Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Being Lost: Ryoga's New Beginning ❯ Hope, Fear, Suprise, and Loss ( Chapter 1 )

If you have found this story, chances are that you are all too familiar with Fanfiction.net, and are (therefore) all too familiar with disclaimers. So if you need to be told which of the characters found herein are the creations of the great Rumiko Takahashi and not mine, then I suggest you seek psychological help.

 

“Spoken words”

`thoughts'

<telepathic messages> probably won't be used

[signs]

… long pause

- short pause

 

 

 

Being Lost: Ryoga's New Beginning

 

Chapter 1: Hope, Fear, Surprise, and Loss…

 

Tell me, Takahashi-Muse, the story of that lost boy who was driven to wander far and wide after the loss of many a piece of bread. He has seen the cities of many people and he learnt their ways. He has suffered great anguish over the course of his journeys to declare his love. Yet for all of his training, he has not the strength to do so. Show us his folly's that lead to the tales lost in time. Tell us this story, oh mistress of Manga, beginning at whatever point you will…

 

Ryoga had stopped trying to keep track of what day it was many years ago. He was barely aware of the time of year it was. The weather was his only clue as to how much time was passing by. The dates and times in his endless challenge letters were meant to give Ranma the impression that he was slightly more competent, and so he could be ready to fight him. Ryoga's sense of honor was such that if his opponent didn't fight completely unrestrained, then he could never accept victory.

 

“I suppose I shouldn't expect anything more…” he thought out loud.

 

Ryoga was under the firm impression that it was the dry season for the jungle he was training in, so it was to his great surprise to be nearly caught in a torrential downpour in the middle of his training. His fear of his curse becoming known to the world had trained his senses to detect almost the smallest droplets of rain. He had dived frantically for the nearest cover without thinking. Now he sat in a 2x2 foot square of dryness while he watched as his pack (along with all his supplies) was becoming soaked. And sitting atop it all was his umbrella; the rain beading of its lacquered surface in an image worthy of the most prestigious art gallery.

 

He then took a moment to take in his surroundings. His inability to get to where he wanted to go had caused all scenery to blend together long ago, so he rarely had the opportunity to truly appreciate the sights.

 

“Somehow I expected the Amazon to have more trees” He muttered to himself. `And who would have thought that they had sanitation services way out here. Didn't somebody say something about the rainforest controlling the World's weather?' He thought as he leaned against a small and incredibly neglected garbage can. `It probably wasn't a good idea to put all these buildings here'

 

The wind was blowing so hard as to cause the rain to fall at a very sharp angle. So as long as he stayed hunched down behind the can, the rain would pass over him. “Oh Akane!” he breathed heavily “Because it's for you, I can handle anything!” he declared to himself, more than to anyone else. “It doesn't matter how far away we are; in my mind, I'm always with you.”

 

If Ryoga could only look around the corner, he would see a well worn sign that read “Tendo Dojo - Challengers Welcome”. (with a none too recent X through the second part) In fact, if he could but peer over the wall next to him, he would have seen the subject of his every waking thought sitting at her window, listening to the sound of the rain and writing furiously into her diary. Such as it was, his heart may have been with Akane, but his mind was in Brazil.

 

“One day Akane! One day I will finally profess my love to you! On that day when I finally…” His words caught in his throat as he realized that the wind was dying down. Reflexively he reached behind himself and yanked the metal lid off of the can, which was currently his only defense, and held it over his head as a makeshift umbrella. Ryoga suddenly sweat-dropped despite the cold and slapped himself with his free hand. “Why didn't I do that in the first place?!” he berated himself.

 

A sickly sour and incredibly thick scent soon answered his question as he realized that there had been garbage on top of the can. And now it had found a new home on his lap. Frustrated, he reached down to brush it off when something burst out of the pile of refuse and latched onto his arm with a loud “SSSSSKKKRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEE!!!!”

 

“AHHHHHHHHH!!!” He answered back as he shook his arm violently trying to dislodge it as he felt his skin start to burn. The creature wobbled and shifted like looking at a Jell-O mold while you were stoned. Ryoga's wildly swinging arm slammed into the wall next to him; sending pieces of the entity flew in all directions. Ryoga thought he caught a glimpse of mushrooms, some alien meat, and some form of spicy pickled cabbage. (among other things)

 

The desperate blow had removed a large section from the wall of the Tendo compound. His mind preoccupied, Ryoga hadn't yet noticed.

 

* * *

(7 hours earlier)

 

“RANMA SAOTOME, PREPARE TO DIE!” Mousse screamed at the top of his lungs as he charged at an unkempt shrub across the street from the Tendo home. Mousses sleeves practically exploded forth sending everything from spears to yo-yo's at the unfortunate piece of greenery; shredding it in under 5 seconds. Mousse froze with a set of bowling pins nearly clogging his sleeves. “Can it be true? Have I finally defeated Ranma?! Shampoo my love you will be m*BAM*…”

 

"Sh...sh...shampoo!" Mousse managed to squeak before passing out, a large footprint adorning his face.

 

"Awww crap... gotta get ridda this..." A well built and pigtailed boy dressed in red thought hurriedly to himself, a small box quivering in his hands.

 

Ranma ran to the front door of the Tendo Dojo and reached out to open it when he heard a faint humming on the other side. 'Great!' If Kasumi sees me I'm done for!' he thought as the box in his hands jerked violently.

 

'Gotta get ridda' this!' his mind screamed. Frantically he began mentally searching for other entrances to the house. “The garden!” Ranma whispered to himself, gently snapping his fingers. The box began to twist and jerk violently as he ran around the house as fast as he could while still remaining silent. Large patio doors came into view as he rounded the corner when…

 

“I've got you now, Saotome!!!” Soun cried.

 

In an attempt to avoid detection, Ranma jumped away without thinking and thudded into a tree.

 

[What was that!?] Panda Genma's hastily scribbled sign read.

 

Probably just another rival or suitor… or both.” sighed Soun. Suddenly a mixture of joy, pride, rage, and pent up insanity caused him to begin crying uncontrollably, and (rising to his feet with his fist in the air) he cried, “Our children are so popular! They will make us so proud Saotome!!” Genma followed suit and, with tears flowing down his cheeks, signed [You said it my friend!] (Unfortunately for Soun, he failed to notice the sliced onion roll out of Genma's hand, and Genma's foot rearranging the pieces on their Shogi board. (1)

 

Fortunately, for Ranma, they were both so teary eyed to notice him leaping over the compound wall into the ally between their house and their neighbors. (2) “Kami! Do those two ever do any work?!” he said; loud enough to vent his frustration but quiet enough to be drowned out by Soun's wailing. (This had increased since he had discovered that he was now loosing the game… horribly.)

 

Smoke had begun to curl up and out of the box. His eyes scanned the area, desperate for any help. `I'd even accept help from Kuno or Mousse,' he laughed inwardly. `But where would I find them?'

 

* * *

 

In front of the Tendo home, a white roped and trampled figure slowly began to pull itself up. Only to be run over once more; this time by an attractive blue haired girl on a bicycle. Mousse reached out towards the fleeting figure and moaned “Sam-poooooo!” before passing out once more.

 

* * *

 

Luck seemed to smile on Ranma as he noticed an old garbage can not 5 feet away. “Well, it's not the garbage disposal or the furnace, but I'll take it.” he thought aloud. As he reached out to remove the lid a loud tomboyish voice drifted in on the wind from not far enough for Ranma to have any comfort, “RANMA! Where are you!?”

 

“Oh crap… Akane! He gasped, dropping the boxes and bounding away to intercept her.

 

The box dropped heavily onto the lid of the unopened garbage can and banged around angrily for a few minutes more before it resumed smoking once again.

 

5 minutes later…

 

“Of course I ate the lunch you made me Akane. Uh… it was great.” Ranma lied, forcing a laugh as a large sweat-drop ran down the back of his head.

 

“Really!” Akane exclaimed, her eyes shining with happiness. “It was a new recipe I just learned in cooking class. Oh, I hope the dumplings weren't overdone.” She sighed suddenly.

 

“Nope!” Ranma stated, feeling more confident, “They were just right.” He said with a smile.

 

“That's great!” Akane smiled, a large vein popping out of her forehead. (a fact that Ranma had not failed to notice)

 

“Oh-no…”

 

Suddenly the sky turned as black as ink, the very foundations of the earth began to tremble and crack, all water in Nerima became like blood as the fires of hell seemed to engulf the ground around the helpless Ranma Saotome. Akane reached across time and space and withdrew her Mallet of Doom. Pulling it into this reality she swung it with all her might and connected with the bottom of Ranma's chin with enough force to send him rocketing off toward the horizon, Akane's voice trailing behind him. (3)

 

“It was CURRY! You JERK!!! ”

 

 

 

 

Later that night…

 

 

`I have seen it with my own eyes. Watched it happen on more than one occasion. And I still can't believe it!' Ranma's mind screamed as he stroked the large sore lump on his chin. `If something is dead when you cook it, has had no real life otherwise, and is scientifically beyond all possibility of sentient existence, then how can Akane's cooking keep attacking people… How can she keep cooking that poorly! Shouldn't she have realized that she was doing somethingwrong after the Military said they couldn't withstand any more losses and wouldn't answer our calls anymore?!'

 

Ranma's place at the dinner table was to the right of his father, with their backs to the garden. Akane and her older sister Nabiki sat across from them. Soun sat at his usual position at the head of the table; silently lying to himself that he had some kind of control of the goings on in his own home. Kasumi, his eldest daughter, sat opposite him, serving and refilling dishes like a machine as she had hundreds of nights before. Outside and unusually hard rain storm beat down on the roof; the harsh sound only adding to the tension. Ranma and his father had once again found themselves in a battle over food. Years of Martial arts training had (once again) culminated in a battle over the last egg roll.

 

“You should honor you father Ranma!” Genma sneered, giving a hard tug on the unfortunate roll. “Things would be so much easier for you if you did. Why, by now you'd have a wife of your own to cook you all your meals. That way, you wouldn't have to steal mine!” Suddenly Genma twisted to his side trying to wrench it out of his son's grasp. Ranma followed the movement and added a jerk of his own, sending Genma sprawling onto his back, then flipped over onto his fathers chest; holding aloft the newly liberated egg roll in victory, and in clear view of his father.

 

“If I honored you half as much as you want I'd have been married nearly 50 times by now and you'd still steal all my food!”

 

Ranma savored the moment of victory over his father as long as it took him to remember that there was food to be eaten. Still sitting on his father, he brought the

egg-roll to his lips when…

 

“I meant to ask you son, `How was the lunch Akane made fore you today?' I bet it was delicious.” Genma said in a smoothly sincere tone.

 

“Are you CRAZY, Old Man?” Ranma said, completely shocked. (forgetting about the egg roll and the rooms current occupants) “You know as well as I do what she considers to be boiled water could be used as a lethal injection!”

 

The television suddenly abdicated its usual resting place in the corner of the room and was now in the hands of the extremely angry Akane Tendo. All color drained from Ranma's face as he realized what he had done. He turned to her, searching frantically for the words that would calm her down and avert his impending inspection of the inner workings of the Sony Viewmaster she held. All he could muster was, “I… um… it's not…”

 

“DRY UP AND DIE!!! ” Akane screamed.

 

She heaved the television as hard as she could. It shot across the table and connected with Ranma squarely in the chest, carried him through the thin paper wall and into the garden Koi pond. (4) The shallow pond cushioned his landing only very little and the weight of the television drove the air from her lungs. Ranma slowly stood up from the water, her clothes soggy and almost falling off. The pounding rain added another insult to the ever expanding pile as the sharp droplets stung her face. “I'm going to my room!” Akane yelled and stomped off.

 

Ranma could only stand and glare at his father, her eyes burning with hatred as Genma licked his fingers; consuming the last traces of the coveted side dish that Ranma had dropped when the television hit him. “Well, Ranma, you are half girl, after all. Maybe you should learn to cook for yourself. Or better yet, learn to cook for a MAN! Because you'll never inherit our school if you're this weak!”

 

Ranma was fully prepared to kill his father when the sound of a wrecking ball hitting concrete shook the house. “There's one now!” Genma exclaimed, “Have a good life!” Ranma jerked forward, intending to tear his father's stomach out, but stopped herself. She had learned everything she knew from her father, so Genma knew all of Ranma's weaknesses. Somehow, he always had some obscure trick up his sleeve that he would use to beat her. Ranma's enemies, however, almost never learned. So mostly, they were helpless. And the prospect of absolute victory was much more appealing. `Ryoga's challenge letter stated that he would arrive tomorrow, that means he's probably in New York, someplace. And no way could a duck bust down a wall.(5) That left Tatewaki Kuno. She enjoyed pounding on Kuno more than anyone else. So, for once, there was no one else Ranma could be happier to see. But she still had to have the last word, “This ain't over old man.!”

 

* * *

 

Ryoga froze as he was tending to his injured arm. `Was that Ranma's voice? All the way out here?' his mind shot out. Ryoga looked up and finally realized what he had done to the wall. `I can't pay for that!!!' his mind screamed. Knowing that he couldn't win with all the rain, Ryoga did the only thing he could think of. He hid…

 

In the trashcan itself, to be precise.

 

 

So there he sat, in an alleyway, in the rain with a trashcan full of rancid food, used bandages and Nabiki's failed attempts at counterfeiting (quite literally) pulled down over his head. `I can stay here until the rain stops, then get out and go see… *sniff* *sniff* then get out and go to a public baths, then go see my beloved Akane”

 

* * *

 

She nearly tripped on a fish as she trudged out of the pond, and around the house toward the freshly made hole. “Kuno?” Ranma cooed, hoping to lure him out quickly. Five seconds passed, then 15. After 30 she tried again, a little more forcefully. “Kuno?!” Ranma poked her head though the hole and looked around. `Could Kuno actually understand the concept of a sneak attack?' She scanned the alleyway and suddenly spotted the overturned trashcan.

 

`OH-NO! Akane's lunch!'

 

For the second time that day, Ranma feared for her life. Slowly she brought her defense up and began to retreat back through the hole. `Maybe the military will come just his once…”

 

*BANG*

 

Ranma whirled towards the sound, shredding the trashcan with a frantic flurry of blows. Her heart pounded a counter-rhythm to the sound of the fragments of metal clattering off the walls of the ally. “What the hell!” she gasped between breaths. Jagged shards now coated the alleyway. Her senses were running on overdrive as she struggled to spot the dreaded box lunch. Something shot passed the corner of her eye, near the ground, then again off the wall behind her.

 

`Wait for it… wait for it…' she thought to herself, hands shaking almost violently. `NOW!' Ranma struck with almost no thought. The back of her hand connected the blur, sending it flying into the opposite wall. It stuck for a moment, then fell to the ground with a plop. “Is that all you got!” She yelled. “I thought Akane's curry would have more kick!” The object slowly picked itself up, glared at her with intense hatred, and screamed…

 

“BWWWEEEEEEEEE!!!”

 

Ranma blinked, “Ryoga.”

 

* * *

 

Akane wrote furiously into her diary, her eyes squeezed shut and her pen strokes not so much writing words as tearing the pages apart. `That ungrateful, insensitive, womanizing, egotistical, self-absorbed, uncaring, son-of-a-cheapskate, asshole!' she screamed to herself. `I was just trying to be nice to him, and he didn't even look at the food! This is the last time! Tomorrow I'm telling my dad to get rid of them both! I…” Akane heard a loud scraping noise and opened her eyes. A large hole gaped open in the middle of her diary.

 

“Oops.”

 

Akane pushed herself away from the desk, stood up, and stretched her arms out over her head. The cold air drifting in through her partially opened window sent a chill through her body. “Maybe a bath will calm my nerves.”

 

* * *

 

The hot water cascaded out of the faucet, filling the blue-tile lined bath. Steam rose from the rippling surface as she reached out and stopped the flow of water. “I can't believe you found your way here P-chan. Long time, no see…” The tiny black piglet kicked and squirmed in her grasp, scratching and biting wildly. “Now is that any way to greet your old friend.” She extended her leg and stepped into the water. The figure grew a foot in height as vibrant red hair turned grease black, bright blue eyes tuned dark brown and flawless curves curled into well toned muscles. “I thought you'd be at least another week or so.” Ranma said while tossing him at the wall. P-chan bounced off like a tennis ball and caught the end of a scrub brush as he dropped into a small bucket. The brush acted as a catapult on the rim of the bucket and launched a bar of soap across the room and into a loosely closed container of mineral bath. As P-chan sat in the bucket, stuck and upside-down, the container rocked back and forth precariously before falling forward and dumping its contents into the bath; thickly clouding the water.

 

Ranma swirled the water with his hand (having had previous bad experiences with stuff added to the water), `Nothing weird happening… Oh well, Kasumi is always talking about how great this stuff is, so it must not be so bad.' Slowly he sank into the water.

 

* * *

 

Akane walked down the stairs wrapped in her favorite robe, carrying a towel. She met Kasumi half way down, and stepped aside to let her pass. “Enjoy your bath Akane” she said with her blissful smile. “Thanks.” She replied sweetly, and continued toward the bathroom.

 

Hot steam and the scent of lavender caressed her face as she slid open the door that separated the toilet area from the bathtub and shower. She looked down at the steaming, cloudy water. `I guess Kasumi read my mind. I really should thank her more often.' she thought as she set down her towel, shed her robe and stepped into the water.

 

A black, shaggy object floated atop the water. `What the heck is that? Is it a rag or something?' She reached down and grabbed it, roughly attempting to yank it from the water. It came up surprisingly easily, followed by an equally surprised Ranma.

 

 

For a time, they just sat there; eyes locked on another. This was the first time that they were this close and unclothed. The sudden shock of it all had caused their normal reactions of hostility to be lost in a flood of confusion and latent hormones. For the first time they just stared, each admiring the other.

 

Ranma was the first to come to. “Akane… uh… what are you doing in… um… my bath?”

 

Long ago, Akane's brain had learned to go straight from “Non-functional” to “Super P.M.S. class Irrationality”. `How can he be this DEPRAVED!?'

 

“You PERVERT!”

 

Her scream shook the house as her hand became a blur, Ranma's face its target.

 

*crack*

 

Akane froze, once again in shock. Situations like this had happened countless times before in innumerable different forms. With one major difference, this time he had caught her hand.

 

“Stop it.”

 

His voice wasn't loud, but commanding nonetheless; and completely uncharacteristic. His eyes were cold and completely devoid of their usual cocky fire; it was as if the crack hadn't been the sound of Ranma catching her hand, but the breaking of some facet of Ranma's mind. “You never listen, you never think. This isn't the first time this has happened Akane, so don't act so surprised. This hasn't been a good day and I won't do this anymore.”

 

“R-Ranma?”

 

“Akane, your food tried to kill me. It always tries to kill me; whether I eat it or not.”

 

It was at this moment P-chan managed to free himself from the bucket and was now deeply involved in his own system reboot. And all he could do now was stare in shock as the impossible, it seemed, was coming true.

 

“I know you mean well, but that only accounts for so much.” Whatever had snapped inside him seemed to quickly turning into powder. ”I drew this bath for myself, why you just climbed in is beyond me. Yes, you are surprised, but you have no right to slap me. Okay.”

 

Either from the hot water, the closeness, or the shocking dialogue, Akane had broken out in a bright red blush. “I - but -your… your right.” She managed to say. “Why… Why haven't you said anything before?”

Ranma shook his head, “I never had a chance; you never really gave me one.” He gave a heavy sigh. “I'll leave if… you want.”

 

“Ye - no… I should leave… I guess.”

 

Ranma turned his head and let go of her wrist. Akane turned and stepped out of the tub. No sooner had her foot touched the floor when Ranma's next sentence froze her very blood.

 

“You can stay… if you want.”

 

Akane turned back to look at him, now Ranma was the one blushing as he watched her out of the corner of his eye.

 

“Ran - ma.”

 

She slowly turned back and took his hand.

 

“A-ka-ne.”

 

Slowly they moved closer, their faces now inches apart.

 

“NOOOOOO!!!” P-chan's mind screamed in immeasurable pain. He ran blindly through the sliding paper doors, down the hall, crashed through the kitchen like an errant cannonball, and slammed into Kasumi's teapot. The hot water seared his flesh while it changed him back to a human. The pain registered as less than nothing next to the feeling of his heart as it was torn to shreds. The back door flew off its hinges as he burst through it, not noticing or caring that the rain had stopped. Running blindly across the yard, Ryoga shot through the hole in the wall and turned randomly. Luck smiled upon him mockingly and turned him in the direction of his belongings. Grabbing his clothes and bag without slowing, he ran crying into the night; cursing whatever god had watched over him all these years.

 

 

 

Author notes:

 

1. Shogi - the Japanese version of chess.

 

2. Kami - Japanese name for the god of the earth.

 

3. The Mallet of Doom - Akane's ultimate attack.

 

4. Koi - a type of fish kept in traditional Japanese gardens.

 

5. When splashed with cold water, Mousse becomes a Duck.