Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½, nor claim to.

Chapter Nineteen: The Painting Girl:

"It's been about a dozen seasons since the boy became a man. Now he sees the forest for the trees, now he touches just enough to feel. He's much stronger than he was just yesterday." The Mayfield Four: Suckerpunch

Sakura hobbled a bit as she walked. "Stupid ankle," she muttered quietly to herself. If she hadn't tripped running to school by slipping on a puddle along the street, everything would have been fine. She would be at Kendo practice, she wouldn't be walking with a limp, and she wouldn't have twisted her ankle. But now, here she was.

Stopping at the sign, she waited for the bus to roll up. Normally, she would have just run or walked to their home, or given the book to Sauske to pass off to Naruto to hand to Kite. But since Kuno-sama and the coach were set on making her rest today, she would just have to go to the Hibiki ranch herself.

She glanced up at the sky, before watching the clouds intently. They were beginning to darken, and that meant one thing: rain. Well, it could be snow, since it was mid November, and the weather was starting to get quite cold, but that was unlikely. Reaching back and feeling the contents of her bag from the outside, Sakura realized what she had feared: her umbrella wasn't there. She had her sword, and her bag, but no umbrella. Nothing to stop any water. Glancing up at the sky, she just hoped it would be a while until the rain came.

- - -

Sauske sighed to himself, standing in the middle of the baseball field. Naruto was late, and he was tired of waiting. The crowd collecting along the edge, along the small incline that surrounded the entire field, was also starting to grow restless. They had watched Sauske wander the field, Keira and Ganko give him words of encouragement, and little else. If Naruto didn't show soon, the fight would be abandoned.

Ganko leaned back against the tree. She hadn't seen Naruto for a while, since she and Sauske rarely met right after school. But she could remember every time she had seen him. There was one fight, a long time ago, maybe when they were eight or nine, where Naruto had challenged Sauske to a fight. And Naruto was waiting there a good hour before the match began, warming up the whole time.

Keira leaned calmly against the tree. She could hear the murmur of the crowds, and spot a lot of people she recognized, but there was no Naruto in sight. It was getting to the point of stupidity. That blond boy always showed up on time, only late every few weeks. And never when they agreed to meet. She twirled a kunai around her finger. If he didn't get here soon, she'd . . .

"So, you did come to fight me, huh, Saotome?!" A voice shouted from . . . somewhere. Sauske tried to pinpoint it, and the direction slowly led his eyes to the side of the school in front of him. "You better be worth the week's training I went through, Sauske!"

Naruto leaned confidently against the wall, his spiky blond hair rustling in the breeze, a yellow and black spotted bandanna tied around his forehead tightly, the ends gently drooping over his right ear. His orange shirt had been replaced with a much calmer blue-black one, although he kept the orange cargos he always wore when he went on trips. His hands were covered in the same pair of beat up fingerless gloves he always had on when he fought. And there was a smug smile that Sauske couldn't help noticing.

Sauske rolled his eyes. "Me? Since when have I ever lost to you? By my count, I have a perfect record." His eyes narrowed. "The bigger question is if you're ready for me. Are you that confident?"

Naruto almost laughed as he slowly strode down the incline, gently sliding his bag off his shoulders as he reached the bottom of the slope. Taking one of the straps in his hand, he swung the bag with all his might, and sent it sailing off across the field, to land just in front of the tree Sauske and his friends sat at every lunch, just at the base of the bank. "No, Sauske, it's just like I said. I know I can win. I have the confidence to do it. Do you have the skills to stop me?"

"I always do, Naruto. Always." Sauske took his own school bag, tossing it over to his friends, sitting on the other side of the field, where Keira caught it effortlessly. "If you want to stop being arrogant and attack me, I'm right here."

Naruto smiled back. "What? The King of Furinkan is calling me arrogant? And you're the one claiming you haven't lost!" He raised his arms in exactly the same way he always had.

"Whatever you say, Ramen-boy. Now stop dawdling and attack me." Sauske replied, raising his hands in his simple but firm stance. Normally, against Naruto, it would be loose and sloppy, since it wasn't really needed to be perfect, but his father's constant worrying had gotten to him, and his arms were snapped tight, ready to spring, with his whole body behind them.

Naruto smirked again. "Then, let's go."

Keira watched as Naruto held his pause, apparently in a form of deep breathing meditation for a few seconds. It wasn't something she wanted to see. He wasn't just arrogantly confident this time; her senses told her Naruto was better, and Sauske had better realize that as the blond boy suddenly charged.

Sauske clenched his fists as Naruto began to run at him. It didn't seem right. He was running as fast as he always did, holding himself as he always did, charging like he always did. How had he improved? Nothing had changed, but that was what made the odd feeling more unsettling. The nervous feeling that there was something newly powerful within Naruto, even though no outward signs showed it.

Naruto smirked more as he drew his right fist back far too openly, letting his left arm swing in front of his face to act like a shield before he would swing at Sauske. The distance closed to the proper range, and he could just notice Sauske's eyes trail towards his drawn back fist. Perfect.

Snapping his hand immediately, Naruto struck suddenly with his left hand to Sauske's face. The boy was knocked back, punched in the cheek, and disoriented. Which left him totally defenseless for the next strike, as Naruto swung with his right hand, with all the strength he could muster, bashing his opponent on the other side of the face. His whole body leaned into the follow-through, as the right hand shoved Sauske backwards, off of his feet, and onto his head as the boy crashed onto the ground, before gravity picked up and dragged the rest of his body flat against the dirt.

Naruto smiled smugly as he waited for Sauske to stand again. There was a collective gasp at the events that had just transpired; many people expected Naruto to be better, but nobody expected him to actually be good. Sauske had just been knocked down by two punches, and at the slow rate he began to sit up to, it was obvious there was more than a little pain to the ordeal.

Sauske cursed himself as he rolled up onto his feet. Naruto could, and would, have attacked him if he wanted to, but the blond boy waited for Sauske to stand. He was not above taking advantage of a situation when an opponent was open, to a certain degree. Neither was Sauske. The person who fell has to learn to dodge their opponents continued assault, not the opponent learning to let his rival stand. You only did that to prove how easy it was for you to win.

And Naruto was doing that beautifully.

- - -

Stepping off the bus, Sakura continued to walk towards her destination. The sky, except for the storm rolling in, was beautiful towards the sun, with bright blue sky and a few listless clouds flowing gently along, a faint, warm breeze blowing at her back. It would be a perfect day to just sit back and watch the scenery. Except, of course, for the rain approaching.

She walked slowly down the street, glancing at the occasional building or home, as the residential area turned rural. It was odd for the city to have this sort of area so close. They were only just on the edge of the city, and yet the whole area seemed to fall from a big city to a quaint village or town in only a few meters. The number of businesses were rare, the house had large amounts of space, the roads were a bit less kept up than in the city, potholes here and there. The sidewalks, occasional trees near them, were cracked and broken, holding their general shape put filled with tufts of grasses and roots poking their way through the cracks.

There was her target, just a little ways further down the road. With the sparseness of buildings, large open yards and ground in between every structure, she could see it from much further away than normal. Walking another minute or so, she turned to face the house that registered fourth in her memories chronologically. First was home, then the clinic of her uncle and aunt, then the Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts, still run by her grandparents, and then here. The Unryu Ranch.

"No sense in wasting time." Sakura thought to herself, walking defiantly up to the door. The wave of smells from the area was almost intoxicating, the moist air and freshly turned soil from all around filling the air. Sakura paused, taking deep whiffs, trying to distinguish anything pertinent, but nothing came. The only aroma that was unusual was the smell of fresh bread coming from the building in front of them.

Walking calmly up to the door, she rapped loudly on it with her hand. "Just a second!" came a loud shout, before there was running through the halls. The footsteps approached, before turning away. "Hello?" a voice said, before shouting, "What?! A closet? What happened to the front door?!" After a moment, the sounds of running feet took up again, disappearing into the distance, before rushing back, and stopping in front of the door. It slid open, and the voice began again. "Hello?"

Sakura looked up at the man, smiling. "Hello, Hibiki-san!" She said cheerfully, smiling.

"Oh, Sakura!" Ryoga replied, smiling back, rubbing the back of his head. "Sorry about that. I followed the wrong line again."

"That's all right." Sakura replied, smiling still.

There was a slight pause. "So, what brings you here?"

Sakura reached into her bag, pulling out the book. "I'm here to return this book to Kite. Do you know where he is?"

Ryoga nodded. "Yeah, he's out back, uh, by the far clump of trees right now. Check back there."

Sakura smiled. "Thanks." She walked off, heading around the house.

"Have a good day!" Ryoga replied, waving to her, before shutting the door. Glancing at the floor, and picking out the blue line, he began following it, back through the house to the kitchen, where his wife was pulling a kettle of hot water off the stove.

"Who was at the door?" Akari asked as Ryoga re-entered the room.

"Oh, it was Sakura. She wanted to see Kite to return a book, so I sent her out to meet him by the woods."

Akari suddenly fumbled with the kettle, nearly dropping it, before steadying herself. "Ryoga, you sent Sakura out to meet Kite? He's out there . . ." she trailed off, giving him one of those don't-you-remember stares.

Ryoga paused, thinking, before his face turned to shock, and then faded. "Oh, right. . . . Well, it's about time for him to open up a bit anyway!"

Akari just shook her head.

- - -

Naruto smirked as Sauske continued to rise. "Well, what are you going to do now, Saotome?"

Sauske gritted his teeth, brushing his mouth with his hand. "You don't expect me to lose just from that, do you, Naruto?"

"You never know." Naruto said with a fake sigh.

Sauske glowered, but rose to his feet. "This time, I won't get hit, Naruto. Try again, though, if you don't believe me."

Naruto grinned, before running up to the boy, holding his hands by his sides. When he was close, the boy hopped, throwing his knee up towards his opponent. Sauske leaned, letting Naruto glide by, before rearing up his hand, and slamming it into the small of the boy's back. The blond boy landed awkwardly, but Sauske wasn't done. Twisting, he slammed his left fist into the back of Naruto's head, then his right elbow into the side, spinning on the ball of his foot. Once he reached a three-quarter turn, he hopped, swinging his foot out.

The roundhouse kick connected directly to Naruto's face, tossing the boy away like a doll, his body floating through the air before crashing down roughly onto the dirt, sliding several feet, before coming to a stop, rolling over a couple of time, and becoming quite covered in dirt. There he stopped, as Sauske landed in a crouch, on leg swung out.

"And that's all." Sauske muttered to himself, standing slowly, and beginning to walk to his friends. Naruto was down, and the fight was over.

"WRONG AGAIN, SAOTOME!" Naruto shouted behind his opponent. Sauske spun around immediately, which was just fast enough to get a side kick in the chest, flinging him back several feet, onto his back again.

Sauske was slow to get up again. It was getting to be a problem. Not only was he hurt, he was angry. Angry that Naruto had gotten so good so fast. He was in trouble. He had trained, but it was becoming apparent that it wasn't enough. He would still win, but he wouldn't win fast. Shoving himself up, the boy glanced at his opponent, figuring out his next move. One thought came into mind.

"You can't just think I'm really going to give up that easy, Sauske." Naruto admonished, before charging again. He was perfectly fine, but Sauske was starting to show signs of injury. Time to really push him.

Sauske knew what had to happen. No more fooling around. Naruto would win if he kept up his old style. He had to strike hard now, or lose. And he would not lose. Which is where the Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken came in.

Naruto, swinging in a quick jab, was surprised when Sauske ducked under, and slid closer. And then there was the hundred or so sharp pains in his stomach, before his boy was finally pushed out of reach of the flurry of fists. The boy stumbled a bit, gasping for breath, as Sauske glared at him, holding his fist out in the last punch, glaring him down.

"Like I said, Naruto. I won't get hit again."

Naruto glared, about to run in again, when there was a shrill whistle throughout the entire field. He smirked. "We'll see, Sauske. We'll see." Naruto replied, his head bobbing slightly at the sound, almost as if he was nodding to it. Then, he charged in again.

Sauske lifted his arms back, standing tall and ready for the next assault. Naruto was running faster than before. "The idiot probably thought he could win without going all out. Well, he's not going to win at all." Sauske's eyes were unwavering as a blue flow began to trail behind Naruto as the boy continued to bear down on him. Nothing would faze him.

Except for Naruto suddenly disappearing.

Naruto, sliding on the dirt, made a goofy face at Sauske as soon as he glanced down, slipping underneath the boy. He grabbed his ankles, pulling the Saotome down, face first, into the dirt again. Immediately, Naruto dug in his heels, pushing his body up off the ground, holding Sauske's ankles tightly. Stepping back, he lifted the ankles up with him, lifting the boy's thighs off the ground.

There was a satisfying CRACK! as Naruto locked his body into place. No, Sauske's back wasn't broken, but the position was probably so painful he would have rather it had and gotten out of the strain. Sauske was bent, his face smushed into the dirt, and his legs using his body as a platform to bend so much without rolling over. Naruto held him in place. He glanced down at Sauske over his shoulder.

"Are you sure I won't hit you again?"

- - -

The girl looked up, smiling at her work, as she gazed out into the forest, placing her tool down on the stand. Things were going well. She loved this beautiful day. Plus, Naruto was nowhere around. Maybe it would have been nice to go along to the fight, but it wouldn't be any different. Sauske would pull it out in the end, no matter what his "secret weapon" was. Naruto was too big of an idiot to win.

On impulse, she turned back to the house, and saw something terrible. The house was fine, but approaching was a figure. A figure she quickly recognized was Saotome Sakura, walking calmly along to the clump of trees she was at. Ducking behind the bushes, she glanced out at the new person approaching her. She couldn't get found. Not now. Sakura was looking around for any life, but when she saw the set-up, she began walking towards her location. On instinct, she grabbed the tree next to her.

- - -

Sakura approached the object carefully. They seemed odd and unique, and her nose was starting to fail her. A new, very familiar earthy smell was becoming overpowering, and she couldn't tell where he was. She knew Kite as close by. But the smell was too much for her to be anywhere but physically next to him, and, glancing around, the boy wasn't here.

So, her attention returned to the objects. "A painting easel?" Sakura muttered to herself, walking up to the stand, a tripod of wood, with a small shelf, a large canvas, about a half meter tall, and three-fourths a meter wide. The small shelf was covered with brushes of all sorts, a glass of muddy colored water at the end. On the ground, there was a small stand, with several smears of colored paint on separate little plates, some mixed, some not, and most thoroughly used. On the ground was a little box, filled with more brushes, several pencils, and a few photographs on one side.

Glancing back up at the canvas itself, Sakura stared in awe. The painting itself was barely half finished, but the scene was obvious. The center shapes resembled a deep, red-sky sunset, fading slowly over trees, which, checking beyond the painting, was the same set of trees beyond the canvas. Nothing was crisp and perfect, the colors blended together slightly like a old memory or a faded dream. The edges of the picture were still unpainted, but most of it, especially the lower right corner, had designs penciled in., from more scenery to a person leaning against a tree, gazing over the view. Along the top, a small photograph of a familiar, young girl, maybe a six-year-old, with deep brown hair was clipped to the top.

A slight scraping sound could be heard, but Sakura ignored that. "Who painted this?"

"WHAAAA!" a voice screamed, causing Sakura to jump, before a loud THUMP! sounded after that. There was a moan of pain, causing the girl to run to the location of the sound, a tree right next to her, to see what had happened.

Brushing aside the bushes, a small figure appeared, lying on the ground. "Are you all right?!" Sakura asked, rushing to the person's side. "What happened?!"

"I fell out of a tree! What do you think?!" The person shouted, leaning up. Judging by her voice, Sakura believed it was a she. The clothes and face further proved that.

"What are you getting mad at me for?" Sakura asked, helping the girl onto her feet.

The girl rubbed her arm, trying to massage the pain away. "Never mind." She muttered, starting to walk back through the bushes.

"What were you doing up there anyway?" Sakura asked.

The girl irked, before stopping and turning away. "I, uh, saw something in the tree I wanted to look at. And, I fell. Yeah, that's what happened."

Sakura watched carefully. This girl was acting strange. She followed her back to the easel. She had bright red hair, tied in a tight pigtail, reaching down to the base of her neck. Her body was thin, very frail looking, with a small chest and very childish features. She looked twelve, but something told Sakura that she was a bit older than that, maybe fourteen or so. She wore a plain cotton dress that reached almost halfway down her shins, with a light green hue and small floral patterns. The girl had no jewelry or anything like that, though, and her hands, while covered in dirt from falling, also had little speckles of paint.

The smells were completely strange to Sakura. Most everyone had a completely individual smell, something that set him or her apart from everyone else. There are little bits that can show similarities, like relatives and the like, but nothing this similar. She smelled like someone familiar, but not at the same time. There was that same earthy smell that was overpowering, but it appeared that there was more of that smell than just one person could provide. She reminded Sakura of Kite's smell, but there were many subtle differences between the two.

"What's your name, anyway?" the girl asked, standing at the painting again, not looking up at her.

"Me?" Sakura responded, walking over. "I'm Saotome Sakura."

"Oh." was the girl's muted reply.

Silence.

"And you are?" Sakura asked.

The girl paused, thinking. "Oh, me . . . uh, I'm, uh, . . . Yoiko!" she smiled, turning to Sakura as she spoke, before turning back to her painting immediately.

- - -

Sauske grunted through the pain, struggling to move. His body was stuck, and Naruto's grip was too strong to escape.

"Going to give up already, Saotome?" Naruto asked mockingly, ignoring the gasps of surprise from the crowd around them.

Sauske grunted. "Never." He mumbled, before digging his hands into the ground. Pushing all his strength down, he forced his body up, beginning to let it turn to break out of the hold.

Naruto sighed, before shaking his head. Grabbing the ankles tighter, he stepped forward, swinging his arms over his head, and throwing the boy across the field by his feet. Sauske tumbled through the air, trying to reach out and catch himself, but the pain in his back was too much. His body collapsed, and he rolled along the ground. Unlike before, though, he was up in an instant.

Blocking the pain from his mind as best he could, Sauske turned to his opponent. "Naruto, just know one thing." He began, before charging.

Naruto lifted his arms to guard, watching the Saotome approach calmly. His arms were swinging as he ran, so there was no way for Naruto to read his attack just yet. But that didn't bother him. And when Sauske seemed to disappear, that was no surprise, as Naruto's eyes immediately darted down to see Sauske sliding along the ground on his feet, crouched. No problem.

Then Sauske disappeared again.

Bringing his eyes back up, Naruto noticed the boy flying through the air, his right leg up by his left ear, before the foot shot down, crossing into his body in a powerful falling ax kick. Naruto was crushed downward, as Sauske landed and took a few more steps to slow to a stop, and turning back to his falling opponent.

Naruto collapsed to the ground, before pushing himself back up with his hands, and glaring angrily at Sauske, who returned with a stone cold glare of his own. "I'm not going to get beaten by my own style." Sauske said, finishing his previous thought.

- - -

The girl at the base of the tree smiled. Things were going quite well, considering. For one, nobody had noticed her sitting at the fight, a bit off to one corner, except for one person. And he was on her side. Second, compared to how he had been doing before, Naruto was performing well. Sauske was on the run a bit, and was starting to truly lash out with his strikes.

But only Naruto had an aura.

She watched calmly as the fight continued, both Naruto and Sauske landing blows upon one another. Sauske was starting to catch up, but he had already been hurt badly as the fight had begun. Naruto's surprise attacks caught him off guard, and so he was injured. But his moves were getting more powerful, and Naruto's remaining technique weaknesses were starting to be re-revealed to Sauske. So, while Naruto had been quite healthy before, he was beginning to take the brunt of the attacks.

And soon, they would both be very close again. They might as well have started the fight over, everything would be even.

And that's when Naruto would strike.

- - -

"So, what are you painting?" Sakura asked, walking up to the girl as she grabbed her brush back off the easel.

"What does it look like?" the girl replied coldly. "It's a landscape."

"Oh." There was a pause. "Who's that in the photograph?"

"It's Keira!" the girl shouted. "Even you should know that!"

"You know Keira?!" Sakura shouted. "And what do you mean I should know?!"

Yoiko suddenly froze. "Damn!" she thought to herself. "I need some way to get out of this before she figures everything out!" An inspiration struck her. "Kite told me all about you, Sakura." She began. "And all his friends."

Sakura glanced at her. Something wasn't right. "You know Kite?"

"Yeah! Why wouldn't I?" Yoiko responded.

"Does he come up here often?"

Yoiko thought again for a moment. "No, not really. Just me."

"Huh, that's odd." Sakura noted, examining the ground. "I finally figured out what made him always so smelly." Yoiko looked up at her. "It's this place. The soil's different from the rest of the ranch. I thought he would just forget to take a bath after cleaning stables or something, but it's right here. Something smells different right here, in this soil, and he keeps coming around smelling like it."

"Oh, heh, maybe he picks it up off me or something?'

"Who are you, anyway?" Sakura asked seriously, glaring into the girl's eyes, which she had finally left open when looking at her. "I know Kite doesn't have a sister."

Yoiko was paralyzed. Those greenish yellow eyes were so scary, driving fear into anyone Sakura decided to glare at. There was something fearful, something primal, something feral in them, and if you ever tried to defy them, it seemed like she would attack in a heartbeat. Yoiko tried to turn away, but it was hard. Summoning all her strength, she eeked out a response.

"I'm . . . uh, his, um . . . friend from school. The guest room was cluttered, so he took it and gave me his room. I come by every once in a while to paint, so he must get the smell from me."

"F-friend?!" Sakura respond, her glare breaking. "You . . . you mean, like, girlfriend? Like . . . in love?"

Yoiko, trying to figure out a way out of the situation, and finding none, simply nodded.

"But . . . but . . . you're so young!" Sakura shouted, pointing at her. "You're only fourteen!"

"Fourteen?!" Yoiko shouted. "I'm just as old as you, Sakura! You can't tell how old someone is, you can't tell the difference between smells, and you keep throwing those smells in my face every time we meet! What's up with that?!"

There was a pause, when something clicked. "Every time?" Sakura asked, glaring at Yoiko again.

The girl knew she was in for it now. Before, the glare had been bad, but this was total focus. Her eyelashes could flinch, and Sakura would be able to note that. And those green-yellow pools were the only thing she could focus on.

"You can stop lying to me, Yoiko." Sakura began, walking towards her, hand on her bokken hilt. "Now, why don't you start telling me the truth."

"Heh, sorry, Sakura." The girl replied. "Don't worry, uh, there's a good explanation for everything. Honest."

Sakura got the whole picture now, seeing who was really there. "It better be good, Kite."

- - -

Naruto slammed his fist out with all the strength he had. Sauske clamped his arms together, holding his feet firm, as the fist made contact. The block was successful, but it still sent Sauske sliding along the ground for a good ten meters before he stopped, dust flushing up into the air.

Both fighters paused, gasping for breath. Pain was the only thing that they could think of right now, both of them doing their best to stay standing. They were exhausted, and nothing was coming out with a conclusive end. The crowds were still thick, and had grown from other students coming out of clubs to watch the battle.

Suddenly, a shrill whistle came up again, sounding through the entire field. The crowds glanced around to try to find its source, but to no avail. Naruto, however, bobbed his head a tiny bit again, before grinning.

"Okay, Sauske . . . time for my . . . secret weapon." Naruto reached up, grabbing the bandanna tied to his forehead. It was yellow, with thin black speckles. Pulling it loose, he drew it down to his side, revealing a second underneath.

"A bandanna . . . is your . . . secret weapon?" Sauske asked between pants.

Naruto smirked, wheezing. "Just . . . watch." He gripped it tightly in his hand, a blue glow surrounding his whole body again. It grew in size as he began to twirl his hand, starting the bandanna spinning. After a moment, it was a yellow blur, which he then raised to his side. "CATCH!" he screamed, flinging the bandanna at Sauske.

Sauske leaned to the side as the twirling cloth came towards him. It zipped by, barely contacting his shirt, before flying off behind him. "That's all . . . you got?!" Sauske shouted, glaring back at his opponent.

Naruto smirked.

"SAUSKE-KUN!" Keira shouted. Sauske turned to look at her. "LOOK AT THAT!" she continued, pointing off to the area behind Sauske.

To the murmurs of awe in the crowd, Sauske turned his back to Naruto for a moment. There, he saw a tree and a concrete wall behind it. The tree had a deep gouge in it, about ten centimeters into the trunk, and then the bandanna had been imbedded into the concrete.

Sauske glanced down at his shirt, where the bandanna had barely grazed him. It was split almost the entire way across his stomach. He wasn't bleeding, but if he had moved an instant later, he would be.

"Hey, SAUSKE!" Naruto shouted. The boy turned back to see that same bandanna still on Naruto's head, with a whole bunch of bandannas clenched in both hands. "Let's see how high you can count!" he shouted, as his hands began to spin them into yellow blurs. Sauske took a step back, bringing his arms up to protect himself again. "Ready?!" he shouted, swinging his arms back. "GO!"

Next Chapter: The story of Kite, and the finale of the battle between Sauske and Naruto!

Well, that's chapter nineteen! I think I did a bit better this time than with the last chapter, but not great. Sauske and Naruto's fight, though, turned out well, or to me at least.

Anyway, on with the reviews:

Sleepingbear: Wow! People can actually do those vertical pushups I had Sauske do last chapter?! I just came up with it because I always saw Ranma and Genma meditating in a handstand. And I'm glad the suspense is working too. And yes, there is plenty of story to go.

Shinjiku: I'll admit last chapter wasn't as good as some of the other ones. And, I never said Sauske and Aki will be together. They might be, they might not. But, I will make the story worth it, even if they don't end up together.

CatLin-501-18: YAY! A new reviewer who likes my story! Thank you for the kind words!

nonengel: Um, yeah, that part where Keira got mad at Sauske. I meant that to be more of a joke, but I guess it didn't come out that way. It seemed sensible to me, since Sauske still doesn't know about Keira's feelings, and she's in danger of losing him, although it doesn't seem likely right now, to Aki. And compared to some of Akane, Ukyo, and Shampoo's reactions to things Ranma had done, I thought it was pretty tame. Oh well. I hope this chapter was as interesting as you thought it would be.

The Liz: Yeah, I like Naruto too. Ryoga's strength, endurance, and blind determination mixed with a bit of sanity and a more stable family, since only his father gets lost. And Sauske is a lot different from Ranma, being kind of laid back most times, and usually a pacifist. Plus, he doesn't constantly put his foot in his mouth; only every once in a while. As for Genma, well, he'll be around eventually. Just not sure when.

Ninja Girl Emi: YAY! Another new reviewer who really likes my story! I'm glad my characters came out as original, but I'm still having trouble getting all of them to be a serious part of the story (cough-Haku-cough). And no, I don't think Aki being your favorite character is scary, because she's one of my favorite characters so far too. She was the one character I really wanted to make different. And it looks like it worked.