[Ranma][FanFic] The Pursuit of Happiness - Act 2, Part 4
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// // - emitted from a P.S. system, telephone, or other
electric medium.
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===========================
The Pursuit of Happiness
ACT 2
The Kings of Nerima
Part 4
Kings Reversed
===========================
"So, let's review," said Ryo.
Kyoko gulped down the last of her 31 flavor ice cream bowl and
rubbed her chin in thought. She began to speak in a tone
sounding far too intelligent to be coming from a 12 year old.
"The Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts is anchored
primarily in Kempo, but contains elements from other arts. Their
belief is in the ability to adapt to any given situation."
"And what of Ranma Saotome?" asked Ryo.
"He's very fast. At his top speed, you can't possibly match
it. He relies heavily on his speed and his ability to adapt to
an opponent's strategy. He finds patterns and will take
advantage."
"Any habits of his?" asked Ryo.
"He usually waits for the opponent to make the first move
unless it's someone he knows."
"Mm-hm."
"And never challenge him in the air. His skill in air to air
combat is high."
"I see. And if I allow you to train under their dojo, how
long until you achieve Ranma's level of ability?"
"Two years."
Ryo grinned. It was convenient having a little sister who was
something of an idiot savant.
"How may I defeat him?"
"Be as unpredictable as you can. Catch him off guard with
switching patterns. Your strength is superior. Trading hits is
to your advantage. Don't start the match as the aggressor. He's
used to beginning a fight on defense, and the change will make
him uneasy."
"Anything else?"
Kyoko nodded. "Use umbrella #3."
"Right."
Kyoko looked at him, frowning. After a minute of being stared
at, Ryo gave her a sideward glare. "What now?"
"I want ice cream! More icecream! Moremoremore!"
"Well... fine. Since you did your report well."
"Waiwaiwai!"
-*-
[Fourth floor, Furinkan High School. 4:30 p.m.]
"You sure they aren't related?" asked Yuka.
Nabiki looked from one photograph to another and smirked.
"The resemblance is close, isn't it?"
"Sure is," replied Yuka. "Hiroshi and Daisuke are going with
Ryouga on this one."
"Odds?" asked Nabiki.
"They didn't say."
"Hrm. I'll give Ryouga 3:2 odds. Ryuu's good, but he's had
to change his fighting style from the ground up recently. How
about the Saotome/Muhoshin fight?"
"They're picking Ranma with high confidence," said Yuka. "A
no-brainer, in their books."
"Ranma, 7:4 odds."
"That close?" asked Sayuri.
"Well, Ranma _has_ had the roughest going through all the
rounds, while Muhoshin's breezed through his. He still holds the
top spot for quickest victory in a match and fastest average
time. It'll be a good match."
"We hyping the Hibiki/Kumon matchup in any way?" asked Sayuri.
"Any catchy phrases?"
"Hrmm, I dunno." Nabiki continued looking from one photo to
the other, the threads of a plan dangling just out of her reach.
"Almost related... related... like... brothers?" She stood up
and paced around slowly, deep in thought. "Brother against
brother... hrm... it's got a... whatisit... a..."
"John Woo-esque?" suggested Yuka.
Nabiki snapped her fingers. "That's it. Woo-esque feel to
it. Yeah."
"Too bad they aren't related, huh?" asked Yuka.
Sayuri nodded. "Yeah, too bad."
Nabiki grinned. "Well, you know that, and I know that,
but..."
-*-
- Round 7 Start -
-*-
[Furinkan High Soccer Field, a little later...]
Ryuu Kumon was confused, Ryouga moreso.
"Do you have _any_ idea why everyone here thinks we're
brothers?" asked Ryouga.
"No idea," said Ryuu.
"I guess I could ask..."
"Hm?"
"No, never mind."
Ryouga knew that Nabiki or her employees might know, but then
again he didn't have that much money.
"You ready?" asked Ryuu.
Ryouga nodded solemnly.
//RYUU KUMON VS. RYOUGA HIBIKI!//
The crowd cheered. A few of them looked a bit touched. More
of them were looking annoyed.
"For a fight between two long lost brothers, they sure are
cool about it," someone grumbled.
//FIGHT!//
-*-
Ranma had finally met an arrogance larger than his own, and it
looked like Hikaru Gosunkugi.
In the field of battle, this case being the St. Hebereke
soccer field, Ranma casually stretched and paced around.
His opponent, on the other hand, had a mat laid out on the
ground, was sitting under the shade of his opened umbrella,
sipping tea and reading the newspaper. He'd been like that for
several minutes, and was already seated when Ranma had arrived.
//FROM THE UNORTHODOX WEAPONRY SCHOOL OF MARTIAL ARTS, RYO
MUHOSHIN!//
Ryo blinked, looked around, folded up his newspaper, closed
his umbrella, rolled up his mat and tossed it to the sidelines,
then stood up casually. There was some amount of applause,
cheering from Akari, and a smattering of boos from the fans of
Magical Girl Kuruma and Ukyou.
He yawned yet again, stretched, then adjusted the black gloves
on his hands.
//FROM THE SAOTOME SCHOOL OF ANYTHING GOES MARTIAL ARTS, RANMA
SAOTOME!//
The audience roared their approval, inflating Ranma's ego
further. He was, in everyone's eyes, the eventual champion.
Ryo gave Ranma a look of utter contempt, a high and mighty
look that only Tatewaki Kuno could match in terms of haughtiness.
"Your Anything Goes is very good," said Ryo, "But it is no
match for my 44 Devils Umbrella Style."
Ranma sneered and wiped his nose in a manner reminiscent to
Bruce Lee. "Dream on. I'll kick your butt any day of the week."
//FIGHT!//
Ranma assumed a fighting stance. Ryo crossed his arms and
tapped his foot impatiently.
Neither fighter attacked.
Ryo began twirling his umbrella idly.
Ranma approached, still in a fighting stance, cautiously and
slowly. He didn't like this at all. Intending to prod Ryo out
of inactivity, he jabbed tenatively.
He had to pull his arm back quickly and retreat as a sudden
blizzard of slashes came his way. He sprang back, ready for a
charge from Ryo...
... who was idly twirling his umbrella once more and
whistling.
This he wasn't used to. In most of his fights, he wasn't the
aggressor. This was getting irritating.
Ryo looked at his watch and tsked. "So much for keeping it
under a minute." He gave Ranma an irritated glance. "Any day
now."
Ranma frowned and took a few steps sideways, then rushed
forward with a punch. Ryo ducked under it and slashed at Ranma's
stomach, but missed as he flipped over Ryo and turned, intending
to spin around with a kick. He saw Ryo's blade stab deliberately
into the ground a moment before he was to kick and sprang back
instead as Ryo set off a breaking point, sending debris flying
everywhere.
Ryo turned around, looking as arrogant as he did at the start
of the match. He brushed off his suit jacket, then motioned for
Ranma to approach.
"Again."
He was being mocked. He hated being mocked. Ranma charged
forward and began throwing punches, yelling "KACHUU TENSHIN
AMAGURIKEN!"
He felt ten, twenty, fifty punches hit their mark in a matter
of seconds. Ryo staggered back slightly, then surprised Ranma
when he grabbed him by the neck and slammed Ranma head-first into
the ground.
He was dazed, but still had enough presence of mind to lash
out with his feet and knock Ryo off and away.
Both combatants quickly got to their feet and faced each other
again. There was a bit of blood on Ryo's lip. Ranma's head was
still spinning a bit.
The strategic part of Ranma's mind was re-adjusting to the
situation. It looked like the chestnut fist was out. Sure there
were lots of hits, but he needed more power behind his strikes
and he knew he could out-speed Ryo even without it.
He took a quick half-second to evaluate Ryo's state. Muhoshin
was a bit rattled by the kick, but seemed otherwise fine.
Definitely surprising endurance. Ryo also seemed a bit
irritated. Ranma knew from earlier matches in the tournament
that Ryo was very much the aggressive fighter. Holding back was
obviously annoying him.
Well then, it was just a matter of willpower.
Ranma waited.
Ryo waited.
The crowd waited.
-*-
The battle between Ryouga and Ryuu was at a frenzied pace,
with both sending slashing kicks and powerful punches at each
other.
At first, the match seemed fairly even, with both opponents
being skilled enough to dodge each other and stay on the offense.
With each passing second, however, Ryuu's hands seemed to glow
slightly brighter. When they finally reached an intense fiery
yellow, he yelled out a battle cry and lashed out with blinding
speed, slipping through Ryouga's defenses and landing a pair of
solid burning palm strikes at his chest and stomach, causing
Ryouga to double over in pain and crumple to the floor.
Ryuu grinned. The Kumon School of Martial Arts Secret
Technique, the "Dragon Fire Palm", took a lot of work to master,
but he'd done it. Those punches were powerful enough to bring
anyone to their knees.
And then Ryouga poked the ground with his fingers.
It wasn't so much a breaking point blast as it was a breaking
point _wave_.
Ryuu was caught entirely by surprise as the ground shook and
shattered, rolling back and pushing him with it like a tidal
wave.
After being pushed and pummeled by the shockwave of exploding
earth, Ryuu quickly rolled up to his feet. He was dazed,
bruised, and reeling. He trained himself hard to spring back
from hard hits, which was the only reason why he was able to
block the oncoming barrage of punches Ryouga sent.
The first few of them, anyway.
A badly timed block allowed one of Ryouga's strikes to break
through, and it went downhill quickly for Ryuu from there. He
crumpled from the blow and left himself open as punch after punch
found their mark.
Dazed, damaged, and near defeat, Ryuu grew desperate. He
pulled his arms back and whipped them around in a cutting arc,
battle aura trailing his arms.
"KIJIN RAISHU DAN!"
Flaming ki projectiles crashed into Ryouga and sent him flying
across the field.
The crowd roared with excitement. It seemed things were
turning around in a dramatic fashion.
Ryuu stood up straight. Then he looked down at the ground and
scowled. With a sigh, he walked away from the field of battle
and muttered to the announcer:
"I forfeit."
-*-
The waiting paid off.
Ryo ran out of patience and charged, slashing at Ranma in
elaborate and unpredictable patterns, forcing him to retreat.
But with every few steps back, he found an opening and connected
with a solid hit.
As the punch connected, he knew something was wrong. Ryo
winced in pain, but easily grabbed him by the arm. It was all
too clear too late. He let himself get hit so he could take away
the one big advantage Ranma had: mobility.
With his other arm, Ranma began pummeling away at Ryo with
hundreds of punches. Ryo grunted, but didn't let go and instead
gave Ranma's arm a hard twist. Ranma flipped with the arm twist,
lashing out with a kick as he spun around that connected with
Ryo's jaw. It snapped his head back, but still wasn't enough to
get Ryo to release his grip. Instead, much to Ranma's surprise,
he quickly let go of the umbrella and caught the leg that hit him
before Ranma could pull it away. Then with arm and leg held, he
slung Ranma overhead and into the ground.
A positive and negative came out of this. The positive was
that in the process of slamming him overhead, Ryo lost his grip
on Ranma's arm. The negative was that Ryo now had an iron grip
on his leg, which is how Ranma got slung overhead and into the
ground yet again, landing face first into the earth.
He felt himself dragged a bit, then looked to see Ryo bending
down to grab his dropped umbrella. He took advantage of Ryo's
inattention and sprang up to give him a solid boot to the head.
He felt Ryo finally let go of his leg, and then a flash of pain
as Ryo's blade raked across it. Ranma ignored the pain, seeing
an opening in that Ryo had overcommitted himself to the slash,
and lashed out again with another kick to the head that knocked
Ryo flat on his back.
Ranma took some measure of satisfaction in seeing Ryo
definitely worn down, looking shaky as he stood up. Then again,
he wasn't feeling so great himself.
Things weren't going as well as he wanted at all. The match
was taking too much out of him. No matter who he faced in the
final round, he couldn't afford to be any more worn down than
this.
Slowly, Ranma began retreating from Ryo in a circular pattern,
dodging and blocking umbrella swipes as he backed away.
And then he did something that made the whole crowd gasp.
With all the speed of the chestnut fist, he slapped Ryo.
In the face.
Several times.
In front of everyone.
The crowd gasped.
Ryo staggered back for a moment, shock and outrage quickly
twisting his face into a murderous scowl.
"DIE!"
Good, thought Ranma. Got'em mad. Hope the rest is as easy.
-*-
Alone with his thoughts atop Furinkan High, Ryuu Kumon was
upset. He hated himself for slipping up like he did. He hated
it that Natsumi wasn't around.
And he hated Ranma for making him give that stupid promise.
In that moment of panic when Ryouga had suddenly gained the
upper hand, he'd used a move from the Yamasen-ken, a 'forbidden'
technique created by Genma Saotome.
A while back, after losing in a duel with Ranma, he'd promised
on his honor never to use that technique again.
And he blew it.
"Dammit."
He sighed, grabbed his backpack, and made his way to the
stairs. Nothing left to do but do the 'wandering warrior' thing
again. There was more training to be done, until the day he
could fight on his own without even thinking of using the
Yamasen-ken.
And maybe he'd run into Natsumi out there.
-*-
That peculiar battle aura that Ranma'd seen around Kuno was
beginning to flare up around Ryo. His strikes were coming in
faster, and Ranma could feel the heat from his ki.
Almost there. Just a little warmer and Ryo'd be hot enough to
send to the moon when the Hiryuu Shoten Ha hit him.
And then Ryo did something Ranma didn't expect. He stabbed
his umbrella into the ground and set off a breaking point,
sending debris flying at Ranma's face.
Ranma dodged the initial blast, but got caught by the next two
and raised his arms up in defense. Through the storm of debris
he sensed movement and dodged as Ryo charged through with an
umbrella swipe. Ranma grabbed it, intending to disarm Ryo, but
as he pulled at the umbrella, Ryo's hand brushed over Ranma's.
Then his fingernails exploded.
Ranma yelled in pain and let go, springing back a safe
distance while Ryo struck an arrogant pose, umbrella slung across
his shoulders.
"And I do bones, too," said Ryo dryly. The blade of his
umbrella withdrew with a *ching* and a rapier-like tip replaced
it.
-*-
"He say anything to you about it?" asked Ukyou, leading Ryouga
through sidewalks and streets.
He shrugged. "No, he just quit."
"That's weird."
"You feeling okay? Looked like he got a few solid hits on
you."
"Didn't feel a thing," said Ryouga.
"He hit ya riiiight here, right?" -poke-
"OW! What'd you do that for?!"
Ukyou mock-frowned. "Thought ya said you didn't feel a
thing?"
"Okay, maybe it did hurt."
She smirked. "Much better. Everyone could use a little
modesty."
The two walked along in silence for a while. Every now and
then Ukyou looked back to make sure Ryouga didn't wander off.
For once, he didn't. He was actually looking a little grim.
"You're awfully quiet. Something on your mind, sugar?" asked
Ukyou.
"It's down to me and Ranma. Again."
"You think he beat Muhoshin?"
"What do you think?"
They walked again in silence for a few seconds more.
"You're right," said Ukyou. "He probably did win." They
walked further on before Ukyou spoke again. "So, you and him
again."
Ryouga nodded grimly.
Ukyou smirked. "From bread feud to to battle royale."
"Hey! It was more than that!" he replied defensively.
She couldn't help but giggle. "Just kidding, just kidding!"
Ukyou's giggles eventually trailed off, and once more they
were walking across the town in silence.
"Just this once, I want to win. Ever since we met, it's
always been him. Just once. Just..."
Ukyou noticed the hint of bitterness in his voice. She
stopped walking for a moment and faced him.
"Ryouga?"
"Yeah?"
She looked him in the eye, and when she spoke he believed
every word.
"I believe in you."
"Y-you do?"
She smiled, that little smile that he always liked to see.
"Definitely."
She turned around to start walking, then paused and faced him
again, that same grin still on her face. "Hey, every dog has his
day, right?"
"Hey you!"
She stuck out her tongue, gave the standard "biiiih!", then
ran away, with Ryouga giving chase, both laughing all the way.
-*-
"HIRYUU SHOTEN HA!"
Ryo was nearly blinded by the flash of light and deafened by
the sudden roar that accompanied Ranma's attack, a massive column
of ki that struck him like a freight train and sent him flying
high into the sky.
He was fading into unconsciousness...
NO.
He was not going to lose.
NOT AGAIN.
-*-
"Pass the binoculars, man," asked Hiroshi.
"Here ya go."
Hiroshi and Daisuke were generally pleased with the way things
were going. The match was dramatic, flashy, and very
entertaining. There was also no indication that Ranma would lose
this one.
"One of his better Hiryuu Shoten Ha blasts, don'cha think?"
asked Hiroshi.
"Muhoshin must've been really flaming hot to get himself
knocked up that high," said Daisuke.
"Oh yeah, way up there," said Hiroshi, continuing to watch
Ryo's upward flight into the air. "Oh, hey, waitasec, something
interesting happening here."
"Oh?"
"Looks like Ryo's not out for the count. Yep, he's opening
his umbrella... he's floating down... whoa, does he look pissed
off. One heck of a battle aura, too."
"Hey, lemme see," said Daisuke, grabbing the binoculars.
"Hrm, he's revving up for a ki-blast."
"Don't think Ranma notices," said Hiroshi. "Mmm, nope, he
doesn't notice."
"Look up you moron!" yelled Daisuke.
-*-
The crowd was cheering now, dazzled at the display of energy
the Hiryuu Shoten Ha made, knowing that the predestined champion
had once again triumphed in spectacular fashion.
Ranma was still in post-Hiryuu-Shoten-Ha position, fist held
high in the air and face looking downward. The wind around him
was only now beginning to calm down.
Something wasn't quite right.
Ryo should have landed by now.
Someone in the audience yelled something.
Amidst the cheer of the crowds, somehow, he managed to hear
it.
"Look up, you moron!"
Look up?
-*-
Ranma looked up, then raised his arms up in defense as a storm
of boomerang-shaped ki blasts rained down from above. The ground
shook the air was choked with debris and dust as the blasts razed
the ground in a twenty meter radius around Ranma.
The crowd gasped.
A second after the storm stopped, Ryo Muhoshin plummeted from
the sky, roaring, umbrella raised over his head and held ready as
he dropped into the cloudy, smoke-filled battlefield.
Daisuke whistled.
"Damn, now that was impressive," said Hiroshi.
"Did Ranma get out of the way in time?" asked Daisuke.
"He got caught when they first hit," said Hiroshi. "Dunno if
he managed to dodge his way out or not. Damn, I wish the debris
would settle down already. I can't see a thing!"
In one of those moments of perfect dramatic timing that could
only happen in Nerima, a gust of wind happened to blow just then,
clearing the field and revealing the two ragged gladiators.
"Whoa," said Hiroshi.
Daisuke whistled in admiration yet again. "Dramatic or what?"
A wave of silenced washed over the crowd as the two fighters
stood still amidst the now ruined battlefield.
Ranma, while looking bruised, battered, and burned, still
stood tall and ready. There was confidence in his eyes and
determination in his face.
"Surprised he's still standing," said Hiroshi.
"S'his second wind," said Daisuke. "You know how he always
gets a second wind when he fights."
"Oh yeah."
Ryo stood, about twenty meters away from Ranma, in a sort of
crouching stance. He looked as worn as Ranma, with one
exception. Instead of confidence, there was rage. He was
clearly mad, beyond mad, with a snarl on his lips and his aura
still flaring. He was breathing deeply, but it wasn't clear if
it was because he was tired or enraged.
"Ki-blast like that usually takes a lot out of a person,
doesn't it?" asked Daisuke.
"Mm-hm. Figure that was Ryo's desperation move," said
Hiroshi. "I'd guess he doesn't have much left."
Ryo began spinning his umbrella, which began burning brightly
with ki.
"Then again, maybe not," muttered Hiroshi.
He charged forward, slinging ki blasts as he ran. Ranma
charged towards Ryo at the same time, dodging ki blasts with
inhuman speed, his fist pulled back and ready to strike.
The two met at the middle in a fury of slashes and punches.
Ranma ducked and weaved while Ryo slashed about madly, the missed
swings tearing up up the ground. Ranma landed a punch after
every slash, but it didn't seem to faze Ryo at all, continuing
his non-stop frenzy of slashes.
Ryo swiveled his grip on the umbrella and caught Ranma's ankle
with the hooked handle, sending Ranma falling backwards. As he
fell, Ryo switched his grip again and brought the bladed end down
at Ranma.
Ranma twisted out of the way of the downward slash, landing in
a handstand. He shot out with both feet, connecting solidly to
Ryo's chin. Muhoshin was momentarily knocked off his feet, then
landed flat on his back. Meanwhile, Ranma sprang up from his
handstand and watched Ryo warily. Now he was breathing heavily
too.
"Hrm, Ranma's looking worn out," said Hiroshi.
"Adrenaline rush musta worn off," said Daisuke.
"Think Ryo's out?" asked Hiroshi.
Suddenly, Ryo sprang up and lashed out at Ranma, who narrowly
avoided the lunging stab. Ranma spun around while dodging
sideways and shot his leg out in a descending angled axe kick,
catching Ryo at the base of the skull. At the same time, he
reached out with his arm and pulled the umbrella out of Ryo's
hand.
"Oh, that's gotta hurt," said Hiroshi.
"Okay, if he's not down yet," said Daisuke, "the guy's a
mutant."
-*-
Muhoshin landed face-first into the ground, disarmed and dazed
again. He was dimly aware that he no longer had his umbrella.
Damn. Oh well. Had to make do.
He loosened his tie and began to count down.
Five... Four... Three...
-*-
Ranma stepped back from Ryo, umbrella in hand, and lifted it
over his head as he was about to break it in half over his knee.
Then it exploded with a loud bang and a flash of light,
deafening and blinding Ranma. Moments after the explosion, he
felt something snap around his neck tightly, cutting off his air.
-*-
"Talk about a killer necktie," said Hiroshi.
"Man, this is a turnabout of momentum," added Daisuke.
Out in the battlefield, Ryo was behind Ranma, his necktie
lashed around Ranma's neck, strangling him.
"Ryo's looking more desperate," said Hiroshi.
Ranma yelled in pain as Ryo drove his knee into Ranma's
backside repeatedly. Hiroshi and Daisuke winced in sympathy.
"Oh, he's gonna be feeling that for a while," said Hiroshi.
"If Ranma can break out of the stranglehold, I think he's got
it. But he'd better get out of it soon..."
Ranma twisted and turned, finally managing to flip Ryo over
his back and onto the floor again.
"Got'em," said Hiroshi.
"Man, Ranma's getting his _third_ wind? That's good, even for
him," said Daisuke.
Immediately on hitting the ground, Ryo rolled aside, dodging
an axe kick from Ranma. Quicker than the eye could follow, he
had his belt off and was lashing it out at Ranma like a whip.
"Damn, Ryo's still going too," said Hiroshi.
"You don't think Ranma might lose this one, do ya?" asked
Daisuke.
Ranma caught the belt and yanked it out of Ryo's hands.
"What's he gonna do next?" asked Daisuke. "Thrash Ranma with
his shoelaces?"
"Could be worse. He could flail Ranma with his underwear,"
said Hiroshi.
Daisuke shuddered. "Oogh. A naked, fighting, Gosunkugi
lookalike. Bad mental image. Baaad, baaad mental image."
-*-
Meanwhile, back at the field, it was becoming apparent that
Ryo was finally running out of steam and options. With no
weaponry left, Ryo resorted to his Muy Thai skills. Summoning
the last of his ki, Ryo powered up his gloves and shoes, lighting
them in an eerie purple and blue glow.
It wasn't that they weren't good skills, it was just that he
developed them to complement his umbrella skills. Without an
umbrella, it just wasn't as effective.
Ryo kicked and punched, but just didn't have enough energy to
be fast enough to tag Ranma, who was blocking or dodging all of
his shots.
Ranma would have dodged all of them, but he wasn't exactly
feeling fresh either. The times he did block, he felt the same
strange sting that he felt when Kuno hit him, a sort of cold yet
burning sensation. He pushed that annoyance to the back of his
mind and began delivering shots of his own, each one finally
seeming to drain Ryo of his stamina.
Ranma knew he had the match. It was undeniable. He felt
confidence swell up in him, and focused that confidence into
power that flared in his arms.
"MOUKOU TAKABISHA!"
-*-
A sphere of energy blazed from Ranma's hands, engulfing Ryo
and nearly blinding the audience.
Daisuke smiled. "Okay, right, stick a fork in it, this
one's-"
"You're not gonna believe this," interrupted Hiroshi.
Burnt, smoking, but still there, Ryo Muhoshin stood defiantly
with a snarl locked on his lips. Everyone, including Ranma, was
stunned.
"Damn. He's still up," muttered Daisuke.
Hiroshi whistled.
For a tense moment, both fighters stood still. Then Ranma
blinked. He took one step forward, slowly, carefully, then
another.
Then he waved a hand in front of Ryo's face.
And waved it again.
And again.
Ranma examined Ryo a moment more, then strode off the
battlefield with a tired, weary grin.
He paused at the judge's table and said, "I got'em."
Meanwhile, back at the field, a few birds were taking roost
atop Ryo's shoulders.
//AND THE WINNER-//
Ryo teetered forward for a moment, scaring off the birds and
causing the audience to hold its breath...
-THUD-
//RANMA SAOTOME!//
The audience went wild. Hiroshi and Daisuke traded
high-fives, Akane took Ranma into her arms, and Akari rushed to
Ryo's side.
"Ryo? Ryo? Are you okay? Ryo-sama?"
-*-
In the distance, Ryouga and Ukyou heard the roar of a crowd
cheering.
"Looks like we're late," said Ukyou.
"Oh?"
"That's definitely the sound of a crowd cheering after the end
of a big fight."
"Oh."
"C'mon, before we miss the guys!" She took him by the hand
and walked faster towards the St. Hebereke stadium. When they
finally entered, they noticed several things. First, there was
the crowd, which seemed largely pleased and well entertained.
Then there was Akane, kneeling on the ground, who had Ranma's
head resting on her lap and was busy applying bandages to Ranma's
fingers. He seemed to be unconscious as well. Nearby, Hiroshi
and Daisuke were looking rather pleased with themselves. Out in
the field, Akari was tending to Ryo, who also seemed unconscious,
and also singed.
"Hey guys," said Ukyou. "Hope we didn't miss too much."
"One heck of a fight," said Hiroshi.
"Nice one, Ranma," said Daisuke.
"Thanks, guys," muttered Ranma. "Piece of cake. No problem."
"Jeez, you look wiped out," said Ukyou.
"Y'should see the other guy," said Ranma weakly.
"What happened to your hand?" asked Ukyou.
"Ryo blew'em off," said Hiroshi. "Nasty technique, man. Hey
Ranma, does it hurt as much as it looks?"
"Nah, no big *OW* watch it, you tomboy!"
Akane gave him a light bap to the head. "Stay still, stupid."
"You win yours, Ryouga?" asked Ranma.
"Yeah."
"So, s'you and me again."
Ryouga smirked. "Seems to be."
"Wouldn't seem right any other way."
"Guess it wouldn't."
"Although... I could really use some rest first," said Ranma.
"You're not the only one."
Meanwhile, Ukyou was watching Akari with a frown. She didn't
like her fawning over Ryo like that, not at all.
-*-
"Oh Ryo..."
With a sigh and a frown, Akari wiped Ryo's brow with a cloth
and gently stroked his cheek. She didn't like to see him fight.
It brought out a side of him that she didn't want to see, a side
that seemed to be what everyone else was warning him about.
Angry.
Violent.
Evil.
She didn't want to believe that. She didn't want it to be
true. How could someone she chose to trust with her heart be
bad? He'd always been kind and gentle to her, and so very
respectful.
"Ryo-sama?" She gently nudged him once again, and still
received no response. It was no use, she thought. He was out
cold. There was no choice, then. She couldn't leave him out
here, and she certainly couldn't carry him.
"Hey there."
"Oh! Ukyou-san!"
The okonomiyaki chef knelt down next to Akari. "So, how is
he?"
"He won't wake up. I'm... I'm worried."
"I wouldn't be worried about him," said Ukyou. "He's a
martial artist like the rest of us. He'll recover like the rest
of us."
"But... but I just can't leave him out here on the floor."
"Oh. I see. Um... want me to ask the guys to carry him
somewhere?"
"Oh, I couldn't ask that," said Akari. "I... wait, I know."
She whistled.
From nearby, her giant sumo pig emerged and trotted out into
the field. With the help of Ukyou, Akari moved Ryo to the pig's
back, then lead the creature and its passenger away.
-*-
Unnoticed by all and observing all, Tanya Noori and Konatsu
the Kunoichi lurked at the very top of the stadium.
<Lookit th'gel, she's far too bloody noice fer'at creep.>
"Muhoshin-san looked really out of it," said Konatsu.
"Heheh."
"Poor Akari," said Konatsu. "She'll be heartbroken."
"For the best," said Tanya in her stiff Japanese.
"We're telling her tonight?"
"Yes, later. First we get allies."
Konatsu blinked. "Allies?"
Tanya pointed at the other group on the field, Ranma and his
friends. "Allies."
-*-
Ryo awoke with a frown.
Something was clearly wrong.
He lost, which was clearly wrong. He'd done everything to
make sure that Saotome was worn ragged through the tournament,
and yet somehow he STILL managed to win.
Damn him.
This was supposed to be his time of glory, not Saotome's. It
was all coming together perfectly! Ryouga and Ryo in the final
battle, as he felt it ought to be.
That wasn't what was wrong at the moment, however.
He seemed to be... on his back... and moving... on something
large, warm, and somewhat odd smelling.
"Nnng."
"Oh! Ryo-sama! You're awake!"
"I'm on the back of a pig."
"I-" she began nervously, but was cut off.
"Why am I tied to the back of a pig?"
"You wouldn't wake up and-"
"WHY am I tied to the BACK of a PIG?!" he snarled.
"I'msorry!" she blurted out, wincing.
Not only was he defeated, but he was dragged off the field by
a GIRL and a PIG?! In front of EVERYONE?!
With a roar, he easily snapped the ropes binding him to the
massive pig and landed on the ground.
"Do you have ANY IDEA HOW HUMILIATING-"
Akari reached out and held him by the arm. "Ryo-sama, wait,
I-"
He whirled around and stared at her, his eyes inches away from
hers.
"NOT. NOW."
After jerking his arm from out of her touch, he bound away
into the night, ignoring Akari's cries entirely.
Almost entirely.
He spared one last glance at her, then sprang over rooftops
and fences and into darkness.
If he couldn't win the King of Nerima tournament, he'd be
damned if Ryouga did.
-*-
Within King's Cafe, a large amount of the spectators of the
King of Nerima tournament, quite a few participants who'd already
been defeated, and the two remaining contestants were taking the
usual break between fights.
Ranma's head was flat on the table.
Ryouga was applying ice to a spot a bit above his abdomen.
Everyone else at the table, Akane, Ukyou, Natsumi, Kurumi,
Hiroshi and Daisuke, were generally relaxing and chatting
noisily.
Except Nabiki.
She was staring at the screen on her laptop, which was
currently displaying a blank web browser.
"C'mon, c'mon, let's get this thing on the road," she mumbled.
The browser finally came to life, and displayed:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
- The King of Nerima Tournament -
Day 4 Results
Hibiki Ryouga d. Kumon Ryuu
(recap) (statistics) (highlights)
Saotome Ranma d. Muhoshin Ryo
(recap) (statistics) (highlights)
-more- -previous results- -main- -statistics- -odds-
-next round-
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Nabiki, already knowing this information, found it utterly
useless.
"Yeah yeah, -next round- already."
*CLICK*
-----------------------------------------------------------------
- The King of Nerima Tournament -
Day *5 Lineup
Hibiki Ryouga vs. Saotome Ranma
[statistics] [insider]
-previous results- -main- -statistics- -odds-
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"DAY FIVE?!" yelled Nabiki.
"N'so loud," grumbled Ranma.
"What 'Day Five'? There isn't supposed to be a 'Day Five'!"
ranted Nabiki. "And what's with this asterisk?"
-click-
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Due to unforeseen circumstances, the final round
of the tournament has been moved to the next
day.
-The Management.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"Unforeseen circumstances?" wondered Nabiki aloud.
"Hmm, this is interesting," said Hiroshi, peering at the
monitor over Nabiki's left shoulder.
"Could be decisive," said Hiroshi, peering over Nabiki's right
shoulder.
"What could?" asked Sayuri, peering over Nabiki's head with
Yuka.
"The rescheduling thing," said Hiroshi. "Ranma may have less
endurance than Ryouga, but he recovers pretty fast. By this time
tomorrow, he's gonna be feeling a lot better."
"Yeah, no kidding," said Daisuke. "If they were gonna fight
tonight, I'd put my money on Ryouga. But tomorrow? I dunno,
that's a tough one to call."
Sayuri nodded. "Yeah, and that hit Ryouga took from Ryuu is
still bugging him. Hibiki might be really hurt."
Yuka hmmed. "Gosh, should be a good even fight tomorrow."
Needless to say, Nabiki didn't care much for being buried
under a small mountain of chatty people.
"QUIT CROWDING ME!!!"
-*-
In cafes, bars, and other eateries that double as social
gathering locales, there has always been a group sense of
telepathy of sorts, a defense mechanism remaining from the days
of evolution when the highest form of life was a school of fish.
One fish gets uneasy, the rest know about it immediately.
Thus it was then, that the moment Akari Unryuu somberly
stepped through the doors of King's cafe that everyone, for a
moment, felt uneasy. A few of them looked at the girl who'd just
made her entrance and wondered why she was looking so glum.
Tanya Noori and her assistant Konatsu eyed the girl with some
interest and much sympathy.
"Time might be good now," said Noori. "See what she does
first."
Ryoko Muhoshin, waitress at the cafe, was first to notice the
glum heiress to a sumo pig dynasty and approached her.
"Akari? Hey, you okay?"
"I... it's Ryo... he..."
She sniffled.
"Can we sit down somewhere?" asked Akari, her eyes watering up
slightly.
"Oh, hey, sure. C'mon." She lead the girl to a corner booth
and handed her a handkerchief.
Meanwhile, nearby, the ladies of Ranma's table noticed the
distraught girl's appearance and came over to see if they could
help.
"Hey, Akari, what's going on?" asked Ukyou.
"You okay?" asked Sayuri.
Ryoko frowned. "That jerk, my brother, yelled at her."
Ukyou sighed. She saw this coming. "So where is he now?"
"I... I don't *sniffle* know," said Akari. "He just *sniffle*
ran off."
"Oh Akari," said Ukyou. "You're better off without him,
really."
"More than you know," said another voice, a stiff awkward one
with a British accent which had everyone turning.
Tanya Noori stood behind them, with Konatsu at her side,
holding out a piece of paper. "Read this."
"What's this?" asked Ukyou.
"Evidence," said Tanya. "Ryo is planning to kidnap Unryuu-san
and demand money from her family."
Ukyou unfolded the note, then began reading it...
Until it burst into flames as a dark purple ki blast struck it
and Ukyou's hands.
"GET AWAY FROM HER!"
The entire cafe heard that outburst this time, and turned to
see Ryo Muhoshin at the door, still looking ragged from his
fight, and armed with another umbrella.
Given his general viciousness before and what was happening at
the moment, the entire cafe had a rather dim view of him.
And considering that at least half of the cafe was filled with
martial artists, some of whom were eliminated savagely by Ryo in
the past, there was bound to be violence.
The other martial artists were just grumpy that they got
eliminated. Someone had to be the target for stress relief.
King, the lady who owned the place, peaked out from the
backroom, sensing something amiss. Immediately upon seeing the
scene, she uttered, "oh, shit."
Someone yelled.
Nobody was sure who, but someone yelled and it set off a messy
chain of events.
What that someone yelled was this:
"GET HIM!"
The next ten seconds were incredibly action-packed, even for
Nerima.
Ryo artfully dodged Kujo Masakari's blade, weaved past the the
Stooge-Fu martial arts duo, stomped over Sentaro Daimonji's head,
plowed over Magical Girl Kuruma, narrowly avoided Akane's punch,
deflected Ukyou's spatula with his own umbrella, grabbed Akari
around the waist, hefted her over his shoulder, and crashed
through an open window.
"Oh hell, not good," said Ryoko.
"After him!" yelled Ukyou.
-*-
"Hey, Ranma, get up."
"Nng, don'bug me Ryouga."
"Damsel in distress. Martial artist duty."
"Damn, who took Akane this time?"
"Not Akane."
"Huh. Ukyou?"
"Nope. It's-"
"Kasumi? Nah. Nabiki, right?"
"Akari."
"Not Akane?"
"No. C'mon, let's go."
"I'm right behind *ow* ya."
Slowly, with much soreness, the last two martial artists left
King's Cafe, onward towards fate.
"Ranma? Where'd you... Hey, where'd everyone go?"
Or at least in the general direction of fate.
"Where on Earth am I now?!?!"
-*-
Akari Unryuu didn't live the life of the usual Nerima martial
artist. She was, aside from the pig fetish, a relatively normal
girl.
She wasn't used to springing around at tremendous heights.
She wasn't used to being hauled around by one arm. She wasn't
used to leaping from building to building.
Of course, she screamed.
She clung on to Ryo in fright as he bound across countless
rooftops through the dark, eyes shut tigh to avoid the vertigo
that struck her every time Ryo took another gravity-defying leap.
It didn't help much that he was acting like a maniac.
"Ryo-sama! Please! Stop!"
As with all her pleas before, he ignored it, as he did the
yells of Ukyou and the others giving chase in the distance.
Akari could barely hear them now, and found herself very afraid
to be left alone with Ryo.
The next landing she felt was a distinct _thud_, as Ryo
finally landed on solid earth. She slowly opened her eyes and
looked around.
Darkness was around them. A bridge overhead cast a shadow
over them. The night sky wasn't much brighter, with not a star
shining. She could hear the rush of water and barely see the
flow of the aqueduct nearby.
"There, they shouldn't find us here," said Ryo, looking around
warily. He grabbed her by the wrist and walked further into the
darkness.
"Ryo-sama, you're hurting my arm! Ryo-sama, please!"
"Not so loud!" he hissed angrily.
"Tell me it's not true!" she cried. "You weren't going to
kidnap me, right? You love me!"
Before she could say another word, he covered her mouth with
his hand.
"Akari," he said in a deadly, angry, low voice, "shut up."
Her world collapsed, at that moment. There was nothing in
Ryo's eyes, absolutely nothing, that resembled love. Not even a
speck of caring.
Just anger.
He continued to pull her into the shadows, until they suddenly
and unexpectedly bumped into somewhat.
"Excuse me, can you tell me whe-"
"YOU?!?!"
"What the?!"
Two battle auras flared immediately, lighting the area in
eerie shades of Ryouga's green and Ryo's purple battle auras.
Ryo's grip on Akari's wrist tightened. He held her tightly
and drew his umbrella upwards, blade extending with a *schnick*
as he drew it up.
"Back off, Hibiki. You're not interfering this time."
Akari didn't like the blade, especially since it was so close
to her face.
Ryouga didn't either.
"Hey! If you hurt her..."
"Ryo-sama, please!"
"SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP! GET BACK!" Ryo slashed wildly at
Ryouga, causing Akari to shriek and Ryouga to take a quick step
back. "You've gotten in the way before, Hibiki, but not this
time. NOT THIS TIME!"
"Ryo-sama! Please! Don't hurt him!"
Ryo's glare went from Ryouga to Akari. "What?" he hissed.
"What is this? Is this what's been going on?! WELL?!"
"R-ryo-sama! No!"
In the distance, the sound of an angry mob buzzed.
"I think I saw'em here!" echoed Ukyou's voice faintly from
nearby.
Ryo's glare swiveled again, behind him, out into the night,
then back at Ryouga. He shoved Akari aside roughly and charged
at Ryouga in a berzerker rage.
"DIE!"
While Ryo and Ryouga began fighting, Akari stumbled in the
dark. She lost her footing momentarily, then fell backwards into
open air. With a shriek, she flailed desperately and managed to
grab on to the edge.
The area lit by the battle aura of the two fighters, she was
able to see what was below: rushing waters flowing through the
aqueduct, and quite a bit of a drop down too.
"Ryo-sama! Help me! Help!"
Her cries went ignored, as Ryo continued to slash angrily at
Ryouga. The two were, by then, a few meters down and continuing
to go further away from her, with Ryo aggressively pushing Ryouga
back.
"HELP ME!"
Again, her cry for help was ignored by Ryo. Ryouga, on the
other hand, took a moment to look at her.
"Ryo, stop! She's gonna fall!"
"SHUT UP AND DIE!"
"I can't hold on much longer!" cried Akari.
"Akari!" Ryouga tried to run past past Ryo, delayed by a
near-miss slash aimed at his eye.
Akari's grip faltered, then slipped. She screamed as she
fell, but then suddenly was caught in someone's arms.
"Ryo...ga?" She was in his arms, or actually, in one arm.
The other was holding on to the edge, barely.
"Hold on," said Ryouga. "Just- uh oh."
Akari looked up in time to see a blade right below Ryouga's
neck. The blade was the one attached to the end of Ryo's
umbrella.
"Give her back," said Ryo. "Now."
Ryouga looked at Ryo, then at the waters below. If he could
push away quickly enough...
*POOF*
"AAARGH!"
The smell of dust and soot filled Akari's nose, making her
cough violently. Above, Ryo was stumbling forward, the victim of
Tanya Noori's soot bomb attack. He lurched forward again as
another soot bomb struck him in the head, then plunged into the
rushing waters below.
A moment later, Ryouga's grip finally slipped.
"Hold on!" yelled Ryouga.
They plunged down towards the waters again, and again she was
caught in the air, her and Ryouga, as a rope of some sort
suddenly wound around them.
"Hang in there, guys!" yelled Ryoko. Akari looked up and saw
her, Ukyou, Tanya, and others pulling them up by the rope.
A normal girl could only take so much, really. This was the
point where Akari's mind firmly believed fainting would be the
best thing to do.
-*-
"Akari? Hey, you okay?"
A voice? Who's voice?
Ryo's?
No.
Ryouga's.
She opened her eyes slowly, blinking a lot. Ryouga was
kneeling next to him, along with all her friends from school and
work. They were still outside, in the night, but it wasn't so
dark any more. A few stars were beginning to shine.
The memory of what had just happened came rushing to her in a
train-wreck of conflicting and bitter emotions. She clung to
Ryouga tightly and sobbed uncontrollably.
"W-why?" she managed.
Ryouga hadn't any idea what to say. He was never any good at
comforting people. He suspected he was actually rather inept,
which wasn't far away from the truth.
Basically, holding her until she was done crying seemed the
only thing to do. He gave a somewhat embarrassed look to Ukyou,
who looked a little confused herself.
Meanwhile, in the distance, Ryoko Muhoshin observed the scene
before her with some relief, but also foreboding. She didn't
like the way Akari looked in his arms, not at all. And by the
way Ukyou looked, she wasn't entirely comfortable with it either.
What a tangled web weaved...
And nobody had lied yet either.
They were in for some interesting times.
-end part 4-