======================== THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS ACT I Part 3 A Training We Will Go ======================= nothing's so cold as closing the heart when all we need is to free the soul but we wouldn't be that brave i know and the air outside so soft, confessing everything everything... -Toad The Wet Sprocket, 'All I Want' FRIDAY NIGHT... The sun slowly sank to the mountains, its brilliant orange glow bathing the scenery in an almost cinematic moment. Two observers sitting next to a campfire were admiring the event, looking a bit weary themselves, as if they had just done a lot of walking, which they did. "Wow, kinda warm for this time of year, ain't it?" said Ukyou. "That's true, I guess," admitted Ryouga. "Feels more like spring than winter, really." "Nice weather for a training trip, isn't it?" said Ryouga. "Very nice. So, this is where you train normally?" asked Ukyou, who was currently reclined on her sleeping bag. "I always liked this place," said Ryouga, stretching his back and arms. "It's always so peaceful, and scenic too." This was done, somewhat, because of the much anticipated King of Nerima tournament that was to begin in about a month's time. But more than that, the trip was done because life in Nerima tended to be hazardous anyways. It was in Ryouga's best interest to get back in shape as soon as possible. "Yeah, this place is beautiful," agreed Ukyou. "I was told this used to be known as the Cobweb forest. Supposedly, there's spirits that haunted the woods, and hidden somewhere in here is the remains of an old abandoned fortress from the days of the warlords." "Sounds spooky," said Ukyou, frowning. "Well," said Ryouga, "I've never seen any spirits, or any fortress. Maybe it's all just a myth." Ryouga's stretching ceased, and he stood perfectly still. His eyes were closed, and his breathing was steady and calm. No worries, no cares, and only the feel of nature all around him. Ukyou looked up at Ryouga curiously. She'd never seen him so... calm before. When he wasn't scowling, moping, or being an idiot, she had to admit he was cute. In fact, he was kinda handsome. "Um, Ukyou? Something wrong?" "Huh?" She realized that she'd been gazing right at him, and fixed that problem by turning away quickly. However, the blushing wasn't helping her any. "J-just thinking, that's all." "Oh." He let the inquiry stop at that, mostly because he wasn't sure he was ready to hear any answers. Instead, he let a more natural urge take over. "Say, when's dinner?" * "Dinner's ready!" "Ah... be there in a minute!" Ranma took a moment to make a prayer to any deities out there that would listen as he was about to face a consequence of bringing his beloved fiancee along with him on this training trip. At the time, it seemed like a good idea. Just the two of them, together, in the mountains, and without any weird antics from their parents, Happosai, or any other fiancees that Ranma might not have heard of yet. It sounded romantic, anyways. Until he thought about who'd be doing the cooking. If only she wasn't so sensitive about the topic... Oh well. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right? "Ranma! Your dinner's getting cold!" called out Akane. He took this moment to remind himself of a few vital things before partaking of the feast. One, he was her fiancee. Two, he really did care about her. And three, as his father was fond of saying, the path of a true martial artist is fraught with peril. Forcing a smile on his face, Ranma headed towards his fiancee and the peril she lovingly made for him. He couldn't help but worry. That smell from the pot of... whatever... was smelling like Akane's standard fare, which was noxious. * "What is that stench?" muttered Ryo. He stood still upon a boulder that was sitting in the middle of a stream, sniffing the air curiously and trying to determine what on earth it was and where it was coming from. Failing to do either, he gave up and resumed jumping from rock to rock. Even though it was dark, he managed to keep himself upright and dry. It was all a part of UWSMA training, being ready to fight in any environment, wet or dry, bright or dark. He couldn't help but frown, though. He felt it, in every move he made, that he wasn't at peak condition anymore. Too much time in the hospital, on his back. This wouldn't do. The smell wasn't helping either. The best place to begin, he thought, was with the basics. Push the limits again until his limits were higher. After all, he still had a Hibiki to defeat, and it was clear that his skill levels before were still inadequate for the job. He just needed a little more of an edge. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore. Ryo jumped away from the stream, brushed off his ebony t-shirt and dark brown slacks, and picked up his backpack. That odor was just too disharmonious with nature. He couldn't stand it anymore. There had to be some other place to camp around there, _away_ from that smell. * "Hey, you smell something?" wondered Ryouga. "Like what?" "You don't smell it?" Ukyou closed her eyes, inhaled, then frowned. "Yeah... I can barely smell it, but there's something weird in the air." "I guess that's what happens when cities get too big," lamented Ryouga. He shook his head sadly, then resumed munching down his okonomiyaki. "The okonomiyaki okay?" wondered Ukyou. "Great as always," replied Ryouga. "And the grilled chicken?" queried Ukyou. "Pretty good, pretty good." "How about the egg drop soup?" she asked, somewhat concerned. "Um... Ukyou?" "It wasn't good, was it. I knew I used too much salt." "Ukyou, the soup was good." "Oh. Good." Ukyou smiled once more and relaxed. This was odd, thought Ryouga. Very odd. "Ukyou?" "Hm?" "Why are you acting so weird?" Ukyou frowned. "Huh? Weird? I'm not acting weird." "Yes you are," said Ryouga. "I'm not saying you shouldn't have, but what's with all this stuff you cooked?" he asked, pointing at a rather amazing variety of dishes. There were the traditional dishes from Japan, one or two Chinese dishes, a side dish from India, and the desert was possibly French. Ukyou frowned. "What, you don't like it?" "T-that isn't the problem. It's just that... well... I'm just used to you cooking okonomiyaki." "I just, well, wanted to expand my skills a bit." "Oh." "Everything tasted okay, right?" Ryouga rolled his eyes. "Yeah, everything tasted great. Stop worrying!" Ukyou smiled a bit, then pulled out a cooler. "What's in there?" wondered Ryouga. "Ice cream. Want some?" * Ice cream would've been nice right about now, thought Ryo. Or a nice espresso. Instead, he was settling for a lukewarm coke and some odd bird he managed to kill, cooked via roasting over a campfire. Next time, he said to himself, don't forget to bring the cooler. Using a rib in place of a toothpick, he scraped off some nagging bits of bird from his teeth and perched on a low branch of a tree. He closed his eyes and inhaled, analyzing the air and its pleasant lack of modern day scents. Well, almost. An eye opened lazily as his olfactory senses detected... Chinese food... and something Indian... and definitely, the scent of okonomiyaki. Both eyes opened, narrow reptilian slits, scanning his surroundings carefully. Could Hibiki and his 'friend' have followed him up here? It was a possibility. No. It couldn't be. He blamed the tempting aromas on the small city a few hours hike away and settled into the branch, pulling out his portable television. Not much achieved today, aside from getting the long walk done with and warming up a bit. Tomorrow, however, would be when the interesting events were scheduled to take place. Hopefully, it'd be a beautiful day. * "It's beautiful tonight, isn't it?" said Akane, holding on to Ranma's hand as they navigated through the forest. "Yeah, the stars don't get this bright in the city," said Ranma. That was true. Out in the countryside, the night sky was unbelievably clear, almost looking like she could reach out and touch the stars. It was beauty on a grand scale. "Watch out, low branch," warned Ranma. "Thanks. I hope the view is worth the trip," said Akane. "Hey," replied Ranma confidently, "trust me." They wandered through trees and bushes, with the surprisingly bright moonlight guiding their way. Eventually, they made it to the mountain top, a majestic view greating them as the valleys nearby were revealed in all their splendor. In the far distance, city lights were flickering, much like tiny fires in the night. The two sat down, looking upon the world, and leaned against each other for warmth and comfort. "You're right," said Akane, sighing. "Nice view." "Glad ya like it." * "Nice view of the stars from out here," said Ryouga, lying back on his sleeping bag. "Yeah, I've forgotten how much more, well, alive the night sky is, when you're out in the rural parts of the country, that is," said Ukyou, lying in her own sleeping bag and looking up. "Forgotten?" wondered Ryouga. "Used to be in a smaller town, remember?" "Oh, you mean before-" "Mm-hm." Minutes rolled by. Birds glided past, far above in the sky. Somehow, the two failed to fall asleep. "Hey, Ryouga," said Ukyou, "still awake?" "Yeah." "Whaddaya see when you look at the stars?" "See?" wondered Ryouga. "You know... constellations and stuff like that." "Oh. Well... I've always heard that sailors used the stars to find their way, so I kinda tried the same." "Oh?" "Never seemed to work, though," said Ryouga, sitting up. "See that star?" he asked, pointing towards the sky. "Hm? Which one?" asked Ukyou. "That one, right over... ah, hold on." He left his sleeping bag, kneeled next to Ukyou, and pointed up in the sky. "See that one?" Ukyou leaned closer, trying to see exactly what he was pointing at. "What about it?" she asked. "Well, it's supposed to be the north star, right? But I still get lost when I use it for ref-" "That's not the north star," said Ukyou bluntly. "-erence. Um. It... it isn't?" "THAT," she said, moving his arm up and sideways quite a bit, "is the north star." "What?! Then what's that star supposed to be?!" he asked, sounding bewildered and embarrassed. "Not the north star." "Oh." Ryouga grinned sheepishly, clearly embarrassed. Ukyou patted him on the shoulder and said, "try to remember, okay? Who knows, it just might help you. Now get offa my sleeping bag, sugar." "Huh?" Ryouga looked around and suddenly realized how close he was to Ukyou. "Oh! Aheh, sorry, sorry." He quickly went back to his own sleeping bag. Ukyou smiled, amused at the reaction she got from Ryouga. The guy was just so funny sometimes, although she knew he didn't mean to be. "Hey," she said. "Hm?" "Still didn't answer my question, y'know." "What question?" "About stargazing?" "Oh, that." Ryouga looked up at the sky, thoughtfully. "I used to see Akane." He didn't see Ukyou roll up her eyes in disgust. "But," he continued, "lately it's been... well..." Actually, he hadn't given it much thought, so he was taking that moment to see what he would see. Admittedly, in the past, he'd start thinking in dramatic terms about how he and Akane would be looking up at the same stars, and that one day... "Just stars," he answered, shrugging. "How about you?" "Let's see, there's the big dipper over there," she said, pointing skyward. "Where?" "_There_." "Where?" Ukyou got up, kneeled next to Ryouga, grabbed his face, tilted it upwards, then pointed up. "There." "Oh. I see." "Over there, that's the 'Okonomiyaki Nebula'" Ryouga blinked. "The what?" "The Okonomiyaki Nebula," she said, smiling. "Hey, there's no such thing as-" "No, no, it ain't an official name," she said, still smiling a pleasant and somewhat sentimental smile. "It's what me and Ranchan used to call it when we were kids." Ryouga frowned, slightly. "I see." "And next to it... that's what we called... 'The Really Odd Shaped Bent Spatula Constellation'." She laughed at the memory, feeling a little warm glow from happier days. "Oh." Ryouga scowled at the mention of Ranma, still not liking how he was always in Ranma's shadow. Even now. "And over there is Orion's Belt... and that, over there is..." for a few minutes, Ukyou pointed out the various constellations in the sky, and why they were named so. As she did so, her voice seemed to fade out in Ryouga's ears. Instead, he couldn't help but notice how close she was, and her perfume seemed to smell really nice too. After a while, Ukyou finished talking and went back to her sleeping bag to settle in for the night. She entirely missed the way he seemed just mesmerized by her, following her with dazed eyes. Soon, the two were once again chasing after sleep, with little success. The wind blew. Trees swayed in the breeze. "Hey, Ryouga, still awake?" asked Ukyou. "Yeah." "Mind if I ask you a question?" she asked. "Hm? Go ahead." "Why are you so clumsy around girls?" "What?!" "Hey, come on, admit it. You just turn into a babbling idiot when you face a cute girl. Remember all those times I tried to set you up with Akane? Huh?" "Okay, okay," he replied irritably. "So I do. I guess... I'm not used to people." "What's that supposed to mean?" "I mean... it's always been just me. Whenever I go on training trips, or get lost, or when I was in school... it was just me. I'm just not used to dealing with people. I always just either beat them up or tried to say the right thing." "Oh." She glanced at the forever lost boy, feeling sad that his upbringing was so isolated. "Well, you're an okay guy, Ryouga. You shouldn't worry too much." "You really think so?" "You just have to keep your ridiculous temper under control." "I don't have a bad temper," he said calmly. "Yes you do, my friend." "I do _not_." "Normal people don't begin vendettas because of bread, sugar." Ryouga scowled. "Feh." "Other than that, you're a nice guy." "Gee, thanks," he said sarcastically. "And when you're not moping or scowling... you're actually kinda cute." Ryouga blushed. "You... really think so?" "Yup. But your brain still turns into mud when you're around a cute girl." "I wasn't THAT bad around Akane. And I'm doing just fine talking to you right now, aren't I?" Ukyou blushed, but it was hidden will underneath her sleeping bag and the darkness. A proud part of her refused to get flustered, and decided to knock Ryouga off balance. "So," said she mirthfully, "that mean I'm in the 'cute' category, sugar?" "Er, what?" This time Ryouga blushed somewhat as he realized that his word choice was a bit suspect last time, and tried to make up for that now. "Ah, I mean, well, it's not like..." Ukyou giggled. "You were saying something about not being that bad?" "Hey, no fair, you caught me off guard!" "All's fair in love and war, sugar." "And this is war, ne?" said Ryouga, amused. "And I'm up, 1-0." * * * SATURDAY MORNING... He stared into her eyes, an intense, deep, and meaningful gaze. She returned his look with an equally intense stare. He brushed a stray lock of hair from her eyes. She took his hand in hers and held it. "Akane..." "Ranma..." "I'm cooking breakfast, and that's that." "I don't think so," said she, giving his hand a mildly painful crush. "Ow! It's only fair. You cooked dinner, I do breakfast." "Are you trying to avoid my cooking again?" "I'm... ah... sharing the duties here. I mean, we're gonna be married, right?" Akane narrowed her eyes. "I challenge you." "What?!" Akane rolled up her sleeve and pulled her arm back, fist clenched. "What, you afraid you'll lose?" "To you? No way!" He rolled his own sleeve up and pulled his arm back, ready to strike. "Ready?" she asked. "Ready." "Junken Pow!" Akane had scissors. So did Ranma. "Junken Pow!" Ranma had rock. So did Akane. They glared at each other. Apparently, they both thought, a twist in strategy is required. "Junken Pow!" Akane, rock. Ranma, rock. "Stop copying me!" yelled Akane. "Hey, it's YOU copying me!" * * * It had been said that Ryo was trying to copy Ryouga. This he heard from the rumor mill that was constantly flowing in Nerima. And it irked him somewhat, really. How was he supposed to know that Ryouga had ALSO learned the breaking point technique? Was it his fault Ryouga used an umbrella as well? Ryo had used an umbrella _first_. Ryo stood atop a boulder, facing the rising sun with his eyes closed as if in meditation. He scowled as he used those thoughts of irritation to build up a surge of anger, and felt power coursing through his body as a result. He shifted his focus and suddenly his gloves were lit with ki energy, glowing a pulsating purple and blue. The test here was how long he could keep his ki focused and ready. By the size of the blasts that he'd seen Ryouga execute, he guessed that his enemy had ki generating abilities surpassing his own by leaps and bounds. That would have to change. Ten minutes went by, as he focused to keep his gloves charged. Ten minutes... it wasn't bad. But there was a better way to push his limits. Keeping his gloves energized with ki, he leapt down, turned, and slammed a fist into the boulder. Rocks flew and the rock shuddered as his arm plowed into it. And then he punched again. And again... * * * "The reason why you lost all the time was because he was always faster," observed Ukyou. "That's why he's always been the best. You can't touch him when he's up to full speed." "You think I should train to be faster?" "It certainly wouldn't hurt. You just might take him by surprise." Ukyou took a few practice swings with her battle spatula, warming up. "Say, how'd he get so fast anyways?" "Cologne taught him." "Shoulda known. How?" "She made him sit in front of a campfire and try to pull chestnuts out. She tried to teach me the same technique, but gave up." "Well... let's see about getting your defense back in shape then. Engarde!" She charged at Ryouga, swinging at a moderate pace at first, then speeding up. Ryouga easily blocked the first volley of strikes, but as her speed increased a few hits tagged him. Fortunately, they weren't powerful hits, but they were unfortunately slipping through his defenses at an increasing rate. Finally, after a few more minutes, she stopped. Ukyou was feeling exhausted, after having attacked constantly for so long. Ryouga was feeling slightly winded, having suffered quite a few hits. "You leave yourself open way too much sometimes," said Ukyou between deep breaths. "especially your left side." "It'd be a different story if I was attacking," he grumbled. "The POINT here is to make your defense better. We'll try this again in a few minutes." * 36 minutes nonstop. Not bad. Ryo sighed as he felt the last of his ki energy drain away from him, and he surveyed what he had managed to do while he was able to keep his charge up. The boulder which he had been punching at the start, was now rubble. In addition to that, a few neighboring boulders were also victimized, as well as quite a few trees. In his frenzy to continue punching and kicking with ki charged blows nonstop, he punted a few miscellaneous forest animals into mid-earth-orbit. "This... is good," he said, taking deep breaths. Keeping his ki up for so long was incredibly tiring, he felt as if all his reserves were spent. Maybe a thirty minute rest, he mulled, and we'll see what else we can think of. He wiped sweat from his brow, sat under one of the undamaged trees, and looked at a very rough blueprint of an umbrella design he had in mind, and lost himself in thought. * "And I thought you were getting better," taunted Ranma, dodging a furious barrage of kicks and punches with a bit of a smile on his face. "Come on, hit me!" "I'M TRYING!" shot back Akane, continuing her berzerker barrage. Against any normal man, her assault would be devastating. But this was Ranma, and to fight Ranma meant facing a foe of incredible speed, dexterity, and with a habit of tossing insults casually during a fight. Meanwhile, a small amount of forest animals flew violently through the air in the distance, appearing as if they'd been flung there by a catapult. Both martial artists utterly failed to notice it. "You're killing the forest, ya know," said Ranma as he rolled under a flying kick. Akane zoomed past him and cracked yet another tree. "Keep on trying, come on, faster!" He didn't seem pleased, but he was actually thinking that she was progressing well. She was, in his guess, up to Kodachi's skill levels, maybe Ucchan's. If they had more time, she just might become better than Shampoo. Akane came in with sweeps followed by mid-section kicks, intending to catch him while he was in the air. It almost worked, and forced him to finally start blocking her attacks. She pressed the advantage, mixing in a series of punches high and low, and was getting him to block more than dodge. Akane smiled slightly at the progress. "Alright then, let's see how ya dodge," said Ranma, and lashed out with a kick. This caught Akane entirely by surprise. He'd never fought back before, and she wasn't expecting it now. She ducked the kick, but got tagged by a fist going towards her face. Instead of the hard hit she was expecting, she was tapped lightly. "Gotcha." "Why you..." "Come on, block!" He lashed out with more kicks and punches, a few of them going past her defenses but never striking with anything harder but a light touch. To someone with Akane's pride, this was absolutely insulting. "You trying to get me mad?!" "I'm tryin' to TRAIN you! Now block, willya?" "Fine!" After another minute of relentlessly getting tagged, Akane finally began blocking a few of Ranma's attacks. "Come on, you gonna let me tag you all day?" To his surprise, Akane actually began counter-attacking, reacting to his attacks. None made contact, quite a lot were dodged entirely, but a few came very close. "Alright, that's better!" * "That's better," said Ukyou, watching Ryouga practice some punches at a tree. "Your defense is getting a little better, definitely." "You think so?" "Yeah, although if you wanna go with that chestnuts in a fire training..." she teased. Ryouga frowned. "No way." "That's what I thought you'd say. And you're still leaving that left side open a bit too much." "I am not." *CLANG* "Oww..." "Maybe you are," smirked Ukyou. "Aside from that, I'd say you're almost back to normal." The two settled underneath the shade of a large tree and unwound. Ukyou pulled out a canteen of water and offered some to Ryouga, but he had his own. "Hey, learned any new techniques for the tournament?" wondered Ukyou. "New techniques?" "You know... some new special attack that'll surprise the competition. You know, like how Ranchan does every now and then." "Where does he get those techniques from anyways?" wondered Ryouga. "Let's see... he learned the Moukou Takabisha from you." "Not exactly," countered Ryouga. "True, but he came out on top in that one anyways." Ryouga scowled. "Hey, if it makes ya feel any better," said Ukyou, "it proved his ego is bigger than your angst." Ryouga blinked. Was that a good thing or a bad thing? "Now if only we could find a ki attack based on stubbornness..." mused Ukyou. "Hey you!" "Just kidding!" laughed Ukyou. "Aaanyways, let's see... he learned the Hiryuu Shouten Ha and the Tenshin Amaguriken from Cologne. Strong stuff, those two are." Ryouga nodded in agreement. "And he learned that awesome Saotome School Ultimate Technique from his dad," said Ukyou. "Ultimate Technique?" "You don't remember it? He used it on you, I heard." Ryouga scratched his head. "Um..." "Let me refresh your memory," said Ukyou, assuming a battle stance. Ryouga raised an eyebrow, wondering what Ukyou could be up to. "Ready?" Ryouga nodded grimly. "HERE I COME!" Ukyou charged at him with alarming fury, berzerker rage in her eyes. Ryouga raised his umbrella to block the first strike, expecting a jarring hit from her spatula. It never came. He looked around, blinking, and saw Ukyou zooming away from him, yelling, "run away!" "That," he wondered, "was it?" He heard Ukyou's laughter in the distance, and had a nagging feeling he was being laughed at. With the smallest hint of a smirk, he took off after her, yelling, "GET BACK HERE!" * Now _here_ was a new technique, thought Ryo, worthy of being forbidden knowledge. There was already a new name he had in mind to give to the technique, too. He grinned maliciously as he fiddled with a wrench, making meticulous and final adjustments to his umbrella. In theory, it was perfectly viable. In his experiments with toothpicks and fried chicken, it passed with flying colors. Out on the field, however, with _live_ test material... He sensed the movement of a wild animal in the brush. A perfect opportunity to test the technique. Ryo swiveled the umbrella in his hand until the bladed end was outward. With a movement of his hand, the blade popped in, and a rapier-like end took its place. He sped towards the bushes and spied a blur rushing out. Immediately, he saw the breaking points of the creature and lashed out, yelling, "*BAKUSAI TEN-SATSU!" (*writer's note: 'blasting point kill') FIVE MINUTES LATER... Okay, so the technique had a few bugs to iron out, admitted Ryo to himself, glancing briefly at his umbrella, which currently sported a bent tip. When something is built that is needle-precise at the tip, it's bound to be not very resilient. He sighed, turning over the somewhat intact carcass of a rabbit. Yes, the bakusai ten-satsu had a few little annoying hitches, like apparently a distinct need for precision. The first few stabs he swore were close enough. Apparently, though, near-misses weren't enough to trigger the breaking point. Rocks needed a bit less precision than bone, it seemed. It couldn't be said that the results weren't spectacular, though. He hadn't expected the rabbit's leg to explode quite so violently. It made an absolute mess on his slacks, which were currently getting a much-needed soak in a nearby stream. He could only imagine how devastating an exploding rib would be to internal organs. Nasty, nasty, nasty. Definitely the sort of technique that becomes forbidden knowledge after a few decades. Did the Amazons know of the potential of the breaking point? They probably did, he believed. Must have stricken all records of the technique too. What a waste. But, oh, what a new technique. * "What are you doing now?" wondered Ukyou, standing at the edge of a clearing. "New technique," said Ryouga, who was currently on one knee and examining the earth. "Where'd you learn a new technique from?" "Actually... it's an improvement on an old one. You might wanna stand back." Ukyou wondered what he was up to as she took a few steps back. Ryouga cocked his arm back, single digit extended, and yelled, "BAKUSAI TEN-KETSU!" At his touch the earth shook, sending rocks and debris everywhere. Where Ukyou expected one explosion, there was instead a fast chain reaction of explosions on the ground in a violent wave. It finally ended after forty meters, leaving a jagged trench in its wake. Ukyou whistled. "Wow. Now _that_ is impressive. What's the trick?" "A chain effect of breaking points. I direct the explosion towards another point nearby, and when the blast reaches that point, it goes off, towards another point nearby and..." "I get the idea. Anyone facing you oughta be intimidated by that. So, got any other new tricks?" Ryouga paused, thinking about something. "Well... there was one technique I learned. I haven't used it in a while, though, and I never did get it fully right." "Show me?" wondered Ukyou. Ryouga nodded, and walked to the base of a nearby tree. He closed his eyes, trying to remember what the old master had taught him. "SHORYUKEN!" Ryouga surged skyward with an uppercut, demolishing the tree as he rose to its top in a somewhat not quite straight fashion. Ukyou thought she saw the faintest hint of a glow on Ryouga's fist as he flew up. Finally, he reached the peak of his ascent, turned in the air, and landed. His fist was unscathed, and the tree was nearly split in two. That move... it seemed awfully familiar to Ukyou. "Waitaminute!" she yelled, "that's the move that the Street Fighter champ used a couple of years ago to get the title." "Yeah. I think I met him and his sensei while I was lost." "And..." continued a horrified Ukyou, "you didn't get an autograph?!" "I didn't KNOW who they were at the time, okay?" "And you call that a shoryuken? You were kinda wobbling all the way up, ya know." "I didn't say I mastered it, did I?" snapped Ryouga. "Ya certainly didn't," replied Ukyou. "Well, it's a new technique, and it oughta knock the wind outta Ranma if I end up fighting him." "Still looks ridiculous," teased Ukyou. * "THIS IS RIDICULOUS!" protested Akane, leaping ungracefully up in the air. "I told my old man the same thing," said Ranma, also leaping, but with much more grace, "but hey, it works. Come on, you're falling behind!" "When I catch up I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" yelled Akane, jumping high once more, with a large metal ball chained to her ankle. When she asked Ranma if he'd help her get ready for the tournament, this wasn't what she had in mind. "Come on, this isn't too bad!" taunted Ranma. "Oh sure, YOU'RE not the one with the ball and chain tied to you!" "I will in a few years!" he shot back. "What do you mean by..." At first Akane had no idea what he meant, then realization dawned on her. "You calling me a ball and chain?!" "Nyaaah!" "Why you!" She summoned up more iron determination and actually managed to speed up. There was the faintest hint of a smile on her face as she chased after her fiancee. "Hey," called Ranma from up ahead, "when we're done with this, I'll let you try to learn the katsu tenshin amaguriken! I've got the fire and chestnuts all set up!" "I'm not doing _that_!" "Oh yes you are! Gotta start learning new attacks!" "How about if I just attack you?!" * Another new attack came to Ryo's mind, and he was getting ready to test it. However, there seemed to be a shortage of material... His previous campsite was now thoroughly devoid of any intact boulders, and the trees were a bit of a mess. In fact, the whole sight was a mess, so it was time to move onwards to other locales. This new locale, it had boulders. Plenty of them. Perfect. He walked away until he was about fourty yards in distance from them, then began twirling his umbrella. A moment later, a small blast of ki, no larger than a finger, raced across the distance, and hit the boulder with an odd 'thud' sound. A second later, the boulder exploded in a wild shower of rocks and dust, leaving only a shallow crater in its place. A distance breaking point technique, mulled Ryo, but how could this be applied in combat? He looked around and spied a tree standing alone in a clearing. At the rate he was destroying trees, Ryo mused that he was due for a visit from some odd environmentalist fanatic. Oh well, sacrifices had to be made. He sprang high into the air, charging his umbrella with ki, then released four small bolts of ki streaking towards the tree. They impacted in front and behind it, triggering four explosions that obscured the tree in a shower of shrapnel and dust. When the dust settled, the remains of the tree were revealed, battered by the shockwaves of the explosions and the flying debris. "Not bad... not bad at all." * "Not bad, Ryouga, you're finally starting to guard that left side better," said Ukyou, spinning her battle spatula slowly while circling Ryouga. "You're not too bad yourself," said Ryouga, snapping his umbrella shut. "Let's see how you handle some tricks of mine," she replied. "Come on, P-chan, gimmie your best shot!" As Ryouga charged at her, she pulled a small bag from her pocket and threw it down hard. She was instantly consumed by a cloud of flour. Ryouga couldn't stop himself in time and ran right into it. He expected to get a spatula right to the noggin or worse. Instead, nothing happened. Ryouga looked around quickly, but failed to find her. He heard the sounds of feet landing behind him too late as he was grabbed by the back of the shirt. He found himself suddenly on the ground, slightly dazed, and looking up at a grinning Ukyou. "Gotcha, sugar. You oughta be a little more careful when you can't see your opponent." Without warning, Ryouga grabbed Ukyou's leg and gave it a quick pull, taking her entirely by surprise and causing her to land on her rear. "Gotcha back," said a smug Ryouga, right before Ukyou grabbed him by the bandanna and flung him into the nearby stream. "Told ya to be more careful," teased Ukyou, as a soaked Ryouga-chan stomped out of the stream. "Just heat up some water, please?" * It was somewhat pleasing to Ryo that he had an advantage over Ryouga in speed. However, he was disadvantaged when it came to matters of endurance. He resented admitting it, even to himself, but if it came to a matter of trading hit for hit, he'd be on the losing end of things. The strength aspect of it couldn't be improved any further. He was already remarkably strong, especially considering his physical appearance. He doubted he could improve himself much further on that end. The endurance aspect, however, might be correctable. He knew exactly where he got his high endurance from, the learning of the breaking point technique. He overheard the Amazon instructors when they were discussing the matter with their students. His endurance _should_have_been_ better, if he had trained properly to learn the breaking point (i.e. thrown against large boulders more often). Unfortunately, half of his training was spent poking at boulders trying to hit the right point. At the time, he didn't have the luxury of free run of the Amazon training grounds and had to make do with using it when it was empty. Ryouga _must_ have learned the technique properly. He had a somewhat higher endurance level before, but with that last duel of theirs, it was clear his endurance had risen to far higher levels. He'd been caught in a ki blast barrage and managed to fight back afterwards. That, to Ryo, was alarming. Now how to catch up? He wasn't about to fling himself at boulders. So instead, he decided to see how many times he could do the breaking point technique without stopping from pain. "BAKUSAI TEN-KETSU!" *BOOM* A blast six meters in radius shook the earth. Rocks flew everywhere, small animals scattered, and a few nearby plants would never be the same. That's one... * "BAKUSAI TEN-KETSU!" *BOOM* An explosion of ten meters in diameter violently shook the earth. Rock shrapnel flew places, and from a safe distance away Ukyou watched as Ryouga proceeded to make a fairly large pit in the ground. "Ryouga, remind me why you're doing this?" queried Ukyou. "To see where my endurance is at. BAKUSAI TEN-KETSU!" *BOOM* "Ah, I see." "Can you keep count for me? I think this is my third. BAKUSAI TEN-KETSU!" *BOOM* "That WAS your third before or that WAS your third just now?" In the distance, an explosion rumbled like a distant thunderstorm. "That... was my third. This WILL be my fourth. BAKUSAI TEN-KETSU!" *BOOM* "And the next one will be your fifth, right?" "Yup. BAKUSAI TEN-KETSU!" *BOOM* * -boom- "Hey, did you hear that?" said Ranma, looking up from the campfire. "Hear what?" asked Akane. "Thought I heard something... kinda like thunder," said Ranma as he looked around, "but there's no clouds in the sky." "Oh well, must've been nothing. Now where were we?" wondered Akane. "Soy sauce." "Right here!" "Akane, that's vinegar." "Oh, sorry." -boom- "There it is again," said Ranma. "I heard it too. It's coming from that direction." "No it isn't, it's coming from THAT direction." "No, you've got it wrong, I tell ya." -boom- * *BOOM* Fifty-eight... *BOOM* Fifty-nine... ouch ouch ouch... *BOOM* Sixty... *BOOM* Sixty-one. "Aaaaagh!" Ryo dropped his umbrella and staggered to the shade of a nearby tree, worn out by the pounding that the debris from the breaking point flung at him. Normally, self-inflicted damage didn't play a factor in the execution of the technique, not unless he was in close quarters. The direction of the explosion WAS controllable. But the very basic form of the breaking point had no directional blast. It was an explosion that washed over all directions. And besides, it'd be pointless to test his endurance via breaking point if he didn't allow himself to get worn down by it like he did the first time. Sixty-one. Not bad. Better than his previous mark of thirty-nine. And he was already feeling his second wind coming. -boom- Wait a moment... what was that noise? * -boom- "See? told ya it was coming from this direction," said Ranma, sticking his tongue out at Akane. "Oh, just shut up and lead the way," she hissed. Through bush and tree and other varieties of forest obstacles they traversed, getting closer and closer to the sound of constant explosions. The ground was vibrating slightly under their feet, and they thought they heard someone counting. "Hey, there's a clearing up ahead," whispered Ranma. "Looks like there's a camp there too." Akane looked to where Ranma was pointing and there was indeed a campsite, complete with a pile of wood where a fire would normally be plus a pair of tents. "Ranma, those tents look kind of familiar." "You're right. I think... I think I know who's here." * {What have we here?} wondered Ryo as he crept along the forest with much stealth. A few feet away was something most surprising and alarming. Ryouga Hibiki. That was part of the surprising bit. It seemed he was performing the breaking point technique over and over, just as Ryo had been doing a while back. The alarming part was what he was hearing from the Kuonji girl that was sitting nearby. "A hundred one." *BOOM* "Hundred two." *BOOM* "Hundred three." By the time Ryouga finally stopped, he'd reached 127 blasts. Clearly, much more than Ryo had managed. He knew that Ryouga's endurance was superior, he just didn't realize _how_ superior. Clearly, headbutting Ryouga would never be an option again. A mischievous smile crept on his face. Ryouga was here. _With_ the okonomiyaki girl. Now what can we do with this... * "How many did I do?" wondered Ryouga, staggering out of his self-made pit. "A hundred and twenty seven," replied Ukyou. "Pretty impressive, sugar. You okay?" "Just need ... a little rest." He wasted no time in collapsing to the ground in a tired heap. "You _sure_ you're okay?" asked Ukyou with some concern. "I'm fine, really." "Alright then... guess I'll make lunch. Any requests?" "Okonomiyaki, _no_ pork." "Comin' right up, P-chan," she replied with a smirk. "Don't _you_ start doing that," he said wearily. * Ranma smirked as he watched the two. If he were more like his old man, he'd be tempted to try and set those two up. Come to think of it, so would Akane, if she were... "Hey, Ranma, maybe we should try to get those two a little closer?" Okay, so she _was_ like her father. "I dunno, maybe later." A smile came to his face as he watched Ukyou cook up some okonomiyaki. "S'cuse me, Akane, I gotta go do something. Be riiight back." * Something was wrong. She could sense it. Ukyou peered into the forest, watching. Slowly, she lowered the okonomiyaki from her spatula and added it to the stack. This feeling, she hadn't had this feeling in a long while, not since... She felt a breeze pass by and turned suddenly, two throwing spatula at the ready. A few floating leaves were the only evidence of anything passing by. That, and one of the okonomiyaki was missing. Oh ho. Ukyou pulled out her battle spatula and concentrated on her surroundings, hearing rustling grass, the birds flying by, waiting for her adversary to return. Ah ha! *CLANG* "Heya, Ucchan!" It was a scene from days past, from times long gone, and it still made her smile. One foot was raised, stopping the spatula from striking, one finger held a spinning okonomiyaki, and the face had an infectious smile. "Ranchan! What brings you out here?" "Hello, Ranma," said Ryouga, without any enthusiasm. "Just training for the tournament coming up. Just like you two, I guess," said Ranma. "Hey Akane, come on out!" "Hi guys!" said Akane merrily, emerging from the forest. As she approached, Ukyou said quietly to Ranma, "Lemme guess, you're starving." Ranma nodded. "She's getting better, but still..." "Let her try more often, maybe she'll surprise you," said Ukyou encouragingly. Not that she really believed it, but still... * Surprise, surprise, thought Ryo, Saotome and fiancee were there too. He watched them for an hour, but failed to see anything of interest, and decided to depart. There were schemes he had in mind for Kuonji and Hibiki. Maybe they wouldn't work, but they'd certainly cause a little confusion, and chaos was always fun. At the moment he was wandering through the forest and was surprised to find himself wildly disoriented. He was lost, the kind of lost that should happen only to a Hibiki. This wasn't right at all. The sun was already beginning to set and a mist was creeping through the forest. With only the moonlight to depend upon, it would be a dark walk back indeed. After another hour wandering, he was no longer worried, he was enraged. Trees were paying the price for being in his path and he'd bulldozed an ugly path through the woods. It was during a break in his mad destructive streak that he sensed it. A flicker of azure flame in these dark woods. He tried to forget the old tales of the forest, tried to push out the idea of something supernatural afoot, but there was that feeling he couldn't deny. Someone was watching. He shot off a ki blast wordlessly to a branch above and was rewarded with falling leaves and a shadowy figure landing before him. Around its neck hung a chain, with something hanging on it that was barely flickering and getting dimmer as it approached him. "Who are you?" asked Ryo, spinning his umbrella in anticipation of an attack. In response, the shadowy figure took another step forward, raising some sort of weapon of its own. "Stay BACK!" Ryo snarled, charging his umbrella handle with ki. The other figure tilted its head, as if curious. Then it raised its own weapon to its face, and charged it with a brilliant yellow ki. And Ryo saw who it was. He was looking at himself. "Shush, brother of mine, don't be so quick to panic," his other self said calmly. "I've only one brother, and you don't look like him," replied Ryo. "Again I ask, who are you?" "I am you," was the simple reply. "No... the doctors said I wouldn't be having this sort of problem... I'm all better now... you're not me... no..." "Damn, we're getting hysterical. Calm down else we'll never get anything done, hmm?" "Alright... I am talking to myself." "About time you accepted it." "Well then, what do I want?" The other Ryo looked around nervously, as if expecting company. "I can only stay for so long, me, so listen carefully." Ryo nodded. "You _want_ to get the Nanban mirror, sometime in your future. It is _very_ important." "Nanban mirror? Why?" "It's power, power that will take us places, brother of mine. Secondly, you must get rid of Ishido. He'll be a problem." "Ishido? Who is Ishido?" "Ah, you've yet to meet him. Good. Waste no time in disposing of him when you do meet him. Understand?" "Not quite." "Don't argue with me, me. I know what's good for us." Ryo never knew that episodes of delusion could be so vivid. He was talking to himself, as if he was two people. He'd be headed back to the sanitarium at this rate. The locket on his other's necklace began to flicker slightly. Its owner looked down at it and frowned. "Hmm... seems he's followed me even here. Keep him busy, will you? I've chores to run." Ryo's 'twin' strolled into the darkness, and with a wink of azure flames disappeared. "Muhoshin!" Ryo turned around, wondering what other products of his imagination were running around tonight, and found himself grabbed by his lapels by... Saotome? But that couldn't be... he left Saotome back at the Hibiki campsite. In the dark, it was hard to tell, but the pigtail was a distinct giveaway. "Give it BACK!" Saotome yelled. "Now my delusions are threatening me," grumbled Ryo. "I'm not in the mood to argue with you ANYMORE! GIVE IT BACK!" Saotome flung him violently into a tree, damaging it mildly. Muhoshin was less damaged, but far more irate. "Right then, that's it... YOU DIE!!!" * "Well, have a seat and enjoy!" said Ukyou as they sat around the campfire. Ranma and Akane were rather stunned at the variety of dishes that were laid out before them. "Hey," whispered Ranma to Ryouga, "what's with the food?" "Leftovers from yesterday," said Ryouga, equally as quiet. "That ain't what I mean," hissed Ranma. "Then what DO you mean?" "This ain't okonomiyaki." "Oh," said Ryouga. "Um... she just... cooked it yesterday, said she wanted to expand her skills. Don't ask me why." Ranma's grin became wider and he elbowed Ryouga a bit. "Hey, I think she's cooking just for you, eh? Eh?" "SHUT UP RANMA!" *CLANG* *WHAP* "What are you two fighting about now?!" yelled Akane, pulling her mallet away. "Stop picking on Ryouga, Ranma!" "And don't hit Ranchan, idiot!" Both men rubbed their heads, wincing, and gave a brief glare to the women. "Violent maniacs," They both muttered. *CLANG* *WHAP* A few less painful minutes later.... The four were once more at ease, and warming themselves up with mugs of hot tea. They were generally talking of school, and people, and a little about martial arts. "By the way," said Ranma, "Why aren't ya after that Ryo guy like you were after me, Ryouga?" "What?" "I mean, knowing your bad temper and obsessive habits..." "I do NOT have a bad temper and I am NOT obsessive!" "... you haven't been running around rampaging after Muhoshin, really." "Yeah, that's true," said Ukyou. "Why haven't ya settled things?" With a scowl, Ryouga answered, "first of all, I still don't know what he's so mad about." "So ask him," suggested Ranma. "I did, he refused to answer." "Oh." "And then, I don't even know where to find him," finished Ryouga. "Why don't you ask Ryoko," suggested Ranma, "she's his brother, right? And she's always hanging by your side." He didn't miss Ryouga's face turning slightly pale, his quick glance towards Ukyou, or her slightly irritated look. "Ah... yeah... didn't think about that.. aheh," said Ryouga nervously. This was followed, of course, by a few minutes of uncomfortable silence. It was broken, surprisingly, by Ukyou. "Oh, by the way," said Ukyou, "You'll never guess who Ryouga ran into a few months back." "Hm? Who?" wondered Ranma. "You'll kill him once ya find out," said Ukyou. "What?" said Ryouga, "Why'd he want to do that?" "Well, who'd he meet?" wondered Ranma. "Lost Boy here met Ryu, the Street Fighter champ, _Ryu_, and didn't get an autograph," said Ukyou. "Can ya believe it?" The four of them were sitting around a campfire, eating some of Ukyou's okonomiyaki specials. "Aw man! A good opportunity wasted," said Ranma, shaking his head in disgust. "I _said_ I had amnesia at the time, didn't I?!" said Ryouga. "And where's the salt?" "Who else was there?" wondered Ranma. "Maybe Ken Masters was around. Here's the salt." "Who's Ken Masters?" wondered Ryouga. "Ooh, Ken's a cute one," said Ukyou. "Too bad he's married. And what, I didn't add enough salt?" "Yeah, he's a hunk," giggled Akane. "And no, I think you added enough salt." "Hey!" yelled Ranma. "WHO is Ken Masters?" repeated Ryouga. "And I just like my okonomiyaki saltier, that's all." "The blond gaijin, his style is the same as Ryu's. C'mon, you oughta remember..." "Oh yeah!" Ryouga's face turned from one of thought to that of embarrassment. "Aheh... yeah, he was there too." Everyone groaned and shook their heads. "Coulda had the autograph of Ryu AND Ken," lamented Ranma. "Man, good company is just WASTED on you. Next thing you're gonna tell us is that ya got into a Jackie Chan film." "Well actually..." said Ryouga. He saw the collective glares and quickly said, "JUST KIDDING! JUST KIDDING! Somebody pass me a megavolt cola?" * Meanwhile, back in Hong Kong... "Hey, look at this," said one of the editors, pointing to a figure on the screen. "Look at what?" his co-editor said. "Check it out... after Jackie leaps from the exploding building... riiiight THERE... see it?" "Is that.. is that a guy walking out of the explosion?" "Jeez, man, that's impossible." * Some days were just impossible to get by without things getting ugly, thought Ryo. This seemed to be one of them. He was now thorougly disoriented, a tad sore, very grouchy, and utterly baffled. Maybe these woods _were_ haunted. The battle was fast, furious, and confusing in the dark. He landed some solid blows and received some as well. He felt he could have won it if it weren't' for the cliff. At some point, they'd fallen over a not-so-high cliff, and unfortunately for Ryo, he was the one to land on the bottom first, cushioning 'Saotome's's fall. Stunned badly after that little landing (and all of the other exercises he'd done earlier in the day didn't help either), he passed out for an unknown amount of time. The last thing he sensed was Saotome getting up, then darkness. When he regained consciousness he was alone, with no sign of anyone else having ever been there. What the hell was THAT about? He supposed he'd better visit his therapist again... becoming mentally unhinged once more, especially so soon to the date of the tournament would not do. That couldn't have been Saotome either, something wasn't right. The voice was somehow different, the manner not quite the same either. Mostly, it was his gut feeling that whatever it was he faced wasn't Ranma. Strange days, these are. Haunted forests indeed. Now which way was his campsite? He wasn't entirely sure where to go, but he saw fire and smoke in the distance, someone out there had a campfire going. The night seemed full of surprises tonight, and he didn't care to be on the receiving end of any more of them. * "Well, that was a surprise," said Ukyou, humming as she cleaned up some of the dishes in the river, part of the mess left behind by Ranma and Akane. The two had left them after dinner, not wanting to 'spoil the mood' said Ranma and Akane with a wink. Ryouga was clueless as to what that meant, while Ukyou insisted that those two were being silly. "I wonder if it was just a coincidence," said Ryouga suspiciously as he straightened out their campsite. "He's probably here to spy on me." "My, isn't SOMEONE'S ego getting a bit large, hmm?" teased Ukyou. "I do NOT have a big ego! Not as big as HIS anyways." "Oh, give it a rest already, Mr. Take-My-Bread-And-Die." "Feh." Ryouga scowled in the manner that just happened to get on Ukyou's nerves. Something would have to be done to humble the guy. As Ryouga came towards her with more dishes to be washed, she turned towards him and ripped her shirt open, sending some buttons flying. Ryouga promptly fell over, nose spraying blood, and passed out on the spot. Of course, nothing was _really_ shown, since she had a t-shirt underneath. She woke Ryouga up with her laughter, and brutally teased him about it. "You're a spring-of-drowned-girl victim and you STILL can't handle that sort of thing?" she marveled. Ryouga merely blushed and grumbled irritably. "You're probably the only guy I know who got a nosebleed when he looked at 'herself' in the shower." "Don't remind me!" Unseen by either of them, a pair of eyes watched over them from the treetops. Ryo Muhoshin had found himself at their campsite once more, and couldn't resist meddling with them a bit before leaving. If he could get those two together, his idiotic sister wouldn't damn their genetic line and family lineage by mating with Ryouga. To be honest, it wasn't about genetics at all, but when Ryo ranted on a topic, even in his head, he'd pick out the oddest things to gripe about. Mostly, it was the concept of Ryouga as an in-law that horrified him. Of course, he had absolutely no experience when it came to matchmaking. However, he'd seen enough television to try a few gimmicks. They might be lame, but maybe, just maybe they'd work. First off, the flower bit. He'd have to wait a bit before trying that, though. As Ukyou tossed and turned in her cot, she thought she heard something flying through the air. Sitting up quickly, she reached for a set of throwing spatula and looked around. Nothing. Then she noticed the single flower at the side of her bed. That certainly wasn't there before. But who'd put it there? "Ranchan? You out there?" she whispered. It was the first thing she thought, but she knew it wasn't likely. Still, there was a possibility and it made her nervous. After a few seconds of silence, she knew that there was only her and Ryouga here. So it had to be... Ryouga? "Ryouga? You awake?" she hissed to him. The lost boy didn't respond. Either he really was asleep or he was just afraid to talk to her, she thought. Ukyou took a moment to examine the flower and sighed. Amazing how such a little thing could cause her to feel so nervous. She sighed, looked at Ryouga, and wondered what he was thinking. "Thanks," she whispered, "if ya gave this to me, I mean." Ryouga continued to sleep in blissful ignorance of what had just happened. A few minutes later, Ukyou joined him in unconsciousness. It wasn't what he'd hoped would happen, but then again few things ever went according to plan these days. What was that look he saw on her face? wondered Ryo. It wasn't one of happiness, he thought. It looked more like apprehension. No, no, no, that wasn't what he was aiming for. Well, now for the next idea. Actually, there was no next idea. He was out of romantic strategies, and had not a clue as to what to do next. So, with all his options gone, he just did what came naturally. A few minutes later he had Ukyou sedated (thanks to the miracle of shiatsu points), gagged and bound, and had learned that Ryouga was a surprisingly deep sleeper. Of course, now was a PERFECT time to kill him. It was tempting, the opportunity to eliminate him as he slept... but no, it wouldn't be satisfying, not as satisfying as humiliating him in front of an audience at the tournament. No... Ryouga could wait. It was a little more than a month until the tournament, he could wait that much, bide his time, perfect his skills. He'd show them all who's better. A part of him whined about passing the opportunity by, but he tried to ignore it. It wasn't easy. With okonomiyaki chef slung over shoulder and ransom note left in place, he was about to stomp off into the night when he realized there was a very fundamental problem that needed to be addressed. Ryouga. More precisely, his utter lack of a sense of direction. Leaving a note saying 'I've got your friend so meet me at etc etc etc' would be utterly useless, especially when it might take him five days to get there. How to solve this problem... hm... * SUNDAY MORNING... Ryouga woke up the next morning to the absence of the sound of okonomiyaki grilling. It was enough to make him aware that something was very wrong. He rose, stretched, and called out, "Ukyou? Where are you?" There was, as he looked around the campsite, an utter lack of Kuonji-ness in the area. Then he noticed the small black umbrella lying on her sleeping bag. As he picked it up, the mini-umbrella popped open and a small piece of paper unfurled itself. "What's this...?" / Hibiki, I have your dearest Miss Kuonji in my possession. / / Should you wish to reclaim her, follow the trail of fallen / / trees. - M / Sure enough, there was a line of trees plowed down leading into the forest. Attached to the first tree was yet another note. It read: / If you can't follow THIS trail, you're twice the idiot I / / thought you were. - M / * Ukyou fumed and squirmed, trying to get out of her bonds. She was never a hostage, and didn't intend to start being one now. It was all terribly lame to her, being the damsel in distress. She wanted no part of it, seeing it as ridiculously sexist and stereotypical. "PUT ME DOWN YOU JACKASS!!!" she bellowed. "Okay," said Ryo, pausing to think about the request. "Your cooking is wretched." "WHAT?!" Ryo frowned and tilted his head towards her. "You wanted me to 'put you down', yes?" "Ha ha. Very funny." In the distance, the sound of trees falling and occasional curses echoed. Ukyou and Ryo looked into the forest, trying to see the source of the noise. "That," said Ryo, "would be your hero to the rescue. Time to put the gag back on." "HEY! NO! DON'T YOU DARE *MMMF*" "Shush woman," chided Ryo, securing the gag on her, "take my advice, just shut up and listen. Now where'd I put that rope..." * Ryouga blazed through the forest, occasionally knocking over a tree while following a path of knocked down trees. He was feeling angry, frustrated, and scared (which, a year ago, was almost normal for him). How _dare_ he kidnap Ukyou! He burst out of the forest into a clearing, then plowed on through deeper into the woods. Ryo peered into the forest and sighed. It almost worked, almost. Sneering and muttering curses, he strolled to a freshly made clearing, where, in the distance, Ryouga ever onwards, PAST the clearing, and into the forest. "IDIOT! OVER HERE!!!" Ryouga stopped, blinked, and turned around. A few yards behind him, Ryo was waiting, tapping his foot impatiently. "YOU!" roared Ryouga. "Idiot," spat Ryo. "GIVE HER BACK!" yelled Hibiki as he stomped over to his enemy. "Ooooh, but why?" wondered Ryo as he stepped back into the clearing while Ryouga entered. He grinned briefly, glancing up at Ukyou, who was gagged and bound in rope high above, but definitely within hearing range. He could see her glaring at him from high above, where she swayed with the breeze, held high by a single rope. "Why should I?" "BECAUSE SHE'S M-" "Your lover, ne?" "Right. Wait. NO!" Ryouga wasn't expecting this sort of treatment. He was feeling embarrassed and enraged and not a little confused. "She's your girlfriend, riiight?." "I, ah, NO! She isn't!" "Come now," said Ryo, strolling around casually while twirling his umbrella, "you sleep in her house, you work under her orders, you rush to her rescue..." "I... I mean..." "I, on one hand, am a magnificent liar. You, on the other hand, are not. Tell me now, tell me _now_, you don't have _any_ romantic feelings towards Miss Kuonji." "I..." "Be honest and I set her free. Easy, yeeees?" asked Ryo in a mocking voice. Ryouga looked to the ground, a scowl making itself almost permanent on his face. From high above, Ukyou stopped her struggles and watched as the scene unfolded. Ryo tapped his foot impatiently. "How I feel about her," said Ryouga quietly. "Yes, how you feel about her...?" asked Ryo impatiently. "Is _none_ of your business! If you EVER hurt her I'll kill you!" Ryouga suddenly lunged at Ryo, who managed to duck out of the way. The tree behind him, however, shattered at the trunk under the impact. A rope tied to the base of the tree unraveled, and suddenly Ryouga felt something strike him on the head and make a sound not entirely unlike that of two really hard objects hitting. Ryo sighed and retreated into the forest. The plan clearly failed, as Ukyou slid off of Ryouga's forehead, badly dazed. There was nothing more to do, and thus it was time to leave. "Adieu, lovebirds, see you later." He bowed slightly, then disappeared into the forest, shaking his head sadly. Maybe he should have just killed Ryouga in his sleep anyways. Meanwhile, Ryouga untied Ukyou from her bonds quickly, looking very worried. "Ukyou! Are you okay?" "Aaagh, I got a headache..." She scowled, rubbed her head, then took a moment to whap Ryouga. "What'd you do that for?!" yelled Ryouga. "For having such a hard head, you jerk! Ow..." * Much later... Ukyou looked out from the train window and sighed. It was a long day, she was tired, and after being rescued in the morning there was an odd sort of tension between her and Ryouga. They'd agreed that it'd be best to take the train back, just to make sure they got back to Ucchan's with time to spare. After all, tomorrow was a school day. Still, there was _something_ hanging in the air between the two, and neither knew exactly what to say. "Hey, Ryouga," said Ukyou absently, staring out at the window. "Hm?" Ryouga looked up from the newspaper he was reading, clearly a little nervous. "Earlier today... when Ryo asked... ah... I mean, what were you... er..." "I was...?" "Um... never mind." She sighed and looked out the window. "S'not important." "You sure?" "Yeah, I'm sure." The train rattled onwards, passing mountains, houses, and fields in a neverending stretch. Ryouga sighed, having finished the comics section. The news and sports seemed incredibly boring. He was terribly aware of Ukyou next to him, and the odd silence that hung between them. And he didn't know what to say to her. Or why. "Hey, Ryouga," said Ukyou softly. "Hm?" She gave his hand a light squeeze and smiled slightly. "Hey, thanks for running to my rescue." "I'd, ah... any time." At that moment, with her hand in his, Ryouga's heart was racing and suddenly he found himself wanting to tell her how much she meant to him, how much he'd do for her, how he'd never leave her side. He didn't know exactly what he'd say, mainly because he wasn't entirely sure of what this was he was feeling. It was exhilarating and frightening all at the same time, being there with her, holding her hand on a starlit night, crossing Japan by train. The moment felt too strong to say nothing. Ukyou wondered why, exactly, Ryouga wasn't letting go of her hand. It was beginning to make her rather nervous. "Hey, Ryouga, helloooo, you can let go of my hand now. Earth to Ryouga?" He held her hand firmly and looked right in her eyes. His blood racing, heart pounding, his throat incredibly dry. "Ucchan... I..." "R-Ryouga?" "HIBIKI! I shall smite thee!" Ukyou blinked. Ryouga blinked. Kuno whapped him. ****CRASH**** * Ryo blinked. He put down his drink, lowered his newspaper, and looked out from his personal cabin. He couldn't see very well in the dark, but it seemed something was falling off of the train. Tsk. It had better not be his luggage, he thought, else there would be hell to pay when this trip was over. He yawned, turned away from the window, and resumed reading through his newspaper undisturbed. * -a few minutes later- Ukyou stood up, looked down through the broken window and sighed as she watched Kuno, Ryouga, and various kendoists tumble down to the river below. It seemed nothing was going right on this day. How were they to know that Kuno & the kendo team would be on the same train, returning from a regional tournament? Just bad luck, she guessed. She strained to keep the river in view as the train traveled past, relieved to see that Ryouga was making his (now her) way to shore, and Kuno, unconscious, floating downstream. She briefly thought about jumping out of the train and making her way to Ryouga, but then realized that by the time she made her way to the river side below, Ryouga might be in Beijing or even Australia. No, it'd be better to let him find his way. He'll come back to me, she thought. He always does. -end part 3-