Ryoga ½
by George Masologites
guilds@mail.serve.com [Hunter Kid]
© 0707/1997
2
Woodcarver

    A middle aged, heavily built man leaned back into an armchair with a
great sigh.  Things around the Tendo household were becoming...hectic.  He
couldn't find a better word for it, and didn't try.  What with Ranma and
Akane's constant bickering, Soun's perpetual fits, and only one Kasumi
trying to restore order, it was a wonder indeed that it only stayed at a
hectic level.  Stress was building about something - he could feel it in
the air, like a string poised to snap, and today more than was usual.
    Genma Saotome felt uncomfortable and shifted his weight in the
old-fashioned wooden chair.  He, in reality, was trying not to think about
the stress level of the household, and grabbed hold of the fact that the
chair was old-fashioned and uncomfortable.  The feel of the wood had a
familiar feel to it - probably oak, sturdy and unyielding.  Maybe the house
should have been built of oak, he thought wryly to himself with a chuckle.
He shifted his bulk in the chair again, and his mind switched unbidden back
into more undesirable thoughts.
    Well, Genma, you've got to face the problems sometime or another, he
told himself, either as a reassurance or a excuse, he wasn't sure.
    What was the source of the problems?
    "Well, let's see here," he muttered to himself, beginning to tick off
his fingers one by one.   After he was finished, the only one not causing a
problem was Kasumi.  He grated his teeth noisily at this, and sighed.
"Well, nothing's perfect, but nothing's this awful, either."  A funny
statement, considering that he had already proven himself wrong.
    He let out a great yawn and peered into the distance, where he thought
he saw a figure garbed in forest green and brown dashing out of the yard,
followed by what he viewed as a strangely opressive silence, leaving him
alone to contemplate what it had been.

    It was between lunch and dinner, and Ucchan's didn't generally have
many customers until dinnertime.  And while Ukyou thoroughly enjoyed
cooking okonomiyaki - it was her life, in fact - she savored the hours
where she could just lounge around and do nothing in particular.  She
grinned to herself and decided that being idle was fun.
    There were only a few customers in the cafe, scattered regulars who sat
around and talked when there was nothing else to do.  Most of them didn't
even eat here half the time.  This time of day, new arrivals caught her eye
quickly.  Not exactly a happy eye, because it meant work, but it caught her
eye nonetheless.
    And Ryoga, with his forest green and yellowish-tan colored garb, was so
unusual for Nerima disrict that he caught Ukyou's eye even more than usual.
 Instead of a happy or irritated eye, however, it was an inquisitive, and
slightly suspicious eye, that greeted the bandanna-wearing traveler.
    Ryoga, for his part, didn't even seem to notice, but sat down in at a
small table-for-two in a corner and sighed dismally.  Ukyou wondered
momentarily what he was upset about, but recalled that every time she had
ever seen him, he was either sour, as he seemed today, or he was nervous.
Nervous seemed to come when he was around Akane.  But when Ukyou peered
closer at him, he seemed not only dismal, but nervous as well.  Not a
really big change, she decided, but a notable change, considering that it
was Ryoga.
    The young traveler glanced around nervously, and Ukyou realized that he
was not only nervous, but he seemed to be trying to hide.  Looking around
her cafe, she noted that the corner Ryoga had picked was the only one that
was deeply shadowed, and if she hadn't known he was there, her eye would
have slipped right over him.  Ryoga grimaced slightly, showing his fangs -
another oddity, Ukyou noticed - as he removed his thick yellow traveling
sweater, stuffing it into his oversized backpack, straightening his scuffed
and worn sleeveless shirt as he settled down into his seat.  
    Seeing Ukyou staring intently at him, the traveler made a short motion,
making it clear that he wanted her to come sit by him.  Ukyou shrugged and
walked over to the shadowed corner.  No customers were likely to arrive
anytime soon.
    Ukyou smiled at him.  "Hiya, sugar."  She grinned playfully at Ryoga.
"What can I do for you today?"  
    Ryoga glanced up at her.  His penetrating dark brown eyes bored into
her, making her feel slightly uncomfortable; but then, he gazed at everyone
like that.  Even Ranma, she supposed.  "U-Ukyou," he began unsteadily,
"I...need help."
    In a combination with those sharply gazing eyes, the voice seemed more
than a little strange - desperate and scared.  Apparently Ukyou's face
showed some of this surprise, because Ryoga gritted his teeth and snarled,
"You know, don't you?"  The snarl wasn't malicious, just frustrated.  It
was a strange sounding snarl, to be sure, and the way he punctuated his
words made it all the stranger.
    Ukyou blinked.  "Know what?"  She asked, appearing puzzled.  In
reality, she was thinking hard about recent events and had almost come to
an answer.  It was very frustrating, coming that close to an answer, but
just not being able to uncover it completely.
    The young traveler appeared greatly relieved at this.  He even managed
a grin, something Ukyou hadn't remembered ever seeing him doing.  "Well,
then, what you don't know, you can't have told anyone, right?"  
    Ukyou wondered what he meant, when his voice suddenly changed.  It was
now normal, cordial, almost.  Now that was really unusual for Ryoga.  "I
don't suppose I could get a free meal, Ukyou?"  He grinned at her.
    She peered closely at him.  "And why should I do that?"  She asked
suspiciously.
    He put his arms up defensively.  "Whoa, whoa.  I didn't mean anything
by that.  I was just wondering whether you'd be willing to give me a free
early dinner, since we are friends and everything."
    Ukyou grumbled something, but gave a shrug and agreed.  "Sure, I guess.
 Nothing fancy, though.  What do you want, sugar?"
    Ryoga didn't give it much thought.  "Food.  Just plain junk, and a lot
of it."
    Suddenly something clicked in her head, and the words flew out of her
mouth.  "R-Ryoga!  You!  You're...you're her!"  It was the voice that had
tipped her off.  Ryoga's tone had sounded just like it had before, when he
had arrived that morning.  Or rather, she thought to herself with a slight
chuckle, when -she- had arrived that morning.
    Ryoga swallowed nervously, trying hard to appear indifferent.  "W-who?
Her?  Ah...who's that, Ukyou?"  He gave her a wavering smile.
    Ukyou grunted.  "C'mon, Ryoga, I've got you figured out."  At least she
thought she did.  That -had- to have been him that had been here earlier!
Who else would be dressed like this, and would say the exact same thing
twice, and what two people would be wearing huge traveling packs with a
bamboo umbrella strapped to the top of it twice in one day?
    The young traveler sighed in frustration, clenching his fists and
unclenching them spasmodically.  Suddenly his eyes glinted.  "Well, I
suppose if you've just figured it out, you can't have told anyone."
    -Especially not your dear Akane, hm, Ryoga-san?-  A dry voice whispered
in Ryoga's head.  
    "V-Voice!  You're still in there!"  Ryoga seemed to be talking to
himself.  Or rather, Ukyou noticed with a bit of concern, he seemed to be
talking to something -in- himself.  "Tell me, what do I do now?"  Ryoga
demanded, his voice angry and flustered.
    Ukyou gave him a quizzical stare.  "Well...I'm not sure, Ryoga."  She
had to assume he was talking to her.  Who else would he be talking to?
    Ryoga didn't appear to notice her, or even note that she had spoken at
all.  "Damn you, Voice.  Why haven't you spoken since the day I was cursed?
 You're supposed to be guiding me, guiding me!"  He growled low in his
throat and gritted his teeth.  "You aren't doing me any good by staying
quiet in there!  Speak, damn you!"
    "R-Ryoga?"  Ukyou gazed at him, concerned.  "Who are you talking to?"
She put a gentle hand on his shoulder.  "Ryoga?"
    The fanged traveler seemed to suddenly wake up.  His head jerked upward
and he fixed Ukyou with a piercing gaze.  "Ukyou, can you hear it?"  He
snarled angrily.  Then his anger turned inward, and he swore a violent
oath.  "Damn it, of course you can't hear it."  He paused slightly, before
fuming on.  "Voice, why don't you speak?  Offer me your counsel.  Please."
    Ukyou gave an uncertain, nervous smile, directed towards the frustrated
traveler.  "Ryoga, who are you talking to?"
    Ryoga grunted.  "It's in here."  He tapped the side of his head.  "But
it won't speak.  It never does, not when I want it to."  He murmured
something uncouth under his breath.
    Ukyou smiled wryly.  "They have a name for people who talk to voices
inside their heads, you know."
    "Yes, I know!"  He spat out the words.  "And no, I'm not crazy!  There
really is someone saying something in there!  Says he's my conscience..."
His voice faded off into muttering.
    She decided to let this line of conversation drop.  She really didn't
want to hear about voices inside Ryoga's head, and she certainly didn't
want to think he was half-insane.  "Er...Ryoga?"  She asked suddenly,
breaking off the silence.  "How did you do that?  Before, I mean.  When you
came in here...you looked like Ranma, in his girl form."
    "Yeah,"  Ryoga stated shortly.  "But at least I'm human now."
    Ukyou wondered what that meant.  "You mean you don't think Ranma's human?"
    "No, I mean I'm not a pig."
    "You eat like one."
    Ryoga glowered sourly at her.  "Don't you remember?"  He demanded.
"When splashed with cold water, I turn into a pig, right?"
    Ukyou blinked.  He -did-, come to think of it.  Not that it really
mattered much; she had hardly even noticed Ryoga before today.  "Right.  So?"
    He gingerly picked up a glass of ice water.  "After I dump this on
myself, I'm going to turn into a pig, right?  Do me a favor and get some
hot water."  
    She looked at him with a sideways gaze.  Okay, he'll turn into a pig, I
suppose.  Is he saying he's not the girl from before?  "Okay, sure."  She
stood up, lost in thought as she grabbed a small cup of hot water from the
counter, which she kept there for 'emergencies', all, generally, involving
Ranma.
    Ryoga smirked slightly as he dumped the water all over himself,
drenching him.  Ukyou looked at the traveler, surprised, as she realized
that Ryoga had suddenly become Ranma-chan.  "W-wha..."  She stuttered
slightly.  "How did you...?"
    Ryoga sighed.  "My curse has been altered, you might say.  There is a
cure for the curses, you know.  It's a secret of Jusenkyo.  Or rather, it's
Not Jusenkyo."  She gave a wry laugh which Ukyou could have sworn was not
aimed at her, but Ryoga had aimed it at herself.  "Anyway, in this place,
you get to make one wish.  In my case, I wished that I didn't turn into a
pig when splashed with cold water.  It sort of backfired, and now I turn
into a female when splashed."  She hesitated, then added, "It's better, I
suppose.  Being a girl is sort of wierd, but not nearly as much as being a
pig.  I just can't help but have the feeling that I blew it."  She sighed
dismally.
    Ryoga took the hot water cup from Ukyou and poured it on herself, and
Ukyou watched with interest as he changed back into a man.  Very much like
the first time she had seen Ranma change form.  She almost wished she could
do it herself...no, best to end lines of thought like that quickly.
    "After I left your cafe, I staggered along, exhausted, when I found
Akane," he continued.  "I didn't know what to do, so I asked her if she
would take me back to the Tendo dojo.  She did, and when I awoke later
there, I...I'm not sure exactly what I did.  I don't think I gave myself
away, though.  I asked her for some hot water and went into the bathroom,
changed myself back quickly, and leaped out the window.  She probably took
it for another of Ranma's 'oddities.'"  His voice took on an ominous growl
when he said the name 'Ranma.'  
    "So why are you telling me this?"  Ukyou asked, not thinking of
anything else more appropriate to say.
    Ryoga grunted to himself.  "Because you already knew part of it, and I
didn't want you asking Ranma or Akane questions that would appear as
'strange' to them.  I want to keep this kind of quiet, if you know what I
mean."
    Ukyou flinched slightly at his words, but Ryoga didn't appear to
notice.  She had, in fact, mentioned this to Ranma earlier in the day.  But
who could blame her?  Looking at Ryoga's disheveled form, she guessed that
he probably would, and didn't say anything about it.  Instead, she just
said in a neutral tone, "Of course I understand, Ryoga."
    "Good."  Ryoga appeared slightly eased by this.  "Now, I'll need a
slight favor.  If Ranma or Akane or anyone else asks you about it, just say
that you're sure it was nothing, or look at them sideways, you know.  A
brush-off."
    Ukyou nodded.  "I think I can do that."  She paused.  "But that's not
all, is it?"
    Ryoga shook his head.  "No, it's not.  While I'm here in Nerima, I'm
going to fight Ranma again.  And this time, he won't be able to turn me
into a pig when things aren't going his way."  He smiled maliciously,
showing his fangs.  "I wouldn't be cursed at all, if not for him and his
accursed father."
    Ukyou could have laughed.  Ranma never needed to use cold water to win
his fights!  He had always been far better than Ryoga, and could have
easily killed him, if Ranma didn't show mercy.  She was suddenly glad it
wasn't the other way around, because she had the feeling that Ryoga wasn't
the sort to show that same mercy.  "Well, that's fine by me, sugar, but
how's it involve me?"
    Ryoga coughed nervously.  "Ah...actually, I was looking for a place to
stay.  I have a tent -" he patted a large bundle on top of his traveling
pack, just under his bamboo umbrella "-but I'd kind of like to sleep under
a roof.  For a few nights, at least."
    Ukyou chuckled.  "Sure, I can give you one of the rooms in the back of
the cafe."  There were about six rooms back there, actually; two were being
used for storage, and she slept in one.  "I don't guess you can pay?
Because I'm not doing it for free."
    Ryoga suddenly envied Ranma's easy way with women, how he could
convince them of almost anything.  Probably because of what his father did
for him, and Ranma doesn't even appreciate it, he thought sourly.  "Pay?  I
don't have much money; certainly not enough to pay for a room."
    "Okay, if not money, can you cook?  I could use another assistant."
She glanced at the clock.  At six, when the crowd started arriving, so did
her helper, Jeikar.  This was his third day working, and he seemed to be a
so-so cook.  
    Ryoga sighed and mumbled that he couldn't.  "I can roast meat and know
what sort of leaves and roots are edible, that's all.  Just enough to get
by on the road."  He paused.  "Is there anything else I could do?"
    Ukyou gave him a flat look.  "Okay, sugar, what -can- you do?"  
    Ryoga hesitated slightly before answering.  "Well, during my long
wanderings, I've come up with a few things to help pass the time, and do on
the nights where I can't sleep."  He reached into his heavy journey pack
and removed a small, exquisitely carved wooden dragon, gracefully
encircling a fancy wood-carved rose.  "I can woodcarve, a little."  He
patted the wooden dragon charm.  "This is just something I made a while
back.  Not very good, I know, but the country folk in China like things
like these and sometimes, I've been able to get a room in an attic or a
free meal for one or two of them.  Perhaps you...?"
    She gazed at the dragon charm, entranced for a moment by its delicate
beauty.  "I-it's beautiful," she managed at last.  Then she looked closer
at Ryoga.  He could have made it, she supposed, but it wasn't too likely.
"Did you really make this?"  She asked suspiciously, knowing he could have
stolen it from someplace.
    Ryoga grunted.  "I see you don't believe me."  He pulled an uncarved
wooden block from inside his pack, and then gently removed a sharp steel
dagger from inside the same pack, unsheathing it from it's sturdy leather
holder.  "Here, watch me."  He started to slowly carve the wood block, and,
as he did, Ukyou noticed with a certain amount of interest that the
dagger's handle, or what she could see of it, was covered with intricate
carvings and the pommel was carved skillfully to represent a growling
dragon's head.  She looked back to what Ryoga was doing, and watched with
amazement as the hand with the knife cut again and again into the hard oak
wood, slowly forming into the shape of a hawk with it's wings folded, it's
clawed feet grasping the edge of a cliff.  She gazed closer as she watched
as Ryoga carved tiny grooves into the bit of wooden rock that made the
cliff edge, making it stand out even more lifelike, as he lastly rounded
out the top in the shape of a setting sun behind snow-capped mountains.
    The young traveler smiled and handed it to her wordlessly.  Ukyou was
likewise silent, gazing at the carving with an expression of wonder, when
she noticed that there was a tiny, almost invisible hole at the very top of
the inch-long carved wood piece.  Ryoga nodded to her.  "Yes, it's a
talisman."
    Ukyou gave him a genuine smile as she removed a piece of string from
her pockets and put it through the hole, tying it twice, and slipped it
around her neck.  "R-Ryoga," she managed to say, "it's wonderful."  She
gave him a grateful hug.  "I guess I can let you have a room for a few days
for this."  Especially since I'm not using them for anything else, she
noted wryly.
    Ryoga grinned.  "Thanks.  I appreciate it."
    No, Ukyou thought, -I- appreciate it.  She gazed at the beautiful hawk
talisman hanging around her neck, and sighed.  Maybe you're not such a bad
guy after all, Ryoga.    
    
    "Another one, you say?"
    Ranma nodded to his father.  "That's the only way I can see it.  From
what Ukyou says, there's another cursed guy running around out there in
Nerima."  He put his arms against the back of his head and leaned against
the wall of the dojo.
    His father, Genma, quietly mulled it over in his head.  More people
than just his son had probably fallen in Nannichuan, but what were the
possibilities that they were here in Nerima, Japan?  Not too likely, he
decided, and with a quick glance at Ranma, he saw that his son agreed with
him.  He didn't think his son was playing a joke on him, either, because
Ranma almost never joked around about the curses, especially his own.  He
wasn't particulary adverse to jesting at others' curses, though, Genma
noted dryly.
    "It's surprising," Genma mused, "but possible."  He paused a moment to
wonder with a wry grin on his face as to just who it was, when suddenly a
thought struck him, and he was pretty sure he knew who it was.  And that
person wouldn't be happy to see him.  
    Apparently his sudden understanding flashed on his face.  "Yeah,
possible," Ranma said in a neutral tone.  "I wonder who it is, though?"  He
asked, fixing his father with a flat stare.
    Genma shrugged.  "Probably someone you've never heard of, my boy.  A
martial artist traveling from China, perhaps, like us."
    "You know something you're not telling me, old man, and I don't like
it."  He stood up, glaring at his father.  "I saw that look on your face.
Explain yourself."
    "What look?"  Genma asked, feigning innocence.  "I'm as in the dark
about this as you are, boy."  Ranma smirked, showing that he didn't agree.
"Or should I say 'girl?'"  Genma hefted a small bucket of water, grinning
maliciously at his son.  
    Ranma put his hands up.  "Uh...no, you shouldn't, not at all."  
    "Pathetic!"  Genma snorted derisively.  "And you call youself a martial
artist?  A -real- martial artist would be able to dodge a bucket of water,
no problem!"  And with that, he threw the bucket at his son, who attemped
to leap out of the way, tripping in landing in a soaked heap.  "Hm.  Knew
you were pathetic, Ranma, but not that pathetic!"
    Ranma gnashed her teeth together.  "Pathetic?"  She demanded.  "I'll
show you, old man!"   She spun around quickly, and her foot caught her
father completely off guard, sending him reeling across the dojo into the
opposite wall.
    Genma stood up, and laughed cockily.  "So you want to try your stuff,
do you, boy?"  He resumed a fighting stance and tightened his worn black
belt that tied his white gi.  
    Ranma leaped to her feet, and all in a blur, struck out at her father.
Genma ducked the first side kick easily, and rolled under a roundhouse
kick.  Ranma, missing her target entirely, was off balance and an easy
target for her father.  Genma didn't attack, however.  He stood there, he
sized up his son.  
    "I get the feeling you're not as good as a girl, Ranma," he said,
finally, taking a kettle that always hung on the wall in the dojo 'just in
case,' and pouring it on his son.  
    "Of course I'm not as good as a girl, old man!"  Ranma fumed.  "I grew
up as a boy, and all my moves are based on having a man's strength and
reach behind them."
    Genma nodded.  Of course, Ranma's girl side had advantages, as well.
Due to the lighter body weight and since Ranma's leg muscles apparently
didn't weaken with the change, his son was able to move much faster as a
female, and jump higher.  The latter was fairly important as most of the
Saotome School's techniques were based on aerial combat and maneuvering.
"Ready, boy?"
    Ranma laughed at his father.  "Of course I am, pop!"  He jumped into
the air, flipped over, and lashed out with his leg in an aerial arc kick.
Genma had shown this technique to his son; it was, in fact, one of the more
basic moves of their School.  He jumped sideways of the flying leg easily,
swinging around just as Ranma was landing and smashing him hard in the side
with a well-placed sidekick.  Ranma grunted sourly and reluctantly gave a
little ground, taking a defensive stance.
    His father didn't hesitate.  Genma charged in and performed a quick
roundhouse-spinning sidekick-sweep combination, but Ranma just grinned
impudently and easily blocked all the powerful blows, leaping over the
final sweep kick and grabbing Genma by the top of his gi and tossing him
easily into the wall.  
    Genma groaned slightly as he stood back up.  He always had this problem
of thinking Ranma was slow as a boy.  He wasn't; he was just faster as a
girl.  The only way Genma could ever get a good hit in was to catch Ranma
off balance and still in the process of an overextended attack.  
    Ranma faked quickly to the left at Genma, which he easily blocked with
a quick downward stroke, and followed through with a hard punch to the
chest, then a spinning roundhouse which Genma barely dodged, leaning
quickly to the left.  
    "Opening," Genma grunted as he gave Ranma another hard side kick to the
side that knocked his son head-over-heels, smashing into the wall, and
landing with a dour grunt.  Genma was surprised that his kick hadn't broken
several ribs, but Ranma didn't appear to be staggering at all.
    Ranma bellowed as he raced at Genma, already starting a new attack.

    Akane grumbled slightly as she walked.  She was on her way home from
school, another day that Ranma hadn't attended.  Somehow, this didn't come
as a big surprise for her, and whenever she asked him about it, he just
ranted on and on about how 'he couldn't study with his awful curse on him.'
    As it crossed her mind, she snorted derisively and barked a laugh.  The
curse.  Big deal.  It might be inconvenient at times, but other than that,
it shouldn't have really affected him.  She knew if she turned into a boy
it wouldn't effect -her- so much.  She thought about it a minute, and
decided that thinking like that probably would bring along bad luck, and
pushed the thoughts out of her head.  No way was she going to end up cursed
like Ranma and all those ridiculous people chasing him.
    If thoughts could summon someone, Akane could have sworn hers just did.
 Just as she cleared thoughts of her reluctant fiance from her head, she
saw him walking past, on the other side of the road, in the other
direction.  Or rather, she saw -her- pass on the other side of the road.  
    "Hey, Ranma!"  She called out across the road.  Ranma-chan, apparently,
either didn't hear her or was ignoring her.  Akane immediately assumed the
latter.  "Why that jerk..."  She muttered, fuming.  "He could at least have
answered me."  She started walking again, and turned around, noticing that
Ranma-chan had stopped walking and was asking somebody in a car something.
The man in the car shrugged and drove off, leaving Ranma-chan glaring after
him.  
    Akane also noticed that Ranma-chan was dressed sort of oddly.  She was
wearing her typical chinese battle garb, true, but it was slightly tighter
that what she usually wore and was sleeveless; it looked like a female
battle outfit, Akane supposed, although she had never seen one, rather than
his - or her - usual clothing.  It was also in a different color.  Ranma
always wore a red shirt with blue pants, and, on occasion, green pants.
She - he, she amended to herself - was currently wearing a wood-colored
shirt with a large Chinese symbol on the back that she didn't recognize,
and dark green pants.
    Akane grunted and stalked off, resolving not to pay any attention to
Ranma.  Ranma-chan, in turn, didn't even seem to notice her, continuing to
walk in the other direction.
 
    Ukyou fingered the carved hawk talisman for the hundredth time as she
cooked.  It was dinnertime, nearly six o'clock, and she had to work as hard
as she was able to.  She almost wished that Ryoga had volunteered to help
her out, instead of giving her the wood carving.
    "Oh well," she mumbled with a slight sigh.  "At least Jeikar'll be here
soon."  That thought cheered her up some.  Her assistant was a remarkable
cook, and most of the customers didn't notice that Ukyou herself hadn't
cooked it.  She was thinking about what had happened earlier, too.  It was
all very strange, especially when Ryoga had given her semi-specific
locations to the 'Not Jusenkyo' underground lake, saying that Ukyou would
need it if she ever happened to be cursed.  She smirked.  Like that was
likely, her going to China and not meaning to.  She still couldn't puzzle
out how Ryoga had wandered across an ocean and back without knowing he did so.
    "Ukyou-san!"  A cheerful voice said to her from the end of the long
counter where drinks were served.  "I'm here!  Whatcha need me to do first?"
    Ukyou glanced down the counter.  It was her assistant, Jeikar.  A
Chinese boy about her age of medium height, Jeikar had uncombed dark brown
hair - at least he claimed it was dark brown, it was so dark everyone else
said it was black - that hung down just above his rather large brown eyes.
The large eyes, in fact, made him seem more alert than he really was,
oftentimes.  He was dressed in a plain, if rather baggy, white shirt that
hung loose, and earth-colored trousers made of some soft material Ukyou
didn't recognize, and some really strange looking dark brown boots.
    Instead of assigning him to a task right off, like she usually did, she
peered quizically at his odd footwear.  "Jeikar, why are you wearing those
weird boots?"  She asked in a curious tone, but one that said she didn't
really approve of them.
    Jeikar didn't appear to notice the dislike part.  "Oh, you like them,
Ukyou-san?"  He propped his foot up on a chair, patting the soft,
supple-looking leather boots that went about halfway up his calf.  At least
they aren't Western-style cowboy boots, Ukyou thought to herself with a
grumble, noticing that at least these didn't have heels; in fact, they were
thin on the soles, and completely flat.  "I got them for a bargain from my
friend's uncle's brother's brother-in-law.  He said he didn't need em any
more."
    You don't need them, either, because you look like a dolt, Ukyou
thought with a scowl.  "Well, whatever.  Just get to work."  She pointed to
the grill.  "Three specials, put em on table five."
    Her booted assistant grinned in a friendly fashion at her.  "Sure
thing, boss."  He strolled past her, spatula already twirling in hand.
Ukyou glanced at him - more specifically his new boots - with a great deal
of distaste, and picked up two specials, getting them ready to serve.
    Even if she wasn't particulary fond of her assistant, at least he was
normal and not cursed or anything.  She glanced at his boots again.  Okay,
so maybe he wasn't quite normal.

    It was completely dark, and Ryoga couldn't see a thing. 
    "Accursed town," he mutted darkly.  "Couldn't they at least put in some
streetlights?"  As if by wish, a little light peeked through the overcast
night sky, covering everything in a soft moonglow for a brief moment.  In
that brief moment, Ryoga groaned.  He wasn't in the town anymore; no wonder
there wasn't any streetlights.  And he had gone to all that trouble to get
a room at Ukyou's place, too.
    He pulled off his volumnous traveling pack and removed the tent.
"Here's as good a place as any," he grunted, looking about.  There was a
dark forest in one direction, and a rather hilly-looking landscape in  the
other.  As usual, he didn't have any idea whatsoever where he was.  
    As he was getting ready to crawl into his small tent, he felt a hand on
his shoulder.  He spun around quickly, falling instinctively into a
defensive fighting stance.
    "Excuse me?"  A voice said from the darkness, the moon having been
again hid by the clouds.  It was female, and that alone caused Ryoga to
relax his stance, wondering curiously where he was and what this girl was
doing out here.  The voice seemed familiar, too, but he couldn't quite
place it...
    The girl's voice spoke again.  "Could you tell me where I am?"  She
asked him, removing her arm from his shoulder and seeming to melt back into
the darkness.  "I seem to have gotten lost.  I'm new to the area, you know."
    Whatever area this is, Ryoga thought with a slight grumble.  "Don't ask
me.  I have a rather...addled...sense of direction."  He chuckled nervously.
    "In other words, you're lost too?"  The girl's voice held a trace of
amusement.
    "Yeah, pretty much.  And since I can't see any town lights from here,
I'd say we're in the middle of nowhere."  He sighed.
    "Great.  Guess I'll spend the night here, then, since I've nothing
better to do.  Best to have company, I suppose."
    Ryoga couldn't really disagree with that.  He struck a match and threw
it into a small pile of sticks that he had just piled up, causing a small
flare.  "There we go."  He grinned, fanning the flames with his hands until
he had a decent sized blaze going.  He began to rummage through his pack.
"So, what's your name?"  He found what he was looking for, and removed a
two cans of beef broth mixed with carrots.  "Here, would you like some
sou..."  He glanced around, alarmed.  She was gone.
    Just as he was about to stand up and search for her, she returned to
the circle of light that the fire gave off.  "My dinner," she explained,
holding up a dried piece of venison.  "It's pretty good.  Want some?  I've
got enough."  As she sat down, Ryoga got his first good look at her.
    "No tha-" he started to say, but instead he just stared at her, his jaw
dropping.  The girl was Ranma-chan!  "R-Ranma?"  He sat, speechless, for a
second, then stood up.  "Is this a trick?"  He snarled, ripping off some of
his bandannas and twirling them between his fingers.
    The girl laughed.  "A trick?  Of course not."  Then something dawned on
her, and realization struck her face.  She fixed Ryoga with a sharp stare.
"Did you just say 'Ranma?'"
    Ryoga blinked and sat down, exhaling and utterly puzzled.  "Y-yeah," he
managed at last.  "I said 'Ranma.'"
    Normally, he would have disregarded her as trying to fool him and
attacked her or poured hot water on her or something.  But this time...this
time she seemed thouroughly confused and equally suspicious.  "Does that
name mean something to you?"  He asked in a flat tone, still skeptical.
    The girl seemed furious.  "Ranma.  Where is Ranma?  He isn't here, is he?"
    "Er...no, he isn't."
    "Then where is he?"  She demanded, her fury rising as she clenched her
fist.  For the first time, Ryoga noticed a sharp-looking Chinese jen, and
if it was rather plain, it didn't make the sword's blade look any less
sharp, hanging bare at her side, and gazed at it nervously.  "Is he near?"
She growled.  "I must find him."
    Don't tell me that idiot Ranma has another fiance, Ryoga thought,
giving an inward groan.  "He's pretty near, I think.  He's staying at a
nearby town, at a place called the Tendo Dojo."  He hesitated slightly,
then asked, "Why are you searching for him?"
    She looked sharply at him.  "I do not need to explain myself to you."
    Ryoga shrugged.  "That's true, you don't.  It would be sort of nice to
know that's going on, though."  With that, he picked up his pot of soup off
the fire and began to eat with a short wooden spoon.
    The girl sighed.  "Ranma...Ranma's done something to me that
has...given me problems.  I'd rather not elaborate, if you don't mind."
She bit into her venison chunk and chewed slowly, thinking.
    Ryoga chuckled wryly.  "No, don't worry, I understand."  I know all
about this, he thought with a sigh.  Ranma ruined my life, too.  He
finished off the last of his meal in silence.  
    "And he will pay for it," he whispered so quietly that even the girl
didn't hear him.  Oh yes, Ranma, Ryoga thought, growling slightly, you will
pay.  You will pay with your life.
---------------------------------
Well, another chapter finished.  Been awhile, eh?  Over six months, anyway.
 I stopped last time because I was really running out of ideas for this
story, but now I've got some great ones.  What?  You think I'm making it up
as I go along?  Well...I...er...

In any case, all C&C should be sent to guilds@mail.serve.com.  I appreciate
all comments, and all flames will be laughed at, discarded, and deleted.  

Wondering who the girl that Ryoga is currently camping with is?  Whether
Jeikar will ever lose those odd boots?  Or just who Akane saw that day?  Or
just wondering how things are going to turn out?  Then tune in...!  (Okay,
so that was kinda corny.  Sue me.)   Well...the next chapter should be
coming along shortly.  Shortly for me, anyway, considering it's been like 8
months since chapter one was put out.  I hope you enjoyed reading this one,
at any rate.  Zai jian!