As you know I've been dragging on the new chapter. In truth I was unhappy with the portrayal of Ryouga (as were many of you). I want there to be some kind of antagonism, but I realized I was making him too unsympathetic for later on. I decided a better route was for Ryouga to have some of the better status I was giving him, bur make him a more positive figure and intimate he might be a bit lonely and make Ranma react out of proportion. I also decided a backstory here wasn't needed, but I can insert one in a later chapter when it becomes relevant.
As for the later scenes with Ryouga and Ami, I need to tweak those, though it relatively minor changes compared to this first scene.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VMi ... sp=sharing
=======
Ranma shuffled down the winding streets north of her apartment. She had spent the morning lost in thought at her present situation. over the past week or so, she had been able to put it out of her mind with work, classes, and the new weirdness that had entered her life. Now though there was some amount of free time and Ranma had nothing better to do than to brood. She came upon a pebble on the sidewalk and for abut a kilometer, she made a game of kicking the pebble down the street, seeing how far and fast she could get it to go without deviating from its path or getting airborne.
Ranma's little game ended she she kicked the pebble against someone's expensive looking Italian loafers..
"Oh, jeez sorry, I-" she froze as she saw who the man in front of her was.
"Ranma?" he asked.
"R-R-R-Ryouga." she shook her head and took on an air of non-chalance. she placed her hands behind her head, as though leaning against a wall. "How's it hangin', P-chan."
Ryouga rolled his eyes. "Same as always, I see." Ranma let out a snort and appraised Ryouga more closely.
Ryouga looked pretty much the same as far as height and build went. His hair was short, but styled. Gone were his patchy, rough traveling clothes. He wore a cotton button shirt and slacks that were tailored to fit his broad physique rather well. His shoes were a dark leather and expensive-looking. Instead of his large backpack, he carried a messenger bag over his shoulder. Overall he looked like he had been cleaned up by someone with Kuno's money, but with actual taste. The end result was Ranma regretting ever seeing him.
"What the hell's with that getup?"
Ryouga tilted his head at the question. "They're my clothes. I mean, my mom bought 'em, but..."
"Well they look... they look kinda stupid," Ranma spat out, "What the hell was wrong with your regular clothes?" Ranma stopped. "Wait, your mom?"
Ryouga nodded. "Yeah. You don't know how much life's changed for me!" He began to smile enthusiastically and Ranma noted how the light shone off his snaggletooth when he was happy,. which elicited a groan from her.
"I was at Akari's for a while. Then I got a letter from Kasumi. The next day, this black sedan came to the farm and it was my mom who showed up. She gave me this," Ryouga said as he held up a small device that looked like a large, squat cell phone.
"I can use this to find my way. I'm actually starting to get better finding my way without it, but it's changed our lives. My mom got a job teaching English at a college nearby and my dad's made a killing on tech stocks."
"Wow that's uh nice for ya. Rich and hands- I mean rich and a jerk." Ranma rubbed the back of her head, "S-so what the heck're you doin' around here? Ya got lost on the way to a weddin' or something?"
Ryouga laughed. Not in the nervous way Ranma remembered, but a gentle, self-assured laugh that bespoke of a confidence Ranma had never seen from him before.
"Always a kidder. Nah, I'm meeting up with a study partner here." He pointed at a nearby cafe, the sign reading 'Fruits Parlor Crown' hanging over the door.
"Oh, you working on the entrance exam? Mousse's been workin' on that for a while and..." Ranma trailed off when she saw Ryouga's eyes narrow.
"Ranma. I go to Todai. I mean, I'm just a freshman, but."
"Wait, you!?" Ranma yelled while pointing at him. "But you're not smart!"
Ryouga rolled his eyes and shrugged. "I guess I just test well," he replied in a flat tone.
"So lemme get this straight. You go to Todai, don't get lost so bad, you live with your Ma n' Pop, and you dress like a model... jeez, next you'll tell me you're married ta Akari and cured the curse."
Ryouga, to Ranma's surprise, changed his expression from a jovial smile to a bit of a frown.
"Akari and I..." he shook his head, "I guess we kinda grew apart and my mo-" he shook his head.
"Aw, jeez. Sorry, man," Ranma replied, frowning.
"And, even with the money, we haven't found a thing to cure the curse." Ryouga grew thoughtful as he looked at Ranma. "Hey... hasn't rained in a while. Why are you a girl?"
Ranma clicked her teeth. "I, uh... I got stuck about a week back. Ain't a big deal or nothin'" she said quickly.
Ryouga gasped slowly, "Wow. That sucks. I still remember I got hit with the ladle and I thought I'd be the pig forever. Was it him?"
"Herb?" Ranma shook her head. "Nah. I dunno what happened. It's uh too confusin'." Ranma waved a hand, "Look, I don't need your pity or nothin'. You seem ta be doin' well for yourself, Akari excepted."
"You don't have to pretend, Ranma. I'm your friend right." Ryouga moved to put a reassuring hand on Ranma's shoulder, but as soon as he touched Ranma, she turned around and slapped his arm away, yelling "Don't touch me!" in a voice that spoke of as much fear as annoyance.
Ryouga held his hand up. "Sorry, sorry. I was just tryin'"
"Well don't! Do you have any idea what you-" Ranma stopped herself from speaking but was shaking in anger.
"What the hell is wrong with you? Ever since that time in Okinawa you've... it's been a while, and I haven't seen much of the old gang."
Ranma took a few breaths and said, "Well... Mousse, n' I are neighbors and Nabiki lives around here. Ucchan and Konatsu are back in Furinkan and Akane lives in Hachioji."
"Really? Cool. Maybe I can stop by and we can do a guys night out?" Ryouga asked hopefully.
"Well, I, uh..."
"Oh, damn, I'm sorry," Ryouga said, hitting his forehead, "Look, I know you're going through some stuff, but we're pals, right?"
Ranma merely nodded and said, "Yeah... pals."
"All right!" Ryouga replied, smiling once more. "Lemme get your info. We can have a coupla drinks and have a night out on the town with the gang."
Ranma nodded. As she gave Ryouga the details, a woman's voice could be heard in the distance.
"Hibiki-san!"
Ryouga looked up and smiled politely as the girl jogged up to him.
"Oh, Mizuno-san. Good to see you. I was about to call to see if you were okay."
Ami bowed and said, in between breaths, "I'm so sorry. I overslept and then something came up and.." She stood up and and was practically face to face with Ranma. Ami fought to not do more than widen her eyes. Ranma for her part tilted her head in confusion.
Ami walked over and bowed to Ryouga. "I'm sorry for running late. I overslept and..." she trailed off when she saw Ranma. Ranma noticed the look she was getting from the blue-haired stranger. In response, she began making tactical calculations in case something went down. At the same time, however, Ranma felt what could only be described as alarm bells going off in her head. There was something about this Mizuno girl she should be on the lookout for, but Ranma was at a loss of verbalize what that something was exactly.
"Oh, who is this Hibiki-san? An old girlfriend?" Ami asked tentatively, looking between the two of them.
Ranma’s internal machinations froze as her entire body choked in utter horror at the idea suggested by Ami. Let out a strained cough and found it hard to breathe.
“He-uh she's an old friend of mine. We go way back," Ryouga explained. He walked towards Ami and turned back to Ranma.
"Yep," Ranma said noncommittally, stealing a glance at Ami. "Too far back, ya pig bastard."
Ryouga merely laughed at the insult, replying with "That's the old Ranma!" and slapping her heartly on the back with perhaps a bit more force than necessary. He turned to Ami, "Anyway, we just happened to run into each other by chance." Ryouga then stopped and glanced at his device. "Oh, it's close to twelve-thirty. Are you ready to begin, Mizuno-san? I can get you some barely tea if you'd like."
Ami blinked and turned to Ryouga. "Oh. Oh, yes! Yes of course. Thank you, I'd appreciate it, Hibiki-san."
As Ryouga turned to leave, Ami following behind, he casually raised a hand in farewell.
"Later Ranma! Say hi to Akane for me."
Once they left, Ranma let out an annoyed sigh as she kept walking aimlessly down the neighborhood, feeling even worse than before and wishing she could take a cold shower.
======