Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½ but I do own Ding.

Author's Notes: Wow, not a bad response for a first chapter at all. I would like to thank you all for reviewing! The first chapter begins now but what of the buried Dragon? What will become of Ranma? Let's find out now! (I'm starting to sound like a cheesy announcer…)

Frozen Lake of Hell

Chapter 1

The warmth of the coat went a long way to unthawing the frozen redhead. She felt her ki surging along at full strength, no longer sluggish from her dropping body temperature. The girl climbed out from the coat just in time to see Ryoga and a strange guy fighting. The guy was pretty good but was a bit too arrogant. This observation coming from Ranma means that this is definitely a special case. The Lost Boy used a Bakusai Tenketsu suddenly on his opponent. The girl tried to cry out a warning, but by the time she could gather the breath, he was gone under the snow.

"Ryoga! What the hell is going on? Are you tryin' to kill people?" the incredulous redhead demanded angrily as she stood up. Her furiously burning aura heated the air around her causing her to change back to male. The coat was temporarily forgotten until the pigtailed boy realized it might be useful and put it on. Due to its size it hung down around his knees. Ryoga was staring at him in shock.

"You bastard! You learned how to control the curse but didn't tell me? The one who needs it more?" the furious fanged boy bellowed followed by a storm of bandanna shuriken. Ranma leaned back until his back was parallel to the ground to dodge the first volley before rolling onto his hands and pushing off the ground to dodge the next. He had to get the guy out of the snow or he might freeze to death but how to do it? His finely honed tactical computer was able to juggle several processes at once and it was practically doing back flips over this problem. Suddenly the answer hit him and he aimed a Moko Takabisha at Ryoga. When the Lost Boy tensed up to take the hit, the pigtailed wonder took his hesitation and fired the blast into the snow-filled hole. A great geyser of superheated air erupted from the hole as water splashed over the enraged pig-boy. It was rather comical when the water cooled on his clothes, during him into P –chan.

"Bwee!" the little piglet screamed angrily and promptly began shivering. Ranma rolled his eyes and motioned for him to stay where he was. The pigtailed martial artist checked the hole and spotted the guy at the bottom of the hole, apparently unharmed by the breaking point or the heated air. The martial artist jumped into the pit to check on him seeing as how he was flat on his back and his eyes were a little glassy.

"You okay buddy?" Ranma asked the young man, belatedly realizing he was wearing the guy's coat. As he was about to take it off, the man grabbed his hand.

"You can wear it. I don't get cold like normal people, but could you help me up?" the guy said with a wan smile as his glassy eyes slowly filled up with life. The young martial artist nodded and helped the man stand up. The blue haired boy abruptly arched his back and a gunshot like pop heralded it snapping back in place.

"Who are you?" Ranma asked.

"The name's Ding Dragon and…that guy packs a wallop." He smiled ruefully, wondering where the redhead went. Further conversation was interrupted by a pained cry from above. The young men looked at each other before leaping out of the hole in ready stances, Ding's sword miraculously returning to him, and facing off against...no one. Ryoga looked up at them pitifully from where he had stuck his hoof on a nail. If the Lost Pig hadn't looked so pitiful or so injured, Ranma might have laughed, but that was not really funny. He scooped the piglet up and inspected the hoof, much to Ryoga's chagrin.

"Easy there Master P and let me look at it. I may not be a doctor but I know injuries. Mostly inflicted by you." Ranma said with a grin as he noticed the nail was not only stuck in the hoof but it had cracked it. For an animal that was seriously bad news. Ding gaped for a second at the bandanna around the porcine wonder's neck before whispering in reverence and fear.

"Jusenkyo…" he breathed and the mystery of where the redhead went was solved. He wanted to know what loon reopened that damned place but was cut off by his companion expelling a large breath in annoyance.

"I could remove the nail here but without antiseptic or somethin' you'd get an infection. As it stands, you'll have to stay a pig for awhile since ya need to heal that hoof." The pigtailed boy explained patiently only to notice the stare he was getting from the bacon bit only to growl in annoyance.

"Hey, I'm not a dumb jock! I do pay attention and besides…Pops sold me to a vet once for a pizza, not as bad as rice and two pickles but hey…" he shrugged even as he held his rival surprisingly gently as he began to trudge back to the Dojo only to turn to Ding. He waved him to come on and the bemused Dragon complied.

"How can you be so kind to a guy who tried to kill you when you were unconscious?" Ding asked as his curiosity finally won out. It took a few moments of thinking for the answer as he absently adjusted Ryoga so he was settled more comfortably, or at least as comfortably as you can get with a nail in your foot.

"It's my fault he became a pig. Shortly after I was thrown into the Spring of the Drowned Girl, I was chasin' my pandified Pops and we knocked him off into the Spring of the Drowned Piglet. I can be angry at him for blamin' everything on me, but he has a right to blame me for that." Ranma finished quietly only to look down at the piglet in his arms, cradled like a baby. It would normally be humiliating but the Lost Pig was in too much pain to complain.

"Uh huh…still haven't answered my question." The Dragon said, slightly annoyed. Ranma smirked at the brief loss of temper before it became something friendlier.

"Easy, I usually trick him by pretendin' to be unconscious and since my injuries aren't obvious most of the time…he just assumed. Still, I am pissed cuz he attacked someone not involved." The pigtailed boy said reproachfully at the resting piglet. The pig looked briefly indignant before having the good grace to be ashamed. He would have asked more, but judging by the reticent expression on the boy's face, he decided that further questions could wait until later.

-Tendo Dojo-

Akane sat alone in her room staring at a small framed picture that sat on her desk. It was a picture of her and Ranma on their wedding day or at least what was supposed to be their wedding day. Throw in a few jealous fiancées, jealous suitors, idiotic fathers, an insane mother-in-law, a pervert, and a thrice-damned mercenary bitch and you get a recipe for disaster that they were lucky to survive. It wasn't fair to blame Ranma when all the big lug did was try to make everyone happy. She could understand what he was trying to do. He was like Kasumi only not as successful. The image of Ranma in a dress an apron made her smile briefly before throwing herself on her bed with a growl.

"I shouldn't have hit him. I never should hit him. He finally gets up the courage to do the right thing and I overreact." She admitted to herself. The morning had started out mysteriously worse than usual. Not so mysterious if one had noticed that Nabiki store the furo sign, again. Akane had known Ranma for a long time and was now familiar with the fact he didn't seem to get sexual urges. So when he accidentally walked in she was prepared to actually be reasonable and give him more than a second to get out. Around five to ten seconds, but today was different. Today he reacted. It startled her so bad that he not only made his escape but it paralyzed her for several minutes.

"So big…" she murmured dreamily. He wasn't called the Wild Horse for nothing, but whereas she could dream about it now, it had made her livid. Even Akane knew she was being unreasonable at breakfast but lacked the proper control to reign in her temper and had sent her erstwhile fiancé for an unscheduled flight over the Nerima skyline.

"I am a true idiot." She grumbled ruefully as she flopped on her back, staring at her ceiling. It wasn't that they didn't love each other and it certainly wasn't a lack of attraction. What it had to be was the scars they both carried. His were from his Pops. The stories he told actually gave her nightmares and she would never tell him over her Neko-ken dreams. She shudders around cats now but not as bad as him. Her tragedies were tame by comparison but he never made them seem that way. She would suddenly miss her mother and then find herself in his strong arms crying for the marvelous light that was lost. The restless girl sat up and groaned. Every time she was mean to him it would come back to haunt her terribly. She could assuage some of her guilt by saying he started it, usually, but most of the time it was clearly her fault. When she was angry she needed stress relief but today seemed a bad day for destruction. There was enough damage around here without adding more.

"I hope he comes home soon…" she whispered softly as she burrowed under her covers, trying to hide from her shame.

-Downstairs-

Kasumi worked efficiently as she cleaned the living room. It wasn't easy keeping the house running as well as she did but it was worth it. She never asked to be the surrogate mother and homemaker, but it had called her and with their mother gone she couldn't refuse. She still couldn't refuse but it didn't bother her so much anymore. The dead house felt more like a home since a wild boy not even seventeen years of age dropped into their lives.

"Such a kind soul." She thought happily as she made sure everything was just so. A feng shui master would have wept at the beauty and the order with which she ran the house despite the chaos. Kasumi was far from oblivious but it was so hard to help Ranma since every time someone did his fiancées would get mad even her own baby sister. It mad little sense to her why the two of them weren't together by now even with all the parental meddling. It had to be something else but what? Asking Nabiki would be a good idea, she decided. She wouldn't charge her older sister.

"If she knows what's good for her." The gentle girl murmured with a smile to chill lava.

-Nabiki's room-

The young mercenary may not have a martial artist's reflexes or skill, but she did have the instincts. It didn't take a genius to figure out that something big was coming. The unseasonable blizzard spoke volumes of that considering it was only early fall and by the way the meteorologists said it would be short meant it would last until August at least. She smiled slightly at her own joke before going back to her ledgers. Safety in numbers or at least crunching numbers. A light knock on the door disturbed her concentration causing a slight frown.

"Come in." she said before turning back to her books. It was either Akane or Kasumi because Ranma wasn't home yet and her instincts were screaming that something was about to happen. Kasumi's trademark stealth walk was nearly impossible to notice unless you were family. The young woman entered the room and shut the door behind her.

"We need to talk Nab-chan." She said using the nickname from her childhood. The middle daughter flinched inwardly. She knew what was happening. Big sister was invoking her full power and there was nothing she could do to stop it. Nabiki could be childish and try to wheedle out of it, but it wouldn't work. That warm motherly smile of hers could turn mean in a second. It wasn't Akane who had been the tomboy when they were little, it was Kasumi.

"What's up Kas-chan?" she replied, throwing back the familiarity hoping to shake her up, but the mercenary knew she was beaten by the better Ice Queen.

"I need you to find out just what is wrong between Akane and Ranma. It seems strange that no matter what they go through, they grow no closer to admitting their feelings. I mean, the wedding idea should have worked but someone messed with my plans." The eldest girl said primly making Nabiki's eyes grow large and her blood run cold. If that had been Kasumi's plan then she had stepped on some major toes. She had run roughshod over something big sister had set up.

"I mean, it wouldn't have bothered me too greatly if someone had an idea of what I had been doing. Giving that fat idiot the idea of knocking out his son or inviting all those dreadful people. Why…what was the point? It would be easier to just have Ranma use a Hiryuu Shoten Ha if you want widespread destruction." Kasumi said vapidly, but her eyes spoke volumes. Those eyes said that unless she was appeased there would be pain awaiting her, but Nabiki refused to be cowed so easily.

"Perhaps whoever did it didn't know of your carefully crafted plans so couldn't help but step on toes. I'm sure that it was an accident and it won't happen again." Nabiki replied frostily, the icicles dripping from her words only to be melted by the firestorm of Kasumi's anger.

"You think you are so smart don't you?" she began through clenched teeth. "Hurting our baby sister, not only the young man who helps keep this family together and you try to switch blame? What the fuck is your problem? I'm through being nice. Help me or so help me Kami I will make you miserable." Kasumi grated out in tones the human throat should not be able to make. The mercenary girl whimpered softly and broke down in tears. Big sister was always so scary when they were younger. She left no doubt that she loved them but if things went badly she was brutal on the guilty party. Nabiki found herself pulled into a warm embrace with Kasumi crooning apologies in an anguished voice, but they knew how it would go. Nabiki would do what was necessary and more to help her family. If only to keep Kasumi from getting mad again.

"I'm home!" a voice called from downstairs and the gut feeling Nabiki had almost made her faint.

End Chapter

Author's Notes: I'm trying not to make everyone out to be caricatures of their personalities and if they seem OOC then I apologize but remain unrepentant. They haven't taken my creative license yet. Stay tuned for next time! Ja ne!