No title yet. A collaborative story between TJ and myself which has
nothing to do with any of our other stories.
Let us know if you're interested. C&C welcome


>From the home office in Athens, Ga. Colliding SYmphonies.
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Ryouga trudged through the roughage.

A task he was intimate with.The climate was a bit brisk, but he was
wearing his long sleeve tunic so it didn't bother him. (Hm. . .wonder
where I'm heading?) He continued to move like the experienced woodsman
he was, plucking at a large leaf as he went. (Well, the altitude is
incresing. . All the trees are thinning.)

He paused for a moment to crack his neck. FInding a hollow log, he took
a seat. (Wow. I've really been making good time.) he looked around. (To
where ever I'm going. . .nice trees.) He smiled softly as he looked
about the foliage. The weather had been kind to him the last several
days when he got lost on the way from Furinkan to the Tendo's. He could
have sworn it was just 3 lefts and a right. . .Shaking his head in
frustration, he pulled off his pack and began to sort through it. He
stopped when he came to his ripped wallet portfolio. He had done a rough
stitch job to put it back together.
Memories started flooding back to him.

"Hey, there you are, Ryouga."

"Ranma!" he had said, pulling out his umbrella. "Fight!"

"Not today, pal," he had answered, still as confident as always. "I
gotta give you something."

"I don't need your charity, Ranma!" he yelled, taking a swat at Ranma.
He swerved to the side.

"Cool it, Ryouga. I'm just here to talk."

"Talk is cheap, coming from you, Saotome!"

"Big words for someone who calls themself a martial artist." Ryouga
stumbled at that remark. "Besides, it ain't my words. Its Akane's."

Ryouga decisively leaned against his umbrella. "Talk," he spat, not
bothering to look at his adversary.

"You should be happier to hear from Akane. Your almost as bad as her,"
Ranma mubled as he checked his pockets. "She's always angry, you're
always angry. Why is everyone angry? I'm not angry no more." He pulled a
small envelope out. "Ahh, here it is! Catch!" He flicked his wrist at
Ryouga, letting the envelope fly.

Ryouga caught is, openig it. He gulped. In the envelope was the other
half of his damaged wallet he lost to Ranma. Also in it was a picture of
Akane in a Glamour Studious style portfolio shot. a 3x5. Good god she
was beautiful, an angel to behold. He tunred it over to see a bit of
writing.

Ryouga,

friends forever.

Akane

"She wanted you to have that."

Ryouga's eyes began to water. "She. . .wanted me. . .?"

"Yep. Figured you should have one." Ryouga's eyes refocused.

"One?"

"Yeah, she had them made as a present to all of us."

She didn't think he was special. not at all.  A cloud thundered
overhead. Ranma looked up. "TV didn't say nothin about rain. Hey goof.
I'm done. Later." Ryouga was unresponsive as the sun began to fade.
"Hey, moron. Why don't you hurry someplace dry?"

(I'm not special to her.)

"Hey! Blockhead! Its going to rain!" To prove it, wet stings began to
pat Ranma's face. "Uh, oh."

---

Ryouga suddenly found himself lying on his back. Ranma was standing over
him. "What the hell are you doing, Saotome!?"

"A favour for a jerk!" a shrill female voice ansewred. Ranma-chan was
wet, standing over Ryouga with his umbrella while a downpour cascaded
around him. Ryouga now noticed his shoulders were damp. Ranma's face was
contorted in frustration as she scoweled down at RYouga. "Comfy?"

Ryouga made a movement to get up, which Ranma predicted and moved to
continue to cover him, a gesture the tired Ryouga did not overlook. As
he got to his feet he took his umbrella from Ranma wordlessly. The two
locked gazes, Ranma's intense and partilaly fury, Ryouga's
uncomprehending.

"Here," he said, handing it back to her.

"Huh?" She said, but Ryouga was drenched immediately, his body nowlost
in the tangle of clothes. Ranma stood a bit flabbergasted for a moment
before collecting all of his gear(and him) and heading back for the
dojo.

_______

Ranma set ryouga down in the middle of the dojo. "Hang on to this," she
said, shoving a bag of clothesline pins in his mouth. He growled, but
otherwise sat there while Ranma stripped and wrung out both of their
clothes. "Man this bites." She began to shake out his yellow coat. "You
bought this in China, too, didn't ya?" she asked, unraveling Kasumi's
clothesline.

P-chan nodded slowly, causing a clatter form the bag of pin in his
mouth.

"How did you follow us over seas anyways? We swam, and I know you're not
the best swimmer."

P-chan squealed incomprehensibly.

"I used to like the rain," she said softly as she hung the line over the
open sliding door entrance. "Now its something thats always a step
behind me."

More squealing.

"Nobody but us. Sit tight." She hung up his clothes while she gathered
her own. "I'll be right back."

Ryouga sat there, swatting at the clothesline bag with his hooves. What
was Ranma's deal anyways? Always acting that way. He looked up at his
dripping clothes. (Why did I give him my umbrella? I must be going as
crazy as him. . .)

Ranma re-entered with a kettle and a fold of material. Still a girl.
"Here. They could be coming back soon." she set doen the pile of clothes
and the kettle in front of him. "Of course, Akane could be more than
happy to see her little P-chan," she muttered, picking at her boxers.
Ryouga looked back at her back and the pile in front of him. Ranma sat
down in front of the doorway, looking out at the torrent.

"I dunno anymore. Everybody is so angry all the time. 'Cept Kasumi."
Ranma heard the rush of hot water behind him. After a moment, Ryouga
came to her side, offering the kettle back to Ranma. "Nah."

"Why? Don't tell me you actually like being that way. . "

"No more than you do, but I'll probably get dunked by Akane later," she
deadpanned looking up at ryouga. He was wearing Ranma's green chinese
worker's tunic with black pants. "Why do people get angry so quick?"

"How should I know?"

"Really. One guy to another. Whatdo you think?"

Ryouga was at a loss. Talking to his most hated rival was not something
he set out to do today. But he was a guest and he was wearing Ranma's
clothes.

"I mean. It so much better to be nice, ya know? Ain't that about what we
do?"

"What do we do?"

"Martial Arts, you screwball! The stuf we live and die by? Doesn't it
say in our codes and stuff to love thy neighbor or somethin?" Ranma
scratched at the harwood floor. "I dunno about how Amazons stuff and
all, but we got ways we're supposed to act don't we?"

Ryouga leaned against the frame of the doorway gazing out. "I think. .
."

"Hm?" She looked up at him, tugging at her tank top.

"I think people like emotions because is easier than thinking."

"Huh?"

Ryouga gave a half hearted laugh. "Well, it is. It takes time to
actually think about stuff."

"But why get angry?"

"Cause its the simplest emotion. That and fear."

Ranma nodded. "The 2 things that ruin a fight."

Ryouga nodded in turn.

"And if thats true, then why you always cursin me and fightin me, huh?"
Ranma stood up to poke at RYouga chest. "If your such an honorable
martial artist what have you got on me, huh? You took my pride for your
curse, you took my honour to sleep with Akane. What more do you want,
huh? I tell you I ain't got much more than that! So what is it gonna be?
You gonna just keep taking things until there ain't nuthin left? What
does your code tell you? To ruin those around you? To destroy with no
regard for anything? Is that all you are?"

"SHUT UP, RANMA!"

"Why? You'll hit me? Go ahead. Take my health too!"

"YOU'LL NEVER UNDERSTAND MY VEXATION! YOU'VE SINGLE HANDEDLY DESTROYED
MY LIFE!"

"By lettin you sleep with a pretty girl? By pulling you outta the rain?
By running all over hell and creation looking for some crackpot cure?
WHAT THE HELL HAVE I DONE TO YOU!?"

"YOU GAVE ME THIS WRETCHED CURSE THAT I HAVE TO LIVE WITH! YOU MADE ME A
LAUGHING STOCK!"

"YOU'RE THE MORON WHO FOLLOWED ME! THAT WAS A CHOICE YOU MADE! GROW UP
AND LIVE WITH IT!" Ranma gasped. "I don't like what I've got to deal
with either, but I followed my old man to Quing Hei on my own. Nobody
drug me along and look what happened! I blamed My old man for everything
that happened to me!" Ranma gasped again. "But you know what? I grew up.
I took my lumps, cause it was my choice to go with him! I DIDN'T KNOW IT
BUT YOU DON'T SEE ME PISSIN AND MOANIN` OVER IT!!" Ranma took an
especially deep breath. "GRRRROW UP! BE A MAN!" Ranma had shouted hard
enough to almost undo Ryouga's bandana's.

He just stood there, absorbing what Ranma had unloaded on him. "But. .
.You ran out on a man to man fight!"

"Look. You chose to challenge me, and you'd be lyin to yerself if you
thought you coulda made it on time. ANOTHER CHOICE YOU MADE!!!" Ranma
had been past the top of her lungs long time past. "I can't tell you
what to do, Ryouga, so if you're going to spend your life dogging me go
ahead. I'm not that special, so it must be pretty empty doin nuthin but
chasing me with your free time."

Ranma sat back down."You know. We live pretty simply. We don't need that
much. Food, water, a bit of clothes or a gi. Maybe a makiwara to play
with."

Ryouga couldn't hear her. The darkness was too thick, surrounding him.
His aura began to form around him, a sickening yellow, green flare.
"What would you have me do, Ranma?"

"Huh?" Ranma said nervously.

"You've got a family. I got no one."

Ranma sighed, relaxing as Ryouga's aura cooled off. She rolled over to
him and tugged him down to her level. "You ain't alone man. Not unless
you wanna be."

"Want to be?"

"You seem to like being alone. But you ain't no matter how much you
think." Ranma fell silent, listening to the sound of the rainfall.
Ryouga went from kneeling to sitting besid Ranma. "So, whatcha gonna
do?"

"I dunno." Ryouga scratched at the rough cotton. "Go."

"Just go?"

"That's all I know."

"maybe you should learn some more."

"Maybe. . .I want to be near Akane."

Ranma gulped. "Yeah, me too. . .but what about Akari?"

"Oh! that reminds me. I wrote her a letter, but I haven't been by any
postal places."

"Well you can leave it here if you want. We'll send it."

"Ranma, why are you being so nice to me?"

"Why not? Let it drop, man."

They sat in silence again. Ranma began tapping her foot. "Wanna do
bunkai?"

"Bunkai?" There was something Ryouga hadn't done since junior high. "To
what?"

"Um. . 2nd tiger's?" Ryouga shrugged his shoulders. "No? Shiehachi?"
Anothoer shake of the head. "Well, everyone knows Wansu." Ryouga nodded
at that as he stood with Ranma to beginthe cooperative kata.

________

--
       __________________________
       |  Colliding | space for |
       | SYmphonies |   rent    |
_______|____________|___________|___________
|HTTP://www.abraxis.com/ryougaecho/SYmphon/|
|__________________________________________|
| TJ-"Let's do something."                 |
|      GT-"I thought we were. . ."         |
| TJ-"Something where we move."            |
|      GT-"You lost me. . ."               |
|__________________________________________|