"Excuse me, but could you tell me how to get to Furinkan High School?"

ooOoo

"Hey Pa, got someone looking for that Fur-sumthin' School today."

"Mmmm Hmmm. Did you do what I told you?"

"Sure did. Just pointed in any old direction and she left."

"Doesn't do any good giving that boy good directions, never seems to help." He paused a moment. "She?"

"Yup. One of the purdiest girls I've ever seen with long brown hair carrying a backpack. Don't know why you thought she was a boy. Wasn't wearing no bandanna neither."

"Hmmm."

ooOoo

Ukyo wandered through the forest, totally exhausted. It had taken her a day and a half just to find someone to give her directions. Just her luck it was some pimply farm-boy who just blushed and stammered before gesturing back towards the forest.

Come to think of it, he did give those directions rather quickly. And I didn't even have to tell him Furinkan High was in Nerima, or Tokyo for that matter. Ukyo stopped, bringing one hand to her forehead as if feeling a massive headache coming on. Oh Lord, don't tell me he was making up the directions. Please...

She took stock of her surroundings. Surrounded by lush vegetation, she wasn't even on a proper path, just a winding game trail. She doubted if she could even find the farm again.

"I'm lost." She said to no-one in particular. "Completely and utterly lost."

ooOoo

Ryoga sat at the edge of the crater formed by his Shishi Hokoudan, watching it slowly fill with water. As fate would have it, the force of the blast had ruptured a small, underground spring. It was eagerly filling the rather deep crater with crystal-clear water, and would become a beautiful mountain lake in a few short days.

Ryoga didn't care about that.

If a poet or a monk had been there, perhaps they would have made some comment about how the carnage of battle had given way to the peace and serenity of nature. Renewal and rebirth and all that rot.

Ryoga didn't care about that either.

What mattered to him was that his parents, his only blood relations, were gone. That he knew he couldn't have done anything didn't make the pain any easier to bear. In fact it made the pain worse, because he knew it was a lie.

He knew he could have done something, saved his parents perhaps, or at least tried. But he also knew he wasn't allowed to do so. He had other obligations, such as keeping a promise that was made long ago. A promise that took priority over, well, everything.

But why did Ukyo have to get involved? Ryoga silently asked his mother. Why did you do that to her, knowing it couldn't be undone?

ooOoo

"It's your fault we were late this morning." Akane hissed at Ranma. The two were currently standing in the school hallway, buckets of water in their hands. "You made me look all over Nerima for you. What were you doing anyway?"

"Hey! Nobody asked you to come after me!" Ranma hissed back. "Besides, I had to go to the restaurant."

"Restaurant?" Akane's voice rose a few decibels as a battle aura began to form. "Are you saying my breakfast wasn't good? Or were you just after some personal time with Shampoo?"

"Yes... I mean no... I mean... WAIT!"

SPLASH!

"Whad'ya do that for!" Exclaimed a dripping Ranma-chan. "I was just checkin' to see if Ucchan was back yet!"

"Oh." Akane's battle aura winked out. "Was she?"

Ranma-chan shook her head.

"This is odd. She's been missing for three days now."

"I know that, ya stupid tomboy."

"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?"

ooOoo

Ukyo knelt by a small fire, heating a kettle of water for morning tea. She was finally on the right path, though still at least a day away. The game trail she was on had run into an old, dirt road, probably used by farmers to haul their goods to market. A nearby signpost was sporting many arrows, one clearly labeled 'Tokyo'.

There's no reason for this to be wrong, is there? she asked herself. After all, its common sense that a road sign would be correct. Unless, of course, Ryoga was the one who put it up. Absentmindedly, her hand touched the spot on her forehead where Ryoga's mother had kissed her. I wonder how he's holding out.

After fixing tea, Ukyo ran her hand over the rough fabric of the backpack. At first she had thought it was Ryoga's, but seemed lighter than she would have expected. It hadn't been until she opened it that she discovered otherwise. At the top of the pack, neatly folded and individually wrapped in protective cloth, were several kimonos. Beneath that were a number of more personal, yet definitely feminine, objects.

Ryoga had given her his mother's pack.

At first Ukyo had been reluctant to use anything, but as time went on she found herself growing accustomed to the idea. Still, she tried to use as little as possible.

Finishing tea, she shouldered the pack and headed down the road.

At this rate Ryoga will be home before I am.

ooOoo

Ryoga shifted his feet as cold water splashed over them. The crater was full, he'd said his goodbyes. It was time to get going.

He strapped his pack to his father's, and shouldered them both. Turning his back to the new lake, he headed into the forest.

Four down, six to go.

ooOoo

Ahhhhhh... That feels sooo good... Ukyo sighed to herself as she sank deeper into the bath. After several days of trying to get home followed by the hassles of trying to get her affairs back in order, she really needed that soak. Not only to relax her muscles, but to figure out what to do about Ryoga as well.

Maybe he could stay here. She mused. That second storage room upstairs could easily be converted to a guest room, and it would be easier to keep an eye on him if he didn't go anywhere.

A decision made, Ukyo sighed again and let the warm water do its work.

ooOoo

Ryoga wandered. He couldn't really say he was lost, he had to have a destination first. But that was something he couldn't think of right then. So he just wandered, not caring where he wound up.

ooOoo

Ukyo stared at the figure under the bridge, not believing what she was seeing. It was Ryoga, and he was back in Nerima. Not that I didn't expect him to find his way back here... Ukyo thought to herself. It's just that I thought it would take him at least another week or so. She shrugged. Anyway, better go and grab him before he wanders off to God-knows-where.

She headed towards him, a little worried that he didn't seem to notice her approach. Normally a martial artist would be very aware of their surroundings. Ryoga, with his extended periods of time in the wilderness, was usually quite good at picking out sounds. But he just sat there, hugging his knees against his chest, looking out over the water. She knelt by his side.

"Hey, sugar."

He turned his head slowly towards her, blinking a few times to focus on her face.

"Ukyo...?" He asked hesitantly.

"You got it." She gave him a sympathetic smile. "How you been holdin' up?"

He looked at her, and moved his mouth silently a few times. Then he turned back to the sluggish river. Ukyo followed his gaze, and the two sat in companionable silence for several minutes.

"I've been thinking..." Ukyo said, breaking the silence. "Why don't you crash at my place for a few days? I've got the room, and you could probably use the company."

He stared at her, dumbfounded. "You're serious."

"Course I am, sugar." She smiled back at him. "So, will you?"

Ryoga could only nod.

"Great!" She chirped as she stood up. Looking back up the bank, she spotted Kasumi doing a bit of shopping. An idea sprang to mind.

"Wait right there for two seconds, Ryoga." She instructed the now-confused lost boy before bounding away. A few quick words with the eldest Tendo sister and she was back, a smile on her face. She indicated Ryoga was to follow her.

"I have a few errands to run." She explained, leading him by the hand. "Kasumi says she'll take you to the Tendo Dojo for a while, and I'll swing by to pick you up later. That is, of course, if you don't mind."

"'s okay..." He mumbled as Kasumi linked arms with his before heading off. Ukyo silently congratulated herself.

ooOoo

Ryoga sat on the porch just outside the Tendo's house. Akane approached him nervously from behind. Kasumi had only said that he had had a rough time recently, and that she should try to cheer him up a bit. How on earth do I do that? Tell jokes?

"Welcome back, Ryoga!" She said brightly. Her forced smile was quickly replaced by a look of genuine worry as he failed to respond. This isn't right. He's supposed to say 'hi Akane, I brought you back some souvenirs' or something like that.

"Ryoga..." She called out more softly, brushing her hand across his cheek. He caught her hand in his and pressed it more firmly against his face. Unprepared for this type of response, Akane was ready to pull her hand from his grasp when she felt something warm drip onto her fingers.

Tears? She thought in surprise. Oh, Ryoga... what happened...? Not knowing what else to do she wrapped her free arm around him in a loose embrace, and was pleased to note he seemed to relax into her. I wish I knew what to do.

ooOoo

Ranma stopped cold at the sight before him. There was Akane, his Akane, hugging another man. Ryoga of all people. He clenched his fists at his sides.

Akane is mine, pig-boy. And I'm going to see to it you don't forget that fact.

ooOoo

Ukyo smiled as she wiped the grill. She didn't really have any errands to do, that was just an excuse to get Ryoga over to the Tendo Dojo. She knew full well how he felt about Akane, and was convinced a bit of private time with her would lift his spirits.

She hadn't told Kasumi much, just that his parents had recently died and that she should get Akane to cheer him up. No sense going into all the gory details, not when she didn't have a handle on them herself. After all, it's not every day you see something like... that.

Come to think of it, I don't think I've told anyone what happened while I was gone. In fact, I know I haven't.

Oh well, it didn't really matter if Akane knew why Ryoga was so sad. All she had to do was smile that smile that turned the lost boy into a babbling idiot, and that would be good enough. Anything more would be a bonus.

I know if I went through something like that I'd want Ranchan to... to...

She stopped wiping the grill, all color draining from her face.

Ranchan... SHIT!