Ikioi - Part Six

Predictably, Ikioi was in all of Ranma’s afternoon classes as well, but Ryoga was not, and the more the pig tailed boy thought about that, the more it seemed to make sense. The mysterious girl was keeping a close eye on him, while making sure that he had as little contact with Ryoga as possible. What Ranma couldn’t figure out was - why? What did he have to do with anything aside from the fact that he had deeply suppressed feelings for the Lost Boy? Ikioi wasn’t paying this sort of attention to Akane or Ukyo, both of whom had been the recipients of Ryoga’s affections in the past.

So why the interest in him?

Of course, class assignments were made by the school according to each student’s grade level, but Ranma somehow got the feeling that this had been carefully orchestrated, and based on Ryoga’s actions, the pig tailed boy was starting to think that there was far more to Ikioi than there seemed to be. He’d learned long ago not to underestimate any potential opponent, and he wouldn’t have been surprised at all to learn that she could somehow manipulate school officials. That thought set him even more on edge than he already was.

It annoyed him to no end to find her in each of his classes, smiling prettily and making friends easily with the girls around her. It galled him to see the boys watching after her like smitten puppies. Why couldn’t they see and feel what he did? Her very presence and aura was disrupting and disturbing to him, because it felt so much like Ryoga that Ranma expected to see the Lost Boy walk in at any moment. And aside from that, he loathed seeing Ikioi because, deep in his heart, he knew she was right about his attitude toward Ryoga, and Ranma hated to think that all this time he had been repeatedly hurting the wandering martial artist simply because he was covering up for himself. Over-compensating. Afraid of his own feelings.

(( Is that really it? Have I been such a prick because I’m afraid? Me? Ranma Saotome? Afraid of a bunch of stupid little things like feelings? ))

But most of all, Ranma detested the sight of that girl because he knew . . . somehow he knew . . . that she was holding Ryoga captive. He wasn’t sure how, but he had seen it plainly in the young man’s actions. Ryoga was a prisoner. And that, more than anything else, led Ranma to believe that he was dealing with far more than a basic girl here. Ryoga was no weakling, yet somehow she had managed to snare him. This was very serious, and Ranma was determined to uncover the hows and whys as soon as possible. Before this went any further.

There was one class that Ikioi could not have with him, and Ranma knew that it would be his best opportunity to talk with Ryoga without the girl present. He hurried to his gym period, flying into the locker room and fully expecting to find the Lost Boy there, getting changed and ready for class. But instead, he discovered only the usual groups of boys, all of whom regarded him with surprise. As he stalked up the aisles between lockers, looking for the young man, Ranma’s frustration and unease grew. Had she somehow managed to keep him separated from Ryoga even during the one class they should have together?

"Are you looking for your friend?" Daisuke asked, opening his locker and pulling out his P.E. uniform. "Hibiki?"

"Hai," Ranma slowed for a moment in his headlong dash through the locker room. "Have you seen him?"

Daisuke nodded. "Yeah, he already headed out to the track with Hiroshi and some of the other guys. Considering how he fights with you, they were pretty eager to see what he can do."

"Thanks!" Hurrying to his own locker, Ranma quickly changed into his sweats and a t-shirt and ran out to the field, looking urgently for Ryoga. He took note of the girls playing softball on one of the other fields, spotted both Akane and Ukyo, then pinpointed Ikioi. Hoping that she would stay there as she was suppose to, Ranma hurried to the track and found Hiroshi and a few of the others quickly enough, gathered around and working with some of the track equipment. Ryoga wasn’t with them, however. Frustration mounted further.

"He’s running laps around the P.E. building," Hiroshi informed Ranma when asked about Ryoga’s whereabouts. "Said he’d come back and work with the equipment once he warmed up."

"I’ll go find him and see if I can hurry him along," Ranma nodded and trotted to the path that ran around the large building. Suddenly, something began to tug at him within his mind . . . something that didn’t feel right, and Ranma was certain that it had to do with Ryoga. Fighting down a mild sense of panic, Ranma jogged along the path, his eyes searching the interconnecting jogging trails that ran between the trees and brush as his sense of disquiet grew stronger.

******************************************

As soon as he was out of the sight of the other boys, Ryoga slowed his trot down to an easier jog and veered off from the main path that led around the P.E. building, onto the trails that wound through the woods behind Furinkan High. Even though the others had urged him to stay and work on the equipment, or run laps around the track, he’d known better than that. He didn’t want them to see how tired he was. How weary . . . how drained . . .

(( Small price to pay . . . ))

Ryoga loved being back in school, in fact, he had forgotten just how much he enjoyed learning and was excited about being given the opportunity to do so again. He knew a lot of that stemmed simply from the fact that he was being a normal teenager at last - going to school, interacting with others, and making friends; although Ryoga’s natural shyness was still a barrier against him being able to fully relax around others. Still, it felt so good to be normal, and to not have to worry about getting lost as he went from class to class. That alone was worth the price he paid . . .

But the day was wearing on him. Before leaving for school that morning, Ikioi had taken some of his energy, enough to get her through, and he had keenly felt its absence. His morning classes had been the worst - he’d struggled not to pass out during the biology lecture, which rather saddened him because he was so interested in the subject, and his mathematics class had seemed interminable as he fought to keep his eyes open.

Lunch helped to rejuvenate him, but then Ikioi snuck a kiss from him in the hallway right before he left her for his afternoon classes, and even that little peck on the cheek had cost him. He’d already been reprimanded by one of his instructors for not paying attention, but it was so difficult to concentrate when all his body wanted to do was shut down.

And now . . . now gym class. Physical exertion. He knew better than to work out with the other boys, to let them see his fatigue. He already had a reputation, by virtue of his confrontations with Ranma, of being extremely strong and powerful. He couldn’t let anyone know that was no longer the case. Ryoga hated feeling so weak and tired, in fact he found it to be a very foreign and unsettling sensation. But . . . but . . . it was worth it, wasn’t it?

(( She loves me . . . so it’s okay. I’ll give her anything, as long as she keeps on loving me . . . ))

His body was starting to protest even the light jogging, so Ryoga slowed to a walk, sighing softly to himself. It -was- worth it. It -was- a small price to pay. Now he had someone who loved him, someone who was willing to do anything for him and give him everything he had ever wanted. Even though the loss of his chi kept him in a continuous disconnected and hazy state of mind . . . even though the repeated drains on his ki were wearing him thin . . . it . . . was . . . worth . . . it . . . if only to have someone who smiled at him, touched him, didn’t make him feel stupid and worthless . . . unwanted . . .

Ryoga blinked blearily, finally coming to a halt on the jogging trail. The day was warm, though overcast, but he felt cold, especially in the sweats and t-shirt he was required to wear for gym class. He instinctively knew it was because his body didn’t have enough fuel to burn to maintain his body heat, and the exercise was simply wearing him out that much faster. Sighing again in resignation, the young man found a spot to sit beneath a tree. He just needed to rest for a few moments, just needed the chance to build his reserves back up. After class, he would stop by the cafeteria again and eat something. That would help. Then he would be okay for the next time he saw Ikioi . . . for the next time she kissed him.

Ryoga leaned back against the tree, stared up at the pattern of leaves against the blue-grey sky . . .

. . . the next thing he knew, Ranma was calling his name . . .

*****************************************

"Ryoga!" As soon as Ranma spotted the young man slumped on the ground beneath a tree, he hurried over and dropped down beside him, lifting him and turning him over, while shaking him lightly. When Ryoga didn’t respond, Ranma carefully supported his head, only to find his eyes tightly closed, darkly rimmed with weariness and a drawn exhausted pinch to his face.

"Ryoga, c’mon buddy. Are you asleep?" Ranma eased Ryoga into a more upright position, wrapping a supporting arm around him and letting the boy’s head fall back against his shoulder. He brushed Ryoga’s thick bangs out of his eyes, more worried than he had expected to be. (( Damn you, moron, you better be all right! )) Ryoga was extremely strong and not prone to passing out from something like exhaustion. The very thought was disturbing and alien. But then . . . his aura -had- felt very weak earlier . . . "Ryoga? Wake up. You okay?"

Ryoga’s eyelids fluttered, but he didn’t quite make it to the surface of consciousness. "Hmm?"

"Ryoga!" Ranma said, injecting a little more force into his voice and shaking just a bit harder. "Wake up! What the hell is wrong with you?"

This time, the young man managed to wake himself, and he looked blearily up at Ranma for a few blank seconds, eyes heavy and obviously not focusing properly. "Nnn? Ranma . . . ?"

"Hai," Ranma responded, even as he noticed how cool the young man’s body felt against his own. He’d just been running laps, shouldn’t he be hot, or at least warm? Ranma acknowledged the alarms in his head which began to clang urgently. Something was wrong . . . something was wrong . . .

"What?" Ryoga was waking up a little more fully, though he still rested heavily in Ranma’s arms. "What happened? I was just . . . "

"Looks like you passed out." Ranma regarded the wanness of Ryoga’s face once again, as well as the fatigued and burnt-out light in his eyes. "Cripes man, you look like hell. Are you okay?"

"Passed out . . . " Ryoga seemed to contemplate this for a moment, closing his eyes briefly to gather himself, then he pushed up into a sitting position, away from Ranma. "Yeah. I’m fine."

"You are not fine," Ranma frowned accusingly at him.

Ryoga wouldn’t meet his eyes. "Just a little tired, okay?"

"No, it’s not okay," Ranma leaned forward insistently, reaching out and laying his hand on Ryoga’s arm, squeezing gently. "What’s going on, Ryoga?"

He saw the Lost Boy hesitate before answering. "Nothing," he muttered, putting a hand to his forehead and pressing his temple hard with his fingertips "Nothing. Everything is fine. Just fine."

"No," Ranma shook his head. "Something ain’t right. You ain’t right, Ryoga. You’re aura is so damn weak that I can hardly feel it, and you just passed out from exhaustion? Exhaustion! -You-? It’s wrong, Ryoga. You’re wrong. She’s wrong."

"She is not wrong!" Ryoga yanked away from Ranma sharply, shooting him a vicious and defensive glare. "She’s perfect! And she loves me!"

"Loves you . . . "

"Yeah, is that so hard to believe?" The young man got to his feet, wavering a bit unsteadily. Ranma moved to support him, but Ryoga stubbornly refused the help, managing to maintain his balance on his own. "Someone actually loves me, poor stupid Ryoga, the one no one wanted," he spat, his tone one of self-mocking. "Well, Ikioi wants me . . . "

"She’s hurting you. I don’t know how, but she is," Ranma also got up, grabbing Ryoga and turning him so that they were facing each other directly. "Ryoga. What the hell is she doing to you?"

"Nothing!" Ryoga took a step back, pushing Ranma away. The pig tailed boy moved forward quickly and caught him before he stumbled and fell, then lowered them both back to the ground. Ryoga hung his head, eyes slipping closed again. He knelt limply, supported only by Ranma’s arm encircling his back.

"Ryoga . . . " Ranma said quietly. "There’s no one else here. It’s just us. Talk to me. What is she doing to you?"

"She’s my iinazuke and she loves me. So, whatever she wants to take . . . whatever she wants from me is okay. I’m willing to give it, Ranma, I really am. Just as long as she loves me . . . as long as she stays with me . . . I’ll give her anything," Ryoga rambled, his voice sounding distant and tired.

"She . . . " Ranma filed though the facts in his mind, fitting them all together and not liking the conclusion he came to one bit. ". . . she’s taking your strength . . . your energy . . . that’s it, isn’t it, Ryoga? Somehow she’s stealing your ki."

"No," Ryoga shook his head. "She’s not stealing it. I’m giving it."

That was even worse. Ranma gasped at the Lost Boy in shock. "Ryoga! Why?! Why are you letting her do that?"

"Because she loves me," he replied quietly, simply, sadly. "And she’s the only one who ever has . . . "

Ranma stared for a long moment - at Ryoga’s lowered head, at the way his thick lashes fell over his cheeks as he closed his eyes, at the gentle curve of his upper lip and the slenderness of his neck . . . at how he rested in the grass, wearily and lifelessly, as if he were a puppet with his strings cut. Ranma wondered at the desperation that would allow a young man to give away his ki simply to be loved . . . and he felt shamed when he realized that he could have prevented it . . . if only he hadn’t spent years breaking down Ryoga’s self-esteem . . . if only he had admitted long ago . . .

Ranma’s arm tightened around Ryoga’s shoulders, and he rested his other hand on the young man’s leg, fingers clutching lightly.

"No, she’s not . . . " Ranma whispered.

Ryoga opened his eyes slowly, as Ranma’s words and the implications behind them sank into his fogged mind. He lifted his head and looked up, meeting the pig tailed boy’s worried and anxious gaze. Ryoga’s first thought was conditioned disbelief - after all, how many times had Ranma said similar things while pretending to be his girlfriend or iinazuke? How many times had he feigned being friends when he really only wanted something from the Lost Boy?

But there was a rare sincerity in those dark blue eyes, sincerity which Ryoga had never seen before. The grip of the hand on his leg . . . the strength of the arm around his shoulders . . . the small frightened expression on Ranma’s face . . . Ryoga realized with a sudden stunning clarity that Ranma was serious . . . he was serious . . .

Serious . . . Ryoga could only choke out one word. "Wh - what?"

"Look, Ryoga . . . it ain’t exactly easy for me to say this . . . " Ranma hedged, removing his hand from Ryoga’s leg to rub nervously at the back of his neck. "But . . . well . . . I care about you, you know?"

Ryoga blinked and something began to smother in his heavy brown eyes. "You care about me?" He pulled away from the support of Ranma’s arm.

The pig tailed boy nodded and started to open his mouth to continue, but never got further than drawing in a readying breath. There was a resounding and unexpected *crack* sound, and the next thing Ranma knew, he was sprawled out on the ground with a burning sting reddening on his face from Ryoga’s vicious slap.

Stunned, Ranma stared up at the young man, who was now on his feet and looking more angry then he ever had before. Tears of hurt and frustration filled his dark eyes.

"You -bastard-!" Ryoga spat, a sob catching in his throat.

"Ryoga, what - - "

"Shut up! How could you?!" Ryoga snarled tearfully. "How could you be so damn cruel? All those years of teasing me and picking on me, making me feel like dirt . . . making me think that no one liked me or wanted me . . . I’ve tried to kill myself, Ranma!! I’ve held a knife to my own throat because of how you’ve made me feel!!" He paused for a moment to swallow down hard on his fury. "And why?! You’ve hurt me and tortured me, and for what reason? Because you’re too much of a coward to admit how you really feel?!"

"Ryoga! Listen to me!" Ranma scrambled to his feet and reached for the Lost Boy, only to be evaded easily. "C’mon, give me a chance to explain!"

"I don’t want to hear it!" The young man turned away abruptly, bringing his fists to his head, pressing hard on his temples. He slammed his eyes shut as tightly as he could and fought back the tears that were coming against his will. (( How could he?! How could he do that to me?! All this time . . . I thought he hated me . . . I thought he hated me . . . ))

Ranma felt his insides twist as he watched the heaving motion of Ryoga’s back and sides, knowing that the Lost Boy was losing the battle with his desire to cry. He stepped forward and reached out to lay his hand on Ryoga’s shoulder, but stopped just short of actually touching him. Was there really anything he could say that would make up for all the years of teasing and pain? Were there words powerful enough to erase all of that hurt? Ranma winced, forcing down the strange choking feeling in his own throat. (( He said he tried to kill himself . . . because of me . . . because of me . . . ))

"Ryoga . . . " Ranma breathed, letting his hand fall on the young man’s shoulder. "I’m sorry . . . "

Ryoga stiffened at the feel of Ranma’s touch, but glanced up over his shoulder at him, tears streaking his face. Their eyes met again, and once more Ryoga could see the sincerity within Ranma’s . . . sincerity and genuine regret . . .

The Lost Boy’s vision wavered. His weakened body protested his sudden furious use of energy, stomach flipping over with dizzying nausea and joints quivering from the exertion. Ryoga sank to his knees with a small protesting whine, supporting himself against the ground with his hands. Biting his lower lip with the pointed tip of a fang, hard enough to draw blood, the young man fought back the wave of black unconsciousness that wanted to overwhelm him.

Ranma’s hands were on him immediately, helping to support him, and the pig tailed martial artist’s voice was low and close to his ear, breath warm. "Ryoga . . . " he urged in anxious concern. "Get up . . . come with me . . . I’m going to help you . . . "

"No . . . " Ryoga shook his head once, and just that slight sensation sickened him. He felt his stomach heave and choked dryly, while Ranma continued to hold him tightly, firmly. "I can’t . . . I can’t . . . Ikioi . . . "

"Forget Ikioi! You can’t keep this up, Ryoga, you can’t keep feeding her!" Ranma insisted, trying to get the young man back on his feet, silently cursing that bitch as he did. Ryoga had only known her for three days, and he was already this sick and drained? If this went on . . . without the energy necessary to keep his body going . . .

Ranma pushed aside his panic, securely putting his mind back to the task of getting the young man up. Ryoga was like dead weight in his arms, unresponsive and distant. Grinding his teeth with determination, Ranma drew even closer and tried joining his aura to Ryoga’s, hoping to lend some of his own strength and get the Lost Boy moving. Ryoga’s signature was extremely weak, wavering, and difficult to find, so Ranma felt deeper, trying to reach the young man’s very core of being.

He found nothing . . . nothing beyond the waning aura. Upset and startled, Ranma searched even deeper, mentally projecting himself into the empty shell within Ryoga’s body which should have held his chi . . . should have, but didn’t. It was gone. Ryoga was gone . . .

"Where are you?" Ranma whispered, dismayed, as he clutched Ryoga’s shaking body tighter. "I can’t feel you! Ryoga! Where are you?!"

Ryoga lifted his head. Faces only inches apart, brown eyes locked onto blue. Pale thin blood slowly inched from Ryoga’s lower lip, making a stark tear-shaped pattern on his chin. "She loves me, Ranma," Ryoga exhaled. "She loves me . . . so whatever she wants to take from me . . . whatever she wants . . . "

"Ryoga, no . . . " Ranma gasped, horrified. "She took your chi . . . "

"My Heart. My Soul. My Everything."

Both boys looked up at the gentle warm sound of Ikioi’s voice. She stood before them, still dressed in the girls’ gym uniform, a lovely delicate smile on her small rounded face. The breeze that ruffled through the trees also lightly played with her hair, tossing her pony tail over her right shoulder and flicking her bangs across her eyes . . . eyes which burned like glacier fire.

"You bitch . . . " Ranma hissed, straightening and moving to put himself between her and Ryoga. At last he understood why her presence felt so much like Ryoga’s . . . because she was holding the Lost Boy’s chi! Now that he knew what he was looking for, he could feel Ryoga’s life force pulsing within her body, held in place by invisible threads of mental steel. (( No! )) There was no way that Ranma was going to allow her to hold onto that chi one moment longer! If he had to rip it from her body . . .

"Ranma, no!" Ryoga cried out, belatedly grabbing for him as the pig tailed martial artist jumped forward. Forgetting caution, forgetting not to underestimate his opponent, Ranma launched himself feet forward, snarling as he attacked. His only thought was to protect Ryoga, to take back his life force . . . Ranma viciously aimed his well-placed kick right for Ikioi’s pretty little head, and as he tore through the air . . . he saw her calmly raise a hand, as if she could hope to block his assault with just one - -

Ranma’s world abruptly exploded as he crashed into an unseen barrier. Electric fire tore through his body, seeking every nerve ending and lighting him up with brilliant white hot pain and agony. He yowled from the sheer burning, and was slammed backwards, hitting the ground hard and jarringly. Smoke rose from his singed clothing.

(( What the hell?! What did she do?! ))

Ikioi turned her eyes toward Ryoga, the ice within those ocean depths softening. "Ryoga-kun," she requested firmly, holding her hand out to him. He slowly got to his feet and reached out to meet her offered hand.

Despite the debilitating pain still flickering spottily through his body, Ranma managed to push himself up to his hands and knees with a groan. One by one, rain drops from the overcast sky started to patter against the ground around him. He looked up at Ryoga, grinding his teeth together hard. "Ryoga . . . don’t . . . she’s hurting you . . . she doesn’t love you . . . "

"Of course I love him," Ikioi frowned prettily, letting her gaze flicker towards Ranma for a moment.

"You’re hurting him!" Ranma hissed, forcing himself to his feet, determined to attack her again.

"You’ve been hurting him for years," Ikioi retorted sharply and fixed her attention back on Ryoga, who now stood still and silent, watching both of them. The rain began to fall harder, heavy drops hitting the ground with audible impacts. Ranma cursed silently as he made his change, feeling his body shrink and reform itself. She tensed against the unwelcome sensation, even as a new idea came to her. When Ryoga turned into P-Chan, she’d grab him up and run, get him away from Ikioi . . . get him some medical attention . . . try to talk some sense into him.

The rain fell on Ryoga, streaking through his thick hair, dotting his face so that it became impossible to see which drops of water were rain and which were tears, soaking quickly through the material of his t-shirt. But, much to Ranma’s extreme shock, the young man did not change.

He did not change.

"Wh - what?" Ranma gaped.

"You see, Ranma Saotome?" Ikioi smiled beautifully. "I love him, and I can give him whatever he desires. He hated wandering constantly, so I removed that curse from him. He hated changing into a pig, so I took that away as well. He wanted to return to school, so I made it happen. You’ve given him only pain, but I will give him everything."

Ranma winced, shock hitting her hard. She had . . . she had cured Ryoga of the Jusenkyo curse? (( Give him everything? Take away all the things that hurt him the most . . . but the price . . . Ryoga . . . the price is too high . . . your chi . . . ))

Ryoga stared at Ikioi, anguish plain in his expression. His hands clenched into fists at his sides and his jaw tightened, as the rain washed away the trickle of blood from his lip. "You -do- love me?" he whispered, needing to be reassured against the doubt that Ranma had raised in his mind.

Ikioi nodded. "Yes, my Heart." She took one step forward, fixing her gaze on him a little more firmly. Ryoga stiffened slightly as he was captured by her eyes once again, and his thoughts turned foggy and unimportant. Whatever had been going on . . . well, it really didn’t mater, did it? All that mattered was that he was loved. Loved . . . someone loved him . . . His hands relaxed out of their fists.

"Ryoga, no!" Ranma snapped, seeing the change in him, knowing that it wasn’t natural. Somehow . . . somehow Ikioi was subduing him with her eyes alone. For Ryoga’s sake, Ranma found the strength to move again at last, and the pig tailed martial artist threw herself forward, as if she were trying for another attack against Ikioi. As soon as she saw the girl throw up her hand, presumably raising the invisible barrier, Ranma abruptly skidded to a halt and changed her direction, launching herself at Ryoga instead.

She tackled him to the ground and held him there, knowing that he wasn’t strong enough to throw her off, even in her girl-form. In fact, he hardly protested at all. He simply blinked as he was slammed against the ground and gazed up at her blankly.

"Ryoga!" Ranma yipped, grabbing him by the shoulders and shaking him hard. "Snap out of it! Wake up!"

Thankfully, she saw his eyes clear, saw the thoughts returning to his head. He tensed beneath her, apparently disconcerted to find himself lying on the ground with Ranma pressing down on top of him. She saw brief anger flicker across his face, to be quickly replaced by concern. "What - - ?"

Ikioi glared. Pointedly, she raised her hand and placed it over her chest. "Ryoga . . . " she whispered, and though the sound was lost beneath the pattering of the rain, the young man heard it plainly within his head. He winced, and his eyes darted past Ranma to settle on his iinazuke . . .

. . . who tightened her fingers into a firm fist against her chest . . .

Ranma was nearly thrown off as Ryoga’s body bucked, as he spasmed in obvious hideous pain and cried out piteously. She felt a fiery heat of pain travel up through his body, like a wildfire, greedily consuming everything within him. And she saw his eyes . . . how they went black and dead . . . even as his body continued to shake, even as the pain continued to course through him.

Her battle aura springing to full life, Ranma snapped around and snarled at Ikioi. "Stop it!" she shrieked, even as she was launching herself through the air once again, completely forgetting what had happened before. Her only thought was rage, pure burning rage. She saw Ikioi raise her hand again, but didn’t care. Putting all of her strength and fury and ki behind the force of her kick, Ranma managed to melt through the barrier and connected with Ikioi’s body firmly.

The girl fell backwards, releasing her hold on Ryoga’s chi as she did. She recovered quickly, much faster than Ranma would have given her credit for, and was up and ready to block the rapid fire blows that the pig tailed martial artist threw. They matched each other perfectly, their movements so swift that they were almost impossible to detect with the human eye. Ikioi seemed calm and collected as she blocked, her aquamarine eyes smiling at Ranma through the rain and the blur of motion between them. Ranma growled in response and kicked it into higher gear.

"Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken!" she shrieked, pouring on the energy furiously. Even as she sped up, however, so did Ikioi, and the pretty young woman continued to match Ranma blow for blow, the calm knowing smile never leaving her lips.

(( Damn it! )) Ranma thought rapidly. (( She’s countering just as fast as I’m attacking! And she’s not even breaking a sweat! I gotta get her moving, get her to expend more energy . . . yeah . . . if she’s using Ryoga’s ki, then she’s only got a limited supply . . . ))

Just as Ranma moved to press forward, the fight came to an abrupt end. Ranma felt herself being grabbed from behind, and next she knew she was flying through the rain, coming to a jarring and painful stop against a large tree. Wood splintered around her as the tree cracked and buckled from the force of the impact.

Ranma shook her head and looked up to find Ryoga on his feet and standing beside Ikioi, gulping in frantic breaths to counteract his exertion. Soaked by the rain, there was a strange expression on his face that was half-way between sorrow and anger, pinched by his exhaustion. His eyes were heavy and shadowed by dark circles.

The pig tailed girl pushed herself out of the tree, oblivious to the other students who were now arriving, alerted by the sounds of the fight. She stared at Ryoga, and couldn’t help feeling betrayed . . . betrayed and hurt . . . "Ryoga . . . ?" she swallowed.

He cast his eyes down. "She loves me, Ranma," he explained quietly, as rain water dripped from his bangs. "And I . . . I l - love her too . . . "

"Ryoga . . . no . . ." Ranma exhaled.

Ikioi smiled, reaching out to take Ryoga’s hand. "Come, my Heart. It’s time to go," she said lovingly, turning to lead him away.

Ryoga glanced up at Ranma one more time, then turned and let himself be lead.

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