Chapter VI
Ranma had landed in the wet cement all the way up to his neck.
Ryoga hoped Ranma's pigtail wasn't covered with the stuff, otherwise it would have to be snipped off—again. Last time that happened, something bizarre happened with Ranma's hair that nearly exhausted all the follicles. Judging by his father, baldness is genetic.
But he didn't worry about that right now. He had to get Ranma out before the stuff hardened.
Ryoga reached over and grabbed Ranma's hand and pulled his rival out. But already he could feel by the weightiness of Ranma that the cement was quickly hardening around him.
"Ranma," Ryoga said, "you'd better remove your clothes before they harden around you."
"Yeah, good call," Ranma agreed. Ranma proceeded without hesitation until he was down to his boxers. His shoes were a lost cause, covered completely with cement. Parts of his skin were covered and he tried to wipe it off, but only ended up smearing it over a wider area. "Oh, wonderful! This stuff is gonna be hell gettin' off in the bath."
"You better not, Ranma," Akane said, "or you'll clog the drain. Best use public baths."
"Another good call," Ranma said. "Thank god this stuff ain't like sand." He looked down his boxers. "All clear, nothing hardening there."
Akane rolled her eyes.
Ryoga shook his head. "Idiot," he said.
"Huh?" was Ranma's clueless response.
Ranma suddenly began to have some trouble. He felt his throat. "Hey," his voice sounding a little raspy, "this stuff is drying quick. I'm having trouble…breathing."
Ranma began to gasp as concrete he had failed to remove or that he had smeared widely around while he was attempting to get it off his skin quickly formed a ring around his neck and began to harden and constrict. When concrete dried, it filled a tight layer that bind itself to other molecules of itself, creating a very hard substance to remove or penetrate.
Ranma clawed at his throat.
"Ranma!" Akane cried out. "Ryoga, do something! Save Ranma!"
Ryoga froze. He didn't know what to do. He had a few techniques that could blast the concrete off, but then he would take Ranma's head off, too. Sometimes he didn't know his own strength and he caused more damage than he intended.
Then Ryoga had an idea. "Ranma, trust me, and don't panic," he said. "I have an idea." He clutched Ranma around the throat, his fingers touching.
Ranma pushed him away.
"Crazy…idiot," Ranma wheezed out. "You…gonna…kill me!"
Ryoga took a mental step back. Ranma tried to breath, gasping for air, and he was using his finger nails to try to chisel his way out, dust by dust particle. But it was to no avail. Ranma was choking to death!
And there was nothing Ranma could do to save himself from certain death.
Ryoga realized what Ranma thought he was going to do. But he was wrong. "I'm not trying to choke you, Ranma, and I'm not going to use the Breaking Point technique…" This was the kind of thing the technique was useful for, to break up hard substances, but… "I'm going to try the Hellfire Technique. You did say I could practice on you." Ryoga produced a very thin smile.
Ranma grabbed Ryoga by his shirt, gripping it tightly with both hands. "Do…it!" he rasped out. "If I die," he gasped, sucking in air, "I'm comin' back to haunt,'cha." He took another gasping breath. "And I'll screw…with yur…eternal hap…pi…ness."
Ranma was fading quickly and his face was turning blue.
"I've never been happy, Ranma," Ryoga said. That I'll leave for another time, he thought.
"Ryoga, whatever you're going to do…Hurry!" Akane said. "Save Ranma!"
Ryoga wrapped his hands around Ranma's throat. "How many times I've dreamt of this moment, Ranma," he said. "The constant mockery, teasing, and defeats. I've dreamt of having you in this position more times than I can remember. But this time is different."
Ranma tried to smile, blooding dripped from his nose. "Just…do…it!"
"Ryoga, what the hell do you think you're doing?" Akane said, and she tried to interfere.
Ranma pushed her back and down.
Ryoga frowned that Ranma had done that to Akane, and just for a moment actually tried to choke Ranma for his transgression, but then set aside his anger, and focused on what he had seen from the doctor in the village, and how to use the Hellfire Technique.
But Brimstone was right. While the technique could be used for medicinal purposes, Ryoga could use it to kill. Brimstone had explained the technical aspect of the technique and how it broke down matter, but the village doctor explained to him the mindset of the person welding it. And Ryoga told himself to focus on reordering the concrete into a clay-like substance. Like modelling the material of the concrete into another substance with a "fire" within himself.
And at the moment, the concrete began to become brittle and break off. Ryoga had managed to use the technique and altered the concrete's physiology.
Ranma gasped in air, sucking in oxygen. He coughed.
Ryoga released him, and Ranma clawed at his neck, tearing off the pieces of the concrete that almost cost him his life. Then he dropped to the ground.
"Thanks…man," Ranma said, taking in several deep breaths, then coughed again. "You saved my life. I owe you big time for this. You gotta show me that technique."
Akane went over to him, kneeling. She looked up at Ryoga.
Ryoga looked at his hands, as if he was looking at the hands of a god. He had just saved Ranma's life. He had only seen the village doctor use the technique once, but he had paid close attention, and now the technique was his…
I'm always a quick learner, he thought pleased with himself.
He picked up the technique of the Lion's Roar Shot very, very quickly, using his own sadness at the deepest depths of his soul to use it. The Breaking Point did take some practise.
Now he had a new ability that was even once a deadly martial arts technique.
"Ryoga," Akane said, in awe, "What in the world just happened?"
Ryoga wasn't sure. It was almost like a dream. He had practised to perfect his other major techniques, but this one came easy. "I think I just perfected the Hellfire Technique?" he said.
"I'd say." Ranma rubbed his throat. "And good thing, too, or I'd be a goner." Ranma got to his feet. Akane got up, as well. "This is one time I'm glad you own a new technique, man. But with the way that guy was acting towards ya, you'd better try to craft it as a weapon."
"What is the Hellfire Technique? And did that guy—that priest—attack you?"
Ranma opened his mouth to say something, when the sky let out another thunderous boom, and lightning coursed and crackled across the sky.
Ryoga quickly ran for cover under the canopy, as rain began to fall. He didn't want to change into P-Chan in front of Akane. That would be more disastrous than anything he could imagine.
Ranma wasn't so luckily. And when he got out of the rain, Ranma had changed into his female-self, the curse had activated with cold water. And since Ranma was only wearing his boxers, his buxom breasts were out now and fully exposed for the world to see.
Ranma covered them with his arms, but they were too large.
Ryoga stifled a smirk. He had seen Ranma naked before, and at first, when he had seen the change, he was both shocked and bashful, but now they were simply part of Ranma. The skillful martial artist with a strange curse.
Much like his own curse.
"Damn rain!" Ranma said. "Ryoga, gimme yer shirt. I can't go home half-naked."
Ryoga did, having a black tank-top on underneath. He could have said no, but then he would have explain why to Akane. It was best to just give in.
And now came the explanation.
When Ryoga was finished his story to Akane, about the Hellfire Technique and its use, how he was shown it by a village doctor, and the confrontation with the priest named Brimstone just before Akane came into the picture, Akane sat in disbelief. The only thing Ryoga denied profusely was murdering Brimstone's uncle, the village doctor.
"When I left the village doctor who I learned the technique from was alive," Ryoga said.
"So, sumthin' must've happened between the time you left and Brimstone comin'ere," Ranma said. "I wonder if he'll show up at the dojo lookin' fer ya?"
Ryoga shrugged, but he really had no intention of going to the Tendo Dojo. He often visited Akane after his lengthy training journey's, but he didn't want to go where there were so many people. Besides, one small slip, and splash, and his curse would be exposed to all.
"But if he does," Akane answered, "we can't say or do anything to cause trouble, Ranma. He may know us, and we know him, but if he has come to the medical conference at the dojo on business, then it would be best just to not say anything, let the conference end on a good note."
Ranma cupped his chin. "But Brimstone said the conference was only a means to take revenge on Ryoga," he said. "He's goin' attack him again, that's fer sure. Maybe he won't be at the conference and he'd lyin' in wait fer us, somewhere…We'll sittin' ducks out'ere."
Just then, they heard a series of quacks.
They turned, and waddling, coming towards them, but soaked, was Mousse, as a white, feathery swan, wearing round, near-sighted glasses. He had also fallen into a Jusenyko spring a while back while chasing after Shampoo, and this was his curse.
Mousse quacked again.
"We can't understand ya, you idiot," Ranma said. "We need some hot water."
Ryoga was sure material could be found around to make a small fire to boil water and he proceeded to collect them, while safeguarding himself from the rain.
The others helped.
To be continued...
