Ranma 1/2 was created by Rumiko Takahashi and its characters belong to
her, and her alone. I'm just kinda borrowing them. The story below is
for entertainment purposes only, and not to be used commercially.
...Obviously.


"Learning Curve"
        Part III     (v1.3)

by:   J. Wagner



The old woman had chosen the site well.

But, no doubt, in the three hundred plus years of her life, she had
had enough practice in it to do it. Trees surrounded the small field,
save for a large rock outcropping, and there was no water in sight.
Ryouga, still, had come prepared, and he checked over his shoulder to
make sure Shampoo still held the kettle of hot, though not boiling,
water in case it was needed. She had been solemn the last day, he had
noticed. Their practice had been more frequent than their
conversations, which he was both thankful and saddened by. Thankful,
because he didn't need additional distractions, sad because he
honestly enjoyed talking to her, even if so much of it was in broken
Japanese. The last two days, he'd simply slipped into Mandarin to make
understanding her descriptions of Amazon life and customs easier and
clearer. Most likely, she was still feeling... apprehensive about the
fight. She understood, now, that it had to be - that things between
the two, Ranma and himself, could not be settled by words, or any
other fashion.

 The first fight between them that had started behind Furinkan High,
in the old soccer field, had been inconclusive, in Ryouga's opinion.
Ranma had been splashed, he'd found out about his curse, but before it
could be joined properly, Akane's hair had been cut and she'd almost
lost her life. Of course, it was as much Ranma's fault as it was his,
the pig-tailed idiot had back kicked the weapon out of his hands, in
just the right way to send it at the girl... but it was his weapon,
and ultimately his responsibility. He hadn't used his more lethal
techniques since then, and though few knew it, he fought far more
carefully and cautiously than ever before after that. Deep inside,
Ryouga knew that fight would have been his if that interruption hadn't
occurred. Ranma was in his girl form, and no real match for his power
and abilities outside of his normal body.

The second fight, really, had been outside the Tendo Dojo in the rain,
just before his curse had been revealed. He'd only had one hand to
use, the other having to hold up his umbrella, but it was evened out
by the fact that Ranma was onna-Ranma, and had lacked both reach and
strength in the subsequent fight. Again, he'd been easily holding his
own, and staying dry, before a heavy object that he later figured out
had to have been thrown by Akane (both by his memories of a female
voice other than Ranma's and the strength behind the throw) nailed him
in the back of the head. Had he been prepared to receive it, the blow
wouldn't have been a huge problem, but it caught him by surprise while
he was committed to an attack on a very skilled opponent.

Typically, he had gotten wet in addition to being hurt, and tried to
make a dignified escape. The lost boy knew that, had Ranma found out,
he'd never hear the end of it, and true to form, Ranma did find out
and he never did hear the end of the incessant 'P-chan' 'hog' and
'pig-boy' taunts. Again, Akane had interfered, but again, he blamed
himself as much. Though truly vengeance knew neither day nor night,
and he was afraid of getting lost waiting until morning, he should
have known that a fight at such an hour would invite intervention.

There had been some minor skirmishes following that, but nothing major
or serious that both men committed themselves to until the so-called
'Charlotte Cup' in which P-chan was the prize. Ranma had taken a few
blows, and a fairly major crash, but seemed otherwise fine when he
broke free and decided to intervene. That, and Ryouga himself barely
knew how to stand up in skates while Ranma had much more practice, he
figured, made it a draw with the more experienced on the ice but
somewhat injured Ranma-chan. It had quickly degraded into a free for
all, and when Ryouga had smashed Mikado Sanzenin between two huge
slabs of ice in a desperation counter to his flying kick, he had felt
the rush of victory nipping at his heels. He'd then buried both the
pervert and Ranma under what had to be more than a few tons of icy
debris.

Of course, Ranma proved as tenacious as always, crawling out from
under the rubble less than twenty seconds later. The danger of getting
wet, a mere annoyance for Ranma, was Ryouga's greatest fear. While
Ranma could get wet and fight on, even a minor dunking would end it
for the lost boy. Hence, in the ensuing fight, Ranma did the one thing
he could when still in girl form, and tried to turn Ryouga the Rival
into P-chan the Pet. Akane's intervention however, changed the course
of things before he could be dunked at a critical moment, and Ranma
had quickly lost any momentum he had in their fight. He... she was
slowing, and obviously close to defeat, when Akane fell into the water
and...

That had ended the fight. Both boys had jumped in, but in the end,
only a pig and a girl came out. He'd essentially left soon after to
pursue additional training in the mountains without distraction. It
had become obvious to Ryouga that Ranma wasn't improving skill-wise
anytime soon, and that with a little extra push he could finally
overcome him completely and compensate for his greatest handicap, his
damned Jyusenkyou curse. It had thus been, naturally, a surprise when
he'd returned and Ranma had completely surpassed him. However, the
pig-tailed boy would soon learn that the pendulum swung both ways, and
more importantly...

That payback was the mother of all bitches.

Oh yes. She was indeed.

"We here." Shampoo's voice was almost monotone. Only seconds had
passed since the two stepped into the clearing.

"I know." Ryouga slowly looked up, and confirmed the form of Ranma
standing in the middle of the field, amid the somewhat parched grass
and broken ground. It was dry as a bone, and just the way Ryouga knew
both men wanted it. Ranma's pigtail was catching a bit of the wind,
and in the moment he truly embodied both the foul arrogance Ryouga
knew he himself had, but tried to fight, and the Art that Ryouga
aspired to. Was the price of being the 'best' an ego of proportional
size?

Then, Ryouga saw her.

"Akane!" He couldn't help but yelp, in surprise and confusion. Akane
was hanging by her waist from the branch of a tree - she didn't look
hurt: mostly angry. "What... what's going on here?"

"Perhaps I can explain," A familiar voice cackled, and all present
turned towards Cologne, who hopped seemingly out of no-where into the
middle of the clearing, near Ranma. "I though the fight would be
better if there were a prize at stake."

Ranma's upper lip snarled, a bit. Ryouga's did far more, and then
some, his longer than natural canines now easily visible as he roared,
"NO! Damn it, Akane has nothing to do with this!"

"Don't you...?" Cologne teased.

"No," Ryouga's voice was cold, and crystal clear in the air, as he
spoke, "Not like this. Akane is not some... prize to be handed out to
the victor here! I fight ONLY to defeat Ranma! ONLY... to finish our
duel. If... If Akane has anything to do with me, it will be by choice.
Her choice."

Ranma's eyes betrayed his thoughts. He wouldn't allow it.

"That's what I thought," Ryouga's own thoughts mirrored his rival, and
he jumped, landing only a dozen feet from his opponent. With a smirk,
he said what both thought.

"Let's settle this, Ranma."

"Gladly, Pig boy." Ranma's hands became fists, Ryouga attacked, and in
the blink of an eye, the battle was joined. It began with a flurry of
blows, fast, but not fast enough to tag the pig-tailed blur among
them. Ranma ducked and dodged the strikes, each fist marked by a
threatening index finger. The pig tailed martial artist was silently
thankful for his father and his ways - dishonorable, yes, but
effective, just as much so. He had been tempted to spy on Ryouga's
training by himself when he'd first seen Cologne and they'd set the
date for this thing. He'd put it off a little while, mainly to deal
with Akane, when Genma had gone off and done it for him. It seemed
that his old man hardly had any pride to lose in doing such a thing,
though of course, it was a critical part of the practice of Anything-
Goes. The whole point, he'd been taught, and firmly believed, of a
fight was to win.

Nothing more, nothing less.

And in so doing, the ends justified the means. If it involved running
from the fight, the school allowed it. If it involved stealing
techniques, down to the name, the school allowed it. Truthfully, the
School of Anything-Goes allowed anything and everything, honor aside.
Ranma liked to believe he was above that, really, but he knew as well
as his father did that if he had to, winning was what Musabetsu Kakuto
Ryu was about. Jumping back and out of the way of a well timed, but a
bit too slow axe kick, Ranma paused to access his rival anew. He was
faster, true, a little calmer and more skilled, also true. But what,
really, had improved?

Ryouga smiled, as if reading the other boy's mind. Ranma was still as
fast as ever. A little faster than when he'd been manhandled and
humiliated by him back in Nerima, yes, but much faster... no. Rather,
he was more flexible and quicker to dodge than he had been in previous
fights. An effective counter to what he had thought the Bakusai
Tenketsu capable of, but now knew wasn't. Ranma should have figured it
out. Why would the old ghoul teach him a technique that would destroy
exactly what she was trying to win for her precious Shampoo? And...
who, exactly, had told Ranma that his rival was learning the Bakusai
Tenketsu?

"Like to see it, would you?" Ryouga held up his index finger, like the
barrel of a gun, and pointed at his opponent. "To think... I can
destroy you with a touch. Even a ...glancing blow, and you'll be
nothing more than a pile of split entrails and torn flesh. And, the
funny thing is, your breaking point could be almost anywhere."

Ranma twitched, and Ryouga knew he'd scored a minor victory. Ranma
hadn't quite come to terms with what he apparently thought the Bakusai
Tenketsu could do to him. His fear would work against him; Ryouga
swore it. Roaring, he jumped, hand down and aimed at the smaller boy.
Ranma's eyes widened like a frightened dear, and he performed a small,
quick jump to easily get out of the way. An infusion of Ki hit the
ground just as Ryouga did, and the earth below his feet exploded. It
was a simple, midrange explosion - he had just enough control over it
now to slightly vary the effect. Spraying dust and shrapnel
everywhere, none of which could hurt Ryouga anyway, the blast formed
an effective cover.

"Geez!" Ranma's right hand was a blur, catching the rock fragments in
midair before they could hit him and depositing them in his cupped
left hand. Save for some dust on his clothes, Ranma was unscathed.
"What is this? A smoke screen?"

 "HYAH!" Ranma's head cocked to the side just as Ryouga's finger tore
through the air. He flew by, his hand burying into the ground behind
Ranma, evoking another explosion of earth and rock. Ryouga skidded
through the blast, feet kicking up dust as he slowed, and without
hesitation, jumped again at Ranma. He switched to both hands, forcing
Ranma into a complex weave of ducks and dodges to avoid being tagged.
Interspersed with the attacks was the occasional regular jab or
counter, but largely, Ranma was on the defensive.

Above them, Akane shifted slightly to try and follow the fight. She
was a martial artist herself, and had spent the last few days watching
Ranma train with his father. It had been grueling, at least to her,
trying to dodge and stun all those bees without being stung, yet Ranma
had done it. But Ryouga... Ryouga seemed to have spent all this time
learning a technique that couldn't help him. She'd heard about it,
naturally, and it seemed powerful; the ability to destroy with a
touch, but what good was it when Ranma was too fast to be hit? And
when Ryouga missed, he ended up hitting the ground. The result was
that shrapnel pummeled Ryouga because he was at the center of the
blast, and Ranma was left with only a fraction of the debris to deal
with, and deal with much more easily.

"I don't understand," Akane voiced her confusion, and seeing Shampoo
below her, rephrased what she was thinking. "Why would Cologne teach
such a thing? I though she wanted Ryouga to beat Ranma!"

"Silly violent girl." Shampoo snorted in derision.

Cologne agreed. "You will see soon enough what my pupil has learned.
And the true power behind the Bakusai Tenketsu."

In the field, Ranma and Ryouga's feet shifted back and forth as the
lost boy continued to strike and his opponent dodge. Ryouga hopped
over an attempted trip, and replied with a roundhouse forcing Ranma to
duck. Normally, he'd attempt to get some breathing and maneuvering
room at this point, but as Ryouga spun and saw Ranma, eyes watching
his hands, he decided to press the issue. It was time to show Ranma
just what he was up against. A trio of quick strikes forced Ranma to
twist to avoid, and the smaller boy grinned. "You're slowing down, P-
chan! Any more of those Breaking Point blasts, and you'll put yourself
out of action for me!"

"Stuff it!" Ryouga snarled, lunged, and in so doing, overextended
himself.

Ranma pivoted, expertly, into position. "Then maybe I should end
this... right now!"

A vicious snap kick caught Ryouga across the jaw. Ranma felt his leg
protest a bit; he'd put a lot of power into that blow, but with a
lethal technique like the Bakusai Tenketsu in Ryouga's arsenal, he
knew better than to tempt fate by trading blows with him and asking
for a lucky blow to end his life in a most grizzly fashion. Ryouga
arched through the air, and crashed into the side of the nearby rock
outcropping, just as the pig-tailed martial artist had planned. Ryouga
landed hard, and with him fell a small landslide of stone and earth,
thoroughly burying him. Ranma smirked. "Heh. Easier than I thought."

Then, he saw Shampoo jump up and away out of the corner of his eye.

He also saw Akane's eyes widen in surprise and look past him, in
Ryouga's direction. What he saw when he faced that direction... was a
dark crack in the earth from the depths of the landslide to the tips
of his toes. A massive explosion, dwarfing the previous ones, easily
consumed three-dozen square feet of the ground below, and quickly
droned out his gasp of surprise. Hanging from Akane's rope, he saw the
shadow of a familiar figure emerge from the settling cloud of dust and
debris. It was Ryouga.

And he was laughing.

"It... it can't be!" Ranma gasped.

"Weak! That felt like a baby's kick, Ranma!" Ryouga smirked, one
canine sticking out over his left lip. "No. Actually, it felt like a
little girl's kick!"

Akane was speechless. Ranma's ears, meanwhile, practically steamed in
anger, but he held himself back from jumping into the fray, if only
for a few seconds. "You...!"

"Still think you can beat him, son-in-law?" Cologne's wrinkled face
seemed to gloat from above him. Standing on the branch to which Akane
was tied, Cologne seemed quite pleased with herself.

"Damn it, old ghoul! I can beat him anytime! I trained too, damn it!"

"You practiced dodging," Akane pointed out.

"I... uh..."

"Still think you can win?" Akane's voice held a hint of malice.

"Hey! What's with the attitude?" Ranma suddenly turned from her and
ducked, as a razor edged bandanna-made-shuriken passed overhead and
cut the rope holding them up. Ranma frowned in frustration and anger -
the bandanna hadn't been thrown to kill, or else he'd likely have it
sticking through his chest, but he had let Akane distract him from the
fight, and the danger that Ryouga had become. Shifting, he caught
Akane and aimed for a soft landing. He was thankful she didn't cause a
fuss, and let her go just before he touched ground.

"I don't need any help Ranma," Akane said, angrily, but otherwise kept
calm. She had learned that her cooking was... sub par recently, but
Ranma had eaten it. More out of necessity than anything, but he had.
The last few days had been far from perfect, but they'd been bearable
after the first two. Besides, Ryouga had said she had no place in this
fight, and she knew Ranma thought the same. It was best for both of
them in the long run if she didn't interfere, and she knew it.

"Neither do I." Ranma stressed, and turned to where Ryouga stood, calm
and unafraid of anything Ranma could throw at him. He didn't hesitate,
before jumping back into the fight. Ryouga just grinned, and brought
one finger forward, a faint but visible battle aura beginning to form
around him, starting at the shoulders and rippling down his form like
a dark cloak.

"Bakusai Tenk..."

"Bakusai Tenketsu BLOCK!" Ranma's momentum came to a halt as he caught
Ryouga's finger at the base between two of his own. For a tangible
half second, the two hung there, paused in midair, before Ryouga's
grin faded. He spun, taking Ranma with him, before coming to an abrupt
halt, slamming the smaller boy's feet firmly into the ground. Ranma
shook from the impact, but knew what was going to happen next.
Ryouga's other hand was already cocked and incoming. Quickly,
desperately, Ranma brought two fingers up to block Ryouga's one.

Then Ryouga's right index finger retreated into his fist, which
subsequently plowed through the Bakusai Tenketsu Block and became well
acquainted with Ranma's jaw. Ranma tasted blood, and again became
personally reminded of why being hit, full force, by Hibiki Ryouga was
a very unhealthy thing. He felt his body fly back through the air,
before a tug, starting around his right wrist brought him back forward
like a human yo-yo. He saw, in that instant, that Ryouga's right hand
was around the wrist of his right hand. The same hand that still held
Ryouga's left index finger in a Bakusai Tenketsu Block. After that,
stars filled the air as Ryouga's elbow dented itself on his collarbone
and a perfectly executed backhand sent him flying back and into a
tree. In the subsequent impact, the old oak had the worst of it, but
not by a lot.

Ranma got to his feet, a bit dazed, but quickly recovering. Ryouga's
blows had been like those of an industrial strength piledriver; he was
even stronger than Ranma remembered from past fights. Spitting blood,
Ranma received Ryouga as he charged, both hands in the position for a
fight ending Bakusai Tenketsu. Rolling back, and not willing to make
the same mistake twice, Ranma easily caught the first strike, and
lunged with his right hand to get the other before the lost boy could
curl it into a fist. Ranma knew all too well that he'd made an almost
fatal mistake. Ryouga had made him commit to blocking a Bakusai
Tenketsu, the block for which, unfortunately, was useless against a
regular fist. Ryouga snarled, just inches from Ranma's face, as they
rolled with both boys' momentum. With practiced ease, in unison, they
pushed off - Ranma with his legs and Ryouga with his knees, going
airborne.

"Now! With both hands blocked... you're mine!" Ranma's right leg
struck out a dozen times, like an angry serpent, pummeling Ryouga's
midriff even as they flew together through the air. Blow after blow
landed, and Ryouga's back arched slightly from it all, before
slamming, full force, into the broad base of another tree. The poor
tree split up the middle from the impact, spraying them with droplets
of sap, and Ryouga's back, crushed between the tree and Ranma's blows,
straightened out as they slid to the ground.

The lost boy looked up, and chuckled. "I told you... Ranma..."

Ranma felt his lower lip tremble. How had the lost boy survived that?
It was inhuman!

"You hit like a GIRL!" Ryouga's hair filled Ranma's vision as the
unexpected head butt struck true, sending Ranma flying and skidding
off the ground and into another tree.

"Ok, that hurt." Ranma slowly got to his feet, worse for wear than he
had been when he had gotten up just a short while ago. It was like a
bad case of deja'vu, and Ranma knew it wasn't getting him anywhere. "I
didn't want to do this, Ryouga!"

"Oh? And what's that? I do hope it's something good." Ryouga took a
few slow steps forward.

"SAOTOME SECRET TECHNIQUE!"

"What? Secret technique?" Ryouga was committed to the lunge, and felt
a moment of panic as he realized he'd left himself open to letting
Ranma use his secret technique. Outwardly, he kept his speed and
course. Inwardly, he braced himself. Like slow motion, Ranma deftly
avoided the hasty Bakusai Tenketsu lunge, turned around, and...

"Run!"

"Excuse me?" Ryouga couldn't help but stare as Ranma ran away. Fast.

"That..." Shampoo stammered.

"Was the..." Akane mouthed.

"Saotome Secret Technique?" Ryouga completed. Slowly, shock passed.
Replacing it was rage. "Running away... always! ALWAYS RUNNING AWAY! I
won't have it! Get back here you COWARD!"

"Hmm." Genma-panda held up a contemplative sign. "A wise move. The
Saotome Secret Technique is based in..."

He flipped the sign over. "The concepts of 'motion,' 'contemplation,'
and 'opposition.'"

"So basically you run away to buy time!" Akane yelled.

"Exactly!" Genma-panda sweat-dropped.

"Ayia! What stupid technique!" Shampoo bopped the panda upside the
head.

"It's harder than you think." A sign wavered, before joining its owner
on the ground.

"We'd best follow them." Cologne looked at the two girls, and hopped
off into the forest. It wasn't hard to find Ryouga - he was talking
very loudly, and was still in 'battle mode' so he hadn't gotten all
that lost in the short span of time between running off in search of
Ranma and now. It was deeper into the woods that they saw him,
standing, his battle aura having grown with anger; bits of black
interspersed with the red and faint tints of green.

"Show yourself, you coward!" Ryouga roared, and looked around. "Fool!
Do you really think running and hiding in the woods would save you?"

"Ryouga!"

The boy in question faced the sound, and saw Ranma bouncing from one
tree branch to another, obviously gaining momentum. A millisecond
later, a girl, a panda, an ancient Amazon and her great granddaughter
came to the same conclusion.  Ryouga, however, just smiled and braced
himself to take the blow. The recoil would make it a little stronger,
true, but not nearly enough to break though and cause any damage. More
importantly, when Ranma found out his little idea was pointless and
futile, he'd be crushed. Emotionally anyway... the physical crushing
would come later.

"HA! That tickles!" Ryouga winced a bit at the blow. It felt... odd,
but he ignored it and planted a good haymaker across the side of
Ranma's face. Ranma took it in full, and crashed through one smaller
tree, splintering the trunk in his passing, before hitting another
larger, sturdier, one and stopping. Ryouga felt a spark of
satisfaction dull as his stomach protested. Holding his abdomen,
Ryouga looked up at Ranma, who was ...smirking?

"So it tickles, eh?"

"A lucky blow. I'll make you regret it!" Ryouga lunged again, and
watched. Ranma took a step back, brought up one hand to brush aside
the Bakusai Tenketsu attack, and brought one hand back to strike. It
was a fairly simple position and stance, but Ryouga wasn't interested
in the rest of his opponent's body. He concentrated on the striking
hand. True to form, he felt more than saw the tingle of ki enter it,
and saw it shoot out. Not once, but a hundred times, and then a
hundred more. His body reeled from the hits, but Ryouga counted every
blow, all 268 of them.

"Interesting." Ryouga wiped some stray sweat from under his jaw, still
smiling. Idly, he figured he probably smiled more when fighting than
when not. The thought came and went. Ryouga had a fight to deal with
first. The musing would come later. "At least you're making this
worthwhile, Ranma."

Watching the fight, Akane gasped. "Of course! It looks like a single
blow, but Ranma's actually hitting him hundreds of times in the same
place!"

"No wonder lost boy actually feel hurt!" Shampoo clutched the kettle
tightly. She had felt some need to intervene in the beginning, before
it got serious. Now... now it was something different entirely. No one
could stop it, now.

"Son-in-law's speed training certainly seems to be paying off now."
Cologne seemed impassive. "But the longer the fight drags on, the more
likely he is to lose."

Akane was about to speak when Shampoo held up her hand, "Just watch,
violent girl."

"Yes. At least you're finally doing some damage now. But is it enough?
And how many more of those do you have in you before you tire?" Ryouga
raised both hands in a neutral stance.

'Geez!' Ranma thought, mind reeling... searching for a solution to his
present state of affairs. 'This guy's a monster! What's his weakness?'

"Prepare yourself, Ranma!" Ryouga attacked, this time with fists, feet
and fury. Ranma felt blood as a glancing kick nicked his upper lip,
and spun to capitalize on Ryouga's change in tactics. The lost boy,
however, was far quicker than Ranma had expected. He was far faster,
in fact, than experience had ever shown him to be before. Before Ranma
knew it, Ryouga had him by the throat. As one leg flew through the
air, over and into the ground, cementing Ryouga's position, he lifted
Ranma effortlessly off the ground. Ranma's legs kicked, Amaguriken
style, scoring ten dozen hits across his opponent's chest, but
Ryouga's grip was like a vice, and he laughed off the pain of the
blows.

"Did you listen to me?" Ryouga's left hand curled into a fist, save
for one finger. Like an executioner's axe, for Ranma, it signaled only
one thing. "Are you prepared? ...For death?"

"N... No!" Ranma struggled, hands trying vainly to pry the fingers
from his throat. Ryouga's index finger was slowly coming closer.

"It's all over, Ranma. You die ...NOW!" Ryouga's finger lunged.

"RANMA!!" Akane screamed.

"AKANE!!" Ranma's voice joined hers. He closed his eyes and wondered
if it would hurt, or if the gods would be merciful enough to kill him
swiftly and painlessly. Would he feel his body coming apart? Exploding
like all those rocks Ryouga had destroyed earlier?

Ranma blinked, as Ryouga's finger tapped his temple, just enough to
hurt, but not enough to smash through bone and kill, as it could have
had he put all his strength into it. Shivering, Ranma hit the ground
clumsily. The reality that he was still alive slowly came home, and he
quickly checked to make sure. With a sigh of relief, he realized he
hadn't wet himself... but the relief of being alive quickly turned
into the humiliation and anger of the same as he looked up and saw
Ryouga... laughing.

"You... you think this is funny?" Ranma hissed.

Ryouga's eyes narrowed. "The Bakusai Tenketsu doesn't work on living
creatures. I... Played... You."

"Damn you!" Ranma got back up, gritting his teeth. "I'll make you
pay!"

"Eh?" Ryouga's eyes closed, instinctively, as well over two hundred
blows rained down, not on his chest or torso, but on his face. Step by
step, he backed off, tiny droplets of red falling to the cold ground
in a small trail. Ryouga looked through dirty, bloodied vision at the
angry red and blue aura, not the normal subdued colors, dancing around
Ranma's body. Lowering his hand, he then saw exactly what all that
wetness on his cheek and upper eye was.

Blood.

Ranma had drawn blood.

Ranma had attacked his... face.

"No mercy," Ryouga snarled, "An eye for an eye, Ranma."

"Shut up, P-chan," Ranma's voice was low, menacing.

"I wasn't serious before, but... now..." Ryouga lips curled into a
savage grin. "You're a dead man, Saotome."

It quickly became obvious to those watching that it had gone far
beyond even the duel it was before. Both boys were now exchanging
blows furiously. Counter met counter, block met hold, met strike, met
parry. Ryouga jumped, suddenly, in a flying kick that sent Ranma
whirling backwards, arms flailing for balance, into a massive old tree
that just barely absorbed the impact, sharing damage with the
unfortunate martial artist that crashed into it. Ryouga didn't wait -
didn't hesitate, to take advantage of the situation. His legs spun,
gaining momentum and inertia, three roundhouses filled the air before
the fourth hit just where Ranma had been the millisecond before. In a
spray of blasted bark and splinters, the tree was kicked in half by
the blow.

Ryouga's leg had cut through the tree like a knife through butter.

Ranma, meanwhile, tucked in and kicked up, catching Ryouga in the
lower sternum. It would have broken the ribs and half the internal
organs of a normal person, and probably instantly killed him, but
Ryouga simply flipped in midair, letting the strength behind the blow
carry him up and away, landing a few feet from where he was hit.
Snarling, again the two attacked each other, slamming into and through
trees, pulverizing stray blocks, only the occasional roars of "Bakusai
Tenketsu!!" and "Kachuu Tenshi Amaguriken!" bearing witness to the
humanity of the two fighters.

"Akane! No go near them!" Shampoo held Akane firm. There was a
desperate, panicked look in the girl's eyes, but both Amazons
suspected Akane's intervention, now, would only make things worse,
like throwing gas on an already raging fire. Amid the ruined forest,
Ryouga stumbled, slightly, as his left kidney took another hundred or
so precise blows. It was painful, and a big risk, but Ranma was moving
in for another set of attacks. The smaller boy was running on
adrenalin only, but Ryouga knew he had more than enough to last
another few minutes. If he did, he'd burn out his body and Ki
reserves, and likely actually cause some serious internal injuries.
Concentrating, Ryouga instead let the Ki flow into his arms.

It was time.

"Kachuu..." Both boys said at the same time.

"Tenshi..." They echoed.

"Amaguriken!!!" They collided.

Akane blinked, and it was over.

Ranma gasped, breaking the silence. Ryouga ran his tongue over his
teeth to make sure they were there before biting back the bile
threatening to pour up from deep inside him. Ranma was choking, and
spitting blood, but he was still alive, if barely. His shoulder was
hanging oddly - Ryouga thought he'd knocked it out of the socket in
their last exchange, and was darkly proud to see his expectations
confirmed. Hand trembling slightly, he reached for his belt. Looking
down, he saw that it was ripped, but shrugged, and infused a tiny bit
of Ki into the material. It hardened to the strength of diamond - a
sword stronger than even Kuno could imagine. Unbreakable...
unstoppable.

Unsteadily, Ryouga let the blade come between them in silent
challenge. Ranma was wounded. Beaten. This was the end... of it all.

"Ranma."

Ryouga's right ear, not swollen like the left and so far undamaged,
picked up the faint voice.

"Ranma!"

"Shut up." He winced at hearing it, but his voice was soft.

"Ranma!!"

"Shut up!" Ryouga whirled on the direction of the voice. "I'm tired of
RANMA! I'm SICK of it! SICK do you hear me?"

Ryouga felt the flying tackle hit him in the gut. It didn't hurt, and
it refocused him on the matter at hand. The Tormentor! The Bread
Thief! The Arrogant Bastard! The Curser and Liar! The Destroyer of
Lives! The CAUSE of it all! ...Ranma.

Ranma must die.

"Ranma must..." Ryouga adjusted the self-made blade in his hands, and
cupped them together to drive what remained of his belt-sword into the
pig-tailed nemesis' back. "DIE!"

 The sky opened up, just then, and Ryouga saw the land pass Ranma's
feet. They were in the air.

"RANMA!!"

No matter. First things first: Ranma. Die.

"NOOO!!!"

The water engulfed them. The voice was gone, thankfully: that
screeching, pleading voice... crying for HIM of all people.
Unfortunately, while it was now blissfully silent, it was also wet. HE
was wet. Opening his eyes, Ryouga confirmed it. On the other hand,
from where he was, he had an excellent view of Ranma-chan slowly
sinking to the bottom of the lake. A bag of popcorn, a cold cup of
cola, and it would have been perfect. Like the ending to that movie he
had walked in on once...

After all: Ranma must die.

Right?

Ranma the Tormentor. Who ruined what little respect he had garnered in
school over the course of years. Destroyed in the proverbial blink of
an eye. The same Ranma that mocked and taunted and goaded and badgered
and humiliated him on a DAILY BASIS! Ranma the Tormentor MUST DIE!

Right?

Ranma the Bread Thief! Who single handedly denied him food for over a
week. Who single handedly forced him to BEG and SCRAPE for food
outside in the STREETS. Ranma who made a point to intercept and take
ONLY what Ryouga himself had needed... so desperately... Ranma, who no
doubt never knew the feel of real, burning, gnawing hunger. Ranma who
simply took what he wanted, from anyone, so long as he could get away
with it. Ranma the Bread thief MUST DIE!

Right?

Ranma the Arrogant! Ranma the Conceited! Ranma the Center of the
Universe! Ranma with the world handed to him on a silver platter!
Ranma who had everything Ryouga ever dreamed of, and spat at it! Ranma
the Narcissist MUST DIE!

...Right?

And worst of them all. Ranma the Curser and the Liar. Who kicks random
people into cursed pools, and doesn't even realize it - the same Ranma
who, through action or inaction, curses everyone around him! Ranma the
LIAR, who twists and distorts his word and his honor at a whim! Ranma
the Curser... Ranma the Liar... no matter how you phrase it, RANMA
MUST DIE!

Ranma, the womanizer, who... who takes advantage of Akane... and...

No.

"Akane..." Ryouga's pig form shook with the memory. "Akane cares for
him. Maybe even loves him. It was her voice: her voice, calling for
him. Not me. Never... me..."

Diving, Ryouga quickly caught up with Ranma's retreating form.
Snagging his sleeve in a set of jaws few piglets could match; Ryouga-
buta began to do what he could. To his credit, he had managed to stop
the sinking, but lacked the simple physical ability to pull him/her
from the cold water. Worse, he was rapidly running out of air. In
passing, he considered that it was better this way. All the toughness
and training in the world wouldn't keep him from drowning here, by the
body of his rival, at the bottom of some nameless, forgotten lake in
the middle of nowhere. It was... a Hibiki's death.

No.

He denied it, and with his last few ounces of strength, saved his
nemesis... and himself. They... Akane, Shampoo, and Cologne, found the
two of them washed up on the shore a minute later. Shampoo had changed
him back. Cologne had revived Ranma herself, without the need for CPR,
thankfully. And... of course, Akane had found out about the curse.
That last memory was the worst. The most damning and burning of them
all... it haunted him. Mocked him. Taunted him. He could walk a
thousand miles, and never escape from the look of anger and disgust on
her face.

Yes... suffice to say, a lot happened that day.

***

The inescapable Present.

"I try not to think about that day," Ryouga's voice was low. The
natural response to that memory was more reassurance to himself than
for anyone else to hear. Slowly, he lowered his map and looked over
it.

Ranma looked about to say something.

Ryouga's eyes were narrow.

Silence reigned.

After all. What was there to say?

Eyes closed, the lost boy casually folded the map in half, and twice
again, before slipping it under his belt, to his side, just out of
sight. Ranma tensed instantly, and the air seemed to thicken with
anticipation. A millimeter and a second later, Ryouga's mouth curved
into a shallow smile. Yes... It was definitely good to be back.
















    Some Author's Notes.

    The idea for this fic came when I read over the BT fight in the
manga, and realized that it was a more important moment than I had
previously thought. That, and it occurred to me all the times Ryouga
kept thinking to himself, and starting to come to terms with things
(mainly Akane and Ranma) he always claimed to need some time to sort
through his thoughts. Unfortunately, for him anyway, that was always
two seconds before Akane or Ranma walked up behind him and ruined the
moment. So, here I gave him just that - the time and opportunity to
think about his situation and what he wanted to do in life, and a
somewhat sympathetic ear.

    Why Shampoo?

    Why not? She was conspicuously absent in the manga of this story
(and the anime), so you could consider bringing her along the critical
moment. They have enough in common - more, in fact, than most
characters. Both suffer a de-humanizing curse, chase after people who
don't really want them... both are fighters, and both believe in
honor. In those similarities, however, there are differences: Shampoo
takes her curse in stride, while Ryouga loathes his. Shampoo is open
with her feelings; Ryouga is guarded. Ryouga's honor is a personal
code, and Shampoo's is an extension of her village's.

    The Fight.

    Ryouga has always been stronger and possessed of more stamina than
Ranma. The pig-tailed boy has always had a bit more skill and speed.
In the anime, Ryouga never learnt the Amaguriken because of his pig
curse - not because he was too slow. Shampoo sticking around, I
figured, would be enough to pique his pride and force him to learn it.
Similarly, I also made the BT training itself a little... harsher than
in the manga or anime, simply because I felt it fit the mood. The
Fight itself, between Ranma and Ryouga, proceeded accordingly.

Ryouga himself. He's more mature, more experienced, and probably more
detached and deadly than the normal Ryouga. I used the manga Ryouga
here, mainly, because he's more formidable than his anime counterpart,
and I wanted to go with that. The Directional Curse I figured had to
be an actual curse, and not anything biological, in which case there
would have to be two families of directionless people walking
around... and that just didn't fit, IMHO. Agewise, I oppose the
'Simpsons' years of the normal Ranmaverse (ie: two years pass, and
everyone's the same age.)... so Ryouga, Ranma, Akane, etc... are all
18, with Ryouga being a few months older than the other two. Mousse I
always picture as a little older, and may be just turning 19. Kuno and
Nibiki would be the same, and Kasumi would be 21. Tofu would be older
still, probably 30, and Cologne and Happosai would be 302.

......



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