Disclaimer at the end of the fic.

"Tendo Dojo, you say? I think it changed names a while ago. Anyway, just down that way. Oh, watch out for any sudden attacks; they tend to occur 'round in that area."

"Thank you, sir. I'll heed your words."

The lone man strode purposefully to his destination. He carefully adjusted his grip on the duffel bag slung over his shoulder as his bare feet slapped against the concrete sidewalk. A slight breeze tousled his short, brown hair and caught the tails of his headband, blowing the crimson straps over one shoulder of the sleeveless, dirty white gi he wore.

People who knew, and indeed, few living in Nerima longer than six months were that ignorant, pleasantly stepped aside, letting the stranger have as much room as he needed. He was one of those "insane martial artists" after all, and with them, there was no telling the exact amount of damage one could conceivably cause. Especially the newcomers that came to town, looking for a fight to justify some slight in the past. At least this one was male; the female IMAs, as they were called in polite company, were infinitely more dangerous, as they were equally likely to fall in love with the target of their ire as they were to kill him or her. And they often did so in groups of threes and fours.

The man, his skin showing obvious marks of weathering the sun and the elements, continued walking as if nothing was out of the ordinary. He knew exactly what he was getting himself into; he visited the ward once before a long time ago and ran headlong into a real challenge. Thanks to that event, he had changed a lot. Now, it was time to repay that lesson.

It took him only a few minutes more, but he found the Tendo Dojo— or rather, the Anything Goes School of Kempo. Guessing this was the right place— it's been so long ago— he walked through the front gate, up the walkway and to the door, ringing the bell on the right side of the frame. Seconds later, the door opened, revealing an exuberant ten-year-old girl in a sweaty white gi with an unruly mop of long, dark brown hair streaked with highlights of crimson.

"Hey, can I help you out?" she said with a half-smirk.

The man looked down to her. "Is this the residence of a Saotome Ranma?"

"Hold on." She closed the door, but the shout of "MOM!!" was heard almost as clear as a bell. A minute later, the door re-opened to the sight of a redheaded woman wearing a similar gi as the girl, except hers was thoroughly soaked through from head to toe, as was she.

"Damn kid knows I hate it when she calls me that…" she muttered before looking up. She blinked once. "Early this year, aren't you?"

The man smirked. "Only by a few weeks."

The woman smirked back. "That anxious to have your ass handed to you again?"

He laughed softly. "Do not make light of Sheng Long's teachings. Shotokan karate is a powerful fighting form, as you're experienced yourself in the past."

"Heh. You got lucky last time, but I came back."

"Barely, need I remind you."

"Feh. Let me change, and then we'll get it on, Anguished Dragon."

"No need to call me by that name, anymore, Ranma. I am no longer a Kumon."

"Oh?" she said, a little surprised.

"Yes. I laid to rest my father's school, and with it, his legacy."

"Okay. So, what should I call you, then."

"Ryuu. Just Ryuu."

"All right then, Ryuu. After you completely lose this time around, I'll show a trick to get more air on that Shoryuken."

"Hah. You mean after I've defeated you today, you can finally learn the real secret behind the Hadoken."

"This, I gotta see…"

~fin~

Author's notes:

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ and its characters and settings belong to Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Kitty, and Viz Video. Street Fighter is property of Capcom. I own neither, and I borrow them for this fanfiction, which I do own rights to, dammit (never end sentences with a preposition; it's bad grammar).

Just a little fic to let you all know I'm still alive somewhere. I've had the idea for a spell, because, as far as I could tell, Ryuu never had a last name in the game. I've heard he did at one point, but I never got confirmation on it. So, enter Kumon. Give or take a few years, he could possibly fit the bill; besides, he does need a new fighting style, since Yamasenken was barred from him after losing the fight in Volume 28. As for the "Anguished Dragon" line, I discovered Kumon translates to "anguish." My kanji still suck, so I don't know if that's the same translation used for Ryuu's last name, but it makes sense. I suppose it could also mean "woeful technique" in reference to his mastery of Yamasenken, but I'm just speculating. But, I digress.

Right now, I'm reworking some of the earlier chapters of Kasumi ½ as well as writing Chapter 7. Once they're all done, I'll slap them all to the FFML and RAAC. As for my other stories, I've put them on hold for now, as I really want to reach and finish this point in Kasumi ½ (which I've been seriously considering a replacement of the title— any ideas, drop me a line).

When will it be posted? When I get finished with them, of course. ^_^

Actually, I'm try to aim somewhere between now and the end of next month; I've got college, work, and Storytelling a Kindred of the East game in the equation. Oh, and I'm doing a new MST. I'll have it put up in a few days (going to get some sleep right now; otherwise, I'd have done it by now).

Well, that's all the news from me. Keep on reading.

Adrian D. Moten

Webmaster: Larry F
Last revision: January 7, 2006