Hello, all. Sorry this took so long. The next few parts will probably be
somewhat shorter, and (I hope) be written more quickly. Let me know what
you think of this one. It's a somewhat different take on Akari than you
usually see.

	Major thanks go out to my pre-readers once again, and I welcome
Lara Bartram to their noble ranks.



		      HEARTS AND MINDS PRELUDE FOUR
		HIBIKI RYOGA AND UNRYU AKARI: THE CONTEST

		       Ranma 1/2 manga fanfiction
			     by Gary Kleppe

	The characters of Ranma 1/2 are the creation of and rightful
property of Rumiko Takahashi. They are used here without permission.
This story may be freely redistributed, but it should not be altered
substantially or used for profit in any way.

	SERIES NOTES: This is a prequel to "Hearts and Minds", a series
taking place five years after the end of the Ranma 1/2 manga. There will
be ten of these, each centering on a particular character or two. They
lead into the main series that will be written eventually, but are
intended to stand alone as "continuation" stories.

	For more info on the series, read the Info post I sent to FFML
(archive # 40384), or see the section for this fic on my web page,
http://www.execpc.com/~kleppe/comics#ham. The previous part can be found
here as well.

	This will probably be my longest and most ambitious series ever.
All C&C and feedback will be welcomed, seriously considered, and
responded to. Public response is preferred, but private is fine.

                                 ______


	"You want more, Yoiko?"

	"Uh huh!" The four year old nodded eagerly. Her father, Hibiki
Ryoga, scooped another spoonful of rice onto her plate. She moved
forward in her chair as she started to shape the rice into the form of a
pyramid.

	"Sit back in your chair, Yoiko-chan," Ryoga said. "You don't
want to fall and hurt yourself." Though Yoiko seemed like the world's
most durable child, her parents weren't about to put her to the test if
they could avoid it.

	Ryoga's wife came over with a fresh pot of tea and poured it.
"Did you see the picture Yoiko drew today, honey?" She showed him a
piece of paper with mostly illegible crayon scribble. "She's going to be
a great artist someday. Just look at this cute little piggy!"

	"Not a piggy, Mommy! A kitty!" Yoiko continued to form her rice
into some unidentifiable shape.

	Ryoga finished his food and set his empty plate on the table.
"There was another call from Kuno Tatewaki today, Akari-chan." He wiped
his face with his napkin. "He's asking everyone to meet tomorrow morning
at the Tendo dojo."

	"Are you planning on going?" Akari asked.

	"I think so. Though I hate to leave you two here all by
yourselves."

	"Don't worry about it, honey. I've been handling farm animals
for a long time."  She smiled playfully at little Yoiko as the rice
structure she had built collapsed onto her plate, partly spilling onto
the table. "Though *some* animals are more trouble than others."

	Yoiko looked up at her father. "Daddy going away?"

	"It looks that way, kiddo," Ryoga said. "Some friends of mine
are in trouble and I need to go help them."

	"Aunt Akane? And Ranma?" Yoiko paused thoughtfully. "Is Ranma an
aunt, or an uncle?"

	"An uncle, honey." Ryoga resisted the urge to chuckle. "No, it's
not them. They're going with Daddy to help our other friends. Mommy will
have to take care of everything here until I get back. You'll need to be
a good girl for her. 'Kay?"

	"'Kay, Daddy. Can we watch Barney dubs now?"

	"Nope." Akari picked Yoiko up in her arms. "Five times a day is
the limit, remember? It's bath time for you, while your Daddy cleans up
here."

	The little girl giggled as Ryoga playfully mussed her hair. Her
mother carried her out of the room.

	Ryoga started cleaning off the dining table. He hoped his wife
and daughter would be all right while he was gone.

	He and Akari had built their farm up into a pretty good business
over the last several years. They bred pigs, both for food and as sumo
wrestlers. Their pork couldn't compete pricewise with the big
agribusiness companies, but it was much better in terms of quality and
taste. They sold a lot to upscale restaurants and gourmet food stores.

	Ryoga never imagined that he'd be living this kind of life. He
thought back to those old days. Most of the time he had wandered the
countryside aimlessly, only occasionally seeing a familiar face...

                                 ______


	"Why, hello, Ryoga! Goodness, we haven't seen you in such a long
time! Won't you come in?"

	"Uh, hi, Kasumi. I just stopped by to say hello to Akane."
Actually it had been pure chance, or perhaps fate, that had led Ryoga to
the Tendo home. After Ranma's wedding fiasco he had simply set out
walking. Now, weeks later, he was back in the same place.

	"Oh dear, I'm afraid she's still at school. She'll be back soon,
though. Make yourself at home, and I'll get you some tea."

	Ryoga dragged his weary body into the Tendo family room as
Kasumi went to the kitchen. She was someone who led a life that was so
different from his that he had trouble imagining it. She seemed to want
nothing more than to take care of her household and her family. She
rarely even seemed to leave the house. He, on the other hand, rarely
stayed in the same place for more than a day or so. What would it be
like to have her kind of family life?

	Make himself at home, she had said. He would do that for now.
While he could.

	"Ryoga."

	Ryoga turned to see Mr. Tendo, with Ranma's father right behind
him. "Hello, sir."

	"We need to talk, son." Mr. Tendo's voice had an edge to it, the
kind that told Ryoga that the conversation they were going to have
wasn't going to be pleasant.

	"Er... okay."

	"I don't know how to put this kindly," Mr. Tendo said, "so I'll
just come right out with it. I want you to stop sleeping with my
daughter."

	"Huh? I... er... What..."

	"I know all about what you've been doing, son. I've seen you
change back from pig to human several times in our bathroom. Saotome
here saw it happen in Jusenkyo. We let you go on with it in hopes that
it would make Ranma jealous enough to admit his feelings for Akane. Now
that they're getting married, I have to say that enough is enough. If
you show up around here any more as P-chan, I'm afraid I'll have to
expose you."

	"Try to do the honorable thing, son," Genma said. "A true
martial artist doesn't hide himself inside the form of an animal."

	There was nothing Ryoga could do. Lashing out at Mr. Tendo would
only make Akane feel bad. This was it, then. It had been nice while it
lasted. Almost as if he actually belonged somewhere.

	Kasumi came out of the kitchen as Ryoga was at the front door.
"Oh my, don't you want your tea?"

	"I have to go. Tell Akane I'm sorry I missed her. Tell her I'm
sorry... for everything."

                                 ______


	The world was a blur as Ryoga trudged down the streets. He
didn't care where he would end up; he just had to keep moving, though it
didn't seem to help. No matter which direction he went, he couldn't get
away from the terrible truth. He couldn't be with Akane any more.

	He remembered feeling like this once before, a long time ago.

	As a child, Ryoga's grandmother had taken care of him. Wherever
he needed to go, she had always been the one to take him. Every day she
had gone with him to school, and every day at the end of school she was
waiting outside.

	Until one day he came out from school and she wasn't there.

	Looking for his grandmother, six year old Ryoga noticed a crowd
of grown-ups gathered down the block. There was an ambulance. He
listened to the voices in the crowd. Something about a sudden heart
attack. He looked around the crowd to see who they were talking about...

	... and his young world came crashing down. Hibiki Kodama,
grandmother to Hibiki Ryoga, was deceased at seventy-eight years of age.

	Ryoga ran away from the scene. It couldn't be true! He'd find
his grandmother somewhere else, and she'd take him home like she always
did. He ran until he was too exhausted to keep going.

	He stopped and looked around. He realized that he didn't know
where he was, or how to get home. Actually he really didn't know how to
get anywhere from anywhere. Grandmother had always taken him where he
needed to go, and he had never paid any attention to how she did it.

	Ryoga wandered around for hours and hours. By the time it was
almost dark his legs were tired, and he was about to give up. He thought
he would have to be by himself forever. Then he heard the familiar sound
of a dog's bark.

	"Kuroshiro!"

	The black and white dog jumped joyfully over to Ryoga. The boy
eagerly followed his family dog back to the house it had come from, his
house. He was home. "Mom! Dad!" he cried as he ran inside. Now that he
was with his family, everything would be all right. They would help him
to get where he wanted without getting lost.

	Ryoga found no one inside the house. The telephone was ringing
as he came into the family room.

	"Hello?"

	"Ryoga? Is that you, son?"

	"Daddy?"

	"Son, your mother and I don't know where we are right now. We'll
be home to see you as soon as we can. Just a few days, son... we hope.
Tell your grandmother."

	Ryoga had gotten lost regularly ever since then. His parents
never came to help him. They were as lost as he was. It was up to him to
find his way. Nobody was going to come looking for him...

	"Hey, Ryoga. So there you are."

	"Ranma!" Ryoga shouted as he turned, tensed for battle. "What do
you want?!"

	"Take it easy," Ranma said. "I ain't lookin' for a fight. Your
girlfriend's been lookin' for you, y'know. I thought I'd help you get to
her place."

	Ryoga's anger grew at this taunt. Ranma had won Akane, and now
he was rubbing it in his former rival's face. "You know very well that
Akane is *not* my girlfriend! SHISHI HOKODAN!" Pain and depression
produced by thoughts of Akane coalesced as waves of energy, erupting
toward the pig-tailed boy.

	Ranma deftly dodged Ryoga's ki-blast as it flattened a tree.
"I'm talking about Akari, idiot! She really likes you, y'know. Wanna go
see her, or should I just leave you here?"

                                 ______


	Ranma leapt down the road towards Akari's farm, with Ryoga
following close behind. Now that Pop and Mr. Tendo were threatening to
blow the whistle on P-chan, bandanna boy was going to need something to
take his mind off of Akane. Akari would be just the thing. Hopefully.

	Akari had come to Furinkan a couple of weeks earlier, hoping to
find Ryoga; her "big pig", as she sometimes called him. If anyone else
had said that, it would've been an insult.

	Akane tried to tell Akari that Ryoga would be back as soon as he
could. She was looking for P-chan, her *little* pig, who *she* hadn't
seen recently. Ranma watched with Hiroshi and Daisuke as the women
talked. He prayed to any deities that might be listening for Akari not
to spill the beans about Ryoga's curse.

	"It's my fault he hasn't come to see me, I know it is. I must
have said something that offended him." Akari wiped her teary eyes. "I
miss darling Ryoga so much! He's just so perfect! Every time I hear the
word 'pig' it reminds me of him."

	"Hey, he's probably just lost again." Ranma hoped Akane wouldn't
ask why Ryoga should be associated with that word. But with Akari, it
probably made sense even without the curse. "He'll come back eventually.
I'd bet my pig-tail on it."

	Akari started to cry.

	"C'mon, Akari. Ryoga likes you. He's a good guy, even if he can
be kinda pig-headed sometimes."

	Akari cried harder. Ranma didn't understand why.

	"Ranma!" Akane said irritatedly. "You just have a gift for
saying the wrong thing, don't you?"

	"Huh? What'd I do?"

	"Stop saying... you know."

	"Stop saying what? I don't get it!"

	"Don't say..." Akane rolled her eyes and gave an exasperated
sigh. "Ont-day ay-say ig-pay! Understand? Ont-day ay-say ig-pay!"

	Akari gave a wail worthy of Tendo Soun as she ran out of the
schoolyard.

	"Huh? What was that for?" Akane asked.

	"It might've been the way you were talking," Daisuke said.

	"Oh yeah," Hiroshi said. "You know, 'pig latin'?"

	Realization crossed Akane's face. "Oops."

	"Umb-day, Akan-e," Ranma added.

	Now Ranma was approaching the Unryu farm with Ryoga.

	He hoped he was doing the right thing. He had made some pretty
big screw-ups lately. Ucchan might never want to talk with him again
because of the boneheaded way he had handled that situation. Kuno ran
off to Jusenkyo, though Ranma didn't see how that one could be called
his fault. He wasn't exactly in good enough mental condition at the time
to do anything about it. Kodachi... well, it remained to be seen what
the consequences of that one would be.

	Now he was trying to fix up Ryoga with Akari. She had a lot
going for her; she was cute, spunky, and definitely seemed like the
loyal type. On the other hand, she was obsessive enough to qualify as a
Kuno and then some. There was no way to tell what could go wrong with
the two of them together. Whatever it was, Ranma was sure that he'd get
blamed for it, even if it wasn't his fault. Ryoga just wasn't the family
type, that's all. The day he'd settle down and raise kids would be the
day that pigs flew.

	It had been so much easier before. In the old days, nothing
Ranma did seemed to matter all that much. Things hardly ever changed,
and when they did it wasn't usually because of anything he did. Now
things he said and did suddenly mattered. He had to learn to be careful,
and that was hard to do. He wondered if this was what growing up was all
about.

	"We're here." Ranma knocked on the door. Moments later, it
opened.

	Akari came out onto her porch. She saw Ryoga and got a look in
her eyes, a look that Ranma recognized as the one Shampoo used to give
him. He decided it would be best to exit quietly.

                                 ______


	"You're really pigging out, Ryoga-sama. Feeling good?" Akari
asked.

	"Are you kidding?" He had just spent hours being stuffed with
tasty food by a beautiful, adoring woman. "I'm in hog heaven." He
thought she'd appreciate the expression.

	"Me too. Although..." Akari gave a naughty smile with a touch of
embarrassment. "... I like you better as a pig than a hog, honey."

	Ryoga didn't get the point of this remark. "Er... is there a
difference? Do you get better pork from one of them?" This seemed to
embarrass her even more.

	"Anyway, everything was delicious," Ryoga said. "You'll make
someone a great wife." The way Akari looked at him after he said that
almost made his nose start bleeding. "Uh... that is to say..."

	Akari took Ryoga's hand. "I have to come right out and say it. I
want to be *your* wife, Ryoga-sama. I want to be the mother of your
piglets."

	"Akari, I... can't. I'm sorry."

	Akari turned away dejectedly. "It's my fault. I guess I just had
the wrong idea. That's okay."

	"No! It's not you, it's *me*! Do you understand? ME!" Ryoga
leaned over so that Akari would be looking at him. "Do you know why I
haven't been to see you in so long?"

	"I figured it was because you had somewhere better to go."

	"No! It was because I couldn't *find* you! I have the world's
worst sense of direction, Akari. I've been known to need days to get
across the street. I was once lost for two days inside a grocery store."

	"Ryoga... you don't have to..."

	"Akari, you're a wonderful person. I'd be happy to marry you if
you'll have me. Really. But I *won't* raise any children. Not when I
won't be able to be there for them when they need me."

                                 ______


	The next morning, as if to prove his point, Ryoga was lost
again.

	He wasn't sure how it had happened. He hadn't even intended to
leave the house. Akari was gone when he had gotten up from her guest
bedroom. There was a note that said that she was taking care of some
errand and would be back soon. Ryoga went looking for the bathroom, and
before he knew it he was on the road again.

	Fortunately, he hadn't gone too far yet, and he had Akari's
phone number written down. All he had to do was get to somewhere he
could call from.

	For Ryoga, who had never had a woman really like him before,
Akari was nothing short of miraculous. She seemed to be crazy about him.
But that was also a little frightening. She put him up on a pedestal.
What would happen when she discovered his faults? Would she accuse him
of having deceived her? Would she be right?

	At least he knew one thing, that Akari wasn't really Ranma in
disguise. He could just imagine Akari taking off a wig and revealing his
nemesis. *Ha! You thought there was someone who loved you? You dope!* He
had been fooled that way too many times.

	No, Ryoga had seen the two of them together more than once.
Akari was real. The question now was what kind of disguise she saw him
in, and how she would react if she saw who was really underneath.

	Of course, the way Akari saw Ryoga probably wasn't much
different than the way he saw Akane. In his mind he knew that it was
wrong, but he couldn't stop from seeing her as a beautiful angel in his
heart.

	Then there was Ranma. He had been the one on whom Ryoga had
blamed everything bad in his life. That seemed pretty pointless now.
Akane was going to marry Ranma. That was settled. Beating up on him
would only make her sad. No matter what he'd done, it was time to forget
him and move on.

	Ryoga walked up to the front door of a house. Hopefully they
would let him call Akari and wait for her here. Strangely enough, though
he spent a lot of time just walking, he rarely found himself using any
of that time to think, as he just had. He ought to do it more often, he
decided.

	The door opened. Ryoga was greeted by a splash of water.

                                 ______


	Akari walked through the temple, finding the room she had been
directed to. "Excuse me... are you Priestess Kaede?"

	"Yes. Please come in." She was an old woman in plain brown
robes, with the trim body of a younger person . Her face was wrinkled,
but her gaze firm. "How can I help you?"

	"I have this friend. I think he might be under a curse or
something. They said you might be the one to help."

	"I do know a little about the ancient ways. Not many people do
these days. Sorcery is fast becoming a dying art. But you didn't come
here to listen to an old woman ramble. Please, tell me about your
friend."

	"His name's Ryoga. He's the most wonderful man I've ever met.
He's strong like a pig, brave like a pig, smart like..."

	Kaede nodded, indicating that she got the idea. "I once knew a
man who I felt like that about. A long time ago. Go on, please."

	"Ryoga even turns into an adorable little pig, because of some
spring he fell in at a place in China called Jusenkyo."

	"Yes, I've heard stories of the cursed springs. A little pig,
eh? To be honest, I'm not sure whether anything can be done. I'd need to
do a little research to find out if there's any way to remove your
friend's Jusenkyo curse."

	"NO! Er, I'm sorry, but that's not what I mean."

	"Then what..."

	"Ryoga has a problem with directions. According to what he said,
he can't find his way anywhere without getting lost. Apparently it's
hereditary."

	"Hmm... it does sound like it might be a curse of some kind.
Hereditary, you say? Mother's side, or father's?"

	"Both. Do you think you can help?"

	"Perhaps." Kaede moved back in her chair. "My particular school
teaches that all physical objects are inhabited by spirits. Usually they
can't be seen or otherwise perceived, but under the right conditions
they can have noticeable effects.

	"It may be that some such spirits haunting your friend's family
line are responsible for his troubles. If that's the case, I might be
able to exorcise them. I'll have to examine him. Then we'll see what can
be done."

	"Oh, thank you. I'll go back home and get him. He should be
waiting there." *I hope,* she added mentally.

                                 ______


	"What is it, Grandma?" the cute teenage girl asked, as Ryoga
shook the water off his pig body.

	"Goodness, it looks like some sort of animal," the little old
woman said. "I'm afraid I hit it with my dishwater and got it wet. We
ought to find out who owns it."

	"Look at these old clothes it's wrapped in. Somebody left it
here for us to, like, take care of. I've read these stories in school
where people did that with babies."

	"You'd better talk to your mother if you want to keep it, Keiko.
And if the owner comes looking for it, you'll have to give it back. In
the meantime, I'm going to go wash these clothes."

	"'Kay, Grandma." Keiko scooped Ryoga up in her arms and took him
into the house. "Now, what should I call you?"

                                 ______


	"Hamlet. That's what I'm calling him. Get it?" Keiko spoke into
the phone. From what Ryoga had been able to gather, some girlfriend of
hers from school was on the other end. "It's like this play that we're
reading in school next week."

	Ryoga sat next to her as she scratched him behind the ear. It
was deja vu. Same situation, different place. Maybe this was a second
chance; another chance for the only kind of life he could have. Maybe he
had just been kidding himself about being able to marry someone like
Akari, about being able to live as a man.

	"Yoshi? I'm not going out with him any more. Not after the way
he insulted me. That jerk better not come around here anymore. Not now
that I've got my Hamlet to protect me." The girl giggled.

	Ryoga could picture Yoshi in his mind. Why were so many men like
that? How could anyone treat a lovely girl like Keiko so badly? Yes, he
would be her protector. He'd make this Yoshi treat her with respect if
he had to beat it into him.

	Then he realized what he was thinking, the choice he was making.
To be a man or to be a housepet. This was a road that he'd been down
before, and if he went any farther he might not be able to return.

	A second chance. That's exactly what it was.

	Keiko hung up the phone in surprise as her pig bolted for the
door and ran out of the room. He headed up the stairs and, miraculously,
ended up in the bathroom. His small appendages turned the hot water
faucet as the girl followed him into the room.

	Keiko gaped at what she saw next. Ryoga stood in the bath, in
human form, wearing only his bandanna, his hands held low.

	"Er-- may I please use your phone?" he asked, unable to think of
anything better to say. "And could I have my clothes back please?"

                                 ______


	Ryoga sat behind Akari, riding on her champion sumo pig.

	"I'm so glad you're all right," she said. "I was so worried when
I got home and you weren't there."

	"Akari, I want to marry you. But I need you to understand what
you're getting into. Do you really want a husband who'll be gone most of
the time because he can't find his own house?"

	"It's not such a bad trade-off for a husband who's kind, and
honest, and courageous, and..."

	"Damn it, I'm not those things! At least not always!" This was
it. Akari had to be told who she was marrying. "You don't know some of
the things I've done!"

	"I'm sure whatever you've done wasn't so bad."

	"Oh yeah? How about masquerading as a girl's housepet? How's
that for honesty and courageousness?"

	"You already told me about Keiko."

	Ryoga took a deep breath. "That's not what I'm talking about..."


                                 ______


	Akari dismounted from the giant pig as it stopped at her front
door. "So... you were Akane's pet P-chan?"

	"Yeah." Ryoga had told the whole story quickly, trying not to
think about what the consequences might be. Now he was about to find
out.

	Akari said nothing. She looked at Ryoga, her expression as
though she were seeing a stranger in his clothes.

	He climbed down off the pig. "I guess... I'll be going now." He
started to walk off.

	"Wait."

	Ryoga paused.

	"Okay," Akari said. "Maybe I haven't been seeing the real you.
I'm like the man in the ancient Greek legend who sculpted a statue and
fell in love with it. I created an image in my mind of a perfect man and
tried to make you into it. That's not what you are. But I still think
you're pretty special. I'd like to get to know the real Hibiki Ryoga."

	The road beckoned Ryoga. He could walk away and start over. A
fresh beginning, no Akane, no Akari. But he was so tired of walking....
"Okay. I'll stay for a little while. Just until you want me to leave."

	"That might be more than a little while, honey." Akari took
Ryoga by the hand and led him indoors.

	"I didn't know you knew any ancient Greek mythology, Akari."

	"Well, I don't know too much. But that story's one I always
liked. Pig-malion."

                                 ______


	Ranma and Akane paused in their training session as Kasumi
entered the dojo. "We have some visitors!" she said brightly, as Ryoga
and Akari stepped in behind her. It had been two weeks since they had
been seen.

	Akari's face shone with a Kasumi-like smile. "Ranma! Akane! We
have wonderful news! We're getting married!"

	"That's great!" Akane exclaimed. "I'm happy for the two of you!"

	"We want you to be the bridesmaid, Ranma." Ryoga laughed. "Just
kidding, it's going to be a Shinto wedding. But we'd like both of you to
come."

	"Wouldn't miss it, buddy," Ranma said. Ryoga was acting friendly
toward him for a change; he hoped it would stay that way.

	"We've got another surprise for you, Akane," Akari said. "Close
your eyes." Akane did so, and a small black animal was placed in her
outstretched arms.

	"P-Chan!" she cried as she opened her eyes. "How-- how did you
find him?!"

	"It wasn't easy," Ryoga said.

	It was pretty obvious to Ranma what they had really done. They
found a real pig that looked like Ryoga's cursed form. He could tell
from its expression and the way it moved that it was a real animal.

	As Akane looked more closely at the pig cradled in her arms, a
sudden trace of disappointment came over her face. It disappeared as
quickly as it had come. "This is so sweet of you two. Even if it's not
really my P-chan."

	"Not... what?" Ryoga stammered.

	"You know how much time I've spent with P-chan. Don't you think
I can recognize him when I'm looking right at him?"

	Ryoga paused for a moment, then gave a loud nervous laugh.

	Ranma remembered a time when he had suspected that Akane had
known the truth about P-chan all along. He dismissed the thought now,
just as he had back then. It didn't really matter anyway.

	"Giving me this new pet was a lovely thing to do, Ryoga." Akane
kissed him on the cheek. "I'll love my new pet and look after him like
the old one. Better, I hope. I'll try to make sure I don't let this one
wander off and get lost. I just hope the old P-chan will be all right.
It's sad, you know. Like this little, vulnerable creature was depending
on me and I failed him. I hope that he found a new home. A good home
where he'll get what he needs."

	Ryoga glanced quickly at Akari. "He did, Akane. I'm sure of it."

	"I guess we should be going," Akari said. "I'm trying to scrape
up enough money so that we can honeymoon in Hawaii. I've got an uncle
who's really crazy about the place, and he says he can get us cheap
tickets. I'm sorry for trying to fool you, Akane, and I'm so glad you
like your new pet."

	"Catch ya later, Akari." Ranma shook her hand and grinned. "I
guess you're really happy now that you've found your perfect man."

	"Not perfect." Akari smiled knowingly at Ryoga. "But that's
okay."

	The couple exited, leaving Ranma and Akane to continue their
training session. They had barely time to strike combat stances when
Genma and Soun burst in.

	Soun held a kettle of water over the small black piglet. "I'm
sorry you had to see this, Akane, but enough is enough."

	The pig gave an irritated "bwee" and shook itself as the hot
water rolled off its back.

	"Dad! Stop it! What am I supposed to be seeing, anyway?"

	"Er... uh... the importance of good pet hygiene," Soun said
feebly.

	Ranma gave a slight smile, not paying much attention to the
scene. So Ryoga was finally settling down to a stable family life. Maybe
pigs do fly after all.

	Of course, he would still have a few problems to solve...

                                 ______


	Akari knocked lightly on the door to her guest room. It was the
morning of her wedding day, the last day that Ryoga would have to sleep
in that room. She was feeling nervously excited, like a little
schoolgirl.

	"Ryoga?" she called. "Are you awake, honey?" Akari was still a
bit sleepy herself. She had just gotten up from a few hours sleep, after
having stayed awake with Priestess Kaede much of the previous night. But
if what they had come up with did what it was supposed to.... "I want to
give you my wedding present."

	Akari thought back to her conversation with Kaede the previous
night.

	"I've examined your fiance's aura," the aged priestess said. "I
don't know if I can do anything to help him. It could indeed be a family
curse that causes his problems with directions, but if it is then it's
so tightly embedded into his self that I don't think I can remove it."

	Akari sighed in resigned disappointment. Ryoga had seemed happy
with her the past few days, but he had had to stay inside the house most
of the time, with her keeping a close watch on him every time he had
gone outdoors. As long as Ryoga had his problem with directions, she
would have to treat him like the housepet he had pretended to be for
Akane. That wasn't the kind of married life Akari had dreamed of, though
she would put up with it if she had to.

	"Tell me," Kaede continued, "does Ryoga harbor a lot of negative
emotions? Hate, anger, that sort of thing?"

	"Well, I'm not sure...." Akari still didn't want to think about
her fiance's possible faults. Maybe that meant she was buying a pig in a
poke, but that was her chance to take. "I guess I have heard him talk
that way about Ranma sometimes."

	"I suspected so. Those kinds of emotions can be an anchor for
curse spirits. Perhaps in the future if Ryoga lets go of some of his
anger, his problem might be curable, but I don't think it is now."

	"So there's nothing we can do?"

	"I didn't say that, young lady. There is a way you might be able
to help. It may be dangerous. It involves extracting a small piece of
your own essence, and bonding it to something your fiance carries. Are
you willing to give up part of yourself for Ryoga?"

	Akari smiled. "I already have."

	Back in the present, Akari's reverie was interrupted as Ryoga's
head popped out through the guest bedroom door.

	"Er... good morning!" he said sleepily. "Is it time to get ready
for the ceremony?"

	"Almost. I brought you a gift, dear." She held out a small
wrapped box, about the size one might use for a necktie or handkerchief.

	Ryoga tore open the wrapping and pulled out a bandanna. "Um...
isn't this..." He felt his forehead and found it bare. "Isn't this my
bandanna? The same one I always wear?"

	Akari just smiled, nodded yes, and giggled coyly. Ryoga stood
confused for several moments, then started laughing. He obviously didn't
understand what was going on. Soon he would.

                                 ______


	Ryoga came out of the guest room, dressed in the formal wedding
kimono that they had obtained for the occasion. He was still wearing his
usual bandanna, as Akari had insisted on. To his surprise, he saw
neither Akari nor anyone else there.

	He saw a note on the table: "Ryoga-sama: We've set up outside,
in the area about 500 meters behind the house. Join us as soon as you're
dressed. Love, Akari."

	"Nooo!" Ryoga cried. Why would she do such a thing? She had to
know that he'd never be able to get there with his sense of direction!
Was this her way of getting rid of him? Maybe she really didn't want to
marry him at all, and everything she did had just been a joke.

	Or maybe it was a test. A test to see whether he was really
worthy of being her husband. That made sense. Okay, he thought, he would
try. He would step outside and find his way to the wedding party!

	About ten minutes later, Ryoga could see neither the wedding
party, nor the house he had come from, nor anything that looked like any
part of Akari's pig farm. He stopped and hung his head in frustration.
Whom had he been kidding? Someone like him could never lead a normal
life.

	Ryoga felt some sort of strange sensation prickling at the
corners of his mind. There was something there that he couldn't see,
couldn't focus on. It was a feeling vaguely similar to his breaking
point technique; an awareness beyond the senses.

	He closed his eyes and tried to concentrate on it. It was a
brilliant white light that shone through the bandanna that he wore,
emanating from a point some distance away in a particular direction. A
direction! He could follow the light and it would lead him somewhere!

	Ryoga walked briskly along over rolling hills. He could soon
sense that he was getting closer to whatever it was. It was just over
the next ridge. He could hear voices coming from there.

	"Man, he's probably halfway to Sapporo by now."

	"Ranma! Couldn't you have just a *little* sensitivity?!"

	"It's all right, Akane. He's actually quite near. He should be
here right about...."

	Ryoga looked to see his wedding entourage. They looked surprised
to see him, all except for Akari and Priestess Kaede.

	Akari smiled. "Like your present, darling?"

	"Present?" The bandanna. More than just a bandanna. It was a
home. It was a future, a life filled with more than just aimless
wandering.

	"It's beautiful." Ryoga looked at Akari. She wasn't the woman
whose name sounded like hers, the one who he had adored for many months.
It didn't matter. In her own way, she was every bit as wonderful as
Akane. "Really beautiful."

                                 ______


	The pig trudged down the road, toward the Tendo dojo, with
Ryoga, Akari, and Yoiko on board. "Wheee!!!" Yoiko shouted. She always
loved riding on Katsunishiki.

	Ryoga leaned over toward his daughter. "Yoiko-chan, I'm counting
on you to look after your Mommy while I'm gone."

	"'Kay, Daddy." Yoiko tweaked her father's nose.

	Akari looked back. "Your Daddy will be back, honey. As soon as
he helps his friends, he'll come straight back to us."

	Ryoga smiled. He could come straight back to his family.

	That was the most beautiful thing about the gift.

                                 ______


	STORY NOTES: The version of Shinto portrayed here is not meant
to represent "real" Shinto (by which I mean anyone's real beliefs about
Shinto). It is simply something which works for this story, and fits
into Ranmaverse lore.

	Kaede the priestess is (sort of) based on a character of the
same name from Inu-Yasha. We'll get to know her better as this series
progresses.

	BTW, someone suggested having Ryoga's parents show up at the
wedding, totally by accident. I'm still thinking about whether to do
this. Any opinions?


Gary Kleppe
kleppe@execpc.com, Home page http://www.execpc.com/~kleppe
My fanfics and the FFML map are on my comics/manga page,
       http://www.execpc.com/~kleppe/comics