Ryouga's Deepest, Darkest Thoughts

4:39am: Dogs romp in the spring!
It's spring again!

Akari is sleeping soundly, with Katsunishiki and Sugar snuggled up at the foot of the sofa she's dozing on. She hasn't been feeling very well. . .

I guess I was so distracted by life's goodness that I forgot about this journal thing for a few years. ^^' Chocolate is at my feet in quiet submission, reminding me of how much life has changed since Ranma and I fought in high school. Shirokuro still sits by my side, but despite the youthful wag of her tail when I look down to meet her gaze, her eyes show her true age. There is no way to deny that she is getting older.

Even I was surprised at who ended up with Shirokuro's puppies. As you already know, Akari and I decided to keep Chocolate and Sugar (how predictable, right? xD).

Valentine went to a child in our neighborhood named Yotarou. His mother told us he'd been having trouble leaving his house for years. . something about a panda. He seems to be fine now--we see him riding Valentine around the neighborhood quite often, though he is beginning to get a bit large for her. Pepper ended up with the feisty and energetic Akane. He seems to have filled the spot in her heart "P-chan" left when he stopped showing up as much. . . heh. Walks with Pepper seem to cool her temper, anyway. And now she has someone on her side for whenever she does fight with Ranma, haha.

And the last of the puppies were taken by Azusa, a young-at-heart ice skater from around here--originally "Lady" and "Lad", they were renamed, far more appropriately, Jules and Jim (I think it's some French pair from literature--Azusa loves french names, for some reason.)

It's quieter around here with just Shirokuro and her two remaining puppies, though I guess I can't accurately call them "puppies" at all any more. Though I don't leave the house terribly often--at least not without Akari to make sure I find my way home again ^^'--there's never a dull moment. Katsunishiki is a lot of fun to be around now that we know eachother better, and I practice my techniques with him almost every day (just so I don't get rusty). And Kaneri's passive affection is just the right thing to warm me, sometimes.

I think I need to go. My typing has caused Akari to stir.

I'm sorry! I'll post sooner next time!

12:29pm: Puppies growing up
The rain has stopped altogether, and although the sun is warm and oh so welcoming, I have decided to not attempt travel. Kaneri is doing fine; she gets along with Shirokuro very well, and she doesn't seem to have any male organs (how on earth are you supposed to tell?), so I am assuming that she is female. Akari-chan will know, probably; she was the one who helped me determine the sex of Shirokuro's litter.

Speaking of Shirokuro's litter, they're big puppies now! Six in all, three boys and three girls (amazingly balanced). Most of them have got names. Pepper (for the small, black spots all over his white coat), Valentine (for the brown, heart-shaped spot on her hip), Chocolate (for the only brown pup in the litter--Chocolate is also the runt), and Sugar (she is an albino, making her fur white as snow and her eyes pink). One boy and one girl are still to be named--lately they have been "Lad" and "Lady". Not very good names, huh?

If you have any suggestions for better names, do tell. The puppies are almost a year old now, and although they keep to themselves most of the time, leaving the house and finding food, it's nice to have something to call them. The boy, or "Lad", has black ears, black paws, and one black leg (his left hind leg, if I remember correctly). The rest of his fur is white. "Lady" has a black circle around one eye along with a brown stripe under the other, three brown stripes on her back, and black boots on her hind legs. She is, of couse, mostly white also.

Right now Shirokuro, Sugar and Pepper are around. Pepper is being a rascal as usual, picking on Sugar, and she is making no attempt to fight back. Sugar is a lot like Shirokuro; she loves attention just as much, although she is a bit more shy. Pepper is great with people, but, eh, not-so-great with other dogs. Valentine lives up to her name, being very cuddly and loving to lick, but lately she's been spending a lot of time around with Chocolate. Chocolate is very gentle, definitely a sweet one, but he can be really fierce when he's defending someone he cares about. Lad and Lady seem to be joined at the heart, perhaps why I have always reffered to them as a pair, sort of. They are very playful, adventurous, and certainly outgoing. Although they love people, they are more than willing to work together to con you into giving them something you never would have otherwise.

I'm happy to be home with all of my dogs and Aka-chan (my laptop) and Kaneri (the new kitten). I need to go and get myself some lunch--I'm starving. I hope I can find the refrigerator on my own...^///^;

8:11pm: Little one in the rain
Today it rained all day. I was walking home a block from the bakery after buying a nice little appreciation cake for Akari-chan, just because--it must have been about ten in the morning, but the sun still wasn't shining through, the cloud cover was too thick. All of a sudden I felt a droplet of wet hit my nose, and soon enough it was raining all around me. I ducked into an alleyway and grabbed a garbage can lid, holding it over my head to try to protect the cake from getting drenched. I thought I would wait out the storm. That is, until I saw a newspaper tremble unnaturally. There was no wind, not in the protected alley at least, so I startled, pointing my umbrella accusingly at the paper. "Who's there?" I asked boldly. There was no response, and the rattling stopped for a moment. Soon enough, though, it shifted again. "I said who's there?! ANSWER ME!" With this I bopped the newspaper with my umbrella and, low and behold, out tumbled a...what was it? I took a closer look, and much to my surprise, it was a tiny marmalade kitten. It mewed and closed its eyes, and I held it to my chest, trying to shelter the wet ball of fur from the violent rain. I looked out of the alley, left then right, and I darted out, kitten and cake both clenched tightly to me, garbage lid above my head.

Somehow I found my house right away. Once I was able to get inside, I wrapped the kitten in a towel (it happened to be a white one with my name embroidered on it in gold) and put her on the radiator. I have decided to call the kitten, for the time being, Kaneri (three guesses why), and I will refer to it as a she until further notice.

Updates on Kaneri once I get around to them.

Why on earth is life being so good to me?

8:19pm: Six Months in Heaven
I haven't written in a while and I just returned home on Friday evening and, well, all I have to say is the last ten or so months have been amazing. Ranma won a six-month trip to China, the whole shabang--round-trip plane tickets, hotel reservations, meal vouchers, traveler's checks--for himself and EIGHTEEN other people. Eighteen, can you believe it? He brought all of us--Myself, Akane, Akari, Cologne, Genma, Gosunkugi, Happousai, Kasumi, Kodachi, Konatsu, Kuno, Mousse, Nabiki, Shampoo, Soun, Ukyou, and of course, those two boys from school he always spends time with (what were their names again? I can't seem to remember...)--and we got along surprisingly well. I think that being in China without the distraction of Jusenkyou was a really good idea, and I wish one of us had thought of it (or had the money) sooner!

Konatsu's cooking surprised me; it was terrible for someone who'd been living with an okonomiyaki chef for so long. So Ukyou cooked okonomiyaki for us and Shampoo made ramen. It was amazing! Who would have ever guessed that Mousse was half-decent at writing music and that Shampoo would take to the Chinese harp? The two of them seem to get along fine, and at times they would giggle and speak to eachother in Chinese. It makes me wonder if they're hiding something from us. I guess we'll find out with time.

Shirokuro and Katsunishiki came along (don't ask about Katsunishiki--it's a long, long story) and the two of them got to know eachother pretty well. At first Katsunishiki was a little rough and Shirokuro's barking didn't calm him down at all, but once they were able to learn eachother's limits, they got on great.

Kodachi only tried to poison Ranma once, and when she did, Cologne caught the scent of the poison and Kodachi got a stern talking to. Even Happousai was decently pleasant; he laid off the groping and underwear-stealing for a bit and as we explored the lands of an unfamiliar country with an unfamiliar language, he told us stories of when he was younger, when he went traveling to China and to all sorts of other places. He was--and still is--such an amazing martial artist.

Kasumi seemed to like the break from housework and cooking and she took the time off to read and sunbathe. Nabiki went on quite a few dates, but once or twice she brought back a decent boy who seemed to have his heart in the right place. Too bad Nabiki would break it, along with his account balance. A rumor is spreading that Nabiki even spent a few nights out on the town with Kunou, but none of us are sure if this is fact or fiction. Except for Nabiki, of course, but no one has bothered to ask her. It isn't like she would answer, and even if she did, she would probably be lying.

Soun and Genma are amazing players of Go; I played each of them and lost in an amount of time that was probably record-breaking. ^^; It was fun anyway, of course. Oh, and Gosunkugi brought some charcoal and paper with him. It turns out he is an amazing artist! Who would have thought--Gosunkugi, the creepy gothic Akane-stalker, of all people!

Akari was, obviously, beautiful as usual. She carried around the usual kettle of water, just in case, and made sure I didn't get lost. A vacation just isn't a vacation without Akari's help. ^///^;

Ah, I remember now! Hiroshi and Daisuke! The two boys Ranma is friends with! One plays the guitar, and one is convinced he can sing, although at the moment I can't remember which is which. We spent many a night having singalongs, sitting on the carpeted hotel floor in a circle around Shampoo's portable burner, singing traditional folksongs or Hirosuke (that's what Hiroshi and Daisuke call their band) songs or Mousse's songs. By the end of our six months together, we had memorized nearly all of Hirosuke's terrible lyrics and Mousse's flowing words, even songs that had been written during our trip.

All in all, I don't think I have ever had so much fun in my entire life. I am afraid, though, that because I had such a great time, I will be really miserable back home. I mean, sure, our trip had its ups and downs, but it was awesome. Nearly perfect. I can only hope that the next six months will be as wonderful.

Wish me luck ^///^

6:28pm: I feel so happy!
Sorry I haven't written recently! You see, I was caught in this rainstorm, and...it was cold water. And seeing as I was lugging all of my crap around in that state, I was having a bit of trouble. After--gosh, I don't even know how long it was; it felt like days, but it may have been only hours, and the sky didn't change to dark or to sunny because the rainclouds covered the sun and moon--I ended up stumbling into a restaurant (this was yesterday [Monday] evening, as I later figured out), and guess who was there? My two favorite people; Akari-chan and Akane-san. We took the train back and I was so happy to be with Akari-chan again. And guess who was waiting for me at the train stop? Shirokuro, with all of her puppies huddled under her! I really wonder how she always knows where to find me. I gave her a big hug and she licked me on the cheek, her puppies jumping at me all the while. (I suppose we should name the puppies soon, eh, Akari-chan? ^///^) It was getting quite late, so we went to Akari-chan's place and I spent the night there in a sleeping bag on the floor next to Shirokuro.

In the morning I woke to find she'd made waffles (no bacon, of course ^^). Akari-chan is the greatest. So right now I am sitting outdoors; the rain has cleared up and the sun is shining brightly. It feels so good to be happy.

5:58pm:

UCAUTION

IN THE INTEREST OF SAFETY IT IS ADVISABLE TO KEEP RYOUGAHIBIKI AWAY FROM FIRE AND FLAMES.

Username:

From Go-Quiz.com

Probably good advice for anyone...o.o; And aren't fire and flames the same thing? Oh well.

10:42pm: Alone in the Rainy Cold
I tried to sleep, but the snow outside has turned to rain and is pelting the lean-to I made out of a piece of a child's slide I found in someone's garbage and some metal poles, along with a fallen tree. I hate it here. I want to go home.

The worst part is that I can't stop thinking about everyone back home; Akari-chan, Akane-san, Shirokuro, Katsunishiki; even Ranma. I don't know if I've ever before wanted so badly to be with someone I know. I wish that just thinking about them would make me somehow warmer, but it doesn't.

Actually, I am kind of afraid that the cold weather and the rain water getting in here will destroy my laptop. I don't know how I made do before I had it; I honestly can't remember or even imagine traveling without it. I guess I can call it Aka-chan, because it's cute and small and vital for my life, just like Akane-san was once to me and Akari-chan is now.

I can't believe I just wrote that. I feel so embarassed. I guess writing is easier than saying things, though.

Going to shut Aka-chan down for the moment, because it is so cold and rainy, and because I am unsure of how long it will be before I can charge her..erm, it...again.

Do you think maybe I'm growing too attached to a computer?

7:12pm: Souvenirs from Thailand or the Dominican Republic
Today I went looking for somewhere to buy paper and a pen to write to Akari-chan, but I ended up in some sort of bazaar. I bought souvenirs for Akari-chan and a sort of apology gift for Akane-san; the store-manager seemed amazed by the yen I payed with (should that be spelled "paid"?).

Nothing much is happening. Although I did figure out that I am not in Mexico. I don't much think I am in Alaska, either, so it is quite possible that I am in Thailand or maybe the Dominican Republic.

I wish it would stop snowing and stray dogs would stop following me and I could find my way home to Akari-chan, Katsunishiki, and Shirokuro and all of her adorable puppies. I long for a warm embrace or the feel of a dog's soft tongue on my face.

8:36pm: Guilty in Mexico or Thailand or Alaska (?)
The strangest thing happened the other day.

You see, I was just walking around..well, I was walking around somewhere, and I went into this store to try to buy a map. I guess it was the wrong kind of store because there were telephones and computers and all sorts of video games all over, but it was a store all right. So I stepped in to ask for a map or even for directions, and this alarm went off. I kind of thought I should run, but I didn't, and all of this colorful confetti fell on me. Then some guy wearing a black and white suit dashed up and started yelling at me in some crazy language, and he grabbed my arm and lead me to the desk at the front of the store. The guy at the desk looked happy and said some stuff to me in the language, and when I seemed puzzled, he went in back and got someone who spoke Japanese. The Japanese-speaking guy told me that I was the first person to arrive at the electronic store's grand opening, so I would get a free laptop. He didn't seem very fluent, so it took a little figuring out, but that was basically what he told me. So he gave me a laptop and made me fill out some forms so that he could send me mail bugging me to buy more stuff (once he'd seen that I lived in Japan, he told me to forget it). I asked him about a map, but he didn't really seem to understand, so after some more confusing and chatter in different languages, I left.

Aside from that, things have been going pretty badly; aren't they always? A week ago today (or something like that) was Ranma and Akane-san's set wedding day. And don't think I wanted it to happen; believe me, I really didn't. But seeing as I upset Akane-san so much by screwing up her special day so badly, I feel really terrible. The wedding might have been ruined anyway by Ranma's fiances and stalkers (Ukyou, Shampoo, and Kodachi), but I can't help feeling like it was all my fault. Akane-san must hate me now...

So for the past few days I've just been wandering. I think I may be in Mexico or Thailand (in case that answers your asking where I am, Akari-chan), although I'm not sure which. But it's snowing a lot to be either of those places. I suppose I could be in Alaska, but I don't think there are stores or major highways there.

I can't stop feeling guilty and I wish I could write to Akane-san about how sorry I am or even to Akari-chan about how much I miss her and to tell her I'm still alive. I need to find a place to sleep comfortably for the night. I miss Shirokuro's warm, soft fur so badly right now...