Hello all you ffmlers, this is the Round Robin fic all of us authors were
working on. This was suppose ti be finished like last year, but all these
delays. Most authors have seem to lose interest in it near the end. Oh
well, I hope you'll enjoy this.
Ryouga's Odyssey
by:
Ken Arromdee
Edward Becerra
Jang Choe
Jack Ji
Kergma
Lucas Muzzatti
Richard Lawson
Mike Noates
RPM
Greg Sandborn
I wondered where I was, and I realized that I was lost again. I hate
wandering all of my life, ever since I was a Hibiki, am a Hibiki, and will
be a Hibiki, I will wander forever. It runs in the family you know. We
foolishly went on a family camping trip but every individual of our
family became lost. I'm not worried about my family though; I just
want to see the sweet face of Akane again. I will, somehow find her. I
always look for the Tendo Dojo or Furikan High, for she will always be
there.
I wondered around some more till I saw this man. "Excuse me!" I
yelled to him. "Which way to Nerima?"
"Nerima? That's due west I believe." The man answered pointing.
"Oh, thank you." I said as I started to go that way.
"No, I said west! That way! Don't you trust me boy? Either that or
you have no sense of direction."
I hung my head in shame. "I.. have no sense of direction."
"Okay, whatever. Here, take this compass I found. All you need to
do is follow the arrow. I don't need it since I don't travel. I found
this thing anyway. Remember, you need to go west. Okay?" The man
said as he left.
I looked at the compass and realized the letters N, W, E, S. "I don't
know English!!! How am I supposed to know which way is west???!!!!"
I screamed in frustration.
Hold on, I know the alphabet though. I recognized the letters since
I got lost in USA a bunch of times. Lets see, west.. nishi.. ummm nishi,
ah! go to the one pointing to N. Now I see.
I walked a few steps till I saw this man, no a young man about the
age of 16-17 with a backpack and an oblong case. "Hey!" I called out
to him, for I wanted to know if I was going the right way. "Is this the
right way to Nerima?"
"I wouldn't know," The boy said. "I'm trying to go to Nerima and
I'm lost. I have no sense of directions."
"You too?"
"Yea, it's strange because no one in my family has this problem."
"Ohh. well, you said you were headed towards Nerima?"
"Yup, actually Tokyo. But Nerima's in Tokyo so..."
"Well, mind if I join you? It's kinda lonely wondering myself."
"Sure." The boy said as we started to walk.
"So, what's your name?" The boy asked.
"I'm Hibiki Ryouga." I said.
"Hibiki!! did you say.. Ryouga!??"
"Well, I sure as hell didn't say Hibiki Ranma!"
"What a coincidence! My name is Hibiki Ryouga!"
"What?! Are you part of our family? No, then you'll be wearing out
family headbands."
"I don't think so. You don't look like any part of our family."
"Well, you said your family don't get lost. So it must be a
coincidence."
"Yeah, two Ryouga Hibiki's. That even confuses me!"
We started laughing and chatted for a while.
"So, do you know martial arts?" I asked him.
"No way!!!! I hate hurting people or things. I rather play my
violin instead. Strange, people said I should take martial arts because
they say I was strong as an ox." Err.. Ryouga replied.
"Well, at least we're not totally clones of each other."
"Yeah,"
We wondered till we meet on a dividing road.
"Which way now?" I asked.
"I have no idea." Replied he.
"Uhhh, how about that way?" I said pointing to the road to the back
of us.
"Sure, looks good to me."
We started walking and noticed how familiar the scenery looked, and
we figured that we were going the right way.
*
As we walked, I started thinking of something someone said once...
that if you travel long enough, and far enough, you'll meet yourself.
What a stupid idea.
I shook my head, wondering why I had thought of that. Anyways, it
was me and the fellow with my name, just traveling down the road. It
looked like it was going to be quite a while before we reached Tokyo.
"Hey," I asked, "mind if I ask you something?"
"As long as it isn't too personal," said he.
"What's your business in Tokyo?"
"Well," he said, looking slightly uncomfortable, "Y'see... my dad,
before he died, he told me a secret."
Feeling that maybe I asked too much, I said, "Are you sure you-"
"No, I need to talk to somebody about this," said he. "Anyways, dad
told me he met someone a while back. Someone that he helped out. In
the end, he promised his daughter to be engaged to me so our family line
would be guaranteed to continue and our business stay in family hands."
"Wow. Who's the lucky girl?"
"Let's see..." He unfolded a paper and read slowly, "Tendo Akane..."
I didn't hesitate and punted him into the horizon. The LAST thing
Akane needed was another fiancee. "Dear Akane," I declared, "I'll find
my way back to you!"
After a long time, what felt like hours, endless hours, maybe days
after days, I fell down with exhaustion. A wooden gate was looming
before me... was it the Tendo Dojo? Did I make it after all? There was
a commotion coming from inside, a girl's voice too... Akane? I crawled
forward and reached out to knock on the gates, praying to the forces
that be that I may finally have reached my beloved Akane.
*
As the gates opened, I anxiously looked inside and saw.. ostriches?
And bison? In the Tendo Dojo?
"<Hello there, lad. Can I help you?>" asked a gaijin face. I looked at
him, confused.
"Where is the Tendo Dojo? What is this place?" I asked. "Where am I?
And what are ostriches doing in Nerima?"
"<Ah, Japanese!> Ahem. Are you lost, son? This isn't Nerima, it's the
Stronghold ranch, in Colorado." The American looked at me closely.
"Boy, you look like you been rode hard, and put you away wet. You're a
mess. Come inside and rest a spell."
"No! I must find the Tendo Dojo, and my beloved Ak..Akan.." My
nose began to bleed again, curse it.
"Look, son.. You're tired, you look beat, and you could use some
food. Let's get you cleaned up, have a bite or two, and I'll see if I can't
help you get to wherever it is you're headed for." He took me by the arm
and led me inside the gates to a house that looked like the ranch
buildings I had seen in western movies. He showed me to a bathroom,
and after I had washed up, we sat down to lunch.
"Ryouga Hibiki, eh? Sounds familiar. I've heard that name before..."
He scratched at his beard. "Oh, yeah! The eternally lost boy!" He looked
at me closely, focusing on my bandana. "Omni magazine did an article
on you last month. The feature spread was on people who'd been to
Jusenkyo springs. You'll be wanting to get back to Tokyo, I take it?"
"YES! I _must_ return and rescue Akane Tendo from the uncaring
clutches of Ranma Saotome!"
"Well, I was headed in that general direction, anyway.. You're
welcome to hitch a ride, son. I got some business round Tombiki. Some
pervert keeps calling my gal, trying to make a date with her. I need to..
_talk_ with the boy about that. You wouldn't happen to know an Ataru
Moroboshi, would you?"
"The one who was involved with those obnoxious aliens?"
He nodded. "That's the one. The boy just can't seem to take a hint." A
annoyed look crossed my host's face. "He's got to be the most lecherous
boy on Earth."
I nodded. "Perhaps you should tell his fiance, the Oni princess, what
he has been doing. I have heard she takes a dim view of his roving eye."
I smiled. "And she has her own _special_ ways of keeping her 'Darling'
faithful, or so I'm told."
And with that, we attended to the excellent lunch his cook had
brought to the table.
A few hours later, we were aboard a private jet, headed for Tokyo.
After we had touched down at the airport, the American hailed a cab,
and paid the driver to take me to the Nerima district, and gave him a
bonus of 5000 yen to see me safely to the door of the Tendo Dojo. I
bowed most respectfully.
"I am deeply indebted to you, Anthony-san. If there is ever _anything_
the Hibiki family can do for you, please, do not hesitate to ask." I told
my benefactor.
He shook his head. "No need, lad. Remember.. It never hurts to help."
He chuckled. "If you feel the need to repay me, well.. the next time you
meet a total stranger who need help, help them. Commit a random act of
senseless kindness somewhere along the line. If you do that, then I've
been well repaid." He smiled at me and walked away, whistling
cheerfully,
before I could ask his family name. I gazed at the stranger who had
shown me such kindness, until he vanished into the crowded airport. I
vowed that, one day, I WOULD return his generosity.
The cab driver waved at me. "Hey, boy! I don't have all day, you
know!" So I climbed into the cab, and soon I was headed towards
Nerima, and my beloved Akane.
* As the car worked its way towards the Tendo Dojo, I gazed out the
window, watching the scenery scroll by. The buildings and cars
and pedestrians became a blur as my mind wandered. Akane's face kept
surfacing - the caring, thoughtful eyes, her cute, upturned nose, her
hair, her lips...
"Hey, kid watch it! You're gonna get blood all over my seats!"
The driver`s voice startled me out of my reveries. He glanced back
over his shoulder, grinning slightly. "Thinking 'bout your girlfriend,
eh?" he said.
"Uh... yeah." I answered. And she _would_ be my girlfriend, too, as
soon as I got back to Nerima, back to the Tendo Dojo, and ground
Ranma into the dirt. _This_ time, that cheating, perverted...
"Hey, kid, relax, eh? You're starting t'a glow... it's bad for the
seats!" The cab driver grinned again, keeping one eye on the road, the
other on me. "You ok?"
I took a deep breath and relaxed. "Uh, yeah. Sorry."
The driver turned his full attention back to the road. "No prob,
kid." he said over his shoulder. There was a moment's silence,
interrupted only by the sound of the radio.
"And it's Yashin to Daigle to Bonk, back to Yashin..." gushed the
announcer on the radio excitedly. The cab driver reached over and
turned
down the volume. "So, kid, guess you're in a hurry to get to the Tendo
Dojo, eh?" he said in a cheerful voice.
I sighed. I didn't really feel like talking, but it'd be rude to
ignore this guy. "Yes." I answered, hoping that it'd satisfy him and he'd
leave me to my thoughts.
He didn't. "Gee, that's too bad..." he said in a good-natured voice
over his shoulder. "... 'cus we ain't headed there!"
It took a moment for his words to sink in. I shot forward, my hands
gripping the back of the seat before me. "WHAT?!" I growled.
"I said..."
"I HEARD WHAT YOU SAID!" I leaned forward over the front
seat, glaring at him. He turned his head slightly, still grinning.
"It ain't safe standing in the car, y'know." he said, and turned the
wheel, sharp. The car squealed around a corner, throwing me against
the back seat. At least I brought a part of his seat with me. "Now, if
you'll just relax, I'll explain...", he continued.
"BRING ME TO THE DOJO!" I yelled, sitting up straight.
He looked back at me, totally ignoring the road. "You sure are an
excitable one, eh?" he said. I briefly considered hitting him. Then it
occurred to me that doing so would probably make us crash. I thought
about it some more. I cocked my fist back.
"Akane's in danger, you know..." he said, then turned his attention
back to the road. I froze, my arm still back.
"Wh... what? In danger? How?" Then something occurred to me.
"Hey! How do you know who Akane is?"
"Gee, how _do_ I know who Akane is, eh?" he replied.
"Don't play games with me!" I shouted, getting angry again. "Who
are you? How do you know Akane? And how is she in danger?"
There was a brief silence. "Alright, fine." he said, turning back
to me. A car squealed out of our path as he ignored the road once
more. 'll start by tackling the last two, 'kay?. They're the easy ones."
A
top sign went flying by; I think we hit it. "I know lots of things. I
know lots of people. I know you, for instance. You're Ryoga -
eternally lost boy, angst-ridden romantic who pines for a girl who thinks
you're a pig... literally."
He _did_ know who I was! I opened my mouth to say something,
but he cut me off.
"Hey, if we're gonna talk... " he said, glancing forward and dodging
a few pedestrians, "... we aughta go somewhere a little safer, eh?" He
pulled his seatbelt down and clicked it into place. "You might wanna do
the same, kid!" he said. "It`s gonna be a bit bumpy."
Normally I wouldn't of cared; it takes a pretty hard `bump` to faze
me... but something in his voice convinced me to listen. I had just
enough time to slide the belt across my chest and click it into place
before he shifted gears...
... and everything went black.
There was a massive heave and my head whipped forward, then
slammed back into the seat behind me. "Wha..." I breathed, glancing
out the window. Everything was utterly black. And yet... I could
swear things were... moving, and floating... out there. The cab driver
seemed unfazed by everything, clicking the car's headlights on. A
swarm of mallets fluttered out of the sudden swath of light.
"Who _are_ you? What kind of car _is_ this?" I exclaimed.
He took off his seatbelt and turned to face me, giving me a good
look of him for the first time. It was a gaijin face, slightly unshaven,
smiling a crooked grin, a mess of dirty blond hair sticking out from
beneath a battered cap with the word "Moosehead" on it. "This?" he
said, taking in the interior of the cab with a sweep of his hand. "Think
of this as... as the Taxi of Destiny. And I'm its driver." He stuck his
hand forward. "Call me Dave; pleased ta meet'cha, eh?"
I numbly reached forward and shook his hand as he continued. A
fifty-foot coil of chain floated by in the car's headlights. "So that
answers your questions: who I am and what this car is."
I closed my eyes for a moment. This was all so weird... but
unimportant. Akane... _that_ was important. I reached forward and
grabbed him by the collar. "No, that _doesn't_ answer my question.
_How_ is Akane in danger - _that_ is what I want to now."
He glanced down at my hand. "Do you mind?" he said. I released
him, giving him a little shove. He fell back against the dashboard.
"Listen, we're almost at our destination. Gimme a sec, ok?"
I nodded and sat back. He sat down as well, pulling on his seatbelt.
I did the same. Once again, he shifted gears. There was a flash of
bright light (scaring off a flock of soaring ginsu knives), and we were
suddenly driving in... snow?
I looked out the windows. Everywhere, a great white expanse
greeted my eyes, the sparkling plain punctuated only by small domed
structures built out of ice. "Where are we?" I asked, as a volley of
small black disks when zinging by.
Dave was fiddling with the dial of his radio. "... got one hand in
my pocket... " whined a girl over the speakers. The driver grimaced,
spinning the dial. "One 'sec..." he said, doing a little fine tuning.
"Life has got you firmly by the short and curlies...". He grinned,
then gave the dial a quick twist.
"At the hundredth meridian where the great plains begin..." He
hesitated for a moment, then spun it again.
"Push just a little too late,... " sang an angst-ridden voice. Dave
bobbed his head to the beat, then turned to face me. "Sorry 'bout that,
eh? Anyway, this is my homeland. Figured it'd give us a little peace
while we talk." He reached down and clicked on the heater.
"BUT I DON`T WANT TO TALK!" I hollered. "I just want to
know how Akane's in danger!"
"Oh! Oh yeah, the danger!" He started to rummage through a pile
of junk heaped over the passenger's seat. Paper, dirty clothes and empty
food cartons cascaded to the floor as he disrupted its precarious balance.
"It's in here somewhere, just a 'sec." I waited impatiently as he
searched. "Hey, I forgot about this!" He sat up, thrusting a greasy
carton in my face. I reared back in disgust. "You hungry?" I looked at
the offered food - congealed globs of white and brown glistening off of
srivelled, crispy chunks of potato. >
"What... what is it?"
"Cheese and gravy on french fries."
"No! Get that... _stuff_ out of my face!"
He shrugged and tossed it aside. "Fine. More poutine for me, I
guess." He pulled out a piece of paper. "Anyway, it's right here. The
danger and whatnot."
I lunged for the paper but he pulled it away. "You wouldn't be able
to read it, anyway."
"So what does it say?" I nearly yelled. Any second now, and I'd...
I'd find my own way back to the Tendos. And leave this idiot sorry that
he'd tried to mock Ryoga Hibiki!
"Just a moment... " He quickly scanned the paper. "Oh yeah... great
evil... threat to humanity... death, doom, destruction... yaddayadda, you
know, the usual... oh, and an Akane Tendo is central to the whole thing.
Some kinda sacrifice or something..."
"WHAT!" Akane, a sacrifice? Never! I'd _die_ before anything
hurt her. I swore I'd always love her. I promised I'd always protect her.
_Nothing_ was going to harm her!
"Yeah, that's what it says... " He hesitated for a moment. "Unless I
misread this thing... it ain't exactly my first language..." He gave his
head a little scratch. "Ah, what're the chances of _that_ happening, eh?"
I wasn't listening. I had to get to the dojo, now, find Akane, and
keep her safe. It was my duty! My destiny! I grabbed him by the
shoulders. "You have to get me to the Tendo dojo!" I said. "I have to
save her!"
Dave winced beneath my grip. "Loosen the grip, eh? Listen... why
do you think I picked you up? I was sent 'cus _you_ are important to
this whole thing, too. Well... I _think_ you're important... I really wish
they'd send these messages in one of the two languages I know well."
He shrugged. "So if you'll just sit back and relax... we'll get started."
I released him. Finally. Back to the dojo. Back to Akane. And
_this_ time, it was _my_ destiny to save her... not Ranma's. And then
Akane would see... would understand how much I... I...
"You ready? Off we go!" said Dave.
"Finally! To the Tendos!" I pulled my seatbelt into place as he
started up the taxi.
He gave a small laugh. "Nope. Not quite. Got 'nother stop to
make..."
"What? But Akane... "
He glanced back at me and smiled. "Can't be saved without his help.
He's currently out training. Goes by the name of... Saotome Ranma.
You know him, eh?" And with those words, the car jumped forward,
and everything went black.
*
"Oops!" Dave slammed on the brakes. My head hit the roof with a
considerable amount of force. Such things didn't faze me; I noticed it
kinda like someone patting my head. Don't get me wrong, I was
worried about it. I couldn't afford any damages I might cause the cab.
I looked out the windshield. The landscape looked vaguely familiar.
We were in some sort of plateau, high in the mountains. The cab was
poised on the edge of a cliff, looking down at a vast expanse of pools.
Pools with bamboo poles sticking out of them.
I looked at Dave. "Jusenkyo?"
He seemed surprised. "Yeah, I guess so. We gotta pickup
whatshisname here." He looked at the paper he was holding and
frowned.
While he was examining its contents, I noticed a figure on a ledge
below ours. He seemed to be looking for something. I leaned forward;
he looked familiar. He had a backpack and a bandanna.
I gaped at him. At me. "Look! That's me!" I rubbed my forehead;
my brain hurt. "How many times am I going to meet myself today?"
The cab driver looked at me with sudden interest. "You've already
met yourself?"
My brain hurt even more. "I don't know if it was me exactly. He just
looked like me and was lost like me and had my name. Other than that
he was completely different."
Dave gave me a funny look. He shook his head, then turned back to
the paper in his hand, murmuring "That might be important."
I looked out at myself, wondering what I was going to do. Maybe I
should go out and introduce myself.
Suddenly a panda appeared from nowhere. It was being chased by a
red-haired girl in a loose-fitting gi. They appeared to be heading
towards my other self.
Horror washed over me. I tried to fling open the cab door, and found
it locked. "NO!" The cry was torn from my throat. The cab driver
winced. I didn't much care, watching in terrified fascination as the
events below reached their exonerable conclusion.
The panda went past my other self. He blinked in surprise, leaned
back. The red-haired girl shot by, shouting at the panda. My other self
lost his balance, and plunged.
I grabbed my head with my hands. "No no no no..." It was too
painful to watch again.
"Right." The cab driver started up the car again, pulled it back from
the cliff, and shot off in another direction. I was paying no attention,
lost in the memories of how horrifying the next few minutes had been
for me all those months ago.
The cab driver slammed on his brakes again - it seemed to be his
specialty - and I heard a shout of surprise.. I looked up to see a panda
running off in the distance, and the red-haired girl with her hands on the
hood of the cab, staring at us incredulously.
The cab driver rolled down his window. "You Ranma Saotome?"
She blinked at him. "Uh, yeah."
"Good. Hop in." The cab driver reached over and opened the
passenger side door.
Ranma just blinked at him some more. I was staring at her, my mind
clouded with the anger it always had in her presence. She was the cause
of all of my suffering, and her she was, fresh from the scene of the
crime.
I fumbled with my seatbelt, then unlocked and flung open the door.
"Ranma! Prepare to die!" I jumped at her.
She leapt away. "Hey! Who are you? How do you know who - "
She stopped abruptly and looked down at herself. I knew a little of how
she felt; she was in a body that was not her own. It was going to feel
very odd for a few weeks.
I suddenly realized how much of an advantage I had. This Ranma
didn't know any special techniques. No Kachu Tenshin Amiguriken; no
Hiryu Shoten Ha. I would never have a better chance of exacting my
revenge. I felt a savage joy come over me. Surely this was fate, come
to give me what I wanted, and Ranma what she deserved.
I grabbed my umbrella, opened it, and threw it at her. She leaned
aside and let it fly past her. She looked angry. "Look buddy, I don't
know who you are, but I've got better things to be -"
The umbrella hit her squarely in the back of the head. She evidently
hadn't noticed it making its return trip. I shouted in triumph and
pounced.
In retrospect I was too clumsy in taking advantage of this opportunity.
I should have remembered that it takes Ranma almost no time to recover
squarely on my jaw. I flew backwards, stunned.
"Hey, you're all right, kid." The cab driver's voice floated from
somewhere nearby. "Grab him and put him in the cab here. We've got
places to go."
I felt myself being lifted and tossed into the back seat of the cab. I
heard doors slamming, but couldn't do much more than stare at the
ceiling of the cab, wondering if the dent in the roof matched the shape of
my head.
Ranma's voice drifted in from the front seat. "Who are you? What are
you doing here? Who's the weirdo with the bandanna?"
The cab shot forward once again. "We'll get to all that. Right now,
all you need to know is that you have to save Akane Tendo."
"Who?"
I reached up and grabbed the top of the car seat. I painfully pulled
myself into a sitting position just as everything went black.
*
We were floating again.. and yet, Dave was driving as though time
itself depended on him. Clouds of mallets flew past, as we took a hard
right to avoid a cluster of maces. Ignoring the outside distractions I
focused on Ranma-chan. She was staring outside the cab, shying away
each time Dave doged another cloud of weapons. Poor kid, she's still
suffering the shock of being turned into a girl and now she's been tossed
into this. NO! I will not feel pity for this.. this.. RANMA!!
Both Ranma and Dave turned to look at me, and I realised that I had
shouted the last out aloud.
"So, where are we going?", asked Ranma, ignoring me for the
moment.
"Where doesn't really matter. Its the *when* thats important."
answered Dave, adding as an afterthought, "and who."
"AKANE!" I shouted, "Whats happening to her?!"
"Akane? Who is that?" asked Ranma-chan.
"YOU'RE ENGAGED TO HER AND YOU DON'T KNOW WHO
SHE IS?" I roared back at Ranma.
"She hasn't met her yet" answered Dave, filling in the gap left by
Ranma opening and closing her mouth. "And after this is over, *this*
Ranma won't remember anything of this."
"..." said Ranma quite elequontly. "Why me?"
"Because, its your Destiny, and his as well" replied Dave with a slight
smirk.
Just as I wanted to ask more questions, Dave announced, "We're
here." and slammed on the brakes, and yet again my head put a
significant dent in the roof.
For once, both Ranma and I were in agreement as we said, "..."
The reason was clear. We were parked on the edge of a cliff. In the
valley below was a town filled with grandiose houses, which marched
their way up a small hill, getting grander and grander as they went. At
the top of the hill was a decent sized, and beautiful temple. None of this
registered on use because we immediatly focused on one thing, Akane.
It could only be here. Running away from the temple with her
natural grace as if her life depended on it, which it probably was
considering the menacing looking crowd of men after her. Ranma was
the first to notice the other, possibly more frightening thing.
"Thats ME!" he yelled.
I looked around, finally coming to the conclusion that he must mean
the seemingly lifeless body laid out on an altar in the forecourt of the
temple. Blood was covering him, dried blood, hopefully not his own.
"Ok, this is your stop' said Dave as he got out and leaned against his
cab. We jumped out and prepared to run down to the valley.
"Wait. Aren't you going to help us?" asked Ranma.
"Nope. I just deliver. Better hurry up or they'll catch Akane." he
drawled, a cigarette already alight.
"AKANE!" I yelled and leapt off down the cliff face. It was with a
start I realized Ranma-chan was just behind me.
*
I ran after Akane and leapt off down the cliff face. The female Ranma
with me leapt too, following me. It was then that it occurred to me that
leaping down a cliff face without the ability to fly might not be the
smartest of ideas. "I'm going to die!"
"Don't _worry_", said Ranma, "there's a stream down there to break
our fall!"
A stream? Oh no!
I landed directly in the water with a splash. I immediately turned
into a cute black pig. Damn that Ranma! Kicking me into the pools of
Jyusenkyou... I'd have to go back there to get a cure, and I'd never find
my way back.
Never find my way back? I was just there. Got to get back to that
cab driver! He can take me there again! I can find the Nannichuan! I
can be completely human again!
No, wait, Akane's in danger... but it wasn't the Akane I knew, was
it? No, I had to save any Akane I could! I crawled out of the water.
My only chance was to do a Shishi Hokoudan at the mob that was
chasing her, since a pig, while cuddly, was pretty helpless using direct
physical force. But there's no way I could do it in time. It was
hopeless! Akane would die, and it would be all my fault because I
couldn't build up enough ki in time to save her....
*SHISHI HOKOUDAN!*
The men were all thrown around the temple. Akane, far enough
ahead not to be caught in the blast, screeched to a halt and squinted.
She walked towards me... closer... closer... oh, joy! Akane's hugging
me! "Wow", she said, "whatever you are, however you did that, thank
you! Ranma lost the fight with Kunou, and if I don't beat these guys
they're all going to ask me for a date...."
What? I shook my head. She seemed to understand me somehow.
"Kunou is the head martial arts student at the Nerima Religious
Academy, and Ranma... I don't know how I feel about him... He just
arrived from China a few days ago and we're already engaged!" Of
course. Ranma's no good for her, and she's just starting to realize this.
That's why she feels so ambivalent towards him. I turned my head
towards the Ranma on the altar. Akane said "Oh, don't worry, little,
uh... P-chan! I got it, I'll call you P-chan! It's just a symbolic
ritual we
humans do. Every day one unlucky student has to reenact the Day of
Sacrifice, and Kunou volunteered Ranma."
Ranma's male voice shouted "Will you get me out of this thing?"
Hmph. Let him stay there, if he's not in mortal danger. But he didn't
stay there; the female Ranma had finally decided that Akane was safe
and gone to the Ranma on the altar.
Kunou appeared. A similar version of the idiot I knew, except that
his robes were covered with a strange symbol. He leapt between the
female Ranma and the stuck one. "I am Kunou Tatewaki. High Priest
of the God of Big Houses! No man will go to Ranma but through me!"
The female Ranma kicked him into unconsciousness--some things never
change in any alternate world, and tried to pull him free. "It's glue", he
said. "Hot water will dissolve it."
I could change back! I scampered after the female Ranma as she
went around asking random people where the restroom was. "Sink?
Hot water? Why would anyone put hot water in pipes?" Akane came to
my aid, as well as Ranma's, though I admit the help to me was perhaps
less intentional than I had thought at first. She murmured a few odd
syllables and a cloud appeared over all our heads. We were covered
with an instant hot water drizzle, and the female Ranma and I changed
back, while the brown glue I had mistaken for blood dissolved.
"Incompetent tomboy", Ranma shouted. "You got all the bystanders
too with that spell!"