A/N: Yeah, I know, it's been a while. So I'll shut up and get straight to the chapter. And I'll answer any reviews either at the end or in the next chapter. Enjoy.
Next Contestant
I woke up the next morning shortly after sunrise. I was still on the couch with Sasha, the blanket that had covered us the night before had fallen off the couch and Sasha was now cuddled into my chest. Her hands gripping my shirt in her sleep I smiled down at her.
I tried my best to get off the couch without disturbing her, only getting so far as the coffee table, about 2 feet, before she "woke up".
"Where are you going?" She asked, still half asleep.
"I'm going to go out for a few hours, you know, training and all that," I said quietly.
"Oh...okay..." And she rolled over; shifting so she would be laying in the spot I'd been in moments before. Afterwards she promptly fell asleep.
Still smiling I made my way into the bathroom for a nice hot shower. After that I got dressed and made my way to the empty field just outside town. I spent three, almost four, hours just training my ass off. Katas, shadow sparring, more katas, and a nap.
By the time I decided to leave the field I believe I smelt very much like nature intended. Sweaty. Did I mention I had patches of dirt spread on me? Yeah, I had dirt on me too. (Smiles) Anyway, back to my life.
I didn't get more than halfway home when a terrible and frightening sight met me.
(-)
"Oh, hi Akane," Ryuu said as he stopped walking. He would've kept moving but the smurf-I mean Akane, was standing in his way.
"I'm not through with you, Ranma," She said.
Ryuu raised an eyebrow, "You do realize that I don't give a damn, right?"
"Well you should!"
"Well I don't. You lost this fight the moment you decided to sleep with Ryoga," He moved to go around her, but she stepped in the way.
"Damn it, Ranma, you're not going to just walk away as if nothing happened!"
Ryuu stopped and stared her in the eyes, "We're in public, Akane, you wanna fight and argue we can deal with your stubborn bullshit somewhere else and away from prying eyes."
Akane fumed at him, angry for being defied, but followed him nonetheless. Being a stranger to the town warranted getting lost very easily. She followed Ryuu through the streets and was led to Uncle Dan's bar, the place she had argued with him previously. Only this time she was led into a secluded room in the back.
It was a storage room of sorts, if the piled boxes were any indication. The boxes were positioned so there was a decent sized space in the center of the room. In that space sat a folding table with 5 chairs.
"Sometimes me and the guys play poker, usually strip poker if the girls wanna join," Ryuu explained as he closed the door behind Akane.
Akane nodded, though she developed a slight twitch at his strip poker comment, Stupid pervert...
He grabbed a chair and sat down on it backwards, leaning his arms on the backrest and resting his chin on his forearms, "Now onto why I brought you here," He sat up a little and raised his chin from his forearms, "What the fuck do you want from me?"
Akane's eyes narrowed at his words, "I want you to come back to Nerima, damn it, I told you this already."
Ryuu's own eyes turned to slits, his pupils becoming cat-like in nature, "You know, I just don't get you, Akane. First, you drive me off by sleeping with Ryoga, which I consider you a two-timing bitch for, by the way. And now you're trying to get me back to Nerima."
He paused and tilted his head, "What I don't get is why? Why do you want me to go back? You have a man that you were willing to sleep with despite already having a fiancée, so it couldn't be for love," He mused.
Akane didn't hesitate, but it didn't seem like she thought over her answer much either, "Because you're supposed to be in Nerima so...so..."
"So I can be your punching bag?" Ryuu finished.
"No, I-God damn it, Ranma, stop confusing me and just come home already!"
"I'm not confusing you, you stupid bitch, I'm trying to get a fucking answer out of you!"
Akane looked like she was going to continue arguing but stopped when Ryuu stood and held out a hand, silencing her, "Look, it's painfully clear to me now that you're never going to shut up, nor are words going to get through your thick fucking skull. So we'll finish this my way."
Ryuu looked her in the eyes, "I, Ryuu Mouko, challenge you, Akane Tendo, to a handicapped fight for my freedom of choice. Do you accept?"
Akane sputtered for a moment before straightening her posture, "Of course I accept! Who do you think I am?"
Ryuu pushed passed her muttering to himself, "If I were to express my thought we'd have to change the rating of this story."
Akane blinked, "Wait, what story?" He didn't stop or answer her question. She jogged after him, "Hey, wait for me!"
"No," He walked down the hall and stopped at the heavy steel door leading outside to the lot behind the building, he pointed to the ground in front of the door, "Stay here."
Sam was handing drinks to a couple by one of the window tables when Ryuu walked up to her. She turned around and smiled.
"What's up?"
He motioned towards Akane who stood fuming by the backdoor, "I'm going to fight her in a handicapped match. I need a witness so she can't say I cheated."
"How will I know if you don't?"
"You won't, but I won't. So you don't have to worry."
Sam just blinked and nodded slowly, "I'm...going to pretend I understood that and follow you outside now."
Ryuu smiled and patted her on the head, "Good girl."
They both walked to the back door and opened it, presenting the skate park to Akane once more. Walking outside, Ryuu and Akane stood opposite each other; Ryuu removed his tank top and threw it on top of one of the ramps that littered the lot.
"The rules of the fight is Anything Goes for you, Akane," Ryuu said, "During the fight I will be handicapped. In that I can't use anything outside of combos consisting of basics. No ki attacks, no weapons, no special moves."
Akane nodded and got into a fighting stance. Sam nodded and stepped a bit closer, but not too closer that she didn't have enough time to run out of the way, just close enough to be in sight...kind of.
Sam raised her arm, "Both fighters understand the rules?" At their nods Sam dropped her arm, signaling the beginning of the fight.
Ryuu took up his usual, "lazy man" stance. Hands in his pockets, posture slouched, head tilted. Akane rushed at him, only a little bit faster than when he last saw her in Nerima. A punch to Ryuu's head was dodged by mere millimeters.
"Nope," Ryuu ducked a roundhouse kick to his head, "Nuh-uh," He leaned back to avoid another two kicks, "Woah, I should take up limbo..."
Sam was already smiling at Ryuu's obvious teasing, "Oh, oh! Start taunting her! That should prove fun."
Ryuu nodded as a step two feet to the left avoided an axe kick, "Still too slow," A twist to the right avoided a front-snap kick, "Thighs are too thick," Another twist avoided that blasted mallet of hers, "Built like a stick," A jump over her sweep kick and then side step a double punch combo, "Dumb as a brick, macho chick," A front snap kick to the groin avoided by standing on Akane's foot, which was still raised in the air, "Can't even kick."
Akane let her leg fall quickly and Ryuu faded from sight momentarily. He reappeared behind her and poked her in the back of the head, "Boo!"
She jumped and spun around quickly with another roundhouse to his head. Instead of dodging he pushed her leg farther to the side, continuing her momentum and actually speeding her spin up a bit. Akane wasn't expecting to do a complete 180 on one foot, so she lost her balance and fell on her ass.
Ryuu laughed, "Dumbass!"
"Augh! Stay still, damn it!" Akane stood up, albeit a bit wobbly since she was still slightly dizzy.
Ryuu sighed, "All right, fine, here," He opened his arms open wide, "Go ahead, you get one free shot anywhere that isn't below the belt. And I won't block."
Akane wiped the dirt from her ass before getting into her fighting stance once more. She silently prepped herself and tried tapping into her ki. If she was going to get one free shot at "the wild horse" she was going to give it her all.
Ryuu smirked as Akane's fist began glowing a dark red. He was proud of her, although he'd take that to his grave, for channeling her ki. Even as she charged at him he knew it wasn't going to be enough to cause more than a few scratches.
With the loud smack of flesh meeting flesh Ryuu was thrown sideways into one of the ramps. Sliding up the ramp he stopped as his head dropped off the plank of the wood. He stayed down, staring at the upside down graffiti covered wall several yards away. Deep in his thoughts he silently wondered how good she could've become in the martial arts had he agreed to train her. A moment later he beat back that thought with a metal bat, The stupid tomboy wouldn't have agreed to let me train her long enough to accomplish anything anyway.
He sat up and rubbed his jaw, "Nice right hook..." Standing up Ryuu smirked, "Now it's my turn."
Ryuu stalked towards her and fell forward onto his hands, always looking Akane in the eyes. His body slowly changed into his cursed tiger form and he bared his fangs. Growling he started running at her and pounced, pinning her underneath him, he snapped his teeth at her face and made sure to barely miss or only graze the skin.
He snapped at her face once more before moving his muzzle to the side and near her ear. Transforming back into his human form he spoke, "Are you afraid yet, Akane?"
Ryuu sat up, straddling Akane's waist, and smirked evilly before saying the name of his technique, "Kachuu Tenshin Amuguriken, Revised! Bitch slap for sissies!" And he unleashed several hundred weak bitch slaps upon her.
When he was finished he leaned down a bit, he knew she was close to unconsciousness, she just needed a push. He smiled lecherously and leered at her, "No time for sleep, Akane-chan, I'm only just beginning to have fun..."
He trailed off as she fainted into unconsciousness, "Point, set, game."
As Ryuu stood up and wiped the dirt from his knees Sam walked over to him, "What was that rule about no special techniques?"
Ryuu gave an innocent smile and avoided eye contact, "What rule?"
She sighed, "Your halo's crooked."
He blinked, "It is?" He looked up as if seeing the imaginary halo, "Stupid horns, always tilting my halo..."
"You should get that looked at, it isn't natural."
"I really should...but I'm too lazy."
"Surprise, surprise."
Ryuu was about to follow Sam back into the bar but he caught some movement out of the corner of his eye. Sam turned back to him, "You coming?"
"Huh," He turned back to Sam, "Oh, yeah, you go ahead inside, I'll be there in a bit. I, uh, forgot to grab my shirt."
"Yu-huh," Sam nodded and turned and continued on her way, "Whatever you say, Ryuu."
"Hm..." Ryuu turned towards where he'd seen the movement but saw nothing special. Shrugging he moved to retrieve his tank top. As he walked towards the ramp he'd thrown it on he idly glanced at Akane, he wasn't too surprised to see a little black piglet trying to wake her.
"Ah, Ryoga, so nice to see you," He said walking towards the piglet and picking him up by the bandanna, "Me and you have some things to discuss pig boy."
"Bwee bu-kwee!" (Translation: Stop calling me pig-boy!)
"Yeah, whatever that means, I don't care," Ryuu responded as he threw the piglet high enough into the air that he could put his tank top on and catch him afterwards.
His tank top back in place and the piglet once again in his hands, Ryuu produced a cup of hot water from nowhere and poured it over Ryoga's cursed form. Ryuu quickly closed his eyes and handed him a pair of slacks he kept in one of his subspace pockets for some reason.
"Dude, get dressed. Seriously, no one wants to see that."
Ryoga blushed, forgetting his normal anger long enough to put the slacks on. After getting as dressed as he was going to get without his pack nearby, Ryoga remembered his anger and narrowed his eyes at Ryuu.
"Honor-less bastard!"
Ryuu smiled, "You know, I'm sick and tired of your shit. And I think it's time I showed you how much I've been holding back on you, bacon-breath," Ryuu willed his canines to lengthen and, to any who could see ki, he activated his Neko-ken.
His smile turned into a smirk, "I'm suddenly in the mood for some vicious beatings, what do you think, Ryoga?"
Ryoga stuttered and got no further in the formation of words outside of an intelligent, "Shit" before turning and running. If possible Ryuu's smirk grew wider, "I've always wanted to play cat and mouse, or should I say tiger and pig?"
That was a horrible joke, Tony said.
Shut up, no one asked you! Ryuu replied.
I couldn't care less. And if you must name the chase, call it "The Hunt", it sounds so much better, Tony said.
Ryuu nodded as he ran after Ryoga, Yeah, I guess so, not as corny either.
Several minutes later and Ryuu was still sporting a wide smile. He was hanging off the edge of the corner of a building with a hand above his eyes to block the sunlight, "Ryoga!" He sing-songed, "Where are you?"
A flash of flesh and black appeared briefly in the alley across from him. After hopping down from the building he jogged into the alley and pouted, "Damn it, he disappeared, and I was so looking forward to his beat down too..."
He suddenly smiled and walked out of the alley, "Oh well, he'll show up again sooner or later," He turned down a sidewalk and put his arms behind his head before whistling a tune only he knew while walking home.
To Be Continued...
A/N: Sorry for the shortness, but I really wanted to get this posted before Christmas. Hope this'll hold you over until the next chapter, which, hopefully, won't be as long in coming. As for MS, there will be a few more chapters than I expected. 2, perhaps 3, more chapters should be in the works very soon. Until then, here are the answers to your reviews.
Reviews:
Wonderbee31- That's the image I was trying to get out with their little "lover's spat". Glad to see it worked.
Mikeblade- I'm glad you enjoy reading stories. The next chapter for Sandman Hand Me A Dream is in the process of being written. As for Masquerade...that one has been put on hiatus until further notice.
SouryuofHeaven- I'm glad you like my story so much.
ranma hibiki- I am suddenly reminded of Pill-z from the Foamy flash videos...
Daniel Shinigami- So, yeah, where are those new stories? n.n
Ryan L. Spradling- The wedding will be soon, it'll be vague, but it'll happen.
Special thanks to Ryan L. Spradling for e-mailing me almost daily and threatening me with bodily harm if I didn't update before Christmas. So, THANK YOU!
And a huge thanks to everyone else who reviewed, I LOVE YOU ALL!
(Laughing) Hope all of you enjoyed the chapter. And for those of you think that Ryoga should get his ass kicked really soon, cause I know you people are out there, it'll happen. Really soon. Like, next chapter...maybe. (Grin)
Once again, a huge thanks to all reviewed. And all who shall review for this chapter. Cause I know you're all going to review after you read. Right? Right?
As always, reviews are welcome and flames will be used to keep away the lawyers.
-Lov3the3vil
AND A HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM EVERYONE AT PYRO PRODUCTIONS!