Chapter 5 - The Other White Meat
Ryoga eyed Kenshin carefully as they ran, reflecting on what Akane had told him. He had to admit Kenshin had stated his side of the story accurately, at least. Ryoga thought a moment, reflecting on just what this meant to his promise of honor to Ranma.
He absently twirled his umbrella in his hands as he followed Kenshin and Akane over the rooftops, before alighting carefully in the yard of the Tendo Dojo.
Waiting until Akane was inside; Ryoga waited until just before Kenshin walked into the house, and stopped him. Kenshin looked back Ryoga calmly. Ryoga cleared his throat. "I'm giving you one chance Kenshin. I swore to your brother I'd never let anything hurt her, and if you so much as misplace a hair on her head, or make her shed even a single tear, I'll come after you."
Kenshin nodded, and Ryoga followed him into the house. They walked into the main room, only to be met with Nabiki's laughter. She couldn't seem to stop. Every time it looked like she was winding down, she'd look at Ryoga again and laugh. Ryoga growled.
"It's not that funny." Then he smirked. "Or maybe I should propose to you too Nabiki, and complete the circle."
That stopped her. She grimaced.
"Hmmm. That's not a bad idea, Tendo… Hibiki's talents would be a boon to the school, don't you think?"
Everyone looked at Genma with something akin to horror in their eyes. Genma lost his contemplative pose with a hiss of drawn steel coming from beside him. "Husband…"
Genma panicked. "Apologies, wife, it was only a passing thought. Obviously Ryoga already has enough on his shoulders at the moment."
Nabiki, eager to take the upper hand, smirked. "Yeah. How are things with Akari, anyways?"
Ryoga twitched. "That's not something that I want to talk about."
Akane frowned, concerned for her friend. "Oh no, did you two have a falling out?"
Ryoga grimaced. "Let's just say I suddenly know a bit about what it's like to be Mousse, okay?"
Akane gasped, misinterpreting the concept involved. "She didn't… oh, Ryoga, I'm so sorry!"
Ryoga sighed, and Nabiki rolled her eyes. Akane continued to wail. "Oooh! If I see her again… Imagine, going from in love with a guy to ignoring him and treating him like dirt! I never liked Mousse, but…"
Akane blinked, then blushed red from her hairline to her toes. "Um… sorry."
Ryoga shook his head. "It's… okay. The situation is… complicated. I'm not going to go back for quite some time… if ever. Hopefully."
Nabiki grinned. "With how often you get lost Hibiki, I'm betting you're there sometime next week."
Ryoga smiled at that, but said nothing. Soon, the house was quiet, Ryoga holed up in the dojo for the night.
Ryoga awoke the next morning to the loud crack of wood on wood and the resounding thumps of flesh against flesh. Ryoga opened the doors of the dojo to find Akane sparring with Ranma's father, and keeping up well. If Ryoga had to guess, he'd say Akane was about at the level Ranma had been upon entering Nerima. That is to say, formidable, but not invincible. Nodding quietly to Soun, who watched with tears of pride running down his face, Ryoga wandered into the back yard and sat quietly, watching Mrs. Saotome correct Kenshin as they practiced the family sword art.
Despite his proclamation the evening before, Ryoga was still uncertain of how to react to Kenshin. He knew that this was the same man he'd spotted two years ago, but if he hadn't known that he would never have guessed them to be the same person.
Ryoga shrugged it off and began to meditate. Meditation was the key to not getting lost anymore. Well, at least not as often as he did. Those monks hadn't been able to help him with just how he'd acquired that particular ability, but they did help him to control it. Extreme amounts of emotion, particularly dark emotions, precipitated the process. Once he wasn't paying enough attention, poof, he was somewhere else. The meditation kept him calm, and therefore he had fewer episodes.
About an hour later, Ryoga sighed and breathed deeply, coming out of his trance, feeling ready to face the day.
In Nerima, optimism of that caliber is taken as a challenge to the Kami, who prefer their subjects to be browbeaten.
So, of course, that was when he was forced to jump out of the way of a bomb. Looking to the roof of the Tendo dojo, he was confronted by the familiar figure of Mousse.
"Hibiki! This will not stand! Shampoo will be my bride, not yours!"
Ryoga briefly considered denying that he even wanted Shampoo in the first place, and citing that it had simply been a huge mistake. He tossed the idea out just as quickly as it came. It never seemed to get Ranma anywhere, so he wouldn't bother. "How badly do I have to beat you to make you go away, Mousse? I'd rather you didn't ruin my mood."
By this time, all activity in the yard had stopped… well, Soun was blabbering about damages again, but Kasumi managed to drag him to the relative safety of the back porch.
Mousse, wearing his glasses, managed to make a rather accurate leap, landing a good fifteen feet from Ryoga. Without warning, the fight began, Mousse throwing out his chains. Ryoga snorted, and grabbed them, attempting to yank Mousse off balance, but Mousse let the chains go, trading them for a pole arm yanked out of his sleeve. He rushed in at Ryoga, the tip held low. Ryoga batted away the first pass with a slap of the hand and landed the other right into Mousse's face.
Or he tried to, but Mousse wasn't there. Ryoga spun around, noting that the weapon had to be ki infused since it had actually managed to cut him, but found no sign of the myopic hidden weapons master. His next instinct was to look up.
Ryoga rolled to the side to dodge both the claws attached to Mousse's feet and the pole arm. He came up into a ready stance as Mousse turned to face him. He reluctantly acknowledged the duck. "You've been training."
Mousse shrugged. "It finally occurred to me that if I was going to hide weapons, I should at least know how to use them."
Then Ryoga was charging, and Mousse leapt to the side, making sure Ryoga was between himself and the house. He'd have to do this just right to make it work.
A very dirty Mousse ducked into the Nekohaunten, and braced the door with his back, looking very nervous. He thanked his lucky stars that it wasn't time for the lunch rush yet. The old bat would have killed him. As it was she just looked at him confused. A little irritated, but mostly confused.
"Well part timer, what happened? The Hibiki boy too much for you?"
Mousse grimaced.
A few minutes previous at the Tendo compound, Mousse pulled out a round object and threw it at Ryoga, who attempted to bat it away, but it exploded on contact, even as Mousse turned tail and ran to make sure he wasn't in range.
A water balloon.
Mousse was absolutely certain there'd be a scream of rage from Akane any second now.
Yep. Any second now.
Another second ticked by, and Mousse started getting nervous. Why wasn't Akane murdering the philandering lost boy yet? He turned around slowly. And nearly pissed his pants while everyone else gaped.
Standing there with its arms crossed was something wearing Ryoga's clothing, stretched out as it was. It was big, and it was black, with huge tusks. A yellow and black bandanna had stretched out around its neck.
It was the biggest damn sumo pig Mousse had ever seen. It even had a good foot, foot and half on Katsunishiki
"Oink." The grunt was not the high-pitched piggy squeal of before. This was deep and masculine, and the pig did not look amused. Then, it lashed out, catching the surprised Chinese boy by surprise, knocking him back out of the compound into the street.
Mousse started running. With a clattering noise behind him, Mousse looked back, and started running faster. Ryoga was chasing him, charging like the oversized boar he looked.
At the next intersection, a semi driver stopped and gaped, then jumped out of his truck and started running. Mousse thanked whoever was looking out for him, as this would enable him to gain precious seconds and loose his terminally lost opponent.
It was not to be. With a particularly loud and assertive 'oink', a black pig glowing orange blew right through the truck like a cannon ball.
Mousse started praying as he ran even faster. This would not end well. A slamming noise behind him just kept him going over the shaky ground. He didn't want to know what it was this time. He panicked a bit when he saw the crack form beneath his feet and jumped away, narrowly evading the explosion. Cologne had told them vividly of Kenshin's fight with Ryoga.
Of course, being in mid air left Mousse wide open as he felt the tusked snout slam into his back, sending him flying. He landed in the dumpster behind the Nekohaunten.
At present though, Shampoo was grinning. "Mousse get defeated by pig-boy, yes?"
"It wasn't a fair fight!"
Reaaally." Cologne drawled. "You attacked him without warning. Why are you calling foul play?" She emphasized the 'foul'.
"Because he changed his curse! Did you know there was a spring of drowned sumo-pig, old mummy?"
Cologne blinked. "There is no spring of drowned sumo-pig you blind fool!"
Then the door was smashed down on top of Mousse by a black sumo-pig. Cologne looked at it. "Well, I suppose I can't be right all the time…"
A grumbling Ryoga walked back into the Tendo compound a while later. Akane was right there waiting. "Ryoga, how'd you pick up a jusenkyo curse?!"
"I don't want to talk about it."
Akane, smiled sympathetically. Her mind searched for things that would comfort her friend, and instead it spat out the last time he'd said that sentence. Her mind jumped conclusively to the wrong conclusion. "Oh no! Why would Akari curse you like that?" Her mind made another blind leap and found semi-stable footing. "She… can't actually like pigs… like that could she?"
While Ryoga personally wouldn't have been surprised to find that to be the case, he just shook his head sadly, which Akane took for agreement.
"Oh no! You poor dear!
Ryoga sighed and put up with it. It was better than admitting the truth. That would get him killed.
Kenshin Saotome was at a loss.
He stood in the dojo's yard, practicing his forms. He had been unsettled since Ryoga's reappearance in his life. Kenshin was not normally fatalistic, but in this instance he could not help but believe that this was but the beginning.
Ryoga had exposed one part of his sordid past, and he could not help but wonder what else from his past would return to haunt him.
As he slightly built up the speed and complexity of his sword-kata, a face flashed across his eyes and a name across his mind.
Kaoru…
He closed his eyes and started going faster still, banishing his thoughts with action.
Focusing completely on his technique, he blocked out the world, and kept moving.
After the… incident… he'd started traveling, moving from place to place, anything to keep ahead of his past, anything to keep the memories from catching up with him.
But now he was stopped, motionless, and vulnerable.
His past would catch up with now, he was sure. He didn't know how, and he didn't know when, but it would come, and questions would have to be answered.
And if he didn't answer, others would be only too happy to provide the information.
A roar of anger interrupted his thoughts, and he raced from the dojo to the house. It didn't sound like Ryoga, and the other boy seemed a bit too stable to really let loose like that in any case.
What he found upon entering the Tendo domicile, however, was not something he could handle himself.
What he found, was the awe inspiring might that was the diminutive master of the Anything Goes School.
Happosai.
Kenshin had, of course, heard tales before now of Happosai's strength from the others, but to feel it, even as the tiny master's aura of anger blanketed the room, was something else.
"YOU COMPLETE AND UTTER IMBECILES! NO! I WILL NOT ACCEPT AKANE AS HEIR!"
Genma and Soun were on their knees, begging. "But master…" Genma
began.
"…There is no one else!" Finished Soun.
Happosai growled.
"A WOMAN IS NOT A FIT HEIR, AND YOU IDIOTS KNOW IT!"
A new source of anger interrupted at this, and everyone's gaze flickered over to the stairwell, where Akane's aura was busily peeling the wallpaper with its heat.
Everyone but Happosai shrank back.
"SWEETO!"
Happosai, pervert that he is, dove for Akane's chest. He found Akane's mallet waiting. Happosai flew back, but flipped and hit the ground feet first. He paused a moment. "A bit better than I'd expected, but nothing to brag about girl! Happo Daikarin!"
Akane swung the mallet in an attempt to bat the bomb back, but it exploded on contact, sending her through the wall. Soun collapsed, wailing, and Kenshin hurried outside, where this time he could tell it was Ryoga bellowing.
"Yuubuta Sakigake!"
Kenshin got outside just in time to see Happosai take the brunt of the hit, and fly backwards. He was caught by surprise in the house, but this time Kenshin was ready.
"Ryuu Tsui Sen!"
Kenshin missed Happosai by a hair as the little man twisted in mid air. He then tucked and rolled himself to avoid the bandanas Ryoga sent as follow up. He came back up at Ryoga's side and contemplated the little man. Smoke was drifting up from Happosai's body, but other than his clothing, the little man didn't seem the least bit burnt.
All three combatants readied themselves for another charge.
"STOP!"
All three of them turned to look at the voice's owner… Akane Tendo. She addressed Kenshin and Ryoga first. "You two… thank you for standing up for me, but I'm a martial artist too." She turned to address Happosai next. "And you… I can too be the heir! Name the time and place."
All three began a collective blink. Happosai grinned. "Okay girlie… In the dojo. One week from now." His face turned serious. "In the end, you'll either be the heir, or… you'll be out of the school. Permanently. Bye, now!"
Ryoga gulped. "Akane… you don't have to…"
Akane's face hardened and Ryoga trailed off. "Yes I do. I have to make him respect me at least a little…"
Kenshin was a bit unsteady. "Battles for pride are not easily won…"
Akane scowled. "You too?"
Ryoga grimaced. "Ranma at least knew the Kashuu Tenshin Amaguriken before he fought Happosai the first time. And he'd been fighting me a lot too. He could take a lot of those blows."
Akane smiled sweetly. "Then that's the perfect place to start the week's training, isn't it Ryoga?"
Ryoga slowly covered his face with his hand, and Kenshin commiserated. He'd dug his own grave.
"A perfect plan!"
They turned to see Soun Tendo. "Kenshin, you and Ryoga will go and train Akane for a week, so she can beat the master!"
Ryoga gaped. "Ranma never beat Happosai, and Akane's supposed to do it in a week?!"
Akane's voice was quiet. "It's not like I have another choice anymore…"
Ryoga sighed and looked at Kenshin who was equally pensive. She was right. There wasn't another option. Akane would have to beat Happosai, or she'd never be a part of the Anything Goes school again.
Kenshin walked calmly behind Akane by Ryoga's side. "This one wonders why he was forced to make this journey. This one's skill is not hand to hand."
Ryoga shrugged. "One, you're her fiancé. Those idiots weren't about to miss an opportunity for you and Akane to be alone for a week."
Kenshin frowned. "But you are here, are you not?"
Ryoga shrugged. "They probably counted on me being lost right about now. Used to happen a lot. More importantly, though, Akane needs someone to spar with besides me. Can't let her get used to only one opponent's style."
Kenshin nodded slowly. Akane yelled back from up ahead. "Come on, you two! There's a great place up ahead!"
Ryoga sighed and nodded, and they both upped their pace to catch Akane. Getting to the top of the hill they were climbing, Kenshin had to admit that the place was perfect for their purposes. A forest clearing, with a small stream on one side made it a fantastic place to train for this particular technique.
Akane was already squatting down and digging through her pack. "Um… Kenshin? So you have a tent with you?"
Kenshin and Ryoga hit the ground face first. Getting up, they both stared incredulously at Akane. Kenshin was a bit nervous. "But… this one thought that you had the tents… this one's pack contains only rations… and large amounts of chestnuts.
Akane looked up out of her own pack and started growling. "Father…"
Kenshin walked over to her. Ryoga knew better and stayed right where he was. "What is the problem? Is there no tent in your pack?"
"Of course there's a tent in my pack! The only problem is that that's all! One! Not two, one! Those idiot father's of ours are trying to get us to sleep together! Not only is there only a single tent in here, it's only meant for one person! We'd be right on top of each other, even without Ryoga…" She trailed off and looked over at the lost boy. "You do have a tent with you, right?"
Ryoga nodded slowly. "Sort of."
Akane's eye twitched. "Sort of?"
Ryoga didn't answer and leapt backwards so that he was in the center of the clearing. He unslung the umbrella from where it was on the side of his pack and opened it, then slammed the end into the ground. Cloth unrolled from the edges of the parasol, until it touched the ground, then the cloth segments stretched tight.
The end result looked like a small, grayish, circus tent. Kenshin and Akane walked over and peered inside…
Only to find a comfortable sitting room with several doors leading off of it. Ryoga walked out from behind one of them scratching the back of his head nervously.
Okay, so Ryoga keeps a house in his umbrella. Humorous, and there will be a certain amount of significance to it later.
The next chapter will have some of Akane's training, and the resulting fight with Happosai. All who think she can actually beat him, raise your hands.
Looks around, crickets chirp in the background
Thought so.
Well, if there's space in the chapter after that fight, I might finally get around to Yahiko, if not, then he's chapter after next for sure.
I'd like to apologize for the lack of Kenshin action so far, I really would. But, after Yahiko's chapters, we move into the meat of the story, and that's where it gets fun, and Kenshin moves back into the main character spot. Three chapters at most, I promise.
Out.
Ryoga eyed Kenshin carefully as they ran, reflecting on what Akane had told him. He had to admit Kenshin had stated his side of the story accurately, at least. Ryoga thought a moment, reflecting on just what this meant to his promise of honor to Ranma.
He absently twirled his umbrella in his hands as he followed Kenshin and Akane over the rooftops, before alighting carefully in the yard of the Tendo Dojo.
Waiting until Akane was inside; Ryoga waited until just before Kenshin walked into the house, and stopped him. Kenshin looked back Ryoga calmly. Ryoga cleared his throat. "I'm giving you one chance Kenshin. I swore to your brother I'd never let anything hurt her, and if you so much as misplace a hair on her head, or make her shed even a single tear, I'll come after you."
Kenshin nodded, and Ryoga followed him into the house. They walked into the main room, only to be met with Nabiki's laughter. She couldn't seem to stop. Every time it looked like she was winding down, she'd look at Ryoga again and laugh. Ryoga growled.
"It's not that funny." Then he smirked. "Or maybe I should propose to you too Nabiki, and complete the circle."
That stopped her. She grimaced.
"Hmmm. That's not a bad idea, Tendo… Hibiki's talents would be a boon to the school, don't you think?"
Everyone looked at Genma with something akin to horror in their eyes. Genma lost his contemplative pose with a hiss of drawn steel coming from beside him. "Husband…"
Genma panicked. "Apologies, wife, it was only a passing thought. Obviously Ryoga already has enough on his shoulders at the moment."
Nabiki, eager to take the upper hand, smirked. "Yeah. How are things with Akari, anyways?"
Ryoga twitched. "That's not something that I want to talk about."
Akane frowned, concerned for her friend. "Oh no, did you two have a falling out?"
Ryoga grimaced. "Let's just say I suddenly know a bit about what it's like to be Mousse, okay?"
Akane gasped, misinterpreting the concept involved. "She didn't… oh, Ryoga, I'm so sorry!"
Ryoga sighed, and Nabiki rolled her eyes. Akane continued to wail. "Oooh! If I see her again… Imagine, going from in love with a guy to ignoring him and treating him like dirt! I never liked Mousse, but…"
Akane blinked, then blushed red from her hairline to her toes. "Um… sorry."
Ryoga shook his head. "It's… okay. The situation is… complicated. I'm not going to go back for quite some time… if ever. Hopefully."
Nabiki grinned. "With how often you get lost Hibiki, I'm betting you're there sometime next week."
Ryoga smiled at that, but said nothing. Soon, the house was quiet, Ryoga holed up in the dojo for the night.
Ryoga awoke the next morning to the loud crack of wood on wood and the resounding thumps of flesh against flesh. Ryoga opened the doors of the dojo to find Akane sparring with Ranma's father, and keeping up well. If Ryoga had to guess, he'd say Akane was about at the level Ranma had been upon entering Nerima. That is to say, formidable, but not invincible. Nodding quietly to Soun, who watched with tears of pride running down his face, Ryoga wandered into the back yard and sat quietly, watching Mrs. Saotome correct Kenshin as they practiced the family sword art.
Despite his proclamation the evening before, Ryoga was still uncertain of how to react to Kenshin. He knew that this was the same man he'd spotted two years ago, but if he hadn't known that he would never have guessed them to be the same person.
Ryoga shrugged it off and began to meditate. Meditation was the key to not getting lost anymore. Well, at least not as often as he did. Those monks hadn't been able to help him with just how he'd acquired that particular ability, but they did help him to control it. Extreme amounts of emotion, particularly dark emotions, precipitated the process. Once he wasn't paying enough attention, poof, he was somewhere else. The meditation kept him calm, and therefore he had fewer episodes.
About an hour later, Ryoga sighed and breathed deeply, coming out of his trance, feeling ready to face the day.
In Nerima, optimism of that caliber is taken as a challenge to the Kami, who prefer their subjects to be browbeaten.
So, of course, that was when he was forced to jump out of the way of a bomb. Looking to the roof of the Tendo dojo, he was confronted by the familiar figure of Mousse.
"Hibiki! This will not stand! Shampoo will be my bride, not yours!"
Ryoga briefly considered denying that he even wanted Shampoo in the first place, and citing that it had simply been a huge mistake. He tossed the idea out just as quickly as it came. It never seemed to get Ranma anywhere, so he wouldn't bother. "How badly do I have to beat you to make you go away, Mousse? I'd rather you didn't ruin my mood."
By this time, all activity in the yard had stopped… well, Soun was blabbering about damages again, but Kasumi managed to drag him to the relative safety of the back porch.
Mousse, wearing his glasses, managed to make a rather accurate leap, landing a good fifteen feet from Ryoga. Without warning, the fight began, Mousse throwing out his chains. Ryoga snorted, and grabbed them, attempting to yank Mousse off balance, but Mousse let the chains go, trading them for a pole arm yanked out of his sleeve. He rushed in at Ryoga, the tip held low. Ryoga batted away the first pass with a slap of the hand and landed the other right into Mousse's face.
Or he tried to, but Mousse wasn't there. Ryoga spun around, noting that the weapon had to be ki infused since it had actually managed to cut him, but found no sign of the myopic hidden weapons master. His next instinct was to look up.
Ryoga rolled to the side to dodge both the claws attached to Mousse's feet and the pole arm. He came up into a ready stance as Mousse turned to face him. He reluctantly acknowledged the duck. "You've been training."
Mousse shrugged. "It finally occurred to me that if I was going to hide weapons, I should at least know how to use them."
Then Ryoga was charging, and Mousse leapt to the side, making sure Ryoga was between himself and the house. He'd have to do this just right to make it work.
A very dirty Mousse ducked into the Nekohaunten, and braced the door with his back, looking very nervous. He thanked his lucky stars that it wasn't time for the lunch rush yet. The old bat would have killed him. As it was she just looked at him confused. A little irritated, but mostly confused.
"Well part timer, what happened? The Hibiki boy too much for you?"
Mousse grimaced.
A few minutes previous at the Tendo compound, Mousse pulled out a round object and threw it at Ryoga, who attempted to bat it away, but it exploded on contact, even as Mousse turned tail and ran to make sure he wasn't in range.
A water balloon.
Mousse was absolutely certain there'd be a scream of rage from Akane any second now.
Yep. Any second now.
Another second ticked by, and Mousse started getting nervous. Why wasn't Akane murdering the philandering lost boy yet? He turned around slowly. And nearly pissed his pants while everyone else gaped.
Standing there with its arms crossed was something wearing Ryoga's clothing, stretched out as it was. It was big, and it was black, with huge tusks. A yellow and black bandanna had stretched out around its neck.
It was the biggest damn sumo pig Mousse had ever seen. It even had a good foot, foot and half on Katsunishiki
"Oink." The grunt was not the high-pitched piggy squeal of before. This was deep and masculine, and the pig did not look amused. Then, it lashed out, catching the surprised Chinese boy by surprise, knocking him back out of the compound into the street.
Mousse started running. With a clattering noise behind him, Mousse looked back, and started running faster. Ryoga was chasing him, charging like the oversized boar he looked.
At the next intersection, a semi driver stopped and gaped, then jumped out of his truck and started running. Mousse thanked whoever was looking out for him, as this would enable him to gain precious seconds and loose his terminally lost opponent.
It was not to be. With a particularly loud and assertive 'oink', a black pig glowing orange blew right through the truck like a cannon ball.
Mousse started praying as he ran even faster. This would not end well. A slamming noise behind him just kept him going over the shaky ground. He didn't want to know what it was this time. He panicked a bit when he saw the crack form beneath his feet and jumped away, narrowly evading the explosion. Cologne had told them vividly of Kenshin's fight with Ryoga.
Of course, being in mid air left Mousse wide open as he felt the tusked snout slam into his back, sending him flying. He landed in the dumpster behind the Nekohaunten.
At present though, Shampoo was grinning. "Mousse get defeated by pig-boy, yes?"
"It wasn't a fair fight!"
Reaaally." Cologne drawled. "You attacked him without warning. Why are you calling foul play?" She emphasized the 'foul'.
"Because he changed his curse! Did you know there was a spring of drowned sumo-pig, old mummy?"
Cologne blinked. "There is no spring of drowned sumo-pig you blind fool!"
Then the door was smashed down on top of Mousse by a black sumo-pig. Cologne looked at it. "Well, I suppose I can't be right all the time…"
A grumbling Ryoga walked back into the Tendo compound a while later. Akane was right there waiting. "Ryoga, how'd you pick up a jusenkyo curse?!"
"I don't want to talk about it."
Akane, smiled sympathetically. Her mind searched for things that would comfort her friend, and instead it spat out the last time he'd said that sentence. Her mind jumped conclusively to the wrong conclusion. "Oh no! Why would Akari curse you like that?" Her mind made another blind leap and found semi-stable footing. "She… can't actually like pigs… like that could she?"
While Ryoga personally wouldn't have been surprised to find that to be the case, he just shook his head sadly, which Akane took for agreement.
"Oh no! You poor dear!
Ryoga sighed and put up with it. It was better than admitting the truth. That would get him killed.
Kenshin Saotome was at a loss.
He stood in the dojo's yard, practicing his forms. He had been unsettled since Ryoga's reappearance in his life. Kenshin was not normally fatalistic, but in this instance he could not help but believe that this was but the beginning.
Ryoga had exposed one part of his sordid past, and he could not help but wonder what else from his past would return to haunt him.
As he slightly built up the speed and complexity of his sword-kata, a face flashed across his eyes and a name across his mind.
Kaoru…
He closed his eyes and started going faster still, banishing his thoughts with action.
Focusing completely on his technique, he blocked out the world, and kept moving.
After the… incident… he'd started traveling, moving from place to place, anything to keep ahead of his past, anything to keep the memories from catching up with him.
But now he was stopped, motionless, and vulnerable.
His past would catch up with now, he was sure. He didn't know how, and he didn't know when, but it would come, and questions would have to be answered.
And if he didn't answer, others would be only too happy to provide the information.
A roar of anger interrupted his thoughts, and he raced from the dojo to the house. It didn't sound like Ryoga, and the other boy seemed a bit too stable to really let loose like that in any case.
What he found upon entering the Tendo domicile, however, was not something he could handle himself.
What he found, was the awe inspiring might that was the diminutive master of the Anything Goes School.
Happosai.
Kenshin had, of course, heard tales before now of Happosai's strength from the others, but to feel it, even as the tiny master's aura of anger blanketed the room, was something else.
"YOU COMPLETE AND UTTER IMBECILES! NO! I WILL NOT ACCEPT AKANE AS HEIR!"
Genma and Soun were on their knees, begging. "But master…" Genma
began.
"…There is no one else!" Finished Soun.
Happosai growled.
"A WOMAN IS NOT A FIT HEIR, AND YOU IDIOTS KNOW IT!"
A new source of anger interrupted at this, and everyone's gaze flickered over to the stairwell, where Akane's aura was busily peeling the wallpaper with its heat.
Everyone but Happosai shrank back.
"SWEETO!"
Happosai, pervert that he is, dove for Akane's chest. He found Akane's mallet waiting. Happosai flew back, but flipped and hit the ground feet first. He paused a moment. "A bit better than I'd expected, but nothing to brag about girl! Happo Daikarin!"
Akane swung the mallet in an attempt to bat the bomb back, but it exploded on contact, sending her through the wall. Soun collapsed, wailing, and Kenshin hurried outside, where this time he could tell it was Ryoga bellowing.
"Yuubuta Sakigake!"
Kenshin got outside just in time to see Happosai take the brunt of the hit, and fly backwards. He was caught by surprise in the house, but this time Kenshin was ready.
"Ryuu Tsui Sen!"
Kenshin missed Happosai by a hair as the little man twisted in mid air. He then tucked and rolled himself to avoid the bandanas Ryoga sent as follow up. He came back up at Ryoga's side and contemplated the little man. Smoke was drifting up from Happosai's body, but other than his clothing, the little man didn't seem the least bit burnt.
All three combatants readied themselves for another charge.
"STOP!"
All three of them turned to look at the voice's owner… Akane Tendo. She addressed Kenshin and Ryoga first. "You two… thank you for standing up for me, but I'm a martial artist too." She turned to address Happosai next. "And you… I can too be the heir! Name the time and place."
All three began a collective blink. Happosai grinned. "Okay girlie… In the dojo. One week from now." His face turned serious. "In the end, you'll either be the heir, or… you'll be out of the school. Permanently. Bye, now!"
Ryoga gulped. "Akane… you don't have to…"
Akane's face hardened and Ryoga trailed off. "Yes I do. I have to make him respect me at least a little…"
Kenshin was a bit unsteady. "Battles for pride are not easily won…"
Akane scowled. "You too?"
Ryoga grimaced. "Ranma at least knew the Kashuu Tenshin Amaguriken before he fought Happosai the first time. And he'd been fighting me a lot too. He could take a lot of those blows."
Akane smiled sweetly. "Then that's the perfect place to start the week's training, isn't it Ryoga?"
Ryoga slowly covered his face with his hand, and Kenshin commiserated. He'd dug his own grave.
"A perfect plan!"
They turned to see Soun Tendo. "Kenshin, you and Ryoga will go and train Akane for a week, so she can beat the master!"
Ryoga gaped. "Ranma never beat Happosai, and Akane's supposed to do it in a week?!"
Akane's voice was quiet. "It's not like I have another choice anymore…"
Ryoga sighed and looked at Kenshin who was equally pensive. She was right. There wasn't another option. Akane would have to beat Happosai, or she'd never be a part of the Anything Goes school again.
Kenshin walked calmly behind Akane by Ryoga's side. "This one wonders why he was forced to make this journey. This one's skill is not hand to hand."
Ryoga shrugged. "One, you're her fiancé. Those idiots weren't about to miss an opportunity for you and Akane to be alone for a week."
Kenshin frowned. "But you are here, are you not?"
Ryoga shrugged. "They probably counted on me being lost right about now. Used to happen a lot. More importantly, though, Akane needs someone to spar with besides me. Can't let her get used to only one opponent's style."
Kenshin nodded slowly. Akane yelled back from up ahead. "Come on, you two! There's a great place up ahead!"
Ryoga sighed and nodded, and they both upped their pace to catch Akane. Getting to the top of the hill they were climbing, Kenshin had to admit that the place was perfect for their purposes. A forest clearing, with a small stream on one side made it a fantastic place to train for this particular technique.
Akane was already squatting down and digging through her pack. "Um… Kenshin? So you have a tent with you?"
Kenshin and Ryoga hit the ground face first. Getting up, they both stared incredulously at Akane. Kenshin was a bit nervous. "But… this one thought that you had the tents… this one's pack contains only rations… and large amounts of chestnuts.
Akane looked up out of her own pack and started growling. "Father…"
Kenshin walked over to her. Ryoga knew better and stayed right where he was. "What is the problem? Is there no tent in your pack?"
"Of course there's a tent in my pack! The only problem is that that's all! One! Not two, one! Those idiot father's of ours are trying to get us to sleep together! Not only is there only a single tent in here, it's only meant for one person! We'd be right on top of each other, even without Ryoga…" She trailed off and looked over at the lost boy. "You do have a tent with you, right?"
Ryoga nodded slowly. "Sort of."
Akane's eye twitched. "Sort of?"
Ryoga didn't answer and leapt backwards so that he was in the center of the clearing. He unslung the umbrella from where it was on the side of his pack and opened it, then slammed the end into the ground. Cloth unrolled from the edges of the parasol, until it touched the ground, then the cloth segments stretched tight.
The end result looked like a small, grayish, circus tent. Kenshin and Akane walked over and peered inside…
Only to find a comfortable sitting room with several doors leading off of it. Ryoga walked out from behind one of them scratching the back of his head nervously.
Okay, so Ryoga keeps a house in his umbrella. Humorous, and there will be a certain amount of significance to it later.
The next chapter will have some of Akane's training, and the resulting fight with Happosai. All who think she can actually beat him, raise your hands.
Looks around, crickets chirp in the background
Thought so.
Well, if there's space in the chapter after that fight, I might finally get around to Yahiko, if not, then he's chapter after next for sure.
I'd like to apologize for the lack of Kenshin action so far, I really would. But, after Yahiko's chapters, we move into the meat of the story, and that's where it gets fun, and Kenshin moves back into the main character spot. Three chapters at most, I promise.
Out.