===================
      PART VI
  I Remember You
===================

[Early November:  Friday, Sunset]

   Muhoshin sat in his hotel room, flipping through a file and looking
mildly upset.  The previous evening didn't go as well as he had hoped.  In
fact, it was a disaster.  He was intending to breeze in, defeat Hibiki,
and go back for a well deserved rest.  Easier said than done, apparently.
He was beginning to feel all the old frustrations coming back, focused on
the one directionally challanged idiot whose name made him wince as if
someone had been scratching a chalkboard with a rake.  All the old
frustration that he used to feel with _him_ winning all the time.
   It seemed to him that he'd best familiarize himself with the locals,
now that he was going to have to deal with them.  He was flipping through
what passed as "surveillance information" from a popular sources known
among all who had somebody to stalk.  There were various photos and notes
typed on each of them. Possible allies and enemies.  He wanted a plan.  A
good plan. Something that would hurt Ryouga mentally, at the very least. 

   Fighting honestly was a challange.  Fighting dirty was a sport. 

   There was a photo of a short haired girl.  [Akane Tendou.  Age 17. 
Love interest of Ryouga Hibiki?  Potential hostage.  Violent tendancies. 
Approach with caution]
   {Hm... kidnapping.} He mulled the possibilities over.  It was one of
the oldest tricks in the book, cliched terribly, but still it was a plan. 
   {Wait a minute.  There's that Jackie Chan film festival tonight.  Tsk.}
The directionally challanged fool would have to wait.  Jackie Chan had
higher priority.

   Just out of curiosity, he flipped through the file until he reached a
name that was bothering him. "E....F...G...Go...Gosunkugi, Hikaru.
Mm-hm," Ryo muttered.  He opened the file to find no picture and only one
piece of paper.  It read: 

           Hikaru Gosunkugi: 

                        Mostly Harmless. 

   Ryo blinked.  Mostly harmless?

============================================================================

   Ryouga and Ukyou were standing around the restaraunt, relaxing since it
was a slow day for business.  He sat at a table, Ukyou standing nearby
at the grill. 
   "So who was this guy anyways?  And what'd he want with you?" 
   Ryouga was silent. 
   "Hey!  Ryouga!  Hello?" 
   "I'm trying to remember, okay?" 
   Ryouga continued to concentrate. 

   "Well, a couple of years ago..."

[Several Years Ago.  Location: ???]

   Ryouga stumbled through thick underbrush and dense forest, cursing for
the hundredth time his inherited sense (or, actually, lack of) direction.
He'd bee in pursuit of that coward Ranma for a while now.  It felt like
he'd been wandering around for weeks.  He staggered onward, ignoring the
grumble eminating from the pit of his stomach and the lightheadedness that
began to invade his head.  He couldn't stop, not now.
   Vengence knows no time, but Ryouga was impatient anyways.
   Frustrated at the dense forest, he gave a determined yell and charged
straight forward, obstacles be damned.  To his surprise, the forest
suddenly ended and a large wooden wall suddenly loomed ahead.
   "Oh n-" *WHAM*

[end flashback]

   "So... you made a big entrance, huh?"  Ukyou smirked
   "Well, I got out of the forest, didn't I?" countered Ryouga.

============================================================================

   Ryo put down the file on Nerima's infamous and took a long drink from a
can of cola, his eyes narrowed in thought.  It'd been quite a while since
he faced Mr. Hibiki.  Although he didn't remember Ryo, Ryo certainly
didn't forget him.

[several years ago...]

   The senseis looked on from the front of the dojo while the students sat
on the fringes.  At the center, two gi-clad figures paced, watching each
other warily.  One weilded a blue bamboo umbrella.  He was breathing
heavily, sweat drenching his gi, with various cuts and bruises dotting
his body.  The other held an obsidian umbrella with a hook-end handle.
This one had a few tears in his gi, but he was otherwise calm, breathing
slowly, and not hurt.
   The one with the black umbrella relaxed his stance and lowered his
umbrella slightly.  With an air of smugness, he let a small grin creep
across his face.  "Kousuke," he said quietly, low enough for the other to
hear, but too quiet for the others, "it is not too late to surrender."
   "Surrender?!" hissed Kousuke.
   "Yes... just beg."
   "NEVER!"  Kousuke charged, slashing with great speed.  He left gashes
in the floor and left a vaccum in the air with each slash, but his
adversary had somehow blocked or dodged every attack.
   "You've made your decision, Kousuke.  Remember that," said the other,
just before he hooked Kousuke's ankle with the umbrella, pulled, then
kicked at his knee from the front.  There was the unmistakable sound of a
joint bending in a way that it wasn't built to, and Kousuke collapsed on
the floor, writing in pain.
   "Muhoshin that is enough!" yelled one of the senseis.
   He either didn't hear the sensei, or ignored him as he swung his
umbrella like a bat and struck at Kousuke's side.
   "Ryo!  I said that is enough!"
   Ryo kicked Kousuke in the gut, sending him skidding for several feet
before collapsing once more on the floor.  Enough?  No, this wasn't nearly
enough.  Kousuke had been good, and obedient, and quick to learn, a
sensei's pet, so to speak.  He had made one mistake:  he'd hoped of being
recognized as an equal in talent to Ryo Muhoshin.  Ryo wouldn't allow
that.  People just needed to learn where they belonged.  Kousuke would be
an example, one in a long line of examples, of what happened when they
tried to surpass him.
   "MUHOSHIN!  I SAID-"

   *CRASH*

   A ragged figure, clad in backpack and umbrella, smashed through the
walls, knocking Kousuke out of the way, and ended up taking the hit
intended for Kousuke's skull.  The stranger staggered a few feet, then
collapsed, while Ryo approached him with narrowed eyes.  Who was this
person that denied him his sport?
   "Students!" boomed one of the senseis, "bring these two to the medical
room!  Muhoshin!  You will stay here!"

   And thus went the first meeting of Ryo Muhoshin and Ryouga Hibiki.
What happened to Hibiki next after that, Ryo knew not.

============================================================================

   "What happened next?" asked Ukyou.
   "Well... let's see... I crashed through the dojo wall, felt a sharp
pain in my head, then I passed out.  A while later..." 

   Ryouga woke up slowly, feeling very much refreshed.  He sensed he was
on something soft.  He wasn't quite sure what it was, as lately he hadn't
been on anything like that... but he was fairly sure it was a bed.  He
opened his eyes slowly, only to see a young girl with short hair looking
down at him, as if examining him. 
   "Well, good morning," she greeted, looking at him curiously.
   "Um, hi."
   After that remarkably complex conversation, she left and brought back
an older gentlemen, who told him that he was suffering from exhaustion and
needed a few days of rest.
   Occasionally, some old men came in and asked him a few questions... was
he a martial artist?  How skillfull was he?  Would he care to train with
them?
   In addition to the questions, the old men treated him well, offering
quite a lot in terms of food to eat and hospitality in general.  They made
him feel very much welcome.

   "And well," said Ryouga, "it seemed like they wanted me to stay for a
while, and I guess I wanted to pay them back for their kindness..."
   "So you hung around there for a while, right?" said Ukyou.
   Ryouga nodded.  "It seemed that they didn't want me to go away."

============================================================================

   If only Hibiki had gone away!  Ryo felt that his life would have run
fairly smoother, if he had.  If only Ryo had known what Hibiki would mean
to him, he'd have crippled him on the spot.  But no, after Hibiki was
taken away, Ryo gave him no further thought, until a few days later...

   The students were all standing at attention within the dojo, their
umbrellas to the side.  As usual, Ryo was at front and center, looking
rather emotionless.  A new student was introduced, a peculiar boy with a
bad sense of direction, some need of dental work, and a curious yellow
bandanna.  As they all found out at the introduction, he was Ryouga
Hibiki, already practiced in martial arts and a student there beginning
today.
   Ryo sensed something was amiss.  He scanned the faces of his senseis.
Sensei Miyaji seemed to be hiding nothing... but the others, they seemed
quite happy at the arrival of Hibiki.  Something was going on.
   In the coming months, he found out what was so special about Ryouga.
He was a quick learner, if it was within his ability to learn.  He'd
been beaten by Ryo several times, in the early matches, but after one
month, Ryouga held his own... and after two months...

   "UGH!"  Ryo fell to one knee, feeling the incredible weight of Ryouga's
umbrella smashing into his gut for the fourth time in the match.  The
world became a blur and he saw one of the senseis raising his hand to
indicate a point scored.  For some reason the sensei was standing next to
Ryouga... why was everyone cheering?
   Then a frown traveled across his normally calm face.  <He BEAT me... HE
beat me... he beat ME!  ME!> Ryo sensed the eyes of all who feared him
looking down at him now with ridicule.  Who was afraid of the big bad Ryo? 
He'd finally been beaten, soundly as well, and by a student that had been
to the school briefly.  It didn't matter that he had been trained as a
martial artist previously.  The only thing that everyone looked for was a
win or a loss.  <Was this what the senseis were up to?  Getting a hired
gun to put me in my place?  I WAS IN MY PLACE!!! AT THE TOP! 
Ryogua...he'll pay for this...>

   As fate would have it, the next several months were exercises in
frustration.  He'd come close sometimes... VERY close... and once he even
had the opportunity to kill him.  But... but for some reason, with his
umbrella blade pressed at Ryouga's throat... he passed that up. 
Ryouga showed no extreme passion for the art, at least, in his own
opinion.  Ryo just didn't understand, WHY was he staying there?  Month,
after month, after month?!?!

============================================================================


   "Anyways, I stayed there for a couple of months... learned a few
things... sparred alot with people, Ryo was one of them I guess..." 
rambled Ryouga. 
   "Did you do anything to make him mad?" wondered Ukyou.
   "No... I don't think so.  We sparred alot.  That's about it."
   "Did he act mean to you?  Hostile?"
   "No.  He was just kinda stiff, but always polite about things."
   "So, how'd you end up leaving, then?"
   Ryouga tapped his chin, thinking.  "Let's see... it was after several
months..."

   Outside, the sky was somewhat overcast and the breeze was strong. 
Ryouga stood outside, in front of the UWSMA dojo which specialized in
umbrellas and other protecive gear of the like.  It had been several
months now, and he had a nagging feeling that he was forgetting something. 
   "Hibiki, hello," said a flat, cordial, but mostly emotionless voice.
   "Oh.  Hi, Muhoshin."
   Ryo perched himself upon the railing that lined the edge of the porch
and looked down at Ryouga, who was standing outside of the building's
protective roof.
   "Tell me Ryouga, honestly, why have you come here?"
   "Hm?"
   "Why?  What brought you this way?"
   "I was..." mumbled Ryogua, searching his memory, "hunting down
someone."
   Ryo narrowed his eyes and looked at Ryouga suspiciously.  "Is that
so?"  He twirled his umbrella slowly, and removed the protective guard
from the blade tip.  "Who, may I ask?"
   Ryouga's eyes widened in horror.   How could he forget about RANMA?
The scum that ran out on their duel!  Suddenly, Ryouga yelled to the sky,
"RANMA! I'LL FIND YOU YET!!!"
   Ryo stared in surprise as Ryogua suddenly bolted away, smashing through
several buildings in his attempt to find his way around.  There were
several yells of anger as people stepped out of the damaged buildings and
looked for the offending rampant traveler, but Ryouga was already gone,
once more into the great wide open.
   "WHERE ON EARTH AM I NOW?!?!?!"

   "And, well, after that, I made my way to China... and then Ranma...
at Jusenkyou... that's when HE..."
   "Oh, PLEASE, Ryouga.  Let's not start on _that_ again, hm?"
   "Well, it WAS his fault!"
   "How long are you gonna be mad about that?" prodded Ukyou, irritated.
"It was a long time ago!"

=============================================================================

   It was a long time that the memory of Ryouga irked him.  The mention of
his name raised his blood pressure and lit his fuse.  But things changed,
although slowly, with the exit of Hibiki from the scenario.  Life had
resumed it's status quo.  There was nothing standing in the way of his
regaining his former glory, and soon he was once again on the edge of
being graduated to the highest level he could achieve without being a
'sensei'.  He knew that there were others better than him, certainly, but
that's why they're the senseis, after all.  A time would come when he'd
have that title too, but that was the future.  He was interested in a
smaller time scale. 

   Then, one day, the senseis had a meeting...

   Ryo sat outside the dojo, eavesdropping on a meeting of several senseis
of some topic that rumored to be around him.  So far, what he heard was
rather interesting.
   "I STRONGLY disagree with this method, gentlemen.  It will aggrivate
his already formidable mean streak.  It won't make him a better person at
all."  Ryo recoginzed that voice.  It was Sensei Miyaji... ever the voice
of peace and calm.
   "Hibiki ran out on us, Miyaji!  Without word of explanation!  He
insults us with such behaviour!" said one voice.
   "Besides, what better way to test Muhoshin than to send him against the
one person that has managed to defeat him on a consistent basis?  If he
looses, then he might be humbled at last, or perhaps driven into hiding by
shame, who knows?  But he is likely to become our problem no more."
   "And if he wins, it will sharpen Muhoshin's confidence level.  We
ourselves can still turn him away from his morme undesirable habits."
   Ryo knew those as well... senseis Kazutaka and Ichiro.
   "Your previous plan to make Muhoshin a more 'mind mannered' person has
failed!" said Miyaji.  "All you achieved was to make Muhoshin nearly
psychotic at the mention of the name Hibiki!  Manipulating those boys like
that... you should be ashamed!  Whatever you plan to do with him now...
I... I wash my hands of it!  Do you hear!"  And with that, Miyaji's
footsteps were heard, followed by the opening and closing of a door.
   <Sooo, that was what was going on.  They had enticed Ryogua to stay,
his purpose being to humble Me?> thought Ryo, somewhat angrily.  <I will
not bend.>
   "Let's go find Muhoshin," sighed Ichiro.
   At this point, Ryo couldn't resist but make a smooth entrance.  He
strode into the room, grinning dangerously.  As he expected, they assigned
him to take down Hibiki, and to his pleasant surprise, a few others who
had seemed to have offended the honor of the UWSMA at some point.  Ryouga,
as well as the others, had been located in Nerima, amongst a small
community of other martial artists. Ryo was given a file on them, obtained
through unknown sources, and was sent on his way with a fair amount of
travel money.
   He'd do things his way, though.  This, he decided from the start.  A
little gambling here, a little extortion there, and he was financially
self-sufficient.  The senseis also didn't put a time limit on his hunt, so
he decided to have a small vacation of sorts... that took an entire year.
A little sight seeing, some new martial arts techniques learned, a few
people crushed along the way....
   But alll good things must pass, and Ryo felt that he'd best get back to
the job at hand.  And so, onward he went to Nerima, to begin Hibiki
hunting at last.

============================================================================

   Ryouga hmmed, thinking about the situation.  What would it take to stop
Ryo from hunting him?  It was all a big misunderstanding, right?  Ryouga
was sure that maybe if they talked things over the problem would be
settled.  Maybe.  Then again, that approach didn't exactly work on him
when Ranma tried it.
   "Um... Ryouga, mind if I ask you a favor?" 
   "Hm?  Yeah, sure." 
   "Ranma and Akane are going to see some movies.  They invited me to go
along and... well..." 
   "You'd feel uncomfortable alone with those two, right?" 
   "You got it.  So could you..." 
   "Yeah, sure.  No problem.  Just... keep Ranma away from me.  Please?"
The memory of Ranma-chan kissing him was still an incredibly traumatic
memory... one he'd rather do without.

============================================================================

   Ryo took in all the memories of the last few years, letting the
aggrivation soak into himself.  Nothing like a surge of anger to boost up
one's fighting spirit.  Just then, something caught his eye.  Something
that was strong enough to deflate his fighitng spirit.
   He picked up the newspaper.
   "Oh.  Oh my my my... the Jackie Chan festival.  Mustn't miss that."  He
felt the adrenaline rush drain away from his body, as his muscles loosened
and his blood pressure dropped suddenly.  Ryouga could wait.  There was
always time to appreciate the finer things in life. 

-end part 6-