A Ranma ½ King of Fighters x-over fanfiction

Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½ or KoF characters because if I did, I won't even be writing fanfictions now would I?

First Things First:

Joe Ooooooooookay… (I knew where that 'talk' was going to go so I stopped before it becomes a nuclear meltdown) *sighs* Fine… I will say that I did make a mistake with the way the invisibility thing really works; I am sorry (sulks at a corner of a room for a few hours). Like my bio says, I do not partake in arguments and fights so let's just drop it, okay?

Let's just say that Ranma does not require a cloth to go 'poof' and let's move on with the story.

John *Blink**Blink* Huh? Two of them? Too bad he's not Juraian. ^^

Lina *sweat drops* Err… was it that bad of a cliffhanger?

Eric Oh and Blizz Thanks for the offer. I'll think about it in the future chapters to come.

Pairings:

Chizuru - 6

Leona - 3

Shermie - 3

Mature – 1

Don't care/not yet decided - 3

I received some votes on e-mail so I counted those too.

Well it looks like Chizzy Baby (sorry Red Priest, can't help it! ^^) is in the lead at the moment. Yes, as Integra-Hellsing, Eric Oh and X247 explained, it will be a tough job to get the two together but I'll manage somehow if she is the one chosen. You can still vote because I will not rush Ranma's relationship with anyone yet anyway.

Flames of Destiny

By Luc

Chapter 3: A Child at Heart

A five year old Ranma is running around the yard of the Saotome residence chasing his pet cat.

"Come here neko-chan!"

The cat meowed and pounced on the innocent boy and begins licking his face.

"Ahahaha… stop… haha…" chibi-Ranma said in between giggles.

"Ranma-chan, come inside before you catch a cold!" a soft, caring voice said.

"Haha! Hai, momma!" the joyful youth shouted as he grabbed his pet cat and ran towards the house.

Inside the house, Nodoka watched with a smile as her son and his neko-chan eat the freshly baked cookies she made just for them. After eating, chibi-Ranma sat on his mother's lap while listening to his mother sing a soothing lullaby. When she finished, she looked down on the sleepy youth and smiled slightly.

"Ranma dear, what will you become when you grow up?" Nodoka asked while cradling her child in her arms.

"I wanna become a martial artist like touchan!" happily shouted chibi-Ranma.

Nodoka's smile grew at that. "That's good dear, and what is the duty of a martial artist?"

Chibi-Ranma pondered for a minute. "Um… to protect the weak!" chibi-Ranma squealed happily.

//FLASH//

A six year old Ranma and Ukyou were sitting on a bench and eating some okonomiyaki.

"I'll promise to take care of you Ucchan! It's a martial artist's duty to protect the weak!"

//FLASH//

A ten year old Ranma was sitting on a rock near a river in the woods. The wind picks up; Ranma closes his eyes and feels the wind blowing through his hair.

"Beautiful… so peaceful…"

//FLASH//

During his fight with Saffron, when he was gathering the energy of the Gekkaja to add to his Hiryu Shoten Ha.

"It's my duty… to protect. Whatever I do, I must never cross that line, the line of death…"

//FLASH//

Ranma was standing in a forest looking at the blue sky, the sky begins to darken, lightning can be seen almost everywhere and the sound of thunder was deafening. Ranma falls into a void and crashes hard onto the ground. He gets up and sees the entire tribe of the Phoenix people glaring at him. They were soon replaced by the people he knew in Nerima; they all had disgusted looks on their faces.

//FLASH//

"Murderer!" "Slayer of children!" "Bastard!" "Monster!" "Freak!"

//FLASH//

Ranma only had one thought in his mind during this verbal assault.

'To protect, nothing more… and I have failed…'

Ranma woke up with a start. His body was drenched in sweat and his breathing was erratic. He looked at his hands and then he glanced at his surroundings. It was a large room with just a few decorations and figurines; a window with a light blue curtain was at his left. He sat up from the bed and instinctively rubbed his temple.

'That dream… no… my memories, and my only real failure…' he was broken out of his thoughts when he heard someone talking outside the door.

"Ranma dear, is everything okay?"

Ranma suddenly remembered what happened. He turns toward the door and smiled slightly. "Yeah, I'm okay mom, it was just a nightmare." Ranma said in a polite tone.

"Oh, okay. Call me if you need anything for your trip alright?" Nodoka asked.

"Hai."

Ranma heard his mother's footsteps as she was walking away from the door. He stared at the door for a couple of minutes before he let off a heavy sigh.

'That's right. I'm in my mom's house.' Ranma glanced one more time around the room. 'My old room… It's been three days already since that talk with mom. Didn't know I was that tired, I was bedridden in those three days too. Orochi huh? So you were the one that gave me this curse.'

****Flashback****

Ranma and Dr. Tofu arrived at the Saotome home. After a bone crushing hug from his mother, Ranma proceeded to explain what happened in China. Dr. Tofu would continue for him when he was not up to it. They finally got to the point where he showed Nodoka the flame.

"…I don't even know where I got it from." Ranma said as he closed his fist for the flames to extinguish.

The blue-eyed boy looked down to the ground, afraid of what his mother would think of him now. In the short time he has known her, he found out that she values honor more than anything. Well, next to him being manly that is… He glanced sideways at Dr. Tofu; he saw the good doctor raise an eyebrow towards the direction of his mother. Curious as to what caused the doctor to do that, he lifted his head, looked at his mother and blinked. His mother had a hand placed on her mouth, she is staring at his hand wide-eyed and he noticed that she is a few shades paler. He was about to ask her if she knew something about this curse but Tofu beat him to it.

"Mrs. Saotome, by any chance are either you or your husband related to the clan of the Yagami's?" Tofu asked bluntly.

The question seemed to have taken Nodoka out of her trance. "What? The Yagami clan? No, we are not connected to that clan if that's what you're asking…" she trailed off while breaking her gaze at her son.

Ranma sat there, confused with the conversation the two adults were having. 'If the doc knew the source of my curse why didn't he tell me about it? Does my mom know as well? And who or what is this Yagami clan?' Too many questions… he gathered himself and wisely kept his mouth shut as he listened intently to the discussion.

"Then do you know why Ranma has the cursed flame that only Yagami clan members are supposed to possess?" Tofu asked the distraught woman.

"No, I don't know anything about that. By the way doctor, how do you know all of this?" The mother of Saotome Ranma asked.

Tofu noticed the sudden change in topic but paid no heed to it. "I have read some news articles over the past few months about the King of Fighters tournament and a strange occurrence that transpired there during the last two tournaments."

"What strange occurrence would that be?" The Saotome Matriarch asked.

"This…" Dr. Tofu pulled out a newspaper clipping about a man named Iori Yagami tearing into the audience while wielding purple flames. "…was taken during the last tournament. Since then I have been studying the Yagami curse in my spare time."

Ranma just sat there in stunned silence. 'That man… he… he has the same curse that I have!'

"All I know of the Yagami curse is that it was given to them by the legendary demon Orochi." Dr. Tofu finished.

'Orochi?!' Ranma's eyes widened at the thought. He grabs Tofu by the collar and begins to shake him violently. He wanted answers! "Orochi?! You mean THE Orochi?! Who is this guy?! What is the Yagami clan?! What does this have to do with that eight-headed monster?! TELL ME!!!"

"Ranma! Please calm down!" Nodoka pleaded.

'Dammit, don't lose it Ranma… soul of ice.' "Fine… tell me everything you know doc." The ponytailed boy said as he released his grip on the unnerved doctor.

Dr. Tofu audibly gulped, the look in Ranma's eyes promised pain, friend or no, if he lies or holds anything back on the information regarding the curse.

"To answer your questions… yes, the legendary monster Orochi. This man in the article is Iori Yagami, from what I heard, he is the last of the cursed clan of the Yagami. As for the Yagami curse, I'm not really sure how they got it. There have been countless stories regarding how the Yagami's got the curse but every story has the monster Orochi in it. It is said that the Orochi currently exist in a place called…"

"Ryugenzawa." Ranma finished for him.

Both Tofu and Nodoka stared at him, mouth's agape. "Ho-how did you know that?!" the two adults asked in perfect synchronization.

Ranma gave them a brief description on what happened at Ryugenzawa and the time he blacked out during his fight with the monster.

"I heard someone saying something… a punishment or a curse, I don't really know. When I woke up, I was already in Nerima. When I asked Akane about what happened, she malleted me saying that I killed the monster. I really don't know if I did kill it, the only thing I remember is that I was trying to fire off a Mouko Takabisha before I blacked out."

The Orochi-cursed boy looked at the two adults to see their reactions. Tofu was still staring at him; his mouth was still wide open. His mother was a different matter though; she was shaking like a leaf… fear? Fear from what? Well, whatever the problem is, it looks like she is not going to tell him anytime soon.

"Anyway, I'd like to go and find some clues to this curse if that's okay with you mom." Ranma said while looking at his mother's shaken visage.

Nodoka quickly composed herself. "What? Oh my, yes, of course but can't you stay a bit longer?"

"I guess I am a bit tired… I'll stay for a couple of days before heading out."

Tofu took this opportunity to speak. "Ranma, I can give you the locations of shrines and temples that might have a clue about the curse. I hope this will help you in your search."

****End Flashback****

'My mother is hiding something from me, could it have something to do with this flame? Why would she do that? Doesn't she understand what I am going through because I know nothing of this curse?! I wanted to shout at her, to berate her so that she can tell me what she knows but… I can't. She is still my mother and I would never do anything to hurt her intentionally.'

That is why he was going on a trip. Tofu already suggested several shrines and temples that may have information regarding the Orochi legend and the Yagami curse. It's no use asking that Shinnosuke, he has the worse memory in the world and his granddad is as loony as Dr. Tofu is around Kasumi.

He quickly packed his things by using Amaguriken speed and a little bit of Mousse's hidden weapons technique. He went downstairs and slowly opened the door leading outside to see his mother waiting there for him.

"Mom?"

Nodoka didn't respond, she just ran over to him and hugged him tight.

"My son, please take care. There are a lot of people that want the power of Orochi for themselves… that's all I can say for now. Come back once you have visited all of the places Tofu-sensei has told you about, I have something to explain to you upon your return." Tears were streaming down Nodoka's face as she finished what she had to say.

"I… okay. I love you mom…" Ranma trailed off.

"I love you too my son."

Saotome Home

Nodoka watched as her son slowly vanishes from her sight. She dejectedly went back inside the house and marched straight forward into her room. She knelt beside her bed and began to reach out for something. She pulled it out; it was a small antique wooden box with some type of mark that resembles a compass engraved at the center. She opens it and takes out the content… a round, shiny, violet crystal. She holds the crystal tightly near her chest and she softly begins to weep.

"Mother… we couldn't escape it afterall…"

Southtown

A blond-haired man in a business suit was sitting comfortably in his chair. He tensed up when he felt another presence appear inside the room. He looks up and relaxes slightly.

"This is a surprise, my dear half-brother coming all this way just to see me." The blond-haired man said, amusement clearly evident in his voice.

"I don't have time to play games Geese; surely you've felt the power similar to that man Goenitz correct?"

"Yes I did. I already sent Billy to investigate the mystery surrounding the Orochi so I assigned this task to a mercenary for hire. I should be getting a report from him soon." Geese said as he swiveled his chair and faced the window.

"Hmmm… in that case I better stay for a while longer. I want to know who wields such power and of course… I also want to know which one of us is stronger." Krauser replied while leaning on a wall.

"Hahahaha! You will never change brother!"

"Neither will you…"

Their laughter echoed down the hall, laughter that will make anyone that hears it shudder in fear.

Osaka

Ranma stepped out of the train and immediately looked at his surroundings, he really couldn't put his finger on it but he feels as if that something big is going to happen and that he will be at the center of it. Shaking his head, he heads toward the exit and onto the city. He was now looking for the first temple Tofu suggested, he was also about to go to a hotel when he heard a shout, a familiar disgusting shout that he thought he would never hear again.

"What a haul! What a haul! Hahahahahah!"

Yep, it is none other than the perverted Grandmaster of Anything Goes with his usual sack of stolen women's undergarments. The angry mob of females ready to give the pervert their 'righteous wrath' was not far behind him.

At first Ranma wanted to confront Happosai face to face and beat the tar out of him but he remembered he was supposed to be 'dead' so that's out of the question. He picked up an empty can and threw it in Happosai's path; the perverted master didn't have time to recover as he tripped on the can and got his head planted on the floor. Ranma smiled as the women proceeded to beat the old man out of his senses.

'At least some things never change.' The ponytailed boy thought with a smirk.

He found out that all of the hotels had no vacancies so he decided to camp at the woods located outside the city. On the next day, he started looking for the temple when he was suddenly surrounded by five men armed with knives. The odd thing is that they showed up during the day, in a public area no less.

"Before you guys do anything, I wanna ask a question first. Does any one of you have some sort of grudge against Genma Saotome?" 'Better get this over with; knowing pops he'll probably say that it's my fault just to get out of the mess he made.'

"No, we don't know any Genma Saotome. We've come here on orders from our boss." A goon said.

"Oh? And who may I ask is this 'boss' of yours?" the ponytailed boy asked.

Another goon stepped up. "Our boss is none other than Yamazaki, and we are from his gang."

"Is that supposed to scare me? Yamazaki or whatever, you're in my way… get out or get hurt." As Ranma finished, his face turned into an emotionless mask and he had a cold gleam in his eyes.

"Whatever kid, we want to see you use your flame!" the third member of Yamazaki's gang shouted as he charged the ponytailed boy… only to be blasted by a ki blast.

"My flame? I don't need any flame against losers like you!" Ranma said as he quickly disarmed two more goons and knocked them out with just his normal kicks and punches. The remaining two quickly ran way, probably to report back to this 'Yamazaki' fellow.

Ranma blinked once, then twice. "That was… pathetic to say the least." He grabbed his pack and turns only to find a boy blocking his path. He looks no older than fourteen, has brown hair and is wearing a dark blue shirt and white pants. He was carrying a large backpack as well.

"Don't tell me you're one of them too." Ranma said in a rather irritated tone. Hey, this is Ranma were talking about here, he has been attacked by children before.

The boy ignored what Ranma said and he seems to be having some difficulty in speaking. "I… uh… I… err…" the boy mumbled.

"Well, if you've got nothing else to say…" the ponytailed boy trailed off. 'Have I met him before? My feelings tell me that I should know this kid… Whatever!'

"Can you teach me how to fight?" the brown-haired boy asked.

Ranma raised an eyebrow, not because of the boy's question; it's because of what he is feeling inside. 'Yes… Wait, where did that come from?! Do I want to teach him? Yes… yes I do.'  Sighing, he could only say one thing in response.

"Sure, come with me if you want me to teach you my style." 'Yeah, it's my style… I have Anything Goes along with Amazon Wu Shu that I have improvised to form new, more powerful attacks… and most of all… I have this flame as a technique of my own as well.'

"Okay!" the brown-haired boy said enthusiastically.

"By the way, I'm Ranma… Ranma Saotome. What's your name?"

"Chris… just Chris. It's nice to meet you Ranma."

City Outskirts

Ranma and Chris were walking towards the forest area. Chris was walking casually; his hands are inside his pockets while Ranma has his hands at the back of his head.

"So… why do you want to learn martial arts? And why did you choose me of all people?" Ranma asked.

"Well, I saw you fight those men and you relied on your speed but not your strength just like I do. I also noticed that you hit each person around ten to twenty times… either you are really good or just really weak to hit them so much just to knock them out cold. Anyway…"

As Chris continued to praise and insult the ponytailed boy's skill, Ranma already developed a very noticeable twitch. His blue-violet aura was flickering wildly behind him as well.

'Must not kill the boy, No matter how irritating the brat is, he is still your student. Do not succumb to the urges no matter how you would like to do so at this moment just to rip his scrawny little head off, do not think of burning him alive with your flame, do not even think of beating the tar out of him, must not kill the boy…' Ranma repeated this little mantra over and over again until they arrived at the area where Ranma spent the night yesterday.

"We are finally here…"

"Um… just out of curiosity, why did you choose a forest?" Chris asked in that 'oh so cute' tone.

"Huh? Oh! I just love it here, to be one with nature. It's peaceful and beautiful not like in the cities I've seen so far." Ranma answered as he closed his eyes and listened to the sounds of birds chirping, rivers flowing and trees swaying. When he opened his eyes, he was surprised that Chris was doing the same thing.

"Yeah, I know… we people take nature for granted. I would prefer to live with nature rather than with technology built by humans… what?" Chris asked as he heard Ranma chuckle.

"Nothing! I just find it funny that we are so much alike." The ponytailed boy said.

"Huh?" the bewildered brown-haired boy asked.

"I'll tell you about it some other time, right now I'd like to see how you fare against me in a fight."

Ranma went into a defensive stance. Chris' eyes narrowed as he tried to look for holes in Ranma's stance. Finding an opening just above the ponytailed boy's waist, he used his speed and attempted a straight punch at that hole in Ranma's defense. Ranma easily sidestepped the brown-haired boy's attack; he was also evaluating Chris' style at the same time.

'He's as fast as my female form! He is indeed fast and I think he can easily dodge most attacks but his offense is almost non-existent. He does have a knack for finding weak points in an opponent though…' Ranma thought as he felt a few punches connect to his side.

"Okay, I think I saw enough. Yes, we do have similar styles of fighting… you use your incredible speed and your quick thinking in battle just as much as I do. I do not rely on physical strength per say but it is still necessary in defeating an opponent."

Ranma proceeded to teach Chris the proper way to throw basic punches and kicks. It amazed him how fast the brown-haired boy was picking up the moves one by one. By the end of the day, Chris has learned most of the basic moves of Anything Goes.

In the next few days, Ranma kinda liked having the little brat around. Insults aside, he really is an outstanding student. The two of them found out more about one another as well. Ranma found out that Chris hates to be patted on the head and to be complimented as a 'cute' boy. Ranma also discovered that Chris hates gummy candy with a passion; he says that it reminds him of his days at the orphanage.

Ranma's gender-changing curse was revealed to Chris a few days later. At first Chris thought it was a girl that got lost in the woods… so Ranma-chan played him for awhile and then joked around as she tried to seduce the poor, naïve, little boy. Chris was as red as a tomato even after Ranma showed his curse to the embarrassed brown-haired boy. At least Chris finally understood what Ranma meant when he said that he can relate to being called 'cute' by people.

A week has passed and Chris can now hold his own against Ranma in the air for quite a long time. He also managed to learn the Katchu Tenshin Amaguriken while having only seen it practiced by Ranma once. Finally, Chris decided to ask Ranma about his parents…

"Ranma, what does it feel like to have parents?" Chris asked with curiosity.

Ranma choked… 'What am I gonna tell him? I love my mom and dad?! Yeah right! Better get this over with.' "I honestly don't know…"

"What?! You said you've known you're parents!" the 'cute' boy shouted.

"I really don't know… I mean, my pops took me away from my mother when I was five years old to train me in martial arts to make me a 'man among men' or so he claims. In reality, he just wanted a meal ticket to set him up for life. He sold me to various families for food and stuff and then stole me right back. He kept on doing it over and over until those families that he swindled with my life finally tracked him down. Instead of paying his debt, he ordered me to take care of HIS problems for him! Is that how a real father treats his child? I don't think so!

My mother… my mother threatened to kill me if I do not fit her description of being 'manly' at one point in time. Heh, I was scared out of my wits! I turn into a girl for crying out loud! How the heck is that 'manly'? Fortunately, she accepted the curse in the end but I can feel that her love for me has been… inconsistent. Now, you know… even though I have my parents, I still don't know them at all."

Chris and Ranma never said a word after that; both were lost in their own thoughts as they went to sleep. Next day, Ranma decided to visit the shrine in the area…

"Can I come?" Chris asked in his 'I'm so cute, how can you refuse?' voice.

Sighing, Ranma reluctantly agreed. Be it male or female, he really has no defense for those cute acts, especially the puppy-dog eyes technique. They made their way into the shrine… Ranma asked his student to wait outside, Chris pouted but Ranma just teased him and patted him on the head for being 'cute', which shut the brown-haired boy up.

It took a couple of minutes but Ranma got at least some sort of information regarding the flame called 'magatama no Orochi'. He really couldn't understand the shrine keeper as the old lady was constantly talking in riddles.

"How did it go?" the 'cute' boy asked.

"It went fine… at least I got some information, that old bat was talking in riddles."

Chris smirked. "Sure she is… but I'll bet you fell asleep along the way and missed the more important part of the one you were looking for."

A vein popped out of Ranma's forehead. "THAT'S IT! COME HERE YOU BRAT!" the ponytailed boy screeched.

Chris merely stuck his tongue at his sensei. "Bleah! Can't catch me!" the 'cute' brat taunted as he quickly dashed down the shrine steps.

Shrine Entrance

A woman dressed in a business suit was slowly climbing up the shrine steps; she has long dark hair with matching gold earrings and a white headband. She almost lost her balance when two blurs ran past her. She turns around just in time to see a handsome man, whose black hair is tied in a loose ponytail, chasing a cute brown-haired boy outside the shrine. She was about to dismiss the incident when she recognized the aura that the handsome man left.

'Orochi power?! Oh no!'

She ran with all her might up the stairs and towards the shrine. She hurriedly opened the door to the shrine, thinking of the worse possible scenario… only to find the old shrine keeper calmly drinking a cup of tea. She blinked at the scene once then face-faulted in a dignified fashion.

"Umm…"

"Oh, Chizuru-san! Glad you could visit! Come in, come in!" the old lady said to the bewildered priestess.

"Wait a minute here! I just saw someone with Orochi blood leave the shrine! What happened?!" Chizuru all but shrieked.

The old lady took another sip of her tea. "Calm yourself down child; it's not what you think."

Breathing deeply for a couple of seconds, Chizuru composed herself and calmly talked to the shrine keeper. "Okay… tell me, who was that man and what did he want with you?"

"That man has lived a hard life, and he could possibly have a harder one in the future." The old lady said as she told the priestess some of the things that they talked about earlier. She did not give Chizuru the man's name and how he obtained the Orochi curse.

City Outskirts

Ranma and his student went on with their normal routine of practice and insult for a few more days. Then Chris began to have nightmares in his sleep. He couldn't give Ranma the details but it has something to do with him leaving the country…

"So you're leaving?" Ranma asked.

Chris stared at the ground while shuffling his feet. "Yeah, I feel like there is something important that I must do. The dream that I'm having is trying to tell me something as well… I don't know what it is but I must go." The brown-haired boy finished sadly.

"I know how it feels like… I've had my share of dreams before. Well, at least I won't have to worry about you getting beat up anymore now do I?" joked Ranma.

Chris chuckled a bit before answering. "Yeah, I guess not." The brown-haired boy then faced Ranma and bowed deeply. "Thank you for teaching me your style sensei, I hope I can make you proud."

"Yeah, yeah… Let's eat! I'm starving!" the ponytailed boy exclaimed.

Ranma and Chris decided to have a large feast later that night. Surprisingly, Chris bought a couple of sake for them to drink into the night as well.

"Do you drink sake Ranma?" Chris curiously asked.

"No I don't, it's bad for my reflexes." Ranma replied.

"Or you're just a lousy drunk!" the brown-haired boy said as he drank from the wine bottle.

Ranma glared daggers at Chris, who just ignored it. "WHAT?!" the ponytailed boy bellowed.

"You heard me! You're a lousy drunk; I bet you can't even drink a full bottle of sake even if your life depended on it! That's why *hic* you don't drink!" Chris snapped back while smirking.

Fume was coming out of Ranma's ears. "Take that back! Besides, aren't you a little young to be drinking such strong sake in the first place?"

"Don't try to change the subject sensei; you're just a sore loser! Haha! Anyway, in my country, they let their children drink sake even when they are only twelve years old! See, even twelve year old kids are better than you in drinking! What do you say to that?! Hahaha!" Chris laughed as he rolled on the ground while clutching his sides.

"FINE! I'll show you!" Ranma said as he grabbed a bottle of sake and began to chug on it.

"Hey, are you sure you can handle it?" Chris asked in a concerned voice.

Ranma finishes drinking the bottle. "It's *hic* no *hic* problem! I can drink *hic* more than *hic* you can, that's *hic* for sure!"

"Is that a challenge sensei?"

"Of *hic* course it is, you *hic* brat!"

"Heheh, you're on!"

Ranma woke up groggily the next day. 'Note to self: Sake really is NOT your field.' He stretched his arms and legs; he got a pail of water and splashed himself, triggering his curse. She was about to wake Chris up until she remembered what they talked about last night. She then spotted a note stuck in between her new set of clothes.

Ranma,

Sorry I had to go. I have to admit that it was fun spending time with you, but I really feel as if I have something else to do that is very important. Anyway, thanks for the lessons and most of all… thank you for being my friend.

P.S. Anything Goes 101: You really do suck at drinking sake!

Ranma-chan resisted the urge to twitch. 'Why that… that… Ooh! He is really pushing it! Heheh, have a safe trip Chris… and wait till you see what's inside your pack.' She then poured hot water on herself turning her back to her normal form. He quickly packed his things and went towards the city.

Onboard an airplane

Chris leaned back on his chair as the plane takes off. He really liked spending time with Ranma; he also liked to tease the hell out of him. If not for these dreams that he is having then he could have stayed with his kind yet weird sensei. He opened his sidepack to eat some of his favorite sweets only to find a note on top.

Chris,

I'm really sad you had to go but hey, that's life. You have no idea how much you've helped me as well… and I thank you for that. I hope we meet again.

P.S. Anything Goes 101: Sorry! But I replaced your favorite sweets with MY favorite… gummy candy! Heheheh!

"RAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNMMMMMAAAAAAAAAA!!!!"

Osaka: Inside a Coffee Shop

Ranma sneezed as he was about to drink a cup of coffee to shake him out of his hangover. He was going through the list that Tofu gave him to decide which one of the shrines he's going to visit next. He was ignoring the people passing by the window that is until he caught sight of a red-haired man wearing sunglasses standing across the street. He quickly pulled out the news article and he began to compare the features of the man in the paper with the red-haired man across the street.

'It's him!'

Ranma quickly paid for his drink and dashed out of the shop. 'I can't lose sight of him now; he's the best chance I got in finding out the history of the magatama flame of death!'

"You're Iori Yagami, right?"

The man in shades looked at Ranma and then shoved right past him as if he wasn't even there. Ranma internally smirked, time for one of pops' old tricks.

"I guess you're not him. From what I hear, Iori is not a coward like you."

THAT caught the red-haired man's attention.

"What did you just say?" The man said in a dangerous tone. The spectators immediately backed away from impending collision of the two men.

"You heard me; the man I'm looking for is definitely NOT a coward."

The man removed his shades and looked at Ranma over his shoulder. He then smirks a little. "Fine, I haven't had a decent workout in quite a while anyway."

The two men moved away from one another, both not taking their eyes off of each other. The two of them got into their own fighting stance. The crowd looks on and eagerly awaits the upcoming battle… at a certain distance of course.

"Che… sugu raku ni shite yaru. (1)" The red-haired man said as he turned and faced Ranma in a rather casual stance.

Ranma gave him a smirk of his own, a smirk that annoys the hell out of his opponents. "Feh, I doubt that." The ponytailed boy said. He then went into a regular Anything Goes stance.

The fight is on!

(1) – "I will soon end your pain."

# # #

AN: Ack! Gomen! Been a bit preoccupied because my friend just won an arcade system of KOF 2003 (lucky bast…) *ahem* Stupid illusions! Kagura sisters' end warp! Stupid Mukai! I'll get you, oh yes I'll get you… (Sees people staring at him) Uh… *ahem* don't mind me… eheheh…

Anyway, I'll try to update sooner (I can only work on this fic one or two hours every other day). Some of you may think that Chris is OOC here but remember that this is before he met Yashiro and Shermie and before his Orochi blood awakens, meaning he is still a normal, lonely kid.

Yeah, I know… I'm kinda changing a bit of the history with CYS so please bear with it. Oh, Ranma and Chris' thoughts will be discussed in the interlude which I'll be posting in about a day or two.

Some people may think that this is a 'Ranma is a god' fic but it isn't. True, Ranma indeed demolish a mountain but that was when he went into the Riot of Blood. He can't control a powerful force such as that without going insane (at least not yet anyway ^^). Besides, we will finally see his first fight against a VERY experienced fighter next chapter… (Heheh, took a page out of Gundraw's book, bet it'll annoy X247 to no end ^_^)

For those of you, who have played KOF and don't know the line near the end, shame on you. =P

Welllllllllll… gotta go for round two! Ja ne! 

- Luc

Next Interlude I: Loneliness