Ryoga : Crossover
A Ranma 1/2 fanfic by Mark Latus
A Quick Guide to Ryoga Hibikis
Ryoga 1 - The only Ryoga who belongs on this Earth. The guy you've seen in the
anime.
Ryoga 2 - Engaged to Nabiki, has same curse as Ranma. AKA Ryoga 1/2,
Ryoga-chan.
Ryoga 3 - Married Shampoo shortly after meeting her. Normally lives in China.
Part 3: I am he and he is me and they are we and we are all together, though I
think we're starting to strain the Tendo's hospitality.
Sitting on the porch the Tendo sisters were listening to the edited
version of Ryoga 3's engagement to Shampoo. He'd neglected to mention his
curse, the discovery of his curse by their counterparts, and his nearly killing
Ranma.
"So we arrived at the village and Shampoo introduced me to Cologne. She
looked at me for a moment then knocked me through the wall headfirst into a
tree. I was dazed but heard her coming toward me so I struggled to my feet.
She looked at me and said, 'Still alive, he has definite potential. I will
begin training him tomorrow morning following the ceremony'. Then she went
home and I collapsed into Shampoo's arms."
Ranma, standing nearby, chuckled, "Concussed for your honeymoon, huh
Ryoga?"
"Well we did have several weeks together while travelling to the village."
Ranma shut up and tried not to look embarrassed. Ryoga 2 decided to
change the subject, "Akane I've been wondering why you have short hair? The
Akane I know's always worn her hair long and always seemed to prefer it that
way."
Ranma and the other Ryogas remembered a certain duel and tried to find a
way to change the subject.
A distraction arrived.
"Nihao."
"Shampoo!", Ryoga 3 started towards her. The other Ryogas grabbed him.
"It's not her, or rather it is her but not your Shampoo", Ryoga 2 told
him.
Ryoga 3 looked at her. He saw recognition of a familiar face and
confusion at seeing three of them. Nothing more. He sighed and sat down.
Then he saw her draped over Ranma and tensed.
"Ranma, why is Ryoga three people?"
Ranma had given up trying to understand this alternate world stuff, "He
just is, that's all".
Shampoo shrugged and turned her attention back on Ranma. Ryoga 3 picked
up a stone from the garden. Ryoga 2 addressed him, "Look I realize this is
upsetting ..."
"Upset? Not at all." A cracking noise from the hand holding the stone.
"After all that's not my wife is it. Why should I be upset seeing her fondle
Ranma?" Powdered rock puffed from between his fingers. "This is another
world. Relationships are different. I accept that." He opened his hand,
dropped a pile of rock dust and picked up another stone.
"Ranma, time to die!", Mousse landed in the garden. Ryoga 3 surged to his
feet and snappped into a defensive stance. Mousse frowned at him, "Hibiki, do
you challenge me?"
Ryoga 3 remembered where he was and relaxed, "Sorry, thought you were
someone else".
Mousse looked at the Ryogas in puzzlement. Bad eyesight was an old
problem but seeing multiple images was new. Particularly multiple images
dressed differently. Then sprouting a variety of blades he launched himself at
Ranma. The two of them (followed by Shampoo) rolled inside the house. Various
crashes and bangings followed.
To ignore this idiocy Akane asked Ryoga 3, "You have trouble with Mousse
in your world?"
He nodded, "Yes, he's never accepted my marriage to Shampoo. He figures
if he kills me Shampoo is his."
"It doesn't work like that, does it?"
"Well one of the village rules states that if a man kills her husband the
wife can choose to marry the killer if he's a better fighter. Of course the
widow also has the right to cut the killer into very small pieces. Which she
chooses depends on how much she liked her husband."
"So if anything happens to you Mousse is dead."
"Yes, but he thinks Shampoo loves him so she'd never turn him into
hamburger. I hope Shampoo doesn't overreact to my disappearance".
They were interrupted as the three fighters flew out a window. Mousse hit
the ground unconscious. Ranma looked triumphant until he realized he was about
to impact the pond along with Shampoo.
They did and the inevitable change occurred. Ranma-chan screamed and ran
away from the cat, straight into the garden wall, knocking herself out.
Ryoga 3 was shocked, "Shampoo changed into a cat?!"
Ryoga 2 considered, "You've been away from this place for quite a while.
Anything that happened here since Shampoo's first visit to Japan ..."
"Her only visit to Japan!"
"Another difference. Anyway there's a lot of stuff you missed out on.
And a lot of weirdos you avoided meeting. Here, and in my world, Cologne made
Shampoo go train at Jusenkyo after failing to kill Ranma."
Akane looked at the sky and muttered, "Him again, excuse me", and
disappeared inside the house.
Kuno landed near the Ryogas and said, "Though it is beneath my dignity to
notice you I feel I must demand you tell me why you are suddenly three people".
Ryoga 2 considered explaining things, remembered this was Kuno, and said,
"I'm actually triplets. Lacking imagination my parents named us all Ryoga".
Kuno nodded as if this somehow made sense then demanded, "Where is my one
true love, Akane Tendo?"
"Sorry, she's not here."
"Then where is my other one true love, the mysterious pig tailed girl?"
"Oh she's lying over there unconscious."
Kuno darted for the pig tailed girl. His presence snapped Ranma awake and
she dropped Kuno with a headkick. Then Ranma headed into the house for a hot
shower.
Ryoga 3 commented, "It must be a year since I last saw Kuno. Can't say
I've missed him."
Ryoga 2 snorted, "Hah, I have to deal with Kuno far too often."
"Why's that?", Akane asked as she emerged.
"Here it looks like Kuno's after two girls. My world he's after three.
You Akane, Ranma-chan and 'the bandanna girl'."
"Who?"
"A red head who always wears a yellow & black bandanna."
"Oh! Just like Ranma."
"Right, Kuno's incapable of comprehending we're one and the same."
Ryoga 1 felt a certain panic. P-chan always wore a bandanna, if Akane
picked up on that ... Fortunately she started asking Ryoga 2 if he'd had a lot
of the same problems as Ranma. Still he was worried. He was beginning to feel
upstaged by his counterparts. Everyone was interested in them rather than him.
Also if they blew his secret he'd be the one who'd have to live with the
consequences.
Just then he saw a small figure in black, carrying a sack full of women's
underwear, dart through a upstairs window. Ryoga 1 sighed, "Happosai's back."
Ryoga 2 shuddered, "That old lech gives me the creeps."
"Why?"
"Ranma-chan may be his primary target but guess who comes second"
"Ah!"
Ryoga 3 cleared his throat, "Excuse me, but who or what is a Happosai?"
"A short, old, demented, martial arts expert who's also a pervert with a
panty fetish."
Akane nodded, "That about sums it up. I wonder if Ranma changed back
yet?"
They heard a lot of crashing and screaming from inside.
"Guess not."
Happosai leapt out the window as Ranma-chan flung a table after him with
all her strength. Ryoga 3 realized if it missed Happosai it would hit the pond
which would mean ... He grabbed Ryoga 1 and Akane and leapt backwards. The
table missed Happosai, struck the pond and created a wave that rolled over
Ryoga 2. He transformed and glared at Ryoga 3. "Thanks for nothing", she
said.
"I only had time to get two people clear." Besides, he thought, Ryoga 1
and I are the ones who still have a secret to protect.
Ryoga 2 was about to comment when something grabbed her around the chest.
"Oooh you're a cute one honey, haven't seen you around here before".
"Ahh!!! Get it off me!" Ryoga-chan grabbed Happosai and flung him across
the garden. Her self control finally snapped.
"Ok that's it. Bad enough I'm stuck in the wrong universe with no idea
how I got here or how to get home. Now I'm stuck with another version of you?
Forget it!"
The negative emotion fueled sphere formed between her hands, "I should
have done this months ago! SHISHI HOUKOUDAN!"
The Chi energy sphere rushed across the garden. There was a blinding
flash then just a small smoking crater where Happosai had stood.
Genma and Soun looked up from their game board.
"Saotome, she has vaporized our master!"
"This is indeed a happy day."
Ryoga 2 walked over to inspect the crater. Something small and wrinkled
latched onto her front.
"Ooh, you're fierce."
She pried him off but he dodged her counterstrike.
"Damn! He's as nimble as the one back home."
Before she could renew her attack Ryoga 3 interrupted. "Excuse me, I find
I've developed an intense dislike for this person. Mind if I try something?"
"Feel free."
Ryoga 3 studied the ground then slammed a punch into the earth near his
feet. Everyone stared at him.
"What was that supposed to accomplish?", asked Ryoga 1.
Suddenly Happosai frowned as he felt a vibration. Then the ground under
him exploded upward in a geyser of mud and stone. Happosai became a small
dot receding into the stratosphere.
Everyone stared at Ryoga 3 again. "How'd you do that?"
"There are lines of energy running through the earth called ley lines and
dragon lines among other names. Cologne taught me how to use Chi to
temporarily kink the lines resulting in an explosive release of energy in the
place you direct it."
"Neat trick."
"Technically you're supposed to yell 'COLOGNE'S PATENTED DRAGON LINE
EXPLOSION TECHNIQUE ALL RIGHTS RESERVED' in Chinese when you do it. However
since she's not here I decided not to bother."
Ryoga 2 inspected the crater, "Cologne's taught you a lot."
"Ahh what fair beauty is this who wears a bandanna upon her lovely brow?"
Kuno had woken up. "It is your pleasure to meet me, Tatewaki Kuno, the Blue
Thunduhh ..", he collapsed out cold from a punch to the head.
Ryoga 2 picked him up, "It's bad enough I have to deal with you in my
world. I'm not putting up with this nonsense here." She tossed him over the
garden wall and rejoined the crowd admiring Ryoga 3's technique.
"He's really something", she commented to Ryoga 1. He nodded bruskly.
She wondered what was eating him?
Ryoga 1 was feeling very depressed. He felt inferior to his counterparts.
Ryoga 2 was more intelligent, always taking the lead. Maybe from hanging
around with Nabiki, maybe because he didn't have to worry about becoming a pig
at any moment. Either way he was smarter. Ryoga 3 knew techniques he didn't
even begin to understand. Undoubtably a better fighter. It was bad enough to
always come in second to Ranma. However finding out he was secondrate at being
Ryoga Hibiki was just too much. A jealous anger began building.
Kasumi emerged from the kitchen, "Teatime". Everyone headed over for a
cup. Ranma and Ryoga 2 used some of the hot water to turn male.
Akane decided this was as good a time as any to ask Ryoga 2 something
she'd been wondering, "Ryoga, how did you get engaged to Nabiki anyway?"
"Well it happened like this ... "
Meanwhile in an alternate universe in a small village in China:
"STUPID!"
WHAM!
"MOUSSE!"
WHAM!
"WHERE?"
WHAM!
"IS?"
WHAM!
"SHAMPOO'S?"
WHAM!
"HUSBAND?"
WHAM!
"Child you must work on your interrogation technique. Ask the question
before beating your victim unconscious."
"Yes great grandmother."
"In any event Mousse is not responsible for Ryoga's disappearance.
Stylinggel clearly saw him vanish into thin air. This is clearly an eldritch
matter requiring my full attention."
While it might be interesting to continue this, back at the Tendo home:
"... which is basically how I got engaged to Nabiki."
Everyone sat in a certain stunned silence until Nabiki said, "I must admit
that sounded sort of romantic."
Ryoga 3 interrupted, "You're joking! That was the most mercenary and cold
blooded thing I've ever heard!"
"So who are you to talk?", Ryoga 1 said.
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"I saw your memories, remember. It means you married Shampoo as a matter
of expediency. You couldn't stay here after beating Ranma to a bloody pulp."
"WHAT?", Ranma shouted.
"Ryoga 3 chose his words carefully, "The Ranma of my world and I had a
very serious argument. We chose to settle it through combat. I won."
Ranma glared, "Oh really? Maybe you'd like to try again."
"Don't be ridiculous, we have no quarrel. I only met you an hour ago."
"Coward."
"Ranma don't pick on our guest", Akane told him. Ranma glowered but
sat down.
Ryoga 3 found the memory of Shampoo hugging Ranma coming back. He looked
at Ryoga 1. "He'll never know what he missed", he thought, "But Shampoo's
wasting her time because I know Akane loves Ranma. Not that he'll ever admit
having any feelings for her. Two women my counterpart could have been happy
with and Ranma's monopolizing both of them. Someone really should teach him a
lesson and I'd be happy to do it. But I shouldn't repay the Tendo's
hospitality by fighting, however ..."
"Ranma, while I won't challenge you there's nothing to stop our having a
little sparring practice."
"Yeah ... just what I was thinking. A friendly little match to show each
other our skills."
"Perfectly innocent. Martial artists do it all the time."
"Absolutely. No malice or anything."
"Sounds good."
"Perhaps we should head to the dojo?"
Both of them had the same fixed smile. They excused themselves and headed
for the dojo. Ryoga 1 felt oddly satisfied. Either Ryoga 3 would be
humiliated or he'd smash Ranma. Either was fine by him.
Akane frowned, "It's just a friendly match, right?".
Ryoga 2 shrugged, "So they said. But I have the nasty feeling this could
escalate into 'Fist of the North Star'."
End of part 3
Next episode: The sparring gets out of control and Ukyou and Ryoga 4 drop by.
Trust me this is all leading somewhere
Part 4: Three's a Crowd, Four's a Nightmare.
(
geocities.com/tokyo/temple) (
geocities.com/tokyo)