[Ranma/TM][FanFic] Ryoko Saotome, parts 1-3

[Luke Thrythlind Green]

Part 1: Mawwidge, that Bwessed Awwangement

Ryoko looked about the leaf-covered courtyard and
hovered. She sat there looking about wistfully before
landing, and letting gravity take hold again. Almost
immediately she dropped to her knees, clutching her
side. Ryo-Ohki jumped down from her shoulder and
looked up at her in concern.
Most of the minor injuries had faded to nothing
already, but Ryoko hadn't given the hole in her side a
chance to heal. She had even aggravated it to
life-threatening levels in the battle. She would
already be dead if Ryo-Ohki hadn't gotten her to a doc
after she passed out.
"Miao?"
"Don't worry about it Ryo-Ohki," Ryoko growled.
"Ryoko!? Are you okay?" Ryoko whirled toward the
voice before she realized it was just her imagination
again. Then she slumped.
"No, he's dead," Ryoko said quietly. "And I
brought him to it."
"Miao, MIAO!" She stared down at the lecturing
cabbit, and then looked at her hand. There was blood
there, but not much. She stood up a little
unsteadily.
"I'll be fine!" She snapped. "I don't need a
doctor, especially not on THIS world." She had no
qualms about letting herself die, not with Tenchi
gone, but she had no intention of becoming a lab
experiment either.
"Miao?" The cabbit sounded desperate.
"I have an idea for that," Ryoko said. "Can you
hack some records to make me the owner of the land,
shrine and house?"
"Miao," Ryo-Ohki was nervous about this, Ryoko
sounded suspiciously like she was tying up loose ends.
"Miao?"
"You know as well as I do!" Ryoko snapped.
"Miao?"
"I don't TRUST anybody else," Ryoko snapped. "How
do I know his family wouldn't just sell it to some
developer."
"Miao?"
"No, I don't want them to know I'm alive," Ryoko
said. ~Might keep me from joining him.~ The cabbit
phased out of site, probably taking space ship form so
she could hack the Tokyo records. The cabbit returned
a couple of minutes later.
"Is it done?"
"Miao, Miao!"
"I have to SIGN something?" Ryoko repeated.
"Miao."
"They're going to be closed for a week after
today?" Ryoko was off for the municipal offices.
Ryo-Ohki was moderately worried that she was
flying, but as long as she didn't teleport or
something more energy consuming she should be all
right. Plus the cabbit didn't think she'd risk
herself before securing the shrine.
*******************************************************
"Well, there he is," Soun said, looking down to his
childish-looking wife. Hinako's child form had aged
some at least, she looked about fourteen or so now.
He pointed out the kneeling figure at Akane's
tombstone, laying down flowers.
Ranma stood and turned as he heard the approach of
another person. He relaxed when saw Hinako and Soun.
"Thought you were Kuno," Ranma said evenly.
"That delinquent is STILL attempting to desecrate
Akane's grave?" Hinako was furious.
"No, he's trying to goad me into making a mistake,"
Ranma explained.
"We haven't seen you since Nabiki left for school,"
Soun noted, changing the subject.
"Did you get Ryouga and Ukyou's wedding
invitation?" Ranma asked. He wondered briefly if the
fact that neither of the two had followed him today
had anything to do with Soun and Hinako's presence.
"You'll see me there."
"How's your education going, Saotome-san?" Hinako
asked as he passed them. They knew the answer
perfectly well.
"I'm finished," he said, turning around. "I plan
to sign for the license to teach today."
"You'll need a dojo," Soun noted. Ranma's eyes
narrowed dangerously.
~He's NOT going to suggest that HERE!~ Ranma
thought.
"How would Akane feel about the dojo being empty?"
"She wouldn't like it," Ranma agreed reluctantly.
"I'll think about it, but this is the LAST place you
should have EVER tried something like this!!" Ranma
snapped before leaving.
"You made him angry," Hinako noted.
"I did," Soun agreed.
"That's a good sign."
*******************************************************
~Why do I need ALL of this just to make sure that
no one ever tears down the Shrine?~ Ryoko thought to
herself. ~Ryo-ohki gave me an entire life history!~
It had taken Ryoko forever to get the paperwork
that Ryo-Ohki had faked for her. She didn't have much
time before these offices closed and then it would be
another week before she could come back to sign things
again.
~You've planned this, haven't you?~ Ryoko thought.
~Damn walking carrot plague.~ Ryoko irritably sorted
through the pile of papers the last clerk had handed
her, trying to figure out which ones were pertinent to
her task.
Else where a similar scene was occuring.
~I did NOT want all this stuff,~ Ranma growled to
himself. ~All I wanted was my degree, transcripts and
dan certifications.~ Ranma tried to find the
documents in question in the sheaf of documents as he
walked along.
Ryoko and Ranma both looked up and towards the
lines of people at nearly the same time. Though they
were interrupted in identifying the proper lines by
colliding with each other. Both of them were angry,
Ryoko suffering from a fresh loss, and Ranma on the
verge of venting four years of pent up emotions. They
exploded.
Ryoko snapped her mouth shut as she hit the ground
amidst the shower of papers. She stood up quickly
trying to avoid seeming awkward. Next to her, Ranma
stood up much smoother, but no less angrier.
"Watch where you're going asshole!" Ryoko shouted
as she began randomly picking up papers.
"You ran into me!" Ranma retorted as he picked up
papers as well. He blinked when Ryoko's hand darted
for her side as she reached for a paper. "Are you
okay?"
"I'm FINE!!"
"Excuse me for caring!"
"You don't want to mess with me, punk," Ryoko
snarled as she picked up the last paper she could find
started sorting through them. "I'll take your head
off."
"Punk!? Have you looked at your hair recently..."
he looked at one of the papers in his hand. "Ryoko?"
"Well...Ranma," They switched papers as they walked
forward, not paying attention. "Your not one to talk
with that girly little pig tail."
"What did you say?!?"
"You heard me fem-boy!" Tenchi had had a similar
hair style, but Ryoko was feeling less than forgiving
at the moment, and it seemed that she had struck a
nerve somewhere.
"May I have your documents, Ma'am?" Ryoko shoved
her papers at the clerk, still glaring at Ranma.
"Hey, at least I'm not dressed like some slut from
a hentai manga."
"You're papers sir," Ranma slapped his pile down.
"You...You..."
"What's the matter, can't keep up?" Ranma smirked,
this argument had an oddly nostalgic quality about it.
He wasn't about to admit to himself why though.
"Keep up with a brainless, effeminate, weakling
like you?" Ryoko snapped. "Why should I bother?"
"Excuse me, I need your signatures," the clerk said
nervously. Ranma and Ryoko both paused to get what
ever it was the little man wanted out of the way so
they could continue the fight.
"I ain't no weakling, Ryoko!"
"So, Ranma, you're just effeminate and brainless
then?"
"Here you go," they turned to glare at the clerk
pushing their documents towards them in one stack.
"What do you want!?" They both snapped. Ranma
picked up the stack of documents and was about to flip
through them when he noticed what the top document
said.
"Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Saotome," the clerk
said before shutting his window and making a mad dash
for the time clock.
"NANI!!?" Ranma and Ryoko looked up at the sign
above the counter. "MARRIAGE CERTIFACATES!?!"
"Hey," Ryoko smashed through the thin wooden cover.
"Come back here!! That little weasel is gone
already!"
"Great, just great," Ranma growled. "I thought I
was finished with fiancees and marriages."
"ACK!! They're closed!! I have to wait a week
now!"
"So do I!"
"This is all YOUR fault," Ryoko declared. She held
her hands in front of her to gather power.
~Deja vu,~ Ranma thought bitterly. "Now there's
something I haven't heard before." He stuffed the
documents in his shirt and put his own hands forward
ready to deflect a chi blast.
Ranma's preprations ceased as Ryoko cried at and
clutched her side. He looked at a play of what looked
like chi power sparking from her side. The
silver-haired woman crumpled to the ground, her tail
twitched once (tail?) and then she seemed to pass out.
"Ah shit," Ranma said as he noted the blood begin
to pool around her side. In a blink of motion he
swooped her up and was running out of the building.
"Kasumi and Tofu's ain't that far away from here."
"Just let me die." Ranma was about half-way to Dr.
Tofu's when he heard those horribly familiar words.
"Hey, I ain't letting no one else die, if I can
help it," Ranma snapped.
"No one else?" Ryoko repeated. ~Damn, I really
ripped it open this time, good I'll see Tenchi soon.~
"Who di.." She passed out again.
"Damn it."
*******************************************************
"Well that was interesting," Tofu said as he walked
back to the front of his house where Ranma was
waiting.
"So how is she, Doc?" Ranma asked.
"Ranma," Kasumi said as she entered the room after
Tofu. "Were you aware that she is not human?"
"Well, the tail was a clue," Ranma said. "But I
just met her today, so I didn't have much chance."
"Just met her today?" Tofu repeated, arching an
eyebrow. He was surprised, elated really to see Ranma
behaving more like his old self. He was angry, yes,
but he wasn't cold any more.
"Yeah, so." Kasumi produced the marriage license.
"Oh, that. We were sort of fighting and didn't notice
what line we were in."
"I see," Kasumi said. "This does sound like
something that would happen to you."
"Yeah, so how is she?"
"She's going to live," Tofu told him. "It took me
a little while to find some equivilent shiatsu points
on her, though. So she lost a lot of blood, I'd
suggest you take her to a hospital, if I thought she'd
come out again."
"You mean the thing about her not being human?"
Ranma asked. "You don't believe that alien autopsy
crap do you?"
"Ranma, watch your language," Kasumi blinked. She
hadn't heard Ranma curse since his return from China.
"That is a concern though, yes," Tofu confirmed.
"What can you tell me about the wound?"
"She already had it," Ranma said. "She was
summoning a chi blast when it sort of short circuted
or something."
"Hmm, I wonder if I can apply a chi block to her,"
Tofu thought. "Keep her from further aggravating the
wound. That sleeping point I found on her should last
a little longer."
"Miao?" Ranma leaped onto a table, as the other two
turned toward the worried sound.
"Oh my, where did that come from," Kasumi asked.
Ranma looked to the little rabbit-like thing and
cautiously came down from the table.
"That's not a cat...is it?"
"It doesn't appear to be," Dr. Tofu said. "I
wonder if this perhaps connected to your mistaken
wife."
"Miao?"
"He means, Ryoko," Ranma said nervously from the
other side of the table.
"Miao?"
"Do you understand us?" Kasumi asked. The little
rabbit creature nodded. "Don't worry Ranma, this is
not a cat."
"You're sure?" Ranma asked. Moving nervously back
around the table.
"Yes," Kasumi said soothingly. "Tofu, dear,
perhaps you should tend to that chi block you were
discussing." Tofu glanced at his wife, noted her
expression, and nodded. As the doctor moved to return
to the still unconscious Ryoko she turned to face
Ranma.
"Well, that isn't a cat," Ranma agreed sitting down
still eyeing the cabbit, which was looking at him
curiously.
~No one has been afraid of me like this before.~
"You seem better than you have been," Kasumi
started. "Its been a long while since anything beyond
a real cat has gotten a reaction from you."
"Mr Tendo was at Akane's grave today to ask me
about running the dojo," he said.
"I know," Kasumi said. "I suggested it."
"NANI!?"
"Well I suggested that they make you angry," Kasumi
said. "Everybody else came up with the details.
"Why the hell would you WANT me angry?" Ranma
demanded.
"Because it is better than cold," Kasumi noted.
"And you are acting more like your normal self at
last. And please watch your language."
"Sorry Kasumi," Ranma said.
"Now why are you so interested in this woman,"
Ranma opened his mouth. "And don't tell me you
aren't, I know you to well for that."
"She told me to just let her die," Ranma muttered.
"And I rememebered saying something like that to
Ukyou."
"Hmmm, I see," she turned to the cabbit. "Does she
have any friends to look after her?" The cabbit shook
its head after a moment. "Yes, but not in the area
then?"
"Miao," the cabbit nodded.
"This seems to be a fortunate meeting then," Kasumi
said. "You won't be able to anull this wedding for
another week, correct?"
"Again, Yeah, so?"
"Then you are honorbound to look after her at least
until you anull the wedding, then," Kasumi said.
"I guess so," Ranma shrugged, not sure he liked
where this was going.
"Then do so," Kasumi spoke softly, but it still
held the note of command. "It might do you both some
good."
*******************************************************
Ryoko sat up and looked around and then dropped
back to the bed.
"Still alive," she sighed, before sitting up again.
~I can't leave yet anyway.~
"Yep, Tofu patched you up." Ryoko turned toward
the voice and growled.
"Oh...YOU," she said, disgusted. "What are you
doing here."
"Somebody has to make sure you stay alive," Ranma
said. "Apparently that falls to me." He didn't
mention that Tofu and Kasumi had virtually commanded
him to watch her while they "talked" to the
rabbit-thing. ~How do you talk to a rabbit?~ Of
course he had seen stranger things before.
"I'm not your problem," Ryoko snapped. She stood
up and leaned forward. Ryoko's eyes goggled as she
failed to float off the ground. She teetered for a
moment in off balance confusion before falling
forward, and being caught by Ranma. ~Damn he's fast.~
"Oh yeah, the Doc blocked your chi," Ranma said as
he set Ryoko back on her feet.
"Blocked my what?" Ryoko took a moment to try to
summon a force shield, then a short teleport, and
finally her energy sword. Nothing happened. "You
JERK, what did you do that for?" Ryoko lashed out at
Ranma and was surprised when he caught the fist.
~Damn, she's strong,~ Ranma noted to himself.
~Maybe Doc should have given her the strength sapping
moxibustion too.~
"How'd you do that?" Ryoko growled, pulling back
and looking at the young man. He just shrugged.
Ryoko narrowed her eyes and snapped up a foot, which
Ranma blocked. True to Ranma's history with women,
the distraction proved enough for Ryoko send him
flying against the wall.
Ranma shrugged in frustration as the silver-haired
woman turned and left the room. Ryoko cursed as she
ran into the door, forgetting she had to open it. He
shook his head clear before standing up and following.
"What kind of sense does this make," Ranma
muttered.
"Oh, you're awake," Kasumi said as Ryoko walked
into the front room. Ryoko froze at the sound of the
voice. There was a familiar hint of unconditional
kindness in the voice.
"Sas.." then she sighed, turning around. "No, too
old." She turned to face the serenly smiling visage
of a young woman maybe twenty-three years old.
"I'm sorry, did I remind you of....someone?"
"Are you the doctor?" Ryoko ignored the question.
"Oh my, no," Kasumi said surprised. "Not yet at
any rate. That would be my husband."
"You woke up faster than I thought," another voice
said behind her. Another man walked around into her
view, paying close attention to her wound, bandaged
again, and how she was holding herself.
~Definitely a doctor,~ she thought. Then she
caught sight of Ryo-Ohki sitting on a chair, watching
her cautiously. She fixxed the cabbit with a glare
that left Ryo-Ohki little doubt that she suspected her
of causing today's delay. "How long until I get my
powers back?"
"Well I can reverse it, but I don't know when or if
they'll come back naturally," Tofu answered. "Your
physiology is a little different."
"Hey, maybe you should give her the
strength-sapping moxibustion too," Ranma suggested as
he joined them. "She's strong, maybe as strong as
Ryouga."
"If you try it, I'll kill you," Ryoko promised.
"So I guess the only way I'm getting my powers back is
when you decide to give them to me. Fine, I won't
need them anyway. Ryo-Ohki, let's go home."
"Miao, miao." Ryoko blinked.
"NANI!?" Ryoko shouted angrily. She looked back
and saw Ranma's head poking into the room from deeper
in the building. She didn't care much why he had
suddenly retreated into the hallway, but turned back
to Ryo-Ohki. "Wait for him?"
"Forgot about that thing," Ranma muttered, inching
back into the room, he looked up at the phrase "Wait
for him."
"Oh yes," Kasumi said. "We thought maybe Ranma
should accompany you home." Ranma narrowed his eyes,
there had to be more to this.
"I can take care of myself," Ryoko argued.
"I'm sure you can," Tofu agreed. "But if the
injury were to somehow open again having him on hand
would be a good idea." Which Ryoko correctly took to
mean they wanted to make she didn't do anything that
would get her killed.
"What haven't you said yet?"
"Well, we gather from this wonderful little
creature," Kasumi indicated a preening Ryo-Ohki.
"That Ryoko lives outside of town, she shouldn't be on
her own with a wound like that."
"Oh HELL no!" Ranma shouted.
"There's no way I'm showing him where I live."
"Miao," Ryoko glared at the cheerful cabbit. Of
course Ryo-Ohki could lead him there.
"Why should I go live with her for a week?"
"It'll make it easier to get the marriage anulled
for one thing," Tofu said. "Plus I imagine you could
use some time to think things over."
~Great, we get to babysit each other,~ Ranma
sighed. "We don't have a choice here, do we?"
"I do NOT need to be babysat!" Ryoko shouted.
"Miao?" Ryoko ignored the cabbit.
"It's only a week," Kasumi said sweetly.
"I'll need to tell Ukyou and Ryouga," Ranma said
irritably. "I think he still has my camping gear
anyway." After a futile argument with Ryo-Ohki, Ryoko
gave up with a frustrated growl.
"A week with you, this'll be just great," Ryoko
muttered.
*******************************************************
"Think it worked?" Ryouga asked as he finished up
the tables. He had washed each table at least three
times, mostly because he kept coming back to one table
or another.
"I hope so," Ukyou said. "Babysitting him is
getting...frustrating. He cares less now than when he
finally woke up."
"He isn't trying to kill himself," Ryouga noted.
"He doesn't really need to be watched."
"Yeah, he just doesn't care if he lives," Ukyou
said, quietly. Ryouga turned to face her, well tried
to, he found her on the third try.
"Ucchan, you tried," Ukyou turned an exasperated
glare at him. "It didn't work."
"Don't get jealous P-chan," Ukyou said, half
teasing. "I just wish he'd..."
"...show up?"
"I can walk on my own!" Ryouga and Ukyou looked in
the direction of the shout for a moment and then
shrugged.
"That's why you trip ever thirty feet," somebody
shouted back.
"Ranma?" Ryouga and Ukyou blinked.
"I'm used to walking THROUGH obstacles, not around
them!"
"Owww! What did you do that for?" Ryouga and Ukyou
had their attention riveted on the front of Ucchan's
when a silver-haired woman with what looked like a
rabbit on her shoulder walked in looking upset. She
walked rather stiffly and irritably into the
restaurant.
"This is Ucchan's right?"
"Uh...we're closed," Ryouga said, confused.
"Its alright, Ryouga, she's with me," they looked
to Ranma coming in rubbing his head.
"Uh, Ranma," Ukyou started. "Who's this."
"A pain in the neck," he mumbled. "Its a long
story, just leave it at I'm supposed to make sure she
takes it easy for the next week or so." Ryoko mumbled
something as she turned toward a booth.
"Sit at the counter," Ukyou suggested. "I can keep
us all fed that way."
"Thanks Ukyou," Ranma said as he sat down on a
stool.
"Miao?" Ryoko sighed as she sat down at the
counter, stiffly. This patch wasn't quite as complete
as when she had unexpectedly woken up after the
battle. Ryoko had expected to die then, but as soon
as she'd passed out Ryo-Ohki was off to a doctor
they'd used before.
"Do you have any carrots?"
"Sure, how many do you need?"
"As many as you can get," Ryoko said simply. Ukyou
blinked.
"So what's the long story?" Ukyou asked.
"Hey, what's this?" Ryouga asked leaning down to
pick up a crumpled piece of paper he had seen fall out
of Ranma's shirt. "YOU GOT MARRIED?!!!" Ranma's head
dropped to the counter while Ryoko growled.
"IT DOESN'T COUNT!" Ryoko yelled.
"Just burn the damn thing," Ranma whined, head
still on the counter.
"I'm beginning to get the picture," Ukyou said.
*******************************************************
"You're making this too easy, Ryoko," Nagi said as
she walked out of the spaceport.
*******************************************************
"Xian Pu," the named Amazon looked up from her
kata. "There has been some news."
"News, great grandmother?"
"Yes, apparently Ranma was not as hopeless as we
had thought," she said. "I've heard that he's been
mostly active the past three years at, least."
"But I'm already married," Xian Pu reminded her.
"Even if he is better, its too late now."
"True, but didn't he also beat your sister's in
battle as well," Kuh Lon asked. "And Ran Ran has not
found a husband since then."
"That's true," Xian Pu agreed. "Where did you
learn of this, Great-grandmother? The spatula-girl's
invitation said nothing of this."
"The Kumon boy brought the information," Kuh Lon
said. "I suspect he's just trying to make trouble for
Ranma without actually having to fight him. Though
there is little concern for his motives."
"It doesn't matter, I guess," Xian Pu shrugged.
"Why tell me and not talk to Ran-Ran?"
"I want you to go with her to Japan," Kuh Lon said.
"You and Mousse could visit old friends and you can
get some practice with certain duties of a matriarch."
"Like matchmaking?" Xian Pu asked.
"Among other things," Kuh Lon agreed. "I'd suggest
going on the excuse of the Kuonji girl's marriage to
Ryouga. And re-open the Nekohanten as well, perhaps
even for a more permanent stay."
"Great-grandmother?"
"Perhaps it is time for our people to move out into
the world," Kuh Lon said. "And Nerima would be a good
place to start. Keep a tight rein on Ran Ran, the
primary goal is getting a foothold in the world,
pushing Ranma could endanger that." Xian Pu thought
of the battle with Saffron and nodded.

Part 2: Help! I married a...

"How did this happen?" Ryouga asked confused. Ranma and Ryoko were
both too annoyed with each other and the situation to note the good
humor leaking into the question. As the conversation continued,
Okonomiyaki kept appearing and disappearing in front of Ranma and
Ryoko.
"You wouldn't believe it," Ryoko said grimmly.
"This is Ranma," Ukyou said hopefully. "This sort of thing used to
happen to him all the time."
"He's been married before?" Ryoko looked back at where the martial
artist was repeatedly letting his head drop repeatedly to the counter
and bounce back up.
"No, just a lot of fiancees," Ryouga said. Ryoko's glare at Ranma
deepened.
~What kind of womanizing jerk is he?~ If Ryo-Ohki had heard that
thought she would have face-faulted.
"That is NOT happening again," Ranma said, sitting up. "This isn't
one of the damn panda's promises its a clerical error."
"All I know is that because of HIM," Ryoko spat. "I have to wait a
week to finish something. And I have to put up with HIM babysitting
me the entire time."
"I ain't the idiot walking around with hole in my side," Ranma
countered. He looked at Ryouga. "You still have my camping gear,
right?"
"Wait a minute," Ukyou paused. "You're staying with her?"
"For a week, until we get that damn thing taken care of," Ranma
jabbed a finger at the marriage license in Ryouga's hand. He paused
and faced Ryouga and Ukyou. "Sorry about this, I know you were
expecting my help with the wedding." Ryouga and Ukyou stared in
silence at him for a moment.
"Don't worry about it," Ukyou snapped suddenly.
"Yeah, we didn't really..omph" Ryouga glanced at his fiancee's
elbow, now back at her side. "I mean we'll figure something out."
"Are you a martial artist?" Ukyou asked, not expecting the answer.
"No," the Nerimans face faulted. "Why?"
"That's different," Ukyou said. Ryouga, in picking himself up
noticed something.
"Uh, is that a tail?" Ukyou leaned over the counter for a look.
"Yeah, what about it?" Ryoko asked, confused as to why that would be
an issue. Ranma was giving Ryouga a narrowed eyed glare.
"I was wrong," Ukyou said, unintentionally cutting off the comment
Ranma was about to make. "Nothing new here."
"Are you sure you're not a martial artist?"
"No, I am not a martial artist," Ryoko repeated tightly. Ranma was
giving her a "yeah, right," look but nobody noticed.
"Miao." There was a deep grating sound and everybody looked to the
furrows that Ranma had just dug into the table with his fingers.
"I wish she would stop that," Ranma muttered.
"That rabbit meowed," Ryouga blinked. Ranma stood up and
deliberately straightened. Ukyou gave Ryouga a look and nodded
towards the living section of the restaurant. "Uh, you mentioned
camping equipment."
"Yeah, where is it?" Ranma asked.
"I think its the closet, yeah," Ryouga started walking. Ranma
irritably followed and turned him around.
"That's the store room!"
"Uh, sorry," Ryouga laughed, nervously.
"Idiot," Ukyou and Ranma said almost at once. As soon as the two
guys entered the back of Ucchan's, Ukyou turned to face Ryoko.
"Was he acting like that before you met him?" Ryoko blinked at the
sudden and hushed question.
"How would I know that?"
"Oh, good point." Ukyou deflated a little, and thought about the
situation. "I wish I knew what did it."
"He doesn't normally act like that?"
"Uh...never mind," Ukyou said, backing off. "He just hasn't gotten
mad in a long time, not shouting mad anyway."
"You mean he isn't normally such an asshole?" Ryoko blinked.
"Of course n..." Ukyou paused for a moment. "Actually, that's the
one thing that never changed about him." Ryoko smirked.
"Knew it," Ryoko smirked.
"Miao, miao," Ryo-Ohki shook her head in disappointed manner.
"What do you mean by that?" Ryoko glared at the cabbit. Ukyou
considered this, went back the kitchen and came back with a pair of
glasses of water. Before either Ryoko or Ryo-Ohki could react Ukyou
had dumped first one and then other glass on the cabbit.
"Miao!" the cabbit sputtered and shook herself dry.
"Why'd you do that?" Ryoko asked, confused.
"Just checking something," Ukyou said.
"Miao?"
"How should I know what she was checking?"
"Word of advice," Ukyou said checking to make sure Ranma was still
gone. "If you hear Ranma start meowing, splash him with water."
"Ohhkay," Ryoko blinked. The sound of an opening door drew their
attention to Ryouga coming back into the restaurant. He came through
the front door.
"How'd I get here?" Ryouga asked, confused. Ukyou rolled her eyes.
"Where's Ranma?" Ukyou asked. Ryouga looked sheepish until the
other martial artist came back to the restaurant from the house
section, wearing his old backpack.
"Right there," Ryouga said quickly. Ranma looked at him and
blinked.
"That's lucky," Ranma said. "Thought you'd have to postpone the
wedding."
"Again," Ukyou added dryly, glaring at the embarrased lost boy.
Ryoko had given up trying to figure things out.
"Can we leave now," Ryoko snapped. "The sooner we get this started
the sooner its done with." It was blatantly untrue, but she didn't
particularly care. Ranma favored her with a glare but didn't say
anything.
"Try not to tell anybody else about this," Ranma said wearily.
"Tell my Mom I went on a training trip or something."
"Sure," Ukyou answered quickly.
"Are you two coming?" Ranma asked, giving Ryoko a turn to glare. He
waited for Ryoko to stalk angrily out past him and then followed.
"Wish we had a faster way to do this."
The space pirate looked at Ryo-Ohki sitting on her shoulder, and
considered telling her to transform for a moment. She decided against
it, despite the pleasure she would have of seeing the jerk squirm in
surprise. It would be better not to draw attention for a while.
"Its like he used argue with Akane all the time," Ryouga said.
Nobody noticed Ryoko glance back in curiosity for a moment.
*******************************************************
"Hey, that's a shrine!" Ranma said surprised as he looked up the
second flight of stairs.
"Yeah, so?" Ryoko asked.
"I didn't expect someone like you to live at a shrine," Ranma said,
by way of explanation.
"What do you mean by someone like me?" The Saotome mouth continued
unaware.
"Then again considering the shape its in that makes sense," he
noted. "Doesn't look like anybody's done anything here for months."
"No one's BEEN here in months!" Ryoko shouted as she tossed Ranma
into the lake. As the satisfying sound of a jerk martial artist
splashing deep into the lake played in the background, Ryoko sat down
on what had been the Masaki porch. The house was gone of course, she
didn't know if it existed anymore.
"Damn it, what did she do that for?" Ranma muttered, as she squeezed
her chinese tunic dry. "What did I say this time?" Ranma looked down
at herself before putting the relatively drier tunic back on.
Ranma stomped up from the lake to that odd courtyard where they had
been when Ryoko had thrown him. She paused as he heard the woman
talking to her cabbit.
"...nothing," Ranma made out as he approached. Before she
"accidentally" snapped a twig, Ranma almost thought he had seen a
television, near that cabbit, or whatever. The image vanished before
she could get a good luck at it, so he shrugged it off as a trick of
the light.
Ryoko whirled on Ranma and immediately moved her hands to gather
power before she remembered that her powers were shut away.
"Who the fuck are you?" Ryoko demanded.
"Who do you think!? Did you toss anybody else wearing chinese
clothes into the lake?" Ryoko blinked and stared.
"Ranma?"
"Congratulations, you win the prize" Ranma said sarcastically.
"That's impossible," Ryoko snapped. "Ranma's a MALE jerk." She
watched the blue-haired woman walk to where Ranma had set down his
camping gear and retrieved a thermos.
"Yeah I'm a GUY," the young woman said emphatically. Then she
suddenly seemed contrite. "Oh, sorry, haven't dealt with anybody that
didn't know about the curse for a while."
"Curse?"
"Sit down, idiot, you're supposed to be resting." Ryoko blinked and
growled.
"Joke's over Ranma!" she shouted. "Get out here and join your
girlfriend." Ryoko watched the girl freeze for a moment. The she
took the thermos and poured it over her head. Ryoko blinked and sat
down trying to figure out how the woman had just turned into the jerk
she'd come up here with.
"Miao?" Ranma jumped into the nearest tree.
"Quit that!" Ranma snapped, before landing back on the ground.
"Miao?"
"Okay, what was that?!"
"I told you its a curse," Ranma said. His tone of voice as he
continued made it obvious that he'd long ago gotten bored of
explaining this. "There used to be this place with all these springs,
a different thing had drowned in each one, and if you fell into a
spring you'd take the body of whatever drowned there. I fell in the
spring of drowned girl." Ryoko thought back to the chef girl
splashing Ryo-Ohki with water and suddenly it made sense.
"Sounds like something Washu would come up with," Ryoko said, then
she smiled viciously. "You really are a fem-boy." Ranma glanced at
the eager look in Ryoko's eyes and smirked.
"I invented that game," Ranma said. "I ain't going to fight you."
"You couldn't take me if I DID want you to," Ryoko growled.
"Where do you sleep?" Ranma asked.
"Used to be a house here," Ryoko said, quietly. "But think'll sleep
in the shrine, What about you?" The word "you" was virtually spat.
"You're going to be up there?" he repeated. "I'll settle for this."
Ryoko growled at the implied insult.
*******************************************************
Ryoko woke the next morning to the steady sound of blunt impacts.
They came one after another, with enough speed that it almost sounded
like one long, steady roar. The individual impacts were only barely
discernable. Ryoko couldn't comment much on this.
Last night Ryoko had taken to her normal method of holding off
dreams. She had drunk herself unconscious. At the moment she was
only barely aware of being awake due the sensation each impact sent
through her skull. As the thudding hit a pause she irritably stood up
and started to walk outside.
"Where is the bastard?" she asked herself. Ryoko looked around for
Ranma, but couldn't see him anywhere. "Must be finished with what
ever it was." As Ryoko turned to shuffle back to bed, Ranma started
practicing with his Amaguriken.
Ryoko huddled into herself, gripping her head and plotting various
vengences on a young martial artist. As she did that, a concerned
cabbit tracked down the source of the noise. She found Ranma punching
into an impact crater in the center of a random tree's huge trunk.
"Miao!" Ranma stopped pounding on the tree and skittered up into its
leaves. Ryo-Ohki was no longer surprised by his tendency to jump at
the sound of her voice, but it still confused her. As Ryo-Ohki
watched the beleagured tree snapped under the strain and crumbled to
the ground along with a screaming Ranma.
"Would you quit that!" he growled upon climbing from the debris.
"Miao? Miao! Miao miao!" The cabbit started pointing back towards
the shrine. The meaning was obvious.
"What now?" he sighed before leaping down at a moderately wide
distance from the cabbit. He found Ryoko hanging over the edge of the
shrine doing her best not to vomit on the tiles. Ranma sighed and
approached her slowly as she finished.
"Hey," he said softly. "Are you o.....erk!?" Ryoko hauled him down
to the ground and turned to glare at him.
"Please. Be. Quiet!" she whispered hoarsely. Ranma sniffed the
air and regarded the space pirate a little irritably. She then let
him go and stood up and began shuffling back to the bed.
"Drunk?" he asked flatly.
"Hangover," Ryoko corrected. "Let me guess, you don't drink."
"Not if I can help it," Ranma said, standing back up. "But I'll
keep the noise down for now."
"Thanks." As soon as he heard the woman snoring again Ranma
reluctantly looked down at the cabbit.
"Okay, where is it?"
"Miao?" Ranma didn't know what the rabbit-thing had said, but he
caught the gist of the "what are you talking about?" comment.
"You know what I mean." Ryo-Ohki sighed. Ryoko was really going to
be mad about this.
*******************************************************
"Good morning." Ukyou nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of
Nodoka's voice.
"Good morning, Saotome-san," Ukyou said nervously. "What are you
doing here?"
"Well, since your fiancee and my son are on a training trip, I
thought you might be able to use some help," Ukyou sweatdropped as
Nodoka allowed herself into the restaurant. "Ryouga indicated that he
was acting much more like himself."
"Is that what Ryouga told you?" Ukyou asked. Nodoka turned around
and regarded her carefully.
"Is that not what happened?"
"Ukyou, ummm...where am I?" Nodoka looked toward the voice and then
turned back towards Ukyou with an arched eyebrow.
"Well, not exactly," the chef said. "He's...uh..." Ukyou remembered
something Ranma had mentioned. "...keeping an eye on a patient for
Kasumi and Dr Tofu."
"Then why didn't Ryouga just say that?" Nodoka folded her arms and
gave Ukyou her "mother knows all" look as a wind blew through the
scene. As fate would have it the wind picked up a much abused piece
of paper and carried it past the Saotome matriarch's face.
"Uh oh," Ukyou said as her best friend's mother snatched the paper
and looked at it.
"Oh dear, my son went off and eloped," Nodoka said.
"It was an accident, they're..."
"How manly of him!" Ukyou face-faulted. "He must not have been
nearly as bad as he seemed. I wonder how long this has been going
on."
"Why do you keep moving the closet?" Ryouga called from the back.
"Uh, Saotome-san," Ukyou said. Nodoka turned toward her. "They
just met and got in the wrong line at the municipal building. They're
going to get it anulled in a week."
"I'm sure he made a plausible story," Nodoka said cheerfully. "Do
you know where they went? I'd like to meet my new daughter-in-law."
~She's hopeless,~ Ukyou thought from her newfound position on the
floor. "Umm, let me go find Ryouga before the jackass gets lost
again."
"Certainly," Nodoka nodded happily as Ukyou went to look for her
fiancee. About ten minutes later she was treated to the following
noise.
"WHERE ON EARTH IS HE NOW?!"
"Oh dear," Nodoka sighed. "That wedding might never happen."
*******************************************************
"RANMA!!!" Ranma smirked at the enraged sound. Apparently Ryoko had
checked her stash.
"I'm a little busy right now," Ranma answered without turning
around.
"A little busy, my ass!" Ryoko snapped as she hit the top of the
stairs to the shrine. Ranma turned his head to look up at the very
angry silver-haired woman. "Where's my sake?"
"How should I know?" he shrugged returning to his lotus position.
"Who else is around to take it, you little bastard!" Ryoko started
down the stairs at an angry stalk, and forgot that her powers were
blocked. "So where...SHIT!!"
The space pirate suddenly found herself having to run down the
stairs in an attempt not to fall. It didn't take long for her feet to
trip themselves up, bringing to a painful crash into the steps. She
would have continued falling, except that was pretty much the same
instant Ranma reached her.
"You all right?" he asked.
"Put me down, pervert!" Ryoko shouted, snapping a fist into Ranma's
face. As a result the fall started again, with an extra participant.
They landed in pile with Ryoko on top. "Thanks for the help,
fem-boy."
"If you hadn't hit me we wouldn't have fallen!" Ranma yelled. Ryoko
stood up, noticeably favoring onside. Looking up Ranma saw why. "Ah
man, you're bleeding again." Ryoko looked down, saw a darkening spot
on her blouse, and growled.
"Good!" she snapped and started to walk away. Ranma stood up and
considered his options.
Ryoko's chi flow might be different, but her bodily systems probably
worked near enough the same to a human's to try something. Ranma
moved up as silently as he could.
"Get away from me, jerk!" Ryoko turned about, lashing out with a
punch. Ranma easily directed it past him and reached a hand up to tap
both sides of Ryoko's throat were he could see blood vessels pulsing
slightly underneath.
Ranma wasn't which side was the effective touch, and he didn't care.
A sudden boost of oxygen to Ryoko's brain, bolstered by stress and
fatigue, sent the space pirate into a faint.
"She really needs to work on her technique," Ranma said
disapprovingly as he set her down. Ranma looked up to see a concerned
cabbit hop up in front of them. "DON'T SAY IT! Just see if you can
get me some bandages from my pack." Ryo-Ohki nodded and rushed for his
pack.
Ranma worked fast, more because Ryoko would be waking up soon than
because he thought there was a medical need for speed. It took him
maybe two seconds to pull up the edge of her blouse and jacket, pull
off the bandage, and confrim that the wound and opened a little, but
that Tofu's stitches hadn't broken.
"Mmf!" Thanking the kami that Ryo-Ohki hadn't sounded at all cat
like with the sealed bandage in her mouth, Ranma took replaced the
bandage.
"No, she's not seriously hurt," Ranma told the overly worried
cabbit. "So stop looking at me like..."
"JERK!!" The next thing Ranma knew, he was looking down at the fast
approaching lake.
"Why me?" Ranma-chan wondered as she dragged herself out of the
lake. She started back for her camp when she found herself staring
again into Ryoko's yellow eyes. She opened her eyes to say something,
then looked confused.
"Wasn't your hair blue last time?" Ryoko asked.
"What is it this time?" Ranma asked wearily.
"Green," Ryoko said. "This is part of the curse isn't it?" Ranma
nodded.
"At least it's not blonde," Ranma muttered, sighing.
"Ohhkay..Where's MY SAKE!?" Ranma narrowed her eyes and jabbed her
thumb behind him.
"You through them in the lake?"
"Nope," Ranma said. "I just threw them, didn't watch them land."
"I really hate you." Ryoko growled.
"You think I'm enjoying this?"
*******************************************************
Somewhere in the middle of nowhere a black pig finally returned to
consciousness surrounded by broken glass. He remembered the first
sake bottle shattering on his head and activating his curse. Then
there had been a salvo of five or ten of the damn things, maybe more
after he missed a dodge and was knocked cold.
Ryouga spared on more glance about his environment and sat down to
think.
~When did Ukyou add a garden?~
*******************************************************
"Tenchi!!" Ryoko snapped awake, sat up, reached out, and remembered.
The pirate slumped and worked to catch her breath and hold the tears
in. Looking up she noticed Ranma standing her there and glared at
him. "Enjoy the show, hope I didn't wake you."
"I wasn't asleep," Ranma told her. "Who's Tenchi?" Ryoko growled
and then smirked viciously, remembering that Ryouga-person's parting
comment.
"Who's Akane?" Ranma remained silent. "An old girlfriend, did she
get fed up with you leave or something? I don't blame her, I don't
see how anbody could..." Ryoko stopped as she saw Ranma start to glow,
and felt the temperature drop several degrees.
"She was...taken," Ranma said after a long moment. Ryoko noted the
sudden uninflected tone to his voice.
"So was Tenchi." Ranma nodded, and Ryoko watched as the glow faded
and the temperature returned to normal.
"I shouldn't have said that," Ranma said quietly.
"Me either," Ryoko admitted. They remained quiet for a moment in
shared grief. Then Ryoko was up in Ranma's face again. "But this
WOULDN'T have happened if you hadn't tossed my sake!"
"Wha...NOTT AGAAAINNN!!" Ryoko listened with satisfaction to the
sound of the splash.
"Why'd I do that?" she asked herself before turning back to find her
bed. Out in the lake a young woman was asking a similar question.
*******************************************************
Nagi examined the blue planet below her carefully. She wouldn't
have expected Ryoko to come back here. It was too obvious, much too
obvious. She hadn't even given herself the chance to heal that wound.
"What are you playing at Ryoko?" Nagi asked as she held orbit. She
frowned, there had to be a trick somewhere. It would be better to be
cautious than to be dead.
In all likelyhood Ryoko knew about Nagi's premature departure from
the battle. Nagi hoped so, vengence would make Ryoko fight harder.
Nagi wanted this kill to be a truly legendary accomplishment.
"Tomorrow, Ken-Ohki, tomorrow we pay her a visit," Nagi snickered.

Part 3: Love Hurts

Ukyou was irritable, after this morning she had a
good right to be. The news had spread, it seemed.
This morning she had to deal with Genma. He had not
seemed as happy about the accidental marriage as
Nodoka was.
*******************************************************
"Oh great," Ukyou growled upon seeing them outside
her restaurant. "What do you two want?"
"I heard that Ranma is married!" Genma said. Ukyou
laughed.
"Not for long," she answered him. "Some bureaucrat
screwed up. Almost sounded like something you'd do to
him."
"What are you talking about? I would never stoop
to such a..." he shut up at look both Ukyou was
giving him.
"Anyway, THIS relationship isn't likely to last
more than the week for the clerk's office to open
again," Ukyou said. "Too bad, I think they'd get
along."
"Ukyou, please tell me you're not serious," Genma
pleaded, on his knees. Ukyou was suddenly very
suspicious.
"You didn't get this worked up when I dated him,"
Ukyou said, levely. She started to walk away from her
restaurant, uncomfortable with where this was going.
"Well, you're a martial artist," Genma said without
thinking. "I don't want to see my boy married to some
frilly little girl that'll twist his mind away from
the Art."
"Your son has spent the last four years like a
zombie..." Ukyou nearly shreiked.
"Perfecting the Soul of Ice," Genma protested.
"Perfecting LIFELESSNESS! Do you mean to say that
all you care about is if his wife will be a good
martial artist?!" Ukyou slapped herself mentally, why
Genma have to look like everything as if it were a
training exercise of some kind?
"Cologne not with standing, isn't a good female
martial artist a contradiction in terms?"
"What?!!!" The Neriman locals were then treated to
the site of Genma Saotome being hammered into the
ground. "JACKASS!" Ukyou couldn't wait to talk to
Nodoka again.
*******************************************************
"Today just can't get any worse," Ukyou growled.
She glanced at a long abandoned building as she walked
along, then stopped and looked back. "I may have been
wrong." A small work crew was going over the old
building carefully. Cleaning, inspecting, and
generally improving it.
"Ukyou Kuonji?" Ukyou turned at her surprise and
looked up at a tall chinese man in white robes.
"Shampoo and Ran-Ran just left to pay their respects
to you."
"And they left you here?" Mousse laughed.
"Somebody needs to be here to keep an eye on
things," Mousse gestured toward what he thought was
the work crew.
"Why would you need to keep an eye on that shell
game?" Ukyou asked curiously. Mousse squinted in the
general direction he had waved and growled.
"You know what I meant," he snapped. "At any rate,
I thought Shampoo should announce themselves to the
bride-to-be," Ukyou blushed. "And offered to handle
the work of fixing up the Nekohanten."
"In other words you thought she might just get in
the way of dealing with the contractors," Ukyou said.
~Great, I have competition again. Wait a minute.~
"Her intercultural skills could still use some
polishing," Mousse admitted diplomatically.
"Who is Ran-Ran?" Ukyou asked. Mousse got nervous.
"She's one of Shampoo's little sisters."
"I thought she was an only child," Ukyou said.
~This can't all be happening again, Ranma'll snap!~
"Oh, they just call each other sisters," Mousse
said. "Her blood-sister and husband will join us in a
few months."
"What are you all doing, starting a colony?"
"Actually, yes."
"Ran-Ran is single, isn't she," Ukyou said. Mousse
laughed nervously. Ukyou sighed in frustration.
~This is definitely worse.~
*******************************************************
Ryoko woke with a start, she'd been in the halls of
the Yagami again, trying to convince Tenchi not to go.
Why couldn't he have just seen that his task was
impossible, he would be alive now. Kagato had
defeated her without a fight, and overpowered even
Yosho and the knights.
Ryoko sighed, and leaned forward trying to shake
off the dream. At least she'd woken up before the
dream had gotten really bad. Before she could again
start filling in the information she wasn't certain
of. Being sober made it a little difficult, she
needed a distraction.
She caught her reflection in one of the many
mirrors to shield against evil spirits, and groaned.
She had guessed as much by the general level of
discomfort she was feeling, but the pallor she was
developing proved it.
"Great, withdrawal," she muttered. So of course
that shivering wasn't because she was cold.
Looking up and around she realized three things.
First, it was a lot earlier than she was used to
getting up. Second, the shrine was in terrible
condition. Third, there was this wonderful smell
drifting up from where the house should have been.
"AH! What are you doing there?" Ranma shouted as
Ryoko appeared across from him, looking almost like a
ghost. Ranma decided not to mention anything about
last night, after his third ride into the lake he
doubted she would want to talk about it.
Ryoko was at first looking at the pot he had
suspended over the fire, and turned her face upward
towards him and smiled seductively. Ranma blinked and
then narrowed his eyes.
"Rannma, that smells so wonderful," she purred. "I
was wondering, if I could maybe haave some?"
"Are you feeling okay Ryoko?" Ranma asked flatly.
She wasn't, mentally or physically, but she had no
intention of dying by starvation. She came around the
fire and leaned against him. "Would you stop that
please?" Ryoko blinked at the unenthused tone of
voice, and then sat back and crossed her arms.
"All I want is a good home-cooked breakfast," she
pouted. "Is that too much to ask?" Ranma rolled his
eyes and sighed.
"If I cook you some food will you leave me alone?"
"Leave YOU alone?!" Ryoko snapped. ~That's not
fair, most guys just melt at that. And here HE wants
me to just leave him alone.~ "I live here!"
"I'm not exactly here by choice, either," Ranma
snapped. Oddly enough Ryoko was actually relieved by
his outburst.
"How will they know where you were the entire
time," Ryoko asked. "You can leave anytime you want
to."
"You don't know much about honor, do you?" Ranma
asked as he handed her a bowl and started kicking
another serving for himself. "I can't just leave or
I'd be nothing but some jerk that knows how to fight!"
"You're right about the jerk part," Ryoko snapped
back as she poked at the rice and vegetables in the
bowl. "Are these carrots?"
"Yeah, I saved some from that rabbit-thing of
yours."
"No meat?" Ryoko asked confused. Ranma shuffled
uncomfortably.
"I didn't bring any," he said. "And I'm a little
nervous about just snatching animals out of the wild.
You look terrible." Ryoko glared at him.
"It's been more than a day since I had a drink,"
she reminded him. "Ever hear of withdrawal?"
"Isn't that where you ignore the world around you?"
"No!" Ryoko snapped. "It's what happens when you
suddenly stop taking a drug like...I don't
know...alchohol!"
"Oh, how bad is it?" he asked, suddenly wondering
if tossing all the alcohol had been a bad idea. He'd
heard giving up drinking was difficult, he'd never
bothered to ask why.
"Not as bad as it's going to be," Ryoko muttered.
"Miao!" Ryo-Ohki declared happily, surprising both
of them. For once both Ryoko and Ranma had similar
reactions. Ryoko nearly choked on her rice and Ranma
went for the trees again.
"What did you say?" Ryoko demanded.
"Miao!" In response to Ryo-Ohki's second outburst,
Ranma jumped down and growled irritably.
~Shit, shit, shit!!~ Ryoko ate her rice with
something closer to her usual rate of speed. ~I
didn't think she'd show up for another day or so!~
"I wish that thing would let me see it BEFORE it
says something." He sat down and returned to cooking
his breakfast.
"Her name is Ryo-Ohki," Ryoko snapped irritably.
"Now, I'M going BACK up there and try to sleep through
the next twenty four hours." ~Now there's an
impossible dream.~
"Is this part of your withdrawal, or is it that
time of the month?" Ranma prepared himself for another
trip to the lake.
"You..." Ryoko cut off her shout and smirked,
leaning forward with seductive grace only a little
ruined by her pallor and sweat. "I don't know, Want
to risk it?"
"Errr...not really."
"Didn't think so," Ryoko said, a victorious look on
her face. "Later jerk!" She walked off.
"Now she's trying to seduce me for food?" Ranma
blinked. This was a quite a difference from "Don't
you even think about it," a couple of days ago. He
turned to the cabbit, cricking his neck in preparation
for the response. "Is she like this most of the
time?"
"Miao," Ryo-Ohki responded with a long suffering
nod.
*******************************************************
Ryouga looked about and tried to figure out where
he was. He was at what seemed to be a shrine of some
kind. That was moderately surprising, the blue haired
woman he'd been following didn't seem to be the type
that's very interested in religion.
Then he saw Ryoko walk up to the top of the stairs
appearing rather tired and sick. Ryouga stopped and
sighed, he was right. This woman was connected to
Ryoko, considering their similar tastes in pets it
seemed likely. Then there was that hair, maybe they
were sisters or something.
"You're even more pathetic than last time Ryoko,"
the blue haired woman said quietly. Ryoko stopped and
looked as the woman Ryouga had followed stepped out of
the shadows.
"Nagi," Ryoko said, and smiled. "Come to take the
bounty?"
~Bounty?~ Ryouga sweatdropped. ~She's a
criminal!?~
"Haven't you seen the news yet Ryoko?" Nagi asked
quietly. "It has been more than a month since the
battle."
"I saw enough. Tenchi's dead, what else do I need
to know." Ryoko growled. She dropped into a sloppy
stance and glared at the other woman. "Now, are we
going to have this fight or not?" Nagi smirked and
reached out with her weapon to jab Ryoko in the side.
Ryoko gritted her teeth and dropped to one knee.
"You still haven't gotten that healed?" she tsked.
"What do you do, open it every couple of days."
"Get out of my face Nagi," Ryoko lunged forward
with a punch that Nagi dodged.
~Call for Ranma idiot!~ Ryouga thought. ~You
almost act like...~ The martial-artist in pig form
took a closer look at the silver-haired woman.
~Kami-Sama, we set RANMA as a suicide watch?!~
"You are in NO shape to give me the fight I want,"
Nagi said laughing sarcastically. "Don't you even
have your powers?"
"Shut up and fight!" Ryoko growled, she snapped a
kick, a forward thrust made sloppy by the pull on her
injury. Nagi easily blocked the kick and used Ryoko's
leg to shove her away.
"BWWEEE!!!" Ryouga ran past the fighters in the
direction Ryoko had come from, both ignored him.
"I'm not going to kill some one that wants to die,"
Nagi told Ryoko, quietly. "Even if that weren't the
case, you're powers are gone, you're still injured,
and you look sick. When I fight you it will be at
your best. As you are now I haven't even used my
weapon and I'm winning."
"You'll fight me now," Ryoko said, standing up.
"Or you won't ever get the chance again." She
returned to battle stance and waited.
"Oh, I think I can give you a reason to live," Nagi
smiled. "You know it was really a shame that the
Yagami got caught in my starburst." Ryoko's eyes
widened and narrowed again. "It really was lucky that
Washu managed to save the cabin, I didn't expect
that."
"You, you..." Ryoko gasped. "You're supposed to be
after ME!! I'M the one that escaped you, I'M your
enemey!!" Ryoko dropped to her knees. Nagi walked up
and leaned down arrogantly.
"Oh, don't worry, the girls, and I think Tenchi's
father, survived. Ayeka didn't, of course, the
starburst was close to the planet, and I understand a
lot of the debris hit the palace, it looks almost as
in good a shape as you do," Ryoko looked up and
narrowed her eyes to slits, glaring at the bounty
hunter. "Did you know that sweet little girl has
placed a bounty on MY head."
"I'm going to kill you," Ryoko said quietly.
"Now that's more like the Ryoko I'm used to," Nagi
said. "When I come back I expect you to be healthy,
after all this time I deserve a great battle before
you die."
"Excuse me!" They turned to see Ranma standing
there. "But you shouldn't bully the weak."
"Another one of these Earth weaklings, Ryoko? You
don't waste much time mourning do you?" Nagi asked
laughing as she stood to face Ranma. She turned to
face Ranma snapped an order. "Stay out of my way boy,
this isn't your fight."
"Ranma stay out of this, she's my problem!"
"How many times do I have to keep explaining
things?" Ranma demanded. "For the next week you're my
responsibility, so your problems are my problems."
"Are all you Earth boys so stubborn?" Ranma
shrugged and a cautiously circled Nagi.
"I am Ranma Saotome of the Anything Goes School of
Martial Arts," Ranma said evenly. "And I ain't going
to stand around and let nobody die."
"Have it your way then," Nagi lashed out with her
energy whip, and watched as Ranma seemed to blur
around it.
Nagi backpedalled in near-shock trying to get the
martial artist back into the effective range of her
whip. She caught a flash of red before leaning
forward and reversing direction. Ranma was surprised
as she ran past him, he hadn't expected that.
"You're better than I thought," Nagi said in a low
appreciative voice. Both fighters faced each other
across the shrine's courtyard. Nagi took a closer
look at Ranma.
"I could be better," Ranma said, he certainly
hadn't been good enough four years ago.
"You're leaps and bounds ahead of Ryoko's last
choice." Ryoko growled and lunged at Nagi.
The bounty hunter intercepted the attack and turned
it into a hold.
"What are you doing idiot!?" Ranma shouted. "You
can't fight right now!"
"She's mine!" Ryoko shrieked, despite the fact that
Nagi currently had her under control.
"Rest a little first, Ryoko," Nagi said. The
bounty hunter's next move was to reach under Ryoko's
blouse and tunic and rip out the stitches on her
wound. Ryoko gritted her teeth at the pain as Nagi
dropped her.
"Damn it!!" Ranma rushed forward and clapped a hand
over the wound as Nagi made distance between them.
Ryoko glared at her hatefully as she faded back into
unconsciousness.
"KEN-OHKI!!"
"Miao," Ken-Ohki answered hesitantly. As Ranma
watched the white cabbit leaped into the air and
transformed into a huge spiny space ship. Seeing the
transformation kept thoughts of cats out of his head
as the cabbit screeched in mid-transformation.
"I'm counting on you to keep her alive until I come
back, Saotome," Nagi shouted as she faded away,
shortly before the cabbit-ship vanished into the sky.
"Miao?" Ranma gritted his teeth and turned toward
the worried-sounding cabbit.
"Do you do that?" Ranma asked, nodding towards
where Ken-Ohki had been. The cabbit nodded. "Do you
remember where Dr. Tofu's is?" The cabbit nodded.
"How about that black pig?" The cabbit looked
confused, but nodded. "Okay, then get all of us to
Dr. Tofu's!"
"Miao!" Ryo-Ohki still didn't know what the big
deal about that little pig was, but it had warned
them, well Ranma anyway, about Nagi. Though Ryo-Ohki
didn't understand how you could talk to a pig.
*******************************************************
Dr. Tofu felt an immense feeling of deja vu as
Ranma rushed into his clinic/house with an unconscious
Ryoko for the second time that week. He was not,
however totally unprepared. After Ranma said
something about withdrawal they took Ryoko back into
the clinic's examination room to again close the
wound.
Ranma, meanwhile, took the chance to revert Ryouga to
his human form.
"Okay, Ryouga, you heard more than I did," Ranma
said as he dropped the pig into Kasumi and Tofu's
furo. "Who was that?"
"A bounty hunter, I think," Ryouga said. "You
didn't say anything about Ryoko having a death wish."
"Not your business," Ranma said, levelly. "What do
you mean she's a bounty hunter?"
"Your wife asked her if she was there for 'the
bounty'," Ryouga said. "I don't think that's why she
was there, though."
"There's a bounty on Ryoko?" Ranma blinked.
"Actually, that makes sense, she couldn't just be some
magical race from Earth. She has to be a criminal
from outerspace."
"Huh?"
"Nevermind, Where were you trying to go anyway?"
"I think I was trying to find the closet," Ryouga
said sheepishly. "Am I going to have to go around
naked?"
"No, you're going to be a pig until Ukyou gets here
with some clothes," Ranma said. "How did you turn
into a pig anyway?"
"It started raining sake bottles," Ryouga said,
embarrassed and irritated. Ranma sweatdropped.
"Ahh...that's weird," Ranma said.
"Ranma," Kasumi called. "Ukyou wants you to know
that your mother is on the way." Ranma rolled his
eyes and smacked his head. The last few days had had
a lot more stress than he liked.
*******************************************************
"Mom, I just met her a couple of days ago!" Ryouga
sat still and watching the conversation. Ukyou hadn't
shown up, but Nodoka had brought his clothes.
Apparently his fiancee was running interference with
the returned Amazons. This was a fact that they had
not told Ranma about yet.
"Then why did you marry her?"
"It was an ACCIDENT! We were arguing, we got in
the wrong line."
"You certainly seem to have regained something of
your way with women again," Nodoka said. "So what is
my daughter-in-law like?"
"This isn't going to last long," Ranma countered.
"Four more days and its anulled."
"There is such a thing as being TOO manly, Ranma"
Nodoka lectured. "You shouldn't play games with
marriage."
"Might I have some attention please?" Dr Tofu
called.
"YES!!" Ranma shouted in frustration. "How is she
doc?"
"Miao? Miao??" The cabbit cried piteously at the
Doctor.
"Yes, how is my daughter-in-law?" Dr. Tofu
sweatdropped.
"Well, I think she passed out mostly from a
combination of factors than the wound itself," the
doctor said. "Again, given time and rest, she should
be fine. That doesn't appear to be happening."
"This wasn't her fault Doc," Ranma said. "It was a
blue-haired woman with some sort of Star Wars whip."
"Ranma, why does this sort of thing always happen
to you?" Nodoka asked.
"I don't know?" Ranma sighed. He couldn't wait for
this to get over with so he could get back in control
of his life.
"The withdrawal is more serious," Dr. Tofu said.
"Or it would be if she weren't here."
"Withdrawal? What kind of woman is this Ryoko?"
"Mom, its not your business." Ranma said. Her
mother arched an eyebrow.
"Ranma, can I talk to you privately?" Dr. Tofu
asked. Ranma shrugged, at least this set of questions
would probably be less aggravting. Ranma and the
Doctor left the lobby and entered the hallway. "Have
you found anything out about her?" Ranma hesitated,
these weren't his secrets to give, but he trusted Tofu
to be discreet.
"I don't think she was born on Earth. She started
acting like Shampoo just to get some food. She is an
annoying, irresponsible, drunkard, and....she....lost
someone recently. You know, like me with Akane?"
~Good thing you weren't as active as she is,~ Tofu
thought to himself. Kasumi entered the hallway from
the examination room and saw them.
"She's awake," Kasumi said. "She seems to heal as
fast as the rest of you."
"Ranma, perhaps you should talk to her," Dr. Tofu
suggested. "You're the only one that she's talked to
at all."
"Yeah, yeah," Ranma muttered. "You're not trying
to set me up at all." He walked off to the
examination room where he could already here Ryoko.
"I don't want these herbs!" she shouted. "I want a
DRINK! We have to be somewhere around a liquor store
now! Oh, its YOU! What are you doing getting mixed
up in MY fight?" Ranma growled in reaction to the
familiar sensation of an insult match.
"Hey, you want to take her, take her," Ranma said.
"But not while you're in THIS condition."
"THIS condition is your fault!" Ryoko snapped, also
glad for the distraction of a good fight. She had
missed Ayeka this last month. With Ranma it was
almost like she had them both at...Ryoko smashed that
thought.
"As fun as this is," Ranma said, calming down. "We
need to talk about that woman."
"She won't come for me until she thinks I'm ready,"
Ryoko said.
"She's a bounty hunter," Ranma said.
"Yeah, and I'm the only one to ever escape her,"
Ryoko said. "She's been hunting me to exclusion since
then."
"Will she keep her word?" Ranma asked.
"Yes," Ryoko said angrily.
"Well that's lucky," Ranma said. "You can prepare
to fight her over that time."
"When I get my powers back," Ryoko growled.
"You'll see a fight." Ranma paused a moment
"That woman's the one that did it, right?" Ryoko
narrowed her eyes, she knew what he was talking about.
"She claims so," Ryoko said.
"I'll give you some help if I can," Ranma said.
"NIHAO!!" Ranma froze.
"I did not just hear that," Ranma sighed.