Here's the sequel to Winds of Change. Enjoy! Contact me at: oddball22@hotmail.com DISCLAIMER: I am Kami-sama. I claim everything. Ahem. On with the show. ------------------------------------------------------------- Calling. When the Wind changes someone's life, a response to the change is practically demanded. Sometimes, the Wind arranges things so only a few responses are available.Those that believe in Fate and Destiny, refer to this as a Calling. Something they should do with their life, based on what they believe their destiny is. Even those that don't believe in fate, must ask themselves these questions: Why am I here? What should I do with my life? Life has just begun to change for several individuals within the town of Nerima, Japan, yet even bigger changes are on the way. The time is coming when certain martial artists must determine their fate for themselves. ------------------------------------------------------------- Ranma 1/2: New Challenges Wind's Calling Chapter 1 Ariko bolted awake. Though her room was pitch black, she could sense movement around her. "Who's there?" she whispered. "Show yourself." The movement ceased, but she could still sense someone in her room. She forced herself to calm down. She closed her eyes and concentrated. The words came to her and she spoke them softly. Her eyes opened again and she stretched out her hand. Two silhouettes were outlined in a faint red hue. She gathered her concentration again and tried to recall the words to another of the few spells she knew. When the words were chanted in her head, she pointed her hand at one of the intruders. "Take this!" A bolt of electricity leapt from her hand and struck her target dead center. The man crumpled and a feeling of elation washed through Ariko. She tried to start the spell again, but didn't have time. While the next target didn't move, a cloud of something engulfed her and she inhaled. Immediately, she started feeling incredibly dizzy. The spell on her lips vanished and she collapsed back onto her bed. As she lay there, she watched helplessly as the three figures advanced on her. was her last thought before passing out. Ukyo thought to herself. Actually, she was currently scaling a steep hill. A few tears formed in her eyes as memory forced itself on her. In her mind's eye, she could see a flash of red knock the boulder out of the way. Then, both it and Konatsu disappeared into the abyss. She reached to top of the hill and got a good view of the surrounding terrain. Not that there was much to see; it was the same as the terrain she been seeing for the past few hours. Or was it days? No, it had to be hours because she hadn't had anything to eat since she woke up and she wasn't hungry. Of course, she really didn't get tired either. In either case, all she could see was a thick forest canopy. It was split into two parts by the dirt path she continued to travel on. As far as she could see, the road continued for quite a long distance and disappeared into the horizon. "What is the meaning of this!?" she yelled in frustration. She promptly collapsed onto a large boulder to gather her thoughts. "Meaning of what?" a familiar voice asked. Ukyo turned around, searching for the speaker, and gasped when she saw him standing there. "Ranchan!" she exclaimed and promptly ran over to him to give him a hug. However, he jumped over her before she could wrap her arms around him. "Ranchan?" "Why are you callin' me, `Ranchan'?" he asked. Ukyo was confused. "That's your name..." "It is?" he shrugged. "Oh, well, I guess that's a good a name as always. I'll take it! By the way, who are you?" "What's going here?" she asked hesitantly. "If this is one of your games, I'm not laughing." `Ranchan' smiled. "OOOOOOH! Games! I like games! Wanna play? How about Monopoly(tm)?" A monopoly(tm) game board suddenly fell out of the sky and landed on ground. "What!?" "You're right, Nabiki's got the market on that one. How about checkers? Space invaders? Mortal Wombat?" As he named each one, they fell out of the sky and set themselves up. Ukyo shook her head. This couldn't be happening. "SHUT UP!" she yelled, and Ranchan quickly silenced. "Just who are you?" "I thought I was Ranchan?" he asked meekly. Ukyo sighed. "Well, you sure aren't acting like him. So who or what are you?" He grinned again. "I'm a figment of your imagination!" She blinked. "Nani?" "You got it! I'm the Ranchan you always wanted but could never have. Well, you can have me now! Let's go!" With that, he grabbed her and leaped into the sky. Ukyo could only hold on as he landed, ran a few short feet, then leapt again. When she opened her eyes and looked down, she suddenly realized he was leaping from rooftop to rooftop over Nerima. "Hey, we're back in Nerima!" she exclaimed. "Hey! Ranchan, you can put me down now!" He stopped, looked at her strangely, and set her down. "But we're almost to your restaurant and I'm hungry!" He pointed and she turned to see her restaurant across the street. "Well, I suppose I can fix you something to eat, come on!" She felt so happy! Her Ranchan had rescued her and brought her back home. She just had to fix him some of her famous okonomiyaki and he would be hers! Somehow, her mind conveniently forgot about where she had been and just decided to accept the current situation. She opened the door to `Ucchans' and flicked on the lights. It was empty inside, of course, but she quickly jumped into the task of cooking while her Ranchan sat down at the counter. As she prepared the batter, she couldn't help but feel that something was missing. "What's on your mind?" Ranchan asked. Ukyo looked up to see her fiance looking at her with concern on his face. "Is something wrong? Are you not happy?" Ukyo forced herself to smile. "Of course, everything's fine!" He smiled at her and she melted. "Good! Then you won't mind if I do this!" He bent forward, bringing their heads close together. Ukyo's heart jumped as she realized what he was about to do. With a quick motion, he brushed his lips against hers, and locked them together in a passionate kiss. It lasted a for a few seconds before he broke away. Ukyo stood there speechless for moment before finding her voice again. "Ranchan, what was that for?" He looked confused. "Isn't that what fiances do?" Ukyo's heart soared. He was finally acknowledging her as his fiancee! And her loved her! "Yes, of course! Oh Ranchan, I knew you'd pick me!" She bent over and returned the kiss. This one was a whole lot deeper and lasted a whole lot longer. She was so into it, she didn't even notice someone else come in until the newcomer spoke. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH MY FIANCE!?" They broke off the kiss and turned to see who it was. It was Akane. There she was, and he thought she never looked more beautiful in his enitre life. She smiled at him, her face framed by the two pretty blue flowers on either side of her head. He could swear his heart would pound right out of his chest. "You love me, don't you?" she asked, her voice hopeful. he wanted to say. "I didn't say it!" Tears began to flow down her face, and she dropped the bouquet of flowers she was holding. "You really don't like me, do you?" But no words would come out of his mouth. "If that's the way you feel, then fine!" She ran out of her room, and he ran after her. He followed her as she ran into the dojo. "Look out!" he yelled, but it was too late. Steaming meat buns and okonomiyaki were headed straight for her, and they exploded as they made contact. Nevertheless, he ran up to her still form and dropped to his knees, picking her up as he did so. "No! Please be alright! You can't die!" She opened her eyes slightly. "Why? You don't love me. Why should you care whether I live or die?" Her clothes and the scenery shifted, and now he was holding her on a ledge of stone above a pool of cold water. She was only wearing one of his red shirts and her eyes were closed. "Bu-but I do! Akane! I love you!" But unlike last time, she didn't wake up. She was dead, and tears were rapidly falling down his face, his mind hysterical. She seemed to whisper something, so he leaned closer. "G... Ra.. ma..." "Akane!" "Ge... um, Ra.. ma..." "I can't understand you!" "I said, Get up boy!" He froze. That was NOT Akane's voice. "Or do I have to use this bucket of water?" Genma taunted. Ranma rolled over his sleep, now sensing he was in his futon and his father was above him. "Go away, Oyaji. I'll be out in a second." "A true martial artist should be ready for anything," he reprimanded his son. "If I were a serious attacker, you'd be dead by now." As if to underscore his point, he dumped the water onto his son, who managed to roll away and stand up just in time to avoid getting wet. "What are ya tryin' to do, Pop!?" His father grinned. "Good, you're awake!" And promptly launched himself at his son. Ranma grabbed the front of his father's gi and fell backwards, tossing him out the window (which just happen to open since Genma had planned to throw his son out it). He dressed quickly, adrenaline pumping through his system from the dream. For once, he was really looking forward to the morning's workout so he could release his pent-up energy. Once his clothes were on, he leapt out the window after his father. As he landed on the ground, he searched for any sign of his dad, but Genma was nowhere in sight. "All right Pops, where are ya?" he yelled. "Or are ya too chicken to finish what you started?" "Right here!" Ranma barely had time to jump back as his father jumped from the roof to punch the ground where his son was standing a moment ago. "You're gettin' slow old man!" "I'm more of a martial artist than you'll ever be!" "Oh yeah, then prove it!" Ranma assumed a fighting stance. His father did likewise, then charged and the battle was joined. A flurry of punches and kicks were exchanged and at first Ranma seemed to have the upper hand. Then Genma managed to grab his son's wrist and twist it around his back. "Come on, boy, is that the best you've got?" he taunted. Ranma grunted, then tossed his head back, headbutting his father's chin and forcing him to let go. He then swung his left leg around, landing his foot into his opponent's stomach. Following up, he landed a few well placed punches and one more kick that knocked his father into the one location Cosmic Law demands one of them end up in: The small pond in the big yard. As expected, Genma-panda emerged looking down-trodden and growled at his son. "Like I said, you're gettin' slow old man!" Ranma laughed and then turned away. Genma seized the opportunity to jump out of the pond and warp his big furry arms around his son. "Hey! Lemme go!" he yelled. But it was too late. *Splash!* Genma-panda looked down at his son who was now his daughter. "What'd you that for!?" the red head complained. She leapt up to continue the assault when Kasumi called them to breakfast. Grumbling, the two entered the house and retrieved the hot water kettle. After changing back, they sat down at the table with everyone else. Well, almost everyone else. Kenji had left yesterday morning to go find his family's house and make amends with his old life. Ranma's mother had left to go comfort and look after a friend who was feeling quite ill. The pig-tailed youth sat down and immediately began scarfing down his bowl of rice. He slowed down and stopped when he noticed Akane smile at him. She turned her attention back to her food when he looked up at her. In that instant, the dream came back to him. He started to eat again, albeit slower this time. He didn't know where that dream had come from. All he remembered was the horrible feeling in his gut when he thought she was dead, both in Jusendo and in his dream. he promised. He absently fended off all his father's attempts to steal his food. Breakfast soon ended, and Genma and Soun retreated to their shogi board. Kasumi went into the kitchen to clean up and Nabiki flipped the TV on as she, Akane, and Ranma watched. A local news show was currently being broadcast. "...and in other news, another home was broken into, burglarized and a young female was abducted. The young girl was listed as Henki Ariko." A photo of a high school age girl replaced the newscaster on the screen. "That would make it the third such incident in the past week. Police still have no clue as to what ties these events together, but urged everyone to remain calm and to report any suspicious persons. When interviewed, the parents had no idea as to who would want to kidnap their little girl. Most of what was stolen, was in their daughter's bedroom. " Ranma glanced over at Akane to see a look of worry on her face. "Hey Akane, what's wrong?" he asked. "The police'll catch these guys." Ranma grinned. "Unless they try breaking in here, in which case they'll have ta deal with me!" She looked up and scowled at him, then her face relaxed when she saw he was only concerned about her. "I suppose you're right." She sighed. "I guess I'm also just a little worried about Kenji." Ranma shrugged. "Is that all? He can take care of himself, and no one's after him this time." "I know what you mean, Akane," Nabiki spoke up. "I kinda miss the amnesiac kid, too." Akane stared at her older sister, who shrugged. "I wasn't able to make much money off of him before he left." "Some things never change," Ranma muttered under his breath. Then said out loud, "But don't worry, it's not like Kenji's got the same bad direction sense as Ryoga." The lost boy in question was, in fact, living up to his nickname. After the whole mage battle scene, he had once again gotten lost before he could beat the snot out of, er, challenge Kenji to a little match. Now he was just trying to get back to Nerima. he grumbled to himself. He stopped. Images flashed through his head of his impending defeat of Ranma. There he was, about to deliver the finishing blow, when the little punk blasted him with something. He continued walking down the dusty road, laughing a little. His thoughts drifted a bit to the other person he was searching for. A lovely young woman with long brown hair who had said she loved him. His thoughts darkened as he realized he may never find her with his direction problems and his Jusenkyo curse. Which of course, returned his thoughts to... "This is all Ranma's fault!" he grumbled louder, then reduced a nearby boulder to powder. He sighed, then continued on. His hopes soared again when he noticed a lone figure up ahead. The figure was sitting on a stump by the side of the road with his back towards Ryoga. He was also draped in a cloak, similar to his own, that was protecting him against the sandy winds that were currently bathing the area. Though the lost boy was also wearing goggles that obscured his face. "Hey you!" he called. "Do you know how to get to Nerima from here?" The figure turned to look at him. A brown cloth mask covered his mouth and, with the same color hood over his head, all Ryoga could see were the grey eyes. The man studied the lost boy for a moment, then pointed back in the direction Ryoga had come. Ryoga sighed. "Thanks, I..." The wind took that moment to lift a bit of the man's hood and expose the black hair, with an inch-thick white streak down the middle. Ryoga recognized the man's hair, if nothing else. "YOU!" Watching from his special chamber on the kami plane, a certain minor kami grinned. His name is Bob. Now I know what you're thinking, `why is a Japanese kami named Bob?' Simple, he was last in line. Back at the beginning of time, Kami-sama, the one who rules over all, had to name all of his kami. When Bob finally showed up after a thousand years, Kami-sama had all but run out of names. Tired and wanting a vaction from all the naming, Kami-sama took one look at the last minor kami and said, "You're Bob. Now get lost." And so named, Bob went off to rent his own office on the kami plane from where he could do his thing. And what is his thing? His official title says it all: Kami of mishaps, unusual meetings, and bad timing. He originally wanted the title of `Kami of bloopers and practical jokes,' but was informed a pair of gaijin kami already held that title. One supposedly never aged and danced well, and the other was known to give away great fortunes year after year. But I digress. Bob was currently happy because of how well he had timed this current encounter, proving the second and third descriptors in his title. As for the first descriptor, well, he spied a father and daughter in the same area and decided to have some more fun with the two martial artists. Rubbing his hands together, he gleefully leapt into his task. Back on the mortal plane, the wind took that moment to die down, leaving the area deathly silent after Ryoga's outburst. The figure the lost boy was looking at, widened his eyes in surprise and cocked his head. Ryoga realized the man might not have recognized him with his own cloak and goggles, so he ripped them off and threw them to the ground, unholstering his umbrella in the process. "You're the snot-nosed punk who attacked in the middle of my fight with Ranma!" he growled. "Prepare to die!" Ryoga brought the umbrella down with crushing force, but the figure had already vacated the spot with a high backflip. In mid-leap, he pulled his hood and mask down, revealing the head of black hair with a white stripe down the middle. "You're Hibiki, aren't you?" asked Kenji, growing upset. "You just interupted my training session, and I was doing so well, too." He landed on the ground and assumed an attack stance. His tone lowered and he continued, menacingly, "I don't know what your problem is, but if you want a fight, you've got one." Ryoga charged. "That's Hibiki Ryoga to you! Now shut up and fight, punk!" "The name's Soyokaze Kenji," he yelled back. "Try to remember it after I bash your head in!" Kenji dodged the first three swings of the umbrella then flipped over Ryoga's head, kicking him in the back in the process. The lost boy moved forward a half-step, then turned and continued the assault, unfazed. "What was that?" Ryoga taunted. "A baby kick?" Kenji gritted his teeth. "Just getting warmed up!" The amnesiac ducked in low, under a power slash by the lost boy. Planting his hands on the ground, Kenji shot his feet upwards, impacting the wrist holding the umbrella. Ryoga's hand flew upwards and the umbrella went sailing away. Kenji rolled away and came up standing. He smirked. "Not so tough without your toy now, eh?" "I don't need it to deal with you!" Ryoga yelled back. He charged in again, arms shooting out in powerful punches. Once again, Kenji's agility easily allowed him to dodge the attacks, though one fist was able to clip him in the side. Pain flared in his lower torso, but Kenji managed to return several strikes to his opponent's body and head, then flip away. Ryoga wasn't through, however, pausing only to remove several bandannas from his head. To the other boy's surprise, the lost boy then flipped them in his direction. The amnesiac's danger sense pinged and he jumped out of the way as the projectiles shredded the landscape where he was just standing. "What the hell was that!?" Kenji exclaimed in disbelief. Ryoga grinned. "Just one of my little gifts." Another flight of bandanna's angled their way in as Kenji stood up. But instead of running, he decided to try something else. he thought to himself. Then he thrust out his right palm. "Hitohuki!" he called. A minor blast of wind sped from his open palm, engulfing the bandanna's and sending them off course. "You'll have to do better than-- oof!" Ryoga had taken advantage of the bandanna distraction to launch an attack, and one of his fists was now implanted in Kenji's stomach. The amnesiac went flying backwards and rolled when he hit the ground. He shakily regained his feet, one arm across his stomach. "Like I said, you'll... have to do better... than that." Ryoga nodded. "How about this? Ha!" He flew towards the now-slower amnesiac in a flurry of punches. Only this time, the punches were a feint. The real attack was when he poked the ground with his finger. "Bakusai Tenketsu!" Kenji still had enough speed to dodge the punches, but the exploding ground caught him totally off-guard. He went airborne once more, landing beyond several bushes, and out of Ryoga's sight. Ryoga laughed in triumph and leapt after him... straight into the stream that Kenji's clothes, and a wet dog, were now occupying. *Splash!* The wet dog looked at the wet piglet and their thoughts were identical. Then the fight instinct kicked back in. "Bwee bwee!" "Woof Woof!" "Bwee." Nevertheless, Ryoga snarled as only a Jusenkyo-cursed pig could, and sprung at the larger animal. Surprised by the speed of the assault, Kenji took the body slam under his jaw. His head flew upwards as the impact forced him back a few steps. Ryoga gave the wolf no time to recover, rebounding off the ground to slam into his opponent's side. Kenji fell and rolled out of the stream, but jerked back to a standing position when Ryoga began to bite and chew on one of his hind legs. Kenji yelped and thrust his leg back, tossing his porcine adversary away. Ryoga sprung again, but this time Kenji was ready. Anger at how easily Ryoga was beating him as a pig, was consuming his thoughts. He reached a paw up and batted the piglet out of the air, sending his porcine advesary into a tree. Ryoga's little piglet body couldn't take the abuse of his human one, so he was left stunned and dazed as he slid to the ground. Kenji advanced on his downed foe, teeth bared and growling menacingly. On some basic, animalistic level, his mind saw the dazed piglet as a meal and was sending signals to Kenji's salvitory glands. The amnesiac was too lost to his anger to intellectually realize what was happening to him. He scooped the piglet up in his mouth and prepared to bite down. Ryoga recovered enough of his senses to realize that one of his worst nightmares was about to happen. He was about to be eaten. "BWEEE!" "Now Papa!" That was all Kenji heard, as an impact upon his skull sent him off to lala land. Ryoga, stressed by the situation and the increased pressure on him by a fearsome mouth full of sharp teeth, fainted. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Author's Notes: In case you didn't get the joke, the two gaijin kami Bob is referring to are Dick Clark and Ed McMann. They hosted the originial show "Bloopers and Practical Jokes" a while ago. Dick Clark is known as the world's oldest teenager, because he still appears young, even though he's in his 50s or something by now. Ed McMann is also part of an annual sweepstakes (Publishers Clearing House?) that gives away 10 million dollars. So now you get it? Right?