Subject: [FFML][TCP][REPOST] The Caller's Plight, Prologue and First Test
From: "Jorge A. Pratt" <al709382@campus.ccm.itesm.mx>
Date: 10/15/1996, 1:26 PM
To: Fanfic ML

al709382@campus.ccm.itesm.mx

		The Caller's Plight by Jorge Pratt


Legal Stuff you already know
	Ranma 1/2, all its characters and relationships are the 
creations of Rumiko Takahashi.
	Final Fantasy 1, 2, 3 and 5 are trademarks of Squaresoft.
	Chrono Trigger is also a Squaresoft trademark.


Author's Foreword
	Well, well, well...  So, I'm writing the sequel to The Four 
Birds of Fire after all.  What am I, a masochist? (Don't answer 
that.) What drives me into writing these ridiculously LONG 
stories anyway?
	Alas, here I am again.  Seriously speaking, though, I 
actually had fun spewing -- I mean, thinking up this story.  It's 
got all the best elements of TFBOF and even more (groan).  
Actually, it even picks up where that one left off (or should I 
say, where it begins?) You'll also find something quite 
interesting between some of the main characters, but I've said 
too much.
	Well, enough preamble, let's get on with The Caller's Plight 
already!

	(Continuity note: The Four Birds of Fire was set after what 
would be volume 33 of the manga. This sequel begins three years 
later, and yes, you must have read TFBOF  or the Guide in order 
to understand the events of this story. For example, why there 
are two different Ranmas here.)



			PROLOGUE

	A gigantic flaming bird engulfed all of Nerima Ward.
	A beam of pure white light filled the Saotomes' room.  
"Wait!" Seraphim vainly shouted.
	The Tendos and the Saotomes that were outside became 
frozen in shock.
	"Ranma!" Akane yelled again as she followed her fianc�'s mad 
dash towards the room.  Everything around them was completely 
covered by the Phoenix' powerful aura, giving the surroundings a 
reddish hue.  But Ranma-kun didn't even notice it.  He was 
utterly focused in stopping his sister from completing the Caller 
technique before it was too late.  He just HAD to stop her.
	What...  what the hell was she thinking?! Even Cologne had 
warned her that the Caller could kill her! So what if she'd been 
practicing for three years, she was not strong enough to 
withstand that much power!
	"STOP!" with that Ranma plowed right through the door to 
the room.  The place where Ranma-chan was standing was now 
shedding a blinding light, but he could see the female angel 
desperately try to reach for her.  He quickly followed suit and 
lunged for his little sister.  Ranma-chan slowly opened her eyes 
to see him, but she was never able to see his hand catch her as 
her world became intensely white.

			*	*	*

	The trees stretched high overhead, the long trunks 
becoming lost in the distance.  The bright sunlight, filtered by 
the distant treetops, illuminated sparse patches of green in the 
grassy surface.
	The air was warm, as was also the grass beneath her.  She 
was in a clearing surrounded by many exotic plants, the likes of 
which she had never seen before in her life.  No, wait...  She 
_had_ already seen these plants, but it certainly wasn't while 
she was alive.  No, she had seen them once, in a time when she 
had "visited" this place, three years ago...
	Ranma-chan looked at herself and confirmed her suspicions 
when she noticed she wasn't dressed, even her hair was flowing 
freely.  When the realization came to her, she sat up and closed 
her eyes, holding her knees in her arms.
	"It didn't work..." she sighed sadly.
	She was dead.
	And she was in the Gates to the Light.

			*	*	*

			*	*	*

[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]

		TerBril Productions
			present

		THE CALLER'S PLIGHT

			by
			Jorge Pratt

[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]


"I no doubt deserved my enemies,
but I don't believe I deserved my friends."
	(Walt Whitman, in Bradford's
	 _Biography and the Human Heart_)


				First Test:
				Rebirth


A second chance

	But why hadn't it worked? Ranma-chan could not believe it.  
Even after all the training, the Caller technique had backfired 
anyway.  Even though she had already mastered every single ki 
technique she could get out of Cologne, she had failed at this.  
But why? All she wanted was a friend, someone to talk to.  
Practically everyone she knew was doing his or her best to split 
apart Ranma and Akane, nobody cared about the "little sister".  
Even Kuno, whom she considered one of her closest friends, had 
doubled his efforts against her brother.  And her family had 
practically forgotten her, since it was like a miracle to see 
their son finally getting along with Akane.  Why, even Yuannyan 
had already married Herb.  And after all this time, it appeared 
some couples had started to form as well.  It was a time when 
she felt more lonely than ever.
	That's why she had tried to bring him back.  Sure, she 
could call Seraphim any time, but that wasn't enough.  There was 
only one person she could rely on completely, her best friend.  
But he had sacrificed himself so others could live.  He was 
truly worthy of being called "Phoenix".
	Ranma-chan sighed again and opened her eyes.  Looking up 
at the distant treetops, she wondered what was happening back 
home.  Her brother was probably in shock as he fell into that 
grim trance again, as he did when Coldfire had almost killed her.  
But aside from him and Akane, nobody else knew about how close 
she had already been to dying.  There would be no way to 
comfort them when they discovered she was dead for real this 
time.  It was just how she felt after Phaeron died.
	Wait a minute...  Of course!
	Wiping the tears from her face Ranma-chan got to her feet, 
noticing how light she had become.  If she had died, then it 
meant Seraphim and Phaeron would probably come to meet her! 
>From _that_ point of view, the Caller hadn't been a total 
failure.  After all, she did want to talk to them again, right? 
And now she had all of eternity to do just that.
	Smiling to herself, she began to head towards the Light.  
She remembered the path clearly, considering she had already 
been here once.  Everything was the same as she remembered: the 
twisting path, the flowers that lined its sides, the small stream 
that it crossed...  but there was something different, though.  
The first time she came here, there had been no animals, or 
even signs that one had been here.  However, this time she 
easily heard the chirping of birds, crystal clear to her ears.  
Even a few butterflies fluttered around her as she walked 
onwards.  Did it mean she was truly dead now? Was this her 
time?
	But suddenly every single sound ceased as a high-pitched 
shriek filled the Gates.  It was the shriek of a bird of prey, 
possibly an eagle or a hawk.  Yet it was different.  She knew 
that sound very well, for it was the last sound she heard 
before dying.  
	It was the cry of the Phoenix.
	"Phaeron-kun?" she asked to no one in particular.  She 
looked about, waiting for an anwer.  When none came, she resumed 
her journey, but again the shriek came.  It was louder this time, 
and to her ears it appeared to be full of despair.  That was 
strange.  It had been three years since they last saw each 
other, why would he be upset?
	She called out once more, and as before was met with 
silence.  Shrugging, she headed for the Light once more.  She 
would have plenty of time to meet up with him, anyway.  But now, 
there was NO WAY she would stay away from the Light.  She 
already knew what it was like being close to It, and with each 
step forward she grew more eager to fuse with It.
	Finally, she came to the Passage.  The place where the 
trees were lined up in parallel rows alongside the path.  A 
powerful golden sunlight filled the region, giving it the look of 
a cathedral.  And at the end of the Passage, was the Light.
	"Welcome..." came a calm, soothing voice, as a wide beam of 
white descended in front of her, "...sister Ranma"
	Ranma-chan smiled in reply, "Hi, Seraphim-chan."
	The angel girl eyed her worriedly.  Finally, she spoke, 
"Why?"
	"Huh?"
	"Why did you do that?" Seraphim asked.  "I warned you about 
using my Magicite like that."
	"Oh..." Ranma-chan looked down, avoiding Seraphim's gaze, "I...  
I wanted to bring back Phaeron-kun.  I mean, he saved my life 
about a dozen times...  I never even had the chance to thank 
him."
	Seraphim took Ranma's hands with her own, "I understand.  
But you could have called me first.  I would have talked to 
brother Phaeron."
	"You mean you can actually talk to him?"
	Seraphim smiled, "Ever since he died, he has been staying 
here, at the Gates.  He never went into the Light so he could 
look over your family.  That's why I can talk to him."
	Ranma looked at the taller girl incredule, "He's been dead 
for three years and he never went in?"
	"I'm not the one to explain why," Seraphim showed a warm 
smile, "but in the meantime, I want you to meet a few of brother 
Phaeron's friends, my siblings."
	On cue, another beam of white appeared in front of Ranma-
chan.  However, this beam split in three, a tall winged figure 
materializing in each.  When the light receded, she saw three 
other angels.  They were different to Seraphim, though.  The 
tallest one, a handsome male, had only a pair of wings, unlike 
Seraphim's four wings, and brandished a flaming sword by his 
side.  The next two were also females, and as the previous had 
only two wings.  However, they seemed to be opposites, since one 
of them wore an Amazon-like white garb, complete with gold 
gauntlets, while the other was dressed in a gown and held a 
broad golden shield with her right hand.
	"Sister Ranma..." Seraphim said, "...I want you to meet 
brother Uriel, sister Etheldred and sister Bryna.  They were 
very eager to meet you."
	"Indeed," Uriel said, "Sister Seraphim and brother Phaeron 
have said quite a bit about you and sister Yuannyan.  That is 
the reason why we wanted to meet our little sister."
	"Not only that," Bryna added, "but we are also eager to 
restore our young Cordis Fortitudo."
	Ranma-chan blinked, "Who's that?"
	Seraphim said, "You surely remember her.  She is  brother 
Phaeron's Guardian."
	"Yes," Etheldred spoke, "but we hadn't been able to find her 
until now.  Sister Seraphim tells us you and sister Yuannyan 
were once able to call her, isn't that right?"
	"I don't know what you're talking about," Ranma-chan said, 
sincerely confused.
	Seraphim put a hand on her shoulder, "Don't worry, it's just 
that you met her before your accident at Jusenkyo.  The 
experience must have erased most of your memories of your life 
in China, even that of Cordis.  But you'll sure be surprised when 
you meet her again, though.  That's because she has kept her 
true self a secret from everyone but you, sister Yuannyan and 
brother Phaeron."
	"Then...  she's someone I know?" Ranma-chan asked, trying to 
remember.
	The four angels smirked, "Sister Cordis Fortitudo was 
someone very close to you, sister Ranma," Uriel said.  "As 
sister Seraphim told you, it will be quite a surprise when you 
meet her again."
	"Surely you will remember once we are Inside," Bryna said.  
"Shall we?"
	The other three angels nodded and escorted Ranma-chan as 
she continued walking towards the Light.  She was so close now, 
she could already think of herself as being Inside.  The feeling 
that overcame her was of great peace, but she still felt a 
little uneasy.  If Phaeron hadn't gone Inside just so he could 
retain his role as a protector, that meant he had never 
experienced this before.  She would have liked to see him before 
going into the Light, so he could at last remove the burden that 
had kept him from this for so long...
	Without warning, the Phoenix' shriek came to her ears once 
more.  But this time it was deafeningly close, and it seemed to 
be full of defiance and negation.  She and the four angels 
quickly bolted around and gasped.  What they saw was a 
magnificent bird of Phoenix, larger than a condor and covered in 
red, green and purple feathers.  And it was darting straight at 
them at breakneck speed.
	Seeing them frozen in surprise, Phoenix took the 
opportunity to quickly fly past them, turn around, dive between 
Ranma-chan's feet and rise back up, carrying her on his back and 
soaring _away_ from the Light.  Four surprised angels and an 
equally surprised Ranma-chan could just watch its movements.
	Suddenly Seraphim snapped back to her senses, "B-brother 
Pheron!" she yelled, as the foursome rose above the ground in 
Phoenix' pursuit.  "You're only making this worse than it already 
is!"
	Phoenix opened his beak to reply, "I will never allow this 
to happen!" His wings became narrower, allowing him to gain a 
higher speed and easily leave them in his fiery wake.  In the 
blink of an eye he had already carried Ranma-chan back to the 
forest, and was now weaving a trajectory among the trees.
Ranma-chan clung tightly to the feathers in his back, holding on 
as tight as she could as the speed nearly tore her from him.
	"Phaeron-kun! Calm down!" she called.  He sighed and ignored 
her.  There was no way he could just let her die like that.
	Seeing she wasn't getting through, she clenched her legs on 
his avian shoulders and her hands let go of him, immediately 
grabbing hold of a tree branch overhead just as she hooked her 
legs around his neck.  Phoenix' eyes bulged out as he was choked 
by both her hold and the momentum he had.  Suddenly losing his 
strength, he fell to the grass, pulling Ranma-chan along.  But 
even though she landed right on top of him, Phoenix barely felt 
her, as if she had become incredibly light.
	"N-No!" he thought, "She's already been here too for long! 
If she stays here any longer she won't be able to go back!" He 
scrambled from beneath her and stood upright, stretching his 
wings again so he could take off as quick as possible.  "Now, 
climb onto my ba--" he turned away as soon as he saw her, his 
red feathers somehow becoming even redder.
	"Hm?" Ranma-chan blinked in confusion.  She got to her feet 
and walked towards the blushing bird, then stood in front of him.  
Immediately he turned away one more time.  Not understanding his 
behavior, she looked down at herself, "Now what...  Oh.  C'mon, 
Phaeron-kun, it's okay.  I mean, we're both dead, right?"
	"No!" he suddenly whipped his head towards her, but then 
blushed even more and pulled a wing over his eyes.  "I won't 
allow it!"
	"But brother Phaeron," Seraphim finally caught up with them, 
"You know it's time."
	"Oh, yeah? And what about that other time when we fought 
Coldfire?"
	Seraphim shook her head, "It wasn't her time then.  We all 
knew that.  But now it's different.  It's time she comes with us."
	Phaeron couldn't believe his avian ears.  What in the world 
was Seraphim talking about, dammit! How could she say it was 
time?! After all this time of playing guardian, he couldn't just 
let this happen!
	"Look, I don't care if it's time or not, I can't let anyone 
die thanks to me, especially her!"
	Seraphim kneeled and petted his back, "I know, brother 
Phaeron, but you have to realize there isn't much we can't do.  
Believe me, I don't like this any more than you do, but it's my 
duty as a Messenger."
	Ranma-chan also kneeled and brought Phoenix' wing down, 
forcing him to look at her, "Phaeron-kun, it's not like I'm giving 
up or anything, but...  but maybe it IS my time."
	Phoenix closed his eyes, "You died twice thanks to me..." His 
voice suddenly roared throughout the forest, "AND THERE WON'T 
BE A THIRD TIME!!" He darted upwards and hovered a few seconds 
in midair, then shot out like a bullet towards the Light.
	"Brother Phaeron, what have you done?" Seraphim whispered, 
astounded.
	"What happened? Why was he acting like...  like he didn't 
want me to go?"
	Seraphim turned to her, "He...  he's always like that.  He 
just can't stand the thought of seeing someone close to him 
die." She helped Ranma to her feet, "Let's go."
	She suddenly stopped, her eyes glowing faintly.  Her halo 
became intensely bright, Ranma-chan had to look away from her.  
But she heard Seraphim speak, as if she were hearing half a 
conversation, "Yes, brother Phaeron just left...  I feared he 
might do something rash...  Well, it's because of how he feels...  
I didn't know that...  He did WHAT?! Why in the name of the Three 
Realms would he do that?! B-but then he...  I-I don't have that 
much power...  How long, then?"
	"What happened?" Ranma-chan asked.
	Seraphim returned to normal.  She looked gravely at Ranma-
chan, "Brother Phaeron has spoken.  And he has been answered."
	"What do you mean?"
	Seraphim smiled, "I didn't know it was _that_ strong..." she 
said to herself, "Looks like he asked for another chance to be 
given to you.  Guess it's not your time after all."
	"But what's gonna happen to him?"
	"He...  he has died.  He didn't just become One, he actually 
gave up his own soul this time."
	Ranma-chan let go of Seraphim's hand, frightened, "Then all 
I did was useless?"
	"I know how you feel.  But if his soul has disappeared, 
then..." a thought passed through Seraphim's mind as she saw a 
small glimmer in the corner of Ranma-chan's eye.  "Wait.  I can 
take you back to your family, but there is one thing I can do to 
bring him back.  It will be very difficult, though."
	"Let's hear it."
	"Before I tell you, you have to know my power is not too 
great, since I am just a mere angel.  In any case the plan 
works, I can only keep him alive for a little over three months, 
maybe four.  Should I continue?"
	"W-what? Four months?!" It was practically nothing, Ranma-
chan thought.  If Seraphim had said a year, three years, it might 
be acceptable, but "a little over three months"?! He would be 
dead again by Christmas!
	"I know it's not much, but that's the best I can do.  Do you 
still want me to do it?" Ranma-chan nodded silently.  Heck, it 
was better than nothing, after all.  A lot of things could happen 
in four months.  "Okay, then.  I don't think you'll remember any 
of this, but I have to tell you, in case the plan doesn't work."  
She then looked at Ranma-chan softly, "About sister Cordis 
Fortitudo, she is your--"
	Before she could finish, both she and Ranma-chan felt a 
sudden presence, ominous and looming. The redhead saw nobody, 
although Seraphim could easily discern the being's figure. And 
Seraphim was afraid.
	"Dysmerc..." she gasped, her voice nearly a whisper.
	"Five Tests..." it spoke. "They shall now begin..."
	"Five tests? What..?" Ranma-chan wondered, but her thoughts 
were cut short. A powerful white light covered everything as the 
Gates evanesced before her eyes.


Burnt ashes

	Star-Peak Mountain, in the World of Ruin.  History is about 
to change...
	Phaeron weakly opened his eyes.  In pain, he turned to see 
Akane and Ranma-chan.  He smiled, despite his injuries.  But then 
he saw the others trap Coldfire.  His heart nearly stopped when 
he saw the aura of his nemesis.
	He weakly tried to reach forward, "No...  don't surround 
him..." he said.  "Don't surround Coldfire..."
	Calling his strength, Phaeron staggered to his feet.  
Suddenly glowing red, he shot out a large ki ball upwards, "Flare, 
revised!" Somehow, he felt his ki being bolstered by someone 
else.  The ball exploded high up in the air, releasing a shower 
of sparks.  Akane and Ukyou quickly turned to him.  The explosion 
also alerted Crystallus, who groggily tried to stand up.  Ranma-
chan weakly opened her eyes.
	"Blue Bird..." Phaeron chanted, closing his eyes.  A great 
sorrow filled him.
	One minute.

	The airship Falcon shot towards the Star-Peak Mountain 
from its base in the Veldt.

	"You're really in for it, demon," Ranma said.  "No matter 
what, you won't hurt my sister again!"
	Coldfire's aura had turned violet.
	Phaeron opened his arms, "Red Bird..."
	Forty seconds.

	The Falcon passed over Doma castle.

	"For all that you've done, we're gonna bring your damn head 
to the ground!" Ranma was begining to back up to attack.
	Coldfire's aura was dark blue.
	"White Bird..."
	Thirteen seconds.
	Crystallus panicked and immediately covered Ranma-chan.  
Suddenly the Crusader Magicite dropped from the Crystal Armor's 
belt.

	The people of Nikeah saw the golden glimmer of the Falcon 
heading for Star-Peak.

	"Get him!!" Ranma and the others charged Coldfire.
	Coldfire's aura exploded.
	"GOLDEN BIRD OF PHOENIX!!" Phaeron also climaxed and dashed 
towards Coldfire at top speed, passing the others and grabbing 
Ragnarok in the way.  The sword became Magicite in his hands.  
The Crusader Magicite came to life.
	 One second.
	Coldfire brought his hands together, "STELLAR CRA--"
	Phaeron crushed him in a bear hug.  Time stopped.  The 
airship was in view.  He looked back at Ranma-chan and Akane, 
but neither the redhead nor Crystallus was in sight.
	"Ragnarok! Fa kansti aris ULTIMA!!"
	"Crusader! Fa kansti teris MERTON!!" two other voices 
yelled.
	An intense blast of nuclear fire encased Phaeron and 
Coldfire even before the Ultima sphere appeared.  But then the 
swelling ball of blue energy engulfed the fire.
	The mountain.
	The peninsula.

			*	*	*

	Everything around them was white, and extremely hot.  
Somehow, the Falcon had resisted the combined powers of Ultima, 
a massive shockwave of energy, and Merton, a miniature nuclear 
explosion.  It was a miracle the metallic ship hadn't vaporized.
	As the light slowly receded, they could see the floorboards 
that made up the deck of the ship.  Ranma and Akane looked at 
each other, realizing they hadn't died after all.  A few other 
people became visible as well.  Ryouga and Ukyou were incredibly 
relieved when they saw their respective loves were uninjured.  
Slowly, as the light faded, four others came up to them.
	"Ranma alright?" Shampoo asked.
	"What in the world happened?" Mousse was still wobbling 
dizzily after the blast.  Kodachi glomped onto Ranma, but somehow 
Akane didn't mind.  She felt something was missing, but couldn't 
tell what it was.
	Kuno used his bokuto to prop himself to his feet, and 
looked around as well.  "Pigtailed girl!" he called out," Where are 
you?" Ranma and Akane became alarmed and looked for her as 
well.  
	"Ranma, where are you?" Akane called.
	"I thought she was with you," Ranma-kun said.
	"She was," Ukyou answered, "but she woke up when Phaeron 
used one of his ki blasts."
	"Then that crystal bird covered her and she yelled 
something," Akane added.  "Something like 'merton'.  But she 
disappeared after that."
	As they continued their calls, they didn't notice the three 
older figures that appeared on the deck as the light finally 
disappeared.  A look of sheer relief and incredulity was locked 
in the face of Locke, Celes and Setzer as the three warriors 
ran their hands across their body to check for injuries.
	"We...  we survived..." Setzer said.
	"Merton and Ultima..." Celes tried to make out what had 
happened.
	"What in blue blazes did Phoenix do?!" Locke wondered.
	The troop from Nerima finally noticed them.  "Who are you?" 
Akane asked.
	Celes turned to her, "Oh, you must be one of the girls 
Phoenix had come to rescue.  We are three of the Returners, and 
my name is Celes Chere.  This is Setzer Gabbiani, and my fianc�, 
Locke Cole."
	"Excuse me..." Setzer said, rubbing his head, "Do you by any 
chance know what just happened here?"
	"I think I can help with that," Crystallus said, coming into 
view.  Ranma-chan lay on his back, barely conscious.
	"Pigtailed girl!" Kuno carefully helped Ranma and Akane bring 
her down to the deck of the ship.  Crystallus settled next to 
her, trying to regain his strength.
	"So, what happened?" Locke inquired.
	"M-Mer..." Ranma-chan mumbled weakly.
	"We had to use Merton," Crystallus said.  "I noticed 
Phaeron was about to use Ultima against Coldfire, so _we_ had 
to strike first so he wouldn't kill himself."
	"You okay, kid?" Ranma put a hand on his sister's shoulder.  
She weakly brought up her own hand to meet his and nodded.
	"She'll be all right," Crystallus began casting a healing 
spell, "it's just that she overexerted herself, especially after 
being injured like that.  I'm more worried about Phaeron.  He 
might have been hit by Merton as well."
	Ranma-chan coughed, "He...  he was..." she said, almost 
whispering.  "That was the whole idea," she surprised herself by 
having that thought.
	Slowly, the light around the ship faded completely.  
Everyone on board was awestruck at the sight of the gigantic 
crater below them, still sizzling from Merton's power.  Suddenly, 
two crystalline glimmers shot out from the middle of the crater, 
one heading towards the mainland and another to the airship.
	"Where's Seraphim?" Ranma-chan wondered.  Then she blinked, 
"Why the heck did I think about that? It's like I'm waiting for 
someone to come up here."
	The first Magicite became lost in the clouds, although they 
could notice it was dark-colored.  But then he second one came 
crashing to the airship's deck, stopping a few inches away from 
Ranma-chan and Crystallus.  It was surrounded by a faint red 
aura.
	"P-Phaeron?" Crystallus said.
	"What!?" Ranma-chan found the strength to speak along with 
her brother.  She quickly took the Magicite, almost certain it 
would break.  In fact, she expected it to shatter, as if she had 
lived through this once before.
	"He...  He turned himself to Magicite?" Celes said.
	Then, as a final shriek came from the rock, the Magicite 
turned to ashes.
	And Crystallus flew away, bellowing in agony.


The loss of a friend

	The airship landed in the desert, just outside a 
magnificent castle.  The sand storms in the region must be very 
strong, for the castle appeared to have been buried in sand 
quite recently.  It also seemed to be very ancient, though the 
several air-vents and engines on its walls said otherwise.  As a 
matter of fact, the entire castle appeared to be a vehicle of 
some sort.
	A pair of soldiers came up to the ship, both of them riding 
strange, ostrich-like yellow birds.  "Welcome to Figaro," one of 
them said when he saw Locke.  "King Edgar shall be informed of 
your arrival." As the riders returned to the castle, they 
couldn't help but notice an air of sorrow around the ship's 
passengers.
	"Hey! Locke!" a tall blond man, with his hair pulled in a 
ponytail, came out of the castle a few minutes later, as the 
troop approached the gates.  He donned an elegant steel armor, 
beneath which he wore lavish royal attire.  The long gray cape 
on his shoulders trailed in the sand behind him.
	"Hi, Edgar," none of the Returners was as cheerful as him.  
Although their attitude surprised him, he still turned to the 
nine other people behind them.
	"Welcome, my friends, to the great Figaro, the desert 
castle.  I am the king, Edgar Roni Figaro." He immediately 
addressed the five girls, "And fear not, precious ladies.  
Whatever it is that afflicts you, your sorrows shall vanish 
soon, I assure y--" Celes bonked him on the head, "Please," she 
said, "Nobody's in the mood for your hopeless flirting, okay?"
	Edgar was about to reply, but it took only one look at 
them, especially at the girl who appeared to be in shock while 
holding some ashes in her hands, to convince him.  "Very well," 
he said, more serious, "Chamberlain, please make sure our guests 
receive the finest accommodations possible." The palace guard 
behind him nodded and led everyone else to the living quarters.  
Then Locke looked sternly at his old friend, "Edgar, may I have a 
word with you?"

			*	*	*

	"Please, no...  Not Phoenix!"
	She was only twenty years old, but everyone who saw Terra 
Branford knew immediately she was the most powerful of the 
Returners who saved the world merely a year ago.  Her vast 
inner strength was nothing compared to the great power she had 
been endowed with.  Green-haired and stunning, an armor-clad 
warrior with a golden heart, the Esper blood in her veins was 
easily recognized.  
	That is the reason why she was so deeply wounded when she 
arrived at Figaro and learned of Phoenix' demise, only a few 
hours after she perceived the combined forces of Ultima and 
Merton.  During the War, she had come to know Phoenix.  Most of 
the children in her village, Mobliz, would have died if not for his 
magic.  To hear of his death was simply heart-breaking, 
especially for the daughter of an Esper.
	"I'm very sorry, Terra," Celes said, "I know your father 
Maduin and Phoenix were very close friends.  I just wish he 
could have let _us_ help too."
	Terra didn't make an effort to hide her tears, "But...  how? 
He is Phoenix! He can't just...  he _can't_ die!"
	Celes sighed, "Believe me, I feel just like you.  Phoenix 
helped us lots of times, either in person or by teaching us his 
spells.  And this was the _one time_ that he needed us...  and 
we could only save his friends."
	"I...  I feel useless," Terra said.  "What good is it that I 
can morph into an Esper if I can't help?"
	"You feel useless," Celes shook her head, "but I feel more 
like a leech.  Phoenix thought we only cared about acquiring his 
magic, that even though we fought to save this planet, we used 
him like an object.  And the worst part is that it might be 
true." She couldn't suppress a sob, "I can't even imagine how 
Locke feels."
	Terra suddenly looked at her worriedly, "Oh, God...  Locke...  
And with you two about to get married...  Where is he?"
	Celes sighed again, "Poor Dear.  He's up in the tower.  I 
think Sabin and Shadow are coming up with him, but he only wants 
to be alone.  But still..."
	"'Still'?"
	"I feel sorry for Phoenix' friends.  They haven't said a 
word since we got here..."

			*	*	*

	Locke Cole looked up at the darkened skies.  The moon 
itself seemed to reflect his grief as he heard the Lunaris 
wolves howl in the distance.  But he didn't even feel the cold of 
the desert night, for he could still feel the raw energy of 
Ultima pressing against his skin.
	"WHY?!" he suddenly punched the wall beside the staircase, 
cracking the stone slightly.  "Why didn't you let us help?!" He 
then threw another punch, aiming for the moon, "Damn you 
Coldfire, whoever you are! Phoenix was our friend!" Once again he 
tried to hit the wall, but a larger hand stopped his fist.
	"Yes, he was our friend.  But you mustn't punish yourself 
for something that can't be changed."
	"Leave me alone, Sabin," Locke turned away from the martial 
artist, "You know very well how I feel."
	Sabin Ren� Figaro took a deep breath, "I know perfectly 
well how you feel.  The Empire took away my father, my friends, 
and even my planet.  But Edgar taught me to be strong, even 
though he was hurt by father's passing as much as I was.  It 
was the same when our world's balance was destroyed by Kefka.  
It didn't matter what we tried to do, we couldn't stop him.  But 
instead of crying for the past, we never gave up.  We tried our 
best to restore this planet and succeeded.  And it was all 
because we wanted to give hope to the people."
	Locke was still not listening.  The rugged youth tried a 
different approach, "Now Phoenix has died.  You blame yourself 
for not being there to help him, but that is not true.  Setzer 
told me the whole story, and from what I made out you did help 
Phoenix.  He knew the risks of fighting that demon, and that's 
why he didn't want you to take those risks.  Instead, you helped 
him by saving his friends after he used Ultima.  I can't imagine 
a greater way to honor such sacrifice than by fulfilling his 
wish.  So stop your whining.  Phoenix must have taught you to be 
brave, or have you forgotten Rachel? I'm not saying that you 
ignore his death and everything, just that you show how much 
you appreciated him by enduring this.  Show him you can be as 
strong as him.  Make him proud of you.  That is the best way to 
honor his memory."
	Locke finally turned back to Sabin.  He could hardly 
recognize his fellow Returner.  Even though he still looked the 
same --muscle-bound, brush-haired, wearing a dark tank top and 
white trousers-- his demeanor was totally different.  Locke 
could easily see how much Sabin was affected by Phoenix' death, 
yet another casualty to be endured by the hardened martial 
artist.  "Thanks, Sabin.  But I still think I could have done 
something to help.  We defeated Kefka, for crying out loud! We 
could have handled a two-bit demon with little effort!"
	"That two-bit demon cost the life of more than one Esper, 
you know," a voice came from the penumbra in a corner of the 
tower.  Slowly, a man dressed entirely in black stepped out.  Two 
gleaming katanas rested by his sides.
	"What do you mean, Shadow?"
	The ninja took off his mask, revealing a brown-haired man 
with a stern demeanor.  His face had no feelings, though his 
eyes showed a sorrow almost equal to Locke's.  "I mean that the 
demon fought by Phoenix was an Esper.  And that Esper was none 
other than the one used by Emperor Gestahl to create the first 
Magitek Knight."
	Locke and Sabin's eyes widened, "You mean Kefka and the 
demon were the same person?!" Shadow nodded.  "Oh God..."
	"See what I mean?" Sabin said.  "If you must be angry at 
someone because of Phoenix, then be angry at Kefka...  again."
	Locke turned back towards the stars, "But still...  I wish 
there was something I could do..."
	Shadow put his mask back on, "Maybe there _is_ something, 
thief."
	Locke snapped back like a cobra, "I'm NOT a thief! I'm a 
treasure hunter!"
	Shadow smirked, "Very well, treasure hunter.  Another Esper 
talked to me a few minutes ago, and I think we've found the 
perfect treasure for you to hunt..."

			*	*	*

	"How is she?" Ranma-kun asked as he came back into the 
room.  Akane and Ukyou, despite their own feelings, were trying 
to comfort Ranma-chan.  In her hands she held a small vase, 
where the ashes of the Phoenix Magicite were contained.
	Akane stood up and came to Ranma-kun, "Not very well," she 
whispered.  "This hit her harder than we thought.  I didn't know 
they were such close friends."
	Ranma sat on the bed, next to his sister, "I'm sorry," he 
said, putting an arm around her shoulders.  She immediately clung 
to him, still clutching the vase in her hands.  Ranma looked up 
at Akane when he realized the redhead was crying.
	"I've never seen her like this," Akane whispered.
	"Well, he had been her friend for over 15 hundred years..." 
Ukyou said, "and he saved her life lots of times."
	Akane thought back to the time when her mother passed 
away.  She was too young at the time to realize what was going 
on, but she knew what Ranma-chan was going through.  The poor 
girl had been in shock until her brother arrived, there was no 
telling how she really felt.
	"We'll be next door if you need us, Ranchan," Ukyou said.
	"I'm really sorry, Ranma," Akane hugged her and came out of 
the room, following Ukyou.
	Both Ranmas remained silent for a few minutes, while 
Ranma-chan relieved her chest.  She held the vase so tightly it 
seemed it would break in her hands.  Finally, Ranma spoke, "I 
know how you feel, sis.  Remember how we felt when Mom took us 
to the park.  But as hard as this may be, you gotta let go." He 
looked straight in her eyes, "Right now, I'm sure Phaeron is 
watching you, just like he watched us while we were the same.  
Do you want your best friend to see you cry?" she stopped her 
sobbing for an instant, "Now, Pop may be an idiot but he still 
taught us to be strong.  So calm down.  I miss my sister, the 
tomboy," she smiled weakly.  "Atta girl," he smiled back, "Try to 
get some sleep.  We still gotta figure out how to go back home." 
She slowly let go of him and idly let him take her clothes off, 
but never let go of the vase.  Once she was in her tank top and 
boxers, he tucked her in bed and hugged her.
	"T-thank you, oniisan," she said.
	"No problem, sis," he said as he got in the next bed.  After 
a while, seeing her brother was fast asleep, she put the vase 
on the nightstand next to her.
	"Good-bye, Phaeron-kun," she said, before falling asleep.

			*	*	*

	It was past midnight.  The entire castle was silent.  Even 
the wolves outside had returned to their dens.  
	Suddenly six fast silhouettes ran past the gates, silent 
like prowling cats.  They all wore black robes and masks, but the 
armor beneath could be easily discerned.  Surprisingly, there 
wasn't a single guard in the courtyard who could notice their 
presence.  Once they reached the interior, the group split.  
Hidden in the shadows, one of the intruders threw off the robes 
and flew upwards.  Two others headed for one of the rooms while 
the rest remained hidden in the hallway.
	The Rebirth had commenced.

	Ranma-chan slowly opened her eyes.  She thought she had 
heard something, but she wasn't sure what.  Without getting up, 
she scanned the room with her eyes.  Nope, everything was in 
order.  Shrugging, she put a hand on the vase, and went back to 
sleep.
	That was close, the masked figure thought.  Taking a deep 
breath, it loosened another screw in the air vent above Ranma-
chan's bed.  Being as careful as humanly possible, it removed the 
grating and silently leapt down to the floor, kneeling as soon as 
it landed.  A second figure landed next to the first, making only 
a low noise as its feet scuffed the stone floor.  Both of them 
slowly circled Ranma-chan's bed, careful enough not to awake the 
siblings.  Then the first figure headed for the door, waiting as 
the second reached for the vase with the ashes.  Any moment 
now...  Just a little farther...
	"What the hell are you doing?" Ranma-kun asked, suddenly 
holding the figure's arm in an iron grip.
	"Huh? Oniisan...?" Ranma-chan sat up, rubbing her eyes.  
Before she could notice the thief, the figure by the door darted 
a quartet of throwing stars which embedded in the wall, 
surprising both Saotomes.  Making use of the distraction, the 
thief quickly took the vase and ran out of the room before any 
of the Ranmas could stop him.  
	"Hey!" Ranma-chan was out of bed and chasing the dark 
figures in a flash, quickly followed by her brother.
	"What's all the racket?" Ukyou came out of the room next 
door.  She and Akane dashed after both Ranmas as soon as they 
saw them.  Soon the entire Nerima crew was chasing after the 
thieves.
	"Get back here!" Ranma yelled.
	The figure who had thrown the shuriken called, "Your cue, 
'Mr.  Thou'!" Suddenly another masked man appeared in front of 
Kuno.  It was a heavyset man, wearing a dark blue samurai armor 
and brandishing a bokuto.
	"So, finally an adversary proper of the great Blue 
Thunder!" Kuno said, whipping out his own wooden sword.
	"And thou seem a worthy opponent for my blade!" the 
samurai said, rushing forward to atack.
	"Bring back friend!" Shampoo threw one of her bonbori at 
the thieves.  Ukyou and Kodachi sent a barrage of spatulas and 
pins as well.  "Stop, you thieves!" Ukyou yelled.
	"Esper Girl, your turn!" the leader called again.
	The wall next to the three girls caved in, cutting them off.  
Then a humanoid creature with bright pink fur and ankle-length 
hair floated out of the opening.  "Who you?" Shampoo backed to a 
fighting stance.  The female Esper hissed and dashed towards 
them.
	"Looks like they want to set us apart!" Ryouga said.
	"Well I'm not going to fall for it!" Mousse answered.
	"Your turn, thief," the leader said to his partner.  He 
fumed and blew a smoke bomb, standing still as the remainder of 
the Japanese teenagers ran past him.  Without warning, he 
captured Mousse.
	"Let me go, you thief!" Ignoring his struggling, the thief 
searched Mousse's robes and took out a veritable arsenal.  "Get 
OFF me, I said!" Mousse threw his opponent away and attacked 
with a spiked ball.  "What, you _still_ have weapons?!" the thief 
asked, astounded.
	The chase moved out to the courtyard.  Two more masked 
figures joined the leader, who still held the vase.  But it was 
pointless, Ranma-chan thought.  They were too fast, they'd never 
catch up with them.  And they were stealing the only thing left 
of her best friend.  She already felt bad, this only made it 
worse.  Actually, it was _depressing_...
	"Oniisan! Ryouga! Do the Shishihokodan!"
	She didn't need to say it twice, already the trio was 
covered by a green aura.  The stone beneath their feet cracked 
under the pressure.  One of the figures took out her 
broadsword.
	"Uh-oh," the leader saw the intense ki irradiated by the 
fighters.  "Ready, RunicBlade?" The figure next to him nodded and 
held the sword with both hands.  
	"Now! Shishi-hoko-dan!"
	"Yow!" the figure staggered at the sight of three immense 
pillars of light shooting upwards, then fusing into a single 
gigantic shot that was about to crush them into pancakes.  "Hope 
I can take this," she thought, then stopped running and aimed her 
sword upwards at the energy ball, "RUNIC!"
	Ryouga was completely drained of energy, but both Ranmas 
and Akane gasped.  The biggest Roaring Lion Bullet they had ever 
seen fizzled, and then its energy was sucked into a sword held 
by one of the interlopers.
	"Ryouga-kun!" Akane kneeled next to his friend, worried.  
The siblings still continued to give chase.  Seeing this, the 
leader sent the last of his partners to hold them back.
	"Stall them, Fighter!"
	"Right!" the martial artist ran back to the pair and shot 
towards them with a dashing punch.  Ranma-chan leapt over him 
and continued, but before her brother could follow the warrior 
smashed into him, shouting something like "Tiger Break!"
	The leader smirked, "Heh.  All down and she's no match.  
Gambler, GO!"
	On cue, the leader jumped down to the desert sands and 
landed on the back of a large yellow bird, like an ostrich.  Yet 
another masked man rode alongside him.  "Time to get the guys 
back together!" Gambler said, bringing his hands upwards, "Flare!" 
A large blazing ball exploded just outside the castle.

	"Thou art certainly strong, but I'm afraid I must leave," 
the samurai disappeared in front of Kuno.
	Ukyou swung her spatula to hit the Esper, but missed and 
hit the wall, causing it to give out in a cloud of dust.  When 
the dust settled, the Esper was gone.
	"Give me back my weapons!" Mousse had nearly ensnared the 
thief with a few dozen miles of chains before the opponent 
shouted, "Warp!" and vanished.
	"Come on," the fighter and the swordswoman regained their 
strength and leapt down to the desert.
	"GET BACK HERE!" Ranma-chan shouted as she saw the seven 
riders fleeing.  She was about to fire another Roaring Lion 
Bullet when her brother put a hand on her shoulder.  
	"Let him go."
	"Oniisan...!"
	"They're gone, Ranma," Akane said.
	"What's going on?" Edgar came out to the courtyard, still 
groggy.  When he saw the thieves ride away, he suddenly shouted, 
"Chamberlain! Figaro must be protected!"
	"I don't care! I'm going after--" before Ranma-chan could 
finish, the entire castle shook as the Figaro Submerge Mode was 
activated.  The towers were pulled closer to the castle and the 
courtyard was covered by a metallic overhead.  In a few 
seconds, Figaro Castle was completely buried beneath the sand.
	"Let me out! I have to catch them!" Ranma-chan pounded her 
fists against the walls.  Seeing it was useless, she just punched 
the wall and  leaned against it.
	"I'm sorry, but desert thieves are very dangerous," Edgar 
said.  "I'm afraid I can't let any of you chase them, otherwise 
you might never come back."
	"But who were they?" Akane asked.
	"Probably fanatics," Edgar said, "If the demon you fought 
was the same as Kefka, then the members of the Cult think they 
can revive their master by using Phoenix' ashes.  Anyway, it's 
best if you stay here.  We'll take care of those jackals."
	Akane looked at the insulated gates, shut tight to keep 
the sand out of the castle.  "Then Phaeron is really gone now..."


For the sake of a friend

	The leader rode his Chocobo bird through the desert.  One 
by one, his partners joined him.  Once the castle was out of 
sight, the entire troop cheered.
	"Finally!" Locke said, taking off his mask.
	"Those guys really pack a punch," Sabin said.
	"I never realized I missed my Esper side so much!" Terra 
sighed in relief.
	"Whoa...  Where am I...?" Celes was still wobbly after 
absorbing the energy from the Roaring Lion Bullet.
	"I have to say, I regret cutting my duel short," Cyan 
Garamonde, former retainer and new king of Doma, said.  "The lad 
I fought could have become a mighty knight had I remained to be 
his teacher."
	"Don't worry, 'Mr.  Thou'," Sabin teased, "From what I hear, 
he's already as conceited as you."
	"Thou shan't mock me further, knave!" Cyan unsheathed his 
katana.
	"Calm down, you guys," Locke said.  "We still gotta get to 
Thamasa.  Shadow, how're you doing?"
	Shadow smirked, "For once, your skills as a burglar payed 
off."
	"For the last time...  I'm not a thief! I'm a TREASURE 
HUNTER! TREASURE HUNTER!!"
	"...Even though you hunt for treasure in other people's 
pockets," Sabin added.
	Locke fumed, "Well, I'm not the one who almost ruined the 
plan." He turned to Shadow, "What's with you, anyway? I thought 
ninjas were supposed to be masters of stealth."
	"Everyone can make mistakes, thief," Shadow said, 
nonplussed.
	Suddenly a female voice came to them, followed by a wide 
beam of pure white, "Please, don't argue, gentlemen.  You've all 
done an extraordinary job."
	Everyone but Shadow was awestruck, "S-Seraphim..."
	Shadow took off his mask, "My pleasure, Seraphim.  After 
all, Phoenix saved me from dying when the Tower of Kefka 
collapsed."
	The angel girl fully materialized and flew alongside the 
riders, "Now, all that remains is to go towards Thamasa..."
	"But I don't understand," Celes said, "If we're going to 
resurrect Phoenix, why didn't we just ask them for his ashes? 
Why did we have to steal and fight?"
	"Didn't you see them?" Terra said.  "If we asked them to 
hand him over, they'd probably have ignored us, even if we tried 
to explain what we're trying to do.  Phoenix' death really hit 
them hard."
	"You don't know how hard, sister Terra," Seraphim said.  
"Anyway, what's done is done."
	"Ah, there she is," Setzer said, pointing forward.  "I knew 
we'd need the Falcon for this."
	Seraphim smiled, her eyes showing a dreamy look, "Let us 
go, then, to Thamasa."
	"It's been a while since we last saw Strago and Relm," 
Locke said.
	"Yes...  Relm..." Shadow's thoughts drifted away.
	Seraphim turned back to the desert, to the place where 
Figaro castle used to be, "Don't worry," she thought.  "As 
promised, I'll bring back brother Phaeron, just like you wanted...  
even if it costs me my wings."

			*	*	*

	The village of Thamasa is a small, well-kept community in 
the Southernmost continent.  Its people, descendants of the 
great Mage Warriors of yore, are friendly and hospitable.  The 
architecture, like in most World of Ruin towns, has a sober 
Victorian style, tough this particular village tends to adorn the 
houses' cornices and friezes with elegant figurines of dragons 
and griffons.  But the strangest house of all is the home of one 
Strago Magus, fellow Returner and a powerful Blue Mage.  His 
granddaughter, Relm Arrowny, was also very gifted.  She was a 
skilled artist, and her paintings were always very "lively."
	A loud noise resounded just outside the village, like the 
sound of an airplane landing.  Muttering, old man Strago got out 
of bed and put on a robe, angry at being awakened so late in 
the night.  He took his staff and headed for the staircase, lit 
only by the moonlight that came through the windows.  Resting 
his weight on the staff, he slowly descended the steps one by 
one, until suddenly the lights went on and he unwillingly decided 
to go down all at once.
	"Blast it, child! Don't do that!" he said, rubbing his head.
	"What are you doing, falling down like that?" the ten-year-
old asked, "You should really act your age, Gramps."
	"You really need to learn respect, you--" he was 
interrupted by a knock on the door.
	"Let's see who that is, okay, Interceptor?" Relm petted the 
large Doberman that sat beside her, who happily licked her hand.  
Strago got to his feet and muttered something before opening 
the door.
	Relm's eyes widened, "You're back!" she said she leapt into 
Shadow's arms.  Interceptor also threw himself at his master.
	"Whoa! Calm down, child!" Shadow showed a warm smile.
	"I took care of Interceptor for you," Relm said.
	"I know, and I'm proud of you.  But right now we need you 
to do some sketches, okay?"
	"'We'?" Strago turned back to the door and saw his old 
friends were there as well.  "A-an Esper?!" he stammered at the 
sight of Seraphim.
	"Hello, brother Strago.  We are sorry for intruding, but 
this is an emergency."
	"That's right," Locke said, "But first, there's some 
explaining to do..."

	A female figure moved among the trees, silent as an elf 
and graceful like an antelope.  She was clad in ebony robes from 
head to foot, yet her lavish red hair flowed freely in the wind.  
At first glance, she would resemble a ninja, with the standard 
dark uniform.  Her sleeves were tucked into shining gold armlets, 
letting her hands free, while the legs of her uniform were also 
contained by gold anklets.  A strange, loose belt around her 
waist, and a gold plate on the forehead of her mask, completed 
the picture of the single most powerful Esper to ever walk on 
the World of Ruin.
	A great battle had just happened, or so she heard.  It 
must have been, for she felt the power of Ultima and Merton in 
the air.  But that wasn't the reason why she had come.  No, she 
had come because she knew Phaeron was here.
	Supposedly, he had been brought to this little town, but 
she hadn't yet found him.  Still, it wouldn't hurt to eavesdrop on 
Strago Magus, and see what was going on...

	They were upstairs, in Relm's room.  She was gathering her 
paint and brushes while the grown-ups continued talking to each 
other.  How boring, she thought.  They only had to ask her to do 
that painting, but nooo...  they _had_ to give a lengthy 
explanation.  She did like the part about somebody from another 
world, coming to save an Esper...
	The figure outside shook in anger...  Phaeron was DEAD?! 
And it was because of a little wench?!
	"So that's it..." Celes said.  "You didn't explain this to us 
before, Seraphim."
	"Did I really need to? You saw yourself how bad that poor 
girl felt.  If I had let this continue like it was, she would have 
killed herself, sooner or later."
	Good, the girl outside thought.  It would be better for 
that insolent wench to die before _she_ found her.
	"Well, I would have never imagined we would be part of the 
plans made 'up there'," Locke said, pointing upwards.  "But there's 
something that bothers me, though.  I mean, we already have 
Phoenix' ashes, why not just burn them? Isn't that what the 
legend of the Phoenix says we should do?"
	Seraphim shook her head, "We _don't_ have his ashes, 
brother Locke.  What we have are the ashes of a Magicite rock.  
If we were to burn them, we would only recover brother 
Phaeron's essence.  He would have neither body nor spirit.  
However, we can use sister Relm's ability to make living 
paintings for our end.  If she mixes the ashes with the paint, 
then makes a painting of him, she can give him a body.  Then all 
that we would need is for me to give brother Phaeron's soul to 
that painting and...  voil�!"
	"But are you sure about this?" Celes asked.  "Remember 
that Relm has tried to make sketches of Phoenix in the past but 
they never came to life."
	"That's because of the legend of the Phoenix itself," Strago 
said.  "According to myth, there can only be one bird of Phoenix.  
If she wanted to sketch him, the drawing would never leave the 
paper.  But now, since he is no longer alive, she can paint him 
and the painting would come to life.  Then, by using the ashes 
of the original Phoenix, we would recover the real one.  And as 
Seraphim said, the only thing left would be his soul."
	"I'm ready," Relm said, already wearing her beret and holding 
her paintbrush.
	"Did you mix the ashes we gave you?" Seraphim asked.
	"Uh-huh, and I got some on my brushes too."
	"Well, let's get this started, then."
	The girl outside climbed a nearby tree and sat on the 
lowest branch.  She wouldn't move until Phaeron was alive again.
	Relm sat down before her canvas, "I only saw him when he 
was a bird.  I need you to describe him as a guy."
	"I'll help you," Seraphim smiled.  "Don't worry, this will be 
your best work yet."
	"Oo-kay," Relm put paintbrush to canvas.
	"This shall take quite a while," the girl outside thought.

	Actually, it took two weeks.  For some reason, Seraphim 
vanished after the first week, only to return a few hours later.  
Relm was truly putting a great deal of effort in this painting.  
In it, she painted Phaeron both as a human and a bird, the 
latter side of him soaring in the background while the human 
side stood in the center, dressed in his usual orange gi and in 
a fighting stance.  She was careful enough not to paint the eyes 
of either until Seraphim told her to.
	Finally, the painting was nearly finished.  All that remained 
were the eyes.  But Seraphim was nowhere near.
	"So, where is she?" Locke asked, impatient.
	"Yes, where is the little wench?" the girl outside wondered.  
She never did like Seraphim, but this time she actually needed 
her to be here.
	"Quiet, you'll wake Relm," Celes shushed Locke.  The ten-
year-old was sleeping soundly on her lap, finally receiving her 
much-needed rest.  She turned to Shadow, "She's a little angel 
when she sleeps."
	Shadow smiled, "As innocent as her mother.  Sometimes I 
think she could give Seraphim a run for her money."
	"She could, yes.  But all little children are like that," 
Seraphim said as she descended upon the room.
	"Where were you, anyway?" Locke asked.  "She's almost 
done!"
	"Just giving a lift to one of brother Phaeron's friends..." 
Seraphim said.  "But I see poor sister Relm has really outdone 
herself this time," she examined the painting, "I think we should 
wait until she wakes up.  After all, she needs to rest."
	Humans.  They are so weak, the girl thought.

			*	*	*

	Ranma came back to the Tendo Dojo.  It was already dark, 
and his sister had just left with Seraphim less than hour ago.  
He couldn't wait to see the look in Akane's face when he told 
her what his sister had done.  But...  Sheesh! What the heck was 
she thinking?! That idiot Kuno was already a nuisance, he would 
be even worse after this.  And then there was that _other_ 
business, when Seraphim picked her up...  One thing was certain: 
his sister really knew how to keep a secret.
	"Welcome back, Ranma-kun," Kasumi greeted when she saw him.
	"Hi, Kasumi.  Where's Akane?"
	"She's upstairs, I think.  "
	"Thanks," he went upstairs, heading for Akane's room, but 
she was out in the balcony, silently looking up at the stars.  
"Yo, Akane."
	She turned around, "Hm? Oh, Ranma." Her gaze returned to 
the dark curtain of the sky.  Finding her behavior strange, he 
walked over to her.  "Did she leave?" she asked, still looking at 
the stars.
	"Yep.  It's gonna be weird around here."
	"You know, Ranma, I'be been thinking..."
	"That's a new one."
	She ignored him, "...remember the time when we were going to 
China, in Herb's boat, and she came over to talk to me?"
	"Remember? We were both conscious at the time.  She made 
sure I didn't forget any of it."
	"Well, do you remember what she said about...  leaving?"
	"Let's see...  she said she was sorry and that she would 
get out of...  our...  life..." his voice drifted away as realization 
hit.  "Oh, great.  I knew there was something funny going on."
	"Do you think she meant it?"
	He sighed, "I hope not.  Besides, it's not like her.  After 
all, we finally saw Mom again, nobody's cursed, and we're getting 
along.  Maybe she just wants to be away for a while."
	"But still..." Akane finally turned to him, "Do you think this 
has something to do with...  you know...  with Phaeron-kun dying?"
	"I dunno.  Maybe she just wants to see her twin again."
	Akane smiled a little, "Yeah, you're right.  I guess I'm just 
being paranoid.  I mean, I've hit you hundreds of times and 
you're still here." He didn't notice she was holding his hand, "But 
this _is_ the first time one of our friends dies.  Why, a few 
minutes ago I even thought I heard his voice."
	"Yeah, you and everyone else in the city," he thought, 
recalling what happened mere instants after his sister left.  
"You know..." he said to Akane, "this has made me start thinking 
about a lot of things too."
	"I find that hard to believe," Akane giggled.
	"No, no.  I'm serious."
	"You hardly ever are."
	"C'mon, cut it out.  I--"
	"But I can't cut it out.  It'll grow back anyway."
	"Will you let me talk?" Akane stopped giggling.  "I mean, you 
saw what happened to me when she was about to die.  I've been 
thinking a lot these past few days, about what would it be like 
if...  if something like that happened to you."
	Akane looked up at him, surprised.  "Ranma..."
	"I can't hide this anymore," he thought, "Heck, my own 
sister knows exactly what I feel for Akane, because we used to 
be the same person." He turned to Akane, trying to force the 
words out and actually finding it easy to say them, "A-Akane-
chan, if you would have died, I'd...  I'd..."
	<CLICK>
	Ranma and Akane immediately turned to the door, where 
Genma and Soun were busy trying to change the battery of the 
camcorder.
	"Way to go, Ranma-kun," Nabiki said, sulky, as she payed 
Kasumi.  "You just cost me a thousand yen."
	"You should really be ashamed of yourselves," Nodoka 
loomed over Genma and Soun, "Spying on them _and_ recording a 
private conversation.  You should commit seppuku right here and 
now."
	"Oh no, they won't need to..." Ranma also loomed over his 
father before Nodoka turned Genma into the second Saotome to 
orbit the Earth.  Ranma quickly chased after his free-falling 
father.
	Akane didn't notice any of this.  Her heart still beat 
rapidly, her face was still blushing.  "'Akane-chan'? Ranma..." she 
turned down to see him run out of the house, "You...  you really 
feel that way..." a sudden smile of joy appeared on her face, and 
she heard him yell to his father.
	"...tapes of me and that _uncute TOMBOY_!!" he continued.
	"Then again..." Akane's smile flustered.

			*	*	*

	"All set," Relm said, cracking her knuckles.
	"Very well," Seraphim sat down next to her, then turned to 
the people around them, "Now, when the picture comes back to 
life, I'll need all of you to cast a sleeping spell on him, just as 
a precautionary measure," everyone got ready, "Okay, sister 
Relm, I'll describe brother Phaeron's eyes..."
	Relm began getting a dreamy look in her eyes as Seraphim 
continued her description.  When the angel girl finished, Relm 
swallowed hard and resumed her painting.
	"This is it..." the girl outside crossed her fingers.
	"I'm done!" Relm exclaimed, and stepped back.
	"Get ready..." Seraphim said.
	A powerful aura of light began to surround the painting.  
[Insert Terminator 2-type special FX here] Then, very slowly, a 
hand rose from the canvas.  And another.  Both hands grabbed 
hold of the edges of the painting.  The Phoenix bird in the 
background fused with Phaeron's human side.  Then, with a 
tremendous effort, the figure in the painting pulled itself out 
of the canvas.
	"Now!" On Seraphim's call, they all cast the Sleep spell on 
him, immediately knocking him out.  She quickly kneeled by him, 
putting her right hand on his forehead and her left on his 
chest.
	"You better do this right, Seraphim..." the girl thought.
	"...for the life of Lael Phaeron..." Seraphim prayed, "...give 
me the strength to bring back his soul, and resurrect his spirit! 
Cordis Fortitudo, help me restore my noble brother!" There was a 
flash of light so powerful even the Esper girl outside the house 
had to look away.  
	When the light vanished, all was still.  Only a few golden 
glimmers surrounded Seraphim and Phaeron.  Slowly, she bent down 
and kissed his forehead.
	And Phaeron of Fenix came back to life.

	"...Chance..." he mumbled, still not fully awake, "...another-- 
huh?" He opened his eyes to find himself in the house of Strago.  
He shot up like a bullet, "Where am I?!" He suddenly saw the 
angel beside him, "Seraphim! I'm...  I'm...!" he said excitedly, 
running his hands over his body.
	"Yes, brother Phaeron.  You're alive," she showed him the 
warmest smile she had ever let anyone see.
	He looked all around him, "Locke! Celes! Sabin! You're all 
here!" his excited smile suddenly turned  into a worried look 
when he remembered something, "Seraphim, where is she?! Is she 
alright?!"
	"'She'?" the girl thought, cocking an eyebrow.
	"Calm down, brother Phaeron.  She's fine.  I brought her 
back too, but right now she doesn't remember anything about what 
happened in the Gates.  Don't worry.  But you need to rest."
	He got to his feet with the speed of an arrow, "Rest? How 
can I? I gotta get back before Ranma-chan kills herself!"
	"'Ranma-chan'?!?!" the girl outside fumed in a way that could 
put the Vesuvius to shame.
	"Whoa! Brother Phaeron, listen to me! I brought both of you 
back three years before that happened! To everyone here you've 
been dead for only two weeks!"
	"T-two weeks?" Phaeron slowly cooled off.
	"That's right.  You have plenty of time to go and see 
sister Ranma again.  Right now you must be tired."
	Phaeron smiled, "Oh, alright.  Guess I need to show a little 
gratitude to you guys anyway!" he turned to the Returners.

	"So, that is the name of the little wench who caused his 
death, eh?" the girl thought, coming down the tree and silently 
leaving the town.  "Now I remember that name...  from the images 
Seraphim showed to him while we were in our own world..."
	The girl spread her arms, causing a rift in space.  As she 
stepped through the portal, she laughed in the way only B-ko  
and Kodachi could cackle.  Her deep black eyes turned blazing 
red.  She had business to conduct.  Business with a certain 
Ranma Saotome.
	And the Esper vanished into the void.


Phoenix Reborn

	"It's too bad you gotta go back so soon," Yuannyan said, 
hugging her sister.  "You barely stayed here one day!"
	Yuannyan, Ranma-chan and Herb were at the gates of the 
palace.  Seraphim waited by Ranma-chan's side, still giggling at 
Herb's reaction from when he met her.
	"Yeah, too bad," Ranma-chan said, "but Seraphim-chan told 
me there's something very important back at the dojo.  Who 
knows? Maybe Akane finally killed oniisan," she smirked.
	"Okay.  Maybe we'll go visit one of these days," Yuannyan 
tightened her hug, then released her twin sister.
	"I-It's time she gets going..." Herb stammered, his gaze still 
fixed on the angel.
	Ranma-chan hoisted her pack, "Well, see ya soon, Yuan-
chan." She began heading away from the gates, Seraphim following 
her.
	"Wait! Seraphim-chan!" Yuannyan called.
	"Hm?" the angel stopped then came back a few steps.  
Ranma-chan turned around.
	"Seraphim-chan..." Yuannyan whispered, "Have you told her 
'bout...  you-know-who?"
	Seraphim smiled, "Don't worry.  I'm sure you will both see 
'her' soon." She briefly turned to Ranma-chan, making sure she 
was out of earshot, "I have a feeling 'she' will show up soon to 
see both of you again."
	"Uh...  right!" Yuannyan winked.  "Bye Zhaodi-chan! Bye 
Seraphim-chan!" she waved as the angel hoisted Ranma-chan by 
the shoulders and started flying away.
	"Why'd we have to leave so soon, anyway?" Ranma-chan 
asked.
	Seraphim smiled, "You'll find out..."

			*	*	*

	"So, what is it?" Ranma-chan asked, seeing they were now 
flying over the outskirts of Nerima ward.  It was Sunday 
afternoon.
	"All in due time, sister Ranma."
	"You've been saying that for the last two hours.  C'mon, 
tell me."
	"Well..."
	"Oh, forget it," Ranma-chan said, sulky.  Suddenly she heard 
the sound of a large bird of prey, shrieking behind them, "Eh? 
Yow!" A blazing white fireball passed them by, causing a slight 
vacuum in the vicinity.  "What the heck was that?!"
	The fireball slowed down slightly, revealing the shape of a 
large white phoenix.  A large grin was on the face of Crystallus 
as he shot towards the Tendo dojo.  "Brother Crystallus, you 
already know..." Seraphim smiled softly.
	Still wobbly after the surprise, Ranma-chan said, "Okay, you 
can put me down now.  I can walk from here." The angel floated 
slowly to the ground, setting Ranma-chan in the middle of the 
street.  She landed next to her.
	"Hmm..." Seraphim looked around, "I better change before 
anyone sees me." She arched her back forward, closing her eyes.  
Slowly, her four wings started to fade back into her body.  Her 
halo became smaller and smaller, until it was only a faint golden 
glow around her head.  The gown transformed into a white blouse 
and skirt, while a pair of white shoes covered her feet.  "Okay, 
now I look like a normal girl," she said, tying her long blond hair 
into a ponytail.  She didn't notice the broad ring of light that 
surrounded her.
	"Ready to tell me n--" Ranma-chan was covered by a part 
of the ring and immediately put her hands to the sides of her 
head.  Her eyes were blank for an instant.
	"Sister Ranma?" Seraphim put a hand on the girl's shoulder, 
worried.  The ring disappeared.
	"I...  No..." Without warning the effect of the light vanished 
and Ranma-chan dropped to her knees, looking exhausted.
	"Are you alright?"
	"S-Seraphim-chan..." Ranma looked up, her face filled with 
worry, "Why didn't you tell me...?" Her voice was barely above a 
whisper.
	Realization hit Seraphim like an announcement of new taxes.  
Her transformation...  It must have somehow given Ranma-chan the 
memory of using the Caller...  and dying! She was supposed to 
remember all of what happened at the Gates, but not so soon!
	"I'm sorry, sister Ranma," Seraphim hugged the smaller girl, 
"I didn't think you were ready."
	"B-but..." Ranma-chan's eyes widened tremendously, "I 
remember who...  I...  Cordis..." Her face turned from worry to 
utter surprise and confusion.  Seraphim let go of her as the 
redhead looked down at her hands, which were now trembling 
slightly.
	Seraphim swallowed hard, "Are...  are you sure about that?"
	Ranma looked Eastward, "Yuan-chan...  You didn't tell me 
either..." she smiled, "You should have told me..."
	The angel looked at her sternly, "Sister Ranma, do you 
remember about brother Phaeron?" Ranma-chan turned to her 
slowly, a what-are-you-talking-about look in her face.  "She 
must have recalled only a few things about the Gates," Seraphim 
thought.  "It should all come back to her in a few hours, but 
right now it looks like she doesn't remember anything about him."
She said to Ranma, "Never mind.  Can you stand up? We have to 
get you home."
	Ranma-chan nodded slowly, still trying to figure out the 
flood of memories that were coming to her head.  She remembered 
turning nineteen...  Her brother and Akane getting along...   It 
was all so confusing!
	"Seraphim-chan..." she said quietly, "You brought me back, 
didn't you?"
	The angel nodded, "I did, sister.  It seems you have cleared 
your thoughts now."
	"But there's something I can't remember...  something about 
Phaeron-kun..."
	Seraphim smiled tenderly, "Don't worry.  You'll find out 
quite soon.  But you...  It must be strange for you being fifteen 
again."
	Ranma-chan nodded, "B-but I'm already nineteen...  And..." a 
smile appeared on her face, "Mom! Oniisan!" she began running 
towards the dojo.
	"Looks like she's back to normal," Seraphim smiled.  "The 
same old sister Ranma, only with a couple new memories." Not 
used to running, she staggered a little before going after 
Ranma-chan.
	They were just outside the gates when an all-too-familiar 
battle cry made itself present for the 513th time, "Ranma, 
prepare to d--" Ryouga suddenly landed harmlessly on the ground 
in front of a surprised Ranma-chan.
	"What's the matter with you?" she asked, blinking.
	"I was about to challenge you, but..." he scratched his head.  
"Okay, there are two Ranmas.  You..." he pointed at Ranma-chan, 
"...don't stand between me and Akane-san anymore..." he made some 
figures in the air with his fingers as he tried to figure things 
out, "...but you _did_ kick me into the spring...  but I don't turn 
into P-chan anymore...  but _you're_ always tricking me with your 
stupid disguises...  but you tried to save my life once...  but 
I've saved _your_ life a couple of times...  then again..."
	"Okay whatever," she pushed him down the road.  He 
continued talking to himself, as he walked away from the dojo 
without even noticing.
	"Wasn't that a little cruel?" Seraphim giggled.
	"Nah.  By the time that idiot figures things out he'll be in 
Seattle or somewhere else.  It's fun to tease him sometimes, you 
should really try it." She giggled and went through the gates, 
Seraphim coming in after her.
	"...I'll be back in a few minutes," Nodoka said, as she 
stepped out the door.
	Ranma-chan's smile returned while she threw off her 
backpack and ran towards her, "Mom!"
	"Hm? Oh, Ranma-chan!" Nodoka ws surprised to find her 
daughter was hugging her tightly.
	"Auntie Saotome? Who's there?" Akane called from inside the 
house.  When she too came out, Ranma-chan gave her the same 
greeting she gave her mother.  "What...? R-Ranma?" for some 
reason, her voice was still a little shaky, something Ranma-chan 
was quick to notice.
	"Akane? Why're you crying? Did oniisan do something?"
	"Hm? Oh, no! Nothing at all!" Akane wiped her face, a warm 
smile appearing on her face.  "H-hurry up! Come on in!"
	"Yo, Akane, where'd you run off to?" Ranma-kun also came 
out.  He too, like Akane, was smiling.  "Hey, sis!"
	"Oniisan!" she hugged him as well, not realizing all three of 
them were apparently happy about something.
	"Sis, you gotta see this..." Ranma-kun said, leading her to 
the house while Akane and Nodoka welcomed Seraphim.
	"This...  you did this, didn't you?" Akane asked, not able to 
take the smile off her face.  Seraphim just smiled back.
	"...you're not gonna believe this..." Ranma continued.  "Well, 
here you go!" he gave her a slight push to boost her into the 
living room.  When she looked forward, she immediately felt her 
eyes begin to flood.
	There he was, just like she remembered, in his usual 
Rocketeer-like jacket and trousers, flashing the smile he always 
gave her.  A smile she thought she would never see again.
	"Hello, Ranma-chan.  Did you miss me?"

	Before he knew it, Phaeron was already being hugged very 
tight by Ranma-chan, who virtually tried to bury her smiling face 
in his chest.  Tears streamed down her cheeks.  Every second 
she stayed in that position felt like an eternity.  He felt 
Phaeron hesitate for a second before he returned the hug, which 
only made her tighten her grip.  He felt his ribs close to 
breaking, but for once he didn't care.
	"Phaeron-kun..." she said softly.
	She stayed like that for about a minute, while Akane and 
Nodoka just smiled at the redhead, tears coming from their eyes 
as well.  Seraphim showed a smile of both happiness and 
satisfaction.  Ranma-kun just snickered amusedly at his sister's 
reaction.
	"Easy, Ranma-chan," Phaeron said, "You look like you haven't 
seen me in...  in _three_ years..." he smirked.  In front of him, 
Seraphim was waving and motioning for him to keep quiet.  "Why, 
I'd say you were _dying_ to see me!" he winked at Seraphim.  She 
smacked her forehead.
	Ranma-chan suddenly opened her eyes, "T-three years...?" 
She looked up at him with a gaze that could melt the Arctic 
glaciers, "Three YEARS?!" Phaeron swallowed hard.
	"What's she doing?" Akane felt impending doom for Phaeron.
	She suddenly stood up, pulling him by the collar.  "Eh, 
sorry 'bout that...?" Phaeron tried to say.
	Ranma-chan's voice turned soft once again, "Phaeron no..." 
she let go of him, as he breathed a sigh of relief...  "BAKA BAKA 
BAKA BAKA BAKA BAKA BAKA BAKA BAKA!!!!!" Each yell was followed 
by a tremendous blow to his gut.
	"Ouch," Ranma gulped.
	"BAAAAAKAAAAA!" she finished with a blow from a wooden 
mallet of her own.
	"W-well...  ugh..." Phaeron grunted, falling over in pain, "nice 
to see you too..." his voice drifted away as he lost 
consciousness.
	"What?! What happened?" Crystallus asked, flying back into 
the room.
	"I didn't know she wanted him to _stay_ dead," Akane said.
	"Ranma-chan..." Nodoka looked as her daughter buried her 
head in the unconscious Phaeron's chest, relieving the sorrow 
she had contained for so long.
	"Um, what happened here?" Crystallus looked nervously at 
his Esper brother.
	Finally vacated of her sorrow, Ranma-chan looked up at him, 
"Crys...  Crystallus?"
	"Oh my," Kasumi came into the living room and saw the prone 
body lying on the floor.  "We better move him."
	Ranma-kun and Crystallus pulled Phaeron upstairs while 
Kasumi and Akane prepared a futon for him in one of the rooms.  
Nodoka kept Ranma-chan downstairs, "I want to talk to you," she 
said, smiling warmly at her daughter.
	 A few minutes later, they were both hovering around 
Phaeron while Seraphim, downstairs, explained to the rest how 
she brought him back.  Ranma-chan was a deep shade of red while 
Nodoka smiled at her.  
	"So that's it..." she said.  Ranma-chan nodded slowly.  She 
had already told her about what happened at the Gates, and 
something else.  "Well, I'm glad you're alright, then," Nodoka said, 
"but the next time you feel lonely, just talk to me."
	"Mom..." Ranma-chan looked up, "Seraphim-chan told me 
something...  about bringing him back..." she looked nervous for a 
moment.  "Don't worry, Ranma-chan, you can tell me," her mother 
messed up her hair.
	The redhead took a deep breath, "Well, she said she could 
only bring him back for--"
	"What a haul!" a midget old man came in through the window, 
completely oblivious to the people inside.  "Heh heh heh! Look at 
all these silky treasures!"
	Nodoka gasped, "You?!"
	Happosai looked up, "Ah! If it isn't my Ranma-chan! And..." he 
eyed Nodoka curiously, while Ranma-chan moved between to block 
his view, "Oh! I remember you!" he pointed at Nodoka, "You're 
Genma's wife! What a coincidence to have two such lovely women 
here!"
	"Get AWAY," Nodoka calmly unsheathed her katana.  "I still 
remember what you did in the past."
	"He WHAT?!" Ranma-chan stood up in surprised anger.  "What 
did you do to my Mom?!" She was already doing that blue-aura 
thing she learned from Akane.
	"Oh, I didn't do anything..." Happosai put up an innocent 
face.
	"You tried to take my son away from me as soon as he was 
born!" Nodoka pointed the sword at his nose.
	Ranma-chan shuddered in disgust, "You dirty old..."
	"But why dwell in the past..." he flashed a wicked smile, 
rummaging through his bundle of underwear.  "Right now, I'd 
rather see you...  in this!" he leapt at her with blinding speed, 
holding a bra and panties in his hands....
	...and crashed into the small crystal aura shield Phaeron 
was now holding up in his hand.  He smirked as the old pervert 
slid off the shield with a screech.
	"Why you..." Happosai rubbed his head.  "Eh? You! You're the 
one who's making those shields! Now I can have my reven--"
	"Mom! Sis! You okay?" Ranma-kun burst into the room after 
he heard Happosai's shout.  The old man blinked, then pointed at 
him, then at Ranma-chan, then at Ranma-kun again...  He clutched 
his chest, undergoing shock symptoms.  "That's right.  This is the 
first time the old goat sees us as different people," Ranma-kun 
said.
	Happosai was trembling like a fireman at a pyromaniac 
convention.  Beads of sweat rolled down his head as he blinked 
like crazy.  "T-two o-of y-you..." he stammered, "Th-that means..." 
he grinned, lust on his mind, "My Ranma-chan! Now you can come 
with m--" he was sent out of the time zone by four simultaneous 
fists.  
	"So _that's_ the old freak..." Phaeron said, sitting up.
	"We've fought him hundreds of times," Ranma-chan said, "Why 
can't he just give up?"
	Phaeron smirked, "Well, you've fought him all right.  But you 
could always do better..." he prepared for her reaction.
	"Shut up, you baka!" Ranma-chan smiled and happily sent him 
flying after Happosai.
	"Yes, I understand what you said..." Nodoka smiled warmly, 
putting a hand on her shoulder.
	Ranma-chan couldn't remove the smile from her face.  It was 
him all right.  Phaeron of Fenix.  And he was alive! Phaeron was 
_alive_!
	But for less than four months.


Back in business

	Phaeron walked down the street, still tottering to the 
sides as he shook his head.  "One thing's for sure," he said to 
himself, "that crazy girl still knows how to punch." He leaned 
against a wall, trying to get his eyes back into focus.  He 
looked forward, his blurry vision becoming clearer.  Then a 
familiar building appeared in front of him.  "Well, whaddaya 
know..."
	Yotsuya closed the door to room 3, holding a large bag of 
canned goods in his arms.  He looked around, just to be sure.  
Good, there was nobody near.  Now all he had to do was get to 
the next door and--
	"What do you think you're doing?" Phaeron popped up behind 
him.  "Those are _my_ cans, you know."
	Yotsuya didn't even flinch, "I was merely taking proper care 
of them.  They had been left misplaced for two weeks and they 
could have spoiled."
	"Yeah, right," Phaeron ripped his goods out of Yotsuya's 
arms and headed for his room.  But as he rummaged through his 
pockets, he suddenly realized he had lost the key.  "Oh great," 
he thought, "I must've lost it during the fight..." like Yotsuya, 
he looked around to check for anyone near, then tiptoed past 
room 1 and headed for the manager's room.
	"You insensitive--" Kyoko was smashing Yusaku's head with a 
phonebook when Phaeron came in, "Oh! You're back!" she stopped 
the pounding.
	"Thank God for that..." Yusaku said before collapsing.
	"Where have you been?" Kyoko asked, "You leave for two 
weeks without saying a word and now you show up just like that! 
We were becoming very worried!"
	"I, uh, I'm very sorry about that," Phaeron rubbed his head, 
"I'll tell you about it tomorrow, 'kay? But now it's getting late 
and I seem to have lost my key..."
	"All right, I'll give you a replacement," Kyoko looked in a 
drawer, "But you really have to give me a good explanation 
tomorrow after you come back, got it?" she glared at the 
teenager.
	Phaeron blinked in confusion.  "Maternal instinct.  Get used 
to it," Yusaku said before Kyoko calmly smashed his face with 
the phonebook.  Not one to spread gossip, Phaeron quietly left 
the room.  But as he passed by room one, he couldn't resist the 
temptation.  He knocked on the door, and Mrs Ichinose stepped 
out.  "Hey! We haven't heard about ya in ages!" she said.  
	"Mrs. Ichinose: Mrs.  Otonashi.  Godai.  Manager's room.  Go." 
he pointed down the hall.  The stubby woman was there in a 
flash.  "Well, that gets _her_ off my back.  Now for a good 
night's sleep..." he said as he got into his room.  He just 
dropped his canned food on the floor and closed the door, 
groggily walking towards his futon.  He kneeled in front of it, 
and dropped on top of...  the floor.  He quickly got up on his 
elbows and looked for the futon, but it just wasn't there.  He 
rushed for the light switch and turned on the lights.  His room 
was utterly vacated of furniture.
	"Mr.  Yotsuyaaaa...."

			*	*	*

	The Southern continent, in the World of Ruin.  Before the 
Cataclysm, it had been a place where technology and commerce 
thrived, due in part to the Empire.  But after Kefka destroyed 
the Balance of the Statues, this continent suffered a far worse 
fate than any other part of the world.  The earth was ripped 
open, many people died.  The debris and corpses floated eerily 
towards the center of the continent, only to form the most 
terrifying structure on the planet: the Tower.  After Kefka's 
fall, the Tower was turned to ashes along with its master.  All 
that remained of its looming presence was a large pile of 
blackened dust, with a lone reddish feather mounted on its top, 
ever-lasting warning of the great evil that once brought death 
to this doomed world.  Strangely, not even the gale winds of the 
Plains could manage to scatter these ashes, as if the magic 
power they once contained continued to protect them.  Still, the 
most versed magic-users could not sense Kefka's presence within 
then, not even Strago and Terra.  However, and to insure the 
evil would never rise from these ashes, the Returners have 
vowed to mantain a constant vigil over them.
	Even so, a day came when nobody was guarding; it wouldn't 
have made a difference, nonetheless, for what was about to 
happen couldn't be stopped by anyone.  A day when great magic 
power arrived at the world.  A day that wouldn't be easily 
forgotten by the Espers.

	A bright azure blaze came from the clouds, but it wasn't a 
shooting star.  As its descent brought it towards the Southern 
continent, a closer look would allow one to see it was a very 
special artifact.  A strange hexagonal stone, an obsidian with a 
lapislazuli embedded in its center.  Due to the unusual colors, 
one would not believe it to be a Magicite.  And yet, it was.
	The Coldfire Magicite.
	Still sizzling from Ultima's power, the Magicite crashed deep 
into the pile of ashes, burning straight through it.  Some might 
say it was the Magicite's rage, while others would argue it was 
the flames that engulfed it, but everyone will agree the Magicite 
suddenly caused the pile of ashes to be consumed in a massive 
bonfire.  The evil magic of Kefka, joined with the Rebirth of the 
Phoenix of Gray.
	Not far away, a lone rider came to the site.  Sabin and his 
chocobo bird were quickly headed for the dreadful spot, as the 
martial artist muttered something about never leaving one's 
post.  But even if he had stayed, it wouldn't have made a 
difference.  A human hand rose violently from the ashes, then 
another.  When the blond man was completely free of his bonds, 
he took the red feather and placed it in his hair, above the 
left ear.  His blazing red eyes scanned the landscape, trying to 
find the object of his hatred.  Seeing nobody, he spread his 
arms as more ashes covered his body and transformed into lavish 
robes.  The man was now dressed in a scarlet royal attire, with 
a leather belt and black boots, and an emerald vest over his 
torso.  A green coat with furry yellow edges covered his 
shoulders, falling down his back.  The man's face also became 
visible, his eyes surrounded by dark patches like a racoon's.
	Another hand, slightly smaller, rose from the ashes.  The 
man noticed this and the thought of a great opportunity passed 
his mind.  With an evil smirk on his face, he brought a hand 
upwards, creating a dimensional rift with the greatest of ease.
	Just then, Sabin arrived at the site.  His eyes nearly 
bulged out in a mixture of fear and rage at the sight of the 
man.  "You?!" he spluttered, "It's impossible!"
	Grinning, the man bent down to pick up the other's hand.  
And then, with a terrifying shrill cackle, Kefka vanished forever 
from the World of Ruin.
	May heaven help Earth and Esper World.

			*	*	*

	Phaeron woke up in pain (understandably, considering he had 
had to nail down every single piece of furniture to the floor 
after recovering them from Yotsuya, and literally cover the 
futon with chains).  As he automatically reached out to deliver 
great deals of punishment to his alarm clock, he felt another, 
more delicate hand cover his and turn off the alarm before he 
did.  His eyes snapped open in response, but he could only see a 
red blur in front of him.
	"Yaah! What're you..." was his greeting, as he leapt out of 
the futon.
	"A simple 'good morning' would be enough," Ranma-chan smiled.  
Her brother, Akane and Seraphim (in her human disguise) were 
also in the room.  "Sorry, I thought you were Akemi," he 
apologized.  Ranma-kun's ears were still ringing from Phaeron's 
yell.  "What time is it?"
	"Too early for screaming," Ranma rubbed his ears.
	"And just in time for school," Akane said.
	"School? Oh, right.  I have been missing for two weeks 
there too." He got up and started to get dressed when he 
noticed Seraphim, "Huh? You're coming too?"
	"That's right," she said, showing off her school uniform, 
"Figured I'd take a look and see where you study."
	Phaeron smiled, recalling the other students' reaction when 
they saw he and Ranma-chan were in their class.  "You're sure 
gonna get a lot of admirers there, just like some other girls I 
know..."
	"Shut up, Phaeron-kun," Ranma-chan said, sulky, "Besides, 
they're not after Akane anymore."
	"That's if you count Kuno out," Akane shuddered slightly.
	"Anyway, we better get moving," Ranma-kun pointed at the 
clock.  Once Phaeron was ready, they all started to leave, but 
Ranma-chan lagged behind for a moment.  "Wait, Phaeron-kun," he 
turned around, "I, uh, this is for you," she showed a wrapped 
package she had been carrying.  When he took it, it was revealed 
to be a small cake.  "Um, _Mom_ made it," Ranma-chan quickly 
explained, "to thank you for all you've done for us."
	"Well, now..." Phaeron smirked when he noticed she was 
redder than her hair, "Tell her this is very nice of her." He 
began to put it on top of a cabinet, but he remembered Yotsuya 
and decided to take it with him.  Soon they were back on the 
road, headed for Furinkan High.  "Oh, and..." Ranma-chan said 
nervously, her voice trembling, "about Seraphim-chan bringing you 
back, I..."
	Phaeron turned to her, still smirking about the present, 
"What?"
	She fell silent for a moment, "Never mind."
	Akane looked at the cake, then turned to Ranma-chan, "But 
Auntie didn't--" the redhead quickly covered Akane's mouth.
	"You don't want to ruin the effort, do you, sister Akane?" 
Seraphim smiled at her.  Phaeron walked about ten yards ahead 
of the group, but Ranma-chan caught up with him.  "What's the 
matter with her?" Akane asked to Ranma, "She even missed 
training with you and your father."
	He shrugged, "I dunno, maybe she's just glad to see him 
back.  He _is_ her best friend, you know."
	"No, no.  I mean in general.  She's been acting very nice 
for her.  _Too_ nice.  I don't want to sound suspicious or 
anything, but she's just acting weird."
	"What do you mean?"
	"Come on, didn't you see her? Last night, offering to make 
dinner for all of us...  She tried to help me do some homework...  
Then Kasumi told me she even helped her with the laundry.  And 
that was just what happened _last night_.  Today, breakfast...  
making sure the bath was ready...  and _that_." she pointed 
forward, where Phaeron was carrying the cake.
	"Well, sister Akane..." Seraphim tapped her chin, "you have 
to realize she practically died a few weeks ago.  Most people 
who suffer that kind of trauma change dearly in their behavior 
towards those who surround them.  That kind of people become 
more appreciative of others.  Brother Phaeron himself has 
changed in a similar way."
	"That's right.  He's not as aggressive as he used to be," 
Akane noted.
	"Then sister Ranma wants to make up for what she almost 
lost by helping out her family, that's all."
	Akane looked thoughtful for a moment, Ranma-chan was 
laughing at something that Phaeron said.  Akane insisted, "But 
look at her! She's acting like an eight-year-old that has a crush 
on her teacher!"
	Ranma cleared his throat, and trying to change the subject, 
said, "Um...  Guess she's just like _you_ then."
	"What do you mean by that?"
	"C'mon, what happened to your 'Dr.  Tofu'?"
	Akane smirked, "You're still jealous?"
	Ranma snapped back, "Jealous?! Over a baka like you? You're 
kidding me, right?"
	"Who're you calling baka you...  you...  you baka?!"
	<ring ring>
	"What, can't you think of any other insult to yell at me?"
	"I sure can, hentai!"
	<RING RING>
	"Hey! You stopped calling me that a long time ago!"
	"I can see now that I never should have stopped!"
	SLAM!!
	They both turned forward again to see Shampoo's bicycle 
embedded in Phaeron's face.
	"Hm? Who Shampoo hit? It no Ranma." Shampoo bent down to 
examine the squished boy beneath her bike.  When he saw his 
face...  "Aiyaaaa! It ghost! Ghost get away from Shampoo!" she 
screamed as she bludgeoned Phaeron's head with her bonbori.  
Repeatedly.
	"Stop that, Shampoo!" Ranma-chan took away her round 
maces.  The Amazon continued to hit him nonetheless.
	"Shampoo, darling, where have you gone?" Mousse leapt over 
a nearby fence and landed on the street.  "For you, my Shampoo," 
the myopic boy offered a bouquet to Seraphim.  "Over there, 
brother Mousse," she giggled.  He put on his glasses and looked 
around, finding his beloved bashing a red puddle on the street.  
He jumped for her, "Shamp--" Her fist became one with his face.
	"Mousse get away.  Shampoo have to deal with ghost first."
	"Hm?" he looked closely at the puddle, "Agh! It IS a ghost!" 
he pulled Shampoo away and swung a large scimitar at Phaeron.  
The Esper barely recovered in time to clap his hands on the 
large blade, "Will you two calm down?!"
	"Please," Seraphim said, "this is brother Phaeron, flesh and 
blood.  I helped revive him."
	Shampoo and Mousse looked back and forth between Seraphim 
and Phaeron, "Then he no ghost?" Phaeron shook his head.  
"You're the real Phaeron, then?" he nodded.  "And you brought him 
back to life?" Mousse turned to Seraphim and she nodded too.
	"Now that we got that straightened out," Phaeron said, "we 
better get moving or else we'll be late." He ran ahead of the 
group.
	"Hey, wait!" Ranma-chan called.
	"He doesn't know, does he?" Akane said, "About what's been 
happening at school these last few weeks?"
	As Shampoo returned to her deliveries with Mousse 
following her (and running head-on into a bus), Ranma said, 
"Guess he'll find out now, then."

			*	*	*

	The front yard of Furinkan high school was packed.  It 
would seem almost half of the male student population was just 
standing there, waiting.  Those who didn't know martial arts were 
getting ready with weapons ranging from mallets to hockey 
sticks.  As the rest of the students arrived, two of Akane's 
friends, Sayuri and Yuka, stopped to look at them.
	"Hmph," one of them turned away irritated.  "Idiots."
	"Jerks.  It's even worse than when they chased Akane."
	Hearing them, one of the guys turned to his partner, "Come 
to think of it, they're right.  Besides, Kuno hasn't even made 
the challenge yet."
	The other fastened his boxing gloves, "Whaddaya mean? If 
we wait for Kuno to give his 'you have to defeat her in order 
to date with her' speech, we'll never win."
	"Come on.  I mean, what're we doing here? We know we're 
gonna get beat up again.  If Miss Hinako doesn't zap us, then 
Kuno'll make Swiss cheese out of us."
	Another student approached them, "And even if we manage to 
get past those two, Saotome will send us flying."
	The boxer folded his arms, confident, "Ah, but you forget 
the last possibility.  I would happily leap into the fray if only 
I were to be smashed by _her_ hands."
	"Yeah, but there's a one in a million chance _she'll_ be the 
one who knocks you out.  It's not worth risking a broken rib if 
you can't even get close to her."
	"Yes, but somehow I know I'll be hit by neither Kuno, nor 
Miss Hinako, nor by that fool Saotome.  In fact, I have a feeling 
_she_ will give me a broken leg..." a grin appeared on the boxer's 
face.
	"Another? You already got _two_ broken legs, remember?" 
The boxer looked down at his wheelchair and facefaulted on the 
casts that engulfed his legs.  "See? That's what you get from 
trying to leap down from a tree so you could land next to her." 
The girls who were listening smacked their foreheads.
	Suddenly the students stepped aside as a figure in samurai 
garb stepped out from the school, wielding his bokuto by his 
side, and with his eyes closed.  Once he reached the middle of 
the yard, Kuno stopped and silently put his bokuto in front of 
him, resting on it as if it were a cane.  Then, calmly he said, 
"Leave.  All of you."
	The consternation from the students was quick, "What do 
you mean, 'leave'? You know why we're here!"
	Kuno didn't pay attention, "You _will_ leave, either broken 
or unharmed.  Such is your choice.  But you will never again 
pester the pigtailed girl in this manner."
	The students glared at him, "Shut up! You know you want a 
part in this too!"
	Kuno opened his eyes.  He remembered the events that took 
place last Saturday, when the pigtailed girl left.  His petit mind 
was still reeling from what happened back then.  "That is true, 
to some extent.  But again, leave.  For your own sake."
	"And wait 'til you give that stupid speech? Never!"
	"Yeah! One of us will defeat her, and then date with her!"
	Kuno suddenly felt a bolt of anger travelling down his 
spine, "NO.  None of you will lay hand upon her, I forbid it.  She 
is not property of any man, as she is her own master.  If you 
dare continue this foolishness, I shall smite the lot of you." He 
took his bokuto and adopted a fighting stance.
	"Yeah, right.  You're only one and there's a lot of us."
	"We've been waiting to do this for a long time..." they all 
backed up to attack,"Get him!"
	Kuno saw the rushing mob coming for him, and remembered 
the encounter he had with the samurai Cyan Garamonde.  He had 
used a special sword technique to immobilize Kuno for an instant, 
but the Blue Thunder still had time to learn such technique.  
Standing on one foot, Kuno spun in place, keeping his bokuto 
steady in front of him and lifting a cloud of dust.  He suddenly 
stopped and swung his sword in a circle, finishing up with an 
overhead chop and the cry of "Stunner!" 
	Unfortunately for him, he didn't know magic.  The mob buried 
him.  

	"What's going on?" Phaeron wondered as he saw a huge cloud 
of dust in front of Furinkan.  He decided to stop by the gates 
and see what was happening.  The rest arrived a few instants 
later.
	"That's weird," Ranma-chan said, "They never begin without 
us."
	"Looks like they got tired of waiting for you, so they 
started beating each other up," Ranma said.
	"Akane! Over here!" her long-haired classmate called.
	"Now what happened?" Akane asked.
	"Those jerks were waiting for Ranma's sister but Kuno tried 
to talk them out of it, so they attacked him instead."
	Akane blinked several times, "He did what? Are we talking 
about the same Kuno who calls himself Blue Thunder?" her friend 
nodded.
	"Looks like you really flipped him out, eh sis?" Ranma 
nudged his sister.  Seraphim giggled quietly.
	A hand brandishing a bokuto managed to rise from the pile 
of students, "The Blue Thunder will not be swayed!" Kuno shouted 
before the mob covered him again.
	"Oh, for goodness' sake..." Phaeron stretched his right arm 
forward, aiming his fingers outwards.  Slowly, he lifted his hand 
and then quickly brought it down again.  In the yard, a flash of 
light made everyone but Kuno fall asleep.
	Both Ranmas, Akane and her friends blinked in confusion, 
"How...  How'd you _DO_ that?" Ranma-chan said, her voice barely 
audible.
	"Being dead for a few years does wonders with one's 
techniques," Phaeron winked.
	"While brother Phaeron was at the Gates, his mental and 
spiritual powers increased a tenfold, because he didn't have any 
physical barriers there.  His soul was free," Seraphim said, "In 
other words, being a spirit helped improve his ki."
	"There are lots of other things I can do now," Phaeron 
smirked, "But right now I don't want to talk about them.  Let's 
get inside, shall we?"
	But as they headed for the building, Kuno noticed Ranma-
chan and Akane.  "Ah! My loves!" he breathed as he glomped onto 
them.  Just when he saw Phaeron (and started wondering what was 
going on), they reflexively punted him into the stratosphere.
	"Great.  After all I did, he's still doing that," Ranma-chan 
wiped her hands, "Wish he'd stop chasing us all the time."
	"You didn't exactly tell him to stay away, you know," Ranma 
said, "It was more like a red carpet invitation."
	"I know, I know.  It's just I thought he'd act like a normal 
guy after that."
	"Normal? We're talking about Kuno here," Phaeron said.
	"Anyway, we b-- ugh!" Kuno landed on top of Ranma-kun 
before he could finish.
	"I was correct!" he said, recovering his sword, "A ghost has 
appeared before my presence!" He thrust towards Phaeron.
	"Why does everyone think I'm a ghost?" he said as he 
avoided the blow.  "I was just revived by Seraphim! It's ME!"
	Kuno stopped a minute to think (!?) this out, but then he 
thrust again, "Cretin! How dare you stage your own death in such 
manner!"
	"Hey, watch it!" Phaeron swerved to the sides, avoiding the 
sword, "You'll ruin this!" he pointed at the cake he held with his 
left hand.  Seeing it was no use, he jumped away, "Okay, you 
asked for it..." he reared his open hand backwards, and pushed 
the air in front of him with a powerful heave.  Kuno was easily 
blown into the middle of next week.  "I almost forgot..." Phaeron 
snapped his fingers and the unconscious student began to wake 
up.
	"C'mon, let's get inside before anyone sees us," Ranma-kun 
said, just as a few other girls arrived at school.
	"Pathetic idiots," one of them said, looking at the guys.

	Ranma's class was about to start.  Minus a dozen male 
students, the classroom was full.  So, it came as a surprise to 
see Phaeron and a new student walk in.
	"It's him! He's back!" most of the girls in the class said 
excitedly when he sat down.  Ukyou nearly fell off her seat.  
Seraphim giggled when they surrounded him, but then she noticed 
most of the boys were drooling as they saw her.
	"Good morning, class!" Miss Hinako cheerfully fluttered in.  
"We have a new student here...  Hm?" she saw Phaeron sitting at 
his desk, "Mr.  Phaeron, it's about time you came back! Where 
have you been for the last two weeks?"
	"I, uh, I had a small accident, while travelling.  I had to 
stay at a, um, hospital for two weeks."
	Miss Hinako sent him a scolding glare, "Well, some of your 
friends could have told me.  We were becoming worried here," she 
looked at the girls, "As punishment, you will have to do all the 
asignments we did these two weeks, and you'll bring them in 
tomorrow."
	"Good thing I learned that Haste spell," he thought.  "Yes, 
sensei.  And by the way, I have to talk to you about my name.  
Looks like I have a last name now."
	"We'll talk about that after class.  Okay, now that we have 
that settled, let me introduce another new student.  Class, 
meet...  what's your name again?"
	Seraphim rose from her seat, "Good morning.  I am Laris 
Brillan, which in my country means 'evening star', but you can 
call me Seraphim, like my friends."
	Miss Hinako said, "Laris Brillan? That doesn't sound like a 
gaijin name to me..."
	"Oh, it's because I'm from the same place as brother 
Phaeron."
	"So you're brother and sister too?" Hinako fluttered her 
arms excitedly, "Whee! We have another family here!" She didn't 
notice the sighs of relief coming from all over the classroom, 
once they were assured Phaeron and Seraphim were related.
	"So, Laris Brillan, eh?" Phaeron said.  He knew he 
recognized that  name, but couldn't recall where he had heard it.
	Seraphim smiled, "That's the name I had before I became an 
angel."
	"Okay," Hinako took her file again, "It says here you too 
have been transfered from Thamasa University, and that you like 
to help all sorts of people.  And that you are always very calm 
and optimistic..." her eyes turned away slightly from the paper 
and focused on the Saotome siblings, "Maybe you can help me 
teach some manners to the delinquents in this class."
	Seraphim smirked, "You can count on it, sensei."
	"Okay.  Miss Brillan, take that seat next to Hiroshi" --the 
boy fainted in happiness-- "and in front of Daisuke" --he passed 
out with a grin on his face-- "so we can begin class," Miss 
Hinako finished.  "Now, on Friday we saw...."

	Finally the bell rang, and the halls were suddenly flooded.  
Only Miss Hinako's class was still crowded, as now three clusters 
were formed inside.  Two of them, composed of boys, tried to get 
a date with either Seraphim or Ranma-chan, while the one made 
up by girls was practically asphyxiating Phaeron.  Seraphim 
simply vanished in a beam of light, while Ranma-chan leapt out 
the window with Ukyou.  Phaeron also leapt out of his prison and 
quickly dropped a piece of paper on Hinako's desk.  "What's this?" 
she took it and started to read, "So, Phaeron is his _last_ 
name.  His first name...  L...  Raa...  Lae...  How do you pronounce 
this?"
	Meanwhile, Phaeron had already jumped out the window, 
"Sorry, gotta go!" he said as he fell.  He turned downwards and 
nearly suffered a heart attack, "Yow! Watch out!" he said as he 
nearly fell on top of Akane.  He kicked the side of the building 
and pushed himself away from it, landing near the gates.
	"Where are you going?" Akane asked.
	"Sorry, I really have to fly.  Got some unfinished business 
back at the Maison.  I'll see you later!" he said, and then threw 
his backpack upwards.  He leapt into the air and, spreading his 
arms, he was enveloped by a blinding light.  Everyone had to 
turn away from him.  When the light disappeared a magnificent 
Phoenix, the size of a condor and covered by a powerful aura, 
dove to catch the backpack with its claws and headed for Maison 
Ikkoku.  A whole minute passed before anyone could recover his 
or her senses after seeing the bird.
	"Wow," Ranma said, awestruck.
	"How did he do that?" Akane asked.
	"Great.  I'm not the only bird anymore," Crystallus said as 
he appeared next to them.
	"Okay, let me get this straight," Ukyou said, following 
Ranma-chan, "This Seraphim offered to bring him back, that's why 
he's here.  He's not a ghost.  But then would you explain to me 
HOW he managed to turn into a bird?"
	"That must be because he was dead for some time," 
Crystallus said, "Well, all Espers can turn from their original 
body into a magic creature at will.  For example, this is my 
normal body, while the Crystal Armor is my Esper form.  However, 
since the magic in this planet is not as powerful as that of 
other worlds, it's harder for us to morph.  That's why I can't 
'Fuse' with others right now."
	"...but since he was already at the Gates," Ranma-chan 
guessed, "...and Seraphim-chan told us _that_ gave him greater 
power, then that means he can transform into a Phoenix whenever 
he likes."
	"Yes, I should say so," Crystallus agreed, "But how do 
_you_ know about the Gates? Only us phoeni have been there."
	Ranma-chan looked at him nervously but her brother was 
quick to answer, "Remember that Coldfire nearly killed her," he 
put an arm around her shoulders, "You must have seen something 
when that happened, right?"
	"R-right," she said, not ready to tell them about what 
would have happened in three years.
	"Well, I'll go see if I can find Seraphim," Crystallus said, 
"Farewell." He flew off towards the sky, a glimmer in the 
distance.
	"And I gotta go to my restaurant," Ukyou said, "See you 
later, Ranchan.  You too, Ranchan," she blinked akwardly for an 
instant and then headed home.
	"He's really different from what I remember," Akane said.
	"Guess being dead changes anyone's personality," Ranma 
agreed.
	"You can say that again," Ranma-chan said under her breath.
	"I sure hope this time it lasts," Ranma stretched his arms 
upwards, yawning, "Wouldn't want any of that guy's enemies 
kidnapping any of you again," he nonchalantly put a hand on 
Akane and his sister's shoulders.
	"Ranma..." Akane looked up at him, blushing slightly.
	"Besides," he continued, "I already had enough trouble 
having to deal with _one_ crazy tomboy..." Akane and Ranma-chan 
suddenly glared at him...


Frozen flames

	A large black bird settled on the roof of Maison Ikkoku.
	"So, that's the story," Phaeron said to the crowd gathered 
in his room.
	"Yeah, sure," Mrs.  Ichinose said.
	"Do you really expect us to believe you had an accident 
while climbing a mountain and you lost your memory for two whole 
weeks?" Akemi accepted a beer from Mrs.  Ichinose.
	"Why do you have to look for ways to make other's life 
complicated?" Kyoko asked, "He said he had amnesia, and that's a 
good reason to be missing." She stood and headed for the door.  
Before she left, though, she sent a frigid glare at Yusaku.  The 
room temperature dropped significantly.
	"It's not like I want to butt in..." Phaeron said, "But what 
happened?"
	"Nothing, really," Yusaku said, "It's just that a cousin of 
mine asked me to take care of her baby daughter for her.  Of 
course, the Loon Squad here managed to make it look like she 
was MY daughter!" he glared at Akemi, Yotsuya and Mrs.  Ichinose.
	"Hey, don't blame it on us!" Akemi said.  "It was your own 
fault!"
	"I have to agree," Yotsuya said, and turned to Phaeron, 
"For some reason, when Godai-kun introduced his niece to our 
manager, he started having a reverie about--" he found it 
difficult to speak having a pillow stuffed in his mouth.
	"I don't need you 'explaining' anything, all right?" Yusaku 
tried to shove the pillow down Yotsuya's throat.
	"As it turns out," Mrs.  Ichinose said, "At the end of the 
daydream he said something about Kyoko holding his daughter.  Of 
course, she was holding Yusaku's niece at the time..."
	"And one thing led to the other..." Akemi said.
	"But I could have handled it myself if not for you!" Yusaku 
yelled, "Everything you said made it look like she _was_ my 
daughter!"
	"Hmph.  You try to help a neighbor..." Mrs.  Ichinose crossed 
her arms.
	"Next time I need _YOUR_ help, I'll just put the barrel of 
the gun in my mouth!"
	Meanwhile, Phaeron was sneaking out of the room, trying to 
slip out before anyone noticed.  "Hey! Where're you going?" Akemi 
called.
	"You didn't tell us what really happened! And you know what 
that means!" Mrs.  Ichinose warned.  Phaeron stopped dead in his 
tracks: if he left them, they'd probably start thinking he would 
have something to hide, and that could lead to horrendous 
misunderstandings.  And knowing these guys...
	"All right, all right.  I'll tell you the truth.  What 
happened is that a demon kidnapped my friends so I teamed up 
with some others to find them and we travelled to another world 
where magic reigns supreme and then we had a great battle where 
I ended up killing myself but then one of my friends helped bring 
me back to life but that didn't happen until two weeks later.  
Capisce? So long." He ran out of the house.  He didn't notice the 
black bird that watched him.
	"What did he say?" Akemi said, staring blankly into space.
	"Hmmm..." Mrs Ichinose tried to think it out, "I guess he 
said that he teamed up with some friends so they could become 
stage magicians or something like that, and one of the tricks 
was faking his own death.  But he also mentioned travelling, and 
I guess he said something in Italian, so he and his friends must 
have gone to Italy to become magicians.  "
	A few minutes passed in silence as everyone tried to find 
any sense at all in what Mrs.  Ichinose said.  Finally, she spoke 
again, "You know, I think that kid has something to hide..."
	The black bird took off.

			*	*	*

	While all this (and more) happened at Maison Ikkoku, Akane 
and the Ranmas were arriving at the Tendo dojo.
	"Sheesh! Finally, we're back!" Ranma-chan began tearing at 
the uniform, "One more minute in this thing and I would have 
exploded!"
	"Yuck.  Little Ranma pieces all over the house.  That's not 
a pretty sight," Akane giggled.  "Come on, I'll lend you some of 
my clothes." Both girls climbed up the stairs.
	"C-crazy t-tomboy..." Ranma muttered before collapsing on 
the door.  "Guess I asked for it," he thought, "after calling her 
that way.  But really! Sis didn't have to hit me too!"
	"Hm? Oh, Ranma!" his mother saw him lying on the floor, 
"What are you doing? If you're tired, it's better to go upstairs 
to your room!" she lifted him off the ground, and then was 
marveled at his quick recovery.  "Or, if you're not tired, you 
can join us.  Your father and I have been discussing some things 
you and your sister have to know."
	"That's more like it," they heard Ranma-chan's voice,  
"Thanks a lot, Akane." Both of them came back downstairs.  Akane 
had simply changed to her pink skirt and yellow sweater, while 
she had lent Ranma-chan a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt.  The 
redhead also had a ponytail now instead of the usual pigtail.
	"Really, Ranma, you always said none of my clothes fit 
you," Akane said, noticing the lack of insults.
	"And they don't," Ranma-chan said, "these jeans are baggy, 
and it's a good thing this is a sweatshirt otherwise it would've 
been too small for me..." she noticed a BIG bokken had just 
materialized next to Akane, "...but that's because we're different 
people, right!" she forced a smile, causing Akane to calm down, "I 
mean, we have different constitution and everything..." the bokken 
went back to...  to wherever it came from.
	Nodoka smiled inwards when she saw her daughter was 
finally wearing women's clothing.  "Good, you're back," she said, 
"we've been waiting for you."

	A man wearing a dark armor and covered by a black cape 
walked down the street towards the Tendo dojo.

	The Tendos and the Saotomes were gathered in the 
living/dining room.  It was sunset, and the warm evening breeze 
entered the house freely through the open door.  Nodoka, Genma 
and Soun were sitting at one side of the table, while both 
Ranmas and Akane sat opposite to them.  Kasumi and Nabiki sat 
at one of the remaining sides.  The side closest to the garden 
was empty.  Just at that moment, P-chan decided to drop by.  
Akane was quick to hold him.
	"Well, now that we're all here we can discuss some very 
important matters," Nodoka said.  "First of all, Akane-chan, thank 
you for convincing Ranma-chan to wear clothes appropriate for 
her."
	Ranma turned to his sister, "Yeah, if you'd kept borrowing 
mine, I would have run out of good clothes."
	"But I know that you still refuse to wear _all_ the proper 
clothes, Ranma-chan."
	"Come on, Mom, not again.  You know I hate bras."
	"Yes, I know.  And I know you hate them because you have 
never actually worn them." She looked away, "But probably not 
even you are strong enough to stand wearing them..."
	Ranma-chan's response was immediate, "What do you mean?!"
	Nodoka still didn't face her, "If you were only to wear them 
fo a week, you'd see it's no so bad.  In fact, maybe you'd agree 
to wear them from now on.  But since you're not as strong as 
your brother..."
	Angered, Ranma-chan bolted to her feet, "I can do it! I'll 
show you that I can!"
	"You baka," her brother said.
	Nodoka smiled at her, "Then you agree.  If you can stand 
them for a week, you'll be able to wear them all the time.  
Alright?" Ranma-chan then realized what she had agreed to and 
smacked her forehead.
	Nodoka giggled, "Now, the next thing is about you and 
Akane-chan, Ranma," he suddenly sat up in worry, "It's about time 
we decide about your engagement..." Akane and Ranma felt their 
blood freeze in their veins, "...and how we are going to cancel 
it."

	The man in dark armor was a few blocks away from the 
Tendo dojo.

	Those who weren't shocked simply stared at Nodoka wide-
eyed.  "M-mom?" Ranma-chan asked, "Did you say 'cancel'?"
	Nodoka waited until they all recovered.  Ranma and Akane 
turned to each other, not knowing what to say.  "We can't force 
you to marry," Nodoka said.  "I had a long talk with Dear and 
found out how many times you were engaged, Ranma.  But I also 
became aware of what those other poor girls must have felt.  
Now, I have also talked to Ukyou-chan and the girl Shampoo, and 
I have decided that this engagement must be made void.  Akane-
chan, to you I say that I'm sorry if this engagement has caused 
any trouble, since you didn't even know my Ranma before you 
were notified of it.  However, the only reason I decided to 
nullify the engagement was because you two have become more 
mature than when you first met.  In other words, the engagement 
is void so you can decide who you want to marry, and therefore 
it's up to you if you want to keep the engagement, or if you 
want to marry somebody else.  After what we all saw last 
Saturday --except for you, Ranma-chan--, I have realized that 
making this decision is very hard for you to do, so you have 
until Christmas to make up your mind."
	The room was silent for a long time, as Ranma and Akane 
were practically frozen.  Ranma-chan swallowed hard, after all 
she knew how her brother felt about Akane.  P-chan, however, 
saw the perfect opportunity.  Now, if he could only find his 
former self, Ryouga...
	"Yo, I'm here," Phaeron said as he descended on the garden 
outside the room.  A quick look at their faces was all he needed 
to realize something had happened, "What's going on?"
	"We, uh, we have to decide if we want to keep the 
engagement," Akane said, her voice barely audible.
	"But as I said, you don't have to decide now," Nodoka said.  
"You have a little over three months to make up your minds, so 
there is no reason to worry about it yet.  What we have to 
worry about, though is the next issue." Phaeron sat down at the 
empty side.  Feeling the tension around her, Ranma-chan moved 
out from between Ranma and Akane and sat next to Phaeron.  
"What do you think?" he whispered.
	"I dunno.  They have to decide for themselves.  Mom gave 
them until Christmas, but I don't think there's anything in the 
world that could snap them out of it right now."
	"What we really have to decide right now..." Nodoka 
continued, "is whether or not we go back to our own home."
	Ranma-chan couldn't believe it, but Akane and Ranma did 
snap out of it when Nodoka spoke.  "Mom, are we leaving?" Ranma 
asked.
	"There are eight people in this house," she said.  "Kasumi-
chan told me that your father took a job at a nearby clinic so 
he could pay for his expenses as well as yours.  That might 
have worked for a while, but with myself and Ranma-chan living 
here now I realize it must be very difficult for the Tendos to 
have an entire family freeloading."
	"No, really, it's no problem at all," Kasumi said.
	"There are many sources of income with Ranma in this 
house," Nabiki said, pretending to take a picture of Ranma-chan.
	"Not only that, but Ranma-kun and Akane have to live close 
to each other if they are to make a good decision," Soun said.
	"Well said, Tendo-kun," Genma shook hands with him.
	"I could work too," Ranma said.
	Akane turned to him, "Are you sure, Ranma?"
	"No problem.  I can take a part-time job with Ucchan, doing 
deliv--"
	"So THAT's why you want to work."
	"Hey, I'm just trying to help out here! But who'd want to 
live with a jealous tomboy anyway?"
	"Then I can--" Ranma-chan tried to say.
	"And who would want to live with a baka like you?!"
	"Only someone who wouldn't die because of your toxic 
cooking!"
	"Then that same person can live with the hentai you are!"
	"THEN I CAN WORK," Ranma-chan's voice made itself be heard.  
Even Phaeron backed away slightly from her.
	"Do you want to work, Ranma-chan?" Nodoka asked.  Ranma 
and Akane became quiet.
	"Sure.  It's no big deal.  I've already worked at 
restaurants twice, once with Shampoo and a second time with 
Ucchan.  I can do it again.  Besides, if I work at Nekohanten 
again, I could get the old bag to teach me some techniques."
	"Do you think you'd make enough?" Phaeron asked.
	She shrugged, "Enough for me and Mom, I guess." She smirked 
mischievously, "Remember how crowded those places are whenever 
I work there? I'd sure get plenty of tips."
	"I'm not sure about this," Ranma said.  "You know _why_ 
those places were crowded."
	"Your brother is right, Ranma-chan.  It's not such a good 
idea to be a waitress at a place where there are so many 
teenage boys."
	"Hey, it's me, Ranma Saotome.  Don't worry 'bout anything.  
I'll be all right."
	"She's right, Mrs Saotome," Phaeron said, "I guarantee, 
she'll be all right." Ranma-chan turned to him briefly, but he 
didn't notice her smile.
	"Then what we have to settle is where we're going to 
sleep," Nodoka said.
	"Ranma-chan can sleep in my room," Kasumi said, "But Ranma-
kun would have to share master Happosai's room..." He shuddered 
mightily.
	"Oh, great.  It would've been better if you'd thrown me in a 
cell full of cats..."
	Genma and Soun saw a golden opportunity, "He could sleep 
in Akane's room."
	"WHAT?!" Akane and Ranma were shocked.
	"Hmm," Nodoka thought of a solution, "for the time being, 
maybe I could sleep in Kasumi-chan's bedroom, so Ranma didn't 
have to share the pervert's room.  But then that leaves Ranma-
chan out."
	"She can sleep in my room," Akane offered, "ANYONE's better 
than that snoring baka."
	"Really, Akane-chan? Anyone?" Happosai appeared out of 
nowhere.  He was casually booted out again.
	"Alright, then we have to set a couple of cots for you 
two," Soun said.

	The man in black reached the outer gates of the Tendo 
dojo.

	"Well then, everything's settled," Genma said.
	"Not really," Ranma said.  "You know, it's kinda confusing 
sharing the same name with another person.  Not that I mind, but 
it's really weird sometimes."
	"That's right, you two have the same name," Akane said to 
both Ranmas.
	"I had been thinking about that too," Nodoka said, "and 
maybe it's time we find another way to call each of you."
	"Aren't the suffixes enough?" Phaeron asked, "I mean, Ranma 
and Ranma-chan?"
	"You really have to learn how to use that, Phaeron," Akane 
said.
	"It would be enough..." Nodoka said, "but the problem is that 
it's Ranma's own name, besides it isn't a name fit for a girl."
	"Oh, right, I'd _looove_ to have everyone call me Zhaodi," 
Ranma-chan said sarcastically.
	"Why not? Yuannyan calls you Zhaodi.  And that's the way I 
used to call you," Phaeron said.  She sent him an "oh, come 
_on_" glare.
	"Then what do you suggest?" Ranma asked.
	"I don't know...  How 'bout Yoiko? I used that name once."
	"You want Ryouga to kill you?" Ranma cocked one eye, "You 
might as well call yourself Gyouko and have that old man chase 
you again."
	Nodoka intervened, "But there are other names...  Ranko-
chan."
	Ranma-chan looked at her nervously, "I...  I don't think so."
	"Why not?" Akane asked.
	"'Why not'? Because that reminds me of all the times we had 
to lie to Mom, that's why!"
	"But I don't mind it," Nodoka said, "And it suits you better 
than Ran_ma_.  After all, how can you call a girl 'horse'?"
	"Well, I kinda like 'Ranma'.  I've been called that way for a 
long time."
	"I like 'Ranko-chan'," Phaeron said, "and it does suit you 
better."
	Ranma-chan looked up at him, remaining thoughtful for an 
instant, "All right.  But just as a nickname, okay? I mean, I don't 
want to pay Nabiki another five thousand yen so she can get me 
new records that say 'Ranko Saotome'."
	Nodoka smiled, "Don't worry.  It will be just a nickname, like 
you said, so there's no confusion between you and your brother."
	"Then everything's set then," Phaeron said, as he got up.  
"If you'll excuse me, I'll go have a glass of water." Before he 
left the room though, he turned to Ranko, "So, 'Ranko-chan', eh? 
I'll have to get used to it." Kasumi also left, as she remembered 
she had to sweep the porch.  Nabiki began to head for her room.
	Ranma waited until Phaeron was out of earshot, "You know, 
you better teach him how to use that 'chan' or else people will 
start getting ideas," he joked, but then was surprised as Ranko 
said nothing.

	Kasumi dropped the broom in shock.
	"YOU KNOW WHY I'M HERE," the man said.

	Suddenly Phaeron came into the room.  He was wearing some 
kind of dark blue armor, almost black.  A long cape was draped 
over his shoulders.
	Ranko shivered slightly, as a fearful memory came to her 
mind, "Geez, you trying to give me a heart attack? Where did you 
get that outfit?"
	Without a word, Phaeron dropped and hugged her tightly.  
Everyone facefaulted as she was both surprised and confused.
	"Phaeron?" Akane stared at him wide eyed.
	"Ph-Phaeron-kun?"
	Ranko was starting to blush when the _real_ Phaeron came 
back into the room.  He dropped the glass, shocked, as soon as 
he saw who was in the room.  Everyone realized who this "fake 
Phaeron" really was.  Ranko screamed inwards.
	Without the slightest warning Phaeron sent a massive wave 
of ki towards Coldfire, knocking him away and crushing him 
against the outer wall.  "What the hell are you doing?" Coldfire 
asked, barely avoiding the fist that was sent his way.  Phaeron 
then followed with a slicing side-kick that Coldfire backflipped 
away from.  Phaeron attacked with a dashing two-fisted scissor 
punch that connected with Coldfire's gut and flung him across 
the garden into another wall.  "Blazing Bullet!" Phaeron launched 
himself at Coldfire.  Seeing this, the dark phoenix leapt upwards, 
"Will you calm down?!" But Phaeron still leapt upwards to attack.  
"All right, you asked for this! Demolish!"
	The expanding energy field took Phaeron by surprise and 
sent him crashing into the grass below.  Coldfire floated down 
slowly, only to be greeted by two shouts of "Moko Takabishya!" 
and a force that surpassed that of the Shinkansen Bullet train.
	Coldfire crashed next to the pond.  In front of him, Ranma 
and Ranko were preparing for a second blow.  To his right, 
Phaeron was holding an aura shield that was shaped like Ukyou's 
spatula.  And to his left, Akane readied her mallet while Nodoka 
unsheathed her sword.  Genma and Soun were backing to a 
fighting stance.
	"Great," Coldfire smacked his forehead.  "I'm not here to 
hurt anyone! Believe me!"
	"Like heck we're gonna believe you!" Ranko yelled, "You 
killed me, remember?"
	Coldfire's aura sizzled, "All right, I'll make you believe me!"
	Coldfire suddenly made a beeline towards Ranko, avoided 
Ranma's 798 punches, sidestepped Ranko's 963, then swept her off 
her feet and brought his face closer to hers...  only to have 
his nose meet the dirt as she smashed his head on the ground.  
And all of that happened in only two seconds.
	"What do you think you're doing?!" Phaeron scooped him up 
with his aura spatula and flung him into the wall again.  Seeing 
it was useless to head towards Ranko, Coldfire quickly sought a 
new target.  A target that would convince them of his 
intentions.
	Mimicking his actions from before, Coldfire shot towards 
Akane, ducked her mallet and twisted to avoid Nodoka's thrust, 
then swept Akane of her feet.  Before anyone could reach him, 
Coldfire had completed his objective.
	He kissed Akane.
	"GET AWAY FROM ME, YOU HENTAI!!" Akane malleted him into 
the ground, but he still managed to create an aura shield around 
both of them.  Of course, he was careful enough to create a 
barrier within the shield so Akane couldn't reach him.
	"You..." Ranma hissed through clenched teeth.
	"Don't you dare..." Ranko was already glowing red.
	"If you hurt her..." Phaeron was summoning the Four Birds 
of Fire.
	"Sorry, but I had to convince you.  I AM NOT GOING TO HURT 
ANYONE.  Besides..." he added with a smirk, "if I wanted to, you'd 
all be dead right now."
	A small shape arrived at the Tendos', after having sensed 
a great power nearby.  When she saw Coldfire, Cologne's eyes 
narrowed.  She leapt down from the wall, prepared for any attack 
the demon might initiate.
	"So, we meet again," she said.
	"Look, I don't know why you're all so mad at me," Coldfire 
said, "But I'm here only to visit, okay?"
	"You don't know, eh?" Ranma cracked his knuckles.  "First 
you kidnap Akane and my sister, you make us fight against people 
we didn't even know, and you actually killed her!"
	Coldfire blinked in honest confusion, "What're you talking 
about? The last thing I remember is taking your fianc�e and 
Zhaodi back to World of Ruin."
	Cologne looked at him closely, "Could it be...?"
	"I don't care if you got Swiss cheese memory," Phaeron 
said, "You are going to release Akane.  NOW."

	"Wait," Cologne put her staff in front of him, "He is right.  
If he wanted to harm anyone he would have already hurt Akane.  
And I also sense a very different ki coming from him, almost 
opposite as that which he previously had."
	Coldfire called back the shield, leaping away from Akane 
before she attacked.  Not dropping their guard, the rest watched 
his every move.  But Coldfire never attacked.  He didn't even 
summon his ki.  "So, will you let me explain now?"

			*	*	*

	Again, they were sitting at the table.  Coldfire had allowed 
them to tie him up with everything ranging from ropes to 
buddhist scriptures to steel chains.  Only Cologne dared sit 
close to him.  But just as a precaution, Phaeron and Ranma sat 
to either side of Ranko, who was enveloped by an aura shield.
	"So, you don't remember _anything_ that happened in the 
World of Ruin?" Phaeron asked.
	"Nope.  And I can't even remember _why_ I kidnapped you," 
he turned to Akane and Ranko.
	"What do you remember about her?" Cologne pointed at the 
redhead.
	"Almost everything.  But I still don't remember why I used 
to hate Zhaodi.  Would you tell me about that?"
	"Wait," Ranko said, "You called me Zhaodi.  Do you remember 
what happened before Jusenkyo? About Pandi-chan?"
	Coldfire smirked, "I remember as much as bird-boy here.  
And besides, why shouldn't I call you Zhaodi? That's your name, 
isn't it?"
	"Hmm," Cologne turned to Phaeron, "It would appear that 
when you died, both of your minds fused into one.  But since you 
have a greater will, you managed to erase Coldfire's demonic 
soul.  In other words, he's just like you."
	"Hey, don't insult me!" Coldfire objected, visibly annoyed, 
"There's no way I could be a double of this wimp."
	"...or, he might have developed a new, rebellious personality 
based on your mind," Cologne said.  "Maybe you can let him go 
now."
	Phaeron retrieved the shackles.  "That's better," Coldfire 
said, stretching his arms.
	"Hey..." Ranko said, "You remember _everything_ that 
happened in China?"
	"Yeah, why?"
	"Well, I guess what happened at Jusenkyo made me forget 
most of what happened after I met you and Phaeron-kun."
	"Okay, so what do you want to kn--" Phaeron dragged him 
out of the house and into the dojo, leaving the rest of the 
people blinking in confusion.  "What're you doing?" Coldfire asked, 
upset.
	"Okay, tell me the truth.  What are you doing here?" 
Phaeron's voice was serious.
	"I told you.  Since you came back to life, it's only natural 
for your 'other' to return too, right?"
	"Okay, then...  what do you remember about Ranko-chan?"
	"You mean Zhaodi? I told you, I know what you know: 'we' 
left our town and headed for China,about 1501 years ago.  We met 
the twins, they split us apart, and after some time all four of 
us drowned in some pool." A smirk appeared on his face, "So, 
where is it?"
	"Where's what?"
	Coldfire smirked evilly, "You know.  The medallion.  Where is 
it? Don't you want to show it to them?" 
	Phaeron turned an incredibly-deep shade of red, "Look, none 
of us is going to say anything about the medallion.  And _you_ 
are not going to tell Ranko-chan about what happened.  Got it?"
	"Why not?"
	Phaeron crossed his arms, "Do you remember how they 'split' 
us apart?"
	"Sure, it was some weird incense burner, right?"
	"That's a lie and you know it.  Remember that the twins and 
I decided to make up that burner story so we could keep _her_ 
safe..."
	Coldfire snapped his fingers, "That's right! It wasn't a 
burner, it was _Cordis_ who split us apart!"
	"Yes, but Ranko-chan doesn't remember everything about her.  
So, if you say anything about her _or_ the medallion, I'll have 
your head, understood? She has to remember about it by 
herself."
	Coldfire began to head back to the house, "Don't worry.  
Remember that I know _why_ you're doing this..." he smirked as he 
saw Phaeron's reddish hue, "Hey, Zhaodi!" he called, "Do you know 
about--"
	"Shut up, you idiot!"


			End of the First Test...
			... and Dysmerc grows.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

End of message

Don't worry. The rest of the story is completely finished, so 
you'll get your answers to every single question I brought up 
with this first chapter.

The TerBril
(who plans on regaining his own life.)