Chapter 1.

Ryoga idly stared as his fingernails as he leaned against the wall, waited for the bell to ring. It wasn't like he had much else to do. He had been looking for Akari's school for a week, and so when he finally found it he placed himself by the entrance and waited. He was not going to miss her this time!

He had a few hours, so he shrugged out of his backpack and started rooting around for some supplies. He pulled out a camping stove, a small pot, and some ramen noodles to make a quick snack. He took his time, carefully opening the canteen of cold water he carried and poured it into the pot. He lit the stove, and handling the cold water like it was radioactive, gently placed it on to boil.

He'd been living with his curse for close to three years now, and even though he was much better at dealing with it, it had made him even more paranoid around water than any hydrophobic. It was unlikely that this curse would ever be lifted; after multiple failed curse and dashed hopes, he hadn't stopped looking, but he had stopped hoping.

Ryoga was a different person now than he had been when he was first cursed. That was a different chapter in his life, a chapter driven by recklessness and revenge. He had lived with rage and the desire to destroy someone's life, much as his life had been ruined. His life had been a cloud of anger and depression, all focused on Ranma.

Ranma was an insanely powered, obnoxious martial artist and Ryoga's sworn enemy. Ranma had run out on a duel of honor when Ryoga was ten, and then had cursed Ryoga at sixteen to turn into a little black pig by accidentally knocking him into the cursed springs at Jusenkyo. Ranma had vied for the attentions of the girl Ryoga loved, Akane. Ranma …

Ryoga smiled. He used to think that, at least. He was different now. After three years of knowing Ranma, something had changed. Yes, Ranma was still an obnoxious and insanely powered marital artist, but because it annoyed Ryoga that Ranma was always better than he was at certain aspects of marital arts. Ranma was still his main rival, but it had become a friendly, if brutal, rivalry, a way to test his new skills against the impossibly high bar that Ranma always set.

Ryoga had also come to grips with his truly awful sense of direction. He had to be cursed, and that wasn't Ranma's fault. Half Ryoga's inadvertent travels now were devoted to curing the malady, and Ranma helped when ever he could. And as for the Jusenkyo… Maybe he hadn't forgiven Ranma for that one yet, but Ryoga was sure he would, given time.

The water in the pot began to boil. He threw in the noodles, added the little packet of flavoring, and waited for a few minutes as the noodles softened. When it was ready, he removed the pot from the heat, and turned off the stove. The noodles cooled enough for him to start eating. Instant ramen was the food of the camping gods. It might just be the best food available, unless it was those dried shrimp snacks. Those were pretty tasty, too. Oh yeah, and dried squid was great, as well…

Ryoga pondered camping delicacies with a noodle dangling half consumed from his mouth. Thinking about camping food reminded him of the time when he had been learning the Bakusaitenketsu technique, and Akane had attempted to cook for him. He grimaced. Her cooking might be responsible for his indestructible constitution more than any amount of training he undergone.

Ryoga had given up on Akane right before the incident with Saffron, well over a year ago. The look in Ranma's face when he thought that Akane might die had truly scared Ryoga. Not just frightened, but scared him to the depths of his soul, scared him enough that he had nightmares about it for weeks afterwards.

And given what Ranma had done to Saffron, Ryoga had every right to be scared. Ryoga had never thought his friend would be capable of killing, but Ranma had utterly unmade Saffron, a supposedly immortal god. Ranma had damaged him so badly that he could only be reborn as an infant, harmless and vulnerable.

That was one of many changes. Ryoga considered Ranma a friend, now. Rival, yes, but still a friend. Ryoga's even considered Ranma his best friend. They had both changed in the last couple of years, and Ranma had come back changed from the Saffron experience most of all. He was wiser, sadder, and quieter than the brash young man he had been. And he was closer to Akane, too. Unless his piggy nose deceived him, those two were a lot closer to each other than most people knew. He'd have to warn them, or else Shampoo would catch on too, and that would be a royal mess. He hadn't seen Ranma in months, and it would be good to catch up with him and spar.

The ringing of the school bell shook him out of his reverie. He quickly finished the rest of his ramen, rinsed the pot, and packed his backpack in precise, calculated motions. He was standing and ready to go before the first student came out the front gates. He tried to relax, leaning against school wall attempting to appear nonchalant and failing miserably.

He could see Akari coming out the front door of the school, and longed to run over to her. But with his sense of direction, chances are he'd end up lost before he could reach her, and all this work would be for naught. Instead, he just waved and yelled, unfurling his umbrella and holding it above his head.

"Akari!" Ryoga continued waving maniacally, even after she had spotted him. Akari turned to her friends and said something, setting them all to laughing. She then turned and started to run over to Ryoga.

She didn't slow down when she got close. She ran straight into him at full speed, wrapping her arms around him as she squeezed with as much force as she could. Her face was buried in Ryoga's chest, and she mumbled something as she relaxed her hug.

"What was that, Akari?"

She dropped one arm and stepped back a bit, one arm still around his waist. Akari brought her free hand to her face, and rubbed her nose.

"I said, you'd think I'd learn not to do that by now. It's like running into a wall."

Ryoga chuckled and blushed a bit. "Sorry."

"Don't be. I don't mind at all." She smiled up at him, and quickly planted a kiss on his lips. She started to giggle as the shock registered, and the blush on Ryoga's face got worse.

"Hmm… No nose bleeds! We're making progress!" Ryoga only blushed harder in response. "Oh, Ryoga, you're hopeless, you know that?" Ryoga nodded, again making Akari laugh. She hugged him again. "I missed you."

"I missed you too." Ryoga hugged her back, not caring anymore if he was embarrassed. When the hug ended, Akari started to look for his backpack.

"Where's your stuff, Ryoga? Ready to go?"

"It's behind me. Yeah, I'm ready. Where are we off to?"

"I'm taking you home, silly. Where did you think we were going?"

"I never know." He chuckled a bit at the private joke before turning around and picking up his pack. He opened a side flap and pulled a carefully wrapped package and a piece of rope out.

He handed the package and the rope to Akari. "For you."

"Thank you, Ryoga!" She quickly stuffed the package into her school bag, and took the rope. With a practiced motion she quickly threaded one end under Ryoga's belt and tied a knot, and then tied the other end around her wrist. Preparations done, they started walking hand in hand, towards the train station.

"What did you get me this time?"

"Oh," Ryoga said, "not much. It's some sort of local sausage that I picked up in this place called Strba. They didn't have much there, but the mountains were really pretty."

"Did you find out what country you were in?"

Ryoga shook his head. Akari giggled and squeezed his hand a little tighter. They were walking casually, just enjoying each other's company. They turned right into a little foot path, only to immediately bump into three boys from Akari's school who were blocking their path. All three had their school coats unbuttoned and looked a little unkempt. Worse, Ryoga noticed that all three carried a weapon of some sort.

One was tall and wry, the second of non-descript build but an ugly scar on his right cheek, and the third student was short and stocky, with a frame that hinted at great strength. The tallest of the three held a bokken in his left hand, draped casually across his shoulder. The kid with the ugly scar was cleaning his fingernails with a dagger, and the short kid had a pair of numchucks sticking conspicuously out of his coat pocket

The tallest one spoke first. "What's up, Unryu? Where's your little piggy today?" The other two chuckled.

Ryoga frowned at the three. "Excuse us. We are just passing through."

The tall one replied, "Go right ahead mister. Don't mind us. We just have some business with the pig lover here." He pointed at Akari.

Ryoga stepped protectively in front of Akari. "Did I mention I'm pig lover, too? Guess that means you have business with me, as well." He looked the three boys over carefully, trying to decide if they actually had any skills. He quickly decided they were just normal toughs, and they would present him with no problem, really, but this bothered him all the same. "Akari, do you know what these… gentlemen want?"

Akari shrugged. "Oh, these three are just sore losers. They used to be the school bullies before I transferred in. I had Katusnishiki beat them up, and they later got expelled for violence. For some reason, they got all upset when they got trounced by my pig."

Ryoga half turned to look at her, keeping one eye on the three students before him. "That so?" He turned back to eye the three before shrugging out of his backpack and placing it on the ground. "Well, since Katsunishiki isn't here today, do mind if I take his place as your defender?"
Akari smiled and shook her head. "Go right ahead, Ryoga."
Ryoga's grin wasn't friendly. He turned to the boys in front of him and spoke deliberately clear. "So, what can I help you gentlemen with today?"

The three spread out in response to Ryoga's question, forming a loose triangle around him as they took up ready positions.

The tallest one, the leader smirked. "We've got no business with you, so just leave and you won't get hurt." The other two chuckled in response. "We just want to have a little fun with Unryu there, and then we'll be on our way."

Ryoga popped his knuckles. "I've got a different idea. How about you three leave, and promise never to bother Akari again, and I'll promise you'll be able to walk out of here."

The tall kid relaxed his stance, lowering his bokken to stand ready. The other two mirrored his actions, readying their stances. The short kid pulled out his numchucks while the other pointed his dagger at Ryoga. Ryoga shrugged out of his backpack in response, letting it fall with a thud to the ground behind him.

A fourth voice interrupted from above before anyone had moved. "Ryoga, just kill them and be done with it. I've got business with you."

Ryoga, Akari, and the three boys all whipped their heads up to see Ranma hanging upside down from his toes from the gutter above them. Ranma dropped to the ground, doing a quick half flip to land between Ryoga and the toughs.

"You want me to do it Ryoga? We need to talk."

"What? Beat these jokers? I can do that just fine, thank you."

"NO. I mean kill them."

With a speed that even Ryoga could barely follow, Ranma reached forward and snatched the bokken out of the tallest boy's hand. Ryoga could hear the whir as the Ranma flicked his wrist and flipped the blade so that the handle hit his palm with a meaty smack. Just as quickly, he reared the blade back and lashed forward.

Ryoga reacted instantly. His hand shot forward, striking Ranma in the shoulder with an open palm blow that nearly spun him around. The blade missed its intended target by only a fraction of an inch. The momentum of the swing impaled the blade in the concrete below, barely half a centimeter from the foot of the tough. Ryoga placed his hand on the pommel, to prevent Ranma from pulling the weapon free.

Ranma strained to pull the blade free, but Ryoga was still stronger. Ranma turned to glare at Ryoga. "Come on, wouldn't it just be easier to get rid of them?"

Ryoga stared at his friend in amazement. Ranma looked… different. He had a tenseness around his eyes he hadn't seen before, and a haunted look that reminded Ryoga all to much of the expression on Ranma's face at Jusendo, during the battle with Saffron. Ranma was still pulling at the sword, and due to the poor leverage that Ryoga had, he would soon be able to. Ryoga stared at Ranma until a dripping smell and a pungent odor assailed his senses.

Ryoga over Ranma's shoulder and saw that the tallest boy had soiled him self. He was staring at the bokken embedded in the ground, mouth open and shock evident on his face. Ryoga simply shook his head and said, "You three better run. I can't hold him forever."

The three boys turned and fled down the alley, weapons forgotten. Ryoga released Ranma's hand, and stepped back, wary of his friend. "What's gotten into you, Ranma? Those guys couldn't have hurt me."

"They were wasting your time." Ranma released the sword and left it stuck in the ground. He casually put his hands in his pockets and attempted to look relaxed. Ryoga could tell he was still on edge from the way he held his shoulders, and how he seemed poised to leap at any second. "Anyway, Ryoga, good to see you. We need to talk. Now."

"Why? I just got into town, and I was hoping to spend some time with Akari." Ryoga carefully indicated with his head the girl behind him, careful not to take his eyes off of Ranma.

"Can't tell you here. Come on. You need to come with me now. We don't have much time." He smiled a bit, and seemed to relax as well. "Akari, I'm sorry, but this is really important. I wouldn't take him away if it wasn't."

Akari took half a step forward, still careful to stay behind Ryoga. "What's so important that you can't tell us about? We're friends, right?"

Ranma sighed and pulled his hands from his pockets. He brought them to his face, and rubbing his eyes for a moment, ran both his hands through his hair. "Look," he said, "I really CAN'T tell you. I just need Ryoga to come with me. It's… Really important. This is about as serious as it gets. You have to believe me, and trust me."

Ryoga frowned. "It's hard when you're asking like this, Ranma."

"Did it occur to you that the reason I'm acting like this is the same reason you have to come with me? This concerns you, too."

Ryoga's reply was cut short. Something about Ranma's tone, about the way his shoulders were set made Ryoga pause. One thing about Ranma that was universally acknowledge as true was that he couldn't lie to save his life. Ranma wasn't lying now.

"If it is a bad as you say, what about Akari? I can't leave her here."

"She'll be fine as long as she's away from us." Ranma just stared at Ryoga for a bit, almost willing him to understand. Slowly, Ryoga nodded. He turned around and picked up his backpack and started to put it on.

"Akari, I'm sorry."

"Shh… It's okay, Ryoga. Just… Be careful, okay? Give me a call later, and if you're still in the general Tokyo area, I'll come pick you up, okay?"

Ryoga nodded. The two quickly kissed, and when they parted Akari handed the rope she had tied to Ryoga's belt to Ranma. The pigtailed martial artist smiled for a bit before nodding, then he walking off, Ryoga in tow.

Neither boy spoke as the walked for a few minutes in silence. Ryoga wasn't particularly paying attention to where they were going, but after a moment, Ranma slowed, and started scanning the streets around them. He stopped near a non-descript silver four door sedan. Ranma quickly scanned the streets up and down before smashing the window on the backdoor of the driver's side. He reached up to the front and opened the driver's side door, and yanked it open. He quickly got in, and reached across to open the passenger side door.

Ranma nodded to Ryoga. "Get in."

Ryoga very nearly shouted. "Ranma, what are you doing? Stealing a car? That's just not right!"

"Just shut up and get in! I don't have time. I'll explain on the road."

Ryoga hesitated. Ranma got fed up, and hopped out of the car. He yanked open the back door and grabbed Ryoga by his backpack, bodily picking him up and threw him in the back seat.

Ranma wasted no time. He slammed the door behind Ryoga, hopped in the driver's seat, and before Ryoga could right himself, the car was hotwired and moving.

"Where did you learn to do that?" Ryoga paused. "And since when could you drive? Why don't we just take to the roofs or the train like normal?"

Ranma scoffed. "You don't travel with people the likes of Happosai and my father without learning a few things. We can't take to the roofs. They aren't expecting us to do this, so it's the best way. And if we took the train, there's no way of knowing we were being followed."
Ryoga shrugged out pack and put it in the foot well beside him. "Well, what about the police. They'll arrest us when they catch up."

Ranma shrugged. "They won't catch us. Beside, I almost pity them if they do. They'd only get in between, and it would be really messy. For them, at least." Ranma sped up, and soon they were on the highway, heading north out of Tokyo. Ranma stopped speaking, leaving Ryoga to stew in his own juices for a bit.

Finally, when they had been on the highway for nearly fifteen minutes, Ryoga brought up the first thing on his mind. "Ranma, why did you attack those kids like that? They couldn't have hurt me. If I hadn't stopped you, that one would be dead right now."

Ranma sighed. "I'm sorry, Ryoga… It's just…" He trailed off, anxiously scanning the rear and side view mirror.

Ryoga sighed. "What happened to you, Ranma? I haven't seen you in over month, and when I do… What happened to you?" Ranma didn't answer, leaving Ryoga flustered. He just wasn't used to talking to Ranma about problems.

"Happosai did something really, really stupid, Ryoga."

Uh oh.

"What do you mean, something really, really stupid?" Ryoga chuckled. "Did he summon a demon or something?" Ryoga's laughter died on his lips as Ranma grimaced. "He did, didn't he?"

"Not just one, ryoga. A whole fucking army of them."

Ryoga shot forward, his hands gripping the shoulders of the chairs in front of them, ripping the upholstery as he squeezed. "When? How?"

"Yesterday. I think it was an accident. But it doesn't matter – we're fucked just the same. As for the how… he and Ku Lon were trying to teach me some magic."

"Magic? What do you mean?"

Ranma glanced in the rear view mirror quickly. "Hang on." He stepped on the accelerator, pushing the car to go as fast as he could. He didn't slow down at all as he took the next exit, broad-siding the concrete guard rail as the car couldn't handle the speed of the turn. Unperturbed, he kept driving. The exit ramp quickly gave way to wooded mountains. "Yo Ryoga, you got your seat belt on?" With a wry grin, Ranma stepped on the accelerator again.

Ryoga watched in sick fascination as continued to speed up. The road quickly became steep as the road entered the mountains.

"Grab your backpack and hang on." Ranma didn't even attempt to make the next turn – he simply let the car run straight into and through the guard rail. For a moment Ryoga felt like he was weightless. Gravity soon began to pull the car down towards the valley below. Ryoga gritted his teeth as he watched the rocks below rushing up to greet them.

"Ranma you ASS!"