Sibling Rivalry part 2: Family reunion.

	Ryoga Hibiki walked onward towards an unknown destination. He
didn't really care about where he was at the moment. He wanted to find
Ranma, but for the first time, the pig tailed martial artist defeat was
the farthest thing from his mind.
	"How do I approach him about this? I can't just run up and start
asking him questions can I?" he wondered as he walked. "At least I
probably have a few days to think it over..."
	Then as if on cue, Akane Tendo's voice rang out over the street.
"Ranma you jerk!" The very person Ryoga had spent the past week searching
for sailed over his head. 
	Ryoga instantly forgot why he had come. "Ranma! How dare you
treat Akane like that?!" he cried as he chased after the boy and
intercepted him as he landed in a nearby trash can.
	"Oh, great P-chan too." muttered Ranma as he brushed himself off.
It was obvious that this was going to be one of -those- days.
	"Who are you callin P-chan?!" cried Ryoga as he punched at Ranma.

	Late that night Ranma sat on top of the roof and sulked as he
tried to think of what he had said to Akane this time. "That uncute
tomboy, It's not my fault that the dress made her look big." he muttered
to himself.
	The next thing he knew an empty tea kettle hit him up side his
head. "You know Ranma, It really does upset me that she still gets
jealous of you this way." said Ryoga from his perch on the roof a little
higher than Ranma was. 
	"So it was Shampoo and Ukyo that got her that way, I might have
known. It's not my fault that they won't leave me alone." said Ranma as a
look of comprehension crossed his face. He rubbed his head and glared at
Ryoga angrily for the sore spot. 
	Ryoga just looked at Ranma silently in disgust. "Of course it is.
You could stop them." he said quietly. He did not move to attack, he just
stared at his half brother in the moonlight.
	Ranma looked at him for a moment and frowned. "What are you
staring at?" he said to Ryoga.
	"Nothing." was the reply. "I'm just tired of fighting today."
	"All right Ryoga, are you gonna tell me what's up or do I have to
beat it out of you?" said Ranma as he stood and walked up next to the
boy.
	"Ranma, what's your mother like?" said Ryoga finally as Ranma sat
down a comfortable distance away, but still next to him.
	"Huh? I dono, I don't really see her that much. She's real nice
when I do see her." said Ranma with a slightly amused look. He had not
been expecting this from Ryoga. "Why?"
	"It, it's nothing, I just don't know much about my mother, that's
all." said Ryoga as he gazed out over Nerima without paying much
attention to Ranma. "In fact, we've never met."
	"I thought you lived with both your parents." said Ranma looking
surprised again.
	"I live with my father and an aunt." replied Ryoga as he turned
to study Ranma's face. He wanted to find some resemblance in him. It just
wouldn't come, he could not see it. In the back of his mind he wondered
why he wanted to see it in the person he hated most in the world. Perhaps
it was just so he could finally know. So he could finally be sure that he
knew who he was, but it just wasn't there. He turned away from a
concerned looking Ranma's face and sighed.
	"Hey, you all right man?" asked Ranma as he edged closer to
Ryoga.
	"I'm going to bed, I have a trip ahead of me tomorrow." said
Ryoga as he stood and turned away.
	"Hey, where do you think your gonna sleep?" asked Ranma angrily
as Ryoga turned towards Akane's room. His cries of protest stopped,
however, when Ryoga walked by her room and off the roof into the yard. He
continued to walk after picking up his pack from beside the dojo and
jumped over the wall into the streets. "Hey, Ryoga..." cried Ranma in
confusion as he watched. He didn't know what to do at the moment and
after a long time he just decided to go to bed as well.

	Two weeks later...

	Ryoga stood at yet another doorway nervously, he glanced at a
tattered page from some phone book he'd found weeks ago. He glanced at
the address that was circled on the page and then at the home one last
time before he made his way into the yard and up to the door. He raised
his hand in a tentative knock and held his breath. He must have done this
a hundred times over the past few days, but it was still no easier. He
gulped as he heard a noise from within the home and the latches began to
draw back. 
	
	Nodoka sat and poured herself a cup of tea as she relaxed in her
living room alone. She smiled to herself as she surveyed the cleaning job
she had done that day. It was immaculate, not so much as a speck of dust
could be found in the home. She turned on a small radio in the corner and
sat back in a comfortable western style lounge chair she had bought
recently for the home. She was a little startled as a knock came from the
door. 
	"I wonder who would be here this late?" she said to herself as
she stood and walked up to the door. She peered through the peep hole and
saw a young boy standing at the doorway wearing a traveling pack. He
looked haggard and tired, but he also looked nervous. "Who?" she wondered
out loud as she unlatched the door.
	
	"Yes, how may I help you?" said a pleasant sounding feminine
voice from behind the door as it opened a little. Ryoga saw a tall
attractive looking woman in her late thirties standing behind it. 
	"A-are you Mrs. Saotome Nodoka?" said Ryoga harshly, his throat
had gone completely dry and it was difficult for him to even think the
way he was feeling right now.
	"Yes, what can I do for you?" said the woman in a now wary tone. 
	Ryoga froze and looked at her face through the door. He made a
small whimpering sound as he tried to speak and found himself unable.
"I.." he managed after a few moments of floundering. "My n-name is Ryoga,
Hibiki-no...S-Saotome Ryoga." he stammered as he looked at her in
disbelief.
	Nodoka felt her heart stop cold. She just looked at him and said
nothing. "My son?" she gasped through the door. She felt lightheaded and
found herself leaning against the doorway for support. 
	Ryoga nodded and said nothing as a similar reaction was
overwhelming him as well. Nodoka closed the door and Ryoga just looked at
it in almost crushed disappointment. "I should have expected this." he
told himself. He was about to turn away when the door opened.
	"Please, come in." said Nodoka formally as she stood next to the
door giving him an unreadable gaze.
	Ryoga stepped in and looked around nervously. It was a very well
kept home. "I-I'm sorry to intrude like this but..." 
	Nodoka smiled slightly. "It is good to see you've grown up well."
she said to him in a very formal tone.
	"Thank you." was all Ryoga could think to say.
	"Tell me, why have you come here?" said Nodoka as she offered him
a seat.
	"I'm...not sure. I guess I just wanted to, meet you. To know who
you were and what you were like." said Ryoga as he relaxed a little.
	Nodoka smiled again. "I understand. You have questions?" 
	Ryoga just looked at her. He hadn't even thought about it. "I
guess not, I thought I did, but, I understand why you did what you did."
he said after a moment of thought.
	"Ryoga, is it?" she asked.
	He nodded and looked at her quietly.
	"I am glad for that, you must understand that honor is very
important in my family." she said with a sigh as she looked at him
guiltily. "Losing you is one of the decisions I regret most in my life,
but I have sacrificed much to keep my honor." 
	"I understand, I just wanted to meet you once, so I could know."
said Ryoga as he stood and turned for a rather dramatic exit, straight
into the kitchen.
	Nodoka smiled at old memories and stood to lead him towards the
door. "I am glad to meet you, I have often wondered." she said to him
with a smile as he walked outside.
	"Just one thing, I have to know. I need to hear it from you."
said Ryoga as he faced away from her towards the street.
	Nodoka stopped and her smile disappeared. "What is it my son?"
she asked. She had said the words reflexively without thinking about
them.
	"Is Ranma my brother?" he said quietly.
	Nodoka froze, "You've met?" she gasped.
	"I've known him for years, I didn't discover this until a few
weeks ago." said Ryoga. "Is it true?"
	"Yes, he is your brother." said the woman as she turned away
shamefully. A single tear fell down her face.
	Ryoga turned to face her. "He doesn't know." he said and walked
away without another word.
	Nodoka stared at him as he vanished over the horizon. She did not
know what to do, her mind told her to follow and beg him to keep her
secret, but something inside her would not let her. If it was her pride,
conscience or her heart she would never be able to figure out. Some how
she knew he would do the honorable thing, what ever that was. How could
she know when she was so shamed? She turned and walked back into her home
and fell to her knees as the door closed. She sat there and wept.

	Ryoga simply walked, he did not know where he was going and
didn't care. This sort of thing happened to him allot as of late. He just
walked.
	"I had hoped this would help somewhat, but I'm just as confused
as before. Why can't this be simple?" he thought as he trekked onwards
relentlessly.
	"Damn you Ranma!!" he cried as he broke into a run as his
emotions finally overwhelmed him.

TBC...

C&C to Catbert25@juno.com

	What's Ryoga gonna do? Hell, not even I know that right now. I'm
open to suggestions. [This is not a vote by the way. I'm looking for
Ideas and Opinions here.] I'll figure something interesting out for some
in between stuff, I have an ending somewhat planed. Nodoka is not out of
the picture by the way, she'll be around still. Genma and Ranma are still
as oblivious as ever, and Akane is still mad. So this really hasn't
effected anyone but Ryoga and Nodoka yet. Even I'm wondering what Ranma's
reaction will be, or even how he'll find out.

P.S. I'll have a new chapter of Spirit within 2 out by tomorrow, I
promise. I'll also have new ch. for: Permanent, Spirit within 3, and
Ranma vs. The world out by Friday. I may also have a new Mech slayers and
a Revised MG flash out by the end of the week. I've already started most
of this stuff already.
	I'm re-doing MGFlash and adding a bunch of stuff to earlier
chapters. The new Chapters will be much larger than the original ones and
they'll have allot more to them, but the basic plots will remain the
same. I'll go into detail on allot of things I had just skimmed over
before.
	


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