The Search by MaryMQC Disclaimer: Nope, not mine, believe it or not. Thank you for letting me have fun with these characters. Author's Note: 'Bout time, ne? Sorry about the wait. Please accept this meager contribution. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ The room was still dark, but the windows were just showing the beginnings of light from the dawning sun. Ranma blinked sleepily at the ceiling, having awakened early from his night's rest. Smiling softly, he turned to look at Ryouga's slumbering form beside him, his arm wrapped lazily around Ranma's waist. As a yawn overcame him, Ranma stretched his arms and legs out. Too late he realized that he was perched precariously at the very edge of the bed, and the movement toppled him straight off the side and onto the floor. He landed with a sound . "Owwww..." Ranma moaned out loud, rubbing his painful rump. The commotion had very little effect on Ryouga, who simply rolled over. With a shake of his head, Ranma picked himself up. He was about to climb back into bed when he realized that the fall shook off any remnants of sleep. Since he was now wide awake, he searched for another way to occupy his time. With one look out the window into the soft breaking of day, he immediately decided to go out for a short jog. After slipping on some clothes, he was soon out the door. - Ryouga's head jerked slightly. Had he just heard the front door slam shut? Confused, he looked over his shoulder and saw rumbled sheets and an indent on the bed, but no Ranma. "Ranma?" he asked, despite the fact that Ranma was obviously not within hearing distance. With a small frown, Ryouga climbed out of the bed and threw on a pair of pants. Then he stepped out of his room, tilting his head to listen for any sounds. Nothing. Ranma must have left. But why? Instantly, worry plagued his mind, bringing up question after question concerning the why's and wherefore's of Ranma's whereabouts. He wasn't convinced that Ranma was completely over the torments he suffered from his family and friends yet, and so he had been reluctant to let Ranma out of his sight. And now that Ranma was gone... Ryouga bit his lip in consternation. Would Ranma be safe? Should he go after him to make sure he's okay? Of course, he could get lost, but in certain cases, one has to take risks. This could be one of them. Ryouga thought about it. What would he do if he were in Ranma's shoes? Maybe run off. Probably unleash a shi shi houkoudan. Perhaps self-destruct. None of those sounded good for Ranma. Not at all. In fact, they would be horrible. The last thing Ryouga wanted Ranma to do was run off or self-destruct or unleash a ki attack. He could not - would not - let that happen to his love. Never! So what if Ranma was actually planning on doing something drastic? Ryouga had to be there to make sure he wouldn't. Screw his lousy direction sense! He had to stop Ranma at all costs! In his mind, Ryouga was already seeing Ranma running to an edge of a cliff, unleashing his own version of a shi shi houkoudan, and destroying the whole cliff underneath his feet, which would drop Ranma to his own horrible, painful death. Ryouga's mind was made up. He was going to find Ranma before it was too late. He will save the life of his dear love. Unfortunately, he had to find a way out through the maze of his house first. - "Aha, daylight!" Ryouga cried victoriously. Roughly an hour after he had started on his quest to find Ranma he had finally reached the front door. Or back door. One way or another, he had made it outside. He was on his way. Ryouga looked down the street both ways. No sign of Ranma, but he wasn't expecting one. After a simple "eenie-meenie-minie-moe" he chose right...or maybe left...er, some direction, and headed that way, keeping an eye out for Ranma. As he walked, he came to a realization. Since he had no idea as to Ranma's whereabouts, his lack of direction wasn't much of a hindrance after all. With a triumphant smirk, Ryouga strutted down the street. Suddenly he stopped, suddenly remembering his mission. The smile immediately fell from his face, leaving a solemn yet determined expression instead. He had to find Ranma as quickly as possible. The next thing he knew, he was standing in the middle of a grass covered field. - Wiping his forehead, Ranma entered the Hibiki home with a contented smile. The run had been relaxing, and the muscles left sore from exertion felt good in a way. It wasn't much of a workout for him after all the martial training he'd been through his whole life, but nevertheless, he had run quite a bit. "Ryouga? I'm back!" Ranma called out as he made his way towards the bedroom. The other boy was most likely still asleep. Ranma knew he would have been if he hadn't fallen off the bed. With a smile on his face, Ranma walked into the room. "Hey, Ryou-" He stopped when he saw the empty bed. "Hmmm. Where did he go?" Ranma thought curiously. With a shrug, he walked back out into the hallway. "Ryouga!" he called louder, looking into other rooms. "Hey, where are ya?" A search through the whole house revealed nothing. Ryouga was evidently not in the house. Ranma sighed. Hopefully, this would be one of Ryouga's shorter disappearances. Ranma was not looking forward to being devoid of Ryouga for several months like he had in the past. In the quietness of the house, Ranma's stomach suddenly growled viciously. He was always hungry in the morning, and the long jog had left his stomach in need of some nourishment. And a look at the refrigerator revealed that once again they had neglected to go grocery shopping. When there was no food available, Ranma had no choice but to get some. His stomach would not allow him to ignore his hunger. Besides, he'd search for Ryouga along the way, and after his stomach was full and content, he could look more easily. After a stop at Ukyou's restaurant, Ranma wolfed down two breakfast okonomiyakis. "Ah, much better," he thought. He left with a generally happy feeling. His stomach was filled with food that hit just the right spot, his muscles felt energized and ready to go, and the day was a particular bright and beautiful one. Even though Ryouga was missing, Ranma didn't let that dampen his mood. Instead, he focused all his positive thoughts into finding the lost boy. "If I was Ryouga, where would I be?" Ranma asked aloud. He then answered, "Not where I'm meant or want to be. Which doesn't help me at all." Maybe he could ask some people if they had seen him. Then he realized that he wasn't on exactly good terms with most of the people who knew Ryouga. "So, hmmmm..." This wasn't helping his good mood in the least bit. Ranma wandered aimlessly along the streets, searching for his lost love. - "Airen!" Ranma groaned inwardly. "Yeah?" Shampoo raced up to him, a large smile plastered to her face. She held up a bottle. "Shampoo have cure!" Ranma blinked before his eyes widened. "You do? To the curse?" "Hai!" Ranma's face broke into a wide grin as he whooped ecstatically. "No way! Oh, wow, this is great! How did you...? Where'd you...? Does it work?" Shampoo nodded happily. "Great-grandmother say it work. Airen happy?" "Yes, of course I am!" Ranma cried. Then he froze. "Cologne said it works? Don't you know yourself?" Shampoo shook her head. "Didn't you try it yourself?" Shampoo looked confused. "Try it? Shampoo no want cure." "What do you mean? You turn into a cat, don't..." Ranma trailed off, realization slowly dawning on him. "You're not talking about a cure to the Jusenkyo curse, are you?" "No, course not, silly Ranma! Shampoo would want that cure!" "Then what's this a cure for?" asked Ranma, dread in the pit of his stomach. "You like boys no more. Stop girl form from messing mind up. Cure mess." She held out the bottle. "Here. Take." Ranma backed up. "Hey now, wait just a minute! I ain't taking that! You can't change me, I'm not suffering from a curse!" "Ah, denial." Shampoo shook her head. "No be ashamed. Not Ranma's fault." Ranma growled lowly. "I am not ashamed. I am happy the way I am. Got it?" "Yes, it right here!" Shampoo shoved the bottle towards him. "No! I don't want it!" Shampoo's eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. Then she shrugged and simply said, "Oh well." Ranma let out a breath of relief. "Thank y-mmmmph!" Catching him unguarded, Shampoo pushed the bottle against his open mouth and forced the liquid into his mouth. Ranma broke away sputtering. "Hey!" "Cure work in fifteen minute!" Before Ranma could catch her, she sprinted away, waving. Ranma rolled his eyes and sighed. The so-called cure couldn't affect him, could it? Ranma shook his head. No, Shampoo said it would stop his female form from affecting his mind, and since his female side wasn't, it shouldn't do anything to him. With any luck. Ranma scowled in the direction Shampoo had taken, irritated. Then, with another resigned sigh, he continued in his search for Ryouga. - Ryouga felt like screaming. He felt like crying. He felt like punching a sizable hole into something. He did not feel like being hopelessly lost. Taking a seat on a long-ago fallen tree, Ryouga rested his chin in his hands. He was nowhere near his house, as far as he could tell. In addition, his search for Ranma had turned up fruitless. By now it was too late to be of any help. He could only hope Ranma hadn't done anything foolish or rash. "Damn you, Ranma. Why did you have to go?" Ryouga closed his eyes. "And damn you, Ryouga, for not thinking about finding your way home." Sitting around like a bump on a log wasn't helping matters. Ryouga pulled himself up and picked his way through the undergrowth of the forest. - Fifteen minutes later, Ranma was left with a splitting headache. He cursed Shampoo under his breath and wished she was there so she could hear it. To make sure his feelings for Ryouga were still the same, Ranma focused his mind on the Lost Boy. Ranma cut himself off right there, realizing that he felt enough to know that his feelings were indeed the same. In fact, he felt more than was necessary. He was actually feeling a bit warm. His cheeks reddened at the strange looks passerby's were shooting at him. However, his headache remained, and Ranma rubbed his forehead in a vain attempt to relieve the pain. As he massaged his head, he continued his search. "Ryouga, I sure hope you turn up soon." Just then, he heard peals of laughter. Very familiar laughter. He groaned. He wasn't so fortunate. A girl jumped in front of him, her dark hair swept into a side ponytail. "Ranma darling!" she cried happily. "I've found you at last. How are you, my love?" "What do you want, Kodachi?" asked Ranma, not very politely. "Why, it's only right for a fiancee to inquire about the well-being of her betrothed." "Kodachi..." Ranma growled. Kodachi either didn't pick up on his warning, or chose to ignore it. "Oh, how I love to hear you speak my name! But Ranma-dear, you know you've been neglecting to tell me of our wedding plans." "They are not 'our' wedding plans, Kodachi. They're mine and Ryouga's." Placing her fingers delicately over her lips, Kodachi giggled gleefully. "Oh, I see. You two are choosing to surprise me. How positively delightful!" "You're not even a part of our wedding. How's that for surprising?" Ranma shot back irritably. Kodachi laughed, sending shivers down Ranma's spine. "Oh, Ranma-love, you're such a tease!" Ranma rubbed his temples. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Look, I need to...go. Now." "Aww, darling, must you go? Oh well, I shall see you later, my love!" "Okay, fine, whatever." Turning to leave, he gave her a half wave over his shoulder as he walked away. The intensity of his headache had just doubled. - Ryouga trudged along the bank of the stream, his head hanging low. By the look of things, it would be a while until he found home and/or Ranma again. Of course, he had no way of knowing, but he had very little hope. His thoughts drifted to Ranma. Throughout his searching, he had worried himself into getting a sick stomach. He would give anything to know how Ranma was doing. Even more so, he wished he was at Ranma's side. Ryouga sighed dejectedly, kicking a stone in front of him. "Ow!" Startled, Ryouga looked up and saw a man rubbing his shin. "Oh, sorry!" he fumbled apologetically. "I didn't see you there, heh." The man shook his head and smirked. "That's all right, I'm pretty sure I'll survive. So what brings you out here all by your lonesome?" Ryouga bit his lip. "I got lost. I'm trying to find Nerima." The man blinked, looking a bit perplexed. "Well, you found it, son. It's right here." Ryouga looked all around him. "Where? All I see is the river and some bushes." Laughing, the man informed him, "No, the other way. See them buildings right there? That's a part of Nerima." "Huh? They weren't there before!" "Um, yeah, they've been there as long as I can recall." Grumbling under his breath about his curse, Ryouga scratched his head in embarrassment and thanked the man. He then kept his eyes on the houses as he made a straight line into the town. - "Dammit!" Ranma cussed. "Not only do I have a headache, but now I'm freezing and soaked!" Wringing the excess water from the bottom edge of her shirt, she muttered angrily under her breath about stupid lawn sprinklers. She looked around for the nearest place she could find water and decided to go to Ukyou's, which just happened to be down the street. Once she reached the restaurant, she stormed through the entrance, barely greeting her friend before asking, or rather, demanding for a pitcher of hot water. "Hello to you too, Ranma," Akane greeted with a smirk. "Akane? Heh, should have known," Ranma replied. "Look, could you just give me that water?" Ukyou nodded and quickly went about doing as Ranma asked. Normally she wouldn't have been so willing, but because Akane had been with her most of the day, Ukyou was in a good mood and so felt a little more forgiving and sympathetic towards Ranma's rude behavior. In a matter of moments, she handed Ranma a container filled with hot water. "So what are you doing out and about, Ranma-honey?" Ukyou asked her, while Akane wrapped her arm around the chef. Ranma quickly emptied the water over her head, changing himself back into a male, his much-preferred state. "Looking for Ryouga," he replied shortly. "Aw, did the wittle piggy get lost again?" Akane asked, giggling. Ranma chose not to answer her. Akane continued. "At least I can always find *my* girlfriend. That's one of her many, many *wonderful* qualities." Akane quickly kissed Ukyou, causing the other girl to look nervously around her restaurant hoping that no one noticed. "Honestly, Ranma, I don't know what you see in that pig-boy. At least you could have found someone that knows left from right." "Why don't you just shut up, Akane?" Ranma growled at her rudely. He turned to Ukyou. "I'd be careful, you never know when this tomboy can turn abusive." "Ranma!" Akane cried lowly. "You little..." "See what I mean?" Ranma opened up the door. "Well, so long." With that, he left the restaurant, the door swinging close behind him. - "Yes!" Ryouga cried triumphantly. "I know that building! Now, if I turn right here, I should be heading towards my house." He scratched his head. "Or maybe it's left..." "Ranma!" he cried aloud, receiving strange looks from passing pedestrians in return. "I shall be with you soon!" He smiled. Ranma should be pleased that he returned so early. Heck, even Ryouga was happy with himself. - Ranma clenched his fists. "Ryouga, when I find you again, I'll..." he trailed off, leaving the angry threat unspoken. The whole top of his head was now throbbing from the headache he had gotten from Shampoo, which had been strengthened by his other encounters that day. Encounters that wouldn't have happened if Ryouga had just stayed home like he was supposed to. Ranma rubbed his forehead, grumbling as he walked down yet another endless street. If he didn't find Ryouga in the next hour, he was giving up. He wasn't even sure if he would last that hour. "Why, hello, miss," a gruff voice greeted him. Ranma looked up, confused. He wasn't a girl right then. Then his eyes narrowed as he saw his father, exiting Dr. Tofu's office. "Ha ha, very funny," replied Ranma through clenched teeth. "I was just asking Tofu for a list of good psychiatrists for you," Genma told him. "Oh, yeah? What did he say?" Ranma asked, crossing his arms. Genma cleared his throat. "Well, ah, that's not important. What's important is that you need help." "Uh huh..." "I will not have a sissy for a son." Ranma rolled his eyes. "And I will not have a lazy, thick-headed jerk for a father," he retorted as he walked away. - Ryouga stopped for directions. Desperate times called for desperate measures. The old lady pointed down the street. Ryouga spotted a unusually tall tree in that direction and without taking his eyes off of it, thanked the woman for her help. As she walked away, Ryouga kept his eyes on the landmark and begin walking. "I'm almost there, Ranma," he said with a smile. "I'm almost home." He couldn't wait for the joyous reunion he was already picturing in his mind. - "I'm gonna kill you, Ryouga." Ranma was pissed. No, scratch that, he was beyond pissed. "Where the hell are you? As soon as you come back, I'm going to handcuff you to bed." He was so pissed that Ryouga wasn't even naked in that mental image. Maybe he was making a big deal out of nothing. Maybe he was overreacting. Then his headache seemed to crack his skull completely open while simultaneously squishing all the insides together. "Ryouga. You. Are. Dead." He sighed. He really needed some medicine to get rid of this headache. Changing his course, Ranma headed towards the nearest convenience store. He began a chant in his head as he stalked down the street. After an endless walk, he finally reached the drug store. With a smirk, he walked in, fished out change left over from breakfast, and bought him a nice little package of generic aspirin. Unfortunately, his cash was low and he couldn't afford anything strong. Before he even left the store, he immediately downed several pills, without the novelty of water. Just as the grimace from the taste started to disappear from Ranma's expression, the door to the drug store swung open. Ranma reflectively glanced at it and then did a double take. His mouth dropped open before setting his face into a stony facade as he faced the new arrival. - Ryouga swung open the door. "Ranma!" No answer. Ryouga bit his lip in worry. "Ranma?" he called again. Once again, he was met with silence. Apparently Ranma wasn't home yet. With a sigh, Ryouga flung himself onto the couch and decided to wait for Ranma's return. - Mrs. Saotome took one look at her son before turning around to exit the store. "No, that's not necessary. I'm already leaving," Ranma stopped her coldly. Nodoka paused at the door and then reluctantly turned around. "Hello, Ranma," she greeted stiffly. Ranma nodded back in answer. She continued, "Still living with that Hibiki boy, I assume?" "Boy, you just get right to the point, don't you?" Ranma snorted before answering. "Yes, I do." A note of defensiveness slipped unknowingly into his voice. He tried to stare steadily into his mother's eyes, but the unmoving expression on her face made that very difficult. "Why do you feel you must shame your mother like this?" she asked him. Ranma swallowed. "This has nothing to do with you. I love-" She cut him off with a wave of her hand. "Well, whatever the reason, you must know that I will not tolerate it." "Whether you tolerate it or not doesn't change anything," Ranma told her. "I don't mean to shame you, I really don't, and I especially don't want to be cut off from you." "Then you must leave that boy." "I can't. I don't want to. Can't you just accept that?" Ranma felt desperation creep into his voice. "Please, mother! I know you don't like this, but it's not going to change. Can't-" Once again, Mrs. Saotome interrupted her son. "I am no longer your mother." Ranma froze, the fight suddenly deserting him. "I see." Suddenly, he couldn't breathe. He blinked a couple of times, trying to compose himself, before racing out of the store. As soon as he reached the blinding sunshine, he immediately slumped against a nearby wall. With a trembling hand, he covered his eyes, hoping not to crumple right there on the spot. Inhaling deeply a few times, he tried to control his shaky breath. He couldn't figure out why his mother had such an effect on him. Overall, he had spent much more of his life with his father, whose rejection barely phased him at all. It could be because he actually valued his mother's opinion. All his life, he had looked up to his noble, usually kind mother. They may not have been very close, but Ranma still felt a strong bond towards her, as a child usually had towards his mother. And as much as he hated to admit it, despite her refusal to accept him, despite her cruel words, he still loved her. Ranma bit his fist hard, trying to contain his churning emotions. He couldn't remember another time when he wished Ryouga was with him as much as he did then. "Ryouga, you idiot." - After that, Ranma immediately headed to Ryouga's house, his only refuge. He had to get away as quickly as possible from the outside, the strangers walking the streets, the blazing sun. His headache had not shown any mercy, and in fact had even magnified. Wishing to get there as quickly as possible but unable to gather enough energy to hurry, Ranma trudged along the streets. A bed sounded incredibly welcoming to him right then, and he focused his mind on that as he walked. Finally, he came to his destination. With a short burst of energy, he strode quickly towards the front door. At last, he no longer had to worry about running into anyone else. He could just walk right in and collapse onto the soft, inviting bed. Maybe even sleep off this tremendous headache. With a relieved sigh, he pushed the front door open. A annoyingly cheerful grin greeted him. "Ranma!" Ryouga cried happily. Ranma froze in the doorway. Then, remaining silent, he slowly closed the door behind him. Ryouga smiled at him. "You're back! And you're okay!" He rushed towards Ranma, his arms open. "Where the hell have you been?" Ranma asked lowly, stopping Ryouga cold. "W-W-What do you mean? I...I've been looking for you..." he flustered. Then he smiled uncertainly. "But I came back, Ranma. Look how soon I came back! I wasn't even lost for 24 hours!" "You shouldn't have even left!" Ranma shouted back. Ryouga looked at him, a lost look on his face. "But I...I was worried about you. You left without telling me. I didn't want you to do anything drastic..." "I went jogging! For godsakes, you don't need to panic every time I go somewhere without your permission," Ramna shot back. "What, do I need a leash now? No wait, you're the one who needs to be put on a leash! Dammit, Ryouga, do you know what hell I've been through just trying to find you? All because you couldn't stay put?" Ryouga blinked his suddenly water-filled eyes. "I'm sorry..." His voice was small. "I'm sorry, Ranma, I only meant..." "Yeah, well, you should have thought before you left," Ranma replied angrily. He knew his words hurt Ryouga, but he couldn't stop himself. His pent-up feelings were boiling inside, and it felt so good to release them. "That's your problem, Ryouga. You never think." Ryouga looked at him, hurt lining his features. "Ranma..." The beginnings of remorse began to form in the pit of Ranma's stomach. He tried to look at Ryouga stonily, but he found himself unable to meet the other boy's vulnerable gaze. Instead, he ducked his head. "I'm going to take a nap," he told Ryouga wearily. With a low sigh, he turned and treaded up the stairs into the bedroom. There, he flung himself onto the bed and buried his face into the nearest pillow. Soon he fell into a restless sleep. When he woke up, Ryouga was gone. To be continued... ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Yeah, I'm not too happy with this part either. I was too afraid to even look over it...But think about the next fic! Well, it might be good...you never know. Anyways, I'd love you if you sent me feedback. But I know I've been a big meanie by being too lazy to comment on anyone else's story, so I'll understand if you don't. But here's my address, just in case: