Send C&C to: oddball22@hotmail.com Find my stories at: www.geocities.com/kaiphantom2000 DISCLAIMER: *Sigh.* I'm getting tired of thinking up witty things to say here. Ranma 1/2: New Challenges All That We Have Known Chapter 8 The rain was coming down hard around the Lonely Traveler's Inn. A pretty nasty hurricane was pelting the area and the Inn was filled with people trying to escape its fury. Inside, there was music, dancing, and much talking as the fearful folk tried to keep their minds off current events. And they weren't referring to the storm. No, they were referring to the dark shogun who was slowly taking over Japan. Rumor had it that the devil himself had allied with this dark and mysterious leader. Nobody knew his real name or if even if he was real. The only real stories were told by those who were fleeing northward, ahead of the advancing terrors. Suddenly, the doors to the Inn flew open and another traveler stepped in. The Inn quieted down some as various peoples gauged a look at this new person. He appeared to male, though covered in a wet cloak that also wrapped around his mouth and hair, leaving only his blue eyes visible. His gait was that of a confident man, one who had nothing to fear. Ignoring the probing eyes, he closed the door behind him and stepped up to an empty spot at the bar. The barkeep moved over to him. "What'll you have, stranger?" The man made no action to remove his coverings, preferring to keep his features hidden. "A small cup of warm sake would be appreciated." The barkeep nodded and placed the drink before the man, who made no move to consume it. "So, what brings you by?" he asked. He knew sometimes people like to talk with the bartender, and it was a good way to spread news. However, all he got was a glare that said he'd better mind his own business. He wisely moved on. The cloaked man pulled down his mask and slowly sipped his sake, mostly to keep up appearances. The last thing he needed was to get drunk. His sensei had warned him of that danger. His contact was supposed to be here, now if he could just find him. He carefully scanned the room, but couldn't figure out who it was. Forty-five minutes passed before his contact was identified, and in a manner he wished he could have avoided. The door to the Inn opened again, and this time three burly male individuals entered. They were all similarly attired in ebony samurai armor that marked them as belonging to an army. But only a few people recognized that army: The army of the Dark Shogun. The cloaked man at the bar was one of those who recognized the markings. He watched them as the three dark samurai scanned the room, then apparently found what they were looking for. They walked to the far corner of the room and surrounded another lone cloaked figure sitting at a table. The room went deathly silent. "Hey you!" the leader of the three said. "Get up!" The cloaked figure made no moves. "I said GET UP!" He reached out his hand to strike the person, but the figure grabbed the hand and turned it into a flip, sending the big man to the ground. The leader rebounded to his feet and snarled for his men to grab him. The cloaked man at the bar observed the figure as he proceeded to fight off his attackers. Sure enough, one of the men managed to grab the figure from behind and restrain him with his burly arms. "LET GO OF ME!" the figure yelled. Instantly, everyone realized something. That was not a man's voice. The leader ripped off the head coverings revealing a young woman with short dark hair. "Well, well, well. Guess who this is? It may not be who we were after, but I think we'll enjoy this much more!" His two underlings chuckled at that and the man at the bar realized what was in store for the young woman if he didn't act. Slipping away from the bar stool, he pulled his mask back up and sneaked around the room, using his training to keep attention off of him. Moving around the edge of the room, he narrowed in on his targets. "Hey barkeep, got an extra room?" the leader said in a voice that promised much pain if he was refused. Fortunately, the barkeep didn't have the time to respond. The cloaked man sprung his attack, freeing the girl from the soldier's clutches and sending him into blissful unconsciousness with a few well placed punches. "Well, now," the cloaked man said. "I think that evens things up." The woman scowled at him in a manner that said she wasn't grateful for his help. The cloaked man didn't care. He liked a good fight. The two remaining army men charged. The cloaked man easily sidestepped the leader and kneed him in the gut as he passed. He also grabbed the outstretched arm and tripped him up, slamming his face into the ground while dislocating the shoulder. He looked up to see the woman pulverize her opponent with several powerful punches, ending with a pildriving slam to the face that put his lights out. "I don't know who you are, but this little match-up is gonna draw attention to us," the man said to his female comrade. "I suggest we beat a hasty retreat in case their buddies show up." "I could've handled them!" the woman snarled. Then her face softened. "I suppose you're right though. We better go." The man nodded and the unlikely pair dashed out the back door and into the rain-soaked night. "By the way, what were you doing in there?" "I was waiting for my contact, but I didn't see him," the man replied. The woman stopped him. "You were looking for Tendo?" The man nodded. "I'm his daughter. He couldn't make it, so he sent me. I'll take you ahead to our location." The man nodded again and took off running, this time following the woman. "By the way, what's your name?" "You can call me Saotome..." Miyo jerked awake and rubbed her eyes. She yawned and looked at the clock. <5:30. It's Saturday and way too early for me. I'll figure it out later.> Miyo turned over and went back to sleep. "Hurry up, Ranma!" Akane called. "We're going to be late!" Ranma stepped out of his room. "What do you mean, `we'? I'm the one taking Ryoga to Akari's farmhouse." "And I'm going with you!" Ranma shook his head. When Akane got something into her mind, there was very little that could be done to get it out of her. Stubborn as a mule. "What did you say!?" Akane fumed. Ranma realized he'd said that stubborn bit out loud. "Just that you're stubborn." He smiled at her. "And I wouldn't have ya any other way!" He reached forward and gave her a quick kiss before joining Ryoga outside. Akane stopped short, her anger draining. She shook her head and headed out after him. She touched her lips where he kissed her. "Thanks you two, for helping me," Ryoga said nervously as the trio headed to the for the waiting cab. "No problem, Ryoga-kun!" Akane smiled sweetly at him and he melted. "Besides, I'd love to see Akari-chan again." They piled into the back seat of the cab, with Ranma in the middle, and it took off. Ranma was a little frustrated. He wanted to talk to Akari alone and explain all about P-chan. Ryoga wouldn't tell, and Akane and/or Akari would find out about it and then there wouldn't be much left of poor Ryoga. He felt confident he could explain to Akari in a manner that she would still love Ryoga afterward. But with Akane along, it would make things difficult to explain, and one of the girls might let something slip. He sighed and watched the scenery go by while Ryoga talked of his latest journeys, including the one he made with Kenji. Ranma added little to the conversation, just mainly listening to what was being said. In no time, they were at the farm at the edge of Nerima that housed the Unyruu pig farm. It really wasn't that far from the Tendo house, only about 10-15 minutes by automobile. As they piled out, a young woman standing on the front porch bolted towards the cab. "Ryo-chan!" Akari yelled as she embraced him and began to squeeze. "Ak-ari-san!" Ryoga managed. "Uh, Akari... I can't... breathe!" She released him. "Gomen, Ryoga-sama." Then she noticed the other two. "Ranma-san! Akane-chan! It's so good to see you guys again!" She gave each of them a monster hug. "Come on in and stay awhile." She then latched herself to Ryoga's arm and guided him in, Ranma and Akane following. They entered the dining room and sat down while Akari went to prepared some tea. Akane volunteered to help and the two women went into the kitchen. Ranma shuddered at the prospect of Akane helping to make something, but took the opportunity to talk with Ryoga. "Hey Ryoga, there's something you need to know." "What's that?" "Akari doesn't know about P-chan, that's why I didn't want Akane to come." All the color drained from Ryoga's face. "But she'll kill me if she finds out I was Akane's pet! I can't lose Akari, too!" Ranma shook his head. "Nah, she won't kill ya. Not if you explain it right. As long as Akane doesn't find out, you should be safe. If I get the chance, I'll try to tell Akari about it. But if you get the chance first, here's what you gotta say..." The two girls finished the tea and brought it back to the dining room. Akari set it on the table and sat down next to Ryoga, while Akane took her place by Ranma. When the tea was poured, Ranma bravely took the first sip. He swallowed. He looked over to see Akane looking at him expectantly. "It's real good, Akane." To emphasize the point by taking another sip. Akane smiled in delight. "Kasumi and your mother have been helping me. Making tea was one of the first things they taught me." "You have trouble in the kitchen?" Akari asked. "A little," she replied reluctantly, to which Ranma nearly spit out his tea. "But I've been getting better." One of the things that Ranma's mother had helped her to realize was that her cooking needed improvement. She could be a great cook, Nodoka had told her, if she could just admit that she needed some help. Now, not only could she boil water, but she could make rice as well. And for some reason, she could duplicate that edible curry she made that one time. If she tried anything else without supervision, it didn't turn out as well. Not toxic anymore, just not very edible. "Grandpa taught me to cook, though most of the dishes I know have to do with pork." Ryoga paled slightly and swallowed nervously. Ranma chuckled. Akane frowned. "What's so funny?" Akari was about to speak when Ranma cut in. "Ryoga doesn't like pork. He had a bad experience a while ago that soured him on that." He looked at Akari and hoped he transmitted his message okay. She seemed to understand. "Yeah, you'll have to tell me about it sometime, dear," she said, frowning slightly at Ryoga. He laughed slightly. "Ah, sure, no problem." Ranma then steered the conversation toward less dangerous topics. They talk about Sumo pig champions, the state of events in Nerima, Kenji's arrival and the elemental wizard sect battles. Of course the girls invited each other to their respective weddings (which made the guys nervous, Ryoga more than Ranma). After an hour of conversation, Akane announced it was time for them to go. They said their good-byes and Akari promised to drop by the dojo sometime. They boarded the cab that had returned and were gone. As Akari guided Ryoga back inside she asked, "Now, are you gonna tell me what that was all about?" "What?" "Well, I gather from Ranma-san that Akane doesn't know about your curse and didn't want me to say anything. Is there a problem?" Ryoga sighed and guided her a chair, steeling himself for battle. "There is something I have to tell you that you probably won't like. Please remember that I like you a lot and I would never ever mean to hurt you." Akari shifted in her chair nervously, but took Ryoga's hands in her own as he kneeled in front of her. "You know I love you Ryo-chan, and whatever you tell me, I promise to listen to you and try to understand." Ryoga took in a deep breath. "Well, until I met you I... I was infatuated with Akane. It's over now, since I realize she loves Ranma. The reason I fell in love with her, is because she was the first girl to ever show affection for me. Only it wasn't my human form she liked, it was as... her pet pig." Akari blinked. "You mean you let yourself be her pet pig? Why?" "Like I said, she was the first, and one of the only people, to show me affection. After wandering for so long by myself, I liked the way she made me feel. She named me P-chan, hugged me, and payed attention to me. She never knew I was Ryoga, her friend, and just her friend. She never saw Ryoga as anything more. Ranma promised to never tell anyone about my curse when he found out, since he felt responsible for it." Akari sat back and looked at him, noting his some-what jittery look. "And will you go back to being her pet?" Ryoga shook his head. "No, that part of my life is over. Now that I have you. I... c-care... about you, and don't want to lose you. You know about my curse and accept me as I am." He looked up at her. "Are you mad at me?" She thought for a minute. "A little, but I can understand, and am proud of you for telling me the truth. I care about you too, Ryo- chan. As long as you continue to be honest with me, that's all that matters." She smiled and brought both of them to their feet. "Now cheer up! This is supposed to be a happy time since you came back to me like I knew you would." She stopped and looked at him "You are happy, aren't you?" He smiled and showed those cute little fangs she loved so much. "Absolutely!" She squealed (like a pig) and hugged him, and he put his arms around her. "I promise you Akari... chan. I'll never try to leave you again. And if I do, I'll find my way back somehow. You're the best thing in my life right now." With Akari's next words, Ryoga finally felt at home. "And I promise to never let you go." It was evening at Kentaro's house where the big, beginning-of- summer-break party was being held. His folks were gone for a couple of weeks and he always took this opportunity to throw a huge bash. It's what made him popular. Well, relatively speaking. It at least made him stand out a bit, even for awhile. And that was quite a feat considering the martial artists from Furinken usually take the spotlight. Or even that lecher and flying green haired girl from nearby Tomobiki High. Yes, for one night, Kentaro was the man. It was at this large gathering that a group of four girls and two guys found themselves walking toward. Ranma was feeling a bit down, since he didn't care much for these huge social gatherings. He wanted to run away, but Akane was locked onto his arm. Akane was in a very good mood. After all, she had her man, Ranma had seriously sparred with her, they set up a training trip, and they got Ryoga and Akari back together. Now she just wanted to have fun, dance, and cut loose. Now if only she could cheer Ranma up. Kenji was a bit nervous. He liked parties, but Ukyo wasn't talking to him. Ever since she found out he was taking Yuka, she had given him the cold shoulder. Now if only he could make her understand. Yuka was excited. She loved parties and she had her very own martial artist! Is this how Akane felt? She wanted to see how athletic he was, on the dance floor and maybe somewhere else if the opportunity presented itself. Ukyo was upset. She didn't want to go, since she didn't really have a date. Still, Yuri had pursuaded her to go. Kenji was taking someone else, not that she felt anything more for him then as a friend nope she didn't care uh-uh no way. She was of the opinion that men couldn't be counted on. They pretend to like you, then go for another girl. Maybe it wasn't really Kenji's fault since she was in a coma when he got invited. Still, he could've waited. She was in a mood to do some serious castrations if any man dared to piss her off this night. And lastly, Yuri was a bit in the middle. She liked parties, but the mood was dampened by both her brother's and Ukyo's moods. She was glad she got Ukyo to come along though, maybe she'd loosen up and have some fun. Besides, Yuri didn't really like guys. She wasn't a lesbian, but she knew most men were egotistical perverts. Himoshi and his gang had really soured her on men. This unlikely group now joins the party. They slowly split up as they wandered through the house. A group of guys called Ranma over and Akane sqeezed his hand and let him go so she could find the girl group. Of course, she made him promise a couple of dances later. "Hey Ranma-kun," Hiroshi asked as he approached. "How far have you gotten with Akane-kun? Have you had sex yet?" Ranma felt a bit embarrassed. "No! Of course not!" "Dude, he wants to wait `til he's married!" another guy said. He raised his glass of sake to him. "Very noble." "Ah come on, with all those fiancees you must have gotten some booty with one of `em," Hiroshi reasoned. Ranma scowled at him. "Not that I didn't have the opportunity, but that distracts from my training. Plus, you know how much trouble I would've gotten in if I had done it?" Someone handed him a bottle of sake and he took a swig. He usually didn't go for alcohol, considering how much his father drinks, but he thought he might as well join in and try to be `one of the guys'. "Yeah, sure, we believe you!" another guy mocked. "Hey, why doncha try to get some tonight? There are quite a few rooms upstairs if you wanna take Akane up there, or someone else." Ranma shook his head. "Man, is that all you guys think about? There's more to life than women." Someone behind him laughed. "Maybe Saotome doesn't like women, maybe he likes guys." Before Ranma could respond, someone dumped a glass of cold water on him, turning him into a her. "With a body like that, she could get any guy she wants!" The rest of the guys backed away and awaited the carnage. Onna- Ranma slowly turned around and looked up at the burly man who had dumped the water and insulted her manhood. "Come on chicky, I can show ya a real good time!" Ranma grinned evilly. "So can I." Parties were foreign to her, but was something she was familiar with and could handle. The man's smiled widened, than disappeared as she grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled his face down into her rising fist. He reeled backward from the blow. She flipped over him and jumpkicked his back to send him stumbling forward. Flipping over him once more, she kicked both of the big man's kneecaps, punched him several times in the stomach, then threw him into a wall where he collapsed unconscious. The assembled crowd cheered. Ranma turned back to the group. "And that's what ya can do when you don't women distract ya." Inwardly, she sighed. Ukyo plopped herself into a chair and watched the comings and goings of everyone else. She really wasn't in the mood to have a good time. Yuri had tried to cheer her up, but Ukyo pushed her away. Last she saw of the ninja girl, she was headed for the dance floor. That was fine for Ukyo. She wanted to be alone. All men could go to hell and all boyfriend-snatching women could go with them. Several guys walked out of the party that night with spatula impressions on their faces. She filled her cup with some punch from the punchbowl and took a drink. That seemed to make her feel a little better, so she downed it and filled her cup up again. In the back of her mind, something was buzzing, but she ignored it. Yuri was weaving through the dance floor, dancing with everybody. She really loved to dance. Every now and then, a guy would try to get close enough to brush his body against hers or touch her, but she'd just move out of range. If they followed, she would make them stumble and or fall, and make it seem like it was their fault. No guy could touch her unless she wanted them to. All the guys who failed, gave up and moved on to other people. A few guys wouldn't try anything, though, and just dance with her. These were the type she'd dance a few tunes to and give a thankful smile. In the back of her mind, she knew she'd have to check on Ukyo soon. Last she saw, she was sitting alone. Maybe after the next song. In another part of the dance floor (it was a big house with a big dance floor), Kenji and Yuka were dancing very close. Well, Yuka was trying to dance close. Kenji knew this should be a good thing, a girl dancing close to him, but for some reason, it made him slightly uncomfortable. Yuka could sense a bit of reluctance on his part, but shrugged it off. Maybe he was just a bit nervous around girls? She smiled. Maybe she could do something about that. After the song ended, Yuka led him off the dance floor to get something to drink. They ended up by the punch bowl and both eagerly quenched their thirsts; and both started to a little better afterwards. In fact, they felt invigorated enough to do some more dancing, and by this time, Kenji felt more agreeable to some close dancing... and roaming hands. They wouldn't find out until the next day that someone had spiked the punchbowl. Akane finished talking with her friends. Most of the girls she knew had left the group to find their men and she thought she should do the same since Ranma owed her some dancing. She began to weave through the crowd, heading in the direction she left him. She sighed when she saw a redhead bobbing in the crowd ahead. "Hey Ranma!" she called when she got close. Her iinazuke turned and smiled at her. "Hey Akane! Howz the party?" She smiled back. "It's going great! You ready to do some dancing?" Ranma looked suddenly downcast. "Uh, are you sure you wanna do that?" "What's wrong? Don't tell me you don't know how to dance?" She laughed when the redhead meekly nodded. "It's okay, Ranma, I'll show you." She grabbed her hand and began to lead her. "Just think of it as a martial arts kata. That's really all it is, just a sequence of moves." They reached the dance floor after getting some hot water in the bathroom. Akane lead her reluctant fiance into the dance crowd and whispered that she would lead. They began to dance and Ranma soon got the hang of it. He started to get very excited and that's when Akane finally caught the scent of alcohol on his breath. "Don't tell me you're drunk, Ranma," she said disgustedly. He grinned that goofy, cocky grin. "Okay, I won't." He snuggled close to her. "Hey Akane, did I ever tell you how much I love your body?" Akane blushed at Ranma's forthright attitude. Then she gasped as his hands roamed her body. "Ranma! Cut it out! Not here!" But he ignored her. "Heya Akane, how abouts we go upstairs? I can show you how manly I am!" He said it like it was the most perfect thing in the world. She broke away and slapped him. That slap sobered him up enough to return her glare, then he ran from the floor. Akane sighed and tried to go after him, but lost him in the crowd. Kenji found himself being pulled up some stairs. Well, not really pulled. He was kinda eager to go and do what Yuka wanted. He didn't have that much to drink, but since his tolerance for alcohol was near zero, the little amount he had affected him greatly. So much so, that when Yuka began to kiss him and lead him up the stairs, he went with her. Then there was always that nagging doubt in the back of his mind that something was wrong, but he couldn't identify it. Yuka smiled at him as she led him down the upper hallway, looking for an empty room. She was intent on making him hers. This was usually not her normal behavior, she was actually quite shy. But you can blame to alcohol for that, too. As they walked down the hall, Kenji thought he spotted Ukyo going into a room. He cocked his head, something wasn't quite right about her movements. He sped up and caught the door before it closed and frowned. Some guy had his arm around her and was pulling her to the bed. Ukyo was too drunk to notice much and was on the verge of passing out, if she hadn't already. The sight sobered him almost immediately. "Let go of her," he commanded. The guy froze and looked up. "Get lost moron, she's mine," he retorted. "You can have a turn when I'm gone." Kenji put on his most menacing face. "Get_off_her_NOW!" He advanced toward the guy, who stood up and prepared to put this fool out of his misery. Obviously, this guy wasn't from Nerima. If he was, he would've known that it chock full of lethal martial artists that show up just when you don't want them to be there. Then again, maybe he was just drunk as well. Now, Kenji may not be the best, and alcohol may be slowing his reflexes some, but he was still better than your average guy on the street; which this guy was. Needless to say, he was out cold in a matter of seconds. Yuka watched all this in sickening realization. The incident had sobered her up a as well and she came to the conclusion she wasn't any better than the guy who tried to take advantage of Ukyo. She was using alcohol to get what she wanted. Kenji finished and returned his attentions to the bed where Yuka was starting to cry. Her gaze was on the passed out form of the chef on the bed. "Yuka-san? What's wrong? I stopped him." She shook her head and sniffed. "No, it's just that... I'm as bad as... that guy," she managed to say through her tears. "I was trying to... to... you know. I could sense that you really didn't want to, but I... I..." He went around the bed and hugged her. "Shhh. It's okay. Some part of me did want to go with you, so it wasn't entirely your fault. It just wasn't a good idea. I've got to get Ukyo-san home, though. It's obvious this party is over for her. I think we should get you home, too." He looked up to see Hiroshi standing in the doorway, looking none too happy. Kenji had gotten to know the other student at school. "Hiroshi-san? Can I trust you to get Yuka-san home alright?." Hiroshi's anger left him somewhat. He saw Yuka and Kenji head upstairs, and his body followed. Somehow, he wanted to prevent what was going to happen, but knew that he couldn't stand up to a martial artist. "Yeah..." "Good." He lead the sniffling Yuka over to him. "It's okay Yuka- san. Hiroshi-san will take you home. Tell Ranma, Akane, and my sister I took Ukyo home." She nodded slowly. "Thank you..." The two left and Kenji went back to the bed. He opened the window and gently picked up the sleeping form of the chef. Leaping from the second story window to the ground, he headed off into the night. --------------------------------------------------------------- Author's notes: These parts were written mainly because my distaste for these types of parties where a bunch of strangers are present, especially with alcohol. They can be okay if you stay in groups and watch out for each other, but there are always guys who will spike drinks, and try to get a girl drunk enough so her inhibitions are down. Maybe I'm being too much of a pessimist here, but as long as you're careful, you can fun. Never drink from the punchbowl, instead bring your own drinks, or get some water if you're thirsty. So ends my public service annoucement. Isn't fanfiction great? You get a nice story and morals too! Oh, there's another reason I wrote this section, but you'll find out next chapter.