Hmmm, I think my writing has actually improved through this. You think? Contact me at: oddball22@hotmail.com DISCLAIMER: I'm didn't create anything! The little elf on my shoulder told me! Honest! Ranma 1/2: New Challenges Winds Calling Chapter 2 "Hi Akane, what brings you by?" Ranma asked. "What do you think you're doing!?" she demanded, her battle aura flaring. "Just kissing my fiancee, is that okay?" he asked. Ukyo glanced back and forth between the two and wondered why this situation felt so wrong. She shook her head. Ranchan had chosen HER, as she knew he would. She had known him the longest and he had promised to take care of her. From now on, her life would be perfect! "I've won, Akane, why don't you just accept it?" asked Ukyo condescendingly. "We can at least be friends." Ranchan looked back at Ukyo and gave her a loving glance. Akane looked ready to explode, then her aura promptly faded and tears began to well up in her eyes. "If that's the way you want it, FINE!" She began to cry. "Good-bye!" She turned and sprinted out of the restaurant. Ukyo began to feel really sick to her stomach. She didn't expect Akane to show so much emotion and caring since it didn't seem that she even liked Ranma. She turned back to the pig-tailed boy who was still smiling at her. What was on his mind? "So, how about that okonomiyaki, darling?" he asked sweetly. Ukyo blinked. "But what about Akane?" "What about her?" Ranchan's answer surprised Ukyo. "Uh, don't you think we should do something?" Ukyo answered. She hopped over the counter and grabbed her Ranchan's arm. "Come on, I guess we should go find her." Ranma let himself be dragged outside. "Akane! Where are you?" she called, but received no answer. She took off towards the Tendo dojo, practically dragging Ranma with her. After running a few blocks, Ukyo began to get a funny feeling. All the streets and houses looked different than she remembered. In fact, she really couldn't pick out any signs or landmarks which would lead her to the dojo, or anywhere for that matter. She stopped and looked around at the place she thought would be the dojo, but it was just another house. "That's strange, I thought the dojo was right here," she said to herself. She looked over to Ranma who just had a funny grin on his face. She frowned. "All right, what's going on?" She shook Ranma. "Tell me!" "Why bother?" came a new voice. Ukyo turned to see Ryoga sitting against a wall. "Ryoga-kun!" she exclaimed. "Where are we? What's going on?" The lost boy got up and walked over to her. "Does it really matter? Do you really care? I don't. One place is as good as another." Ukyo grabbed him and shook him violently. "OF COURSE IT MATTERS! WHAT'S YOUR PROBLEM!" The sound of laughing could be heard and the two turned to see Ranma cracking up in hilarious laughter. Ryoga very visibily became enraged at that. "STOP IT!" He pulled his umbrella out and Ukyo watched in horror as he smashed it down on the laughing Ranma, who crumpled into a bloody mess. All the anger promptly drained from the lost boy's face and he put his umbrella back. "RANCHAN!" Ukyo yelled as she dropped to her knees. "You killed him!" She began to cry as she looked up at Ryoga. "Why!?" Ryoga shrugged. "It's symbolic, I think. But you'd have to ask the old ghoul. I don't really care, I'm all alone anyway, as are you." Ukyo could only sob at the remains of her fiance. "That's what I been saying," Ryoga said. Ukyo glanced up. "What? Did you read my thoughts?" Ryoga only shrugged. "Come child, there's no need for tears," a old voice sounded from behind her. She turned around to see Cologne balancing on her staff. "Cologne!" Ukyo exclaimed. "What are you doing here? Ranma's dead and I... I..." Cologne came up to her and brushed her tears away. "Shhh... That's okay. Ranma's not dead, not as long as you want to keep him alive. Do you?" Ukyo nodded slowly, not really understanding, to which Cologne smiled. She took her staff and tapped the remains of Ranma. Slowly, he unfolded and grew. In less than a minute, Ranma was back to normal. Ukyo gasped, then flung foreword and hugged him. "Oh, Cologne, thank you!" Cologne jumped back up onto her staff. "I did nothing, it was you who decided you wanted him back." Ukyo dried her tears. "So, where am I?" Cologne shrugged. "You are here, but that's not important. It's where you want to go that you should be asking." Ukyo thought for a minute. "I need to find Akane and talk to her." Cologne smiled. "Good choice. But she is where you are not ready to go. Still, there may be a way." She began to bounce off. "Come child, follow me and bring those two idiots with you." Ukyo shrugged, long past understanding what was going on. She grabbed Ranma with one hand (who continued to grin wildly and chuckle occasionally), Ryoga with the other (who still had that lonely and dejected look on his face), and headed off after the old woman. Hikaru Gosunkugi knew he was in trouble. Not just any trouble mind you. After all, he'd been picked on by bullies, manipulated by Nabiki and Kuno, and humiliated by Ranma. That kind of trouble he was used to and could deal with. No, this was a different kind of trouble, he could sense it. Sense it? Yes, just in the past few days, he seemed to have garnered a sixth sense. Not much of one, but enough to know he was in trouble before it happened. It had allowed him to avoid the bullies on the way to and from school twice now. This particular day, the trouble came in the form a stalker. Now, by nature he was a paranoid person, but he just knew someone was following him. He'd turn around to try to catch a glimpse of his follower and for a second he thought he saw something. Then the image would disappear into the crowd and leave him wondering if something really was there. He turned back around and continued on down the street. As soon as he turned a corner, he broke into a sprint and raced for home. By the time he reached the door to his abode, he was severely out of breath and panting heavily. But he was sure he lost his stalker. Well, pretty sure anyway. After all, there was no way he could've followed him here, could he? Within the span of a few seconds, Hikaru was in his room and locking the door. He barely paid any attention to his parents as he whizzed by, and they returned the favor. They had learned long ago that their son was a strange kid and needed his privacy. If he had anything to tell him, he would. Hikaru began to look through his magic books (all two of them), for any type of spell that would help him learn the identity of his stalker, or at least give him the means to defend himself. Four hours later, he was fast asleep over his books. The sun had gone down two hours ago and his parents had gone to bed one hour ago. Perhaps if they were still up, they could've done something. Then again, maybe not. The window to Hikaru's bedroom slowly opened and several people climbed in. Nodding to each other, they approached the sleeping boy. By the time he woke up, it was too late. The men grabbed him and taped his mouth shut before stuffing him in a sack. One of the invaders went out the window with him. The other two brought out two more sacks and began to collect everything not nailed down. By the time the police arrived after being called by the parents (they went to wake him up for breakfast), the room was stripped clean and Hikaru Gosunkugi was gone. "Did you hear?" Nabiki said while reading a book. "Hikaru has been abducted." She was laying on the couch while Genma and Soun were playing Shogi (and cheating as usual), Ranma and Akane were playing cards (Ranma was losing as usual), and Kasumi was doing the laundry just outside (and seemingly oblivious to everything as usual). "Oh dear," Kasumi said. "Who would do such a dreadful thing?" Ranma's jaw dropped. "They got Gos? Why would anyone want him?" Akane wacked him on the head with the most convenient item, a rolled up newspaper. "What was that for!?" Akane ignored him. "I guess Ranma has a point. Why would anyone want to kidnap Hikaru-san? He's a little strange I'll admit..." Nabiki raised and eyebrow. "A little? The boy wears candles on his head, carries around voodoo dolls and a wooden spike, and hides in bushes taking pictures of you." Akane sighed. "Okay, he's very strange, but he's basically harmless and his family's not wealthy or anything, so what would the kidnappers want him?" "It seems to be getting to be really unsafe around here," Kasumi commented. "What with all the kidnappings and burglaries." Nabiki smiled. "Yeah, and isn't it the duty of honor-bound martial artists to keep the peace and end these kidnappings?" The next noise to be heard was a splash, which drew everyone's attention to the yard. In it, a panda was playing with a tire. A sign was staked into the ground nearby reading, "I'm just a panda!" Ranma sighed. "That's my pop, ever willing to throw himself into danger for others." Akane looked thoughtful. "Maybe we should look into this. After all the police don't have a clue." Nabiki got up. "Actually they do." Everybody turned toward her waiting for an answer. "Which I'll gladly share for 1000 yen." To which everyone face-faulted. Akane nudged Ranma. "It's your turn to pay." "Why is it my turn!?" "Cause I paid last time!" Akane was about to scowl at him, but got a better idea. Instead, she fixed him with her best, warm smile. Ranma froze, like a deer caught in the headlights, and started to sweat. "Yeah whatever, I got nothin' better to do." He sighed and fished into his pocket, handing the money to Nabiki. "Do tell." Nabiki smiled victoriously. "Well, it seems all of the kidnapped were into some strange stuff. Spirit worship, voodoo, magic books, fortune-telling, that kind of stuff. So the police think it might be the work of some sort of cult. Either they were taken by a cult, or staged their kidnappings to join the cult." There was silence for few seconds, then Ranma spoke up. "So I guess that's why Gosunkugi was taken, but I don't see him joining a cult willingly, so it would have to be kidnapping." "You think that the wizard sects are at the bottom of this?" Akane asked. Ranma shrugged. "Could be, but I don't see why. I hate to say this, but maybe we should ask the old ghoul." He stood up. "Anybody coming with me?" Nabiki backed up. "No thank you. I'm not a martial artist so I don't get involved." She then trudged upstairs. "I'll go with you, Ranma," Akane said standing up. "Shampoo will be over there and someone needs to keep an eye on you two." She winked at him as she left for the front door. "Hey, hey!" Ranma stammered as he ran after her. "It's not like that! Akane!" "There's nothing like young love, eh Saotome?" said a teary-eyed Soun "Growph!" Kenji awoke once again, and did not know where he was. He checked his body and realized he was lupine at the moment. Locked in a cage. Again. He didn't know if wolves could groan, but he did. The thoughts before his blacking out returned to him and his mood went south. he thought, darkly. "Bwee?" Kenji looked to his left, to see Ryoga's pig form locked in a similiar cage, albeit smaller. "Woof?" "Bwee." Kenji looked where Ryoga's little piggy hoof was pointing. It seemed like he was in a large cabin, and a large pot was boiling on the stove. It was tended by an older female dressed in a raggy conservative dress that looked to be more homemade than store-bought. An older, bearded man and a younger girl sat at a table playing cards, the girl dressed similiarly to the woman. The man was dressed in a red, plaid shirt, dirty jeans, and suspenders. Across the room, Kenji spied his backpack and clothes, as well as Ryoga's. "Woof?" "Bwee." "Oh look, Papa!" the girl, who looked to be in her middle teens, exclaimed. "The doggy's awake!" "So he is, darlin'," the girl's father replied. "How's that stew comin', Hon'?" "Almost ready, dear," the man's wife responded. "Now the only question is, which do we eat first?" "Bwee!" "Woof!" "Do we have to eat them?" the little girl complained. "Now darlin, you know we don't git much chance ta eat pig or wolf," the father replied. "But tell ya what. We ain't gonna eat both tonight, so ya can have one as a pet until then." "Thanks Papa!" They turned to the cages. "Now which one do we eat?" the mother asked again. The truce went out the window, as Ryoga and Kenji pointed to each other. "Oh, isn't that cute!" the mother exclaimed. "They almost seem to understand us!" "Well, the pig is kinda small," the father reasoned. "So we should wait until it's bigger. You can have the piglet as a pet and we'll eat the dog tonight." The pig sighed in relief while the wolf sweatdropped. Ryoga thought. Kenji thought. He brightened. "Well, you better slaughter the wolf now, dear," the mother said to her wife. "The stew needs to cook all day." The man stood up and grabbed a large club that was nearby. "I'll knock him out first, then cut him up." He slid a large knife into a holster on his belt. Kenji thought. He played innocent as the man walked over to the cage and fiddled with the lock on top. As the top of the cage opened, Kenji came alive and sprung straight up. A whack from the club missed his head, but struck his body and sent him sprawling across the floor. "He's got out!" the girl squealed. "I got `im!" the father yelled. Kenji dragged himself to his feet, just in time to notice the man approaching, club raised menacingly. The amnesiac wolf wasted no time, but took off running in a different direction. His mind was wild at the moment, trying to dodge the club and knife attacks, while also trying to reach the boiling pot. He'd encountered a larger version of a boiling pot before and, while he wasn't too keen on repeating the experience, he'd become someone's meal if he didn't change back. He continued to run through the house, knocking over tables, chairs, lamps, and the occaisonal picture on the wall. Managing a full circle to return to the kitchen, he leapt for the pot, the knife and club wielding man right behind him. The woman shrieked and back away. During all this commotion, Ryoga was not idle. He knew he'd become the meal if Kenji got away, so he was working on his own cage. He'd never used the Bakusai Tenketsu as a pig before, but he thought now was a good time to learn. As a result, his hoof was rapidly tapping away at the bars. Just as Kenji reached the pot, Ryoga hit the jackpot and the cage exploded; which the man happened to be near at the time. He went flying back into a wall as Kenji's upper half landed in the pot, tipping it over and dousing both himself and Ryoga with scalding water. The two boys shrieked in pain. The woman shrieked at her husband hitting the wall. The man shrieked at what he knew to be two evil spirits. The girl shrieked at two naked boys. Her hands flew to her face and she blushed furiously, but peeked out again to catch another glimpse. Ryoga and Kenji wasted little time in grabbing their clothes and belongings. Then Kenji followed Ryoga through the hole made by the lost boy, and the two almost-dinner victims fled into the forest. Back in the cabin, the girl asked, "Does this mean I don't get my pet?" Several hours later, the two boys were dressed and traveling again in silence. Kenji had checked the amulet and proceeded in the direction it pointed, and Ryoga followed him for a reason neither one could think of at the moment. Both boys were in a sour mood. Ryoga was originially headed to Nerima to get his revenge on Kenji and Ranma. He had found Kenji, yet the fight hadn't ended the way he wanted it to. He didn't feel like another round of combat, so he instead settled on following the amnesiac until he could decide on a course of action. Kenji knew Ryoga was following him, but didn't know what to do either. He didn't want to fight the lost boy again, since he was pretty sure he'd lose. Ryoga was just too strong. He settled instead on assuming a fast pace in the hopes that he'd lose his follower, since he remembered Ranma telling him of Ryoga's bad direction sense. However, it was not to be. After several grueling hours, Kenji was exhausted while Ryoga's enormous endurance prevented him from becoming winded at all. The amnesiac reluctantly set up his tent and made camp, even while Ryoga did the same. They started a fire and ate in silence, then spent an hour staring at the orange flame between them. The silence eventually got to Kenji. "So," he began. "You're cursed, too?" Ryoga grunted affirmative. "Ranma's fault." He looked up. "You better not tell anyone!" "Agreed, provided you don't tell anyone about mine!" Kenji snapped back. "Agreed." Ryoga's gaze returned to the fire. Kenji looked up. "Saotome was responsible for your curse?" Ryoga nodded. "He knocked me into the spring of drowned black piglet." "He was kind of responsible for mine, too," Kenji admitted, his gaze returning to the fire. "He could've stopped the man who actually cursed me, but he didn't." "So, don't you want to get revenge on Ranma, too?" Ryoga asked darkly. "I would think you'd want to." "Oh I do," he replied. "But he's better than me right now. I have to get a whole lot better to beat him." He laughed bitterly. "I guess we have a little something in common." Ryoga nodded, but didn't speak. Something was nagging at the back of the amnesiac's mind, something about a piglet, but he couldn't remember what so he forced it out of his mind. A few moments passed again, before Ryoga broke the silence. "So what are you doing out here? I thought you'd be getting cozy at the Tendo's?" Kenji shot him a dark look. "It's none of your business, but I'm searching for my home." That stung Ryoga deep inside, but he didn't let it show. He couldn't find his home either, even if he wanted to. He'd only been there a few times since junior high. "I thought you couldn't remember anything?" The amnesiac brooded. "I can't. But I've received some information about where my house is, so that's where I'm going to start my search." He stood up and stretched. "Look, I have a long day of travel tomorrow, so I want to get some sleep. I'd like to know if you're still intent on killing me." He fixed the lost boy with a fierce gaze. "I like to know if I'll be waking up tomorrow." Ryoga stood up and locked gazes with Kenji. "I'm not so cowardly as to attack someone in their sleep. But you still owe me a man-to-man fight. However..." He paused. Ryoga wanted to hate this man in front of him, but the amnesiac's admittance of wanting to find his family hit too close to home for the lost boy, since they were things he had wanted for himself. And Kenji was cursed as well, so maybe Ryoga could give him a break. A little one. "However," he continued. "I'm not letting you out of my sight until you answer my challenge." Kenji nodded, understanding. "Fine. I want to find my family first, but I promise that you'll get your fight afterward." With that understanding, the two men went into their seperate tents to end their exhaustive and eventful day. The next day brought even more surprises. After almost a full day of travel, the duo crested a hill and got a good view of a mini-valley down below. There were scattered trees, lots of farm-like plains, and a couple of blackened and burned structures. Kenji inhaled sharply, then sprinted down the hill to the burnt structures with Ryoga running right behind. They hit the bottom of the hill and waded through the armpit high grass. Ryoga managed not to lose the amnesiac, despite Kenji's enthusiasm of possibly finding his old home. Wandering out onto the old road leading to the farm meant just a another minute of travel and then they were there. Kenji was so intent on his discovery and Ryoga was so intent on following him, that they failed to notice the two green-camouflaged figures stalking through the high grass behind them. Walking up to what used to be the house, Kenji set his pack down. Ryoga did the same. Both said nothing as Kenji entered the wreckage and looked around. Not much was left, just some blackened wood, plates, and other mundane items. "Anything look familiar?" Ryoga asked. Kenji shook his head. "I don't recognize any of it." "Maybe you should try the amulet again," Ryoga suggested. "This may not be it." "No, I have a strong... feeling... it is." Ryoga shrugged. "Well, I'll go back to the packs and set up camp. It's gonna be dark soon and you can go through everything at tomorrow." Kenji only nodded as Ryoga walked out back to the packs. He bent over to begin unpacking the tent, never seeing the two strangers gang up on him. He might have noticed their presence had they not been masking their aura's and ki signatures, or had they come close enough. As it was, they contented themselves to simultaneously launching two blow darts that struck the lost boy in his neck. Ryoga immediately jumped to his feet, scanned for his attackers, then snarled, "Who's there!?" Kenji was still picking through the remains when he heard Ryoga grunt and snarl his question. By the time he sprinted back to the packs, Ryoga was on one knee, mumbling something about tranquilizers. Then he fell over and Kenji could see the two darts sticking out of him. He bent down and pulled the darts out, even though it probably wouldn't have done any good. Looking back up, he saw two ninja dressed in green camoflauge emerge from the grassy fields with arrows cocked and pointed at him. One of them gestured for him to stand up, which he did. He might have tried to fight or run, but Ryoga was helpless right now and would pay the price. He held up his hands in surrender. "Who are you?" he asked. "What do you want? We have very little money and very little worth stealing." "We're not thieves!" one of the ninjas said in an obviously indignant, female voice. They came closer and Kenji could clearly see more features. It seemed that both were female, though the only flesh he could see was their eyes and the small area around them. Kenji thought. Glancing back to the other ninja, the amnesiac could see a look of surprise on her face, almost as if she couldn't believe who she was seeing. "Kenji!?" she asked. "That's my name," he offered. Maybe if he was honest, he could get out of this. "Soyokaze Kenji. I believe this used to be my home. Do you know who lived here?" "Kenji!" the same ninja said again while dropping her bow. "It is you!" She pulled off her mask revealing a young face and blond hair tied into a ponytail. She ran up to him, but stopped a few feet away to study him. "What are you doing!?" the other ninja demanded. The first one ignored her. "Oniichan!" she exclaimed and immediately glomped him. Kenji was stunned and could only stand there until his mind registered what she said. "Oniichan!?" he gasped disbelievingly. "Than you're..." She pulled away and looked at him. "Don't you recognize me? I'm Yuri! Your sister!" ----------------------------------------------------------------- Oniichan - older brother Hitohuki - a blast of wind