Chapter Two: Walk With Me


The Ryouga & Ukyou Chronicles, Volume One

Disclaimer:
Ryouga Hibiki and Ukyou Kuonji are not my creation and are both copyright of Rumiko Takahashi. I’d like to thank Takahashi-sensei for her great series. I once again claim no credit for their creation, however, some of the characters are my creations (aka Migi & Hidari, Ryu, Prince Ito, Ukuji, Kangeio, Shogu) and I do claim them, so there!

I

Ryouga gazed up at the thick, black tapestry of the night sky as he strolled through the grassy field beneath his feet. There was an infinity about it that had always fascinated him. The tiny points of light, floating in a sea that must span a distance farther than anyone could imagine. On his least happy moments, he could always look to the stars and realize that there was a boundlessness all about him. It was this offering of infinite possibilities that would keep him alive. It kept him determined to try his hardest to make Akane see how much he loved her. But, she was married to Ranma now. The twilight shone down on the land from on high, and they brought with them the promise of all things. Ryouga wondered distantly why they didn’t shine down on him.

He turned his gaze from this celestial spectacle to the more earthly (but still very pretty) girl named Ukyou Kuonji that was walking with him, her hand still holding his. She was guiding him, although neither of them knew where it was they were going. Nevertheless, it was necessary, because chances were that he’d wander off if she didn’t keep him close at all times. Behind them, he could still hear the nighttime bustling of the city of Tokyo. Nerima was there somewhere, lost in the epic size and humming of that distant electric spectacle. Ryouga noted, with some annoyance, he often felt like that. Lost in a sea bigger than anything else. He glanced back up at the stars and sighed slightly. Ukyou glanced up at him and smiled. He returned the favor.

Her smile certainly was something, now that he noticed. It had an innocence to it that he liked. Traveling for as long as he had, innocence was a talent you learned to value. It meant that the person was trustworthy. A good person. Yes, now that he examined it, her smile was...well, beautiful.

"So," she said as they continued on, "Where is it you usually go when you’re wandering around like this?"

Ryouga’s face went crimson with embarrassment.

"Well, usually I wander off and get lost, then spend all my time trying to find my way back to Nerima." He admitted, with some reluctance. He chuckled nervously and put his hand on the back of his neck. Gratefully, he noticed she wasn’t laughing at him.

"Well." She said in a determined tone, "That’s not the case anymore. We need a destination." Ryouga racked his brain for one, but came up empty. He looked at her helplessly. She frowned, knowing it was up to her to find one.

"All right, all right." She said, drifting off into thought. After a few moments, she snapped her fingers.

"Ah hah!" she said, smiling at him. She seemed almost giddy. "We can go home!"

Ryouga frowned. He furrowed his brow in a vain attempt to understand her. Did she mean back to Nerima? This was certainly a strange girl. And he always thought Ukyou was more level-headed than that.

"Home?" he said. "You mean Nerima?"

"No, sugar," she said patiently, "Back to my childhood home. It’s in a valley, but it’s pretty far away. You can meet my father."

Ryouga smiled. It was better than just wandering, he surmised, and she seemed happy. He wanted her to be happy. He knew firsthand how bad being sad was. After the wedding and the recent scene with Akari, he didn’t want to be near any sadness anymore. He was sick of it. Besides, he liked to see her smile.

"...and my sister." Ukyou added almost silently after a pause. Ryouga was taken aback. He looked down at her, and she seemed to be gazing down at her feet, as if embarrassed or ashamed of something.

"You have a sister?" he said. "I...I never knew..." his voice seemed to trail off, as it often did. He had never really known Ukyou that well, but he had still always assumed she was an only child. After all, she never talked about her family. He wondered distantly if her smile was as pretty as Ukyou’s. Somehow, he doubted it.

"No one knows." She said with a slight air of sadness. "We...don’t get along very well. At least, we didn’t while I was at home. But that was a long time ago."

Ryouga nodded inflectively. So, she had a sister that didn’t like her. Ryouga could only imagine how bad that was. He was an only child, after all. He was alone by fate. She was alone because she was despised by those that should have been closest to her. That could be the worst type of loneliness. He decided he should try to tell her something to make her feel better.

"People change." He replied, squeezing her hand slightly. She looked up at him and smiled. "I’m sure she’s forgotten about whatever it was by now." He finished, smiling slightly with self satisfaction.

Ukyou opened her mouth as if trying to say something, but instead turned and continued to walk, holding his hand tightly so he wouldn’t wander away from her. She could feel the steady, slight tug he was unconsciously giving her as he tried to wander off. She definantly didn’t want him strolling off and leaving her alone. His words bounded through her mind freely. He was obviously making an effort to make her feel better. She spent the next hour trying to figure out why.

They continued to walk for a while longer, both silent. Eventually, sleep bade them enter his domain, and, pitching camp, they accepted graciously.

II

Ukyou winced as she allowed her eyes to creak open, and was immediately sorry as the sunshine overhead poured into her pupils. She squinted and sat up, stretching her lithe body much like a cat, before looking about her for Ryouga. His sleeping bag, across from the burned out fire pit they had made last night, lay open. He was nowhere to be seen. Ukyou swallowed hard.

Great, she heard her mind say bitterly, he wandered off and left me here alone. Just perfect. Well, at least Nerima isn’t that far away...

She stood, stretching more, and noted that his backpack was still there. Hmm, that’s odd, she thought. Well, he must not be that far off.

So thought, she began to search around, and after a few moments noticed a familiar figure walking back towards Tokyo carrying a pile of wood. Smiling slightly, she began to creep up behind the stumbling figure. He strode on, unaware of her approach. She considered him as she snuck up. He was a good man, from what little she could tell. He was obviously strong, durable, and handsome, in a roguish type of way. Hs hair was thick and unkempt, and was hardly tussled by the wind. She tried to picture him with shorter, neater hair, and found it to her liking. She would have to make sure she talked to him about that sometime. She stood right behind him and patted his back lightly.

"Tag." She said playfully. "You're it, sugar."

Ryouga, startled, dropped the wood and jumped up about four feet, shouting. His overreaction took her by surprise, and she slipped, letting out an undignified "Uf!" as she was dumped unceremoniously onto the forest floor. Ryouga spun around, his face hard and ready for combat, but then it turned into an annoyed anger when he saw the pretty okonomiyaki chef on the ground in front of him.

"Ukyou!" he growled. "What the hell did you do that for!?"

She giggled, and some of the anger drained from his deep blue eyes. Her laugh was cute, he thought. It was one of the few things that had ever calmed him down.

"Oh, come on, sugar." She said teasingly from her prone position, "I was just playing around with you, you jackass. Help me up, would you?"

She flashed him one of her best "sweet girl" smiles. Apparently it worked, because his face flustered with embarrassment and he held his hand out to her. She took it gratefully and he pulled her to her feet. Then, still holding onto his hand, she began to lead him back to the campsite, the wood cradled in his free arm.

III

"That wasn’t funny, you know." He said later as he piled the wood into the fire pit. Overhead, the morning birds sang their light symphonies.

"Oh, poor Ryouga." She said, mocking a very sympathetic voice. "I didn’t mean to scare you."

Ryouga glared at her before turning his attention back to the fire pit. "You could have gotten hurt." He said solemnly. "I almost attacked you."
Ukyou’s slight smirk faded away. She’d seen Ryouga and Ranma fight before, and she definantly did not want to be on the receiving end of any of his attacks.

"Sorry." She murmured, almost inaudibly. Nevertheless, he heard her.

"S’Okay." He replied, removing a black rock and a steel bar from his backpack and striking them together over the kindling. In a few moments, Ukyou had the portable okonomiyaki grill set up over a nice fire, and Ryouga happily noted the delicious scent that wafted through the morning air. Ukyou began to hum to herself, idly flipping the Okonomiyaki as she had always done back at the restaurant. She wondered distantly how her
Konatsu’s, Her mind corrected.
business was going. She flipped the Japanese pizza again, and pushed the thought from her mind. From now on that life was behind her. She was starting over again. More importantly than that, she was going home. Back to her father, and....

She frowned openly, but didn’t realize it. Ryouga did, however, but said nothing. The other person she’d see when she got home was the one who really troubled her. Her sister. Yuko. She sighed, and Ryouga glanced at her again, but still remained silent.

Yuko. Her only sister. Hell, besides father, she was the only family Ukyou really had. But Yuko hated her. What was worse, she hated her for a ridiculous reason. It wasn’t Ukyou’s fault if Father had picked her for Ranma instead of Yuko. After all, Ukyou wasn’t even with Ranma now. He was married to someone else. Maybe Yuko could take enough pleasure in that to forget.

Yeah, Right, she thought. Maybe.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the scent of the okonomiyaki sizzling on the grill. Through her years of training, she knew that when food was ready, it released a certain scent. That scent now hung heavy in the air. She flipped an okonomiyaki onto a plate and handed it to Ryouga, who took it graciously and devoured it. She slid the second onto a plate for herself, and began to eat it.

"Say, Ukyou," Ryouga said as he took a huge bite from the okonomiyaki, "Are you okay?"

She smiled and nodded. "Just fine." She said. "Why do you ask?"

Ryouga shrugged and swallowed. "You just seemed...kinda down."

She eyed him over. He seemed genuinely concerned about her. It was sweet, in a way. Like the way he ate his okonomiyaki. Kinda like a big cute dog you want to cuddle and love and take care of. She wondered what his mother must’ve been like.

"No, I’m fine." She said. "Tough as nails, that’s me."

He grinned, and his fangs poked out. "If you’re sure." He said. She nodded.

There was a small period of silence as they ate and began to pack their campsite up. From what Ukyou could judge, they were about five weeks travel from her home. She sighed, noting it was such a short time, yet such an unbearably long one. She turned to Ryouga, who slung his backpack on and grinned at her.

He’s kind of cute, when the light hits him just right... She thought absently before taking his hand. Still need to do something about that hair, though.

She looked down at their clasped hands without the disdain she usually had for such things. It was necessary, after all. Otherwise, he may accidentally wander off and be unable to find his way back, she told herself again. Besides, it’s not like it was a bad thing or anything. She actually liked holding his hand, in a way. It was warm, and it gave her a certain sense of security she appreciated. She idly wondered if he felt the same way. Wordlessly, the two set off down the road and into the beautiful morning.

IV

Ryouga stood atop the grassy hill, gazing out into the horizon. Overhead, the sun had begun to sink, turning the blue sky into a crimson hued canvas. A slight breeze tussled his hair as his eyes scanned ahead. To Ukyou, he looked kind of majestic. It was a dramatic pose, like the kind in movies. He turned back to face her, a slight smile on his lips.

"What is it?" she asked, putting her hands on her shapely hips. He said nothing, instead gesturing for her to come up beside him. She did so, and he pointed out to the multi-hued horizon.

"Look out there." He said. "What do you see?"

Ukyou looked at him quizzically. "Uh, a sunset?" she finally spouted.

"No, no," he said. "Look again. More closely."

She squinted, analyzing the horizon with her deep brown eyes. There was something, now that she looked. A large black blot on the horizon, but too uniform in shape to be a mountain or hill. It was more like...well, like...

"A city!" she cried enthusiastically. "I see it! Over there!" She hopped up and down, pointing towards the black blotch in the distance. Ryouga nodded.

"We should get there by tomorrow morning." He said, smiling. They had been traveling for almost four days now, and while it was no matter to Ryouga, he thought Ukyou was missing civilization a little. He was glad she was happy, and his face reflected it. Ukyou leapt all about, clapping her hands together joyfully.

"Oh, a city at last!" she cheered. "Do you know what this means, Ryouga? We can go out and eat, and buy clothes, and take baths in a real bath house instead of a lake, and get you a haircut, and..."

Ryouga’s eyes shot open and his grin faltered. Haircut?

"Haircut?" he said. "What do you mean, haircut?"

Ukyou smiled and tussled his thick black hair with her hand, rustling the tangled mass with her delicate fingers.

"Of course, a haircut. You need one." She said cheerfully. He grasped her wrist lightly and drew her hand from his hair, shaking his head resolutely.

"No way." He said sternly, his voice ringing with determination. "I’ve had my hair just like this for all of my life, and I’m not gonna change it. Forget it!" He folded his arms across his barreled chest to emphasize his point.

"I never did like your hair anyway. If we’re gonna be traveling together, you need to look acceptable. The unwashed look doesn’t get it. You need a shorter, thinner, more conservative look. " Ukyou continued. "We’ll get it trimmed up neatly, washed, combed, styled, and heat treated..."

"Heat treated?" Ryouga said, confusion crisscrossing his face. He scowled at her. "Hey, didn’t you hear what I just said! No way!"

But Ukyou looked up into his face, apparently oblivious to his words. She smiled seductively at him and put her hands around his neck. She had known enough about men in her life to know the right way to get one to do something for you. She rarely resorted to 'Shampoo-esque' tactics like these, but for some weird reason she really wanted to see him with a nice haircut. Ryouga felt the rush of blood through his body, and realized his face was turning a shade of red similar to the sun. She moved her face close to his. He could feel her breathing on his cheek.

"Please, Ryouga?" she said in a soft voice. He could feel his heart pounding. Was she seriously coming on to him? He swallowed hard, and fought desperately to regain his resolve.

"Nope. " he said, but it was obvious he was running low on determination. She knew she just had to press a little more. She batted her pretty brown eyes at him and flashed her best smile. He looked like he was about to explode with either embarrassment, or just plain sensory overload.

"But you’d look so handsome..." she cooed.

That did it. His face brightened and he looked down at her with a twinkle in his eyes.

"H-Handsome? Me? Really?" he stammered breathlessly. She nodded.

"Oh, very much so." She said in her best 'I’m-seducing-you-to-do-what-I-want’ voice. It worked phenomenally. He nodded eagerly.

"Well, If you really think I should..." he said, somewhat dazed. She thought he was...handsome? No one had ever told him that. She slid her arms from around his neck and clapped happily.

"Great!" she said, smiling with self satisfaction. "You won’t regret it, sugar, I promise! We’ll get the whole nine yards!"

Ryouga opened his mouth to ask what ‘the whole nine yards’ meant, but another phrase came out.

"Heat treated?" he whispered as she took him by the hand and led him in the direction of town, humming in her lovely voice. Overhead, the sun slipped silently behind the hills, and night crept in to fill the void.

V

They strolled hand-in-hand into the moderately sized city of Urawa with a new morning shining on their backs. Ryouga looked about, wondering if he’d ever been here before. The place wasn’t familiar, but then again, not much was to him. He ran the hand Ukyou wasn’t holding through his thick black mane of hair with an almost melancholy feeling. For practically his entire life his hair had always looked the same. It wasn’t like he planned it that way; Honestly, he never really cared about his hair much. But, still, it was the principle of the matter. However, in the less than a week he’d been traveling with Ukyou, she’d managed to convince him to get it cut. He didn’t understand how she could have such an effect on him. Nevertheless, she had. Looking at her face yesterday, he found himself unable to say no. It was almost like the effect that Akane’s older sister Kasumi had on people, but Ukyou’s methods was less...motherly.

Ukyou led her friend through the streets, scanning right and left for some kind of haircutting shop. She inquired, and a man on a bike with thick glasses pointed down the street.

"Thanks, sugar." She said, bowing slightly.

The man chuckled. "The place is called Master Ryu’s. Good luck. You’ll need it." With that, he pedaled down the street, laughing in a disturbingly megalomaniac way. Ryouga and Ukyou exchanged worried glances. She thought she felt his hand tighten around hers, but she pressed on cheerfully. Finally, they came to a stop in front of a building called 'Master Ryu’s Samurai Haircuts'. She dismissed the odd name and walked in, leading the sweating Ryouga inside after her. Overhead, a bell jingled.

The interior was dimly lit, and didn’t look at all like a barber shop. In fact, Ukyou surmised as she glanced about, it looked more like a training dojo. Her eyes met Ryouga’s and she could read the same confusion in his eyes that she assumed must be in hers.

"Um, Ukyou..." Ryouga said slowly, turning to look all around the dojo-esque style room, "I thought we were going to a barber’s..."

Ukyou nodded, stroking her chin thoughtfully. "So did I." She said. "But I don’t see any barber around..."

Suddenly, a stolid voice cried out from behind them, sending both teens jumping in startled surprise.

"Ho ho!" the voice chuckled. "Did I hear someone say they in need of barber?"

Ryouga spun on his heels and nearly keeled over in hysterics at what he saw before him.

The man was about twenty-three or twenty-four years old. He had hair neatly done up in a traditional samurai style, and he wore a garish silver, gold, and jade kimono. At his side he carried the traditional samurai daisho. He smiled at the two of them. The was something about his smile that frightened Ryouga. He feared for his hair greatly.

"Ah!" the strange man said, but it was more of a shout. "The young lovers have come for the haircuts, okay?"

Ryouga looked at him quizzically, and then realized that he and Ukyou were still holding hands. Embarrassed, he released his grip on her and blushed fiercely. He glanced at Ukyou and took some comfort in the fact her face was just as flustered.

"Um, no, we’re just friends." Ryouga stammered, abashed. The man in the gaudy kimono nodded once. There was an infinite moment of silence in the store.

"So," Ukyou said, finally breaking the quiet, "you’re Master Ryu, I assume?" The man in the kimono bowed respectfully.

"Hai." He said, bowing before them, hand on his katana. "I am Ryu Itzuyo, master of ancient samurai art of hairstyling."

Ryouga stifled a laugh, but failed when Ukyou burst out in a loud guffaw. Ryu frowned deeply, and Ryouga fought to regain his composure. Reminding himself that this man may be cutting his hair shortly was sobering enough.

"Samurai...hairstyling?" He said, hoping he had misheard. Unfortunately, Ryu nodded again.

"Yes." The samurai said matter-of-factly. "Is ancient tradition taught only to select few. Must have total mastery of the katana to properly execute maneuvers. Trust me, I make your hair very good, okay?"

Ukyou exchanged a glance with Ryouga. His eyes pleaded to her to save him from this strange man. She bit her lower lip and flashed one of her best smiles.

"So, how much will it be to give him a neat, shorter haircut? Not too short, but clean cut looking. You know what I mean, right?" she said, hoping he did. He nodded, although somewhat uncertainly.

"Hai." He grunted. "I can do this. However, it will cost 10,000 yen." A perceptive person could have heard two jaws hit the floor had one been walking by at the time. Ukyou blinked in disbelief.

"Ten...thousand?" she said breathlessly. Ryu nodded.

"Forget it!" Ryouga shouted. "I wouldn’t pay you ten yen to butcher my hair! Come on, Ukyou, we’re leaving!" He said as he took Ukyou by the hand and began to walk towards the back of the store. Ukyou sighed and began to lead him the opposite direction, towards the front door.

"No, wait!" Ryu called out. "I make deal for you, young man, okay? You can fight?"

Ryouga looked over at Ukyou, who shrugged. He turned to Ryu. "Yeah, so?" he said. "Wanna fight me for a haircut?" He eyed the katana warily. Ryu chuckled, shaking his head.

"Oh, no. But, can your girlfriend fight as well?" he said, a twinge of hope in his voice.

"Wait a minute!" Ryouga protested. "I thought I told you, we’re just fri-" he was cut short by Ukyou’s free hand which hand suddenly clamped across his mouth.

"Of course I can." She said plainly. "What’s it to you?"

Ryu reached into the sleeve of his kimono and pulled out a piece of paper, handing it to Ukyou. She glanced it over, reading it aloud habitually.

"The Annual Martial Arts Couples Tournament is today?" she said to herself. Ryouga, glancing over her shoulder, suddenly gasped.

"There, the first prize! Look!" he said. Ukyou followed his finger’s path down to the bottom of the page.

"First Place- 10,000 yen?" she whispered.

"Is correct." Ryu spoke up suddenly. "Convenient how is the same price as haircut that you want, yes?"

Ryouga suddenly noticed Ryu spoke with a very bad Chinese accent. It was almost...Shampoo-like. He shrugged it off. Apparently the guy had been expecting them. He’d raised the price of haircuts so he could force them to enter this stupid tournament. Ryouga began to fume. He didn’t like being someone else’s pawn. He didn’t even bother to wonder how Ryu had known they were coming.

"Forget it!" he said. "I don’t even want a stupid haircut anyway!" Ukyou looked up at him with her deep, brown eyes.

"Please, Ryouga...." she cooed, and he felt his knees go weak. "I really want you to get this haircut. I want you to look very clean cut when we get to my home. Your hair is a good place to start. Besides, it’ll be a good opportunity to sharpen our fighting skills..."

He stared into her eyes. God, he heard himself think, they’re beautiful...

"Fine." He said reluctantly. "I don’t want you to look bad in front of your family on my account."

Ryu clapped his hands together loudly, breaking the gaze the two were sharing with a start.

"Excellent." He said. "We go now. You two look strong. You can maybe beat Migi and Hidari."

"Migi and Hidari?" Ryouga said, puzzled. "Who are they?"

"Ah, they are Martial Arts Couples Grand Champions. Are very tough fighters. Have only one weakness." Ryu said, ushering them outside. "Come, I tell you all about it on way to fighting place, okay?" Overhead, the bell jingled slightly as Ryu closed the door.

End of Chapter Two.





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