiac reluctantly set up his tent and
made camp, even while Ryoga did the same. They started a fire and ate in
silence, then spent an hour staring at the orange flame between them.
The silence eventually got to Kenji. "So," he began. "You're
cursed, too?"
Ryoga grunted affirmative. "Ranma's fault." He looked up. "You
better not tell anyone!"
"Agreed, provided you don't tell anyone about mine!" Kenji
snapped back.
"Agreed." Ryoga's gaze returned to the fire.
Kenji looked up. "Saotome was responsible for your curse?"
Ryoga nodded. "He knocked me into the spring of drowned black
piglet."
"He was kind of responsible for mine, too," Kenji admitted, his
gaze returning to the fire. "He could've stopped the man who actually
cursed me, but he didn't."
"So, don't you want to get revenge on Ranma, too?" Ryoga asked
darkly. "I would think you'd want to."
"Oh I do," he replied. "But he's better than me right now. I
have to get a whole lot better to beat him." He laughed bitterly. "I
guess we have a little something in common."
Ryoga nodded, but didn't speak.
Something was nagging at the back of the amnesiac's mind,
something about a piglet, but he couldn't remember what so he forced it
out of his mind.
A few moments passed again, before Ryoga broke the silence. "So
what are you doing out here? I thought you'd be getting cozy at the
Tendo's?"
Kenji shot him a dark look. "It's none of your business, but
I'm searching for my home."
That stung Ryoga deep inside, but he didn't let it show. He
couldn't find his home either, even if he wanted to. He'd only been
there a few times since junior high. "I thought you couldn't remember
anything?"
The amnesiac brooded. "I can't. But I've received some
information about where my house is, so that's where I'm going to start
my search." He stood up and stretched. "Look, I have a long day of
travel tomorrow, so I want to get some sleep. I'd like to know if you're
still intent on killing me." He fixed the lost boy with a fierce gaze.
"I like to know if I'll be waking up tomorrow."
Ryoga stood up and locked gazes with Kenji. "I'm not so
cowardly as to attack someone in their sleep. But you still owe me a
man-to-man fight. However..." He paused. Ryoga wanted to hate this man
in front of him, but the amnesiac's admittance of wanting to find his
family hit too close to home for the lost boy, since they were things he
had wanted for himself. And Kenji was cursed as well, so maybe Ryoga
could give him a break.
A little one.
"However," he continued. "I'm not letting you out of my sight
until you answer my challenge."
Kenji nodded, understanding. "Fine. I want to find my family
first, but I promise that you'll get your fight afterward."
With that understanding, the two men went into their seperate
tents to end their exhaustive and eventful day.
The next day brought even more surprises.
After almost a full day of travel, the duo crested a hill and
got a good view of a mini-valley down below. There were scattered trees,
lots of farm-like plains, and a couple of blackened and burned
structures.
Kenji inhaled sharply, then sprinted down the hill to the burnt
structures with Ryoga running right behind. They hit the bottom of the
hill and waded through the armpit high grass. Ryoga managed not to lose
the amnesiac, despite Kenji's enthusiasm of possibly finding his old
home.
Wandering out onto the old road leading to the farm meant just
a another minute of travel and then they were there. Kenji was so intent
on his discovery and Ryoga was so intent on following him, that they
failed to notice the two green-camouflaged figures stalking through the
high grass behind them.
Walking up to what used to be the house, Kenji set his pack
down. Ryoga did the same. Both said nothing as Kenji entered the
wreckage and looked around. Not much was left, just some blackened wood,
plates, and other mundane items.
"Anything look familiar?" Ryoga asked.
Kenji shook his head. "I don't recognize any of it."
"Maybe you should try the amulet again," Ryoga suggested. "This
may not be it."
"No, I have a strong... feeling... it is."
Ryoga shrugged. "Well, I'll go back to the packs and set up
camp. It's gonna be dark soon and you can go through everything at
tomorrow."
Kenji only nodded as Ryoga walked out back to the packs. He
bent over to begin unpacking the tent, never seeing the two strangers
gang up on him. He might have noticed their presence had they not been
masking their aura's and ki signatures, or had they come close enough.
As it was, they contented themselves to simultaneously launching two
blow darts that struck the lost boy in his neck.
Ryoga immediately jumped to his feet, scanned for his
attackers, then snarled, "Who's there!?"
Kenji was still picking through the remains when he heard Ryoga
grunt and snarl his question. By the time he sprinted back to the packs,
Ryoga was on one knee, mumbling something about tranquilizers. Then he
fell over and Kenji could see the two darts sticking out of him. He bent
down and pulled the darts out, even though it probably wouldn't have
done any good.
Looking back up, he saw two ninja dressed in green camoflauge
emerge from the grassy fields with arrows cocked and pointed at him.
One of them gestured for him to stand up, which he did. He
might have tried to fight or run, but Ryoga was helpless right now and
would pay the price. He held up his hands in surrender.
"Who are you?" he asked. "What do you want? We have very little
money and very little worth stealing."
"We're not thieves!" one of the ninjas said in an obviously
indignant, female voice. They came closer and Kenji could clearly see
more features. It seemed that both were female, though the only flesh he
could see was their eyes and the small area around them.
Kenji thought.
Glancing back to the other ninja, the amnesiac could see a look
of surprise on her face, almost as if she couldn't believe who she was
seeing. "Kenji!?" she asked.
"That's my name," he offered. Maybe if he was honest, he could
get out of this. "Soyokaze Kenji. I believe this used to be my home. Do
you know who lived here?"
"Kenji!" the same ninja said again while dropping her bow. "It
is you!" She pulled off her mask revealing a young face and blond hair
tied into a ponytail. She ran up to him, but stopped a few feet away to
study him.
"What are you doing!?" the other ninja demanded. The first one
ignored her.
"Oniichan!" she exclaimed and immediately glomped him. Kenji was
stunned and could only stand there until his mind registered what she
said.
"Oniichan!?" he gasped disbelievingly. "Than you're..."
She pulled away and looked at him. "Don't you recognize me? I'm
Yuri! Your sister!"
----------------------------------------------------------------
Oniichan - older brother
Hitohuki - a blast of wind
Contact me at: oddball22@hotmail.com
DISCLAIMER: I'm didn't create anything! The little elf on my shoulder
told me! Honest!
Ranma 1/2: New Challenges
Winds Calling
Chapter 2
"Hi Akane, what brings you by?" Ranma asked.
"What do you think you're doing!?" she demanded, her battle aura
flaring.
"Just kissing my fiancee, is that okay?" he asked.
Ukyo glanced back and forth between the two and wondered why
this situation felt so wrong. She shook her head. Ranchan had chosen
HER, as she knew he would. She had known him the longest and he had
promised to take care of her. From now on, her life would be perfect!
"I've won, Akane, why don't you just accept it?" asked Ukyo
condescendingly. "We can at least be friends."
Ranchan looked back at Ukyo and gave her a loving glance. Akane
looked ready to explode, then her aura promptly faded and tears began to
well up in her eyes. "If that's the way you want it, FINE!" She began to
cry. "Good-bye!" She turned and sprinted out of the restaurant.
Ukyo began to feel really sick to her stomach. She didn't
expect Akane to show so much emotion and caring since it didn't seem
that she even liked Ranma. She turned back to the pig-tailed boy who was
still smiling at her. What was on his mind?
"So, how about that okonomiyaki, darling?" he asked sweetly.
Ukyo blinked. "But what
about Akane?"
"What about her?" Ranchan's answer surprised Ukyo. I know he
seemed to be uncaring at times, but he always showed at least some
affection for Akane. What's going on?
"Uh, don't you think we should do something?" Ukyo answered. She
hopped over the counter and grabbed her Ranchan's arm. "Come on, I guess
we should go find her." Ranma let himself be dragged outside. "Akane!
Where are you?" she called, but received no answer.
She took off towards the Tendo dojo, practically dragging Ranma
with her. After running a few blocks, Ukyo began to get a funny feeling.
All the streets and houses looked different than she remembered. In
fact, she really couldn't pick out any signs or landmarks which would
lead her to the dojo, or anywhere for that matter. She stopped and
looked around at the place she thought would be the dojo, but it was
just another house.
"That's strange, I thought the dojo was right here," she said to
herself. She looked over to Ranma who just had a funny grin on his face.
She frowned. "All right, what's going on?" She shook Ranma. "Tell me!"
"Why bother?" came a new voice. Ukyo turned to see Ryoga sitting
against a wall.
"Ryoga-kun!" she exclaimed. "Where are we? What's going on?"
The lost boy got up and walked over to her. "Does it really
matter? Do you really care? I don't. One place is as good as another."
Ukyo grabbed him and shook him violently. "OF COURSE IT
MATTERS! WHAT'S YOUR PROBLEM!"
The sound of laughing could be heard and the two turned to see
Ranma cracking up in hilarious laughter. Ryoga very visibily became
enraged at that.
"STOP IT!" He pulled his umbrella out and Ukyo watched in horror
as he smashed it down on the laughing Ranma, who crumpled into a bloody
mess. All the anger promptly drained from the lost boy's face and he put
his umbrella back.
"RANCHAN!" Ukyo yelled as she dropped to her knees. "You killed
him!" She began to cry as she looked up at Ryoga. "Why!?"
Ryoga shrugged. "It's symbolic, I think. But you'd have to ask
the old ghoul. I don't really care, I'm all alone anyway, as are you."
Ukyo could only sob at the remains of her fiance.
"That's what I been saying," Ryoga said.
Ukyo glanced up. "What? Did you read my thoughts?" Ryoga only
shrugged.
"Come child, there's no need for tears," a old voice sounded
from behind her. She turned around to see Cologne balancing on her
staff.
"Cologne!" Ukyo exclaimed. "What are you doing here? Ranma's
dead and I... I..."
Cologne came up to her and brushed her tears away. "Shhh...
That's okay. Ranma's not dead, not as long as you want to keep him
alive. Do you?" Ukyo nodded slowly, not really understanding, to which
Cologne smiled. She took her staff and tapped the remains of Ranma.
Slowly, he unfolded and grew. In less than a minute, Ranma was back to
normal.
Ukyo gasped, then flung foreword and hugged him. "Oh, Cologne,
thank you!"
Cologne jumped back up onto her staff. "I did nothing, it was
you who decided you wanted him back."
Ukyo dried her tears. "So, where am I?"
Cologne shrugged. "You are here, but that's not important. It's
where you want to go that you should be asking."
Ukyo thought for a minute. "I need to find Akane and talk to
her."
Cologne smiled. "Good choice. But she is where you are not
ready to go. Still, there may be a way." She began to bounce off. "Come
child, follow me and bring those two idiots with you."
Ukyo shrugged, long past understanding what was going on. She
grabbed Ranma with one hand (who continued to grin wildly and chuckle
occasionally), Ryoga with the other (who still had that lonely and
dejected look on his face), and headed off after the old woman.
Hikaru Gosunkugi knew he was in trouble. Not just any trouble
mind you. After all, he'd been picked on by bullies, manipulated by
Nabiki and Kuno, and humiliated by Ranma. That kind of trouble he was
used to and could deal with. No, this was a different kind of trouble,
he could sense it.
Sense it? Yes, just in the past few days, he seemed to have
garnered a sixth sense. Not much of one, but enough to know he was in
trouble before it happened. It had allowed him to avoid the bullies on
the way to and from school twice now.
This particular day, the trouble came in the form a stalker.
Now, by nature he was a paranoid person, but he just knew someone was
following him. He'd turn around to try to catch a glimpse of his
follower and for a second he thought he saw something. Then the image
would disappear into the crowd and leave him wondering if something
really was there. He turned back around and continued on down the
street. As soon as he turned a corner, he broke into a sprint and raced
for home.
By the time he reached the door to his abode, he was severely
out of breath and panting heavily. But he was sure he lost his stalker.
Well, pretty sure anyway. After all, there was no way he could've
followed him here, could he?
Within the span of a few seconds, Hikaru was in his room and
locking the door. He barely paid any attention to his parents as he
whizzed by, and they returned the favor. They had learned long ago that
their son was a strange kid and needed his privacy. If he had anything
to tell him, he would.
Hikaru began to look through his magic books (all two of them),
for any type of spell that would help him learn the identity of his
stalker, or at least give him the means to defend himself.
Four hours later, he was fast asleep over his books. The sun
had gone down two hours ago and his parents had gone to bed one hour
ago. Perhaps if they were still up, they could've done something. Then
again, maybe not.
The window to Hikaru's bedroom slowly opened and several people
climbed in. Nodding to each other, they approached the sleeping boy. By
the time he woke up, it was too late. The men grabbed him and taped his
mouth shut before stuffing him in a sack. One of the invaders went out
the window with him. The other two brought out two more sacks and began
to collect everything not nailed down.
By the time the police arrived after being called by the
parents (they went to wake him up for breakfast), the room was stripped
clean and Hikaru Gosunkugi was gone.
"Did you hear?" Nabiki said while reading a book. "Hikaru has
been abducted."
She was laying on the couch while Genma and Soun were playing
Shogi (and cheating as usual), Ranma and Akane were playing cards (Ranma
was losing as usual), and Kasumi was doing the laundry just outside (and
seemingly oblivious to everything as usual).
"Oh dear," Kasumi said. "Who would do such a dreadful thing?"
Ranma's jaw dropped. "They got Gos? Why would anyone want him?"
Akane wacked him on the head with the most convenient item, a rolled up
newspaper. "What was that for!?"
Akane ignored him. "I guess Ranma has a point. Why would anyone
want to kidnap Hikaru-san? He's a little strange I'll admit..."
Nabiki raised and eyebrow. "A little? The boy wears candles on
his head, carries around voodoo dolls and a wooden spike, and hides in
bushes taking pictures of you."
Akane sighed. "Okay, he's very strange, but he's basically
harmless and his family's not wealthy or anything, so what would the
kidnappers want him?"
"It seems to be getting to be really unsafe around here," Kasumi
commented. "What with all the kidnappings and burglaries."
Nabiki smiled. "Yeah, and isn't it the duty of honor-bound
martial artists to keep the peace and end these kidnappings?"
The next noise to be heard was a splash, which drew everyone's
attention to the yard. In it, a panda was playing with a tire. A sign
was staked into the ground nearby reading, "I'm just a panda!"
Ranma sighed. "That's my pop, ever willing to throw himself
into danger for others."
Akane looked thoughtful. "Maybe we should look into this. After
all the police don't have a clue."
Nabiki got up. "Actually they do." Everybody turned toward her
waiting for an answer. "Which I'll gladly share for 1000 yen." To which
everyone face-faulted.
Akane nudged Ranma. "It's your turn to pay."
"Why is it my turn!?"
"Cause I paid last time!" Akane was about to scowl at him, but
got a better idea. Instead, she fixed him with her best, warm smile.
Ranma froze, like a deer caught in the headlights, and started
to sweat. I hate when she does that! "Yeah whatever, I got nothin'
better to do." I just can't resist that kawaii smile of hers. He
sighed and fished into his pocket, handing the money to Nabiki. "Do
tell."
Nabiki smiled victoriously. "Well, it seems all of the
kidnapped were into some strange stuff. Spirit worship, voodoo, magic
books, fortune-telling, that kind of stuff. So the police think it might
be the work of some sort of cult. Either they were taken by a cult, or
staged their kidnappings to join the cult."
There was silence for few seconds, then Ranma spoke up. "So I
guess that's why Gosunkugi was taken, but I don't see him joining a cult
willingly, so it would have to be kidnapping."
"You think that the wizard sects are at the bottom of this?"
Akane asked.
Ranma shrugged. "Could be, but I don't see why. I hate to say
this, but maybe we should ask the old ghoul." He stood up. "Anybody
coming with me?"
Nabiki backed up. "No thank you. I'm not a martial artist so I
don't get involved." She then trudged upstairs.
"I'll go with you, Ranma," Akane said standing up. "Shampoo will
be over there and someone needs to keep an eye on you two." She winked
at him as she left for the front door.
"Hey, hey!" Ranma stammered as he ran after her. "It's not like
that! Akane!"
"There's nothing like young love, eh Saotome?" said a teary-eyed
Soun
"Growph!"
Kenji awoke once again, and did not know where he was. He checked his body
and realized he was lupine at the moment. Locked in a cage. Again. He
didn't know if wolves could groan, but he did. The thoughts before his blacking out returned to him and
his mood went south.
he thought, darkly.
"Bwee?"
Kenji looked to his left, to see Ryoga's pig form locked in a
similiar cage, albeit smaller.
"Woof?"
"Bwee."
Kenji looked where Ryoga's little piggy hoof was pointing. It
seemed like he was in a large cabin, and a large pot was boiling on the
stove. It was tended by an older female dressed in a raggy conservative
dress that looked to be more homemade than store-bought. An older,
bearded man and a younger girl sat at a table playing cards, the girl
dressed similiarly to the woman. The man was dressed in a red, plaid
shirt, dirty jeans, and suspenders. Across the room, Kenji spied his
backpack and clothes, as well as Ryoga's.
"Woof?"
"Bwee."
"Oh look, Papa!" the girl, who looked to be in her middle teens,
exclaimed. "The doggy's awake!"
"So he is, darlin'," the girl's father replied. "How's that stew
comin', Hon'?"
"Almost ready, dear," the man's wife responded. "Now the only
question is, which do we eat first?"
"Bwee!" "Woof!"
"Do we have to eat them?" the little girl complained.
"Now darlin, you know we don't git much chance ta eat pig or
wolf," the father replied. "But tell ya what. We ain't gonna eat both
tonight, so ya can have one as a pet until then."
"Thanks Papa!" They turned to the cages.
"Now which one do we eat?" the mother asked again.
The truce went out the window, as Ryoga and Kenji pointed to
each other.
"Oh, isn't that cute!" the mother exclaimed. "They almost seem
to understand us!"
"Well, the pig is kinda small," the father reasoned. "So we
should wait until it's bigger. You can have the piglet as a pet and
we'll eat the dog tonight."
The pig sighed in relief while the wolf sweatdropped.
Ryoga thought.
Kenji thought. I never imagined my life
would end as someone's dinner. He brightened.
"Well, you better slaughter the wolf now, dear," the mother said
to her wife. "The stew needs to cook all day."
The man stood up and grabbed a large club that was nearby.
"I'll knock him out first, then cut him up." He slid a large knife into
a holster on his belt.
Kenji thought.
He played innocent as the man walked over to the cage and
fiddled with the lock on top. As the top of the cage opened, Kenji came
alive and sprung straight up. A whack from the club missed his head, but
struck his body and sent him sprawling across the floor.
"He's got out!" the girl squealed.
"I got `im!" the father yelled.
Kenji dragged himself to his feet, just in time to notice the
man approaching, club raised menacingly. The amnesiac wolf wasted no
time, but took off running in a different direction. His mind was wild
at the moment, trying to dodge the club and knife attacks, while also
trying to reach the boiling pot. He'd encountered a larger version of a
boiling pot before and, while he wasn't too keen on repeating the
experience, he'd become someone's meal if he didn't change back.
He continued to run through the house, knocking over tables,
chairs, lamps, and the occaisonal picture on the wall. Managing a full
circle to return to the kitchen, he leapt for the pot, the knife and
club wielding man right behind him.
The woman shrieked and back away.
During all this commotion, Ryoga was not idle. He knew he'd
become the meal if Kenji got away, so he was working on his own cage.
He'd never used the Bakusai Tenketsu as a pig before, but he thought now
was a good time to learn. As a result, his hoof was rapidly tapping away
at the bars.
Just as Kenji reached the pot, Ryoga hit the jackpot and the
cage exploded; which the man happened to be near at the time. He went
flying back into a wall as Kenji's upper half landed in the pot, tipping
it over and dousing both himself and Ryoga with scalding water.
The two boys shrieked in pain.
The woman shrieked at her husband hitting the wall.
The man shrieked at what he knew to be two evil spirits.
The girl shrieked at two naked boys. Her hands flew to her face
and she blushed furiously, but peeked out again to catch another
glimpse.
Ryoga and Kenji wasted little time in grabbing their clothes
and belongings. Then Kenji followed Ryoga through the hole made by the
lost boy, and the two almost-dinner victims fled into the forest.
Back in the cabin, the girl asked, "Does this mean I don't get
my pet?"
Several hours later, the two boys were dressed and traveling
again in silence. Kenji had checked the amulet and proceeded in the
direction it pointed, and Ryoga followed him for a reason neither one
could think of at the moment.
Both boys were in a sour mood.
Ryoga was originially headed to Nerima to get his revenge on
Kenji and Ranma. He had found Kenji, yet the fight hadn't ended the way
he wanted it to. He didn't feel like another round of combat, so he
instead settled on following the amnesiac until he could decide on a
course of action.
Kenji knew Ryoga was following him, but didn't know what to do
either. He didn't want to fight the lost boy again, since he was pretty
sure he'd lose. Ryoga was just too strong. He settled instead on
assuming a fast pace in the hopes that he'd lose his follower, since he
remembered Ranma telling him of Ryoga's bad direction sense.
However, it was not to be. After several grueling hours, Kenji
was exhausted while Ryoga's enormous endurance prevented him from
becoming winded at all. The amnesiac reluctantly set up his tent and
made camp, even while Ryoga did the same. They started a fire and ate in
silence, then spent an hour staring at the orange flame between them.
The silence eventually got to Kenji. "So," he began. "You're
cursed, too?"
Ryoga grunted affirmative. "Ranma's fault." He looked up. "You
better not tell anyone!"
"Agreed, provided you don't tell anyone about mine!" Kenji
snapped back.
"Agreed." Ryoga's gaze returned to the fire.
Kenji looked up. "Saotome was responsible for your curse?"
Ryoga nodded. "He knocked me into the spring of drowned black
piglet."
"He was kind of responsible for mine, too," Kenji admitted, his
gaze returning to the fire. "He could've stopped the man who actually
cursed me, but he didn't."
"So, don't you want to get revenge on Ranma, too?" Ryoga asked
darkly. "I would think you'd want to."
"Oh I do," he replied. "But he's better than me right now. I
have to get a whole lot better to beat him." He laughed bitterly. "I
guess we have a little something in common."
Ryoga nodded, but didn't speak.
Something was nagging at the back of the amnesiac's mind,
something about a piglet, but he couldn't remember what so he forced it
out of his mind.
A few moments passed again, before Ryoga broke the silence. "So
what are you doing out here? I thought you'd be getting cozy at the
Tendo's?"
Kenji shot him a dark look. "It's none of your business, but
I'm searching for my home."
That stung Ryoga deep inside, but he didn't let it show. He
couldn't find his home either, even if he wanted to. He'd only been
there a few times since junior high. "I thought you couldn't remember
anything?"
The amnesiac brooded. "I can't. But I've received some
information about where my house is, so that's where I'm going to start
my search." He stood up and stretched. "Look, I have a long day of
travel tomorrow, so I want to get some sleep. I'd like to know if you're
still intent on killing me." He fixed the lost boy with a fierce gaze.
"I like to know if I'll be waking up tomorrow."
Ryoga stood up and locked gazes with Kenji. "I'm not so
cowardly as to attack someone in their sleep. But you still owe me a
man-to-man fight. However..." He paused. Ryoga wanted to hate this man
in front of him, but the amnesiac's admittance of wanting to find his
family hit too close to home for the lost boy, since they were things he
had wanted for himself. And Kenji was cursed as well, so maybe Ryoga
could give him a break.
A little one.
"However," he continued. "I'm not letting you out of my sight
until you answer my challenge."
Kenji nodded, understanding. "Fine. I want to find my family
first, but I promise that you'll get your fight afterward."
With that understanding, the two men went into their seperate
tents to end their exhaustive and eventful day.
The next day brought even more surprises.
After almost a full day of travel, the duo crested a hill and
got a good view of a mini-valley down below. There were scattered trees,
lots of farm-like plains, and a couple of blackened and burned
structures.
Kenji inhaled sharply, then sprinted down the hill to the burnt
structures with Ryoga running right behind. They hit the bottom of the
hill and waded through the armpit high grass. Ryoga managed not to lose
the amnesiac, despite Kenji's enthusiasm of possibly finding his old
home.
Wandering out onto the old road leading to the farm meant just
a another minute of travel and then they were there. Kenji was so intent
on his discovery and Ryoga was so intent on following him, that they
failed to notice the two green-camouflaged figures stalking through the
high grass behind them.
Walking up to what used to be the house, Kenji set his pack
down. Ryoga did the same. Both said nothing as Kenji entered the
wreckage and looked around. Not much was left, just some blackened wood,
plates, and other mundane items.
"Anything look familiar?" Ryoga asked.
Kenji shook his head. "I don't recognize any of it."
"Maybe you should try the amulet again," Ryoga suggested. "This
may not be it."
"No, I have a strong... feeling... it is."
Ryoga shrugged. "Well, I'll go back to the packs and set up
camp. It's gonna be dark soon and you can go through everything at
tomorrow."
Kenji only nodded as Ryoga walked out back to the packs. He
bent over to begin unpacking the tent, never seeing the two strangers
gang up on him. He might have noticed their presence had they not been
masking their aura's and ki signatures, or had they come close enough.
As it was, they contented themselves to simultaneously launching two
blow darts that struck the lost boy in his neck.
Ryoga immediately jumped to his feet, scanned for his
attackers, then snarled, "Who's there!?"
Kenji was still picking through the remains when he heard Ryoga
grunt and snarl his question. By the time he sprinted back to the packs,
Ryoga was on one knee, mumbling something about tranquilizers. Then he
fell over and Kenji could see the two darts sticking out of him. He bent
down and pulled the darts out, even though it probably wouldn't have
done any good.
Looking back up, he saw two ninja dressed in green camoflauge
emerge from the grassy fields with arrows cocked and pointed at him.
One of them gestured for him to stand up, which he did. He
might have tried to fight or run, but Ryoga was helpless right now and
would pay the price. He held up his hands in surrender.
"Who are you?" he asked. "What do you want? We have very little
money and very little worth stealing."
"We're not thieves!" one of the ninjas said in an obviously
indignant, female voice. They came closer and Kenji could clearly see
more features. It seemed that both were female, though the only flesh he
could see was their eyes and the small area around them.
Kenji thought.
Glancing back to the other ninja, the amnesiac could see a look
of surprise on her face, almost as if she couldn't believe who she was
seeing. "Kenji!?" she asked.
"That's my name," he offered. Maybe if he was honest, he could
get out of this. "Soyokaze Kenji. I believe this used to be my home. Do
you know who lived here?"
"Kenji!" the same ninja said again while dropping her bow. "It
is you!" She pulled off her mask revealing a young face and blond hair
tied into a ponytail. She ran up to him, but stopped a few feet away to
study him.
"What are you doing!?" the other ninja demanded. The first one
ignored her.
"Oniichan!" she exclaimed and immediately glomped him. Kenji was
stunned and could only stand there until his mind registered what she
said.
"Oniichan!?" he gasped disbelievingly. "Than you're..."
She pulled away and looked at him. "Don't you recognize me? I'm
Yuri! Your sister!"
----------------------------------------------------------------
Oniichan - older brother
Hitohuki - a blast of wind
