A DARK DREAMING
By: Skywatch & Huskyman

Disclaimer: The Nerima Wrecking Crew belong to Rumiko Takahashi. We just passed
by and thought, "now what if ...?"

Words in [ ] are thoughts.

PART II. THINGS UNFORESEEN

PRESENT DAY: STILL 60 KILOMETERS FROM NERIMA

Lost to memories, Ryouga drifted off into sleep with a half-formed
resolve to visit his family as soon as he finished his business in Nerima.
[Haven't been home in months. Wonder how Okaachan and Yoiko are? So tired ...]
With that last thought he succumbed, and was instantly asleep.

An hour passed. Under their lids, Ryouga's eyes flitted wildly from side
to side. As they had hundreds of times before, the dreams began.

Another hour. A twitch ran up from the Lost Boy's legs to his hands and
then to his shoulders. His fingers curled into his palms, forming a fist. His
breathing turned from deep and sonorous to ragged.

Thirty minutes more. Danger began forming around his unconscious body,
so slowly and gradually that his usual defenses, steeped in bone-tired numbness,
were taken unawares.

The dream went on and wrapped the boy tightly in its grip.

============

The air was heavy with the threat of rain. Thunder rumbled softly, still
some distance away. Ryouga noted the sound grimly. [Have to finish this fast.] The
tip of his tongue ran over his sharp teeth in anticipation as he crouched among
the shadows of the trees.

[Am I an animal in this dream?] he wondered. It was too dark to see for
sure, but it felt like it, as every muscle in his body seemed tensely prepared
to spring. [Well, if I am, at least I'm not a defenseless pig.] The instincts that
coursed through him were primal, mainly a kind of hunger and an overwhelming
need to satiate it.

Somewhere to the left, a figure crashed through the undergrowth. Whoever
or whatever it was ran desperately, and, unfortunately for it, in futility.
Ryouga had already outpaced him and was now lying in wait. Although barely
another shadow in the dark, the energies that coursed through the figure in
flight flared like a beacon in the hunter's eyes.

Snarling, Ryouga sprang from his hiding place. The intended victim
screamed in fright as the unexpected attack bore him to the ground. "Kami-sama!"
As the man cried out for help and struggled, the light in him surged brighter.

[All the better.] It was over in seconds; the man was rendered
unconscious with one blow. Ryouga examined the body quickly with his inhuman sight. His eyes
glowed like dull coals, seeking the point where the energies were brightest. It
didn't take long - it was child's play compared to mastering the Bakusai
Tenketsu. [There!]

Mouth bared in a toothy, merciless grin, the boy pounced in earnest.

=============

"What the -?!" Ryouga snapped awake. "Now where am I?" He was in a
forest, sitting with his back against a tree. He surveyed his immediate
surroundings. It seemed like he was still in the general vicinity of his
original campsite, but of course he couldn't be sure.

He got to his feet. "Must've had that dream and sleepwalked again," he
muttered. He shook his head. He really didn't mind the images anymore - they had
plagued him for the better part of three years now so he had gotten used to
them. They always went the same way: he would chase some poor frightened figure
and ... feed. At least that was how it seemed to him, how it felt. It wasn't
like eating, though. It didn't felt physical; there was no rending of
flesh, for which Ryouga felt somewhat thankful.

At first it had been profoundly disturbing, but after awhile he was able
to shrug it off with little thought. It didn't happen that often anyway, once or
twice a month, three when he was pushing himself, training or fighting or
something. [Not to mention I always wake up feeling like I've had ten cups of
coffee.]

The sleepwalking was another matter. He always woke up in a different
place afterwards. Not far away, true, but it was still pretty dangerous
considering his ridiculous sense of direction.

[Thank the kami it never bothers me when I'm with Akane.] He frowned.
No,that wasn't quite right. It hadn't bothered him either when he had gone to
Jusenkyo to cure his curse and help Ranma fight Saffron, and Akane hadn't been
there until much later. It had also completely skipped him on the journey to
rescue Akane from Prince Kirin. [Sleepwalking on a boat. Now that would've been
interesting. NOT.] He had been about due both times, but nothing had happened.
Strange.

[Maybe there's something about Akane that keeps bad dreams away.] He
smiled, liking the thought. Was even just seeking her out enough? Then he shook
his head, remembering that the dream had struck when he had been on his way to
join her at Yumougi Valley. She had gone after Ranma, who had lost his strength
and was trying to compensate by learning the Hiryu Shoten Ha from the Amazon
elder, Cologne. [Once I was with them, though, no dreams, not even on the way
back. Not to mention I had one now, and there's definitely nothing else on my
mind but seeing Akane.]

Ryouga started walking. The Hiryu Shoten Ha did not bring pleasant memories.

He had found Ranma, Akane, Cologne, Ukyou and Genma alright, but, torn with
indecision, had kept to the shadows for awhile, watching them. He remembered
thinking, "If Ranma doesn't get his strength back, he won't be the heir to the
Anything Goes Martial Arts anymore, and that means - the engagement will be
broken! Akane will be free!" Despite that, when the crucial moment came, he had
found himself volunteering to help Ranma learn the technique.

That bothered him later. It was one thing to rescue a weakened Ranma
from the mingled attack of the Kunos and Mousse. Ganging up on a defenseless
person grated against everything Ryouga held as honorable. It was a belief he
knew he held in common with Saotome, Akane, and ... perhaps, Ukyou? Actually
helping Ranma to regain his strength and thereby maintain his engagement to
Akane was something else entirely. What had he been thinking?!

[Ranma is too good an opponent to lose.] Ryouga blinked, then swore,
"Chikusho!" Somewhere along the way he had come to respect Saotome. Ranma was an
excellent fighter, a kindred disciple in the pursuit of the Art. He didn't
deserve to have the Art taken away from him by default. That, and perhaps the
knowledge that Ryouga would lose the peculiar rush that filled him whenever he
fought with Ranma if the latter stayed weak...

The youth frowned. It was no use thinking of these things now. He had to
concentrate on finding the campsite. Then he noticed where he was, and blinked
again. "Well what do you know," he whistled, as he saw the ashes of his
campfire.

Then the danger broke out and struck.

A large water drop splashed directly on Ryouga's nose. It was instantly
followed by several others.

Knowing he was too late, the boy dove for his bamboo umbrella anyway.

"Oh shi - bwee!"

TWO DAYS LATER: NERIMA PREFECTURE, TOKYO

"I HATE turning into a pig," Ryouga grumbled. One minute you were one of
the world's strongest martial artists, impervious to almost everything, the next
you were defenseless porcine. He had lost two more days, too, but there
was a certainty in him that he would make it, given enough time and assuming
Akane was in Nerima. He remembered Ryugenzawa and the Tunnel of Lost Love. He
wasn't sure when it started but, for awhile now and stupid sense of direction be
damned, he eventually ended up in the same place as her. [Oh Akane, can it be
that my heart is drawn to you, wherever you are?]

Then he recognized the canal, and the familiar outlines of Nerima.
[Yatta! Made it!] "Just a little longer, Akane-ch-chan!" he blushed at his
daring. "This time I WILL tell you everything, and not even Ranma can stop me! I'll hold
nothing back - not the happiness that wells up in me everytime I see you, not
the pure love that fills me at the mere thought of you, not my secret, er ...
eep!"

The denizens of Nerima passing by glanced curiously at the
backpack-laden youth who suddenly sank to his haunches. Then they noticed the
way he was poking holes into the solid concrete sidewalk with one bare finger.
[Uh-oh, he's one of THOSE. Better get away before something happens!] The road
quickly emptied.

When he had calmed down after punching the first two kanji of Akane's
name into the concrete, Ryouga straightened up again. "Okay, one thing at a
time. Maybe she won't feel like killing me after I've told her how much she
means to me." [Yeah right. I can see it now -'Ryouga no HENTAI!' and me flying
into the stratosphere.] "Maybe, ah, after our first d-date?" [Assuming I even
get that far!] "Alright, that's settled, after our second date, then!" [Who knows?
Maybe I can go to China and find a cure before that. Then I won't have to tell
her anything!] He felt immensely relieved at the prospect.

Filled with renewed determination, Ryouga set off towards what he hoped
was the direction of the Tendo home.

==============

"Come on, tomboy, you can do better than that!" The words, equal
parts challenge, jeer and encouragement, reverberated through the air.

Ryouga froze. He'd recognize Saotome's voice anywhere. [What the - but
I'm not at the dojo yet!] The place seemed familiar, though. An old tire swing
hung from a tree, the only man-made thing in an otherwise empty piece of land.

He looked around, and at last something clicked. [I'm near the dojo.
This is the empty lot near the Tendo's house where I trained with ...] "Akane?!" he hissed in
disbelief as the girl in question ran into view. Quickly and completely on
instinct, he ducked behind one of the trees. Neither of the newcomers noticed
him. They were too intent on other things.

The small gi-clad figure hurtled towards Ryouga's long-time rival, but
Ranma was already sweeping low into a kick that was clearly meant to take Akane
down. Ryouga nearly shouted out a warning, because even if his trained eye
discerned the pulling of the blow as well as its decreased speed, the move was
still potentially injurious. It can't be! Ranma's going to hit Akane?! He began
to simmer with outrage. [How dare that animal even THINK about hurting her!]

The blow never connected. Even as Ranma was ducking into a sweep, Akane
spotted it and, knowing that there was too much forward momentum for her to stop
and dodge his move, increased her speed instead. As his leg extended, she
launched into the air, somersaulting a little above him. She aimed a back kick
at his head, but he was already twisting out of the way so it landed on his
shoulder. She fell to the ground in a roll and, in the next instant, was on her
feet again, assuming a defensive stance. She grinned. "That good enough for you,
Ranma?"

The whole thing had taken about ten seconds.

Ryouga's mouth hung open. He had, as P-chan, heard Akane promise herself
that she would never let her training slide again, not after she had nearly lost
the dojo to other challengers. He had also, as a man this time, helped her to
train once or twice, and both times he'd been amazed at the sheer tenacity she
could display when she put her mind to it. [But when did she get good enough to
land a blow on Ranma even when she's not angry?]

Ranma seemed pretty amazed, too, but, judging from his answering smile,
he was also pleased and - perhaps relieved that his attack had been
unsuccessful? "Hai," he agreed simply. "That wasn't bad. You should be careful
about that move, though. It leaves you wide open for a couple of heartbeats."

[Criticizing her for a successful move - oh you're in for it now,
Saotome!] Ryouga happily anticipated the impending outburst.

Akane merely cocked her head to one side, apparently considering her
sparring partner's comments. After awhile she nodded. "I didn't exactly have a
lot of time to come up with something fancy, you know. You were only open to an
upward strike." Her eyes narrowed. "Oh and by the way, Ranma, don't think I
didn't notice the way you were pulling back on that sweep. It slowed you down.
That's probably why I was able to hit you in the first place."

[Okay, here we go, a prime opportunity for Ranma to put his foot in his
mouth!] Ryouga trained his eyes on the pair expectantly.

The expression on the pigtailed boy's face was sheepish. "Akane, y'know
I don't like fighting girls, and, uh, specially you," he said, the last so
softly that Ryouga had to strain to hear the words.

Ranma dropped his defensive stance, a strange mixture of determination
and anxiety on his face as he walked towards his fiancée. His face was bright
red. "If I had hit you ... well, do you think I'd be able to stand it," he
demanded, "knowing that I caused this or that bruise? I - I'd rather cut off my
hand!"

"Oh, Ranma." Akane sighed at the naked honesty on his face. Her iinazuke
let his guard down rarely, but she had finally begun to recognize the times when
he did. She held out her hands, palms facing upwards. After a confused moment,
Ranma placed his hands on hers. They were both blushing now. "It's part of
training, neh? I'd never hold it against you." She gazed down at his hands, so
large as they covered hers. "I've seen these hands fighting for me too many
times to think of them badly. Don't you even dare think about doing anything to
them."

"Akane ..." Ranma took one step closer, his eyes a stormy blue. Slowly,
he bent his head towards her.

[He- he's going to kiss her?!] Ryouga's heart felt like it was going to
burst. [NO! Kami-sama, please, don't let him do it!]

But Ranma merely touched his forehead to Akane's. He was breathing hard,
as if he had just come from a fight. They stood there, leaning against and a
little into each other, forehead to forehead, their hands entwined.

They looked as if they could stand that way forever.

With a silent cry, Ryouga leapt away and ran.

============

Thanks for the reviews, we really appreciate them! This is a collaboration,
with the first two chapters written by myself. The next chapters will be by
Huskyman so be prepared for some changes in style, but hopefully not in continuity. :)