A humanA human knocked me down twice! Man, I wonder if he impresses Kagome. I wonder if she thinks he's cute. Wait, why should I give a care?! I'm gonna shut up that pigtail boy!
Inuyasha lifts up the transformed Tetsusaiga and points it steadily at Ranma.
"I knew there was something funny about you. I know you're human. You're not even a half-youkai, but you got some kind of youkai-like smell. Which means…"
He begins to pull the blade back past his hips.
"Inuyasha! No!"
Kagome extends her hands to him with her pleading eyes.
"Don't worry, Kagome. I'll go easy on him, but if he's too stupid not to move, it isn't my fault."
Look at her. She's all worried for him. Bastard!
"Oye, girly boy. I doubted you a bit, but that doesn't mean you gotta act all tough."
"Well I doubted you, too. I thought you'd be a lot tougher."
"Son of a…alright then. If I'm right, I should be able to see it."
The wind begins to blow gently with grace. Only Inu can see it, a friction between the lines of combat, where the two men's fighting spirit meet and clash.
"I can see it. What do you know, I can see the Wound of the Wind between us."
Kagome makes her plea again, but Inu ignores her.
"If you people keep supporting him like that, I'll really kill him."
He stares at Ranma. Look at that, idiot. He can barely stand up. I'll just scare him. I'll give him a chance to duck. If he doesn't, then…
"Hey, idiot! I'm gonna do it. If you're smart, you'd run right now or duck. I'll let you live. Just say please."
Ranma stands on shaky knees. He can't feel much of anything while the blood keeps running profusely. His left eye is closed shut. His right eye barely recognizes the figures around him. He's tired, but the anger and fear still lingers.
"So are…you gonna finish me off…because you talking me…to death."
"IDIOT!"
Inuyasha swings the blade and a giant explosion erupts from the air.
"He's really doing it," Miroku stares in amazement. "He's really gonna kill that boy."
"No," Sango replies. "Inuyasha was holding back. Besides, the boy can still duck it, but… I don't think he wants to."
The force beam of the air travels fast and at light speed. Ranma eyes what appears to be the energy coming at him.
It's going to kill me…
"IDIOT!" Inuyasha screams. "Just duck!!! You wanna die that badly?"
Ranma begins to feel a burning sensation as the Wound of the Wind begins to invade his flesh and bones.
"Duck you, idiot! Just duck!"
He hears his opponent crying in the background. Pity? Never. Ranma would never take pity. It is true what most people say about the last second of a person's life before they die. It takes forever. Ranma searches for the anger and fear, but feels nothing of them.
Everything is…so…so… dark… I can't see any light. I can't see..Akane's face. I can't see Akane's face. I CAN'T SEE AKANE'S FACE!
"HIRYUU SHOUTEN-HA!"
Ranma raises his fist one last time. A whirling energy explodes from the ground and shoots up like a tornado. Both the Wound of the Wind and the Hiryuu Shouten-Ha clash and dissipate, canceling each other out without a loud explosion or grand light show. They just disappear as the wind ceases to blow. Ranma loses his chi and faints with a crashing thud to the ground. Everything is silent again.
Inuyasha is the winner, but Ranma gets the glory.
"He….He…He…" Kagome nervously chants.
Sango and Miroku are at a lost for words.
A wide-eyed Shippo comments on something they thought could never happen.
"He cancelled the Wound of the Wind!"
"Hey, is he okay?" Sango remarked.
The whole gang rushes towards the fallen boy. Meanwhile, the most surprised person is none other than Inuyasha.
No way! No way! He blocked it? How could he block the Wound of the Wind. Did Naraku send him? Does he have any Shikon shards on him? No way… Inuyasha is brushed aside by his comrades as they head towards Ranma's weary body. All of them speak like excited little children, each sharing their amazement.
"Is he okay?…He fainted…He's really hurt…Look he's bleeding…What a fighter...He wouldn't even duck…Let's help him quick…Can't believe he blocked it…"
"Hey," Inu screams at them. "Why are you worrying about him. I kicked his butt all over the place. I'm hurt too you know."
Kagome throws a box of bandages at him that pops his head. He growls in jealously as she treats to Ranma's wounds.
Big deal. He fainted after doing that. I could have finished him off. Now they think girly boy is some hero.
"Inuyasha! We're going."
"Going where? I'm still hurt you know."
"Fine you sit there," Kagome replies. "We'll be at the next town. He needs medical attention."
Miroku and Sango lift Ranma's body and start to carry him away.
"Oye, wait up will ya! He might wake up and kill you all."
He needs medical attention. Well, where's my attention?
Inu puts the sword back into the sheath as he starts to walk behind them. A day later, Ranma finally wakes up, wincing from the pains shooting around his body.
"Don't get up," Kagome says as she attends to his wounds. "You're hurt really badly. I'm surprise you could regain consciousness so early. I'm even more surprised you're alive."
"Well… I thought I was dead, because I thought you were an…angel."
Kagome blushes as she keeps attending to Ranma's forehead with a hot damp towel. Ranma eventually takes another nap as he nods off to sleep again. Outside the straw hut house, Inu leans against the door, irked by what he just heard. Miroku passes by and asks how Ranma is doing. Inuyasha snickers as he walks away.
"Well he's doing fine since he saw an angel."
Miroku scratches his head as Inuyasha passes him by. It would take another day or two for Ranma to fully regain consciousness. Kagome had started the explanation and insisted it was a misunderstanding.
"You see, he wasn't kidnapping me. He was just being a jerk like always. Inuyasha isn't a bad person. He just has a temper problem."
"And I think he was a flea problem, too, because most of these wounds aren't from punches. They're from flea bites."
"Ha ha ha," Inuyasha sarcastically laughs as he enters the room. "So you finally woke up, huh? Need a cane or something so you can walk?"
"Why won't up you pee on some tree or something?"
"Please not again!" Kagome insisted. "It was just a misunderstanding."
Both men remain silent releasing an anger chi enough to swallow the room.
"Well now that I'm awake, can you tell me what the heck is going on?" Ranma asked.
Kagome then explained her story, about how she found out about this world, about the youkai, about Inuyasha, the Shikon shards, Naraku, and her journey to find all the pieces. Ranma then explained about Akane and how a giant white dog kidnapped her. He talked about the well and then how he thought Inuyasha was the kidnapper since he thought Inu was from Jusenkyo.
"What's Jusenkyo?" Kagome asked.
"Long story…"
"Well I have all day."
"Me, too since I can't even stand up."
They both share a warm laughter as Kagome discloses more about herself. She talks about her school troubles, her family, her favorite cartoons and toys. Ranma talks about his visit to China, avoiding much about falling into the pond, talks about food, the dojo, and some of his wacky adventures. Both enjoy each other's company immensely as the rest of the gang observes their lively conversation. Inuyasha sits by himself at the corner, still fuming about the pigtail boy.
Shit. I never once talked about her world. Damn. I never asked her questions about herself. Oh look at them. Heh, what a sweet talker… They have so many things they can talk about that I don't understand. What the heck is ice cream? Hey, what is a Snoopy, anyway? Internet what? Bah, they got so much in common. What a sweet talker…
"You know of Kuno?!" Ranma expressed surprisingly.
"Who doesn't know of that pervert?"
They laugh again acting as if they had been friends since childhood. Shippo had already taken a nap since the two had been in conversation for nearly 4 hours. Sango and Miroku interested in Ranma's stories keeps listening with a keen ear. Inuyasha had enough.
"Well now, if you two are done yapping about ice cream and In-turn-net, we gotta get those Shikon shards. Look here Snoopy, you stay here and lick your wounds while we go hunting. Just make sure to keep your mouth shut and legs fresh when you encounter my kind. This isn't your world."
"From what I heard, you're the toughest guy around so if that's true, I don't have to worry that much. What's wrong with this guy anyway, Kagome? Why is your finance all jealous?
Kagome and Inuyasha blush.
"Noooooo," Kagome annoyingly responds as he looked at Inuyasha. "He has another woman."
Inuyasha looks away.
"Well that's good news then," Ranma says. "Because you're way to CUTE for him."
Kagome's face flushes with a red Inuyasha has never seen before. She never heard anyone use that word to describe her. She never heard Inuyasha once use that word, but now a stranger uses it and it makes her day, yet breaks it. She kisses Ranma gently on his forehead she leaves the hut, coldly staring at Inuyasha.
DID SHE-DID SHE... WHAT A SWEET TALKER!!!
Miroku rushes towards Ranma's bed on his knees with a tea cup in hand.
"Master," Miroku exclaims. "Please teach me the ways of your woo!"
"Idiot!" Inuyasha screams as he hits Miroku with a fist.
The next day the gang decides to leave. Kagome has a farewell letter in hand ready to give it to Ranma before they leave.
"Well hurry up," Inuyasha barks. "He's probably still hurting and injured from the ass beating I gave him. He'll be okay in two weeks. Don't worry about him so much."
As Kagome is about to leave the farewell letter on the door, it swings open as Ranma in Inuyasha's clothes steps forward.
"You're awake!" Kagome exclaims.
"Hey, you're wearing my clothes!"
"Sorry buddy, that last fight tore up all my clothes. Since you had an extra coat, I decided to borrow this for now."
"Well we're leaving, so you can't borrow anything."
"That's okay, because I'm coming with you."
"Tehhh…no you're not!"
"Yes he can!" Kagome commands. "He doesn't know anyone here and he needs to find his finance. Besides I wasn't giving him a farewell letter. It was just directions to where we were going."
Inuyasha growled as he eyed at Ranma looking so cocky wearing the fire rat's coat.
"I didn't expect him to heal so soon," Kagome continued. "But he did, and now he can help us, and we'll help him. Come on Inuyasha, this is so childish. We'll get new clothes in the next town."
"Whatever." Inuyasha carelessly spits as he starts walking away. "I just don't like him. He's dangerous."
"Amazing," Miroku commentating to Sango. "He blocks the Wound of the Wind. He then gets Inuyasha's woman, then wears Inu's clothes and is now part of the team. Although he is younger than me, he is a master of such skillful ways. I must learn his macking secrets."
Ranma smiles at Kagome as she offers room on her bike for him.
"That's okay, I'd rather walk."
It was then that Inuyasha smelled the change of scent in the air as something ominous was coming their way. Ranma, too sense impending danger.
"Something's coming this way," they both exclaim. They both stare at each other respectable contempt.
"Hey girly boy, you good enough to fight?"
"Anytime. Anywhere."
Both men stand side by side, as they eye the dirt road, watching the dirt explode as something was coming closer at light speed.
"Hey," Inu asks Ranma. "What's a Snoopy, anyway?"
"A fat cat."
"Oh...HEY! You calling me a fat cat?!"
"Meow."