Here's the revision of chapter two.  Hopefully chapter four will be
ready before the weekend.  If it's not there'll be a delay of at least a
few days.  None of the events have been changed in this revision, but
the grammar is a lot better.

Disclaimer:      The characters and situations of Ranma 1/2 are owned by
Rumiko Takahashi and are used in this fanfic without permission.  That
doesn't really surprise anyone though does it.
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Chapter Two: One Last Dance
     Akane pushed her homework away in disgust.  She just couldn't
concentrate on it when she had no idea what Ranma was doing.  First
Ranma and Ryoga started acting like they're friends and now Ranma even
seemed to miss him.  Ukyo was acting really nervous and it started right
after Ranma and Ryoga went to visit her three days ago.  What truly
angered her was that, Ranma had apparently trusted Ukyo more than her.
A decision reached Akane switched off her desk lamp and started
preparing for bed.  Tomorrow she was going to have a little chat with
Ranma's good pal Ucchan.


     The following day Ranma and Akane were walking to school together,
with Ranma on the fence beside and slightly behind Akane.
     "Akane, you're not mad at me or anything, are you."
     Akane answered without turning or slowing, "Of course not Ranma,
it's not like you're hiding anything from me, after all."
     "Right, I was just worried because you've been a bit moody lately."

     This time Akane declined to speak and instead increased her pace
slightly.  After that the loving couple walked in silence until they
reached the gates of Furinkan high.
     At this point they were intercepted by a tall figure of noble
bearing and proud mien who was garbed in traditional kendo gear. "Foul
sorcerer, I shall vanquish you just as I did your minion, who fled my
righteous wr-urgh."
     "Give it a rest Kuno," Ranma said as he removed his foot from the
older boys face.  "Come on Akane, he won't be waking up for a while.
     "I wonder what Kuno meant when he said he vanquished your minion."
     "I dunno, hope he hasn't been attacking someone who can't defend
themselves though."


     "Ranma, wake up school is over."  Not getting any response from the
dozing boy, Akane shook him with increasing force finally shoving him
out of his seat.
     "Whazzup, Akane" Ranma mumbled looking up at his fiancee.
     "School's over.  I have to go talk to someone so you start home
without me.  Okay Ranma?"
     "Sure, don't be too long though.  I mean, I know a macho chick like
you can take care of herself, but Mr. Tendo disagrees."
     Not knowing how to react to the rather backhanded compliment, Akane
simply ignored it and walked away.


     Scanning the school grounds as she walked,  Akane frowned.  She had
missed Ukyo at lunch.  According to Yuka, Ukyo had gone home to change
her clothes.  When Akane spotted the attractive girl carrying Ukyo's
spatula she realized what this meant.  Ukyo had gone home to exchange
her customary boy's uniform for a girls uniform.  Her frown deepening
ever so slightly Akane headed in the direction of her rival.
     "Hi Ukyo.  That look is a change for you isn't it."
     "I suppose so, sugar, but Ranchan is a guy and I should try to look
feminine for my fiancee."
     After counting to three to control her temper Akane continued,
"Actually I wanted to talk to you about Ranma.  Have you noticed
anything different about him lately?"
     "No, I haven't noticed any changes him at all.  Ranchan's just the
same as he's always been."
     "Are you sure?  I know he and Ryoga visited  Ucchan's recently.
Did anything happen while they were there."
     A muscle in Ukyo's cheek twitched slightly, at the mention of
Ryoga's name, but when she spoke her voice was level.  "No, nothing
happened, they just ate and left."
     "Well I suppose you'd know if anything did.  It is your restaurant.
Say, I haven't seen Ryoga since then.  Do you know where he went?"
Meanwhile Akane's thoughts were racing.  The tension Ukyo was displaying
confirmed her suspicions.  Ukyo must know what was going on.
     This time the twitch was slightly more pronounced and there was a
hint of strain in Ukyo's voice.  "How am I supposed to know where the
lost boy is?  Now if you'll excuse me I need to go open my restaurant."
     As Ukyo walked away, Akane considered what she had learned.  Ukyo
hadn't been willing to share any information, but mentioning Ryoga had
caused her to react.  Akane realized, whatever was happening must
involve him.  Unsatisfied with what she had learned, Akane hurried off
to catch up with Ranma.
     At that very moment Ranma was walking towards the Tendo Dojo when
he heard a voice call out to him, "Ranma, over here."
     Searching for the source of the voice ,Ranma spotted a familiar
figure wearing a massive backpack and holding a red bamboo umbrella
standing in the entrance to a side street.
     "It's good to see you Ryoga.  You're back earlier than usual."
     "Well, I've been doing some thinking over the past few days and I
realized that we have no real reason to fight.  I think I'd like being
your friend."
     "That's great," Ranma said as he stepped towards the other boy a
smile on his face.
     "So, I'm challenging you to a duel."
     Ranma halted at those words his face registering surprise.  "That
doesn't make any sense Ryoga, you just said there was no reason for us
to fight."
    "I'm sorry, but I can't forget the past year.  Meet me at the field
behind Furinkan tonight and we'll settle things privately."
    "Um, Ryoga are you sure you'll be able to get there?"
    "Don't worry about me.  This is one meeting I won't be late for."
    The two boys paused to assess one another and neither noticed a
short haired girl hurry past.

    "Nabiki is Ranma home yet?," a frowning Akane asked.
    "No, he hasn't arrived.  I thought he was walking with you anyway."
    "No, we didn't walk back together this time.  I wanted to talk to
Ukyo so he left a while before me.  I wonder what delayed him."
    "I'm back, everyone." Ranma's statement was punctuated by the sound
of a slamming door .
    "Well he's here now so you can ask him."
    "I think that I will," said Akane descending the stairs to confront
her wayward fiancee.  "I must have passed you on the way home Ranma."
     "Probably when I was talking to Ryoga."
     "He's back so soon?  I don't see him here  ."
     "Uh, no he didn't want to impose.  I'm getting together with him
tonight though."
     "It wouldn't have been an imposition.  Kasumi is always glad to
have company over.  I suppose it doesn't matter, I'll just go with you
to see Ryoga."
     "No that's not a good idea, we're, um, we're going to be doing guy
things.  You wouldn't enjoy them."
    "Really, what exactly are you going to be doing?  Ryoga is my friend
you know."
    "Well, you know just guy things.  I'm sure Ryoga would be happy to
see you some other time."
    "I see, I wouldn't want to intrude on your male bonding, so you can
go and do your precious "guy things" with Ryoga," Akane said as she
stormed off.
   That was close, Ranma thought, if there's one person we don't need
watching tonight it is Akane.  No matter what Ryoga says, he's not going
to be a gracious loser if Akane saw him beaten.

     That evening, Ranma leapt out of his bedroom window landing softly
on the ground beneath.  He knew that both Akane and Nabiki might try to
follow him.  It would be simple enough to avoid them, if they didn't
know he'd left.  Without pausing, Ranma vaulted over the wall
surrounding the Tendo's yard in one smooth motion and raced off into the
night.
     His departure was unnoticed, save by a shadowy figure watching the
dojo.  After a moments hesitation the figure moved after Ranma easily
matching his pace.

     Minutes later Ranma arrived behind Furinkan and looked around.  The
light of the setting sun didn't reveal his opponent.  He silently
cursed, as he realized Ryoga must have gotten lost again.
     "Looking for me, Ranma?".
     Whirling around Ranma saw a bandana clad boy setting his backpack
on the ground.  "How did you do that Ryoga?  I thought you weren't going
to show."
     "I said I'd be here.  It was easy anyway, I just waited at the
street where we met and then followed you here."  Ryoga paused and then
with a barely visible smile said, "So, are you ready to get things
started?".
     Ranma's only response was to slip into a defensive stance.
     Taking this as assent Ryoga charged aiming a punch at Ranma's
head.  His opponent dodged the blow, but Ryoga pressed on forcing Ranma
back with a series of kicks, alternating high and low attacks.  Finally
Ranma leapt over a leg sweep and landed a kick on Ryoga's face.  At this
Ryoga jumped backward, avoiding Ranma's follow up and distancing himself
further attacks.
     Now it was Ranma who took the offensive unleashing a flurry of
punches which Ryoga tried desperately to block.  Despite his best
efforts Ranma landed more than a dozen glancing hits.  Frustrated Ryoga
simply stepped into the next punch and brought his knee up to connect
with Ranma's abdomen.  Caught off guard, Ranma wasn't able to dodge as
Ryoga's fist crashed into his jaw knocking him more than thirty feet
backward.
      Ranma twisted in the air to land on his feet the coppery taste of
blood filling his mouth.  He was surprised, by the extent of Ryoga's
improvement.
     "Heh, I barely felt those punches Ranma, it is time to put you out
of my misery," Ryoga shouted. With a snarl he leapt directly at Ranma,
his battle aura flaring to life around him.
     Ranma rolled out of the way as the enraged wanderer slammed into
the spot where he'd been standing, forming a large crater.  Seeing the
ferocity that Ryoga was approaching the fight with, Ranma decided to end
it quickly.  "Katchu Tenshin Amaguriken!"  Ryoga barely had time to
begin to turn as several hundred punches slammed into his side hurling
him to the ground.  "Ready to give up, or do I have to hit you some
more?"  Ranma smiled confidently as he spoke, ignoring the throbbing
ache in his jaw.
     As Ryoga clambered to his feet, a dark green radiance began to form
between his hands.  Realizing what he intended Ranma began summoning his
own ki, a warm yellow glow appearing in response.  For a moment the two
combatants faced one another, until some unspoken signal seemed to pass
between them.
     "Shi Shi Houkoudan!"
     "Mouko Takabisha!"
     With a flash of light and a roar of thunder, the two ki blasts
met.  Momentarily dazzled by the explosion Ranma didn't notice Ryoga
leaping into the air.  "Teikiatsu Kyaku!"  Spinning rapidly in mid leap
Ryoga's extended leg struck Ranma repeatedly in the chest until a vortex
of air blew him backwards.  Ranma staggered upright, only to see Ryoga
hurtling towards him once again.  He braced himself for impact and then
flinched involuntarily when a small, irate piglet bounced off her chest.

     The unexpected change shocked Ranma.  She soon realized that
Furinkan's sprinkler system must be controlled by an automatic timer.
"Come on Ryoga, we'd better get you some hot water so you can change
back"
     "Bwee."
     "Don't worry I won't forget your pack."    Ranma unsteadily hoisted
the heavy pack to her shoulders.  "Man, what do you have in this thing,
lead weights?"
     "Bwee," the piglet replied nodding its head.
     "Figures."
     As the two walked off a small white and pink cat stared after them
for a moment.  Then with a disgusted shake of its head it turned and
began traveling in the opposite direction.

     Ranma and Ryoga sat in a small grove of trees adjoining Furinkan's
back field staring at a small fire. "If you hadn't knocked the kettle
out of my hands there would have been enough water for us both to
change."
     "It's your own fault Ranma, you should know it takes hot water, not
boiling.  Besides, it's no big deal, you can get hot water anywhere,"
Ryoga said as he finished pulling a shirt over his head.
     "I guess so, I'll just stop at Ucchan's on the way back and get
some hot water there.  So, are you happy with how things turned out?  We
didn't really finish the fight."
    "Good enough for me.  Friends?" Ryoga asked extending his hand.
    As Ranma took it their eyes met and the same thought occurred to
each of them.  Nothing was stopping them from having a friendly sparring
match sometime.  Neither one would have wanted it any other way.
    "You've gotten better Ryoga, I mean you learned that technique just
from seeing it in a movie once."
    "Well it wasn't quite that easy, but it did work pretty good didn't
it?" Ryoga said chuckling softly.
    "Hey it's not like you could have beat me or nothing."
    "If you say so, Ranma," the smiling boy replied.
    "Glad we got that straight.  I'd better head back to the Tendo's
now, you want to come with me?"
    "Nah, I'll just camp here for the night, it is getting late anyway."

    "Sure, look it's Saturday tomorrow, so there's just a half day of
school.  Akane and I will pick you up here, after we're done."
    "Okay, I'll see both of you then."

    Ukyo was just closing up shop after another long grueling day of
cooking, cleaning, and schoolwork.  She was debating whether she could
afford to hire some help.  If she didn't find some more time to train,
Shampoo or even Akane would soon surpass her martial arts skill.
Putting the thought aside, she sighed.  There was no way she would be
able to hire help, unless they worked for room and board.
     A voice outside the restaurant interrupted her musings.  "Ucchan."
     "What?  Ranchan?  Just give me a second!"
     A short time later Ranma was inside and Ukyo was greeting her
fiancee with a cheerful expression.  "It's great to see you Ranchan.  So
what can I do for you?"
     "Nothing much, I just need some hot water."
     "Coming right up.  It's a bit late for you to be out wandering
around, I hope nothing's wrong," Ukyo said casually, as she filled a pot
of water.
     "Nah, me and Ryoga were just spending some time together."
     "Really, you and Ryoga.  just what were you doing anyway?"
     "Oh, you know Ucchan, just guy things."
     Ukyo stared incredulously at the shorter girl for a moment taking
in her disheveled clothing and hair.  "Guy things, I'll just bet they
were doing guy things," she muttered darkly.  "So where is Ryoga now?"
     "Oh, he's camped in that stand of trees behind Furinkan."
     "I'll bet that's a nice, private spot isn't it?"
     "I suppose so, especially this late."
     "I'm going to go visit Ryoga now.  You can lock the place up after
you're done."  With those words Ukyo strode out the door hefting her
fighting spatula.
     Ranma glanced dubiously at the pot of heating water. She had felt
offended by Ukyo's abrupt departure.

     Ukyo's thoughts were in turmoil as she walked towards Furinkan.
She knew her suspicions about Ranma and Ryoga couldn't be right.
However, dark thoughts continued to plague her.  If Ranma had just been
fighting with Ryoga he wouldn't have been so defensive.  There were
plenty of other things too.  Like how he had acted the night he and
Ryoga ate at Ucchan's.  Other people had noticed as well.  Maybe Kuno
vowing to punish Ryoga didn't mean much, but Akane seemed worried too.
One of her earliest memories of Nerima came to mind as well.  When she'd
first discovered Ranma's curse, he had been pretending to be Ryoga's
fiancee. By the time she reached the light of Ryoga's campfire, she was
determined to get some answers.  "Ryoga."
     "What?  Oh.  Hi Ukyo.  It's quite a coincidence meeting you here."
     "Not really, I came here to talk to you about something, about
Ranma in fact."
     "What about Ranma?"
     "Well you're getting along pretty well with him now aren't you?"
     "Yes, I decided that it was time to put my past with Ranma behind
me and start over with him."
     At those words Ukyo's fears seemed to become reality.  It hardly
sounded like he and Ranma had been fighting.  "You know, Ranma's girl
form is very attractive, isn't it?"
     In the dim light, Ukyo missed the puzzled expression that passed
over Ryoga's face.  "Yes," he guessed.
     "Look, stay away from Ranma, just keep trying to get Akane."
     "I haven't give up on Akane, but it's none of your business what I
do and I'm not staying away from Ranma," Ryoga said as he stood up.
     "We'll see about that," Ukyo growled and then lunged for Ryoga,
swinging her spatula two handed at his head.  Ryoga quickly seized his
umbrella ,from where it was lying atop his pack, and parried the blow.
When the two unusual weapons met, Ukyo was knocked backwards head over
heels.
     Ryoga smiled grimly and said, "I usually don't fight girls, Ukyo,
but attack me again and I'll make an exception."
    "All right I'm going, but this isn't over yet."
    Ryoga watched Ukyo's departing back until she passed out of sight
and then sat glumly to consider events.  What was that about?  Ukyo
might think that he'd give up on Akane now that he and Ryoga were
getting along, but the bit about Ranma's girl form didn't make any sense
at all.  Unless, he thought, Ukyo's a lesbian.  As an image took form in
his mind he hastily tore a bandana free to staunch the flow of blood.
"Agh, I'm a pervert!"  He had to admit Ukyo was right though. Ranma did
make a cute girl.

     Ukyo was also lost in thought on her way back to Ucchan's.  Before
this she'd thought that Ryoga was a nice guy, in a sort of indecisive
and violent way.  Despite Ryoga's faults, Ukyo could hardly believe he'd
act this way.  As far as she was concerned, it was even worse than
Kuno's obsession.  At least Kuno was simply delusional.  Ryoga didn't
even have that excuse.
     "I'm not going to give up.  I'll bring Ranma back to the straight
and narrow."  Ukyo's words were heard only by the dark and uncaring
sky.  As she reached her home, something else occurred to her.  In her
hurry to confront Ryoga, she'd forgotten to bring a set of keys.  She
was locked out of her own home.