Shampoo
Cologne peered her head out from the creak of her door, quite a few amazon warriors standing at her door, she blinked and quirked a brow. She spoke to them in their tongue, questioning them with her quizzical expression. One amongst the three with long black hair and a porcelain face; somewhat geisha looking even, spoke to the elder, placing her hand on her chest and explained first hand how strong this one blonde haired girl with blue eyes was.
The elder looked to the ground and narrowed her eyes, reaching her hand up and scratching her chin before coming to a conclusion, her eyes went flat, she waved them dismissively and closed the door before them, lazily calling out something to them and closing the door on the shocked women's faces.
What she came back to was Shampoo covered in yarn, "Why is Shampoo needing know how to knit!?" she shouted, looking to her great-grandmother with a scowl as she continued to work on whatever it was she was supposed to knit together.
"Child I asked you to start with a simple scarf... this is part of your bridal training..." Cologne clarified, placing her hands in her sleeves, 'That blonde girl those youngins were talking about was probably just son-in-law trying to convince his pet to stay with him...' Cologne thought, 'In the end, it will matter not for that boy... Shampoo will-'
"Why Shampoo knit stupid scarf!? Shampoo try to be wife, not grandmother!" the purpled haired girl exclaimed, now just tangled in a mess of lavender colored yarn.
Faster than Shampoo could react, she was struck on the back of her head with Cologne's walking stick.
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Ranma & Ryoga
Finally, the duo came crashing down to the earth, Ryoga first landing on the upper portion of his back, shifting his weight in the air to reduce the damage Ranma's hands and or arms were going to endure when they landed, thankfully the grass also happened to be quite comforting. The redhead pulled away from their embrace and straddled the lost boy, grabbing him by his collar and bringing him to face level as there was a very apparent scowl on her face.
There wasn't much Ryoga could say at this moment, he simply allowed her to act as she held him. He couldn't make out what exactly she was doing, his confused demeanor paid tribute to that, that's when it hit him, she was suppressing something.
"Ryoga! Where have you been!? Huh!? Do you know how mom's been since you left!? Don't you care about us!? Huh!?" she demanded, finally lifting the front of her hair enough to show that she was distressed not only angry but distressed as well.
"Of course I-" Ryoga tried to interject, half shouting but was seized by Ranma's grip as it shook him back and forth like a noodle.
"No! You don't cause you'd up and leave us the moment something goes wrong... or... or..." Ranma stopped as she knew that she was the reason Ryoga didn't want to stay anymore, that feeling alone was heart wrenching to the girl, especially since she didn't know what to do about it.
Unable to bear the sight of a sad girl Ranma he put his hands on her shoulders, sitting up as she was still been straddling him, "You don't have to say it..." Ryoga sighed, mimicking Ranma so that she couldn't see his face. "I know damn well what you're going to say, Ranma!" Ryoga exclaimed, for once feeling his anger take him as his eyes narrowed, the energy Ranma gave off was either contiguous or something was amiss.
"That doesn't even matter anymore..." Ryoga said, his voice losing steam as his thoughts compiled together, causing a geyser of emotions to release in Ryoga, 'Why does it all matter...?' a depressed voice of the lost boy whispered, echoing as his eyes widened, his gaze casting to the side.
Ranma's eyes widened for a moment, to think that her response would be met with disregard rather than to apologize but what came as more shocking was that what he followed it with, the look of despair in his eyes, the way his aura radiated with pain and grief, she needed a moment to think, to sort through the chaos she had created, 'Damn it! It was stupid for me to say he's not a person! But would that mean I'm a girl too...?' she thought, noticing as she stalled she wasn't going to be able to save the boy before her. She would have also preferred a moment like this to be a bit more modest, given the fact that she was still straddling while he held her at arm's length, she took a quick second to recognize this with a slight coloring to her cheeks.
"I was wrong!" Ranma shouted and leaned forward a little.
Her voice was like a blast of light to Ryoga's world, clearing his sight, her voice echoed to the beat of his heart. His head tilted upwards as she spoke, his vision exactly as it had been the moment they met again, that lost look in his eyes. A person without a sense of purpose or drive, someone who had lost themselves to despair.
"You're real... your feelings, your problems... they're real! Cause you care! Even..." Ranma paused as she tilted her head down as recalled her various feelings towards Ryoga, the moment he licked her lips, the moment he held her, the times they had training with one another, the times that smiled as they challenged one another. The thrills they experienced as sparring partners and as weird as it was to her, she even liked the most intimate ones to some degree.
Finally, Ryoga's eyes began to shift between despair and normal, his soulless eyes appeared to be devoid of expression until being violently shifted back to normal, his eyes squinted as the darkness around him began to vanish as if evaporating, though it were water being dissolved by the heat of a blazing sun, he was able to feel her words, his eyes meeting hers as they danced between states, his gloomy expression still apparent but now he could see a faint black silhouette with vaguely visible dark blue orbs.
"My girl side! Is real!" she shouted, closing her eyes as she had dropped her head low as if bowing before to the boy she was currently seated atop of.
Her eyes cleared the way, her words breaching the shadows before him, dissipating them entirely as Ryoga's eyes cleared, "Damn it..." Ryoga muttered, still realizing the position he was in, though the heaviness in his heart had vanished.
"Good..." Ranma sighed, her hand on her chest and then clearing her throat, placing her hands on Ryoga's wrists as his hands had stayed on her shoulders this entire time.
Ryoga felt Ranma's guide his hands away from her shoulders as she moved away from him, closing her eyes and holding her hand out to him, her palm out for him to reach for. He had to admit that he missed the warm embrace of the redheaded girl, she looked to the side before taking his hand and standing before her, for the time realizing how short Ranma's girl side was in comparison, it even made Ryoga secretly want to get her back into the embrace, he appeared flushed as he looked away from her but when the time came to let go, he noticed that she hadn't.
"If I let go, Ryoga..." Ranma spoke gently and slowly, a saddened expression on her face, however, she maintained a level of seriousness for the moment, "What are you goin' to do?" she asked. "Cause either way it's going home with me..." she said, tightening her hold on him as she met his eyes.
"I'm sorry Ranma... I can't go back..." Ryoga replied, attempting to move his hand away but finding that Ranma refused, he met her eyes and saw the pain in her eyes. He knew that she wouldn't let him go, but what should he do? 'I figured if I got stronger... maybe if I was able to challenge him to a fight and win...' Ryoga placed greet his teeth and shook his head.
"I wasn't asking!" she exclaimed until she felt him pull away from her grasp, shocking her as he stood before her, arms lifted and on the defensive. Ranma turned to him and saw this, then sighed and closed her eyes, for once not actually happy to fight.
"I know I've never beaten you before Ranma..." Ryoga started, spreading his legs and forming his stance, his arms out to his sides.
"Alright... I'll take you... but first I gotta' know..." Ranma asked, taking her own stance as she raised her arms out in front of her, fists clenched. "Why did you leave?" Ranma asked, looking to the ground, maintaining a strong look the whole time. 'Especially considerin' how many times you've told me you love me...' Ranma thought.
There was a sigh followed by Ryoga relaxing his posture a little, "I knew I'd never be able to get to you with just my words..." Ryoga began, glad that Ranma wasn't trying to hug him or anything like that right now, he had a mission and he would fulfill it. The only difference was that now the one he did this all for stood before him, trying to stop him.
"So you figure leavin' me and mom with pops is the right thing ta' do?" Ranma questioned, she shook her head a little, "Ya' know the old man's been trying to save up to leave this place! What happens if we moved away, huh!?" Ranma questioned, holding her fist out.
Ryoga stiffened that was quite a flaw in his plans, the lost boy shook his head and clenched his fists, "Y'know what! Fine! If you beat me! I'll answer every question you got! But if I win... then... I get one request!" Ryoga shouted with a slight hitch in his tone, his eyes closed as those gentle marks of embarrassment lit up his face.
There was a pause from Ranma as she had paused, furrowing her brow she looked to the ground for a moment, looking from right to left, deep in thought as she weighed her options a very stern look until suddenly her eyes widened when she met his again, appearing to panic for a moment she locked eyes with the lost boy, knowing that this was finally her playing field, 'Damn... we gotta' fight again but I gotta' say... I ain't had a challenge in awhile...' she thought, finally acknowledging the other half of Ryoga's challenge.
"F-Fine!" Ranma exclaimed, her eyes wide and filled with panic as she felt her breath caught in her throat, she needed to affirm her resolve, "I can take whatever you've got!" Ranma shouted, rushing the lost boy.
Ryoga simply stood his ground and pumped his fists to his sides, tensing all his muscles, a somewhat beastly gaze as he bared his fangs, as though he was the king of the jungle himself. The redhead dashed towards the lost boy, who simply stood his ground and waited for Ranma's attack. She started with a quick left hook, it was met by Ryoga's open palm, catching it, their hands thudding together as Ryoga attempted to block her attack with one of his own, his free hand extending outwards. Ranma seeing this latched herself to his forearm, attempting to maybe cause him to surrender by means of threatening to break his arm; by commencing a snake-like hold.
"Gotcha!" she exclaimed, before finding her back being slammed into a tree, her eyes wide with shock as Ryoga had turned the tables against her, 'H-how...!? I was still applying pressure!' she thought as she took a second to remember the feel of his arm, which was incredibly rock hard in her opinion.
Feeling that his arm was suddenly lighter, he looked to see Ranma escaping his grasp, 'She's actually small enough to slide her hands out of mine...' he looked to Ranma, still ready.
Ranma had landed a little roughly but still managed to stand, hunched over for a moment before straightening her back. "You just had to do this the hard way..." Ranma sighed, narrowing her eyes at him, 'I wanted to end this peacefully Ryoga... but now... I'm just kinda' excited... and want payback,' she thought, thinking that she finally got to test her skills. She wiped the corner of her mouth and smirked, clearing a smudge of red at the corner of her mouth.
Ryoga only found himself staring, there was just something so strong about the way Ranma handled herself, it was enticing to him, as much as he knew he wanted to compliment her, he knew that would only compromise his chances if he boosted her ego, "Let's do this Ranma..."
A red blur dashed towards him, rapidly striking Ryoga anywhere she could, however, she noticed that his fist was still coming towards her, this time, she was caught by surprise and was struck in the gut, her eyes widened while she flew through the air, losing consciousness for a second, due to the overwhelming blunt force inflicted by Ryoga's punch, which upon regaining conscious, Ranma's eyes narrowed dangerously.
Leaves rustled as Ryoga stood there, looking as though he was hesitant to continue, 'Please be alright...' he thought, waiting to see if Ranma stood up once more. He looked towards her landing zone and saw that she had quickly dashed away, in that window of time she managed to stand yet again.
'Damnit! It's not working! Like he can't feel my attacks...' she thought, dashing away from the scene and doing a very traditional Saotome school of anything goes technique, which was to run away until they could think of something.
He immediately gave chase, looking more worried and concerned than with any killing intent, he traveled for some time, catching various glimpses of the pigtailed girl, he noticed her disappearing towards a small clearing in the forest, he stood at the center of the patch, trying to catch sight of a dark blur, 'Where is she...?' Ryoga thought, then suddenly felt some immense pressure being applied to the back of his head.
Ranma's heels were firmly planted on the back of Ryoga's head, using him like a diving board of sorts, she catapulted herself upwards and unleashed a hail of fists, repeatedly striking him until she narrowed her eyes and centered her strikes to Ryoga's back, actually surprising the black haired boy, gasping as he dropped to a knee.
Ryoga felt as though something had bashed him over the back with a mallet, the force was enough to cause him pain and even resort to losing his posture, 'Damn it... always full of surprises...' he thought, trying to swat the girl away, which she quickly reacted to and evaded.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
What followed was a clash between Ranma and Ryoga, Ranma attempting to punch Ryoga without mercy, as he seemed to take the damage with some level of ease, though she had to build that weakness on him, she could tell though, she was having an effect on him, 'Dang... that trick the old man's teaching me makes me so fast...' she thought, noticing that she was getting way more attacks on the lost boy, however, that didn't matter in the grand scheme of things. He was fading and she knew it.
"Damn it!" Ryoga exclaimed and closed his eyes, throwing his arms to his sides, desperately scanning his environment as Ranma danced around him, dodging all his attacks, even just ducking underneath one of his strikes to repeatedly bashing the back of her elbow to his stomach, the speed and force behind it sent Ryoga skidding back on his heels a little, but he caught himself before he lost his balance, 'I can't lose! No! If only I could see the breaking point!' he cried out in his thoughts, trying to ease the discomfort in his chest as he knew that she'd never see him as anything more, if he appeared weak.
Ranma had jumped back and felt that Ryoga had reached his limit, 'Finally!' she thought triumphantly, going in to ease one more incomplete chestnut fist. Before her first punch even reached him, he unleashed a loud battle cry, he pulled his arm back, sticking his index finger out, frantically searching for something on the ground, Ranma wasn't entirely certain what he was up to but continued her assault nonetheless, now striking him and building pressure on the exposed side of his torso, gradually chipping away at his defenses.
"Come on, where is it..." Ryoga muttered, his eyes widened as he saw a twinkling dot, almost like a star in a vast, empty, night sky, "...there!" Ryoga shouted, his finger connected to the ground, a pillar of light erupted from the ground, both martial artists were caught in the crossfire. A dust cloud filled the air, slowly fading away as each second ticked on by.
Once it had cleared both Ranma and Ryoga sat in the dirt mounds created from the breaking point technique, the two were laying on their backs, covered in bruises from taking an explosion at point blank, the two stirred, both either far too determined or too damn stubborn to give up, the redhead was the first to get up, her body trembling but she eventually got up with the aid of her elbows, eventually sitting up and panting.
Ryoga jolted his head to the side and forced himself to raise as well, the hand that had used the breaking point technique was still extended outwards, he slowly balled it to a fist as he used it to help steady himself so that he could, if anything, be comfortably seated, after staring at one another long enough, they both began to smile.
"I-I haven't had a good sparring match... since ya' left..." Ranma muttered, chuckling a little as she didn't know what to make of this situation, here she was, in a hole, complimenting Ryoga's ability to give her a fun battle.
"Thanks... you're as fast as ever..." Ryoga replied, smiling with his eyes closed as he was breathing rather heavily, his chest heaving up and down as his head lowered a little, wanting to just relax, perhaps pass out. He heard the sound of Ranma shifting about in the hole he had dug them in, he glanced up briefly to see her hand elevated, as if she was about to deliver the final strike, only to fall forward, her head landing right on his gut, which considering how hardened his physical being had become, only one thought echoed in Ranma's head, 'Owww...' she thought, drifting downwards.
Until she was caught from a palm catching her by the back of her shirt and pulling him to him, however, he was gentle and meek about it, the boy's arm appeared to be strained as he held her against him. Ranma finding the situation odd, knew that falling further down would lead her to a less than modest position and given her current state and Ryoga's, the implications were more adult than she'd be comfortable with.
Not that it was much better, she tensed and bite her lower lip, trying to ease her embarrassment but she figured now was as good as any other to talk to him. Ranma sighed deeply and closed her eyes, actually embracing this tenderness, in a way.
"I said if I won... I'd get my request..." Ryoga smiled, yes, he had been surprised that Ranma tried to finish him when he wasn't looking, but couldn't fault her as the nature of their combat style was 'Anything Goes', thankfully it lead to some much needed alone time with her, 'You're what I'm fighting for... and you're right in my arms...' he thought, his own inner voice but a whisper, even his inner voice sounded as tired as he looked.
"But... I didn't win either..." Ranma replied, gasping in between words before catching her breath.
"I won't take draws..." Ryoga grunted his body shook briefly, showing an effort to move his stone-like body, "I couldn't finish you if I wanted to..." Ryoga's smile faded as that was somewhat disappointing, as he had wanted Ranma to maybe give him some attention, maybe even hold Ranma in her girl form, he really didn't care, to him, this was what he needed, this time, this feeling, 'This purpose...' Ryoga thought.
"My girl side! Is real!"
Ranma had to admit there was something kind of interesting about the way Ryoga handled that, somewhat noble feeling, 'Maybe he just wants to talk to me...' she thought, unsure of what Ryoga's exact motivations were but nonetheless she got what she wanted. "I'll start with my first question..." she closed her eyes for a moment, noticing Ryoga stiffen, "Why'd you leave, huh?" Ranma asked, gaining some strength with her anger as she looked up at him from her position.
"You should know, why..." Ryoga replied, remembering his confession, the moment where his heart nearly shattered into pieces, "Even with all my training... you're still something else..." Ryoga chuckled in a half-hearted manner.
"I left cause I figured martial arts would be the only way I could get you to see past what I am..." Ryoga replied, meeting her stern face with his warm expression, "But now I know something, Ranma..." Ryoga began, meeting her gaze. "I can't change who you are..." he averted his gaze a little, a light-hearted smile with tears running down the sides of his face,"Just as much as I can't change who I am..."
"So... you're sayin' your done chasin' after me...?" Ranma asked, she wasn't blind, she could see what this was doing to him, for her, the experience wasn't any better, she kept running back to those uncertain feelings, those times she felt weak around him. Thinking back to it, she might have even enjoyed some of the interactions between the two of them... the trick was just getting her to admit those feelings.
Ryoga noticed Ranma remain silent for a bit, he decided that he might as well answer her question, "Maybe... maybe I can travel the world or something... find some way of extending my own lifespan, if what that old amazon elder said was right, then there has to be another way for me too..." he said, finding strength in his voice again.
"Geez! Why do you have to do everything on your own, huh!?" Ranma exclaimed, snapping at Ryoga and getting him to lean his head back and stare at Ranma, "Mom misses you, sparring isn't what it used to be..." she paused as she fought within herself to say what she finally needed to, though, her heart skipped a beat as she knew that saying this would probably come with some consequence, 'Should I... would it...?' she thought uncertainty apparent in her mind's voice.
Ryoga's mouth was agape as he heard Ranma give him a piece of her mind, Ranma reminded him a little of Nodoka with how they shared some features, he attributed that to the cursed spring. He remembered the times when she would be allowed a day off, times where when Ranma and Ryoga trained, he'd harm himself, Nodoka was there to treat his wounds with whatever they had, one of the fondest moments for Ryoga was when he burned his hand on the stove.
A much less talkative Ryoga was seen staring at a card Ranma was holding up to him, as he didn't appear to get what was on the small piece of educational paper, in between them was a small table that Ranma had used to prop her elbows on, so that she could easily transition between cards, say if she wasn't sleeping with her head down, at some point having fallen asleep.
Ryoga appeared to sigh with his eyes closed and crawled away from the redhead, he wandered into the kitchen area where Nodoka was currently humming to herself, completely oblivious to the green-clad boy making his way over to the stove, blinking as he stared at it for a moment while Nodoka loudly and easily sliced her way through various vegetables, immediately dispensing the chunks into a bowl.
"Bwee!" Ryoga exclaimed, taking his finger placing it in his mouth as he desperately tried to ease his pain. Nodoka gasped she quickly went to a covered and retrieved a bottle of honey, popping the lid she quickly applied a dab to her pointer finger and thumb, with that same hand she grabbed Ryoga's wrist and applied it over his burnt digit, she noticed the confused boy whimper, trying to retract his hand from her, he appeared scared and hesitant to do so, he looked as though he was just about to cry, until he felt the soothing effects take place.
Nodoka's eyes widened as she felt Ryoga lean on her, giving her his version of an embrace, Nodoka was able to withstand Ryoga's weight and smiled, "Oh... you're welcome Ryoga dear..."
Ryoga barely addressed the fact that sparring matches hadn't been the same, or rather he didn't get the chance as what she followed it up with, grabbed his attention, "You don't have to say..." he tried to interject.
"I've missed you!" Ranma confessed, wrapping her arms around Ryoga's torso and now just expressing how his absence had affected her, up until recently she considered him family and to think Ryoga didn't want any part of that, for Ranma it was like he was saying goodbye.
"This doesn't mean I can't be your friend, Ranma..." Ryoga stated, looking down at her, smiling gently at her, "Just one you don't see all that much..."
Ranma found the idea of Ryoga going off on his own, living his life on his own means, without her and the others. It saddened her to think that all because she couldn't be with Ryoga, because she needed to uphold her school's art, her dream to become the strongest martial artist the world has ever seen, yet, here she was dealing with the conflicted feelings of a man who was once a pig. It would mean that they'd part ways, they never again spend time together like they had before. The feelings she suppressed from her dream came back to her, the way he had held her and the way his eyes pierced through all her defenses, there was just something about him, she wasn't able to entirely piece together, "Please don't go..." Ranma muttered, finally their heated kiss came back to her, she had been weak then but the idea kept coming back. 'I wanted him as a friend... right?' she thought, 'He'd just be alone... forever...' she continued to think, but the idea of doing so, left knots in her stomach.
Ryoga simply allowed her to embrace him, the lost boy unsure of how to respond as this felt like a parting of sorts. Technically there was nothing they could do to stop Ryoga, he was his own man now, his own person. His heart sank as he felt that maybe this was just her being depressed about not being what she could be for him, that idea alone made him upset, since her happiness was his goal, a tightness in his chest spread throughout his torso, his eyes shutting tight, 'I just wish I was that girl for-'
The lost boy was unable to finish his sentence he felt lips press against his when he had closed his eyes, he opened them to see Ranma kissing him, he closed his own eyes in return, on the verge of crying again but rather than doing that he used what little of his strength he could pull together and lifted another one of his hands to hold Ranma's small frame closer to his, so they could kiss more feverishly. Through their actions they expressed their feelings, Ranma acting on the strength of her feelings when Ryoga got her this way last time, this time, however, it was different, the first time had been forced upon her and now she wanted to see what the feeling was actually like and if she felt the same. This feeling was warm but overwhelming, in a pleasant way, taking her breath way, literally.
Ryoga felt his world find new life, this feeling that spread throughout him as he kissed the redhead of his dreams, he knew they were different, possibly from different world's but that didn't really matter to him, the butterflies in his chest spoke otherwise, it had dared to dream but to think this would be the extent, real or not, he would bask in it.
'It's my human heart... that loves you, Ranma...' Ryoga thought.
They finally pulled back and looked to one another, Ranma's cheeks a shade similar to the color of her hair, "H-hey... can we not tell anyone about this...?" she asked, looking off to the side, rather bashful after such a heated session between her and the lost boy.
Ryoga appeared to be distraught from her request, but closed his eyes, thinking for a moment before speaking, "Fine..." he replied before surprising the girl and bringing her in close, his head down to her neck as he pressed his lips to her, there was a light sort of struggle but it was almost as if Ranma's hands gave up, as if they knew that they wouldn't be able to stop this, especially in her current state of mind.
Ranma's eyes were shut tight, in anticipation for Ryoga's tongue, she thought maybe it was an odd throwback to what they used to be but was instead surprised to feel a pair of lips pressed against her neck, 'I-is this the price-' Ranma attempted to think but was unable to from the shocking amount of stimulation that ran through her body, feeling sensitive as Ryoga explored this desire, although this was extremely intimate and at a new stage in their confusing relationship, Ryoga felt that he was at peace like this. His worries, his woes, his traumas, they were all inconsequential, he was simply in the here and now.
Ranma found herself breathing harder with each gently planted kiss, gasping each time Ryoga would kiss her hard enough, yes, it would sting but in such a pleasant way, thankfully he hadn't done that much but still that didn't mean the heated kisses hadn't bothered her, Ranma felt her legs retract inwards, experiencing something she had no idea how to deal with.
"R-Ryoga!" Ranma moaned, closing her eyes and blushing brightly as she squirmed in Ryoga's heated embrace, finally he released her as they both panted, gasping for air. Their faces flushed as they sat in relative silence.
"I won't say a thing..." Ryoga finally stated, sounding as though he was going to choke half-way through his sentence, his flushed demeanor betrayed his actual feelings, which were on cloud nine given what he had just accomplished, twice.
Ranma noticed the lost boy's grip weaken on her as she finally pushed herself back, still breathing a little heavily but the heat of the moment had finally died down for the two, "I didn't finish asking all my questions, so...?" Ranma muttered, looking to the side.
Ryoga offered no protest, he simply nodded his head and looked to the ground, his eyes wide.
"Mom and I have been worried so... wherever you're stayin' must be safe, saw you running away with some old ghouls and some middle-aged stump..." Ranma replied, wondering if Ryoga felt anything at all for the Saotome mother.
"Oh... those guys..." Ryoga sighed and began, "They're some masters I came across when I was trying to find my pur-" he was stopped, however, as Ranma had found the strength to pull him in by his collar again, causing him to blink in shock.
"You've been training with masters while I've been stuck with that lazy panda!?" Ranma exclaimed, releasing some extremely pent up emotions, sadly Ryoga was at the center of that and felt her voice rang in his ears, then it dawned on her, but she wasn't sure she could even do it considering Ryoga's goal, 'But if I'm the reason he's doin' all this and I try to get in on it... then he'd keep me from... damn it!' Ranma thought, it was then that something clicked in her mind, 'What if I use this girl side to...'
"I don't know they're fighting style so far! It's only been that move that finished our fight so far, the breaking point technique... guess you can still read all my moves, Ranma..." Ryoga replied, then looked to the side, reflecting on that battle, he had really wanted to make his request a reality.
Ranma tensed as she knew that this decision would probably come back to haunt her but given what she was about to do, she wasn't as uncertain as she'd like, "Arr..." Ranma grunted and squinted her eyes, taking a calming breath,"If you get these masters to train me, I swear I'll take that request of yours..." Ranma blushed and then cleared her throat, "It doesn't mean I'll do anything, okay!" she glared, tugging at his collar and meeting him eye-to-eye.
The lost boy stared, his heart thumping a mile a minute, "Do you mean that...?" Ryoga stared, as he looked her in the eyes, seeing that flushed but strong looking face.
A deafening silence filled the area as she had lowered her head, casting a shadow over her eyes.
"Yeah..."
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Construction Site
It felt like an eternity since Ryoga had left the three masters, Matsu looked to Chingensai as they sat around a campfire, their tents pitched nearby. Happosai walked over to the two, adding two more logs to the fire.
"You two gettin' the feelin' somethings wrong? Or is it just me?" Happosai asked, just staring at the fire.
"You're not, my friend..." Chingensai replied, taking a drag of his smoking pipe, "Ryoga's been gone for an awful long while..."
"Let's go look for the boy..." Matsu commented, the three stood up and looked across the fire to one another before nodding their heads and dashing towards the forest.