For What You Dream Of

				  By Kyle Emmerson

    Ranma 1/2 and all of its characters and situations are the
creation and property of Rumiko Takahashi. I use these
characters and situations without permission.

Part Four: Bell-Bottoms and Bruisers

****

	The water rippled in the wake of the ferry as Ryouga stood on the
deck. The speed sending the wind through his hair. It was loud enough so
that he couldn't hear anything else, but not so strong as to send him off
balance.

	Of course, this WAS Ryouga. A tornado would have trouble sending him
off balance.

	He'd left Ranma and Akane's failed wedding a few days earlier, with
the promise that he'd only return to Akari as a full man.

	He wasn't quite sure where he was. He had just wandered around Tokyo
for a little while, then left. The next thing he knew, he was standing in
the foot passenger line of the ferry.

	He chuckled to himself. He was lost again.

	He looked up to the sky, watching the white clouds float across the
sky, pushed by the wind and sighed. Becoming a full man mostly relied on
his finding Jusenkyo, and even then, it wasn't a sure thing. For all he
knew, he could turn in to some sort of pig-man thing.

	He shook his head. His cursed form would be better off as a normal
pig. The last thing he wanted was a village to go and hunt him down with
torches and pitchforks.

	He turned and walked towards the front of the ship, feeling the wind
grow even more violent. He leaned in to the wind, letting his run through
his hair and whip his clothes.

	The feeling was somewhat exhilarating, he could feel himself moving
faster than he actually was due to the ferry's speed.

	He paused about half way and looked out on the water. The land was
approaching quickly. The ferry would probably dock in a few minutes.

	As if on cue, the ship's intercom rang out, "Ladies and Gentlemen, we
will be approaching our destination in a few minutes. If those of you with
vehicles could please return to the vehicle deck, and foot passengers
gather at the passenger deck entrance, we will be docking shortly."

	Ryouga sighed once again, and walked inside of the ship, getting away
from the early morning chill. Looking around confusedly for a moment, he
paused.

	"So where the hell is the passenger deck entrance?!" he yelled to
nobody in particular.

****

	"All right," Nabiki said, picking up the phone and dialing. "Time for
some updates."

	A few rings and a click later, someone answered. "Hello?"

	"Watasato? It's Nabiki. Any updates yet?"

	"A few. Apparently, this Ayukawa doesn't have as mean a disposition as
one would imagine. In the past year or so, she's really mellowed out,
apparently."

	"Oh? Then I may have a chance to talk with her without extra
protection?"

	"Possibly, but she's still an amazing fighter. From what I'm hearing,
I doubt she'd fight someone who can't fight back, but it's always wise to
be prepared."

	"Of course. Anything on relationships?"

	"Her parents are in America, they're famous instrumentalists or
something. Her sister was just recently married, so Ayukawa lives in this
place with her sister and brother-in-law. Of course, they both work during
the day. Ayukawa should be alone if you go see her today."

	"Great," she said. "What else?"

	"The group of friends she tends to hang out with doesn't seem the
violent type. Kyousuke Kasuga, a boy that goes to the same school as her.
I've been hearing things that the two are somewhat romantically involved,
but I'm also hearing that this Kasuga guy is involved with another of
Ayukawa's friends. A girl named Hikaru Hiyama."

	"Oh really?" Nabiki thought to herself. Perhaps some sort of love
triangle?

	"Yeah. There's also an air of mystery around this Kasuga guy. It might
help if we did some deeper investigation on him."

	"I could care less about Kasuga right now, Rei. For now we'll focus on
Madoka."

	"All right," Rei Watasato replied.

	"Is that all?"

	"That's about it. You want me to arrange one of the bruisers to go
along with you?"

	"No, I think I'll use Ranma for this one. He's good for covert stuff."

	"All right, your call."

	Nabiki didn't even bother with a response.

	"Nabiki?"

	"Hmm?"

	"What's the course of action gonna be?"

	"Now, now, Rei. You know me better than that."

	A soft chuckle was heard on the other end. "I guess I do," she
replied. "When are you gonna head on down?"

	"Probably tomorrow," she replied. "It's the only time Ranma will be
available."

	"Oh? He's busy? He got another challenge?"

	"Something like that," Nabiki answered.

	"Oh, come on... don't I deserve a freebie for getting this to you?"

	Nabiki chuckled. "And I thought you knew me better than that... Sorry,
Rei. I could, however, consider allowing you access to some of this
information if you do a favour for me tonight..."

	Suddenly, Rei's attention was totally focused on Nabiki.

****

	Ranma opened an eye and stared lazily at the clock on his wall.
Finally, allowing reality to seep in, he managed to lean up against the
wall.

	Finally, he let the time displayed on the digital alarm clock get past
his morning defenses.

	"ELEVEN THIRTY?!?!"

	Ranma nearly shot out of bed, getting himself dressed and into the
bathroom in a period of just ten seconds.

	As he got into the bathroom, he collapsed to the floor.

	"OWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOW!" he exclaimed as he tried to nurse a severe
cramp in his leg back to nominal conditions. He'd be feeling THAT one for
the rest of the day.

	Finally in a condition to walk again, he stood up and brushed his
teeth. He could take a bath later in the evening, before his da-- before
his...

	Ranma paused in mid-brush and allowed a small smile to crack.

	A date. That's exactly what it was.

	"What's with the goofy smile?" a voice came from the doorway. Ranma
turned to see who it was, even though he knew already.

	"Nuthin'" Ranma replied. "Just thinkin' about something."

	Akane made her way into the room and bared her arm before the mirror.

	Ranma's eyes popped open for a moment. "Where's the bandages?" he
asked, almost forgetting about the toothbrush.

	"Your mother said it should be healed up enough. It doesn't hurt as
much as it did before, so we took it off."

	"What about your ribs?"

	"I can stretch pretty easily now. The bandage has actually been off
since yesterday."

	Ranma raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

	She nodded.

	"So," he continued. "How come nobody woke me up?"

	Akane laughed lightly. "Not used to sleeping in, Ranma?"

	Ranma just shrugged. "I woulda figured pop would be waking me up to
train, but I guess not."

	"Your mom wouldn't let him."

	Ranma shrugged again. "S'fine," he said. "No skin off my back. I think
I slept the sleep of the dead anyway."

	"I'll say. You were sleeping since just after midnight last night."

	Ranma looked over towards Akane. "What time did you wake up?"

	"About Eight."

	Ranma just pointed his face down towards the sink and spit.

	"So..." Akane began. "About tonight..."

	Ranma suddenly stiffened up. "Uhh, yeah," he began. "What.. uhh..
movie d'ya wanna see?"

	Akane traced her finger along the bathroom counter and bit her lip in
thought.

	"Well," she began. "I've kind of been wanting to see 'The Night's
Secrets.'"

	Ranma thought for a moment. Suddenly, the klaxons began to throb in
his mind. They said, 'Chick Flick'.

	"Uhh, well, I was thinking more along the lines of 'Kung Fu Death Race
6000.'"

	Akane's expression suddenly dropped all pretenses of happiness. Or
even tolerance, for that matter.

	"Isn't that the one where a bunch of killer martial artists go around
and try to run down pedestrians for points?!"

	Ranma nodded, nearly oblivious to Akane's sudden change of tone.
"Yeah, there's supposed to be twice as big of a body count than the first
two films combined!"

	Akane's veins were now beginning to become visible at her forehead.
"Are you kidding? That mindless, grotesque, STUPID movie that could only
be enjoyed by complete and total brain-dead IDIOTS?"

	Ranma spun around quickly. "I'd rather watch THAT than some pansy
assed chick flick! Hell, YOUR movie probably has some sucker love story
that every love starved chick on the PLANET has fantasies about!"

	Ranma's last thought as Akane laid him out was that the cease-fire was
now officially over.

****

	"RANMA YOU IDIOT!"

	Nodoka placed her hand to her mouth for a moment as she prepared
lunch. The loud yell from upstairs had been hard to miss.

	"Dear," she called over to her husband. She had a feeling she knew
what was happening. "Bring the newspaper over, would you?"

	As she flipped through the pages, she found the perfect solution.
Smiling and pulling a pair of scissors out from the kitchen drawer, she
cut out two pieces and laid them on either side of her.

	"Akane, dear," she called. "Ranma, come downstairs!"

****

	Ryouga wandered through the forest silently, cradling the emotion he
most frequently carried with him.

	Utter and absolute depression.

	It was one thing to get lost while KNOWING your destination, but to
get lost while wandering?

	He had gotten off the ferry only minutes earlier, and he was already
lost deep in the woods.

	Sighing, he set his bag down, trying to get a bearing on his location.

	Looking towards what he considered to be north, he surveyed the area.
Trees. A rock. More trees.

	Turning to face what he considered to be east, he examined his
surroundings. Trees. A rock. More trees... Wait a second, wasn't that
north? He faced the direction he was looking at before.

	Not as many trees, three rocks and a strange looking purple flower.

	"Where the HELL am I?!"	Ryouga growled to himself. Finally, his anger
got the better of him, and he thrust his umbrella at a fair sized tree,
exploding much of the park and shaft of the tree in a single strike.

	"I'd hate to be on the receiving end of THAT."

	Ryouga spun around as quickly as he could to locate the origin of the
voice. Before him stood a girl, apparently a few years older than himself,
a westerner wearing bell bottom jeans and leaning against a tree with her
arms crossed. She looked over at him and smiled.

	A westerner? Just how lost WAS he?

	"Who are you?" Ryouga asked, calming somewhat.

	"Now, now," she put a finger in the air. "It isn't polite to ask that
to a lady before introducing yourself."

	Ryouga blinked. "By whose standards?"

	The girl shrugged. "That's the way it is at home. Who knows?"

	"And where is home?"

	The girl snorted. "Sheesh. First you ask my name without telling me
yours first, and now you want my address? If I didn't know better, I'd say
you were a pervert."

	Ryouga stared blankly for a minute. "Whatever," he said. "I've got
somewhere to go." He turned around and started to walk away.

	"Really, sugar? From what I saw, you don't even know where the hell
you are."

	Ryouga looked back. "Sure, this is Okinawa."

	"Wrong Island, sugar. This here is Honshu."

	Ryouga winced. Damn. Got it wrong.

	"And from the sounds of things, you don't know where you're going,
either."

	Ryouga just stared. "So?"

	The girl simply smiled. "Well, since you seem unwilling, I'll take the
first step. The names Jennifer. Jennifer Perrin. Nice to meetcha," she
said, sticking her hand out.

	Ryouga looked at the hand and then back up at the girl. "Whatever," he
said, then continued to walk.

	"Hey," Jennifer said. "Hey, wait!"

	Ryouga spun around again. "Look," he said. "What do you want from me?
I'm trying to do something, and I'm not saving any time with you pestering
me!"

	"Jeez, relax. I'm only trying to be friendly."

	"Be friendly somewhere else."

	Jennifer placed her hands at her hips and watched Ryouga walk off at
an accelerated pace.

	"Well, fine then," she said, and walked off in her own direction.

	A few moments later, she found herself face to face with... Ryouga.

	Ryouga was the first to speak. "How'd you do that?"

	Jennifer blinked in shock. "I was about to ask you the same."

	How'd you get in front of me? I never heard you move!"

	"That's just it. I never moved."

	Ryouga growled again. "DAMMIT! I'm walking in circles again!"

	Jennifer raised one eyebrow skeptically. "Circles? How fast were you
moving?"

	Ryouga blinked. "Well... pretty fast."

	"So you managed to get from over there, to right here in just a few
seconds? I'll say that you walked in a circle. It's almost as if...
well... I don't know, but it's certainly weird."

	Ryouga closed his eyes. "Story of my life."

	"Well, now that you're here, I can talk," she smiled. "I think we got
off on the wrong foot. I've already introduced myself, but if you're lost
I can probably help you find your way home."

	Ryouga shook his head. "I'm not going home... but..." He looked up at
her. "I'm... Ryouga Hibiki."

	"See?" Jennifer smiled. "Now that wasn't so hard, was it?"

	Ryouga shrugged. "You said you could help me find my way home? I'll
settle for just knowing where I am."

	Jennifer gave him a strange look. A look that said, 'Is this guy for
real?' and 'You MUST be kidding me,' all at the same time.

	"What?" he asked.

	"I already told you where you were, sugar."

	Ryouga winced and tried to remember where she had said he was. "Oh,
right. Okinawa, right?"

	"Uhh, Honshu."

	Ryouga just sighed. "Whatever. I'm bad with directions. And locations,
for that matter."

	"Really?" Jennifer deadpanned. "Coulda fooled me."

	"So what are you doing in Japan? You teach English at a school
somewhere? On vacation?"

	"It's a vacation of sorts... My sensei had a tournament to be at out
here, and he invited me along."

	"Oh, you're a martial artist."

	Jennifer nodded. "I try. Second Degree blackbelt in American style
Kempo."

	Ryouga snickered a little under his breath. "You actually follow those
ratings?"

	Jennifer blinked. "Huh?"

	"I know all about the degrees. White belt through ninth degree black
belt. They're so limiting."

	"Limiting? Are you kidding?"

	"Well, think about it. You can work your way up to ninth degree
blackbelt, but where do you go from there?"

	"You're not supposed to go anywhere from there. It's the acme of
skill."

	Ryouga laughed. "Acme of skill. Yeah right, I know a few people
personally who could probably kick a grandmaster's ass to Beijing and
back."

	"And how are YOU so sure of that?"

	"You saw what I did to the tree back there?"

	Jennifer nodded. "You used a weapon, though. I always learned that
weapons were crutches."

	"They are. I carry the umbrella around for other reasons."

	"Oh?"

	"Here," Ryouga said, and handed the umbrella to her one-handed.

	Jennifer took the umbrella and promptly dropped it to the ground with
a loud clang.

	"What the hell is in there?!"

	"I've filled it up with lead. It now weighs better than fifty pounds."

	"And you carry it around as if it were a twig?"

	Ryouga smirked and nodded.

	Jennifer just shook her head. "Still, what you did to the tree could
have been done easily with THAT. If I were able to carry it, and apply
enough force, I could probably do that."

	"I'm not saying you couldn't. What I'm saying is that I can pull the
tree out by its roots and use it like a weapon."

	Jennifer paused. "Yeah, right," she said.

	Ryouga shrugged. "I have before. I probably will again."

	"No, I'm sorry. You'd have to be as strong as a bulldozer to do that."

	"I've tossed one of those around, too."

	Jennifer blinked in surprise. She remained silent for a moment. "Prove
it," she said.

	Ryouga just shrugged, walked over to a rather large boulder sitting in
the ground, and hefted it up over his head.

	One handed.

	For emphasis, he twirled it around like a basketball on one finger.

	Jennifer gawked. The thing must have weighed well over two tonnes.

	After Ryouga had set the boulder down with a loud crash, she stared at
hi for a good half-minute, trying to find something to say.

	Finally, she found something to say.

	"Don't you get back pains?"

****

	"Now, you two," Nodoka began, pacing back and forth by the kitchen
table that Ranma and Akane were seated at.

	"First of all, Ranma," she continued, "It was my belief that this
argument originated over which movie to see, and Akane confirmed that
belief. Second of all, I would assume you wanted to see a mindless action
movie with a rather preposterous body count. Possibly something like 'Kung
Fu Death Race 6000', right?"

	Ranma blinked in surprise.

	"And Akane, you would more prefer to see something like 'The Night's
Secrets', correct?"

	Akane followed Ranma's facial expressions in the exact order he had
made them.

	"Now, here is my solution," she began. "Kung Fu Death Race 6000 is
ninety-six minutes long, the winning team is Mexico, with 675 struck
pedestrians, the climax of the film is when the French and Russian teams
have a high tech game of chicken on a Nevada highway, when both of them
crash into each other, sending the Russian team into a fully populated gas
station. The movie altogether has about as much warmth as a polar bear
living in Absolute Zero temperatures."

	If Ranma could be any more shocked, he'd have been blue.

	"And 'The Nights Secrets', although a wonderfully orchestrated movie,
was rather lacking in action elements. The only thing considered a fight
is when the husband of the heroine comes home and tries to stab her lover
to death. And in the end, although she leaves her quite wealthy husband
for her lover, her lover dies in a horrible car accident, leaving her
penniless and on the streets."

	Akane started to speak, but Nodoka hushed her.

	"What I'd suggest is that the both of you see a worthwhile movie.
Mixed with action, a bit of romance perhaps, possibly a classic, or a
movie with really good special effects."

	Ranma raised one eyebrow as the words 'action' and 'special effects'
were uttered.

	Akane did the same with 'romance' and 'classic'.

	"Now," Nodoka showed each of them a piece of paper. "On that sheet
you'll find a list of four movies. I want you to act together and one by
one, cross a movie out that you do NOT want to see."

	Ranma looked at his sheet. "Shadows of Night? I've never heard of
that."

	"A horror. You'll find an adequate amount of special effects and
action, as well as a touch of romance."

	Akane read the next one down. "Will Shakespeare's... Romeo and
Juliet?"

	"Yes, a modern remake of the classic. Ranma will enjoy the use of guns
and action in the movie, while Akane will enjoy the classic romance and
tragedy."

	Ranma raised an eyebrow. He remembered his experience with Romeo and
Juliet. It seemed rather... interesting. A modern remake?

	"What about these two?" Akane began. "The Reality Gambit and Sapphires
Bluff?"

	"They are a mixture really. The Reality Gambit is a science fiction
concerning two scientists getting whisked away to an alternate universe
with monsters and such. They must rely on each other to get back home, and
eventually fall in love. The other is more of a lawyer movie, with a touch
of action and romance."

	Ranma looked down the list. There was only one that really interested
him. He looked over towards Akane.

	Akane, too, was only even remotely interested in one of the movies.

	"So, what do you think?" Ranma asked.

	Akane looked over to him. "Well, I think this Romeo and Juliet movie
looks like the best one on the list. What about you?"

	Ranma nodded in agreement. "I think it might be the best one in the
lot."

	Nodoka smiled. "There," she said. "Then it's decided. Ranma you should
get the bump treated if you want to be ready by this evening."

	Ranma rubbed his wound and began to stand up. "Sure, thanks mom."

	Akane followed in suit, pausing before she left the room.

	"Auntie?" she asked.

	"Yes, dear?"

	"I was wondering... How do you know what all those movies were about?"

	Nodoka smirked. "Dear, for more than ten years, I was a single woman
with nothing better to do with her time. What did you expect me to do?
cradle my blade and knit?" She smiled.

	Akane smiled and nodded, then left the room.

	"Dear," Genma said from the corner. "Those other three movies aren't
listed in the movie listings." He was reading the paper.

	"I know. They don't exist."

	Genma blinked. "So Romeo and Juliet was the only true one in there?"

	She nodded.

	"So, why didn't you just tell them to see that one?"

	"Because dear, if they had a choice, they would feel more freedom
about it. If I came right up and told them to see that particular movie,
they would feel as if they forced in to it."

	Genma paused for a second, and let the reality dawn on him.

	"Oh," he said, and then went back to his paper.

****

	"So, that's it?" Rei asked.

	Nabiki nodded, sucking her milk shake through a straw. She had told
Rei
to meet her at the Ice Cream Shoppe earlier. "That's it."

	"Okay, so this is a double mission. Is the information affordable?"

	"Not even by Kuno, Rei. Nobody can afford this information,
understood?"

	Rei nodded. "Sure thing, Nabiki."

	"You might want to take a bruiser along with you, if things get
sticky. While Kuno may have mellowed out some, it wouldn't surprise me if
he showed up. And there are three girls still wanting to jump Ranma's
bones, don't forget."

	"Four," Rei corrected with a smirk.

	"Ooh, Rei. You are BAD!"

	"Well, I'm more passive than the others, and I could live without
him," she shrugged. "Besides, he's an underclassman. Not quite my type."

	Nabiki shrugged. "Anyway, lets get back on track. You know the
operation, right?"

	Rei nodded.

	"I'll find out what movie they're seeing and call you. You can take
the funds out of the petty cash account."

	Rei nodded. "Okay," she said as she began to get up. "I'll call Shiro.
He'll be going with me."

	Nabiki nodded and finished her milk shake She got up and smiled at
Rei.

	"I'll see you later, Rei."

	Rei smiled. "You too, Nabiki."

****

	"You know what?" Ryouga said, looking towards the sky. "It's gonna
rain soon."

	Jennifer looked up and agreed. "Yeah, looks like it'll be a bit of a
storm. You got a place to stay?"

	Ryouga shook his head. "No, I'll probably set up camp under a bridge
or something."

	Jennifer gasped. "Under a BRIDGE? Why the hell would you do that?"

	"To keep dry."

	"Well, no... I mean, why don't you get a hotel room or something?"

	Ryouga smiled. "Well, the cash I do have is usually spent on food.
Plus, I can never find my room. And if I do, I can never find my way back
to the lobby to bring the key back the next morning."

	Jennifer laughed. "Well, I'll tell ya what. I want to do some sparring
with you, but if it's gonna rain soon, maybe nows not the best time. But I
know if I let you sleep under a bridge, I'll never find you again."

	Ryouga blinked. "And?"

	"And... I'd rather I would be able to find you again. So, maybe... as
long as you be a PERFECT gentleman, you could stay in my hotel room. I can
lead you to and from... well, wherever it is you need to go... so..."

	Ryouga's jaw dropped open. She was offering him a place to stay? An
actual bed... or couch to sleep on?

	"Well," he began. "How are you so sure I'm not some big murderer or
something? It's not that wise, really."

	"Well, are you?" she asked.

	"What? No!"

	"Good, that's all settled. So what do you say?"

	Ryouga sighed in defeat. "I... I guess."

	"Great!" she said.

	"So how far out of this forest is your hotel?"

	"Forest?" she asked. "What forest?"

	Ryouga pointed to the trees all around him. "This forest."

	Jennifer almost broke down laughing, and then led Ryouga by hand past
a small row of trees.

	The street was bustling with activity, cars running back and forth in
the street and people commuting on the sidewalks.

	"See that big building across the street?" she asked.

	Ryouga nodded.

	"That's my hotel."

	Ryouga gasped. The building was huge, an international hotel, built
with a western motif.

	"It's huge," he muttered.

	"Yeah, quite luxurious too. We've got bigger hotels back at home, but
this one suits me fine."

	"There are bigger hotels than this in America?"

	"America? I wouldn't know. But in Vancouver, there's tonnes of big
hotels."

	"Vancouver?"

	"Yeah, I'm from Canada."

	Ryouga nodded. "Oh," she said.

	"Well, come on. Let's get you in. I'm in a two room suite with my
sensei, but he's in Tokyo for some meeting or some such. He'll be there
for a couple of days, so you'll be okay until then."

	Ryouga was led by hand across the street and into the lobby.

	If such a thing was possible, the lobby was even more extravagant than
the exterior. Marble floors accentuated by ivory pillars leading up to the
domed ceiling. Even the ceiling itself had a wonderfully done design on
it.

	As he was led into the elevator, he spoke. "How can you AFFORD this?"

	"Well, the room is being split in cost between my sensei and I. But if
you're asking how I paid for the trip, and my half of the suite, my
parents are taking care of it."

	"Your parents? They rich?"

	"They live in a city just southeast of Vancouver. Place called
Abbotsford. The city itself is pretty big, but the area where they live
has been dubbed 'Snob Hill'. It's where most of the rich folk live. So
yeah, they are rich."

	Ryouga nodded and looked around the elevator. A few seconds later, it
dinged to a stop on the twenty-sixth floor.

	Jennifer then led him out by hand. Walking down the hallway, she
stopped in front of a room, and opened the door.

	As she walked in the room, her hip clipped the edge of an end table,
sending what sat atop in down towards the floor, and, ultimately, Ryouga.

	"Damn room service! Left the stupid pitcher right by the door again!
That's the second time that happened!"

	Jennifer looked down at Ryouga.

	"Well," she said. "Isn't that.... umm.... neat."

	P-Chan looked up at her, unamused.

	"Is this a normal thing?"

	P-Chan nodded.

	"Okay... Is there a way for you to change back?"

	P-Chan nodded again.

	"Well.... umm... can you do it? I feel kinda... well... stupid right
now."

	P-Chan sighed, then walked into the bathroom. A few banging noises, a
short squeak, and Ryouga popped out of the room with a towel around his
waist.

	"Okay... uhh... Ryouga?" Jennifer asked.

	Ryouga looked at her.

	"Is it just me... or was that you?"

	"It was me."

	"The pig.... thing?"

	"Yes, the pig thing."

	"Mind if I ask a personal question?"

	Ryouga sighed. "Go ahead."

	"How?"

	"Ever been to China?"

	Jennifer shook her head. "Not yet. I plan to go there some day,
though. Why?"

	"Well, stay away from Qinghai."

	"Qinghai?" she asked.

	"Especially the Bayankala. A place called Jusenkyo."

	Jennifer looked as though she was going to faint. "So this... Jusenkyo
place... caused this?"

	Ryouga nodded.

	"Is that all it does? Turn people into pigs?"

	Ryouga shook his head. "Pandas, ducks, cats, weird minotaur monsters,
and members of the opposite sex."

	"How does it... work?"

	"Cold water triggers the curse, hot water changes it back."

	Jennifer smirked. "So, its random, then? Whoever goes to this place
gets a different curse?"

	"It depends which spring you fall in."

	Jennifer tapped her finger in thought "So, someone who went there
could theoretically choose their curse, then? Is that right?"

	Ryouga nodded absently for a moment. Then paused. "Hey... You
aren't... thinking? Are you?"

	Jennifer just smirked. "Well... You never know."

	Ryouga shook his head. "Look, you do NOT want this. It's hell. If you
were to fall in a spring, you'd be cursed."

	"Well, I'll just regulate it. I'll choose where I go."

	"Jennifer, NO. There are springs there that are probably ten times
worse than the one I fell in. For all I know, there could be a spring of
drowned dead person!"

	Jennifer shrugged. "I'll test them first."

	"And then you run the risk of turning something as harmless as a mouse
into a giant minotaur with wings that would smash you into the ground with
one shot."

	"Oh, relax. I'm quicker than that."

	"Second degree, right? You still wouldn't be as quick as Ranma,"
Ryouga muttered.

	"Ranma?"

	"Someone I know. The quickest person I've ever met, and Tarou still
got some good shots on him."

	Jennifer furrowed her brow. "You're naming other people, Ryouga."

	"Tarou's a guy who got the minotaur thing curse. He messed with Ranma,
me, his pop, Mousse and Shampoo."

	"Okay. Now you're naming hair products. I can live with that."

	"Mousse and Shampoo are Joketsuzoku."

	"What?"

	"Chinese Amazon."

	Jennifer blinked. "Weren't Amazons... like... Greek or something?"

	"Who knows? It's just Amazons are the best translation we can come up
with. Plus, they act like Amazons."

	"What, with weird marriage laws and stuff?"

	"You've met them?"

	"Not quite, but I know the type... I think."

****

	The day rolled on, soon turning into night, and Jennifer and Ryouga
still talked. The subject went from Ryouga's experiences, to Jennifer's
knowledge of Japanese. Eventually, the conversation had come to a turning
point.

	"Akari?" she asked.

	Ryouga nodded and pulled his wallet from his pack and showed it to
her, displaying a picture of Akari.

	"Yeah, that's her."

	"So you're on some kind of mission to... prove yourself to her?"

	He nodded. "I... I treated her like crap, because I was after another
girl. When it turned out that all she saw me as was.. a friend, I realized
my mistake. Now I just can't go back to her and have everything be all
right. I've got to really prove myself to her."

	Jennifer smiled. "That's sweet, Ryouga."

	Ryouga just smiled in return. "I... I have feelings for her, and
they're stronger than ever now. But I can't go back to her yet. I just
can't."

	"Wouldn't ya know it?" Jennifer mentioned.

	"Know what?"

	"All the good ones are taken," she smiled maliciously.

	Ryouga just blushed a deep crimson.

****