The truth is often a misunderstood word or often times in need of interpretation when it comes to deep life changing decisions. The words of man are but extensions of their inner feelings of greed, even the most sacred of these; love. Is but an extension of greed, a greed which seeks to find happiness in hopes of gaining the means to a fortunate end.
Ryoga was an example of that extension, the extension which sought it bliss, a person who could not live without the greed of love. The greed which can take hold of one's senses and have a grasp on these held most dear to them.
Ryoga continued to walk through the woods, taking necessary provisions and other such essentials. Driven by his deep affection the boy sought to gain Ranma's love through the only way he felt he could, 'To get Ranma to love me, I have to be strong enough to challenge him, strong enough to make him mine...' Ryoga thought. Though he thought this, he knew that he could easily take down Ranma with his Shishihoukudan, but he wondered if that would all be enough to convince Ranma to see him as more than just a brother figure.
Ryoga traveled the vast forest terrine, walking away from the Saotome home as far as he could. His determination driving him forward, his will pushing him to climb hills, mountains, and anything in his way. Nothing would stop him from changing his fate 'I-I'm sorry Ranma... I-I can't accept being your brother,' Ryoga thought as he forced his arms to pull him up over a ledge, saving him from falling. The fang-toothed boy crawled onto the flat surface of the top and stayed there, closing his eyes and relaxing from the amount of strength he had used just to climb.
'I-I'm not going to be Ryoga Saotome, anymore... I-I'm just Ryoga now'
Not able to raise any more energy through his body he decided that staying still to rest up, would be good enough for the moment. His endurance would certainly grow, and that was a good thing for someone seeking to gain the strength to claim another martial artist's attention.
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Saotome Home
Hours had gone by since Ryoga's departure and all of the Saotome home residents, minus Ryoga, remained sound asleep. The sound of a pin dropping would be too loud for this particular moment in time. That was until the sounds of the birds chirping echoed throughout the land as the sun peaked over the horizon and dawned the new day, the rays of the sun seeping through the holes and windows of the Saotome hut.
Genma naturally did what he was best at and covered his head with his pillow and continued to sleep, snoring loudly as he continued to stay there on the ground. Nodoka seemed to be turned onto her side and wore ear plugs over her ears; being the only way to tolerate her husband's loud snoring pattern.
Inside the room of the red-headed girl, laid Ranma. Ranma squinted her eyes and fluttered her eyes open, groaning she sat up and stared out in front of her, drool hanging from the side of her mouth as she closed her mouth and smacked her lips, raising her arm and wiping the drool from the side of her mouth.
"Hey Ryoga, I was thinkin' maybe we could just hang today, me an-" she paused as she looked over to her Ryoga's usual sleeping spot and stopped dead in her tracks. Her eyes widened before she gritted her teeth and slammed her fists down on the ground next to her, her eyes threatening to leak tears as she shook her head violently, trying to calm down.
"Damn it, Ryoga!" she screamed, arching her head back and as she cried to the ceiling.
Nodoka's ear plugs might have been strong but Nodoka's mother like instincts sensed that there was something wrong with her child, not to mention Ranma's wailed cry sent small vibration throughout the house, enough to convince Nodoka to wake up, removing her ear plugs and checking on her child.
"Ranma!" she cried as she sat up from her bed and quickly grabbed her kimono from the hanger and slide her door open, quickly moving over to Ranma's and opening his, she saw Ranma distressed, broken in a way. Then it occurred to her, Ryoga wasn't even in the same room and she instantly put the pieces of the puzzle together.
"Ryoga..." she whispered, moving over to Ranma and hugging the crying redhead from behind; moisture building up in her own eyes as well. What else could a mother do when her other child had gone missing, but to mourn him and hope to see him sometime in the future, if there was a future for someone who had gone wandering in a Chinese forest. All the things in the world that could happen, she had to lose someone important to them. Someone who had to come into their hearts, only to leave them wanting as he vanished. It was one of the lifes most painful experiences, to lose someone, to lose someone who you viewed as family and cared deeply for. The one she treated as a son had gone off on his own, seeking Kami-sama knows what.
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Ranma leaned into her mother's embrace and quivered her lip as she allowed herself to be held. 'D-Damn it, Saotome! S-Stop being such a girl! I-It's his fault, his had to leave... he had to be stupid, he had to fall for you...' Ranma gasped and opened her eyes, tears still threatening to fall from her eyes as she continued to remain still. It had been her fault, it was her fault that Ryoga had gone on his own, but not only that, it had gone further than that. She was the one who threw them into their crazy new world, she was the one who was too stupid to lean over a ledge and expect to make it out alright, she was one the that cared for him and took him in, she was the one who taught him how to feel, she was the one who made him fall deeply in love with her.
Ranma held her hand out and stared at her open palm, her soft and delicate hand that mocked her with her cursed form.
Nodoka felt Ranma move her shoulder and looked at what she had been doing, "What are you...?" she questioned, but stopped when Ranma mumbled too quietly for her to hear. "What was that, Ranma?"
"It's my fault Ryoga's gone..." Ranma replied, speaking out louder.
"W-What?" Nodoka stuttered, unsure of what Ranma was getting at. There was simply no way Ranma could drive Ryoga away, they were much too close to be separated.
"Ryoga left because I wouldn't fall in love with him..." Ranma confessed, revealing Ryoga's true feelings towards the Saotome prodigy, wondering how her mother would react to knowing that Ryoga was thinking such unmanly thoughts about her Ranma. Though she considered getting her blade and aiming it at Ryoga, she couldn't stop thinking about that sweet innocent child that she cared so deeply for. The one who constantly respected her and cared for her as if she were his own mother, the one that helped them whenever they needed assistance and the one who even helped her cook and keep the house tidy. The other child that called her mom, Ryoga... the one she named.
Silence befell the area as Ranma and Nodoka remained speechless. Nodoka rose to her feet and stared at the floor boards beneath her, unable to process the information that kept assaulting her mind. What was she to do? Mourn for her lost child-like boy or declare him unclean and unmanly? Was he filth or her child?
Ranma looked to her side as she heard the hurried footsteps of her mother leaving the room, probably trying to find herself and her own real thoughts.
Ranma clenched her fist and gritted her teeth, cursing underneath her breath as she needed some sort of outlet to handle her frustrated emotions. Standing up she turned to the kitchen and began searching for the tea pot, she needed to focus her hurt feelings on something and that something had to be martial arts, the only other thing she knew how to do.
Nodoka heard Ranma from her room and shook her head, not sure what to do. It was all so confusing to her, her mind couldn't decide between hating her beloved son like Ryoga or missing him dearly. When she was about to turn to Genma she saw that his snoring had gone down and he remained silent.
The bold man sat up on his bed and reached over to his white gi shirt and began readying himself for the day.
Nodoka turned to him but found her voice lost and looked away from him, she decided that work would be best at this moment. Timidly she walked into the hallway that leads to the front porch, silent as did so.
Ranma acted as though he hadn't even seen her and continued to wait for the tea pot to boil, once the pot began to lightly whistle Ranma grabbed a cup and poured the water over her head, changing her back to her regular male form.
"I see it's time I start training you much more seriously, boy..." Genma stated as she stood at his door frame with his arms crossed.
Ranma looked over to him and nodded his head, "Bout' damn time..."
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Ryoga
Once he had regained his strength, Ryoga hoisted himself up and tried yet began his journey again, aiming to use the forest as his personal training grounds, he was original an animal after all. As he continued to travel fatigue took place and he decided to break a nearby branch and used it as a walking stick, taking some of the pressure of walking off of him.
At this point, the day had gone by and night was settling as Ryoga was reaching his exhaustion point but continued to push himself. At this point, he couldn't stand very well and decided to let himself fall and take another well-deserved nap, but before he closed his eyes he saw the familiar form of someone standing over him.
"Huh... I'd never figure you to travel out this far," Matsu commented as he found the body of the boy he had trained before. From behind him stood men who appeared to be about the same height as Matsu.
"Ya' mean the one who used the Shishihoukudan in one go?" one of his comrades commented.
"The one in the same..." Matsu commented, "let's take him somewhere safe, boys."
"On it boss!" the other commented.
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Ranma
The black haired Saotome child sat on the porch of his home, panting from shear lack of breath as sweat dripped from his chin. Behind him was Genma, with his back, turned to the Saotome child.
"Good job, boy... at this rate, you'll be stronger in no time," he stated before walking back into the Saotome home.
Ranma merely nodded his head in response to Genma, looking out to the starry sky Ranma narrowed his eyes and then looked back down, fighting his depressed emotions. 'Come on... forget about him, forget about him, Saotome!' Ranma thought, as he stood up and ran out into the wide grassy plains and began practicing everything he had learned earlier today.
Nodoka looked out from the kitchen window and sighed as she held clasped hands together and lowered her head, in normal circumstances she would have told Ranma to rest and train the following day but she wasn't sure if her 'motherly' advice would be accepted at the moment, hell, she wasn't sure she would follow her own motherly advice.
"You're like this because of him, aren't you... Ranma..."