Chapter 9 - Chapter 9

DaisukiFox: You will see end of Chapter 8 at the start because this site has a word limit and we hit it so yeah. Rest assured I'll try to make this work! Enjoy please!

Moonlight illuminated the training field Dan Lo had taken Ryoga to, the wooden cabin they had been in earlier just behind them. A gentle night breeze combed through what remained of the grassy fields near the training field, which was mostly a barren wasteland with holes and some bridge equipment.

With his hands behind his back, Dan Lo watched as Ryoga took in a deep breath, easing his tension as his muscles relaxed. Starting from his feet the Lost Boy's energy began to pool at his feet, a green haze slowly enveloped his form, spreading as if he were some comet entering earth's orbit.

"This aura is something else..." the old man grumbled to himself.

The force of Ryoga's aura was strong enough to force the wind around him to spread out so fast it pushed back his bushy eyebrows, revealing two shocked brown eyes.

"Hooo...!" Ryoga cried with his eyes closed as the haze around him intensified to look like a flame brightly burning around him.

"Calm down! Don't go wasting all your ki reserves!" Dan Lo ordered while forcing his hardhat to stay on his head.

"Sorry I wanted to see how intense I could make it..." the teen answered as the gusts he was creating died down.

"You don't even seem too tired, to be honest..." Dan Lo muttered, starting to recognize this was no ordinary human that stood before him, despite looking so much like one.

"Maybe I'm just too motivated..." Ryoga replied as his mind wandered back to his traveling companion.

"Either way you've already mastered the Bakusai Tenketsu, something most young people can't do..." Dan Lo asked, stroking his chin. Was the boy just a flat out prodigy or something?

"Someone who's helping me with my friend Ranko taught me it by hurdling boulders at me until I could see the breaking point..." Ryoga admitted by avoided names in case it came back to bite them.

"Whoever taught you did it in an unusual way..." Dan hummed but appeared to think it over. "As cruel as it seems, if someone could withstand that level of training then it could be an excellent way to boost one's tolerance for pain..."

"Before we started you mentioned something about the Bakusai Tenketsu being related to the Shishi Hokodan?" Ryoga brought up as faint white steam wafted off his shoulders and top of his head.

"They're both construction techniques, Bakusai Tenketsu to make small rocks into smaller more manageable chunks while the Shishi Hokodan was meant to clear the area for construction..." Dan Lo started explaining as he looked out into the distance.

"What about this Perfect Shishi Hokodan you also mentioned?" Ryoga asked as he looked over to him.

"It's in the title..." he chuckled a little as he then turned to look at his coincidental star student. "It was perfect for setting the foundation..."

"I wish you'd show me how to do that one..."

"Crawl before you can walk Ryoga, I'm not like the one who taught you to the Bakusai Tenketsu," Dan Lo chuckled, admitting he was the traditional kind.

"Fine then..." He scratched the side of his head and then sighed. "How about showing me the imperfect Shishi Hokodan again?"

"Once more I suppose," Dan Lo nodded before spreading his legs and taking his stance, igniting his yellowish aura around him as it glowed brightly and constantly. "Shishi—" he began as he swiftly crossed his arms over his chest as he pulls them apart and brings his hands together near his chest. "Hoko—" he muttered as a ball of energy gathered and grew in his hands.

"Daaaannnn...!" he extended his hands out and fired a yellow beam, leaving a melon-sized hole in the ground.

Ryoga observed as best as he could, memorizing every movement as he noticed his sensei sighed in disappointment.

"I was hoping I could put on a better show..." Dan Lo admitted as he rotated his shoulder blade. "Guess I'm not feeling depressed enough..."

"You said that depression is the only emotion that can power this technique, right?" Ryoga questioned as he readied his stance by spreading his legs and putting his arms to his sides.

"That's right..." he replied, nodding his head. "Nothing is more disappointing than not getting paid after a long day's work..."

With that idea in mind, Ryoga once again shut his eyes and focused his ki, making it heavy as he returned to that panicked state he felt when he was thinking about all the cruel things Taro could do to his dear friend if he lost. The idea of her being so upset at him that she never wanted to see him again...

Dan Lo noticed Ryoga's tense and wild energy start to run amuck again, "Ryoga..." he muttered as he watched his student's energy waver and overflow before it calmed to a strong, larger than the average... but stable aura.

Ryoga's mind created a world of pitch darkness that spanned what seemed like an eternity.

"But if you don't come, I don't know what I'll do to her..."

"I don't know what I'll do to her..."

...ehehehe...

...ehehehe!

Taro's voice became distant and deeper the further he sounded, fading into deep and eerie laughter. It was then that the sound of a door being slammed at a familiar school echoed, the school Ryoga went to when Ranma would lead him to school.

Snort!

A ghostly specter with horns loomed down one of the hallways opposite to Ryoga, around it was a smog of festering darkness that consumed the ground it touched. The Ryoga in his mind could only stand in awe as it appeared to be throwing something his way.

Thud!

Beneath his feet was the object of his affection, her eyes shut, still and lifeless as though she were some rag doll...

"Ryoga… I… I care about you too... You've helped since the beginning, always doing so much for me… thanks for everything. I don't know what would have happened if I had never met you...

Ryo-Ryoga...

You…"

"I'm sorry..." he muttered as the overflowing nature of his energy caused his hair to sway as Ryoga was standing in front of some powerful fan.

His eyes shot open as tears streamed from his eyes, his tears were subject to the same forces around them and flew away up and over his head. His firey green aura glowed even brighter.

"He…" Dan Lo said but paused as the fact that Ryoga's aura alone could cause the winds to part so quickly.

"Shishi—" he began then right after he crossed his arms over his chest. "Hoko—" he continued as he extended his hands out, his tone dropping by a few octaves. Out from his hands came an orb of green energy, teeming with the same vibrant glow that surrounded its caster, rapidly beginning to expand as if it were a balloon capable of reaching absurd human heights.

Dan Lo swore he could feel Ryoga's strength seeping into his own being, encouraging him to stand.

"Do it now! Ryoga!"

Ryoga grit his teeth and angled the attack as high as he could before letting go.

"Daaannnnn...!"

Forced to keep his hard hat down and close his eyes, the construction man fought against the violent gust pushing against him, "My word..." he muttered as he watched the blast crash into a small house-sized hill across the river.

Two shockwaves spread through the ground. The first caused by the force of Ryoga's attack and the one that followed right after was because the grassy mound he had struck came crumbling down shortly after.

"That was amazing! I can't believe you have such astonishing Ki reserves! You're…" Sensei Dan stopped to see that Ryoga had fallen on his back. "Must have used it all in one go..." he mused as he moved over to pick him up, hoisting him up by his side.

"Wish I was as strong as you, growing up..." Dan muttered with a smile, dragging the unconscious Ryoga back inside their cabin for some much-deserved rest.

Peering over the horizon like a whimsical sprite, the sun spread out its golden rays of warmth over the Byankara province. It was all so serene and majestic to behold, the diversity in wildlife.

"You pantyhose sniffing creep!" Ranko cried as she was bound to a wooden pole left to the cabin by Taro's weapon of choice.

Standing nearby with one foot over a rock and next to the pond, the brown-haired miscreant was doing his best to drown out the redhead's voice, 'He should be here any minute and the second I'm done with him, you're next...' he thought, smirking right after.

"You might as well start usin' eyeliner while you're at it too!" the redhead's persistent pestering continued.

"Do you ever shut up!?" Pantyhose Taro demanded as he marched over to her and grabbed Ranko by her throat.

"Wanna' make me?" Ranko replied, calling his bluff.

She was just trying to get to him and it was working, this was something he couldn't let her have, "No..." he scoffed before smiling. "Not yet..."

"Sounds like you're scared ta' fight me..." she suggested with a cocky grin.

"Keep trying to get on my nerves and we'll see what happens..." he threatened calmly before making his way to the edge of Fist Rock as far as he possibly could from his smart-mouthed tormentor.

…

A few minutes later…

A teenage boy and an old man reached the base of the impressive rock formation: Fist Rock. They both looked up before looking back to one another and bowing in respect.

"Thank you for everything," Ryoga said as he showed his appreciation.

"You're welcome, I wish you luck on your journey," Dan Lo smiled and bowed his head.

"You're not going to climb the rock with me?"

"I'm not going to interfere in a fight between men," Dan Lo scoffed at the notion and shook his head.

"Alright then..." Ryoga nodded as he dropped his traveling gear off to the side and started climbing the old structure.

"I'll wait nearby if you need me..." Dan Lo spoke clearly enough for Ryoga to hear as he walked with his hands behind his back.

For someone like Ryoga, the feat of climbing the side of a small mountain was nothing to the fight that awaited him. Not just that but he desperately wanted to see Ranko again, 'He said to meet him at dawn! It's still technically dawn!' Ryoga thought as he looked up to see what looked like the top.

This brought some hope to Ryoga's eyes as he in his excitement rushed and pushed his muscles to help him close the gap, pulling himself up to the top.

"Ah!" Ryoga groaned as he reached to the side of his head with his left hand, feeling some warm liquid gush out a little.

"Now we're even..." Taro said, standing over him with a sharpened stick.

Glaring, the Lost Boy had been on his hands before coming to a stand, seeing as Taro stepped out of the way. Behind him was the redheaded amnesic of his dreams, bound to a pole with her head tilted down.

"R-Ran..." Ryoga began as his voice squeaked a little.

"Ryoga? Is that you...?" she asked, head jolted up as seemed genuinely shocked to see him.

In such a good mood to see her, Ryoga remained silent, but after looking at the blood on his face, Ranko had plenty to say.

"How could you be stupid enough to let him cut you like that?" Ranko rolled her eyes and fought against her restraints. "Untie me so I can kick this guy's ass and we can get back to our mission!"

Ryoga instead of being upset or enraged actually found himself breathing a sigh of relief when he heard her beautiful insults, 'If she can scream like that then he hasn't hurt her...' he thought right before tossing the bag he had tied to his hip.

"Oh...?" Pantyhose Taro noticed all eyes were back on him.

"That's the Corly weed, and now I'm gonna make you regret the day you meet us," Ryoga said narrowing his eyes as a grin spread across his face.

"And I'm going to enjoy sending you to hell..." Taro replied with a confident smirk.

[End of Chapter 8]

[Start of Chapter 9]

Ryoga kept his guard up as he quietly observed Taro. It surprised him how he didn't seem to be that hurt, considering that Ranko had managed to land some very solid hits on him the day before. Spending time in his monster form probably helped him heal faster, Ryoga mused, feeling certain Taro's Minotaur body would have no trouble shrugging off massive amounts of damage. Frowning, he moved slowly to the right, trying to find a better position to attack.

"What are ya waiting for?" Ranko shouted, struggling against the pantyhose binding her. "Release me, you dumbass!"

"I will as soon as I deal with him," Ryoga answered, his eyes still set on Taro. "I'll try to do it quickly."

"What ya need to do quickly is untie me so I can kick his butt!" the redhead yelled back, obviously displeased by how things were unfolding. "Being a hostage sucks, Ryoga!"

"I really can't understand how you're able to date that girl," Taro said then, crossing his arms in annoyance. "She's so loud and obnoxious that I couldn't even finish eating breakfast..."

Ryoga looked further back, to a point Taro nodded at and could see a few pork buns and a kettle sitting next to the fire so its contents stayed reasonably hot.

"Eh, I'll eat later," Taro said with a dismissive shrug. "Now, don't forget the only way you'll get your girlfriend back is if you defeat me first… and that is something that will never happen!"

"You'll regret saying that," Ryoga promised, raising his fists again as he prepared to attack. He focused on ignoring Ranko's insults and demands of being released, as he could not afford to be distracted, and took in a deep breath. He had to finish this fast before Taro decided to jump into that pond he could see near the old cabin on the other side of Fist Rock. He wasn't even sure the Shi Shi Hokodan would be enough to defeat Taro if he transformed.

"Well?" the other mocked. "I'm waiting, are you afraid of me...?"

"Afraid? I'll show you who's afraid!" Ryoga growled, throwing a punch aimed at his opponent's face.

His fist, however, didn't connect; Taro sidestepped it gracefully, grinning as he did so.

"Fool! I'm way faster than you!" he stated as he dashed under Ryoga's defenses and landed a quick jab at his torso, only to find hitting Ryoga was like punching a boulder, something he didn't notice when he fought him before.

'Well, of course, I wouldn't notice; I was in my monster form then,' Taro thought as he quickly took a couple of steps back to get out of Ryoga's range. 'But if he's got muscles this solid then he really must be very strong.'

"Let's see you dodge this!" The Hibiki boy warned, jumping at Taro as fast as he could, spinning once in the air to increase his momentum and extending his right leg at the last minute, unleashing a powerful kick that…

Taro simply ducked under, turning in time to see his adversary hitting the ground and cracking the stone below them with the strength behind his attack. The Jusenkyo cursed thief had to admit that had been mildly impressive, and he even conceded that kick could have stunned him if it had connected.

"Damn it…" Ryoga murmured as he regained his balance and adopted a defensive stance. Jumping attacks were his favorite way to surprise faster opponents because his powerful legs allowed him to leap quickly, compensating for his somewhat slower movements in battle. That Taro had managed to dodge simply confirmed what he noticed the day before: he was almost as fast as Ranko.

'I'll have to change strategies to defeat him before he decides to transform,' he thought, slowly moving left to stand between Taro and the pond. 'What if I throw him off this stupid rock…?'

Convinced this was a good way to end this fight, Ryoga resumed his efforts, trying to corner his rival so he could either knock him out or throw him away from the pond, just to find Taro could still avoid his attacks with ease.

On the other edge of Fist Rock, now silent and observant, Ranko watched the flow of the fight with great attention. It was clear to her Ryoga was much stronger than Taro, but slower as well, which worked on the monster-transforming idiot's favor more often than not. Still, it probably didn't matter much, Ryoga's stamina and strength were superior, and that meant he would win the longer the fight went on provided he could stop Taro from turning into that giant beast thing. Because if the pantyhose creep transformed into that Minotaur creature… the redhead swallowed, there was no way Ryoga alone could take that creature down!

Taro jumped back to avoid being hit by one of Ryoga's quick jabs and countered by dashing from his left to smash his elbow on his torso. His attack had little to no effect on his opponent, and Taro retreated before Ryoga could counter by throwing a punch or grabbing him.

"Your attacks are like a baby's kick," Ryoga said, his entire attention set on Taro. "Let me show you what a real punch is like!"

Saying no more, The Lost Boy unleashed a series of punches at his adversary, forcing him to duck and dodge until he managed to slide a few steps back. To Taro's misfortune, Ryoga had anticipated this and was already jumping to where he was, preparing his fist and delivering a powerful blow that Taro had to sidestep in the last minute. The Lost Boy hit the ground instead, and the impact created a small hole on the rock below him, cracking it in several large pieces.

Taro took advantage of Ryoga's recovery time to kick him on the back, but again it was useless, Ryoga got up quickly and countered with a backhand that Taro had to duck under and then jump back to avoid Ryoga's follow-up punch.

'His strength is ridiculous! What is this guy made of!?' Taro thought, staring at Ryoga and wondering what kind of training he went through to be able to take his attacks without even flinching. 'His girlfriend would be in pain and on her knees if I had kicked her like that… this bastard really is a walking boulder!'

Ryoga, who was well aware hitting Taro would be difficult unless he caught him off guard, glancing around he tried to find a way to use the terrain to his advantage, but there was nothing useful; not for him. He could try throwing bandanas at the aggravating idiot in front of him, but he would surely dodge them and he didn't want to waste bandanas that way. The Lost Boy suddenly wished he had his umbrella, as it would give him the extra range he needed to hit Taro; if only…

'I need to distract him to get close,' he thought. 'But how?'

It was then when he tried to slowly move forward and felt his feet hit something that he finally had an idea on how to distract his opponent. His punch had split the ground, and a sizeable loose rock was in front of him. Realizing he could use this, Ryoga discreetly dug the tip of his left foot under the stone and tensed his muscles in preparation.

Taro took in a deep breath and moved a little to the right. He had decided that transforming would be on his best interests but given how focused that bandana wearing fool was, reaching the pond would be somewhat difficult. He could run for it, but that would leave him open to an attack or tackle, and he knew he could not wrestle Ryoga if it came to that. He really needed to find a way to distract him and fast.

"What are you planning?" Taro asked, his voice low as he noticed the other teen seemed to be considering his next move as well.

"Oh, nothing, really, just… this!" Ryoga answered and swiftly kicked a piece of rock as big as he was tall towards Taro, taking him by surprise and forcing him to move in the direction he wanted.

"You're crazy!" Taro yelled in surprise as he jumped to the left in order to avoid being crushed by the debris, which instead went flying off to the empty fields below where it crashed loudly. Taro already suspected what the stupid bandana kid wanted to do and prepared to block mid-jump, but much to his surprise Ryoga was not jumping straight at him.

He was coming from above!

"This is the end for you!" Ryoga announced as he smashed both fists on Taro's back, sending him crashing on the ground with the strength of a cannonball. Ryoga had jumped high the moment he'd kicked the boulder, ready to intercept his opponent before he could prepare a counterattack; his plan worked perfectly.

"You… dirty… rotten…" Taro groaned in pain as he struggled to get up; he had gotten hit hard before but never like this! He felt as if a truck had slammed him from behind and was actually wondering if something was broken just by the way his back hurt.

'Damn you...' the Chinese teen thought bitterly, focusing on ignoring the pain as he jumped back to his feet. 'Now I have to transform or I won't be able to beat him!'

Except that Taro didn't have the chance for as soon as he was standing again, Ryoga grabbed him by the neck of his shirt and threw him all the way to the edge of Fist Rock and the only reason why he didn't fall was because he managed to twist and spin in the air to change directions so he touched ground before plummeting below. Stopping just one step away from falling.

He cursed under his breath when he noticed Ryoga was already rushing at him, ready to take advantage of having cornered him, 'Blast it! He's not as stupid as I first thought… I need to distract him, but how?' Just then, he heard the redhead shouting at the bandana idiot, ordering him to finish the fight and then to release her, and that was all Taro needed to know how he could finally get under Ryoga's skin.

"Angry, are you? Heh, if you're so mad now, you'd really lose your mind if you knew what I did to that redheaded pest last night!" The Chinese bandit said mockingly, grinning as Ryoga stopped to stare at him with an expression that went from doubt to surprise and finally settled in anger. This could work out in his favor if the fool was too furious he could lose his focus and in turn, become careless; just what Taro wanted.

"What did you do?" Ryoga asked, teeth gritting and fists balled in anger, images of Taro forcing himself on Ranko the night before filling his mind, driving a stake of fury and despair deep into his heart. "If you touched her…"

"Hey, don't start getting ideas, you moron!" Ranko yelled then, blushing as she understood what taro was trying to imply with that comment. "That idiot didn't touch me, Ryoga! All he did was to restrain me with his stupid pantyhose and cover my mouth with some dirty rag!"

"I also splashed her with hot tea when she wouldn't shut up," Taro pointed out.

"You… threw… hot tea at her?" The Hibiki boy growled. He knew quite well that touching even lukewarm water caused Ranko great pain, and the idea of his dear redhead squirming in agony after being splashed with the hot liquid was making him see red and burn with rage.

"Yeah, I did, what are you going to do about it?"

"I'll crush you into dust!" Ryoga shouted and rushed at Taro, throwing wild punch after wild punch at him, missing every time, as his opponent was able to see through all of his attacks, something that only infuriated him further.

'Perfect, he's got no defense and is outbalanced! I can counterattack now and get a few seconds to transform!' Taro thought as he ducked under one of Ryoga's kicks and moved back a few steps to regain some space and waiting for only a second, he jumped at Ryoga aiming to kick him in the face, something he hoped would drop him for a few seconds.

His plan didn't work, however.

The Hibiki boy, while still mad, reacted quickly enough and shot his hand up, catching Taro by the leg, using his own impulse to swing him around and throw him at the old cabin, sending him crashing through one of the walls. Wasting no time, Ryoga rushed after his prey, ready to finish this fight once and for all and in the most painful way possible, because nobody told him they had hurt Ranko and got away with it, nobody!

Ranko, who had been busy trying to break free of the pantyhose binding her so she could go and kick taro's teeth in for saying those things about her, had to stop and stare amazed at what Ryoga had just done. Sure, he was strong, she knew that, but he had stopped Taro's kick one handed and then used that pantyhose pervert as a missile to demolish half the cabin. She doubted the pantyhose creep would be able to stand after that.

'Lotion sure knew what she was doing, didn't she?' Ranko suddenly thought, recalling the moment the old woman had decided which technique she would teach each of them. Her speed made her ideal for the Chestnut Fist, while Ryoga's natural strength meant he would be the perfect candidate for the Breaking Point technique. 'Ryoga got a massive endurance and strength boost after learning the Bakusai Tenketsu… while I became faster, more agile and precise after mastering the Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken, and that's good but… it didn't help me that much. I still got captured, damn it!'

It was then that she noticed Taro was walking out of the cabin, shaking his head and steadying himself by leaning on the section of the house that was not damaged. Her kidnapper was obviously in pain, and that meant he would want to transform as soon as possible, and if he did that, the tide of the fight would completely change.

'He's gonna try to reach the pond for sure now,' the redhead thought, knowing they could not allow that, but what could they do? If there was a way to get Taro away from the pond for good, then… Ranko blinked, the answer was right on her fingertips, well actually, Ryoga's fingertips. The Bakusai Tenketsu! Ryoga could use it on the ground under the pantyhose creep and send him flying off this stupid rock!

"Ryoga, use the Breaking Point and blast that freak out of here before he transforms!" She shouted, hoping he would listen to her as she was completely sure it was the best way to end this fight quickly.

"The Bakusai Tenketsu?" The Lost Boy murmured as he turned to look at Ranko and realizing she was right; if he used his technique the way she suggested he could definitively win this without resorting to the Shishi Hokodan!

Meanwhile, Taro had already taken in a few deep breaths and blinked a few times to clear his head. His lower back was hurting and his left shoulder didn't feel so good either. Any doubts he had before about Ryoga being inhumanly strong had vanished now, and the Chinese bandit wondered for a moment if he was related to them, but that couldn't be, could it?

'No, impossible. He wouldn't be with a woman if he were one of them, right? Besides he's Japanese, so there's no way, no way at all he came from the Dynasty!' Taro thought, recalling they were not allowed to interact with women until they were adults and about to get married. But in the end, that or his insane strength didn't matter. He had the pond in front of him, all he had to do was to jump in and he would have the power to squash these aggravating kids like the insects they truly were!

Taking advantage of Ryoga's momentary distraction, Taro ran for the pond, and was just a few steps away from it when…

Ryoga landed right in front of him! Before Taro could react, the Hibiki boy kneeled and touched the ground with the tip of his index finger, screaming aloud…

"Bakusai Tenketsu!"

The resulting blast sent Taro skidding back a few steps, almost all the way to the cabin. He had instinctively covered his face with his arms the moment the explosion hit him, but bruised as he was, one look revealed that Ryoga had gotten it far worse, as he was now coughing and covered in dust and pebbles, and his forehead…

'It's bleeding again, and it seems the dust blinded him!' Taro observed, noticing Ryoga had to rub some blood off his brow and dirt off his eyes, wincing a little as he did so and that was really very convenient. 'The wound is hurting him, I can still win!'

Seizing this new opportunity, he rushed in and unleashed a spinning kick aimed right at his opponent's face. The kick, which carried all of Taro's considerable strength behind it, was brutal enough to actually send Ryoga staggering some steps back, a new trail of warm blood running down his face now.

"You're not so tough if you can't take a kick to the face," Taro mocked as he raised his guard, preparing to dodge and then bolt for the pool ahead of him. "So what now, are you going to blow up more rocks into dust and blind yourself again!?"

'That… that was not how I believed it would go,' Ranko thought, surprised by the actual results of using the Breaking Point technique in battle. After the blast, Ryoga was showered by shrapnel since he was at the center of the explosion, while his opponent was sent back somewhat but appeared to receive little to no damage from the detonation. If anything, the user ended up worse after utilizing the Bakusai Tenketsu in a fight.

'Wait, don't tell me… don't tell me it's not an offensive technique? Oh, damn… it's probably not! I think it's just a body conditioning exercise to make a person impervious to strong impacts!' The redhead felt a rise of fear as she understood the more he used his special technique, the more at a disadvantage he would be. 'Ryoga, what are you going to do now? The actual Breaking Point is useless in a fight!'

"I'll do this!" Ryoga growled and tried to kick Taro in the chest, but his leg didn't connect, as the other teenager simply jumped high to avoid the attack.

"A stupid move, fool!" Taro declared as he landed on Ryoga's head, making sure to cause more damage on the Lost Boy's open wound before bouncing all the way to the pond and landing next to it.

"You'll pay for that!" The Hibiki boy swore and brought his hand up to stop the bleeding.

"Hardly," the other said with a grin. "Anyway, it's been fun… but it's time for my transformation, and for you to meet your end..."

"You're insane if you think I'll let you trigger your Jusenkyo curse, Taro!" Ryoga warned, resorting at last to throwing one of his bandanas at his adversary, forcing him to jump back and away from the pond.

"You know about Jusenkyo?" He asked, surprised that the stupid bandana boy was familiar with the place.

"Yes, I know cold water transforms you into that monster," Ryoga answered, positioning himself between Taro and the pool. "And I also know hot water changes you back into a man!"

"Well, this is unexpected but useless for you," Taro said. "It is impossible for you to stop me from touching cold water, you know?"

"That's what you think!" Ryoga declared, he had an idea that would take away Taro's greatest advantage, and he quickly berated himself for not thinking about it before. "I will simply drain that stupid pond right now!"

And before Taro could react, Ryoga jumped into the pool, bringing his right hand down and screaming: "Bakusai Tenketsu!"

The resulting blast was exactly what Ryoga expected. The detonation sent some water up, but as it was mixed with shrapnel Taro was forced to avoid it, and the ground below him gave way into a hole where the rest of the water drained into.

"That was awesome Ryoga, great idea!" Ranko shouted; she had heard the explanation about Taro's curse and was now grinning confidently, the fight was won! "He can't turn into a monster, there is no way you can lose now!"

That was when a loud gurgling sound came from the hole between Ryoga's feet, getting louder and louder until…

A powerful stream of cold water literally exploded under him, going up so violently he lost his footing and ended flat on his back, staring with unbelieving eyes at the water column bursting from the ground.

"What is going on?" He managed, incapable of understanding what just had happened.

"According to some old tales, Fist Rock sits on top of a river's source," Taro explained with a haughty smile. "It was apparently placed here to block the water flow for whatever reason and you, my stupid friend, have just released the waters again, something very convenient for me so thank you very much, Ryoga, you were very helpful."

Too surprised to do anything to stop him, Ryoga Hibiki could only watch as Taro stepped into the erupting cold water…

In some unknown location in the Chinese forests, Pink and Link slept atop a pile of leaves. Covering them was a warm wool blanket as Pink slept on her back while her sister was sleeping on her side, Link's back facing her.

"Ryoga, not now..." Pink muttered as she blushed with an adorably goofy smile spreading across her face. "The kids might hear us..."

Next to her but resting on her side was Link as she appeared to be having a hard time in whatever dream she was in, her lips wobbling as her eyes squinted tightly her hand digging into the makeshift bed they rested atop of.

The winds then guided a single leaf over to the twins, rocking back and forth and straight onto Pink's nose as she inhaled sharply but choked for a second to snort and shake her head.

"Where am I?" the poison kanji sister questioned as she sat up and looked around, the first thing that caught her attention was Pink sleeping next to her. "Link?" she called out gently before shaking her fellow twin's shoulder.

"Not again Mousse..." Link mumbled as a wide grin spread across her face, a drunken looking blush across her skin as she nuzzled the pile of leaves beneath her head.

"Huh?" Pink blinked as she tried to look over to her sister's face.

"You're too rough..."

Pink's eyes widened as she was about to say something but looked over to her shoulder. To see her sister blush and then to hear her say something so suggestive about Mousse, it only confirmed her suspicions about her sister's interest in the long-haired hidden weapons master.

"Sister..." Pink did find it a little amusing that her twin sister was in a sense... still hung up about Mousse. "If you please!" the poison welding martial artist desperately but quietly urged.

"Huh?" Link snorted as she also came back to the world of consciousness.

"You mentioned Mousse in your sleep, dear Sister," Pink warned while pouting and blushing.

Link's eyes shoot open as she blushed and sat up as well and looked away from her, "And here I thought only you talked in your sleep," she commented nervously.

"I don't talk in my sleep," Pink huffed as she crossed her arms, looking away but catching sight of Mint and Lime as they slept.

Her response was met with less than agreeable eyes from Link, "Of course, sister," she replied, clearly not meaning it.

Pink took a deep breath and pulled back the rest of their blanket to start slowly and quietly removing the rope around her leg, 'These two know knots but they're not the only ones,' she thought to herself as her bindings fell.

Her sister followed her example, watching closely and copying her actions well enough that she too was unable to get her leg free.

"Getting captured really is the worst!" Pink complained as she rubbed the part of her leg they had bound.

"At least they were kind enough to give us a blanket," Link commented.

They silently nod to one another before running side by side and systematically falling flat on their faces next to each other as Lime's arm extended outwards while he snored peacefully, the falling down was so sudden that it caused them to yelp in fear, their rope going taut.

"Aiya!" They screamed as they both landed face first on the ground; their fingers warding evil.

The two lifted their heads, looking behind them in annoyance as they finally noticed that as an extra precaution the two Musk members tied a second rope around their waists to Lime's forearm.

Both of the Musk Clan members were still asleep, Lime resting with his back against a tree and Mint taking a catnap while on his belly, his arms and legs dangling on the thick branch he snoozed on.

"He must be incredibly strong if we weren't even enough to wake him..." Link commented with a distressed look.

Lime squinted his eyes and grit his teeth, suddenly shifting his position on the ground, yanking the recovering twins directly towards him. Their frantic cries fell on sleeping ears as they were set on a crash course for the small celestial body known as Lime.

For the twins, it was as if everything was moving in slow motion while they flew over to him and crashed straight into his torso, their legs coming together and unintentionally heel kicking him in the face. Their backs landed on his lap as he snorted a few times before shaking his head from right to left and opening his eyes.

"Wha…?" Lime woke up on high alert, sitting up so suddenly he almost stood up before noticing that he had dropped the twins.

The sudden movement from Lime's collision was enough to shake the tree Mint was on, causing him to slip to one side and land in a bush. Jerking around as he was covered in leaves, "Hey!" he jostled about before sitting up; his ears twitching as he looked to Lime and the twins.

"What are you two up to?" Mint questioned as he sat up and dusted a bird's nest off his shoulder.

Lime bent his knees and put his hands on them to speak with them at near eye level, "Why did you both kick me in the face?" Lime blinked, unaffected by the pairs' kick.

They both meeped in fear and reached for the back of their heads as they smiled nervously, "We just wanted to..." Pink began tapping her index fingers together and looking to the side.

Link pursed her lips with wide eyes, 'Think Link! Your sister's life and even your own may be on the line!' she thought, begging her mind to concoct some sort of excuse. "Get breakfast ready for you two!"

"Yeah! And while we were looking around you yanked us right at you..." Pink swallowed and lowered her head, flirting but nervously so as they still looked pretty suspicious.

"Oh! Sorry, then," Lime's eyes widened as he scratched the side of his cheek, looking really content with their answer.

The two unfortunate girls failed to see that both of the Musk members were looking to one another as their faces grew a few shades of red deeper, looking as though something had just dawned on them. "Does that mean you're...?" they both asked at the same time.

For the first time ever the two were on the other end of watching someone repeating another person without meaning to. This also caused them to unknowingly blink at the same time. "We're...?" Link questioned, quirking a brow.

"Does that mean you two are our girlfriends now?" they asked.

To see that these two knew so little about the dating scene they really had to wonder what these two actually did in the Musk Dynasty, but that thought aside the fact that Mint and Lime thought that they were all dating... it was so strange.

"B-but we're you're hostages!" Pink said if telling them as if just giving them a friendly reminder.

"That's okay, we'll make a request for you two!" Mint added as he closed the gap between them in a blink and took Link's hands in his. "Please, it's much better than what Lord Herb could actually have in mind for you..."

Link reeled her head back and averted her eyes as she wasn't sure what to make of this situation, especially now that she was being both warned and hit on at the same time, "Weren't you into my sister before?" Link wondered in confusion.

"Wait you're...?" Mint blinked and jumped back to Pink so he could hold her hands instead.

"I promise if we talk to him long enough he'll let you two stay with us," Lime urged as he looked down to Link as he tried his best to look encouraging. For a moment it looked really sweet, much more direct than Mint's approach.

The two legitimately found themselves unable to immediately reach a conclusion as getting in good with the enemy once captured was a known survival strategy... to think they'd have to date men they knew little about in order to survive; it was quite a bit to swallow.

"That is, we..." Link raised a finger as if trying to state a matter of fact but ultimately drew a blank.

"Well um, you see..." Pink began as she didn't move her hands away from Mint's but mainly out of fear for what he could do to her if she acted out.

"So are you two cooking because you're our girlfriends?" Mint questioned as he looked to them with what could be best described as puppy dog eyes.

"Yeah! Girlfriends cook for their men!" Lime nodded in agreement as he clenched his fists close to his chest and got closer to Link.

"We're not your girlfriends, we're just very friendly!" Link spoke quickly and firmly as she waved her hands dismissively.

"Y-yes! Very friendly!" Pink threw in as she stepped away from Mint and got behind her sister. "This is just to help you practice for when you do get girlfriends!"

"Will we get to practice everything...?" Mint asked with a slight blush and a smile that managed to be both cute and lecherous at the same time.

"Girlfriends let their boyfriends see their breasts too!" Lime added as little steam clouds floated off his form.

"If you let us go we might let you see them!" Pink's eyes widened, however degrading it may be, it was still better than risking the horrors of meeting the Musk leader.

"Sorry, we can't do that..." Mint shook his head and crossed his arms.

"We have to go see Lord Herb, no way around that..." Lime put his hands on his hips and shook his head as well.

Pink felt her sudden boost in confidence immediately crumbling as the two outright refused even when offered the one thing they could never stop talking about. Clearly, the amount of influence the Musk royalty had over their subjects was near absolute.

"Sister! Let's collect mushrooms for lunch!" Link suggested cutting the tension in the air as she put her hands on her sister's shoulders to lead her in the direction of the forest.

"Why?" Pink paused briefly before seeing her sister wink her right eye, out of Mint's and Lime's line of sight.

"I think I saw some Kairaishi mushrooms along the way..." Link suggested in an almost cheery manner. "We should go find some!"

"Oh, those! R-Right! We should get started!" She nodded her head and waved good-bye to the two boys.

"So if you please-" Link began about to ask if they could go.

"Wait! One of you can stay with me and Mint can go with the other," Lime interjected, giving a stern command by the looks of it.

The twins looked disheartened for a moment before looking to one another and nodding, "Alright..." Link answered.

"Maybe I should go with you, I have a great sense of smell!" Mint said as he stood in front of Link who backed off a bit.

"Allow me to look through my things, I think I have just enough Kairaishi mushroom for you to get an idea..." Link pulled away and started by pulling out a bag of herbs and searching through it, Mint clearly watching her every move; waiting for any attempts at escaping.

"So I guess it's going to be just me and you..." Pink muttered as her eyes turned into dots while glancing at Lime.

"Here it is," Link announced as she retrieved a small, but sufficient sample for Mint to work off of.

"Hmm..." Mint hummed as he stored the scent in his head and opened his eyes, nodding.

"Good boy," Link encouraged as she reached her hand out and petted his head.

Mint's eyes widened but as he was about to say something he felt Link's hand hit a sweet spot behind his ear, making him kick his leg like a content dog. "W-we should go!" the wolf Musk member exclaimed as he knew they had a task at hand.

"Y-yes, if you please..." Link gestured for him to lead.

Lime and Pink watched as their respective companions gradually faded from sight, a sense of dread and possible boredom filling Pink as she put her hands behind her back and avoided looking directly at the hulking mass of a Musk Dynasty warrior.

"So..." Lime began as he rubbed the back of his neck, smiling awkwardly as a faint blush was still visible on his face. "Are you sure that redhead wasn't with anyone else...?"

"I'm sure," Pink reassured as she continued to be distant.

"Probably left once he found out she was a wanted target or something..." Lime mumbled.

"Hmm?" Pink hummed as she looked distant and hoped that it would act as some kind of sign to deter the large man's interest in her.

"Something on your mind?" Lime questioned out of the blue.

"Huh?" Pink blinked as she was snapped out of her thoughts and looking to Lime.

"Hehe..." Lime chuckled, closing his eyes. "Knew it! There's something on your mind..."

Pink felt a bit ashamed for having allowed herself to get too distracted with her own thoughts that she had little time to consider a reply. "I-I guess I was wondering if a big, strong man like you ever gets in trouble with bullies," she finished as it was like even she couldn't believe where her mind had taken her but at the end of it, she couldn't help but bitterly recall a certain lavender-haired Amazonian.

"Bullies fear me is more like it!" Lime said clearly not looking too far into it.

Something about Lime's confidence was charming; at least to Pink it was, "I guess so..." she replied, giggling a little, Lime joining almost immediately. After their laughter died down they smiled pleasantly at one another.

The girl's eyes wandered to the chest plate of his and wondered exactly how strong he might be given the Musk's reputation. 'This man is very strong looking, I wonder what he's like under that armor? Is he still human or is it... different?' she pondered as she put her hand to her chin.

"So I was wondering..." Lime said getting a distracted Pink's attention again.

"Yes?" she inquired looking at him.

"What was that weird ball thing you were gonna' use on Mint and me earlier?" he asked as he crossed his arms recalling exactly what he saw.

"You mean my Mandragora bomb?" she asked, receiving a nod. "Well, it's basically a bomb with some mandrake seeds which if you simply water and set properly, it lets the seeds stick onto their victims, zapping all their energy!" She explained and paused, feeling boastful as she explained her terrifying special attack.

"I didn't know plants could do that..." Lime voiced his opinion before smiling. "I think it's kind of cool!"

"You're not scared?"

"Not really; if anything it's really interesting!" he grinned.

"Did I forget to mention they're also poisonous?" Pink clasped her hands together and added with a small smile.

"What, really?" Lime gawked as he engaged in some fun banter with Pink.

"So I told you a little about myself, now is your turn," Pink began as she decided that talking to him was probably better than actually getting close to those obscenely powerful looking meat-hooks, the ones Lime called arms.

"Oh well..." he stopped to ponder, trying his best to think of one of his best achievements to impress the lovely looking herbalist.

"How about your training, if you please?"

"Training...?"

"How does a man like you get so strong?" Pink simplified as she clapped her hands together, showing genuine interest.

"Oh, that?" Lime blinked as he gave it some thought.

"How difficult is your training?" Pink asked thinking off the top of her head, pointing her index finger to her bottom lip.

"For starters, I guess I like to go with lifting boulders in the morning..." Lime scratched his chin and pondered his delivery but could see that this actually got what he could assume to be a look of intrigue.

"Boulders?" Pink blinked.

"I can lift boulders twice your size actually!" He said and smiled and then flexed his bicep. "One in each arm! A few hundred times a day!"

"R-really? You're stronger than you look..." Pink was a bit taken back by that, in all honesty, it was a little intimidating.

"It's not just because of that, we also have tons of warm-ups before we practice our martial arts!" Lime boasted and put both hands on his hips, finding everything he said to be even impressive to himself.

"That's so much if you please!" Pink wanted to laugh but couldn't bring herself to as the frightening levels of training he needed to achieve his strength.

"Really? Always just felt like the usual to me..." he said as though it didn't seem like a big deal.

"Well, long as you're gentle sometimes..." She said and reached out to put a hand on his arm, smiling at him, 'Scary or not he's kinda' handsome...' she thought.

"I'll be gentle if you let me be..." Lime blushed and immediately took her hands in his and looked into her eyes.

To say she was surprised would have been an understatement. It took all of three seconds for the girl to close her eyes and blush, looking away from him as she again did not want to risk her safety, "You're so forward..." she choked a bit and avoided his eyes.

"I can't help it, at the Musk we barely get to see any beautiful girl's like you in the training grounds," Lime admitted as he held her hands, looking down at them, 'Girls hands are so small, fragile and soft...' Lime thought with a strange warmth in his voice.

Pink's eyes widened as she looked him in the eyes and found herself staring at them, even though he was focused on their hands, "That's t-too bad..." Pink began getting Line's attention.

"You think?"

"Yes, they don't know what they're missing." She offered, encouraging the secret gentle giant.

They both sat next to each other, enjoying each other's company as Pink didn't pull back when he moved a little closer to her.

…

Scouring the Chinese forest floors with his nose to the ground, Mint's head shifted from right to left constantly as Link followed him closely behind. Looking around in hopes of spotting one within eyeshot.

"So, get as many that smell as close to the one I gave you if you please," Link commented while Mint worked.

"On it..." Mint muttered in a serious tone as he continued to lead them, stopping only when he reached the base of a tree and swiftly plucked the mushrooms before turning around and presenting them to Link.

"Hmmm..." Link inspected what she was given and shook her head.

Mint rather than becoming upset or anything, casually threw the mushrooms to the side and began his search again.

This caught Link by surprise and even made her stop for a second to watch him, although the moment she did she ended up catching him as he was bending back down and looking away she put her hand over the side of her face to obscure her vision. She managed to at least hear where he was going so she wouldn't lose track of him.

Although she was avoiding looking at him she couldn't help but still keep searching while he took the ground approach to their search, 'I hope we don't have to go too far from-' she thought.

"Found some more!" He exclaimed as he stuck his hands out to her presenting more for her to look through.

"Wow, you're such a good kid..." She clapped her hands together before opening her eyes and inspecting his findings.

"Kid?" Mint blinked and tilted his head in a manner similar to a dog perplexed by their owner's request. "I'm 14, damn near 15 even!"

Link blinked in surprise and immediately wished to retract her comment but seeing how he was responding, he didn't seem to mind. But then again this kid was the most difficult to read between the two Musk clan members.

"My apologies! You're just a year younger than me!" she said hoping to avoid ticking off her captor by offering a cute but hopefully distracting smile.

There was a moment of silence as Mint appeared to be thinking something over but his vacant looking expression only added to the medicinal twin's stress levels. "That's alright I guess, I'm just glad I'm not only talking to a woman but dating her at the same time..."

Link's eyes widened as she reeled her head back and put her hand to her chin, blushing as she averted her eyes. "O-oh...?" she stuttered as she then decided that to help calm her, she'd see if he actually managed to find the right mushroom.

"Thank you for helping us with this," Mint looked to Link with a warm smile, for once making his feelings clear.

"Oh! Like we said it's just practice!" Link clarified but it seemed that the message about her and her sister not being romantically involved with these two, wasn't being conveyed.

"Where I'm from, no nice girls ever go to the men's training grounds..." Mint looked a little crestfallen when saying that.

"Really?" She asked, finding that hard to believe.

"Really, we… we don't even get to see our moms… only on birthdays," he finished with, looking down.

Hearing that was just enough to tug at Link's heartstrings as she suddenly lost the tension of her worrying about Mint and Lime not getting the message about them just helping them for when they did get girlfriends of their own, 'Poor thing, guess we both have our share of problems...' she thought.

"It's that...?" Mint looked down before smiling, stepping into Link's personal space and picking something up.

At first, Link was at loss for words but considered the possibility that he just wanted some comforting so she softened her expression and then found her eyes widening as she found what she was looking for in his hands, "You found it!" she plucked it and put it in a satchel she kept hidden, dropping it in the bag and securing it by tightening it.

"Really?" Mint's expression suddenly shifted from a solemn one to a slightly more excited and gentle sounding tone.

"I promise to make them as delicious as I can," Link replied closing her eyes and blushing a little.

Later...

Back at the campsite Mint and Lime were sitting on top of a sheet, waiting patiently for their practice girlfriends to serve them their promised meal. Content looks on their faces while they gently sniffed the air.

Lime sat with his arms and legs crossed, while Mint didn't seem to find a comfortable position. Eventually, the wolf boy settled on mimicking his partner and sat next to him with his legs crossed, hands to his sides as he leaned back a little.

A bit further down, next to a stream where the herbalist twins were cooking the Kairaishi…

"What command should we give them, Sister...?" Pink leaned in a little closer to whisper near her sister's ear.

"Sister, Mint and I had a nice conversation and… now I really don't think they're so bad..."

"How can you tell?"

"Hear me out Sister, if you please..."

"Fine, only because I'm also uncertain, because, well... Lime's not so terrible, you know?"

There was a moment of silence from Pink and Link until Link took a deep breath and begun. "I think they're just following orders, where they're from they keep men and women separated," she said.

"I heard that from the big guy, too," Pink replied. "Strange tale."

"I guess so, I've always just heard tales about the Musk, but to have gotten to know these two..." Link finished.

Pink averted her eyes as she finished kneading the mushroom croquette in the proper shape and putting it in a dry plate.

"I suppose... we can be nice?" Pink wondered as she shut her eyes tightly and sighed.

"Yes. We'll use a clap and instruct them to return home, peacefully."

"Sounds like a plan," Pink confirmed as she took two plates of freshly made mushroom croquettes and handed one to her sister.

"You ready...?" Link asked while holding out a pair of chopsticks to her sister, Mint's chopsticks had been tastefully set to the side of his food.

She received a nervous nod of her head as they turned to see that now the boys were apparently tearing up. They had both shifted their positions to sitting down with their legs crossed, hands clenched out in front of them.

"I can't believe we have such caring girlfriends!" Lime squinted his eyes before wiping his tears away with his forearm.

"It feels great, doesn't it?" Mint glanced at Lime who looked as though he was mimicking his friend's actions with how they were both so in tune.

It was as if their excitement and appreciation was an unexpected attack for the twins as most people in many cases were never happy to see them. It even sparked a ping of guilt in their actions but they couldn't risk having to meet with The King of the Musk so they hesitantly walked over to the two and dropped down to their knees and closed their eyes, displaying a level of coordination that it almost seemed rehearsed.

"Could you two maybe..." Lime began but seemed to choke a little. "Feed us?"

"That sounds like something girlfriends would do!" Mint nodded his head.

"Please? You're both so pretty..." Lime clapped his hands together.

Pink and Link felt anime sweatdrops appearing behind their heads as they both leaned back in shock, not expecting to do something so blatantly couple-like so soon. Though it seemed that the two knew that their only option was to do this if they wanted their freedom as quickly as possible.

"Since you were so nice earlier..." Pink took the chopsticks and plucked one of the three on the plate and began to blow on it as it was still a little hot.

Mint gave Link what she could only describe as his version of a puppy dog look as he leaned his head forward a tad. This caused Link to give a small smile and roll her eyes, closing them before nodding her head and picking up a piece for her to cool off too. After quite a few puffs of wind, the two thought they could now feed them to the Musk boys without risk of burning their tongues.

"Say aaah..." the two twins said as they extend their hands out towards Mint and Lime.

Pink served Lime while Link served Mint, the two opened their maws and closed their mouths down on the entire thing before retracting their heads and savoring the balls of delicious seasonings and mushrooms. The twins watched intently, waiting for the moment the two would swallow.

"That was amazing!" Lime smacked his lips a little and then opened his eyes to blush at Pink who upon meeting his eyes looked off to the side and laughed nervously.

"Oh...?" Pink replied bashfully as she put the plate down to the side, smiling softly.

"Really!" Mint said as he sat on his knees and bowed.

Lime noticed and shifted his position on the ground as fast as he could, following Mint's example and bowing for the girls as well, "It's been a dream come true eating food made by such pretty girls!"

"You're too sweet..." Pink said sounding a little sad.

"Two of the sweetest," Link added as she softened her expression. "Please return home safely." She instructed.

"Don't worry when we all get there-" Mint started but stopped as his ears twitched.

To his side was Pink as she had clapped her hands together, the two Musk warriors stood up. They blinked and started packing all their belongings while leaving anything they had taken from Pink and Link right in front of them. For them, it was like watching two machines at work.

"Goodbye!" Mint and Lime cheerfully said, waving them farewell as they entered the forest.

"Link's the best! She's so caring and warm..." Mint said blushing as he carried a bag over his shoulder.

"Think that's great? Pink's so easy to talk to and playful!" Lime complimented as they slowly walked out of earshot.

Pink and Link picked out their belongings and waited a little while before taking off running. They kept running until they eventually reached the main dirt road, the only strange thing was that the two had remained silent the entire time.

"Link..." Pink spoke up.

"Yes?" Link asked as if just taken away from her thoughts with the split second it took for her to reply.

"I… enjoyed my talk with Lime, he's strong and no one would mess with a guy like him," Pink admitted with a slight hitch in her voice.

"I… well, Mint was polite and not as scary as I thought," Link answered her sister's admittance with one of her own.

Slowly it was as if the rosy red coloring to their cheeks took a nosedive, becoming a shade of crimson neither twin had expected to see as they looked to one another and laughed nervously.

"This is stupid! T-they're from the Musk!" Pink spoke as if the idea was just flat out crazy.

"R-right?" Link asked confirmed as they continued on their journey.

"Let's just go to Yakusai..." Pink and Link said in unison.

Much like a geyser from Yellowstone park losing steam, the water eventually equalized with the sudden change in environment; leaking through the cracks, leaving the top of Fist Rock to dry under the morning sun. Water slowly starting to pool at the base.

Out from the receding waters came a gigantic arm, and even the beads of water being splashed out its fist were shot with such intensity that if any normal man were hit with they'd undoubtedly feel a stinging sensation. To Ryoga, however, it was more like a warning... one he could not meet in time due to his near prone-like position.

"Ah...!" Ryoga screamed instinctually as he was thrown back several feet only to skid on his heels and plant both feet firmly on the ground.

"He transformed…" Dan Lo blinked as he lowered his binoculars while watching the fight from a safe distance.

Ryoga, rather than letting this slow him down, allowed his adrenaline to drive him to continue. The moment he was able to move forward he fought against some of the pressure from Taro's attack and as his left dorsal touched the ground beneath him, it created a small crater he used as a means to catapult himself back over to Taro.

Surprised but not off guard the horrific creature slapped the Lost Boy into the ground, 'Get up from that!' Taro thought as he smirked. Only to see the yellow-clad teen bounced off his chest, flipping himself into a hunched over position, seemingly unharmed.

"Compared to the boulders I've endured to get here, this is nothing!" Ryoga proclaimed as he took his stance, stomping his foot in front of him. This caused the ground to crack beneath his foot. "Guess you're gonna' need that dive from last time!" He barked before narrowing his eyes.

Taro roared loudly before ascending to the skies with his mighty wings, 'You asked for it!' he thought but all that came out were monstrous Ox grunts.

Off to the side, Ranko stared in amazement as she bore witness to the fruits of Ryoga's labors. It was then that she recalled the encounter she had with this beast and how it ended with her getting slapped away with just one swat. 'Like some damn fly, only 'cause I was so sore from our fight where he up and does some freaky curse magic and-and that doesn't change the fact dat Ryo can take more of a beating than me-' she thought begrudgingly and even somewhat spitefully.

"Guess you're gonna' need that dive from last time!" She heard him taunt.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Ryoga? First, you let em' change into that freak show and now this!?" Ranko demanded as she figured he must have taken more damage than she thought if he was giving his enemies tips.

'...What the hell is wrong with you...!'

Ryoga closed his eyes and lowered his head a little, a shadow cast over his eyes as his aura seeped from his being and surrounded him. Her words danced in his head, along with all the other times he had found himself risking Ranko's friendship and or companionship.

This was to Ranko's misfortune as she opened her eyes when finishing and expected him to reply in some way, it never came as he merely tilted his head down. "Are you even listening...?" her eye twitched as she tried to get out of her restraints.

"Shi-Shi..." Ryoga began as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Taro took this opportunity to encircle what remained of Fist Rock, gaining speed as he knew there was nothing the other teen could do to stop his descent anyways. The cursed monstrosity of creatures clenched his right fist, gaining the maximum amount of altitude he needed to ensure the Lost Boy wouldn't be coming back from this final blow.

Ryoga loosened his posture and looked as though he would collapse from sheer depression but that was merely the impression, images of what Taro could do to Ranko if he didn't win filling his mind. "Hoko..." he muttered in a deep tone.

"Move Ryoga! Are ya' tryin' to get yourself killed!" Ranko ordered once again, now sounding more genuinely concerned.

Ryoga grit his teeth as Ranko's voice only reminded him she was alright, 'I need it to be as heavy as it was yesterday! Is it harder to rely on the same thought after using it!? Dammit! I need something! Anyth-'

'What if she recovers her memory and forgets me...?'

It was then that a gust of wind shot out from the Lost Boy's body, kicking up the hair over his eyes long enough for Ranko to see her dear friend's tears. He looked up just in time to see the demon that threatened his chances at happiness.

"Daaannnnn...!"

Rather than outright being stopped or knocked back the beast met the attack head-on and as it did it came crashing down on top of the lost boy, kicking up enough dirt to part the winds as dramatically as his ki gathering had finished.

"Ryoga...!" Ranko screamed in fear.

Before the smoke cloud could clear on its own, something within the center fanned the dust cloud and Taro's monster form flopped to the side while Ryoga grunted as he pushed the cursed abomination off him. "Damned monster's really heavy!" he grunted while panting.

"You're..." She stared as if Ryoga had just magically become a mathematician.

"I did it, I-I can't believe it..." Ryoga mumbled with a well-earned sigh, coming to a stand.

"You're such an idiot for making me worry!" Ranko exclaimed in relief, closing her eyes with a smile.

"I'm alright!" Ryoga called out to her, one of his fangs poking out from his lower lip. "And I'm going to have to thank Lotion for all that training!" he said teaming with newfound confidence.

"Quit your gloating and come untie me!" Ranko commanded, content in the fact that they had come out of this alive.

"You got it," Ryoga smiled and walked over as quickly as he could.

He started untying the pantyhose holding her down on the log, standing right in front of her as he reached behind her and began unfastening her pantyhose themed cuffs.

"What was that energy attack bout', huh?" Ranko questioned.

Ryoga kneeled down to undo the bindings near her ankles, "The Shishi Hokodan?" he inquired, although he didn't get an immediate response from the redhead.

All he could get was his friend giving him a calculating stare before protruding her bottom lip forward and narrowing her eyes. "You didn't have to go through all that..." Ranko looked away while pouting.

"Huh...?" Ryoga blinked in confusion.

"Don't ya go around thinkin' I'm some damsel in need of rescuing!" Ranko complained, even though her current situation was very contradictory to her claim.

This served only to perplex the Lost Boy enough to actually standing up before he could fully untie the redhead, "Ranko..." Ryoga uttered in slight disbelief. "Is now really the time-" Ryoga started but was quickly interrupted as he was throwing the first set of pantyhose over his shoulder.

"Don't think you're some hotshot now that ya got that yoko-whatever-blast!" Ranko exclaimed, closing her eyes in frustration.

"Ranko, calm down!" Ryoga exclaimed his voice booming a little.

"You'll see! I bet I can master that thing too!" Ranko protested finding herself red in the face from embarrassment.

"Are you actually jealous?" Ryoga questioned, dumbfounded by her competitive nature.

Ranko was about to defend herself with the first thing that came out of her mind but stopped as her eyes widened.

Taro rested on his back as he was unmoving, however, still alive from the looks of it as his chest rose up and down. It was only until a stray pair of pantyhose fell over Pantyhose Taro's muzzle and eye that he opened his eyes and like a machine, the beast surveyed its surroundings before hearing something.

"Don't think you're some hotshot now that ya got that yoko-whatever-blast!"

Taro rose slowly and as calmly as he could, narrowing his eyes and leaning his head forward. "Grraaah..."

"Duck!" Ranko screamed in surprise.

"There are no-" Ryoga said, feeling as though she were overreacting over a bird.

"Not that, stupid!" Ranko groaned in annoyance.

"Don't tell me that…?" Ryoga's eyes widened as he heard the very familiar growling noise accompany her remark.

From behind him came Taro, who had been charging at him with his knees bent much like a rabid bull's. He was in no position to evade, Ryoga froze after he turned. His eyes fell on the tips of his horns and he understood clearly the intention behind Taro's dash attack. He was going to be impaled!

"Like hell!" Ranko exclaimed as she stomped both her feet with as much force as she could before launching herself forward from the now cracked ground beneath her feet. With the log holding her down being taller than she was, Ranko was able to align the top end part of her post and smash straight into the beast's head wound, colliding with such force for the wooden beam to split in half with a loud snap!

The impact dazed the creature, and it gave Ranko time to move and whip the pantyhose still tied to her wrists away from the wooden pillar, letting her tumble and roll away from the monster.

Taro recoiled in pain and groaned like an OX as he shook his head. Blood from his newly open wound started gushing profusely over his eye, blinding him so he was forced to put his hand over it.

At that moment Ryoga was yanked back into the action, he noticed that Ranko's attack had stunned the monster long enough for her to get free, which also allowed Ryoga to get his bearings. He could see that Ranko had barely escaped, landing rather roughly. That was certainly the least of his concerns as he saw the beast take a step back before pulling its arm back, aiming for Ranko.

"Ranko!" Ryoga exclaimed as he jumped forward and pushed her away as she was rubbing her head.

"Ryoga!?" she shrieked in surprise when she felt Ryoga's hands on her back.

"Arr...!" Ryoga groaned as he was struck with what felt like the force of a torpedo, smashing into the ground so hard he even made a man-sized indent on the rock before the beast pushed harder, burying him into the gravel.

Convinced that was all for the irksome bandana boy, he returned his attention to the redhead who was yet again recovering from the sudden interruption, 'Fool! Now you'll get to watch her die...!' Taro thought as readied his free arm for another attack. Although while in mid-swing he noticed the ground below him started to tremble in a way he certainly did not like at all. This did not bode well for Taro as although he was aware of what was happening it was more like his mind was thinking much faster than his large body could accommodate.

The rock beneath his fist exploded, shards littering his face and arm, even in his open wound. He retracted his arm to try and clear himself of any embedded pieces of stone from his face.

Ranko had managed to compose herself long enough to hear a loud explosion which forced her to distance herself from the knockback of the Bakusai Tenketsu blast. "Can I just stand up for one second!?" Ranko questioned in annoyance as she got up to a kneeling position.

To her left was the Lost Boy, who was now sitting up and gritting his teeth.

"Thought it'd hurt at point blank," Ryoga muttered as he came to a stand, smirking in a way that would make Ranko proud.

Taro's eyes widened in rage as he clenched his wounded fist, causing blood to trickle down between his fingers as the creature's eyes went red. Snorting like an ox, he threw his arms out to his sides and let out a frightening battle cry.

"Come at us..." Ranko muttered as she made a rather large loop at the end one of the pantyhose tied to her wrist. "I want you to..." she narrowed her eyes as she watched Taro stampede over.

Reaching out with its massive arm Taro tried to grab Ryoga, nearly succeeding until Ranko jumped over his reach and ran the length his arm, showing off her amazing agility and balance to carry out her new plan.

"Gotcha!" Ranko exclaimed as she tugged her pantyhose bindings, fastening the loop she had slung over his hand.

"Whoa..." Ryoga muttered as he was slowly coming to a stand, blushing as for some reason he couldn't help but find her tenacity awe-inspiring.

"Let's see ya' fly-" Ranko said while tugging the pantyhose around Taro's wrists with both hands as she narrowed in on his wings, preparing to tie them to his back.

Almost as if Taro decided to heed her taunt as a command, she felt Taro noticeably tense as his wings began to flip heavily enough to take flight.

"What the...?" Ryoga's eyes widened as his hair was kicked up. "No...!" he screamed as he fought against his pain and steadied himself, just to use his powerful legs to spring himself up and over to the creature before it got too far, latching onto its leg.

"Dammit...!" Ranko exclaimed as she reached his back, fixating her gaze on Taro's geese wings.

"Please, Ryoga... do something!" Dan Lo muttered as he watched Ranko trying to change the creature's course.

"Ranko, don't fall!" Ryoga exclaimed as he was climbing up Taro's leg.

"What're you doing!?" Ranko demanded as she saw her plan backfire. "Ah, daaaaamn...!" Ranko cried as she was yanked from her position and flung off to the side the moment Taro moved his arm down.

Ryoga as he finally reached the back of the tough beast, looked up to see Ranko glancing over her shoulder before getting tossed off. "No, Ranko!" Ryoga cried as he leaped onto the top portion of Taro's back and grabbed his arm, trying to reel Ranko back up.

Stretch...!

From beneath the nightmarish monster, Ranko continued to scream until she looked to Taro's wrist and then her own, seeing the pantyhose tied her to him, "Haaaa...!" Ranko roared as she tightened her grip and tugged the length of the Pantyhose, which helped her bounce back straight at the monster with ever-increasing speed!

'I've had enough!' Taro thought as he reached for Ryoga with his other hand, and managed to grab him.

"Take this!" Ranko screamed as she shot up, her heels digging into the mad beast's head wound so hard it actually knocked it out!

It was as if Ryoga had seen a mighty Valkyrie land a decisive blow. Although unlike those mythical warriors of the Norse pantheon they were all still bound by the laws of gravity, so...

"We're falling!" she screamed as she latched onto one of Taro's horns.

"Ranko take my hand!" Ryoga screamed from Taro's shoulder as she looked at him before narrowing her eyes.

"Hold on, I've got an idea!" She ordered before grabbing Taro by the horns.

"Oh no...!" Ryoga's grip slipped momentarily and he found himself a bit displaced but ended up latching onto Taro's hide as best as he could.

"They're gonna' crash!" The shocked construction worker exclaimed as he sat up, watching the fight unfold while holding his binoculars firmly against his face.

The mighty creature's eyes squinted before opening wide, stretching its wings before beginning to flap them enough to narrowly divert crashing into Fist Rock, swerving to the left at the very last second.

But now that she was close enough to the ground, Ranko leaped off the creature and as she hit the ground she went to the very edge of Fist Rock. Her plan to ground the beast was simple, and she quickly prepared a pantyhose loop, her hands rivaling the speed of her thoughts as she jumped into the air while holding the nylons, placing the loop over what was left of the thumb of Fist Rock, tightening the knot as quickly as she could!

The women's fabric stretched as Taro went up, looking as though it was about to lure him back in but the monster simply flapped its wings harder, snapping the pantyhose like it was nothing. "What the!" Ranko gawked before seeing that on top of her new plan falling short, the giant took this opportunity to thank Ranko by diving at her with a vicious right hook.

"Oh! Come on!" She complained while barely dodging Taro's attack as his fist smashed onto the side of the thumb, pieces of it scattered in the wind in a violent explosion that rivaled Ryoga's Breaking Point technique.

One of the rocks went up, managing to get caught by Taro as he ascended. Smirking, the monster threw it as fast he could at the redhead.

"Crap!Crap!Crap!" Ranko exclaimed having no choice but to jump out of harm's way and into the water cascading down between the now ruined thumb and the index finger.

Ryoga had yet again climbed his way back up Taro's shoulder, one of his hands frozen in place and balled into a fist, looking as though he hadn't even had the time to reel his arm back. It was then that he saw his friend falling, not even noticing as they continue to ascend.

'...Ranko...?'

Transparent but horrific images of what could happen to Ranko filled Ryoga's mind with utter dismay, so much that so that his aura reflected this grime demeanor. An inky black mist drifted off his body as if he were somehow gently pouring water over a hot iron. His energy raising so much that it seemed as if the air was too thick with negative energy to spread out as it had before, "I have to end this for her..." Ryoga muttered with a cold and deep sounding tone.

A sudden pressure caught Taro's attention and noticed he wasn't elevating himself as quickly as he normally did and looked over his shoulder, 'Insolent little!' Taro thought before spinning himself in the air, trying to shake the Lost Boy loose and managing to do so by flicking Ryoga off, although up above himself to try and impale the Lost Boy with his horns.

Recognizing this as his only chance the Lost Boy narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest as the veins on his head expanded to the point of pulsing. "Shishi...!" Ryoga roared proudly in midair as green energy gathered around his form and now with an added green hue to the dark vapors surrounding his form.

Snort!

It seemed that Taro's demon form wanted to challenge the strength of Ryoga's beam, 'It didn't stop me before so even if it hurts like hell you're dying...!' Taro's inner voice reflected the anger and hate he felt for the Lost Boy.

Ryoga uncrossed his arms to hold his hands out, "Hoko...!" his voice boomed as he formed a ball of green energy with a black hue.

From the viewpoint of a pair of binoculars, a pair of eyes blinked as they saw Taro shifting his head so his right horn would pierce the Lost Boy's chest, "Almost..." Dan Lo mumbled sounding concerned but hopeful.

"...Daaannnnn...!"

The massive green energy beam fired with enough force to not only push delay Taro's ascension but slow it down just enough to stop the horn that almost rammed through his heart, 'What!? Nooo...! Ahhhh...!' Taro thought as he tried to fight the knockback but found that his assumption was wrong given how he was sent falling straight back down to Fist Rock.

Booooom!

So much energy had been put into Ryoga's attack that his eyes had turned the same shade as his green and black aura. He relaxed his demeanor as the color drained from his eyes. Spent after using most of his ki, the Hibiki boy crashed unceremoniously into the rock below.

Rumble...!

The new lake below Fist Rock trembled and shook from the center point of where the ki attack hit. Ryoga's blast had expanded as it engulfed Taro, taking with it the cabin and what remained of the once abundant cold water traps on the side of the large rock formation.

A dust cloud popped up as the energy had left a crater the size of a small house, expanding the number of cracks that already threatened the rock's structural foundation. The half that had been hit by the Shishi Hokodan crumbled and released debris underneath them as they kicked up dirt and scared a flock of birds away.

The now somewhat awkwardly named Fist Rock less resembled a fist and more a broken and damaged hilltop about to come undone from years of abuse.

"Now I can go find..." Ryoga mumbled while managing to stand up, then falling again, limp and unmoving.

Thud!

The young Hibiki landed on his back and did nothing as his eyes closed, looking beaten while covered in scratches and bruises. "Ranko..." he managed to meekly get out.

There was a moment of silence as the dust finally cleared, the monster remained dormant at the bottom of a crater on the side of what remained of First Rock for a little while because shortly after, Taro's leg twitched and his fingers trembled; slowly his eyes began to open. 'I-It's not-not over...' the beast thought as it painfully climbed to the top of the formation, attempting to stand up once he was there. The beast looked left and then to its right, finally spotting his enemy. Groaning, the creature staggered his way over to the Lost Boy.

Blood dripped off the tips of his fingers and head, one of Taro's eyes closed as the blood coming from his head was enough to keep him from seeing out of it so well. It snorted deeply a few times as it seemed that even moving was a strain on it.

Ryoga managed to open his eyes but was now so deprived of energy that he couldn't even muster the strength to move anymore. "I'm sorry, Ranko..." he gritted his teeth, fighting his body to ink out just a little more but failing as he could only spasm a couple of times in response.

A huffing shadow slowly crept over the Raven haired teen's head, 'Now it's over... let's see you survive a hoof to the head!' Taro thought with a tired but sinister-sounding internal monologue.

It was then that a kettle came crashing into the back of the monster's head, the resilience of Taro's monster form guaranteed he didn't even notice the attack, but the second the warm water touched the creature's skin he was reverted back to his human state.

From behind the cursed nudist stood Ranko, her clothes tattered and soaked, "G-Got cha'..." Ranko said while her hair covered one of her eyes.

"H-How...?" he mumbled as his foot had landed on Ryoga's cheek but all his foot could feel was the same durable surface he had felt when they had fought earlier.

"R-Ranko...?" Ryoga opened an eye to see Ranko's hair undone.

"I heard what Ryoga said about the hot and cold water stuff so I decided I'd kick that pot at ya' to turn ya back to normal..." She replied with a snarky grin, stilling managing to stand she took her stance and narrowed her eyes.

"Even like this... I can beat you!" Taro groaned as he felt the jagged pieces of rock painfully tear open the wounds in his arms and back.

"Save it for someone who cares!" Ranko screamed as she ducked a weak punch from Taro and slammed her own fist straight into his stomach.

"Omph!" he groaned as his knees buckled and his eyes widened, slumping a step forward, onto the redhead's shoulder.

She allowed his head to rest on her shoulder for a second before shoving him off and letting him flop to the side, eyes closed. Ranko had concluded that if Taro's monster form could resist such terrible abuse, his human form could not, and she had guessed right.

All the while Ryoga managed to see all this, mesmerized by the elegance and strength of this long-haired warrior Goddess.

And if Ryoga could use one word to describe what he thought about Ranko's loose hair, it'd have to be...

"Beautiful..."