Legal: The characters of Ranma � were created by the great Rumiko
Takahashi.
The characters of Gargoyles are the creations of Disney.
I am using them without permission, hopefully for the purpose of
entertaining someone. If anyone who has a right to sue me has that
desire, I have almost no money.
C&C is appreciated, you can contact me at brenda02@sprynet.com
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Last chapter: In the hospital Akane demands that Ranma tell her the
reasons behind his and Ryouga's rivalry. Ranma evades answering by
telling her that Ryouga has two reasons for fighting him, and gives a
quick explanation for why he can't tell her either. Ryouga had
overheard her decision to end his and Ranma's feud, and left after
leaving her a letter. While he was planing to make his way to Jusenkyo
Ukyou invited him into UcChans for some okonomiyaki and conversation.
When Ryouga learned what Ranma had told Akane, he passed out.
Ranma, the Time of Changes
By Brendan O'Donnell
Chapter Three
Ryouga opened his eyes and sat up. The blanket draped over his
still clothed form slid into his lap. Stretching Ryouga took stock of
his current location. *Ok, where am I? Let's see: I'm sleeping on
the floor of a storeroom, I've got a blanket over me. That's not
common but there's a few places it could be. Let's see what's here...
hey that's okonomiyaki sauce! Yeah I was in UcChans last night. Let's
see, Ukyou gave me some okonomiyaki, she talked to me about Ranma and
Akane, she told me...* "OH NO!!!"
Ryouga fell back to the floor, and clasped his hands to his
head. "Damn that Ranma! He told Akane about my curse!" Ryouga said
angrily. *What am I going to do!* Ryouga closed his eyes and started
thinking to himself *Calm down, Ranma didn't tell her what it was, she
just told her that I had a problem that he was partially responsible
for.* "Partially, IT'S ENTIRELY RANMA'S FAULT!!!!" Ryouga blurted out
as he came to his feet. "Damn you Ranma! Why must you cut down my
every hope of happiness!"
"Calm down, Ryouga!" Came Ukyou's voice from the doorway.
Ryouga looked and saw her standing there in her chief's outfit. "Come
on out and take a seat," She said turning and walking behind the
griddle. "Now I'm going to do everything I can to help you with Akane,
but you'll have to tell me everything so I can help deal with it."
*I'm probably grasping at straws, but even if Akane doesn't fall for
Ryouga, if Ranma gets jealous I might be able to get him to do
something that'll push Akane away.* She thought as she looked over the
lost boy who came up to the griddle and sat down.
*What do I do!* Ryouga thought to himself again. He looked at
Ukyou, and suddenly he thought back on his life both before and after
he first met Ranma. "Ukyou..."
"Yes, Ryouga?"
"Well... My father started training me in the family martial
arts style when I was six..."
"... Nayoko was the only girl I've ever gone on a date with,
and after she let me lead the way on a walk and wound up wandering
around lost for six days she never spoke to me again. She also told
everyone about it so no one else was willing to let me ask her out
either..."
"I met Ranma just after the start of the next school semester,
it was lunch time and I was grabbing the last piece of curry bread..."
"... And this girl knocked me off a cliff. I landed in a pool
of water, and all of a sudden my body wasn't acting right..."
"... And then Akane gave me a little kiss, and I realized that
I would do anything for her." Ryouga stopped talking and with a sigh
looked ahead with eyes foggy with love. Ukyou blinked for a few
seconds, and shook her head.
*He's stopped!* Looking at the clock hanging on the wall she
saw that, *He's been talking for a straight hour!* She thought to
herself with almost no exaggeration. *Ok, what's he said about
Ranchan?* She thought trying to sort through the information she had
been partially tuning out for the last half hour. *Hmm, let's see:
Ranma stole his bread, Ryouga followed him to China, got knocked into a
pool that turns him into... a... pig... And he fell in love with Akane
after meeting her in that form!?* "You're P-chan!" Ukyou exclaimed.
Ryouga was too busy thinking about Akane to notice anything, so
Ukyou took one of his hands and put it on her griddle. It sizzled a
few seconds. With a scream, Ryouga yanked it off.
"HOT!" Ryouga screamed as he started blowing on his now red
hand.
"Well now that I've got your attention, answer me this. Are
you P-chan?"
Ryouga froze again. *I... I told her about Jusenkyo!* He
thought as he realized how he had just told her everything about his
life since that old woman had slapped his butt and proclaimed 'It's a
boy'. "I... yes." *The secrets out*
*Well at least I know what Shampoo was talking about,* thought
Ukyo as she recalled the Amazon's comments about Akane not seeing the
bandanna. *ARRH! So much for grasping at straws, there's no way even
Akane will forgive bandanna boy for hiding that! And considering the
way he just blurted everything out...* "She'd have accepted that first
night was an accident and forgiven you if you'd told her then, but as
things are now you've done some deliberate things that she isn't likely
to be so forgiving about.."
"I never meant for this to happen." Ryouga said quietly as he
started recalling all the times Akane had come so close to discovering
the truth about him and P-chan. Ryouga envisioned what Akane might do
upon finding out; he flinched in expectation of pain as he imagined
the intensity of his beloved's anger. All the anger Ranma had ever
provoked in Akane was completely overshadowed by this nightmare vision.
"Well, it's too late to think of what you should have done in
the past, we've got to think about the future." Ukyou said in a voice
of forced cheerfulness. *Ok, how do I get Akane to accept only
learning one element of Ryouga's rivalry with Ranchan? Maybe she'll be
forgiving about the P-chan thing? No, not a chance. And even if she
forgives Ryouga, she's always brought up his honesty when she's talked
about his good points, she'll never see him that way again if she
learns this. Hmm...*
"Do you think I have a chance?" Ryouga asked, trying to put
aside the crushing depression his imagination was inspiring within him.
Ukyou looked at Ryouga. *Slim and none.* she thought to
herself as she smiled and said, "Of course, Ryouga. She likes you, so
all we have to do is get her to think of you as a boyfriend instead of
as the brother she never had." For a moment Ukyou thought of her own
relationship to Ranma, then she pushed the thought away with a shudder.
"I think our best shot is for you to tell her how you feel, and
meanwhile get her to accept you solving grudge number two with Ranma in
private." She thought a moment then added. "You know, whatever
happens you're going to have to genuinely end your feud with Ranma."
Ryouga thought about this a moment. *End the feud with Ranma.*
he thought to himself. He began to indulge himself in a little
fantasy
["Oh Ryouga, I love you too." Akane said.
"Akane." Ryouga said as his lips came close to hers.
"Hands off now!"]
Ryouga blinked and saw he was grabbing Ukyou's hands and
leaning across her griddle so his face was close to hers. With a
little yelp he released her hands and jumped back. *Damn, I can't even
dream about it.* he thought to himself. He began to feel the
depression that had so long been the center of his entire existence
rising inside him as he began to think of the other extreme of how
Akane could react.
["Oh Ryouga, it means so much to me that you've stopped
fighting with Ranma." Akane said smiling at Ryouga.
"Akane... Akane I LOVE YOU!"
"... You what?" Akane said quietly, her smile vanishing like
the sun behind a thundercloud.
Akane towered over him, raising the supreme mallet in its
salute to the deity of anger. Then Ryouga was smashed into the earth.
"You JERK! I thought you were a friend, but all this time
you've been beating up Ranma just because you want me? I love Ranma
and I never want to see you again." she cried as she pounded him and
then launched him into LEO.]
*Ok, so that's a bit far fetched.* He thought to himself as he
reviewed his dark fantasy. "But any form of rejection by her will
shatter my heart like glass!" He screamed, tears streaming down his
face.
Ukyou looked at him and sighed to herself. *I really don't
know if I can do anything for that idiot. But I've gotta at least make
the attempt. And I think the best time is while Ranma's still in the
hospital.*
*I love martial artists.* thought the nurse as she put her hand
to her head in expectation of a coming headache. She took a deep
breath and looked at Ranma. She had been told to give him a pair of
crutches and coach him in their use. She was now watching her charge
use the crutches to keep his broken leg off the ground while he
performed a series of leaps, flips, and lightning fast maneuvers with
his uninjured leg. "Mr. Saotome! If you reinjure your leg you're
going to be stuck here twice as long!"
"Hey, I'll wind up back here just as fast if I can't move
right." Ranma replied. He jumped, spinning his uninjured left leg in
a kick through the range a foot above where his own head would be, just
before landing on that same leg. As his foot had struck, he had lashed
out with his crutches, on either side of his foot's target. And when
he landed they were ready to support him again.
*He needs restraints not coaching!* "OK, that's enough. Time
to get you back to bed."
"I'm fine." Ranma said with a scowl. "And I'd like to see
whoever I need to see to get out of here."
*Sigh* "Mr. Saotome, we are simply trying to make sure you get
well. We'd prefer to keep an eye on you a little longer."
"I've been taking care of myself all my life. And I'd like to
leave now."
*I love martial artists.* "Ok, right this way."
Akane looked over the kitchen. *Kasumi did a good job of
cleaning up everything I did last night* She thought, feeling a mixture
of guilt and embarrassment as she rememberedthe mess she had made in
her failed attempts to coax something resembling edible food from this
room. She was back now that school was over to try yet again. "I'm
going to show everyone that I can cook!" She proclaimed pushing aside
her guilt with determination.
The telephone rang.
"Akane, do you mind getting that?" Called Nabiki from her
room. Since Kasumi was out shopping and her father... Akane walked
out of the kitchen to pick up the phone.
"Moshi-Moshi?... Oh hello Ukyou, Ranma's still at the
hospital... Oh, Ryouga's there and he wants to talk to me?... I'll be
right over, don't let him out of your sight."
"Who was that?" Nabiki asked as she walked down the stairs and
saw Akane taking off her apron.
"Ryouga's at UcChans. I'll head over and hopefully we can
figure out a way to permanently end this feud."
"Ok. Let's go." Nabiki answered.
Akane blinked. "You... want to go with me?"
"Sure it's always fun to watch Ryouga wriggle. Besides I'm a
little curious what he'll say." Nabiki replied with a grin.
"SIT." Ukyou commanded, and Ryouga collapsed back into his
seat. "Akane's on her way and you're not moving till she gets here."
"But I usually have something to give her, there's a flower
shop down the corner. Maybe I should run down and grab her a
bouquet..."
"RYOUGA!" Ukyou retaliated, bringing her combat spatula up
menacingly, "You are going to stay right here. The only things you
will be giving Akane are your love and your promise to resolve your
fight with Ranchan. Now just sit still and wait!"
"ok."
Ryouga sat still and closed his eyes. He thought back to the
many times he had tried to express his feelings to Akane. Always he
came to her and tried to say what was in his heart. Sometimes Ranma
messed things up; the rest of the time he just chickened out and gave
her something he had picked up during his travels. *This time I am not
going to let anything distract me. This time I'll tell her how I
really feel!*
The door opened and Akane walked in.
Ryouga felt his resolve fade like a shadow before a floodlight.
"Hi Ryouga!" Akane greeted him with a friendly tone.
Ryouga focused all his effort into coming up with a smooth
romantic greeting. "A-Akane!" He stammered.
"Come in Akane! Have a seat!" Ukyou called to her rival
fianc�e. "I'll make you a deluxe okonomiyaki, on the house!" She
noticed that Nabiki had followed Akane in, "and one for you too,
Nabiki."
"Thanks Ukyou." Akane responded with a small smile.
"Seconded." Said Nabiki as she sat at the grill separated from
Ryouga by one seat. Akane took that seat a second or two afterward.
"So Ryouga, you wanted to see me?" Akane said.
Ryouga looked at her *I love you, I love you.* "Uh, you know I
got in a fight with Ranma two days ago..."
Akane frowned slightly and said, "Yes I heard about that."
*OH NO SHE HATES ME!!* "Well... I... I heard someone talking
about Ranma getting hurt protecting someone and I remembered that could
have caused the mistakes he made in the fight. Was, was there anyone
there?"
Nabiki piped up "Yep, one of the richest and most famous women
in the world with her two month old son."
Ryouga paled. *Oh no, if I had hit that baby....*
"Ryouga calm down. Their both fine." Akane said putting her
hand on his shoulder. Then her expression became more serious as she
added "But if you and Ranma keep up this feud you might hurt someone
next time." She smiled looked at him saying "I know you weren't
planing on anything like this happening. So I'm going to help you and
Ranma put this behind you."
*I could look at that smile forever* Ryouga thought.
"Ok, now if you'll tell me why you and Ranma are always
fighting, I'll try to help you resolve it."
The sun was setting as Ranma hopped along the fence by the
canal. After a few feet he jumped down and continued his journey with
his crutches. *Ok it's a little trickier, but not that difficult for
me.* He thought to himself. *Finally, I'm out of there. Who wrote up
all those forms anyway?* Ranma winced at the thought of how his hand
had ached, protesting being forced to write more in an hour than it
usually wrote in a year.
Ranma felt a familiar presence behind him. *Nabiki* He
thought to himself. *I wonder what she wants, and how much it'll cost
me?*
"Mr. Saotome?" Came deep male voice from right behind him.
Suppressing a start Ranma looked over his shoulder to see Owen walking
up to him with Nabiki pacing him.
*Hmm. I knew she was there, but I couldn't feel him. I guess
he's better than he lets on* "Hi Nabiki. Owen right?"
"Indeed sir." Owen said as he came next to Ranma and adopted a
pace that precisely matched his own.
"Hi Ranma." Said Nabiki with a big familiar grin on her face.
"I've got some great news for you."
*Oh boy, here comes a big sales pitch.* Ranma thought to
himself. "Uh, I don't exactly have much money Nabiki."
Nabiki's smile increased slightly "Well, then you'll be really
happy to know that you no longer owe me anything."
*HUH!!??* Ranma thought as he came to a complete stop. "Uh,
Nabiki are you feeling all right? For a second I thought you said..."
"That I'd decided to forget everything you owe me? Come come
Ranma you know I said no such thing." Nabiki responded.
"I... I didn't think so," Ranma said trying to figure out what
Nabiki was talking about.
"I was saying that I made a little deal on your behalf and the
profit takes care of you're entire debt to me with ten thousand yen
left over for you."
Ranma looked at her. He looked at Owen. "What deal?" he asked
cautiously.
Owen responded "A subsidiary of Xanatos corporation has an
interest in accelerated healing, such as what you've displayed. We
simply paid for a copy of your medical records and some tissue
samples."
Ranma scowled at the pair. "I am not some human guinea pig!"
He shouted.
"Ranma, Ranma, Ranma..." said Nabiki as she walked up to him
shaking her head. "Your stay in the hospital makes your rapid healing
capability public knowledge. You'd be harassed with similar offers for
years, so why not make it simpler on yourself and get it over with
before it starts. The tissue samples were easier to take while you
were already in a hospital, and took no time away from you that you
weren't already loosing. Besides it's a good deal for you as well as
me." she concluded with a grin.
*Why do I even try to argue with Nabiki?* Ranma thought to
himself. "OK ok. So how's, uh, the dojo?"
Nabiki looked at Ranma and with a grin answered "Akane's fine,
Ranma." She then grimaced and added "Though I'd be careful around her
today, she was up cooking all night."
Ranma froze with a terrified look on his face.
Nabiki looked at him with a sympathetic look and added "She
apparently decided that it's be a good idea to cook something for you
so she just kept trying to make cookies and when a recipe failed she
tried something else." She glanced at Ranma whose terror was being
replaced by a look of worry. "She quit trying when Kasumi sent her off
to school."
*When Akane starts cooking she doesn't stop till she's shoved
something toxic down my throat!* Ranma thought to himself. "Uh, and
when she got back?"
"Well Ukyou called and said Ryouga was at the restaurant and
wanted to talk with her about ending your feud."
*Why that sneaky little... trying to go out with MY fianc�e
while I'm in the hospital!* Ranma thought, an extremely angry
expression forming on his face "And?" he said with a voice like dry
ice.
"I think you know what Ryouga said," Nabiki answered. "Akane
was taken totally by surprise though. I mean she thought it over, then
she clocked him one in the face and told him it was for treating her
like a prize to be won. Then she asked him if he had been trying to
snag her with the koi fishing pole that time and when she saw him
trying to answer she hit him again. Anyway she told him that she was
really angry with him about a few things but that she still wanted to
be friends. Then she asked about reason number two, and Ukyou said
that Ryouga thought he could resolve it with you personally and Ryouga
shouted his agreement." Nabiki shook her head and added "Then he ran
out of the Restaurant before any of us could stop him. He said he was
going to the hospital but he was heading the wrong way.
"By the way, Akane wants me to look into that rivalry myself.
Are you going to tell me reason number two now or later?" Nabiki added.
*That jerk keeps turning into a pig so that he can con Akane
into sleeping with him!* Ranma wanted to tell Nabiki this very badly.
"I have no problems with you learning Ryouga's secrets, but I am not
going to be the one to tell you." He sighed "I own him that much."
Nabiki looked at Ranma and said "Do you honestly think I can't
find out?"
"I'm surprised you don't know already," Ranma responded. "I
can't betray that pig no matter how much he does to warrant it."
Nabiki looked at him. *Damn, I hate his sense of honor! Then
again if his honor wasn't so strong he'd have probably clobbered me a
couple of times this year.*
The trio made the remainder of the trip to the dojo in silence.
"ARGH!! WHEN DID A FOREST GROW IN THE MIDDLE OF TOWN!?"
screamed Ryouga as he looked around the forest he found himself
wandering. He had told Akane that he would resolve his problems with
Ranma personally, but he would have to find him first. *Akane rejected
my love!* Tears streamed down his cheeks as Ryouga felt the despair
which had so long been the center of his life rise up like a wave to
engulf him. *I told her how much I love her and she was just angry at
me.* He tried to dampen the rising blackness in his heart with the
knowledge that Akane had at least wanted to be friends with him.
*Friends, friends and never anything more no matter how much I want it,
no matter how much better I am for her than Ranma.* Like always his
attempt to push back his depression was a dismal failure, but now as so
often he was able to transform his despair into anger. Anger focused
against a single figure. "IT'S BECAUSE OF YOU RANMA!" he screamed.
Ryouga started running straight ahead, ignoring the trees as
best he could. Suddenly he made himself stop as he found he had come
to a beach.
"Who is this?"
Ryouga spun as he heard this query. Standing behind him were
three lovely women in long white robes. Indeed, except for the varied
color of their long hair, they would probably be impossible to tell
apart.
"We have seen ones much like him before," stated the blond
woman.
"But they have never lingered," commented the black haired
woman to her left.
If they had smiled at him, or been wearing anything more
revealing Ryouga would have been reduced to a total idiot. As it was
he said "I, uh, well... can you tell me how to get to the Tendo dojo!"
Ryouga was able to blurt out after he closed his eyes.
The weird sisters looked at each other then looked back at
Ryouga.
"We have no obligation to aid one such as him."
"Yet he came from the mortal realm to Avalon without our
knowing."
"That is a deed which bears investigation."
"But we cannot interfere with his life."
"We can, however respond to a plea for help."
"Indeed, and we can only help him travel if we know the means."
The trio began to circle Ryouga.
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In Episode four, Ranma and Ryouga sit down and make nice to
each other (Sorry I didn't get to it in this episode, I'm basically
making this up as I go along) Sevarius makes a cameo appearance, and
Xanatos discovers why so few people study the Anything Goes style.