Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ The Nightmare Saga: Warrior of Shadows ❯ Settling The Score! The End of the Eternal Grudge Match! ( Chapter 4 )

Chapter Four: Settling The Score! The End of a Carefree Grudge Match!

It had been a long, long day to say the least. Ranma had made it through the rest of his classes peacefully but his heart still ached painfully when Akane wouldn't talk to him as the day progressed. She was completely ignoring him. No, it was even worse, she wouldn't even acknowledge his existence! He struggled to keep his feelings to himself and tried not to show how much she had hurt him. He didn't have the right to let her know because he knew that no matter how much he hurt inside, her pain was at least a million times greater. Grudgingly, he realized that while she didn't help matters, oftentimes their fights were because of his doing, and as such, he had no one to blame but himself.

Of course, that didn't dismiss the fact that her reaction to what he had said this morning was making him angry and frustrated as well. Half angry at himself and half angry at her, it boiled up inside of him until he wanted to scream. It took a lot to make him sincerely want to apologize and when he finally worked up the will to do so only to have her ignore him completely, it pissed him off to no end.

At lunch time, she went off to eat with her friends so Ranma found Ukyo and decided to hang out with her instead. His other fiancée' was simply overjoyed and cooked Ranma a special Okinomiyaki pizza with a heart made of sauce on her portable grill to mark the occasion. He had always been friendly towards her, considering the successful business girl to be one of his closest… and only friends. But for him to actually initiate a chance for them to spend some time together shocked and thrilled her considerably.

She tried to make small talk, but Ranma was clearly in a bad mood and didn't give anything beyond one word answers to anything she said or asked. He didn't even eat all of his lunch and that was particularly unusual considering his bottomless pit he had for a stomach. She was a little mad but couldn't find it in her heart to truly blame him. She knew how hard his life was. The fact that Akane didn't do anything to help him out made her quite cross indeed.

{If I was forced to be engaged to someone I didn't like and got attacked everyday by headstrong jackasses, I'd be cranky too.} Smiling slightly at her depressed fiancé, she took a nibble of her food. "Cheer up, Ran-chan. It's too beautiful a day to be so down in the dumps." She smiled cutely.

"I'm fine."

"Mmm hmm." She understood the situation all too well. What Ranma needed for the moment was a friend and that was how she would make herself indispensable to him. When the time was right, she'd make her move and replace Akane, completely bringing Ranma the happiness he had previously gone without. He never got time to just relax in that crazy household and she was starting to worry it would affect him.

When the final bell rang signaling the end of lunch she gave Ranma a small peck on the cheek and winked cheerfully. "I'll see you later, Ran-chan." She took off for the school door, white bow bobbing in her hair.

The rest of the day passed by at an agonizingly slow pace for the distressed boy. When school finally did end, he left quickly, walking home far ahead of Akane to insure that he wouldn't get into another fight with her. That was the last thing he wanted to put up with. Inside, he felt close to snapping and that wasn't a good sign. Two years of this constant fighting was starting to wear him down. Somewhere, in the back of his mind, he desperately wanted a change of pace, a little bit of piece and quiet.

He needed to work off some steam.

Reaching the house, he grabbed a bag of potato chips from the kitchen, stuffed them down, then went out into the backyard to work off his frustrations for a bit. Taking off his shirt and folding it up neatly, he placed it on one of the larger rocks bordering the pond. Clad in his white tank top undershirt, and elastic pants he stretched out his muscles in a series of exercises. A Koi jumped gracefully into the air then dove back into the watery depths, catching Ranma's attention. He watched the fish swim around in the pond for a moment, allowing his mind to clear and relax before he continued.

{Must be easy being a fish…} Warming up his muscles, Ranma began his relished daily workout with basic kicks and punches, going through different forms and stances. Gradually, he increased the complexity, strength, and speed of his attacks, adding a strong mixture of Kempo to his training for flavor. Soon, his moves were cutting through the air with grace and his body glistened with sweat. The minutes passed by...

{This is the way it should be,} he thought to himself, smiling for the first time that day. {Life should be this simple all of the time.}

Suddenly, a blur jumped in front of him, and he recoiled, crying out in surprise. He jumped back instinctively and fell into a firm defensive posture. Things just never stopped happening in the Nerima district, and whenever he let his guard down, things came back to haunt him every time! His face hardened as more bad news reentered his life. A part of him was completely shocked, and it fought against the feeling of annoyance for supremacy in his brain. He had thought his last solution would have kept the boy away for a great deal of time longer than it had. There was no feasible way he could have returned from another continent so damn quickly!

And yet he had. For someone with such bad luck, circumstances sometimes ended up working in his favor that foiled Ranma and left him dumbstruck dumbstruck.

He gazed at this new threat with distain. {Why can't my enemies give me a break once in a while?! I thought for sure it would have taken him years to get back! Why is it even with a sense of direction as bad as his, he always manages to find his way back here every time?}

His sour mood returned and he made no attempt to hide it. "Ryoga, what the hell are you doing back so soon?"

Ryoga Hibiki just glared with naked hatred, his teeth clenched tightly together in a fierce snarl. His fangs glistened in the late afternoon sun, helping his face to look even more sinister. His clothes were filthy and torn and his face was smudged brown with dirt and grime. Both of these were signs that he had traveled a long way for a very long time. He dropped his enormous, grass-stained backpack to the ground with an audible thud then took up battle stance with umbrella in hand. Rage induced energy flowed off him like water over a cliff. He growled in barely controlled anger, the air around him going nova as his battle aura burst into existence around him.

He was definitely not a happy camper.

"Rrrrrrraaaaaaannnnnnmmmmmmmmaaaaaaa," He growled. His voice held a firm note of venom that was outdone only by the fiery hatred that shone in his dark eyes. "How dare you turn me into a pig and mail me to Siberia! Do you have any idea how cold it gets this time of year!??!?"

Ranma crossed his arms and gave Ryoga a bored expression knowing full well that it was a sure fire way to really piss him off. "It's your own fault, P-chan. I warned you not to sleep in Akane's room anymore, didn't I? It's indecent and besides, your misleading her and violating her trust."

Ryoga took a menacing step forward. "Don't call me that!!! What I do is none of your business, Ranma! I don't need to be lectured by a pervert who does things of a similar nature a hundred times more often than I do. Besides, who's fault was it that I got my pig curse in the first place! I didn't fall in that spring, I was kicked in! And it was you who launched that kick! Your are to blame for my curse and you have the gall to mock me?!"

"Are you still going on about your curse?! Jeeze…. Ryoga, that was over two years ago! At least you stay male when you change! At least you don't have guys chasing you around and beggin' for dates. At least you don't have perverts and school boys fondling your chest! You're the lucky one!"

Ryoga's eyes widened in mock shock. He absolutely couldn't believe what he was hearing. Ranma had more nerve than he had previously thought! "Lucky? Lucky!? Everywhere I go, people try to catch and eat me for dinner or sell me to the meat merchants and you dare to call me lucky to my face?! At least you stay human when you change! At least your life is never in danger when you travel abroad! My trip home was pure hell, and I was sure I would never make it back in one piece!"

"Well, believe me, I was hoping the very same thing Ryo-"

Ranma began to retort but Ryoga cut him off with an upraised hand. When he spoke again, his voice was softer than before, and full of confidence. There was something to his tone, a tone that promised Ranma a painful defeat. As he looked Ryoga over again, Ranma was startled to realize that the boy seemed different than he had before. Something had happened to the Lost Boy on his long trek home and it certainly wouldn't bode well for him.

"At least your life is never in danger... when I'm not around that is. Heh, I've been training while I was gone, Ranma! I used the harsh climate you provided me to my advantage. I'm not the same pushover you knew and taunted. I've come back to beat the ever-living hell out of you once and for all. Then, and only then, will I take Akane from you. Maybe then you'll feel a small sample of the pain and misery you've caused me to feel for over two years! Two years of hell! Ranma, you're going to experience it first hand! Come on, lets fight!!!"

"Training, eh?" Ranma grinned with confidence and cracked his knuckles. "Ok, Ryoga, let's see what you got! That last time you left on a training trip, you got lost and came back with the Shishi Hoko-Dan technique and you must remember how that turned out for you! You aint' gonna win! You'll only succeed in embarrassin' yourself over and over again!"

Ryoga's face turned to anger again and his body tensed up. Ranma felt a second burst of power radiate from his enemy and he almost recoiled in self defense. {Where the hell did this power come from!? There's no end to it! It's like looking into a dark well or something' and not seeing the bottom!}

"I trained harder then ever, Ranma. My only goal is to destroy you once and for all! That is the only goal left in my existence." Ryoga charged forward, swinging his umbrella skillfully with one hand. Ranma casually flipped over the Lost Boy's body, using his head as a springboard. More insulted than injured, Ryoga spun around and thrust his weapon forward in an attack that could shatter a man's ribs with ease. Ranma sidestepped swiftly and easily kicked the umbrella out of his hands.

"Actually, as far as I know, that's the only goal you've ever had," Ranma retorted.

Before he could summon a cocky grin to match his comment however, Ryoga moved forward with lightning speed and buried his fist deep into Ranma's stomach. The blow sent a massive shockwave screaming out in all directions, rattling the windows on houses several blocks away. Ranma stumbled backwards, clutching his sides. His eye's widened in surprise as pain rushed out across his torso. Lucky punch or no, he hadn't been hit by something that hard since Saffron!

{He's gotten faster!} Ranma blocked two more punches with his forearms. {Stronger too! I guess I have to get a bit more serious.} He shot his foot out and swept Ryoga's legs out from under him. Ryoga performed a graceful midair flip, landed on his hands in a modified headstand, then flipped again to his feet. It suddenly dawned on Ranma that this wasn't just another grudge match. Ryoga would grapple and wear him down until he won, or preferably, killed his enemy. He was too determined and stubborn to do anything else. He must have really been put over the edge with the Siberia incident. Still, it was these life and death incidents that made being a martial artists a pleasure and a challenge! Ranma allowed himself a slight smile despite the circumstance, and completely submerged himself within the threshold of battle.

He back-flipped to give himself more room. Ryoga was out for keeps and if he got his hands around his neck, Ranma knew he wouldn't hesitate to crush it. Ryoga was a like a time bomb, set to explode with deadly results. He had to keep his rival off balance and confused if he was to win. As long as he kept moving, he could bring his incredible speed to play and pummel the Lost Boy to submission.

Ranma's foot caught Ryoga in the chest and staggered him backwards as Ryoga attempted to advance. However, Ryoga managed to remain standing by throwing his body weight forward at the last second. He skillfully faked to the left then slipped inside Ranma's defenses and delivered a nasty head-butt that also sent Ranma skidding backwards across the grass. Growling, Ryoga raised his fist and charged forward again.

Ranma's eye's glazed over in pain and annoyance. "You've gotten better, P-chan, but you're still no match for me! Kachu Tenshine Amiguriken!!"

Amazingly, Ryoga blocked or avoided most of the rapid fire punches that Ranma threw his way. Enough got through, however, and massive damage started to take a giant toll on his body. Ranma's fists connected successfully on Ryoga's chest and stomach over and over again, forming bruises instantly and knocking the wind from his lungs. Ryoga hunched over in pain, trying unsuccessfully to breathe. For a moment, pain was all that his world was made of. It was this pain that gave him further strength, for from pain he found rage, and rage was his greatest ally. He stood up straight, and squared his shoulders, even though doing so took all the willpower he had.

"Had enough yet, porker?" Ranma shifted to a different position.

Ryoga's face twisted savagely. "You... haven't... beaten.... me.... yet!" He dove forward and thrust his pointer finger into the soft earth, triggering an explosion that blew Ranma clear off his feet as the ground under him exploded violently. He jumped to his feet seconds later, rubbing his sore rear.

"Look's like you finally found a practical use for that stupid attack. Remind me to go on a trainin' trip to Siberia sometime soon." He slid in close to Ryoga and kicked him square in the jaw with a horizontal kick that could only be preformed accurately after years of training. The impact threw Ryoga into the large stone wall at the opposite end of the yard. It took the embarrassed boy several long seconds to pull his head free from the structure. As he broke free, rock rubble broke around him, but he waded through, still very ready to fight.

"Give up, P-chan!" Ranma yelled out the insult more from exasperation than from actual cockiness. He slipped around to Ryoga's left side and pummeled his face and neck with punches. A particularly hard blow knocked Ryoga to the ground and he tasted dirt as his forehead cracked against the soil.

"Give up," Ranma said again.

Ryoga stood up, slower this time, rubbing a trickle of saliva from his chin. It dawned on Ranma that perhaps Ryoga truly did possessed the strength and determination to keep fighting through blows that had ended past fights much sooner. {This is impossible! Ryoga may be strong, but getting knocked head first at full power into a stone wall should have been more than enough to faze even him!}

"Damn it, Ranma, don't call me P-chan! I'm a human! I am Ryoga, not a damn pig!" He bared his fangs savagely and lunged at Ranma again, aiming for his throat. Unfortunately, this was exactly what Ranma had hoped he would do. The odds remained his favor since Ryoga's own momentum could easily be used against him.

"Gotcha!" Ranma tapped into his strongly confident spirit and summoned forth a great reserve of energy. Bright power began to swirl in his hands, swirling around his fingertips like a brilliant nova. With one move he would end the fight and prove to Ryoga yet again that he was still a second rate martial artist! "Moko Takabisha!"

Ryoga miraculously dove to the side at the last second as the energy beam crackled and flew through the area he had just been standing in. He gave a horrified shudder as his shoulder hit the hard ground. If that had managed to hit him, he would have been in serious trouble! The yellow blast flew past him and hit a section of the wall, cutting through it with ease. It exploded right after that, scattering shards of stone throughout the yard.

He fell into a side roll and ended up in a crouch, setting his teeth. That had been too close for comfort! He saw Ranma weakly try and catch his breath after expending so much potent energy and with a burst of determination, he took advantage of his foe's open defenses by running forward and delivering a strong uppercut to his jaw.

The next thing Ranma saw was the ground as it rushed to meet him. "You are really starting to make me mad, Ryoga!" He spit grass from his mouth, glaring upwards.

"I've never been scared of you, Ranma!"

"Feh. Another mistake."

"You won't bully me around or manipulate my feelings against me ever again! This dark energy in my soul was the salvation I sought! This is the anger you've caused me to feel for so very long!" He thumped his chest, looking the worse for wear but just as determined as before.

"Whatever." Ranma climbed to his feet and rushed at Ryoga. The two clashed, both scoring hits when the other left himself open. The intensity of the punches shook the dojo's very walls. Strikes and kicks met fierce resistance as the fury of the battle consumed them both. When they finally broke apart from one another and gazed at each other's bleeding, bruised bodies, both realized neither of them was gaining a true advantage in the fight. Things were getting far too serious. If the matter wasn't resolved quickly, one of them was going to end up seriously hurt... or worse!

Ranma knew what he had to do. He jumped over Ryoga and landed in the Koi pond, allowing the cold water to activate the curse. Climbing out, she smirked with an air of confidence she hadn't shown before. Behind her, the braided pigtail danced back and forth like a snake, as if sharing her feelings. "Come on and fight, Ryoga!"

Ryoga hissed. "Gladly! Today is the day my thirst for vengeance is quenched! Die!" He charge forward, screaming like a banshee. Ranma couldn't have asked for more from her overeager opponent. He was so predictable!

{Poor sucker! He won't know what was happening until it's too late!} She stood perfectly still, grinning widely with outstretched arms as if inviting destruction.

Ryoga continued charging with the power of a Rhino.

{Almost...} Ranma's face turned to one of determination. It took a lot of guts to stand in the path of a charging muscle house, expert fighter or no! She had to time it just right or the move would fail utterly. If she didn't catch Ryoga in time, or if she did it too soon, she would surely lose the initiative.

Ryoga kept coming.

{Almost there...}

Lost in his rage, the Lost Boy quickly closed up the distance between the two of them, pivoting to place himself in a better angle to strike at her. If he held even the smallest inkling as too what his fate would be, he showed no fear.

{Almost there...}

Ryoga jumped in front of her, roaring loudly as his fist rose high over his head, knuckles pointing down. He was prepared to cleave her skull in without the slightest bit of remorse. It was nearly enough to make Ranma shutter. None of their other fights had ever held so much ferocity and raw anger. It was a fight Ranma had hoped to never get caught up in. It was fights like these where someone usually lost their life. She had defeated many opponents and never taken a life in the process, she didn't intend to start now! Nor would she allow her own candle of life to be snuffed out.

{Now!!!} She pulled open her shirt, pulling the wooden clasps open with one good yank. This gave Ryoga a good view of her breasts which swayed teasingly due to the lack of a bra. She had no shame or feminine modesty, and this move had always worked before. It was a sure fire way to turn the fight back towards the direction she wanted it to go.

Ryoga's eyes popped out of their sockets and he jumped backwards at an impossibly fast rate, turning around and covering his nose as if to ward off a nose bleed. His rage and determination melted away in an instant and he was once again the shy vulnerable fool Ranma had always known. "Iyeeeeeeeee! Damn it, Ranma, that's not fair! You do this all the time!"

He spun away from her, blushing furiously, losing his remaining focus. It took all his willpower to keep from passing out there on the spot. {That would end the fight real quick…} he thought dryly. He fought to keep his emotions under control and hold fast to his anger and depression. It was difficult, especially because he was an incredibly shy person when it came to things like female nudity. Holding tightly to his resolve, he got himself back under his control and grasped onto his fleeting anger. He would need it to win the match.

Ranma snickered sinisterly as she buttoned up her shirt. Ryoga's back made for a great target. She kicked him square in the spine, sending him skidding forward several feet, kicking up dirt and grass as he slid. He spun around again and glared with naked hatred. "Ranma!!!"

Her grin stretched from ear to ear. "What's that about manipulating emotions, Ryog-"

He slammed his balled fist into Ranma's chin before she could even blink, jarring her teeth and snapping her head back. She lost her footing and stumbled backwards across the soft grass as stars flashed in front of her eyes. {How did he moved so fast!?}

Ryoga stuck to her, following in the wake of her backwards movement, launching his foot towards her head. Blocking with her forearm, she ducked under to his right flank and aimed for his kidney. He caught her fist in mid blow with a smirk on his face and flexed his hand, crushing down on her knuckles with his inhumanly apparent strength. Wincing, she brought her leg around and swept him off his feet, breaking his grip on her hand and back flipped away to safety.

Snarling, Ryoga flipped to his feet and dove within her defensive range again, looking for an opening in her defenses in which to land a fatal blow. "You can't win, Ranma!"

"This just makes you look all the more pathetic, you know that?" she goaded.

"Shut the hell up!"

Ranma smiled up at him, enraging him all the more. She could clearly feel the massive amount of anger induced energy he was placing into the air around them. He was almost begging her to use her final attack, and she would certainly oblige him. He'd faced off against the move before, seen how it was made. If he was so angry that he forgot to take measures to prevent her from using it then shame on him. {I gotta' finish this now! I can't keep holding him at bay! There aint no time to goof off anymore!}

Side-stepping rapidly, she danced around Ryoga's punches, setting up for her next attack. Like a soft breeze in spring, she gently released a stream of cool, composed energy into the air around her, drawing the unsuspecting Ryoga into a spiral pattern. Drawing him further, they danced around each other as blows were traded, Ryoga falling unwittingly into the shrinking spiral's center, the focal epicenter of her attack. She steadied her resolve and again summoned her Ki, tapping into Ryoga's radiating dark energy from the air around them. Her soft energy merged with his like a lovers embrace, intertwining. From the two sources of power was the born the energy she needed to defeat him once and for all!

Her eye's blazed. It was all or nothing! "Final Attack, Hiryu Shoten Ha!"

Ryoga's eyes glazed over in dread. "Oh, no!!!"

A blue dragon shaped blast lanced out from her fist and struck Ryoga's body dead on, forming a giant hurricane around them. With tremendous power, it sucked the Lost Boy's screaming body up into it's center like dust into a vacuum cleaner. Unfortunately, Ranma didn't use her max power for fear of further damaging the house and earning a serious reprimand from Soun. It proved to be enough though. Ryoga's agonized scream's sounded loudly in her ears and she allowed herself a weak smile. There was no way he could keep fighting now!

The spiral rose upward, rumbling with nature's fury as its ultimate power was unleashed. The rate of it's winds, gave testament to how potent Ranma's power really was. It greedily sucked Ryoga up into the very center of itself, to the point where the convection of energy was the strongest. There, it proceeded to batter and bruise it's prey, and would continue doing so until it's quantity of energy ran dry.

Ryoga found the existence of a new level of pain as his body unwillingly took smashing blows from the intense winds. He felt his very mind begin to go dark as the hurricane sapped up more and more of his strength, numbing his body. The energy crushed in on him from all directions at once and it's winds tore screams of pain from his lips. He knew he had to do something quick, before he was utterly defeated again. Depression and frustration burned through him like fire on wood.

"Not again, I wont lose again! Never again!!!" His eye's glazed over in silent fury as a small pinprick of energy materialized into his hands. It took all his will and conecetration to build the attack and forget his pain but it soon paid off. The pinprick grew into a dark blue ball of energy and swelled into roughly the size of a beach ball. Inside his soul, he focused all of his sadness, all of his depression, but most of all, his hate for the damn boy far below. Energy began coursing through his body and into his hands where it fed the massive, increasing energy ball. It grew yet again, lapping up almost all of his remaining energy and expanding to three times it's former size.

"I won't let you win!!! I can't lose again!!!!! Shishi Hoko-Dan!!!!!"

With a tremendous howl that overpowered even the piercing winds themselves, he pointed his spread hands straight at Ranma's chest and fired, pushing out with his will. The ball hurled downward, defying the winds pushing upwards with hellish might. It launched towards Ranma with the full energized force of his dark, nightmarish power. It made the one he had used against the monkey/man on Toma's island look like a firecracker in comparison.

The coursing ball of dark energy even cut through the intense power of the Hiryu Shoten Ha, forcing itself through the nearly impenetrable wall of wind and energy. Facing no further obstacles, it struck Ranma dead on before she could even think to block, blasting her body backwards. The sheer momentum of the energy used against her crushed her painfully into the ground, splintering the rock around her form. The energy forced itself into her body, setting off every nerve ending with unbearable pain. Blue lightning waves played across her skin, burning her and paralyzing her nervous system.

{It can't end like this!} Struggling to her feet, a second round of pain faltered her resolve and, screaming loudly, she fell face first into the ground hard enough to bruise her nose and bring tears to her eyes. Her features expressed the sheer agony she felt as her body twitched uncontrollably.

Above, the powerful twister died down as it's energy reserves depleted. No longer being suspended in midair, Ryoga fell to earth, hitting the ground on his back, forming a large impact crater that drew the breath painfully from his lungs. After releasing so much raw power he hadn't the strength needed to land gently on his feet. Ranma took grim satisfaction in seeing that he was as badly beaten up from the fall as she was from his attack. Even after that, they had both come out nearly even. It was remarkable and she couldn't help but be impressed, though she hardly dared to admit it, even to herself.

The two rose almost at the same time, both wincing from various wounds and bruises and trembling with exertion. Neither had finished off the other and while both combatants were surprised the fight had lasted this long, neither was ready to quit. If there was one thing the two truly had in common, it was an unshakable sense of pride.

"Man, you're stubborn," Ranma spat, clutching her ribs.

"Look who's talking!" Ryoga shot back through clenched teeth. One of his eye's refused to open. Looking at him, Ranma deducted that it was because of a small bruise that was quickly swelled to life over the eye socket. In truth, it wouldn't last long, but it hurt like hell. It throbbed painfully through Ryoga's skull, sending jolts slamming through his brain. His one good eye gazed at her, scanning for a weakness he could exploit. They stared at one another as if for the first time, both breathing heavily and evaluating their many wounds.

The two wearily resumed combat positions. Ryoga charged again, striking repeatedly at Ranma as she dashed away, dodging and blocking the fastest moves he had like a nimble rabbit.

"Stop running!" He cried.

She gave him a disgusted look, turning to look at him as her body danced gracefully, ignoring the pain he had inflicted upon her. "Ryoga, don't you ever get tired of doing this all the time? You can't beat me, you should know that after losing so many times. No matter what, you will always fail!"

Ryoga's mood darkened even further and his lips pulled up into a feral snarl. He lunged at her with murder written in his eyes. "Just shut up and fight me!"

Ranma grinned and twisted off to one side to let Ryoga fly past her. His trajectory took him straight into the small Koi pond and he could do nothing but curse his ill fortune and flail his arms in a futile effort to keep his balance. As his body submerged into the cold, shallow depths, water erupted in every direction. A moment later, P-chan flew out at Ranma, squealing angrily.

Laughing, Ranma knocked the flying pig to the ground and put her foot on top of the little runt to hold him in place. "Enjoy the bath, bacon breath?"

A frying pan seemed to fly from out of nowhere, hitting Ranma squarely in the head and knocking her senseless. "Ranma, how many times do I have to tell you not to pick on my poor little P-chan!" Akane bellowed from within the house.

The fight was over.

It was funny, Ranma recalled as her head hit the ground. No matter how things changed, no matter how strong either of them got, or what new attacks they developed, her fights with Ryoga always seemed to end the same way. Some things, it seemed, would never change.

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Akane sat outside by the screen door while holding a very content black piglet to her chest. The nerve of that jerk! She had just come home from shopping and had been in a very good mood for the first time all day. Of course, seeing Ranma attack her pet was more than enough to get her in a screaming riot all over again.

This time however, she actually listened to half of his account on the fight with Ryoga before she blew up in his face. That was something at least…

"Ranma, how many times do I have to tell you, don't fight with good-hearted Ryoga!" She looked at him with irritation. "First you fight with my friend, then you start bullying my little P-chan. When Ryoga comes back from his trip, I want you to apologize for your actions! This little vendetta you have with each other has gone on long enough!"

Ranma rubbed hiser side and winced in silent pain as she over turned a kettle of water upon her head, reversing the curse. A particularly large bruise had appeared on his hip as a memento of one of Ryoga's powerful punches and made itself present via each painful throb. He made a mental note to pay his rival back in kind. "I've already told you, it was Ryoga who started this whole mess! Blame him not me!"

Ryoga glared at Ranma from the safety of Akane's lap. Ranma returned the glare and suddenly felt the craving for bacon….

"Why should I blame him when it's your fault! It's always your fault! Honestly, you act like such a kid sometimes! You can't even express yourself in a positive way can you?! All you do is fight and make fun of people. I'm so sick of it!!!" Akane shouted a little louder then she meant to as the heat of the moment caught hold of her emotions. An apologetic look spread across her face but the damage had already been done.

"Fine, don't believe me! I guess in your mind, being my fiancée means turning against me and blaming me for other people's actions just because your jealous of all these girls that try to force themselves into my life, doesn't it?! If you hate me that much, cut this relationship off, it's not like I'd care anyways! And it certainly wouldn't be the first time you've done that either!" Ranma started up the stairs towards his room.

He stopped a for a second and turned to face her, flashing a hard, neutral expression. "So, I'm not a man because I can't express myself, huh?! Well guess what, I kinda' like you!!! Yeah, that's right! You and only you, since the first day I came to this stupid place! But what would a perverted jerk like me know about that stuff anyways, right!?" He turned and ran up to his room and slammed his door shut with exaggerated force.

Akane sighed as regret filtered into her body and tightened like a noose around her heart. She had gotten him really upset this time. It was the reverse situation to what had happened at breakfast. She had noticed the marks on his body and the pain in his eyes but had verbally attacked him anyways. She didn't mean to say the things she said! She absolutely hated hurting Ranma. The words just... came out before she could think about what she was saying.

{Your so stupid Akane..} she sighed. {Stupid, stupid, stupid!}

Carrying P-chan up to her room, she laid down on her bed and started to cry. Silver tears dripped down her cheeks and loud sobs escaped from her mouth and into her pillow. Thing's had gone too far to be repaired this time, her worst fears had been realized. Ranma hated her and it was all her fault. She couldn't shift the blame this time.

{Ranma.... Oh, Ranma, why do we always fight? Don't you know how much I....} A new set of sobs took her by storm, shaking her frame. P-chan rubbed up against her hand, squealing in concern and doing his best to comfort her as an endless set of tears foretold of her grief.

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Akane eventually fell asleep on her bed, giving Ryoga a chance to slip away undetected. He wandered around on his little trotters for over an hour looking for the bathroom and after taking a dozen wrong turns, he stumbled on it by accident, squealing triumphantly. He walked to the tub, hopped in, then turned on the hot water nozzle with his snout. The water played over his body, instantly reversing the effects of his hated curse in the blink of an eye. He would have sighed with contentment if his heart hadn't been so heavy.

He stretched out in the tub, gathering his thoughts as the water soothed the muscles in his limbs. {Damn it! Even after all I did, all I suffered through, I still couldn't beat him! Why? Why!?} He sat dejectedly in the water, grimacing in shame and silent anguish.

{But that's not all I messed up on today. Because of me, Akane is sad. I've no doubt ruined her entire day! Damn it! Ranma, someday I'll pay you back for everything you've done! I must train even harder. I swear to heaven and hell, I will surpass you even if it kills me! I will break you, even if I have to spend a lifetime trying!}

He lay sprawled out for several more minutes and allowed the water to further ease his aching body. Reluctantly, he pulled the plug as the water started to cool, allowing the huge tub to drain itself dry. He quickly dried himself off with a spare towel then wrapped itself around his waist, shivering as the cool air touched his skin. With the stealth of a ninja, he tip-toed out into the hall after checking to make sure the coast was clear to retrieve his gear.

Luckily, Akane had lugged his bag up the stairs near her bedroom. He dashed to it, grabbed a spare of change clothes and dashed back into his zone of privacy. He changed quickly then walked out towards the stairs, lugging the pack over his shoulder. He only got lost once on the way there.

{I've got to go away for a while until things settle down. I'll go back into the mountains and train so that next time, I'll really beat Ranma and finally win Akane's affections!} He smiled at that thought. {Soon. Please be patient my love.}

He walked past Nabiki and handed her a small wad of bills. "You never saw me here."

Nabiki took the cash and stuffed it into her back pocket. "Saw who?" she asked, flashing a wolfish grin. Ryoga knew he was safe, with money as his weapon, Nabiki would be as docile and tame as a baby pup. He opened the back screen door and turned back to look in the direction of the stairs.

{Goodbye for now, my sweet Akane. I'll make this all up to you, someday.}

He shut the door and walked down Nerima's unending streets, losing himself amongst the crowds.