THAT DAY IN SEPTEMBER PART SIX:
ANYTHING GOES MARTIAL ARTS FURO FENCIN’
A Ranma/Ryoga Love Story
By: Chaos Angel
chaosangel99@hotmail.com

Ryoga ran and ran. The breath in his lungs growing stale, Ryoga unaware he was holding it. Why, why would he carry that cloth? It had to be his bandanna, but why would Ranma have it?

“He should have throw that away when he threw me away,” Ryoga panted to himself, making himself conscious of the breath he’d been holding. “Why? Why would he still have the blasted thing. He doesn’t love me… does he?”

*Flashback*

“How many signs did you follow that day?” asked Ranma quietly. Ryoga growled at the reminder.

“Oh I don’t know, about twenty or so, leading me all over Japan, and ultimately the world.” Ranma snapped up in conviction.

“I only made five! I only needed to get you from your front porch to that vacant lot across behind your house. Didn’t it strike you as a little odd that you would need some twenty odd signs to make what should be a two minute trip.”

“That’s because I trusted you whole-heartedly. I figured you would lead me astray…you said you loved me. I can’t forgive you for such a betrayal.”

“Or can you not forgive my Pop,” said Ranma, venom in his voice at the mention of the man he hated. Ryoga gave him a questioning look. “You heard me right. That day I had after school detention. The principal called my Pop. He spied on us. This is all his fault. He switched around all my signs and sent you on that wild goose chase, while he forced me to go to China with him. He thought what we had was ‘improper’” Ranma used the quotation gesture to emphasize how he found it to be bullshit. Ryoga only looked at him silently. Ranma continued. “I waited for you at that lot for three days. He finally had to knock me out and drag me into the sea. He made me swim to China, I didn’t want to go but I had to swim or die…”

*End Flashback*

“Maybe I jumped to conclusions,” Ryoga spoke to himself. “Maybe he was telling the truth… No, he’s lying. He’s engaged to that woman with the long black hair. I heard some students talking about it while I was resting in the nurse’s office. But why would he…”

*Flashback*

“You know you really are cute when you’re asleep,” said Ranma quietly as he walked back to class.

*End Flashback*

“Why would he say that. Why… he has to be lying to me again, he’s in love with that woman. I saw them together when I arrived the first time. GRR RANMA SAOTOME, I’LL KILL YOU!” Ryoga skidded to a halt in order to regain his bearings and hopefully find the Tendo dojo. “Where? Where is that stupid house of theirs?” Ryoga felt a tug on his shirt, turning his head he saw an old woman.

“Excuse me sonny.”

“What,” answered Ryoga a little rudely and frustrated.

“Can you tell me where I can find the Tanaka residence. You see I’ve come to visit my grandchild, but I’m lost…” She explained.

“Don’t ask me! Go to the police box and ask them,” Ryoga tried, in vain, to get rid of her. She only advanced toward him with a pleading look in her eyes.

“Just point the way and I’ll go,” she tugged his arm in a pleading gesture. “Just show me the way and I’ll get out of your hair.” Ryoga was at a loss. She was begging him after all. With a resigned sigh, he took her hand and attempted to lead the way.

***

When Ranma returned to the Tendo dojo that evening he was fit to be tied.

“Oyaji is *so* dead,” he said to himself as he walked in the kitchen to ask Kasumi where he was. Kasumi, as the woman of the house, should never be overlooked as a valuable source of household information. “Kasumi, where’s Pop,” Ranma asked the woman, plastering a false expression of non-hostile intentions.

“Oh, Ranma,” said Kasumi as she continued to work her skillet. Ranma could smell the wonderful aroma of Kasumi’s vegetable and squid stir-fry. Ranma liked squid. “Akane was looking for you a little while ago, she said that you may be in trouble… did something happen at school today?”

“Huh? Oh, nothing at all,” Ranma lied, “ Um… you haven’t see Oyaji around here by any chance, have you?”

“No, I haven’t, he left on a training trip this afternoon. He was watching the news about this boy in a bandanna destroying half the city. He turned off the television, packed some clothing and was out the door before I could pack him a bento. Do you know what’s going on Ranma?”

“Not a clue Kasumi,” Ranma lied again. He felt rotten about lying to Kasumi, but some things were necessary. Besides, Kasumi wasn’t as ditzy as she made everyone believe, she could probably already guess half of the lowdown by herself; even if she did miss the fact that Ranma was on the news as well. Ranma was only prolonging the inevitable. “Well anyway, do you know where Akane is then… I need someone to spot my training…”

“Oh, well she’s in her room. Have fun, and don’t hurt each other,” Kasumi called after Ranma as he darted up the stairs to Akane’s room.

***

Ryoga and the old woman stared into the dormant volcano’s maw.

“Sonny?” she asked as if to clarify the obvious, “We wouldn’t happen to be at Mount Osu in Kyushu, would we?”

“S-shut up!” Ryoga responded curtly”

***

Akane was busy doing nothing. She had searched all over Nerima for Ranma but couldn’t find them. If Ranma had any luck, they were both on their way to China together to get rid of Ranma’s curse. She smiled at the thought of her friend finally getting what he wanted. She then decided to indulge in happy thoughts of her own, like the girl she had met while on the look out for Ranma and Ryoga.

*Flashback*

Akane ran through the city, eyes searching for Ranma. She had seen he and Ryoga run off in the direction of the park. She was trying to keep up, but tripped and fell flat on the pavement.

“Damn it all, I really am a klutz,” she muttered under her breath.

“Whoopsies, you okay sugar?” said a voice that came from above. Akane looked up to see what appeared to be a young man, but upon closer inspection turned out to be a young woman in a boy’s school uniform. Her long brown-black hair tied back in a rather masculine ponytail; Akane blushed fiercely.

“Um, yeah, I’m okay,” Akane stammered. The young girl offered her hand to help Akane up. “Thanks… um…”

“The name’s Ukyo, Ukyo Kuonji.”

“Ukyo huh, well, thanks again,” said Akane, eager to continue her search, yet reluctant to leave the beautiful young woman.

“What’s the hurry? I thought that maybe we could go catch some food; I own this restaurant over there.”

“That’s nice, but I’m looking for a friend, he may be in trouble.” Akane brushed a lock of her long raven hair off of her shoulder. She noted the way Ukyo reacted when she said the word ‘he’ but said nothing.

“Well then sugar, you’d better get along and find him. Here…” Ukyo said with a wink as she pulled out a meishi, (name card- EVERYONE in Japan carries’em) “Call me at Ucchan’s Okonomiyaki to let me know if you find him.” Then she was gone.

*End Flashback*

Akane held the meishi in her hands now as she lounged on her bed. She thought about how cute that girl was and sighed.

“Maybe I’m reading the signals wrong. She could have just been trying to be nice,” Akane said quietly to herself. Just then Ranma entered the room. “Don’t you ever knock?” she said slightly agitated for having her thoughts interrupted.

“Oh, sorry, but right now I really need to kill something.” At the mention of gratuitous violence, Akane’s ears perked up.

“Oh? What happened?” Ranma narrated the happenings of the park. Akane could see it was hard for the pig-tailed boy to maintain composure, but somehow he managed.

“I just don’t know why he ran away,” Ranma said as he plopped down on the floor. “He said he didn’t believe me, why would he spare me…hmmm.” she noticed the yellow material protruding from Ranma’s pocket.

“Ranma, what’s that?” she said pointing to it. Ranma finally notice it as well and withdrew the bandanna from his pocket. It was definitely an old bandanna. It was worn and faded in places. Ranma knew that most of the stains that littered the cloth were made by the tears he had shed at night when he knew his father was asleep.

“It’s one of Ryoga’s bandanna’s. Remember the one I tol’ja he gave me.”

“Yeah I remember.”

“You don’t think he saw it do you?”
“It would explain why he would do what he did. He has to on some level know that you still at least care for him now. Why else would you carry that with you?” Akane reasoned. Ranma still didn’t seem totally convinced, though he looked a lot more hopeful than he did when he walked in. “In the meantime, what do you want to do about your dad? He won’t get away with this! He won’t, he won’t! I won’t let him!” Ranma shank back as he watched Akane’s blue battle aura flare into life.

“Whoa there Akane, why are you the one getting you’re dander up? First off we’ll have to find Oyaji, then we can decide what to do with him.”

“What do you mean find him?”

“Kasumi told me he saw the fight on the news and headed for the hills on a ‘training trip’,” said Ranma, using the quotation gesture. “But more importantly I think we’ll need to find Ryoga.”

“Are you nuts, from what I’ve seen he could be Kyushu by now. There’s no way we’re gonna find him. It’d be best if we just stayed here then. He’s bound to come back here eventually right. He seems to not be the kind of person to leave things unresolved, right?” Ranma grunted at Akane’s ill-timed humor, but decided that what she said had merit. His lost boy would find his way back to the dojo…eventually…

::Eyecatch 1:: Ranma, Akane, Ukyo, and Ryoga all whip out mallets and pound Genma-panda into space-dust.

::Eyecatch 2:: Ranma leans over a naked Ryoga, kissing his neck. Ryoga’s face turns upwards, unshed tears of happiness glisten in his eyes. (Ha! Caught your eyes didn’t it?)

*Three Weeks Later*

Genma had by then figured the heat was off and crawled his way back into the dojo. It took every ounce of self-control that they had, but Ranma and Akane both managed to not induce bodily injury to the aging man. They figure he’d get what was coming to him, when the time was right. It just so happened that that time was approaching. (All readers give a euphoric cheer)

It was a rainy night in Nerima when Ryoga finally made it to the dojo. He walked slowly and with determination as he approached the front door. The rain made loud patting sounds against his umbrella. He would have to be careful not to get wet, especially not now, of all times.

“Well this is it, the Tendo training hall,” Ryoga said with an accomplished sigh. “Ah, all the horrors I’ve had to endure along the way…”

*Flashback*

Two weeks ago, Ryoga found himself carrying the elderly Mrs. Tanaka on his back as he re-entered the city. He had been walking like that for days, enduring the incessant complaining of the old woman. He had tried to warn her, hadn’t he? But noooo, she was adamant on going Hibiki express. He spotted the nearby police box, recognizing it as the one that was all of twenty feet away from where he had met her. Upon reaching it, Ryoga’s limbs lost all their strength and he collapsed. Mrs. Tanaka didn’t miss a beat.

“Officer, where can I find the Tanaka residence?” she asked.

“Oh, it’s uh, right over there ma’am,” said the officer, a bit worried about the young man that had collapsed in front of his post. But after all this was Nerima so he let it slide. He pointed to a house just down the street.

“Congratulations to you, you found it,” said Ryoga weakly.

“ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?” screamed Mrs. Tanaka as she grabbed a hold of Ryoga’s umbrella and commenced to beat him upside the head with it repeatedly. “HOW *whack* DARE YOU *whack* DRAG *whack* AN OLD *whack* WOMAN ALL *whack* OVER *whack* JAPAN *whack* FOR A WEEK, *whack* YOU LITTLE *whack* WHIPPER *whack*-SNAPPER!” Ryoga briefly wondered how that old lady could lift his umbrella, before he passed out.

*End Flashback*

“And tonight is the night it all ends. Ranma Saotome, this is the day you cull your final reward!” (such an ambiguous statement isn’t it ^_^) With that Ryoga adjusted his backpack and quietly entered the dojo.

Ranma was sprawled out on his futon in the guest room when Ryoga at length found it. The covers were strew everywhere, so Ryoga could see that the pig-tailed boy was in his underwear. He would have liked to have said that it didn’t affect him, but his enlarging cock told a different story. He decided to ignore it as he ever so quietly walked in the room. There would be time to take care of that after Ranma was dead. He noted the sleeping panda beside Ranma and wondered why the Tendos would have a panda in their house. He knelt down at Ranma’s head. Ranma turned his head in his sleep.

“Wake up! Ranma, it’s me, let’s fight!” Ryoga said quietly, so as to not disturb the other inhabitants of the house. Ranma did not respond. “C’mon wake up already!” Ryoga tried again. Still no response, but Ranma’s quiet snoring. Ryoga watched Ranma’s sleeping face. He felt a tug in his chest. He missed Ranma, he really did, but he could not forgive him. “You know, you’re beautiful when you’re asleep as well, but this really has to end. WAKE UP DAMMIT!” Ryoga heard a muffled and lazy growl. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the panda rise from it’s own futon. Quicker than Ryoga could react, the panda threw he and Ranma out of the window, and into the rain. Ryoga corrected himself and managed to open his umbrella and slow his decent. Ranma wasn’t so lucky, and landed in the koi pond, transforming into a girl. It still wasn’t until Ranma found it impossible to breath underwater that he decided to wake up. He stood, shaking the water out of his eyes and hair.

“Ryoga, you came back!” the boy turned girl exclaimed happily. “But what the heck are you doin’ in the middle of the night?”

“You shut up,” said Ryoga. Trying desperately to make Ranma feel hurt. Hurt just as he felt that day. That day in September that the end of his life began. “Does revenge know night or day?”

“Now this has gone too far. I tol’ja it wasn’t my fault; Oyaji did it! I love you!” Ranma retorted, wilding his word like a weapon. Ryoga winced but stood his ground.

“Listen, these may be your last moments on this earth. When I got back home and found out where you had gone… I followed you. Followed you all the way to China!” He watched as the words sunk into Ranma’s sleep deprivation induced haze.

“Oh… Ryoga, you didn’t go to Jusenkyo… did you?” Ranma said in his high pitched, female voice. How he hated that voice. It never seemed to convey his emotion right. “You fell in a lake and now you change?” Ranma noted Ryoga’s usage of an umbrella.

“Enough words Ranma, you’ve done enough to ruin my life,” said Ryoga as he charged at Ranma. Having to hold the umbrella, all Ryoga could manage were kicks and weak handed punches. These he dished out in spades, kicking at Ranma with increasing speed. Ranma however was faster; the only real edge he had in a fight against Ryoga was his speed. For every fast kick or punch there was an even faster dodge or block. Seeing as this tactic wasn’t working, Ryoga decided to flee. Flipping backwards, he managed to avoid any water, but his carefulness cost him time; time Ranma used to launch a counter-attack. The pig-tailed girl kicked once, then twice, then a third, which became a mid-air roundhouse; all of which Ryoga managed to dodge.

~I can’t hurt him,~ thought Ranma as Ryoga threw a lightning fast kick at him. He managed to jump high enough and fast enough to avoid it, but the koi statue behind him shattered. ~But I can’t let him just kill me…~

***

Akane awoke to the sounds of fighting outside.

~Damn it, and it was such a nice dream too. Ukyo was just about to…~ Akane’s thoughts were interrupted by the sound of her sisters opening her door.

“Akane, are you awake?” asked Kasumi as she opened the door wider. Nabiki walked in after her, the young con artists hair looked like she’d been through the wringer.

“It sounds like an intruder,” she said sleepily. Akane grabbed her wooden kendo training sword.

“I’ll take care of them,” she said as she unbound her long hair. The tree young women walked down the stairs, the sounds of fighting growing louder and more distinct. Akane wondered where the men of the house were. Why hadn’t they heard anything? Kasumi huddled behind Akane by the window. Nabiki remained a casual distance from that.

“It might be a prowler,” the middle Tendo daughter suggested, much to the distress of Kasumi. Lightning crashed as the three Tendo sisters witnessed a figure with a backpack jump by their window.

“Oh my, it is a prowler,” said Kasumi, “look, he’s got a big sack.”

“Well wait until I get my hands on him,” said Akane, turning on the violent mode,” I’ll beat his brains in.”

“No you mustn’t, it’s too dangerous,” Kasumi said motherly handing Akane one of her own dumbbells. “Use this instead.”

***

Ranma leaped to avoid another attack by Ryoga.

“Ranma come back he- *KLONK*,” there was a loud sound as the dumbbell hit it’s mark. Ranma cried out, as if he’d been the one to receive the boot to the head. Ryoga dropped his umbrella from the impact, and beat a hasty retreat over the dojo’s outer walls.

“Ryoga!” Ranma called after him, but received no answer.

“Ryoga…uh-oh,” said Akane from the doorway.

“Oh, good,” said Kasumi, visibly relieved. “It was only Ranma’s little friend.”

“What a pain in the ass,” Nabiki said curtly. Ranma wasted no time leaping over the wall after him, there was no telling how hurt he could be from a blow like that. The boy turned girl, ran down the street in the rain, calling the lost boy’s name. Ranma stopped when he encountered Ryoga’s clothes and backpack, unceremoniously strew in an ally. He walked over slowly, prepared for anything to jump out of the clothes. Nothing stirred.

“So… he really did take the plunge,” Ranma sighed sadly. He picked up Ryoga’s clothes. He noticed the blue boxers that hung from inside the pants. He looked around carefully before he stuffed them between his breasts in his own tee-shirt. “I may never get another chance to gat a pair,” Ranma reasoned as he headed back to the dojo.

***

Akane sat down on her bed and yawned.

~When Ranma finds out I brained his boyfriend with a dumbbell he’s gonna kill me. But it’s their own fault for waking everybody up at all hours. I wish he’d just jump his bone and show him how he feels, ‘cause talking isn’t working. But I have to admire his determination.~ Akane paused in her thoughts when she heard a shuffling behind her. ~Something’s in my room,~ she observed, eyes shifting rapidly, though never letting on her suspicion. After several seconds of silence she began to dismiss it as her imagination until she saw a small black blur out of the corner of her eye.

“Who’s there, show yourself,” she said, but there was no answer. The blur only began to rebound off her walls, increasing speed before barreling towards her. Reacting more out of instinct than honed martial arts reflexes, Akane backhand slugged the black blur before it could reach her. To her surprise a small, wet, black piglet landed on the floor. “A little pig?” she asked aloud.

The pig only snorted.

“I wonder how you got in here? Come here…” she said gently, offered her hand. The pig stepped back distrustfully snorting at her hand before allowing her to hold it. “That’s right, come ‘ere. You poor thing, you’re all wet from the rain.” She inspected its head and saw a large throbbing and bleeding knot on the back of it. “Oh, there’s a bump. That’s okay little fella, I’ll take care of it.”

***

Ranma walked into the dojo as Akane came downstairs with the piglet.

“Hey Ranma, did you find Ryoga?” Akane asked, digging out the first aid kit. Ranma sighed unhappily.

“No, I didn’t. Where’d you get the weird looking pig?” he asked. The pig seemed to take offense to this and tried to scramble out of Akane’s arms. But the raven-haired girl hushed it.

“Shhh, it’s okay. Be a good piggy and we’ll get some nice medicine and put it on you’re boo-boo, okay?” She gave the pig a hug. As its head was firmly squashed between her breasts, Ranma noticed that the pig seemed to blush furiously.

“Hey, I think it’s blushing,” the boy turned girl said. The pig, again seem to understand what was being said about it and took offense.

“Don’t be stupid, Ranma. Pigs don’t blush,” Akane said as Ranma picked up the pig for closer inspection. He lifted it up and looked at its loins.

“You dirty ol’ pig,” he said signaling for Akane to come look. “See it’s a ‘he’.”

“Oh my, so it is,” said Akane, blushing slightly herself. By this time the pig was livid and scrambled in Ranma’s face, scuffing the female face with its hooves.

“Hey, cut it out you!” the pig-tailed martial artist complained as he quickly gave the pig back to Akane. Akane busily began to work on disinfecting the pig’s wound with a cotton swab. She stopped working when Ranma came back in with a kettle of hot water. He was about to pour it on himself when he noticed the collar around the pig’s neck. It was a yellow and black bandanna. Just like the one tied around his wrist at that moment.

~Come to think of it,~ he thought, ~ I never did see a bandanna in Ryoga’s clothes…~ He grabbed the pig from Akane and looked the pig in the eyes. The pig’s velvet brown eyes stared back at him.

“What are you doing Ranma?” asked Akane, perturbed that Ranma wasn’t explaining himself.

“Akane would you do me a favor and give me some of that hot water?” Akane did as she was asked, poring the hot water over Ranma’s head. The flame red hair melted to black as his body transformed back into a male. Ranma wasted no time. “Akane, do me another favor and look away for a sec,” he said, turning her head. Still in his underwear he pulled the elastic band outwards, exposing himself. He pushed the pig’s head to the edge of his open under garment. Upon peering inside, the pig’s nose began to spout a pretty steady flow of blood.

~Suspicion, confirmed,~ Ranma thought to himself. ~Don’t worry Ryoga, I won’t tell Akane until you want her to know. It’s the warrior’s code.~

“Akane, I was thinking. I’d really like a pet. It would be good for me, you know. To help get over Ryoga,” he said to the girl who was still looking away. Both Akane and the pig gave him a funny look.

“Okay Ranma, you can keep him. But you’re the one who has to explain to your dad why you now have a pet piglet…”

“I don’t think I’ll have any problems there Akane. I’m going to take a bath. Running around in the rain after Ryoga nearly froze me half to death.”

“Well then, make sure you take the pig in the bath with you, he’s pretty wet and cold as well,” Akane said motherly.

“Funny, that’s just what I had in mind,” said Ranma smiling. Akane gave him a high-five for being cool.

“You know what they say, great minds think alike,” said Akane, smiling herself as she turned to go back upstairs to her room. “Oyasuminasai.”

“Oyasumi,” said Ranma as he toted the strangely quiet pig towards the bathroom.

***

Ranma set the pig down on the floor. As he removed his clothing. The pig sat rooted to the spot, staring at Ranma as he took his boxers off completely. Ranma balled his shirt up, to hide the stolen pair of underwear he had been hiding. Now naked, the pig-tailed boy picked up the pig, and headed to the furo. The pig began to squirm and wriggle trying to free himself from Ranma’s grasp.

“Oh, come on, a bath’s not gonna kill ya’; in ya’ go,” he said as he ceremoniously dipped the pig into the water. He sat back and was unsurprised to see a muscled, human arm reach out from the water. Ryoga climbed to the water’s surface, glaring daggers at Ranma. Suddenly losing his confidence, Ranma shrank back; he heard the sound of a drop of water falling from the shower nozzle. Ryoga growled under his breath.

~Dammit,~ Ranma thought, ~Why does he have to growl, that makes me so horny…~

“So then…Ryoga; you’re the… pig?” Ranma asked the bandanna’d boy.

“You’re dead!” Ryoga said as he punched through the bathing bucket Ranma had quickly used to shield himself.

“Whoa, there, wait! Does this mean that you really *did* go to Jusenkyo?” Ranma asked, hating how nervous his voice sounded, though he couldn’t blame it on being female anymore. Ryoga’s face was a mask of rage and cold hatred; his eyebrows twitched with anger. In short, he was pistoff.

“I’ve endured unbearable torments chasing after you. China’s a big place, but it’s even bigger when you’re chasing it on foot…” Ranma, who could see where this was going, took a seat, on the floor opposite Ryoga, using his hands to hide his raging hard on.

~Why did I have to be male for this. Now Ryoga can see how aroused I am. This is so embarrassing,~ Ranma thought as a blush settled on his face.

*Flashback*

Kilometer after kilometer after kilometer, Ryoga blazed the trail in China; searching to fix his broken heart. He had walked so far, he knew he had to have travel to a new land that no one had discovered. Who knew that there was a desert in China?

*Voiceover Interruption*

“Really, there isn’t one I don’t think?” Ranma interjected.

“Shut up and listen to my tale of woe!” Ryoga shouted. Ranma winced, hoping that nobody heard that and woke up.

“Okay, okay, continue.” Ryoga said nothing before continuing his narration.

*Okay, it’s over…for now*

Finally one day Ryoga stumbled upon the cursed training ground of accursed springs: Jusenkyo. He stood on the edge of the cliff; posing dramatically while scouring the valley below for any sign of Ranma and his father.

“I don’t see him anywhere,” Ryoga said with a defeated sigh. “I must have just missed him. I wonder how long it’ll take me to get back to Japan. Huh?” Ryoga spun around suddenly as he heard the muffled growl of a charging panda as it rushed at him through the bamboo. Spooked, Ryoga let out a shout as he jumped to avoid it.

“Wait up, you old fool!” Ryoga heard a female voice say. She was moving so fast he couldn’t keep a steady view of her. The fact that she beaned him in the noggin with her knee didn’t help his vision either. After kicking him she used him as a springboard to continue her chase of the panda. Temporarily stunned, Ryoga began to fall, only able to catch himself on a weak edge of the cliff with one arm. The cliff broke under Ryoga’s weight and the lost boy tumbled to the valley of cursed springs below.

*End Flashback*

“I say it’s your own fault for being a showoff. How many times do I hafta tell you, with your body mass you can’t pull of one handed flips on weak supports. It makes you even heavier. Ya’ hafta distribute the weight evenly or it’ll break…” Ranma ranted, concern running a marathon on his face. Ryoga considered the concern, before telling Ranma to shut up again, quieter this time.

“Some crazy girl knocked me off the cliff and straight into the lake,” Ryoga finished his first tale. His eyebrows were still twitching, the anger in Ryoga’s eyes frightened Ranma, but there was no way he would let it on. “And then, that’s when I realized, that I’d been cast into Jigoku.

*Flashback…again? Already…damn there’s a lot in this chapter*

Ryoga could feel himself drowning in the pool. All of a sudden his arms felt too weak to swim. He couldn’t breathe. His world grew, or did it shrink? As a small black piglet emerged from the cursed spring, the answer was obvious. He’d shrunk.

His arms were now short little hooves, too small to help him out of the spring. But as fate would have it, Ryoga was to endure a worse fate than re-drowning in that spring. The panda from earlier casually walked over to the spring and plucked the tiny piglet from the water. It then began skipping down the path to a small hut, humming a muffled ditty that Ryoga could almost recognize as “Gohan la la la”. The piglet’s eyes grew wide as saucers and he began to struggle.

~That means he wants to eat me. And here I thought pandas were natural vegetarians…~ Upon reaching the hut, the panda deposited poor Ryoga in the hands of a Chinese man dressed as a tour guide.

“Oh sir, you find too, too delicious piglet. It look very juicy. I make famous Cantonese style sweet and sour pork for you,” he said as he began to sharpen his butcher knife. The piglet began to squirm as if aware of its impending doom; primarily because it was. The tour guide began to sharpen his blade in earnest against the whetstone. He began to tell a tale, setting the mood like a horror story. It worked; Ryoga was scared as they tied him by his right hind leg and suspended him from the thatched roof.. “Ooh sir, here in Jusenkyo there very famous, very cursed spring called Itounichuan.” He began to test the blade. The panda began to stoke a fire underneath a wok of now boiling water. The tour guide continued. “There very tragic legend of small black piglet that drown there one thousand two hundred year ago. Very terrible legend sir, now who ever fall in spring take a body of black piglet,” he paused as he picked up Ryoga’s tiny body. “I think this one come from cursed Jusenkyo spring black piglet, no?” Ryoga nodded, franticly trying to be understood; unfortunately the guide chuckled and his heart sank.

~Now I’ll never get to see Ranma again, or tell him how much I… No wait, I hate him don’t?~ His thoughts were interrupted by the voice of the guide.

“Ah sir, you hear? I make a funny joke no?,” he said. Ryoga thought he heard the panda laugh before he was unceremoniously dumped in the wok of boiling hot water. You would not imagine his relief as, Ryoga screamed and leapt out of the wok in human form. “Ah,” said the guide in a disappointed tone. “You human, not pig. No can eat this one…”

*End of Flashback, though I’m sure they’ll be another one soon*

“By the gods,” Ryoga growled, still in disbelief, “If I hadn’t changed back into a human, they would have turned me into sweet and sour pork and eaten me for dinner! Ranma this is all your fault, why couldn’t you have just rejected me to my face like a man!”

“Now wait a minute here Ryoga, didn’t you say it was some *girl* who kicked you into the cursed springs, and that it was a *panda* who tried to eat you?” Ranma said in his defense.

“So, what’s your point?”

“So how’s it possible that this is all *my* fault then?”

“Go on…” Ryoga said.

“It was the *girl* and the *panda* it wasn’t… Uh… a panda and a girl?” Ranma said. His face grew ashen and he felt as if he himself had pulled the trigger on the doomsday machine. Just then, Genma-panda chose to walk in for some hot water. He was still half asleep and did not notice just who was in the bathroom, only that he should excuse himself with a “Oh, Excuse me” sign and shuffle back to bed. Ryoga watched the closed door for a full minute as the revelation began to sink in.

“A p-p-panda?” he asked any deity who would listen. He turned to Ranma, his hands gripping the porcelain furo so tightly it began to splinter and crack. “And a girl?” Ranma tried to melt into the floor, he all of a sudden felt ill. “That girl… Now I get it, the one who completely ruined my life. Ranma, IT WAS YOU!” Ryoga wanted to scream to the heavens. The irony was just too exquisite. He couldn’t keep the tears from overwhelming him.

~Not now, not in front of Ranma… I can’t show him any weakness.~ He thought as he leaned down on the furo’s edge and wept into his arms. He gave up completely; he just couldn’t win. Ranma felt his heart break, how could he have hurt the one most precious to him and not remember it.

~Wait,~ he thought. ~I do remember! That was when…~

“I remember that Ryoga,” said Ranma as he untied the bandanna around his wrist.

“Huh, lemme alone Ranma. I don’t want you to hurt me anymore. Don’t tell me anything that’ll break my heart of glass again. I’m just to tired of picking up the pieces.” Ranma couldn’t help a tiny smile. Ryoga had used the same analogy he had only a month ago.

“Fine Ryoga, then I can still tell you this. I remember that I didn’t see you on that cliff. In fact I didn’t see anyone but Oyaji. You see, when I was asleep the tried to steal one of my most priceless possessions and destroy it. But I woke up as he was trying to get away. So I was only chasing him to get it back. And you can bet your boots I beat him within an inch o’is life too, when I caught’im. Do you know what he stole?”

“No, what? A picture of your new iinuzuke?” Ryoga asked sarcastically through the tears. He was beginning to grow weary of Ranma’s presence.

“Not quite, but close. It was this,” Ranma said holding up the battered bandanna. “Not only had he changed me into a girl, but he was going to destroy the only thing I had to remind me of you,” Ranma’s tears were beginning to spill down his cheek when Ryoga looked up and saw the present he had given Ranma a whole year ago.

“So that was what I saw in your pocket last month. Why would you keep that? You don’t love me anymore, you probably never did, why keep that. Does it remind you of the person you hurt so much, do you get some kind of perverse pleasure from being reminded of how you humiliated me?” Ryoga was loosing what control he had left.

“Ryoga…, you really don’t get it do you? I love you, Pop’s the one who’s tryin’ to break us up. I want you. I always did. Don’t you remember? It’s been a year, but can you remember that day in September?”

“Yeah, it was the day you broke my heart and my world,” Ryoga replied glumly, not wanting to be reminded.

“No, baka, the day in the park when we fell in love. The day in September that we fell in love!” Ryoga looked at Ranma and saw that those weren’t crocodile tears he was spouting. Ranma was sincerely crying.

~Ranma? Crying… Oh gods, what have I done?~ Ryoga thought. ~I went and did what I said I was going to do. I hurt him, and I’m not happy at all.~

“Ranma?” Ryoga asked to get the crying boys attention. He looked up to see what the rare treasure of Ryoga’s smile. “I do remember. I’m sorry, I should have had more faith in your love,” said Ryoga as he hung his head in shame.

“And I’m sorry too. I really didn’t see you at that spring. I couldn’t even sense you’re presence. You turned so cold. But it doesn’t matter, I still love you the way you are. Curse or no curse.” Ryoga’s smile brightened.

“You do? Well, yeah, you make a pretty cute girl too. The best of both worlds one might say.” (And they do) Ranma blushed at the compliment, then hid behind his ego..

“Yeah, while that’s true,” he said as he peered in the furo where Ryoga *was* still naked. “From the way you’re hung, it would have been more appropriate if you turned into a horse instead of a pig.” Ranma gave Ryoga a wide and knowing grin. Ryoga blushed fiercely and tried to hid himself in the water of the furo. That did not hinder Ranma at all as he climbed in the tub as well, grabbing a hold of Ryoga’s shoulders and kissing his lips. Ryoga closed his eyes and opened his mouth to accept Ranma’s tongue. The pig-tailed martial artist swirled his tongue around Ryoga’s own, then gently began to nibble the lost boy’s bottom lip. A thought popped in Ryoga’s head and he suddenly broke the kiss.

“What’s wrong Ryo-chan? Why’d’ya stop?” Ranma asked, confused.

“What about you’re iinuzuke. What about Akane. I heard it at school while I was in the nurse’s office. You’re supposed to be marrying her, you love her, right? I don’t have a place in your heart. We shouldn’t be doing this, I’ll go now.” Ryoga began to get up to leave when Ranma grabbed his hand to stop him.

“I don’t think you understand koi,” That was Pop and Tendo-san’s idea. They want me an’ her to carry on the school by ‘siring enough heirs for the school to continue for generations to come’, or some such bullshit. Truth to tell, Akane knows about us and has been helpin’ me to find you and stuff. She’s more of my best friend than anything else. She wants to run the school by herself, but her Dad doesn’t think she can do it ‘cause she’s a girl. Don’t they realize it’s not the stone age anymore, stuff like techniques don’t need to stay in the family. If I’m marrying anybody, it’d be you.” Ryoga froze in place.

~Did he say marry? Me?~ Ryoga sat back down in the water slowly. Ranma waded behind his lover and began to kiss and lick his neck.

“Ryo-chan? I think we should pick up where we left off that morning before school. I have a feeling we’re both ready now,” Ranma said between kisses. Ryoga could barely contain his happiness. Deep down these were the words he’d waited to hear for the longest time. Ranma’s warm and wet tongue excited him beyond measure, and silently he nodded his consent, unwilling to trust his limited mastery of Japanese to portray his feelings accurately. Ranma wrapped his arms around Ryoga’s chest and began to play with the lost boy’s nipples; tweaking and gently twisting them as he continued to lick and kiss Ryoga at the neck and shoulders. The pig-tailed boy’s right arm trailed down Ryoga’s front, inciting fire and ice sensations in the lost boys. Ranma’s feel was electric as his hands wandered over the lost boy, becoming wandering nomads themselves. Ryoga inhaled sharply as Ranma’s hand reached his cock. Ranma stopped quickly.

“Is there something wrong koi?” he asked eager to go on, but reluctant to do anything Ryoga did not want.

“No, don’t stop, that feels so good. It’s just new to me, that’s all,” Ryoga replied. Satisfied with that response Ranma smiled and began to stroke Ryoga’s erection while he nibbled the bandanna’d boy’s ear. Ryoga reached behind himself to feel Ranma’s ass. The twin globes were firm and solid and muscled, yet yielding to the touch, as were the pig-tailed youth’s legs.

~He studies Kempo, what did you expect. Kempo’s area of expertise is in kicks and aerial combat. No wonder he’s so fast. I hope he doesn’t do everything fast,~ Ryoga could not help but widen his smile at the thought as he continued to knead Ranma’s buttock. He felt the rising heat of Ranma’s erection pressing against his back and he could stand no more. Gently breaking his embrace with Ranma, he positioned his body into a kneeling position. Sitting on both knees he pulled Ranma close and began nurse at his nipples. Ranma cried out softly at the sensation. Ryoga slowly slid his hand down to Ranma’s penis, gently stroking his lover as he continued to suckle at his chest. Ranma began to sweat at the heat of Ryoga’s ministrations combined with the heat and wetness of the furo’s water. Ryoga released the erect nipple and gently kissed Ranma’s lips before lifting him bodily out of the water to sit on the furo’s edge, careful to avoid the cracked and splintered portion. Ranma gave him a quizzical look as he was being lifted. Ranma’s erection now at Ryoga’s eye level, the lost boy ever so slowly began to take Ranma into his mouth without a word. Ranma’s eyes rolled back in his head as the moist warmth of Ryoga’s mouth became his entire world. His whole consciousness became the sensation of Ryoga’s sucking mouth and his wet tongue frantically teasing his cock head.

At first Ryoga almost took more than he could handle, succumbing to the gag reflex. However he soon established a good rhythm of several short strokes, then three deep ones in which his tongue defined the contours of Ranma’s erection. Ryoga used his right hand to fondle Ranma’s balls as he sucked. Ranma could barely control himself as he buried his hands in Ryoga’s hair, loosing the bandanna and letting Ryoga’s wild long hair run rampant across the lost boy’s head.

“Ryo-chan,” Ranma gasped. “I’m getting close, you should…” Ryoga made no move to stop. “I can’t hold it anymore… I’m, oh KAMI-SAMA!” Ranma gasped as he came in Ryoga’s mouth. Ryoga licked his lips tasting Ranma’s virgin orgasm before gulping it down.

“Ranma, have you been eating pineapples lately?” Ryoga asked smiling. “That was pretty sweet.” Ranma only stared at Ryoga with a loving smirk on his face, before play tackling his lover in the furo again. This time Ranma gently pushed Ryoga to take his place on the furo. Ryoga’s rock hard erection was in Ranma’s mouth in a second, his tongue emulating Ryoga’s own just a moment before. “Oh Gods,” Ryoga sighed as he surrendered to the sensations Ranma was instigating.

~I never imagined being with Ranma would feel this good. Of course I imagined it would be good, but these feelings are so radically strong. Maybe that’s the difference between having sex and making love… Ranma, I love you so much. I promise, we’ll never have sex, ever.~ Ranma’s head bobbed up and down, his tongue traveling over the entirety of Ryoga’s length. Ryoga was nearing orgasm, Ranma could sense that, and he had every intention of returning Ryoga’s favor completely. The pig-tailed boy made a face at the slightly bitter taste of Ryoga’s seed, but gulped it down with great relish. Ranma stayed latched on to Ryoga’s cock until he had confiscated every drop. Ranma looked up to see Ryoga’s eyes brimming with tears.

“What’s wrong, Ryo-chan? Did I bite you or something? I’m sorry?” Ranma was quick to apologize.

“No it’s nothing like that. It’s just so unbelievable that something that beautiful could ever happen to someone like me. Unbelievable that someone as beautiful as you could ever be with someone like me.”

“Well, believe it Ryoga, I’m yours,” he gathered his lost boy in a tight embrace. “…forever.”

***

Ranma led Ryoga up the stairs to Akane’s room by the hand. Ryoga carried his backpack, which Ranma had rescued. Ranma had dressed his lover in a spare pair of boxers; refusing to give Ryoga back his own boxers, however Ranma only had the one tee shirt that he was wearing. So as it was, Ryoga had to go topless. Ranma assured him that he was enjoying the view, and that he was happy Ryoga was keeping up with his training. Knocking on the door before opening it the two martial artists walked in the room. What they weren’t expecting was to see Akane on her bed in street clothes, on the phone. It was about 12:55 in the morning.

“…Sure then, I’ll be there in a few minutes. Talk to you then,” the raven-haired girl said as she hung up the phone. She turned to look at the two boys who were still holding hands. “Ranma, when did you find him? I though he was long gone, and where’s the pig? You were supposed to be giving him a bath.” Ranma looked to Ryoga for permission, and Ryoga shrugged.

“Well the truth is, Ryoga here was the pig, and I did give him a bath,” Ranma said with a smile. He proceeded to give Akane a quick version of Ryoga’s story, and a very bridged version of what had transpired downstairs. Akane listened with interest.

“Well, I’m happy for you two. Tomorrow we can figure out a what to do with Genma. He won’t get away with this. But for right now, I’m going out.”

“What? It’s two in the morning!” Ryoga said in a surprised tone.

“I’m a big girl I can take care of myself,” Akane retorted.

“Yeah, she’s right Ryo-chan. I’ve seen her take out the entire school’s male population everyday in less than two minutes. She’ll be fine. Nobody in Nerima wants to mess with her. But what I want to know is where are you going at two in the morning?” Akane blushed.

“Well, that’s none of your business. You two can sleep in my room tonight, I doubt you want to sleep in the guest room with Genma tonight. I’ll be back in the morning.” Ranma agreed to her conditions of no play on her bed, and she was off. Akane wondered what she was doing herself as she walked out the front gate of the dojo.

*Flashback…see I told ya’ there’d be more*

Akane walked back up the stairs to her room. She was tired, and it was twelve in the morning. She yawned and lay on the bed. For some reason she just couldn’t get to sleep; as if she had forgotten something. Then she spied the meishii sticking out of her school uniform.

“That’s right. I never called Ukyo to tell her if I found Ranma or not. I’ll do it now… but it’s twelve in the morning. Somehow I have this feeling she’s waiting for me to call…”

***

The phone rang and Ukyo rushed to pick it up. The okonomiyaki chef was waiting for Akane to call, though she didn’t know her as such. She decided she wouldn’t rest until the girl with the black hair was hers. She was sure she was in love.

~In love and I don’t even know her name,~ Ukyo thought sadly as she cradled the phone.

“Ucchan’s Okonomiyaki,” she said casually as if she hadn’t spent the last three weeks waiting by the phone.

“Um, hello, Ukyo?” came a timid voice from the other end. Ukyo was ecstatic.

~She called, she called. Yes!~

“Yes, this is Ukyo. Sugar, who’s this?” Akane battled the feelings of rejection until she remembered she hadn’t given Ukyo her name.

“Oh yeah, I didn’t tell you my name. That’s right!”

~Great Akane, can you sound anymore brainless,~ Akane thought as the words left her lips. She excused herself from the phone, putting Ukyo on hold while she hit her head repeatedly with the receiver.

“Stupid, stupid, stupid girl. You’ll never get with her at this rate,” she said right before resuming the call. “Anyway, as I was saying, my name is Akane. Akane Tendo.”

“Great sugar, it’s good to know peoples names when you invite them over for breakfast okonomiyaki. It’s on the house.” Ukyo offered with an implied smile. Akane leapt at the chance to see the bishoujo again. They talked for a while on the phone, trading secrets, and finding common interests; establishing a relationship. Almost an hour had passed before Akane decided to actually leave for Ucchan’s.

“Of course I’ll come, but are you sure. It’s twelve in the morning,” Akane said.

“News flash sugar, we’ve been on the phone for an hour. It’s almost one o’clock,” Ukyo was quick to correct.

“Oh it is?… Sure then, I’ll be there in a few minutes. Talk to you then,” said Akane as Ranma and Ryoga walked into the room and she hung up the phone.

*End of Flashback*
Akane walked into the restaurant to find it empty. The sign on the front said closed for the day. Akane walked over to the main griddle to find Ukyo hard at work on four perfect breakfast okonomiyakis. Akane ahemed, and Ukyo looked up.

“There you are sugar. You make it here okay?” asked Ukyo. She was dressed as a traditional okonomiyaki chef, except for the sharp spatulas that crossed her chest and the large battle spatula that was strapped to her back.

“Yes I made it okay,” said Akane as she let her gaze lock with Ukyo’s. Ukyo walked to the other side of the counter, her eyes never leaving Akane’s. Taking Akane’s hand in her own, she kissed the raven-haired martial artist’s lips, slowly easing the girls jacket off. (And here I’ll stop, cause Chaos will be the first to admit he really knows too little about female anatomy to write a yuri anything. And cause it’ll squick too many readers. Now back to the good stuff)

***

Ranma and Ryoga had wasted no time. As soon as Akane had left, Ryoga had seduced Ranma out of the little clothing he still possessed. Lovingly the lost boy stroked Ranma’s lithe body, manually worshipping his love. Ranma was beginning to want more.

“Ryoga, I want you to make love to me,” he begged in nomadic martial artist’s ear.

“Ranma, are you sure? You saw it, I don’t want to hurt you,” Ryoga stated, concern etched on his features. No, the last thing he wanted was to hurt his precious Ranma. Ranma gave him a cocky grin, his sapphire eyes smiling.

“Hurt me? Are you kidding? I’m Ranma Saotome; I can take anything…except c-c-cats,” he said in a warning tone, telling Ryoga he was the first of a select few who were to know this fact.

“It’s okay koi, I turn into a pig, not a…” Ranma glared at him and Ryoga veered his sentence in another direction, “Well you don’t have to worry on that account anyway. So if you’re sure…” Ryoga pulled off the borrowed boxers he had on and showed off the new erection he was sporting. Ranma could feel his body grow hotter, just viewing his naked lover.

~Kami-sama, he’s beautiful; and mine. All mine. Please don’t take him away from me again…~ thought Ranma as he watched Ryoga shuffle through his backpack.

“Ah ha,” Ryoga said as he found what he was looking for. “I bought this a year ago for our special day together.” He blushed. “I hope it’s still good, I don’t see an expiration date anywhere.” Ryoga continued to examine the tube of lube.

“I think it’ll be okay itoshii,” Ranma, sweatdropping.

“If you say so,” said Ryoga as he squeezed a small amount on his finger. He then began to suck on Ranma’s erection again as he carefully inserted his finger into Ranma’s puckered opening. Ranma felt a slight pain at the penetration, a sense, a signal his body was telling him that this was breaking and entering. That wasn’t supposed to go there, but he told his body to shut up. It did as it was told and he instantly began to feel pleasure. Ranma let a soft moan escape his mouth as the combined pleasure of Ryoga’s finger and his mouth took him to heights previously unexplored by man. Ryoga inserted another lubed finger, and then another, widening and stretching his lover until he was absolutely certain he was ready. Ranma cried out as Ryoga rubbed against the hidden bundle of nerves that sent his body wild.

“There, Ryoga, there. Hit that again. That spot… Oh Kami-sama,” Ranma whispered. Ryoga used one hand to satisfy Ranma’s needs while he used the other to fully lubricate his cock.

“Ranma, are you ready,” Ryoga said gently, having every intention on making good on his earlier unspoken promise. Ranma could only manage a nod, but that was enough for the fanged martial artist. Ryoga positioned his penis at Ranma’s opening and gently pushed in. He slid in easily, Ranma’s body quickly melding against his own.

~Kami-sama, I never thought it would be this warm inside.~ thought Ryoga as he began to slowly pull out and thrust. Ranma could feel the intricate shape of Ryoga inside him. The very contours and curves of the lost boy’s cock could be felt as they moved against the pig-tailed boy’s sheathe. Slowly, ever so slowly and gently Ryoga made love to Ranma, moving in and out, in and out of the warmth of his lover’s body. Nothing felt better to Ryoga than being inside of his Ranma.

Ryoga withdrew, and Ranma whimpered as he watched the lost boy change positions. Sitting in lotus position, Ryoga lifted Ranma bodily with his strength an lowered him upon himself. Ranma let another cry escape his grasp as Ryoga repeatedly lifted and lowered him, always hitting his prostrate on the down stroke.

“Ryo-chan, I’m gonna come. Please, come with me,” Ranma gasped. He looked at Ryoga’s face, glistening with sweat at the careful exertion. The lost boy nodded and began to quicken his pace. Faster and faster the two lovers performed their dance for fulfillment and release. Ranma came first, his cock exploding his seed on Ryoga’s chest. The spasm of muscles in Ranma’s ass triggered Ryoga’s own response as he thrust Ranma upon himself one last time. He growled as he gently sank his teeth in the soft flesh of Ranma’s neck and came. Ranma cried out as the pleasure and pain ran together, crashing in his mind as a train wreck of euphoria.

***

Akane walked in her room at five that morning. On the floor next to her bed was Ranma and Ryoga, sound asleep. Ranma was cradled in Ryoga’s strong arms as they slept. She could see that Ryoga was still deeply buried in Ranma’s body. She sighed a happy sigh as she re-dressed for bed. The warm feeling of her own night of love making not nearly ready to fade yet.

***

“Ranma, what you and Akane do in the middle of the night is your own business, but try to keep it down,” Nabiki said later that morning at the breakfast table. As usual her comment was completely devoid of tact.

“No they mustn’t,” Kasumi argued, more to her father than to Nabiki. “Even if they are engaged they should wait until they’re married.”

“You’re so old fashioned Kasumi,” Nabiki retorted.

“There’s nothing wrong with being old fashioned, Nabiki,” Kasumi argued back.

“My own sister, a prude,” Nabiki exclaimed, more to infuriate the unflappable Kasumi, than to win the argument. Of course she failed.

“A little initiative goes a long way I always say,” said Soun as he continued to read the newspaper. Genma-panda watched the whole conversation with limited passing interest as he passed Kasumi his empty bowl with a not attached that said “more please”. “Yes sir, initiative, that’s the ticket.”

Ranma and Akane exchanged knowing glances at while the pig, “P-chan” as they all had agreed upon. Ranma smiled at the pig that owned his heart, not bothering to deny the Tendo’s hasty conclusions. Akane the “owner” of the pig only sighed as she fed “P-chan” breakfast, a head full of Ukyo. They would all meet at the school today to figure out a plan for Genma. He wasn’t going to panda his way out of this one. No sirree.

Next Part