Neon Genesis Evangelion Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Shinji Saotome ❯ Chapter 4 - The Lost Boy ( Chapter 4 )

Chapter 4 - The lost boy

A youth was wandering the mountains…no the desert…..no the woods….ah screw it!

Anyway, the youth was wandering. He carried a huge backpack and a tiger-striped bandana was bound around his head to keep his shaggy hair out of his eyes. I think you know by now that this young man is none other than Ryouga Hibiki.

He approached a farmer.

"Excuse me sir, but do you know the way to Tokyo?"

The farmer looked at the stranger, confused.

"Uhm kid, you do realize that we're in California, don't you?"

"Huh? California! I was in Hokkaido only five minutes ago!"

Before the farmer could say anything else the youth walked away in a random direction.

Ryouga Hibiki balled his fist as he wallowed in his misery.

"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT RANMA SAOTOME. SOON I WILL FIND YOU AND THEN YOU WILL PAY!"

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

In Nerima

Ranma felt a shiver run down his spine, creating an opening for Shinji to score a solid hit that sent Ranma down.

"Hey, my first hit!"

Ranma glared at him.

"No fair, I was distracted!"

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

A few days later

Akane, Ranma and Shinji were walking to school, Ranma once again on top of the fence. The last days had seen Akane angry with Ranma a lot of times because he didn't want to fight her. That resulted in Akane asking Shinji to fight her so she could prove her skills by defeating him. Unfortunately she didn't take Ranma's advice from their first day at school to heart and had now lost a total of four matches against Shinji.

Said boy was silently walking next to Akane, not daring to say a word. It seemed Akane was a very sore loser and Shinji really didn't want to risk her wrath. Unlike Ranma, he couldn't shrug off mallet-sama without an earth-shattering headache. Ranma on the other hand had managed to get himself malleted regularly by making some sexist comments about Akane.

Heck, Akane was so mad at him that Shinji was seriously considering to let her win, but he really didn't want to know just how much her blows would hurt if she hit his face ……besides, Ranma would brain him if he willingly lost a fight.

Up on the fence Ranma was happily walking along when…..

*SPLASH*

"Ack"

*Smash*

….the pig-tailed martial artist was hit by a swell of water, slipped and slammed into the sidewalk face first. It looked quite painful.

Still, Shinji couldn't help but laugh, never having seen his brother lose control like that. The fact that he had stayed dry and male himself was an added bonus.

Ranma-chan quickly stood up, a bruise forming on her forehead, and frowned.

"Ha ha ha ha ha, very funny! I'd like to see how you'd handle hitting the concrete like that!"

Shinji held his sides, trying to stop his laugher.

"Sorry Ranma, I just can't help myself."

"Yeah," chimed in Akane, who had been chuckling as well. "It was funny seeing your ego slamming into the concrete. Come on, you can't go to school like that; I know a place where we can get hot water."

Ranma rubbed her bruise.

"Yeah, that would be good idea. Don't want anybody to know about my curse."

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

The trio entered a mid-sized building with a sign that read `Doctor Tofu's clinic'.

Akane excused herself and went to fetch some hot water, leaving Shinji and Ranma to stand in the hall.

Out of nowhere a hand fell on Shinji's shoulder….

"UUAAAHH!"

….and the boy proceeded to slam his head into the ceiling when he jumped out of surprise.

Ranma turned her head….

"UUAAHH!"

Only to come face to face with a skeleton. Before she had the chance to copy Shinji, she noticed the man behind the skeleton and calmed down. Her guard was still up though; only very skilled martial artists could sneak up on her like that.

The stranger broke out into a friendly grin.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to surprise the two of you. Your friend is easily scared, huh?"

Normally Ranma would have snapped at the man for hurting her brother, even if it was unintentional, but Ranma thought that after Shinji had laughed his head off a few minutes ago, he got what he deserved. Besides, the guy seemed nice enough.

"Nah, don't worry about it. He's just a little pansy sometimes. Who are you anyway?"

"I'm…"

"Doctor Tofu!" finished an exuberant Akane as she stormed into the room with a kettle in hand.

"Oh, hello Akane. What are you doing here and who are your friends?"

Akane's expression fell a bit, but she kept a smile on her face.

"That's Ranma and Shinji Saotome. They're going to stay with my family for a while."

Ranma grinned and Shinji gave a polite bow.

"Nice to meet you!" They said in tandem.

Tofu nodded.

"I'm Doctor Tofu Ono, as you probably already know.

So, you're friends with the Tendos. Of course, that makes you my friends as well. If you have a bruise to be treated, just come by. Anyway, why are you here again?"

Before Akane could say anything Ranma interrupted.

"Ah…nothing important. We just...uh…wanted to make some tea! Right Shinji?"

Tofu watched in amusement as the 14-year-old sighed and shook his head. In a voice used to explain something to a small child, Shinji addressed Ranma.

"Ranma, how often have I told you to stop doing this? Dr. Tofu is a friend of the Tendos and he'll probably be the one to fix you up when you get hurt in a fight, so why don't you just TELL HIM!"

Ranma winced when she caught the hint of steel Shinji's voice had carried in the last part. Even though Ranma didn't want to admit it, her brother could be scary when he wanted to. This was one of those moments.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. All right, I'll tell him. Jeeze, Have I told you lately that you can be quite a pest Shinji?"

Her younger brother only grinned evilly, an expression that would have frightened many people who knew what he used to be like.

"Now, what is it you have to tell me young lady?" Asked Tofu, clearly amused by their display of good-natured teasing.

Ranma winced at the lady comment. She took the kettle from Akane and splashed herself with the hot water.

The next moment a very male Ranma stood before a stunned doctor Tofu.

"That's exactly it; I'm not a lady, doc."

The good doctor quickly regained his senses and his eyes lit up.

"Incredible. Is that really a Jusenkyo curse? And I had always thought it was just a rumor!"

"You know about Jusenkyo? Do you know if there's a cure for my curse?"

Tofu shook his head sadly.

"Sorry, I can't help you there. I've only heard about this Jusenkyo, I don't have any kind of experience with it. Anyway, if you feel like it, why don't you come by sometime? I'm very interested in what you have seen in China." He looked at the clock, "But now, you should be going, or you'll be late for school."

All three teens looked at the clock and as one they chorused "Oh damn!" and were out the door.

Dr Tofu watched them disappear around the corner and grinned.

`I have the feeling my clinic will soon have some new regular visitors.'

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

Lunch break

Ranma and Shinji were sitting at their usual spot under a cherry blossom tree, eating their lunch.

Well, actually only Shinji was still eating; Ranma had already inhaled his bento and was currently in the process of dozing off. When Shinji had finally finished eating, his brother was fast asleep.

`How does he do that?' The boy wondered silently, before he leaned back to stare at the sky. The droning of the other students was strangely soothing as he watched the clouds drift by.

On the other side of campus, Akane was sitting with her friends Yuka and Sayuri; the latter two were staring across the yard with dreamy looks in their eyes.

"Will you two knock it off already? I just don't know what you see in that jerk!"

Yuka and Sayuri pulled back to reality for a moment

"Seriously, Akane how can you be so negative? Ranma is so cute…and he defeated Kuno" said Sayuri

"Yeah…and you have the luck of living with him!" Chimed Yuka.

Akane snorted.

"You're only saying that because you don't know him. He's a loud-mouthed jerk with an ego to match, and a pervert too! I just can't stand him!"

Yuka and Sayuri exchanged knowing looks, not believing any of it. Akane was known to hate boys, so it wasn't much of a surprise that Ranma wasn't exactly standing in her favor.

Then Sayuri decided to test if she could get a rise out of Akane again.

"Ok, so maybe Ranma isn't your type. What about his little brother, Shinji?"

Akane frowned, preparing to let loose with a belittling speech just like she had done with Ranma, only to stop dead in her tracks. Akane may have been somebody to jump to conclusions, but she wasn't delusional. In other words, she could only think badly about somebody if he gave her a reason to do so. Thinking about Shinji, she tried desperately to find any negative point about the boy….and came up with nothing. The incident with the bath on their first day at the dojo turned out to be her fault, since she overlooked the occupied sign, not that she would ever admit it. His defeating her in the sparring matches wasn't his fault either. She knew full well that it was her fault for not being prepared. She had to admit, that of all the Saotomes, Shinji was the one with the most manners and best demeanor. The boy's shyness and calmness stood in stark contrast to Ranma's outgoing and often rude nature.

Noticing that somebody was waving a hand before her face, Akane shook her head.

"Sorry, zoned out there for a bit."

"We noticed." remarked Yuka dryly "Now tell us what you think about Shinji!"

Akane shrugged.

"He's a pervert, but not as bad as Ranma. Aside from that, I can't really tell. He's rather quiet and shy most of the time. The only person he really talks to is Ranma. Oh yes, he is a very good cook. He's helped Kasumi in the kitchen ever since they arrived."

Yuka and Sayuri looked at Akane in stunned silence.

"Akane, are you all right?"

"Huh? Yes of course, why do you ask?"

Yuka looked doubtful.

"Well, you just talked about a boy and only accused him of being a minor pervert. Either you're sick….or"

"YOU'RE IN LOVE!" Exclaimed Sayuri and Yuka

Akane's face turned beet-red

"I'm not in love with Shinji! He isn't my type!"

Suddenly Yuka was serious again.

"Sure?"

"Yeah. Shinji is nice….as a friend, although right now I want to kill him for beating me in our sparring matches!"

Yuka grinned wolfishly.

"Well, that means you've got no interest in either of them, right? So they're free game!"

Akane took this opportunity to copy one of Ranma's techniques by smashing her head repeatedly against the tree they were sitting under as her lovesick friends proceeded to do a happy dance.

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

Shinji was marveling at the wonderful day. He hadn't been this relaxed in a long time, just lying there and watching the clouds drift by.

"RANMA SAOTOME, PREPARE TO DIE!"

Shinji groaned as he shifted to a sitting position to see who had screamed that.

`Figures some loony would interrupt my quiet moment'

It didn't take long to spot the bandana-wearing youth that was storming towards them at full speed, madly swinging an umbrella of all things.

Noting that Ranma was still fast asleep, Shinji shook him awake.

Ranma simply shrugged him off and turned away.

"Lemme sleep some more. Class hasn't started yet"

"Uhm, Ranma, there's some guy who wants to kill you, and he isn't Kuno!"

That got Ranma to sit up. The figure descending towards him at full speed finally spurred him into action.

Ranma grabbed Shinji and before his brother could blink, they were flying away. A loud crash was heard from behind them as something heavy impacted the ground.

When they came to a standstill, a smoke cloud was settling where they were sitting a moment ago. Once the smoke cleared, a crater of nearly 6 feet in diameter was seen. The youth carrying a heavy looking backpack was standing in the middle.

"Do I know you?" Ranma asked, seemingly unconcerned by the destruction before him.

The other boy sneered.

"You have the gall to forget me? You ran out of our duel and because of you, my life has been hell, and you dare to forget me? Die Ranma!"

That said the stranger once again rushed towards Ranma, who started dodging swings left and right with seemingly no problems at all.

By now the fight had attracted almost everybody's attention and Nabiki was already busy collecting bets.

One of her cronies was writing down the bets and couldn't help but ask.

"What do you think, boss, who's going to win?"

Nabiki stopped a moment and looked over to the fight. Ranma was now fighting back, but the other boy didn't seem at all fazed by the hits he was scoring. Then she noticed the younger Saotome walking to a member of the baseball team and wondered what he was up to. Shinji asked something and promptly got a baseball bat handed to him. Then he bowed once and proceeded back to the fight.

Nabiki raised an eyebrow.

"Now this is going to be interesting."

Nearby Akane and her friends were also watching the show. Well, Akane was fuming while her friends were watching.

When Yuka noticed Shinji walk back to the fight, baseball bat in hand, she wondered what he was up to.

"Hey, what's he trying to do? Get himself killed?"

That comment got Akane's attention and she watched openmouthed as the shy boy came within reach of the duelists.

Shinji was not the type to take action in any kind of situation. That was what his profile back at NERV would have stated. However, to every rule, there is an exception and the exception to this particular rule was one Ranma Saotome. While knowing that his brother could take care of himself in any kind of fight, Shinji did not like people attacking him randomly. In fact, he hated it. To see somebody use violence against another human being in such casual manner instead of discussing things made the young Ikari angry, very much so.

And an angered Shinji is a force to be reckoned with. (1)

This was the reason why he was currently walking right into the ongoing fight with that baseball bat in hand.

The two battling teens had all their concentration on each other and didn't notice him.

So he simply stuck the bat right between the two combatants.

*crack*

*crack*

When two fists impacted something solid, the fight stopped.

Ranma was now fully concentrated on his opponent, whom he now knew to be Ryouga Hibiki, an old friend of his, although he wasn't too sure the term still applied.

"Will you tell me what's got ya so pissed off, lost boy?"

Ryouga only sneered and kept fighting.

"If you don't know, you don't deserve an answer. And stop insulting me you coward!"

Their fight was promptly halted when both found their fists implanted in a baseball bat the next moment.

Ryouga's eyes followed the bat and the arm attached to it, only to stare into a rather young looking boy's face. His very angry face, I might add.

"You will cease this immediately! Both of you!"

Ryouga was about to protest but Shinji cut him off.

"I said BOTH of you! How can you just attack people out of nowhere? You seem to have a problem with my brother." Ryouga's mind reeled. Brother? Since when did Ranma have a brother? "If that's the case then you should tell him WHAT'S wrong. Just trying to kill him won't make your problems go away."

Ryouga once again tried to explain, but was stopped again.

"AND stop giving me that `he made my life Hell'. If you don't tell us something specific, we can't change it, can we?"

`How did he know I would say that?' wondered a stunned Ryouga, now a lot calmer, his fight with Ranma forgotten. Normally Ryouga would have just kept at it, but something about that boy gave him the creeps. He couldn't put his finger on it, but something was off about him. Relenting for once, Ryouga was about to go into a tirade about his curse…when he noticed where he was. Swallowing hard he stuttered to the boy who said he was Ranma's brother.

"I….I'll tell you…but…I can't do that here. If we could go somewhere private?"

Next to Ryouga, Ranma was relieved when the anger fled his brother's eyes. He couldn't help but get the creeps every time his little brother was angry. He had to marvel at his brother's ability to be able to calm Ryouga down. That was a feat not easily accomplished. (2)

His brother nodded in answer to Ryouga's request.

"Very well. I suggest we go home. I very much doubt we will miss anything important here. Let's go Ranma."

Seeing his cue, Ranma scooped Shinji up in his arms and jumped away.

"Follow me Ryouga!"

Surprisingly the lost boy didn't get lost for once and followed, all the time wondering why Ranma had such respect for his brother when he couldn't even make this little trip himself.

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

Ranma, Ryouga and Shinji were seated in the dojo. Since nobody seemed willing to talk, Shinji once again took the initiative, something he was not very comfortable with.

"So, Ryouga, what exactly has ticked you off so much? And please, give us some details this time!"

Ryouga looked decidedly uncomfortable for a moment before he pulled himself together.

"It all started back in junior high school. Ranma and I attended an all-boys school and every day people rushed to the cafeteria to get the last bread. Ranma always cheated and stole the last bread, which would have been mine!"

"Oh please! Don't tell me you're still angry about that!" Said an annoyed Ranma

Ryouga's face darkened: "Of course I'm angry about it. But that wasn't the reason I followed you! Once I had enough of you, I challenged you to a duel and YOU DIDN'T SHOW UP, COWARD!"

Shinji raised an eyebrow.

"Is that true Ranma?"

"Hah! Ryouga conveniently forgot to tell you he was over three days late!"

"It's not my fault I have a bad sense of direction!"

"For god's sake Ryouga, how hard is it to find the vacant lot behind your house!"

"You could have waited longer!"

"Well sorry, my father beat me up and dragged me to China. I would have waited otherwise."

By now, both were in each other's face and quite angry. Shinji shook his head. These two had to have thicker heads than Asuka. THAT was saying something. Not wanting another fight, he shoved them apart.

"Will you two stop it! You're telling me that you're angry because Ranma ran out on a fight? Ranma said his father dragged him off before you arrived. The solution is quite simple: You fight now, get it over with, and forget about all of this."

Ranma nodded. "I think Shinji is right."

Ryouga shook his head. "A simple fight is not enough. I have gone through hell to find you, and now I want my revenge!"

Shinji sighed heavily. How anybody could be so stubborn was a complete mystery to him.

"Ryouga, think about it for a moment. I will believe that you have had some horrible experiences, but you cannot blame Ranma for everything you have been through. The only thing you can blame him for is running out on your duel unwillingly!"

Ryouga shook his head and trembled with suppressed emotion.

"You do not understand. Because I followed Ranma, I now turn INTO A FREAKING PIG!"

Ranma and Shinji looked on astonished as Ryouga broke down and started babbling.

"I came to a valley called Jusenkyo and was knocked into a spring by a girl with red hair and the Panda she was chasing. " Shinji winced, somehow knowing who that was. "Ever since then I turned into a small black pig whenever I got splashed with cold water. Do you know how degrading it is to be some little girl's pet? To be nearly eaten alive almost every day? Can you imagine that? But then, you don't really believe me, do you?"

Even Ranma winced slightly when he imagined being eaten by some fat guy.

"Ah, sorry Ryouga, I didn't know that. "

"You actually believe me?"

Ranma grimaced slightly.

"Yeah, it's hard not to, when we have a curse as well, right Shinji?"

"Ranma's right. We both fell into the spring of drowned girl. Sorry Ryouga."

"Don't worry; it's not your fault. It's Ranma's!" Said Ryouga with conviction

That set off the other martial artist.

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

"Is not!"

"Is….."

"Actually, I think it is possibly your fault, Ranma."

Both Ranma and Ryouga looked at Shinji like he had grown a second head. Ranma did so, because his brother had never accused him of anything like that; Ryouga because he was stunned that Shinji suddenly took his side.

"Yeah, you heard me right. Think about it Ranma. Ryouga said a red-haired girl chasing a Panda knocked him in."

"So, what's that got to do with me?" Asked a bewildered Ranma.

Shinji rolled his eyes.

`And Asuka calls me dense! I wonder how somebody who can be so dense can be so insightful as well.'

Instead of saying that, Shinji took a calming breath before speaking.

"Ranma, how many redheads chasing a Panda do you think exist on this world? Especially at Jusenkyo? And whom do you know that turns into a redhead and a Panda"

Ranma shrugged.

"Not many, me and my po……..p" Ranma's eyes widened as it finally dawned on him.

"Oh shit! Damn, sorry that I knocked you into that spring, Ryouga. I wasn't myself that day! "

That was when it finally clicked in Ryouga's mind as well.

"You mean to tell me you were that redhead and that Panda was your father! So it really was your fault! Ranma, prepare to die!"

Before Ryouga could even begin to fight, Shinji stepped in again. Something he was doing far too often the last few days, he had observed.

"Ryouga, stop it already! The only fight you have to pick with Ranma is the one his father dragged him away from!"

"And what about my curse!" Asked an enraged Ryouga.

When Shinji got a devious smile on his face, Ranma couldn't help but shudder in sympathy for Genma Saotome. His brother was not a person to show such a smile, but when he did, it usually meant a lot of trouble for his father. If he didn't know better, Ranma could have sworn it was a game between these two. Shinji would pay Genma back for the training he went through by throwing all of Genma's misdeeds back in his face, while Genma would torture him a bit more in return.

Indeed, that was exactly what Shinji was currently planning.

"Now Ryouga, think about it. Ranma's father dragged him away to China. So technically it's his fault you had to follow. You understand?"

Ryouga nodded, now a little intrigued where the little squirt in front of him was going with this.

"Good." continued Shinji, still smiling slightly. "Then Genma forced Ranma to train in Jusenkyo and knocked him into the spring of drowned girl. Ranma came out and was female, thinking his manhood was forever lost. How would you have reacted but to chase the one responsible in pure anger?"

Ryouga nodded again. He could sympathize with Ranma there.

"That still doesn't change the fact that he knocked me into the spring!"

Shinji shook his head.

"That's where you are wrong. You said the Panda helped knock you in. Since the girl has chased the Panda, he was the first to run into you. That means he knocked you into the spring halfway and because of him, Ranma ran into you. This means technically its Genma's fault. I hope you see now; if you have to get your revenge on somebody, it's our father, not Ranma."

Ryouga took all that in and stood there a moment, dumbfounded. Then a new fire seemed to shine in his eyes.

"Damn, you're right Shinji." Then he turned to Ranma "Sorry for accusing you of all this Ranma. That doesn't mean you're out of our match!"

Ranma shrugged,"I can live with that. When do you want to have the duel?"

"How about now? I can kill your father afterwards."

"That's a good idea, so you can't get lost again!"

"My sense of direction is not that bad! Now let's go outside so I can kick you ass!"

"Hah, in your dreams!"

Shinji dropped his shoulders when the two bickering teens disappeared outside. Thanks to Ranma and Genma, he had learned to stand up for himself and others a bit more, yet it was something he didn't like to do even though it was necessary. Still, he only did so with words, something the new people in his life seemed to have a lot of problems with.

That train of thoughts led him to remember whom Ryouga was going to beat up in his quest for revenge and he couldn't help but smile.

`Take that Genma!'

His mood uncharacteristically cheerful Shinji followed the other two martial-artists outside to watch the fight.

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

When the last bell finally rang, Akane was out and running. After the Saotomes and the new guy had left during lunch, they hadn't turned up again, and she was starting to worry. Just a little bit, mind you!

Just as she rounded another corner, somebody ran into her. When she got her bearings back, Akane came face to face with an equally dazed looking Shinji.

"Shinji! Where the hell have you been?"

Shinji shrugged.

"We had a few things to clear up. Now, if you will excuse me, I have to catch up with Ranma and Ryouga. I swear these two can be fast when they want!"

"Huh? Why? What are they doing?"

Shinji answered without turning back, already running away.

"They're fighting, and this time for real. I can't miss that!"

Akane stood dumbfounded for a moment, not sure what to do. Then she ran after the younger boy, wondering how he knew where to go.

The sound of explosions in the distance clued her in.

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

Left, right, up, down, block, dodge, punch, block, punch…….this was what he lived for. The exhilarating feeling of fighting an equal in the art. Hundreds of attacks and counters used to overcome the opponent in the heat of battle. The rush that came with the fight was all he needed right now, concentrated only on his opponent and his own movements. For once even the usual insults were discarded to fight a real battle.

It's understandable that Ranma and Ryouga had lost every sense of their surroundings, navigating around and over obstacles by pure instinct. Their intense fight had moved over several blocks already, Ryouga's umbrella leaving a clear trail of destruction where they had fought.

It was this trail that Shinji had followed to find both martial artists locked in an intense exchange of blows that his eyes could barely follow. Both fighters wore masks of pure concentration on their faces, even Ranma, who found out that Ryouga was a formidable opponent if he was fighting with a level head.

The fight was rather balanced. Where Ranma had an edge in speed, Ryouga made up with pure power to shrug off connecting blows.

Suddenly both of them jumped back to get a little breathing room.

"Not bad Ryouga. You're actually giving me a little workout, not that you'll win." Ranma's trademark grin was once again in place.

Instead of rising to the bait, Ryouga smirked in return.

"I must admit for a coward you fight well Ranma, but you have yet to see my best technique!"

Shinji watched with interest as Ryouga took off his bandana, only to reveal another underneath.

"My iron-cloth technique!"

Then Ryouga proceeded to hurl one bandana in Ranma's direction, followed shortly by another.

`That's his ultimate technique?' wondered Shinji on the sidelines.

Then one of the projectiles cut cleanly through a small tree, severing it in the middle.

Shinji sweat dropped.

`Okay, maybe it IS his ultimate technique, best not to come to near those.'

Needless to say one poorly aimed piece of clothing found itself flying in his direction only moments afterwards.

Shinji didn't move, seeing how it would miss him by a few meters, only to see Akane storming towards the fight--running right into the bandana's path.

"Akane, duck!"

Of course, said girl only saw a piece of clothing flying her way and looked on confused.

Shinji quickly made a decision and slammed into the longhaired girl, bringing both of them to the ground.

The piece of clothing whistled overhead

"Phew, no harm done. That was close!" said Shinji in a tired voice

A long bundle of dark blue hair, bound with a ribbon on one side, fluttered to the ground before a stunned Akane and a sweating Shinji.

"Then again…I guess not."

When Akane turned the mightiest glare of them all in his direction after looking at her own hair lying in front of her for a few minutes, Shinji decided that any more smart remarks wouldn't be such a good idea.

"Akane-san, are you all right?" came Ryouga's concerned voice from behind the pair.

With slow deliberate movements, Akane stood up and faced a concerned looking Ryouga, Ranma standing next to him with the same expression.

"Am I all right you ask? NO! I'm not all right! Do you know how long it took to grow my hair out like this? Finally it was as long as Kasumi's and you have to ruin it, just because of your petty fights! Watch what you're doing next time around!" Akane had said the last part almost in tears and quickly turned to storm off.

Needless to say Ranma and Ryouga felt extremely guilty now, something both couldn't live with very well.

"Uhm, Akane-san, if it makes you feel better, you can hit me…even though it was Ranma's fault."

"Yeah, Akane, if you want to hit something, hit me…even though it was Ryouga's fault."

*smack*

*smack*

Ranma and Ryouga watched with a bright cheek each as a huffing Akane walked away from the park.

"Easily pleased, ain't she?" asked a stunned Ranma

"Yeah, and she packs quite a wallop too!" Said an equally stunned Ryouga, their fight now totally forgotten.

Shinji dusted himself off and frowned. Normally he would have laughed at the faces these two were making, but something about Akane's words bothered him, not to mention the situation leading to this wasn't exactly funny.

"I would suggest you two apologize to Akane. And next time watch where you're throwing these bandanas, Ryouga. A bystander could be severely injured."

Strangely enough Ranma and Ryouga found themselves nodding to Shinji's request, both wilting under the intense glare he gave them, especially Ryouga. Then the youth simply turned and walked home, leaving both of them standing there.

Ryouga looked confused for a moment and when Shinji was out of earshot, he spoke to Ranma.

"Say, Ranma. How the hell does your brother do it? I mean, damn, I felt my hair standing on edge when he looked at us like that"

Ranma shrugged

"Don't have a clue, maybe it's something that runs in the family? (3) One thing is for sure, though, he's scary like that!"

Ryouga nodded.

"Yeah, you can say that again. Hopefully he doesn't do that often, might give me a heart-attack or something."

The other youth contemplated that for a moment; going over the times his brother had done this

"Actually, he doesn't do it that often. Only if he's really pissed. When he's like that, take his advice, it's very useful most of the time."

Ryouga nodded, believing his ex-nemesis without a shadow of doubt. Akane-san could have been hurt very much by his carelessness, after all.

"I'll keep that in mind; I think we should go back now. We really should apologize to Akane-san. I don't want her to be angry with me."

"Me neither, she can be bad-tempered at times."

Moments later both youths were roof hopping back to the dojo.

In the now deserted park a lone tree toppled over.

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

After Ranma and Ryouga returned to the Tendo dojo, they found out from Kasumi that Akane got a new haircut from her. Her statement was also accompanied by a small frown, which was as near as Kasumi came to swearing. Right now Ryouga and Ranma were standing nervously before Akane's door, Shinji leaning against the opposite wall with a neutral expression and wondering when they would finally have the guts to apologize.(4)

"You knock!" urged Ranma

"No, you knock!" shot Ryouga back

"No you!"

"No you!"

"No you!"

"No you!"

*knock*

Both gave Shinji incredulous looks as the youth retracted his hand.

"What? At this rate you'd never go in."

"Come in!" came Akane's muffled voice through the door.

Ranma and Ryouga glanced uncertainly at each other, before Ranma opened the door to allow both of them entrance.

When Akane spotted them her mood darkened instantly.

"What do you idiots want?" she asked harshly.

Ranma twiddled his fingers and suddenly found a spot on the floor quite interesting to look at.

"I…we…came..to.ah...you know.like…we'rereallysorryforwhatwedidtodayandwantedtoapaologizeagain !"

Needless to say Akane understood nothing at the rate Ranma was talking.

"Huh?"

Now Ryouga tried his luck.

"Ranma said, we wanted to apologize again…for cutting your hair off."

Akane smiled a little bit.

"It's all right; keeping my hair that long was silly anyway. Just watch what you're doing the next time, okay?"

"Sure"

The next moment both boys were out the door again and it slammed shut. Akane blinked.

The door opened again and Ranma stuck his head in.

"By the way, I like your new cut better."

Before Akane could react the door shut again, leaving her with a warm feeling inside.

`He liked it!'

As she noticed where her thoughts were drifting, Akane quickly shook her head.

"Why would I care what that jerk thinks anyway?"

Further contemplation on her part was stopped by a cry of `GENMA SAOTOME, FOR WHAT YOU DID TO ME, PREPARE TO DIE' from downstairs.

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

When Ranma and Ryouga stood safely in the hall, they looked at Shinji with a dangerous look in their eyes, making the poor boy swallow hard.

`This doesn't look good!' thought Shinji with a feeling of dread.

Ranma smirked at his brother

"Me and my buddy Ryouga decided to pay you back for your kindness today. That's why Ryouga will start training you whenever he is around."

Shinji cringed. Training with Ranma alone was pure torture. He did not want to know how training with both of them would be like.

"Ah…you don't have to do that Ryouga-san. I wouldn't want to impose on you, after all."

Ryouga smirked.

"You're not going to get out of this one Shinji. Now let's get going." He grabbed Shinji's wrist, dragging the smaller boy forcefully down the stairs.

When they entered the living room, Ryouga stopped abruptly as his eyes focused upon one freshly returned Genma Saotome.

"Ranma, train Shinji alone for a while…..I…have something to do." Then Ryouga drew his combat umbrella and charged an unsuspecting Genma, sending the older man out the open door and into the lawn with a mighty swing. Soun sat frozen at the shogi-board for a moment…… before quickly rearranging all the pieces.

Shinji grinned, his own bleak future forgotten, as Ryouga rushed out into the open while screaming, "GENMA SAOTOME, FOR WHAT YOU DID TO ME, PREPARE TO DIE!" at the top of his lungs.

As Shinji and Ranma walked to the dojo they heard Genma's cries of mercy all the way.

"You know Ranma, I like this Ryouga."

"Ah, no, wait, can't we talk about…….aaahhhhhH!!!!!!!"

Ranma shut the door to the dojo and smirked.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. Anyway, thanks for convincing Ryouga it was Pop's fault."

"It was Father's fault Ranma. Ryouga was just a little misguided."

"Anyway, that doesn't mean you're going to get away with no training today. We'll start easy: I want 150 pushups to warm you up."

Shinji groaned and started doing as his older brother said.

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

Later that evening

Everybody, save Genma who was still out cold outside, was gathered around the dinner table, even Ryouga. It seemed Kasumi had the foresight to make an extra portion for the young man and had even prepared a futon for him to sleep at the Tendos that night.

Nabiki, being ever curious, didn't ignore the beating Genma got like the rest of her family. She wanted to know what was going on. This Ryouga had to have quite a grudge, judging from the beating Genma had gotten.

"So, tell me Ryouga. What did Genma do to you? It must have been quite bad."

Ryouga looked nervous.

"Ahh...it's really embarrassing…I don't like talking about it."

Next to Ryouga, a groan was heard from the mass of abused flesh that once resembled Shinji.

"Ranma….will you please explain this to them? …I'm…too tired…" That said Shinji promptly passed out on the floor.

Ranma sweat dropped when everybody looked at Shinji oddly.

"Okay…so maybe me an' Ryouga overdid it a little bit."

Nabiki shrugged it off. How anybody could force their body through this torture was beyond her anyway.

"What does he want you to explain, Saotome?"

Ranma shrugged.

"He wants me to tell you that Ryouga here has a curse as well."

"Ranma! You can't tell them about this! It's far too embarrassing!"

Ranma simply ignored Ryouga's outburst.

"He turns into a small black piglet."

"Really? That's interesting. Let's test it." Before either of them could react, Ranma and Ryouga were splashed by a glass of cold water hastily thrown by Nabiki. Shinji got wet as well, but she simply continued sleeping.

Ranma-chan looked on as a small piglet squirmed its way out of Ryouga's clothing.

She picked it up by the bandana that was fastened around its neck and lifted it up for all to see.

"That's the little critter."

Akane looked at the small pig warmly.

"He looks so cute like that. Can I hold him?"

Ranma handed her the protesting pig and watched in amusement as Akane pressed it to her bosom, which caused the poor pig to pass out from a nosebleed. Then she was hit by a wave of jealousy and wondered why the hell she should be jealous of Ryouga being pressed into that uncute tomboy's bosom.

Nabiki looked at the little pig curiously, before she gave Ranma a condescending smirk.

"Well, he is weird enough to be a friend of yours."

For once Ranma decided to do the right thing and didn't comment. Instead she focused on Akane.

`This is going to be fun!'

"Hey, Akane. You are aware that is Ryouga you're holding there, right?"

Akane looked at Ranma, then down at the small pig. You could practically see the gears shifting in her brain as her expression changed from confused to shocked and embarrassed only to settle at anger in the end.

"YOU….YOU PERVERT!"

Was all she said as she punted the small pig across the room. Fortunately for Ryouga, he didn't feel the impact with the wall since he was already unconscious.

Ranma wisely decided not to tell Akane that she had put the small pig to her bosom in the first place.

Shinji continued snoring, oblivious of her surroundings and just happy to be able to sleep.

And so another eventful day passed in Nerima as two teenagers who had met at Jusenkyo tried to overcome the obstacle of trying to live a normal life.

Not that it was going to help…………

End chapter 4

Author's notes:

Now most of you will say: huh? Shinji doing that? Never! Well, think about it. In the show Shinji always helped when Asuka or Rei were in grave danger and he hated any kind of unnecessary violence. Now he comes into a world without EVA and angels were everybody should be happy, yet he sees somebody trying to kill his brother and he thinks: What the fuck! They have no angels, so they kill each other instead of letting the angels do it! I think he wouldn't like that one bit. Shinji takes these kinds of things very serious, so…I think it is possible. The slight push to actually get him to do it is provided by Ranma having grown on him and the last six weeks spend together. (backbone welcome)

Then again, Ranma isn't exactly the best person to calm someone down, is he?

Gendo would be proud of Shinji, wouldn't he?

Hey, if Shinji is master in one thing, it's apologizing, isn't it?

Finally! Another chapter out. This one took quite a bit longer than usual, since I had a lot to do as of late. The writer's block I experienced as I tried to write the first fight between Ranma and Ryouga didn't help either.Anyway, I will just shut up now. Hope you liked it. Please drop me a line to tell me what you think.

PS: You know, it feels good to have something blow up in Genma's face for once.

I would like to thank my pre-readers Guncannon and Ranshin for making this readable. You should do that as well, because otherwise you would have hurt your eyes by reading my original draft. Thanks Guys!

And Finally I have a little OMAKE written by one of my readers and pre-readers: kuracao. READ IT NOW! and tell him what you think at kuracao@club-internet.fr

Now OMAKE time:

Urd's office, somewhere in Heaven…

You can find a very desperate Urd…

Belldandy enteres the office looking for her sibling.

"Not a word Belldandy, with this new development about the file of Ranma Saotome, I can say goodbye to my goddess status…"

"Why?"

The mentioned file appears above Urd's desk:

"16 years ago, Nodoka Saotome has made a wish and I quote:' I wish that ALL my sons, present or future, will

be MANLY… 6 week ago GENMA SAOTOME has adopted SHINJI IKARI… you follow me, Bell?"

"And something even more interesting is the definition of MANLY from Nodoka Saotome, I need to ask some advice from Freya for this case."

Belldandy pales seriously.

"But Shinji Ikari is not from this world… How come Yggdrasil didn't warn us?

"Fifty to one that Eva 01 has jammed his appearance…"

Urd leans back in her chair.

"Peorth has already compiled the new file on Shinji Ikari and now I just need to find a way for this kid to be a part of this world and BE MANLY!"

Belldandy sighed and looked again the new file.

"And the three emails attached?"

"The cherry on the ice cream… First, Sailor Pluto warning me that if the little kid becomes a threat to Crystal Tokyo… he will be eliminated. Second, Washu wants Shinji for some 'experiments' and last but not the least, a warning from Skuld about Akio Ohtori taking an interest for Shinji for being a potential duelist…"

Urd massaged her temple when the face of Heimdall popped out of nowhere near the hologram.

"Urd, I have a visitor for you" Behind him, you can hear the granddaddy of all knocks.

"I don't expect anybody Heimdall"

"YES, I know but this `visitor' has sent All the Valkyries to the nurse office and doesn't take no for an answer…"

"Can you describe my visitor?"

"Yes, she is BIG, PURPLE AND WANTS TO SPEAK ABOUT HER SON!"

"Ok I come…"

Urd stands up and walk to the door.

"Wish me luck, Bell. I will need it"

"Oh my…"