Author: Furiousmonkey

Disclaimer: I don't own Ranma

PS: I live in Ireland, so I use English spelling, not American, so don't beat me for that!

Ranma- Love at last!

Chapter 14- Encounter

A/N. Hi everyone!

Once again sorry this took so long. It's been hard trying to find the time to do any writing with your Leaving cert coming up. I had most of this written a month ago, but study kept me from finishing the last little bit. This will be my last update until the end of June when my exams are over. From then on I should be updating a hell of a lot more often! Ironically for me, my English Exam is the one I'm most worried about, even though I don't need it for the points and getting the minimum C- in honours will be easy. It's just the prospect of writing non-stop for six hours that gets me!

Wish me luck!

Nekohaten: Inside

" I'll be more than happy to fill you in on what I know son-in-law!"

Ranma sighed loudly before retorting,

" My name isn't son-in-law, you old ghoul!"

Cologne's eye twitched, but she calmly replied,

"And mine isn't Old Ghoul!"

Mousse had, by then, picked himself off the ground and quickly jumped into the scene with his arms out in front of him in a calming manner.

" Please! Please! No fighting! By the looks of things were going to get enough of it soon!"

Cologne narrowed her eyes first at Mousse and then at Ranma,

" Very well! Sit son-in-law."

Ranma slid off the table and onto a seat around a large, rounded table.

" Thanks… Ghoul!"

Mousse shook his head and sat down beside Ryoga, who was already seated at the table.

Finally Cologne sat… well… stood on a pole beside the table. She spoke,

" I think it's time son-in-law was informed of recent events."

The trio calmed and sat back in their seats waiting for Cologne to continue,

" As you have probably already heard, Herb has returned to Japan. Our little lost friend here bumped into him in Hokkaido yesterday. Please tell us exactly how he beat the snot out of you!"

Ryoga rolled his eyes at her comment but picked up where she stopped,

" Sigh Yesterday I was somewhere in Hokkaido… well… I can't say exactly where… but a farmer told me it was Hokkaido. After your failed wedding I headed off to find Akari but, well, got lost…….

-Flashback-

" Sonnofa! WHERE ON EARTH AM I NOW?"

Ryoga clutched his head and screamed. A farmer who was nonchalantly working with a hoe in the field next to the road answered in a completely impassive tone of voice.

" This is Hokkaido son!"

Ryoga whirled to the previously unseen farmer,

" Wha?"

The farmer continued working with the hoe, not even looking up to meet Ryoga's eye,

" I said, this is Hokkaido son! You lost?"

Ryoga began twiddling his fingers and stammers,

" Well… a little… could you tell me where the Unryuu Farm is. It's near Nerima!"

The farmer stopped working and leaned on his hoe; finally he looked at Ryoga with one eyebrow raised in surprise,

" Nerima! Isn't that in Tokyo? That's a good long way away son… go through that there forest. On the other side is a town with a railway station. Stop there and get a train ticket."

Ryoga turned in the direction of the forest and began walking,

" Thank you!"

He called over his shoulder.

The farmer shrugged his shoulders and began working and mumbling.

" Odd kid!"

God only knows: Some forest in Hokkaido

Ryoga shivered and rubbed his arms as he trudged through the woodland. Something was wrong with this forest, something was slightly off. Even though the path was quite wide and well defined, it seemed as though the threatening branches of the roadside trees were closing in around him. He had never been to a place like this before and if he could help it he'd never be in a place like this again.

As he approached a winding bend in the road he caught something moving in his peripheral vision. Spinning quickly he dropped into a defensive pose with both open palms in front of his chest. He growled,

" Come out!"

The bushes began to rustle. Ryoga tightened his defence in anticipation of what was coming. Something was unnerving him to no end.

The bush shook ominously again. This time with wild abandon. Ryoga gritted his teeth and narrowed his eyes.

The bush shook one final time before it finally emerged.

Ryoga let out a huge sigh of relief and dropped his arms to his side, when he realised "it" was just a wild boar. The boar grunted a few times before shuffling off down the path. Ryoga turned to watch it go. Laughing a little to relieve his tension, he relaxed completely. Only to freeze again after hearing an all too familiar voice by his side.

" I don't see what's so funny about that boar! I don't think it appreciates being laughed at."

Ryoga closed his eyes, willing the voice to disappear. Instead the matching voice piped up,

" Maybe we should throw him into the spring-of-drowned-man and see what he says then, eh Lime?"

" Not a bad idea Mint!"

Ryoga suddenly felt an iron grip on his left shoulder; the accompanying voice spoke in slow deliberate tones,

" Long time, no see!"

Ryoga screwed his eyes closed before deciding to make a break for it.

As fast as humanly possible his right arm swung out in a wide arc. He felt his clenched fist impact with something hard and heard a satisfying muffled groan.

At the same time his left hand came up to his left shoulder to grip the fist there. Gripping it, he gave it a short but smart tug to pull the owner off balance.

It worked, as he felt Lime's feet stumble slightly on the ground behind him. As fast as lightning he planted his left foot firmly and pivoted clockwise. Bringing his right elbow up, he delivered a vicious reverse elbow to the side of Lime's head. The blow connected. Most normal people would have been out for the count instantly, from a blow like that. Even Ryoga himself or Ranma would have been severely dazed by an attack like that. Lime however, was not a normal person. A few staggered steps to the side and a shake of his head and he was back to normal.

Mint, on the other hand, while being incredibly fast, lacked Lime's superhuman strength and toughness. So Ryoga's backhanded punch to the side of the jaw was enough to send him tumbling over.

Ryoga himself used this won time to put a few feet of distance between himself and his attackers. It was only then that he noticed that they weren't wearing anything remotely like what they had worn the last time they met. Last time they had both been wearing light tunics made of animal skins, with Lime having two leather shoulder guards draped with Tiger pelt.

This time however, both were wearing light leather armour. Both still had their distinctive animal pelts, but the leather armour was definitely there. Both had a cuirass made of leather, Lime's hard, Mint's soft. They both also had leather bracers, shoulder guards and greaves.

Lime even had a red oak, short staff tied across his back. Mint of course had his trademark tulwar (short curved sword, kinda like a scimitar.).

Lime rubbed the side of his head before moving into a fighting position. Ryoga raised his fists and taunted,

" What's with the get-up, eh?"

Mint picked himself off the ground all the while moving and testing his jaw,

" Nothing! Looks like you've gotten better since last time!"

Ryoga smiled,

" I have had some interesting opponents since!"

Mint laughed in a short burst,

" I guess you have, we've heard all about your exploits in China. Can't say Saffron didn't have it coming. Always been a jerk, that guy."

Lime picked up when Mint ended,

" That doesn't mean we haven't been fighting."

Ryoga lowered his fists to his waist; both together would probably beat him, so he figured he had no choice but to jump them now while they were still busy talking.

Making his mind up, he dropped to crouching position and slammed his right forefinger into the ground. He yelled out loud,

"Basai Tenketsu!"

A crack appeared in the ground, followed by an upheaval of the ground and a shower of rocks being spewed into the air.

Lime and Mint both raised their forearms to shield their eyes from the cloud of dust and fine pebbles that rained down upon them.

Taking this distraction, Ryoga broke into a full sprint towards Lime. Lime saw Ryoga speeding towards him and raised his arm and brought one leg ready into a kicking position.

He barely had time to get ready before Ryoga was less than an inch away. He kicked out hard with his right leg hoping to catch the martial artist's midriff. Ryoga however expected something like this and had already moved before the kick ever came. He used Lime's shielding arm as a grip with which to vault over Lime's head.

All Lime saw was his kick meeting nothing but air before a massive blow to the back of the head dropped him like a log.

Landing deftly on his feet Ryoga lost no time and took off towards Mint, who had his sword drawn and was bearing down upon him.

Mint's sword swung in a wide clumsy arc, under which Ryoga deftly ducked. As he ducked, Ryoga brought his right leg out in a low sweep in an attempt to knock Mint off of his feet. He caught them and Mint spun a vertical 180-degree. Recovering mid air he brought his hand down and pushed off. He caught Ryoga's unprotected back with a double-footed kick that sent Ryoga tumbling and sprawling in the dirt.

Ryoga gritted his teeth and spat before jumping to his feet. Pulling the leaden umbrella from his pack and wielding it like a sword, Ryoga leapt back into the fray.

Mint braced himself and easily deflected Ryoga's diagonal strike, lunging forward he tried to catch Ryoga while his defence was down. Ryoga only barely managed to sidestep this thrust. Mint pressed his advantage and soon Ryoga was forced to give ground to the half lupine warrior.

As they stabbed, swung, ducked and weaved Ryoga began to notice Mint's movements were beginning to slow. Stamina, was finally giving him the upper hand.

Mint made a single mistake; he overshot on a stroke and ended up with his arm outstretched and off balance. Within a split second Ryoga had batted his outstretched arm to the side and closed the distance between them to deliver a massive head-butt.

Such a massive blow to Mint's head dropped him instantly. While falling his Tulwar fell from his grasp and landed with a metallic clang on the ground beside him.

Ryoga shook off the effects of the head-butt before moving over and kicking the sword away from the fallen Mint.

Smiling to himself Ryoga stood tall and proudly said,

" Didn't have much, did they! Haha!"

He slung his umbrella over his shoulder and was about to turn when something impacted with the side of his head. The world went dark.

Lime whirled his battle staff over his own head, before returning it to the leather strap across his back. He smiled as Ryoga's eyes rolled into his skull and his knees gave out.

" Didn't have much did I? Ha!….. ….Hey Mint!"

Lime shuffled over to where Mint lay and poked him with his foot,

" SIGH Looks like I'm gonna have to carry you too!"

Bending down he picked Mint up and unceremoniously slung him over his shoulder before retrieving the fallen Ryoga.

" You'd better not wake up anytime soon!"

He mumbled, before turning and cutting off the path.