Trials and Tribulations IV “AAAAHHHHH!!!!!!!!” Ranma screamed in panic as he realized they were falling...falling from the sky! He looked up quickly to see the hole they had come out of, rapidly vanishing until there wasn’t even a dot in the sky. His stomach dropped and his eyes clenched shut in panic. Suddenly, they hit trees. A forest of trees came up to meet them and Ryouga felt his bandannas fly off into the underbrush. But that was the least of his problems. The trees hit him hard with blow after blow, knocking him around til he could barely breath. He instinctively twisted in the air, trying to absorb the impacts with his forearms, but the shattering boughs still delivered tooth rattling blows. Just before he lost consciousness he had one more thought... < Where’s Ranma? > Ranma screamed in panic as he saw the ground coming up at him and frantically tried to change his path. Too late. He hit the ground with a thud, his method of rolling with the fall almost ineffective from such a great distance. Seconds later, the thud of a form dropping onto his back knocked the wind out of him. Thereafter he was still. ````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` Ranma winced and slowly opened his eyes in order to take in his surroundings. He was laying on the forest floor, not to far from a river by the sound of water reaching his ears, and....could not move. “I’m paralyzed!” Suddenly Ranma heard a groan coming from behind him. He struggled to turn his head around in order to see who was making that noise. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Ryouga. A very battered and bruised Ryouga, looking up at him with one eye. His bandanna was gone and his thick black hair fell over his other eye, hiding it from view. Suddenly, Ryouga smiled. Ranma shivered. “Um, Ryouga?” Ryouga looked up at Ranma hesitantly. “Um..yeah?” “Well,...You’re kinda on my back.” “I know.” Ranma blinked. “Well, aren’t you gonna get off?” “No.” Ranma blushed as he felt Ryouga shift on his backside in order to get more comfortable. < This is... interesting, > Ranma decided. He smiled. “Hey, P- chan.” “What?” “Could you quit wiggling?” `````````````````````````````````````````````````````` As soon as Ryouga was sure Ranma was asleep he opened his eyes and settled down to think. < As if I could get any sleep in this position anyway > He thought, blushing. He closed his eyes and listened as Ranma breathed in and out, each breath making his body heave up and down. Ryouga shook his head,< Something is definitely wrong with me. How can I have thought’s like that about Ranma? About..my friend? > Suddenly, Ranma stirred and Ryouga’s head was knocked off the small of Ranma’s back and to the floor. Between his legs. “Okay, that’s it!” Ryouga stood up and brushed the dirt off his pants, wincing as his ankle groaned in protest. He slowly looked back at Ranma. Starring at him. < He’s so beautiful. How could this happen? > Ryouga stifled a sob, < This is yet another curse, the worse one, one I cannot get over. > “ This is all so confusing.” “What is?” Ryouga looked up quickly to see that Ranma’s eyes had opened and that he was staring at him with a very mischievous grin on his face. He frowned,< He doesn’t feel what I do does he? Well, that’s just fine with me! > “ None of your business.” Ranma felt his grin wither at the sound of Ryouga’s voice. < Why is he mad at me? I thought..that...well...after he wanted to sleep beside me...that...well... > Ranma stared at the ground, his anger slowly building, < Why does it have to be him, huh? That stubborn, pig-headed and foolish boy....that hates me...when...when...I love him. > “Go away.” “No!” Ryouga said, startled,”You go away.” “Go away!” Ranma yelled, his voice cracking with repressed emotion. There was no answer.< Ryouga must of left > He thought solemnly. He sat there for awhile just staring at the ground, when he felt arms go around him. He looked up and met Ryouga’s eyes. “No.” Ryouga said in a whisper, “You’re.... my partner. One shouldn’t leave a partner.” Ranma smiled, though he felt something crumble inside. It was his last hope. “Let’s get out of here.” Ryouga took in a deep breath and shivered, the feeling of holding Ranma in his arms still vivid in his mind. He stood and stared at Ranma’s retreating form and at the rope that bound them together, unwinding slowly and far into the distance. ``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` Ranma trudged, no limped through the woods, every now and then jerking the rope to pull Ryouga in the right direction. He was nervous, and very sore. They had been walking for hours and they had not found any civilization. At least they had not seen any. What they had heard was a different matter. “Ranma?” Ranma jumped five feet in the air and he whirled to glare at Ryouga. “ Don’t sneak up on me like that!” He said in a hushed whisper, “ I have a feeling things are watching us.” Ryouga grinned nervously and looked around, “ Well, maybe they’re laughing at us because you got us lost.” “What!?” Ryouga nodded his head solemnly. “ You should talk!” Ranma glanced back at Ryouga and tugged the rope, causing him to stumble forward after him,” Come on. We’re going this way.” Ryouga winced as his foot hit the ground hard. He looked up to glare at Ranma. “No,” Ryouga grabbed the other end of the rope and tugged, causing Ranma to fall to the ground. “What the hell are you doing!?”He cried angrily. “I’m leading this little expedition now.” “ Like hell you are! You can’t even find your own back yard!” Ryouga frowned, “ My directional sense doesn’t matter here. This is new territory and that is my specialty.” He looked back at Ranma and smiled. “Wait!, I...ACK!” Ranma screeched as he was dragged by his arm through the underbrush. “ You’ll pay for this!” He yelled half-heartedly. His gaze was already drawn to Ryouga’s legs marching before him. < Hmmmm..... > “Ranma! Are you coming!?” “Well, you’re dragging me aren’t you!” To Be Continued.....