Past Life, Present Death, Painful Future Written by: Matdeception Disclaimer: I don't own any characters therein. "Oh, Ranma-kun, you have a letter from that nice Hibiki-san." Kasumi called out, flipping through the rest of the mail carefully as she entered the living room where our resident Martial Artist was currently engrossed in an episode of DBZ. She gave off a soft smile, watching the young man she had come to know and love like a brother. Akane sat on the couch, a textbook open and sitting forgotten in her lap as she too watched the cartoon. "Wha's it about?" Ranma asked, not ripping his eyes from the animated fight scenes currently blazing about the screen. "Not anutha challenge is it?" Despite the rather whiney tone he asked in, Kasumi couldn't help but notice the boy rubbing his hands together in glee. Akane snorted, "Jerk. I really wish you'd stop picking on poor Ryoga." Honestly! That jerk just delights in hurting poor Ryoga-kun! Ranma tore his gaze away from the TV just as the narrators voice came up to give it's customary 'Tune in next week' spiel. He shot the uncute tomboy an annoyed look before retorting, "What the heck!? He always attacks me! I ain't pickin on nobody you uncute tomboy!" What the heck is wrong with that girl! It's not like he went out of his way to annoy the porkster! Ignoring the impeding argument, Kasumi flipped the post card over, eyes tracing over the messy Kanji momentarily before answering the pigtailed one's question, "It is another challenge, Ranma-kun." She smiled her sweet sugary smile, before waving the letter in Ranma's face. Snatching the letter from Kasumi, Ranma quickly read the post card and snorted. "Sent it last week, post marked some where in Europe." How the hell does he get around like that anyway?! Betta question, how the hell does he manage to keep finding me anyway!? You'd figure with him being lost all tha time he'd neva find a place twice. It was almost like he could some how home in on him. "Where's the fight taking place?" Nabiki's voice drifted in from the dining room. Ranma scowled at Nabiki, already identifying the look she had on her face. She just screamed 'Possible money making scheme' to his fine tuned senses. "Ryugensawa." She frowned at that little tidbit of information. Ryugensawa wasn't the best of places as far as she was concerned. It was too far away from home for any of her regulars to bother with it, and no one in the area would give a damn about such a fight taking place. A missed opportunity to make some cash all in all. "I really need to have a talk with that boy. The least he could do is make the fights closer to home." Nabiki responded dryly, as she turned back to her ledgers. Akane frowned while Ranma scowled at Nabiki, "You weren't thinking about using poor Ryoga were you!?" Nabiki blinked, adopting a 'Well no shit Sherlock' expression. "NA-BI-KI! I can't believe you! You're just as bad as this jerk!" Akane fumed, motioning towards Ranma. "Who you calling a jerk?!?" Ranma predictably retorted to the barb. Nabiki smiled, turning away from the conversation as it inevitably boiled down to Akane having enough of his mouth. It really wasn't her problem anyway. "That wouldn't be very nice of you, Nabiki." Kasumi lectured with a slight frown on her face. Nabiki just rolled her eyes. "Built like a brick! You're Thighs are too thick!" Ranma continued. "Jerk! Pervert! Freak!" Akane continued. "Oh my Nabiki, shouldn't we stop this?" Kasumi asked, watching the two continue in their tirade. Nabiki shrugged as she played with her acubus, "Why? Akane will just think you're flirting with Ranma if you try to stop it." A demure blush spread across her cheeks, tingeing them pink. She brought her hands up, hoping they covered her growing blush. Her sister could be so scandalous sounding at times! "Nabiki! Ranma-kun would never do.." "Yeah yeah. I've seen him watch you from time to time. Staring at your butt.. heh." Neither Nabiki nor Kasumi noticed the arguing going on behind them slowly taper off, eventually vanishing all together. "You know Kasumi; he's told me he's had sexual dreams about you. This one he had involved you lying naked across the table as he made mad passionate love with you." She chuckled, "He has a fetish when it comes to dominating housewives." It wasn't true, of course. But teasing her big sister could be so much fun at times. Ranma gulped. He knew it wasn't true, but try explaining that to anyone - Akane of all people. Akane was shell shocked at first, slowly however her anger managed to creep in. That last barb by her sister had her set and ready to explode. Kasumi's blushed increased from slight pink to atomic rogue, "Na-Na-NABIKI! Don't say such things!" she shivered slightly, oddly excited by the thought of a rough domineering Ranma-kun taking advantage of her in such a way. "RANMA! YOU PERVERT!" Akane suddenly screeched loud enough to wake the dead, a blazing blue battle aura snapping into reality around her as she brandished a lamp. Ranma blinked, coming out of his stupor with a raging blush across his cheeks. "Wha??" "YOU CHEATED ON ME WITH MY SISTER! DIE!" Nabiki blinked, and then chuckled as Ranma ran from the room with her little sister in hot pursuit. "Maybe you're right sis… maybe you're right." *** "Stupid tomboy." Ranma grumbled as he finished the last leg of his journey towards the spot Ryoga had picked to duke it out. How the heck did that Tomboy believe he of all people could have taken advantage of the sweet, innocent, and all around wonderful Kasumi? Geesh! Were talking about Kasumi here! He'd die before doin anything like that! "Hello Ranma." Startled that anyone around here could sneak up on him, Ranma flipped forward, quickly putting distance between himself and the owner of the voice. He landed gracefully, turning quickly to face the asshole who managed to sneak up on him. He flowed into his trademark relaxed defensive stance, a deep frown marring his features as he took note of the man. "Ryoga." He intoned, sounding rather impressed he of all people managed to sneak up on him, much less manage to refrain from using his patented trademark phrase, 'RANMA PREPARE TO DIE!' The lost boy snarled, his fangs glinting in the waning light of die. Shrugging off his pack, he lifted his umbrella "You ready to die, Saotome?" He raised his umbrella horizontally with his chest, the rest of his body falling into his own 'Power over Agility' stance. Ranma frowned deeply. To any casual observer, it would look like Ryoga's plain ole average every day trademark stance. To some one of Ranma's senses, it screamed 'Something is really REALLY WRONG HERE!'. It wasn't so much as the stance, but the way he held himself - loose, relaxed, and ready. Normally the boy would be hard, like stone, inflexible and defiantly anything but relaxed. The pigtailed martial artist snorted, ignoring the danger signs already screaming at him. Exulting in his confidence of the moment and ignoring the tell tale signs of danger, he sneered out, "Pathetic pig-boy. It ain't even been a month since tha failed weddin, and your already up to yer old tricks again." He sighed, shaking his head in acceptance, "Lets jus get this ova with. If I beat ya fast enough I might get back home in time for dinna tomarra" Rygoa's expression became like steel, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "Sorry Saotome. You'll never see home again." His voice held none of the rage Ranma had long since become accustomed to, it was as if Ryoga spoke those words like it was fact, and not some delusion the pig-boy had managed to make himself believe. "Let's dance." And the battle was joined. *** The two warriors faced each other, expressions grim and cold as they took a moment to catch their breath. Their fight had long since exceeded any they had participated in before, the sun long since having set. Their only light was the blanket of stars and glaring full moon above. Beads of sweat trickled down their brow, stinging their eyes every few moments as the salty liquid managed to get in their eyes. Their eyes, one as dark as the dusk that permeated this side of the world, the other as ethereal as the clear blue ocean, narrowed and widened as the two contemplated and evaluated their enemy and next move. Ranma struggled to control his breathing, already tired from this epic battle. He winced internally as he changed stances, the numerous bruises and lacerations across his abused body howling in pain, unable to take the time to heal properly. It was a small consolation to the martial artist however, he knew the other involved in this ballet was just as wounded, if not more so. "Ranma." His enemy began, feature set in stone cold determination. His voice held none of the usual hate or malice the young man had always shown him. To Ranma's surprise, it actually held a hint of sadness. "Ready to die?" Ranma smirked, extending a hand palm up, waving his fingers in a 'Come get some' gesture. "That all ya got ta say P-chan! Why ya even botha to challenge me anymore? You ain't any betta than yah were last time!" Left out was the fact Ryoga had some how managed to speed up to damn near his speed, not to mention his strength and skill. Ryoga refrained from making a comment, instead launching himself towards his nemesis quickly. Ranma began filtering through the attacks, flowing gracefully like water through the steady and powerful attacks. Smirking, Ranma prepared to counter attack when he received the shock of his life. Ryoga, feinting an overhead strike with his umbrella, managed to connect with a powerful jab to the pigtailed martial artist's ribs. The force of the blow pushing him back five feet. Ranma gritted his teeth as he regained his balance. Damn it! I _felt_ that! Sparring a moment to check the damage, he bit back a hiss of pain as he felt the bones shift slightly beneath his skin. Some ribs broken, rest of em crack. Just freaken great. Time sped up again, Ryoga not giving his nemesis pause or time to recover from the strike he had managed to land. Ranma ignored the pain, focusing all his senses to better dodge such attacks. Ranma knew he was tough, but when dealing with Ryoga simply being 'tough' wasn't enough. Back pedaling while dodging the lost boy's attacks, he waited patiently for him to slip up. He didn't have to wait long it seemed, as Ryoga overextended one of his punches. Quickly slapping it to the side, Ranma followed through with the kinetic energy created from the motion. In a twirl almost to fast for the naked eye to see, he brought his round house kick to bear… only… Ryoga wasn't there! Unable to stop his motion, Ranma completed the move ending up completely turned around from where he started. He had to suppress a groan of irritation when the feeling of Ryoga's steel tipped umbrella pressed up firmly against his back. With speed and strength Ranma NEVER would have guessed Ryoga possessed, the lost boy had managed to wrap his free arm around Ranma's neck, pulling him against the umbrella as he kicked out his right knee from behind. Ranma fell, biting back a scream of pain as he felt the bones and tendons in his knee snap like a twig. Ignoring the pain, Ranma began summoning his aura, trying to bring it to an intense level in a vain hope of getting Ryoga to back off. He dimly heard the soft echo reverberate through the trees as he struggled against Ryoga's iron grip. When a foot long steel blade erupted from his chest, he screamed. The pain was horrendous! Ryoga leaned forward, ignoring Ranma's painful scream while holding the Umbrella firmly against his rival's chest. He whispered, "Good bye, Saotome. Sorry it had to end this way." If Ranma wasn't currently shocked, he might have noticed the regretful tone Ryoga had used in that instant. Ranma's eyes, already clouding up as the onset of death began to cloud his senses, watched the bloodied blade disappear back into his chest. He sat there, for how long he couldn't tell, replaying the last few moments with crystal clarity. Rivulets of blood began trickling out of the corners of his mouth. "Ry-R…ga…" he tried to scream, but it came out as hardly more than a whisper upon the wind. Unable to do anything as death came to claim him, Ranma realized with a sense of detachment that he had fallen to the ground, his eyes coming into focus of the moon. It was all he could see, the darkness had blotted out everything else. It was in this sort of detached perception, just as his senses began to fail him one by one that the sound of glass shattering pierced through the haze of numbness that had settled over him. This revelation held but a dim hold on his remaining consciousness, the moon overhead was what he watched as the final ichors of life drained from his body. On the brink of nothingness, he watched numbly as two sets of different eyes appeared in his vision. One a startling green, the other a luminescent blue. The oppressive darkness of death overcame the last vestiges of his senses, and oblivion swallowed the man known as Ranma Saotome. *** Ryoga sighed softly to himself as he patted down the earth, under which laid Ranma Saotome. "It's finally over, ain't it Ranma?" he sounded off to himself, watching the mound of dirt he had just finished burying his long time friend and rival under. An insistent beeping broke his reverie. Ryoga frowned, trying to figure out just where that beeping sound was coming from, before realizing it was from his Nokia. Pulling out his cell phone, Ryoga flipped it open as he went about the clearing gathering his gear, "Hibiki." "Quaide. Have you finished your mission, Hoshin?" "Mission, Saotome 23497 has been completed sir." Ryoga felt disgusted with the way his superior spoke concerning this mission. Fucking pricks. I just killed a man with no link what so ever to the organization, and they act as if it didn't matter. "How much time until my new orders come in?" he asked as he shouldered his pack. "Three days. Report to extraction area 2B." "Yes sir." Ryoga hung up, placing the cell phone back in his holder. He spared the mound of dirt where the body of Ranma Saotome laid a sad look "Sorry Ranma, may you find peace in the afterlife." With that he turned and began trekking towards the west coast, putting thoughts of his dead rival and the fake life he had been required to lead behind him once and for all. *** TBC… Next Chapter: The resurrection of Ranma Saotome! Did he really die? Thanks for reading this; I'd appreciate any C&C you might have concerning this chapter. I honestly don't get enough of it, aside from Chris Sudduth (Who's only emailed me like twice). This is pretty much a rough draft and its still in its intial stages. I've been planning this fic for a long ass time, and after many attempts to start the damn thing I've decided on this approach. Let me know what you think.