Starry Night
Chapter 11
Soft, sobbing noises could be heard drifting down the hallway from the living room in the Tendo home. There were only two rooms down there besides the bathroom, the guest room and the master bedroom, so it wasn't too hard to figure out where the noise was coming from. Soun Tendo hadn't always been an overly emotional man; he used to be able to keep all of his feelings hidden from the world. That was before his world came tumbling down though. First his wife died leaving him with three girls to raise by himself, then there was the constant threat of the masters return. Why that was enough to drive any normal man over the edge, and so it did. At least he didn't go into rages and hurt people like some individuals did, he just cried, frequently. The cause of all his emotion today was his daughters, or specifically his two eldest daughters. They were going to move out of his house today and into the world, they didn't need him anymore.
The sounds of pots and pans clanging together helped to bring him back to his senses as he quickly dried his eyes. He would be a man today, not some whimpering fool! He would show his daughters that he could help them move and be proud of their wise decisions without having a mental breakdown. The girls would need his support and help as they journeyed out into the world for the first time; he needed to be someone that they could rely on. For too long he had allowed Nabiki and Kasumi to manage the household for him, they had grown-up too fast. Now he could do something for them, now he could give them something, love and understanding.
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Ranma awoke with a vigor that he had not felt in weeks. The world around him seemed to be filled with a beauty that he had never noticed before. He had slept soundly and he had seen Akane in his dream, his beautiful Akane. How long had he lived without being able to see her face in something other than a photograph? He knew that in reality only a couple of weeks had passed, but he had still missed her more than he would like to admit. She had become such a fixture in his life that everything didn't work right without her there. As much as he hated to admit to it, he needed her, even wanted her. He stretched his arms over his head while replaying the dream in his mind. True he had only seen her for a few minutes, but that was all he needed, for now anyways. What amazed him the most was how quickly she seemed to have improved her martial arts skills. While he had been working on improving her speed in all of their punch and dodge matches he never realized that she had been studying his technique. The idea was quite flattering to him. Someone was actually copying his moves, that was something that only happened to the grand masters!
Flipping open the curtains, Ranma welcomed the warm rays of the sun as they reached through the window to caress his face. He wanted to stay there longer and linger in his joyful mood, but he knew that he had to get to the docks if he and Ryoga were going to get tickets for the boat that was leaving that morning. He turned to the bed that the lost boy was still sleeping in, he would have to wake him up. A playful glint shone in Ranma's eyes as he considered pouring some cold water on his friend, but he couldn't do it. He had been woke-up in that manner often enough to know that feeling the change was not pleasant first thing in the morning. Besides, he needed the lost boys help finding Akane so he probably shouldn't make him mad.
"Ryoga," Ranma said in a loud tone of voice while he shook the boy's shoulder, "time to wake-up man!"
An eye on the lost boy's face opened a crack and took in his surroundings. Finally, his gaze came to rest on the object of his contempt, he sneered and closed his eye.
"Ryoga, come on man!" Ranma pleaded with his friendly adversary. "We've got to go get the tickets, remember? We have to find Akane."
Akane's name was all Ryoga needed to hear, suddenly he found his motivation, she might need him. He watched Ranma walk past him and into the bathroom before he got out of bed, he wanted a few minutes alone to think. As he stood on the floor and stretched his thoughts kept wandering to Akane, the beautiful, raven-haired beauty that he had adored for so long. He thought he had given up on her at Jusendo; only a blind fool could have missed the way she and Ranma were looking at each other. What was amazing was that the two could not admit to each other the feelings that showed in their eyes when they thought they were alone. They must be just as foolish as he was then, because he still secretly hoped that Akane would change her mind about him. Maybe if he went to China and helped her through this period in her life then she would see him in a new light. The door to the bathroom opened and Ranma walked out, his toothbrush still hanging out of his mouth. Ryoga looked at him for a second, then headed for the bathroom. He had no idea what Akane saw in Ranma and he probably never would, all he knew was the he was definitely being a fool. There was no way Akane was going to leave Ranma for him, he needed to let go of that fantasy before he could truly be happy with someone else.
A soft melody could be heard lilting through the flap of Akane's tent as the hazy morning sunshine cast a warm glow in the clearing. The new day had brought a whole new attitude to the lonely girl, one that was needed. For the first time since she had left Nerima she was happy. The feeling overwhelmed her as she pulled her hair off her face with a headband and she could feel tears threaten to stream down her face. Ranma had come to her in a dream.
She hadn't realized how much she missed until last night. Now she was painfully aware of the gaping hole that was left in her heart. How could he come to mean so much to her over the years, she never meant for this to happen. After all of her problems had started at Furinkan High she had vowed never to let a boy get under her skin like this, but this was no boy, this was Ranma. For some odd reason she found the whole situation amusing. Here she sat in turmoil, half of her wanting to cry because Ranma was not in her life any longer, while the other half was rejoicing because of her dream. He had actually respected her martial arts skills in her dream! When he saw her fighting with that monster version of herself he hadn't jumped in to rescue her, he had merely watched and given advice. What a change that was! The whole thing had to be a fluke though, she had eaten her own cooking that night. Resolutely she crawled out of her tent into the morning sunlight and started her training routine for the day, but the smile was gone now. Akane realized that she probably wouldn't be seeing Ranma in anymore of her dreams; she would be on her own again. The thought slightly depressed her. She was probably wrong though because for some reason she could still faintly feel his presence, like she had in the dream. She quickly dismissed that notion as her mind playing tricks on her though.
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Cologne sat quietly on a bench in the harbor watching sailors prep their ships to sail. Occasionally one of them would stop and eye her great- granddaughter as she slept on the bench next to her. Cologne let them look, she didn't mind that, but if she even thought they were going to touch Shampoo she would pop them on the head with her staff and send them on their way. This was no time for young men with raging hormones to be courting her great-granddaughter, she had things to accomplish, important things. There was no time to waste on the foolishness follies of the young.
A quick glance at the clock on the building next to her let her know that she only had to wait another half an hour before she would be able to board the boat for China. She didn't want to wait, she was in a hurry, but she had no choice. In her impetuous youth she would have been tempted to swim to China instead of waiting for some boat. If she would have done that then she and Shampoo could almost be to the shores of their homeland by now. She was getting old though and there was just so much that her body could take, so they sat and waited. Soon, very soon, they would be in the village and she would be able to tell the elders of her discovery. Then her great-granddaughters place in the tribe would be secure, and she would no longer have to worry about the future of her bloodline.
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The leader of the group of Amazon's patrolling the forest stood with the guard she had assigned to watch the dark haired girl. They had already observed her while she did her katas, there really was nothing special about them. For that matter, this girl had done nothing that would show her to be a possible threat to well-being of their village. When the guard had been dispatched she was certain that she had instructed them on when to retrieve her. She was only to be sought out if the girl had the potential to harm the village. Frankly the lack of urgency in the matter was starting to get on her nerves. Maybe her chosen ones needed a refresher course.
The sun was starting to reach the high points in the sky, most of her morning had been wasted. Here she stood hidden in the forest, watching the dark haired girl bathe. She could think of at least ten other things she would rather be doing right now, and none of them were that enjoyable. When the girl was finished with her morning rituals she was going to take her guard into the forest and give them a good talking to. Yes, that was what she would do, then they would know not to repeat this mistake again. She was so busy thinking of a good punishment for the guard that she didn't notice the dark haired girl leaving the water. The leader of the guard tapped her on the arm impatiently while pointing towards the edge of the stream, what the leader saw there chilled her to the bone. This girl was more of a threat than she had thought; she would have to do something, but what.
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The walk to the harbor had been a quiet one so far. That was highly unusual considering the pair doing the walking were Ranma and Ryoga. Ryoga had tried to start a conversation with the other boy a couple of times, but Ranma would never answer him. He wasn't sure if Ranma was being rude, or if he just wasn't hearing him so he decided to try again.
"Hey Ranma, where do you think we should start our search?" Once again Ranma did not answer. Ryoga turned towards Ranma with a growl, he had been ignored one time to many and had every intention of teaching Ranma a lesson in manners. He stopped short though when he noticed the look in his friend's eyes, they were glassy and unfocused.
Well, whatever he was thinking about Ryoga guessed that it must be something he liked. That was the only way he could explain the goofy grin on Ranma's face.
The demon tried to ignore the faintness he was starting to feel. Normally he felt exhilarated and refreshed when he rode on his pet's back, but not this time. This air was too clean for his liking, and the sun shone too brightly. If he was ever going to gain his full strength again, then he would have to change that. A horrifyingly grotesque laugh filled the air as the demon thought of all the things he could do to achieve his goal. The resources on this planet were boundless, and most of them were still pure.
An excitement he had not felt in years rushed through his veins as he pictured himself masticating the living matter on the planet till he meted out a world to his liking. Through the entire process he would be absorbing all the pure energy the world had to offer until no one could stand up to him, and if anyone tried he would string them up by their entrails.
Ranma knew he was ignoring Ryoga, but he was so engrossed with his thoughts that he really didn't care. He was going to China to find Akane; finally they would be together. Everything in his life was going to be wonderful because she was going to be by his side.
He tried to imagine how her beautiful brown eyes would look when he told her that he loved her, how they would shine and dance with delight, but his imagination could never be close to the real thing. He couldn't wait until he could tell her!
Ranma turned to look at his companion when he heard a sigh come from that direction, he should probably say something to the lost boy. He knew that he was being rude by not talking, but he really just wanted to be left alone with the memory of his dream.
There was something that he needed to say to Ryoga though, before he went and got himself lost again. He needed Ryoga to promise to return to Nerima and watch out for the Tendos until he could return. Ukyou was already there, but she would need help if a formidable foe came looking for him, and that happened all too often, he was a popular guy after all.
"Hey Ryoga," Ranma said without taking his eyes off of the road in front of him. He didn't want Ryoga to see the depth of his emotions; Akane should be the first to see that. "I need to talk to you about something."
"Sure, what is it?" Ryoga replied while turning his head to glimpse at his friend.
"If we get separated I want you to promise me that you will go back to Nerima," Ranma said matter of factly.
"Shouldn't I look for you instead? You will need help finding Akane and China is an awful big place." Ryoga stated while thinking to himself that he had a knack for showing up where she was anyways. He had always hated his family's wandering curse. He would always get lost and end up in some of the strangest places. The curse did have some benefits though, he saw a lot of the world, and his path always seemed to cross Akane's.
"True China is big, but I want the Tendos to be safe. I already asked Ukyou if she could kind of hang out around there, but she may need help." Ranma said, struggling to find the right words to express himself with.
"Oh, I get it!" Ryoga exclaimed, "Your scared someone is going to show up looking for you, and you don't want your family to get hurt."
"No, not my family! Akane's family," Ranma replied a little too quickly. "Look man, I just don't want anything to happen that Akane will be blaming me for."
Ryoga rolled his eyes and wondered if his friend knew how transparent he was, everyone knew how he felt about Akane. Everyone but Shampoo that is, but then that girl had such a one track mind that someone would probably end up having to beat the fact into her head.
He never did answer Ranma, he knew he didn't need to. He knew Ranma understood that he would be there when he was needed, he always was.
The wood floors in the Nekohatten glowed in the morning sunlight that streamed through the spotless windows. Mousse stopped his chores to wipe his brow and admire his work. Thanks to him the shop had not been written up once in the two years he had been there, he was always thorough in his work.
A line of awards was on display by the cash register, declaring this restaurant one of the best. They were the only rewards he got for his work, but he wasn't in the business for the glory. No, he was only here to gain the affection on a girl. He wasn't so sure she was worth the effort anymore though, no matter what he did she never noticed.
The time to move on with his life was fast approaching, and he knew it, he just didn't want to admit he did. The whole idea of leaving Shampoo behind saddened him. She had been his whole world for so long, she was his obsession.
That was what had probably blinded him to her faults though. All she had done was be kind to him when they were kids, and he had sworn to marry her. As they grew up she became not only beautiful, but also viciously lethal to anyone who would stand in her way. Mousse was sure that Akane would be dead by now if Ranma had not been around. Shampoo knew that if she dared to harm Akane beyond a bruise or two Ranma would take her out. She may not speak good Japanese, but that didn't make her dumb. That was the whole reason she had sat on the sidelines for so long doing nothing but hanging on Ranma. Her strategy had been to make Akane so angry that she would leave Nerima, and leave the way clear for Shampoo.
At first Mousse had been saddened by Shampoo's lack of interest in him. Before she had left the village for Nerima the second time she had started a relationship with him, asking him out on a date. After they had gone out a few times she told him that she had to leave for Japan again, and begged him to come with her.
He had really thought that she cared for him, but he knew better now. The only thing that she had wanted from him was someone who could boost her ego while busting his back. She knew she had nothing to worry about; he would never challenge her to a fight. She knew she could treat him as badly as she wanted, and he would still be there in the morning. Well he had learned his lesson. Shampoo's lack of interest no longer made him sad, now he was glad for it. He would have been miserable till the day he died if he had been tied down to her.
Angrily, Mousse picked up his bucket of mop water and walked towards the back door. He had been hoping that he could return to the village with Shampoo and Cologne. There were a lot of changes occurring in his life and he desperately needed someone to talk with, but all of his friends were in China.
The idea of finding a suitable wife had also crossed his mind, but to no avail. Cologne had other plans for him. She needed him to stay and run the restaurant while they were gone, then she would still have a stable income when she returned.
He couldn't disobey, that would go against all of his training. So here he was, trapped in Nerima without any real friends. He returned to the dinning area of the restaurant just in time to hear the steps creak as Nabiki descended. A smile formed on his face as he heard the first kind words directed towards him in a long time.
"Good morning Mousse, how are you today?" Nabiki said with a smile. She didn't know how much that simple phrase meant to the lonely boy standing in front of her.
Shampoo and Cologne were standing on the dock waiting to board the boat when suddenly Cologne felt a gust of wind that almost knocked her over. When she turned to look Shampoo was no longer at her side, instead she was on top of a struggling mass of what seemed to be black and red silk. The form that filled the clothing seemed quite smaller than normal, Shampoo must have spilled her juice on him.
The whole scene looked so funny that she couldn't contain the chuckle that was tickling her throat. She watched the look on Shampoo's face change from one of pure bliss to one of disgust as she realized Ranma was no longer a girl. For all of her life Shampoo always preferred a hard muscled body when it came to men. Cologne was still amazed that the Tendo girl hadn't noticed that yet, but then a lot of things seemed to escape her attention, including that little black pig. Akane could easily have kept Shampoo at bay if she would have turned Ranma into a girl every time Shampoo got a hold of him.
Cologne patiently waited for Ranma and Shampoo to make their way back to where she stood. Word had gotten around Nerima that Akane had disappeared and Ranma was yet again searching for her.
This gave Cologne the perfect opportunity to get the boy to the village. She would offer to guide him to the village and tell him he could use it as a base he could come back to when he needed fresh supplies and a warm bed to sleep in. She would also tell him that she would tell the women who were patrolling the forest about Akane just in case they had seen her. She would have offered to send Shampoo to help him, but she had to train for the village tournament that was fastly approaching.
Considering everything else she was offering though, Ranma's best chance of finding Akane laid with her. There couldn't be a better way to keep the young man right within her grasp. When the time came for him to fulfill the prophecy she would know right where he was.
The sisters had been wandering ever since they failed to gain control of the Tendo dojo. They had finally decided to go to China about a year ago because there were more uninhabited areas for them to train in.
Kurumi didn't care much about training anymore she really only went because her sister told her too. A home, friends, that's all she wanted out of life. Natsume was driven though. She had taken her defeat by Ranma and Akane to heart, and had every intention of keeping her promise to one-day return to the dojo.
Kurumi wasn't sure why her sister still insisted on winning the Tendo dojo, they had found out the truth, Soun wasn't their father after all. Natsume seem possessed by her need to dominate the Any-Thing-Goes school though, she even planned to challenge Happosai one day. Through the years Kurumi had learned never to question Natsume, so she just quietly followed where her sister led. She would have a home soon enough.
As they came to the top of the hill they had been climbing, a beautiful view a valley opened up before them. Kurumi admired the sight before her as her eyes took in everything. The thing she liked the most was the multitude of flowering trees that the valley seemed to boast. She knew they would set up camp here before Natsume ever set a word, but not because of the beauty she saw, those things didn't affect Natsume anymore.
If Kurumi was right, Natsume was judging the valley by it's brook, clear open spaces, and seclusion. Turning to look at her sister, Kurumi knew she had been right; this was going to be home for a while. She just wished there were some kids around that she could play with.
Quietly following along behind her sister, Kurumi let her gaze wander to the cloud filled sky. Trying to form patterns and find shapes in the clouds had been a favorite game of hers lately, Natsume didn't talk much anymore, unless it was about the Tendos. Her eyes wandered from one cloud to another labeling them as they went, a cat, a fish, and a house. Then something caught her eye behind a whispy cloud, she thought she had seen something move. That couldn't be right though, there were no airplanes in this area, and she could see no jet streams. The thing she saw didn't look like an airplane anyways, what she saw was bulky, and if she was correct had a tail.
Her eyes had to be playing tricks on her. The thing had only been visible for a second before it had disappeared. That had to be it, her imagination was playing tricks on her, but the thing had seemed so real.
Chapter 11
Soft, sobbing noises could be heard drifting down the hallway from the living room in the Tendo home. There were only two rooms down there besides the bathroom, the guest room and the master bedroom, so it wasn't too hard to figure out where the noise was coming from. Soun Tendo hadn't always been an overly emotional man; he used to be able to keep all of his feelings hidden from the world. That was before his world came tumbling down though. First his wife died leaving him with three girls to raise by himself, then there was the constant threat of the masters return. Why that was enough to drive any normal man over the edge, and so it did. At least he didn't go into rages and hurt people like some individuals did, he just cried, frequently. The cause of all his emotion today was his daughters, or specifically his two eldest daughters. They were going to move out of his house today and into the world, they didn't need him anymore.
The sounds of pots and pans clanging together helped to bring him back to his senses as he quickly dried his eyes. He would be a man today, not some whimpering fool! He would show his daughters that he could help them move and be proud of their wise decisions without having a mental breakdown. The girls would need his support and help as they journeyed out into the world for the first time; he needed to be someone that they could rely on. For too long he had allowed Nabiki and Kasumi to manage the household for him, they had grown-up too fast. Now he could do something for them, now he could give them something, love and understanding.
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Ranma awoke with a vigor that he had not felt in weeks. The world around him seemed to be filled with a beauty that he had never noticed before. He had slept soundly and he had seen Akane in his dream, his beautiful Akane. How long had he lived without being able to see her face in something other than a photograph? He knew that in reality only a couple of weeks had passed, but he had still missed her more than he would like to admit. She had become such a fixture in his life that everything didn't work right without her there. As much as he hated to admit to it, he needed her, even wanted her. He stretched his arms over his head while replaying the dream in his mind. True he had only seen her for a few minutes, but that was all he needed, for now anyways. What amazed him the most was how quickly she seemed to have improved her martial arts skills. While he had been working on improving her speed in all of their punch and dodge matches he never realized that she had been studying his technique. The idea was quite flattering to him. Someone was actually copying his moves, that was something that only happened to the grand masters!
Flipping open the curtains, Ranma welcomed the warm rays of the sun as they reached through the window to caress his face. He wanted to stay there longer and linger in his joyful mood, but he knew that he had to get to the docks if he and Ryoga were going to get tickets for the boat that was leaving that morning. He turned to the bed that the lost boy was still sleeping in, he would have to wake him up. A playful glint shone in Ranma's eyes as he considered pouring some cold water on his friend, but he couldn't do it. He had been woke-up in that manner often enough to know that feeling the change was not pleasant first thing in the morning. Besides, he needed the lost boys help finding Akane so he probably shouldn't make him mad.
"Ryoga," Ranma said in a loud tone of voice while he shook the boy's shoulder, "time to wake-up man!"
An eye on the lost boy's face opened a crack and took in his surroundings. Finally, his gaze came to rest on the object of his contempt, he sneered and closed his eye.
"Ryoga, come on man!" Ranma pleaded with his friendly adversary. "We've got to go get the tickets, remember? We have to find Akane."
Akane's name was all Ryoga needed to hear, suddenly he found his motivation, she might need him. He watched Ranma walk past him and into the bathroom before he got out of bed, he wanted a few minutes alone to think. As he stood on the floor and stretched his thoughts kept wandering to Akane, the beautiful, raven-haired beauty that he had adored for so long. He thought he had given up on her at Jusendo; only a blind fool could have missed the way she and Ranma were looking at each other. What was amazing was that the two could not admit to each other the feelings that showed in their eyes when they thought they were alone. They must be just as foolish as he was then, because he still secretly hoped that Akane would change her mind about him. Maybe if he went to China and helped her through this period in her life then she would see him in a new light. The door to the bathroom opened and Ranma walked out, his toothbrush still hanging out of his mouth. Ryoga looked at him for a second, then headed for the bathroom. He had no idea what Akane saw in Ranma and he probably never would, all he knew was the he was definitely being a fool. There was no way Akane was going to leave Ranma for him, he needed to let go of that fantasy before he could truly be happy with someone else.
A soft melody could be heard lilting through the flap of Akane's tent as the hazy morning sunshine cast a warm glow in the clearing. The new day had brought a whole new attitude to the lonely girl, one that was needed. For the first time since she had left Nerima she was happy. The feeling overwhelmed her as she pulled her hair off her face with a headband and she could feel tears threaten to stream down her face. Ranma had come to her in a dream.
She hadn't realized how much she missed until last night. Now she was painfully aware of the gaping hole that was left in her heart. How could he come to mean so much to her over the years, she never meant for this to happen. After all of her problems had started at Furinkan High she had vowed never to let a boy get under her skin like this, but this was no boy, this was Ranma. For some odd reason she found the whole situation amusing. Here she sat in turmoil, half of her wanting to cry because Ranma was not in her life any longer, while the other half was rejoicing because of her dream. He had actually respected her martial arts skills in her dream! When he saw her fighting with that monster version of herself he hadn't jumped in to rescue her, he had merely watched and given advice. What a change that was! The whole thing had to be a fluke though, she had eaten her own cooking that night. Resolutely she crawled out of her tent into the morning sunlight and started her training routine for the day, but the smile was gone now. Akane realized that she probably wouldn't be seeing Ranma in anymore of her dreams; she would be on her own again. The thought slightly depressed her. She was probably wrong though because for some reason she could still faintly feel his presence, like she had in the dream. She quickly dismissed that notion as her mind playing tricks on her though.
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Cologne sat quietly on a bench in the harbor watching sailors prep their ships to sail. Occasionally one of them would stop and eye her great- granddaughter as she slept on the bench next to her. Cologne let them look, she didn't mind that, but if she even thought they were going to touch Shampoo she would pop them on the head with her staff and send them on their way. This was no time for young men with raging hormones to be courting her great-granddaughter, she had things to accomplish, important things. There was no time to waste on the foolishness follies of the young.
A quick glance at the clock on the building next to her let her know that she only had to wait another half an hour before she would be able to board the boat for China. She didn't want to wait, she was in a hurry, but she had no choice. In her impetuous youth she would have been tempted to swim to China instead of waiting for some boat. If she would have done that then she and Shampoo could almost be to the shores of their homeland by now. She was getting old though and there was just so much that her body could take, so they sat and waited. Soon, very soon, they would be in the village and she would be able to tell the elders of her discovery. Then her great-granddaughters place in the tribe would be secure, and she would no longer have to worry about the future of her bloodline.
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The leader of the group of Amazon's patrolling the forest stood with the guard she had assigned to watch the dark haired girl. They had already observed her while she did her katas, there really was nothing special about them. For that matter, this girl had done nothing that would show her to be a possible threat to well-being of their village. When the guard had been dispatched she was certain that she had instructed them on when to retrieve her. She was only to be sought out if the girl had the potential to harm the village. Frankly the lack of urgency in the matter was starting to get on her nerves. Maybe her chosen ones needed a refresher course.
The sun was starting to reach the high points in the sky, most of her morning had been wasted. Here she stood hidden in the forest, watching the dark haired girl bathe. She could think of at least ten other things she would rather be doing right now, and none of them were that enjoyable. When the girl was finished with her morning rituals she was going to take her guard into the forest and give them a good talking to. Yes, that was what she would do, then they would know not to repeat this mistake again. She was so busy thinking of a good punishment for the guard that she didn't notice the dark haired girl leaving the water. The leader of the guard tapped her on the arm impatiently while pointing towards the edge of the stream, what the leader saw there chilled her to the bone. This girl was more of a threat than she had thought; she would have to do something, but what.
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The walk to the harbor had been a quiet one so far. That was highly unusual considering the pair doing the walking were Ranma and Ryoga. Ryoga had tried to start a conversation with the other boy a couple of times, but Ranma would never answer him. He wasn't sure if Ranma was being rude, or if he just wasn't hearing him so he decided to try again.
"Hey Ranma, where do you think we should start our search?" Once again Ranma did not answer. Ryoga turned towards Ranma with a growl, he had been ignored one time to many and had every intention of teaching Ranma a lesson in manners. He stopped short though when he noticed the look in his friend's eyes, they were glassy and unfocused.
Well, whatever he was thinking about Ryoga guessed that it must be something he liked. That was the only way he could explain the goofy grin on Ranma's face.
The demon tried to ignore the faintness he was starting to feel. Normally he felt exhilarated and refreshed when he rode on his pet's back, but not this time. This air was too clean for his liking, and the sun shone too brightly. If he was ever going to gain his full strength again, then he would have to change that. A horrifyingly grotesque laugh filled the air as the demon thought of all the things he could do to achieve his goal. The resources on this planet were boundless, and most of them were still pure.
An excitement he had not felt in years rushed through his veins as he pictured himself masticating the living matter on the planet till he meted out a world to his liking. Through the entire process he would be absorbing all the pure energy the world had to offer until no one could stand up to him, and if anyone tried he would string them up by their entrails.
Ranma knew he was ignoring Ryoga, but he was so engrossed with his thoughts that he really didn't care. He was going to China to find Akane; finally they would be together. Everything in his life was going to be wonderful because she was going to be by his side.
He tried to imagine how her beautiful brown eyes would look when he told her that he loved her, how they would shine and dance with delight, but his imagination could never be close to the real thing. He couldn't wait until he could tell her!
Ranma turned to look at his companion when he heard a sigh come from that direction, he should probably say something to the lost boy. He knew that he was being rude by not talking, but he really just wanted to be left alone with the memory of his dream.
There was something that he needed to say to Ryoga though, before he went and got himself lost again. He needed Ryoga to promise to return to Nerima and watch out for the Tendos until he could return. Ukyou was already there, but she would need help if a formidable foe came looking for him, and that happened all too often, he was a popular guy after all.
"Hey Ryoga," Ranma said without taking his eyes off of the road in front of him. He didn't want Ryoga to see the depth of his emotions; Akane should be the first to see that. "I need to talk to you about something."
"Sure, what is it?" Ryoga replied while turning his head to glimpse at his friend.
"If we get separated I want you to promise me that you will go back to Nerima," Ranma said matter of factly.
"Shouldn't I look for you instead? You will need help finding Akane and China is an awful big place." Ryoga stated while thinking to himself that he had a knack for showing up where she was anyways. He had always hated his family's wandering curse. He would always get lost and end up in some of the strangest places. The curse did have some benefits though, he saw a lot of the world, and his path always seemed to cross Akane's.
"True China is big, but I want the Tendos to be safe. I already asked Ukyou if she could kind of hang out around there, but she may need help." Ranma said, struggling to find the right words to express himself with.
"Oh, I get it!" Ryoga exclaimed, "Your scared someone is going to show up looking for you, and you don't want your family to get hurt."
"No, not my family! Akane's family," Ranma replied a little too quickly. "Look man, I just don't want anything to happen that Akane will be blaming me for."
Ryoga rolled his eyes and wondered if his friend knew how transparent he was, everyone knew how he felt about Akane. Everyone but Shampoo that is, but then that girl had such a one track mind that someone would probably end up having to beat the fact into her head.
He never did answer Ranma, he knew he didn't need to. He knew Ranma understood that he would be there when he was needed, he always was.
The wood floors in the Nekohatten glowed in the morning sunlight that streamed through the spotless windows. Mousse stopped his chores to wipe his brow and admire his work. Thanks to him the shop had not been written up once in the two years he had been there, he was always thorough in his work.
A line of awards was on display by the cash register, declaring this restaurant one of the best. They were the only rewards he got for his work, but he wasn't in the business for the glory. No, he was only here to gain the affection on a girl. He wasn't so sure she was worth the effort anymore though, no matter what he did she never noticed.
The time to move on with his life was fast approaching, and he knew it, he just didn't want to admit he did. The whole idea of leaving Shampoo behind saddened him. She had been his whole world for so long, she was his obsession.
That was what had probably blinded him to her faults though. All she had done was be kind to him when they were kids, and he had sworn to marry her. As they grew up she became not only beautiful, but also viciously lethal to anyone who would stand in her way. Mousse was sure that Akane would be dead by now if Ranma had not been around. Shampoo knew that if she dared to harm Akane beyond a bruise or two Ranma would take her out. She may not speak good Japanese, but that didn't make her dumb. That was the whole reason she had sat on the sidelines for so long doing nothing but hanging on Ranma. Her strategy had been to make Akane so angry that she would leave Nerima, and leave the way clear for Shampoo.
At first Mousse had been saddened by Shampoo's lack of interest in him. Before she had left the village for Nerima the second time she had started a relationship with him, asking him out on a date. After they had gone out a few times she told him that she had to leave for Japan again, and begged him to come with her.
He had really thought that she cared for him, but he knew better now. The only thing that she had wanted from him was someone who could boost her ego while busting his back. She knew she had nothing to worry about; he would never challenge her to a fight. She knew she could treat him as badly as she wanted, and he would still be there in the morning. Well he had learned his lesson. Shampoo's lack of interest no longer made him sad, now he was glad for it. He would have been miserable till the day he died if he had been tied down to her.
Angrily, Mousse picked up his bucket of mop water and walked towards the back door. He had been hoping that he could return to the village with Shampoo and Cologne. There were a lot of changes occurring in his life and he desperately needed someone to talk with, but all of his friends were in China.
The idea of finding a suitable wife had also crossed his mind, but to no avail. Cologne had other plans for him. She needed him to stay and run the restaurant while they were gone, then she would still have a stable income when she returned.
He couldn't disobey, that would go against all of his training. So here he was, trapped in Nerima without any real friends. He returned to the dinning area of the restaurant just in time to hear the steps creak as Nabiki descended. A smile formed on his face as he heard the first kind words directed towards him in a long time.
"Good morning Mousse, how are you today?" Nabiki said with a smile. She didn't know how much that simple phrase meant to the lonely boy standing in front of her.
Shampoo and Cologne were standing on the dock waiting to board the boat when suddenly Cologne felt a gust of wind that almost knocked her over. When she turned to look Shampoo was no longer at her side, instead she was on top of a struggling mass of what seemed to be black and red silk. The form that filled the clothing seemed quite smaller than normal, Shampoo must have spilled her juice on him.
The whole scene looked so funny that she couldn't contain the chuckle that was tickling her throat. She watched the look on Shampoo's face change from one of pure bliss to one of disgust as she realized Ranma was no longer a girl. For all of her life Shampoo always preferred a hard muscled body when it came to men. Cologne was still amazed that the Tendo girl hadn't noticed that yet, but then a lot of things seemed to escape her attention, including that little black pig. Akane could easily have kept Shampoo at bay if she would have turned Ranma into a girl every time Shampoo got a hold of him.
Cologne patiently waited for Ranma and Shampoo to make their way back to where she stood. Word had gotten around Nerima that Akane had disappeared and Ranma was yet again searching for her.
This gave Cologne the perfect opportunity to get the boy to the village. She would offer to guide him to the village and tell him he could use it as a base he could come back to when he needed fresh supplies and a warm bed to sleep in. She would also tell him that she would tell the women who were patrolling the forest about Akane just in case they had seen her. She would have offered to send Shampoo to help him, but she had to train for the village tournament that was fastly approaching.
Considering everything else she was offering though, Ranma's best chance of finding Akane laid with her. There couldn't be a better way to keep the young man right within her grasp. When the time came for him to fulfill the prophecy she would know right where he was.
The sisters had been wandering ever since they failed to gain control of the Tendo dojo. They had finally decided to go to China about a year ago because there were more uninhabited areas for them to train in.
Kurumi didn't care much about training anymore she really only went because her sister told her too. A home, friends, that's all she wanted out of life. Natsume was driven though. She had taken her defeat by Ranma and Akane to heart, and had every intention of keeping her promise to one-day return to the dojo.
Kurumi wasn't sure why her sister still insisted on winning the Tendo dojo, they had found out the truth, Soun wasn't their father after all. Natsume seem possessed by her need to dominate the Any-Thing-Goes school though, she even planned to challenge Happosai one day. Through the years Kurumi had learned never to question Natsume, so she just quietly followed where her sister led. She would have a home soon enough.
As they came to the top of the hill they had been climbing, a beautiful view a valley opened up before them. Kurumi admired the sight before her as her eyes took in everything. The thing she liked the most was the multitude of flowering trees that the valley seemed to boast. She knew they would set up camp here before Natsume ever set a word, but not because of the beauty she saw, those things didn't affect Natsume anymore.
If Kurumi was right, Natsume was judging the valley by it's brook, clear open spaces, and seclusion. Turning to look at her sister, Kurumi knew she had been right; this was going to be home for a while. She just wished there were some kids around that she could play with.
Quietly following along behind her sister, Kurumi let her gaze wander to the cloud filled sky. Trying to form patterns and find shapes in the clouds had been a favorite game of hers lately, Natsume didn't talk much anymore, unless it was about the Tendos. Her eyes wandered from one cloud to another labeling them as they went, a cat, a fish, and a house. Then something caught her eye behind a whispy cloud, she thought she had seen something move. That couldn't be right though, there were no airplanes in this area, and she could see no jet streams. The thing she saw didn't look like an airplane anyways, what she saw was bulky, and if she was correct had a tail.
Her eyes had to be playing tricks on her. The thing had only been visible for a second before it had disappeared. That had to be it, her imagination was playing tricks on her, but the thing had seemed so real.