Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½.

Author's Notes: It's a new day and a new story. For those of you wondering about A Different Side 2, please don't. I may finish that story someday but right now it looks like a lack of creativity. They say we are our own harshest critic. The story you are about to read follows well worn paths but that's okay, right? Trust me; this is not the standard fare. Without further ado, let's get on with the show!

Frozen Lake of Hell

Prologue

Many tales begin on a bright and sunny day. Still others begin on a terribly rainy day. Unlike most days for the people of Nerima, the weather was blustery and cold. Snow was piling up and was no longer being measured in inches, but in feet. On a day such as this it would be much better to be home and warm with a loving family. However, for one Ranma Saotome, he was forcibly ejected across the Nerima skyline by a certain gorilla fiancée. It wouldn't have been so bad except that he (now she) was sailing through the air without her coat or even her shoes. Her eyes quickly scanned the ground for a safe place to land and angled herself to come in as softly as she could still causing a terrific impact.

"Safe…" she breathed in relief, but the vibrations caused by her landing shook snow from the telephone wires and from the house she landed near, burying her completely. The poor little redhead wearily pushed her way free, her skin tinged red from the stinging snow as she tried to get out, but her freezing limbs were barely adequate to the task. She didn't want to cry but it was a losing battle. Ranma knew it wasn't just Akane's fault that she was here right now and she wasn't going to say it was always her fault. It takes two to tango and she finally understood that stupid saying. Insult and react, insult and react, their lives were falling into a rut. She would insult him and he would insult her accompanied by the familiar sensation of flying. It never failed.

"I-I know she doesn't hate me…" Ranma muttered deliriously as her vision began to fade. On top of all her other problems she seemed to have developed a concussion from the hefty blow to her skull, coupled with her freezing condition, it was making it impossible to stay awake. The last sound she heard as she slipped into darkness was the snow crunching beneath someone's feet.

The young man blinked in astonishment at what was before him. Absolutely insane, he thought as he regarded the redheaded girl half buried in the snow. He was a somewhat tall young man at almost six feet tall. His hair was a shade of blue and his eyes were a bright green. He couldn't have been more than eighteen. His clothing consisted of a warm black coat that ended at mid hip, black pants and black snow boots. The puzzle before him was quickly resolved as he delicately scooped the freezing girl in his arms. Open and shut damsel in distress case. The blue-haired boy looked about surreptitiously before a warm, red aura enveloped him and his precious bundle. He began making his way towards where he was staying, holding the cold at bay with his burning aura.

"I hope the Doc understands me bringing a girl home…" he chuckles softly as he gently rearranges the girl. He can't help but notice how beautiful she is yet he can resist the temptation to kiss her. The traveler was many things but he never took advantage of a woman. He was glad for the good doctor's company. He had been out of the country doing missionary work in Tibet trying to get over a severe reaction to a girl he called Kasumi. He would have continued, but the girl in his arms stirred and cuddled closer to his warmth, bringing a strangely paternal smile to his face.

"Well…already starting to feel better I take it." He said softly as he felt the girl's enormous ki reserves healing her injuries at a fantastic rate and tried to keep the ride as smooth as possible. But this is Nerima folks and we all know how long peaceful moments last.

"Ah ha! There you are Saotome! Hiding in that man's arms can't fool me!" a crazed young man with a yellow bandanna shouted, his intense battle aura clearly showing through the winter gear he was wearing. Without another word he charged, intent on decimating his hated foe. Now if only he could make the guy drop the pigtailed runt…then it hit him. With a smirk, he used the weakest Bakusai Tenketsu he could to jog the man's legs, his smirk increasing when the startled guy dropped the girl he was holding. Without hesitation, he launched himself at the prone redhead with murder in his eyes only to be stopped when an icy blade touched his throat. He looked up to see the man glaring down upon him from the hilt of his sword. The blade itself was beautiful, covered in strange runes and gleaming silver. The crosspiece was black, inlaid with gold while the hilt was silver with a clearly molded grip. The pommel was four rings of alternating gold and black with a coldly glowing emerald sphere at the end. All in all, a beautiful weapon, but not something he wanted pointed at him.

"Excuse me, but what is your problem?" the stranger asked coolly of the young man who just attacked him.

"I'm after that jackass Saotome. He always tries to hide in his girl form because he's too scared to fight me. Because of him I've seen Hell!" the fanged boy snarled only to be struck across the face by a powerful backhand that sent him skidding through the snow, tumbling end over end, to land face-first in the snow. The powerfully built young warrior managed to regain his footing, silently thanking whatever kami was watching for not letting him transform.

"If you wish to harm the young lady…or gentleman as you claim…then I guess I'll have to kick your ass." The blue-haired boy said easily as he removed his coat, placing it around the shivering girl. Due to his size she fit neatly inside the warm cocoon as he placed her on a doorstep out of the way. Under his coat he wore a black t-shirt that read "I only look like I'm listening". His smile was terribly feral.

"Who are you so I can put it on your tombstone?" the antagonist asked haughtily. The stranger's smile got wider and more frightening.

"The name is Ding Dragon and I am the greatest warrior in the world…" he proclaimed before amending "In my world anyway". The young man wasn't impressed. With a shrug "Ding" shot across the intervening space into a powerful shoulder ram that blew the Lost Boy off his feet. The Dragon gaped in astonishment when his opponent casually stood back up and brushed himself off.

"I'm Ryoga Hibiki and there is no one that can beat me." Ryoga boasted. The Lost Boy set himself for battle as Ding slowly swept his sword to the side before violently slashing upwards with such force that it hurled waves of freezing snow at the fanged martial artist. His confident smile melted back into shock as a wave of green ki hurtled at him, blowing through the wall of icy snow throwing it everywhere, momentarily blinding him as the ball struck. Ding clutched his chest from the blow, the front of his shirt smoldering from the intense heat. He had only a second's warning to dodge as a fist shot through the space his head had been just before a kick tore into his side and spun him away, forcing him to drop his sword.

"Curse you to hell you bastard…" the Dragon growled as he gingerly stood up. Where he came from he had been hit harder, but this kid was not just good. He was amazing! Normal humans shouldn't have that kind of power. With a low chuckle, he healed his injuries allowing him to stand up fully only to end up falling down a deep pit from another Bakusai Tenketsu with the displaced snow literally burying him alive. As the snow came down he thought "Well isn't this nice…" as his vision filled with white.

End Chapter

Author's Notes: I know some people hate SI but this isn't quite one of those. Ding Dragon is my old role playing character and I figured it was time the guy got some use. A prologue that ends on a real cliffhanger. Who is going to win, Ryoga or Ding? Stay tuned for next time!