Ranma Saotome never gives up. That's why he always wins, right? There's a logical problem with this. Ranma isn't the only and is perhaps not even the most determined martial artist in Nerima. Ryoga has tried many time to defeat Ranma, but he's never managed a lasting victory. The question this story asks, is what would happen if he did. These events take place after volume 38 of the manga, although certain characters may be conspicuous in their absence. Disclaimer: I'm just borrowing these characters for the story. They are the creations and property of Rumiko Takahashi. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mask of Victory, Face of Defeat A Ranma Nibunnoichi Fanfic by Kent Hyam Ryoga bowed to the old man who'd done so much for him. "Thank you, sensei. I won't forget what you've taught me." "Be sure you don't. You have mastered the techniques I've shown you, but I fear they may not prove as useful as you hope." "You're wrong. I know that I'll finally be able to win now." The old man looked at the figure of his latest student descending the mountain and almost called out after him. He didn't though. Some lessons could not be taught, only learned. Realizing something else, he blinked abruptly. "Wait, you fool! Tokyo isn't that way. I'll draw you a map." ==================== Ryoga sighed wearily and crumpled the map he was holding into a ball. Apparently, being a wise and venerable teacher didn't mean someone was an expert cartographer. Over a week and he still hadn't found Nerima. "Yo, P-chan. What are you doing?" Ryoga turned hesitantly. Perhaps he'd been too hasty. "Ranma, I was just looking for you." "You want to fight, huh?" A note of eagerness entered Ranma's voice. It had been a while since the last time he'd seen Ryoga, and things had been a little boring. "Something like that." Ranma rolled his eyes and assumed a casual stance. "Well, what are you waiting for?" "You go first this time." Ranma paused suspiciously. Ryoga was being awfully confident. Even now, he was just standing there, completely out of position. "If you insist." Ranma rushed forward and aimed a simple punch at Ryoga's head. Ryoga didn't make any effort to block, but Ranma stumbled in surprise when his blow seemed to pass right through Ryoga's position. Before Ranma could recover, a crushing blow from his left side hurled him to the ground. Ranma instinctively went into a roll to absorb the force of the blow and sprang to his feet. "Lucky shot, P-chan. This time I won't go easy on you." "Go ahead and try, Ranma." Ranma covered the distance to his opponent quickly, executing a graceful flying kick and Ryoga again seemed to vanish just as the attack would have connected. As Ranma landed from his attack a sharp blow to his kidneys caused his vision to blur from the pain. Whirling around he saw only the blur of Ryoga's fist racing towards his head before darkness claimed him. Ryoga looked down at the unconscious boy lying at his feet. Beating Ranma had been even easier than he'd thought. It hadn't been very satisfying though. He'd wanted to savor his victory and prove that he was a better fighter than Ranma to everyone. Ryoga smirked as the solution occurred to him.. Hastily scribbling out a note, he placed it gently on Ranma's chest. ================== Dejectedly Ranma entered the Tendos' house clutching a piece of paper in his hand. Kasumi greeted him at the door. "Oh my. Ranma, what happened to you? Are you all right?" "I just had a little fight with Ryoga. I'm fine though." "Are you sure? That's a nasty bruise. Your right eye's almost swollen shut." Kasumi produced a damp cloth and started to dab at the bruise. "What's that boy? You let Ryoga beat you? You're a disgrace to my training." Scowling, Genma reached out to grab Ranma's arm. "I'm a disgrace, Pop?" Ranma grabbed hold of his father's outstretched arm and performed a legsweep that sent Genma to the floor. "Ryoga just had a new trick. I'll beat him next time." "You know, Ranma, you shouldn't be so overconfident. By my count Ryoga's beaten you almost as often as you've beaten him." Nabiki smiled lazily from the entrance to the kitchen. "He's managed to surprise me a couple of times, but I always come out on top in the end. Besides, this new trick of Ryoga's is nothing like the Shi Shi Hokodan. It's some kind of illusion that lets Ryoga seem to be somewhere he's not. I figure it just affects sight, so now that I know about it, I won't have any problems." "I assume you've got a rematch lined up then." "Yep. Ryoga left me a note. He said he'll meet me in front of Furinkan High in one week. Since he's already in Nerima, I guess he'll probably make it." "A big public match? He must be sure of himself." "With a week to train, I'll beat him no problem. I'm heading for the furo now." Nabiki considered the situation. Ranma's confidence grated on her, but he was probably right. Cologne was the only person she could think of that had managed to beat Ranma twice in a row. On the other hand, if she hyped up Ryoga's win and spread a few rumors, she could get almost everyone to bet on him. =================== For the next week, Ranma's attendance at school was even more cursory than usual. He'd not only intensified his usual training, he'd started studying blind fighting techniques as well. They ranged from sparing with his father while wearing a blindfold, to meditative techniques designed to allow him to sense an opponent's ki. Nabiki watched his progress with satisfaction. Her own efforts proceeded apace. Almost everyone in Nerima knew about the upcoming duel and that Ryoga had already defeated Ranma once. Strangely, news about Ranma's training regimen traveled far more slowly. Meanwhile, Ryoga had begun the long and arduous to Furinkan High. According to the reports Nabiki received, he was last seen heading in the general direction of Kyoto. =================== Ryoga scowled angrily. He was supposed to be fighting Ranma and instead he was hopelessly lost. Perhaps this wasn't unusual, but it was still frustrating. There was no help for it, he'd have to swallow his pride and ask for directions at one of the nearby houses. Sighing, he selected a house at random and walked straight to a neighboring structure. Knocking briskly, Ryoga waited until someone answered. "Hello. I was wondering if.... Kasumi?" "Hello, Ryoga. I'm afraid everyone else is off watching you fight Ranma. Have you finished already?" "Um, not exactly. Actually I'm sort of having a little trouble finding Furinkan High. I was wondering if you could give me directions." "Oh, don't worry. I'll walk you there myself. I'm sure that Ranma would miss you if you didn't show up. The two of you always have so much fun playing together." "I don't know about Ranma, but I'm going to enjoy this." Ryoga was smiling, but it didn't reach his eyes. ================== "I might have known that P-chan would be late." "Ranma, I don't know why you can't be nicer to Ryoga," Akane remarked, testily. "The way you insult him, it's no wonder he's always fighting you." "Relax, Akane. Ryoga can't hear me. He isn't here. Even though he had a whole week." Ranma's last words were delivered too softly for Akane to make them out. "Ranma, isn't that Kasumi waving at us? I think there's someone with her." Ranma searched the crowd in front of Furinkan for Kasumi. Finally he located her and an unlikely companion. "Hey, Ryoga's with her. Lucky pig. I guess he made it after all." Confidently, Ranma sauntered out to meet his foe. "I hope you're ready to get beaten, Ryoga. Things aren't going to go so easy for you this time." "Good. I hope you manage to put up a bit of a fight this time." Ranma noticed Ryoga stood in the same unconcerned pose he'd affected in their previous match. If Ryoga thought his trick would work again, he'd be disappointed. Ranma tuned out the distraction of sight and struck where he sensed Ryoga's presence. Ranma's attack, a vicious ax kick met no resistance and continued onward to gouge out a small crater in the ground. "What?" "That was pathetic, Ranma. Maybe you'd better try again." Ranma clenched his teeth. He didn't know how Ryoga had done that, but he wasn't about to give up. Maybe it was some form of teleportation. Ranma had seen stranger things. He aimed a punch at Ryoga and immediately followed with another attack at where he thought Ryoga would appear. Neither attack landed, but Ranma continued his attack. Each blow missed by a smaller margin, but Ryoga was being forced backwards. His strategy apparently working, Ranma decided to follow it to its logical conclusion. "Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken!" In the space of a few heartbeats, Ranma threw several hundred punches. Feeling his blows connect solidly, he redoubled his efforts. When fatigue forced Ranma to halt, what he saw shocked him. Ryoga was standing before him the only sign that he'd been harmed a slight trickle of blood seeping from the corner of his mouth. The bandanna clad boy didn't even seem winded. "H-How?" Ranma gasped. "Not bad. A few of your punches even slipped through my guard there at the end. But, it's my turn now." A blizzard of punches almost overwhelmed Ranma. He could barely manage to block them, let alone try to dodge. Blows began to slip past his defenses more and more frequently. Ranma's vision became nothing more than a red blur as he pushed himself to keep up. "Ryoga, stop!" Ryoga stepped back from his opponent, looking at the girl racing towards them. "Akane, what are you doing?" "Don't you see that Ranma can't defend himself. If you keep going he'll be seriously hurt." Ryoga bit back the retort that immediately sprang to mind. Somehow, telling Akane that he wanted to hurt Ranma didn't seem like a good idea. "I don't need your help, Akane. I can fight my own battles." Ranma was staggering forward, gasping for breath, but plainly willing to continue. "No. She's right. I shouldn't pick on someone too weak to defend themselves." A strange expression crossed Ryoga's face and he turned to leave before Ranma could reply. Ranma shook off Akane's efforts to support him and tried to follow. He had to pause after only a few steps, too exhausted and hurt to continue. ================= The walk back to the Tendos' home was a grim but hardly silent affair. "I can't believe you let her interfere in a man to man fight, Pop." "You should be grateful she stepped in. I know I am. Since you didn't actually lose, I don't have to pay out," Nabiki replied, before Genma could speak. "Even if I was losing, I don't need a girl to protect me!" Ranma snapped. After a short struggle to calm himself, Ranma continued, "Ryoga may have managed to learn the Amaguriken technique but, I'll still find a way to beat him." "That wasn't what Ryoga was using, boy," Genma said. "What're you talking about?" "You were too close to see, but Ryoga only used one arm to block your attack. He wasn't using illusions either, he was dodging so quickly you attacked his afterimage." "Ryoga? There's no way he could get that fast." "You're wrong. It's almost like Kirin, except it's Ryoga's whole body that can move quickly." "Well, then it has to be a gimmick. Like that time Ryoga had the invincibility tattoo." "What tattoo was that, Ranma?" Akane asked. Ranma gave no sign that he heard her and continued walking. ================== "Ryoga, wait up!" Ukyo called. She wondered how some one who got lost so easily could cover so much ground. Actually, thinking about it there was probably a connection. "What are you doing here? I guess I'm still in Nerima." "I followed you, idiot.," Ukyo said, ignoring the rest of Ryoga's statement. "I was wondering why you're so down. I thought you'd be happy that you finally beat Ranma." "I don't really want to talk about it." "Look, why don't you come to Ucchan's for some okonomiyaki and tell me about it there?" "I'm not really hungry." Ryoga's stomach chose that moment to rumble loudly. He'd skipped a few meals trying to get to the duel on time. "Sure you aren't, sugar. Come on just follow me." Ryoga muttered something under his breath, but when Ukyo turned he walked alongside her. ================= "So come on. Tell me what's wrong." Ryoga stared glumly at his empty plate. "I don't know really. I just always thought that beating Ranma would make my life better. It didn't though." Ryoga paused and looked at Ukyo. "Say, aren't you mad at me for beating up Ranma?" "Why would I be? Ranma isn't really hurt and losing one fight won't kill him. Anyway, you've devoted almost a year of your life to beating Ranma and when you finally do it doesn't mean anything to you?" "Longer. Ranma and I started fighting before he came to Nerima. I suppose I'm proud that my skills have improved so much, but actually beating Ranma didn't accomplish anything. Akane still doesn't love me, I still have a horrible sense of direction and I still.... Well I guess I don't need to talk about that." "You really thought that beating Ranma would make Akane love you?" Ukyo asked. She seemed faintly amused by the idea. "Heh. No, not really. I just sort of thought that she'd be impressed or something. What a joke. I just made myself look like a bully." For someone who didn't want to talk Ryoga sure had a lot to say, Ukyo reflected. "It was a fair fight, Ryoga." "Maybe. But, I knew that Ranma didn't stand a chance before I fought him the first time. One thing I never liked about Ranma was the way he flaunted being just a bit better than me. I'm not really any different though am I?" "Hey, Ranma has his faults, but he's a nice guy. You're really not that bad either, Ryoga." "Thanks for the praise," Ryoga said, a sarcastic edge to his voice. "Maybe you'd better stay here for a while. You're really too depressed to be wandering around." "I don't feel depressed. Just numb." "You can still stay." Ryoga shrugged indifferently. "Why not? I don't have anything better to do." =================== A new day was dawning at the Tendo dojo and Ranma was awake to greet it. Though, perhaps not for long. "Are you sure you're ready this time, boy?" Genma Saotome gazed up at the strange harness his son was strapped into and felt unfamiliar feelings stir. True, the life of a martial artist was dangerous, but this seemed to be a bit much. "Yes I'm sure. Now do it." Genma released the rope he was holding and watched the huge boulder swing towards his son. Even he winced when he heard the sickening thud it made when it connected. The other spectators reacted a bit more strongly. "Oh my. Maybe there's more to learning the Bakusai Tenketsu than being slammed into a giant boulder." "Idiot. I told him that when Ryoga learned the technique, he used a smaller rock. Cologne didn't let it swing as far either." Genma had lowered Ranma to the ground and pried open an eyelid. "Girls, maybe we'd better call Dr. Tofu. I think Ranma's unconscious again." "Ungh. Don't bother, Pop. I'm not going to learn the Bakusai Tenketsu this way." "Well, maybe if you started with a smaller boulder." Ranma shook his head impatiently. "No, I need to be tougher than Ryoga. I'll go to the Nekohanten. Cologne knows how to teach the technique. In fact, the old ghoul can probably teach me something better or even tell me about the gimmick Ryoga's using to get so fast." =================== "Ranma come to visit Shampoo?" "Not exactly. I gotta talk to the old ghoul.." "Shampoo get Great-grandmother for Ranma." As Shampoo dashes off to the back of the restaurant, Ranma seated himself at a table. After a brief wait, Cologne hopped out balanced on her staff. "What can I do for you, son in law?" "I'm not your son in law!" Ranma quickly realized that this probably wasn't the best time to press the issue and continued in a more reasonable tone of voice. "Anyway, I have a few questions for you." Ranma quickly outlined the events of yesterday's duel and waited expectantly. "Hmm. I believe I recognize the technique you've described. Somehow, Ryoga has learned how to control his time sense." "What does that have to do with anything?" Ranma asked, confusion visible on his face. "Time is subjective. By controlling the rate at which he experiences events, Ryoga can accelerate his actions to an enormous degree." "Great! Once you teach me this technique, I'll beat Ryoga easy." "I'm afraid you weren't listening. I've heard of the technique, but I don't know it myself." Cologne chuckles at the expression of shock on Ranma's face. "What? There's got to be something you could teach me." Something probably intended to be a smile takes form on Cologne's face. "There are a few things I could teach you. It's too bad that they're Amazon secrets and I'm forbidden to teach them to an outsider." "Hey! That's never stopped you from helping me before," Ranma protested. "I like you, but there are limits. Now, if you were married to Shampoo things would be different." Ranma glares at Cologne in disgust. "No thanks. I've gotta be going now." "Be sure to let me know if you change your mind." As Ranma left the Nekohanten, Shampoo bounced up to him and catches hold of his arm. "Why Ranma sad. Marry Shampoo and Great-grandmother teach many powerful techniques." Ranma didn't reply to that. Instead he carefully disengaged Shampoo from his arm. "Look, I really do have to go now. I'll talk to you later, okay?" ================== After he returned from the Nekohanten, Ranma announced the results of his conversation with Cologne. Unfortunately, neither Genma nor Soun knew anyone who might be able to teach the technique. After listening to some rather absurd ideas on how to counter Ryoga's advantage, Ranma retreated to the dojo and began grimly training. "I'm sorry that Cologne wouldn't help you, Ranma," Akane said, entering the dojo. "No you're not. You never liked me spending time around Shampoo." "You're right, but I'm a martial artist too. I know how important this is to you." "You a martial artist? Don't make me laugh. It's just a hobby for you." As he spoke, Ranma used his Amaguriken attack to reduce another training dummy to splinters. Surprisingly, Akane did nothing more than frown in displeasure at Ranma's words. "I was wondering if you'd like to come to Ucchan's with me." Ranma surveyed the debris that had resulted from his training efforts. "I suppose so. It's not like I'm accomplishing anything here." ================= "You!" "You!" Ranma stood in the doorway of Ucchan's, staring at the young man holding a broom. "What are you doing here, Ryoga?" Ranma growled. "Sweeping. Ukyo let me stay here last night, so I thought I'd help out a bit." "I'm surprised that a pig like you didn't try sneaking into her bed." "Ranma, you don't need to start a fight with Ryoga," Akane desperately said. Her efforts to cheer Ranma up were falling apart before her eyes. "I don't want to fight him." Ryoga seemed calm and unconcerned by Ranma's insult. "Too bad. I want to fight you," Ranma shot back. "Take it outside, boys. Nobody wrecks my restaurant." Ukyo stepped out from behind the counter hefting her spatula. "I don't have any problem with that." Ranma opened the door and stepped back outside. Ryoga winced slightly, but followed him anyway, Akane and Ukyo close behind. Outside Ucchan's Ranma and Ryoga faced one another, separated by less than two dozen feet of pavement. "Any time you're ready, Ranma." "I'm ready now." Ranma cupped his palms together and began to focus his ki between them. Once Ryoga saw what Ranma intended, he began to respond in kind. "Moko Takabisha!" "Shi Shi Hokodan!" The two attacks were nothing more than pale reflections of their usual power. Still when they met the shock wave was enough to crack the Ucchan's window. Even as Ukyo groaned at the sight, Ranma prepared to repeat his attack. He never got the chance. Later, Akane would swear she never even blinked, that Ryoga had simply appeared in front of Ranma. She didn't see the kick either, just Ryoga lowering his leg and Ranma flying down the street. Numbly, she realized that Ryoga had drawn out the second fight, that he'd been playing with Ranma. It wasn't a good feeling to know that he'd do something like that. "Wow. Maybe you'd better take Ranma home, Akane. I'll talk to Ryoga." "That's probably a good idea." ================= "You've gotten a lot better, Ryoga. How did you improve so much in such a short time." "I was off training in the mountains, like usual, when I met this old hermit. He never did tell me his name, but he taught me a lot." "Care to give me an example?" "The main thing was the ability to control my perception of time. That's how I seem to move so fast. There were a few others though. One of them is the ability to influence the direction and intensity of flames. It's pretty neat, but not much use in a fight." "Not unless you're fighting in a burning building." "I never though of that." "Say do you think that you could show me how you learned that speed technique?" "Why do you ask? Planning to tell Ranma?" Ukyo flushed. "Sorry. I guess I was being kind of obvious. I just wanted Ranma to pay attention to me for once." "I suppose that's why you bombed the wedding. Hey! Don't get angry. I've done some pretty stupid things to get Akane's attention." "We're quite the pair aren't we. I don't know why we don't just give up." "I did. For a while anyway. Things didn't work out though" Ukyo noticed that Konatsu had been hovering in the background listening to the conversation. For some reason this made her slightly nervous, and she hurriedly rose. "I've got to get back to work now. We can talk more later." "Sure." ==================== Ukyo stood outside the small storage room that had become a temporary bedroom for Ryoga. She could here his heavy snoring from within. It would be so easy just to slip inside and search his pack for something that could help Ranma. Ryoga was sort of a friend though, and betraying him like that would be wrong. Besides, she might get caught. Ukyo took a single step away from the door and stopped. She could have Konatsu do it. There would be no risk of him waking Ryoga up. She didn't need to tell Ranma, either. A vision of herself single-handedly saving Ranma from some horrible threat warred briefly with another of Ranma embracing her after she handed him the means to beat Ryoga. "Ukyo-sama, are you all right?" "I'm fine Konatsu. I was just thinking." Putting both dreams out of her mind, Ukyo walked away from the door. =================== "Why Ranma, it certainly is helpful of you to clean up Grandfather Happosai's room while he's away." "Well, you know me. Always willing to help around the house." Kasumi declined to comment on that claim, and instead picked up a pile of feminine undergarments. "I'll just take these to the laundry." "Thanks. That'll make things a lot easier. Say, if you find anything that looks like a scroll of secret techniques show it to me." "I'd be happy to." After Kasumi carried out her final load, Ranma continued his methodical search of Happosai's belongings. Several hours later, Akane poked her head into the room. "How are things going, Ranma?" "Not so well." Ranma gestured at a huge pile of scrolls and books heaped to one side of him. "Half of these are in Chinese, the ones Happosai wrote are illegible and most of the rest are either perverted or useless. " Ranma pointed at a slightly smaller pile of esoteric items on his other side. "I'm sure that some of these are magic, but I can't tell which ones, let alone what they do." Akane eyed the huge piles skeptically. "In all this there's nothing useful?" "Nothing that I can recognize. I'll just have to come up with a way to beat Ryoga on my own." "Ranma, why don't you just forget about Ryoga for a while? Just until you've had a chance to train some more." "You don't think I can beat him," Ranma challenged. Akane couldn't meet his eyes and her voice was barely a whisper when she spoke. "No. I don't think you can." "You're wrong and I'll prove it. Ranma Saotome never gives up." ================== Events over the next several days fell into a pattern. Ranma continued his solitary training , the sheer intensity of his efforts discouraging his father from participation. He seldom spoke to the other inhabitants of the house, despite efforts by Akane to mend the rift between them. Ryoga had left Ucchan's, but remained camped nearby. It's hard to say how long this might have continued, but life in Nerima is never predictable. "Ranma, there's a letter for you." After a short pause, Ranma emerged from the dojo to take the letter from Kasumi. Opening it, he quickly scanned the contents. "It's from Mousse. He's been training in China and he wants to fight me in three days." "Does he say why?" "Something about proving himself to Shampoo. It doesn't matter." Ranma turned and walked back into the dojo, his mood lifting slightly for the first time in days. "This'll be a good chance to test some ideas that I have." =================== "You seem to be quite happy, Nabiki." "Of course. I only had to set the odds at five to one in Ranma's favor to get people to bet on Mousse." Kasumi frowned slightly. "Then you don't think Mousse can win? I'm worried about how Ranma will feel if he does." "Set your mind at ease. Ryoga's always been a serious contender, Mousse is mostly an annoyance. Plus, Ranma's improved a lot training to fight Ryoga." "I hope you're right. Ranma isn't taking things well. All Akane did was wish him luck and he started arguing with her." "Shush. I think they're going to start." The usual crowd was standing far back. Mousse's poor vision and penchant for thrown weapons were a dangerous combination for bystanders. Mousse confirmed their fears by throwing a barrage of knives and blade tipped chains in Ranma's general direction. Ranma avoided the projectiles with little effort and charged to meet Mousse. As his foe approached, Mousse produced a set of spiked brass knuckles However, Ranma leaped into the air avoiding Mousse's blow. As Ranma soared over Mousse, he twisted to deliver a kick to Mousse's head. Ranma watched in amusement as the Chinese boy regained his feet, spitting out a clod of dirt. "Your tricks won't defeat me this time, Saotome!" Drawing a pair of curved swords, Mousse began to slash wildly at his opponent. Ranma retreated slightly with each attack, inflaming Mousse further. As a result he overextended himself, allowing Ranma to connect with a flurry of punches. Staggering back, Mousse drew several small packets from his sleeve and hurled them into the ground. They burst on impact enveloping him in a thick white cloud. Coughing slightly, Ranma looked wildly about until he sensed movement above him. As he looked up, a red battle aura formed around Mousse, taking the shape of a huge bird of prey. "Descending Eagle Strike!" "Shi Shi Hokodan!" The crowd of onlookers was surprised to see a ball of brilliant blue light form between Ranma's hands and fly upwards to strike Mousse. When it came into contact with the aura surrounding Mousse it seemed to hesitate briefly and then contract, continuing onward. When the smaller blast struck, it blew Mousse backwards. He landed heavily, his aura flickering into nothingness. ================== Nabiki entered the dojo and coughed softly. After waiting in vain for Ranma to pause in his training, she spoke. "I heard you tell your dad that you're planning on challenging Ryoga again." "Why do you care, Nabiki?" "I'm not completely heartless and you're starting to act like Kuno." Ranma turned around to face Nabiki. "What are you talking about? I'm nothing like Kuno," Ranma said, anger beginning to creep into his voice. "Then why this obsession with beating Ryoga? Kuno's the same way about you." "That's different, Kuno has no chance of winning against me." "And you can't win against Ryoga." Seeing Ranma's glare, Nabiki qualified her statement. "At least not yet." "Come on Nabiki, you know me. I never give up and I always find a way to win." Some of Ranma's old confidence seemed to seep back into him as he spoke. Nabiki snorted in disgust. "There isn't any law that says you always have to win, Ranma. Up until now you've been lucky." "Luck has nothing to do with it. I win because I'm good." Ranma's posture became more belligerent and his eyes narrowed. "That isn't what I meant. Until now, it didn't matter how strong your opponent was. It was just a matter of learning a technique or finding a weakness to exploit. There was always something." "Ryoga isn't invincible. It's just a matter of time until I win." "You haven't listened to a word I said, have you? I don't know why I bothered. You really are as bad as Kuno." Scorn and incredulity warred for supremacy in Nabiki's voice. "I don't know why either. I don't need some money grubbing mercenary to insult me." Ranma's temper had taken control and he was almost shouting. "I was trying to do you a favor. For some reason Akane doesn't want to see you beaten to a pulp again" Nabiki, retorted with glacial chill. "Akane put you up to this? You can tell her that I'm not the one who'll need protection!" "She didn't have anything to do with it. And don't worry, no one's going to step into save you next time." Nabiki turned on her heel and stalked out of the dojo, ignoring Ranma's incoherent protests. =================== Ryoga stood alone in the vacant lot. Taking several calming breaths, he began a complex kata. At first his movements were slow but sure. As he continued his speed increased until his actions were a lightning blur almost to fast to see. As he finished he heard someone moving behind him, and whirled to confront them. "Hello, Ryoga. I hope I'm not interrupting anything." "Don't be ridiculous, Akane. I'm always glad to see you." Ryoga's heart lightened at the sight of Akane, this time she had come to see him. "It's about Ranma. I was wondering um...that is, I mean." Akane fell silent and apparently developed an intense fascination with her own shoes. "What is it? You can tell me, Akane." Ryoga was filled with a mixture of hope and dread that almost paralyzed him. Whatever Akane had to say was important. "IwaswonderingifyoucouldletRanmawin." The words rushed out of Akane, almost as if she was trying to finish before she could stop herself. When Ryoga deciphered the statement, he took an involuntary step backwards. "I-I don't think I can. It wouldn't work anyway." "What do you mean?" "Ranma's pride wouldn't let him accept something like that. I couldn't make it convincing enough to fool him." "You're right." Akane sighed heavily. "I suppose I knew that. I was just trying not to think about it. Ryoga, do you mind if I ask you a question? Why are you still here?" "I don't have anywhere else to go." Ryoga tried to appear casual, but a trace of bitterness underlay his words. "What about Akari?" Akane asked, gently. "We broke up a while ago. She wanted me to settle down and help on the pig farm." "That doesn't seem like much of a reason. Maybe you could try to work things out." Ryoga's expression grew pained. "Akane, could you imagine yourself living on a pig farm for the rest of your life?" "Well, no. Not really." "Then why does everyone think I could? I didn't mind that Akari liked pigs, but it's not me. I've spent almost my whole life studying martial arts and I'm not giving that up for anyone." "You deserve someone though." "I shouldn't have to give up my dreams for them. Ranma's ... lucky to have you." Choking out the last four words was the hardest thing Ryoga had ever done. Akane was puzzled. For some reason, what Ryoga had said seemed far more important than it should. It almost seemed like Ryoga was about to cry, but that couldn't be right. He was nearly as reluctant to admit to weakness as Ranma. ================== "What're you doing here, Cologne?" Ryoga did his best to keep his voice level, but he was sure he hadn't fooled the amazon matriarch. "Surprised to se me, boy? I just have a small proposition for you." Ryoga was surprised. When he'd first heard someone approaching his campfire, he'd been afraid that it was Akane coming back. "I'm not interested." "Don't you want to make Akane yours? All you have to do is crush Ranma completely." "How would that help?" Ryoga stared grimly at the shriveled gnome perched on her staff before him. At that moment he hated himself for the hope he heard in his own voice. "If you do, his pride will force him to take my offer of training and accept his place as Shampoo's groom." For a moment, Ryoga didn't know whether he was going to accept Cologne's offer, or launch a futile attack on his tormentor. Finally, he found his voice. "I'll beat Ranma, but it doesn't have anything to do with Akane." "I've heard that before." "This time I mean it! I think you'd better leave, hag." Ryoga's vision began to acquire a red tinge and his body seemed to swell with rage. Without warning, Cologne's staff flashed towards Ryoga. His image winked out and he reappeared a dozen feet away, white-faced and fingering a small tear in the front of his shirt. "You need to learn respect for your elders, boy." Cologne disappeared into the night, only an eerie laugh marking her passage. ================== "Do you really think you can win, Ranma?" Genma knew the answer to that question. He was also fairly sure his son was wrong, but he had to ask. "I'm sure. The Moko Takabisha didn't work because I wasn't confident enough. I won't have that problem with the Shi Shi Hokodan. It's more powerful anyway, since depression is a more destructive emotion." Genma nodded as if he believed his son's words and allowed him to step out onto the field. "There's no way I can talk you out of this, is there?" Ryoga asked. "You know there isn't. Let's do it." As Ryoga moved forward, it seemed that Ranma intended to meet him head on, but this was nothing more than a feint. Ranma abruptly hurled himself backwards lashing out with his foot as he fell. The wind from Ryoga's punch rushed over his head, even as he connected with glancing kick. Ranma rolled to his feet, blocking the rain of nearly invisible blows for the second he needed to jump clear. As he landed, Ranma felt a sharp twinge in one of his ribs. Ryoga must have managed to land a punch. Ryoga was astonished by Ranma's success, although he understood how Ranma had done it. He'd compensated for Ryoga's speed by beginning his counters before the actual attacks were launched. The only reason Ranma had managed it was his detailed knowledge of Ryoga's style. "Shi-" A faint blue glow seemed to form around Ranma. Ryoga felt more than saw the heavy ki begin to collect between Ranma's hands. It seemed that Ranma had at least one more trick up his sleeve. He'd have to act quickly. "Shi-" Ryoga drove his fist into Ranma's abdomen, doubling the pig-tailed boy over. He easily deflected the weak punch Ranma attempted and countered with a heavy blow to the other boy's temple. A simple kick sent Ranma crashing to the ground, ending the fight. Ryoga almost wished that Ranma had managed to win, somehow. At least he'd have known what to do then. =================== Ukyo watched as Ryoga packed his gear, with the ease of long practice. She didn't really know why she'd guided him back to his camp. "Leaving again?" Ryoga managed a weary smile for Ukyo. The lost boy seemed to be hiding some inward pain, though. "Yes. There's no reason for me to stay." His smile seemed to become bitter and mocking. "I would have left sooner, but there's no where else for me to go." "What about, Akane? You said that you hadn't given up on her." "She asked me to let Ranma win the fight." Ukyo winced. "I guess she really does like him. You will come back to visit, won't you?" Ryoga raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. "It's just that I don't have many friends." The statement seemed to embarrass Ukyo, so she hastened to explain. "Between running my own business and Ranma, there just isn't time." "I'll be back. I don't have many friends either. Ryoga's smile seemed to grow slightly more genuine. "Ranma and I were friends once. Maybe we'll get another chance." ==================== Akane entered Ranma's room and sat on the futon beside him. "Ranma, will you look at me." "Go away." Akane almost sighed in relief, that was the most response she'd gotten from Ranma since he'd woken up. "I understand how you feel." "How could you know?" Despite his words, Ranma raised his head and seemed slightly curious. "Ranma, Ukyo could probably beat me in about thirty seconds." "So? It's about time you realized that." "Who trains more, Ukyo or I?" Akane asked, through clenched teeth. Ranma frowned briefly as he considered. "I suppose you do. I mean, you spend a lot of time working in the dojo." "And Ukyo hasn't trained seriously since she arrived in Nerima. It's even worse with Shampoo. With Cologne training her, she could be almost as good as you. She just doesn't have any real drive." "You can't expect to beat them though. Ukyo spent ten years training to get as good as she is and Shampoo was trained by Cologne." "I know, Ranma. Sometimes, just wanting to be the best isn't enough." Ranma let his mind drift, considering Akane's words. "I guess I'm lucky it was Ryoga that beat me. I don't think I could stand losing to someone who didn't feel the same way about the art as I do." "That's the way I felt about you. You wanted it so much more, I couldn't blame you." Ranma and Akane sat silently for a time. Eventually, Ranma spoke. "You know, I could give you a few pointers, Akane." "I'd like that." Ranma placed his hand on Akane's. He'd still beat Ryoga, but it could wait. End.