Gold Digger Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Smoke and Wind ❯ The Next Day ( Chapter 2 )

The Disclaimer is in the Prologue.

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Julia was awake and up before either of the Saotomes, and was quietly pondering events in the front room when Tanya stiffly and sleepily walked out of the bedroom.

Tanya froze and frowned as she saw the Armsmaster staring at her.

"Morning," she said frostily.

"Were you hoping I'd still be helpless?" Julia asked.

"What would be the point?" Tanya asked. She pointed to the bracelet around her wrist. "With this I can't ward myself against any council mage, such as your husband, I'd be back in Sanctuary, if I were lucky...and Ranma probably wouldn't appreciate it either." She sat down deliberately and crossed her legs, folding her hands.

"Sore?" Julia noted. "I didn't hear anything from your room."

"No, Ranma's still asleep," Tanya noted irritably. "I had to carry you both into the cabin yesterday, and I'm not that strong."

Julia did remember a certain difficulty the small Kryn had at that feat actually. Especially, she watched the Kryn for a moment and decided that, yes, she was near the end of healing from some injuries. That, more than her lack of strength, was probably why she was stiff this morning.

"You and Ranma haven't known each other long," Julia noted, changing the subject. "You couldn't have."

"Three months," Tanya said. "And I'm about five years older than him, so what?"

"Fairly quick courtship," Julia said. It was always possible that Tanya was using this guy to lull them into a sense of security. Julia wouldn't put it past her.

"Neither of us were looking for a courtship," Tanya said. "I got drunk at one of these...taverns and picked him up for a one night stand. Well, one night-stand turned into two nights...and then three, and we kept running into each other and I started caring about whether he knew about my past, so I tried to hide it as best I could...and then G'Nolga decided to pay me back for my interference in that plot of hers, something targeted at you, by the way," Tanya let the ice out unfettered at that comment.

"I'd be sympathetic usually," Julia said, eyebrow arched. Tanya understood, hard to be apologetic to someone that tried to kill your daughter, granddaughter and son-in-law.

"Ranma tracked down my observation bracelet and stopped G'Nolga," Tanya said. "The fight was...horrible...it wasn't a spar like your battle yesterday. All Ranma's tricks, I was sure he'd lose still and I heard the cave in and thought that was it...but then Ranma came back..." her lip curled slightly then.

"And casually explained how he'd found me and revealed that he knew I was a criminal for most of the time and didn't seem to think much about it." She rolled her eyes obviously frustrated that all that effort to hide her past had been unnecessary and ineffective both. "Add the three weeks spent recovering from G'Nolga's attack with his help pretty much sealed my fate."

She didn't sound as if she particularly minded the fate that she had been sealed with.

"You realize that if Ranma and I come into battle again, he loses," Julia remarked. Tanya nodded.

"Ranma supposed he'd get just one shot against you," Tanya said. "You beat G'Nolga and Ranma said that he was lucky in that fight. He worries about it too and I keep having to remind him that G'Nolga was dead, had to be dead with the size of the cliff he dropped on her."

At that, Julia turned uncomfortable.

"Disgraced weaponsmaster, G'Nolga was sighted not more than four days ago," she said finally. Tanya froze and stared at her in stark terror.

"Shimatta," another voice added, and Julia glanced toward the doorway to see Ranma clinching his fists.

"Can you beat her if she comes?" Julia asked.

"After last time?" Ranma said, pausing. He glanced at Tanya, hesitant to answer and that was enough for Julia.

"She'll probably come for me anyway," Julia said.

********

A storm was brewing in the Seer's Desert, dirt, grass and tree branches blowing everywhere as gust of wind blew fiercely across the ground, making it seem like a sand-storm. The current weather conditions made this place fit for neither man nor beast.

However, one lone figure was walking through the sand-storm. A figure wearing a faded, tattered brown leather cloak. His face was obscured by facial gear he wore to protect his face. A pair of goggles with the right lens cracked, and a gray scarf wrapped around his mouth. Locks of black hair were showing slightly from underneath his hood.

As the man continued to walk we could see that the pants he wore were a faded forest green. The pants were obviously loose fitting on the man, since they were tied with yellow cord around the shins.

However, of what was visible on the man, there was one item... One that would give away his identity to those who knew him. tied on op of his backpack, was a red bamboo umbrella...

Yes. The Eternal Lost Boy had made it to Jade. He had been here for a long while...

"Eight months..."

Yes. It had been eight months since Ryoga had found himself in this strange, new world. He had been fighting with Ranma at the time. A little before, he had been informed by Akane that Ranma was trying to copy the Bakusei Tenketsu to add to his arsenal of fighting techniques. And that made Ryoga's blood burn. He had always tried to stay on even grounds with Ranma, and to know that Ranma was copying his moves, (although he HAD learned it himself from the old ghoul) it felt as though Ranma had crossed a line of honor to him. They were to be equals of combat, to fight and then one day, find out who was the better of the two.

Of course, neither of them had been expecting Happosai to show up then. The old pervert was black and blue all over, with numerous lumps on his head. It seemed Ranma had stopped him from a panty raid earlier, and Happosai had to receive his punishment of 'righteous womanly rage'. And, as was the old perverted martial artist's ways, he wanted to get back at Ranma.

"Damn Happosai... Couldn't he have better aim?" Ryoga growled as he continued to walk against the wind. Happosai has gotten a hold of some sort of scroll. Possibly a banishment. And the old pervert had all intention of using it to get rid of Ranma... Unfortunately, Ryoga had been too close to Ranma at the time, and when Happosai somehow used that scroll... It sent Ranma AND him to this... This land...

"But Ranma had to go run off! THE BASTARD!!!" Ryoga yelled. When the both of them had come to, Ryoga had started fighting Ranma again, even though Ranma kept trying to talk to him about something... Possibly about teaming up... Unfortunately, Ryoga's luck was staying true to course, and their fight took them through a river... And a little piglet had no much of staying afloat in a river with such strong currents...

"But I've adapted..." Ryoga thought. And he had. This world, it was like something out of 'Dungeons and Dragons'. And, while Ryoga wouldn't normally admit it to anyone, he had an affection for the pen and paper role-playing game. His uncle and cousins on his mother's side had gotten him into it when he was young. And, some of the basic knowledge he still remembered was becoming rather helpful when dealing with the people of this world. After all, he had the basic idea behind how certain species acted with one another, and he knew that he should shop around to look for the best prices when trying to buy equipment... Plus he was getting lots of money and goods by taking out roaming bandits and gangs.

Still, even though he was really good at getting along in this world, using his skills to earn a few silver-pieces here and there, Ryoga had two missions right now. He had to find a way back to earth, to Akane... And he had to make Ranma pay for running off!!!

"Someday, Saotome... When I find you again, I WILL make you pay..." Ryoga grumbled to himself. He could wait for his vengeance though. It had already been eight months, and fighting ogres and much stronger beings had made the Bakusei Tenketsu training seemed like child's play. And Ryoga was now at least three times as physically strong as he was when he first came to this world...

And so, Ryoga continued to trek through the Seer's Desert. He knew he would get out of this sooner or later, and that he might find Ranma...

And then the battle would really begin...

********

Meanwhile in Nerima. . .

Things had not been going well in Nerima after Ranma disappeared, though Ryoga hadn't shown up during that time as well but that was to be expected. Many things that people had taken for granted had just disappeared. Without Ranma around the Tendo Dojo couldn't bring in a steady income, some of that was because of Nabiki's scams, though she had moved away to parts unknown, and hadn't been seen in over six months, most of it was because of the Kunos. Tatewaki kept giving 'the vile mercenary' Tendo so that his 'loves' would not need to worry about getting food, and Kodachi kept sending money for her dear 'Ranma-sama', for all that he ate as well as his doctor bills. And without Ranma and pig-tailed girl, neither had sent any money to the dojo, or in the male Kuno's case, he sent less.

Many people finally saw why that pig-tailed chaos-incarnate was so important in people's lives, without him around no one was able to keep Happosai in check. And when Taro came around the property damage was in the millions of yen. The fathers bemoaned their lot in life with "Boo hoo! The schools will never be joined! WAHHHHHH!" Went General Crybaby.

And "What a disgraceful son I have, running away from his problems and not facing them at all." Went the hypocritical fast ass bastard of a panda.

Nodoka didn't believe her son just went away, but all the evidence was clearly against him. Next time she saw her son she'd have to find out just why he left, 'After all', she thought, 'nothing ever is as it seems in Nerima.'

This was clear in the case of one Akane Tendo, who was now talking to Kasumi. "Alright Akane, spill it."

Smiling nervously at her sister she feigned ingnorence, "What do you mean onee-chan?"

Kasumi, crossed her arms under her breasts and well, she didn't frown, but her smile became less, though this was worse than say 10 Saffrons glaring at Akane. "Cut it Akane, in the last eight months, ever since Ranma disappeared you've been acting depressed, not angry, or raging, but depressed. And I don't think it has anything to do with the possibility that Ranma found someone else, but rather his disappearance. So what's up?"

Akane sighed, there was no way that she could get anything past Kasumi, she was even more observant than Colonge and Nabiki, if that was possible. "It had to do with what happened a week after the failed wedding." Kasumi nodded, figuring as much and indicated for her to continue. "Well after the wedding, we actually sat down and talked with one another, without hitting or insulting." Akane cracked a smile, "It was so hard for both of us not to do what we normally did, but anyways, we talked and we both knew that neither of us were ready for marriage, so we agreed that we'll just be friends until we were either ready for it, or if we had found someone else."

Kasumi hummed, "But after the failed wedding, the two of you acted like nothing had happened."

Akane blushed a bit, "That was a smoke-screen, to keep people guessing, if they had found out that we had decided to not get married, the others would have jumped at the chance to nab Ranma, so we played a part, like a play."

Kasumi sighed, but nodded, "I see, and how do you feel about him?"

Akane shook her head, "I don't know, sometimes I hate him, sometimes I just want to hold him. I just don't know."

"And what will you do if he's found someone else?"

Akane thought, many emotions coming to the surface, and finally she answered, "I'd be jealous, I'll admit. But maybe I could be friends with him."

Kasumi thought of something, "But eight months ago, just before he disappeared, you came in crying, why was that?"

Akane sighed, "That was because he told me he just didn't think things would work out between himself and any of his fiancees." She sighed again, "I guess he wanted more time to think, without any pressure on his shoulders."