Ok, this may be a bit pointless, but at the time it seemed to make sense for these guys....

Characters aren't mine, no money, Yeah I got dem fanfic blues....

Got Da Blues
by
--Agent H

Somewhere out in the middle of the forest, two figures huddled around a small campfire. The sun had long since disappeared over the treetops, and in the darkness the firelight cast flickering shadows over everything it touched.

"This is another fine mess you've gotten me into, Ranma," Ryouga grumbled.

"Me?!" Ranma snorted. "The only reason we're stuck out here is because you wouldn't stop running when Azusa showed up with that flea collar, Bacon Butt."

"Hmmph. Well, If you hadn't told her that her 'widdle Charlotte' had fleas, this wouldn't have happened," Ryouga reasoned. He let out a put-upon sigh. "I wonder if Akane is missing us," he wondered.

Ranma frowned. "Misses hitting me with a mallet, that is." His stomach growled. "Hey, you don't have any more food in your pack, do you?"

Ryouga reached into his pack and felt around, pulling out random items, but no food. "Sorry. We ate it all already."

Ranma sighed and stretched. As Ryouga was putting things back into his pack, Ranma noticed a small, rectangular black box with a blue musical note on the side of it. "Hey, what's that?"

Ryouga held it up. "Oh, this?" A thin smile toyed at the edge of his lips. "Well, maybe now's a good time to use it," he said, opening the box, and pulled out a silver harmonica. The smile spread wider across his lips as he held it up and took a breath. He began to play a few notes, slowly and mournfully, then picked up a rhythm and swung into a highly detailed, foot-tapping blues riff, showing a level of expertise that could only come with years of practice. Pretty soon Ranma was tapping his feet, feeling the effects of the music take him over as he clapped along with the beat.

When Ryouga finished Ranma applauded. "Hey, man, I didn't know you could do that! That was awesome!"

Ryouga blushed. He didn't say anything, but played a few more notes, making it up as he went along. In between bars he started to sing:

I got no home
No home I can find
Ain't got nobody
That I can call mine.
If it rains I'll be squealin'
Think I'm losin' my mind.

Ranma tapped along appreciatively, enjoying this newfound talent of Ryouga's. At the ned of the verse Ryouga fell into another blues riff, then looked at Ranma with a sly grin. "Your turn." As Ranma looked surprised, he kept playing.

"Wha-no, no, I couldn't..." Ryouga prompted him with a warm-up bar. "Go on," he prompted him again. Ranma finally sighed and tried to think with some difficulty, then he grinned and looked up at Ryouga. He was ready for the prompt this time:

Got a girl
She likes to hit me in the head.
She's got a pig
That she takes with her to bed.
But Pop says if I don't marry her
I'm gonna wish I was dead.

Ryouga finished with another riff and looked up at Ranma. "See? You've got the blues after all," he grinned.

Ranma met him with a wry smile. "You're not getting tired already, are you, P- Chan? I'm just getting warmed up."

No more needed to be said. Ryouga took a deep breath and launched into another blues riff. The two sang the blues until the wee hours of the morning, thinking up more verses and pouring out all the angst of their lives...

---------------

Got Da Blues 2
by --Agent H

2:05 a.m. Ranma tossed and turned. Next to him his father was snoring loudly, in panda form. No use getting any sleep tonight, he thought to himself, lying awake. He was still stressed out from the events of the past week: Shampoo had tried to nab him with some kind of "horniness pill", which caused all his other fiancees to start fighting again until it seemed like the whole town was at war. Then he had to go "rescue" Akane because in the midst of the brouhaha the school Anarchist Club had kidnapped her, and later on Genma and Soun used the situation to force them to marry each other, which he barely got out of by the skin of his teeth. He had been saved at the last minute by a glowing red P-Chan, among everyone else who opposed the wedding...

Ryouga. He hadn't seen him for about a week, up until todays-er, yesterday's- fiasco. Ranma rolled onto his side. He thought about the last time he saw him, when they had to spend the night out in the woods. He could still remember Ryouga's face flickering in the dimming firelight as he played the harmonica. His delicate, breathy baritone voice as he sang the blues...Ranma's thoughts trailed off as he closed his eyes. Never before had his spirits been so lifted as they had that night. He'd had no idea that Ryouga could play, or so well at that. Then again, with as much time spent alone where no one could hear him, it made sense that Ryouga would have some way of filling the silence.

Ranma sighed. It made him wish that he could play an instrument. He remembered as a kid when he would hear musicians playing on the street in the cities, and how he wanted to be able to play something, like the piano or the trumpet or the saxophone. The saxophone would've been really cool. But he and his pop were always on the road, and it's hard to carry an instrument around with you everywhere, especially when you have to swim. Besides, he doubted that his father would ever consider music to be a manly enough pursuit.

An idea struck him. Getting up, he snuck past the sleeping panda, out the door, and down the hall to Akane's bedroom. Easing the door open ever-so-gently, he peered inside.

Yep, there he was, curled up in Akane's deathlike grip. Ranma tiptoed up to the bed, being careful not to wake her. P-Chan stirred slightly at his approach. Ranma kneeled in front of him, bringing his face within an inch of P-Chan's.

"Ryouga," he whispered, being extremely careful not to wake Akane. "Ryouga," he whispered again, as P-Chan raised his head and blinked sleepily, "Let's jam!"

P-Chan blinked at him once more, and lowered his head back down to sleep. "Aw, c'mon, P-Chan!" Ranma argued. Akane stirred in her sleep, which caused him to hold his breath.

"Ranma no bak-mmppphhhh," she mumbled and rolled over. She slapped P-Chan and literally sent him flying into Ranma's arms.

Ranma was caught by surprise, but he smiled down at the now-wide-awake piglet and winked. "Feel like makin' some noise?"

-------------

Ryouga set the empty kettle aside and rubbed his eyes. The dojo was a mess: there were holes in the walls, the ceiling, and parts of the floor; broken peices of wood, particle boards, a broken table, bits of food and shattered ceremonial dishes were strewn across the floor. These reminders of another failed wedding attempt lingered because Kasumi had come down with the flu and nobody else seemed to care enough to clean up the mess.

Ryouga scratched the back of his head. "Erm, sorry I caused so much damage earlier," he looked down at the floor. Ranma shoved some litter out of the way and made a place for them to sit.

"Nah, it wasn't just you," Ranma answered, "besides, I didn't get a chance to thank you."

"For what?"

"For bailing me out." Ranma looked away, a faint blush spreading across the bridge of his nose. Ryouga blushed slightly too, focusing his attention on a shard of a ceremonial sake cup.

After a minute or so Ryouga looked up again. "What was that you were saying about making noise?"

Ranma grinned and tossed him his backpack. "Well, how about it, Pork Breath? Still got the blues?"

Ryouga fished out his harmonica and played a few bars to warm up. Ranma stretched out on the floor in front of him, propping himself up on his elbow, tapping his fingers on the floor to Ryouga's rhythm. The music cast him under a hypnotic spell, both soothing and exciting him. He watched attentively as Ryouga's hands slid over the instrument, his eyes closed lightly in concentration. Soon Ranma closed his eyes too and listened appreciatively, swaying his head to the music. Ryouga took in an audible breath and began to sing:

Had a dream last night that I was dead
Had a dream last night that I was dead
Evil spirits all around my bed
The devil came and grabbed my hand
The devil came and grabbed my hand
Took me way down to that red hot land
Mean blue spirits stuck they forks in me
Mean blue spirits stuck they forks in me
Made me moan and groan in misery
Fairies and dragons spitting out blue flame
Fairies and dragons spitting out blue flame
Showing they teeth cuz they was glad I came
Demons with they eyelids dripping blood
Demons with they eyelids dripping blood
Dragging sinners through that brimstone flood
"Is this Hell?" I cried, cried with all my might
"Is this Hell?" I cried, cried with all my might
Oh, my soul, I can't bear the sight
Start running cuz it is my cup
Start running cuz it is my cup
Run so fast, till someone woke me up.

Ryouga looked down at where Ranma lay sprawled across the floor with his eyes shut, smiling contentedly. He spied an intact bottle of sake nearby, reached over and pulled the cork out, pouring some into the nearest cup, which had survived the day's attack save for a small chip in the side. He took a sip and offered it to Ranma, who drank a little and set the cup down. Ryouga picked up the harmonica again and resumed his concert.

Ranma sat up and listened with his eyes open this time, gazing at Ryouga as he sang, and Ryouga performed just for him. Ryouga's opened eyes sparkled as they sought Ranma's; the gentle scoops and slides of his voice washing over his body with the softness of a kiss. As far as Ranma was concerned, the outside world didn't need to exist save for this moment.

Standing in the rain and then a drop fell on me
Standing in the rain and then a drop fell on me
My clothes are all wet but my flesh is as dry as can be
It can rain all day, I ain't got no place to go
It can rain all day, I ain't got no place to go
Because it's cold outside in that ice and snow
If it rained five days, that won't give me no blues
If it rained five days, that won't give me no blues
I've got my raincoat, hat, umbrella, boots and shoes
Rain, rain, rain, don't rain on me all day
Rain, rain, rain, don't rain on me all day
Cause if I get too wet, I've got to go into the house and stay

When he finished, Ryouga looked at Ranma's sleeping form on the floor. He smiled warmly, brushing Ranma's bangs out of his eyes. He fished his sleeping bag out of his backpack and spread it open over the unconscious pigtailed boy. He picked up the tablecloth lying under the broken overturned table, and covered himself with it, drifting off into the realm of his own dreams.

*********************

tbc?

Apologies to Sidhewolfe for not letting Ranma play the sax--I'm working to make up for it though. ^_~

--Agent H