Wow, a lot of attention again. Thank you all so much, and I hope you all keep reading and commenting, it's making me happy to see all of this.

I want to address something brought up in a couple comments, about how Ranma is not behaving as he would in canon, and the Umi-Sen Ken and Yama-Sen Ken were sealed at the end of their arc. And, yes, that's true. This Ranma is using the sealed arts, though. He behaves differently. He is somewhat more self-aware, introspective, maybe a little more refined. He is still emphatically Ranma, even in the face of these changes. I have a very good reason for this, I'm waiting for the right moment to tell this story. Trust me, there's a great deal of method to my madness, I'm world-building and character-building, there is a *lot* of build-up going on here, I have bits of reveal that are going to be dropping between now and... some unspecified point in the future. Be patient with me. :)

Thanks also to Kariston Draconis for pointing out my typo in the previous chapter regarding Aerith's Age. I must have misread it when I was wiki-diving. Anyway, it's been corrected.

For now, enjoy the show!

Chapter Six

Not All Who Wander Are Lost

[ ν ] - εγλ 0007, December 5

It had been a week since Ranma's arrival. He had fallen into an easy routine of training Aerith in the mornings and evenings, occasional practice with basic materia and spellcasting, and more or less being a bodyguard the rest of the time. He had also gained a reputation with the regular folks that lived nearby of being a capable young man, and had earned a few gil doing odd jobs for the locals. Elmyra continued with her own work in the day and cooking hearty meals for the three of them. Ranma and Aerith had both made it to the library earlier that week, but despite a thorough raid of the scientific books, none of the available topics covered "how to get home if accidentally transported to another planet." A further two days of research had turned up nothing of consequence, and Ranma was seriously considering abandoning the attempt until he could get more information elsewhere.

The temperature was starting to drop rapidly as winter took hold. Even in the slums, relatively insulated as they were, the cooler air was beginning to take its toll on Aerith's flowers, and she had started to harvest the most vulnerable ones from her planters to preserve and sell later. Ranma, by way of gratitude for their continuing hospitality, had decided to help in gathering the flowers with Aerith.

"How long will they keep like this, anyway?" Ranma asked, carefully tying together a bundle of flower stems.

Aerith looked over at the small basket Ranma was holding. "Like that," she indicated the bundles lying flat in the basket, "a day or two at most before they wilt. Bundled and hung with the stems up, they'll dry gently and be preserved, and can keep for months." Aerith smiled, gently pruning an errant branch with her shears. "It's how they used to dry herbs and spices in the old days, too, before the factories did it."

Ranma considered that, and suddenly found himself wondering if that was how it had been in his world. Aside from Kasumi and Ukyo, he hadn't known many people with a dedicated history in cooking, and wondered if either of them would be able to tell him anything historical. "How much do these usually go for?" he wondered absently.

"A gil or two," she replied, not realizing Ranma's question wasn't serious. "Five for the roses, because they're supposed to be romantic, and even a dried rose looks pretty. It's not a lot, I know, but it helps keep us fed."

Ranma nodded his understanding, . "I… I don't want to be an inconvenience to you two," he said quietly. "The Tendos, Akane's family, put up with me and my old man for over a year, before all this happened. And between his meddling and my stupid pride, I ended up costing them a lot of money. If you need me to, I'll go find a job myself," he said quietly.

Aerith shook her head. "I've been doing this for a couple of years already," she explained. "And you are doing quite enough, keeping me safe while I'm out and teaching me about chi and better combat techniques. Honestly, we're getting the better part of the deal, I think."

Ranma smiled, somewhat reassured, but promised himself that he would still try to find a way to earn them some money soon. If he was going to be stuck here for any length of time, it would be important to know how to survive on his own in a worst case scenario. For now, though, he continued helping with the flowers.

By the time Aerith and Ranma had finished hanging the flowers about the lower floor of the house to begin drying, it was midday. They met up with Elmyra in Wall Market to have lunch at a noodle bar, and chatted lightly. Ranma understood Aerith's initial trepidation about the place, especially considering the blatant, eye searing neon signage for some place called the Honey Bee Inn, which he immediately did his best to ignore. Far from being a prude, he simply did not agree with the objectification of women that way, and it reminded him in no small part of Happosai's particular perversions.

"You could probably find good money as a bouncer," Aerith was saying, "if you wanted to, anyway."

Ranma had a bizarre mental image of himself in a neon jacket, shorts, and padded gloves, knocking people senseless for money. He dismissed that thought. "Eh, I dunno," he considered quietly. "Don't think the outfit would work for me."

Aerith stifled a laugh. "What would a bouncer in your world dress like?"

"Depends on the place," Ranma replied, thinking. "The kinda bars that you would find in a rough part of Tokyo might just have street clothes or a special shirt or jacket, if that. More upscale places might-"

"RANMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Ranma instinctively looked around him at the familiar echoes. "That can't be… Ryoga?" he said, refusing to believe his own ears.

A familiar blur of yellow and green burst through a wall of scrap metal, leaving a neat, almost circular hole in the garbage heap. The blur landed on the road off to one side, resolving into the shape of another teenager, wearing traveling clothes and a heavy knapsack, a large umbrella strapped to his back.

"Ryoga!" Ranma exclaimed happily, nearly weeping in joy. "Buddy, I can't even tell you how good it is to see a familiar face right now-"

"PREPARE TO DIE!" the boy shouted.

"Oh, crap," Ranma sighed, "not again…"

Aerith was completely lost. "Friend of yours, Ranma?" she asked sarcastically.

Ranma nodded hesitantly. "Depends on the day of the week, sometimes, but I call him a friend," he explained. "At least, when I don't call him enemy, anyway."

Aerith paused at that. "If it wasn't you, it wouldn't make sense, that's for sure," she said in a wry tone.

Ryoga charged, and Aerith frankly had difficulty spotting him one footstep to the next. The boy moved like the wind, each step he took closing the distance far more than she would have thought possible. Ranma shoved Aerith indelicately to one side, nearly causing her to stumble, as Ryoga drew the umbrella from his pack and swung wildly at Ranma. A few townsfolk stopped to observe the fight, always grateful for free street theater.

"Ryoga!" Ranma shouted, dodging the initial attack. "I know we've had our differences -" dodge, sidestep, duck "- but I need you to pay attention for a minute -"

"Like hell!" he responded angrily, thrusting the umbrella forward like a rapier.

Ranma hopped up and casually landed on the outstretched umbrella, nearly overbalancing Ryoga's thrust. He crouched down and flicked him square in the forehead. "Look around you, bonehead!" he yelled in the other boy's ear.

Ryoga ignored him, face flushed as his anger boiled over. He flipped the umbrella up sharply, flinging Ranma into the air. "I've chased you all over Tokyo, you coward," he growled as Ranma landed nearby. "There's no way I'm going to stop now that I've found you!"

He swung again and again, each blow deflected or deftly avoided by Ranma. Ranma didn't appear to be injured or even close to being hit as far as Aerith could tell, but he certainly was getting worn down by the aggressive onslaught. She watched as Ranma leaped backwards, trying to gain a little distance.

"Running away again, are you?" Ryoga spat, charging in.

Ranma stood his ground, squaring his stance and raising his arms. He took a deep breath, and just as Ryoga closed the gap again, Ranma shouted, "FREEZE!"

Something in that shout reached in and curled around Aerith's spine, unable to move more than her eyes and her lips. She glanced around, confused to see the onlookers also stock-still and unmoving. Even Ryoga ground to a halt, clearly pulling against whatever force had petrified them all, as his arms and legs practically vibrated with effort.

Ranma took a step forward, snatched the umbrella from Ryoga's almost unresisting grip, and cradled it in both hands. "Now that I've got your undivided attention, Ryoga," Ranma said quietly, but with enough force to carry, "I want to make sure you understand something very, very important."

"What?" Ryoga grumbled out between his clenched teeth.

Ranma frowned, and decided there was only one option. "This!" He lifted one arm suddenly, the umbrella held over his head like a sword. "Ain't!" He twirled the umbrella in that hand, now upside down, tip facing the earth. "TOKYO!" He finished, thrusting the umbrella down, the tip spearing through the asphalt like paper.

Aerith felt whatever force held her in place dissipate, and noticed the rest of the crowd of onlookers rubbing at joints or muscles, clearly still confused, but not willing to let go of such a grand drama before it was finished. Ryoga, having been mid-stride when he came to a halt, suddenly toppled over.

"You expect me to fall for such a simple ruse?" Ryoga spluttered angrily from the ground, returning slowly to his feet.

"Tokyo isn't a fifty kilometer wide slum, Ryoga," he replied evenly, but his temper was strained. Aerith stood nearby, but gave the two enough clearance in case they started their fight all over again. Ranma gestured around at various points as he spoke. "Tokyo doesn't have an enormous metal plate blotting out the sun and the sky. Tokyo doesn't have a gigantic pillar in the middle of the city, with a train running around it in a spiral, to climb up to the top of the plate sitting on top of that pillar. And even though I know there's an air force base in Tokyo, I promise you, Tokyo does not put the spare parts for their planes in a pile, twenty meters high, right next to a noodle bar!"

Ryoga snorted. "Fine, we're not in Tokyo," he said resignedly. "What of it? Revenge knows no borders!"

Ranma pinched the bridge of his nose. "Ryoga, I'm tryin' to be nice today, because you are seriously not understanding the scope of your troubles," he said quietly. "But I see a puddle of water over there," he gestured to one side, with a nasty glint in his eye, "and unless you want me to drag your body through it and then sell what's left of ya to the noodle shop for a quick buck, you better shut up and pay attention."

That got Ryoga's attention. "You wouldn't dare," he declared, though there was an audible waver in his voice.

"Try me, P-chan," he replied, his tone low and steady. "I have had a very, very trying week, and despite the fact that I am actually really happy to see you here, I am not in the mood for games, and I do not want to fight you, or anyone else, today."

Ryoga hesitated for a long, tense moment. "Truce?" he offered, extending one hand.

"Truce," Ranma agreed, and took the hand, pulling Ryoga into a simple but genuine hug. The onlookers began to disperse, sensing that the play had run its course. "You and I get back to Tokyo, and on my honor I will give you a free hit and I will smile while you do it."

Ryoga smirked at that. "I'm gonna hold you to that," he said almost jovially. "So if this isn't Tokyo, where are we? Yokohama? Kyoto? Kobe? Osaka?"

Ranma blinked in amazement. "Kami, he can't be serious," he muttered under his breath. He turned to face Ryoga. The look on the lost boy's face told him the answer. "Kami, he's serious... Okay, I'm gonna just tell it to you straight, buddy, we're not even in Japan anymore."

Ryoga snorted in disbelief. "China?" he asked cautiously.

Ranma shook his head. Aerith approached carefully. "This is Aerith, and she tells me I'm in some place called Midgar." Ranma thought for a moment. "How did you get here anyway?" he asked Ryoga.

Ryoga grinned and rummaged through his knapsack. After a moment, he pulled a well-worn but still very legible book from the depths of his belongings.. "I… used a map!" he said proudly, turning to the appropriate page.

Ranma gestured to it, and Ryoga handed him the book. There was indeed an extremely detailed, hand-drawn map on old, yellowed pages. To his credit, the map indeed contained all of the landmarks you would expect from a map of Japan. Mountains, farmland, rivers and lakes, all the major cities marked out. Unfortunately, it was very definitely, obviously, not Japan.

"You followed… this map," Ranma said doubtfully, flipping through a few pages, "and this map… led you… here," he said flatly, pointing to the ground beneath them.

"Of course," Ryoga replied. "I'm not an idiot, ya know!"

Ranma glared at him. "Then you wanna tell me how you got here by following the map to the Misty Mountain?" He held up the front cover, which was a faded red, and read 'The Hobbit' on the front. "This is Middle-Earth! Not regular Earth, and definitely not Japan!" He sighed in frustration, rubbing his face with his free hand. "Fine, whatever, you're here now, and we'll deal with it. Aerith, this is Ryoga, he's kind of an old friend, yadda yadda. I know you probably have a lot of questions, but could we have a minute or two just to get everything straightened out?"

Aerith nodded, smiling, and took a few steps off in one direction. "So, how do we get back to Japan?" Ryoga asked, clearly trying to keep his emotions in check.

"I'll be honest, Ryoga," Ranma started, "I haven't got a single clue yet. I thought when I saw you coming down that landfill, you'd come ta find me because you'd figured out I was missing. I've been here eight days already, and as far as I can tell we ain't even on Earth right now."

Ryoga glared at him. "You're telling me that I walked to another planet?" he said, indignant. "If you start telling me we're on Iscandar or Zentraedi or some crap like that..."

"No, this ain't a joke, Ryoga," Ranma insisted. "I still don't know what this planet is called, but the stars don't look the same here, the technology is different, and I've seen the maps they've made of the world. None of the continents even resemble what we're used to. The history is different, there's no countries anymore here, it's all run by this big company called Shinra." Ranma looked over his rival, who had softened his expression somewhat, before taking out a coin purse and passing a handful of coins to Ryoga. "Look, buddy, my situation here is pretty flimsy right now. I can't look after you here, but I'm not going to leave you empty handed either. The money here is called gil, not yen. This should be enough for you to get a meal and a place to stay the night."

Ryoga examined the strange coins, which had more in common with old ryo than yen to his eyes, before pocketing them. "There's more," Ranma continued quietly, before Ryoga could say anything. "This place is… savage, compared to Tokyo. Ordinary folks go around with swords and guns. There are dangerous criminals who walk the streets, bold as they please. And from what I can tell," he said, glancing around meaningfully, "the company that runs this city is corrupt and acts like the Yakuza with better publicity and less honor."

Ryoga blanched visibly at that. "This place is that bad, huh?" he asked quietly.

Ranma nodded. "I know you an' I don't always see eye to eye," he said. "But I've seen stuff here that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. If you're here, then you need to understand that I wouldn't have actually sold you as food." He looked down at the ground. "But others would, and they wouldn't even blink twice at the idea. This is not the kinda place you want to be caught out in the rain, if you take my meaning. Don't tell people here about P-chan, don't tell people where you're from… and don't trust the Shinra company. Got it?"

Ryoga nodded, his face grim. "I can't believe I'm about to say this, but…" he paused, looking away. "Thank you, Ranma."

Ranma's jaw practically fell away. "You… did you just…"

"You're not getting a second one," Ryoga cut him off. "I'll see you around." With that, he retrieved his umbrella and departed.

Aerith looked at Ryoga's retreating back, and then turned to Ranma. "What in the world did you do just then?" she asked, still confused. "I couldn't move at all, and it looked like everyone else around had the same thing."

Ranma looked shocked for a moment. "Crap, didn't mean for that to hit everyone… Okay, so there's a bit of a story to that," he started. "Years ago, Pops developed two different martial arts styles, the Umi-Sen Ken and the Yama-Sen Ken. Without going into too much detail, both styles were developed with thievery in mind. The analogy is that of a house, with Umi-Sen Ken representing a burglar who sneaks in and catches you unaware, while Yama-Sen Ken is more like a robber who brazenly enters through the front door and overpowers the inhabitants.

"That was the opening gambit of the Yama-Sen Ken," Ranma continued. "It's a chi-infused shout designed to stun the opponent and give the user an uncontested opening. I'd intended to only hit Ryoga with it, but I guess I put a little too much power behind it."

Aerith considered that for a long moment. "Jeez… if your father developed not just one but two different styles, based on being a thief? That just feels… shady."

Ranma nodded his agreement. "Don't get me wrong, though," he replied. "Developing even one unique martial arts style is no mean feat. Developing two, before you even master the one you're actively being trained in? Pops may be an awful human being, but he's got talent in the art."

Aerith looked puzzled for a moment, examining his words carefully. "Wait, was that how you snuck up on me last week?"

Ranma blinked in confusion, but then remembered the first day of training her chi senses. "Yeah, well spotted, by the way," he replied, and Aerith felt no small amount of pride at having picked up on that detail. "The vanishing trick is the opening gambit of Umi-Sen Ken, and if done right it cloaks your chi presence. You can still be seen, but there are other ways to deal with that."

Aerith nodded, but decided to change the subject, not wanting to further consider the senior Saotome's capacity for exploring the depths of humanity. "So, is he going to be okay?" she asked Ranma, gesturing in the direction Ryoga walked off in. "He's your friend, we would have offered to take him in too…"

Ranma shook his head. "He's even more stubborn than I am," he said. "And if he'd agreed to live under the same roof as me, we'd probably put holes in your walls. I'd rather not do that. There's also the fact that he'd probably have gotten lost. Again."

"Why do you say that?" Aerith asked.

Ranma took a deep breath. "This is gonna take a while to explain…"

A/N: Yep, Ryoga's in town! I don't plan for him to be crucial to the story, but he will show up from time to time (as is his wont in the original saga as well). Ryoga comes equipped with massive issues and a virtually indestructible body thanks to the absurd training he's been through. I've probably pushed his directional insanity way past the logical limit, but the characters in Ranma 1/2 frequently lack either limits, or logic, so I feel that's probably fine.

In all honesty, this scene between Ranma and Ryoga is actually what prompted the whole story. The chapter title is a deliberate reference to the rather famous line from Gandalf, and also the fact that Ryoga is frequently referred to as the Lost Boy. I wrote this scene about seven weeks ago now, with Ryoga and Ranma arguing over a map of Middle-Earth, while stuck somewhere that definitely was neither Tokyo nor Tolkien. The story expanded out from there in both directions. I've got a lot more ahead too!

Yama-Sen Ken roughly translates as Thousand Mountains Style, while Umi-Sen Ken roughly translates as Thousand Seas Style. Umi-Sen Ken and Yama-Sen Ken are sister styles of martial arts developed by Genma Saotome (Ranma's father) in his youth. They are both developed around the concept of thievery, but approached from different directions. Envisioning the opponent as a house, Umi-Sen Ken acts as a burglar, sneaking in under cover of darkness and making off with the valuables, while Yama-Sen Ken is the brazen robber, smashing down the front door and looting at will. To that effect, the opening move or gambit of Umi-Sen Ken is a technique that erases the user's chi presence, allowing them to sneak up on an opponent in plain sight for a chance to strike at one's target of choice unhindered. Conversely, the opening move of the Yama-Sen Ken is a chi-infused shout, a word of command that either disorients or outright halts the movement of the target, allowing the user to charge in and land a vicious attack.

The outfit imagined up by Ranma at the beginning of the chapter is referencing the one worn by Sion Barzahd, the protagonist of another Squaresoft game, The Bouncer.

Ryo is an archaic form of coinage in Japanese history. There's some fluctuation in its historical value, but broadly, it was supposed to be a unit of value equal to the amount of rice required by one adult to survive for one year (roughly twenty bushels). Gil as a currency has been fairly infrequent in its actual depiction, but when characters use abilities like Coin Throw/Toss Gil, Bribe, etc. in FF7, the depicted coinage is to my mind fairly similar to a ryo. As a result, that's my headcanon and I'm sticking to it.

Hope you like it! Comments welcome!