Ryoga ½
by George Masologites
http://www.serve.com/guilds/ranma/
guilds@mail.serve.com [Hunter Kid]
© 0726/1997  All Rights Reserved
9
Honor

    It was late afternoon over the Pacific Ocean.  The brilliant orange sun
reflected off the gently rolling water, an endless expanse of deep blue sea
in all directions.  And in the midst of the seemingly never-ending ocean,
there were two tiny figures, one clothed in a pair of trousers that were
soaked from the sea, and another in only a pair of boxer shorts, and both
have large traveling packs on their backs.
    There was no doubt about it.  It was the center of the East China Sea,
and two young men were trying to swim across it.  One of the two, the one
in his boxer shorts, moved his arms and legs mechanically, and he looked
exhausted, but there was a determination about his face that seemed to
drive him onward.  The other figure looked tired, but his stern face had an
implacable calm about it, as he swam slowly along through the water,
keeping pace easily with the tired boy.
    Stroke, stroke, stroke, stroke.  That was what Daisuke's life had been
for the past day and night, after Rayne had convinced him their only escape
was to leap the cliff and swim for it.
    Their escape from the Kunou Mansion had been a complete disaster.  In
spite of Rayne's seeming knowledge of everything, after a frightened few
hours of running through the forest, they had been sighted and told to stop
of they would be fired upon by two policemen who were blocking their way.
At that point, Daisuke was so desperate that he probably would have just
given up, but Rayne would have no such thing.  Instead, he had jumped into
the trees and vanished into the foliage.  Before the policemen could react
to his sudden disappearance, one of them had three shurikens buried deep in
his forehead and he collapsed, dead before he hit the ground.
    Daisuke remembered the scene with frightening clarity.  After the first
man had died, the other policeman had gone into a panic and starting firing
blindly into the brush, hoping to hit Rayne, who was once again rushing
soundlessly through the trees.  He appeared above the policeman, his
sharp-edged katana in hand, and as the policeman raised his gun to shoot,
Rayne's sword had cleaved him clean through, slicing him down the middle
into two bloody halves, as Daisuke had watched, sick to his stomach.
    Rayne, still with his calm intact, had told Daisuke to run.  They had
kept running until they reached Tokyo, where Rayne had quickly slashed open
the door to a car and jumped in, starting it with a competence and an air
of confidence around him that Daisuke could never had matched.  He still
remembered sitting in the passenger's seat numbly as Rayne started the car
and the engine roared to life, and they both sped out of town.
    Daisuke had begun to think that they were safe, when, at length, they
managed to reach Nagasaki, but the police there had their descriptions and
cornered had cornered them up against a steep cliff above the East China
Sea and a horn had blared for them to come out with their hands up.
    Daisuke had realized that they couldn't give up now; they were no
longer simple robbers, they were murderers.  And they had killed two
policemen.  So he had nodded to Rayne, who calmly stepped on the gas pedal
and they soared off the cliff, landing in the ocean where they had, as if
by a miracle, remained unhurt.  They had quickly exited the car and looked
up to the top of the cliff, where the policemen hadn't seen the figures
exit the vehicle; it was too far down.  
    And then the swimming had started.  
    At first, it hadn't been too bad.  Daisuke was, after all, an excellent
swimmer, and he had won several competitions at Furinkan High for his
swimming endurance and speed, and he had lasted longer in the ocean than he
thought he would, by carefully conserving his energy, stroke after stroke
after stroke after stroke.  He had realized, after a few minutes of
swimming frantically outwards from the cliff along with Rayne, that his
clothes were holding him down, so he had quickly stripped down to his
boxers and stuck the rest of the clothing in the oversized backpack he
still wore; the ones that they had planned to use to put their ill-gotten
money in.
    Even conserving his strength, though, Daisuke began to wear down after
several hours of swimming and constant worry that the police were going to
send out helicopters looking for them.  But he had looked at Rayne, who was
filled with a seemingly never-ending strength, and that had become his
goal.  Not to give up until Rayne did.
    So now, even beyond his limits for fatigue, he was still numbly placing
one hand in front of the other, trying to keep up with his calm, determined
friend that had killed two men.  Suddenly, his arms stopped moving.  He
simply had exhausted himself beyond reason, and his body refused to respond
to his frantic orders to keep moving.
    He sighed and began to sink under the surface of the water, when he
felt a firm arm around under his shoulder, holding him up.  He looked up
wearily to see Rayne, who smiled softly for the first time since Daisuke
had met him, holding him in place with a grip stronger than iron, yet
strangely gentle.
    "I'm sorry, Daisuke," Rayne said, in a startlingly tired voice that
made Daisuke think that maybe his strength wasn't as amazing as he thought
it was.  "I reacted without thinking, I know, and I never apologized for
it.  I got us into this mess."  He hung his head slightly and sighed
regretfully.  "But I just couldn't bear the thought of going to prison.
And taking you with me, knowing that it was my incompetence at escaping
that brought you into this in the first place."
    "Incompetence?"  Daisuke repeated quietly, amazed.  "Rayne, you're the
most incredible guy I've ever met.  You know how to do things that I
couldn't even dream of doing, and you do it so well..."  His voice trailed
off.  "And it wasn't your fault.  It was all our faults, for agreeing to
break into that house in the first place."
    Rayne shook his head sadly.  "You're right, my friend," he stated
simply, a distant look in his eyes.  "And now - this.  We're crossing the
East China Sea.  I don't know if my strength is equal to the task.  Here we
are, only half way across, and I'm already tired."
    Daisuke coughed, and tried to get in as much rest as possible against
Rayne's strong, unbending arm before going on.  "Rayne," he said, closing
his eyes, then opening them again, "you have the best endurance I've ever
seen.  I was the best swimmer in my school, and I'm exhausted beyond
reason, while you still seem fairly fresh."  He hesitated, then sighed.  "I
just don't understand why life's forced me into these desperate
circumstances.  Life's unfair, isn't it?"
    "No," Rayne responded without hesitation.  "Life didn't do this.  I
did.  I brought this misfortune upon us, and I intend to fix it."  He gave
a rumbling exhale of breath.  "How, I don't know.  But we must reach the
shore before our strength wears down to nothing, or we'll drown."
    Daisuke still was amazed by Rayne's seeming strength, and tried to draw
off some of that strength onto himself, attempting not to look too weak,
and failing miserably, his limbs simply not responding to his commands.
    "Don't worry, my friend," Rayne said softly.  "Swimming slowly takes
little energy, and you're a light one.  Rest against my shoulder for now,
and I'll bring us along as fast as I can."
    The other boy could only stammer his thanks, and another exhausted
remark about how incredible Rayne's stamina was, to which Rayne simply
shrugged.  "Call it a strength borne of need," he answered, sighing.  "I
have a debt to repay to you, Daisuke Koruto, by bringing you to safety, one
way or the other."  His voice took on a fierce tone.  "And I refuse to die
without paying that debt."  Daisuke was silently thankful he said 'without'
rather than 'before,' and that was his last thought before his head leaned
against Rayne's shoulder, as he fell into unconsciousness.
    "And I will never die without honor," Rayne stated with a quiet
determination, grimly starting to swim slowly ahead, Daisuke sleeping
restfully on his shoulder.

    "How did you learn to do that?"  Ryako demanded, her stormy grey eyes
boring deeply into Ryoga.  "No one can learn to channel fire of that
immense power in a single day!"
    Ryoga laughed softly, looking at the scorched ground around him and the
bright sear marks on some of the trees from his wave of flame.  "Oh, but
you can," he said, grinning to show his fangs.  "But only if you can draw
upon spirit.  Isn't that right, Ryako?"
    She gazed at him, unblinking.  "What are you talking about?"  She asked
in a level voice, not betraying any emotion.
    The fanged traveler clenched his fist and chuckled to himself.  "I
learned to walk among your thoughts, Ryako.  How does it feel to have a
taste back of what you try to do to me daily?  Do you think I enjoy having
my thoughts read?"  He snarled, growling softly.
    "Having your thoughts read," the girl responded evenly, "does not cause
pain, in any way.  What you did was no simple walking amongst my thoughts,
however.  You cannot learn a process for drawing an element simply reading
my mind."
    Ryoga snorted derisively.  "Why not?"
    "Because," she explained in a patient voice that made Ryoga want to
smash his fist into her jaw, "drawing elemental power isn't just in your
thoughts.  It's a process that you develop over time.  Reaching out to the
flame, for instance, cannot be learned like that.  You must first locate
the flame within your mind, which takes months in itself-"
    "It doesn't make any difference," Ryoga growled, cutting her off.  "I
learned to do it by reading your mind, one way or another, and I can draw
fire now.  Tomorrow at daybreak, I am returning to take my revenge on Ranma
Saotome, and you can do nothing to stop me."
    Ryako sighed, shaking her head.  "One time, and you think you can
control it.  You are not as powerful as you think, Ryoga Hibiki.  I'm
amazed you didn't incinerate yourself by drawing that much fire on your
first try.  However, you're not ready to challenge anyone yet.  Your
abilities are still unstable."
    Ryoga started to snarl something, but she cut in.  "No, Ryoga.  You're
not leaving me until you can defeat me, do you understand?  I have started
your training, and I intend to finish it."
    "Fine," Ryoga stated angrily, standing up.  "Let's do it now, then.  I
can beat you."
    She shrugged, agreeing reluctantly.  "As you wish."  She stood up and
walked several paces away, where they both stood facing each other, one
calm and the other furious.  "Anytime, Hibiki."  She folder her arms under
her breasts and waited.
    She thinks I'm going to use fire, Ryoga thought with an inward smirk.
Well, let's see how she likes this.
    He calmed himself, breathing deeply and letting the spirit power flow
into his body, diluting his anger and putting him into a dead calm, and the
rush of cold spirit grew stronger.  Now!  His eyes flared open as he threw
a powerful flow of spirit at Ryako, forming a spirit shield that would
block her magical abilities.
    She smiled slightly and waved her arm forwards, and immense bolt made
of stone crackled outwards from her palm, smashing into the center of the
spirit shield, crumbling it into nothing.  Ryoga inhaled deeply, careful
not to lose his concentration as he sent out another flow of spirit, this
time a simple probe.
    The probing flow hit home and wrapped itself around Ryako's mind,
jolting her concentration as she stumbled backwards, the stone bolt
breaking and falling to the rocky ground, harmless.  Opening!  Ryoga
smiled, letting go of the spirit power and sending his mind towards the
tiny flame that he knew burned within the blackness of his consciousness.
    He relaxed himself and let the burning torrent of fiery energy rush
into his veins, filling him with an unbelieveable power as he clenched his
fist and laughed, steeling himself against the blast as he gestured towards
Ryako, who had once again regained her focus.  
    "Not too bad," Ryako admitted, allowing herself a tiny smile.  "But you
still lack control."
    A wave of fire erupted like a volcano from Ryoga's outstretched right
arm, exploding out from his hand and rushing towards his teacher, who
merely stood there, smiling a tiny smile.  Seconds before the fire bolt
hit, Ryako's eyes flashed slightly and she flicked her finger, sending up a
wall of ice around her, to which the flames hit and vanished.  Just as
suddenly as it had appeared, the ice wall vanished, with Ryoga staring in
slack-jawed amazement.
    She looked up at him intently, then raised both her hands, and twin
whirlwinds whistled out of them, heading straight for the hapless Ryoga and
smashing into him head-on, tearing up his clothing in the powerful winds,
and ripping painful gashes in his skin before Ryako lowered her hands and
let the winds die down.
    Ryoga gasped as he looked down at his bleeding skin, and clenched his
fist, grimacing in pain.  Ryako snorted derisively and slammed a spirit
shield into place over him, sealing him off from his magic as he roared in
frustration, leaping for her, his arm outstretched for a blow to her face.
She only scowled at him and raised a clenched fist, and suddenly, he
stopped moving, as if the air around him had become solid.  
    "Like I said," she stated regretfully, "you still lack control."  With
that, she threw a fire blast at the trapped Ryoga, who howled in pain as it
seared his flesh, and he fell to the ground, in a daze of pain, then
collapsed on the rocky soil, unconscious.
    "You have potential, though," she noted thoughtfully.  "Much
potential."  She picked up his motionless form with a wind spell and began
to carry it into the tent, where she would nurse him back to health.  "If
only you could control that anger..."

    Ranma looked at the clock on the wall.  In ten minutes, the day's
afternoon training session would begin.  
    While he himself wasn't taking lessons from Soun Tendo, he thought that
maybe he'd stick around and join in on today's lesson.  Being a martial
artist, after all, included always learning new techniques.  And maybe
Jeikar or Kai would even teach him a bit more about the quarterstaff.
    He still couldn't believe that Jeikar's ponytailed friend had been
Tsubasa, of all people.  He had looked...well, not really normal, but he
just looked so much different when he wasn't dressed up as a girl.
Amnesia, Jeikar had told him.  Well, he supposed it was a good thing;
having a crossdresser around never really helped out situations as hectic
as they got around here.
    Ranma looked out over the small fish pond in the yard, and the wall
beyond it.  Kind of...peaceful.  He savored the peaceful moments in his
life, because they never lasted.
    "Sometimes I wish I was still in China, training with Pop," he mused,
sighing despondently.  He never really liked to think about the training
mission, because of the disaster at Jusenkyo, but, as a whole, the mission
hadn't been too bad.  I was free then, he realized, a far off look in his
eyes.  We were always hungry, it seemed, but we were free, to go wherever
we wanted, whenever we wanted.
    And then his peaceful reverie was shattered.
    "Ranma!"  Akane's voice shouted from the next room.  "Are you coming to
the training session or aren't you?  It's in five minutes."  She walked
onto the porch where he was seated, crosslegged, and glared down at him.
"Taking your sweet time, aren't you, Ranma?"
    Ranma grumbled and stood up, stretching.  "What's with you today,
Akane?"  He asked, starting to walk out towards the dojo.  
    "Ranma no baka," Akane responded, hurumphing loudly.  "You annoy me
with your attitude sometimes, you know that?"
    "What attitude?"  Ranma demanded, glowering at her.
    Akane gazed flatly at him.  "You're always acting like you're so much
better than everyone else.  It makes me sick."
    Ranma narrowed his brows.  "When did I do this?"
    "I heard the way you spoke to poor Tsubasa-kun earlier.  It was
despicable."
    Ranma rolled his eyes.  "So?"  He inquired, looking over his shoulder
at his fiance.  "What do you care about Tsubasa, anyway?  He's just a
crossdresser."
    "He's now a pupil of my father's, and you need to treat him with more
respect."
    "Sheesh," Ranma grumbled under his breath.  "You've got a cute smile,
but when you're like this, it really brings out the kawaiikunee tomboy in
you, Akane."  He made a face at her.
    Akane snorted angrily.  "At least -I- am not engaged to three women at
the same time, sukebe."
    "No," Ranma answered her absently.  "Instead, you're engaged to one and
sleep with another."  He suddenly caught what he had just said, and snapped
his mouth shut, but it was too late.
    "Sleep with another?"  Akane demanded, flaring up at him.  "Who do I
sleep with?"
    "Er...slip of the tongue?"  Ranma tried, smiling nervously.
    His short-haired fiance just glowered at him and folded her arms
underneath her breasts.  "You aren't getting away that easy; not until you
explain yourself."
    "You're...um...actually giving me a chance to explain?"
    Akane smiled sweetly.  "I am, but you'd better hurry."  The last part
was an ominous growl that set Ranma's teeth on edge.
    Well, Ranma thought despondently, Ryoga's kept this a secret long
enough.  He should have told her by now; it's his own fault.  "It's..."  he
paused, swallowing.  "Ryoga."
    "Ryoga?"  Akane repeated, amazed.  "I don't sleep with Ryoga-kun!"
    "Hai, you do," Ranma told her, breathing a deep sigh of pity for his
rival.  "Or rather, you sleep with P-Chan."
    Akane tightened her lips angrily.  "You leave P-Chan out of this, sukebe."
    "Don't you get it?"  Ranma clenched his fists in irritation.  "Ryoga
-is- your damn precious P-Chan!  I'm not the only one who's been to
Jusenkyo, you know."  There, he had gotten it out.  Ryoga would hate him
for it, but he should have already told Akane.  Sleeping with her behind
her back.  It made Ranma sick to think about it.
    Understanding dawned on Akane.  "W-what?"  She stammered.  "Y-you mean
that...Ryoga-kun turns into P-Chan...like you turn into a girl?"
    Ranma nodded.  "Hai.  And he's been sleeping in your bed."
    "So that's why..."  she trailed off, her anger returning tenfold, and
she started sputtering in impotent fury.  "R-R-Ryoga no hentai!  Just wait
until he gets back!  I'm going to rip that hentai's stupid head off!"  She
turned to Ranma.  "And you, Ranma.  Why didn't you tell me of this before,
huh?"
    "Warrior's honor," Ranma responded simply, shrugging, as Akane stormed
out into the dojo.

    "You're not engaged to her, then?"  Kai asked, sitting in a crosslegged
position and looking curiously at the young man with long black hair that
sat across from him, Mu Tsu.  
    Mu Tsu sighed.  "I am not," he admitted, a bit shamefacedly.  "But I
should be."
    Kai just gazed at him intently, willing him to go on, when the old
woman interrupted.  "You should -not- be, Mu Tsu," she stated flatly.  "You
lost to her in combat, and Ranma won.  Such are the laws of the tribe, and
you must abide by them."
    "Ranma?"  Kai echoed, surprised.  "The pigtailed guy who's staying at
the Tendo Dojo?"
    "You've met him, then," the ancient woman said, a bit of satisfaction
in her brittle voice.  "Yes, he bested Xian Pu in combat, and now he will
marry her.  He must," she added, scowling a little.
    Kai blinked.  "You mean he...er...doesn't want to?"  His mind wandered
to the beautiful Xian Pu, and he wondered how in the world this was possible.
    "I am not sure," she said, fiddling absently with her gnarled wooden
staff.  "But whether he likes it or not, he has to marry her.  Those are
our laws; all must follow them."  She stood up and began to walk out,
balancing on her staff.  "There is something I must attend to.  You two may
stay back here and talk, if you like."  And with that, she left, closing
the door behind her.
    Mu Tsu grimaced.  "It's not fair," he snarled, clenching his fist.  "I
love her so much!  Why can't she return my affection?"
    "Because of your laws, I'd imagine," Kai stated dryly.  
    Mu Tsu shifted his thick glasses on his nose, and frustratedly put them
in his hair.  "I would have beat her," he growled, grinding his teeth
together in frustration.  "I could beat anyone if I could only have my
sight restored to me."
    "You're a martial artist, then?"
    "Of course.  I study the Hidden Weapons art; I'm a master at it."
    Kai nodded.  "I tried to study Hidden Weapons one time.  Never could
get the hang of it."  He pulled a small dagger out from his loose black
shirtsleeve then put it back in again.  "That's all I could ever manage,"
he admitted, chuckling wryly.  "And even then, I cheat.  I've got a
specialized harness strapped to my arm."  He grinned at Mu Tsu, who smiled
back for the first time since Kai had seen him.
    "I'm good, but I can't see.  I might as well be a blind man," he
grunted disconsolately, resting his chin on his palm.  "If only there was a
cure..."
    Kai grinned.  I might just be able to help this poor fellow, after all.
 "I can think of two off the top of my head," he told the long haired young
man, who looked at him with interest, but his gaze was unfocused.  "There
is, of course, modern science.  Laser optical surgery or something like
that."  He shrugged.  "It works perfectly, I think."
    Mu Tsu waved his hand dismissively.  "I don't have the money for
something like that.  What's the other option that you thought of?"
    "Well," Kai hesitated, then made a decision.  I need to help this guy,
he told himself firmly, no matter what Jeikar says about secrecy.  "Have
you ever heard of the cursed springs of Jusenkyo?"
    Mu Tsu scowled darkly.  "I've been there," he stated icily.  "I turn
into a duck."
    Kai grimaced.  "How pleasant.  In any case, there's something else
about the springs.  There's purportedly some sort of magical blessed spring
there that grants wishes, but it's based on need, according to Jeikar.  To
quote him, 'You don't find it, it finds you.'"  He licked his lips
slightly.  "I guess this means it moves, however ridiculous that may sound."
    "Blessed spring, eh?"  Mu Tsu looked thoughtful.  "I've certainly never
heard of it.  But if it would cure my eyes..."
    "So."  The voice came out of the shadows with a slight chuckle.
"Blessed spring.  I thought you might know something about that, Ch'entao."
 The old woman slipped out of the shadows and smiled slightly at him,
pointing her staff in his direction.  "And now, boy, you will tell me
everything you know about the blessed spring."
    
    "Now, then," Soun was saying, as he looked intently at Tsubasa, "As I
do with all my new students, I need a rough idea of your skill level,
Kurenai."  He gestured around the room.  "Pick any one of them, and spar
with that person.  I'm familiar with all their skill levels, I believe."  
    Tsubasa glanced around the dojo.  Two pretty girls with short hair, one
calm and one furious in appearance, Jeikar, who was kneeling in front of
Master Tendo in a show of respect, and Ranma, who was lounging idily
against the far wall.  
    He considered for a moment.  He didn't really want to fight a girl; to
do so would be cowardly and dishonorable.  Besides, the one that looked
furious also looked stronger than he was, and losing to a girl would be
embarassment in itself.  That left Ranma or Jeikar...
    "I'll spar Jeikar," he said at last, standing up and bowing formally in
his friend's direction.  "Don't expect too much, sensei," he added
apologetically towards Soun, "I've never fought anyone seriously before."
He glanced over at Jeikar, who had assumed a open-palmed, one-legged
fighting stance, and was standing ready.
    Tsubasa honestly had no idea of how to fight someone, so he imitated
Jeikar's stance, surprising himself at how easily he kept his balance on
one leg.
    Soun blinked.  "Ah, you use quarterstaffs, too, I see," he remarked,
nodding towards a corner where three bo staffs leaned against the wall.  "I
suppose you can get a staff.  You too, Jeikar.  To three points, remember."
    Jeikar grinned toothily.  "Hai, sensei," he said with a smirk as he
grabbed two staffs and tossed one to Tsubasa, who caught it in his right
hand and spun it around experimentally.  "Ready?"  The Chinese boy asked
him, falling back into his fighting stance, which looked far more natural
now that he was holding a staff in his hands.
    "H-hai," Tsubasa stated, copying Jeikar's fighting stance again.  Just
watch what he does, and copy him, he told himself silently, gripping the
hardwood staff in a white-knuckled hold.
    Jeikar attacked first, his body flowing with powerful snakelike grace
as he swept forward and thrusted the bo staff at Tsubasa, who brought his
own staff up and smashed the Chinese boy's attack aside, before he realized
that the staff had twirled downwards and a split second later smacked hard
against his unguarded side.  Tsubasa grimaced in pain and jumped backwards,
going back into the one-legged stance and trying to relax himself.
    "One for Tsiang," Soun stated, look on expressionlessly from a kneeling
position.
    Tsubasa jumped at Jeikar, swinging his staff wildly for his friend's
head, which Jeikar merely leaned to one side of and spun the staff upwards
with precise movements so that it smashed up against the end that Tsubasa
was holding and sent the staff flying out of Tsubasa's grasping hands.  He
stood there, stunned with surprise for a moment, before he came to his
senses and dove for his staff. 
    Jeikar grinned slightly and thrusted his quarterstaff at Tsubasa, who
grimaced and twisted his thin body out of the way, barely missing the
attack as he snatched up his own staff.  He gritted his teeth grimly as he
bounced upwards at Jeikar's side, moving the staff in a powerful slashing
motion which Jeikar easily parried, kicking the staff aside with his own
then twirling the bo staff back to where Tsubasa was vainly trying to
regain his balance and jabbing the reinforced end of the staff into
Tsubasa's ribs, knocking the wind out of him as he staggered backwards,
gasping.
    Soun nodded.  "Two for Tsiang," he acknowledged.
    The Chinese boy thrusted with his staff again, in an ill-placed shot
that Tsubasa jumped to the side of and swung his own weapon sideways, which
was knocked aside by Jeikar's unconscious twirl of the quarterstaff to
protect him from danger.  Tsubasa gnashed his teeth together as he spun
around and thrusted once more, again met with an absent parry from the
other boy's staff.  Jeikar swung his staff sideways, and Tsubasa tried to
parry it, and Jeikar suddenly switched his momentum and spun his staff
towards Tsubasa's side, which Tsubasa jumped backwards and smashed the blow
aside with his staff, panting.
    "You're not too bad," Jeikar remarked, obviously not even the slightest
bit tired, much to Tsubasa's irritation, then added absently, "considering
you've never fought anyone before."  
    Tsubasa grunted and attacked again, thrusting awkwardly towards
Jeikar's middle, which the Chinese boy easily knocked to one side with his
own staff.  Before Tsubasa could maneuver his staff away, Jeikar's wiry
arms tensed and his staff jerked to one side, sending Tsubasa's weapon
flying out of his hands for the second time, landing with a loud clatter on
the floor several feet away.
    "You'll be better with practice," Jeikar noted, tipping the surprised
Tsubasa in the throat lightly with his staff.  
    "Three for Tsiang," Soun stated, nodding.  "Not too bad for a
first-time combatant, Kurenai.  You appear to have some natural skill with
the staff."
    Tsubasa blinked.  He had done good?  But...he had been beaten so
easily.  "A-arigato, sensei," he mumbled, sighing, when Jeikar patted him
firmly on the shoulder.
    "Don't worry, girl-boy," he said to Tsubasa with a slightly sardonic
grin, "as I said before, you'll improve."
    
    Akane sighed as she turned over in her bed, listening to the soft rain
that had begun to fall again outside.  She turned over what Ranma had told
her earlier again and again in her mind, and it all made perfect sense,
when she thought about it.  But...why?
    She looked downward, her arms feeling oddly empty without P-Chan in
them, and she quickly banished that thought.  Not if it's Ryoga, she said
to herself angrily.  But -how- could it be Ryoga?  How could she never have
noticed before?
    She sighed once more, relaxing back into her soft pillow.  Ryoga and
P-Chan; she had never seen the two of them together, at any rate.  And that
strange orange and black bandanna P-Chan always had strapped around his
neck - that was Ryoga's!
    Akane gritted her teeth angrily.  "How could I have not noticed
before?"  She muttered darkly to herself, scowling.  She inwardly hoped
that Ranma had been lying, but she had seen it in his blue-grey eyes that
he wasn't lying.  He seemed to feel a bit bad about telling her, but who
knew what he meant by that 'warrior's honor' nonsense that he had been
mumbling about.  
    Her mind went back to all the vague hints Ranma had dropped in the
past...calling Ryoga P-Chan...P-Chan had always hated Ranma...Ranma telling
the pig it had no sense of direction...
    No, Ranma wasn't lying.  She gripped the soft fabric of the blanket
that covered her, and pulled it around herself just a little tighter.
Ranma wouldn't lie, and if he did, it was easy to tell when he lied.
    "Maybe he's just...wrong," she mused absently, sighing.  It could be,
after all.  Ranma could just be making stabs in the dark about Ryoga, and
if he did that, she knew why.
    The fact of the matter had always made her feel more than slightly bad.
 She was perfectly aware of Ryoga's love for her, yet, for all his kindness
towards her, she simply never could return that affection.  She liked him,
but as a friend, and knew that just having her as a friend would sadden him
greatly, so she decided to play ignorant and pretend not to know about his
love for her.
    Did I go to far?  She wondered, running a slender hand through her
thick blue-black hair.  Had he decided to profess his love for her
by...sleeping with her, without her knowing it?
   "No," she grunted firmly.  "Ryoga wouldn't do that.  He's too honorable.
 I'll just...I'll just confront Ranma about it..."  She yawned, no longer
able to keep her eyes open.
    The fabric of the soft blanket slipped from her fingers as she fell
into a deep sleep, her mind swirling through the chaos of her dreams.
----------------------------------
Well, Akane had to find out eventually, didn't she?  Remember, though,
what's happened to Ryoga recently. :)  Also, in a few chapters from now,
there will be a big alteration in one of the characters, though I haven't
introduced him yet, and another in one that -has- been introduced.

Well, I'm going to cut the comments short so I can get started on chapter
10.  Zai jian!