A month.

It had almost been a month since he had found Ryouga Hibiki's home and yet, there was no trace of the man, himself. This was so stupid. Even an idiot such as he should be able to find his way back to his own house every once in a while. He had checked the Hibiki house every night since he first found it. No one ever entered, no one ever left.

So, there he was, so close to his revenge, yet still so far away. As this was his hometown, he began walking around, becoming familiar with where everything was located. It certainly looked like a nice enough town to live in. If he had to wait there for any length of time before he actually ran into Ryouga, it didn't look like he'd hate it too much. He just had to make sure not to make much noise overnight. The thought made him reflexively rub the spot where he was hit that night.

At any rate, knowing that fool, he was probably a few blocks away from his house and not even aware of it. He had chased Ryouga all over the world, just about. He knew from a few of the people he met along the way that Ryouga was trying to get to a certain city in Japan. Twice he chased him to Paris, Ryouga believing their Eiffel Tower was the Tokyo Tower. At least now, the lost boy seemed to have kept his journeys localized to the Japanese archipelago.

It was fun chasing Ryouga around the world for a while. He had gotten to see many amazing things and met many amazing people along the way. But it had grown tiresome and he felt like putting down roots in one town. Ryouga was sure to show up here sooner or later, so this town was as good a place as any. Two weeks into the time he surveilled Ryouga's place, he had gotten an apartment of his own. It was nice to have an actual bed to go to sleep in. Sure, he could rough it if he had to, no problem. But he missed the creature comforts modern living had to offer.

He could even dress the way he wanted to now as well. He had on a black three-piece suit minus the jacket, with a long sleeved white dress shirt and a black tie. He loved movies like The Transporter where the characters kicked ass and looked good doing it, so he emulated them. He carried a long black umbrella with what looked like a dagger's tip on the end. The handle was an intricately sculpted dragon's head, a very expensive piece of craftsmanship. While he was on Ryouga's trail, he had taken a few 'jobs' here and there, usually along the lines of corporate espionage. As such, he had made quite a bit of money and wasn't above splurging.

His outfit was made complete by the expensive pair of named brand sunglasses. He wanted to give himself an air of mystery along with the stylishness.

Looking around, he scoped the second attribute that made the town one he wanted to live in...all of the lovely girls only a couple of years younger than he in their various school uniforms. All work and no play would make him a very dull man. He hoped that during his time there, he'd make some very special friends. He grinned lecherously at the prospect, not noticing the object flying towards his head until it was too late.

-WHAM-

"What the..." Standing in front of him...at least he thought it was standing...was a person holding a sack nearly three times his size.

It turned and looked at him, flashing a grin so mischievous it made his spine tingle. "Sorry, sonny. Didn't see you there."

He picked himself up and dusted his suit off. "You should really be more careful. One day, you could cross the wrong person and they could seriously hurt you. Someone...like me for example."

The old troll looked up at him with an eyebrow raised. Another young pup that thought he could play with the big dogs hmm? "And who might you be?"

"I'm the person who's suit you ruined. Do you have any idea how much it's going to cost me to get it cleaned?"

"Oh, is that all? You can send your bill to the Tendo Dojo. They'll take care of it for ya!"

He frowned. "I don't think so. I'd rather take it out of your hide!" He swung his umbrella at the troll handle first. The handle began glowing bright yellow-orange as he did so. However, the old troll managed to dance around every one of his strikes. He brought down the handle for a clubbing blow on the diminutive old man, but he leapt out backwards, out of its range. A shallow crater sunk into the ground, quite a feat, as he was able to stop the swing before the handle touched the ground. "Feh, he's a lot quicker than I anticipated..."

The old man smiled at him. "Hey, you're not bad, junior. Not bad at all. I have a feeling you and I are going to see a lot more of each other in the future. For now, here's a token of my esteem." The troll dug into his sack and threw a smaller package at him. The newcomer grabbed the handle of his umbrella and used the sharp end to slice the package in two. However, that little diversion was all the little troll needed to make his escape.

"Humph, if so, then I'll get you next time." He knelt down and inspected the contents of the package, trying to find out more about his new...person of interest. "What the...women's underpants?"

"LOOK! GET HIM!" That was all the warning the newcomer got before he was attacked by a mob of indignant girls in various school uniforms.

"That ought to teach you!" said one of the girls.

"That's just what this town needs," said a second one, "another pervert." The girls grabbed the small collection of women's underthings and stalked away.

"I take back every nice thing I said about this town," the newcomer croaked. "What kind of crazy place have I wandered in to? And wouldn't you know it? I find out about stuff like this AFTER I agreed to a two year lease..."

-

Dreamweaver Studios Presents

Ranma½

And the Beat Goes On

"The Wrath of Heaven"

-

Had he left Nerima yet?

Ryouga took a quick look around and thought he saw some familiar landmarks. That didn't help much. He's been nearly everywhere there is to go in Japan on foot, so just about any landmark he'd come across would look familiar. He hadn't run into anything he knew was specific to Nerima, though...no Nekohaten, no Furinkan High school, no Ucchan's Okonomiyaki (thankfully), and no Tendo Dojo (thankfully again).

About a block away from him was a shop called "After the Fall". He didn't recognize it, nor did he remember any shop with that name in Nerima. He was lost, as usual, but, at least, he appeared to have been out of Nerima now.

He sat down on a nearby bench and set his pack to the side. He didn't remember the last time his pack ever felt so heavy to him. Even his legs felt like they had two-ton weights tied to them. Ryouga leaned over and put his head in his hands. He was very tired. Not from his physical journey; he had made long treks before and always had energy afterwards. It was his life journey that had taken its toll on him. What in the world did he ever do so that was so horrible, the gods would punish him so severely?

Was that really all he was to everyone? Just a tool for them to use to get what they want, then to throw away when they were finished? Didn't one person in that damned town think of him as a human being?

The world was a cold and lonely place. How many times had he said that in a state of depression? Cold and lonely? Only on a good day. It was a cruel, hateful place filled with duplicitous, backstabbing jerks...who all deserved to be blasted to hell.

There was a twinge within Ryouga's being. Something tugged at his heart, as if to pull him down into some deep black pit where, once he had descended, he would never return. It felt like the Shi Shi Hakoden, but a lot worse, a lot more soul wrenching. The more the idea rolled around in his head, the stronger the tug got. Quickly, he put the idea out of his mind. Despite his grandstanding on numerous occasions, Ryouga wasn't the type to kill. Besides, killing them would mean he'd have to see them again...and he really didn't want to have to see them again.

With a shake of his head, he picked up his huge backpack, stood up, slung it over his shoulder and started walking. As he did, a strong odor permeated his senses. Across the street was one of the many bars the salarymen would stop off to after work to drink their woes away. Ryouga never was one for drinking. After all, as a martial artist, he needed to have his mind razor sharp to stay in control of himself and his incredible abilities. Besides which, drinking too much alcohol was bad for one's health.

After standing there, looking at the bar for a few moments, he crossed the street. No one else cared about his health. Why should he bother to?

----+----+----+----+----

With her hair flying happily in the wind, Shampoo rode her bike over to Furinkan High School. The days had been a lot brighter lately without Mousse's dark cloud hovering over her. Even though he was now a part of an enemy tribe, she still regarded him a friend...probably the best friend she ever had. She wouldn't admit it to herself, but she actually missed having him around. She did wish him nothing but happiness in his future endeavors...after all, that would mean he'd leave her alone from now on.

Now, only Ukyou, Akane and that crazy girl were left as obstacles. With her having completed a delivery, she had a bit of free time before she was due back to the Nekohaten, so she thought she'd swing by Ranma's school to have a little quality time with him. A few moments like that, and she was sure Ranma would only have eyes for her. Besides, with the special dishes she had prepared for him there was no way he could resist. A way to a man's heart was through his stomach and that was particularly true with this man.

She made it to Furinkan and even though she just needed to veer right slightly to go through the opened gate, Shampoo plowed right through the wall, entering the school grounds. Just as she figured, it was their lunch period. All she had to do was find her future husband and they could have a nice, quiet (and hopefully romantic) meal together.

Among the large throng of students, she spotted a familiar looking light haired and dark haired pair of boys she recognized as Ranma's friends. If anyone knew where her beloved husband-to-be was, they would. "Excuse me?"

"Ah, yes?" went Daisuke. He and Hiroshi grinned like idiots upon her approach, always happy to see Shampoo, who was without a doubt the prettiest looking girl in town.

"Can you tell Shampoo where find Ranma?"

Daisuke answered without even thinking, "Oh, him? He's probably off somewhere smooching with Akane again." Hiroshi elbowed him hard in the abdomen. It was clear that she didn't know what was going on yet and the news could probably set her off. And since they were right there, chances were good they'd be her first targets.

Shampoo looked at him confused, "What you talking?"

Even after the elbow, Daisuke continued, "Oh yeah, it's the talk of the school now. Ranma and Akane have finally dropped the pretences and admitted they're in love with each other. About time, if you ask me. Though, Kuno, Ukyou and that Ryouga guy didn't like that too much and beat them up. They're probably off somewhere kissing their wounds, making them better..." Daisuke laughed to himself, thinking lecherous thoughts.

Shampoo stood there with her mouth agape, not believing what she was hearing. "No...it not true! It CAN'T be true!" She turned her bike around and pedaled furiously. Though she could've veered to the right again to go back through the first hole in the brick walled fence she made, she plowed through a second time.

"Geez, I wonder what's wrong with her?" Daisuke asked, watching her bike away.

Hiroshi glared at him, "You're an idiot. You know that, right?"

----+----+----+----+----

'This is just great', Akane thought to herself. 'I have an immunity to ki attacks. So who's the first person I fight after finding it out? A crazy girl with no ki attacks, but plenty of poisoned laced weapons.' She ducked out of the way of another spiked pin, the pin becoming embedded in a telephone pole.

Indeed, Akane's newfound advantage was negated by the fact that Kodachi didn't utilize her ki in any of her attacks. Kodachi's greatest strength is her trickery and mastery of the various weapons she uses in her particular art. The only way Akane could have any shot of beating Kodachi was if she could slip passed her defenses and attack her close up. It was difficult, however, with Kodachi's long-range weapons keeping her at bay.

Akane leapt out of the way as Kodachi through a ball at her. When the ball hit the ground, it exploded in a cloud of poisonous gas, knocking out some of the onlookers who happened to lurk around, watching. This was no good. There had to be a way to put her out of commission before she shrouds the entire town in a cloud of knockout gas or something just to get to her.

"OH-HOHOHOHOHO! There's little use in running, your wretched woman!" taunted Kodachi. "Your jumping about only delays the inevitable."

"You say that like it's a bad thing," said Akane.

"Joke all you wish. But it won't be long until you succumb to my toxins. And once you do, I will have you at my mercy!"

"Dream on! That's never going to happen!" As much as Akane hated to admit it and contrary to her bravado, it just may happen as Kodachi said. Even with her enhanced constitution, there was no way she'd be able to keep up that pace indefinitely. She would get tired and Kodachi would, indeed, have her unless she could come up with some way to get closer.

-Ching ching!-

'Oh no...'

There was a break in the action as Kodachi was distracted by the sound. She stopped and looked around for the source of the sound, as it was way too close for comfort. While she may not have known what it was, Akane knew all too well it source and she lamented its approach.

Without warning and as if out of nowhere, Shampoo, on her bike, dropped from out of the sky landing on top of Kodachi's head. Shampoo glared at Akane with a fire in her eyes never seen before. Akane hated to admit it, but for a split second, she was scared for her life looking in those eyes. Shampoo stood to her feet and let the bike fall. "Akane, I not let you take husband away from me! Shampoo kill you first!" She attacked Akane ferociously with a blinding series of punches and kicks. Akane was amazed she was able to dodge or block them all.

-POW-

...or most of them. Akane pulled herself out of the wall she found herself embedded in and wiped the trickle of blood from her lip. Shampoo was irate and it didn't look as though she would settle for using some amnesia inducing shampoo on her this time. Well, that suited Akane just fine. It was about time she showed that Chinese bimbo a thing or two. Not only that, but what better opponent to test out her new half-demon form? And at least she wouldn't have to worry about being kept outside of close fighting range by poisonous weapons.

Shampoo charged again, but this time, Akane met her charge, stride for stride. Shampoo feigned a kick, with Akane moved to block. Shampoo used the distraction to throw another punch at the youngest Tendo daughter's face. Seeing the attack coming, Akane tilted her head, allowing the fist to fly by. Using the Amazon's momentum against her, Akane grabbed the extended arm and yanked it as hard as she could, propelling Shampoo into the same wall she was pounded into moments before.

Akane looked at the Amazon warrior in awe. Either Shampoo was sloppy in that last attack, or she was faster than before. Either way, it felt go to have finally gotten one over on her. Shaking off the effects of the last blow, Shampoo stood to her feet and stared Akane down. She certainly was different than before. Akane was always confident in her skills...too confident, Shampoo always thought. Akane was always the easy one to beat in a fight. What could've happened? Well, whatever, it didn't matter. Shampoo wasn't about to lose. Ranma was going to be her husband, no matter what.

Rubbing the giant lump on her head and the tire marks on her face, Kodachi stood back up as well and caught sight of Akane and Shampoo. "Oh no you don't, you purple haired wench! Akane Tendo is MY prey!" She grabbed another ball and hurled it at her two rivals. They managed to leap out of the way before it landed and filled the air with more knockout gas.

Just as she landed from her jump, Akane was entangled by Kodachi ribbon. Her arms wrapped tightly in the fabric, there was no way for her to soften the blow as Kodachi slammed her into the pavement. Taking advantage of the opening, Shampoo got on top of her and reared her fist back. After this final blow, Kodachi would be no trouble to beat. She would then be two steps closer to having Ranma all to her self.

She tried to deliver the final blow, but she couldn't. Someone or something had her arm snagged. Shampoo looked up and found Autumn holding her back. Autumn gave Shampoo a nasty smile, "Two on one...just doesn't seem fair. Besides, if I recall, we have our own battle to continue."

"You get in Shampoo way, Shampoo kill you too!"

Mousse blinked. He looked to his side and sure enough, Autumn was no longer on her perch. He looked back down to the fight and sighed. Even though he had given up on his pursuit of Shampoo, he still couldn't help but feel bad for her. The news must've reached her ears that Ranma and Akane considered themselves an item now and was fighting in a futile battle to stop it. She had to realize that it couldn't be stopped now. Even if she did beat Akane the only thing that would do was garner Ranma's resentment.

If only she had chosen him while he pursued her. Then, she wouldn't be in this position now. But she brought this upon herself. Of course, Autumn didn't need to go down to make things worse. He wanted to go down there and do something, but he didn't know what. He still had feelings for Shampoo and wanted, deep in his heart, to go help her somehow. But he had no loyalties to her anymore. They weren't even part of the same tribe anymore. Not to mention the possible rift that would cause between he and Autumn.

He only had one, real choice and he took it. He sat back, grabbed another handful of popcorn and continued watching the sad show play out.

----+----

Ranma danced around Kuno's strikes with little effort. He was a little faster and a little stronger, to be sure. If he were like this when they first met, he might have been a serious challenger. As things stood now, though, even with Kuno's incredible attack, he was still a joke. Hmm...speaking of which, it looked as though he was ready to pull it out now. Ranma smiled. Kuno's trump card was an all or nothing play. Once he used it, he would be too tired to continue fighting. Who knew that when someone got stronger and more advanced attacks, they'd become easier to beat?

"I have always said that the vengeance of heaven was slow, but sure, Saotome, but no more!" exclaimed Kuno. Ranma slapped his forehead. That line again? "The heavens themselves have given me a gift in which to defeat you! Now, Saotome..."

"Geez, Kuno, do ya have to give a speech every time you pull off a move?" went Ranma. "Besides, you said all that stuff last time we fought."

Kuno raised an eyebrow, "I did? Did it strike fear into your black heart, as intended?"

"Nah. It was kind of a snoozer."

"I see," Kuno said, scratching his chin. "Very well. I shall work to provide more original pronouncements for the future at my earliest convenience. But back to the matter at hand, Saotome..." He launched himself into the sky with his bokken raised above his head, crackling with electricity. "Tremble with fear as you have bestowed upon you the WRATH OF HEAVEN!"

Ranma got out of the way just in time, as Kuno came back to earth in a thunderous fury. The force from his attack caused a large crater in the road beneath him and shattered the windows in all of the surrounding buildings. As the light dissipated and the smoke cleared away, Kuno was in the center of the devastation, down on one knee and breathing heavily.

"Still conscious, huh? You have gotten better," said Ranma. He grabbed the front of Kuno's shirt and lifted him up, punching him in the face, propelling him into a brick wall. "Well, that's that." He brushed his hands clean and started off to see how Akane was doing.

"Hold! This confrontation isn't over yet!"

Ranma turned around with his mouth agape. That should've been enough to put Kuno down at least three times. What was going on? Ranma cracked his knuckles and stalked over to the fallen kendoist. "I dunno how you managed to stay conscious through all that. But this time, I'm gonna put you down for sure."

Kuno was not in a good way. He was covered in rubble and was having trouble standing. How could this have happened? Even with his new power, he was still defeated by the accursed Ranma Saotome? No...he couldn't be defeated, not this time. If not for himself, he had to defeat the evil sorcerer for the sake of the virtuous Akane Tendo. But the knave managed to avoid his most powerful move and there was no way he would be able to do it again.

As much as it pained him to admit it, he would, indeed, be defeated. But if so, he wasn't going to make it easy on him. With Ranma nearly on top of him, he grabbed his bokken, took a swing at Ranma and shouted "CURSE YOU!" Amazingly, the bokken crackled to life again and shot a ball of lightening at Ranma, striking him in the chest and throwing him backwards into one of the many drinking establishments.

Kuno looked at his bokken in awe. "Amazing!" he said to himself. "Truly, even I know not the depths of my new power!" He jumped to his feet, reenergized, so to speak, and laughed manically, totally forgetting his injuries and fatigue. "I will not be so easily dispatched, Saotome! Prepare yourself!"

----+----

Sitting at the bar, Ryouga counted all of the empty shot glasses on the counter in front of him. "...Eight...nine...ten...eleven." In the time he had been there, he had down eleven of the strongest drinks the establishment had to offer. Except for the fact that his stomach was on fire, he felt numb. That was good, he felt. Numbness was a whole lot better than the pain he felt before. Now he understood why so many people drank themselves into a stupor. Even if it was temporary, it was good to not hurt so much.

"I would like another, please."

The barkeeper looked him over and shook his head. "I think you've had quite enough, sir."

"Well, I don't. I want another drink!"

"Listen buddy, why don't you go home and sleep it off first, huh?"

Ryouga's head dropped. He could feel some of the pain welling back up, "Home? Heh, I don't have a home. Can't remember the last time I've had a place to call 'home'. And I'll tell you why, too. Only people have homes. You have to be somebody before you can have someplace to call your home...with family or friends who'd be there to greet when you walk in the door after a hard day's work. Me...pfft. I'm a nobody. I'm just a tool for others to use, abuse and throw away at their leisure. Nobodies don't get homes. We can get drinks, though. And I want one right now." As he spoke, Ryouga could feel that tugging at his heart again. His ki shimmered in the subdued light of the bar, a deep red instead of its usual greenish hue. Having grown intimidated by Ryouga's display, the barkeeper thought it better to give him what he wanted.

Ryouga picked up his fresh glass of alcohol and looked at himself in the liquid's reflection. So this was it, huh? All of that training he did, all of that discipline, all that fighting...all for nothing. His one chance at happiness had been snatched away from him. Those he thought were his friends...weren't. Was there really any reason for him to keep going? He couldn't think of any.

There was a thunderous boom outside so violent that the bar's windows exploded. The other patrons inside began to panic. Even the barkeeper saw this and ran for his life. Ryouga, however, simply sat there staring into the reflection of his drink. He had given up. As far as he was concerned, he no longer had a life; he merely existed. Simply existing was no way to go through this world. One had to have a purpose; they had to have something that drove them. They had to have ambition, something to strive for. What did he have?

So, why even exist?

With a sad smile, he rose his glass to give a toast to the rest of his life, however brief it was going to be. All the while, his ki grew in intensity. He brought the glass to his lips to drink the last beverage he'd ever have and...

-CRASH!-

-THUD-

Ryouga opened his eyes and found his drink had spilled all over the floor in front of him. "Wha in the world happened?" he wondered with a slight slur.

"Ugh...geez, where in the world did THAT come from?" went a familiar voice above him. Ryouga looked up and saw a familiar looking man brushing himself off. His clothes were torn along the edges and his pigtailed hair was frazzled, like he just took a jolt of electricity.

Wait. Pigtail?

"Ranma..."

Ranma looked down and saw he was sitting on his longtime rival. "Ryouga? Hey, fancy meetin' you here. Geez, man, you don't look too good."

Something snapped. Ryouga's shimmering ki roared ferociously to life at the appearance of the man who ruined his life so many times in the past. "Raaaanma..." his voice was so bestial, he didn't even sound the same. "CAN'T I EVEN SELF DESTRUCT WITHOUT YOU GETTING IN MY WAY?"

Ryouga literally erupted, his energy expanding exponentially, completely obliterating the bar and the two buildings next to it on either side. Ranma stumbled out of the large column of smoke and debris and collapsed on the road in front of where the bar used to be, coughing violently.

"What the hell was that?" Ranma wondered. "No way that could've been his shi shi houkoden attack...even for him, it was way too powerful!"

"There you are, Saotome!" said Kuno, charging down an adjoining block. "You shan't escape me this time!"

"KUNO! STAY BACK!" Ranma warned.

Just then, another intense pulse of energy emanated from the smoke, slamming Ranma and Kuno into one of the surviving buildings. After which, Ryouga, unscathed from his blow up, appeared, his ki still dancing wildly about him. An old saying goes that the eyes were a window into one's soul. Ryouga's eyes were empty; completely devoid of the sparkle of life. It seemed within that void, he found his ultimate power source. But the price looked to be very high. Despite the incredible energy he seemed to command at the moment, he looked as though it took all of his strength just to stay upright.

Ryouga slowly lifted his head and leveled his dead eyes at Ranma. "I've grown weary of this dance. I think it's time we finally put an end to this."

----+----+----+----+----

----+----+----+----+----