Hi, everyone!! After lurking around the Fanfic ML for a while, I felt like 

dusting off this old thing, and rewriting a little more of it. C&C wanted,
and  
flames too!! 
 
Disclaimer: All of the usual disclaimers. All of these characters are not
mine  
etc. 
Also, this is a very dark take on a what-if in the Ranma-universe, and it  
really doesn't        
have any big explosions or huge amounts of action. So if you don't really
like  
this sort  
of thing, don't read it! 
 
 
Lost Dreams (Revised again!!) 
 
 
"Bartender!! Another shot!" he said blearily.  
 
"That's your 5th in a row! I think that maybe you should slow down a
little!" 
 
Ryoga looked at the bartender with bloodshot eyes. 
 
"What do you know! I have a reason for trying to forget! If you knew all
that  
I've been through in my life, you'd be giving that to me by the gallon!" 
 
The bartender looked at him for a minute, then handed him the tumbler. 
 
Ryoga just stared at it for a few seconds, and then downed it in a single
gulp.  
 
 
"Why can't I forget?" he whispered.  
 
Then suddenly he started talking softly and slowly, to no one in general. 
 
"My name is Ryoga Hibiki. I am 23?, no 24 years old, and I have been lost
and  
alone for a very long time. My life has always been one of depression, and 

grief, but the last few years have been hell. My family is cursed. None of
us  
can ever find our way anywhere." 
 
<<flashback to Ryoga\rquote s father lost in Egypt, his mother lost in
Spain,  
and Ryoga lost in Mexico, while their dog looks for all of them
frantically>>  
 
"I haven't seen my family in 10 years." 
He sighs, and wordlessly, the bartender gives him another drink. By then,
all  
of the patrons have gathered around, listening. 
 
"You can't see it now, but I am a very good martial artist. Never good
enough  
though. There's always someone better that me, that person usually being
Ranma.  
Ranma...is someone I wish I could forget. He and I were enemies, for a long
 
time, since he ran out on a duel we were to have in junior high. I vowed  
vengeance on him, and started to follow him as he and his father Genma,
went  
all over China, training. Oh... they're also martial artists. I still can't
 
believe that I finally managed to find them at a place called Jusenkyo.
It's  
just my kind of luck that I managed to track them down, at that accursed
spot. 
 
Never heard of it? I'm not surprised. The only one's who've heard of that
place  
are the cursed ones. That's how I heard of it, when they managed to get me 

cursed, when they became cursed. Ah... I see. None of you believe in
curses?  
Let me show you a real curse." 
 
Ryoga took out a thermos and opened it, putting some water in a tumbler.
Then  
he told the bartender,  
 
"Get me some cold water, and splash it on me, and you'll get proof. Then,
dump  
this hot water on me, so I can change back."  
 
He got off the stool, and yelled out,  
 
"Okay. Now!" 
 
There was a splash, and tangled within the pile of clothes was a little
black  
pig, that looked as if it'd had better days. 
 
 
Bartender: ...!! 
 
Barfly #1: "No way. I've got to be even more drunk than I thought..." 
 
Ryoga: "Bwee!! Bwee!!" 
 
The crowd slowly backs away a little. The bartender then splashed the pig
with  
the warm water, and in its place stood a naked Ryoga. As Ryoga got dressed,
he  
started to talk again.  
 
"Yes, that is my curse. I turn into a pig whenever I'm touched by cold
water,  
and hot water returns me to human form. Genma, Ranma's father was cursed
with  
the panda form, and Ranma, a girl's form. How did this happen? Well, as the
 
girl-Ranma was chasing after panda-Genma, she managed to push me into the
pool  
of the drowned pig, where I received my curse. To me, this meant that I had
to  
kill him, if only for this insult, than anything else... I finally tracked
him  
down to Nerima, in Japan, where he was staying with the Tendos and his
father,  
at the Tendo dojo. When I finally confronted him...  
 
Ryoga: Ranma Saotome, prepare to die!! 
 
Ranma: Huh? Who are you? 
 
...he had forgotten who I was, and when he did remember, he had no idea why
I  
was so angry. He thought that it was because of some bread! The idiot.
While I  
was in Nerima,  I met Akane. She was one of Ranma's fiancees, and she and
he  
seemed absolutely hate the idea of their marriage. They always insulted
each  
other, and yelled and fought every day." 
 
Ranma: Uncute girl!! 
 
Akane: Pervert!! 
 
Ranma: Tomboy!! And you can't cook!! 
 
-Thwomp!! Thwap!! Ranma was taking another one way trip, courtesy of Tendo 

Airlines... 
 
 
"Akane... was beautiful, and kind, and she treated me as a friend. While I
was  
in pig form one day, she picked me up, named me P-chan, and took me into
her  
bed to cuddle with. She had no idea that I had been cursed as a pig, and so
to  
her, I became two people. One was a friend, and the other a favorite pet.  
However, after Ranma found out that I was P-chan, he tried to get me away
from  
Akane, which usually got him into trouble. However, he never revealed my  
secret. I think that was because he knew that I would never do anything to
hurt  
her. So life went on, with the usual fights whenever I could find my way
back  
to the dojo. I fell more and more in love with Akane, but I could never
tell  
her. There would never be the time, and she always regarded me as a good  
friend, or her cute pet. Then one day, she found out. 
 
The day started out rather normally, with me happening upon the dojo while
I  
was lost, as usual..." 
 
Ryoga: Ranma!! Prepare to die!! 
 
Ranma: Hey P-chan, how are you doing? 
 
Ryoga: How dare you call me that! Ranma, stop dodging so much!! 
 
Ranma: Maybe I should just call you Charlotte!! Hah! 
 
( Various shots of Ranma and Ryoga fighting, finally ending with both
falling  
into the pond ) 
 
Ranma: Great! Now I've got to take another bath!! Thanks, Ryoga. 
 
Ryoga: Bwee!! Bwee!!  
 
Ranma: Go find some hot water yourself, P-chan!! That is, if you can ever
find  
Tokyo again! 
 
Ryoga: Bwee!! (bites Ranma) 
 
Ranma: Agghh!!  
 
Ranma angrily drops P-chan back into the pond, and then goes in to take a
quick  
bath. 
 
Akane comes in, and sees a muddy and slightly bedraggled P-chan. 
 
Akane: Oh! Poor P-chan. That nasty Ranma probably bothered you again, huh? 
 
Ryoga: Bwee!! Bwee!! (nods vigorously) 
 
Akane: Well, you need a bath. Come on, I'll give you one right now. 
 
Akane picks up Ryoga, who is struggling frantically. She manages to keep
her  
iron grip around Ryoga, and takes him into the bathroom, which still has
some  
warm water left from Ranma's quick bath. She drops him in, and turns her
back  
to get some soap. She looks back, and sees Ryoga, naked in the tub. She
screams  
and starts shouting. 
 
Akane: Ryoga?! What! How! 
 
Ryoga: Akane... Um, I can explain... 
 
Akane: You're P-chan!! You had a curse, and you never told me! You always
let  
me just carry you to my bed and... You pervert!! You disgusting... I
thought  
that you were a friend, but you're even worse than... Ranma!! Worse than  
Happosai!! How could you!! 
 
Ranma: Akane! What's wrong?" Ranma comes running in and sees. "Oh...!" 
 
Akane:You're P-chan!! You're P-chan!! I can't believe it! I never want to
see  
you again!! Get out of here!! Get away from me! Leave!!!"  
 
 
Akane runs out, crying, and Ranma runs out after her... 
 
"From that day forward, she's never spoken to me, ever again. After I
wandered  
for a few months, I chanced upon the dojo again. I tried to apologize to
Akane,  
but when she saw me, she just walked out. Ranma looked at me for a few
seconds,  
and then... 
 
 
Ranma: Ryoga, you shouldn't have come back. Akane hasn't forgiven \tab you,
and  
she's angry at me, for not telling her. 
 
Ryoga: I have to tell her that I'm sorry, that I... 
 
Ranma: Ryoga! You know what we are to each other. 
 
Ryoga: Enemies. Best enemies, a challenge to become stronger. 
 
Ranma: Friends, too. Bound together by love of Akane, you are almost my  
brother.  
 
Ryoga: Brother... 
 
Ranma: As a friend, as an enemy... I'm telling you to back off. Don't push
her  
now. She's still very angry, and you know her temper... 
 
Ryoga: I...  
 
I jumped up, and just left. I sneaked in, later, to try to do something. I 

thought that maybe if I talked to Ranma again, he could help. He was right,
and  
I was right, too. Best enemies, that's what we were, and the closest thing
to a  
friend I'd had. I was going to go into his room, when I saw something that
left  
me cold. Ranma and Akane, in the same bed.  
 
Ranma: I love you, my uncute tomboy. 
 
Akane: Baka!! I love you, too.  
 
Ranma: He loved you, you know. Ryoga... 
 
Akane: I know that! But I just can't believe that Ryoga could be, and do
all  
that, and never tell me... And I can't believe you never told me either! 
 
Ranma: Well, my honor... best enemies...my fault... 
 
Akane: I suppose..., but I can't think of anything but P-chan, and how
Ryoga  
betrayed my trust. I just can't see him, not anymore. This is something
that I  
won't, and can't forget. I'm sorry, but I just can't.  
 
Ranma: But... Akane, you can't blame him... 
 
Akane: Shh.., don't say any more. Anything I may have felt for him, for our
 
friendship, died at that instant.  Not because he's cursed, but because I  
trusted him, and he never tried to say anything. He never  explained to me,
or  
trusted me enough to know. Part of it was my fault too,  but he should have
 
told me. If  he'd explained, who knows...? Now, no more talking about all
this  
depressing stuff. That's ancient history  to me now, best left forgotten.
Let's  
do something more fun... 
 
I found out later that they had decided to finally get married, When he
took  
care of her, after she found out about me, she knew he was the one for her,
and  
he knew it, too. I saw how they looked at each other, and that was when I  
really knew that love, and my life was over for me. I stumbled out of the
dojo,  
and went out looking for something, anything to help me forget. Yes, we
were  
friends, but first, we were enemies, best enemies. He'd just won the
contest,  
and the prize. He'd won the real thing, love, and left me nothing. Now, I'm
 
just another drunk, nothing special. In fact, I don't even get lost
anymore.  
Once you know there's nothing left for you, nowhere left to go, direction  
doesn't matter anymore, does it? There's nothing left for me, nothing to go
 
back to. Ranma and Akane had their first child last month, while I was
passed  
out in an alley." 
 
Ryoga looked at the crowd of barflies who had gathered to hear his story.  
Wordlessly, he held out his glass, and the bartender refilled it. He drank
it,  
and then staggered out. They all heard a loud "Shi... Shi..." The last word
was  
drowned out, as a large pil 
lar of energy engulfed Ryoga, and finally ended his sorrow. 
 
Author's Note 
 
Well, that's it! If you have a comment, drop a line at monica@pipeline.com,
and  
tell me how I did!! 
 
Monica Shin