Something had to be said about the benefits of being P-chan: nice girls loved him. People who would have hated him had they ever found out about his secret...never found out about his secret. People who found out about his secret never hated him.

He had his own blessings, in his own way.

He wasn't sure if Kagome-san saw him transform from a pig to a human and if she fell into the first category or the second, but either way, it worked out for him.

"I didn't think anyone else could come down that well, Ryoga-san!" she said as they all sat around in a cave, taking shelter from the raging storm outside. Surprisingly no one gave him any kind of attitude, not Kagome-san, Sango-san, nor their three companions. Not even the dog-eared boy who seemed like quite a hothead. Nothing had happened, and in fact the guy was more than happy to break into Ryoga's travel provisions and help himself to 'more of Kagome's future food.' Ryoga didn't know what that meant. The food was nearing its expiration date.

It was funny how he never seemed to fight with anyone except Ranma.

"I have to say, it's refreshing to meet someone from my own era. But like I said, I don't know how you got through the well. You don't seem to have any magic." Kagome frowned thoughtfully at her homework. She said she was behind in school and might as well finish it off when she had the free time. There didn't seem to be any schools around. She said she was from Tokyo, but this place looked nothing like Tokyo. Maybe she meant that Tokyo was her childhood home and she had moved. Maybe they were all in Tohoku or something.

Ryoga nodded to himself. That explained it.

"Anyway, there's no way you can stay stuck here in the past," Kagome continued.

"She's right. You're just a regular guy. You're not strong enough yet," said the impish little boy. Shippo, his name was. "Me and my minion, Inuyasha, on the other hand..."

Inuyasha thunked him on the head.

"And just who's your minion, twerp?"

"Kagomeee, he's being mean to me!"

A squabble broke out. For once, it didn't involve him.

Sango-san rolled her eyes, and Ryoga knew that this scene was a staple of their life, and had played itself out more times than he had gotten lost. They seemed to have that cozy camaraderie that came after tons of life-threatening experiences. Kind of like him and Akane. And Ukyo. And Mousse. And Shampoo. And fine, he would admit it. Even Ranma.

"They're right," said Miroku. "We don't mean any disrespect, though."

Smarter people would have understood these words in different ways. Kagome's choice of words implied time travel, after all. And the fact that Inuyasha seemed to believe he had 'future food' was another clue. All the villagers Ryoga had come across...their hairstyles were old-fashioned. Lots of topknots. The clothing worn by Kagome's companions looked almost feudal, certainly from a bygone period of Japanese history. No one in the late Showa and early Heisei eras dressed that way. Ryoga wasn't a smart person, though, and interpreted those words through a martial arts filter.

"I do not take any offense, Hoshi-sama." Tears streamed down his face. Sango and Miroku looked rather concerned, but they had no need in Ryoga's opinion. "I do swear to always move forward, with my head held towards the future."

"Uh...okay?" Miroku looked really concerned.

"I may not be strong enough now, but..." He pumped his fist at the clouded sky. It connected with the adamantine wall of the cave, shattering it.

Ryoga didn't notice. Crying did that to a person.

"Uh, Ryoga-san?"

"Soon!"

"What are you..."

"I shall be brave and worthy enough to best Shippo and his minion, Inuyasha."

Sango and Miroku stared at Ryoga, then at each other.

What's going on? she mouthed at her fiance. What's he talking about?

I have no idea, he mouthed back. He seems to be having a mental breakdown.

Ryoga punched the wall again, and Inuyasha, Kagome, and Shippo looked up from their squabble, eyes widening in horror. Not for themselves (the cave entrance was open and untouched), but for one oblivious pig-boy.

"Wait for me!" Ryoga yelled. "The next time we meet, I shall have defeated my greatest rival of all!"

The rocks cascaded around him, cordoning him off from his newfound friends, and really the people who could have best helped him survive in the feudal era. He didn't know that, though. Crying did that to him. Ryoga strode off into a complex, labyrinthine cave network, leaving Kagome and her companions slack-jawed.

"...Is Naraku his rival? Did that spider freak do something again?" Inuyasha asked.

Five hundred years into the future and in complete disregard of the space-time continuum, Ranma sneezed.

"Someone's talking about me, huh?"

A/N: I see that I've gotten some interested readers. Thank you very much.

I thought constantly of giving Ryoga some kind of gag in this crossover that other Ranma characters have, like Kuno never realizing that Ranma is the Pigtailed Girl, Akane never realizing that Ryoga is P-chan, Nodoka not realizing for a long time that Ranko is Ranma, and so on. And now I've hit upon it. Ryoga never realizing that he's time traveled back into the past.

Please let me know your thoughts! :)