A/N: Wow. I really never expected quite as many reviews as I got. Seriously, thanks to everyone who reviewed. I'm glad you liked the first chapter. Personally, I thought it was crap... Anywho! Here's chapter 2! Enjoy!

The next morning, Ryoga awoke to find an empty camp. The fire was smoking dully, and there was no Kire in the branches above him. Had he dreamt everything up?

Suddenly, a rabbit went streaking out of the bushes and between his feet, looking like it was running for its life. Before the confused mumble even left his lips, another sound drew his attention. "Ahh, look out!" Looking up, all he saw was Kire, who was in mid-leap, come crashing down on his head.

With much groaning and some minor cursing, Kire and Ryoga managed to get untangled and into a sitting position to make sure all appendages were working as they should.

While Ryoga rubbed his head, Kire massaged her wrist and looked around in disappointment. "You didn't happen to see which way breakfast went, did you?"

Ryoga grumbled a bit. "I'm not sure I even know which way is up right now…"

"Damn, that's the second time in a row I've lost my food," Kire growled. "No offense," she added hastily.

"None taken," Ryoga responded, craning his neck to the side and cracking it. "You know, I've got some rations in my backpack. You could have just asked."

Looking a little sheepish, Kire scratched the back of her head. "Didn't think of that…"

After the two had gotten something into their stomachs, they continued the last stretch of their journey. A few hours later, Kire stopped at the bottom of a hill and sighed. "It's over this rise," she said.

Ryoga looked at her. "How can you tell?"

Kire laughed. "How can you not? The trees have been getting sparser and sparser; there's less animal activity; I can even smell car exhaust and fast food."

Ryoga made a confused face at Kire's observations. "You have spent a lot of time as a tiger," he said. "Well, let's see if you're right." He began to climb up the easy slope.

Kire held back for a moment. "You doubt me?" she asked incredulously, then loped up after him.

Once he reached the top of the hill, Ryoga was indeed able to see the cityscape of Tokyo. He felt like crying tears of joy. "You were right! Kire, I don't know how to thank you," he said. When she didn't respond, he looked behind him.

Kire was frowning at the scenery. Realizing Ryoga was watching her, she shook her head. "Oh. It was no problem. Are, uh… Are you gonna be okay?"

Ryoga understood the underlying message. "Can you make it from here?" was what she meant. He bit his bottom lip slightly. "Judging by the look on your face, you're not too fond of cities. I'll manage… You've already dealt with me for a whole day as is."

Kire smiled, effectively covering up whatever worry she'd had earlier. "It's no problem. Come on; let's find this dojo of yours."

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"You're frowning again."

"Huh?"

"You're frowning again," Ryoga repeated, stopping in the middle of the sidewalk. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Kire stopped walking and smiled ruefully. "I haven't been in civilization for a while now. Every instinct in me is screaming 'run'."

"That can't be good for you," Ryoga said, resuming his walking.

"It's not. It means I'm not changing back often enough and my tiger instincts are overriding my human ones." Kire scowled to herself. "Oh the joys abound…"

Ryoga arched a brow. "You know, I didn't think it was possible, but your luck might just be as bad as mine."

"Well that's comforting to know," Kire replied flatly, rolling her eyes. "Where'd you say we were going again?"

"The Tendo dojo," Ryoga said. "If we're in Nerima now, it should be hard to miss."

"That so?" Tilting her head, Kire stared at the wall next to her, as if assessing it. Before Ryoga could ask what she was doing, Kire leapt up and grabbed the wall top, fluidly swinging herself up onto it, then leapt up onto the roof of the nearby house and scaled to the peak. It wasn't the kind of high-flying martial arts tricks that he and Ranma could do, but rather the normal human body showing its potential. Ryoga was impressed. "Aha!" Kire shouted. "I see it!"

"You do?" Ryoga cried. "Where?"

That'a way," Kire replied, pointing in the direction they had been heading. "About a quarter mile."

"This may be the first time I make it there in the first try," Ryoga said to himself as Kire made her way back down and swung down off the wall. The two began walking again. After a few more minutes of idle chit-chat, the dojo came into view. Ryoga's face split into a grin. "Record time."

Kire looked over the building with a hint of wariness. "Please tell me you can make it from here," she muttered.

Ryoga leered at her. "Funny... Hey, why don't you come in and meet them?"

Kire stared at him. Deer in headlights mode... now.

"Now what's that face for? The least I can do is introduce you to the people who I was looking for."

Swallowing her instincts down, Kire nodded slowly. "Okay, but I'll be heading back to the spring afterwards. People usually find something... wrong with me. They get uncomfortable, so – Hey!"

Ryoga was already pulling her through the gate, around the house, and into the backyard.

"Well well well, if it isn't bacon breath. How long have you been trying to get here?"

The voice was male, and just a little cocky. Ryoga stopped walking, released Kire's arm, and scoffed. "Don't you ever have anything nice to say?"

"Nope," the voice replied. "You gonna answer my question?"

Ryoga shrugged. "Two days from about 60 miles away." Kire peeked up over his shoulder. Standing a few feet away was a young man about their age. He wore typical Chinese clothing and had long black hair that was tied back in a pigtail.

The young man laughed. "Wow, must be some kind of fluke. I bet you – Hey, who's the girl?" He blinked at Kire.

Looking over his shoulder, Ryoga locked gazes with Kire. He arched a brow, as if asking: Do you really want to meet him? Kire just shrugged and stepped out from behind him. Her shoulders were hunched slightly.

The other boy blinked a few times. "So... who is she? New girlfriend?"

In a movement too fast for eyes to follow, the boy's head was in the ground, Ryoga standing over him and looking a little red. "Why do you open your mouth?!" Ryoga snarled.

"Ryoga! Hi!"

A new voice registered in Kire's ears. Turning her head towards the back porch of the house, she saw a smaller girl with short black hair coming out to greet Ryoga. Ryoga's personality immediately changed. He smiled widely and nervously laughed. "Akane! Wh-what are you doing here?"

"She lives here, idiot," the boy grumbled, lifting his head out of the dirt.

Ryoga instantly stomped it back down. "Uh, I got you something... from my travels." He quickly dug through his backpack until he found a small box. He held it out, smiling sheepishly.

The girl smiled and took the box, opening it up. "Oh, hair clips from Hokkaido! Thank you, Ryoga."

Ryoga scratched the back of his head. "No problem."

The girl looked to the side and noticed Kire standing nearby. "Who's that?" she asked.

Ryoga blinked. "Who?" He looked sideways. "Oh! Oh, this is Kire. I met her on my way here. Kire, this is Akane. And that's Ranma." He gestured to the boy on the grass.

Ranma lifted his head and spit out a wad of grass. "So why is she in your clothes, Ryoga? Coincidence?"

Ryoga glared at Ranma and punted him across the yard. "She didn't have any, so I loaned her mine. She's been to Jusenkyou..."

That got Ranma's attention. "Another one?!" he cried. What is it, a tourist hot spot?!"

Kire smirked ruefully to herself. "Sort of..." she muttered.

Akane blinked. "So where did you meet Ryoga? I've never seen you around here before."

"I don't really live around here..." Kire replied. "Ryoga sort of stumbled into my territory."

"I didn't stumble," Ryoga said indignantly.

"Well you didn't exactly waltz in, either." She sighed. "Look, I need to be getting back. Who knows what'll move in while I'm gone..." She turned to go. "Nice meeting you, Ryoga."

"Hey, you're going already?" Ryoga asked.

Kire looked over her shoulder. "No reason for me to stay. And besides, I've got a territory to look over."

"Do you live on a farm or something?" Akane asked.

Kire gave a short laugh. "Uh, not in so many words..."

"She lives in the middle of a forest," Ryoga translated. "She lived out there in her other form."

"In a forest?" Akane repeated.

Slowly, Kire turned around, glaring at Ryoga. "Why'd you have to go and do that? Now they think I'm crazy."

Before Ryoga could respond, Akane spoke again. "You can stay here."

Everyone looked her way. "Say what?"

Akane smiled at Kire. "If you're a friend of Ryoga's, you're a friend of ours. And I couldn't just let you sleep in a forest. You can have the second spare bedroom."

"You have a second spare bedroom?" Ranma asked.

"It's the room we never let you into..." Akane said flatly, then turned back to Kire. "So what do you say?"

Eyes narrowed slightly, Kire tilted her head, as if trying to determine if this was a trick or not. After a moment, she nodded slowly. "Okay..."

Akane smiled again. "Great! I'll introduce you to the rest of my family!" She grabbed Kire's wrist and led her off before another word could be said.

Ryoga and Ranma blinked after them. "What... just happened?" Ryoga asked.

"Don't know..."