NOTE: I need more prereaders if anyone would like to volunteer. PLEASE!!!! I know it's scary, but even just an opinion is appresiated.

Last revised:10/2/99

Disclaimer:


Please don't sue me! PLEEAAAASSEEE! I don't make any money off of this! If I did I'd already be rich! The credit is due to Rumiko Takahashi. The best comic writer I know of and the original creator of this series.



Time passes on as it always does, endless, permanently flowing, just like a river. For some the vision is clear and there are no obstacales, others are clouded in the murky waters and are stopped or slowed in almost every aspect and way. This, though, was another day, another chance for the lost boy. His body seemed strong, but his insides were slashed and scarred from emotional trauma. Defeat after defeat from Saotome had taken its toll. Hand clenched and shaking, Ryoga knew there had to be some way he could make Ranma's life worse than his hell already was.

It was a cold morning. Frost was covering the grass in a light icy sheet. Birds flew over head, their voices cracking just before catching the fish in the water. The ocean air stung in his lungs. He was somewhere in the Fuji mountains near the ocean. Too bad Ryoga couldn't count the facts around him.

The shaking of his fist steadily grew as he stood there. He couldn't stop, but it wasn't from the cold. His whole body then began trembling. Ryoga fell to the ground, sitting against a light pole. He searched his pants and pulled out a bottle. Pulling it open, he grabbed the last tablet and gulped it. The bottle dropped to the ground from his hand, rolling on the pavement into the street where it was crushed by an oncoming car. "S-saotome, today I will have my revenge!"

A Pizzach production....



"Stop, Ranma!" A steady set of pattering loudened.

The Struggle of Ryoga, Chapter 1: The Fight for Life

Coming around the corner appeared a red headed girl in full run. She was in excellent shape. She wore Chinese clothes that were just snug enough to show her figure. Her face didn't seem to even be breaking a sweat as she plowed through the air, pig-tail flailing.

Second came a blue haired girl. She emitted a strong expression of anger from her eyes. But still, hurt was still hidden past the veil of madness. To the observer that wasn't the most obvious with her wielded mallet.

"Ranma come back here!"

"No way! You think I'm stupid!? There's no way you're going to force me to do it!"

"Grr....Baka!"

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Trudging and trudging, he couldn't help thinking, "Will I ever get there?" Even with these thoughts Ryoga didn't bother looking up to see where was going. He eventually would arrive, he always did no mater when and he knew it. The shaking then started coming back; the craving. "I can just make it a little farther..." he thought.

The sounds of battle cries then pierced the air. After that came a few thumps...and then dead silence.

Ryoga smiled knowing he had made it. He then looked back and forth, forgetting the direction the jumbled noise had come from. Frustrated, he used the power of his legs to leap into the air and spy the local neighborhoods surrounding him. As he levitated for a few seconds he spotted Ranma laying on the ground. He was rubbing his head where bumps were starting to appear after Akane had make a few passes at him with her weapon. "I will not get lost again!" Ryoga shouted out loud. He built up speed, bashing through the building, his one obstacle to the showdown. It would not stop him! He went room after room, coming first through the living room, then the bathroom(luckily no one was in there), and finally the other side.

"Ryoga?" Akane quoted. She stopped bashing Ranma for the moment and moved away.

Soun poked his head through the hole in the wall. Bits were still crumbling. "You're suppose to use door!" Alas, no one heard, giving all of their demanded attention to the lost boy.

"I shall have you this time, Ranma!" Ryoga seem resilient as ever as he readied to enter battle. Nothing would stop him this time! Or so he thought. His knees started shaking preseding his collapse to the ground. His earlier move had finally caught up to him. With the loss of energy the craving returned. His hand searched his pocket to find nothing. "Dam! I don't have anymore!"

"Need any?" Nabiki asked from behind. She shook a small container to gain his attention. Her timing was impeccable.

Ryoga forked out 10,000 yen to get his prize. Pulling it open, he gulped a mouth full of pills, chewed, then swallowed them. Akane and Ranma couldn't believe their eyes.

"What are those?" Akane demanded. She took the container and scanned the label. It was written in English. Ryoga couldn't understand a word of it without the experience of school. "Flinstones Vitamins!?"

"Vitamins?" Ryoga questioned, "They aren't steroids?"

Ranma jumped in on the conversation at her words. "Nabiki, you got him hooked on vitamins!?"

"What do you mean!? People can't get addicted to vitamins! That's stupid!"

Akane countered, "Well, just look at him!"

Ryoga used the whole container as a cup, pouring a few more mouth fulls. His lips smiled contently as drool eminated from them.

Nabiki frowned, "I guess you're right...what should we do?"

Ryoga then keeled over causing everyone to go into shock. Akane shouted, "I'd say we had better get him to the hospital!"

Akane grabbed Ryoga and tried to pick him up. Little luck was made in her effort. Still, she kept trying. Then the weight suddenly lightened. She looked back to see Ranma help with the back end of Ryoga. She gave a weak smile to signal her thankfulness, then whispering to Ryoga's ear, "Don't worry Ryoga, you'll be all right." It was morely to sooth her fears than his.

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"Ugh..." Ryoga groaned, unable to sit up. He had a killer headache. His whole body felt so uncomfortable. In need. He searched himself. To his surprise he was wearing a white hospital robe. "Where the hell am I? Where are my pills!?" He then saw an IV stuck into this arm. Briskly he pulled it out, disgusted.

"Ah, your awake, Ryoga!" a nearby physician said as he turned his attention to him. He walked up and tried to check Ryoga's pulse. Ryoga pulled away still unsure of his situation. The guy wore the normal doctor's coat. He had brown hair which had mostly balded. His height highly contrasted to Ryoga's at about 6"5' almost looking like a basketball player. "Hello, my name's doctor Sazuki. Hmm...Your energy is definitely back coming back. You were suffering iron poisoning from an over dose. Most people don't realize that can happen from vitamins. Luckily your transfusion helped to get some good blood into you."

"Blood transfusion?"

"Yes, the Iron content was so high, we needed to get it down as quickly as possible before it could cause any permanent damage."

"W-who gave me the transfusion? Ranma!?"

Ryoga was frozen. Could have his mortal enemy saved his life? That would be too much to take. But then it could be looked upon as extending his hell. That made it either a good or a bad gesture. At the time though, it was too much for Ryoga to think deeply into.

"Ha ha ha ha! Don't be silly! This isn't olden times. We have blood banks now a days where we filter combined blood from many people."

"Oh, never mind." Ryoga sighed, feeling like an idiot. All of his fears instantly were erased.

Akane then entered, her face brightened when she saw Ryoga awake. "Ryoga! You're okay!"

"Yeah," he replied. He really didn't feel ready to confront Akane. His mind was screaming negative comments about himself. 'Great! Now she thinks of me as a druggie. If I ever told her about my secret now she would hate me worse than ever!'

"Well," continued the doctor, "You can take some of this medication to help lessen your cravings. I hope to have you step down and off of it completely within a few weeks. It's the one reason that you aren't out of control right now. Until you can beat this I recommend accepting the help of your wife, and perhaps your friends. These are going to be some difficult times ahead."

Ryoga slightly blushed at the thought of Akane being his wife. Akane did slightly too, but for another reason that he didn't know of yet. His thoughts were still focused on the conversation, though. "And then....the cravings will go away over time?"

"No, but they'll be almost gone. Sadly they'll never goes completely disappear." the doctor seemed solemn for the moment, then turning cheerful again like he had a split personality, "Here's the prescription for the medication. Take it once every few hours as the cravings get bad. Take no more than 6 in 24 hours. You'll get 3 refills which should last about 2 weeks. If you need a rehabilitation center, you can get more information at the pharmacy. Have a good day!"

Ryoga frowned at the thought of another pill. "I'm going to be addicted for life?" By then the doctor had left. There were other patients to see, more people for him to help.

"Guess what Ryoga," Akane did her best to sound content, "You can stay at our place until you get better!"

"Really?" Ryoga perked, "Ah, shit! Nose bleed! Why?"

"Do you realize how hard it would be to find your family?"

"Oh yeah." She was right. It could have taken months just to figure out where they wandered off to. That darned Hibiki curse. They could be anywhere!

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Within, about a half an hour, all of the checkout and paperwork was finish. Funny how long such a simple task can take as giving information on yourself. Ranma met up there with Ryoga, having mediocre results. At least a fight hadn't occurred from all of the built up tension, like a rubber band ready to snap.

"Hello, Ryoga."

"Ranma...I didn't expect you to be here."

"You never really know who your enemies really are."

"Hmmmm..." Ryoga continued to fill out the papers, ignoring Saotome with little want of a confrontation then and there.

Afterwards, they all walked along the sidewalk home. Dusk was coming, the color of everything was turning to a dull red. At their pace, they would be home by dark. The air was getting nippie again with the absence of the sun. Ryoga had been at the hospital for most of the day.

Akane smiled, "It's great to finally get out of that place. I hate the smell of hospitals."

"So do I. Now that actually I think about it....I've actually never been in a hospital before." Ryoga replied.

"Well," she let out a light shiver, "in a hospital I think of it as more a place where people die than live."

"Yeah."

"So," Ranma said devilishly, "what's your favorite Flintones character, Ryoga?"

Ryoga growled, ready to retaliate but before he made the move Akane had smashed Ranma's skull with her hammer. As further warning, she continuously gave him a lazy eye to warn him against another offender.

"What happened while I was out?"

"Let's see," Akane started....Ranma wasn't nearly half-way interested. She had been only there for half of the adventure.

....Starts flashing back as Ranma remembers....

"Ranma!" Shampoo cried gleefully. "What you doing?"

"Now's not the time Shampoo! We have to get Ryoga to the..." Shampoo glomped him, causing him to lose his balance. Ranma stumbled from the move, almost dropping Ryoga. He anger heightened. "Let go! We have to get Ryoga to the hospital!"

"Ryoga? What wrong with him?"

"He has an addiction! If we don't get him to the hospital he could die!"

*p*p*p*p*p*ppppssssssss...*

"Dam! Rain! Can't I ever be lucky enough to go without it!?" Ranma tugged at Ryoga, pulling Akane along with him. The clouds darkened and dropped more water every second they stalled. The group narrowly escaped the water to the overhang next to the Nekohanten's front door. It wasn't he same story for Shampoo.

"Meow!"

"AH! A CAT!" Ranma screamed.

Shampoo's cat form was one of Ranma's largest phobias, how ironic. She wasn't even a black one. Sometimes life seems to be one big coincidence. Ranma froze in fear. He clinged to the wall. His grasp of it left a small indentation in the wall, just noticable enough to the normal passer by.

Luckily Akane was good enough to take charge. She lunged at the feline, snagging her. Carefully she carried the flailing cat and flung it inside of the restaurant.

"Ranma, let's get a little farther before she escapes. We won't be able to lose her once she changes back." Akane began pulling at Ryoga, conveying her idea that she wanted to get moving. Ranma held Ryoga in place, though.

"No! We can't!"

"Why? It can't cause that much of a problem turning into a girl."

"You don't understand."

"Then tell me!"

Ranma then grabbed Ryoga's umbrella from his bag. "This'll do."

Akane sighed, "You don't want to get wet that badly?"

Ranma kept silent about her remark. He secretly shielded Ryoga from the elements and from becoming the infamous P-chan. Ryoga was lucky that Ranma was a man of his word. There was not telling what Akane would have done if she found out her piggie was one and the same as Ryoga.

It wasn't so much farther that Akane tired out in front of Ucchans. What luck, two major stops in one day. But this time the store was closed. No lights were on inside. The place was deserted during the storm and not to long ago either. The smell of Okonomiyakis still perforated the air thoroughly.

Akane sat down. She concentrated for a moment as she regained her breath on a plan. Her eyes widened at a thought. "Ranma, I'll catch a cab up ahead. I know where a major stop is. You can guard Ryoga 'till I'm back to pick you two up."

"'kay, that'll work." Ranma then slouched his body over the curve in boredom as Akane started running through the street. He didn't care about the water anymore, he was too stressed. Still it felt cool and refreshing, triggering the curse.

Ryoga had been layed beside him, umbrella still there. It leaning against the buildings walls protecting him as a shield a knight. Strangely, things seemed peaceful. There was no thunder or lightning, just the soft pattering of water besides the few passing cars and trucks.

Fate would get its revenge back in the form of a cute little neko, named Shampoo. Her softly padded feet made nearly no sound as she snuck towards Ranma. Without warning....she then snuggled and meowed.

Ranma stood up, startled. The reaction made him knock over Ryoga's umbrella. All that was left of the boy was a small pig smothered in Ryoga's clothes.

Ranma did her best to stand ground. But her want to flee was to strong to confront the pussy cat. She took Ryoga and stuffed him into his own bag. In her frantic rush she covered him with his clothes as she packed accidently knocking him on the head with his own umbrella. Ranma rarely flew through the streets at the speed.

A cab drove up moments later to the empty block. Shampoo was even gone by then. Akane stepped out to see nothing but the pattering rain. "Ranma...where did you go?" She hopped back in, scared that something might have happened. "Go to the hospital, quickly!."

Ranma was dashing at top speed. Being just about as strong as Ryoga had helped Ranma make it with this bag without slowing. He barreled through the doors of the hospital, knocking over a couple of patients in wheel chairs and on crutches without thought. Finally he took the chance to take a seat, calming down slowly. It took a couple minutes to get back to his normal pulse rate. Ryoga's wasn't doing too well being stuck in the bag an being squashed between Ranma and the chair, either.

It took Ranma several more minutes to recall why he was there, instantly digging through Ryoga's bag to find P-chan at the remembrance. All bruised, he didn't look so hot. Ranma carried the piglet into the bathroom and watered it, making it grow into the human it once was again.

"Oh, man he looks awful...and now I have to cloth him! Yuck!"

An elderly man then walked in on the two just as Ranma got Ryoga's undies up. Apparently he was a doctor. Ranma was still in girl form and in the men's bathroom. "Wha, what's happening here?"

"I uh uh...." Ranma's mind was racing through excuses, "I'm this guy's wife. I needed to uh....apply ointment to his wounds to help them heal."

"Oh, sorry, but please lock the door next time." He egressed quickly and quietly, closing the door.

"Whoa...that was a close one." Ranma finished reclothing Ryoga. By the time he got out, he checked Ryoga in the emergency room. Just as Ryoga was sent off, Akane entered. She looked like she could have a heart attack any minute.

"Ranma! I told you to wait! Where's Ryoga!?"

"He's fine. I got him in a few moments ago."

"Good..." She still huffed from the excitement.

They both sat down and did the only thing they could do; wait. Time seemed to almost stop. Every second around the clock took an eternity. Akane's eyes looked to the ground. Her eyes focused on anything to keep herself busy, as well as picking at the seats. Her mind deepened in it's activities when it was halted by Ranma poking at her shoulder. She came crashing awake to see Ranma standing with a nurse before her.

"We can see him now."

"Great!" Akane jumped her feet. The nurse began leading the way. The many doors looked the same, the only difference was the number. Theirs turned out to be lucky 24. Inside, Ryoga was sprawled upon the examination table. He was looked dead all right. The small motions of his chest was the little existence of anything left within him.

"Ohmigods! Why is Ryoga all bruised!?"

Ranma gasped when she saw the doctor. It was the same one she had seen in the bathroom earlier. She tried to hide her face, but the act was futile.

"Ryoga is suffering from Iron poisoning and we need to dilute it as quickly as possible from his blood. He's lucky to have been doing this well. We have a problem, though. A depleted blood bank. We need someone for a transfusion. Blood type AB. How about you, his wife, what was your name?"

"Ranko....I have that type." Ranma paused, she was being forced into it and didn't like it. "Oookay."

-out of flash back-

"And until when you woke up, not much else happened." Akane finish with her side. "Why did he think you were his wife, Ranma?"

"It was....it was quicker to get him admitted."

"H-how could he even think that?" Ryoga felt like barfing from disgust. Ryoga's mind was all confused now with Akane's story. He didn't know what to think. "How am I suppose to get revenge on the person who saved my life and extended my hell? Maybe this stay is going to be worse than I thought. "And why did the doctor lie to me?"


"Guess he didn't want people to think such a large hospital had to resort to getting blood straight from people. Who knows."

---------------------------------The end-for now



Where will the story go? No body knows. For sure, the next part of the adventure will focus around Ranma and Ryoga getting along in the same house.


Comments appreciated, flames accepted with good reason too. E-mail me at zachd@bootmail.com. My AOL Instant Messager username is PizZach.