I'm feeling a tad nostalgic. While looking through old fics and
wondering where to take new ones, I found this one. I figured, "What
the hell?" and decided to post it to the new FFML. So, here it is...

========================================================

Downward Spiral

Standard Disclaimer Stuff:

Ziggy (Legal Mojo) Sez:

	All Characters of Ranma 1/2 property of Rumiko Takahashi,
Kitty Films, Shogakukan, and Viz Communications. I don't own them, and
are used without permission.

	C&C welcome, as always. 

===============================

Ryoga: Gone Away

Maybe in another life
I could find you there
Pulled away before your time
I can't deal it's so unfair

And it feels
And it feels like
Heaven's so far away
And it feels 
Yeah it feels like
The world has grown cold
Now that you've gone away

Leaving flowers on your grave
Show that I still care
Black roses and Hail Marys
Can't bring back what's taken from me
I reach to the sky
And call out your name
And if I could trade
I would

And it feels
And it feels like
Heaven's so far away
And it stings
Yeah it stings now
The world is so cold 
Now that you've gone away

The Offspring/Gone Away/Ixnay on the Hombre

===========================================

	The rain started falling soon after the service began, as
though the heavens were weeping along with the gathered crowd for the
recently passed soul. The one question on the minds of those assembled
was: "WHY?" Why would one so young take his own life?
The crowd's grief was palpable as,one by one, the mourners approached
the small shrine. Ukyo was first among them.
	"Ryoga, you jackass, why?" Her voice was tight and strained.
Her eyes were red from crying, and still more tears fell, mixing with
the tears shed from the sky. She placed one of her small throwing
spatulas on his shrine, and stepped aside.
	Next were Genma, Nodoka, Soun, and Nabiki. All passed
theshrine, murmuring prayers and blessings. All of them had tears in
their eyes, even Nabiki and Genma.
	Kasumi approached the shrine. One arm was holding a black
umbrella over her head, the other was cradling the shoulders of a
weeping Akari Unryuu. Akari's shoulders hitched voilently with each
racking sob that ripped forth from her chest. She kept mumbling that
it was all a dream, to please let it be a dream.
	Ranma and Akane were last to approach Ryoga's shrine. The two
stood under one umbrella, arms about the other's waist. The wide bands
of gold around their ring fingers shone dully in the dim light of the
day. Ranma ran his free hand over the wet surface of the shrine that
contained the ashes of his sort-of friend, as though he needed
physical confirmation of what his eyes were telling him. He never
thought Ryoga would do something like this. Ryoga never gave up on
anything, no matter how much it hurt, or how far the odds were stacked
against him. Something like suicide was completely out of the
question. He glanced around the small cemetary, searching for Ryoga's
parents. Ranma knew that with their lack of direction, they likely
wouldn't make it here. 
	He turned his gaze to Akane, who looked up to him with both
love and sadness in her deep brown eyes. She had been angry to find
out about P-chan, but Ryoga's suicide quickly squelched her
considerable rage. Akane looked at the simple shrine in which her
friend was interred, and said in a choked voice:
	"I forgive you, Ryoga."
	Ranma fought back the tears that seemed hell-bent on escaping,
and said simply,
	"Goodbye, P...pal. I hope you found some peace. I hope you're
finally happy."


=========================================

	That night, Ranma lay on his futon, turning Ryoga's suicide
over in his mind.  It
just wasn't like him to ever quit. Ranma once again found himself
replaying the events of
the last few weeks...

=========================================

	Ranma spotted the little black pig long before Akane did.
P-chan...no, Ryoga, was
the last opponent he had to overcome in this fight. Ranma looked at
the gold wedding ring
on his finger, his eyes glazing over at the recollection of that day,
not to mention that
night. Ranma shook his head violently, pushing back the memories. For
better or for
worse, he'd made his choice, and he was damn proud of it. Like a feral
predator, Ranma
leapt from the roof of the Tendo Dojo, landing lightly behind the
oblivious P-chan. In a
second, he had scooped the little porker up and knocked him out before
he could so much
as make a noise. Then, he silently made his way into the dojo.

	Ryoga woke up sputtering in a bathtub filled with hot water.
	//Where the hell am I now?\\ he thought. He could tell he was
in a bathroom, and
that it looked oddly like the one in the Tendo Dojo, but....
	"Hello, P-chan." Ryoga would recognize that voice anywhere. He
shot his best
death glare at his hated rival, Ranma. He sat across from Ryoga,
soaking in the hot water
as well.
	"Just what's going on here, Ranma?" Ryoga demanded.
	"Oh, I just wanted to talk to you about a few things."
	Ryoga had no clue as to where this was headed, but he didn't
like it. Ranma had an
air of quiet menace about him...something that was never there before.
Something
reflecting a gold light caught his eye. He looked at the ring finger
on Ranma's left hand,
and saw something he had never expected. Ranma followed Ryoga's
shocked gaze and
grinned. "See anythin' ya like?"
	That tore it.
	"DAMN YOU, RANMA!" came Ryoga's usual epithet as he rose from
the water
and assumed a fighting stance. "What have you done to Akane?!" The
door to the
bathroom opened, and both of them looked at the figure standing in the
doorway.
	//Speak of the devil,\\ thought Ranma.
	"Akane! What..."
	"I heard yelling, so I came to see what was going on. Uh,
Ranma, why are you and
Ryoga taking a bath now?" Akane asked. She had a look of total
bewilderment on her
face. After all, seeing those two bathing together wasn't all that
common.
	All of a sudden Ryoga realized that Akane was looking at him
and he was
completely nude. He dove into the warm water with a furious blush
coloring his cheeks.
	"I found Ryoga wandering around outside, so I invited him
inside for a bath an'
some food. Right, Ryoga?" 
	Ryoga just babbled incoherently. Akane just stared at Ranma.
Inviting Ryoga in for
a bath and a meal just wasn't like him. Then again, he *did* finally
settle the problem with
his multiple fiances. She wasn't quite sure, but she thought that
maybe Ranma was
growing up after all. Satisfied, she turned to leave the bathroom. 
	"Lunch will be ready in about an hour. See you then, Ranma."
	"Sure thing, Akane. I love you."
	"I love you too, husband."
	Ryoga was absolutely flabbergasted. The short conversation
Ranma and Akane
just had was *nothing* like what he was used to hearing. Just how long
HAD he been
gone?
	"Didja hear that?" Ranma's voice snapped Ryoga out of his
stupor. Ryoga stared at
his rival, unable to believe what had happened. Akane had said it. She
said she
loved...lo..ved...R...Ranma......
	The silence stretched between them for what felt like
eternity. The air was filled
with tension, as though the whole world had stopped to see what would
happen next.
	"Yes, Ranma, I heard. You win." 
	Now it was Ranma's turn to look confused.
	"Huh?"
	"You heard me. Akane chose you over me. She chose you of her
own free will. I
no longer have any claim over her."
	Ryoga's voice was strangely flat and devoid of emotion.
Usually, his voice was
either filled with intense rage or utter depression. Sometimes his
voice carried insane
levels of joy, but only rarely. But he had never heard this flat,
emotionless tone in Ryoga's
words before. Ranma didn't know why at the time, but it unnerved him. 
	"Ryoga..."
	"Shut up, Ranma. Just shut up. You won, there's no need to rub
it in. I suppose
you'll be telling her who P-chan really is next?"
	"No. No, Ryoga, I won't." Ryoga looked up into Ranma's face.
Ranma's eyes
locked with his, pleading with him to understand. "I don't mind you
coming here. Neither
does Akane. Ryoga, she's your friend, and I wanna be. I really don't
want there to be bad
blood between us anymore." Ryoga stayed silent. 
	Heaving a weary sigh, Ranma lifted himself out of the tub, and
went to dry off.
"Here's my advice, Ryoga, take it for what it's worth. You really
shouldn't spend so much
time alone, man. Go to Akari. To be honest, I really think you two
have a shot. After all,
Akane and me are happy together, why shouldn't you and her be." With
that, Ranma left
the bathroom, leaving Ryoga alone with his thoughts. Only when Ryoga
heard the
bathroom door shut did he let the tears flow.

====================================

Ryoga: My Own Prison

A court is in session, a verdict is in
No appeal on the docket today
Just my own sin
The walls are cold and pale
The cage made of steel
Scream fills the room
Alone I drop and kneel

Silence now the sound
My breath the only motion around
Demons cluttering around
My face showing no emotion
Shackled by my sentence
Expecting no return
Here there is no penance
My skin begins to burn

(And I said oh...) So I held my head up high
Hiding hate that burns inside
Which only fuels their selfish pride
(And I said oh...) We're all held captive
Out from the sun
Sun that shines on only some
We the meek are all in one

I hear a thunder in the distance
See a vision of a cross
I feel the pain that was given
On that sad day of loss
A lion roars in the darkness
Only he holds the key
A light to free me from my burden
And grant me life eternally

Should have been dead
On a Sunday morning
Banging my head
No time for mourning
Ain't got no time

(And I said oh...) So I held my head up high
Hiding hate that burns inside
Which only fuels their selfish pride
(And I said oh...) We're all held captive out from the sun
Sun that shines on only some
We the meek are all in one

I cry out to God
Seeking only his decision
Gabriel stands and confirms 
I've created my own prison

Creed/My Own Prison/My Own Prison

========================================

	Ranma looked over at the clock on the night-stand. Two a.m.
and he STILL
couldn't sleep. He looked at the sleeping form of Akane next to him
and was envious for a
few seconds. A smile crept on his face, and he stroked her hair
lovingly. God, she was
cute when she wanted to be, especially when she was asleep. Almost an
angel. Ranma
realized anew that he loved her, more than anything else on this
earth. Sure, they still had
their fights, and Ranma still got a good smacking once in a while, but
those were less
frequent and less violent than before. Besides, now that they admitted
their love, they
could make up...

	His thoughts turned once more to Ryoga, and just what could
have driven him to
such drastic measures as suicide. A sudden disturbing thought came to
him. 
	//Oh, man, not that. Please, say that wasn't it.\\ Ranma tried
to banish the thought,
but it stubbornly refused to leave. Instead, it played itself in the
theatre of Ranma's mind....

====================================

	Ranma had walked in the bathroom only to find the window open
and Ryoga gone.
Puzzled, Ranma knelt at the rear corner of the bathtub and removed the
few loose tiles in
the floor. Finding the hole bereft of Ryoga's spare outfit, he put the
tiles back in the floor.
Ranma looked out the window that Ryoga had used for his exit. At least
he went through
the window and not the wall. 
	//Go on then, ya jerk! See if I care!\\ Somehow, the thought
didn't carry as much
conviction as it normally did. He'd never cared where Ryoga went
before, why should he
start now? 
	(You won, there's no need to rub it in.) The emotionless tone
in those words hit
him like Akane's mallet. Surprisingly, Ranma found himself worried
about his greatest
rival.
	The weeks that followed Ryoga's abrupt exit from the Tendo
Dojo were quiet and
uneventful, two words that had all but stopped being used to describe
life in that particular
spot in Nerima. Akane had gone out for her morning jog, Kasumi was in
the kitchen,
Nabiki was watching TV, and Soun was reading the newspaper. Genma sat
at the
breakfast table, eagerly awaiting the food while Ranma trained in the
dojo. 
	Ranma was in rare form that morning. Each punch and kick
flowed smoothly into
one another. To the casual observer, it would have appeared that Ranma
was dancing
across the floor. That wasn't too far from the truth. When Ranma's
mind and body worked
in perfect harmony, his movements would become an elegant, though
lethal, dance. It was
moments like that he lived for.
	"Hurry or your breakfast will get cold!" came Kasumi's ever
cheerful voice. Ranma
finished his kata, and toweled off the sweat. With a bow to the shrine
held in the dojo,
Ranma raced to the dining room. He sat down at the table, and began
his rather accurate
impression of a vacuum cleaner. His amazing powers of observation
kicked in after about
ten minutes and told him that Akane was conspicuously absent. Strange,
he'd seen her
come in from her run.
	"Kasumi, where's Akane?" Ranma asked. 
	"Oh, she went to the bathroom with P-chan. She said he smelled
like garbage and
decided to give him a bath." 
	Ranma's heart nearly stopped, and he almost choked on his
rice. 
	//Akane...Ryoga...P-chan...bathroom...hot..water...?\\  
	//OH, BLOODY HELL!\\ 
	Of all the times for this to happen..... Ranma leapt up from
his  seat and made a
power dash to the bathroom, praying to whatever gods were listening
that he wasn't too
late. It was ironic, really, of all the times he'd wished Akane would
put two and two
together, he found himself hoping that this time she didn't. He
reached the bathroom door
in time to hear:
	"RRRRYYYYOOOOGAAAAAA, you BASTARD!"
	Damn! He heard the unmistakable sound of a fist making contact
with someone's
head, followed immediately by the sound of splintering wood. Ranma
decided that then
would be a great time to employ the Saotome Secret Technique... maybe
give Akane a
chance to cool off before she could turn her anger on him. Ranma spun
and began to
execute the technique. 
	"RRRRRAAAAANNNNMMMMAAAAAAA!" erupted the enraged voice behind
him. Like someone in a cheap horror flick turning to face the killer,
Ranma turned to face
Akane. He had to shield his eyes from the strobe-like brightness of
Akane's battle aura. He
had time enough to notice that his wife was nude before the pounding
commenced.

(10 minutes earlier)
	To say that Ryoga Hibiki was lost was beyond cliche.
Truthfully, it was almost
scientific law, up there with Newton's law of inertia. To say that
those cursed by
Jusenkyou get splashed by cold water at the worst possible times and
in the worst possible
places was like saying "Fire is hot." Ryoga was a statistic of both at
present. P-chan
wandered around the streets of whatever city he was in, trying to find
some familiar
sight...something to tell him where on earth he was. This was his
worst gripe about his
curse: If P-chan was caught on the wrong side of town, say the
restaurant district, he
could wind up as dinner. One thing he couldn't stand was the thought
of dyng as a pig,
much less being served up with rice and vegetables. Another thing he
couldn't stand was
the way he smelled. In his haste to get away from a chef with a knife,
he charged right into
an open trash bag. At least he got away, so there was SOMETHING
positive about all
this. 
	"P-chan! I've been so worried!"
	P-chan spun at the sound of this voice, joy and sadness
warring inside him for
dominance. He looked up into the eyes of Akane Tendo (Saotome, Akane
Saotome, he
reminded himself). Akane reached down to scoop him up in her arms.
P-chan saw the gold
wedding ring on her finger, and realized that he couldn't let himself
be her pet anymore. It
wasn't fair to her.
	Akane was puzzled when P-chan skittered backwards away from
her.
	"What is it, baby? Don't you want to go home?" P-chan, in
fact, seemed to be
looking for a way out of the alley. She managed to grab him, and was
surprised when he
began to squirm. "What's gotten into you?" she asked as he continued
to struggle. P-chan
was acting really strange, he'd never tried to get away from her
before. She held him to her
chest, hoping that would calm him. Then the smell assaulted her
nostrils. "Whoa...P-chan,
where have you been?" 
	All she got in response was a muffled "Bweeee!!" 
	"Well, I guess I'll just give you a nice, hot bath. Wouldn't
that feel good?"
	//Oh. My. GOD!\\
	P-chan increased his efforts to get away, but Akane would have
none of it. She
carried him out of the shaded alley, and into the bright morning sun.
He frantically looked
around for anything, anything at all, that would get him out of this
jam. Instead he saw the
one place he'd hoped he'd never see again....
	The Tendo Dojo.
	Typical, the one place a Hibiki least wanted to go was the
first place he usually
ended up. He had been only a few hundred feet from the Dojo the whole
time! Akane
carried him through the gate, kicked off her shoes, and made a
bee-line for the bathroom,
informing Kasumi of her intentions as she did. Once inside, she set
P-chan on the floor and
locked the door. He looked around frantically, praying to whatever
gods were listening for
a way out. He looked up when a piece of damp cloth fell on him.  He
poked his snout out
from under it, and heard a small giggle. The shirt was removed, and
P-chan found himself
staring at a pair of pert breasts. He passed out seconds later from a
nose bleed. He
remained unconscious until a splash of cold water hit him. P-chan
sputtered awake and
relaxed at the scrubbing sensation. he then remembered where he was,
and what was
about to happen and started struggling again.
	"Oh, no, we'll have none of that, mister." chided Akane as she
picked him up. He
tried his best to ignore that he was in a room with
Akane...naked....Then he saw the hot
water.
	//SHIT!\\, he cried which came out as "BWEEE!"
	Akane held P-chan by his bandanna, ready to dunk him into the
soothing hot
water. She ignored the pounding footsteps that were headed in her
direction. She gently
placed P-chan in the hot water, and felt something...odd. All of a
sudden, she felt hair
underneath the bandanna, and the shape of P-chan's head was all wrong.
Curious, she
looked into the bathtub, and saw that she was holding Ryoga's head
underwater. Startled,
she released his bandanna and staggered back, her mind reeling. She
put P-chan in the
water, Ryoga came out. P-chan.....Ryoga....she put two and two
together and got
Jusenkyou. She glared at Ryoga, anger and pain waging war inside her
for dominance.
Ryoga, on the other hand, showed almost no emotion. 
	"Forgive me, Akane." was all he said. His voice was devoid of
all emotion, as
though a robot were speaking, not a man. Akane didn't notice this, nor
did she notice that
his eyes matched his voice, dead and emotionless. 
	"RRRRYYYYOOOOGAAAAAA, you BASTARD!" Akane cried. Without
thinking, she lashed out with her fist and launched him into Low Earth
Orbit, putting a
hole in the ceiling in the process.
	Ryoga quickly shrank and disappeared from view as he rocketed
off to the final
frontier. Akane hardly noticed, however, as she put together the rest
of the puzzle. Ranma
was always picking on Ryoga, calling him P-chan...Pig-Boy...she
finally saw Ranma's
taunts to Ryoga for what they were...
	Subtle hints. He was trying to tell her about Ryoga
being...being... she couldn't
even bring herself to finish the thought. He was trying to tell
her...and she was stupid
enough not to notice. The fact that Ranma wouldn't tell her outright
didn't calm her any.
She heard footsteps outside, and knew instinctively that they belonged
to him. Not
noticing the fact that she was naked as a jaybird, she marched out of
the bathroom, and
found herself face-to-back with the next target of her towering rage. 
	"RRRRRAAAAANNNNMMMMAAAAAAA!" she screamed. He slowly turned
to face her, pure fear on his face. Good, let him sweat. She readied
her fists, and the
carnage did commence.

==============================================

Ryoga: What's This Life For?

Hurray for a child
That makes it through
If there's any way
Because the answer lies in you
They're laid to rest
Before they know just what to do
Their souls are lost
Because they could never find

What's this life for

I see your soul, it's kinda gray
You see my heart, you look away
You see my wrist, I know your pain
I know your purpose on your plane
Don't say a last prayer
Because you coud never find

What's this life for

But they ain't here anymore
Don't have to settle the score
Cause we all live
Under the reign of one king

But they ain't here anymore
Don't have to settle no God-damn score
Cause we all live
Under the reign of one king

Creed/What's This Life For/My Own Prison

==========================================

	Ranma once more looked at the clock on the nightstand and
groaned at the
glowing green numbers on the digital display. Three a.m., and sleep
remained stubbornly
elusive. Akane shifted position, muttering something unintellegible
before settling back
into sleep. 
	//Aw, jeez, why can't I sleep?\\ The answer, like the darkness
of slumber, refused
to come. What came easily, though, were more memories...

==========================================

	Ranma was still sore for days after the onset of Hurricane
Akane. It wasn't the
physical pain he minded, that would soon pass, but it was the fact
that Akane was ignoring
him. Truth be told, he'd much rather be yelled at and smacked around
than be totally
ignored by his wife. As he stared blankly at the TV, he wondered just
how long Akane
was going to keep him in the doghouse. 
	Judging from the bruises, he would be sleeping on the couch
for quite some time.
	The doorbell chimed, but Ranma paid it no mind. He was busy
wondering when
Akane was going to get over the P-chan incident. In fact, he was so
lost in thought (a rare
event indeed for him), that he failed to notice Kasumi enter the room
with two strange
men.
	"Ranma? These two men are here to see you." Ranma turned and
took in the two
strangers. One was tall, almost gaunt. He was well-dressed; creases in
the right places,
hair parted just so, the whole shebang. His partner was a different
story. He was short and
stocky, his clothes dissheveled. The tall one produced a gold badge,
which immediately
got Ranma's attention.
	"What is it, officer?" he asked with as much politeness as he
could muster.
	"Excuse us, but we need you to identify someone." Now Ranma
was VERY
worried.
	//What?\\
	"I..i..dent..identify someone?"
	"Yes." This was from the short cop. "Do you know a young man
by the name of
Ryoga Hibiki? Our sources tell us he was a frequent visitor here, and
he was usually seen
with you."
	"Yes, I know him. What's going on?" Ranma was very worried and
very confused
by this point.
	"Follow us, please." Ranma got up off the couch and followed
the two police
officers out of the front gate to a black sedan. Before they could get
in, though, Ranma's
legs were attacked by a big, brown blur that resolved itself into the
weeping form of Soun
Tendo. 
	"OH, MY SON!! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE? WHY DID YOU HAVE TO
TRAVEL THE PATH OF CRIME!?" The police were stunned at the overly
emotional
Tendo patriarch. Ranma tried to explain why he was going with them
when the two
officers shouted and pointed at the front gate. Standing there was the
biggest panda they
had ever seen. 
	"MR. TENDO!! POP!! I'm just goin' with them to...answer a few
questions." He
didn't want to tell them why he really thought he was going.
.         "Yes, Mr. Tendo. Ranma isn't in any kind of trouble." After
a few more minutes of
confirming that Ranma wasn't a criminal, Soun and the panda went back
inside the gate.
The tall cop turned to the short one and said,
	"Does Animal Control know about that big-assed panda?"
	"And he even called the thing 'Pop'! Now I seen everythin'"
	//Not hardly.\\ thought Ranma.
	Ranma got in the back, while the two cops got in front. The
tall one started the
engine and pulled out into the street.
	It was a rather short drive to the hospital. Ranma wondered
why two police
officers would bring him to a hospital to identify someone. The
building itself was rather
impressive - a towering, multi-floor building with a dull white
exterior. Once inside, the air
conditioner blasted them with frigid air, raising goosebumps on
Ranma's arms. The smell
of antiseptic assaulted his nostrils. They walked past the front desk,
past rows of small
offices, and descended a set of stairs. They continued down a small,
narrow hallway lined
on both sides with empty gurneys. The trio finally approached a pair
of blue double doors
with a small sign above them. On the sign, written in plain katakana,
was a word that
made Ranma's heart clench in his chest, as well as the pieces fall
into place.
	Morgue.
	"You're kidding me, right?" Ranma asked the two cops, dread in
his voice. 
	"No, I'm afraid not, Mr. Saotome. Follow us please." They
passed through the
doors into the morgue.
	The second Ranma entered the morgue, he wanted to leave. There
was a feel of
death in the air. It was as though this were a place where the living
just didn't belong. And
it was so damn COLD! One of the two talked to a skinny man in lab
clothes. He led them
to a row of large drawers that lined one whole wall. Ranma felt the
dread and anxiety knot
up his stomach as the lab guy grabbed the handle, and pulled the
drawer out.
	Lying on a flat slab, covered by a sheet up to the neck, was
Ryoga. His face was
pale and, for once, peaceful. Ranma recalled someone saying that dead
people looked as
though they were sleeping. Looking at his sort-of friend lying there
on a slab in a morgue,
though, disproved that statement in a hurry. Dead people didn't look
asleep. 
	They looked dead. Stone cold dead.
	"Mr. Saotome? Mr. Saotome, is this..."
	"Yeah. Yeah, that's him." Ranma felt the gorge rise in his
throat at the sight of an
actual corpse. The fact that it was Ryoga's corpse didn't help. "How?"
	"We need you to sign a release form..."
	"How!" Ranma's voice raised to a loud bark, a note if
irritation in his voice.
	"Please, Mr. Saoto...."
	"HOW!" Ranma screamed. He grabbed the lab tech by his coat and
lifted him
effortlessly in the air. The tech stared nervously into the enraged
martial artist's eyes. The
two police officers were too stunned to make any move to restrain him.
	"Please!" the tech screehed. Ranma tossed him to the floor and
yanked the sheet
off Ryoga's body.
	Ranma's entire body went numb. The flesh was so pale, the
evidence of life having
long since gone. His eyes traced down Ryoga's abdomen - still well
defined from training -
to... to...
	Blood was still caked around the wound. His stomach had been
completely
eviscerated, as if in Sepukku. It couldn't be. No way. Who could have
done this?!
	"We found him two days ago," one of the police officers said.
"The dagger was
still in him.
	Ranma looked at Ryoga's hands, and found no evidence of a
fight. The blood
which covered them held no wounds beneath.
	Ranma's mind had taken a vacation for a while after that. He
was vaguely aware of
his name being signed on the bottom line of various forms. He barely
registered the
questions of the detectives. How did he meet Ryoga, what was his
relationship to the
deceased, did he have any idea on why the deceased had commited
suicide? Ranma didn't
remember the answers, nor did he care. He remembered asking where
Ryoga was found.
All they said was the warehouse district. He vaguely remembered the
two police officers
who'd taken him there escorting him back to the sedan. The next thing
Ranma knew, he
was standing outside the dojo. The shock of what he'd seen had finally
worn off, and his
brain began functioning normally again. How was he going to break the
news? What was
he going to say? He decided that the best way was to tackle this
problem was head-on...
	Kasumi had just set to cooking dinner when Ranma walked past
the kitchen. She
turned, and a bell went off in her head. Ranma's shoulders were
slumped, his head was
bowed, and his feet dragged across the floor. After years of running
the dojo after mother
died, she had become a good judge of moods. One look, and she knew
Ranma was
depressed. 
	"Ranma, is everything OK?" Ranma trudged onward for a few more
steps before
answering.
	"Just fine, Kasumi." Kasumi was almost physically jarred from
the depression in his
voice. How much trouble could it have been? "I'm goin' to talk to
Akane." Ranma then 
continued his trek up the stairs to the room he shared with his wife.

	"Come in." Akane heard the door open, but didn't bother to
look at who had
entered. Several books were opened in front of her on the small desk.
Akane had been
studying hard for college entrance exams, and had almost completely
sequestered herself
in her room. She hardly noticed that her visitor had not spoken for
nearly a minute. 
	"Akane, can we talk?"
	Akane stiffened at the sound of Ranma's voice. She was still
severely pissed at him
for not telling her about P-chan sooner. Still, she was beginning to
get over it. She was
also short on time and patience at the moment, so she made her
response curt.
        "Make it fast."
        "It's about Ryoga." Ah-HA! He was interrupting her study time
to try and smooth
things over. She should have known...
	"I don't want to talk about...him." Akane replied. She spat
out "him" as though it
left a bad taste in her mouth. 
	"Akane..."
	"GO AWAY!"
	"He's dead, Akane."
	Akane spun on him, mallet at the ready when what Ranma said
finally hit home.
	"He's...what?" 
	"Ryoga's dead. He committed suicide." Akane's mouth hung agape
as she ingested
the information. Ryoga...was...dead? Ryoga Hibiki? Suicide? Akane
knelt heavily on the
floor, her head spinning. She was vaguely aware of Ranma kneeling in
front of her, placing
his arms around her. Her anger at Ryoga somehow seemed less important,
now. 
	Part of her mind kept on course, though. That part was
considering just how much
more study she would need, what time to wake up to catch the train to
Nippon Tech, and
things of the like. Akane was completely bewildered that she could
still think about what
she was doing earlier when someone she knew had just died. She threw
her arms around
Ranma, and the tears started to flow.

-------------------------------------------------------------

	The Tendo and Saotome families were gathered around the table,
one of Kasumi's
delicious spreads adorning the short slab of wood. Kasumi looked at
two conspicuously
empty spots between Nodoka and Nabiki, and wondered what the occupants
were doing.
Nodoka noticed as well, and said,
	"I wonder where Ranma and Akane are."
	"Ranma said he was going to talk to Akane when he came in."
replied Kasumi. "He
may still be in their room." Kasumi didn't add that Ranma had looked
more depressed then
than he ever had before. "They've been in there for over an hour. "
	"Perhaps we should check in on them." suggested Genma.
	"No, husband, we will not. This is not our affair." Nodoka
said in a tone that
would brook no argument. Genma was quickly silenced. They hadn't heard
the sounds of
violence, yelling, or Ranma racking up frequent flyer miles on Air
Akane, so they assumed
that everything was okay. Nabiki, however, would not be so easily
dissuaded. Upon
finishing dinner, she excused herself, and headed upstairs.
	Nabiki placed her ear to the door with the little wooden duck
bearing her little
sister's name in English (with "and Ranma" in English on a Post-It
note). Of all the noises
she'd expected to hear, sobbing was not one of them. Puzzled (and a
little concerned,
though she'd never admit it), she knocked on the door. After a few
moments, a muffled
voice from beyond the door gave permission to enter. 
	Nabiki was plesantly surprised to see the two of them sitting
on the bed, holding
each other. Seeing their eyes red and puffy, and seeing the sadness on
their faces,
however, was an altogether different sort of surprise. Nabiki stood in
the doorway, her
mask of disinterest firmly in place. 
	So I take it you two have worked this out?" she asked
casually. Ranma and Akane
didn't respond. "C'mon, why the long faces?"
	R...Ryoga...is...d...dead." Akane stuttered. Nabiki was
completely taken aback, her
mask slipping a little. Nabiki slowly walked over to the two on the
bed.
	How?"
	"Suicide." Ranma said simply. Nabiki just stood there, not
knowing what to do.
She wasn't the mother figure here, and she felt at a loss as to what
to say.

======================================

	The sunlight streamed through the window, glaring straight
into Ranma's eyes.
Moaning, he rolled over, intent on draping his arm about Akane.
Surprisingly, she wasn't
there.
	"Aknrrmmphh...?" was his articulate response. Reluctantly, he
opened his eyes and
saw what his arm told him...She wasn't there. Dredging his
sleep-addled brain, he finally
recalled that Akane would take her college entrance exams later that
morning. Rolling
over, he looked at the clock.
	10:45 a.m.
	Akane was supposed to catch the train at 8:00 a.m., wasn't
she? After a few
seconds, confirmation came from Central Control that he missed
escorting Akane to the
train station, and that Genma hadn't roused him for practice. Grateful
for the extra few
hours, Ranma crawled out of bed, grabbed his standard outfit, and made
for the bathroom.
	Fifteen minutes and a good, hot soak later, Ranma emerged into
the living room,
feeling a bit more alert. Kasumi saw him, and told him that his father
and Mr. Tendo had
escorted her in his place.

-------------------------------------------------------------

	Ranma sat cross-legged on the roof of one of the houses in
Nerima, trying not to
think about Ryoga. He had spent enough time pondering Ryoga's death,
and resolved
today not to think about it. Usually, when he needed to clear his
head, he'd train. The
rhythms of the katas would ease his mind, and he could focus all his
energies into the
movements. He tried that earlier, and when it proved ineffective, he
decided to meditate.
He had set out to find an ideal spot, and had found it here. The
occupants weren't home,
so he was sure they wouldn't mind. Ranma sat on the rooftop and
concentrated on the
warm sun on his back, the tiles beneath him, and the smells in the
air. He let his mind
empty itself as he took deep, cleansing breaths. 
	//Oh, man this is what I needed.\\ Ranma let the thought go,
clearing his mind once
more. Ranma lost himself in the feelings of warmth and serentiy. The
scent of sakura
blossoms carried even out here, and he inhaled deeply. He inhaled
again, but something
was different about the scent in the air. With each breath, the smell
changed more and
more for the worse. Finally, unable to bear it anymore, he opened his
eyes to see just what
the hell that stench was.
	//Just a garbage truck.\\ Annoyed, Ranma glared at the truck
as though it were
Kuno. From the rooftop, Ranma had a pretty good view of what was
inside the truck
when it stopped under him. His eyes lighted on something bright red
lying in the pile of
garbage and filth. It looked just like a baroque-style umbrella. //Is
that....?\\ After a few
seconds, he confirmed that it was indeed Ryoga's umbrella. Ranma
figured his pack
wouldn't be too far away. The garbage truck lurched into motion,
gradually hauling its
massive bulk up the street. Wihtout a thought as to what the hell he
was doing, he leapt
off the roof. After a balletic landing, he launched himself after the
accelerating truck. The
truck wasn't going overly fast, so Ranma caught up to it easily. 
	He began to pound on the driver's-side door, shouting for them
to stop. Finally the
driver obliged, the squeal of air brakes piercing Ranma's ears. The
driver rolled down his
window and looked at Ranma as though he had lost his fool mind.
	"What the hell do you want?" he asked in his most gruff voice.
"I got my run to
make."
	"I need to get something out of the truck." Ranma said. The
man was surprised.
The kid didn't sound the least bit winded.
	"What do I look like, Lost & Found? Beat it, kid." Under
normal circumstances,
Ranma would have stuffed the driver into the back of his truck.
However, he decided not to waste the effort. With a single leap, Ranma
landed knee-deep in Nerima's trash. After a few moment's worth of
searching, he found the umbrella. A red, baroque-style umbrella that
weighed practically a ton. It was definitely Ryoga's. It took him a
few minutes more to find the pack. With another leap, he landed on the
pavement, smelling like trash. The driver simply stared at him in
shock. He had never before seen someone leap THAT high before. Ranma
slung the pack and umbrella on his back, and set off down the street,
leaving the driver standing there shaking his head.
	"I need a vacation." was all he could say.

=============================================
	//God, I HATE being stared at.\\ Ranma thought as he lay there
soaking in the hot
water. People constantly stared at him on the way home. He couldn't
blame them, really.
He probably looked as bad as he smelled. He made a quick mental note
to never jump in
the back of a garbage truck again. When he arrived, he encountered no
one, and according
to the clock, he had been gone only an hour. That meant he had plenty
of time to search
Ryoga's pack. 
	He had initially rescued the pack out of some sentimental
reason. Probably the
thought that this was an integral part of Ryoga's life, and he
couldn't allow it to be thrown
away. As he walked home with it, however, it occurred to him that
maybe he could find
answers in there. After all, the damned thing went EVERYWHERE with him
(and it
weighed a ton, too), so there had to be some kind of clue as to why
Ryoga killed himself
inside.  Feeling reasonably clean at last (he wouldn't feel totally
clean until he'd had seven
or eight more baths), he rose from the hot water and toweled off.
	Moments later, Ranma sat on the floor of his and Akane's room
(he had finally
gotten used to thinking of it that way) with Ryoga's pack lying in
front of him. He
hesitated in reaching for the flap. This was a piece of Ryoga's life.
A BIG piece at that.
Who knew what he'd find? Did he even want to look? 
	//Why am I hesitating?\\ Ranma gathered his courage and opened
the flap.
	Ranma didn't see anything interesting at first. A shirt,
pants, about 74 bandannas,
and a pair of underwear. Ranma removed the articles of clothing (the
last with a handy
pencil) in search of something he could use. He pulled out a slip of
paper, folded twice
over. After he unfolded it, Ranma saw it was the paper voucher for a
free trip to China,
the prize of the Anything-Goes Martial Arts Obstacle Course Race.
	Next, he found a half-picture bearing the face of Akari
Unryuu. Ranma
remembered tossing the two halves of this picture off the side of a
cliff. Ryoga had saved
this one, which was an encouraging sign. He had worked his ass off to
set those two up.
She knew about his curse, and accepted him for it. Besides, she REALLY
loved pigs.

----------------------------------------------------

	"What are we going to tell her, Ranma?"
	"I don't know, Akane. She has to know, but I don't know how to
break it to her.
Jeez, I'm no good at this stuff."

----------------------------------------------------

	He put the picture aside on the floor, and returned to his
inspection of the bag. He
found a letter from Akari in there. It was written in her impeccably
neat handwriting, with
a cute little P-chan drawn in a heart in the bottom corner. He put the
letter aside, partly
because it was an invasion of Akari's privacy, and partly because he
was sure it wouldn't
give him any insights. Also, he really didn't want to read a sappy
love letter.
	He found another small stack of photos, a stray bandanna, and
a condom. Ranma
wondered just what in hell a shy guy like RYOGA was doing with a
CONDOM...unless...maybe...
	//Naaahhhh... Probably didn't even know it was in there.\\
Ranma decided not to
peruse the matter any further than that. 
	Beneath a few mangas, he found a thick, unlabled black book.
Wondering just
what he'd stumbled upon, he opened the book, and his eyes encountered
margin-to-margin
hirigana. The penmanship was so neat, he almost didn't think of it as
Ryoga's. A few
minutes of reading confirmed that it was, indeed, Ryoga Hibiki's
handwriting (The words
"Damn you Ranma!" were a dead giveaway). A moment's more of reading
told him that it
was Ryoga's journal.
	//Well, well, well. Ain't this my lucky day.\\ Uncomfortable
as it was, he began
reading in depth.
	He read the first entry:

	|He ran out on the fight. Damn him, the coward ran out! This
only proves further
what I've known all along...Ranma Saotome is an honorless coward.||

	//Hey!\\ thought Ranma. //I waited three days for you, ya
jerk!\\  Ranma read on a
few pages:

	||I'm starting to wonder if this was such a good idea. Really,
just what are my
chances of finding him here? I can hardly find my ass with two hands,
a map, and a search
party, so just how am I going to find Ranma in China? Given my sense
of direction, the
chances of me even finding Japan again are slim to none. And I
followed him over what?
Bread? Sitting out here in the wilds of China, huddled against the
cold, I realize that I
should have let it drop. While Ranma may have no honor, a Bread Feud
and skipping out
on a duel aren't good grounds for a globe-trotting manhunt.||

	Ranma read on, and came to a passage in particular that
disturbed him. On reading
it, he knew immediately when Ryoga had written it.

	||Damn Ranma's honorless hide! To think that I was about to
let this whole thing
drop! It wasn't enough to make a fool of me every day, to take my
dignity, but he also
took my manhood! The feeling of changing was the most horrible torment
I have ever
suffered at his hands! Thanks to him, I am now cursed to become a pig
whenever I get
splashed with cold water! Now I have something to pay him back for,
and pay him back I
will...
	In spades.||

	Ranma stopped reading for a moment  and squeezed his eyes shut
against the pain
and guilt. Ryoga may have followed him to China and in turn Jusenkyou,
but Ranma was
the one who knocked him into the Spring of Drowned Pig. No matter how
he looked at it,
he shouldered at least half the blame for that. Though he would never
admit it to anyone,
he felt terribly guilty about Ryoga's curse, which is part of the
reason why he kept it from
Akane. Many of the entries after Jusenkyou were just rants against
Ranma. 

	||It happened again today. A random splash of cold water hit
me, turning me into
that God-forsaken pig body. Nobody knows what it's like...to be afraid
of the rain,
puddles, hell cold water in general. Also, nobody knows what it's like
to become a walking
meal. Finding hot water in that form is a tall order, moreso with my
sense of direction.
Anyway, back to the subject. I was wandering around some city or
another as a pig, when
I felt myself snatched off the ground. I struggled as best I could,
but in my current form,
that wasn't very good. I don't know where I was, all I could see were
a kitchen and several
Chinese chefs. I knew then just what was in store. Everything after
that is blurry, and I'm
still not sure how I escaped, but I'll always remember the terror of
being practically
helpless as some fat chef prepares to make me his next meal. 
	This isn't the first time that's ever happened to me. More
like the sixth time. Each
time is more terrifying that the last. My worst fear has become to die
as a pig. I could be
hit by a car, killed by a wild animal, or eaten by another person. The
last is the most
horrible, I can't even stand to think about it. 
	At least I don't lose my pack. For some reason, I'm always
able to find it no matter
what. I still don't know how...||

	It took all of Ranma's strength to keep from crying at this.
He remembered when
his pop had mistaken Ryoga for a walking snack, but he had no idea
that it had happened
again. Ranma was beginning to realize that maybe there was more to
Ryoga than just the
hothead he had known for so long.

	||Ranma is the only thing that keeps me going. My need to
exact my revenge is all
that matters. The only way I'll find peace is to kill him for what
he's done to me. Directions
be damned, I'll find him! I finally found a way back to Japan. Within
days, this will all be
over...||

	The next entry that caught Ranma's eye was of the more
introspective sort...

	||It's hard, chasing after Saotome all the time. My sense of
direction keeps getting
in the way. Not once have I caught up with him since Jusenkyou, and
I'm getting tired.
Tired of chasing that honorless bastard, tired of being cursed, and
tired of being lost all the
time. Most of all, though, I'm tired of being alone. 
	All my life, people have used my sense of direction to
ostracize me. The teasing
stopped soon after they learned just how strong us Hibikis are, but
the mean looks and
cold silences never did. I've never had a date in my whole life
because I couldn't find my
way anywhere, I haven't seen my parents in almost a year, and I can
only stand foraging
for food for so long at a time. 
	It does get terribly lonely out here. Just me, nature, my
thoughts, the gods, and
me. Absolutely no one to talk to. Hell, that's my lot in life. Nobody
can love me, some guy
without a sense of direction. What kind of life could I give her, huh?
I haven't been to
school in nearly a year. I'll probably never graduate because I can't
even find the school on
any two consecutive days a week. Even if I could find a job, I
wouldn't keep it long. Part
of earning a living is showing up for work every day, and I couldn't
do it. 
	Even if I won't ever find love, I can at least find justice
when I finally catch up to
Ranma Saotome...||

	Ranma checked the date on this entry. It was just days before
they finally met.

	||Finally! I finally caught up with that sonofabitch, Saotome!
Things are finally
looking up! Tonight, I'll have him for sure! The only downside is that
he didn't recognize
me.||

	//I gotta admit, you surprised the hell outta me that night,
P-chan,\\ thought Ranma
as he remembered the first time he saw Ryoga's curse take effect.

	||Last night didn't work out quite as I'd planned, but turned
out better than I'd
hoped. I met someone. During the fight with Ranma, I got changed into
a pig. At that
point, I knew the fight was his. Then a girl came out of the house,
bashed him on the head,
and picked me up. She told me I was cute! She kissed me! Oh happy day!
I even spent the
night in her room! She gave me the name P-chan! This is the first time
anyone has shown
me real affection.
	I found out, much to my dismay, that she's engaged to Saotome.
I feel sorry for
this Akane. She deserves much better than him.||

	Ranma spent the better part of an hour reading through Ryoga's
love for Akane,
hatred of him, and of how her face kept him going on his long
journeys. One entry in
particular there threatened to shatter his control:

	||Damn him! He had to ruin my best chance at happiness to
date! Checkers had
puppies, and I managed to get Akane to come over to my house to see
them. Oh, how
happy I was when she showed up. Everything would have been perfect if
not for my
wretched sense of direction, and that bastard Ranma. 
	Oh, what he did. He knew I hardly ever saw my family, and used
that to his
advantage to ruin my date with Akane. In my parlor marched a small
girl with twin
pigtails, and she immediately glomped me, calling me "Big Brother!"
And, stupid me, I fell
for it!
	When "Yoiko," Akane, and I went for a walk, I was sorely
heartbroken when she
disappeared. I was convinced she was my sister, and I actually cried
for that bastard!
	To make a long story short, Ranma ruined my date with Akane. I
never knew just
how sadistic he could be. I once thought that maybe Ranma steps on the
emotions of
others because he didn't realized he was doing it. Now I know better.
He actively seeks to
make Akane miserable, and he goes far out of his way to do the same to
me. I will make
him pay for this.||

	Ranma was shocked at this revelation. He knew that Ryoga was
royally pissed off
after the whole "Yoiko" incident, but he had no clue that Ryoga felt
much more besides
that. He didn't know that Ryoga considered him a sadistic bastard
hell-bent on ruining his
life.

	He read about Ryoga's victories...

	||At last! Finally, a way to rid myself of this curse! I won
that damned Martial Arts
Obstacle Course Race, and the prize was a free trip to China! All I
have to do now is find
the airport!
	I  can now be a whole man, and I can finally let Akane know
how I feel about her.
No more P-chan, and no more Ranma. My worst fear can at last be put to
rest. I'll no
longer worry about dying as a pathetic little piglet. I'll no longer
fear being served up on a
plate.||

	Ranma also came across an entry dated just after their trip to
Nekonlon, China:

	||I must admit, I do have a certain respect for Ranma as a
martial artist. He may not
be much of a human being, much less a real man, but where the Art is
concerned, he is one
of the best I have ever seen. I was truly impressed with how he
overcame Kirin and the
other Lucky Gods Martial Artists. He is a skilled warrior, at least.||

	This was practically the only incidence of praise Ranma found
in the journal.
	//You were pretty good yourself.\\ Ryoga was the only other
martial artist in
Nerima, save Cologne and Happosai, who could give him a good fight.
	All the entries concerning Akane made Ranma jealous. He really
didn't like for
someone to talk about his wife that way. 
	//Where the hell is Akari?\\ After another thirty minutes, he
finally found her.

	||Akari...she's a nice girl, she really is, but she deserves
someone other than me.
Besides, my heart belongs to Akane, now and forever. 
	I wonder if she truly loves me, though. Is it because I
defeated Katsunishiki? Is it
because of my curse? Or maybe...
	No. I love Akane, and no other. While Akari did accept my
curse (she really does
love pigs), she deserves better.
	I do, however, wonder why I didn't save Akane's picture. Also,
why do I keep the
half with Akari's face? Why do I keep the letters she wrote me?
	Is it possible that I feel more strongly about Akari than I
first thought?||

	//I wish, Ryoga. I wish.\\ thought Ranma when he remembered
how Ryoga kept
trying to steal Akane away from him. Ranma noticed that he was coming
close to the end
of the book, and he was still no closer to an answer. //C'mon, you
damn pig. Whyd'ja do
it? Why didn't you go to Akari?\\ For twenty pages, nothing was
revealed. Then came an
interesting insight:

	||I tried to love Akari, I really did. I did all I could to
fall in love with her...
	I don't know what it is. She's the sweetest girl I have ever
laid eyes upon. She
accepted my curse with no problems (she even thinks it's cute). She
loves me with every
fiber of her being, so why the hell can't I return it?
	Who am I kidding? I know why I can't love Akari. She's not
Akane. Whenever I'm
with Akari..on a date...tending her pigs...I think of Akane. What
sealed it was that time in
her room. I felt as though I was betraying Akane.
	I told Akari this, and she understood. She said she would wait
for me forever. I
tried to tell her to find someone else, but deep down, I know she
won't. I hated to hurt
her, but I couldn't lead her on any longer. Especially now that she's
considering a more
long-term relationship. She even mentioned children!||

	//So THAT'S what the rubber was for...\\ There were more
entries that chronicled
some of his travels, but one caught his eye, and chilled him to the
very core of his being:

	||It's finally happened. I've finally failed. All my victories
are nothing next to this
failure. 
	Ranma and Akane are now wed.
	It would be easier if she had been forced. At least that way,
I could do something.
Today, though, today I found I could do nothing. She admitted her love
for Ranma right
in front of me. Not as P-chan, but as myself, Ryoga Hibiki. Nor was
she coerced. Ranma
said it, as did she shortly after. Try as I might, I could not find
the slightest hint that 
she had been forced.
	He won.
	The bastard had taken everything from me...My dignity with the
bread feud and
many times since, my humanity at Jusenkyou, and now my only love. Damn
him. Damn
him to the lowest shit-packed pits of hell! What's worse, he wasn't
satisfied with showing
off that he'd won, he had to rub it in! He even had the gall to say he
wants to make peace!
That he doesn't want bad blood between us any more.
	Ranma, however, is not entirely at fault. Most of it is mine.
It was my sense of
direction, among other failings, that kept Akane and I apart. I was
unable to tell her how I
felt because I was hardly ever there as a human. When I was there as a
human, I could
never bring myself to tell her. Now it's too late...
	Enough. I am a man, moreso than him, and I will carry on.
Despite the fact that
Ranma said he would not expose me as P-chan, I feel it would be best
if I never go back
to the dojo, especially in that cursed body. He may not have done it
before, but now, he
just may reconsider. Given his father's track record with the truth, I
find it quite likely. I
guess I should resign myself to a lonely life.||

	Ranma turned the page.
	//What the hell?\\ The next page was blank, as was the next
and the next. All the
pages after that entry were blank. Ranma stared at the blank pages in
shock. Where the
hell were the answers he was looking for? What was all THIS shit?
Frustrated, Ranma
threw the Journal across the room, where it bounced off the wall and
came to rest on the
floor. Ranma quickly stood up, his legs protesting vehemently after
remaining in the same
position for so long. Ranma looked in the large mirror above Akane's
vanity and was
shocked to see his eyes red and puffy, tear tracks down his cheeks.
//Guys don't cry,
damnit!\\ he scolded himself. He looked out the window, into the late
afternoon sun. The
digital clock on the nightstand read 3:45 p.m. Akane would have been
on the train home
for about fifteen minutes. That meant Ranma had at least another hour
and a half. //Just
enough time.\\
	Ranma hated to lose, and this was no exception. He had just
one more chance to
find answers.

=============================================

	The neighboring ward, 4:05 p.m.

	Ranma stood in Ryoga's living room. The space had a vacant
feel to it, as though
nobody had been there for a long time. Given the Hibiki family's
horrendous sense of
direction, it was probably true. Ranma looked at the now waning sun,
and was reminded
that he didn't have a hell of a lot of time. He didn't want to have to
turn on the lights and
risk getting caught.
	Akane would kill him if he did.
	Lugging Ryoga's pack, Ranma trudged upstairs to Ryoga's
bedroom. Ranma knew
that, given how little time Ryoga spent here, his chances of finding
any answers were slim,
but he had to check anyway. Ranma remembered the way from the last
time he was here.
He had pretended to be Ryoga's sister. The memory of Ryoga's journal
entry regarding
that little stunt came back for an instant. Ranma opened the door.
	Ryoga's bedroom was pretty much as Ranma remembered it. The
room was filled
with souveneirs from Ryoga's extensive travels. The walls were still
adorned with posters
and penants of the places he'd been: Nagano, Hokkaido, Paris,
Istanbul, and some place
called...Oz? Where the hell was that? 
	Awkward as it was, Ranma began to search through Ryoga's
posessions. He
searched Ryoga's drawers, shelves, and closet, to no avail. Ranma
didn't feel frustrated this
time...just defeated. Ranma slowly replaced everything he had dragged
out, and flopped
on the bed. He felt a large lump press against his back, and that lump
let out a high-
pitched bark.
	//What the hell?\\ Ranma reached beneath the comforter and
pulled out a small
puppy. //Little fella must be starving.\\ Ranma placed the two-tone
puppy in his lap, and
began to absently stroke its fur. Checkers had to have had more
puppies recently. As he
continued his ministrations to the puppy, he began to think.
	What possible reason did Ryoga have to end hid own life? Most
people, himself
included, regarded suicide as pointless. Seppukku was something clung
to by old-timers as
a way to preserve honor after failure. Then it hit him...
	Ryoga Hibiki was an old-school kind of guy. It was entirely
possible that Ryoga
thought seppukku was the only way to restore his honor, for losing
that would surely
drive him to such lengths...wouldn't it?
	The most obvious scenario would be Akane learning of P-chan.
That would be
dishonor of the worst kind for Ryoga. He thought his shame too much to
bear, and took
the knife. After a few moments consideration, Ranma tossed the idea
out. Akane would
have forgiven him, given time. Even though he would have lost a lot of
face, he would
have regained it eventually, and Ryoga knew it.
	Maybe he was too afraid of dying as a pig. He wanted to ensure
he would die
human and be cremated, not roasted with a side of salad.
	Other scenarios, like his marriage to Akane were ridiculous at
best. That would
NEVER have driven Ryoga over the edge like that. 
	Maybe he thought there was no way he could ever avoid
returning to the Dojo and
getting in Akane's way. No, Ranma had said Ryoga would always be
welcome, despite
their past differences, and he meant it.
	Could he have been ashamed at breaking Akari's heart? Ranma
almost laughed at
that. Now he knew he was grasping at straws. 
	It could have been all of the above. Hell, it could have been
something else
entirely...something Ranma would never have considered. Much as it
galled him, Ranma
finally admitted defeat in his quest for answers. He looked out of
Ryoga's bedroom
window and saw the sky growing almost black. Street lamps were already
clicking on,
shedding flourescent lumination after the sun retired for another day.
Ranma realized that
Akane was home by now, and would be wondering where her husband had
gotten off to. 
	Tucking the small puppy under his arm, Ranma made a most
discreet exit. 
	Intentionally or not, he'd never know, he left Ryoga's
backpack in the shadows
near the bed.

	6:22 p.m.

	The Tendo Dojo was bustling with activity, all centered around
Akane. She had to
repeatedly tell everyone that she wouldn't know what her test scores
were for another
week. On the table was one of Kasumi's greatest spreads. Around the
table were both
clans Tendo and Saotome. It was a perfect meal, except that one thing
was missing.
	"Where's Ranma?"  Nobody knew, and that got Akane's ire up.
She knew there
was no girl for him but her, but she still got a little jealous from
time to time. Akane heard
a door open and close, and footsteps coming her way. Akane spun and
headed straight for
the source of the noise, which everyone knew was Ranma. Everyone
around the table
braced themselves for Akane's first shout at him for disappearing.
Instead of screams of
rage, they heard squeals of delight. Akane ran into the dining room,
cradling an impossibly
cute puppy.

	When Akane had seen the puppy, the look of anger on her face
instantly changed
into one of joy. She took the puppy, and forgot to ask him where he
had been, which was
just as well.
	As Ranma watched her cuddle the puppy, it came to him. Ryoga
wasn't truly gone.
As long as the people who cared about him kept him in their hearts, he
would never leave
them. Ranma made a vow to Ryoga's spirit to take care of Akane and
Checkers' puppy.
	//But don't you dare think this is the end of it, Ryoga.\\
thought Ranma. //We're
gonna see each other again someday. An' when we do, we're gonna bury
the hatchet once
and for all.\\ Ranma went to join the rest of the family. //'Till
then, pal...rest in peace.\\

============================================

	Well, how do ya like it? I'd love to hear from you all!

Knight Writer (Gah... has it really been so long?)
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