Continued from Part 3 Page one....


A ROOM SOMEWHERE IN JAPAN
2:30 P.M.

	The first thing Kodachi was aware of was her jaw.   It was 
sore as hell.  It had a tightness to it that was most uncomfortable.
She tried to move her head when she felt a jolt of pain travel 
through her neck and shoulders.  She decided to keep still for a few
moments until it subsided.

	As she waited, she could hear the gentle soothing sound 
of rainfall nearby.  She didn't feel any drops splash on her yet she
was cold and shivering, feeling like a new born babe just brought 
into the world.  She could hear something else, a low humming
sound that was unfamiliar to her ears yet somehow comforting, 
relaxing her shivering form.

	She could taste something on her tongue, it was blood.
She tried to open her mouth only to have her jaw throb painfully 
in response.  Then a warming feeling passed over her body and she
felt more secure.  She decided it was time to find out where she was
and she opened her eyes.  Things were blurry at first but she could
make out a figure kneeling by her side.

	"Ra...Ranma-Sama?"  Kodachi voice croaked out.	

	The figure was blurry at first, then he came into focus
	
	Then she saw the man clearly and her eyes grew wide.  
It was not her Ranma-Sama.

	It was a small old man, he knelt three feet away from 
Kodachi's face and was no more than two feet tall.  He had a 
lecherous look in his eyes and smiled upon seeing her awaken. 

	"Are you feeling better my dear?"  Happosai said in a 
sing-song voice.

	"AAAAAAH!!!!" was Kodachi's only response as she 
smacked Happosai off the bed to land on the floor.

	"HEY!  Is that any way to treat someone who just saved 
your life?"  Happosai angrily retorted as he rose to his feet.

	"My....My life?"  Kodachi gave him a confused look as she 
looked around and saw it was still raining outside and she was in a 
bedroom, lying on a bed with a large blanket covering her.  There 
was a heater nearby a window which was the source of the earlier
humming.  A green leotard, soaking wet, lay on top of the heater to
dry out.  Kodachi then realized with horror that the clothes were her
own and she lifted the covers slightly and looked underneath....     


	"AAAAAAAH!!!!  I'M NAKED!!!!"  Kodachi shrieked 

	Happosai merely smiled.  "Of course you are.  I had to 
examine your body to check for other injuries didn't I?"

	Kodachi tried to sit up in order to throttle Happosai but then 
the room began to spin and she quickly lay back down, trying to 
regain her balance.

	"When I gain the strength to rise, I will rip you to 
shreds!!!  You evil, old, lecherous....!" 

	Happosai looked hurt.   "This is the thanks I get?  
And just when I was gonna tell you about your precious Ranma....
Oh well."  Happosai walks towards the door but pauses when he
hears her cry out.

	"WAIT!  WHAT ABOUT MY RANMA-SAMA!  DON'T 
GO!!!!"

Happosai slowly turns around to face her.  "I want an apology first."

	"Agreed!"  Kodachi quickly replied.  "Now tell me......"

	"I didn't hear you say it......."  Happosai sang in a sing-song
voice.

Kodachi clenched her teeth and whispered.  "I'M SORRY.  Then 
she screamed at the top of her lungs.  "NOW TELL ME WHERE
RANMA-SAMA IS YOU OLD DEGENERATE!!!!

	"He left with Shampoo after Shampoo kicked your butt."

	Kodachi turned chalk white.  "WHAT!?!?  NOOOO!!!!"
Kodachi began to cry and tried to rise again to no avail.
	
	"Why are you surprised?  You would have done the same
thing.  The better woman won."  Happosai remarked with a hint of
taunt.

	"NEVER!!!  I WON'T ALLOW IT!  IT'S 
UNFORGIVABLE!!!  I'll rip that chinese hussy in twain before I
will allow her to lay claim to him!"  Kodachi roared with fury.

	"Well now, I may be able to help you with that."  Happosai
said in a knowing tone.

	"Oh?  And why praytell could a little freak such as yourself 
aid the Black Rose in her endeavor?"  Kodachi suspiciously replied

	"Why....Out of the goodness of my heart of course!"  
Happosai beamed.     "Besides...."  he added.  "Ranma cannot be 
allowed to marry Shampoo and move to China....Why....I'd never
see my cute little Ranma-Chan's body ever again!"  Happosai 
finished in a sad tone of voice.

	Kodachi eyes grew huge with shock.  "You......You 
admire my Ranma-Sama's....CHEST?!?!

	"Indeed I do!"  Happosai happily replied.

	Kodachi was horrified, a rare feat considering the terror she
spreads on a daily basis.  "You lust after men's bodies as well as 
women?!?!"

	Happosai spun around.  "W..W...WHAT!"  he sputtered in 
disbelief.  "Where you'd get THAT idea?  he demanded.     

	"You just said you admired my Ranma-Sama's chest!"  
Kodachi reminded him with disgust in her tone.

	"Well I like...."  Happosai trailed off when he remembered 
that Kodachi didn't know that Ranma male and female were the 
same person.  "I meant the female Ranma Saotome.  The red 
haired one."

	Kodachi frowned at the mention of her rival.  "Oh, 
HER."  Kodachi spat.  "Yes, she's another wicked girl who tried to 
steal my darling's affections.  The fact she took his name only 
showed how truly pathetic she was, clinging to him any way she 
could."  She clears her throat and continues in a serious tone.    
"But we're removing ourselves from the issue at hand, mainly why 
I should trust a disgusting hentai such as yourself to help me in my
endeavors?  

	"You're very vocal, aren't you"  Happosai noted.

	"Do not change the issue!"  Kodachi snapped back.  

	"Hey!  I brought you inside from the rain and healed up your 
wounds when I could have taken advantage of you while you were 
passed out and left you out there to freeze!  I may be a lech but I have 
my priorities!

	Kodachi felt her jaw and noticed a bandage around it to 
hold it in place and stop the bleeding.  She also notices a wet 
cloth, that fell from her forehead when she tried to choke Happosai 
earlier, lying on the blanket, abandoned.

	"That jaw will heal up in no time.  You're lucky it didn't 
shatter completely on you!  Shampoo's got a mean snap kick."  
Happosai admonished.

Kodachi: (grudgingly) "All right."  Kodachi said grudgingly.    
So you helped me....I'm still naked!"  She growled.

	"Your clothes were completely soaked!"  Happosai said
defensively.  "Besides it's a small price to pay for your life."  
Happosai said.

	"My life was NOT in danger!"  Kodachi hotly retorted.
	
	"If you had been left outside in the rain you may very 
well had froze to death!"  Or at the very least you might have 
developed lockjaw, or even bled to death!"  Happosai pressed 
on.  "Can't you just admit that you needed my help?"

	"ALL RIGHT, ALREADY!!!  Kodachi fumed.  "Thank 
you for your help.  Now if you'll just give my clothes back to me 
I'll be on my way!"

	"Sure you will."  Happosai sarcastically replied.  "You 
can't even sit up.  How will you be on your way?"

	Kodachi sighed with annoyance.  "Fine.  Can you 
ASSIST me to my residence?"

	"I'm afraid moving you now would be unwise.  You are
suffering from mild shock and exhaustion on top of the injuries you
sustained.  You need complete bed rest until morning."  Happosai
said matter-of-factly.
	
	"WHAT!!! HOW DARE YOU......"  Kodachi tried to rise
only to be restrained by Happosai.  "RELEASE ME AT ONCE!"

	Happosai smiled wryly.  "Why Kodachi, I thought you 
would want to stay here, this being the current residence of your
darling."

	"I DEMAND.....What?"  Kodachi blinked as she looked 
around the room again and then back to Happosai.  "You mean 
I'm...."

	"In the Tendo Doujou.  Yes.  You will be staying in my 
room tonight until you recover."

	"With you?"  Kodachi tried to laugh only to clutch her head
in pain and stop immediately.   Evidently Kodachi had trouble 
tolerating her own laugher as well as everyone else.  "I would sooner
turn my ribbon into gift wrapping!  I will stay in Ranma-Sama's 
room and no one will stop me!"  Kodachi proclaimed as she gathered 
all of her strength and forced herself to sit up and then rise.  She 
wrapped the bedsheet around her naked body and took a step 
towards her clothes on the heater but failed to take another as she 
passed out from the effort.  Happosai caught her before she hits the 
floor and gently carried her back to the bed.  Happosai smiled as he 
thought to himself.        

	"She will do JUST fine.  With Kodachi's help I can stop 
Shampoo's plans and collect panties galore!  Her rage for Shampoo 
and love for Ranma can easily be channeled to suit MY needs." 

	"BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"  A lecherous laugh worthy of
Ataru Moroboshi came from Happosai as he delighted in his plan.
   
	"As for now......Time for bed!""

	Happosai placed the blanket back over Kodachi's nude 
form, stopping short at her breasts,  and then climbs on top of her, 
fully clothed, and used Kodachi's exposed breasts for pillows as he
got comfortable, VERY comfortable.

	"Ahhhhh!  Breasts....The most comfortable pillows in the 
world...."  Happosai happily muttered as he slowly drifted off to 
sleep.
	

*	*	*


DR. TOFU'S CLINIC
3:30 P.M.

	Dr. Tofu sat in his chair watching the rain as it continued 
to fall.  It had a pleasing soothing effect as he removed his glasses 
and leaned back against the wall of his office, listening to the soft 
rainfall and allowing his tired eyes a rest.  Rainy days never 
failed to make him fatigued and with no one, save Ryouga, 
coming into the clinic, Dr. Tofu was completely bored out of his
mind.  

	The doctor opened his eyes again and glanced over at
his sole patient for the day.  Ryouga was still unconscious, not 
surprising at all considering how far he must have walked to 
accumulate as much dirt and sweat as his clothes implied.  They 
had been removed, leaving him clad in boxer shorts as Dr. Tofu
needed to bring down Ryouga's temperature from 104 to a 
manageable 100 degrees.  He was going to be okay, heat stroke 
and plain exhaustion being the main problem.

	It was a good thing he spotted Ryouga when he did.  With
Kasumi's and Mr. Tendou's help, they carried him here to me to 
treat.  Then Kasumi had to leave.  Dr. Tofu sighed to himself.  One
day he'd tell her how he felt.   One day....

	Dr. Tofu was startled when he heard a low moan.  He 
looked up to see Ryouga beginning to stir.  Quickly Dr. Tofu rose to
his feet, eager to be doing something at last and walked over to him.

	"Hello there Ryouga.  How are you feeling?"  The doctor 
asked in his best bedside manner tone of voice.

	"Uhhhh....Where am I?"

	" You're at my clinic.  You were found passed out in front 
of the Utchan and Kasumi, Mr. Tendo and I brought you here to
recover."  Dr. Tofu said.

	"T.....Tendo?"  Ryouga weakly replied.

	"You're really lucky Ryouga.   A normal person would be 
dead after enduring what you have on the road.  I found all sorts of
bruises and heat rashes, along with a severe case of heat stroke.  
Where were you walking from anyway?"  Tofu inquired.     

	"C..China...."

	Dr. Tofu cocked an eyebrow.  "You mean to tell me you 
walked all the way from China to here without stopping to rest or
sleep?"

	"Didn't...."  Ryouga took a deep breath  "Didn't have time
to rest.  Time was of the essence."

	"But how?  You would have had to cross the ocean to do 
that and you don't strike me at the type with a lot of money.  Are 
you saying you swam across?"  Dr. Tofu asked.

	"No....I walked."  Ryouga replied simply.

	"That's impossible.  There's no route from China to Japan
that takes you around or past the ocean!"  Dr. Tofu exclaimed.

	"There is....I found it....Just hard to get to...."  Ryouga 
said matter-of-factly.

	"Well....However you came here....You should really take
better care of yourself.  Kasumi said Akane would be worried about 
you...."

	With the mention of Akane's name, Ryouga sat up and 
glanced around the room, searching for something.

	"Where's my backpack?"  Ryouga demanded.
 
	"Easy Ryouga, it's right here."  Dr. Tofu reassured him
and pointed to its resting place in the corner.  Ryouga quickly 
stood up, ignoring the doctor's protests for him to take it easy and
ruffled through it until he saw what he was looking for.  He then 
sighed in relief and sat back down on the bed, resting his bag next 
to the bed.   

	"Sorry"  Ryouga said sheepishly  "I just needed to check on
something."  Ryouga then looked down at himself and noticed his
state of undress.

	"Hey!  Where are my clothes?!"  Ryouga yelped in 
surprise, covering himself with a thin sheet from the bed.

	"Kasumi took them with her to wash for you since you're
a friend of Akane's.  Wasn't that nice of her?"  Dr. Tofu's eyes
went slightly unfocused as Ryouga tried to get his attention.

	"That's great....Um....Doc?"

	"Yes?"  Dr. Tofu replied, not looking at him directly.

	"What am I supposed to wear in the meantime?"

	"Oh, well I have a spare gi in my closet.  Here let me get
it for you...."  Dr. Tofu started to stumble around the office as
Kasumi prevented him from focusing on his task.  Ryouga stood
up and walked over to the closet, picking up a gray training gi that
was a little too big for him.  Ryouga tried it on anyway.  The 
sleeves were a little too long and Ryouga caught a glance of 
himself in the mirror and groaned.  He was dressed just like 
Mousse, long sleeves and all.  He then turned to see Dr. Tofu
blindly searching the closet for the gi he just took.

	"Doc?  I already got it."  Ryouga called out to him.

	"Oh, okay then."  Dr. Tofu closed the closet and made his way back to
the bed, frowning as he noticed Ryouga was on his feet again.  "You
should really get some rest Ryouga.  A three hour nap is not enough time
to...."

	"I'll be okay.  I'm used to it."  Ryouga replied as he picked
up his bag.  "Thanks for helping me out there.  I don't have much 
money I'm afraid but anytime you need a favor...."

	Dr. Tofu cut him off.  "Don't sweat it Ryouga.  We'll work
something out later."  he frowned again.  "I still think you could use 
some rest though, at least wait until the storm is over."

	"Storm?"  Ryouga looked out the window and seemed to 
notice the rain for the first time.

	"'Yes, it's been raining shortly after you were brought here.
Going out there now in your condition...."  Dr. Tofu's voice trailed
off as he noticed Ryouga wasn't paying attention.

	Ryouga stared long and hard at the rain as it fell outside the
window.  Then he gently dropped his bag to the floor and turned 
around, moving towards the door.

	"Ryouga?"  Dr. Tofu voice was laced with concern.  "Is
everything all right?"

	Ryouga didn't answer as he slowly slipped off his gi, leaving him in
boxer shorts again, made his way through the waiting room and then
opened the front door.  He stood there for a long moment, looking at the
rain, hearing it splash against the ground and then he stepped outside,
closing the door behind him...."

	Meanwhile Dr. Tofu was wondering what was on Ryouga's
mind when suddenly he heard a loud cry.  It was almost exactly like
the cry he had heard shortly before he found Ryouga, except it was
louder and if possible, even more full of joy than before.  Dr. Tofu
rushed towards the front door as he heard the cry a second time and
opened the door.  He stood there, a look of concern and confusion 
on his face as he watched Ryouga Hibiki, a boy he had treated for
heat stroke and exhaustion, kneeling in the center of the street with
his arms outstretched and laughing as the cold rain drenched him,
drenching his still human body.  
 

(Fade to Black)	  


Author's comments:

               That's all I've got for now.  This isn't my first Fanfic
but it's one I've had for a while and this is only the beginning.  The
dream sequence at the beginning and Ryouga's unspoken wish will become
clear in later chapters.  I welcome any comments, both positive and
negative.

        My favorite character out of the whole series is Ryouga and 
you can expect a lot more stories about him.  I am planning/working on
two future stories in addition to this one.  

        The first is "Ryouga: The Eternally Lost Boy" which takes 
place after the conclusion of the Ranma 1/2 Manga Series and has Ryouga
traveling all over the world, and possibly other anime series,  trying
to find himself and meeting a lot of interesting people along the way.

        The second is "Kodachi's Dream" which has Ranma encouraging
Kodachi to try out for the Olympic Rythmic Gymnastics Team in an effort
to keep her from attacking Akane and his female self.  He also promises
to go with her to Atlanta if she made the team and offer support, never
thinking for an instant she would take him seriously....  
	
        Don't expect either of these stories for a while though, 
since I tend to leave a story for weeks and then write 50-60 pages in 
one night.

        I'd like to give a special thank you to Bengman for her 
detailed insight and Beneres, who's Ranma: Predator Vs. Prey was 
the first Ranma 1/2 fanfic I ever read and still consider one of the 
best.  I wish I could name all of the other great authors out there 
but they are too numerous and I don't want to leave anyone out  ;)   


	*BONUS!!!*

        
        And now for all those people who don't skip the author's 
notes at the end, Here is a *beta* copy of my prologue to my soon 
to be monthly series (I hope) Ryouga: The Eternally Lost Boy.  
Enjoy!

	
        It was a cold night, cold and bitter, filled with the 
bittersweet memories of a once semi-happy existence.  In some way, 
I took comfort in that as I plunged on ahead, I had lost the only 
person I ever truly cared for, but I had never had her in the first 
place.  Only as her beloved P-Chan did Akane ever show any true 
love for me.  Never as a man, just warmth and friendship....

        Now I didn't even have that anymore.  I had burned my 
bridges behind me and instinctively knew I would never be held 
in her soft embrace ever again.  For she had given her sweet heart 
to the man that was responsible for all of my suffering, all of my 
hardships, all of my loneliness.  "WHY?"  I screamed to the heavens.  
"Why did she have to choose HIM of all people!  "Why do I have to 
be alone for the rest of my life?"  

        I had tried to be a good person, ever since my mother and 
father wandered off, leaving me alone in the world, I had tried so 
damn hard to make something of myself, to carry on my father's 
doujou and make him proud, wherever he was.  I trained hard, 
learning to fight in my father's style, using mere cloth as blades, 
building my endurance from my long endless traveling and even 
met a friend of my father's, Master Sukashii, who trained me in the
use of the Uranium Depleted Umbrella and taught me how to 
hunt and survive in almost every type of rough environment I might
encounter, from the harshest cold of winter to the ungodly heat of the
desert.  I trained, I learned, I suffered.....  
 
        But that was before Ranma came along, I had postponed my
training to go to junior high school at Master Sukashii's insistance.  
There I met Ranma and soon found myself chasing him all over 
Japan. Then, just when I was ready to give up and resume my 
previous training, Ranma dropped me into the pool of the drowned 
pig at Jyusenkuo.  The drowned pig.  Why couldn't he have at least 
dropped me into a pool with the sprit of a lion or a tiger, both 
animals that could scare the living crap out of Ranma and fight very 
well, instead of a pathetic, weak, piglet!  So what if I was cute as a 
pig!  It didn't matter any more! Nothing mattered any more!  Akane 
was going to marry Ranma someday and that was that.  On top of 
that, Akari had found out about me sleeping with Akane as 
P-Chan, again thanks to Ranma's big mouth.  She hadn't told 
Akane, thank god, but she refused to have anything more to do 
with me.  Which in the end suited me just fine!  I'm sure I would 
have broken her heart eventually.

        My heart had lifted briefly when the wedding of Ranma and 
Akane turned out to be a disaster, thanks to Nabiki selling them out.  
But even though they weren't married yet, I knew deep down that it 
was only a matter of time.  I had looked into Akane's eyes and seen 
the love, reluctant to show itself, for Ranma.  Saw it as P-Chan.  As 
Akane held me as P-Chan and finally confided to me her feelings for 
him.  The day my heart shattered into a billion pieces.

        Soon after that, I left Akane's room, turned myself back into 
a man, walked out the front door....and just kept on walking.  I 
walked for thirteen days without sleep, food or drink.  But I was 
okay, I had done it many times before and traveling all over the 
world had given me superhuman endurance.  When I finally did 
stop to take a rest, I had no idea where I was, which suited me just 
fine.... 

        I didn't know what I was going to do or where I was going 
to do it but what I did know is that whatever it would turn out to 
be, it would have to be better than the suffering I've already 
endured....

        Little did I know, my journey had already begun....


How's that for a start?  ;)    

E-mail me at fcasper@yesic.com
I love feedback!