It had been a week since the fiasco with Ryouga occurred. As usual, the municipal disaster recovery team set up strictly for incidents involving martial artists, N-Marc, had done an exemplary job in repairing the damage inflicted to town. And for all of his bluster, Ryouga inflicted very little personal damage to anyone involved, except to Ukyou...which explained why she hadn't been to school in that week.
The sun had long since gone down and it was nearly time to retire for the night. Ranma was in the bathroom, dressing after a nice, relaxing bath. As he did so, he thought about the events of a week earlier and what Ryouga was saying about how they liked to use people. As much as he hated to admit it, he was guilty as well. Certainly, he wasn't as bad as some others. Cologne, after all, was willing to use Ukyou as distraction to save the rest of them...killing Ukyou in the process. That knowledge did little to make him feel any better.
Speaking of Ukyou, his past with her bothered him more than anything. Even though he was a child and didn't really know any better, he didn't think that absolved him of any responsibility. He and his father used her and her father. And for what? A few scraps of food that didn't last for very long? It nearly cost him his closest friend. He didn't know how, but he figured he could come up with a way to make things up to her when he decided he would own up to the promise made by their fathers and become her fiancée. But now that he and Akane were official, it seemed he just hurt her even more.
He planned on paying her a visit after school to see how she was recovering. As a penance of sorts, Ryouga volunteered to nurse her back to health. By now, he probably got lost trying to navigate her place and left her alone to fend for herself. Ranma hoped that he would come up with an idea for how he could also make things up to her during his visit.
Ranma gathered his belongings and exited the bathroom. He was so preoccupied with his thoughts; he didn't notice the ambush waiting for him. "Get him!" was all the warning he got before the world around him went black.
-
Dreamweaver Studios Presents
Ranma½
And the Beat Goes On
"The Torch"
-
The well-dressed newcomer carefully tread across the urban terrain, making sure to avoid any of the puddles of water in the street. He cursed at the bizarre weather patterns of this new town he had to call home. It always seemed to rain there at the most inopportune times. To say the least, it was very rough on his immaculate wardrobe.
There were rumors circulating around the neighborhood that Hibiki was involved in a major brawl a week ago. This was the first solid lead he had gotten since he arrived in Nerima as to his target's whereabouts. He hoped that the area hadn't been too cleaned up yet. He wanted to search the battlefield to see if there were any clues available that would tell him where Ryouga had gone to afterwards. Unfortunately, he hit another dead end. It seemed the city repair crews were very efficient, as the area didn't have the slightest hint of damage.
It was just his luck. There was no telling how far Hibiki could've wandered by now. Out of frustration, he punched a nearby light pole, his fist embedded right underneath a "Please Do Not Punch" sign. With the trail already cold, he decided there was nothing more for him to do that night. Before he could get caught in any more rain, he started back for his apartment.
"AAAK! PERVERT!"
The newcomer froze. He already learned from experience that expression meant nothing good. He turned to look behind him, but there was nothing there. He looked to either side of him and again, he found nothing. Finally, he looked up.
-WHUD!-
He found himself with a pair of feet planted in his face. The offender used his face as a springboard to leap out into the street to makes its escape. He staggered backwards but managed to keep his balance. The new comer looked up and found a familiar old troll bounding away from him. "You again!"
Happousai looked back. "Oh, hiya sonny! Sorry, I can't stay and play right now!"
The newcomer brought his umbrella to bear, "You're not going to get away this time you freak!"
-WHUD!-
The newcomer was planted face first into the street by another set of feet landing on his head. "You get back here, you pervert!" he heard a female voice call. He looked up to see whom else the old pervert managed to tick off.
He raised his brow, "Was that a...ninja?" Sure enough, he was looking at the retreating form of a female in full ninja garb, chasing the old man with a kodachi drawn. He picked himself up off the ground and dusted himself off; glad he didn't land in any of the standing puddles of water. "Feh," he said. "I hope she teaches that troll a lesson."
"Who's a troll?"
He turned around and found Happousai had somehow managed to get behind him. Faster than the newcomer could counter, Happousai snagged his arm with his trusty pipe and flipped the young punk into the air, causing him to face-plant into the ground once again. "That oughta teach you to respect your elders, boy!" the diminutive pervert said as he bounded off again, laughing as he did.
"...I hate this town," the newcomer grumbled.
----+----+----+----+----
It was nighttime...that was good. With the headache she had, Ukyou didn't think she could take the sunlight. Even though the day was almost over, these were her first waking moments of it. Slowly, she sat up in her bed and took stock of her situation. There was still some soreness in her limbs, but other than that, and her headache, she felt better than she had in quite a while. Seemed like the ministrations of the good Dr. Hibiki had worked its wonders.
Two other bits of information made themselves painfully obvious. The first was that she was quite hungry. The second...she stank very badly.
Oh well, the second problem she could take care of at her convenience. For right now, the first one was most pressing. "Ryouga!" She paused, her voice seemed quite a bit stronger than the last time she ventured to use it. Definitely a good sign. Now, if only her 'doctor' would notice. "Ryouga!" Once again, there was no response. Apparently on her own, Ukyou got to her feet, leaning against the wall, as her first steps were shaky.
Going down the stairs, she could already feel the damp night air on her skin. Sure enough, the front door to her restaurant was wide open and Ryouga was nowhere in sight. She went to the doorway to see if he was wondering around in front of the shop, confused. Again, he was nowhere to be found. Ukyou sighed inwardly, wondering where he could've wondered off to this time. Just before she returned to the comfort of the indoors, she noticed movement out of the corner of her eye.
"Hmm? These look like Ryouga's clothes..." She bent over to inspect them and found they were thoroughly soaked. No question as to why; looking at the state of the rest of the neighborhood, it had been pouring rain recently. Though her inspection, she found something else tangled between the clothes. She plied the layers away and found a little black pig huddled within the fabric.
"Awww, look at you..." Ukyou said. She couldn't help but smile. That was real sweet of Ryouga to cover up the little guy to protect it from the elements. Though, it would've been smarter if he took it inside first, but at least he tried. Depressed nature aside, he really had a good heart. Now, if only he could do something about that sense of direction...
"Hey, I recognize you," she said to the dozed piglet, "You're Akane's pet, aren't you?" She wondered how it managed to reach there from the Tendo dojo without anyone noticing. She sighed, "I guess I'll have to take you back over to her, huh?" She really didn't want to face them again so soon after...She felt herself getting depressed, but she shook herself out of it. That wasn't her and she didn't want to sink into that trap. She returned to the matters at hand to take her mind away from the subject of...them. Ryouga was still gone and she was still hungry. However, she didn't want to contaminate her kitchen with the stench she was carrying. Plus, the pig was filthy also.
"I guess I'll be taking that bath first after all," she said to herself. "I guess I'll get you cleaned up too, little guy. That way, we'll both be able to eat more comfortably." Satisfied with her decision, she walked back into the restaurant and closed the door.
----+----+----+----+----
"WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?" Bellowed Ranma, now awake, aware and really P.O.ed at being blindsided. He also had his arms tied behind his back. "When I get outta this, I'm gonna..."
"The only thing you're going to do, boy, is fulfill your duty."
Ranma blinked. "Pop?"
"That's right, boy," Genma said, looming over Ranma on one side. Looking at the room around him, Ranma could tell he had been taken to the dojo.
"Ranma, this is such a happy day!" said Soun, who was on Ranma's other side.
"What're you talkin' about?" went Ranma.
"Even though we had to deal with more important matters at the time, we remember that little episode you had with Akane in the front yard. We were so happy to find you finally admitted how you felt for each other!" Ranma remembered. That was back when they revealed Akane...all of the Tendo sisters were half-demon. After that news, Ranma forgot about how they spied on them. That was devious, even for them, to wait until that was a distant memory to pull this now.
Ranma looked down at himself. Sure enough, he was dressed in a tuxedo. "I should've known you would try somethin' like this!" he said, struggling against his bonds. "You ain't forcin' us to get married now!"
"What? Don't tell me you're going to disappoint Akane here?" said Genma. "And after she got all made up for you too."
It was then Ranma notice Akane was there in the dojo as well. She was clad in a floral patterned wedding dress. The top resembled a bustier: it was shoulderless, sleeveless and it revealed a healthy amount of cleavage. The bottom was long, flowing and ornate with a top layer of sheer, see-through material with the floral patterns over the opaque white skirt. She wore a matching pair of elbow length gloves with light pink lace trim on the wrists and a pink lace choker on her neck done in a bow in front. The outfit was capped off with a floral arraignment adorning her hair. To say the least, it left Ranma completely dumbstruck.
Genma smiled, "I don't think he has any more objections, Tendo."
Her closed eyes fluttered open and she looked into Ranma's eyes, which were still transfixed upon her. She looked him over. Then she looked herself over...and got upset. "HEY!"
"Saotome! I thought you said that chloroform would put her out for the rest of the night?" went a frantic Soun.
"It should have," said Genma. "Unless it only had half the effect, since she's only half-human!"
Akane growled, "You two!" She grabbed her father and soon to be father-in-law and punted them into the night. "You will not force us to get married! Our wedding will happen when we're ready and not a moment before!" She shook her head and turned her attention back to her fiancée. "And you! Were you just going to just sit there and let them do this to us?"
Ranma snapped back to reality, "Hey, I wasn't gonna just let them do anything." He turned around and showed her the predicament he was in, "But then, I wasn't really in a position to do anything about it."
With a sigh, Akane knelt down and untied the ropes that held bound Ranma's hands. "Jeez...I can't believe the nerve of those two."
"I do know one thing," Ranma said. "When we do get married, I'd like it a lot if you wore that dress."
Akane blushed and smiled despite herself.
----+----+----+----+----
"Hmm...much better." Having scrubbed herself thoroughly, Ukyou took a bucket of cold water and doused herself with it, rinsing away the grime. The cuts on her body were gone, she was glad to find out. But the bruises were still quite visible. It would take a few more days before they would go away completely, but fortunately for her, most would be covered when she went out in public.
The tub awaited and she so looked forward to diving in and letting it relax her aches away, but there was one last thing she had to do. Carefully, she picked up the sleeping pig beside her and put it in her lap. She lathered her hands with soap and gently scrubbed away all of the dirt. With the last bit of cold water left in the bucket, she rinsed it off. Not prepared for the sudden rush of cold, the pig woke up shivering.
"Oh, I'm so sorry," Ukyou said to the pig. "I didn't mean to wake you like that." The pig glared at her, but then it noticed her state of undress. Ukyou tilted her head to the side. Did the pig really just blush and look away from her? Nah. She had to have been imagining things. But it was still shivering. "I know, I know. You're still cold. But don't worry. That won't be a problem for long."
With the pig in hand, she stood up and walked over to the tub filled to the brim with hot water. Seeing this, the pig's eyes got wide and began to struggle against her. "Hey, what's the matter with you?" wondered Ukyou aloud. "I know most animals don't like baths, but the hard part's over. This is the part where we indulge ourselves." With every step closer she took to the tub, the pig struggled harder.
Finally, she got into the tub and immersed herself, but held the pig above water, wondering why it was fighting her so all of a sudden. She shook her head, "Fine...I won't put you all the way in. I'll just dip you in to warm you up, then dry you right off, okay?"
"BWEEE!" It renewed its frantic struggle.
"Okay, here we go." She dipped the pig into the water, holding its head just above the surface. "There, that wasn't so bad, now was it?" Inexplicably, the weight of the pig seemed to increase. So much so, that she dropped the pig into the tub. "What the? Oh no! Where are you, piggy? I hope you can swim!"
She felt something brushing on her legs, but there was no way that could've been a pig. She felt around under the water and found the bandanna that was supposed to have been wrapped around the pig's neck and pulled it up out of the water. Instead of the pig, she found herself face to face with...
"Ryouga?"
Ryouga looked at her and with a sheepish look said the only thing that came to mind. "Umm...bwee?"
----+----+----+----+----
On the roof of Autumn's herbal medicine shop, she and her intended, Mousse, sat stargazing. Or rather, he was laying on a blanket looking at the stars, while Autumn sat beside him deep in thought. She couldn't help but think about the conversation they had a week ago and the mess that followed shortly after. The whole reason she left her tribe was so she could make a life of her own, perhaps find love and find excitement. So far, she'd accomplished everything, more than she could've ever imagined. But could it be that the excitement was over already?
Mousse sat up and put a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, what's wrong?"
"I was just thinking about what you told me before," she said. "You said that once the truth about Ranma and Akane came to light, things would get bad...and they did. Now, since that's passed, does that mean it's the end?"
Thinking back, Mousse recalled the conversation they had after leaving the Tendo Dojo. Ranma and Akane were the glue that held that group of insane martial artists together with the hopes of defeating and/or marrying one or the other. Now that they've finally admitted their love for each other and the subsequent blow-up from the other prospective marriage mates had come and gone the real moment of truth had arrived. Unless someone was to step in and fill the void Ranma and Akane were now leaving, it truly would be the end.
----+----
Within the city's shadows, the ninja girl crept, looking for her prey. This was twice since she had been there that the little troll had molested her. With her primary search not bearing any fruit, she decided to break off from it to pursue this, more personal vendetta. There was no way she was going to let that old pervert get away with accosting her the way he did without a proper punishment. Unfortunately, the old pervert seemed quite skilled a martial artist himself. Plus, he was very crafty and eluded her easily.
This was going to be good for her. Since she graduated from ninja training, she had yet to encounter a worthy opponent. Scratch that, there was one other time in a bathhouse. Another pervert. At least the one in the bathhouse was a handsome young man and not a wrinkled old goat like this one. At any rate, this was going to be a true test of her training as a ninja. If she could defeat him, she knew there would be no challenge that she couldn't overcome. Giving him a few swift kicks in the face for goosing her would be a bonus.
"YOU PERVERT! YOU GET BACK HERE!"
Pervert? It must be the wrinkled old troll again, going after another girl. Silently, she ran through the alleyway to get in front of them. Once she was in position, she waited patiently for them to get in range. He wasn't going to escape this time.
"AAAH! GET AWAY FROM ME, YOU CRAZY GIRL!"
Hmm? That wasn't the old man's voice.
The two finally came into view and the ninja's jaw dropped at the sight before her: a naked, brown-haired woman with a giant weapon that resembled a spatula chasing a naked fang-toothed man in a bandana.
Wait...she looked at the man closely and recognized his face. "I don't believe it...it's you!"
----+----
The newcomer rubbed his temples...his head was still throbbing from being pounded into the pavement so many times. Screw the stupid lease. He didn't care how much the penalty he had to pay would be. He couldn't stand the thought of being in that stupid town any longer. Besides, it was clear to him now that Hibiki wasn't here. Better to cut his losses and get out of there before he had any permanent damage done to him.
"RYOUGA HIBIKI, YOU GET BACK HERE THIS INSTANT!"
"..."
From his perch on top of a lamppost he saw his prey, running naked down the street with some crazy woman waving a giant spatula chasing after him. He rubbed his eyes, sure that the many blows to the head were making him see things. Unfortunately, when he looked again, the sight was still there. He didn't know what it was about that place that made everyone so crazy...he just hoped it wasn't contagious.
"Well, not the way I wanted to see you, but I've found you at last, Ryouga Hibiki. Now that I've found you, I'll make you pay for what you've done to me. And I intend to make you suffer more for making me stay in this insane town too!"
----+----
The news was grand, indeed. Ranma Saotome had, indeed, declared his love for that girl, Akane Tendo. That meant that his engagement to Ukyou was now null and void. Tsubasa giggled like a little schoolgirl (and in his usual state of dress, he looked the part as well). The major obstacle between he and his love was now gone. Hearing the news herself, Ukyou would probably be very sad. What better way to work himself into her heart than to help her feel better during her greatest time of need?
Tsubasa giggled again. It had taken a long time to get to this moment, but through patiently biding his time, he would finally be victorious! Why, he could almost hear her right now, calling his name.
"RYOUGA!"
Wait...that wasn't his name...
Looking down from the balcony of his apartment, Tsubasa saw the love of his life, Ukyou Kuonji, chasing after some guy with her mega spatula. Wait...that guy...Tsubasa remembered him now. He was that Ryouga Hibiki fellow who was with Ukyou before. Was he going to be another obstacle in his path to true love?
He went back into his living room, various blueprints, machine parts and weaponry strewn about on the floor. Ranma Saotome, Ryouga Hibiki, it didn't matter to him. With his new 'disguises' at his disposal, no one would stand in his way. Thinking about it made him laugh malevolently...which, unfortunately, sounded like yet another schoolgirl giggle.
----+----
"WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU, YOU'RE GOING TO WISH YOU DID BLOW YOURSELF UP!"
"SOMEONE! HELP ME!"
Mousse and Autumn sweatdropped as they watched Ukyou chase Ryouga through the streets of Nerima, both naked as the days they were born. Autumn blushed and cleared her throat, "Well, that's something you don't see every day...thankfully."
Suddenly, Mousse smiled and leaned back onto the blanket. "Hey Autumn. That stuff we were talking about before? I have this sneaking suspicion we don't have to worry about that anymore."
----+----+----+----+----
----+----+----+----+----
-End Book One