Nobody Can Have Everything

"So, how is it you think I can get you into Fort Sam?" asked Alan. Johnny glanced around the cafeteria. "Listen, kid," he said. "I can't stay here. Sooner or later someone's gonna see me. Meet me outside the gym an hour after last bell, we'll discuss it there. And trust me, I can make it worth your while." With that, he stood up, pushed in the chair, and walked out the door. Alan chewed on his sandwich thoughtfully, and decided not to go.

"Tell me why you think I can get you into Fort Sam," asked Alan an hour after school. "Word is," said Johnny, "Is that you know someone who lives on base. Can this person get us in?" Alan sucked in a breath between closed teeth. "What's in it for me?" he asked. Johnny extended his hands. In one was a wad of bills and in the other was what looked like a palm pilot. "Five thousand dollars and a wealth of information any scientist or government would love to get their hands on," said Johnny. "You can't let anyone else see it, though. Because if you do, I'll know. Now are you in, or are you out?" Alan bit his lip and thought. "Alright," he said finally, "I'm in." He grinned. "No promises, though." Johnny smiled back. "There never are."

Five days later, Johnny and Alan found themselves stuffed in a tarp in the back of a truck. Johnny wore his armor and Alan dressed in all black. Johnny produced a pistol and loaded a clip into it. "You're not, are you?" asked Alan. "Just knockout darts," he assured him. "I don't want any deaths. One dart will instantly take down a person, rendering him unconscious for one half hour; plenty of time to do it."

Johnny peered out of the tarp and window. They were in.

Johnny hid in the bushes with Alan while he explained his plan. As he screwed on a silencer to his pistol, he reviewed with his partner what would happen. "First," he said, "You fire several distraction shots with the explosive shells. While most of the guards check it out, I will run to the entrance building and hide any guards I knock out. Once inside, I'll have to take an elevator ride for approximately two minutes. I get inside, take out the guards, and capture the machine. I'll take the elevator back up and come out. The device has to be carried in two hands, so I'll need you to keep the guards distracted or down. Got it?" Alan nodded and pumped the shotgun. He took careful aim. When Johnny reached the building, he hid and gave the signal. Alan held his breath, steadied the gun, and fired.

The explosion was deafening. The shell detonated a cache of unseen fuel and ammunition. Alan decided against firing any more. Meanwhile, Johnny slipped in the building and hid the only guard in it. Johnny felt along the walls for the hidden elevator. He felt a slight rise and pressed on it. A slit opened in the wall. He took out his universal skeleton key card and inserted it. It could trick nearly any system into believing it was an authentic access card. This one was no exception. The well-concealed door opened silently and Johnny stepped in. The doors closed, and he went down. He unhooked a paralyzing gas grenade and prepared to pull the pin. The door opened, he pulled the pin, and tossed it in. It exploded, filling the room with a thick green smoke that paralyzed unprotected beings while making it impossible to see with normal vision. Switching to an x-ray visor, Johnny moved quickly through the smoke and found the container holding the shielding device. Using his handy access card, he opened the container and grabbed the machine. He ran back to the elevator and slid his card. He went inside. The doors shut, and he went up.

He burst through the doors of the building and raced with unnatural speed to Alan's hiding place. "Grab on!" he yelled. Alan gripped his neck and Johnny leapt over the fence. Bullets tore the air around them. The military ceased fire, being across the highway from civilians. Johnny and Alan ran to their getaway car, and left.

Akane came back out of the trees after she had dressed. Tugging at her dress, she said, "I hope we don't have to hike much more, because all I have left to wear is my school clothes..." "I won't make you," said Ranma. They packed up camp and followed the scent that lingered in the air. It was faint, but unmistakable. Okonomiyaki.

The smell got stronger and they went faster. They could now hear it sizzle on a grill. It was just up ahead. Pushing a few branches away they stepped into the clearing. On the far end to the north there was a cliff overlooking a valley of a legendary river composed of interconnecting hot springs. To the east, west, and south, there were trees encircling the clearing. In the center there was a gas griddle with two okonmiyaki sizzling on it. There was nothing else. "I don't get it," said Akane in confusion. "Neither do I," said Ranma, puzzled. They walked around the griddle and inspected every part of the clearing. Finally Akane stopped and stared at it. She shook her head and walked towards the cliff. There on the ground, unseen previously, was a pair of panties. Akane bent down, picked them up, and started walking over closer to the cliff to look at them in better light. "Hey Ranma, what does this mean?" she asked, puzzled by the presence of this underwear. Ranma looked over and saw too late a rope pull taut before Akane's legs. She tripped, and fell.

"Ranma!!!" she screamed. Shedding his shirt and shoes and tossing them across the river, Ranma dove over the cliff after her. She hit the water a second before him. He smashed into the surprisingly warm water and took Akane in his arms. He resurfaced and pulled Akane's head above water. "You okay?" he asked, his voice thick with concern. "Yeah, just a little sting," she said with a smile. Her face suddenly fell. "Look," she whispered. Ranma turned. There, not a half-mile and closing, the river ended. Ranma swore. "Hold on to me," he said, and began to swim back upstream. But his bad ankle and wound soon began to burn. He knew his only hope was to get to shore. But they were in the middle, and he knew at present he wouldn't be able to move fast enough. He sighed. He had hoped he wouldn't have had to do this.

"Akane," he said above the roar of the rushing water, "Please don't hat me for this. Oh, and kick off your shoes." She did so, and Ranma pulled out his knife from his pants. He gripped Akane's collar and pulled it out. He placed the point of the blade at the center of the outstretched collar. In a swift stroke he brought it down, slicing open the dress. Akane gasped, but Ranma continued without hesitation. With a couple quick cuts she was free of the dress and it sunk to the bottom. "Hang on to me!" he shouted above the din. Using every ounce of strength and will he had, he swum powerfully towards shore. In only a few seconds he would be there. In only a few seconds he would be over the cliff. Akane gripped his neck tight and squeezed her eyelids shut. She suddenly felt the water fall away beneath her and she held on. With a jolt the feeling stopped. She saw Ranma had managed to grab the rocky edge of the opposite shore and hung on with one hand. He forced his other hand up. He hauled them up and dragged them to a safe spot upstream under a large tree. Flopped over on his back, he gasped for air. His injuries were killing him. Akane crawled over to him and hugged him tightly. "My hero," she said. Then, exhausted, they fell asleep.

Ranma shot up, sending an inferno up his side. He groaned, but stayed up. For a moment he could not figure out what woke him. Akane slept peacefully beside him. He sat still and took in everything for a few minutes. Nothing. Frustrated, he got up and decided to walk, as best he could, to wake himself up more. The humid air around the hot river felt like breathing soup, and it gave strength and vigor to Ranma as he hobbled along the shore. He stepped on something soft and looked down. It was his shirt, and his shoes lay nearby. What luck! he thought. At least Akane won't be almost naked and hurting her feet out here.

He walked as fast as he could to return to her. When he returned, he found Akane sitting propped up against the tree, hugging her knees close to her body. She saw Ranma and blushed. Turning away, he tossed his long shirt and shoes at her. "Here you go," he said. "At least it's something." After a minute he turned around. The shoes were too big for her, but she could still wear them. As for the shirt, well, it was a good thing it was far too long. It reached down just a few inches above the knees, and the cord, tied at her hips, meant the slits were only up to mid thigh. "Well, I guess we should get going," said Akane. "Yeah, let's," said Ranma.

It wasn't long before they realized they were not alone. They quickened to a run. Arggh! thought Ranma. I really hope he doesn't want to fight. In my condition, I couldn't hold off anyone better than Akane. And if they're better than Akane, that means.... He looked over at Akane and imagined how easily they could fall prey to a strong foe. He tried not to think about it, but the thought still lingered in his mind. "What are we going to do?" whispered Akane in a scared voice. "I don't know," whispered Ranma back, "But we can't fight this person." He stopped running. "Whoever's there, come on out!" he shouted. "We don't want a fight." A voice came out of the trees as a dark figure approached them. "Huh, huh. Neither do I." They instantly recognized the trademark laugh. "Uh, Pantyhose Taro?...." the name drifted uneasily out of their throats. "Don't call me that!" he yelled and sprung forward. Ranma's fist was in his face before he could attack.

"Well, what do you want us to do about your name?" said Ranma. Pantyhose Taro sighed. "There's no hope for getting my name changed," he said. "Not while Happosai lives. The Chinese village law says that after the one who names you dies, you may change your name yourself!" "You mean, you're gonna...?" Akane let the question hang. Pantyhose nodded. "I understand if you will not help me, and I apologize for the trouble I've caused you," he said. "I was trying to trap Happosai. Anyhow, I've decided to take up residence in Nerima now, so feel free to come see me anytime." He handed them a card with his address and phone number. "Huh, huh. See you around." Pantyhose Taro turned to leave. "Wait," said Akane. "Hm?" asked Pantyhose, turning back to face them. "I thought if you were going to go back to town, you could go with us," said Akane. "Ranma's hurt, and he needs to get to a doctor. He can't fight well, so if you went with us, we'd be better off. If you don't mind, of course." Pantyhose Taro smiled. "Really?" he asked. Ranma and Akane nodded. "Huh, huh. I'd like that." So with Pantyhose Taro as their companion, Ranma and Akane set off to get home.

Johnny moved carefully in the snow. His feet crunched softly on fresh powder. The sun shone brightly in the early morning, glinting on his visor. Johnny double checked his scans. There could be no doubt. The entrance to the vault containing the element needed to power his vessel lay somewhere in this mountain snowdrifts.

Whoosh!

Johnny threw himself down and raised his gun at the sound. Whoosh! Another one! What was it? Whatever they were, they were coming from higher up the mountain. Johnny triple checked his scans. He realized that the entrance was actually a few hundred feet father up the mountain, almost at the summit. Getting up, he decided to conceal himself better. So for the next half hour, he ducked and dodged behind trees while the whoosh sounds continued and became ever more frequent. Finally he heard a whoosh and then a thump. Peering out from behind the tree, he was finally about to discover that the sound was in fact.....

Skiiers.

What the? thought Johnny. He climbed a bit further and pushed through a barrier of trees, to find himself face to face with a sign. It read:

Welcome To Aspen Lodge

Ski Resort!

and displayed a painting of a mountain behind the letters. Aspen? Johnny took out his sniper rifle and set it to highest magnification. He looked down at the base of the mountain. Sure enough, there was the town. He put the gun away and looked around the sign. There, as was expected, stood a three story resort and lodge. To his dismay, he realized that the entrance to the vault could only be attained by going into the lodge. Where there could be plenty of witnesses and celebrities and outrage if anything were to try and break into the vault by force.

Celebrities? Johnny smiled. Perhaps it wouldn't be so hard after all....

"See you later!" called Ranma from his doorway. Pantyhose Taro waved and disappeared around the corner. Ranma shut the door and sunk down into the sofa. He turned on the television and watched for a while before falling asleep. Dr.Tofu had given him some drugs to relieve the pain and help him go to sleep. Akane walked in and saw him there. She smiled and quietly tucked a blanket over him. She kissed his forehead and went to her room.

When Ranma awoke he noticed it was daylight. Midday, at least. Shoot, he thought. I'm missing school! Not that I want to go, but the make-up work's gonna pile up and...He sighed. Ranma looked around. No one was home, apparently. However, there was a pile of mail lying on the coffee table. He looked through them and was surprised top see one for him. It was written and addressed in red ink, but Ranma instantly recognized Ryoga's distinctive handwriting. It read: You shall pay Saotome! Meet me at the south end of Nerima, outside of town, in the large field today, the fifteenth of April at five, and prepare to meet your end!

Geez, thought Ranma. He seems really pissed. I wonder what's going on? Could he know about, us? Ranma shivered. If Ryoga knew about what was going on between him and Akane, there was no telling what he would do. Ranma got up and stretched. He felt infinitely better, like he could take on the world. At least, his body did. His mind knew, however, what measures Ryoga might take..... Ranma shook his head. I've got to face him, thought Ranma. No matter what I know he will do. Ranma thought of how angry he had gotten when he just said he'd kissed Akane. If he knew how Akane felt, and what they had actually done, there'd be no telling to what levels he'd stoop to, just to get back at Ranma. He shivered.

Five o'clock came. In the middle of the field Ranma stood, staring at the sky. He had a bad feeling about this. Why would he want to be outside of town instead of in the vacant lot inside. The answer rose unbidden from his mind. Because out here, no one will see what he does to you. "Rrrr-annn-maaa," came a voice from behind him. Shit, thought Ranma. He's here on time. That can only mean that something serious is going on here. Turning around slowly, he saw Ryoga standing about twenty feet away. "Are you ready?" asked Ranma, getting into a battle stance. "I've been ready," said Ryoga coldly. "Then here I come!"

With a cry Ranma flew towards Ryoga, his leg out in a position to kick. Ryoga made no attempt to dodge it. He simply raised his arm at Ranma. It can't be! thought Ranma in shock. Instinctively he threw himself to the ground just as the hot metal passed through where he would have been. He rolled into a position on his knees. "No, wait!" yelled Ranma. Ryoga, heedless of his words, aimed the gun and fired again. Ranma could not roll aside quick enough. The bullet smashed into his shoulder and sent him sprawling onto the ground. Ryoga stepped forward, filling his field of vision. Ryoga pointed the gun at Ranma's face. "Why are you doing this?" asked Ranma in a pleading tone. "You know why!" screamed Ryoga. "You took her! She was mine! And for that you will die!" Ryoga shuddered with rage and anxiety. "Have you thought about Akane?" asked Ranma. "Are you kidding?!" asked Ryoga in disbelief. "Only since I met her!"

"That's not what I meant," said Ranma, slowly raising himself to a sitting position. Ryoga moved, keeping the gun trained on Ranma. "I meant, have you thought this through?" "Sure!" said Ryoga, blinking back tears. "I'll kill you and take Akane! And then we'll spend the rest of our lives together, without you in the way!" Ranma narrowed his eyes. "You haven't thought it out realistically," said Ranma. "Think about it; I know you don't want to acknowledge it but Akane is in love with me. What would happen to her if you killed me, huh? Have you thought about her feelings?" Ryoga's mouth twisted and his hand shook violently. "Ryoga, Akane cares for you," said Ranma gently. "I know. She's told me before, and I know you've seen so before. It's just that she doesn't love as anything more than a good, reliable friend, no more than I love you. Sooner or later you're going to have to face the fact that Akane doesn't love you the way you love her. You need to move on. Find someone who loves you back. If you keep it up with Akane, you're only going to end up more miserable before, and I'm sorry, but I won't let you be unhappy." Ryoga could not hold back. Tears escaped, and he flung the gun away from him. He fell onto Ranma and cryed against his shoulder. "It's all right, buddy," said Ranma quietly. He placed his arm around him and patted his back gently. "It's all right."

After a while they went to Dr.Tofu. Fortunately for them, Dr.Tofu was an understanding physician, and asked no questions. Dr.Tofu left Ranma and Ryoga alone after he finished his work. "Ranma?" asked Ryoga. "What is it?" asked Ranma. "Uh, thanks," said Ryoga, flushing red. "I'm, sorry for all the trouble I've caused you. And uh, thank you for helping me." Ranma smiled. "What are friends for?" he said. "You're right, Ranma. I really need to move on. I just wish I knew where to look..." Ranma smiled. "How would you feel about being brothers?" asked Ranma. "What do you mean?" asked Ryoga. "Well, it's no secret at our house, but Nabiki is in love with you," said Ranma. "Here's a picture she wanted you to have, but never found the courage to deliver." He handed Ryoga a copy of the now famous "Nabiki shot." Ryoga blushed deep red. His eyes nearly popped out of his head. "Read what she wrote on the back," said Ranma. Ryoga read the backside of the, shall we say, personalized photo. Ryoga fell off his chair. "Holy...." started Ryoga. "You said it," interrupted Ranma. "You really aren't kidding, are you?" said Ryoga, standing up. Ranma shook his head. "I'm not lying," said Ranma truthfully. "I'm going with Nabiki," muttered Ryoga as he flipped the photo over repeatedly. Ranma only smiled.