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 V     (v1.3)

by:   J. Wagner



Ryouga gave a small jump back, and out of their way as they dug into
the ground. His hand reached up, and brushed back and forth, procuring
a handful of bandannas. He spun them a bit longer, and jumped again,
letting them fly in three waves of three. Mousse instantly switched to
the defensive. His first attempt, with a wooden spear, was a total
failure, as the bandannas cut through it like cardboard, forcing the
master of hidden weapons to make a costly dodge attempt that drew
first blood. Not missing a beat, the male Amazon switched approaches,
and pulled out two steel maces, using both hands independently to
intercept and deflect the next two small swarms of bladed bandannas.

He landed, and turned, watching Ryouga do the same.

Without a word, they charged each other. Ukyou forced herself to look
away from the fight, and grabbed the hilt of the umbrella lying
against a large tree. Lifting with her legs, she was able to get it
off the ground, but not without a strong effort. She knew she'd gotten
stronger since she saw him last, but the umbrella seemed two or three
times heavier than before. It was just like the first time she'd tried
picking it up, almost a year ago.

Mousse broke from the fight, hand flipped out, and spun. Ryouga moved
in to pursue, but caught the glint of metal hidden behind Mousse's
robes. Jumping up, he tricked Mousse into a preemptive lunge, and
finally saw the weapons - Mandarin Duck Blades. They were smaller than
normal Deerhorn Knives, but still damn deadly in the hands of a
master. Mousse moved more quickly and expertly now, using complex
movements and attacks with the weapons beyond Ryouga's knowledge of
them. It was getting dangerous.

"Alright. That's enough!" Ryouga brought his forearm forward, and in-
between two blades of the knives. With a quick twist, and a trickle of
blood from where the edges caught his skin, Ryouga forced an opening.
His hand found Mousse's wrist, twisted, and in the same instant, the
other Mandarin Duck Knife was wrenched free. Mousse's eyes widened, as
a blazing red and black aura snapped into existence around the lost
boy. Before his opponent could recover, Ryouga's right hand drew back,
just a few inches, and shot forward, palm open, impacting Mousse's
sternum like a pile driver. The Amazon flew back twenty feet, a solid
tree finally meeting his back with a loud crack.

Mousse fell to his feet, breathing heavily. Behind him, the tree
groaned, and fell. Gently, he reached up, felt the area where Ryouga
had hit him, and drew back his hand in a silent grimace of pain.
Meters distant, Ryouga lowered his arm slowly, and frowned. Letting
out a deep breath, Mousse concentrated, and his own battle aura
crackled to life. He jumped again, and arms splayed wide, let fly an
arsenal of weapons, chained and otherwise, coupled with a hailstorm of
the many varieties of throwing knives he had on his person.

Ryouga moved like lightning among the weapons, dodging every one, and
Mousse prepared his most powerful attack. His most powerful, improved,
attack. Feeling his hands on the weapon, and seeing Hibiki in position
and range, the Chinese Amazon let his Ki flow into his weapon, making
it stronger and faster - letting it defy reality itself. With a yell,
he moved to strike.

"Painiyao Chuan REVISED!"

"Eh?" Ryouga saw a flash of white, but felt a dozen blows across his
body, at near Amaguriken speeds. This was impressive, since whatever
had hit him obviously wasn't a fist or foot - a weapon of some kind,
used at blinding speed. Impressive indeed.

"Just not enough." Ryouga opened his eyes, and lunged. He found, in
front of him, what looked to be a training potty in the shape of a
swan. It was already slightly cracked from hitting him so many times,
and when Ryouga's fist met it, the weapon shattered like a broken Ming
vase. However, instead of stopping, or even slowing down, the meaty
fist continued on course, slamming into the side of Mousse's face. The
Amazon went limp, reducing damage from the blow, but lost his glasses.


"Remember this, my Myopic Friend," Ryouga said and pulled back his
hand. With a single movement, he sent a tiny charge of Ki into his
palm as it glanced against Mousse's robes. "Yubisaki Ishimi
Miketsukan!"

In midair, Ryouga reached out and caught the glasses.

Next to him, Mousse hit the ground.

"Agh... what?" Mousse struggled weakly, but his clothes were like a
vice now. They were as tight and immobile as pure lead, and just as
heavy. It was like being wrapped up in a ton of industrial strength
chains. As he tried to break free, he was thankful that his robes
allowed so much room underneath - if he had been wearing tight
clothes, not only would he be immobilized, but also unable to breathe,
especially if he had been caught in the instant he exhaled air.

"What happened to him?" Ukyou walked over, carrying a red umbrella,
even though it was useless now.

"Just one of my little... tricks." Ryouga reached out, and took the
umbrella from her effortlessly. He looked down at Mousse. "He should
be fine, however."

"Gah!" Mousse gave one last attempt to escape before silently
admitting defeat.

"Now." Ryouga knelt down, and smiled a little. "Why were you following
me? I know you attacked me because of Shampoo, and maybe Ranma. But I
don't think you would have followed me just because of that."

"That would be because of me." A familiar, female voice answered from
in the shadows, behind them. Ryouga and Ukyou pivoted, and saw the
source.

"Nabiki." Both gritted their teeth.

"Ooh. Stereo sound." Nabiki walked up, smiling in a most predatory
fashion. "I'm afraid I needed to find you, so I put a little bounty on
your head among a select few people. Mousse was one of them."

"Typical." Ryouga crossed his arms. "How long were you watching?"

"I saw the whole thing." She chuckled. "Very impressive, from what I
could see."

"Which probably wasn't that much," Ukyou added, her voice critical.

"It was enough." The middle Tendo sister reached down, and rapped her
knuckles on Mousse's robe. It was like hitting a solid block of metal,
and its texture was similar, even though it still looked like normal
cloth. "Interesting."

"Alright, Nabiki. Let's strike a little deal." Ryouga sighed. "I need
to find my house. My dog..."

"Had puppies. I know." Nabiki also crossed her arms under her breasts.
"I'll take you there, if you fill me in on your capabilities, and give
me control over when you fight Ranma."

"I fight, when and where I want to fight... but I will tell you what I
know, if you can take me home. I need to be there."

"Deal." Nabiki paused a second. "Where is your house, anyway?"

Ryouga scratched his head. "Well... You may not like that answer."

***

Mousse was sulking.

Granted, this was not something revolutionary. But it bore mentioning,
none-the-less. After his little run in with Hibiki, and soon after the
mercenary Tendo had left, he'd been released. Hibiki had simply knelt
down, touched the fabric of his prison, and with an almost inaudible
murmur, that sounded almost like 'Bakusai Tenketsu,' the fabric,
formerly as heavy and hard as a foot of cast iron, just gave way and
crumpled into flecks of dust and strips of cord. Luckily, Mousse still
had a formidable arsenal of chains and other weapons to ...conceal
himself. Hibiki then put some fresh wood on the nearby campfire, and
resumed talking to Kuonji Ukyou.

Of course, Mousse always had a spare set of clothes hidden...
somewhere.

He wasn't the Master of Hidden Weapons for nothing!

Dressing in his spare, and putting back as many weapons as he could
recover, Mousse paused at the broken 'Fist' of the White Swan. The
memory of a real fist, smashing through the weapon, and getting
inexorably closer, came unbidden. Looking over at the two martial
artists, he saw Ryouga lean back a little, and scratch the back of his
head while Kuonji laughed softly. Mousse's glasses slipped down his
nose a bit, and he reached up, pushing them stubbornly back into
position. When they'd fought, Mousse had barely even come close to
touching Hibiki, much less doing any real harm. He'd heard of the
resilience and toughness that followed the Bakusai Tenketsu training,
and he'd seen the three women of the village who had gone through it
fight. Needless to say, Mousse knew even one blow from the Revised
Fist should have at least winded them some, maybe even stunned them
for a second or two.

How was it possible that Hibiki had simply ...ignored the blows?

What kind of a monster was he?

Mousse cursed silently, and turned to leave. Then, abruptly, he looked
over his shoulder at the two. Not just martial artists, but friends.
Between chasing Shampoo, and picking up what he could to impress her,
martial arts-wise, to convince her he was as strong as any Outsider
male, he'd never had time or an opportunity for friends. The life of a
male Amazon was nothing particularly interesting, which only served to
widen the divide between himself and his Amazon brothers. They were,
as a group, far to demure and skittish to be around for extended
periods of time. His year-brothers, he had been ...almost close to,
when he was young, and they'd all practiced cooking and cleaning and
the male 'Arts.' But as the years went by, he found that he just
couldn't stand their incessant chatting, their physical weakness...
and worst, their veiled contempt and jealousy. All because Mu Tzu
could fight, and wanted to fight, and pursued a woman instead of the
other way around. For Mousse, the word 'Tomboy' bit especially deeply.

Maybe... this was a chance.

Walking slowly to the camp, he couldn't help but see Hibiki's eyes
follow him, searching for any sign of attack. And yet, as the same
time, there wasn't any true hostility or pity in his eyes, only
curiosity, and a little sadness. The former, Mousse could understand,
but the latter? What did Hibiki, who could fight, who had friends, who
was free of obligations, have to be sad about?

"Hey," he said, unsure, and noted that Ukyou still seemed a little
tense around him, while Ryouga seemed essentially indifferent. A weak
smile from her pushed Mousse forward, the ever-present fear of
derision and mocking diminishing. "Good fight."

"It was," Ryouga answered, "You even tagged me a couple times."

"You were holding back."

"I don't fight to hurt people." Ryouga motioned to his side, in
between himself and Ukyou, who sat opposite him. "Except Saotome, of
course. You wanna sit?"

"Thanks." He sat. The ground was soft, but not moist, which was good.
Moisture still made him uncomfortable, damn Jyusenkyo to hell.

An uncomfortable silence followed.

"Hey," Ukyou finally said something. It had just occurred to her.
"Where did you get your clothes? You were in your birthday suit when
Ryouga broke you out."

Mouse arched an eyebrow. "Secret of the trade."

"You know, I've seen this guy transform in and out of his curse."
Ukyou saw Mousse twitch, and realized she'd made a mistake. "Oh!
I'm..."

"No." Mousse shrugged. "It's ok. Really. The curse is as much a part
of me as my thrice damned vision."

"And my kami damned sense of direction." Ryouga squeezed his eyes
shut.

Depression reigned.

"Anyway." Ukoyu hated to see Ryouga sulk like that. And it didn't make
her all to happy to see Mousse like that either, even if she barely
knew him. "I saw Shampoo splash him with water, at the Nekohanten,
where this poor guy works..."

"Unfortunately I didn't see it coming." Mousse added.

"Of course you didn't see it coming! Anyway, and he transforms, ok?"
Ukyou continued, after hitting Mousse on the shoulder and getting him
to clam up. "Nothing surprising there. But when he gets turned back, a
kettle of hot water later, he's got his clothes on!"

Ryouga perked up at that. "That's like Old Man Saotome! He transforms
back fully clothed, too! How?"

"Hmm." Mousse considered that. He'd seen Genma, at the Tendos and at
Doctor Tofu's, in both his panda guise and as a human being (such that
he was), but he'd never seen him transform. "He must know a great deal
about concealment then. It took me a while to figure it out myself...
and even now, it's difficult to explain. It does make the curse a
little more tolerable, though. The last thing I need is a bunch of
women leering at me."

"Leering at you?" Ukyou scoffed. "Awfully full of yourself, aren't
ya?"

Mousse paused before answering that. "I'm an Amazon, remember. Women
are all hentai perverts, anyway. ...Always trying to cop a feel.
Especially Shampoo. Much as I love her, she never passes up the chance
to feel up a guy she..."

"So... but she..." Ryouga's eyes went wide. "That was no accident,
then!"

And promptly passed out.

Ukyou seemed stunned, and then shook Mousse's hand. "Congratulations.
You knocked him out, sugar."

***

GLOMP

"Nihao!"

"Uh... hi, Shan. Mind, er, letting go here?"

"Sure!" Shampoo backed off, after giving him one last squeeze. Looking
him over, again, she smiled - he seemed in good condition. Then again,
considering he'd been doing this most of his life, it wasn't really
that much of a surprise that nothing major seemed to have happened to
him. He was a good friend, like Mousse almost was, and without the
obsession... on her, specifically, anyway.

"You look good, Shampoo. Your birthday's... when?"

"The twentieth of April, 6:12 AM." Mousse interrupted, his voice laced
with tension. He'd led Ryouga from Ukyou's, where he had stayed for
the night after they left the park together. It had been more than
enough time for Mousse to be filled in on the Lost Boy's stance with
his Shampoo. They were friends, and considering how few friends
Shampoo had here in Japan, it was put forward that this was a healthy
thing. For both of them, truthfully, because Ryouga didn't really have
anyone outside Nerima, and a scant few other haunts. At least Mousse
and Shampoo always knew they had a home, though it was far away, for
them to visit. Ryouga's house was, supposedly, nearby, but given his
direction, it might as well be somewhere in Outer Mongolia.

None of this, however, made seeing Shampoo glomp onto him easier and,
in traditional hentai Amazon fashion, give him a few subtle squeezes.
Mousse had been in a similar position often enough, at home, though
never with Shampoo - and never with anyone he particularly respected
or felt even close to liking in that way. It was frustrating; no one
understood, and he'd long ceased really trying to explain the nuances
of Joketsuzoku behavior and society. Hell, the word 'Amazon' tended to
make people here either nervous or dreamy-eyed. Subsequently, Mousse
settled for gnashing his teeth in relative silence while Shampoo
fussed over Ryouga, looking for physical differences.

As if half a year would have that much effect on a person's body.

"Is obassan in?"

"Right here, boy." Cologne came out from behind him, causing Ryouga to
almost jump out of his skin. Almost.

"Hey, granny." He recovered from the surprise smoothly, and nearly
without missing a beat. "Could I get a Dim Sum? Ooooh, and some Ramen!
With meat - lots of meat!"

"That's the greeting I get?" Cologne smiled. ...Almost.

"You know me. I'm always more forthcoming on a full stomach." He took
a seat, and brushed off Shampoo after she undid one of his bandannas.
"Hey! I don't have an unlimited supply of those, you know."

"How many you have then?" She twirled it, but it didn't seem to do
anything unusual.

"A little over a hundred. I lost count a while ago."

Shampoo blinked. A hundred?

"Here ya go, sonny boy." Cologne presented the ramen with her usual
lightning (literally) speed. "Mousse!! Get back to work and sweep the
front of the store!"

Mousse snarled like a rabid animal, but went back to his little
chores. Ryouga nodded in thanks for the food, and dug in, though at a
level just below a typical Ranma-stuff-you-face-like-its-going-out-of-
style binge. "So...? How goes the Husband Hunt?"

Cologne seemed about to say something, when Shampoo interrupted.
"Going good! Very good!"

Ryouga seemed a little encouraged by such a vigorous response. "Good.
As long as you don't kidnap anyone... or use any Jyusenkyou water..."

Mousse flinched, before leaving the restaurant broom in hand.

"...Then it shouldn't be a problem," Ryouga finished and went back to
the food. Truthfully, he did have some doubts as to whether
encouraging the Amazons was a good idea. Ranma obviously had some
interest in Akane, and that feeling was reciprocal, if repressed and
hidden behind harsh words and anger, respectively. Still, Shampoo was
a good girl, and a good catch, and she seemed to take the obligation
to 'love' Saotome very seriously. He couldn't just tell her that she
didn't have a chance, especially when he suspected she did. Ranma
never seemed one to rate family honor that high (look at his role
model of a father), and though Kodachi was a dead end with a pit of
spikes at the end, Shampoo did have a genuine chance to win that rat
bastard's heart, if she tried.

And, of course, he also knew that Ukyou was 'engaged' to Ranma as
well. Though he also knew Saotome was oblivious to this - as well he
should be. Knowing him, he'd flatter her and sweet talk until she was
convinced not to fight him, and it would only make things worse.
Oddly, he found he couldn't even picture Ukyou as trying to be Ranma's
fiancee after all she'd said, and said she'd did. Still, anything was
possible.

Lost in his thoughts, as always, Ryouga realized he'd been operating
on automatic. Nodding and make the occasional reply independent of
what he was really concentrating on. It was a useful habit to have,
sometimes, but it was a lot of trouble in others. Cologne was talking
about some business at the village, and wondering if he'd gotten close
(like he wouldn't have noticed). Apparently, Shampoo was planning on
taking a trip back home for a few weeks, something about that
'Happosai' person that Mr. Tendo had mentioned before. Then, one word
caught his immediate attention.

"Jyusenkyou..."

"Soap," Shampoo repeated, "Jyusenkyou soap. Could be cure to cat
curse."

"Shampoo, you should know better than to order from them by now."
Cologne sighed, and got out Ryouga's Dim Sum. "It's always one thing
or another."

"But great grandmother, is waterproof soap! What could be wrong with
waterproof soap? So simple!"

"A cure." Ryouga's voice bordered on being a whisper. "A cure....
Shampoo... I must have it."

"Shampoo only order one box of soap. Is too, too expensive." She
looked away from the obvious disappointment and crushing depression on
his face.

"I see." He cupped his hands, and looked up at the ceiling. "If it
works, though... if it works. I'd kill for a cure."

The calm tone in his voice left little doubt that he hadn't been
exaggerating. Or, that if he was, he was close enough to meaning it
that the line became blurred. Shampoo became a little nervous, just
then - she'd been ready to kill Ranma-chan, back when she thought she
was just a food-thieving girl with a nasty sucker-punch/kick, but
she's always approached it with a measure of passion. Letting the heat
of the moment simply cloud any other inhibitions she had, of which
there weren't that many to begin with.

Ryouga, though, said it like he was saying something so obvious that
even a child would know it. That, and the simple fact that she'd never
really been around a male who could, at any time, physically overwhelm
her, as she knew Ryouga could without even trying, unnerved her. For
the best warrior of her generation, just being around a male (of all
things) powerful enough to smash through her defenses like paper was a
humbling and slightly disturbing experience.

"A cure for this... freakish body." He clenched his fist, and screwed
his eyes shut. Cologne seemed content to watch, dispassionately, but
Shampoo wasn't as cold - could never be as cold as he ancient mentor.

"Shampoo like you the way you are," she whispered, and but if Ryouga
heard it, he didn't give any indication.

***
Tendo Dojo.

"How much?"

"Two thousand yen for the first week, one thousand for every three
days after that." Nabiki grinned, imperiously. Her posture, and her
voice, made her seem the type who didn't suffer fools kindly, but
preferred to make fools suffer. She was in obvious control of the
situation.

"Damn it... fine. You've got a deal. I just need a few more days, then
I'll be ready to take him down." Ranma stopped in his pacing and
looked at her closely.

"Of course." She confirmed what he wanted to hear, though the tone
irritated him.

"A week, maybe a little more. You give me that week, and I'll
guarantee the victory you want."

"Good. Very good." The middle Tendo daughter made as to leave. "Are
you sure you don't want...?"

"I'll find out on my own. I think you've ...helped me enough as it
is." Ranma's voice was level and calm, practiced and controlled. For
once.

"I'm always there in case you change your mind." Nabiki gave him a
little salute with two fingers, and left the dojo. As she walked back
to her room, she couldn't help but privately laugh a little.
Everything was going smoothly. Manipulating Ranma was easy, and
keeping tabs on Ryouga, while difficult at times, was well within her
means. The stakes in this fight were higher than they'd ever been, for
all three of them. She had an opportunity to ...move events back and
forth, and maximize profit, if she was careful and shrewd enough.

First and foremost, was finding Ryouga's house, however.

She needed his trust and his ear to make as much from the situation as
she could. The problem was several-fold, however. Ryouga had made it
abundantly clear that the time of the fight would be dictated by
himself alone, and worse, she had no real leverage against him, and
very little concrete information on him at all. But, luckily, Ranma
didn't know that Nabiki actually had very little say, so far, as to
when the challenge would be issued and when the fight would take
place. For the crafty, Nabiki knew, the image of control was often
enough to accomplish one's goals. And the fun wasn't just in the
profit, but in the challenge. And balancing the two fighters to her
advantage would indeed be a profitable and entertaining challenge.

 She heard Akane 'sneaking' up on her well in advance, however, and
set her mind on other things. Turning, she gave a small, innocent
smile, and cocked an eyebrow. "Yes?"

"Oh!" Akane looked away, embarrassed that her stealth left more than a
little to be desired. "Well... I was wondering..."

"Go on."

"I wanted to meet him. I want to talk to him."

"You mean our friendly neighborhood lost boy? About that pet pig
thing, I assume?" Nabiki knew she'd ask something similar soon, but
not this soon. Last time the thought of facing Akane had reared its
head Ryouga had bolted like a rabbit on an airport runway. She
couldn't afford a similar occurrence, just yet, given her position.

"Yeah. That. And some other things."

Nabiki quickly decided to deter her. It'd be easier without Akane
running around as a random factor. "Isn't he a pervert? If you just
want to hit him, you can get in line behind Ranma."

"I don't want to hit him! Geez, what makes you even think that?"

That came as a small surprise. Nabiki, however, recovered instantly.
"Didn't he sleep with you? And I've seen you snuggling up to that
little black porker."

"He never looked at me." Akane smirked - it was something Nabiki
rarely saw. "He didn't take suggestive pictures of me without asking
either."

"Touche."

"I just feel kind of sorry for him. Last time I saw him... I did hit
him; I thought he was a pervert... Look, I just want to talk to him."

Akane's sister sighed. "Akane, do you remember when daddy told you
that Ryouga had left before you woke up?"

Akane nodded.

"He lied. Ryouga ran when he heard your footsteps," Nabiki spoke
slightly more slowly, to make sure the point was driven home. "He's
scared of you. Now, if you'll excuse me..."

"Nabiki." Akane reached out, and took her sister by the shoulder.
"Please."

Nabiki struggled with her more reasonable side - it was a fight she
normally avoided altogether, and simply let the emotions vent
elsewhere, but Akane's words - and that one damn word: 'please' cut
deeply. Against her better judgment, against her own personal
interests, she acquiesced. "...Fine."

"Great." Akane's voice betrayed her. She had known her sister would
give in then; it was a weakness both she and Kasumi had known of for
some time, and occasionally used to their advantage. Watching her
younger sister go, Nabiki cursed her own inability to outright refuse
her family when they needed her help. It was always so much easier
when their backs were turned... when work could be done without
risking confrontation, censure, or observation. Behind the scenes,
Nabiki was the master of the house. Face to face, she was the omega -
lacking the maternal influence of Kasumi, the youth and passion of
Akane, and the traditional authority of her father.

"Feh." She dismissed the thoughts, and closed her room's door behind
her. Walking up to the desk, she cleared a few stray papers,
schoolwork, from her sight and off to the side, leaving a single piece
of paper. It was a map only in the most generously liberal, bordering
on socialist, meaning of the word, depicting a mountain labeled as
Fuji-san, a mailbox, the vague location of a school, and some water.
It was, needless to say, pretty much useless. If Ryouga had demarcated
his house with rough degrees of Latitude and Longitude it would've
been more descriptive.

Not for the first time, she wondered how one person, beyond being
totally brain-dead, could get themselves lost so easily?

"Damn it all. Saotome... I will find you... someday." Those were the
words he had snarled loud enough to scare away small animals when
she'd first seen him, in the park, back before he'd managed to find
Furinkan High. She was alone, as usual, reading a book and enjoying a
few moments of peace and quiet between the violent madness that her
house had recently become, and the violent madness that her school had
been like since Akane showed up and Kuno became obsessed with her. It
was fun, sometimes, for about a week, but the constant fighting
between fiancees had rapidly grown old, and even annoying, more often
than entertaining. At school, watching Kuno get the crap kicked out of
him on a tri hourly basis was also grating on her nerves. Kuno, and
the Kuno clan, had always been eccentric, but things hadn't been this
bad for years.

In Akane's own words, 'it must be Ranma's fault.'

In fact, it was his fault - but it was also hers, and Akane's and a
half dozen other people's who simply watched and did nothing, and let
the situation deteriorate. Apathetic teachers and a poor school
environment that even encouraged violence and erratic behavior, even
with the old Principal gone, wasn't conducive to any form of anything
approaching normalcy. So, she had been away from Nerima, in a quiet
park, when Nerima had found her.

"Saotome?" She didn't even say it that loudly, and more by surprise
than by design.

"Huh?" The boy turned around, and noticed her, as if from a daze. His
eyes were intense and piercing; his gaze like that of a drowning man
only now finding a piece of driftwood to keep himself afloat. He was a
total stranger, a ragged looking and desperate total stranger, and she
couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed. She wasn't nearly as
sexually oblivious as her older sister, or as Hominophobically
repressed as her younger sister, but to say that a great many boys
paid much attention to her would be more than a little generous - she
was well aware that Akane was the local heartthrob, while she was the
intimidating Ice Queen of Furinkan High. This boy's attention was
unsettling.

"Excuse me, Miss, but do you know him? Do you know Saotome Ranma?" he
walked up closer, and she made out an embarrassed blush. Was he shy or
something?

It was a moment of weakness on his part, and was all the crack in the
armor of the situation that Tendo Nabiki needed to gain the advantage.
"Maybe. Maybe not. Who wants to know?"

She idly rapped her knuckles on the desk, and stared at the map,
dismissing the clear memory of the meeting. Not for the first time,
she wondered why she had given him that map and the directions to
Furinkan High. There was the money, of course, but that was aside from
the actual motivation. For a while, she had simply told herself that
he was a useful tool. Ranma was cocky - damn cocky, and full of
himself. It had rubbed her the wrong way the day he'd arrived, and
continued to do so ever since. A healthy portion of the reason behind
his poor treatment of everyone in the house, herself included, was
that selfsame overconfidence. She'd always wanted to shatter it, and
had endeavored to do so herself, but Ranma only considered loss in
Martial Arts any sort of priority. Outsmarting him, or anything
similar, had no effect. Ryouga fitted in nicely in taming the wild
horse a little, especially once he had demonstrated his strength by
effortlessly demolishing a brick wall. If anyone stood a chance of
beating Ranma, and taking him down a few pegs for her, even
indirectly, it was him.

And yet...

"Nah." Nabiki folded up the map and pocketed it. She had her
associates combing the area and asking for the Hibiki residence - it
wasn't listed in the phone book, but clerical records had narrowed
down the search area significantly. She'd have him where she wanted
him by tomorrow, after school, and after that, she'd have the fight
under her thumb. It was as easy at that.

As simple as that.

***

The subtle shift of balance, and inch to the left, was noted. Ryouga's
eyes darted to the left, and watched the handling of the weapons,
looking for any commitment in direction or focus. They two fighters
came in low and fast, but to him, it was like watching a video at half
speed. A casual back flip brought him the room he needed before they
passed below him, attacks missing by a safe margin. In midair, he
watched them recover and followed their eyes and head movements as
they looked for him.

Shampoo was the first.

She had always been sharp, that one.

Of the two, Shampoo had both the most training, and the most fighting
experience, and a healthy dose of raw power, which made up for her
somewhat inferior speed. She'd obviously been practicing, he noted, as
she charged his landing spot, forcing him to twist and avoid her blows
before his feet even touched the ground. Leaning back, he caught Ukyou
moving in from the side, and cranked up his speed a notch when his
ears picked up the almost inaudible sound of metal cutting through
air. For a second, his arms blurred, appearing almost like swirling
storm, as the three attackers moved in, their respective weapons
moving to strike any and all opportunities.

He observed them as he moved, bordering on invisibility at the speeds
he had to use to keep from being tagged.

Ukyou was controlled rage. A determined glint in her eyes, like
chipped flint, caught him as she made a shirt, swift, economical
lunge. Her hair was tied up behind her in a ponytail to keep from
getting in the way - unlike Shampoo, she was unused to fighting full
out with her hair long. Her bladed spatula missed him by millimeters,
which was more than enough in his estimation. A miss by a mile was, in
the end, the same as a miss by a millimeter. Of the two girls... of
the two young women, Ukyou had, perhaps, the most untapped potential.
She had trained alone, very much like Ryouga himself had, and she was
eager to improve and focus herself on things. If she approached
fighting with the same devotion she gave to Okyonomiaki, she'd be as
good as Ranma and himself, almost certainly.

Mousse passed overhead, raining down blades and nets, as Shampoo and
Ukyou started to move away.

"Oh? Thought they pinned me down, did they?" Ryouga thought, as the
nets and blades descended, the trap both obvious and clever. Ryouga
smiled, and crossing his arms, leaped up and right into the
overlapping nets. Tucking his legs in, he let himself get tangled up
as his momentum carried him up and away. Keeping track of his course,
and his inertia, he angled himself to bounce off the nearby wall of an
old building, pushing off with the tips of his toes, spinning like a
top, and finally landing on his feet, still mostly tucked in like a
ball and covered by the nets. Through the crisscross wire, he saw
Ukyou and Shampoo moving forward at a brisk pace.

A snarl left Ryouga lips as his muscles truly flexed for the first
time. The wire bit into his skin, but he barely felt it. Razor wire
would have been a problem, but even then it would only have been a
little blood lost, and the wounds would have healed quickly. Letting
out a snort of air, Ryouga allowed himself a small laugh, and tore
through the wire like it was made of soft noodles. He saw the surprise
on Ukyou's face, as she slowed slightly, and switched to Shampoo, who
was still charging.

Mistake.

"Flour Bomb!"

"Kuso!" Ryouga moved to the side, as Ukyou Kuonji blanketed the area
in smoke. She'd obviously improved the weapons - they exploded in the
air, now, letting out the smoke screen more efficiently and over a
wider area. The Lost Boy's eyes narrowed, searching the smoke, as he
held his breath. She descended from above, like an avenging angel, her
weapon's glare against the sun giving her away. He thought about
catching the weapon, but instead rolled to the side, disappearing in
the dust and smoke.

"Nice try, Ukyou!" He moved quickly, letting his voice mislead her.
"You almost had me. You were so close."

"There!" She struck, but hit nothing.

"It must be all this smoke. Let me take care of it!" Ryouga jumped
back from behind her, and concentrated his Ki. "Kachuu Tenshi
Amaguriken!"

The wind from the open palmed blows almost instantly scattered the
smoke screen to the four winds, and Ryouga quickly broke it off as the
three martial artists turned their attention to him. They moved in
like a team - not a well-oiled team, but one well enough. A bonbori
blow from Shampoo came close, missing his chest by the slimmest of
margins, as Mousse appeared to the side, wielding a large polearm with
a heavy metal cap on the blunt end. Ukyou quickly joined them as the
trio got back a third or fourth wind. They had been attacking him, to
help them practice as much as himself, all morning. After waking up,
and getting lost, in Ukyou's restaurant, he'd been surprised to find
his three friends, two old and one new, eager to get some training in.
Ukyou had even skipped school for it - though naturally she had to
take care of the breakfast crowd before anything else could even be
considered. It was well past noon now - time to end it.

Without warning, he seamlessly switched from defensive to offensive.
With a single hand motion, he had the handle of Ukyou's spatula in his
hands, and used it to directly counter Shampoo's bonbori, both of
which were sent flying from a twist of the larger weapon. Shampoo
spun, her sword in hand, trying to get some distance now that his
tactics had changed. Ryouga noted it, and shifted his stance, using
the back of his left foot to trip up the cute Okyonomiaki chef,
sending her flailing to the ground indignantly, her weapon lost.
Ryouga spun the somewhat unwieldy megaspatula, deflecting a trio of
thrown stars, before planning the weapon firmly into the ground and
using it as leverage to improve his reach and kick deep through
Mousse's defenses, sending him flying. Shampoo was next, and last, as
Ryouga tapped aside her blade in midstrike, pivoted on his heel like a
ballet dancer, or, to be more exact: a Martial arts Gymnast. He had
Shampoo in an arm lock in a heartbeat.

"Game over," he stated, simply, and let her go. Turning around, he saw
Mousse getting to his feet a little unsteadily. "Mousse, you all
right? I accidentally hit a little higher than I wanted."

"Yeah." He held up his hand, but groaned a bit. With the fight over,
and things cooled down, the four warriors went over their moves and
motivations from before, each in turn. For each, Ryouga explained why
he did what he did, so that next time they'd be able to improve or
come up with new ideas more easily. He explained, much to Shampoo's
unconcealed distaste, that he considered Mousse the most dangerous of
them, based on his wider repertoire of moves, weapons, superior reach
and endurance. Ryouga was careful not to suggest that Mousse was
better than Shampoo, only that he was considered more dangerous in
many ways, none of which correlated to faults in the young female
Amazon, who more than once interjected that Black Arts 'Trickery'
wasn't really Martial Arts, regardless.

He went to Shampoo next, complimenting and critiquing her style, which
was highly grounded in offensive attacks, like his own, and her
weapons handling. Of the three, she was the strongest and most
aggressive, but she also left herself open too often. He saved Ukyou
for last, and continued talking to her while the two Joketsuzoku made
they way back to the Nekohanten - they'd both be pulling late shifts
tonight to compensate for missing work in the morning.

Of them, Ryouga considered Ukyou his best friend. He had known her
longer, and spent more time around her. He knew her better than
Shampoo, and much better than Mousse, and of the three, in his heart,
he knew he had the most fun fighting against her. While a girl,
precluding physically striking her any more than a tap, she had an
excellent balance of strength and endurance, and a good measure of
speed - a necessity when one's foe is Saotome Ranma. Better still, she
was unpredictable, possessing a variety of moves, much like Mousse,
coupled with a healthy dose of rage and aggression; the perfect
motivator. Her ability to improvise was also there, though
underdeveloped.

One thing he wasn't sure of however, was how she'd been able to hide
her femininity for so long. Hell, he hadn't even found her out on his
own, even after weeks of traveling and training together. He
remembered how he'd found out the truth all too vividly.

"Aaah..." Ryouga sighed, relaxing into the hot spring. How fortuitous
had it been that they'd stumbled across gift from the gods? Right when
Ukyou was getting frustrated with him getting them hopelessly and
endlessly lost, too. Looking over his shoulder, he caught sight of a
sign - Something about a Martial Artist's Therapeutic ...something?

"Whatever," he mumbled. Probably a tourist trap. The place was sort of
run down. Speaking up, he called for Ukyou. "Hey, man! You coming or
what?"

"Hold on!"

Ryouga wrung his hands together, enjoying the warmth, and the wetness
that was minus the hellish pig curse he'd been inflicted with. He'd
managed to keep that under wraps for a few days, at least until a
sudden downpour got him right in front of his companion. They'd had a
good laugh about it in the end, though, and laughing with someone was
defiantly and infinitely superior to being laughed at, Ryouga knew
firsthand.

Still, he sensed Ukyou was holding something back - a weakness of his
own, perhaps, Ryouga didn't know and didn't pry, but there seemed to
be something the boy felt obliged to share with him: something of some
importance. And why had he insisted that they wear bathing suits to a
hot spring? This wasn't like they were at the beach... then again it
was really just a small matter. He must be shy, and Ryouga's swim
trunks hadn't seen use in what seemed like forever. As it was, they
were more than a little tight and uncomfortable.

"Ok," Ukyou's voice seemed... off. "Here I come."

"All right." Ryouga rolled his tongue right before she stepped into
view and it fell out altogether. His hand moved at Amaguriken speeds,
catching his nose and saving him from a dual stroke-fatal nosebleed.
"Gr... Gr... Girl!"

"Surprise?" She smiled and shrugged. In her one-piece bodysuit, the
movement did little to help the situation. The last thing Ryouga saw
was some guy jumping out of the water, yelling something, and getting
a face-to-face introduction to Megaspatula-sama.

Ryouga shook his head, and laughed nervously. What an odd thing to
remember. After Ukyou was sure he wasn't lost in the bathroom (he
wasn't that bad, he kept telling her), she handed him some new clothes
and closed the door behind her. Looking at what he'd been handed for
the first time, as a change of clothes, he quirked an eyebrow at the
selection - a black, regular looking, shirt and jeans. It was rather
uninspired. Then again, compared to wearing the same combination of
clothes for weeks on end, even if they were treated with Ki making
them almost maintenance free, wasn't exactly inspired decision making
either. The change didn't particularly thrill him. He was used to his
loose, familiar clothing. The jeans would be all right, as long as he
didn't try and thing too outlandish, but the shirt seemed thin and
light and impractical. His regular clothes were wonderfully heavy,
thanks to his Ki infusions, but these... threads seemed to have the
weight and consistence of papier-mache.

Taking off his tunic and pants, and folding them away, he took a brisk
shower, keeping the water at a temperature that probably would have
scalded a normal man. He wasn't really in the mood for a soak just
now, and decided to forego the furo. It'd been about a week, to the
day, since he'd arrived in Nerima from his travels, and two things
dominated his thoughts, one old, one new. We wanted to see Shirokuro
badly. He wanted to know that she was all right, wanted to see her
puppies... wanted to just be home, to make sure everything was as it
should be. Maybe, just maybe, one of his parents would even be home,
as unlikely as that really was.

The other thought was Ranma - his foul nemesis was, no doubt, even now
training to the point of exhaustion to catch up to him in skill and
power. Not that he was concerned, Ryouga was more curious as to how
well Saotome's training was progressing. He had his father, and his
school's tricks, neither of which were to be underestimated.
Consequently, he'd felt inclined to encourage Mousse and Ukyou to try
challenging him in tandem. The two of them would be an entertaining
and effective gauge as to Ranma's level of advancement, especially
after a few more training sessions. Ukyou's safety in such a plan did
present a problem, but Ryouga was sure it wouldn't come to that. Ukyou
was no fool: she'd bail out of things turned badly, and if worse came
to worse, Mousse would be there, too. Besides, what was done was done.

Wringing out his hair, and stepping out of the shower onto the tiled
floor, he quickly felt the tingling sensation of the rapidly cooling
water on his skin. The curse, like a demon inside his body, was slowly
starting to emerge, threatening to tear the humanity from him. A flare
of anger and depression provided more than enough catalyst to spark a
fraction of his battle aura, warming the water on his skin. It was a
trick he eventually hoped to use to completely dry himself, but it was
far from perfect. By nature, battle aura wasn't hot near the skin, and
it had to be forced, mentally, to turn in on itself. He'd burned
himself more than once, despite his high pain tolerance and resistance
to heat, when practicing. This time, he settled for simply heating up
the droplets, and quickly toweling himself off.

Putting the new clothes on, he called down, letting Ukyou know he was
done, and found his way down to the restaurant after a few missteps
that led him into a closet and back into the bathroom, respectively.
Downstairs, he manned the grill while Ukyou washed up. She was far his
superior in this battleground, but he could hold his own well enough,
considering he was only a temporary substitute. It was more important
that someone was simply there than they actually do any large measure
of cooking.

"Nabiki!" He snapped to attention when the middle Tendo daughter
walked in with two of her friends. He recognized them from before, but
didn't actually know them. Still, if Nabiki was here, that meant only
one thing.

"I'll have a Shrimp."

Ryouga's left eye twitched.

"Mushroom," said the girl to her left.

"Vegetarian," said the one to her right.

Two more twitches.

    "W...What about...?" He started, but Nabiki cut him off.

    "Food first, Ryouga-kun."

    He grumbled, but did as she asked. Getting the ingredients
together, he watched them head to one of the booths. Of everyone in
Nerima, only Tendo Nabiki made him nervous. Akane downright frightened
him... and other things. But with Nabiki, he felt inadequate and
insecure: more so than normal, anyway. She was damn near impossible to
read properly, and she guarded her words zealously. Getting the
ingredients together quickly, though more slowly and with less finesse
than Ukyou, he prepared the three meals and waited for them to cook.
Standing there, he caught a glance from one of the girls, long hair,
brown, sort of like Ukyou's, looking at him. He concentrated on them,
trying a little eavesdropping, but couldn't pick up anything to note -
just giggling. It was a noise he was familiar with. Girls had been
laughing at him since he was five, maybe younger.

    "Let them laugh at me," he reminded himself. "I don't care. I
don't care at all."

    The phrase calmed him, and he flipped the okyonomiaki. They went
back to talking to each other, and Ryouga made a point of ignoring
them altogether. So long as Nabiki could take him home, he couldn't
care less what she schemed, or thought, or did, or said to others. He
turned, instead, to the cooking, cleaning up the sides, making sure
the shape was close to perfect, and taking out three plates. Ukyou had
taught him a little more than the basics to cooking her favorite food,
and her livelihood, when they had walked about together, before he
decided he needed some time to himself, and that Ukyou was good enough
to go after Saotome herself. He'd headed off with nowhere in mind the
day after, in the morning, and ended up in Korea two days later.

    In a smooth motion, he flipped the three okyonomiakis onto three
different plates, held in the same hand. Heading over, he stopped
himself, re-corrected his course via Line of Sight, and walked over.
"One vegetarian, one mushroom, and one shrimp."

    "You can put all three on my tab," Nabiki said, straight faced.

    "Is that so?" Ryouga spared a quick look at the two other girls,
obviously not as well versed in concealing their emotions, and cracked
a half-smile. "Nice try, Nabiki. You almost had me believing you for a
second there."

    "A girl can only try." She smiled back.

    "Enjoy the food." His face melted back into a near frown, its
apparent default, before walking back to the grill.

    "He could stand to be a little friendlier," The longhaired girl
said and watched him go.

    "Hmm... but at least he can cook," The other spoke up and
contently chewed on a piece of her vegetarian okyonomiaki. "Not hard
on the eyes, either. He almost looks like Ranma, to tell the truth.
Just a little rougher around the edges."

    Nabiki said nothing, covering her silence by taking a few
tentative bits out of her food. It wasn't nearly up to Kasumi
standards, or Ukyou standards, but it was still good. That wasn't her
concern, however. She chatted idly with her associates while chipping
away at her meal. After a few minutes, Ukyou came down from the
backroom, her hair still looking a little wet. Ryouga leaned over,
exchanged a few words, and let her take the grill. The door chimed
quietly as a couple entered, took a seat, and ordered. Nabiki checked
her watch, just as the door opened again.

    "Akane-san!" Ryouga took a few steps back, before hitting the
wall. "What are...?"

    Akane waved, put on a friendly front, and slowly walked up to him.
"Nabiki and I are taking you home."

    "You... are?" He relaxed a fraction of a motor unit. "You aren't
still... You don't...?"

    "It's just nice to see you again, Ryouga-kun. It's alright,
really."

    "But I... it's not really all right, Akane-san." He looked away
and spoke so softly even Akane barely heard him. "What I did."

    "Come on." Nabiki got up, and moved next to the two. "Time to go."

    "Wait a second." He looked at the table. "What about paying for
the food?"

    "I told you. I have a tab here." She couldn't help but grin at the
surprised, and unprepared look on his face when he saw Ukyou nod in
confirmation.

    "And my tip?" He held out his hand.

    "I'm not paying anything. 10% of nothing is...?"

    "Nothing. Wonderful." He sighed. She only tipped 10%? Geez. "Let's
go."



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