Hey guys, when it rains, it pours� here is eight. A few people thought of
an idea where I made Ranma good with kids or something, and I liked it, but
I have to admit that I dreamed this one up for Ranma way back when I first
dreamed up the Hidden Talents concept. It was supposed to be a direct
follow up to Hidden Talents one, but hey, the best laid plans�..


As always, C&C to
raymond.haney@mohican.mwsu.edu
and visit me at
http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Garden/5220

Sweet water and light laughter
Ray "The Texas Ryoga"

Disclaimer: Ranma � blah, blah, blah, Rumiko Takahashi, blah, blah, blah,
not mine, blah, blah, blah, don't sue, blah, blah, blah, like I have any
money anyway.


Hidden Talents 

Part, the eighth


	Ranma Saotome leapt from the wall of the Tendo dojo to land squarely at
the front door. He reached out and almost fell in as the door opened a
split second before he touched it. With a fluid grace, he managed to catch
his balance and prevent a stumble, and a possible pounding, since it would
have been Akane that he would have stumbled on. 
	She stood in the doorway looking at him in consternation and Ranma became
aware that her sisters, Kasumi and Nabiki stood directly behind her. He
nervously ran a hand through his unruly dark hair and waved at the three.
	"Well, hey. Where are you three off to?"
	Akane gave him a look and seemed to be deciding whether or not to respond.
Before she could make up her mind, Nabiki made the point moot by answering
his question.
	"We're off for a night of fun, just the three of us, so don't even think
of tagging along, Ranma." The middle Tendo sister's brown eyes twinkled at
him, mischievously.
	Kasumi's clear voice added, "That's right Ranma, we all decided that we
needed to spend some time together, just the three of us."
	Akane nodded and the three walked past Ranma and began to head out from
the dojo. Akane turned suddenly, as she remembered something and called to
Ranma, before he could enter the dojo. "Both our dad's are out running
around with Master Happosai, Ranma, and P-Chan is somewhere in the house.
Do NOT bully him and make sure you feed him something, okay?"
	Ranma, for once, opted for discretion and simply nodded affirmatively, not
wishing to start a fight or an argument. As the three sisters walked out of
the dojo gates he heard Kasumi's cheery voice call out one last time.
"There's some food in the refrigerator Ranma! We won't be back for a while
so don't wait for us! Good-bye!"
	Ranma nodded to himself and muttered, now safely out of Akane's hearing,
"At least ONE of 'em thinks about food for me and not some stupid pig." He
walked into the dojo and paused for a moment in the main hallway as the
realization that he would be alone that evening sunk in. Truth to be told,
Ranma did not enjoy being by himself that much. He enjoyed other people's
company too much for that, but if he was a lone then that meant�. A slow
grin spread over his face as he realized that he finally had some private
time and could indulge himself. He bounded up the stairs two at a time and
quickly ran into his room. Throwing bags and clothes around in his haste he
reached underneath a pile of his belongings and pulled out a medium sized
leather bundle. He dashed back downstairs, pausing long enough in the
kitchen to grab a drink before setting himself contentedly in the backyard.

*	*	*

	Ryoga Hibiki scowled to himself, well as much as a pig can scowl, anyway.
He was currently somewhere in the Tendo home. Judging by the bright, cheery
feel and the sweet scent, it was probably Kasumi's room. He had overheard
the three sisters talking and had realized that they would be going out en
masse. He had been present when Genma and Soun had lit out, trying to keep
a reign on Happosai as he had been yelling something about 'all night
mall', 'sale', and 'Victoria Secret's'. He snorted and silently wished the
two men luck in at least keeping the damage and lawsuits to a minimum. He
had heard some noise a few minutes ago, and had figured that it was just
Ranma and he in the house. He grimaced, but he knew that at the least, with
Akane gone, he and Ranma might be civil to each other and he could get some
hot water, and more importantly, some of the food Kasumi had left in the
kitchen. All he had to do was find Ranma.
Resolutely, the little black pig stalked his way out the door of Kasumi's
room and into the hallway. Or, more accurately, after walking out of
Kasumi's closet door he managed to find himself in the hallway. He looked
up and down the hallway and headed to where he thought Ranma's room was.
Luckily, on the top floor of the dojo, there were signs over the doors that
labeled whose was whose. He managed to find Ranma and Genma's room with
little difficulty and sighed in relief as he walked in.
	Ranma wasn't there. There was a good deal of strewn clothing around, and
what appeared like a minimal effort to pick it all up, but no Ranma. He
glowered and stomped out. Ryoga took a deep breath of resignation and
headed down the stairs into the first floor, or, as his brain labeled it
(as it labeled many areas of the world), 'Parts Unknown'. He resolutely
marched through the dojo, figuring that Ranma was probably in the main dojo
floor, working out. All he had to do was find it.
	Kitchen. Nope.
	Mr. Tendo's bedroom. Nope
	Bathroom. Nope
	Kitchen again. Grrrr.
	Hall closet.
	Mr. Tendo's closet. 'How the hell did I get here?' he wondered, he didn't
recall going through Mr. Tendo's room again. Oh well.
	Kitchen.
	Front door.
	Ryoga snorted to himself in disgust and decided to try something. He had
once heard that a guaranteed way to find a way out of a maze was to put
your hand against one wall and just follow it. Eventually, you get out. So,
he placed himself directly against the wall and began to do a little pig
jog, hoping to find the work out floor before too long.
	After twenty minutes of trotting, he entered the workout area. He was not
in a good mood. As he entered the area, his mood got even worse.
	No Ranma.
	Ryoga emitted a high-pig squeal of rage that, if coming from a creature
with a higher volume capacity, might have been truly impressive. He decided
to just leave and started toward the back door of the dojo. Walking
through, he stood in the backyard and suddenly spied the object of his search.
 Ranma sat, leaning against one of the pillars on the porch, concentrating
on something in his hand. Beside him was a small bundle that Ryoga couldn't
clearly see and make out. He was so focused that he didn't notice Ryoga's
entrance, and in fact, did not notice Ryoga at all until he was sitting
directly at his side, staring at what was in his hand and strewn beside him
in wonderment.
"Aw geez, Ryoga!"

*	*	*

	Ranma Saotome looked at the curious eyes of the black pig known to some as
P-Chan and to others as Ryoga Hibiki and knew that Ryoga had found him out.
He sighed reluctantly and placed the small objects in his hand carefully on
the ground beside him. He stood up and jerked his thumb toward the house. 
	"You want some hot water, Ryoga?"
	At the little pig's affirmative nod and squeal Ranma headed for the
kitchen, Ryoga hot on his heels. The two entered and Ranma grabbed the
spare teakettle from the warmer and poured a stream of hot water onto his
friend and enemy. He refilled the kettle and calmly sat it back onto the
warmer while Ryoga reached behind the sink and grabbed an extra outfit that
he had stashed backed there and changed into it. The two regarded each
other warily for a moment and Ranma, suprisingly enough, broke the silence
with a polite question. 
"You hungry?"
Before Ryoga could reply, Ranma started rooting around in the refrigerator.
He waved over his back, "Grab that towel and use it to carry that rice
cooker pot outside. It's too nice to sit and eat in here." He turned from
the fridge and showed a surprised Ryoga a small roast chicken on a plate
and a two-liter of coke. "You mind if it's cold?" Ryoga shook his head
wordlessly as he picked up the rice pot Ranma had indicated. The two headed
back outside, Ranma pausing for a moment and picking up some utensils and
two small plates.
They sat down together on the porch and wordlessly set the food and drinks
between them. After each selecting a plate and getting a portion of rice
and chicken they dug into the food, still occasionally eyeing each other.
Again, Ranma broke the silence.
"Go ahead and ask."
Ryoga wiped his fingers on the towel and took a sip of coke. "You mind if I
look at it closer?"
Ranma waved a hand, busily chewing on a piece of chicken.
Ryoga reached out and plucked up the object Ranma had been working on. It
was a piece of wood, roughly five inches tall. It was brightly polished and
was a rich, nearly gold color, marked by streaks and whorls of softest
brown. It was perfectly formed and detailed, except for the left hand,
which showed marks of carving and raw wood. Presumably, Ranma had been
working on it. It was breathtaking in its accuracy, beautiful in its form. 
It was Akane.
Scattered across the sheaf of leather were similar statues, some half
complete, some finished, some with bare details on them. There were a few
blocks of raw wood, and several knives and cloths for polishing. Ryoga
looked up and met Ranma's eyes and slowly put the statue of Akane down. His
eyes took in the other blocks there; he could see what appeared like a
half-completed Ukyou, there a statue of his father. Not all of them were
people, there was one of a dragon, one of an eagle, and several had the
look of toys, for they had wheels and moving parts. He reached out as he
recognized one statue and he picked up a miniature version on himself. He
turned it in the fading sundown and noted again the detail, the strength in
it, the pose, and for a moment, his heart wrenched a bit as he realized
what the statue was exactly of. 
"Ranma, these a good. Even, great. How, Ranma? Why? Where did you get this,
this, ability? How come nobody knows you can do this?"
Ranma laughed, almost bitterly and took another swallow of coke. "I think
I'll answer those in reverse order, Ryoga. Can you imagine what would
happen if everybody knew I could do this? All my supposed fianc�e's would
want one. If they didn't get one, they'd be jealous. If anybody else did
they'd be jealous. And, hell, they'd probably still be jealous if everybody
got one. Ya see, Ryoga, if anybody knew about my," he paused, groping for
words, "my hidden talent at this, then I'd have to start making these
things for other people, and I couldn't just make them for myself." He
sighed in resignation and leaned back, closing his eyes for a minute.
"As to where I picked this skill up? Well, when the old man had us
training, we were always on the go. I didn't really have many toys, and the
old man didn't have much to get me some toys with. But I found I could make
my own, if I had a little patience. So I managed to get a knife and some
wood and I'd work on 'em while we walked, at night, while we camped,
whenever." He reached out and picked up a wooden bird with paper-thin wings
and gestured like it was flying. He added, as an aside to Ryoga, "This one
really flies, I just don't feel like having to go pick it up." He put it
back down.
"And as to why?" he paused and looked down for a moment, avoiding Ryoga's
gaze. "This is gonna sound stupid," he mumbled. Ryoga, for his part, merely
sat, silently, he felt� almost honored, in a way. He knew that Ranma kept
his emotions to himself so much and he felt as though whatever Ranma was
about to tell him would be something he had never told anyone before. Ranma
finally looked up and hefted a block of wood in one hand, and the statue of
Akane in the other.
"Ryoga, it would take me less then ten seconds to turn this thing," he
lifted the block, "into toothpicks using one of techniques. Hell, with
brute strength alone, I'll bet you could destroy this in less time then
that." He lifted the statue of Akane and stared at it thoughtfully. She was
smiling, carrying her schoolbag in front of her and it looked like she was
spinning, or dancing in place. "This has taken me close to four weeks do.
If I add up all the time, I've probably put more then a hundred hours into
this statue alone," he trailed off. "Have you ever thought about that
Ryoga? It's easier to throw a punch then to use that same hand and carve.
It's easier to destroy than to create. I mean, geez, c'mon, think about how
much damage you and I can do in such a little amount of time. Have you ever
thought about that?"
Ryoga closed his eyes briefly as a vision of ivory and ebony flashed
through his mind. "Yeah, Ranma. I have," he whispered.
The two sat in silence for a while and then Ranma reached out and plucked
up the statue of Ryoga. He stared at it for a minute, a miniature version
of the man sitting across from him. His arms were spread wide and his face
thrown back. Attached to the base, lying next to his feet was his trusty
umbrella. The detailing was incredible. One could almost count the hairs on
his head, could see the knot in the ever-present bandanna. If you looked
closely enough at the face, you could see the closed eyes, the smiling
mouth, complete with fangs, the look of angelic joy�. the raindrops on his
cheeks. One could almost see the rainfall as the miniature Ryoga welcomed
it joyfully. Ranma thrust his hand out and dropped it in Ryoga's lap.
Ryoga looked up and shook his head. "You don't have to buy my silence
Ranma. I can understand what you've said, and for once, you're right. This
is personal for you and I won't reveal it to anyone. Because that is the
right thing to do."
Ranma shook his head in return. "I know that, you big dummy. I'm not giving
it to you as a bribe. I'm giving it to you�." his voice trailed off and
then found it's strength again, "I'm giving it to you because it is the
right thing to do. For everything. For nothing." He leaned back and
shrugged. "Whatever."
Ryoga plucked the statue up and studied it again. He nodded his thanks and
the two continued eating in companionable silence. They ate and watched the
sun go down and after it disappeared they gazed at the stars. For the first
time that evening, Ryoga broke the silence.
"You think you could show me how to do some of that, Ranma?"
"Sure thing, man."
There was a pause.
"You're still a jerk, Ranma."
"I know, bacon-breath."

The End



Post.
	Yeah, I know, a tad OCC on both the guys, but hey, sue me. I've had people
mention that they liked my HT one and two the best so far, because of the
WAFFy feel that they had. Am I getting close to regaining that with this one?
	(One) You know, that maze advice is true as all get out. As long as it is
a static maze without sliding panels, if you put your hand on one wall and
just follow it, you will eventually get out. It might take a while
depending on the size of the maze but it WILL work.
	(Two) You ever eat like that? Trust me, one roast chicken, (warm or cold)
and rice is the bomb for food. Utensils and plates are optional. A towel is
suggested. But if you just sit there and rip apart a small roast chicken
(buy 'em at Albertson's or Winn Dixie for like 3-4 bucks)  with some rice,
you'll swear it is some of the best 'casual' eating you've ever had.
	(Three) Anywho, again, my story just kinda trails off, and I'm beginning
to accept that cuz I think they should. Life, especially in the fic
inspired live of Ranma never just ends, instead it just continues. I'd
still appreciate it if somebody could help me out with my wrap-ups, but�
well, what do you all think? Do you like the way these stories end, or
would you like to see more definitive endings?