Yay, it's finally here! We'll be gonig one chapter at a time from now on, to stop confusion...
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benji_delaski@mailcity.com
For everyone who wants to find out the rest of the happy tale, here it is! Catching the Butterfly,
Volume 2! Sorry I killed off Aiko, but it really was necessary even if it didn't seem that way in
Volume 1. Do not fret, for things will get better. Not such a long babble from me this time, I'll
get straight on with things, shall I? 

General disclaimer - All characters were stolen from Rumiko Takahashi. I think I also stole a few
from Naoko Takeuchi, Hitoshi Okuda and Shinpei Itoh. I�ve only read about Skuld in Oh My Goddess,
Sympathy for the Devil, but she was so cool, I just _had_ to use her. She may be a little OOC
though. I've pinched the demons from the Amityville Horror story, although Jodie is the only one I
actually know about (A giant demon pig. How ironic). And a lot of quotes I pinched from Friends and
Red Dwarf. I will probably insert some silly and utterly useless cameo whenever things get a bit too
dark, because I�m like that. I'm hoping that I don't get hunted down for using their chara's,
because if they cut my hands off, I'll have to type with my toes, which will make writing the thing
a whole lot damn harder. For all you lucky gits who live in Japan or America or places with all the
manga and anime, sorry but I will not be introducing Akari and Konatsu, for a few reasons - one,
I've never seen any Ranma anime, so getting to know them that way is rather difficult, two, I can't
read Japanese Ranma manga so getting to know them that way is rather difficult, three, they haven't
been introduced in English or French manga yet which makes getting to know them ... four, I don't
like them anyway, nasty people interfering in Ryoga and Ukyo's eternal happiness TOGETHER
grumblegrumble and I will chew my eyelids off before I add them into any fanfic I write, which will
be hard because my teeth don't reach that far up.

CATCHING THE BUTTERFLY VOL 2 
 It never rains, but it pours.

=================
PROLOGUE
Dreaming of a way out.
=================

Ryoga looked around. "Where on earth am I now?!!" he cried. It was very difficult to see - mainly
because it was pitch black. He didn't notice the red puddle forming around him. He took a step
forward ... and found himself falling. 
Falling into a river. 
A river of blood.
He hit the surface of the river with a splash, reverting to his female form. Gasping for breath,
Ryoga-chan tried to ignore the feel of the blood on her skin and tried to swim to shore.
She never made it. 
The demon hands reached out and dragged her back, pushing her head under and holding her there. She
couldn't break free. She couldn't _breath_. The demons laughed and taunted 
"You killed her."
*Noo....*
"If you'd been faster, you could've saved her."
*No, please nooo ...*
"Aiko is dead and it's all your fault! You know it is!"
The demons howled. 
"And now it's time to pay." The red exploded.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Ryoga sat up with a gasp. *Just a dream ... another dream...* He glanced at the little clock Ukyo
had brought to the hospital for him. *Three fifteen in the morning again?* He drew his knees up
underneath his chin and rocked back and forth a little. *I can't cope anymore ...*
Shadowy figures crept around the ward, reaching for the most lethal instruments they could find.
Ryoga stiffened as a chill ran down his spine and he turned around.
Moonlight glinted off the blade as it swung towards his neck. "For Aiko, you bastard!"
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Once again Ryoga sat up with a gasp. Only this time Ukyo was sat on the edge of the bed. He looked
at her fearfully. "Am I awake this time?" Ukyo pinched him. "Ow! What was that for?!"
"Just checking. With all these nightmares you keep having, it's hard to tell one from another." She
looked at the clock. "Three fifteen again. What timing." She placed an arm around him. "So was it
the same as the others?"
Ryoga nodded. He tried to look calm, but seeing how he was shaking like a leaf, the act wasn't too
convincing. He glanced at Ukyo, who was doing her best not to yawn. "Ucchan, go back to bed."
Ukyo laughed. "Now, we both know how this goes - you go back to sleep and I keep you company. _Then_
I go back to bed."
"But ..."
Ukyo put on her best stern look. "Do as you�re told! Or else!"
Ryoga gave her a weak grin and lay down again. When the fear of the nightmares had faded a little,
he closed his eyes. A few minutes later he was asleep again. Ukyo stood up with a sigh. *Poor Ryoga
.. I won't leave you to fight through this alone.* She leaned over him and kissed him gently. *Not
any more...*

=============
PART I
Hospital Trust 1
=============

Maika and Miyu flew above the city, looking for an opening in Locust-Man's defences. "That's one
ugly alien," Maika observed.
"Look who's talking!" Locust-Man snapped.
Maiko glowered. "Is that any way to talk to a lady?"
Miyu tapped her on the shoulder. "Uhh ... Maika, don't look now but we've got company." She pointed
to a nearby rooftop.
Maika groaned as she spotted who Miyu was referring to. On the rooftop were five girls in
multicoloured sailor suits, doing silly poses. "The crops you contaminated were grown to save lives,
not end them," they shouted. "For love and for justice, we are the beautiful Sailor Senshi,"
"Sailor Mercury!"
"Sailor Mars!"
"Sailor Jupiter!" 
"Sailor Venus!"
"Sailor Moon!" Sailor Moon pointed at Locust-Man. "And on behalf of the moon, you're punished!"
Maika shook her head. "Why does nobody ever kill them during that speech?" she wondered aloud.
Miyu shrugged. "You know, we could leave them to deal with this and go visit Ryoga in hospital," she
suggested. 
"What for?"
"Because we are investigating where his strange energy patterns are coming from and where his
siblings have disappeared to," Miyu reminded her, dodging a flaming ward from Sailor Mars. "Also, on
Earth, it is customary to visit friends and relatives while they are in hospital to make them less
lonely and to take them gifts of flowers and jigsaws. Also, we get to sign any casts he may have,"
she added with a grin.
"He didn't break any bones," Maika reminded her partner. "Very abnormal for an teenage boy hit by a
truck doing 120mph."
"Which is why we should visit him," Miyu finished. "To find out why he's there."
They flew off, leaving the five Sailor Senshi to deal with Locust-Man. "Moon Tiara Magic!" Bunny
cried, throwing her tiara at him and narrowly missing hacking off her pigtails in the meantime.
Locust-Man looked annoyed as the tiara bounced uselessly off his shell.
"Uhhh ... Bunny, I really think this one was one of the Hyperdoll's foes," Amy said, looking at her
computer.
"Oh, now you tell us!!"

Akane and Ranma gazed in astonishment at the crowded room. "I didn't realised Ryoga was so popular
with the girls," Akane said eventually, looking at Maika, Miyu, Mihoshi, Ukyo, Shampoo and a few
others.
"I don't think he did, either," Ranma replied. He waded through the giggling girls to Ryoga's
bedside. "So how are you then?"
Ryoga shrugged. "I feel fine, but they won't let me go. They've decided I'm suffering from
depression and might be a danger to myself. Can't think why."
Ranma nodded slowly. "Somehow I can see where they're coming from."
Akane shoved past him. "Hey Ryoga, I made you some cookies," she said with a smile, handing them
over. 
"He's already _in_ hospital, Akane," Ranma joked, dodging the mallet.
Ryoga tried not to look ill. "Anybody want a cookie first?" he asked cheerfully.
Mihoshi bounced over. "Oooh! Look, they're cute little ..." She trailed off. "Thingys." She popped
the cookie in her mouth. And chewed. And collapsed. 
Ryoga handed the cookies back to Akane. "No offence, but you might want to work on them ..."
Akane pouted. "I was so sure ..."
Miyu patted her on the shoulder. "Don't feel down. I bet Maika would enjoy them."
"What?!"
"She's given up her diet, you see..."
"How dare you!"
A large nurse (fondly dubbed 'Sister Blister' for no known reason) lumbered into the room. "All
right, everybody out now!"
Good natured grumbles and protests followed this request. "Just a second," Ryoga called. "Hey Ranma,
has Kodachi been around lately?"
Ranma shook his head. "I haven't seen her since her little confession. It's weird. But nice."
"She probably found something fun to do rather than chasing you." Ryoga smirked. "Like swimming in
shark-infested waters."
Ranma glowered. "If you weren't already in hospital, I'd ..."
Akane grabbed him by the ear. "Leave him alone, Ranma, you insensitive jerk!"
"Uncute tomboy!"
Ryoga watched them fighting, although they didn't seem to be taking it as seriously as usual. *Must
be because there's no-one to interfere with their relationship. Shampoo, for some utterly unknown
reason has decided she likes me better than Ranma...* He'd almost died of shock after hearing that
one. *Kodachi hasn't been around for the past week...* Frankly, that just made him nervous. Then
again, after being hit by a very large tanker - with no driver - and losing the person who meant the
most to him in all his life - things did tend to make him slightly nervous nowadays. And nowanights.
Try sleeping calmly after all that had happened to you less than a week ago. *If they didn't stick
me full of sedatives, I wouldn't sleep at all!!* He laughed a little at this.
Mihoshi regained consciousness and flopped backwards onto the bed. "What's the time?" She glanced at
the clock. "Oh, time to go." She sat up and grabbed Ryoga's hands. "You will come back to school
soon, won't you? It's no fun otherwise."
Ukyo tensed, tightening the grip on her spatula, but Maika interrupted, not even realising the
headache she was saving Ryoga. "Mihoshi, get a grip!" She grabbed hold of the collar of Mihoshi's
school uniform and yanked the blond onto her feet. "We have to go now, anyway."
"Oh, but... WAOH!!" 
Ryoga shook his head as the three aliens left the room, followed by an un-protesting Akai.  "I'll
never understand how Mihoshi can trip over nothing at all," he said, looking dazed.
A few of the other girls said their goodbyes and left too, Shampoo giving Ryoga a quick hug, much to
his immense surprise.
Ranma looked at Ryoga (who still had a shell-shocked look on his face) with a look that was partly
envy and partly sympathy. Envy because of all the attention getting his by a truck generates.
And sympathy. For once, he was actually feeling sympathetic towards the lost boy. It couldn't be
easy, seeing the kid you think of as your daughter getting mashed by a tanker. And Ryoga _had_
thought of Aiko as a daughter. He made that obvious a few days ago...

<Flashback>
"Can I leave tomorrow?" Ryoga asked again.
"NO!!" Sister Blister stormed out of the room.
Ranma yawned. "Give it up, Ryoga. You've been haggling poor old Sis' Blis' for an hour now. This
isn't like begging to have your friends stay a little longer." He patted Ryoga on the head, much to
his anger. "That cute l'il boy act ain't gonna get you outta here."
Ryoga flopped back onto the pillows with a groan. "Argh! What is going on here!! I perfectly fine!"
He chopped at the cabinet next to him, disintegrating it into tiny fragments.
"I-am-perfectly-fine!!!"
Ukyo sighed. "How many times do I have to tell you?!! They want to keep an eye on you to make sure
you are emotionally stable. You had a bad shock. You've been having awful nightmares and they just
want to make sure you won't be a danger to yourself or to anyone else."
Ryoga looked puzzled. "Huh?"
Ranma sighed. "Ryoga, they think you might go insane."
Ryoga looked even more puzzled. "But why?"
Ranma rolled his eyes. "Because you and your damn little kitty got hit by a truck and they were dumb
enough to think she was a real girl..."
The rest of the words that had fallen out of his mouth before he'd remembered to turn his brain on
were cut off by the application of Ryoga's fist to Ranma's skull. Ranma flew across the room, taking
out most of opposite wall. Ranma wheezed for breath - difficult. Ryoga had his one hand clamped
against his throat and pounded his fist up and down on Ranma's face. "DON'T YOU _EVER_, _EVER_ AGAIN
IMPLY THAT SHE WASN'T IMPORTANT!!!!!!!!!" Ryoga screamed.
Ukyo pulled him away. "Ryoga, clam down..."
Ryoga burst into tears. "S-s-she wa-was m-mine, m-my l-l-little g-girl.."
Ranma wished he could learn how to keep his mouth under control as he gasped for breath and left the
room sheepishly. Looking back at them, he couldn't recall ever seeing Ryoga so upset... <End
flashback.>

Ryoga looked curiously at Ranma. "Why on earth are you staring at me, Saotome?
Ranma shook his head to clear it. "I was just remembering how you went berserk at me the other day."
Ryoga groaned. "You just had to bring that up, didn't you? We have a normal little discussion and
they won't let me out now."
Ukyo shrugged. "You caved the wall in."
"But that's not unusual!" Ryoga protested. "Well, at least, not by our standards."
"Well, what's so bad about being in hospital?" Ranma asked. "You get to miss school - Happosai's
started lurking around the gym armed with water pistols. And Kuno's upset that his bandannaed girl
is missing."
Akane whapped Ranma lightly on the head. "Shut up you. You have _no_ bedside manner whatsoever, do
you?" She dragged Ranma out of the room.
Ryoga looked at Ukyo. "You'd better be going in a minute too." Ukyo nodded As Ryoga's fiancee, that
meant she was allowed to visit him at any hour. Still ... "Ucchan, you don't have to stay here
overnight."
Ukyo smiled at him. "Try saying that to me at three-fifteen tonight," she pointed out. "I'll be back
later." She left the room with a wave.
Ryoga returned the wave. And waited a little while. Then up-ended a glass of cold water over his
head. People were always more willing to lend a sympathetic ear to a crying girl than a crying boy,
he'd discovered.

End Part I
Final song - Save Tonight

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So there it is folks, the first installment of volume 2! As per usual, all comments to me or 
Benji-Chan, C&C appreciated, MSTs highly appreciated, and flames stomped out and ignored ^_^
Ja ne, Kai-Chan
Member 30 of SSoAGMA, Deadly Everyday Object Weaponary Technique, Dragon Warrior Style
Mousse no miku; Generally dangerous English otaku; Supporter of cliched pairs;
Member of the Chan club; WoS; SCG; COURT; SOotCiP;CotMHW - Launderer of the Robes of Death;
Head Castrator of the Hotnit Feminisation Project; Keeper of the Moneybags for the Hotnit Fan Club;
4th Gen. EOE; Image Consultant For "That Guy"; #WASHU#;AKPReSS, Gen. Div.; SLAP;
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Coming soon to list near you.. the legendary 50 foot sig of Team Chan !