STRANGE TRIP

Part 3

Damn you Wufei, Duo sniffled. The rain storm was hard but over quickly and once it stopped a soft twilight had emerged. Duo managed to find that his clothes and was happy to see that they had escaped a soaking because he had hung them on the lower branches of the brush. In the twilight light he made his way to their hidden ship and stayed there the night.

Early in the morning Duo went back into town. The trip down was much faster and when Duo got to the hotel he bumped into Heero coming back from breakfast. "Where's Wufei?"

"His last known whereabouts were with you," Heero stated taking in Duo's disarray.

"So what happened?" Heero asked unusually curious.

"Nothing a real bed won't fix that's all," Duo said as he stormed passed and went into his room. After a hot shower and thinking about what Heero said he became worried-maybe Wufei didn't leave him-maybe something happened to him. Maybe that girl had something to do with it? His anger disappeared and Duo became truly worried. He grabbed a clean dry jacket and went to tell the others.

* * * * * * * * * * *

The ancestors are mad at something I did Wufei agonized. It had to be his duel with Trieze, Wufei thought as he had snuck back into his room. He had wondered around all night trying to come to grips with what had happened. In the end he decided he was going to run off into the wilderness of China and see if he could come to grips with what transgressions he must have made. He packed his bags but then right before he was going to leave he decided he would take a quick shower. Then as like before when he took a bath he became a man again.

This is the same thing that had happened right after visiting the sacred training grounds. Wufei decided he needed to go back there. He grabbed his sword decided to pay a certain guide a little visit.

As Wufei came out of his room determined to leave for the springs he bumped right into Duo. Duo! He had forgotten. He had left him at the ancient site.

"Thank you for a wonderfully night Wufei," Duo quipped sarcastically. Seeing Wufei not only okay but fresh from a shower caused Duo to reaffirm his decision to wring Wufei's neck.

"Duo I don't have time for you, out of my way," Wufei hissed at him seeing that he was fine from last night's fiasco and thinking only of the guide.

"What kind of attitude is that?" Duo shouted.

Normally Duo would never instigate a fight but he was so short tempered and feeling abused from the initiation rite that instead he continued to block his way. Quatre and Trowa hearing raised voices stepped out into the hall to see what was going on. They had taken adjoining rooms so they could easily reach each other in an emergency. Heero quickly joined them from the lobby. He had lingered near the rooms after seeing Duo earlier.

"Guys this is not the time and place to settle a disagreement," Quatre said trying to intercede. It didn't help. Wufei tried again to step around Duo but Duo wasn't having it.

"What should we do?" Quatre whispered to the other two.

"Watch and make sure Wufei doesn't kill him," Trowa suggested with a shrug.

"We're not going to be able to stop them and knowing Wufei it will be over quickly," Heero added dryly.

Duo continued as if he hadn't heard them. "You really are something," he remarked regarding Wufei's attitude. "You take me to the some desolate place, you abused me, you cut me across the face then when you're done you abandoned me and you expect me to just let that go unanswered."

"Move out of my way or maybe you would like me to cut your other cheek for you," Wufei hissed. Before Duo could decide Wufei drew his sword and lounged at him.

Duo knew that Wufei was dead serious about cutting him again and his only thought was to not get a matching slice. So he dropped his jacket and dodged to the left. Wufei stepped down right on the jacket. The soft material on the carpet left little traction and Wufei lost his balance. Duo took advantage of this and spun around to grabbed Wufei by the neck with one arm and with the other reached for the dagger Wufei kept in his belt. It was the same dagger Wufei had used on him the night before-within seconds Duo had Wufei trapped.

"Eye for an eye and cheek for a cheek," Duo whispered hotly in his ear as he drew the edge of the dagger across Wufei's left cheek.

The other pilots watched dumbfounded as blood welled up in the cut on Wufei's face and spilled down his neck. Wufei went limp in Duo's grasp.

"That's enough Duo," Quatre admonished him.

"No I deserve this," Wufei told them. "I am disgraced. The ancestors had accepted Duo and shunned me. I am petty and unworthy."

Duo's anger subsided quickly and not being a person to hold onto a grudge he let Wufei go. "What are you talking about?"

"I didn't want to believe it but this proves it. Duo has bested me effortlessly. He has earned the right."

They all stared at Wufei for a second. They then turned to Duo for answers. Obviously something was wrong.

"What's wrong with Wufei?" Heero asked tactlessly.

Before Duo could answer Wufei bowed to him and ran off.

* * * * * * * * * * *

"Ranma what are we going to do for the school trip," Akane asked over the breakfast table. It was humiliating to be the only ones not able to go.

Both she and Ranma needed to pay for their year-end trip but both their parents were broke. Well that was no surprise for Ranma, his father Genma never had never money but Akane was quite surprised when her father, Souun told her that he too couldn't pay the 50,000 yen for the trip.

"We will just have to get jobs and pay for it ourselves. I'm surprised your dad didn't have the dough he's not a dead beat like mine," Ranma mumbled around a mouthful of food.

"Ranma!"

"What dad," Ranma yelled back. It wasn't even necessary since they were sitting right across from each other in the Tendo's dining area.

"Son, you're getting older now, you should be thinking about supporting a wife and home of your own," Ranma's Dad stated. Akane's father agreed and added to both children, "Genma is absolutely correct this is a good opportunity to show that you can support my daughter."

"I don't need Ranma to support me," Akane huffed.

"Akane baby, I'll give you what you need. Us older men are so resourceful," said Happosai Genma and Souun's sensei.

"You're the oldest man ever and what ever resources you had have long since dried up," Ranma snapped at him.

"Dried up, see here when I was your age I supported a wife and two mistresses," Happosai shouted.

"Yeah in support bras and panties, stolen ones at that."" Ranma laughed. "I bet, the old hags probably needed them."

"Why you have no respect for the greatest martial arts master ever!"

This started Happosai threatening and Ranma and taunting then Happosai threatening some more. Soon the two were fighting. Ranma dodged Happosai's blows laughing at the wizen old man.

"Well I'm off to school," Ranma said leaping to his feet and running outside, Happosai hot on his heels. Akane ignored them both. She was just about to leave when her second oldest sister spoke.

"Akane you are so naive, what you need is a rich fiancé," said Ribbiki Akane's with a flip of her straight shoulder length hair. When her senior trip had came up she had gotten Kuno to pay for it and her spending money to boot.

"It's nice to have a man to take care of such things Akane," Kasumi added. She was Akane's oldest sister.

"Well I don't need Ranma or any man to do anything for me," Akane said to the group as she left for school.

Soon Ranma fell in behind her. He had tricked Happosai by running past a ladies lingerie store knowing the old pervert couldn't resist stopping and drooling in the window. He glanced now at the silent Akane walking ahead of him. He really felt bad that he couldn't paid for both of them and vowed to himself that he would do his best to get the money.

* * * * * * * * * * *

In Japan the Gundam boys searched for an eccentric teacher of mentality martial arts, a fighting style that used a mental fighting skill. They were to contact that person and bring them to space for only that teacher knew how to controlled parts of the brain long thought dormant. They had hidden their ship in the city's lake which also served as the town reservoir. Then Quatre secured rooms for them at a nearby hotel.

This part of Japan was equivalent to a Quaker village in America. The people here spurned modern advancement and struck to the old ways. The pilots needed to blend in not raise any suspicions. Heero was lead on this mission but even he was out of depth with the old life style. After their second week in Japan they were still empty handed. They decided to meet in Heero's room to discuss their findings. Wufei was the last to make his entrance. He walked into the plain unadorned room in traditional Japanese style and sat of the low table with the others.

So far they had checked every college and university on the mainland and many of the surrounding islands. They had checked all the private industries that boasted technologies or hidden secrets of cere-enhancements. No one had fit the profile.

"Maybe he is working in a high school or a dojo," Wufei suggested. He automatically assumed the teacher was a man.

"He or she is a person of renown learning," Quatre argued. "Those places would be beneath our target."

"Yeah but he or she is eccentric," Duo stated. "We should check high schools and dojos."

"But that will take forever and we are not really sure that if it is on option," Quatre said.

"What do you think Heero," Trowa asked looking for another opinion.

"A very elite high school and a renown dojo could be just as good as a college," Heero stated.

"So high schools and dojos are now on the list," Duo confirmed. "Well that wraps up tonight. I'm going to hit a hot spot anyone interested in coming?"

"Sure Duo," Wufei said.

Duo was not expecting anyone to come. He was even more surprised that Wufei agreed to go. Since the incident in China Wufei had been isolating him self. He did apologize to Duo about his cruel actions but had not made any attempt to get back into socializing with them like he used to. Maybe he had finally come to grips with what was bothering him, Duo thought, happy that Wufei was feeling better.

Wufei had another reason to head for the young hot spots. He was looking a for certain someone. A young man who had fallen into the spring of drowned pig. This young man had just stopped in the park and claimed to be on his way to Japan. The guide had claimed he was lost. Wufei didn't buy that. The guide also said that he had been looking for a cure for some time and had some semi-good results. The guide had pointed him out but when Wufei tried to catch him he had disappeared.

He remembered rushing after the guy and losing him as he slipped into some thick thorny bushes. One minute the guy was there the next he was gone. Wufei barely manage to dodge the park's sprinklers as he searched for him.. Then later during their first few days in Japan Wufei saw him again. Wufei couldn't believe his luck. He was sure it was him. He was wearing the same beaten up bandana and carrying the same travel pack. Again, he tried to catch the guy but when he got to the place where he last saw him there was only an old washer woman cleaning her sidewalk.

He had only lost eye contact for a second when the young man turned the corner. He couldn't believe he lost him again. Still, he was happy he saw him for now he knew he was somewhere in this city.

* * * * * * * * * * *

"Everything is cool with us, right," Duo questioned Wufei as they walked together towards the local clubs.

"Of course, you are my student and though I was found wanting-I must do my duty and continue to train you," Wufei said solemnly.

Duo rolled his eyes at the statement. He didn't believe Wufei was being punished. It was just lucky that he won their brief encounter.

"Are you sure the ancestors found you wanting?" Duo wondered. "I mean, why would they accept your student and not you."

"I don't know why but I'm sure," Wufei said firmly. He had convinced him self that he was being punished by his ancestors. He did not believe it was some ridiculous cursed spring. That's why it was so important to meet this other victim, he thought silently as he followed Duo. It would prove if the park guide was telling the truth.

"Wufei, did that girl have something to do with it?" Duo asked in a whisper.

Wufei stiffened at Duo's remark. He had forgotten that Duo had seen him. He could not deny the knowledge of the girl that would just raise more questions. He had to think of a way to convince Duo not too repeat what he saw to anyone. Suddenly inspired Wufei pulled Duo to a stop in the middle of the street. He was going to tell him that she was an enemy of the Dragon clan and not to approach her-that if he saw her again he must tell him immediately. He never got the chance because as they stopped the guy behind them ran right into them.

"Oh! Oaf! What's the meaning of this," Ryoga cried out as he slammed into the two.

Thinking they were thieves Ryoga grabbed his umbrella prepared to fight them off. Wufei and Duo both jumped away and took in the young man with a yellow and black spotted bandanna. He had wild dark hair that reminded them of Heero but that's where the similarities ended. His very expressive face and outlandish outfit showed him to be a person with a very different personality. He carried a large travel bag and the largest umbrella they had ever seen.

"Yo sorry dude, we didn't see ya," Duo apologized. "What's with the umbrella?"

Wufei on the other hand was startled to realize that the man he was searching for was right here and quickly cut in. "We are sorry to have disturbed you. I am Wufei Chan and this is Duo Maxwell. We were going one of the local clubs maybe we can show our apology by buying you a drink," Wufei offered.

Ryoga was surprised; no one had ever offered to buy him a drink. As he thought about it he realized that no one has ever offered to buy him anything. He had always been alone and his life style had never given him the opportunities to make friends. Ryoga felt his face heat with pleasure and scenes of himself and his new friends enjoying themselves in various activities flashed through his mind.

Wufei and Duo watched the guy go though several facial expressions before bursting out and saying, "Ranma will be so jealous wait till I tell him how I made friends."

Wufei gave Duo a look asking for patience. Duo just cocked an eyebrow at the whole event. He was surprised that Wufei would just suddenly up and invite the guy to come along with them. Since he was a regular socialite, he had no problem with it. It's just that Wufei was not a socialite. What was he up to, he wondered?