Send C&C to: oddball22@hotmail.com
Find my stories at: www.geocities.com/kaiphantom2000
DISCLAIMER:
Ranma 1/2: New Challenges
Minor Disturbances
Chapter 8
Ryoga awoke.
And immediately regretted it.
He had spent the night in a large steel construction tube in
order to avoid the rains that had fallen that night. Needless to say,
his awakening was greeted by the pained protests of his body for the
hard surface and cramped conditions he'd been forced to endure. He was
used to sleeping on the ground, but hard steel was a tad more
uncomfortable, and the angle his body was in added to that torment.
Of course, he wouldn't have needed to seek such living
conditions if he hadn't have been stupid enough to wander off and get
lost yesterday. Of course, that was probably because of the depression
he had sunk back into after Akane had found out about his curse. It
wasn't as bad as his previous depressions, thanks to Akari, but it was
still bad since Akane had refused to talk to him afterward. Even when he
tried to make it up to her, she consistantly ignored him.
He never knew rejection from Akane could be so painful. Akari
helped lessen the blow, but it still hurt. He had figured out that the
happiness he got from Akari helped counteract his directional problem
somewhat, so he could find his way around some of the time, but drop
back into depression and he got lost again.
Ryoga sighed and crawled out of the tube, careful not to step
into any of the puddles that remained. Once out, he stretched his kinked
muscles in the contruction yard where he stayed.
"Ah, that's better," he remarked to himself. He was still a
little sore, but not as stiff as he had been. He then sat down on a
nearby pile of bricks and contemplated what he should do now.
He supposed he should head back to the Tendo Dojo, but how
would he find it? And should he go back? Akane didn't like him, and
Akari had been a bit distant ever since that Sakura chick showed up. Was
Akari having second thoughts about him?
he thought glumly. I turn into a small,
helpless pork dinner when I get wet, I get lost too easily, and just
being around me seems to bring her misfortune. I can still remember how
she looked after her first fight with that stupid fiancee my parents
arranged. Someone as nice as her, doesn't deserve a lousy person like
me...
Unknowingly, his body had started to glow a pale yellow and
green color as his despair set in, and he instinctively brought his
hands up. "Why does this happen to me!" The blast of ki energy exploded
out of him rocketing away into the air, and if he had been paying
attention, he would have seen it was only slightly short of a Full
Shishi Houkodan.
So drained, he collapsed back onto the pile of bricks. "The
world is a dark and lonely place..."
"Yep, that's him sensei," he dimly heard a voice saying. "Hibiki
Ryoga. Some say he's the second best fighter in the area."
"Hello there!" came another voice. Ryoga continued to stare at
the ground. He heard steps walk over to him and a hand waved in front of
his face. "I said, hello there!"
Ryoga looked up into the face of the man who greeted him, and
nearly recoiled in shock. "Wh-who are you? What are you?"
The man bowed gracefully. "I am Sukebe, and I would like to
interest you in a little match. What do you say?"
"A fight?" Ryoga asked. "With you?" He noticed another man
slightly behind and to the left of Sukebe. "Sasuke?"
Sukebe frowned. "Naw, that's my student, Denoki." The smile
returned. "So, what do you say? Think you got what it takes to face me?"
Suddenly, Ryoga realized that a fight was just what he wanted.
And since Ranma wasn't immediately available, this guy would have to do.
"Yeah sure, why not?"
Sukebe grinned evilly as the two men readied themselves. He had
found another sucker. His previous matches had been too easy, but if
what his student-servant had told him, this guy should give a good
challenge.
Now it should be noted that, in the savage combat that took
place, Ryoga wasn't exactly at his best. He was still stiff and sore
from sleep, hungry, and he had just fired off a pretty huge Shishi
Houkodan.
Which, incidentily, was what led Ranma to him a couple hours
later.
"Oh man," was his first words upon seeing the battered and all
but destroyed construction site. And upon seeing the lost boy half-
buried in it.
"What did you do, Ryoga?" he asked walking up to him. Ryoga was
out cold, so Ranma just shook his head and began to dig his lower half
out. "Well, I guess I better get you back to the dojo." He pulled a few
more heavy construction beams off him, then pulled the lost boy out. He
set him down and slapped him a few times.
"Earth to Ryoga! You in there buddy?" Ryoga only groaned and
tossed his head a few times. "Man, you look like crap. What happened to
you?" His clothes were in tatters and he was sporting numerous cuts and
bruises. Ranma sighed and picked up the lost boy, throwing him over his
shoulder. "Well, I guess you'll have ta tell me later." He turned and
leapt out of the yard, starting for home.
"And just think, today's your girlfriend's challenge match,
too."
"Ryo-chan!" the girlfriend in question exclaimed. "Ranma-kun,
you found him!" She gasped as Ranma set his load down on the Tendo
living room floor. "What happened to him?"
Ranma shook his head. "Don't know. He was half-buried in steel
when I found him. Don't worry about him though, he's tough."
Akane nodded. "Yeah, in the meantime, you've got a match coming
up in an hour. Nabiki's already down there setting up the field and the
details." Her eyes narrowed. "We'll make sure this match is a fair one.
"Right!" Akari said, then turned her attention to her
unconscious fiance. She gave a soft kiss on his cheek. "Wish me luck,
Ryo-chan."
"It's time to get dressed for battle, Akari-san," Natsume
announced as she entered the room. Akari looked reluctant to leave
"Don't worry, I'll get pig-boy down to the field as soon I get
him patched up and conscious," Ranma volunteered.
The sumo pig farmer nodded and, with a last look at her love,
she allowed the other two girls to lead her off to get dressed.
"This is your last chance to place bets!" Nabiki yelled through
the megaphone at the assembled crowd. "Unryuu Akari vs. Sakura. Rumor
has it their last match ended in a draw, and Akari-san has been training
at the Tendo dojo for the past week. Will it be enough to take on Sakura
for the hand of Ryoga?"
A few more kids came forward to make bets with Nabiki's trusted
lietenants: Yuka, Sayuri, and Tomoe. She smiled, satisfied that
everything was going to plan, and handed off the megaphone to Yuka.
There was nothing like a good martial arts duel to raise money for the
Nabiki poverty fund, with a minor cut for her assistants, of course.
She checked her watch. "4pm. Where are they?" There was a
commotion at one end of the soccer field, and Nabiki looked up to see an
older man and woman arrive with a younger girl in a sailor fuku.
As if to answer her, she turned to see Akane, Natsume, and
Kurumi leading Akari onto the field. She was dressed in one of Akane's
gi's, her hair tied back into a pony tail with one of Ryoga's bandannas.
Another one of his bandannas she wore around her forehead.
Ryoga was sitting in a chair, sporting various injuries and
bandages, with a `1st place' sign around his neck. Ranma and Katsunishki
stood nearby.
Nabiki grinned, all was in readiness.
"I'm so nervous!" Akari said, trembling. "What if I lose? Ryoga-
chan will hate me..."
Akane gripped the trembling girl's shoulders with both hands.
"No he won't! You're going to win, you've got to believe that! Just
remember what we taught you."
Akari smiled wanely. "Thanks Akane-chan. I really appreciate
all you've done for me, despite the fact of what Ryoga-chan's done to
you..."
Akane sighed. "It's okay. I guess I can understand why he did
it, but he still should have told me. I'll get over it in time." She
smiled at the other girl, then gave her a hug. "For luck."
Akari nodded and left her to take her place on the field. Akane
went to stand over by Ranma and noticed the way Ranma was looking at
Sakura. She felt a momentary jealous twinge, before suppressing it
firmly. Taking another look at the stretching Sakura, she noticed what
he was doing.
"Do you think Akari has a chance?" she asked lightly.
Ranma let out a breath. "I don't know. Sakura is a martial
artist, and Akari has only being training sumo pigs. Akari's got good
strength, but Sakura looks to be pretty fast. From the way Ryoga
explained their last match, I'd say it was Akari only won because Sakura
didn't adapt fast enough to Akari's moves. The tricks we taught her
might help, but..." he shrugged. "I dunno. Sakura looks pretty good. You
could take her easy. Kodachi could as well if she used her gymnastics
tools."
Akane blinked in surprise. "You know, sometimes you really
surprise me, Ranma. That was a really good assement of abilities and the
fight hasn't even started yet. You really do have a brain up there!"
Ranma rolled his eyes. "Gah."
Akane giggled, then settled down as Nabiki calmed the crowd.
"This is it!" Nabiki yelled through the megaphone. "Akari vs.
Sakura. No time limit. Victory to be determined when one is unable to
continue. Are you two girls ready?" They both nodded at her. "Then,
begin!"
With that, the battle was joined.
"What took you so long, `nichan?" Yuri asked as her older
brother arrived, out of breath.
Ukyo looked over at him from her okonomiyaki stand. "Yeah, we
could've used your help. My okonomiyaki has been selling like hot
cakes."
"Sorry, had a few things to take care of," Kenji replied,
grabbing an `Ucchans' apron and an order pad.
The chef gave him a wan smile. "Well get up up into the stands,
Kenji-kun, and start taking orders! Yuri-chan, why don't you head back
to the store and see if Konatsu and Selah need some help?"
Yuri nodded and left. "See ya later, Ucchan, nichan!"
Kenja waved to his sister, then started up into the stands. He
took a moment to gauge the action going on in the field, and winced when
he saw it wasn't going well.
Akari was hard pressed. The other girl seemed to even better
then before, she was dodging every attack Akari tried. Sakura was also
managing to get a few blows through that had begun to wear the sumo pig
farm girl down.
Sakura jumped back from Akari's latest punch and smirked. "You
really are pathetic,' she taunted. "You can't beat me with such weak
skills. I can't see why Ryoga-sama ever tolerated a pig-girl like you."
The `pig-girl' smirked. "Thanks for the compliment, but this
fight isn't over yet. Besides, I know for a fact Ryo-chan wouldn't be
interested in a dumb-as-a-brick, small-chested bimbo schoolgirl." She
waved a hand in front of her nose. "And pig manure smells better than
you."
On the sidelines, Ranma winced. He had learned on the road
never to get involved in an insult throwing match with a farm girl. He
knew this was gonna get nasty.
Sakura steamed as she realized Akari did have the slightly
larger chest. "You... You... Arrrggghhh!" And she attacked, sliding
forward with a mid-level punch.
Akari blocked the first blow, sensing it was a feint, and
grabbed the following up kick that was the real attack. She pulled the
leg foreward, sending Sakura off-balance. Then Akari grabbed her
opponent in a bear hug, pinning the fuku-clad girl's arms to her side,
before tripping her up and falling on top of her.
There was an audible *oomph* from Sakura as her back hit the
ground with Akari on top. Despite the momentary loss of wind, Sakura
managed to kick Akari off of her and the other girl went flying to land
several yards away. She landed and rolled badly, but was able to regain
her feet at the same time as her rival.
Akari was about to advance again when she noticed her rival
standing still and concentrating. Akari thought,
right before Skaura launch the glowing ball at her.
Yuri stepped into the empty restaurant. She
continued walking inside, back to the kitchen. I might as well check on
Konatsu and see how he's doing. He's been acting a little down for the
past few days. I wonder why?
She didn't see him in the kitchen, and there was no one behind
the grill, so she surmised he must be in the bathroom. Unfortunately, he
wasn't there either. Walking softly upstairs, she heard a faint sound
that almost sounded like... crying?
Tiptoeing over to the room Konatsu shared with her brother, she
put her ear to the door but heard nothing. Concerned, she knocked.
"Konatsu-kun, are you in there?" she called.
She heard a weak voice call for her to enter, so she opened the
door and stepped inside. The male kunoichi had his back to her and was
kneeling on his futon. He was dressed in a floral kimono.
"Hey, are you okay?" she asked, coming behind him.
"I-I'm fine, Yuri-sama," he replied meekly.
She kneeled in front of him to see his eyes slightly red, and
she frowned. "No you're not. You're upset. You want to tell me why?" Up
close, she could see the tiny bit of make-up that he still wore, and a
few tears had marred it somewhat.
He sighed. "It's... It's just... Ukyo-sama. She doesn't love
me..."
The ninja girl had learned of the attraction Konatsu had for
Ukyo in the past couple of months, but also kinda got the feeling the
sentiment wasn't returned. "How do you know?"
"After our date a couple of weeks back, she told me," he
sniffed. "That she only really thought of me as a friend. That she
didn't feel that way about me. I thought it would be okay, so I tried to
go back to the normal routines, but it just isn't helping..."
Yuri couldn't resist giving him a sympathetic hug. "Oh,
Konatsu-chan, I'm sorry. But you'll find someone else. There's got to be
a special girl out there for you."
"I thought Ukyo-sama was the one for me," he said dully.
She pulled back to look at him. "What made you decide that in
the first place?"
His face took on an odd look of happiness and sadness. "She was
so nice me, compared to my step-family. She gave me a place to stay with
enough food and she even paid me to work!"
Yuri laughed lightly. "There are plenty of girls out there that
are just as nice as Ukyo-chan. But unless you try, you'll never know."
She then sat back on her shins and studied him.
According to some other people she talked with, Konatsu used to
dress VERY feminine, and it was hard to tell he was guy since he acted
so much like a girl. But she hadn't met him until he had returned to the
restaurant a couple of months ago. While he did have several feminine
qualities, Ukyo had told her he wasn't dressing very feminine anymore.
The result was a pretty cute guy who wasn't afraid to show his emotions,
and was very respectful of others, women in particular.
That was important, since all the men Yuri had encountered were
macho braggarts who seemed only intent on one thing. So, she had decided
that men were beneath her and a waste of time. But Konatsu was
different, and she found herself feeling a bit attracted to him.
Konatsu hadn't missed the expressions that flitted across the
girl's face, and he was puzzled by what she was thinking. Then she half-
smiled deviously and, before he knew what was happening, leaned over and
lightly kissed him on the lips.
He promptly fainted.
Yuri sighed. "Well, what do ya know..." She smiled. "There may
be some hope for you after all, `Natsu-chan..."
He knew she was losing, and there was nothing he could do about
it. His heart felt every single punch and kick she took. And then he
wondered how he could've been stupid enough to let his parents talk him
into this.
And for the one-hundreth time, Ryoga prayed Akari would win.
"Not long now," came the too-happy-for-Ryoga's-tastes of Dan
Hibiki, aka Ryoga's father. "Gotta admit, that pig girlfriend of yours
is tough, though." He placed a hand on his son's shoulder. "I know you
might be a but upset now, but you'll see the wisdom of your parents
decision in time."
Ryoga whacked his dad's hand away. "Upset!? I'm way past upset,
*dad*!" He put quite a bit of distaste into the word `dad'. "I can't
believe you'd do something like this to me! And here I thought it was
Ranma's father who did stupid things like this..."
His gaze turned back to the almost finished battle. It had been
clear for most of the match who would win. Sakura had fairly danced
around Akari, avoiding and deflecting most of her attacks. That and she
was throwing a light ki attack she called a `Hadoken.'
While Akari had gotten some good blows in, she didn't have the
skill of her opponent. She was limping on her left leg, and Ryoga could
tell by the way she moved that her ribs were bruised.
Then his heart stopped as he watched Sakura deliver the final
attack, a dashing multi-punch combo that seemed to go in slow motion.
With the final hit, Akari dropped to the ground. There was stunned
silence in the crowd.
After checking to make sure her opponent was okay, Sakura leapt
up in victory, then rushed to glomp her new fiance while Akane and
Katsunishki moved out to check on Akari. Ryoga wanted to go too, but the
tight grip Sakura had on him was making it impossible for him to move.
Out in the field, Akane was relived to see that the pig-farmer
was okay, just bruised and unconscious for the moment. She watched as
the recently-defeated girl came around under Katsunishki's nosings.
"Uhhhmmm," Akari groaned. "Katsu-chan." She reached a hand up to
scratch her pet pig's chin, then looked at Akane. "I lost, didn't I?"
Akane nodded slowly. "I'm sorry..."
Akari hauled herself up to see Ryoga and Sakura embracing.
Tears leaked from her eyes as despair filled her. "No... I've lost
him..." With ease that came of familiarity, Akari climbed onto to
Katsunishiki and the sumo pig took off.
Akane watched her go, knowing she wouldn't be able to catch up.
She hoped this was something Akari could work out on her own.
Ryoga, who had been trying to squirm out of Sakura's glomp,
managed to catch a glimpse of Akari's tear-filled face before she
mounted the sumo pig and took off. "AKARI!" he yelled, but she either
didn't hear him, or chose not to respond.
With a last mighty shove, Sakura ended up on the ground and
Ryoga took off after the rapidly disappearing sumo pig. Ranma tried to
stop him, but was flung aside and in moments, the lost boy lived up to
his nickname and was gone.
Ranma picked himself up as Akane came over to him. "Man, I
really feel bad for Ryoga now. This has gotta be tough for him."
His fiancee nodded. "Poor Akari, too. After all her hard work,
it still wasn't enough. I wish there something more we could do to help
them." She was finding herself feeling sorry for Ryoga, the first signs
of sympathy since she found out he was P-chan. Oh sure, she was still
upset at him, but Akari loved him and she had to admit they made a cute
couple.
"Nothin' we can do," Ranma replied. "Ryoga'll be difficult to
find, and who knows where Akari is headed. Best thing is to head home
and wait to see if we hear from one of them."
Akane nodded and the pair started for home. Behind them, Nabiki
and her cohorts collected on the various betting pools.
Hours later, the middle Tendo sister finally arrived home. It
had been a good day, having generated a modest amount of money from the
fight. Afterwards, she had gone to celebrate with some of her friends.
It wasn't like she didn't feel for what happened to Akari, it
was just that it wasn't really her business.
By the time she arrived back, it was already dark and she was
feeling pretty sleepy, so she decided to call it a night. As she passed
the living room, Nabiki noted her younger sister snuggled up to the side
of her fiance on the couch, her head resting on his shoulder while they
watched the TV. For a moment she was tempted to do something about the
sickening sight, but decided she was in too good of a mood herself, so
she left them alone.
No, it wasn't a real bad thing Ranma and Akane were getting
along, and it seemed all but assured they were going to be married. It
was just the lovey-dovey act they put on occasionally that annoyed her.
She was still too used to them fighting and arguing like they did for
the past year. This new Ranma and Akane seemed... unnatural. Oh, they
still argued and fought from time to time, but nowhere near the level
they used too. And the fights never lasted very long either.
She still thought her sister could do better than Ranma, but as
long as Akane wanted him and was happy, Nabiki had to accept it.
She smiled as she heard them start up another argument about
what TV program to watch. It seemed Ranma wanted to watch an old Bruce
Lee movie, and Akane wanted to watch a magical girl anime. Nabiki waited
at the bottom of the stairs for the conclusion.
*Crash!* It was decided to watch the anime.
Nabiki peeked back into the room to see the same situation as
before, only with a bump now displayed on Ranma's head. She shook her
own head and headed to her room, falling asleep in her bed an hour
later.
She awoke some time later to a strange noise, almost like air
being let out of a balloon. Opening her eyes, she decided to see what
time it was, and that's when she realized she couldn't see anything. Her
room was pitch black and their was an odd scent in the air. Logically,
she realized there should be at least some light from her window, or
even her digital alarm clock by her bed.
She sat up slowly, and detected a chill in the air that caused
her to wrap her blankets tightly around her body. "Alright, what's going
on here?" she asked herself in a whisper.
"Naaabiiiiikiiiii...." came a very distorted whispered reply.
"Who's there?" she demanded.
"Naaabiiiiikiiiii..." came the voice again, a little louder this
time. "Yoooouuuu've beeeen baaaad...." A hideous cackling sound followed
that. "I liiiike yooouuuu..."
For the life of her, Nabiki couldn't tell who that voice
belonged to. "I'm giving you just three seconds to get to the point or
get lost!"
A louder cackling sound resounded, and she noticed the wind
currents begin pick up. They were cold enough to make her shiver and
form goosebumps on her skin. Unconsciously, her teeth began to chatter.
"I'v cooome... for youuuuuu, Teeeendoooo Naaabiiiikiiii..." the
voice intoned. "Your souuulll is miiiiiiine!"
The middle Tendo decided she had had enough of this, and
fumbled around for the lamp on her nightstand, but couldn't find it.
"Where's my nightstand!?" she gasped, surprised.
"Youuu are in myyyy world, Naaabiiiikiiii....heheheheheh!
Because of your ruuuuthless treeeatment of people in the pursuuuiit of
moneeeeyyy, I welcome youuu into Hell!"
"Well, you're in my room!" Nabiki yelled back, her voice
somewhat shaken. She decided to see if she could make it to the light
switch across the room. No sooner then she shifted her legs to the side
of her bed, then a very hot blast of wind hit her in the face.
"Gooooiing somewhereee?"
Nabiki trembled. "Who are you!?" She woudn't have admitted it,
but she was... a little scared at the moment.
"I shall shoooow youuuu!"
In the next instant, a glowing red face appeared in front of
her. It was a cracked and bleeding skull covered by a hood. "I am
Death!" A scythe came up to rest under her chin. "It's time to
goooo....!"
Nabiki's eyes rolled up into the back of her head and she
collapsed on the bed.
`Death' took off it's mask, exhaled, and grinned. Then he
uncovered the Nabiki's window and moved her nightstand back. Taking a
last look around the room, Kenji smiled, then leapt out the window.
Find my stories at: www.geocities.com/kaiphantom2000
DISCLAIMER:
Ranma 1/2: New Challenges
Minor Disturbances
Chapter 8
Ryoga awoke.
And immediately regretted it.
He had spent the night in a large steel construction tube in
order to avoid the rains that had fallen that night. Needless to say,
his awakening was greeted by the pained protests of his body for the
hard surface and cramped conditions he'd been forced to endure. He was
used to sleeping on the ground, but hard steel was a tad more
uncomfortable, and the angle his body was in added to that torment.
Of course, he wouldn't have needed to seek such living
conditions if he hadn't have been stupid enough to wander off and get
lost yesterday. Of course, that was probably because of the depression
he had sunk back into after Akane had found out about his curse. It
wasn't as bad as his previous depressions, thanks to Akari, but it was
still bad since Akane had refused to talk to him afterward. Even when he
tried to make it up to her, she consistantly ignored him.
He never knew rejection from Akane could be so painful. Akari
helped lessen the blow, but it still hurt. He had figured out that the
happiness he got from Akari helped counteract his directional problem
somewhat, so he could find his way around some of the time, but drop
back into depression and he got lost again.
Ryoga sighed and crawled out of the tube, careful not to step
into any of the puddles that remained. Once out, he stretched his kinked
muscles in the contruction yard where he stayed.
"Ah, that's better," he remarked to himself. He was still a
little sore, but not as stiff as he had been. He then sat down on a
nearby pile of bricks and contemplated what he should do now.
He supposed he should head back to the Tendo Dojo, but how
would he find it? And should he go back? Akane didn't like him, and
Akari had been a bit distant ever since that Sakura chick showed up. Was
Akari having second thoughts about him?
he thought glumly. I turn into a small,
helpless pork dinner when I get wet, I get lost too easily, and just
being around me seems to bring her misfortune. I can still remember how
she looked after her first fight with that stupid fiancee my parents
arranged. Someone as nice as her, doesn't deserve a lousy person like
me...
Unknowingly, his body had started to glow a pale yellow and
green color as his despair set in, and he instinctively brought his
hands up. "Why does this happen to me!" The blast of ki energy exploded
out of him rocketing away into the air, and if he had been paying
attention, he would have seen it was only slightly short of a Full
Shishi Houkodan.
So drained, he collapsed back onto the pile of bricks. "The
world is a dark and lonely place..."
"Yep, that's him sensei," he dimly heard a voice saying. "Hibiki
Ryoga. Some say he's the second best fighter in the area."
"Hello there!" came another voice. Ryoga continued to stare at
the ground. He heard steps walk over to him and a hand waved in front of
his face. "I said, hello there!"
Ryoga looked up into the face of the man who greeted him, and
nearly recoiled in shock. "Wh-who are you? What are you?"
The man bowed gracefully. "I am Sukebe, and I would like to
interest you in a little match. What do you say?"
"A fight?" Ryoga asked. "With you?" He noticed another man
slightly behind and to the left of Sukebe. "Sasuke?"
Sukebe frowned. "Naw, that's my student, Denoki." The smile
returned. "So, what do you say? Think you got what it takes to face me?"
Suddenly, Ryoga realized that a fight was just what he wanted.
And since Ranma wasn't immediately available, this guy would have to do.
"Yeah sure, why not?"
Sukebe grinned evilly as the two men readied themselves. He had
found another sucker. His previous matches had been too easy, but if
what his student-servant had told him, this guy should give a good
challenge.
Now it should be noted that, in the savage combat that took
place, Ryoga wasn't exactly at his best. He was still stiff and sore
from sleep, hungry, and he had just fired off a pretty huge Shishi
Houkodan.
Which, incidentily, was what led Ranma to him a couple hours
later.
"Oh man," was his first words upon seeing the battered and all
but destroyed construction site. And upon seeing the lost boy half-
buried in it.
"What did you do, Ryoga?" he asked walking up to him. Ryoga was
out cold, so Ranma just shook his head and began to dig his lower half
out. "Well, I guess I better get you back to the dojo." He pulled a few
more heavy construction beams off him, then pulled the lost boy out. He
set him down and slapped him a few times.
"Earth to Ryoga! You in there buddy?" Ryoga only groaned and
tossed his head a few times. "Man, you look like crap. What happened to
you?" His clothes were in tatters and he was sporting numerous cuts and
bruises. Ranma sighed and picked up the lost boy, throwing him over his
shoulder. "Well, I guess you'll have ta tell me later." He turned and
leapt out of the yard, starting for home.
"And just think, today's your girlfriend's challenge match,
too."
"Ryo-chan!" the girlfriend in question exclaimed. "Ranma-kun,
you found him!" She gasped as Ranma set his load down on the Tendo
living room floor. "What happened to him?"
Ranma shook his head. "Don't know. He was half-buried in steel
when I found him. Don't worry about him though, he's tough."
Akane nodded. "Yeah, in the meantime, you've got a match coming
up in an hour. Nabiki's already down there setting up the field and the
details." Her eyes narrowed. "We'll make sure this match is a fair one.
"Right!" Akari said, then turned her attention to her
unconscious fiance. She gave a soft kiss on his cheek. "Wish me luck,
Ryo-chan."
"It's time to get dressed for battle, Akari-san," Natsume
announced as she entered the room. Akari looked reluctant to leave
"Don't worry, I'll get pig-boy down to the field as soon I get
him patched up and conscious," Ranma volunteered.
The sumo pig farmer nodded and, with a last look at her love,
she allowed the other two girls to lead her off to get dressed.
"This is your last chance to place bets!" Nabiki yelled through
the megaphone at the assembled crowd. "Unryuu Akari vs. Sakura. Rumor
has it their last match ended in a draw, and Akari-san has been training
at the Tendo dojo for the past week. Will it be enough to take on Sakura
for the hand of Ryoga?"
A few more kids came forward to make bets with Nabiki's trusted
lietenants: Yuka, Sayuri, and Tomoe. She smiled, satisfied that
everything was going to plan, and handed off the megaphone to Yuka.
There was nothing like a good martial arts duel to raise money for the
Nabiki poverty fund, with a minor cut for her assistants, of course.
She checked her watch. "4pm. Where are they?" There was a
commotion at one end of the soccer field, and Nabiki looked up to see an
older man and woman arrive with a younger girl in a sailor fuku.
As if to answer her, she turned to see Akane, Natsume, and
Kurumi leading Akari onto the field. She was dressed in one of Akane's
gi's, her hair tied back into a pony tail with one of Ryoga's bandannas.
Another one of his bandannas she wore around her forehead.
Ryoga was sitting in a chair, sporting various injuries and
bandages, with a `1st place' sign around his neck. Ranma and Katsunishki
stood nearby.
Nabiki grinned, all was in readiness.
"I'm so nervous!" Akari said, trembling. "What if I lose? Ryoga-
chan will hate me..."
Akane gripped the trembling girl's shoulders with both hands.
"No he won't! You're going to win, you've got to believe that! Just
remember what we taught you."
Akari smiled wanely. "Thanks Akane-chan. I really appreciate
all you've done for me, despite the fact of what Ryoga-chan's done to
you..."
Akane sighed. "It's okay. I guess I can understand why he did
it, but he still should have told me. I'll get over it in time." She
smiled at the other girl, then gave her a hug. "For luck."
Akari nodded and left her to take her place on the field. Akane
went to stand over by Ranma and noticed the way Ranma was looking at
Sakura. She felt a momentary jealous twinge, before suppressing it
firmly. Taking another look at the stretching Sakura, she noticed what
he was doing.
"Do you think Akari has a chance?" she asked lightly.
Ranma let out a breath. "I don't know. Sakura is a martial
artist, and Akari has only being training sumo pigs. Akari's got good
strength, but Sakura looks to be pretty fast. From the way Ryoga
explained their last match, I'd say it was Akari only won because Sakura
didn't adapt fast enough to Akari's moves. The tricks we taught her
might help, but..." he shrugged. "I dunno. Sakura looks pretty good. You
could take her easy. Kodachi could as well if she used her gymnastics
tools."
Akane blinked in surprise. "You know, sometimes you really
surprise me, Ranma. That was a really good assement of abilities and the
fight hasn't even started yet. You really do have a brain up there!"
Ranma rolled his eyes. "Gah."
Akane giggled, then settled down as Nabiki calmed the crowd.
"This is it!" Nabiki yelled through the megaphone. "Akari vs.
Sakura. No time limit. Victory to be determined when one is unable to
continue. Are you two girls ready?" They both nodded at her. "Then,
begin!"
With that, the battle was joined.
"What took you so long, `nichan?" Yuri asked as her older
brother arrived, out of breath.
Ukyo looked over at him from her okonomiyaki stand. "Yeah, we
could've used your help. My okonomiyaki has been selling like hot
cakes."
"Sorry, had a few things to take care of," Kenji replied,
grabbing an `Ucchans' apron and an order pad.
The chef gave him a wan smile. "Well get up up into the stands,
Kenji-kun, and start taking orders! Yuri-chan, why don't you head back
to the store and see if Konatsu and Selah need some help?"
Yuri nodded and left. "See ya later, Ucchan, nichan!"
Kenja waved to his sister, then started up into the stands. He
took a moment to gauge the action going on in the field, and winced when
he saw it wasn't going well.
Akari was hard pressed. The other girl seemed to even better
then before, she was dodging every attack Akari tried. Sakura was also
managing to get a few blows through that had begun to wear the sumo pig
farm girl down.
Sakura jumped back from Akari's latest punch and smirked. "You
really are pathetic,' she taunted. "You can't beat me with such weak
skills. I can't see why Ryoga-sama ever tolerated a pig-girl like you."
The `pig-girl' smirked. "Thanks for the compliment, but this
fight isn't over yet. Besides, I know for a fact Ryo-chan wouldn't be
interested in a dumb-as-a-brick, small-chested bimbo schoolgirl." She
waved a hand in front of her nose. "And pig manure smells better than
you."
On the sidelines, Ranma winced. He had learned on the road
never to get involved in an insult throwing match with a farm girl. He
knew this was gonna get nasty.
Sakura steamed as she realized Akari did have the slightly
larger chest. "You... You... Arrrggghhh!" And she attacked, sliding
forward with a mid-level punch.
Akari blocked the first blow, sensing it was a feint, and
grabbed the following up kick that was the real attack. She pulled the
leg foreward, sending Sakura off-balance. Then Akari grabbed her
opponent in a bear hug, pinning the fuku-clad girl's arms to her side,
before tripping her up and falling on top of her.
There was an audible *oomph* from Sakura as her back hit the
ground with Akari on top. Despite the momentary loss of wind, Sakura
managed to kick Akari off of her and the other girl went flying to land
several yards away. She landed and rolled badly, but was able to regain
her feet at the same time as her rival.
Akari was about to advance again when she noticed her rival
standing still and concentrating. Akari thought,
right before Skaura launch the glowing ball at her.
Yuri stepped into the empty restaurant. She
continued walking inside, back to the kitchen. I might as well check on
Konatsu and see how he's doing. He's been acting a little down for the
past few days. I wonder why?
She didn't see him in the kitchen, and there was no one behind
the grill, so she surmised he must be in the bathroom. Unfortunately, he
wasn't there either. Walking softly upstairs, she heard a faint sound
that almost sounded like... crying?
Tiptoeing over to the room Konatsu shared with her brother, she
put her ear to the door but heard nothing. Concerned, she knocked.
"Konatsu-kun, are you in there?" she called.
She heard a weak voice call for her to enter, so she opened the
door and stepped inside. The male kunoichi had his back to her and was
kneeling on his futon. He was dressed in a floral kimono.
"Hey, are you okay?" she asked, coming behind him.
"I-I'm fine, Yuri-sama," he replied meekly.
She kneeled in front of him to see his eyes slightly red, and
she frowned. "No you're not. You're upset. You want to tell me why?" Up
close, she could see the tiny bit of make-up that he still wore, and a
few tears had marred it somewhat.
He sighed. "It's... It's just... Ukyo-sama. She doesn't love
me..."
The ninja girl had learned of the attraction Konatsu had for
Ukyo in the past couple of months, but also kinda got the feeling the
sentiment wasn't returned. "How do you know?"
"After our date a couple of weeks back, she told me," he
sniffed. "That she only really thought of me as a friend. That she
didn't feel that way about me. I thought it would be okay, so I tried to
go back to the normal routines, but it just isn't helping..."
Yuri couldn't resist giving him a sympathetic hug. "Oh,
Konatsu-chan, I'm sorry. But you'll find someone else. There's got to be
a special girl out there for you."
"I thought Ukyo-sama was the one for me," he said dully.
She pulled back to look at him. "What made you decide that in
the first place?"
His face took on an odd look of happiness and sadness. "She was
so nice me, compared to my step-family. She gave me a place to stay with
enough food and she even paid me to work!"
Yuri laughed lightly. "There are plenty of girls out there that
are just as nice as Ukyo-chan. But unless you try, you'll never know."
She then sat back on her shins and studied him.
According to some other people she talked with, Konatsu used to
dress VERY feminine, and it was hard to tell he was guy since he acted
so much like a girl. But she hadn't met him until he had returned to the
restaurant a couple of months ago. While he did have several feminine
qualities, Ukyo had told her he wasn't dressing very feminine anymore.
The result was a pretty cute guy who wasn't afraid to show his emotions,
and was very respectful of others, women in particular.
That was important, since all the men Yuri had encountered were
macho braggarts who seemed only intent on one thing. So, she had decided
that men were beneath her and a waste of time. But Konatsu was
different, and she found herself feeling a bit attracted to him.
Konatsu hadn't missed the expressions that flitted across the
girl's face, and he was puzzled by what she was thinking. Then she half-
smiled deviously and, before he knew what was happening, leaned over and
lightly kissed him on the lips.
He promptly fainted.
Yuri sighed. "Well, what do ya know..." She smiled. "There may
be some hope for you after all, `Natsu-chan..."
He knew she was losing, and there was nothing he could do about
it. His heart felt every single punch and kick she took. And then he
wondered how he could've been stupid enough to let his parents talk him
into this.
And for the one-hundreth time, Ryoga prayed Akari would win.
"Not long now," came the too-happy-for-Ryoga's-tastes of Dan
Hibiki, aka Ryoga's father. "Gotta admit, that pig girlfriend of yours
is tough, though." He placed a hand on his son's shoulder. "I know you
might be a but upset now, but you'll see the wisdom of your parents
decision in time."
Ryoga whacked his dad's hand away. "Upset!? I'm way past upset,
*dad*!" He put quite a bit of distaste into the word `dad'. "I can't
believe you'd do something like this to me! And here I thought it was
Ranma's father who did stupid things like this..."
His gaze turned back to the almost finished battle. It had been
clear for most of the match who would win. Sakura had fairly danced
around Akari, avoiding and deflecting most of her attacks. That and she
was throwing a light ki attack she called a `Hadoken.'
While Akari had gotten some good blows in, she didn't have the
skill of her opponent. She was limping on her left leg, and Ryoga could
tell by the way she moved that her ribs were bruised.
Then his heart stopped as he watched Sakura deliver the final
attack, a dashing multi-punch combo that seemed to go in slow motion.
With the final hit, Akari dropped to the ground. There was stunned
silence in the crowd.
After checking to make sure her opponent was okay, Sakura leapt
up in victory, then rushed to glomp her new fiance while Akane and
Katsunishki moved out to check on Akari. Ryoga wanted to go too, but the
tight grip Sakura had on him was making it impossible for him to move.
Out in the field, Akane was relived to see that the pig-farmer
was okay, just bruised and unconscious for the moment. She watched as
the recently-defeated girl came around under Katsunishki's nosings.
"Uhhhmmm," Akari groaned. "Katsu-chan." She reached a hand up to
scratch her pet pig's chin, then looked at Akane. "I lost, didn't I?"
Akane nodded slowly. "I'm sorry..."
Akari hauled herself up to see Ryoga and Sakura embracing.
Tears leaked from her eyes as despair filled her. "No... I've lost
him..." With ease that came of familiarity, Akari climbed onto to
Katsunishiki and the sumo pig took off.
Akane watched her go, knowing she wouldn't be able to catch up.
She hoped this was something Akari could work out on her own.
Ryoga, who had been trying to squirm out of Sakura's glomp,
managed to catch a glimpse of Akari's tear-filled face before she
mounted the sumo pig and took off. "AKARI!" he yelled, but she either
didn't hear him, or chose not to respond.
With a last mighty shove, Sakura ended up on the ground and
Ryoga took off after the rapidly disappearing sumo pig. Ranma tried to
stop him, but was flung aside and in moments, the lost boy lived up to
his nickname and was gone.
Ranma picked himself up as Akane came over to him. "Man, I
really feel bad for Ryoga now. This has gotta be tough for him."
His fiancee nodded. "Poor Akari, too. After all her hard work,
it still wasn't enough. I wish there something more we could do to help
them." She was finding herself feeling sorry for Ryoga, the first signs
of sympathy since she found out he was P-chan. Oh sure, she was still
upset at him, but Akari loved him and she had to admit they made a cute
couple.
"Nothin' we can do," Ranma replied. "Ryoga'll be difficult to
find, and who knows where Akari is headed. Best thing is to head home
and wait to see if we hear from one of them."
Akane nodded and the pair started for home. Behind them, Nabiki
and her cohorts collected on the various betting pools.
Hours later, the middle Tendo sister finally arrived home. It
had been a good day, having generated a modest amount of money from the
fight. Afterwards, she had gone to celebrate with some of her friends.
It wasn't like she didn't feel for what happened to Akari, it
was just that it wasn't really her business.
By the time she arrived back, it was already dark and she was
feeling pretty sleepy, so she decided to call it a night. As she passed
the living room, Nabiki noted her younger sister snuggled up to the side
of her fiance on the couch, her head resting on his shoulder while they
watched the TV. For a moment she was tempted to do something about the
sickening sight, but decided she was in too good of a mood herself, so
she left them alone.
No, it wasn't a real bad thing Ranma and Akane were getting
along, and it seemed all but assured they were going to be married. It
was just the lovey-dovey act they put on occasionally that annoyed her.
She was still too used to them fighting and arguing like they did for
the past year. This new Ranma and Akane seemed... unnatural. Oh, they
still argued and fought from time to time, but nowhere near the level
they used too. And the fights never lasted very long either.
She still thought her sister could do better than Ranma, but as
long as Akane wanted him and was happy, Nabiki had to accept it.
She smiled as she heard them start up another argument about
what TV program to watch. It seemed Ranma wanted to watch an old Bruce
Lee movie, and Akane wanted to watch a magical girl anime. Nabiki waited
at the bottom of the stairs for the conclusion.
*Crash!* It was decided to watch the anime.
Nabiki peeked back into the room to see the same situation as
before, only with a bump now displayed on Ranma's head. She shook her
own head and headed to her room, falling asleep in her bed an hour
later.
She awoke some time later to a strange noise, almost like air
being let out of a balloon. Opening her eyes, she decided to see what
time it was, and that's when she realized she couldn't see anything. Her
room was pitch black and their was an odd scent in the air. Logically,
she realized there should be at least some light from her window, or
even her digital alarm clock by her bed.
She sat up slowly, and detected a chill in the air that caused
her to wrap her blankets tightly around her body. "Alright, what's going
on here?" she asked herself in a whisper.
"Naaabiiiiikiiiii...." came a very distorted whispered reply.
"Who's there?" she demanded.
"Naaabiiiiikiiiii..." came the voice again, a little louder this
time. "Yoooouuuu've beeeen baaaad...." A hideous cackling sound followed
that. "I liiiike yooouuuu..."
For the life of her, Nabiki couldn't tell who that voice
belonged to. "I'm giving you just three seconds to get to the point or
get lost!"
A louder cackling sound resounded, and she noticed the wind
currents begin pick up. They were cold enough to make her shiver and
form goosebumps on her skin. Unconsciously, her teeth began to chatter.
"I'v cooome... for youuuuuu, Teeeendoooo Naaabiiiikiiii..." the
voice intoned. "Your souuulll is miiiiiiine!"
The middle Tendo decided she had had enough of this, and
fumbled around for the lamp on her nightstand, but couldn't find it.
"Where's my nightstand!?" she gasped, surprised.
"Youuu are in myyyy world, Naaabiiiikiiii....heheheheheh!
Because of your ruuuuthless treeeatment of people in the pursuuuiit of
moneeeeyyy, I welcome youuu into Hell!"
"Well, you're in my room!" Nabiki yelled back, her voice
somewhat shaken. She decided to see if she could make it to the light
switch across the room. No sooner then she shifted her legs to the side
of her bed, then a very hot blast of wind hit her in the face.
"Gooooiing somewhereee?"
Nabiki trembled. "Who are you!?" She woudn't have admitted it,
but she was... a little scared at the moment.
"I shall shoooow youuuu!"
In the next instant, a glowing red face appeared in front of
her. It was a cracked and bleeding skull covered by a hood. "I am
Death!" A scythe came up to rest under her chin. "It's time to
goooo....!"
Nabiki's eyes rolled up into the back of her head and she
collapsed on the bed.
`Death' took off it's mask, exhaled, and grinned. Then he
uncovered the Nabiki's window and moved her nightstand back. Taking a
last look around the room, Kenji smiled, then leapt out the window.
