Off the beaten path.
 (which could be a cool name for any Ranma fic as it has the word"beat" in
it )

 The day was a nice one and Ryouga was happy. He'd used his umbrella twice
in the last few days not to keep himself dry -no, to keep the sun off of
his head.
 He had been following some sort of animal trail for the last day or
so and seemed to be in somewhat swampy ground.
  The path however had been dry enough and he had kept to it even camping 
for the night in one of the places where it had occaisionally widened.

 He was not exactly sure where he was but knew that no matter what he 
would arrive at the house of his beloved. He knew his sense of direction
was bad but it was often countered by his good timing.
 He remembered the last time he had shoed up at the dojo.
 Ranma and Akane had been alone.
 The rest of the family off -well, somewhere
 He hadn't ment to watch but saw them standing outside together
whispering. Akane had closed her eyes, tilted her head upward and Ranma 
 Had moved even closer. 
Ranma placed his hands gently upon Akane's shoulders and moved towards
her. 
 Just as their lips had been about to meet he had lost his footing and
fallen into the dojo pond.
 The splash -and the emergence of an enraged piglet had acted to break the
mood.
 Akane had towlled off P-chan and they both had ended up snuggled together     
 for the night.

 Ryouga smiled at the memory and blissfully stepped off the path he was
on.
 He felt something *CRUNCH* beneath his foot. 
 Lifting his leg he looked with morbid curiosity.
 He wished he hadn't.
 The remaines of a butterfly lay completely squashed in the marshy grass.
 It's body was broken and it's stained glass winggs crumped.
 Ryouga sighed he hated when beautiful things were lost.
 Cleaning his shoe he hurried on.

 He reached the town the next day in the quiet morning before
anyone seemed up.
 Ryouga surprisngly found theDojo with ease after that. He openedbythe
main gate and hoped to catch his love and her family at their breakfast.

 He did.

 The Raptor known as Akane tore into the struggling mamal as her family
began their morning gorge. Her sister had trapped several of the plump
rabits and now her family tore into them before they could flee.
 Her keen sense of smell (which was better than anyones except her STUPD 
    mate-to-be caught the intruder first.
  She lept up followed quickly by the baka and came face to face
with....she didn't know what. 
 Instinctively she slashed out with her dew-claws.



    I'dd like appologise to every freaken writerfrom the "golden age" of
Science fiction for this one.
 Strangely I got an idea for another twist.
 the crunch Ryouga hears is Akane... or the Dojo... he has grown
monsterously huge a la Gulliver.


                             Don't hurt me.

                                Neil
 ___________________________________________________________________________
     Nene   Nene    Nene    Nene    Nene    Nene    Nene    Nene    Nene   
                    I met a Lady in the Meads,
                    Full beautiful, a faery's child,
                    Her hair was long, her foot was light
                    And her eyes were wild.
                                            J.Keats
  ________________________________________________________________________    
           Agent Of Chaos. Robyn, Duke of Amber. Unicorn Knight
 ****************************************************************************