Permanent part 13: Ryoga returnsPermanent part 13: Ryoga returns. Akane flipped through the mail as she entered the home and sighed lazily. She had just returned from a long day at school and Ranma was following behind her, Ryoga sat in the living room waiting patiently for them to return. He immediately began to follow the red head around like a dog. Akane watched fascinated as the pair went from the room to the bath and then down to the kitchen. This continued for most of the day, whenever Ranma went anywhere in the home Ryoga followed, they even had their bath together. She had almost run into them when they emerged from the bathroom clad in towels and headed for Ranma's room. Neither of them spoke to each other while doing so and neither appeared to notice each other. Later that evening Nabiki snorted and sat down in front of the television and ignored the pair as they passed her on the way to the dojo. "What is the point of curing him if he's just gonna act like he did before anyway?" she said after they were out of earshot. Akane gasped, Nabiki was right. Ryoga was acting exactly like 'Mr.P' did when Ranma had first moved in, before he started to follow her around instead. "Maybe it's a habit?" said Akane after a moment of thought. "Do you think we should say something?" "Please Akane, that is more than a habit. I think he's got something to get off his chest the way he's following -her- around," said Nabiki calmly. "You think he's in love with her?" gasped Akane in shock. "Quite possibly," said Nabiki without looking away from the show. Ranma began his Kata in the dojo and Ryoga started his own on the other side of the room. "How long you gonna follow me around Mr.P?" she said idly as she kicked her leg out in a loose kick. "I'm not leaving until you find a cure for yourself," said Ryoga mechanically as he punched at his own invisible opponent. "Well if your gonna stay you might as well make yourself useful; c'mon, lets spar a little," Ranma stopped her exercise and faced him. "All right," said Ryoga with a sigh as he put his hands up. "I'm a little rusty..." he said and ducked under Ranma's kick. "You'll do all right, come on," said Ranma eagerly with a small grin forming. Ryoga straightened up and put his hands in front of his face. He charged at Ranma and swung missing her head by millimeters. He knew she was going easy on him, of course, but it still felt good to come so close. Ranma punched and kicked at Ryoga at speeds she knew he could dodge well, testing his abilities. The truth was, she had never really fought with him before. The thrill of a new opponent excited her, he was very good and with a few weeks practice he might become a decent sparing partner. He was far above Akane's level at any rate. Ryoga connected lightly with a punch at her mid section while she was in thought. Ranma steeled herself and frowned. She jumped over his head and kicked the back of his neck lightly letting him know the match was over. Ryoga sat down on the dojo floor still breathing pretty lightly and looked at her coolly. "I've got to practice, I shouldn't be so winded now," he muttered. "Good, now you'll have something to do while you wait for me to come home after school for a while," said Ranma as she sat down across from him. "I still haven't forgiven you for what you did to me you know," said Ryoga a little bitterly. "Then stop following me around until you get lost or some...thing...." Ranma trailed off as she looked at Ryoga closely. He shrank back uncomfortably from her gaze and swallowed. "You!" cried Ranma in shock. "I know you! Your the guy from my old middle school! Your -that- Ryoga?!" she said in amazement. "You mean...you didn't know?" he stammered in equal surprise. "I followed you to China after you ran out on our duel!" he cried in shocked anger. "Ryoga 'lost boy' Hibiki. Wow, who'd a thunk it? You were him all along Mr.P," she muttered half way ignoring him. "How dare you forget about me Ranma!" cried the boy angrily as he swung at Ranma again. The girl smirked and grabbed his head and arms in a complicated leg lock that brought him to the ground helpless. "I waited three days for you to show up. I figured -you- ran out on me, you cute little piggy," she said with a sweet girlish smile. "Don't you grin at me like that Saotome! I suffered to meet up with you! Do you think I was on a casual stroll for three days?" he growled angrily as he struggled to free himself from her grip. "So, you followed me to Jusenkyo?" asked Ranma with her face becoming sullen all of a sudden. It had turned an ashen gray. Ryoga stopped struggling and looked at her suddenly. "Yea," he muttered looking ashamed. "You knocked me off a cliff and into one of the springs when you were chasing your father; He managed to fish me out of the pond and brought me home to make dinner out of me after a couple of minutes. You know the rest of the story...." said the boy a little bitterly "I knocked you..." said Ranma looking dazed. "And then you saved my life, as far as I'm concerned we're even for that. You've saved my ass more times than I can even count since then, there is no way I can repay you," said Ryoga firmly. "I'm...sorry Mr.P," she said as she lay back on the floor of the dojo with a sad gaze on her face. "How many other problems have I caused? What else could I have missed in my macho brainless jock youth?" she thought to herself with a few bitter tears in her eyes. "Damn you old man, why did you have to raise me to be such an insensitive prick?" "Ranma?" said Ryoga quietly as he noticed her face. "Yea?" she said weakly. "Look I love you like a brother, your a part of my family now ya know," he said quietly. Ranma just looked at the ceiling and said nothing. "Could you please let me go now?" whispered Ryoga. "Why would she do that? You should be honored, I know boys who would give a million yen to be in your position Ryoga-kun," said Nabiki from the dojo doorway. Ranma sat bolt upright and looked at her in embarrassed shock. "It's not what..." she stammered. Ryoga just turned beet red and stared at her in surprise. "Relax guys, you two were making allot of noise that's all," she said with a smirk. "What's going on?" said Akane as she walked up behind her. She took a single glance at Ranma and Ryoga and blushed almost as badly as Ryoga did. She turned wordlessly and exited the room. "Akane!" called Ryoga as he flailed in the dazed Ranma's grip. "It's not what it..." Ranma was just dazed and finally let go of Ryoga's head and arms. The both of them looked over at Nabiki in unison. "Oh no, you two are on your own for this one I'm afraid. Unless you can some how come up with a million yen?" she said as she raised an eyebrow and looked at them greedily. "I didn't think so, Ja!" she chirped as she exited the room. The pair sat in the center of the Dojo for a while and said nothing. Finally Ranma spoke up. "Ryoga, go home." "What?" said the boy with a look of horror on his face. "Take a few weeks off; Go find your family or at least your house. When you get back I'll let you stay with me until I find a cure, but you need a break. Enjoy being human for a while, go on a training trip or something, when you get back you have to start school," she said to him with a friendly smile. "At least I'm not behind," he muttered as he remembered that he would indeed have to return there at some point, especially if he had Ranma to lead him there. A few minutes later Ranma sat in the living room with Akane and her family around the dinner table. "Ranma we need to talk," said the girl looking extremely embarrassed. "What is it Akane?" said Ranma after she had been lead away from the table and onto the porch overlooking the koi and the dojo. "I realize that you are happy to see Ryoga and all, you two must have had a hard time, him being a pig and all...but you could be a little more secretive about it..." she whispered. "What the hell are you talking about Akane?" said Ranma in confusion. "Well, I sort of understand and all, but Kasumi is a little old fashioned," said Akane. "Huh? You mean..." said Ranma looking a little sick. "Well, little things like the bath and changing together," said Akane as she tried to calm her a little. "Akane, this is Mr.P were talking about here; He'd get lost if I didn't lead him around. It took him three day's to find the bathroom in my apartment once, and it only had two rooms," said Ranma looking at her queerly. "Besides, he's seen me lots of times; He's not some sex crazed pervert." "You are being safe about it aren't you? I'd hate to see you get pregnant. Your too young for a baby," said Akane in a hoarse whisper. "What do you mean? I don't know any spells that would cause that. Even if I did there would be a counter sp..." Ranma turned completely red. "I AM NOT SLEEPING WITH MR.P!!" The shout was heard in the living room and Soun glared at Ryoga. "What's this about young man?" Ryoga had frozen in terror and turned red once again. "I didn't do anything I swear," he whined pathetically. Nabiki only smiled and munched on a potato chip casually. Kodachi Kuno had not come out of her lab in a week. She glared at charts and graphs. She had mixed countless compounds and elixirs and still had come up with no explanation for her brother's condition. She growled low and tore at the folder that contained yet another failure. "This will drive my poor school girl heart to madness!" she said sweetly as she looked in a nearby mirror. Her mannerism changed instantly as she turned away from it and ground her teeth in frustration. "I know! I have it! The perfect solution!" she said as a look of joy appeared on her face. She turned and hugged the table that had once held her notes. "I'll ask my brother!" she cried looking proud of herself. Kuno sat in his room on a large backless chair with a pair of reading glasses on. He was holding a book of the great works of Shakespeare up to the light and reading quietly. "Ah, but the great bard's words make my soul sing!" he sighed as he used his wings to flick another log into the large fireplace that he sat in front of, he was becoming quite adept at using them. The book he held was immense and held all of Shakespeare's works. It was about three feet long and bound in heavy leather, it was hand written on heavy hand pressed paper by some ancient monk in a monastery many years ago and was Kuno's prized possession, it weighed about a hundred pounds. [It was made to be used on a bookstand.] Kuno held it up to the fire light easily in his clawed hand and casually flipped the pages with his other. Kodachi stormed into the room and stood before her brother. "Sister dear, did you not know it is the custom to knock before you enter the chambers of another?" he said with an exasperated sigh. "Where? How? Where did you get those accursed wings?" she demanded with a maddening gaze. "Funny that you should call them cursed," snorted Kuno as he ruffled them and folded them back into their most relaxed position. He used to fear his sister a little, not much, but enough to stay generally out of her way. Now he didn't fear much at all. "Tell me brother or I shall..." threatened Kodachi with a maddening glare at the boy. "Or you'll what? I doubt seriously that you could do much to me any longer sister as I am far stronger and more skilled than you now. I take my own meals and trust you not. Therefore I see no real reason to partake in any of your delusional questions. I have no wings, any fool can see that, 'tis just another fit of your madness," said Kuno casually as he returned to his reading. Kodachi frowned and glared at him with almost homicidal rage she shook with anger and resentment for her sibling. "Fine if that is how you want to be, I shall leave you," she said with her voice shaking in frustration. Kuno peered at her from behind his book and a conflict arose in his mind for a moment, a small pang of guilt burned in his stomach. "If, and I say IF, I had wings...which, I add, I do not. They could only be the product of magical workings, be content with that sister," he said finally just as she was about to exit the room. He smiled as the guilt vanished and returned to his book. Kodachi froze in place and looked over to him with an expressionless face. She turned wordlessly out the door and into the hall. "Magic? Is such a thing possible?" she wondered. "It seems I have at task for you Sasuke..." she said as her servant emerged from the shadows nearby. "Fetch me a sorcerer." TBC... Try Yahoo! Auctions More... It's Free Yahoo! Auctions is a free service - No listing fees - No commissions That's right, free! Visit Yahoo! Auctions [Close] undefined [Close]