Disclaimer:
Megaman X character designs belong to Capcom. I'm just borrowing 'em, guys. I'll have 'em power washed before I bring 'em back. Yeah, yeah, I'll even hot wax 'em. Ranma characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi. I'm just borrowing 'em, Rumiko-san. I'll have 'em power washed before I return 'em. Yeah, yeah, I'll even hot wax 'em.
Flashfyre5 Presents
A Flaming Amarant production
In association with Digital Wizardry Studios, Minnesota
The Opening Bet
Chapter Three: Explosion! Ryoga Blasts Onto the Scene!
" " = speech
[ ] = panda board
= thought
/ / = written
* * * * * *
Akane pulled away from Ranma slowly, not quite sure how to feel. Ranma herself was blushing furiously, even though she looked happy for Akane. Somewhere in there, however, Akane could see the melancholy that had plagued Ranma all day. Suddenly, Akane remembered that she was naked and, contrary to appearances, Ranma was a boy. Blushing, she pulled away and hugged the towel to her body.
"Thank you," Akane said quietly, looking in wonder at her toes. She'd honestly never expected to see them again. Also, it had the side effect of hiding her blush.
"'What're friends for?'" Ranma quoted her, a small, happy smile on her face. Akane looked back up and returned the smile, then started to look around the dojo, being careful not to let Ranma see any of her 'bits and pieces.'
"I know that Dad keeps a spare gi or two around here somewhere," Akane muttered, checking drawer after drawer.
"Umm... Akane? I already found it," Ranma said, holding up one of Soun's spare gi. Akane got back up and walked over to Ranma. Holding the towel tightly with one hand, she snaked her other out to grab the clothing. She was about to ask Ranma to turn around so that she could change when a delightfully evil thought occurred to her.
"Pervert," Akane suddenly said. "You just set this whole thing up so that you could see me naked." Ranma, shocked, facefaulted with a loud *crash* and lay there, twitching. Carefully, Akane prodded her with a foot. When she didn't move, Akane smiled to herself and dressed while Ranma was dead to the world. A few minutes later, Ranma regained her senses and sat up.
"Pervert?!" she exclaimed. "If I was a pervert, why'd I give you the towel?"
"I know that you're not," Akane said, smiling. "I just wanted to change while you weren't watching."
"You coulda just asked me ta turn around," Ranma said sourly, looking away.
"Yeah," agreed Akane, "but that wouldn't have been as much fun." Ranma looked back in surprise just as Akane gave her the red eye.
"Ooooh, you're gonna get in now," Ranma said, her voice on the verge of laughter. Akane squealed and leapt out of the dojo, her feet slapping against the paving stones as she ran. The sensation felt delicious. She could hear Ranma's pursuing footfalls and laughter as she ran, but Akane didn't care. She turned a tight corner around the side of her house, now on the grass of the lawn, and hid about two inches out of sight. Just as Ranma turned the corner, Akane stuck her foot out. Ranma tripped on it and went tumbling to the ground, while Akane doubled back, her father's oversized gi flapping against her smaller frame. Suddenly, Akane remembered Ranma's injury, but Ranma just scrambled to her feet and followed, as if she were completely fine. Putting on a burst of speed, Ranma closed the gap between herself and Akane quickly, then tackled the bigger girl to the ground.
"Tease me, will ya?" Ranma said, her eyes gleaming. She pulled herself up to straddle Akane's body at the waist. The larger girl squirmed beneath her, but Ranma was just a bit too heavy for Akane to push off. With a mighty effort, Akane twisted underneath Ranma, putting herself face up. "Eat this!" Ranma cried, her hands darting downwards towards Akane's prone form. Akane saw the attack, but was too slow to stop it as Ranma snaked her hands beneath Akane's armpits. Akane clamped down her arms, trapping Ranma's hands, but it was already too late, as Ranma began to mercilessly tickle Akane where she had no defense. Squealing in laughter, Akane desperately squirmed underneath Ranma, trying to escape.
"Umm, Ranma," Genma's voice suddenly intruded, ending their fun. Both girls turned to see Ranma's father standing on the porch, staring at them. "Who is this girl, and what on Earth are you doing?" he asked.
* * * * * *
"How much for this rice again?" asked Asuka, a fairly average housewife. She cooked, cleaned, and cared for her husband and family, yet she got no recognition for it. Sometimes she wondered why she even bothered, and yet, every morning she got up and did the exact same thing.
"That's 3000 yen," the street vendor said in regard to a large bag of rice that Asuka was trying to buy.
"3000?" Asuka asked. "Surely that's too much, Hiro. I know for a fact that you sold a bag of the same size to Hitomi for almost half that."
"I did no such thing," the street vendor defended himself. "The price is 3000, take it or leave it." Nodding, he looked away, down the street.
"Please, sir, I only have 2500. Could you do me a favor just this once?" Asuka pleaded, hoping to appeal to his pity where shame had failed. He got a wide-eyed, frightened look in his eyes.
"Look, lady, I'll sell for 2000 if you just get outta here," he said, his voice carrying a note of panic. Asuka smiled and ignored it.
"That's much better," she agreed, handing over the money. He grabbed it and ran, taking his rice cart with him. Asuka smiled and hefted the big, fifty-kilo bag of rice and slung it over her shoulder. Suddenly, a shadow fell over her. She turned slowly, suddenly remembering the panic in the street vendor's voice.
Standing behind her was a metal behemoth. It stood well over eight feet tall, and was painted in earthy, brown tones. It had golden trim, and small ruby spheres embedded in its body. Instead of the head of a human, a great, shaggy boar's head erupted from the thing's shoulders. Its hands were ridiculously oversized, and it was obvious that one could easily crush a boulder with one. Or a human head. Attached to its back was a large backpack, which was connected by a snaking metal tube to a cylinder on the robot's right wrist. Its armor, from head to toe, was hard-edged, and shaped in various geometric shapes. It's eyes, a deep green in color, were cold and hardened by hatred. In one smooth motion, it bent down and drew a deep, long breath through its snout as it touched on Asuka's face. She was frozen with fear.
"You smell traveled," the boar-robot rumbled in a deep, masculine voice. "Do you know where Tokyo is in relation to here?" Dumbly, Asuka nodded, not quite sure what else to do. "Where?" he asked, looking up.
"Fifty miles," Asuka choked out, pointing her arm Southward. "That way."
"Thank you," the boar-robot rumbled, following the direction of her pointing. With great strides, it set off in the direction that she pointed. "Now, Ranma, you will pay for the Hell you've put me through," Asuka heard him say to himself as he walked away. She didn't know anybody named Ranma, and was glad that she didn't. She had a sneaking suspicion that if she did, she wouldn't for very much longer. His strides ate up distance like a shark does fish.
* * * * * *
"Umm, Ranma," Genma's voice suddenly intruded, ending their fun. Both girls turned to see Ranma's father standing on the porch, staring at them. "Who is this girl, and what on Earth are you doing?" he asked.
"Err..." Ranma stuttered, not sure how to answer.
"I'm Akane," Akane cut in. "Ranma gave me some Nyanniichuan as a thank-you present," she explained, seeing the confusion on Genma's face. That confusion turned to grave understanding at Akane's confession.
"I see...," he said, looking hard at Ranma. "You've decided to stay half-human for the rest of your life, then, Ranma?" he asked his son-turned-daughter. Ranma winced when her father said 'half human.'
"Yeah," she replied, standing up off of Akane. "If it weren't for Akane, I prolly wouldn't be alive to use it anyway. 'Sides, she likes being a girl a lot more than I do."
"That Nyannichuan was my greatest hope for the future of the School," Genma growled, shaking his fist. "Without it, the slightest bit of hot water could kill any child that you might one day carry." Ranma's face suddenly paled in remembrance.
***Two weeks earlier***
"Ranma," Genma said sagely, sitting across from his... child. "With your... condition, I have decided that I can no longer consider you the heir to the Saotome School of Anything-Goes Martial Arts."
WHAT?!" Ranma exploded, jumping up. "I trained my whole goddamn life, and you decide to take it all away 'cuz one of YOUR stupid training ideas backfired?!"
"Training or no, I am the master of our School, and as far as the martial arts are concerned, my word is law!" Genma declared, rising to meet his daughter's height. "If you were merely a woman, I might consider it. Considering the fact that you are not even human half the time, it is absolutely out of the question. You may no longer practice martial arts, especially not the family school's." A dead, cold silence followed Genma's proclamation as the two glared at each other.
"There's gotta be a deal," Ranma finally said. "You never do something like this without there being a deal to get out of it. What're the conditions this time?" Genma thought a minute before responding, more to provide effect than to actually consider what to say. He'd planned this out hours earlier.
"There are a number of ways that you can regain your status as my heir," Genma started, drawing it out. He liked to have his... child's full attention. "First, you may replace your female side with a male one. You may also become fully a woman. I will train a half-man, but not a half-woman."
"What if I can't?" Ranma asked, already thinking about Jusenkyo. Genma was silent again, this time actually thinking.
"If you provide the family with an heir, I will allow you to practice the School, but not be the heir to it," Genma finally said. "You are a woman half the time. You have the 'equipment' to do it. In any case, until such a time as you've accomplished one of these three things, you may no longer practice martial arts of any kind, except in self-defense. As the patriarch of the Saotome clan, I deem this a matter of Giri." This final statement, that of Giri, or family honor, finally broke Ranma where starving cats, a lifetime of crime, a curse, and a grotesque bodily mutation failed to.
For the first time in ten years, Ranma broke down and sobbed, the turned and ran from the camp. Genma wouldn't see her for three days.
* * * * * *
Ranma stared at the Nyanniichuan, the cursed pool reflecting his mechanical form back at him. This was the only pool, out of all one hundred and twenty-seven at Jusenkyo, that he could approach. Whenever he tried to get near any of the others, he'd encounter an invisible barrier about three feet away from the pools. All except for this one.
His hopes of ever being a man again, even a half-man, were shattered by the Jusenkyo Guide. He'd told Ranma flatly that it was impossible for a newly cursed individual to approach any spring other than the one he or she'd been cursed by. Even if Ranma returned years later, there was no guarantee that the Nanniichuan would work at all, and there was a serious risk that the curses would mix instead of the new canceling the old. Even if the Spring of Drowned Man did work, it would wear off eventually, and Ranma knew that he'd never be able to afford more than one trip to China. Naturally, all this was considering that the spring could actually be found; the Guide had no idea which was which.
Sighing, Ranma decided that he couldn't bear to become a woman full-time. As much as he hated it, his robotic body was male in design, and was somewhat of a comfort to him. Idly, he rubbed the first two fingers and thumb of his right hand together, knowing that they were in contact, but feeling nothing. It still felt odd to him. Finally, he stood up, resolved, and dug around in his backpack. Pulling out a water bottle, he dumped the contents on himself, changing to his female, and more importantly, human form. Grabbing a stick, she carefully dunked the bottle under the surface of the spring, filling it with the cursed waters of Jusenkyo, planning to save it for the day that she would have the nerve to use it.
***Present***
"You know the conditions of the deal, Ranma. You made your choice," Genma said in a sad, regretful tone. "I will go tell Soun. He'll be overjoyed." With that, Genma retired to the Tendo house.
"What deal, Ranma?" Akane asked, looking at her friend. Ranma did not respond. "Ranma? What's wrong?"
"The water I gave you," Ranma said quietly, her voice trembling ever so slightly. "Was my ticket to being able to be the heir to the Saotome School. Pop said that he would never train a half-human woman, and he made it a matter of Giri that I couldn't practice martial arts anymore, 'cept in self-defense. If I'd used it on myself, Pop woulda made me his heir again."
"Ranma..." Akane breathed, suddenly understanding why Ranma had been so melancholy all day. "I'm so sorry. Maybe we can still get enough off the dojo floor..." she offered, hoping.
"Nah," Ranma replied. "I knew all o' this when I gave you the water. It was my decision, and I'd do it again if I had the choice. Now go inside; your family's waiting to meet their human daughter again." Ranma smiled at her friend, then turned and started to walk away.
"Ranma, where are you going?" Akane asked, worried.
"I dunno," Ranma replied, not turning around. "I just wanna go clear my head. I'll see you tomorrow morning." With that, she hopped up and over the perimeter wall of the Tendo compound and disappeared from sight. Akane stood stock still in the courtyard for a moment before she turned and walked in her home. The subsequent celebration lasted until midnight, with food, music, and general happiness. Despite her enjoyment of being able to taste things again, and to hear music without having to interoperate it electronically, all evening Akane wondered where Ranma had gone.
* * * * * *
Ranma hopped down off the fence that she'd been strolling upon. She'd arrived at a bridge over the local canal, and decided to see what was underneath it. Swinging down, Ranma discovered that it was uninhabited, and devoid of graffiti. The underside was flat for a few feet before falling into the canal, while the far end of the bridge's foundation angled upwards, following the hill, to meet with the bridge itself. Ranma decided that she'd stay here a minute or two, for some reason that she couldn't pinpoint.
Silently, she sat down, her back against the sloping hill of the concrete rise, and stared upwards at the cold asphalt of the bridge above her. Her thoughts were not on the bridge, though. They were on a certain black-haired girl named Akane Tendo. She remembered both of Akane's forms, and idly wondered which was better looking. They were so different, her face and wild, ankle-length hair being the only similarities between the two. Ranma thought. I always liked short hair on girls. Wonder why Akane's looks so damn good on her... She knew instinctually that someday, Akane'd make some guy really happy. And, as glad as she was to have a friend as good as Akane, it gnawed at her that she'd never be that guy. She'd never be a guy, period, which meant no martial arts.
Slowly, a single tear slid down Ranma's face. It was soon joined by others, as Ranma began to cry softly. I aint a guy, Ranma thought as a dull ache grew in her belly. With that thought, Ranma finally broke down and started to sob. She sobbed, curled into a fetal ball, for hours as she thought about all the dreams and hopes she'd given away with that bottle of Nyanniichuan. Around one in the morning, she finally ran out of tears, self-pity, and misery. Slowly, she stood, her legs trembling.
she finally thought, With that, she left the canal and returned to the Tendo house, to catch a quick five hours of sleep.
* * * * * *
Akane lay awake in her bed, staring at the ceiling. It was the first time in weeks that she actually needed sleep, but she just couldn't drift off to that particular place of thought that would allow her sleep. She was worried.
"Ranma, where are you?" she wondered aloud, sighing. Almost as if summoned, Akane heard the front door of her home open, then close. Knowing that it must be Ranma, she got up and walked to her own door. As she opened it, she could hear soft footsteps ascending the stairs, so Akane walked over to the top of the stairwell. Just as she'd suspected, a tired and disheveled Ranma had just returned home.
"Ranma, where have you been?" she asked, stepping down onto the top step. Ranma looked up, surprised.
"Akane? What are you doing up this late?" Ranma returned, ignoring her question.
"I couldn't sleep. I was worried about you," Akane answered, trying to see Ranma's face more clearly in the dim light of the stairwell. This statement caused the redheaded girl to smile, appreciating Akane's concern.
"Thanks for your worry, but I just had to take care of a coupla things," Ranma said, her trademark smirk appearing on her face. It also altered her face's positioning just enough for Akane to see something that surprised her.
"Ranma, you've been crying!" Akane exclaimed softly. She descended the two steps separating them. "What's wrong?"
"It's okay, really," Ranma waved her off, embarrassed.
"Ranma," Akane said, her tone serious. "What's bothering you?" Ranma searched for a quick lie, but then discarded the idea; she knew perfectly well that she had a horrible poker face.
"You know how if you have a really good cry, then everything seems better?" Ranma asked.
"Yeah," Akane said, looking a little thoughtful.
"It's kinda like that," Ranma explained, edging around Akane and continuing up the stairs.
"Does it hurt that badly to talk about it?" Akane asked softly. Ranma froze, one of her feet on the upper level, the other on the last step.
"Yeah, it does," Ranma answered. "It's why I hate Pop so much, it's why I gave you the damn water, it's why I can't even go to my real home!" Ranma ranted, her newfound peace of mind deserting her. "It hurts so damn much that I can barely get outta bed each morning, just knowing that everything I ever wanted, ever dreamed for aint never gonna happen!" Ranma continued, turning around to face Akane. "Look at me! I'm a man who got turned into a robot that's cursed to turn into a girl! People are afraid of my robot half and try to hit on my girl half! All I ever wanted was to teach in a dojo somewhere, but now I can't even practice martial arts cuz of my stupid Pop!" Ranma shouted. Akane could hear the sounds of people rousing in their rooms, but didn't even try to stop her friend. A short silence fell between the two as Ranma looked imploringly into Akane's eyes. "Look at me," she said softly, barely above a whisper. "All of my dreams are gone, shattered. Everything I ever wanted is outta my reach. Maybe I can make a new life for myself. Maybe. Right now, I don't really care." After that, Ranma's shoulders sagged, as if she were exhausted. Without another word, Ranma turned and walked the rest of the way to her room, then shut the door. Akane, shocked, simply stood on the stairwell, hurting for her friend.
"Geez," Nabiki muttered, sticking her head out of her bedroom door. "I wonder what that was all about."
* * * * * *
Akane sat at the breakfast table the next morning, poking halfheartedly at her rice. She'd gotten little sleep last night, thanks to Ranma, and was, for the first time in two weeks, feeling sleepy. She hadn't needed to sleep when she was a robot full time. She had slept, but she didn't have to. Hearing soft footsteps on the floor mats, Akane looked up at the dining room door. Sure enough, Ranma walked through, clutching her side.
"Mornin', Akane," Ranma greeted her. "Doc Tofu said something about anesthetic...," she trailed off as Akane held up a small packet of the rub-in painkiller that Dr. Tofu had left them with after Ranma had left on her 'walk.' Ranma took the packet, grinning wryly, and walked off to the bathroom to apply the cream. Satisfied that her friend was all right, Akane began to eat her breakfast with gusto, savoring the intricate tastes of Kasumi's cooking. I never really appreciated this stuff until I couldn't have it anymore, she thought to herself.
Soon, Ranma re-entered the room, looking much better. Obviously hungry, the redhead practically dove into her first bowl of rice, pausing only long enough to put an egg into the bowl and mix it in. The two finished their first bowls of rice at about the same time. Akane, scooping the last few grains into her mouth, looked at Ranma over the rim of her bowl. Ranma did the same, and the two broke out grinning. Akane grabbed the handle of the rice ladle and quickly refilled her bowl. Ranma did the same, and an impromptu eating contest began. Though Akane had to stop halfway through her second bowl, Ranma continued on through four, packing away enough food for three normal people.
"How can you do that?" Akane asked, rising from the table and grabbing her bento.
"Do what?" Ranma asked, grabbing her own bento and bookbag. Unconsciously, she was rubbing the silk of her shirt above where her wound was.
"Eat that much. If I ate like that, I'd have no figure at all," Akane explained. Then she stopped for a second at the front door, a small smile spreading across her face.
"Well, I do work out a lot and... Why you stopping?" Ranma asked, stalled behind Akane.
"I just realized that I have to watch my figure again," Akane said, looking backwards. "Thank you, Ranma."
"Umm... it's okay," Ranma replied, blushing. "C'mon, let's get to school before we're late." Akane nodded and continued out the door, with Ranma following her. Suddenly, Nabiki ran past them both.
"Arrgh!! How could I be late?!" she cried as she passed the two. Akane giggled a bit, while Ranma only smiled. Once they reached the sidewalk, Ranma hopped up atop the fence and kept pace with Akane.
"Ranma?" Akane started, uncertain.
"Yeah?" Ranma returned.
"About last night...," Akane probed, looking for answers. Ranma's face immediately went hard, and she stared straight ahead.
"I don't wanna talk about it," Ranma said softly. "Cuz if I don't talk about it, I can forget about it, and if I can forget about it, I can get on with my life."
"Well, what am I supposed to think, Ranma? You come home in tears last night, and now you won't talk about it. What am I supposed to think, huh?" Akane asked, her worry growing anew.
"All you have to think is that I'm a normal girl who turns into a robot when she gets splashed with warm water," Ranma said softly. Even as good as Ranma was at hiding pain, a little seeped into her voice.
"Ranma...," Akane breathed. Hearing this, and knowing what would come next, Ranma shook her head and leapt onto a nearby rooftop, taking the direct route the rest of the way to school. "Let me be your friend," Akane finished to the still air, her voice soft. "It'll kill you if you keep it in." Silently, she continued her way to school, more worried than ever for her friend.
* * * * * *
Kuno was not in school that day. This came as no surprise to anyone, because everyone had seen what the 'Blue Bomber' had done to the transformed kendoist. What nobody expected, however, was a notice that Kuno had transferred out of the school as a result of the fight. No forwarding address was given. The only person who actually cared was Nabiki, who simply sighed and marked off one of her sources of income. She didn't miss him too much, because the betting pool was running large on weather or not the 'Blue Bomber' would make a reappearance.
All in all, nobody missed the slightly insane noble.
* * * * * *
A cloaked figure, standing tall and proud, marched down the metal-walled halls of his fortress with purpose. Built two hundred feet into the base of a Chinese mountain that he'd cleared of inhabitants, it was invisible to anybody who might have cared. As of yet, nobody did. Their problem, as far as he was concerned.
He turned a corner, entering the former throne room of the great mountain palace. He'd left most of this room unchanged, having a keen eye for beauty. The monolithic statues of the phoenix people who had lived in the mountain stared down at him. He grinned, knowing that their stony glares were ineffective and worthless. He'd turned this room into a great workroom for an ally he'd gained in the taking of the mountain.
"How's the angel faring?" he asked in a grating, metallic voice. It was supremely uncomfortable to listen to, and had scared many of the phoenix people into running. Well, that and his appearance. His 'grim reaper' look had terrified those who hadn't heard his voice. Scared one way, scared the other, he didn't care. He'd slaughtered them all. The happiest two days of work in his recent memory were the two he spent hauling the bodies out of the various people into their incinerator in the heart of their mountain.
"Well, as far as repairs are concerned, he'll be fine. There's enough of his original superstructure intact for the drones to figure out what needs to go where. If it weren't for the upgrades you want on him, I'd just leave it to them," the beautifully built reploid that was the mysterious figure's assistant replied. He stood at five feet seven inches, and was plumed from head to toe in metallic feathers. They varied in color from red to yellow to blue. His head was a beautiful, streamlined bird's head, with his master's symbol painted upon it. His shoulders were thin, as were his arms. Jutting from his back was what seemed to be a pair of skeletal wings, fashioned in metal. They were currently folded against his back tightly. His torso emulated a bird's, with a great deal of bulk at the top, compared to very little at the bottom. His legs were long, and at the end of his swollen lower legs were sharp metal claws, designed to rip through the hardest metal. He looked regal, more than anything else.
"Will you be able to upgrade him?" the mysterious figure asked.
"Sure," the red reploid replied. "It'll just take a few days, that's all."
"Good," the mysterious figure praised. The hood of his cloak fell back just a hair, and a bit of Caucasian skin became visible. His hand, a large gauntlet of blue and white metal, came up and pulled the hood back into place. The action revealed that the gauntlet was attached to a blue painted metal arm, which disappeared into the folds of the cloak. "Also, I have a new ally," he continued, turning so that he could call through the door. "Typhoon! Get in here!" he shouted.
Through the great double doorway lumbered a huge Reploid. From the tip of it's nose to the point of his tail, he was almost twenty feet long. Standing on two big, sturdy legs, with his neck bent to seem somewhat humanoid, he stood at almost eight and a half feet. His head was a dark green, and built in the image of a feral reptile's, with metal scales allowing an incredible range of movement. Set in his forehead was a brilliant, diamond-shaped sapphire. His neck was long, and ridged. The ridges were a combination of dark blue and purple, while the neck itself was segmented, with each segment a little farther from the green of his head and a little more towards the dark blue of his ridges. His big, barrel-like chest was dark blue, trimmed with silver. His arms were big affairs, with each hand being easily a foot from palm to claw-tipped finger. On the back of each was a great throwing star, measuring a foot and a half from tip to tip. They were blue near his chest, but blended to silver through his scales. Coming from the base of his upper chest, a long, segmented tail began. Sprouting large, sturdy legs in it's first segment, it flowed in twelve segments of decreasing size and changing color. The top was the dark blue of Typhoon's torso, while the tip of his tail was brilliant violet. His legs, each as big as a tree trunk, were short and functional. They were blue, fading to silver, like his arms. Growing from his back were two gargantuan wings. The wingspan of the great things, when unfolded, was no less than thirty-five feet. They were blue at the base, but faded to a dark green towards the tips. He walked in great steps, his wings folded against his back, and his facial scales moving to allow a half-mouthed smirk.
"Inferno Phoenix, meet Typhoon Dragon," their master said simply, gesturing to the two Reploids. "You two are the most powerful Reploids that I've been able to find so far, and I suspect that you will remain that way. You will work together as best you can until our goals are accomplished. Afterwards, I couldn't care less," the cloaked Reploid instructed the two. "I'm returning to Japan. I've noticed more power signals from there then anywhere else." With that, he turned and walked from the room, leaving the two mythically-themed Reploids alone.
"Inferno Phoenix," Typhoon rumbled, his voice full and deep. It echoed as he spoke, as if it was bounced off of the walls of a cavern a number of times before reaching clear air. "You look delicate."
"Compared to you? Probably. I can dodge most of what gives me trouble," Inferno returned sharply. "You look like brawn's the only thing that holds you up in a fight," he observed.
"I was built to fly, not to walk. You should see me in the air," Typhoon stated simply. Inferno, noting his wings, folded in great bundles on his back, nodded in agreement. The two stood there silently for a minute, observing each other. Finally, Inferno Phoenix returned to his work on the silver-themed angel Reploid on his workbench. Typhoon just went off, found a corner, and went into a sleep mode.
* * * * * *
Ranma sat silently in school, gazing out the window near her desk. The teacher had already admonished her several times for not paying attention, but had eventually given up on the girl. Ranma, meanwhile, was thinking about Akane. she wondered to herself. I know she's worried, but I can't stand her pity.
Suddenly, the school shuddered, and a plume of smoke issued out from the downstairs chemistry lab. The fire alarm went off, and everyone leapt to their feet. Akane dashed over to Ranma's desk.
"Someone might get trapped inside," Akane said, trying to forget about Ranma's behavior. "I'm going to go get some hot water. You get outside; you're injured." Ranma opened her mouth to object, but then closed it and nodded to Akane. The long-haired girl ran off to the bathrooms, in search of hot water. Idly, she hoped that there wouldn't be too many uncomfortable questions once this was all over. Arriving, she twisted the hot water spigot and held her hand under the water, waiting for it to be warm enough to change her. After about half a minute, her transformation triggered. With a *riiiip* of tearing dress, Akane was a robot again.
"Oops," she muttered to herself, pulling the rags of her dress from her body. "Forgot about that." Shaking her head, she raced outside the smoking building. Just as she exited the front door, another explosion shook the school, and a gout of incendiary flame burst from a few adjacent third floor rooms. A loud *thud* was audible over the panicked shouting of the student body, which was milling about outside the school. Then, another great blast burst from three second floor rooms, directly below those that had been blasted from the first explosion. Finally, another explosion wracked the school, this one coming from the ground floor. With four explosions having rocked it's structural integrity, the left wing of the school could no longer remain standing, and collapsed with a great rumble of falling concrete. Very few students spoke, as they were torn between the desire to celebrate, the destruction of the school being an old fantasy for all, and the knowledge that this was a Bad Thing. Akane, being made of metal, had remained closer to the school than anybody else, and saw the figure moving in the rubble of the school first.
"Oh my God, someone's alive in there!" she cried, running towards the figure, which was obscured by the great clouds of dust that surrounded the ruins of the school. She soon slowed, then stopped when she realized that the figure was much too large to be human. Her fears were confirmed when the thing stepped through one last cloud of dust.
He was big, she noted- almost eight feet tall, though he might be more; the rubble allowed for poor footing, and he might be compensating for the lack of balance. He had the head of a wild boar, and the body of a robot, built for war. Akane began to get uneasy. Once he saw her, the big boar-robot stopped, and looked at her for a minute.
"I am looking for someone," he said, his voice deep and full. On one hand, it comforted Akane, but on the other, it reminded her just how big this guy was. "Can you help be find him?"
"Depends of who," Akane stalled, easing her hand towards her sword. She suspected that this robot had destroyed the school, and wanted to be ready to fight if she had to.
"Ranma Saotome," the boar-thing told her, oblivious to her actions. "He has made my life Hell. I wish to repay him for his kindness," it sneered. Akane gave up all pretense of hiding her movement, and grabbed her sword.
"Who wants to know?" she asked.
"I'm Ryoga Hibiki," the boar declared. Akane heard a muffled curse from behind her, and the sound of footsteps approaching.
"Aww, man, Ryoga. You get stuck with a body you didn't want too?" Ranma asked, arriving next to Akane.
"Who is this guy?" Akane whispered in an aside to Ranma.
"Some guy I pissed off in junior high. Last I knew, he was really strong, but pretty slow. Looks the same way in his new body, but I can't be sure," Ranma whispered back.
"Who are you?" Ryoga asked simply, looking at Ranma.
"I'm-" Ranma began.
"Ranko! Ranko Saotome!" Akane cut in, sensing disaster if Ranma's identity was revealed.
"Uhh... yeah!" Ranma picked up. "I'm Ranma's sister. What do you want with him?"
"I'll kill him. Thanks to him, I've been cursed with this body. I'm reviled and hated wherever I go. I can no longer enjoy even the simple things in life. Food, what few friends I once had, everything I had is gone. I've even lost my inability to find my way. For that offense, my family disowned me," Ryoga listed, his voice growing more menacing with each word. "He will pay. Dearly."
"Well, you're wrong about the body, but I'm not going to let you hurt my friend," Akane declared, activating her beam saber in a burst of green energy. To Ranma, she added, "Ranko, you'd better get out of here. It's about to get messy, and you don't have any hot water." Ranma nodded once, her face strained, then turned and ran from the ruins.
"Normally, I would forgive you for befriending Ranma," Ryoga said, his eyes beginning to glow a fiery red. "But you choose to harbor him, to hide the coward. This offense cannot be tolerated. Prepare to die!" With that, he screamed a deep, feral cry, and charged towards Akane, his head lowered. Not knowing what kind of damage a charge like that could do to her, and not wanting to, Akane rolled the side, slashing upwards with her saber as Ryoga passed. The energy blade cut a shallow nick in Ryoga's heavy armor.
"That's it?" Ryoga snorted, looking at the tiny scratch. "That's all you can do? This will be easier than I thought."
"We'll see," Akane returned with a smirk. Finally, for the first time in what seemed like ages, she felt truly at home, as if she were doing what she was truly called to do. Ryoga charged at her, but she rolled to the left again, not even bothering to slash at him. Instead, she got a good look at his backside, searching for any weak spots. Unfortunately, she couldn't see any obvious ones. She had no time to look for more well-guarded chinks in the big Reploid's armor, as he turned around to face her again.
"You're quick," he said, "but let's see you avoid this!" That said, he raised his right arm and pointed it at her. There was a large, metal cylinder attached to the top of it, which was hollowed out and attached to a metal hose. Instinctively, Akane dodged backwards. A mere second later, Ryoga fired a sphere about a half foot in diameter at the place where Akane'd stood a minute earlier. It struck the ground, and immediately exploded. The fire itself wasn't very impressive, engulfing only about a six foot radius, but the shockwave that the little bomb generated lifted Akane from her feet and sent her tumbling backwards. Her armor absorbed most of the blast, but her internal repair systems were still scrambling to repair the internal damage the shockwave had caused in her systems. Knowing that she was in danger, Akane rolled to her feet as soon as she regained her bearings.
"RRRRRAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHH!!!" Ryoga bellowed as he charged towards her, his head lowered. Instead of dodging, Akane leapt upwards, and landed heavily on his back, knocking the overbalanced robot to the ground. Seeing that the tube attached to the cylinder on his right arm ran to the backpack that she was standing on, Akane slashed downward, hard, with her sword. With a thousand pounds of force behind it, even Ryoga's armor couldn't stand up to the mighty blow. The hose, severed cleanly in the middle, whipped about like a snake, the systems on both ends short circuiting. The electrical surges caused Ryoga's already squirming body to go into convulsions, which threw Akane from his form like a rag doll. She landed heavily a foot or so away, and watched Ryoga, praying that the fight was over. Slowly, the convulsions stopped, and he lay still.
"Whew," Akane breathed, rising. "I'm glad that's over." Dusting her hands, she walked over to Ryoga's prone form. Bending over, she pushed it hard, rolling it over so that he was facing upwards. His animalistic face was twisted in agony, frozen in place by massive feedback loops, Akane surmised. "Poor guy," she murmured. "If only he'd stayed away."
Suddenly, Akane felt a strong tug on her left boot. She looked downward, and saw that Ryoga's hand had grabbed her boot in a viselike grip, the tips of his hand digging into the metal of her armor. She looked back up to see that the expression on his face had gone from one of pain to one of glee. He quickly rose to his feet, pulling Akane from hers as if she were little more than a child's toy. Grinning savagely, he dangled her by her leg, the rest of her flailing about in vain. In her surprise, Akane had dropped her beam saber. Otherwise helpless, Akane hammered on Ryoga's kneecap with her fists. She might as well have been trying to stop a freight train with a five yen coin- each were about as likely to succeed in their tasks.
"You maimed me," Ryoga growled, his grin turning to a sneer. "You'll pay for that." Lifting her high, Akane came even to his face. In spite, she slapped him, knowing that her carelessness had lost her the fight. Ryoga just laughed, and laughed even harder when her hand popped a rivet. Shaking his head, he brought his arm down hard and fast, causing Akane's body to follow it on it's course. Just as it reached the lowest point that it could go to, Ryoga reversed his swing back upwards, sending Akane snapping along the length of her body. The intense G forces wreaked havoc with her internal systems, and she could hear the rattle in her chest as she heard something break loose. Once again, Ryoga hoisted her, but Akane didn't struggle this time. Even if she'd wanted to, she was too badly damaged to do anything in this position. Thus far, her internal damage wasn't anything that her auto-repair systems couldn't handle, but they took time, time that she didn't have. Snorting, Ryoga dropped her to the ground.
"You're not worth my time. Ranma's here somewhere. I'm going to find him," he declared, marching slowly away. Something in Akane snapped, and she found herself shaking in anger. Her entire body shaking, she struggled to her feet.
"You... leave... her... alone!" she demanded, glaring daggers at Ryoga.
"Oh, you're still alive?" he asked, honestly surprised. The beating he'd given her would've crushed any lesser creation. However, his last choice of words was more than poor; they were disastrous. Shuddering, Akane let loose with a feral battle cry and charged forward, her right arm cocked for a great punch. Ryoga, knowing that his armor could take anything that she could dish out, just stood and waited. When Akane's arm began to glow, though, he began to worry, if only a little. Her entire weight behind the punch, Akane slammed her fist home to Ryoga's left shoulder, the glow around her arm being pulled into it. Upon contact with the armor, hatches in Akane's hand snapped open, and blasted forward in an incredibly powerful, point blank range attack. The explosion of energy caught Ryoga completely off guard, and it sheared most of the way through his arm. Teetering, he staggered backwards, crashing upon the ground as the remnants of her attack washed through the local systems housed in the area.
Ryoga glared at Akane, who glared right back. He clutched his arm to his body, trying desperately to keep it attached, while Akane just struggled desperately to remain standing. Finally, Ryoga turned to retreat, knowing that, even as damaged as Akane was, she could still fight. With his shattered arm and damaged subsystems, he could not. However, as a final spite, he dropped a shockwave bomb out of his backpack, the fuse set on a timer. He ran from the rubble of Furinkan High, while Akane stared at the bomb as the fuse counted down, unable to move.
Finally, the bomb exploded, the shockwave sending her straight up into the air. Akane tumbled about, airborne, for almost ten full seconds, before her systems shut her central consciousness down, in a desperate effort to conserve her waning energy. Her body fell hard, with a resounding metallic *clang* to the ground. Below her, something that had lain dormant since it's creation hummed to life. Slowly, raised on hydraulic lifts, a cylinder made of blue painted metal rose from the ground. It had a tube large enough for a person to stand inside of it, the capsule part of it being rimmed with green glass. Tubes ran along it's top and bottom, connecting red transistors and small, micro fusion generators. Elevated, Akane's body soon fall to the ground, and lay there, all but dead. Unbeknownst to her, the glass of the capsule slid down, and the AI of the capsule hummed to life.
"Oh, my," said the holographic human the stood upon the main pad of the pod.
***Author's Notes***
Hey all! This is the third installment of "The Opening Bet", and my favorite chapter so far. First of all, I'd like to apologize to those who think that the characters are a little too extreme in their actions. Remember, Ranma's lost everything that he ever had, and he lost it because, as he sees it, his father made a stupid decision, even knowing the consequences. Yeah, and Ranma does know about the whole deal his Dad made with his Mom. That's what his reference to his 'real home' means earlier. If Genma figured the he'd never go home anyways (as is the case after Ranma's transformation), what's to keep him from telling Ranma? Ryoga blames everything on Ranma, including being thrown out of his family. One day, I just thought, "What if the Hibiki direction sense is a badge of honor among them, not a mark of shame?" It'd certainly make for cheap vacations, that's for sure. Also, I know that Akane might seem a bit odd in the battle scene, but you've got to remember that she was fused with Zero, who only truly lived during his most dangerous fights. I tried to write her as somewhat of a blend between the two. In any case, if you liked it, didn't like it, loved it, hated it, tell me so! My e-mail is Flashfyre5@aol.com. Let me tell you, your feedback REALLY helps me get through the nest chapter faster, and your input really matters to me. If you point out something that I really messed up on, I'll fix it in any way I can. Thanks for reading!
P.S.: For those of you that are MMX series followers, yes, Akane did use the Rakuhouha at the end to beat Ryoga there.
Megaman X character designs belong to Capcom. I'm just borrowing 'em, guys. I'll have 'em power washed before I bring 'em back. Yeah, yeah, I'll even hot wax 'em. Ranma characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi. I'm just borrowing 'em, Rumiko-san. I'll have 'em power washed before I return 'em. Yeah, yeah, I'll even hot wax 'em.
Flashfyre5 Presents
A Flaming Amarant production
In association with Digital Wizardry Studios, Minnesota
The Opening Bet
Chapter Three: Explosion! Ryoga Blasts Onto the Scene!
" " = speech
[ ] = panda board
= thought
/ / = written
* * * * * *
Akane pulled away from Ranma slowly, not quite sure how to feel. Ranma herself was blushing furiously, even though she looked happy for Akane. Somewhere in there, however, Akane could see the melancholy that had plagued Ranma all day. Suddenly, Akane remembered that she was naked and, contrary to appearances, Ranma was a boy. Blushing, she pulled away and hugged the towel to her body.
"Thank you," Akane said quietly, looking in wonder at her toes. She'd honestly never expected to see them again. Also, it had the side effect of hiding her blush.
"'What're friends for?'" Ranma quoted her, a small, happy smile on her face. Akane looked back up and returned the smile, then started to look around the dojo, being careful not to let Ranma see any of her 'bits and pieces.'
"I know that Dad keeps a spare gi or two around here somewhere," Akane muttered, checking drawer after drawer.
"Umm... Akane? I already found it," Ranma said, holding up one of Soun's spare gi. Akane got back up and walked over to Ranma. Holding the towel tightly with one hand, she snaked her other out to grab the clothing. She was about to ask Ranma to turn around so that she could change when a delightfully evil thought occurred to her.
"Pervert," Akane suddenly said. "You just set this whole thing up so that you could see me naked." Ranma, shocked, facefaulted with a loud *crash* and lay there, twitching. Carefully, Akane prodded her with a foot. When she didn't move, Akane smiled to herself and dressed while Ranma was dead to the world. A few minutes later, Ranma regained her senses and sat up.
"Pervert?!" she exclaimed. "If I was a pervert, why'd I give you the towel?"
"I know that you're not," Akane said, smiling. "I just wanted to change while you weren't watching."
"You coulda just asked me ta turn around," Ranma said sourly, looking away.
"Yeah," agreed Akane, "but that wouldn't have been as much fun." Ranma looked back in surprise just as Akane gave her the red eye.
"Ooooh, you're gonna get in now," Ranma said, her voice on the verge of laughter. Akane squealed and leapt out of the dojo, her feet slapping against the paving stones as she ran. The sensation felt delicious. She could hear Ranma's pursuing footfalls and laughter as she ran, but Akane didn't care. She turned a tight corner around the side of her house, now on the grass of the lawn, and hid about two inches out of sight. Just as Ranma turned the corner, Akane stuck her foot out. Ranma tripped on it and went tumbling to the ground, while Akane doubled back, her father's oversized gi flapping against her smaller frame. Suddenly, Akane remembered Ranma's injury, but Ranma just scrambled to her feet and followed, as if she were completely fine. Putting on a burst of speed, Ranma closed the gap between herself and Akane quickly, then tackled the bigger girl to the ground.
"Tease me, will ya?" Ranma said, her eyes gleaming. She pulled herself up to straddle Akane's body at the waist. The larger girl squirmed beneath her, but Ranma was just a bit too heavy for Akane to push off. With a mighty effort, Akane twisted underneath Ranma, putting herself face up. "Eat this!" Ranma cried, her hands darting downwards towards Akane's prone form. Akane saw the attack, but was too slow to stop it as Ranma snaked her hands beneath Akane's armpits. Akane clamped down her arms, trapping Ranma's hands, but it was already too late, as Ranma began to mercilessly tickle Akane where she had no defense. Squealing in laughter, Akane desperately squirmed underneath Ranma, trying to escape.
"Umm, Ranma," Genma's voice suddenly intruded, ending their fun. Both girls turned to see Ranma's father standing on the porch, staring at them. "Who is this girl, and what on Earth are you doing?" he asked.
* * * * * *
"How much for this rice again?" asked Asuka, a fairly average housewife. She cooked, cleaned, and cared for her husband and family, yet she got no recognition for it. Sometimes she wondered why she even bothered, and yet, every morning she got up and did the exact same thing.
"That's 3000 yen," the street vendor said in regard to a large bag of rice that Asuka was trying to buy.
"3000?" Asuka asked. "Surely that's too much, Hiro. I know for a fact that you sold a bag of the same size to Hitomi for almost half that."
"I did no such thing," the street vendor defended himself. "The price is 3000, take it or leave it." Nodding, he looked away, down the street.
"Please, sir, I only have 2500. Could you do me a favor just this once?" Asuka pleaded, hoping to appeal to his pity where shame had failed. He got a wide-eyed, frightened look in his eyes.
"Look, lady, I'll sell for 2000 if you just get outta here," he said, his voice carrying a note of panic. Asuka smiled and ignored it.
"That's much better," she agreed, handing over the money. He grabbed it and ran, taking his rice cart with him. Asuka smiled and hefted the big, fifty-kilo bag of rice and slung it over her shoulder. Suddenly, a shadow fell over her. She turned slowly, suddenly remembering the panic in the street vendor's voice.
Standing behind her was a metal behemoth. It stood well over eight feet tall, and was painted in earthy, brown tones. It had golden trim, and small ruby spheres embedded in its body. Instead of the head of a human, a great, shaggy boar's head erupted from the thing's shoulders. Its hands were ridiculously oversized, and it was obvious that one could easily crush a boulder with one. Or a human head. Attached to its back was a large backpack, which was connected by a snaking metal tube to a cylinder on the robot's right wrist. Its armor, from head to toe, was hard-edged, and shaped in various geometric shapes. It's eyes, a deep green in color, were cold and hardened by hatred. In one smooth motion, it bent down and drew a deep, long breath through its snout as it touched on Asuka's face. She was frozen with fear.
"You smell traveled," the boar-robot rumbled in a deep, masculine voice. "Do you know where Tokyo is in relation to here?" Dumbly, Asuka nodded, not quite sure what else to do. "Where?" he asked, looking up.
"Fifty miles," Asuka choked out, pointing her arm Southward. "That way."
"Thank you," the boar-robot rumbled, following the direction of her pointing. With great strides, it set off in the direction that she pointed. "Now, Ranma, you will pay for the Hell you've put me through," Asuka heard him say to himself as he walked away. She didn't know anybody named Ranma, and was glad that she didn't. She had a sneaking suspicion that if she did, she wouldn't for very much longer. His strides ate up distance like a shark does fish.
* * * * * *
"Umm, Ranma," Genma's voice suddenly intruded, ending their fun. Both girls turned to see Ranma's father standing on the porch, staring at them. "Who is this girl, and what on Earth are you doing?" he asked.
"Err..." Ranma stuttered, not sure how to answer.
"I'm Akane," Akane cut in. "Ranma gave me some Nyanniichuan as a thank-you present," she explained, seeing the confusion on Genma's face. That confusion turned to grave understanding at Akane's confession.
"I see...," he said, looking hard at Ranma. "You've decided to stay half-human for the rest of your life, then, Ranma?" he asked his son-turned-daughter. Ranma winced when her father said 'half human.'
"Yeah," she replied, standing up off of Akane. "If it weren't for Akane, I prolly wouldn't be alive to use it anyway. 'Sides, she likes being a girl a lot more than I do."
"That Nyannichuan was my greatest hope for the future of the School," Genma growled, shaking his fist. "Without it, the slightest bit of hot water could kill any child that you might one day carry." Ranma's face suddenly paled in remembrance.
***Two weeks earlier***
"Ranma," Genma said sagely, sitting across from his... child. "With your... condition, I have decided that I can no longer consider you the heir to the Saotome School of Anything-Goes Martial Arts."
WHAT?!" Ranma exploded, jumping up. "I trained my whole goddamn life, and you decide to take it all away 'cuz one of YOUR stupid training ideas backfired?!"
"Training or no, I am the master of our School, and as far as the martial arts are concerned, my word is law!" Genma declared, rising to meet his daughter's height. "If you were merely a woman, I might consider it. Considering the fact that you are not even human half the time, it is absolutely out of the question. You may no longer practice martial arts, especially not the family school's." A dead, cold silence followed Genma's proclamation as the two glared at each other.
"There's gotta be a deal," Ranma finally said. "You never do something like this without there being a deal to get out of it. What're the conditions this time?" Genma thought a minute before responding, more to provide effect than to actually consider what to say. He'd planned this out hours earlier.
"There are a number of ways that you can regain your status as my heir," Genma started, drawing it out. He liked to have his... child's full attention. "First, you may replace your female side with a male one. You may also become fully a woman. I will train a half-man, but not a half-woman."
"What if I can't?" Ranma asked, already thinking about Jusenkyo. Genma was silent again, this time actually thinking.
"If you provide the family with an heir, I will allow you to practice the School, but not be the heir to it," Genma finally said. "You are a woman half the time. You have the 'equipment' to do it. In any case, until such a time as you've accomplished one of these three things, you may no longer practice martial arts of any kind, except in self-defense. As the patriarch of the Saotome clan, I deem this a matter of Giri." This final statement, that of Giri, or family honor, finally broke Ranma where starving cats, a lifetime of crime, a curse, and a grotesque bodily mutation failed to.
For the first time in ten years, Ranma broke down and sobbed, the turned and ran from the camp. Genma wouldn't see her for three days.
* * * * * *
Ranma stared at the Nyanniichuan, the cursed pool reflecting his mechanical form back at him. This was the only pool, out of all one hundred and twenty-seven at Jusenkyo, that he could approach. Whenever he tried to get near any of the others, he'd encounter an invisible barrier about three feet away from the pools. All except for this one.
His hopes of ever being a man again, even a half-man, were shattered by the Jusenkyo Guide. He'd told Ranma flatly that it was impossible for a newly cursed individual to approach any spring other than the one he or she'd been cursed by. Even if Ranma returned years later, there was no guarantee that the Nanniichuan would work at all, and there was a serious risk that the curses would mix instead of the new canceling the old. Even if the Spring of Drowned Man did work, it would wear off eventually, and Ranma knew that he'd never be able to afford more than one trip to China. Naturally, all this was considering that the spring could actually be found; the Guide had no idea which was which.
Sighing, Ranma decided that he couldn't bear to become a woman full-time. As much as he hated it, his robotic body was male in design, and was somewhat of a comfort to him. Idly, he rubbed the first two fingers and thumb of his right hand together, knowing that they were in contact, but feeling nothing. It still felt odd to him. Finally, he stood up, resolved, and dug around in his backpack. Pulling out a water bottle, he dumped the contents on himself, changing to his female, and more importantly, human form. Grabbing a stick, she carefully dunked the bottle under the surface of the spring, filling it with the cursed waters of Jusenkyo, planning to save it for the day that she would have the nerve to use it.
***Present***
"You know the conditions of the deal, Ranma. You made your choice," Genma said in a sad, regretful tone. "I will go tell Soun. He'll be overjoyed." With that, Genma retired to the Tendo house.
"What deal, Ranma?" Akane asked, looking at her friend. Ranma did not respond. "Ranma? What's wrong?"
"The water I gave you," Ranma said quietly, her voice trembling ever so slightly. "Was my ticket to being able to be the heir to the Saotome School. Pop said that he would never train a half-human woman, and he made it a matter of Giri that I couldn't practice martial arts anymore, 'cept in self-defense. If I'd used it on myself, Pop woulda made me his heir again."
"Ranma..." Akane breathed, suddenly understanding why Ranma had been so melancholy all day. "I'm so sorry. Maybe we can still get enough off the dojo floor..." she offered, hoping.
"Nah," Ranma replied. "I knew all o' this when I gave you the water. It was my decision, and I'd do it again if I had the choice. Now go inside; your family's waiting to meet their human daughter again." Ranma smiled at her friend, then turned and started to walk away.
"Ranma, where are you going?" Akane asked, worried.
"I dunno," Ranma replied, not turning around. "I just wanna go clear my head. I'll see you tomorrow morning." With that, she hopped up and over the perimeter wall of the Tendo compound and disappeared from sight. Akane stood stock still in the courtyard for a moment before she turned and walked in her home. The subsequent celebration lasted until midnight, with food, music, and general happiness. Despite her enjoyment of being able to taste things again, and to hear music without having to interoperate it electronically, all evening Akane wondered where Ranma had gone.
* * * * * *
Ranma hopped down off the fence that she'd been strolling upon. She'd arrived at a bridge over the local canal, and decided to see what was underneath it. Swinging down, Ranma discovered that it was uninhabited, and devoid of graffiti. The underside was flat for a few feet before falling into the canal, while the far end of the bridge's foundation angled upwards, following the hill, to meet with the bridge itself. Ranma decided that she'd stay here a minute or two, for some reason that she couldn't pinpoint.
Silently, she sat down, her back against the sloping hill of the concrete rise, and stared upwards at the cold asphalt of the bridge above her. Her thoughts were not on the bridge, though. They were on a certain black-haired girl named Akane Tendo. She remembered both of Akane's forms, and idly wondered which was better looking. They were so different, her face and wild, ankle-length hair being the only similarities between the two. Ranma thought. I always liked short hair on girls. Wonder why Akane's looks so damn good on her... She knew instinctually that someday, Akane'd make some guy really happy. And, as glad as she was to have a friend as good as Akane, it gnawed at her that she'd never be that guy. She'd never be a guy, period, which meant no martial arts.
Slowly, a single tear slid down Ranma's face. It was soon joined by others, as Ranma began to cry softly. I aint a guy, Ranma thought as a dull ache grew in her belly. With that thought, Ranma finally broke down and started to sob. She sobbed, curled into a fetal ball, for hours as she thought about all the dreams and hopes she'd given away with that bottle of Nyanniichuan. Around one in the morning, she finally ran out of tears, self-pity, and misery. Slowly, she stood, her legs trembling.
she finally thought, With that, she left the canal and returned to the Tendo house, to catch a quick five hours of sleep.
* * * * * *
Akane lay awake in her bed, staring at the ceiling. It was the first time in weeks that she actually needed sleep, but she just couldn't drift off to that particular place of thought that would allow her sleep. She was worried.
"Ranma, where are you?" she wondered aloud, sighing. Almost as if summoned, Akane heard the front door of her home open, then close. Knowing that it must be Ranma, she got up and walked to her own door. As she opened it, she could hear soft footsteps ascending the stairs, so Akane walked over to the top of the stairwell. Just as she'd suspected, a tired and disheveled Ranma had just returned home.
"Ranma, where have you been?" she asked, stepping down onto the top step. Ranma looked up, surprised.
"Akane? What are you doing up this late?" Ranma returned, ignoring her question.
"I couldn't sleep. I was worried about you," Akane answered, trying to see Ranma's face more clearly in the dim light of the stairwell. This statement caused the redheaded girl to smile, appreciating Akane's concern.
"Thanks for your worry, but I just had to take care of a coupla things," Ranma said, her trademark smirk appearing on her face. It also altered her face's positioning just enough for Akane to see something that surprised her.
"Ranma, you've been crying!" Akane exclaimed softly. She descended the two steps separating them. "What's wrong?"
"It's okay, really," Ranma waved her off, embarrassed.
"Ranma," Akane said, her tone serious. "What's bothering you?" Ranma searched for a quick lie, but then discarded the idea; she knew perfectly well that she had a horrible poker face.
"You know how if you have a really good cry, then everything seems better?" Ranma asked.
"Yeah," Akane said, looking a little thoughtful.
"It's kinda like that," Ranma explained, edging around Akane and continuing up the stairs.
"Does it hurt that badly to talk about it?" Akane asked softly. Ranma froze, one of her feet on the upper level, the other on the last step.
"Yeah, it does," Ranma answered. "It's why I hate Pop so much, it's why I gave you the damn water, it's why I can't even go to my real home!" Ranma ranted, her newfound peace of mind deserting her. "It hurts so damn much that I can barely get outta bed each morning, just knowing that everything I ever wanted, ever dreamed for aint never gonna happen!" Ranma continued, turning around to face Akane. "Look at me! I'm a man who got turned into a robot that's cursed to turn into a girl! People are afraid of my robot half and try to hit on my girl half! All I ever wanted was to teach in a dojo somewhere, but now I can't even practice martial arts cuz of my stupid Pop!" Ranma shouted. Akane could hear the sounds of people rousing in their rooms, but didn't even try to stop her friend. A short silence fell between the two as Ranma looked imploringly into Akane's eyes. "Look at me," she said softly, barely above a whisper. "All of my dreams are gone, shattered. Everything I ever wanted is outta my reach. Maybe I can make a new life for myself. Maybe. Right now, I don't really care." After that, Ranma's shoulders sagged, as if she were exhausted. Without another word, Ranma turned and walked the rest of the way to her room, then shut the door. Akane, shocked, simply stood on the stairwell, hurting for her friend.
"Geez," Nabiki muttered, sticking her head out of her bedroom door. "I wonder what that was all about."
* * * * * *
Akane sat at the breakfast table the next morning, poking halfheartedly at her rice. She'd gotten little sleep last night, thanks to Ranma, and was, for the first time in two weeks, feeling sleepy. She hadn't needed to sleep when she was a robot full time. She had slept, but she didn't have to. Hearing soft footsteps on the floor mats, Akane looked up at the dining room door. Sure enough, Ranma walked through, clutching her side.
"Mornin', Akane," Ranma greeted her. "Doc Tofu said something about anesthetic...," she trailed off as Akane held up a small packet of the rub-in painkiller that Dr. Tofu had left them with after Ranma had left on her 'walk.' Ranma took the packet, grinning wryly, and walked off to the bathroom to apply the cream. Satisfied that her friend was all right, Akane began to eat her breakfast with gusto, savoring the intricate tastes of Kasumi's cooking. I never really appreciated this stuff until I couldn't have it anymore, she thought to herself.
Soon, Ranma re-entered the room, looking much better. Obviously hungry, the redhead practically dove into her first bowl of rice, pausing only long enough to put an egg into the bowl and mix it in. The two finished their first bowls of rice at about the same time. Akane, scooping the last few grains into her mouth, looked at Ranma over the rim of her bowl. Ranma did the same, and the two broke out grinning. Akane grabbed the handle of the rice ladle and quickly refilled her bowl. Ranma did the same, and an impromptu eating contest began. Though Akane had to stop halfway through her second bowl, Ranma continued on through four, packing away enough food for three normal people.
"How can you do that?" Akane asked, rising from the table and grabbing her bento.
"Do what?" Ranma asked, grabbing her own bento and bookbag. Unconsciously, she was rubbing the silk of her shirt above where her wound was.
"Eat that much. If I ate like that, I'd have no figure at all," Akane explained. Then she stopped for a second at the front door, a small smile spreading across her face.
"Well, I do work out a lot and... Why you stopping?" Ranma asked, stalled behind Akane.
"I just realized that I have to watch my figure again," Akane said, looking backwards. "Thank you, Ranma."
"Umm... it's okay," Ranma replied, blushing. "C'mon, let's get to school before we're late." Akane nodded and continued out the door, with Ranma following her. Suddenly, Nabiki ran past them both.
"Arrgh!! How could I be late?!" she cried as she passed the two. Akane giggled a bit, while Ranma only smiled. Once they reached the sidewalk, Ranma hopped up atop the fence and kept pace with Akane.
"Ranma?" Akane started, uncertain.
"Yeah?" Ranma returned.
"About last night...," Akane probed, looking for answers. Ranma's face immediately went hard, and she stared straight ahead.
"I don't wanna talk about it," Ranma said softly. "Cuz if I don't talk about it, I can forget about it, and if I can forget about it, I can get on with my life."
"Well, what am I supposed to think, Ranma? You come home in tears last night, and now you won't talk about it. What am I supposed to think, huh?" Akane asked, her worry growing anew.
"All you have to think is that I'm a normal girl who turns into a robot when she gets splashed with warm water," Ranma said softly. Even as good as Ranma was at hiding pain, a little seeped into her voice.
"Ranma...," Akane breathed. Hearing this, and knowing what would come next, Ranma shook her head and leapt onto a nearby rooftop, taking the direct route the rest of the way to school. "Let me be your friend," Akane finished to the still air, her voice soft. "It'll kill you if you keep it in." Silently, she continued her way to school, more worried than ever for her friend.
* * * * * *
Kuno was not in school that day. This came as no surprise to anyone, because everyone had seen what the 'Blue Bomber' had done to the transformed kendoist. What nobody expected, however, was a notice that Kuno had transferred out of the school as a result of the fight. No forwarding address was given. The only person who actually cared was Nabiki, who simply sighed and marked off one of her sources of income. She didn't miss him too much, because the betting pool was running large on weather or not the 'Blue Bomber' would make a reappearance.
All in all, nobody missed the slightly insane noble.
* * * * * *
A cloaked figure, standing tall and proud, marched down the metal-walled halls of his fortress with purpose. Built two hundred feet into the base of a Chinese mountain that he'd cleared of inhabitants, it was invisible to anybody who might have cared. As of yet, nobody did. Their problem, as far as he was concerned.
He turned a corner, entering the former throne room of the great mountain palace. He'd left most of this room unchanged, having a keen eye for beauty. The monolithic statues of the phoenix people who had lived in the mountain stared down at him. He grinned, knowing that their stony glares were ineffective and worthless. He'd turned this room into a great workroom for an ally he'd gained in the taking of the mountain.
"How's the angel faring?" he asked in a grating, metallic voice. It was supremely uncomfortable to listen to, and had scared many of the phoenix people into running. Well, that and his appearance. His 'grim reaper' look had terrified those who hadn't heard his voice. Scared one way, scared the other, he didn't care. He'd slaughtered them all. The happiest two days of work in his recent memory were the two he spent hauling the bodies out of the various people into their incinerator in the heart of their mountain.
"Well, as far as repairs are concerned, he'll be fine. There's enough of his original superstructure intact for the drones to figure out what needs to go where. If it weren't for the upgrades you want on him, I'd just leave it to them," the beautifully built reploid that was the mysterious figure's assistant replied. He stood at five feet seven inches, and was plumed from head to toe in metallic feathers. They varied in color from red to yellow to blue. His head was a beautiful, streamlined bird's head, with his master's symbol painted upon it. His shoulders were thin, as were his arms. Jutting from his back was what seemed to be a pair of skeletal wings, fashioned in metal. They were currently folded against his back tightly. His torso emulated a bird's, with a great deal of bulk at the top, compared to very little at the bottom. His legs were long, and at the end of his swollen lower legs were sharp metal claws, designed to rip through the hardest metal. He looked regal, more than anything else.
"Will you be able to upgrade him?" the mysterious figure asked.
"Sure," the red reploid replied. "It'll just take a few days, that's all."
"Good," the mysterious figure praised. The hood of his cloak fell back just a hair, and a bit of Caucasian skin became visible. His hand, a large gauntlet of blue and white metal, came up and pulled the hood back into place. The action revealed that the gauntlet was attached to a blue painted metal arm, which disappeared into the folds of the cloak. "Also, I have a new ally," he continued, turning so that he could call through the door. "Typhoon! Get in here!" he shouted.
Through the great double doorway lumbered a huge Reploid. From the tip of it's nose to the point of his tail, he was almost twenty feet long. Standing on two big, sturdy legs, with his neck bent to seem somewhat humanoid, he stood at almost eight and a half feet. His head was a dark green, and built in the image of a feral reptile's, with metal scales allowing an incredible range of movement. Set in his forehead was a brilliant, diamond-shaped sapphire. His neck was long, and ridged. The ridges were a combination of dark blue and purple, while the neck itself was segmented, with each segment a little farther from the green of his head and a little more towards the dark blue of his ridges. His big, barrel-like chest was dark blue, trimmed with silver. His arms were big affairs, with each hand being easily a foot from palm to claw-tipped finger. On the back of each was a great throwing star, measuring a foot and a half from tip to tip. They were blue near his chest, but blended to silver through his scales. Coming from the base of his upper chest, a long, segmented tail began. Sprouting large, sturdy legs in it's first segment, it flowed in twelve segments of decreasing size and changing color. The top was the dark blue of Typhoon's torso, while the tip of his tail was brilliant violet. His legs, each as big as a tree trunk, were short and functional. They were blue, fading to silver, like his arms. Growing from his back were two gargantuan wings. The wingspan of the great things, when unfolded, was no less than thirty-five feet. They were blue at the base, but faded to a dark green towards the tips. He walked in great steps, his wings folded against his back, and his facial scales moving to allow a half-mouthed smirk.
"Inferno Phoenix, meet Typhoon Dragon," their master said simply, gesturing to the two Reploids. "You two are the most powerful Reploids that I've been able to find so far, and I suspect that you will remain that way. You will work together as best you can until our goals are accomplished. Afterwards, I couldn't care less," the cloaked Reploid instructed the two. "I'm returning to Japan. I've noticed more power signals from there then anywhere else." With that, he turned and walked from the room, leaving the two mythically-themed Reploids alone.
"Inferno Phoenix," Typhoon rumbled, his voice full and deep. It echoed as he spoke, as if it was bounced off of the walls of a cavern a number of times before reaching clear air. "You look delicate."
"Compared to you? Probably. I can dodge most of what gives me trouble," Inferno returned sharply. "You look like brawn's the only thing that holds you up in a fight," he observed.
"I was built to fly, not to walk. You should see me in the air," Typhoon stated simply. Inferno, noting his wings, folded in great bundles on his back, nodded in agreement. The two stood there silently for a minute, observing each other. Finally, Inferno Phoenix returned to his work on the silver-themed angel Reploid on his workbench. Typhoon just went off, found a corner, and went into a sleep mode.
* * * * * *
Ranma sat silently in school, gazing out the window near her desk. The teacher had already admonished her several times for not paying attention, but had eventually given up on the girl. Ranma, meanwhile, was thinking about Akane. she wondered to herself. I know she's worried, but I can't stand her pity.
Suddenly, the school shuddered, and a plume of smoke issued out from the downstairs chemistry lab. The fire alarm went off, and everyone leapt to their feet. Akane dashed over to Ranma's desk.
"Someone might get trapped inside," Akane said, trying to forget about Ranma's behavior. "I'm going to go get some hot water. You get outside; you're injured." Ranma opened her mouth to object, but then closed it and nodded to Akane. The long-haired girl ran off to the bathrooms, in search of hot water. Idly, she hoped that there wouldn't be too many uncomfortable questions once this was all over. Arriving, she twisted the hot water spigot and held her hand under the water, waiting for it to be warm enough to change her. After about half a minute, her transformation triggered. With a *riiiip* of tearing dress, Akane was a robot again.
"Oops," she muttered to herself, pulling the rags of her dress from her body. "Forgot about that." Shaking her head, she raced outside the smoking building. Just as she exited the front door, another explosion shook the school, and a gout of incendiary flame burst from a few adjacent third floor rooms. A loud *thud* was audible over the panicked shouting of the student body, which was milling about outside the school. Then, another great blast burst from three second floor rooms, directly below those that had been blasted from the first explosion. Finally, another explosion wracked the school, this one coming from the ground floor. With four explosions having rocked it's structural integrity, the left wing of the school could no longer remain standing, and collapsed with a great rumble of falling concrete. Very few students spoke, as they were torn between the desire to celebrate, the destruction of the school being an old fantasy for all, and the knowledge that this was a Bad Thing. Akane, being made of metal, had remained closer to the school than anybody else, and saw the figure moving in the rubble of the school first.
"Oh my God, someone's alive in there!" she cried, running towards the figure, which was obscured by the great clouds of dust that surrounded the ruins of the school. She soon slowed, then stopped when she realized that the figure was much too large to be human. Her fears were confirmed when the thing stepped through one last cloud of dust.
He was big, she noted- almost eight feet tall, though he might be more; the rubble allowed for poor footing, and he might be compensating for the lack of balance. He had the head of a wild boar, and the body of a robot, built for war. Akane began to get uneasy. Once he saw her, the big boar-robot stopped, and looked at her for a minute.
"I am looking for someone," he said, his voice deep and full. On one hand, it comforted Akane, but on the other, it reminded her just how big this guy was. "Can you help be find him?"
"Depends of who," Akane stalled, easing her hand towards her sword. She suspected that this robot had destroyed the school, and wanted to be ready to fight if she had to.
"Ranma Saotome," the boar-thing told her, oblivious to her actions. "He has made my life Hell. I wish to repay him for his kindness," it sneered. Akane gave up all pretense of hiding her movement, and grabbed her sword.
"Who wants to know?" she asked.
"I'm Ryoga Hibiki," the boar declared. Akane heard a muffled curse from behind her, and the sound of footsteps approaching.
"Aww, man, Ryoga. You get stuck with a body you didn't want too?" Ranma asked, arriving next to Akane.
"Who is this guy?" Akane whispered in an aside to Ranma.
"Some guy I pissed off in junior high. Last I knew, he was really strong, but pretty slow. Looks the same way in his new body, but I can't be sure," Ranma whispered back.
"Who are you?" Ryoga asked simply, looking at Ranma.
"I'm-" Ranma began.
"Ranko! Ranko Saotome!" Akane cut in, sensing disaster if Ranma's identity was revealed.
"Uhh... yeah!" Ranma picked up. "I'm Ranma's sister. What do you want with him?"
"I'll kill him. Thanks to him, I've been cursed with this body. I'm reviled and hated wherever I go. I can no longer enjoy even the simple things in life. Food, what few friends I once had, everything I had is gone. I've even lost my inability to find my way. For that offense, my family disowned me," Ryoga listed, his voice growing more menacing with each word. "He will pay. Dearly."
"Well, you're wrong about the body, but I'm not going to let you hurt my friend," Akane declared, activating her beam saber in a burst of green energy. To Ranma, she added, "Ranko, you'd better get out of here. It's about to get messy, and you don't have any hot water." Ranma nodded once, her face strained, then turned and ran from the ruins.
"Normally, I would forgive you for befriending Ranma," Ryoga said, his eyes beginning to glow a fiery red. "But you choose to harbor him, to hide the coward. This offense cannot be tolerated. Prepare to die!" With that, he screamed a deep, feral cry, and charged towards Akane, his head lowered. Not knowing what kind of damage a charge like that could do to her, and not wanting to, Akane rolled the side, slashing upwards with her saber as Ryoga passed. The energy blade cut a shallow nick in Ryoga's heavy armor.
"That's it?" Ryoga snorted, looking at the tiny scratch. "That's all you can do? This will be easier than I thought."
"We'll see," Akane returned with a smirk. Finally, for the first time in what seemed like ages, she felt truly at home, as if she were doing what she was truly called to do. Ryoga charged at her, but she rolled to the left again, not even bothering to slash at him. Instead, she got a good look at his backside, searching for any weak spots. Unfortunately, she couldn't see any obvious ones. She had no time to look for more well-guarded chinks in the big Reploid's armor, as he turned around to face her again.
"You're quick," he said, "but let's see you avoid this!" That said, he raised his right arm and pointed it at her. There was a large, metal cylinder attached to the top of it, which was hollowed out and attached to a metal hose. Instinctively, Akane dodged backwards. A mere second later, Ryoga fired a sphere about a half foot in diameter at the place where Akane'd stood a minute earlier. It struck the ground, and immediately exploded. The fire itself wasn't very impressive, engulfing only about a six foot radius, but the shockwave that the little bomb generated lifted Akane from her feet and sent her tumbling backwards. Her armor absorbed most of the blast, but her internal repair systems were still scrambling to repair the internal damage the shockwave had caused in her systems. Knowing that she was in danger, Akane rolled to her feet as soon as she regained her bearings.
"RRRRRAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHH!!!" Ryoga bellowed as he charged towards her, his head lowered. Instead of dodging, Akane leapt upwards, and landed heavily on his back, knocking the overbalanced robot to the ground. Seeing that the tube attached to the cylinder on his right arm ran to the backpack that she was standing on, Akane slashed downward, hard, with her sword. With a thousand pounds of force behind it, even Ryoga's armor couldn't stand up to the mighty blow. The hose, severed cleanly in the middle, whipped about like a snake, the systems on both ends short circuiting. The electrical surges caused Ryoga's already squirming body to go into convulsions, which threw Akane from his form like a rag doll. She landed heavily a foot or so away, and watched Ryoga, praying that the fight was over. Slowly, the convulsions stopped, and he lay still.
"Whew," Akane breathed, rising. "I'm glad that's over." Dusting her hands, she walked over to Ryoga's prone form. Bending over, she pushed it hard, rolling it over so that he was facing upwards. His animalistic face was twisted in agony, frozen in place by massive feedback loops, Akane surmised. "Poor guy," she murmured. "If only he'd stayed away."
Suddenly, Akane felt a strong tug on her left boot. She looked downward, and saw that Ryoga's hand had grabbed her boot in a viselike grip, the tips of his hand digging into the metal of her armor. She looked back up to see that the expression on his face had gone from one of pain to one of glee. He quickly rose to his feet, pulling Akane from hers as if she were little more than a child's toy. Grinning savagely, he dangled her by her leg, the rest of her flailing about in vain. In her surprise, Akane had dropped her beam saber. Otherwise helpless, Akane hammered on Ryoga's kneecap with her fists. She might as well have been trying to stop a freight train with a five yen coin- each were about as likely to succeed in their tasks.
"You maimed me," Ryoga growled, his grin turning to a sneer. "You'll pay for that." Lifting her high, Akane came even to his face. In spite, she slapped him, knowing that her carelessness had lost her the fight. Ryoga just laughed, and laughed even harder when her hand popped a rivet. Shaking his head, he brought his arm down hard and fast, causing Akane's body to follow it on it's course. Just as it reached the lowest point that it could go to, Ryoga reversed his swing back upwards, sending Akane snapping along the length of her body. The intense G forces wreaked havoc with her internal systems, and she could hear the rattle in her chest as she heard something break loose. Once again, Ryoga hoisted her, but Akane didn't struggle this time. Even if she'd wanted to, she was too badly damaged to do anything in this position. Thus far, her internal damage wasn't anything that her auto-repair systems couldn't handle, but they took time, time that she didn't have. Snorting, Ryoga dropped her to the ground.
"You're not worth my time. Ranma's here somewhere. I'm going to find him," he declared, marching slowly away. Something in Akane snapped, and she found herself shaking in anger. Her entire body shaking, she struggled to her feet.
"You... leave... her... alone!" she demanded, glaring daggers at Ryoga.
"Oh, you're still alive?" he asked, honestly surprised. The beating he'd given her would've crushed any lesser creation. However, his last choice of words was more than poor; they were disastrous. Shuddering, Akane let loose with a feral battle cry and charged forward, her right arm cocked for a great punch. Ryoga, knowing that his armor could take anything that she could dish out, just stood and waited. When Akane's arm began to glow, though, he began to worry, if only a little. Her entire weight behind the punch, Akane slammed her fist home to Ryoga's left shoulder, the glow around her arm being pulled into it. Upon contact with the armor, hatches in Akane's hand snapped open, and blasted forward in an incredibly powerful, point blank range attack. The explosion of energy caught Ryoga completely off guard, and it sheared most of the way through his arm. Teetering, he staggered backwards, crashing upon the ground as the remnants of her attack washed through the local systems housed in the area.
Ryoga glared at Akane, who glared right back. He clutched his arm to his body, trying desperately to keep it attached, while Akane just struggled desperately to remain standing. Finally, Ryoga turned to retreat, knowing that, even as damaged as Akane was, she could still fight. With his shattered arm and damaged subsystems, he could not. However, as a final spite, he dropped a shockwave bomb out of his backpack, the fuse set on a timer. He ran from the rubble of Furinkan High, while Akane stared at the bomb as the fuse counted down, unable to move.
Finally, the bomb exploded, the shockwave sending her straight up into the air. Akane tumbled about, airborne, for almost ten full seconds, before her systems shut her central consciousness down, in a desperate effort to conserve her waning energy. Her body fell hard, with a resounding metallic *clang* to the ground. Below her, something that had lain dormant since it's creation hummed to life. Slowly, raised on hydraulic lifts, a cylinder made of blue painted metal rose from the ground. It had a tube large enough for a person to stand inside of it, the capsule part of it being rimmed with green glass. Tubes ran along it's top and bottom, connecting red transistors and small, micro fusion generators. Elevated, Akane's body soon fall to the ground, and lay there, all but dead. Unbeknownst to her, the glass of the capsule slid down, and the AI of the capsule hummed to life.
"Oh, my," said the holographic human the stood upon the main pad of the pod.
***Author's Notes***
Hey all! This is the third installment of "The Opening Bet", and my favorite chapter so far. First of all, I'd like to apologize to those who think that the characters are a little too extreme in their actions. Remember, Ranma's lost everything that he ever had, and he lost it because, as he sees it, his father made a stupid decision, even knowing the consequences. Yeah, and Ranma does know about the whole deal his Dad made with his Mom. That's what his reference to his 'real home' means earlier. If Genma figured the he'd never go home anyways (as is the case after Ranma's transformation), what's to keep him from telling Ranma? Ryoga blames everything on Ranma, including being thrown out of his family. One day, I just thought, "What if the Hibiki direction sense is a badge of honor among them, not a mark of shame?" It'd certainly make for cheap vacations, that's for sure. Also, I know that Akane might seem a bit odd in the battle scene, but you've got to remember that she was fused with Zero, who only truly lived during his most dangerous fights. I tried to write her as somewhat of a blend between the two. In any case, if you liked it, didn't like it, loved it, hated it, tell me so! My e-mail is Flashfyre5@aol.com. Let me tell you, your feedback REALLY helps me get through the nest chapter faster, and your input really matters to me. If you point out something that I really messed up on, I'll fix it in any way I can. Thanks for reading!
P.S.: For those of you that are MMX series followers, yes, Akane did use the Rakuhouha at the end to beat Ryoga there.