Chapter Text
Old Acquaintances and Bitter Rivalries
A Ranma Fanfiction
By Layabout Thomas
Based on the works of Rumiko Takahashi
Author's Notes:
And I'm back! Sorry for the long delay as I had some things in my life to work out and to tell you the truth, I'm still am. Anyway, many thanks to rewindgonenuts for going through this and the next chapter in this sequel to Wild Stallion and the Mist.
On with the show!
Prologue
In a nondescript old town in the middle of nowhere, a giant wild boar was rampaging and destroying everything in sight. The villagers were running for their lives, helpless against the beast as it went through every building in sight. All they could do was cry and scream for help and it seemed like nothing was going to stop the rampaging boar.
The boar could only see red as it tried to mow down the panicking villagers or at the very least, gore them with its tusks. It wanted to dominate the area, to show its strength but as each target escaped, it became angrier and angrier. The sounds of the panicking villagers didn't do it any favors. The boar kept attacking and destroying buildings without discrimination like an unstoppable force of nature.
Finally, the boar saw a standing target. A boy in his teens, seemingly unaware of its presence. The boy had his back to him and the boar wasted no time in charging towards its target. The villagers screamed and pleaded for the boy to get out of its way, but seemingly paid no heed. The boar kept charging as it lowered its head, ready to use its tusks.
The boy nonchalantly turned around, took out his paper umbrella from his pack and stopped the boar cold in its tracks. The boar had a look of stunned surprise and shock and the boy had an expression showing little emotion. Not long after, the boy used his umbrella to toss the boar skyward, making it squeal. Seconds later, the boar crashed to the ground, dazed and unconscious. The rampage was over and the boy stood victorious as he put his umbrella back in his pack.
The villagers cheered for the boy as they got a good look at him. He wore a yellow bandanna with black stripes on his forehead. He also wore tattered clothes and looked like he hadn't bathed in a while. The tan, sleeveless shirt and pants had seen better days, but the boy himself looked healthy and strong. To say that this boy had achieved an incredible feat by defeating the boar single-handedly was an understatement.
An old man approached the boy and began to praise him as he shook his hand, "Boy, you must have the strength of the gods to beat that boar on your own! We must celebrate your victory and the mayor will no doubt arrange a feast in your honor. Tell me, what is your name, young lad?"
"Ryoga Hibiki, and that's very nice of you," the boy, Ryoga, responded, shaking his head. "But I must get going. My training journey is at an end and I must complete it."
"If you feel that you must," the old man sighed. "So where are you headed?"
"Furinkan High," Ryoga replied as he took out a map of Tokyo. "Tell me, is it far from here?"
The old man took the map and after taking a look, he looked at Ryoga with bewilderment. He looked at the map again and handed it back to the boy.
"Boy…you're about 800 kilometers from Tokyo where the school is," the old man responded. "Are you lost?"
Ryoga stood in place for a second, feeling the eyes of the rest of the villagers on him. He then began to walk away, trying to hide his embarrassment.
"Sorry for the commotion," said Ryoga.
"That boy sure is weird," the old man said with a raised eyebrow as the rest of the villagers nodded in agreement. "Strong, but weird."
Shaking off his embarrassment, Ryoga headed out of the village and began to think. It had only been days since he had been in Furinkan and was sure that he had finally been close to his goal. He had finally gotten close to his target but had somehow missed his destination completely. He reasoned that he had gotten bad directions from the boy he had met days earlier, but it didn't matter. If anything, he could get stronger as his journey went on.
'You won't get away from me, Ranma Saotome,' thought Ryoga as he scowled. 'I'll find you and make you pay for running out on our fight…and pay you back for what you have done to me.'