Ranma 1/2 was created by Rumiko Takahashi and its characters belong to her, and her alone. I'm just kinda borrowing them. The story below is for entertainment purposes only, and not to be used commercially. ...Obviously.
"Learning Curve"
Part IV (v1.4)
by: J. Wagner
Tendo Soun yawned, blinking at the early morning sun. He loved mornings - they were so crisp, calm and free... a new day. A clean slate. Moments like this always gave him the opportunity to escape from the insanity that, fairly frequently, seemed to encroach on his home and hearth. Extra fiancées showed up every now and then, crazy female martial artists many of them, but they came and went.
The holes in the roof were patched up, the floors rebuilt, and as always, a new day began. Luckily, he mused, things had actually been somewhat calm for the last few weeks. Akane and Ranma had steadily been getting along better, ever since that trip they took with Genma to train in the mountains, and aside from the occasional escapades revolving around certain busty Amazons and the reappearance of the hated Master, the destruction and distractions had been minimal.
Stretching, Soun winced slightly at the sound of sirens disturbing his serene scene. Curious, he walked up to the gate and looked to the left down the road, were some men in white uniforms were cordoning off the area. This came as little surprise, really: it looked like a bomb ...no, numerous bombs had gone off: there were massive holes in the street and sidewalk, as if some giant hand had simply scooped out chunks of the ground. Streetlights were bent at odd angles, a vending machine had been torn in half, somehow, and was lying on its side in two cleanly cut pieces, a few stray yen and some broken open drinks lying around it were like blood from a wound.
A telephone pole, made of concrete, was broken into splinters, and stray wires were hanging limply from its still standing fellows. Additionally, more than a few walls had deep slashes in them, and while one car had been just turned over on its side, another looked like it had its front removed. The engine... half of the engine had finished leaking fluid, and was now just laying there. Soun could see that it had been bisected smoothly, and saw the missing half just to the side, still in the front part of the car that had been cut off.
"Murgh."
"Hmm?" Soun picked up sound from a nearby bush, and parting the obscuring foliage, saw a familiar pigtail sticking out.
"Ranma? Son?" Soun poked the back of the boy's head, before sighing and simply pulling him out by his hair.
"Ow ow ow ow OW!" Ranma failed weakly, waking up. Letting go, Soun shook his head as his son in law fell forward and back into blissful sleep.
"Sorry 'bout the mess, Tendo-san."
Soun turned around, and saw just whom he suspected he'd see. Ryouga it was. His hair seemed a little ruffled, and there was a hint of a bruise on his left jaw, and more than a little sleeplessness in his eyes, but it was minor. Otherwise he was normal, right down to that (he'd heard, but never confirmed) ridiculously heavy backpack and umbrella.
Crossing his arms, Soun debated whether to reprimand the boy or not. On one hand he seemed to have been the cause of more than a little damage done on Ranma, not to mention the local area, but on the other hand, Soun knew all too well that Ranma's wounds would heal, and his pride would force him to improve in the Art. It was just as it had been between Genma and himself, all those years ago. In the end, it was all for the best.
"You know, Ryouga, it looks like you and Ranma caused a lot of damage out there last night."
"Yeah." Ryouga nervously scratched the back of his neck. "Well, we tried to keep it out of the yard, Tendo-san. You know... keep the damage here to a minimum."
"Were you two up all night fighting?"
"I think Ranma fell asleep a few hours ago. I kinda did the same. Figured we could," Ryouga said and smiled. "Continue it another time. Maybe show him some more tricks I picked up in my travels."
"Well then." Soun mused. New techniques? Soun held no illusions as to his status in the unspoken martial arts hierarchy in Nerima. Genma had surpassed him long ago, and he'd largely relegated his skills to teaching, and more recently, trying to beat on the perverted Master. The thought of which, plus his natural curiosity, drove the Tendo patriarch to a decision. "How about tea, then? It's cold out, and it has been quite a while since you dropped by."
"I would be most grateful, Tendo-san." Ryouga bowed gratefully, walked over to the bush, and casually pulled Ranma out and hefted him over his shoulder. "Lead the way."
***
"Thank you very much, Kasumi." Ryouga took the tea, and gave Kasumi a brief bow. No one else was up, just yet, and Ranma was on a couch in the living room, still unconscious. It was generally agreed by those awake that he'd sleep better there than with his father. A man could cut down a forest and no one would hear it over Genma's snoring. Kasumi smiled, as she always did, and sat down next to her father. Idly, while drinking, Ryouga wished he could have had an older sister like Kasumi. Of course, being related to him, she'd only end up getting lost... and he doubted she'd be so content all the time with a curse like that over her head. No, it was best not to even think about subjecting something like that on sweet, innocent, Kasumi.
"So, Ryouga," Soun began, cutting right to the meat of things. "Still have the curse?"
Ryouga frowned. "No cure yet I'm afraid."
Soun had found out his secret soon after Ranma had, during the Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics Competition, when without thinking, Ryouga had jumped into the bathtub as P-chan, and came out as Ryouga. While Soun was in it. The older man had confronted Ryouga about it soon after, and after a solemn vow from the younger man that it was mainly innocent, and not perverted, decided to let it pass.
Given the attack by Kodachi in the night, and her training under him for the match, Soun had decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. They'd even talked about it occasionally, and Ryouga suspected that Mr. Tendo actually liked talking to him about things. The man had a similar past; that of a wanderer, but he wandered by choice, and not by default.
In retrospect, Ryouga had no doubt why Mr. Tendo had allowed him to stay as P-chan. It made Ranma jealous, and Soun knew that even as it did that, it would push Ryouga himself farther and farther away from becoming a potential romantic interest for Akane. Ryouga had to admit: Tendo-san was smarter and craftier than he let on, especially when it came to things revolving around his 'Plans.'
Ryouga had later out and told Kasumi soon after on Soun's urging, and both had agreed to keep his secret, trusting him not to do anything ... naughty. He realized now, after so long on the road, that his ability to confide in them had drawn him to the Tendo home as much as his feelings for Akane had, like the two were a kindly (but eccentric) extension of his wayward family. Even though Soun had used him to further his plans, and Kasumi was mostly a mystery, the lost boy did feel far more relaxed around them than with most people.
"I tried to find Jyusenkyo, and I aimed for the more mountainous areas of China, hoping to hit either the Joketsuzoku, where I could get a guide, or the Baiyankara Range itself." Ryouga shook his head in defeat. "But I don't even know if I hit the Quinghai Province, to tell the truth. Hmm... this is good tea, by the way. It's been a while since I've had good tea, you know."
"You've been gone a long time, Ryouga-kun," Kasumi spoke up. "Did you go any place new?"
"Yep. I got to some new spots in Russia this time around, in the south, and spent some time in the Near East and the Subcontinent. I doubt I'll end up there again, but you never know... I just got back three days ago, and made a bee line here. I guess I actually got a little lucky and made it when I did." Ryouga sipped the tea. "Anything new going on around here, Tendo-san? Kasumi?"
"The Master returned." Soun's voice was borderline breaking-down-into-tears.
"Master?"
"Grandfather Happosai." Kasumi held her hand out about two feet over the table. "About this high, several hundred years old... wrinkly."
"Like a male version of Cologne?" Ryouga couldn't help but start to laugh when his two hosts nodded. "Seriously? That's hilarious!"
"I wish that was it!" Soun held back the temptation to wail. "He's the most evil, foul, perverted demon on the planet! He destroys things, steals underwear, and eats us out of house and home!"
"I ...see." Ryouga still couldn't quite picture this 'Happosai,' and settled for nodding as if he understood. It was a skill he'd come to master. "Anything else?"
"Well, there was that Martial Arts Takeout Race..."
"Oh, and that play Akane and Ranma were in," Kasumi added, "Romeo and Juliet! It was very... entertaining. And they looked so cute in their little costumes!"
"Romeo and Juliet?" Ryouga frowned, just a little. "Was Ranma Romeo or Juliet?"
"Both," Soun said and shrugged. "There was this boy... Ukyou, if I recall, who started coming by and attacking Ranma. He doesn't drop in here much, though."
"Then there were those Love Pills at the beach. Remember that, Father?"
"How could I forget, Kasumi?" Soun's voice was the same, but Ryouga detected a small smile on the older man's face.
"It must've been... amusing," Ryouga ventured.
"Oh my!" Kasumi suddenly remembered. "Ryouga-kun, a few days ago, in the news... We heard that your dog, Shirokuro, I think, had puppies. She was looking for you, but I suppose you were still out."
"Yeah. In Hawaii." Ryouga bit his lip. Shirokuro had puppies? And she'd been looking for him? Silently, he cursed. If he went to look, it'd almost certainly be weeks before he found home. Hell, he didn't even know exactly where home was, not that exact locations in general had any real meaning to a Hibiki. "I'll... have to try and find a way home later. I don't want to risk getting lost again now that I found Nerima."
Soun nodded, understanding. "So... what are these new techniques you've picked up?"
"Well." Ryouga thought for a second about where to begin. "On the road I got a lot of use out of my Bakusai Tenketsu. That's the Joketsuzoku technique Cologne taught me. It's designed for use in mining, destroying rocks and the like... and more importantly, the training for it boosted my durability. I used it to tunnel through some of the more treacherous mountainous areas, and for general demolition. It's pretty easy once you get used to it, and I'm comfortable enough with it that I can control the reaction pretty precisely. I'm experimenting with a Special for of it... I can already delay the reaction, and have it explode on contact with things. Ultimately, I want to be able to make the reaction Ki specific."
"Interesting." Soun finished his tea. Kasumi poured him another, but both kept listening intently.
"On the other hand," Ryouga continued, "Instead of finesse, I've also been working to make the Bakusai Tenketsu itself more powerful. It only took a few weeks to learn to control the strength of the blast, and direct it from the Blasting Point itself. The trick is to infuse tightly controlled and confined Ki into the target. I'm working on perfecting the Bakusai Tenketsu to the point where I can send a stream of Ki into the ground, and use it to create Blasting Points in areas far away from myself. A long range attack like that would be a real asset, because it would force an opponent into close quarters combat, where I have the advantage."
Ryouga left out the fact that he had also attempted to get the Bakusai Tenketsu to work on living matter, with little success. Cologne had said that it wouldn't work on a person, or animal, or even a plant... but had she been telling the truth? With his knowledge of Shampoo's Take-out Box Blowout technique he had determined that it used the water in the food to produce an effect similar to a tiny breaking point. More than a few times, Ryouga had wondered just how precise and refined a technique it would take to really activate the breaking point of water. And what that effect would have on living tissue...
"A substitute for a Ki attack," Soun said in approval. "Saotome told me you also picked up the Kachuu Tenshi Amaguriken technique."
"Um... sort of. I have *a* Kachuu Tenshi Amaguriken attack I can do, but I haven't been able to do much with it. The attack itself is mainly used to distract or overwhelm an opponent to maneuver for a single blow. I'm still not as fast as Ranma, and I haven't been able to narrow down the strikes themselves like Ranma has. His Amaguriken and mine are really pretty different. To the point where they could be considered different attacks entirely."
"I see."
"Ah, but," Ryouga said and slowly leaned forward, conspiratorially. "I'll tell you where I have made my greatest progress, though. You know the Iron Cloth technique?"
"Of course." Soun answered.
"I've taken it a step forward, mixing it with elements of Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics, and the Hibiki School of Survival my father started me on. At first, I just needed a way to make my clothes stronger... and last longer on the road. Mimicking and adapting what I knew from before, and had done with my bandannas and belt, I altered my clothes, and my spares in my backpack. I call it 'Tekimen Kongou Gishu.'"
"Instant Diamond Hand?" Kasumi piqued up at this.
"Yep. Even saved my life once, while passing through Afghanistan. ...Or I think it was Afghanistan. It might have been Turkmenistan. Kasumi, could you get a knife, please?"
"Um... of course, Ryouga-kun." Kasumi got up and headed for the kitchen. A moment later, she came back and put a sharp cutting knife on the table, though a little hesitantly.
Ryouga thanked her, and picked up the knife. "Now watch."
With a swift movement, he held up his arm, and quickly slashed at the sleeve, just below the wrist. Kasumi jumped a little, half expecting a fountain of blood, and then she saw her father, leaning forward, eyes narrowed - curious, but nothing more. Without hesitating, he reached out and tugged at Ryouga's sleeve, and felt the material. Leaning back, he brought his hand up to his chin.
"Incredible."
"You have to 'teach' the material, and it didn't work the first couple times because I tried to do it all at once," Ryouga explained, putting the knife down. "But using a steady infusion of Ki, over time, achieved the desired results. It'll stiffen automatically whenever something tries to pierce it. It'll stop knives, arrows, needles... even bullets and swords. It'd even stop my old Iron Cloth belt sword."
"Old?" Soun asked.
"After I finished with this, about halfway through my little trip around Asia, and had the technique down pact, I decided to see what else I could do with it. The simplest result was to pre-treat my belt and bandannas, so they'd be better than before. My bandannas... I didn't sharpen as much as I could have; in fact I barely changed them except to make them a little lighter, and thus more accurate, when thrown. I'm still toying with some ideas for them. My belt, however." Ryouga reached down, and untied his belt. Holding up his hand, and one end of the belt, it smiled. Instantly, it straightened out into the air, forming a blade.
"I call it the Tekimen Kongou Toushin, to separate it from the pure Iron Cloth technique I used to use." Ryouga was careful with the belt-sword, and kept it in the air and away from anyone. "Or Instant Diamond Blade. This was what cut through that car outside. As far as I know, it'll go through anything... even clothes treated by my Tekimen Kongou Gishu."
"That's a very dangerous weapon, Ryouga-kun. Could you please put it away?" Kasumi shifted a bit, and visibly relaxed when Ryouga nodded, and put it away, reverting it back into the belt he always wore.
"I only used it to scare Ranma a bit last night. I wasn't even aiming to hit him with it." Ryouga shrugged.
"You mentioned that this was the simplest result of your experimentation with the technique."
"Yes. The other one was a lot more difficult to get down. I merged what I had learnt from developing the Tekimen Kongou Gishu, and the Bakusai Tenketsu. It's... well; you could say it's my trump card. My most powerful technique. I didn't show it to Ranma last night because it would have ended our little fight right then and there."
"I'd love to see it sometime," Soun said, and then added, "Preferably when used on the hated Master."
Ryouga just nodded, and leaned back, his hands behind his head. His smile slowly disappeared, though he didn't know it, as the topic faded away. His mind, that was, just a few second earlier, content to focus on his martial arts and his training, and even his journey, had wandered back into darker and more depressing territory. He was having doubts as to whether he should be around when Akane woke up. He hadn't seen her since that disaster after the Bakusai Tenketsu training, around eight months ago, and the last time he'd seen her she was... irate. That seemed like a nice, intermediate word, though perhaps 'furious' was a more exact description.
How could he blame her? She had every right to hate him. For a little over a month he'd posed as he pet, LET her take him to bed with her twice without telling her the truth, and even almost gone so far as to look forward to getting to the Dojo not so much for the opportunity to beat the hell out of his rival, but just to be P-chan. Cringing, he repeated the hated nickname over and over in his mind, examining and cataloguing the deep, burning disgust he felt in ever syllable, and in every stroke of its kanji. Truly, he was fortunate he had gotten out of the situation when he did. It was torture to be so close to love and yet, at the same time, so very, very far. That month had, in retrospect, been one of the most painful in a life of painful memories and experiences. To degrade himself; to forsake his precious humanity, the only thing he had left in life to hold onto, just to feel affection given to an animal, and worse: to become addicted to it?
Indeed, perhaps it was for the best.
Over the last half year, he'd had more than enough time to roll the situation around in his mind. He still remembered when he asked himself the critical question... what if anyone else had picked him up? What if any other girl had shown affection, and in so doing, trapped him forever? Robbed him of his humanity for the pathetic security of a pet? What if Kodachi had picked him up? Ryouga felt a shiver down his spine at the thought of it. He wanted happiness, yes... oh gods how he wanted some small measure of happiness, but at any price? At the price of his humanity? ...His soul?
"Never," he growled, softly. Checking the time, he again thought over how to approach, or whether to approach at all, Akane. Ranma, at least, wasn't an issue. Ryouga had been hoping to get in a good fight when he arrived, and Ranma had practically walked into him. It quickly became obvious that his nemesis hadn't been working very hard the intervening months, and resolved to find out more about what his hated foe had been up to later. However, looking back, Ranma had responded very well when Ryouga used bladed weapons, no doubt a result of Ukyou's attacks, and remained untouched by either bandanna or belt-sword. Cursing, Ryouga realized his mind had again wandered off track.
Akane. Akane. What about Akane? What to say? He'd already apologized, and gotten belted across the face for it, though luckily he hardly physically felt it. Slowly, indecision and nervousness started to creep into his thoughts, and Ryouga had to grit his teeth to banish them. Though he didn't love her, he could see that now, he had been, before, infatuated with her, and more to the point, still respected her. He respected her compassion. He respected her martial arts, meager though they were compared to Ukyou's or Shampoo's, and he respected her ability to put up with Ranma, in close quarters, for so long. Ryouga suspected he'd have likely smothered Ranma in his sleep before spending two full weeks around the pig-tailed boy. Strangely, he still realized he knew relatively little about Akane, despite the time he had spent near her as P-chan. What was her favorite color? Her favorite food? Why didn't she try and grow her hair long, again, after it got cut?
"Morning Dad. ...Kasumi. ...Ryouga."
"Hmm?" Ryouga opened his eyes, putting aside the annoying thoughts for later (over) examination. "Oh. Nabiki. 'Morning."
The middle Tendo daughter yawned and sat down at the table next to him, as if just now realizing he was actually here. "Wait... Ryouga? Didn't expect to see you around. What're you doing here? It's been... a while since you came by."
"A little less than a year," Ryouga admitted. He'd been gone for about three months before the Training with Cologne, and around eight after. Narrowing his eyes a bit, he checked her facial expressions and body posture, and confirmed that, indeed, she was still a bit groggy from waking up. That was good - it meant a minimum of hassle and manipulations from the middle Tendo daughter. Unlike Kasumi, Nabiki made him uncomfortable. Frankly, he didn't trust her. He silently hoped she wouldn't find out about the incident he'd had with Ranma earlier. It would only make things worse, and blow everything out of...
Nabiki smiled, though her eyes were still half closed. "You're hiding something, Ryouga-kun."
"What? Huh? Me... nah!" Ryouga shook his head more than a little vigorously.
"Something happened. Is it something I'd be interested in knowing about?"
"Look, I... there... no. Nothing at all happened last night. Nothing. Absolutely nothing."
"Oh!" Her eyes sparkled, and he knew beyond a shadow of doubt that she was fully awake. "So it is something I'd be interested in!"
"Hey, now..."
"Ranma, right?"
"I... ah..."
"What am I saying? I had to be Ranma. Like you'd show up for any other reason now." Nabiki looked into his eyes, and followed them to the living room. Slumped over the side, just barely visible, was a black pigtail. The middle Tendo nodded, and faced the lost boy. "Alright. Did you have an audience?"
"A what?"
"Did anyone see you fight him? Judging by the fact that he's unconscious, and you look awfully spry, I'm guessing you were holding back."
"Damn it." Ryouga silently cursed, and concentrated on ignoring her. She was setting him up again, just like before, when he'd first found his way to Nerima. He'd bumped into her, and found out (see: paid through the nose) where Ranma was going to school, and gotten a small map, too. She'd questioned him thoroughly, and promptly pointed him in the wrong direction. Whether it was a purposeful misleadment, or her trying reverse-directional psychology, was unknown.
Needless to say, when he'd shown up for the second time, and he and Ranma had had their little duel, it was no coincidence she had placed bets on him winning. That little 'bit' with the vitamins was cute indeed. He'd never actually seen steroids, or how they were used (missing gym class will do that to you), and he'd only vaguely known what they could do. Oh yes - Cute, indeed, that. Making him look like a complete idiot.
"What do you want, Nabiki? Just come out and say it." Ryouga found his voice again, once he'd distanced hers from his thoughts. Nabiki was not an innocent girl. She was an opponent, and had to be engaged as one. All he had to do was remind himself of that every time he looked at her.
"It looks like you've been on the road a long time, Ryouga-kun." Nabiki ran her finger down his jaw line, causing the younger boy to flinch. "You've grown some stubble. You want to know what I want to know?"
He nodded nervously.
"How good you've gotten. Kuno-chan hasn't exactly been a challenge at school, and Mousse hasn't issued a real challenge in months. Ranma's going to train to beat you in the formal match I just know you're going to write up today. I know your type - they're rare, but very... very predictable. There's no honor in beating Ranma right off the bat like that. You want him to get better. You want him to be a challenge, and you want to overcome that challenge in front of everyone that matters, which... at this point... is pretty much yourself, even if you risk losing. If it were me, I'd jump him at school, flatten him in front of everyone and claim victory."
"Yeah?" Ryouga cocked his head a bit, as if losing his attention.
Nabiki continued, regardless. "The question then becomes how good you've become, and how much time you give for Ranma to improve."
"That's none of your business, Nabiki. This is between Ranma and myself. No one else."
"And Akane?" Nabiki smirked at the response she got.
Ryouga shuddered. "Akane has nothing to do with this. Maybe she did once... a long time ago. I'm here for Revenge. Retribution. Not to pick up a girlfriend."
"Pity." She turned away at the sound of footsteps from upstairs. "I guess we'll see soon enough, eh? ...Ryouga-kun?"
Nabiki frowned when she turned back to where he'd been. "Hibiki? Great... that idiot."
He'd bolted. Typical. The lost boy could probably face down a speeding car (from what she'd heard of the Bakusai Tenketsu) without getting hurt, but he ran at the first sight of something he couldn't deal with physically. He'd obviously gotten stronger, but emotionally he was as unsure about himself, and how to deal with the world, as ever, especially in regards to her sister. It was a weakness. One she could see, and one she was sure Ranma would and could exploit in a future rematch. And if that inevitable rematch were to become profitable, for her, then it was a weakness that would have to be dealt with. ...As quickly as possible.
Outside...
Ryouga ran.
A wall was in the way, but it crumbled like rice paper, and he kept going. It wasn't ultimately a physical barrier that stopped him, or one of fatigue, but a matter of self-control. The looming threat of getting hopelessly lost finally kicked in, and broke the barrier his panic had built up. Stop, he thought, and stop he did. If only that thought had come a few seconds earlier.
"Where... the hell... am I now?"
***
"You saw him?"
Nabiki nodded, slipping another piece of deluxe okonomiyaki into her mouth.
Ukyou waited, as if expecting more information. After a couple seconds, she realized none was forthcoming. "Well?!"
Nabiki chewed slowly, deliberately. "This is very tasty, you know that?"
"What is it? Money? How much?"
"Free lunch. Two months."
"TWO MONTHS?!"
"Two months."
"One month." Ukyou countered. "That's plenty."
"Forty five days." Nabiki responded. "Don't worry. I won't exactly be coming in here every day."
Ukyou fumed, but calmed herself, and admitted defeat, at least for the time being. She was already paying Nabiki not to tell Ranma that the same boy who attacked him so often was, in fact, a girl. "Ok. You have my word. Just tell me one thing: How did you know I'd even care?"
"Simple," Nabiki said calmly, and didn't mind letting this information flow freely. It was good for her healthy ego. "I overheard Ranma mention that sometimes you fight like Ryouga. I brought the subject to Shampoo, and she spilled everything. It was too easy."
"Shampoo. I should have known." Ukyou's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Go on."
"He showed up two days ago, at night, and got into a little tussle with Ranma." Nabiki noted Ukyou's pleased smile, and continued. "I talked to him in the morning, while Ranma was... sleeping. He'd gotten a little taller, and started on a little bit of beard, but the yellow and black bandanna was a dead giveaway. He's planning a formal rematch, of course, for whenever he shows up next."
"Nani? You mean he isn't there now?" Ukyou didn't sound happy that the Tendo household had managed to lose him so soon.
"My sister sort of scared him off."
"Is that ...it?"
"There's more." Nabiki thought, briefly, about selling it later as 'breaking news,' but decided Ukyou may well not pay if she felt she had been too gypped this time around. Skirting the fine line between alienating customers and milking them for all they have was something Tendo Nabiki had a good deal of experience in. She'd questioned Ranma, her father, and Kasumi. The latter two had been hesitant to say anything at all, apparently keeping the lost boy's confidence, while the former hadn't had that problem.
"From what I gathered, he still has his curse, even though he went through China at least once. His martial arts have improved considerably, and he's not interested in Akane. Afraid, yes, but interested, no."
"I don't care about that!" Ukyou huffed up a bit. "He's just a good friend."
"Oh. Good." Nabiki let the inference slip in. "By the way, as a friendly bit of advice, I wouldn't bother Ranma for a few days. He's wound a little tight right now..."
***
"Fwah!"
"Faster, boy! Kick! Kick!"
Ranma snarled, and whirled into a spinning roundhouse, clipping his father's practice glove, just below the target. His toes provided his only means of motion, next, as he rose almost two inches high to strike again at the target with the same foot. His father danced back, targets moving erratically left and low, drawing Ranma's attention as he flowed into another set of attacks.
Beads of sweat fell from his bow, as the tempo of attacks increased, blurring at around half Amaguriken-level speeds. Ranma knew this was his father's fastest rate of speed, but knew that the old man could both dodge and attack at these speeds, and his experience and familiarity showed when the training had increased to this point, earlier in the day.
Ranma smiled, as his body and mind synchronized. His aura was a blazing avatar now, fueling the fire that was *him* - he could just see the edges of it as he struck, dodged, and moved to counter. Tiny droplets of water, his sweat he recognized, rolled eerily in midair, as if suspended and caught in the maelstrom of the match. Five Days had passed since his ...encounter with the Lost Boy. Eyes flashing, Ranma's fist struck the glove, and it exploded in a spray of palpated leather and stuffing. Genma rolled back, and broke off the spar. He looked down at the glove, and back at his son.
At his feet, the tiny droplets finally hit the ground.
"Mr. Saotome, Ranma... dinner!" Kasumi slid open the door to the dojo.
"Already?"
"We're done for tonight, boy." Genma licked his lips. "All this work makes a man hungry!"
Ranma just nodded, and followed Kasumi to the table. He ate quickly, concentrating on the food, and keeping it away from his father. Soun and Genma exchanged words, when the latter wasn't trying to steal his son's portion of dinner. Happosai sat contently smoking his pipe, the Tendo sisters chatted, and Ranma ignored them all. He caught occasional glances from Akane, however, and they burned him like hot coals.
Though none of them had talked about it, except Nabiki once, Ranma knew his defeat had to be a hot topic while he wasn't around. He'd been thrashed... manhandled... humiliated... luckily, no one had seen him and most importantly it hadn't been an official duel. It couldn't stress that enough. He had gone to school the first day, and caught the looks of Hiroshi and the rest. They knew, and Ranma knew Nabiki had told them, most likely just to hype up their eventual rematch.
He silently cursed her constant interference, but kept eating.
It was the worst seeing that... pity in Akane's eyes. At least in practice, in battle, he never had to worry about being looked at that way. He'd skipped four days of school, and trained every waking moment. Ryouga was lost, Nabiki had told him 'for free,' and out of the 'goodness of her heart.' She hadn't said anymore on the subject, even though she obviously knew more. He was working towards asking the old Ghoul for help, even though he already knew the price she'd ask of him - even though he knew that price was one he would never pay. Which left him with his old man, who was, luckily, a skilled and effective teacher, if not a great father figure.
And one other, he was hesitant to approach.
But Ryouga already had more than half a year's worth of hard training to his advantage. Time was not something Ranma had to waste. Putting down his bowl, he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "I'll be in the dojo."
Ranma left, quickly, purposefully, and without waiting for an answer.
"He's obsessed," Akane finally said what most of them had been thinking.
Soun arched an eyebrow. "He's taking this very seriously. But this is a matter of honor, for the both of them. A little extra drive never hurt anyone, eh Saotome?"
"Never, Tendo. Speaking of competition, how about a game of Shogi later?"
"Good idea, Saotome!" Soun clasped his hands together.
"But..." Akane tried again. "He's skipping school and... and... aren't either of you worried about this? Dad? Mr. Saotome?"
"Don't worry about Ranma." Genma chuckled jovially. "My son knows what he's doing. Personally, I think its great he's facing a challenge after slacking off for so long, don't you, Tendo?"
"Indeed. Indeed."
Akane's father nodded his head, and the two men went off to set up the shogi table. The youngest Tendo daughter sighed as they left. Out of the two of them, she'd expected Mr. Saotome to at least see things her way. He had been there when Ranma and Ryouga fought deep in the mountains. He had seen them, heard Ryouga... he had to know that the lost boy was dangerous. That this wasn't a normal duel! Obviously not, however. Gradually, the family finished dinner and dispersed. As they did, Akane noticed Nabiki moving with a distinct hurry, throwing on her jacket and heading for the door.
'That's odd.'
***
Midnight in Tokyo.
"Where ARE you headed, Miss Kuonji?"
Mousse adjusted his glasses as he landed, carefully slipping his cell phone back into the voluminous folds of his robe. Far below, on the streets of Nerima, he watched Kuonji Ukyou run. Leaping to another rooftop in his silent pursuit, Mousse ran his fingers along his vast array of hidden weapons in preparation. His purpose for this midnight jaunt was two-fold. Three fold, actually.
He'd heard of Hibiki.
From the worst possible source - Shampoo. Worse than the fact that Shampoo seemed close friends with him, and went so far as to openly look forward to seeing him again, was that she had repeatedly gone out of her way, especially over the last few days, to compare Mousse to this other man. And when it came to jealousy, even Tendo Akane couldn't hold a candle to Mu Tzu of the Jyusenkyo. It was bad enough being places side by side with one rival for Shampoo, Saotome Ranma, who he had repeatedly failed to defeat in combat. At least then, Mousse suspected, Shampoo's feelings towards Ranma were neither very fresh nor very strong. This other one, however, would be a problem, and an obstacle.
And, as everyone who knows Amazons, knows, Obstacles are for Killing.
He leapt again, keeping Ukyou in sight, even as she ducked through the overhang of a large restaurant for a few seconds. Then, suddenly, some of the roof under Mousse's foot, despite his light landing, chipped and fell. Ukyou stopped instantly, and turned around, her practiced ears and eyes searching. Her right hand rested calmly on the handle of her main weapon, some sort of giant spatula, almost on instinct. Mousse flattened himself, and controlled his breathing. He couldn't see her anymore, from where he hid, and he almost hissed in frustration. A sharp knife's polished side alleviated the situation, as he used it to look over the edge of the roof and down into the street.
Ukyou turned and went back to running.
Mousse followed.
"Almost there." Ukyou smiled, but forced herself to slow down a bit as she entered the park. She was in her male school clothes, just in case she ran into trouble, but she still couldn't shake the odd feeling that she was being followed. Brushing aside such a silly notion, she kept walking, looking around the area. She'd overheard a woman with a child talking in her restaurant about a 'wandering martial artist' camped in the park. It had to be him.
Parting foliage, she got a good look at the campfire, and a large pack and umbrella leaning heavily against a large tree. It was fall, and a sudden cold wind reminded her of that fact just then. Leaves were falling, slowly, to earth, and amid them a single figure, highlighted by the flames, sat. His eyes were closed, but he seemed to be studying the inferno that lay, less than a foot from his hands, none-the-less.
"Hey," she called out, just loud enough to get his attention. "Got room for company, sugar?"
His eyes opened, and dark green orbs seemed to take a second to register who she was. He jumped up, smiling. "Ukyou! What're you doing in Osaka?"
"This is Tokyo, dummy."
"Nerima?" He frowned, and the expression stayed, even when she replied in the negative. "Close, then?"
"Very." She walked up to him, hesitated for a second, and reached out to give him a warm hug. "It's good to see you again."
"Geez! You've gotten stronger, Ukyou!" He laughed, but it was a controlled laugh, the ones he preferred to show. It was only occasionally that he showed genuine emotional laughter, and in those rare occasions, it was indeed wild, uncontrollable, and even a little inspirational. She'd only really gotten him to laugh three times, in the two weeks they'd traveled together. Still, at least, now, his eyes seemed happy. Distantly, Ukyou realized Nabiki had been right - his chin was a bit rough with stubble. He gave her a gentle squeeze back and let her go, and motioned for her to sit down on the soft grass. "How'd you find me?"
"Someone at the restaurant saw you breaking rocks with your finger. Who else does that kind of stuff?"
"Good point. Subtlety has never been a specialty of mine." He jabbed a blackened branch at the fire, causing it to crackle and hiss. "You've gotten all my packages, haven't you?"
She nodded. "All of 'em. You're spoiling Shampoo, giving her all that stuff."
"Her great grandmother doesn't pay her," Ryouga said, simply. Ukyou hadn't known that. Then again, even if it was true, and it must have been for Ryouga to say it, it would be typical of Shampoo to just take it in stride and say nothing. The conversation turned to his travels, and Ukyou listened as he retold what he'd been through and where. At the same time, around the fire, she couldn't help but remember when they'd met.
Months ago...
"Okonomiyaki. Okonomiyaki. Okonomiyaki." Ukyou sighed, as she cooked. The roar of the surf had died down from its earlier fury; leaving it sounding almost content with the fight it had given her hours ago. The tireless sea had been her opponent, and partner, for years. It had been her trainer, in preparation for her inevitable revenge on those responsible for her ruined life. Ukyou cooked slowly, letting the peace of mind that came from her unique Art seep into her muscles and body, warming her soul from the continual assault of the cold.
She almost didn't hear the muffled footsteps until they were right next to her.
"Hey," A tired voice broke her train of thought. "Got room for company there?"
It was the voice of a boy - obviously, and she checked to see whether she was in guy-guise at the time being. Realizing that she was, she deepened her voice just enough to (usually) be convincing. "Huh?"
"I'm starving. Haven't eaten any real food in days."
"You got any money in there?" She looked at his backpack. It seemed stuffed. There had to be something in there he could trade for, even if he was some kind of drifter.
The boy shifted the strap on his pack, and looked away at the lights of the city at the horizon. He smirked, a little. "No cash. And I don't think you take Traveler's Checks."
"No." She smiled, a bit. "I guess I can let you have some, though."
"Thanks, man." He looked at her, and seemed to examine her features a bit. "I'll pay you back."
"Sure you will," she humored him, and flipped the okonomiyaki onto a plate.
"You have my word." He took the plate, but waited for her to accept what he'd said. When she nodded and waved it off, he folded the okonomiyaki once, and ate it in a single bite.
"It's good!" He licked his lips, not seeming full in the least.
"Really?" She'd never actually sold her food to anyone, so the monetary loss was nothing, really. But this was the first time anyone had actually complimented her cooking. "Want to try another?"
"Sure." He waited as she quickly cooked up another okonomiyaki, and ate that one more slowly, in only three bites.
"What's your name, anyway?" She started on two this time, at the same time.
"Hibiki Ryouga." He watched her cook closely, carefully observing her hand movements.
She blushed a bit, not used to much non-Tsubasa attention. "What?"
He leaned back a bit, and nervously put his right hand behind his head. "Nothing. Your hands are just very efficient. ...Like a martial artist's."
"I am a martial artist," she said proudly, and flipped the food to let the other side cook. "Okonomiyaki Style."
"Really?" He drawled. His left eyebrow rose a bit.
"What? You've never heard of it before?"
"No..." Ryouga trailed off, but noticed her expression. "Heh. Learn something new every day, I suppose."
That seemed to placate her. "I guess you're one, too. What style?"
"No real style. Just whatever I can pick up." He shrugged half-heartedly. "You any good?"
"I'm... ok. Yourself?"
"I guess I'm ok, too. I know some tricks."
"Maybe you could show me them, then. These tricks of yours." She handed him the two finished foodstuffs.
He took the plate, looked down at the steaming okonomiyaki, and back up at her. Slowly, a hint of a smile drew up his lips, "Sure. I could use some good company. And some good food..."
"And I swear... if I never see that damn country again it'll be a lifetime too soon!" Back in the present, Ryouga shook his fist to bring the point home. "Um... Ukyou-san?"
"What?"
"Who's your friend over there?"
"Huh?" She looked around. Then, the lost boy pointed over her shoulder and into the branches of a tree. It was dark, but she could just barely make out the outline of something large - too large, hiding in the cover of the foliage. She reached for her megaspatula, but Ryouga shook his head.
"Let me." He reached up, and his fingers just seemed to brush by his bandanna, and he had one in hand. He spun it, quickly, as he stood, and let it fly with a flick of the wrist. The figure moved, like a blur, at the last second, and the bandanna cut into and through the branch it had been perched on. Now partially lit by the fire, and by the far off light of a streetlamp, Ukyou immediately recognized the figure.
"Mousse," she growled.
Ryouga blinked in surprise, then nodded. "Makes sense. Mu Tzu?"
"You must be Hibiki." Mousse stepped forward, long hair moving slowly in the breeze. "A pleasure."
"Same here. I've heard of you." Ryouga smirked. "From Shan Pu."
"Oh?"
"Nothing good, I assure you." A prominent canine pointed out as Ryouga's smirk deepened. "Still, it's nice to see you in person, finally."
"Is that so?" Mousse kept his cool, and his hands in his sleeves. "I heard you beat Saotome."
Ryouga paused before replying, "I haven't beaten him yet."
"Still. You understand... I simply must see for myself... if you are everything they say you are!" Mousse's eyes narrowed, and he jumped. Ryouga stood, watching. Ukyou, however, moved: reaching out for the Lost Boy's umbrella. It was heavy as hell, but she could lift it, and he'd need it to fight Mousse. She'd seen the Chinese boy fight Ranma, though she'd never crossed him herself, and he wasn't a pushover. High above, clouds passed over the moon, and under the cover of darkness, bladed chains rained down.
"Learning Curve"
Part IV (v1.4)
by: J. Wagner
Tendo Soun yawned, blinking at the early morning sun. He loved mornings - they were so crisp, calm and free... a new day. A clean slate. Moments like this always gave him the opportunity to escape from the insanity that, fairly frequently, seemed to encroach on his home and hearth. Extra fiancées showed up every now and then, crazy female martial artists many of them, but they came and went.
The holes in the roof were patched up, the floors rebuilt, and as always, a new day began. Luckily, he mused, things had actually been somewhat calm for the last few weeks. Akane and Ranma had steadily been getting along better, ever since that trip they took with Genma to train in the mountains, and aside from the occasional escapades revolving around certain busty Amazons and the reappearance of the hated Master, the destruction and distractions had been minimal.
Stretching, Soun winced slightly at the sound of sirens disturbing his serene scene. Curious, he walked up to the gate and looked to the left down the road, were some men in white uniforms were cordoning off the area. This came as little surprise, really: it looked like a bomb ...no, numerous bombs had gone off: there were massive holes in the street and sidewalk, as if some giant hand had simply scooped out chunks of the ground. Streetlights were bent at odd angles, a vending machine had been torn in half, somehow, and was lying on its side in two cleanly cut pieces, a few stray yen and some broken open drinks lying around it were like blood from a wound.
A telephone pole, made of concrete, was broken into splinters, and stray wires were hanging limply from its still standing fellows. Additionally, more than a few walls had deep slashes in them, and while one car had been just turned over on its side, another looked like it had its front removed. The engine... half of the engine had finished leaking fluid, and was now just laying there. Soun could see that it had been bisected smoothly, and saw the missing half just to the side, still in the front part of the car that had been cut off.
"Murgh."
"Hmm?" Soun picked up sound from a nearby bush, and parting the obscuring foliage, saw a familiar pigtail sticking out.
"Ranma? Son?" Soun poked the back of the boy's head, before sighing and simply pulling him out by his hair.
"Ow ow ow ow OW!" Ranma failed weakly, waking up. Letting go, Soun shook his head as his son in law fell forward and back into blissful sleep.
"Sorry 'bout the mess, Tendo-san."
Soun turned around, and saw just whom he suspected he'd see. Ryouga it was. His hair seemed a little ruffled, and there was a hint of a bruise on his left jaw, and more than a little sleeplessness in his eyes, but it was minor. Otherwise he was normal, right down to that (he'd heard, but never confirmed) ridiculously heavy backpack and umbrella.
Crossing his arms, Soun debated whether to reprimand the boy or not. On one hand he seemed to have been the cause of more than a little damage done on Ranma, not to mention the local area, but on the other hand, Soun knew all too well that Ranma's wounds would heal, and his pride would force him to improve in the Art. It was just as it had been between Genma and himself, all those years ago. In the end, it was all for the best.
"You know, Ryouga, it looks like you and Ranma caused a lot of damage out there last night."
"Yeah." Ryouga nervously scratched the back of his neck. "Well, we tried to keep it out of the yard, Tendo-san. You know... keep the damage here to a minimum."
"Were you two up all night fighting?"
"I think Ranma fell asleep a few hours ago. I kinda did the same. Figured we could," Ryouga said and smiled. "Continue it another time. Maybe show him some more tricks I picked up in my travels."
"Well then." Soun mused. New techniques? Soun held no illusions as to his status in the unspoken martial arts hierarchy in Nerima. Genma had surpassed him long ago, and he'd largely relegated his skills to teaching, and more recently, trying to beat on the perverted Master. The thought of which, plus his natural curiosity, drove the Tendo patriarch to a decision. "How about tea, then? It's cold out, and it has been quite a while since you dropped by."
"I would be most grateful, Tendo-san." Ryouga bowed gratefully, walked over to the bush, and casually pulled Ranma out and hefted him over his shoulder. "Lead the way."
***
"Thank you very much, Kasumi." Ryouga took the tea, and gave Kasumi a brief bow. No one else was up, just yet, and Ranma was on a couch in the living room, still unconscious. It was generally agreed by those awake that he'd sleep better there than with his father. A man could cut down a forest and no one would hear it over Genma's snoring. Kasumi smiled, as she always did, and sat down next to her father. Idly, while drinking, Ryouga wished he could have had an older sister like Kasumi. Of course, being related to him, she'd only end up getting lost... and he doubted she'd be so content all the time with a curse like that over her head. No, it was best not to even think about subjecting something like that on sweet, innocent, Kasumi.
"So, Ryouga," Soun began, cutting right to the meat of things. "Still have the curse?"
Ryouga frowned. "No cure yet I'm afraid."
Soun had found out his secret soon after Ranma had, during the Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics Competition, when without thinking, Ryouga had jumped into the bathtub as P-chan, and came out as Ryouga. While Soun was in it. The older man had confronted Ryouga about it soon after, and after a solemn vow from the younger man that it was mainly innocent, and not perverted, decided to let it pass.
Given the attack by Kodachi in the night, and her training under him for the match, Soun had decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. They'd even talked about it occasionally, and Ryouga suspected that Mr. Tendo actually liked talking to him about things. The man had a similar past; that of a wanderer, but he wandered by choice, and not by default.
In retrospect, Ryouga had no doubt why Mr. Tendo had allowed him to stay as P-chan. It made Ranma jealous, and Soun knew that even as it did that, it would push Ryouga himself farther and farther away from becoming a potential romantic interest for Akane. Ryouga had to admit: Tendo-san was smarter and craftier than he let on, especially when it came to things revolving around his 'Plans.'
Ryouga had later out and told Kasumi soon after on Soun's urging, and both had agreed to keep his secret, trusting him not to do anything ... naughty. He realized now, after so long on the road, that his ability to confide in them had drawn him to the Tendo home as much as his feelings for Akane had, like the two were a kindly (but eccentric) extension of his wayward family. Even though Soun had used him to further his plans, and Kasumi was mostly a mystery, the lost boy did feel far more relaxed around them than with most people.
"I tried to find Jyusenkyo, and I aimed for the more mountainous areas of China, hoping to hit either the Joketsuzoku, where I could get a guide, or the Baiyankara Range itself." Ryouga shook his head in defeat. "But I don't even know if I hit the Quinghai Province, to tell the truth. Hmm... this is good tea, by the way. It's been a while since I've had good tea, you know."
"You've been gone a long time, Ryouga-kun," Kasumi spoke up. "Did you go any place new?"
"Yep. I got to some new spots in Russia this time around, in the south, and spent some time in the Near East and the Subcontinent. I doubt I'll end up there again, but you never know... I just got back three days ago, and made a bee line here. I guess I actually got a little lucky and made it when I did." Ryouga sipped the tea. "Anything new going on around here, Tendo-san? Kasumi?"
"The Master returned." Soun's voice was borderline breaking-down-into-tears.
"Master?"
"Grandfather Happosai." Kasumi held her hand out about two feet over the table. "About this high, several hundred years old... wrinkly."
"Like a male version of Cologne?" Ryouga couldn't help but start to laugh when his two hosts nodded. "Seriously? That's hilarious!"
"I wish that was it!" Soun held back the temptation to wail. "He's the most evil, foul, perverted demon on the planet! He destroys things, steals underwear, and eats us out of house and home!"
"I ...see." Ryouga still couldn't quite picture this 'Happosai,' and settled for nodding as if he understood. It was a skill he'd come to master. "Anything else?"
"Well, there was that Martial Arts Takeout Race..."
"Oh, and that play Akane and Ranma were in," Kasumi added, "Romeo and Juliet! It was very... entertaining. And they looked so cute in their little costumes!"
"Romeo and Juliet?" Ryouga frowned, just a little. "Was Ranma Romeo or Juliet?"
"Both," Soun said and shrugged. "There was this boy... Ukyou, if I recall, who started coming by and attacking Ranma. He doesn't drop in here much, though."
"Then there were those Love Pills at the beach. Remember that, Father?"
"How could I forget, Kasumi?" Soun's voice was the same, but Ryouga detected a small smile on the older man's face.
"It must've been... amusing," Ryouga ventured.
"Oh my!" Kasumi suddenly remembered. "Ryouga-kun, a few days ago, in the news... We heard that your dog, Shirokuro, I think, had puppies. She was looking for you, but I suppose you were still out."
"Yeah. In Hawaii." Ryouga bit his lip. Shirokuro had puppies? And she'd been looking for him? Silently, he cursed. If he went to look, it'd almost certainly be weeks before he found home. Hell, he didn't even know exactly where home was, not that exact locations in general had any real meaning to a Hibiki. "I'll... have to try and find a way home later. I don't want to risk getting lost again now that I found Nerima."
Soun nodded, understanding. "So... what are these new techniques you've picked up?"
"Well." Ryouga thought for a second about where to begin. "On the road I got a lot of use out of my Bakusai Tenketsu. That's the Joketsuzoku technique Cologne taught me. It's designed for use in mining, destroying rocks and the like... and more importantly, the training for it boosted my durability. I used it to tunnel through some of the more treacherous mountainous areas, and for general demolition. It's pretty easy once you get used to it, and I'm comfortable enough with it that I can control the reaction pretty precisely. I'm experimenting with a Special for of it... I can already delay the reaction, and have it explode on contact with things. Ultimately, I want to be able to make the reaction Ki specific."
"Interesting." Soun finished his tea. Kasumi poured him another, but both kept listening intently.
"On the other hand," Ryouga continued, "Instead of finesse, I've also been working to make the Bakusai Tenketsu itself more powerful. It only took a few weeks to learn to control the strength of the blast, and direct it from the Blasting Point itself. The trick is to infuse tightly controlled and confined Ki into the target. I'm working on perfecting the Bakusai Tenketsu to the point where I can send a stream of Ki into the ground, and use it to create Blasting Points in areas far away from myself. A long range attack like that would be a real asset, because it would force an opponent into close quarters combat, where I have the advantage."
Ryouga left out the fact that he had also attempted to get the Bakusai Tenketsu to work on living matter, with little success. Cologne had said that it wouldn't work on a person, or animal, or even a plant... but had she been telling the truth? With his knowledge of Shampoo's Take-out Box Blowout technique he had determined that it used the water in the food to produce an effect similar to a tiny breaking point. More than a few times, Ryouga had wondered just how precise and refined a technique it would take to really activate the breaking point of water. And what that effect would have on living tissue...
"A substitute for a Ki attack," Soun said in approval. "Saotome told me you also picked up the Kachuu Tenshi Amaguriken technique."
"Um... sort of. I have *a* Kachuu Tenshi Amaguriken attack I can do, but I haven't been able to do much with it. The attack itself is mainly used to distract or overwhelm an opponent to maneuver for a single blow. I'm still not as fast as Ranma, and I haven't been able to narrow down the strikes themselves like Ranma has. His Amaguriken and mine are really pretty different. To the point where they could be considered different attacks entirely."
"I see."
"Ah, but," Ryouga said and slowly leaned forward, conspiratorially. "I'll tell you where I have made my greatest progress, though. You know the Iron Cloth technique?"
"Of course." Soun answered.
"I've taken it a step forward, mixing it with elements of Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics, and the Hibiki School of Survival my father started me on. At first, I just needed a way to make my clothes stronger... and last longer on the road. Mimicking and adapting what I knew from before, and had done with my bandannas and belt, I altered my clothes, and my spares in my backpack. I call it 'Tekimen Kongou Gishu.'"
"Instant Diamond Hand?" Kasumi piqued up at this.
"Yep. Even saved my life once, while passing through Afghanistan. ...Or I think it was Afghanistan. It might have been Turkmenistan. Kasumi, could you get a knife, please?"
"Um... of course, Ryouga-kun." Kasumi got up and headed for the kitchen. A moment later, she came back and put a sharp cutting knife on the table, though a little hesitantly.
Ryouga thanked her, and picked up the knife. "Now watch."
With a swift movement, he held up his arm, and quickly slashed at the sleeve, just below the wrist. Kasumi jumped a little, half expecting a fountain of blood, and then she saw her father, leaning forward, eyes narrowed - curious, but nothing more. Without hesitating, he reached out and tugged at Ryouga's sleeve, and felt the material. Leaning back, he brought his hand up to his chin.
"Incredible."
"You have to 'teach' the material, and it didn't work the first couple times because I tried to do it all at once," Ryouga explained, putting the knife down. "But using a steady infusion of Ki, over time, achieved the desired results. It'll stiffen automatically whenever something tries to pierce it. It'll stop knives, arrows, needles... even bullets and swords. It'd even stop my old Iron Cloth belt sword."
"Old?" Soun asked.
"After I finished with this, about halfway through my little trip around Asia, and had the technique down pact, I decided to see what else I could do with it. The simplest result was to pre-treat my belt and bandannas, so they'd be better than before. My bandannas... I didn't sharpen as much as I could have; in fact I barely changed them except to make them a little lighter, and thus more accurate, when thrown. I'm still toying with some ideas for them. My belt, however." Ryouga reached down, and untied his belt. Holding up his hand, and one end of the belt, it smiled. Instantly, it straightened out into the air, forming a blade.
"I call it the Tekimen Kongou Toushin, to separate it from the pure Iron Cloth technique I used to use." Ryouga was careful with the belt-sword, and kept it in the air and away from anyone. "Or Instant Diamond Blade. This was what cut through that car outside. As far as I know, it'll go through anything... even clothes treated by my Tekimen Kongou Gishu."
"That's a very dangerous weapon, Ryouga-kun. Could you please put it away?" Kasumi shifted a bit, and visibly relaxed when Ryouga nodded, and put it away, reverting it back into the belt he always wore.
"I only used it to scare Ranma a bit last night. I wasn't even aiming to hit him with it." Ryouga shrugged.
"You mentioned that this was the simplest result of your experimentation with the technique."
"Yes. The other one was a lot more difficult to get down. I merged what I had learnt from developing the Tekimen Kongou Gishu, and the Bakusai Tenketsu. It's... well; you could say it's my trump card. My most powerful technique. I didn't show it to Ranma last night because it would have ended our little fight right then and there."
"I'd love to see it sometime," Soun said, and then added, "Preferably when used on the hated Master."
Ryouga just nodded, and leaned back, his hands behind his head. His smile slowly disappeared, though he didn't know it, as the topic faded away. His mind, that was, just a few second earlier, content to focus on his martial arts and his training, and even his journey, had wandered back into darker and more depressing territory. He was having doubts as to whether he should be around when Akane woke up. He hadn't seen her since that disaster after the Bakusai Tenketsu training, around eight months ago, and the last time he'd seen her she was... irate. That seemed like a nice, intermediate word, though perhaps 'furious' was a more exact description.
How could he blame her? She had every right to hate him. For a little over a month he'd posed as he pet, LET her take him to bed with her twice without telling her the truth, and even almost gone so far as to look forward to getting to the Dojo not so much for the opportunity to beat the hell out of his rival, but just to be P-chan. Cringing, he repeated the hated nickname over and over in his mind, examining and cataloguing the deep, burning disgust he felt in ever syllable, and in every stroke of its kanji. Truly, he was fortunate he had gotten out of the situation when he did. It was torture to be so close to love and yet, at the same time, so very, very far. That month had, in retrospect, been one of the most painful in a life of painful memories and experiences. To degrade himself; to forsake his precious humanity, the only thing he had left in life to hold onto, just to feel affection given to an animal, and worse: to become addicted to it?
Indeed, perhaps it was for the best.
Over the last half year, he'd had more than enough time to roll the situation around in his mind. He still remembered when he asked himself the critical question... what if anyone else had picked him up? What if any other girl had shown affection, and in so doing, trapped him forever? Robbed him of his humanity for the pathetic security of a pet? What if Kodachi had picked him up? Ryouga felt a shiver down his spine at the thought of it. He wanted happiness, yes... oh gods how he wanted some small measure of happiness, but at any price? At the price of his humanity? ...His soul?
"Never," he growled, softly. Checking the time, he again thought over how to approach, or whether to approach at all, Akane. Ranma, at least, wasn't an issue. Ryouga had been hoping to get in a good fight when he arrived, and Ranma had practically walked into him. It quickly became obvious that his nemesis hadn't been working very hard the intervening months, and resolved to find out more about what his hated foe had been up to later. However, looking back, Ranma had responded very well when Ryouga used bladed weapons, no doubt a result of Ukyou's attacks, and remained untouched by either bandanna or belt-sword. Cursing, Ryouga realized his mind had again wandered off track.
Akane. Akane. What about Akane? What to say? He'd already apologized, and gotten belted across the face for it, though luckily he hardly physically felt it. Slowly, indecision and nervousness started to creep into his thoughts, and Ryouga had to grit his teeth to banish them. Though he didn't love her, he could see that now, he had been, before, infatuated with her, and more to the point, still respected her. He respected her compassion. He respected her martial arts, meager though they were compared to Ukyou's or Shampoo's, and he respected her ability to put up with Ranma, in close quarters, for so long. Ryouga suspected he'd have likely smothered Ranma in his sleep before spending two full weeks around the pig-tailed boy. Strangely, he still realized he knew relatively little about Akane, despite the time he had spent near her as P-chan. What was her favorite color? Her favorite food? Why didn't she try and grow her hair long, again, after it got cut?
"Morning Dad. ...Kasumi. ...Ryouga."
"Hmm?" Ryouga opened his eyes, putting aside the annoying thoughts for later (over) examination. "Oh. Nabiki. 'Morning."
The middle Tendo daughter yawned and sat down at the table next to him, as if just now realizing he was actually here. "Wait... Ryouga? Didn't expect to see you around. What're you doing here? It's been... a while since you came by."
"A little less than a year," Ryouga admitted. He'd been gone for about three months before the Training with Cologne, and around eight after. Narrowing his eyes a bit, he checked her facial expressions and body posture, and confirmed that, indeed, she was still a bit groggy from waking up. That was good - it meant a minimum of hassle and manipulations from the middle Tendo daughter. Unlike Kasumi, Nabiki made him uncomfortable. Frankly, he didn't trust her. He silently hoped she wouldn't find out about the incident he'd had with Ranma earlier. It would only make things worse, and blow everything out of...
Nabiki smiled, though her eyes were still half closed. "You're hiding something, Ryouga-kun."
"What? Huh? Me... nah!" Ryouga shook his head more than a little vigorously.
"Something happened. Is it something I'd be interested in knowing about?"
"Look, I... there... no. Nothing at all happened last night. Nothing. Absolutely nothing."
"Oh!" Her eyes sparkled, and he knew beyond a shadow of doubt that she was fully awake. "So it is something I'd be interested in!"
"Hey, now..."
"Ranma, right?"
"I... ah..."
"What am I saying? I had to be Ranma. Like you'd show up for any other reason now." Nabiki looked into his eyes, and followed them to the living room. Slumped over the side, just barely visible, was a black pigtail. The middle Tendo nodded, and faced the lost boy. "Alright. Did you have an audience?"
"A what?"
"Did anyone see you fight him? Judging by the fact that he's unconscious, and you look awfully spry, I'm guessing you were holding back."
"Damn it." Ryouga silently cursed, and concentrated on ignoring her. She was setting him up again, just like before, when he'd first found his way to Nerima. He'd bumped into her, and found out (see: paid through the nose) where Ranma was going to school, and gotten a small map, too. She'd questioned him thoroughly, and promptly pointed him in the wrong direction. Whether it was a purposeful misleadment, or her trying reverse-directional psychology, was unknown.
Needless to say, when he'd shown up for the second time, and he and Ranma had had their little duel, it was no coincidence she had placed bets on him winning. That little 'bit' with the vitamins was cute indeed. He'd never actually seen steroids, or how they were used (missing gym class will do that to you), and he'd only vaguely known what they could do. Oh yes - Cute, indeed, that. Making him look like a complete idiot.
"What do you want, Nabiki? Just come out and say it." Ryouga found his voice again, once he'd distanced hers from his thoughts. Nabiki was not an innocent girl. She was an opponent, and had to be engaged as one. All he had to do was remind himself of that every time he looked at her.
"It looks like you've been on the road a long time, Ryouga-kun." Nabiki ran her finger down his jaw line, causing the younger boy to flinch. "You've grown some stubble. You want to know what I want to know?"
He nodded nervously.
"How good you've gotten. Kuno-chan hasn't exactly been a challenge at school, and Mousse hasn't issued a real challenge in months. Ranma's going to train to beat you in the formal match I just know you're going to write up today. I know your type - they're rare, but very... very predictable. There's no honor in beating Ranma right off the bat like that. You want him to get better. You want him to be a challenge, and you want to overcome that challenge in front of everyone that matters, which... at this point... is pretty much yourself, even if you risk losing. If it were me, I'd jump him at school, flatten him in front of everyone and claim victory."
"Yeah?" Ryouga cocked his head a bit, as if losing his attention.
Nabiki continued, regardless. "The question then becomes how good you've become, and how much time you give for Ranma to improve."
"That's none of your business, Nabiki. This is between Ranma and myself. No one else."
"And Akane?" Nabiki smirked at the response she got.
Ryouga shuddered. "Akane has nothing to do with this. Maybe she did once... a long time ago. I'm here for Revenge. Retribution. Not to pick up a girlfriend."
"Pity." She turned away at the sound of footsteps from upstairs. "I guess we'll see soon enough, eh? ...Ryouga-kun?"
Nabiki frowned when she turned back to where he'd been. "Hibiki? Great... that idiot."
He'd bolted. Typical. The lost boy could probably face down a speeding car (from what she'd heard of the Bakusai Tenketsu) without getting hurt, but he ran at the first sight of something he couldn't deal with physically. He'd obviously gotten stronger, but emotionally he was as unsure about himself, and how to deal with the world, as ever, especially in regards to her sister. It was a weakness. One she could see, and one she was sure Ranma would and could exploit in a future rematch. And if that inevitable rematch were to become profitable, for her, then it was a weakness that would have to be dealt with. ...As quickly as possible.
Outside...
Ryouga ran.
A wall was in the way, but it crumbled like rice paper, and he kept going. It wasn't ultimately a physical barrier that stopped him, or one of fatigue, but a matter of self-control. The looming threat of getting hopelessly lost finally kicked in, and broke the barrier his panic had built up. Stop, he thought, and stop he did. If only that thought had come a few seconds earlier.
"Where... the hell... am I now?"
***
"You saw him?"
Nabiki nodded, slipping another piece of deluxe okonomiyaki into her mouth.
Ukyou waited, as if expecting more information. After a couple seconds, she realized none was forthcoming. "Well?!"
Nabiki chewed slowly, deliberately. "This is very tasty, you know that?"
"What is it? Money? How much?"
"Free lunch. Two months."
"TWO MONTHS?!"
"Two months."
"One month." Ukyou countered. "That's plenty."
"Forty five days." Nabiki responded. "Don't worry. I won't exactly be coming in here every day."
Ukyou fumed, but calmed herself, and admitted defeat, at least for the time being. She was already paying Nabiki not to tell Ranma that the same boy who attacked him so often was, in fact, a girl. "Ok. You have my word. Just tell me one thing: How did you know I'd even care?"
"Simple," Nabiki said calmly, and didn't mind letting this information flow freely. It was good for her healthy ego. "I overheard Ranma mention that sometimes you fight like Ryouga. I brought the subject to Shampoo, and she spilled everything. It was too easy."
"Shampoo. I should have known." Ukyou's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Go on."
"He showed up two days ago, at night, and got into a little tussle with Ranma." Nabiki noted Ukyou's pleased smile, and continued. "I talked to him in the morning, while Ranma was... sleeping. He'd gotten a little taller, and started on a little bit of beard, but the yellow and black bandanna was a dead giveaway. He's planning a formal rematch, of course, for whenever he shows up next."
"Nani? You mean he isn't there now?" Ukyou didn't sound happy that the Tendo household had managed to lose him so soon.
"My sister sort of scared him off."
"Is that ...it?"
"There's more." Nabiki thought, briefly, about selling it later as 'breaking news,' but decided Ukyou may well not pay if she felt she had been too gypped this time around. Skirting the fine line between alienating customers and milking them for all they have was something Tendo Nabiki had a good deal of experience in. She'd questioned Ranma, her father, and Kasumi. The latter two had been hesitant to say anything at all, apparently keeping the lost boy's confidence, while the former hadn't had that problem.
"From what I gathered, he still has his curse, even though he went through China at least once. His martial arts have improved considerably, and he's not interested in Akane. Afraid, yes, but interested, no."
"I don't care about that!" Ukyou huffed up a bit. "He's just a good friend."
"Oh. Good." Nabiki let the inference slip in. "By the way, as a friendly bit of advice, I wouldn't bother Ranma for a few days. He's wound a little tight right now..."
***
"Fwah!"
"Faster, boy! Kick! Kick!"
Ranma snarled, and whirled into a spinning roundhouse, clipping his father's practice glove, just below the target. His toes provided his only means of motion, next, as he rose almost two inches high to strike again at the target with the same foot. His father danced back, targets moving erratically left and low, drawing Ranma's attention as he flowed into another set of attacks.
Beads of sweat fell from his bow, as the tempo of attacks increased, blurring at around half Amaguriken-level speeds. Ranma knew this was his father's fastest rate of speed, but knew that the old man could both dodge and attack at these speeds, and his experience and familiarity showed when the training had increased to this point, earlier in the day.
Ranma smiled, as his body and mind synchronized. His aura was a blazing avatar now, fueling the fire that was *him* - he could just see the edges of it as he struck, dodged, and moved to counter. Tiny droplets of water, his sweat he recognized, rolled eerily in midair, as if suspended and caught in the maelstrom of the match. Five Days had passed since his ...encounter with the Lost Boy. Eyes flashing, Ranma's fist struck the glove, and it exploded in a spray of palpated leather and stuffing. Genma rolled back, and broke off the spar. He looked down at the glove, and back at his son.
At his feet, the tiny droplets finally hit the ground.
"Mr. Saotome, Ranma... dinner!" Kasumi slid open the door to the dojo.
"Already?"
"We're done for tonight, boy." Genma licked his lips. "All this work makes a man hungry!"
Ranma just nodded, and followed Kasumi to the table. He ate quickly, concentrating on the food, and keeping it away from his father. Soun and Genma exchanged words, when the latter wasn't trying to steal his son's portion of dinner. Happosai sat contently smoking his pipe, the Tendo sisters chatted, and Ranma ignored them all. He caught occasional glances from Akane, however, and they burned him like hot coals.
Though none of them had talked about it, except Nabiki once, Ranma knew his defeat had to be a hot topic while he wasn't around. He'd been thrashed... manhandled... humiliated... luckily, no one had seen him and most importantly it hadn't been an official duel. It couldn't stress that enough. He had gone to school the first day, and caught the looks of Hiroshi and the rest. They knew, and Ranma knew Nabiki had told them, most likely just to hype up their eventual rematch.
He silently cursed her constant interference, but kept eating.
It was the worst seeing that... pity in Akane's eyes. At least in practice, in battle, he never had to worry about being looked at that way. He'd skipped four days of school, and trained every waking moment. Ryouga was lost, Nabiki had told him 'for free,' and out of the 'goodness of her heart.' She hadn't said anymore on the subject, even though she obviously knew more. He was working towards asking the old Ghoul for help, even though he already knew the price she'd ask of him - even though he knew that price was one he would never pay. Which left him with his old man, who was, luckily, a skilled and effective teacher, if not a great father figure.
And one other, he was hesitant to approach.
But Ryouga already had more than half a year's worth of hard training to his advantage. Time was not something Ranma had to waste. Putting down his bowl, he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "I'll be in the dojo."
Ranma left, quickly, purposefully, and without waiting for an answer.
"He's obsessed," Akane finally said what most of them had been thinking.
Soun arched an eyebrow. "He's taking this very seriously. But this is a matter of honor, for the both of them. A little extra drive never hurt anyone, eh Saotome?"
"Never, Tendo. Speaking of competition, how about a game of Shogi later?"
"Good idea, Saotome!" Soun clasped his hands together.
"But..." Akane tried again. "He's skipping school and... and... aren't either of you worried about this? Dad? Mr. Saotome?"
"Don't worry about Ranma." Genma chuckled jovially. "My son knows what he's doing. Personally, I think its great he's facing a challenge after slacking off for so long, don't you, Tendo?"
"Indeed. Indeed."
Akane's father nodded his head, and the two men went off to set up the shogi table. The youngest Tendo daughter sighed as they left. Out of the two of them, she'd expected Mr. Saotome to at least see things her way. He had been there when Ranma and Ryouga fought deep in the mountains. He had seen them, heard Ryouga... he had to know that the lost boy was dangerous. That this wasn't a normal duel! Obviously not, however. Gradually, the family finished dinner and dispersed. As they did, Akane noticed Nabiki moving with a distinct hurry, throwing on her jacket and heading for the door.
'That's odd.'
***
Midnight in Tokyo.
"Where ARE you headed, Miss Kuonji?"
Mousse adjusted his glasses as he landed, carefully slipping his cell phone back into the voluminous folds of his robe. Far below, on the streets of Nerima, he watched Kuonji Ukyou run. Leaping to another rooftop in his silent pursuit, Mousse ran his fingers along his vast array of hidden weapons in preparation. His purpose for this midnight jaunt was two-fold. Three fold, actually.
He'd heard of Hibiki.
From the worst possible source - Shampoo. Worse than the fact that Shampoo seemed close friends with him, and went so far as to openly look forward to seeing him again, was that she had repeatedly gone out of her way, especially over the last few days, to compare Mousse to this other man. And when it came to jealousy, even Tendo Akane couldn't hold a candle to Mu Tzu of the Jyusenkyo. It was bad enough being places side by side with one rival for Shampoo, Saotome Ranma, who he had repeatedly failed to defeat in combat. At least then, Mousse suspected, Shampoo's feelings towards Ranma were neither very fresh nor very strong. This other one, however, would be a problem, and an obstacle.
And, as everyone who knows Amazons, knows, Obstacles are for Killing.
He leapt again, keeping Ukyou in sight, even as she ducked through the overhang of a large restaurant for a few seconds. Then, suddenly, some of the roof under Mousse's foot, despite his light landing, chipped and fell. Ukyou stopped instantly, and turned around, her practiced ears and eyes searching. Her right hand rested calmly on the handle of her main weapon, some sort of giant spatula, almost on instinct. Mousse flattened himself, and controlled his breathing. He couldn't see her anymore, from where he hid, and he almost hissed in frustration. A sharp knife's polished side alleviated the situation, as he used it to look over the edge of the roof and down into the street.
Ukyou turned and went back to running.
Mousse followed.
"Almost there." Ukyou smiled, but forced herself to slow down a bit as she entered the park. She was in her male school clothes, just in case she ran into trouble, but she still couldn't shake the odd feeling that she was being followed. Brushing aside such a silly notion, she kept walking, looking around the area. She'd overheard a woman with a child talking in her restaurant about a 'wandering martial artist' camped in the park. It had to be him.
Parting foliage, she got a good look at the campfire, and a large pack and umbrella leaning heavily against a large tree. It was fall, and a sudden cold wind reminded her of that fact just then. Leaves were falling, slowly, to earth, and amid them a single figure, highlighted by the flames, sat. His eyes were closed, but he seemed to be studying the inferno that lay, less than a foot from his hands, none-the-less.
"Hey," she called out, just loud enough to get his attention. "Got room for company, sugar?"
His eyes opened, and dark green orbs seemed to take a second to register who she was. He jumped up, smiling. "Ukyou! What're you doing in Osaka?"
"This is Tokyo, dummy."
"Nerima?" He frowned, and the expression stayed, even when she replied in the negative. "Close, then?"
"Very." She walked up to him, hesitated for a second, and reached out to give him a warm hug. "It's good to see you again."
"Geez! You've gotten stronger, Ukyou!" He laughed, but it was a controlled laugh, the ones he preferred to show. It was only occasionally that he showed genuine emotional laughter, and in those rare occasions, it was indeed wild, uncontrollable, and even a little inspirational. She'd only really gotten him to laugh three times, in the two weeks they'd traveled together. Still, at least, now, his eyes seemed happy. Distantly, Ukyou realized Nabiki had been right - his chin was a bit rough with stubble. He gave her a gentle squeeze back and let her go, and motioned for her to sit down on the soft grass. "How'd you find me?"
"Someone at the restaurant saw you breaking rocks with your finger. Who else does that kind of stuff?"
"Good point. Subtlety has never been a specialty of mine." He jabbed a blackened branch at the fire, causing it to crackle and hiss. "You've gotten all my packages, haven't you?"
She nodded. "All of 'em. You're spoiling Shampoo, giving her all that stuff."
"Her great grandmother doesn't pay her," Ryouga said, simply. Ukyou hadn't known that. Then again, even if it was true, and it must have been for Ryouga to say it, it would be typical of Shampoo to just take it in stride and say nothing. The conversation turned to his travels, and Ukyou listened as he retold what he'd been through and where. At the same time, around the fire, she couldn't help but remember when they'd met.
Months ago...
"Okonomiyaki. Okonomiyaki. Okonomiyaki." Ukyou sighed, as she cooked. The roar of the surf had died down from its earlier fury; leaving it sounding almost content with the fight it had given her hours ago. The tireless sea had been her opponent, and partner, for years. It had been her trainer, in preparation for her inevitable revenge on those responsible for her ruined life. Ukyou cooked slowly, letting the peace of mind that came from her unique Art seep into her muscles and body, warming her soul from the continual assault of the cold.
She almost didn't hear the muffled footsteps until they were right next to her.
"Hey," A tired voice broke her train of thought. "Got room for company there?"
It was the voice of a boy - obviously, and she checked to see whether she was in guy-guise at the time being. Realizing that she was, she deepened her voice just enough to (usually) be convincing. "Huh?"
"I'm starving. Haven't eaten any real food in days."
"You got any money in there?" She looked at his backpack. It seemed stuffed. There had to be something in there he could trade for, even if he was some kind of drifter.
The boy shifted the strap on his pack, and looked away at the lights of the city at the horizon. He smirked, a little. "No cash. And I don't think you take Traveler's Checks."
"No." She smiled, a bit. "I guess I can let you have some, though."
"Thanks, man." He looked at her, and seemed to examine her features a bit. "I'll pay you back."
"Sure you will," she humored him, and flipped the okonomiyaki onto a plate.
"You have my word." He took the plate, but waited for her to accept what he'd said. When she nodded and waved it off, he folded the okonomiyaki once, and ate it in a single bite.
"It's good!" He licked his lips, not seeming full in the least.
"Really?" She'd never actually sold her food to anyone, so the monetary loss was nothing, really. But this was the first time anyone had actually complimented her cooking. "Want to try another?"
"Sure." He waited as she quickly cooked up another okonomiyaki, and ate that one more slowly, in only three bites.
"What's your name, anyway?" She started on two this time, at the same time.
"Hibiki Ryouga." He watched her cook closely, carefully observing her hand movements.
She blushed a bit, not used to much non-Tsubasa attention. "What?"
He leaned back a bit, and nervously put his right hand behind his head. "Nothing. Your hands are just very efficient. ...Like a martial artist's."
"I am a martial artist," she said proudly, and flipped the food to let the other side cook. "Okonomiyaki Style."
"Really?" He drawled. His left eyebrow rose a bit.
"What? You've never heard of it before?"
"No..." Ryouga trailed off, but noticed her expression. "Heh. Learn something new every day, I suppose."
That seemed to placate her. "I guess you're one, too. What style?"
"No real style. Just whatever I can pick up." He shrugged half-heartedly. "You any good?"
"I'm... ok. Yourself?"
"I guess I'm ok, too. I know some tricks."
"Maybe you could show me them, then. These tricks of yours." She handed him the two finished foodstuffs.
He took the plate, looked down at the steaming okonomiyaki, and back up at her. Slowly, a hint of a smile drew up his lips, "Sure. I could use some good company. And some good food..."
"And I swear... if I never see that damn country again it'll be a lifetime too soon!" Back in the present, Ryouga shook his fist to bring the point home. "Um... Ukyou-san?"
"What?"
"Who's your friend over there?"
"Huh?" She looked around. Then, the lost boy pointed over her shoulder and into the branches of a tree. It was dark, but she could just barely make out the outline of something large - too large, hiding in the cover of the foliage. She reached for her megaspatula, but Ryouga shook his head.
"Let me." He reached up, and his fingers just seemed to brush by his bandanna, and he had one in hand. He spun it, quickly, as he stood, and let it fly with a flick of the wrist. The figure moved, like a blur, at the last second, and the bandanna cut into and through the branch it had been perched on. Now partially lit by the fire, and by the far off light of a streetlamp, Ukyou immediately recognized the figure.
"Mousse," she growled.
Ryouga blinked in surprise, then nodded. "Makes sense. Mu Tzu?"
"You must be Hibiki." Mousse stepped forward, long hair moving slowly in the breeze. "A pleasure."
"Same here. I've heard of you." Ryouga smirked. "From Shan Pu."
"Oh?"
"Nothing good, I assure you." A prominent canine pointed out as Ryouga's smirk deepened. "Still, it's nice to see you in person, finally."
"Is that so?" Mousse kept his cool, and his hands in his sleeves. "I heard you beat Saotome."
Ryouga paused before replying, "I haven't beaten him yet."
"Still. You understand... I simply must see for myself... if you are everything they say you are!" Mousse's eyes narrowed, and he jumped. Ryouga stood, watching. Ukyou, however, moved: reaching out for the Lost Boy's umbrella. It was heavy as hell, but she could lift it, and he'd need it to fight Mousse. She'd seen the Chinese boy fight Ranma, though she'd never crossed him herself, and he wasn't a pushover. High above, clouds passed over the moon, and under the cover of darkness, bladed chains rained down.
