Disclaimer: The usual. I don't own any of these characters. They don't belong to me. The story does though..so....no stealin'!! Hehehe..j/k! If the characters are a bit OOC then please forgive me!

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Chapter Five: Ryouga Hibiki

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"So Ranko," Wufei started, "Care to introduce us to the guy you are currently embracing who I could have sworn was a menacing demon a moment ago?"

Duo nodded. "Yes please do."

This is unbelievable, Relina thought inwardly. The 'I'm better than you are onna' might actually have some feelings for the Saotome girl.

"Hmm..?" She let go of Reowin as she glanced confused at the two boys. Something was a bit off about the way they spoke. "Him? He's just Reowin, half-demon. He can't really cause any harm and he's a bit off..." She smirked when her demon friend gave her an indignant grunt. "He's too human to be fully demon and too evil to be human. That's why he is able to assume human form, that's his real form."

"And I'm pretty hot stuff too huh?" Reowin spoke arrogantly.

Ranko jabbed him in the ribs playfully. "Yeah right...you are butt-ugly!"

"Hey! Take that back!"

"Nope!" Ranko giggled.

"Why you-!" Duo coughed falsely.

"So..how did you two meet?" He grinned falsely at Reowin. You two can not be anything other than friends...

Ranko blinked as she thought about the first time she met Reowin. She giggled. "The dimwit was trying to be evil and win a bet with his fellow demons. They dared him to make me afraid since I was notorious for my skill in the art and record against kicking demons' butts."

Reowin frowned. "I am not a dimwit."

Ranko raised her right eyebrow slightly. "Oh really? Don't you think it was foolish to try to scare someone that makes the most powerful demon on earth, HAPPOSAI, afraid? That pervert tried to molest me once and after I was through with him, he dared not be in ten meters of me."

Reowin sweatdropped. Oh yeah that occurrence! Pancake Happosai didn't get out of the hospital for two months and boxers and a lot of muscular men surrounded him the whole time.

"Told you I was right." Reowin sniffed indignantly. She rolled her eyes. "Anyway, I saw his attempt to be scary quite hilarious. I couldn't stop laughing for one hour. Of course Reowin forgot all of his attempts to be scary as he tried to chase me around to punish me for my 'baka' and 'pathetic' comments. After I stopped laughing he changed into human form because he wasted all of his energy chasing me around. Strangely enough, our friendship started from there. Reowin is like a brother to me. You see, Reowin doesn't have many friends. His human nature alienates him."

"Oh.." They all said, not commenting anymore on the strange tale. How did a demon trying to scare a powerful martial artist HUMAN end up being best friends, even close enough to be siblings? Only Kami would know.

"I have to go," Reowin stated after several moments of silence. Ranko blinked and nodded.

"Okay...heh..I bet that the other 'oh so powerful and scary' demons would be surprised that you managed to get out unharmed huh?" Reowin nodded while smirking.

"You bet. Well, see ya."

"Bye!" With that Reowin opened a portal and left the Earth realm.

Ranko stared at the spot Reowin disappeared to. She smiled faintly and whispered softly. "It was nice to meet someone I know..."

The ex-Gundam pilots and Relina glanced at each other. They all heard the redhead. Although she tried hard to be carefree, it was moments like this that she showed her true feelings.

Ranko sighed softly and smiled falsely at her new friends. "Let's go home." They nodded. Just before they started to leave, Ranko heard a voice that she would have never expected to hear here.

"Excuse me, would you please tell me the way to the Tendo Dojo?"

Ranko gasped and slowly turned around. Small tears of joy formed in her eyes as she gasped out, "Ryouga-kun!"

"Eh?" Ryouga blinked as he recognized the person he asked directions for. "Ranko? What are you doing here in Hokkaido?"

Ranko sweatdropped along with those present. "Ryouga..nevermind." Ranko shook her head. Ryouga could get lost anywhere, even to the future. She blinked suddenly realizing something. If Ryouga could get lost into the future then if I follow him...I can go back to the past! "Ryouga, you don't know how glad I am to see you!"

"Really?"

"Yes!"

Duo frowned as he felt the stress returning. What is it with Ranko and all these handsome-guys-that-have-some-powerful-talent-or-are-martial-artists-that-knows-Ranko? Please, don't let this Ryouga dude be some kind of fiancee or admirer of hers. Ranko whirled around excitedly to her new friends.

"Guys, I found a way to get home!" He felt his uncertainty growing as a lump as heavy as stone formed in his throat.

"Ryouga here is my best friend and he can get lost anywhere! Somehow he has managed to get lost to the future! If I just follow him then surely I will be able to get home!" Duo's heart tightened. Home? But..

Relina smiled happy for her friend. "That's great!" Although, she added silently, getting lost? Still, she thought looking at the bandanna boy. If there can be half-demons then there can be fang boys getting lost at the turn of a corner. This WAS Ranko after all.

"Umm..Ranko? Not that I am not glad to see you, cause I am, but what do you mean by future? I know I tend to get lost but do you seriously believe that I can get THAT lost?" The boy asked slightly annoyed.

Ranko just stared at him. "Yes."

He sighed and rolled his eyes to the heavens. "Fine, fine." Ranko smiled and Ryouga finally noticed the other people with his childhood friend. "Who are they?"

"Oh!" Ranko blushed remembering that she hadn't properly introduced Ryouga and her new friends. "Ryouga, these are my new friends, Relina, Heero, Duo, Quatre, Trowa, and Wufei. Guys, this is my oldest friend Ryouga Hibiki."

Ryouga grinned handsomely as he shook each of Ranko's new friends' hands. "Nice to meet you." He blinked slightly as he dimly felt Wufei's hand trying to crush his. (Hint: stress on the TRYING to crush.) He shook his head at Wufei's foolishness. He may not have been as strong as Shampoo with her Bakusai Tenketsu but he was still very strong for his age. "I see that you are a martial artist huh?"

Wufei frowned at Ryouga's lack of response towards his bone crushing handshake (too him of course.) "Yes, I am." When the Chinese boy let go of Ryouga's hand he was surprised that his hand was slightly sore. And I was the one doing the crushing too, he thought astonished.

Ranko giggled at the two's antics. "C'mon Ryouga, I want to go home."

"But which way?" He asked confused.

She shrugged smiling. "Any way and try to get lost really fast. Here hold my hand, I don't want you to get lost FROM me." She grabbed his hand and started nudging him to lead the way as he nodded slightly confused.

Duo stared sadly at Ranko. She really is leaving, he thought. She really is going home. Ranko...

Relina blinked. "So soon, Ranko-chan? We haven't known each other for long and once you leave, who knows when we will see you again?" Relina didn't attempt to hide any of the sadness she felt at the thought of Ranko gone.

Ranko stopped walking as she finally found the 'cons' of leaving. No more Relina and the gang. The silly Duo, kind Quatre, quiet Trowa, haughty Wufei, grim Heero, and cheerful Relina. No more new friends. She didn't have many friends to begin with and when she left she would be leaving behind six of her friends, more than three-quarters of her friends. What should she do? She missed her families and friends (though very little) back in Nerima but she would miss her new friends too.

Duo sensed that Ranko was being torn apart by her need to go home and staying with her new friends. Despite wanting her to stay more than anything else, he decided to save Ranko and do her one last favor.

"Relina, it's okay. Why don't we go for some ice cream huh? Besides, if Ranko can get lost back into the past then surely she can get lost back into the future. It's not the end of the world people, Ranko will be back someday." He hoped that his words didn't sound as hallow to the others as it did to him. What was the possibility that she would come back? Not very high.

Fortunately, the others seemed to find some peace in his reasoning. Ranko smiled brightly. "Yes I will be back!" Relina nodded relieved.

Ranko grinned. "So how about the ice cream? I'm ready for dessert anytime now!"

"I am kind of hungry, so some ice cream would be nice." Ryouga commented idly, his hand back in Ranko's grip.

"Okay then it's settled!" Duo exclaimed in false cheerfulness. He watched in sorrow as the redhead cheerfully pulled the Hibiki boy and Relina to the nearest ice cream store.

Ranko...

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Ranko licked her ice cream cone slowly, wanting to save the sweet flavor. "Mmm...this is good!" Relina nodded in agreement.

Quatre and Trowa grinned as Heero pretended to be unaffected by the good ice cream. Ranko turned to Wufei and Duo worried. They were awfully quiet. "Are you two okay?"

Wufei grunted. "Fine, just fine woman."

"Yeah.." Duo's soft reply worried her even more. Wufei's response was typical him but Duo's was...so..sad! He was usually much more cheerful and upbeat than this.

"Are you sure Duo?" He nodded his head. The time was growing near he knew. Ranko finished her ice cream at the same time Ryouga did. They all finished shortly.

They stood outside the store looking at each other one last time. "So this is it huh?" Duo's slightly bitter tone caused everyone to look at him in surprise.

Ranko nodded slightly confused and taken aback by Duo's tone. "Bye everyone." She turned to walk away with Ryouga but turned around suddenly and hugged each of her new friends. She whirled around to hold Ryouga's hand and leave as soon as possible so that she would not change her mind. She reached out her hand to grip..nothing.

"Ryouga?" She shook her head in denial. "No..no..NO! RYOUGA NO BAKA!"

It had happened. The thing that she feared the most had happened. Ryouga had...gotten lost.

"It's okay Ranko, he's just lost. I'm sure that he will come back someday." Duo said cheerfully, doing a 180 degrees turn in his tone.

Ranko stared sadly at the pigtailed boy trying to comfort her. "Yes, but when is 'someday'?"

"Uh.." Duo was at lost for words. Luckily, Quatre saved him.

"Ranko at least there is still hope that you can get back now. Knowing that you can get back by getting lost with Ryouga means that there must be another way to get home. Don't lose hope." Ranko sniffed slightly going over what her friend said. She nodded her head, smiling slightly.

"Woman, just stop your girly act already. You aren't doing your weak girl act very well either." Ranko glared at Wufei's inconsiderate comment.

"Jerk! I can be demure and 'girly'!"

Wufei snorted. "Can not."

"Can too!"

He rolled his eyes. "You being girly is like Relina being tomboyish."

The other boys couldn't help but snicker at the thought, even Heero. Ranko glared at the rude, inconsiderate, obnoxious jerk and her eyes met with Relina's. They made a mutual agreement.

"We dare you Wufei that Relina and I can be each other for a day. I can be 'girly' and she can be 'tomboyish'."

Quatre and Trowa shook their heads. "No way." Heero and Duo would have done the same but a glance from the two determined girls changed their mind.

Wufei smirked arrogantly. "Fine, the bet is on. When you lose what will I gain?" He said the word 'when' extra long.

"WHEN we win you will have to be our little slave for a day. IF we lose, and I mean IF, then we will..." she glanced at Relina to see if she was willing to bet what she was about to say. Relina nodded her consent. (How they exchanged plans and ideas without saying a word are beyond me.) "...each give you a kiss."

Duo's jaw dropped. No! Argh, he thought inwardly, Ranko you have better not lose! Amusingly, Heero had the exact reaction and thoughts about Ranko's revelation.

"Hmph. I bet you will lose within ten minutes of your 'poor act'."

"I don't think so."

Ranko and Relina glared at Wufei as he arrogantly ignored their daggers of death. The bet was on.

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End Chapter Five.