Chapter 5: A night of sea and stars.

The sea Sprite gently lifted and settled in the swell of the Cirric sea. In the bows stood the well wrapped form of a diminutive red-head. Ranma had come up here as the sun came down, and was staring out into the deepening night.

She took a swig of the waterskin next to her, grimacing at the leathery taste. They were two days out of Patrakas and the going had been easy. For Ranma it had been a real trial, between sea-sickness and the sudden gulf that had seemed to open between him and the others it had become a really bad trip. Only now were the last traces of sea-sickness starting to fade, making the gap all the larger.

Behind him Ranma heard the arrival of some sandalled feet, the accompanying aura was instantly recognisable. “Hiya Pig-boy,” he needled, “Come to fight?”

The lost boy laughed, but there was nervousness there, “Maybe later. On the other hand it was you who got us out of there and god knows I couldn't of done the same, so maybe we'll call it quits for the moment.”

“Fine” Ranma said, relaxing not at all. “I suppose I should thank you too,” she finished, backing away from the rail.

“Huh?”

“At least you're talking to me,” she said, “the most I've got from the others is a grunt and an excuse. And the crew are even worse.”

“Ranma” Ryoga said, “It is sort of your fault.” Ranma turned to glare, daring the lost boy to continue.

“That town was hard enough, what with Konatsu...” Ryoga began slowly, “then you went and...”
“What?” Ranma demanded quietly, “I did what?”

“You killed him Ranma,” Ryoga said, “you beat him down and killed him. The Ranma we all knew would never have done that.”

“Saffron” Ranma retorted.

“Saffron was different!” Ryoga insisted, “that man was no challenge he...”

“Had killed someone I cared about” Ranma interrupted

“Yeah, but”

“But what Rypga? Ranma insisted, “I should have let him walk away, I should have turned the other cheek? Sorry pig-boy that ain't an option.”

“That's what's scaring us Ran-man,” The Ranma we knew forgave and forgot, “you're changed and its just not right.”

“Fine!” Ranma growled, “Now you're done telling me how much of a jerk I am.”

“It isn't just that,” Ryoga continued, gaining steam, “it's a whole load of things. Like the way you're treating Akane.”

“Akane?” Ranma growled, remembering how she had looked at him today.

“You've barely said a word to her since she arrived at Gos's,” Ryoga explained. “There was a time when you would cross heaven and Earth for her and now you won't even look at her. Her sister whistles and you come running but you won't even look Akane in the eye.” Ryoga said taking a step forwards, “its hurting her. A lot. And she deserves better.”

“What's it to you P...” Ranma began, then suddenly the penny dropped. He had felt something different about his friend's aura,and that of the youngest Tendo and now he began to place the pieces together.. “You...and Akane...”

Ryoga saw the change, saw the subtle shift of Ranma's feet, and gulped down the sudden lump in his throat. It didn't take a rocket scientist to guess what he had just worked out. “Ran-man. Let me explain...”

“Try!” Ranma growled.

“Wqe didn't mean it to happen,” Ryoga said, “she just needed...”
“What P-chan?” Ranma said advancing with venom, gone were the friendly needles, now there was anger and insult.

“She was scared and needed..” Ryoga started, backing up still further.

“Needed what exactly?” The pigtailed martial artist growled.

Ryoga could see this was getting nowhere, and started searching for a way out. Nothing. He was only too aware of the gap that had developed between his and his friend's skill levels and the arena...

“Why don't you tell me Pig boy?” Ranma needled, “tell me just what made you think I wouldn't care?”

“Fine” Ryoga accepted, “You want a fight, then fine, we'll fight. But it's a long swim to shore and-” he was interrupted by a lightning low kick, he caught it on his crossed forearms, the following right cross was dodged along with the elbow return. He took the left on the chin, and the staccato of knee strikes onto his clenched abdominals. He lashed out with a strong left, a feint to allow the right knee to gain him some room. Instead he found the left grabbed at the wrist and a strong follow up snapped his whole face to the right. He went low, trying to force Ranma back and gain the space he needed. Ranma went high, defying gravity, he just seemed to float in place and let the world drop away. His right foot lashed out and it was all Ryoga could do to block it again.

Then Ryoga saw his opponent's eyes. A feeling of deep dread settled into his stomach, not only had Ranma got faster and stronger but that smile had been replaced with a coldness Ryoga had never thought to see on his friend's face.

Kick, block, fist, palm-strike, overhand, sweep. The fight accelerated and accelerated, and Ryoga felt even his legendary ability to soak the damage strainng.

Then it was over, a nerve strike slipped through Ryoga's guard and everything went dark. The very next heartbeat he was lifted off the deck. He knew only too well how close the railing was and how easy that throw would be for Ranma.

But the throw never came instead Ryoga found himself dropped back to the deck. For a moment he just sat there, slumped against the bulkhead. Then he looked up. Ranma was still stood there eyes flaring bright, Aura shining around him, trembling with barely controlled emotion.

“Damn you Ryoga!” she whispered deflating.

“Ranma,” Ryoga began, apology on his lips.

“It ain't your fault” she said, clenching and unclenching her fists.

Meanwhile on the poop deck the commotion had drawn a crowd. Almost everybody was there, most of them agape at the sheer fury they had just witnessed.

“What the hell was that about?” Ukyo asked.

“How would you feel if one of your oldest friends had just taken your wife's virginity/” Nabiki replied in a hushed tone.
“Virginit...” Ukyo muttered turning back, “Then he and...whoa!”

“Tell me about it,” Nabiki replied, “and Ryoga's still breathing!” Both watched the young man they barely knew walk slowly away from his friend. Ukyo stepped forward to talk.

“Wake me when we get there.” Ranma said in a level tone. “ I am going to sleep and then I ain't getting up till we hit port.”

“Ranma,” Ukyo interrupted his walk, “Do you need some company?” the offer was blatant and a small petty part of Ranma wanted to accept. To hurt Akane like she hurt him, but it wasn't and it wouldn't. More than that he wasn't about to be that person.

“Thanks but no,” he said quietly and not unkindly and then he went below.

O

o

o

The following day saw a chunk of the small group walking the deck. Nabiki gently toed the burn mark in the planking.

“That's gonna cost us extra” she said.

“You reckon he's brave enough to ask?” Ukyo replied. Nabiki smirked. “So Gos do you know anything about this place we're headed to?”

“Not a lot” he admitted, “I'm afraid Doctor Deighton and I concentrated only on the more 'esoteric' aspects.

“I gleaned bit from the crew while they were gambling below decks” Nabiki owned, “What?” she asked, “old habits die hard,” she explained, leaving out the reasons for why she had hidden in old habits. “Look you want to hear or not?”

“Spill it sugar” Ukyo requested.

“The place is called Pathandaway nd its the biggest thing on the Cirric sea, possibly in the whole region. It's big enough to be a city by western standards and subsists mainly on trade. The biggest thing there is the Arena. Its as bad as it sounds, blood spots and worse, a method of population control.”

“Bread and circuses” Gos observed, getting an inquisitive look from the others. “Ancient Rome,” he explained.

“oh,” Ukyo replied as if that explained it all, which it didn't.

“But the second biggest thing is the Library,” Nabiki continued, “it sounds a big deal. And if we are to find this goddamn Gate that seems to be our best chance.”

“When do we get there?” Ukyo asked.

“Not for another day or two” Nabiki answered, “Until then we still have some things to work out.”

“Like what?” Gos asked.

“Like whether we should be looking at all,” Nabiki said.

“Huh?” Asked Ukyo, chewing on a bit of jerky she had scrounged up.

“What's the chance whoever owns this gate is just going to let us use it?” Nabiki asked, taking a piece of jerky from the chef.

“Not even one in a million,” Gos grumbled, waving off Ukyo's offer.

“An' if you hadn't noticed” Nabiki said around the dried beef strip, “we ain't in Nerima anymore. Here the good-guys don't always win.”

“Or even live” Ukyo said mournfully. Gos and Nabiki nodded in solemn agreement.

“Which brings us to the next problem” Nabiki said.

“Ranma” Ukyo guessed, Nabiki nodded her reply.

“What's the problem?” Gos asked.

“He's going off the deep end” Ukyo replied, earning her a glare from Nabiki.

“It's not that bad,” the mercenary girl argued “yet” she admitted.

“I've never seen him so bad” Gos admitted.

“A lot of bad stuff has been stacking up” Nabiki replied.

“What's the score with that anyway?” Ukyo asked.

“After the... wedding” Nabiki began, “he tried to sort the situation. You know do the honourable thing. Well he challenged the Amazon elders for Shampoo's right to choose.”

“He lost?” Ukyo asked, disbelievingly.

“Ha” Nabiki laughed, “when have you ever known him to lose a challenge.” Ukyo nodded. “He trained for a month, perfecting some new moves and then he kicked some elder butt.

“The problem was that it didn't end there. Shampoo just wasn't willing to call it quits. She challenged him for his right to marry.”

“But surely,” Gos asked “I mean he beat her way back, she couldn't really have hoped to win.”

“Normally no but she slanted the odds,” Nabiki said ominously. “She took the lot, super soba, red powder of power, unicorn horn, the works. By the time she arrived at the fight she was bulging like some Dragonball character and foaming at the mouth.

“It wasn't pretty and the fight was worse. It was the man against the monster, only this monster knew martial arts. Ranma really didn't want to hurt her but it wasn't like she was giving him much choice. Whatever her original plan had been now all she wanted to do was destroy, and she was doing a damn good job of it. In fact Ranma spent large chunks of the fight trying to save spectators. Half an hour into the fight Ranma was bleeding, wheezing and blinded by his own blood. Shampoo meanwhile was still warming up.

“Then he dug down deep and pulled out a secret weapon. I swear if he had been a little less concussed he would never have done it, he would have found another way but he wasn't so he didn't.

There on that beautiful summer's day, in front of all of Nerima he called out the name of his new move. An ultimate development of the Umisken Ranma had managed to tap into something primal and with 'Oblivion's edge' he cut the girl who loved him most into two neat halves. The rain came down from nowhere.

“Had she been less hyped, less sure of her own invincibility, perhaps she could have dodged. Had he really known the depth of the forces he was channelling then perhaps things could have gone differently but they didn't. He tapped the primal void, gave up a little piece of himself as he did and cut a hole through reality itself.

“I wish that was all there was to it but I'm sorry to some extent it only went downhill from there.” Nabiki finished. For a moment silence reigned.

“Whoa” Ukyo offerd.

“Holy...” Gos whispered only too aware of the reputed cost of tapping the absolute nothingness of the void.

“So what do we do?” Ukyo asked.
“Watch him,” Nabiki suggested, “and try to guide him back to us.” The other two nodded and a pact was sealed.

“Now Gos” Nabiki continued, changing the subject “you were explaining how a charm works...”