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Chapter Nine:  The Innocence of A Child


  The little girl was very very afraid. 
  Where was she?  Where was everything?  It was so nasty and awful where
she was right now, and so very dark.  There was nobody around to tell her
where it was nice, nobody to help her.  So she ran, hoping that there would
be a light to run to, somewhere sunny and bright and safe and warm....
  But it seemed that she'd been running forever.  And nothing was
different, nothing changed.  The sky was still that icky shade of gray,
like when you colored something with a pencil.  And the ground like all
like mud.  That's all there was.  No pretty colors at all, like flowers or
a rainbow.  Even the really baggy long sleeve shirt and pants she wore were
dark.  They were colored gray, and black, she thought.   She felt sad and
lonely and lost, not because of the colors, but because she didn't know
where she was.
  So she walked.
  And walked.
  And walked.
  And it seemed like she walked forever and ever and ever.  And even longer
than that.  Maybe for a whole minute.  Or maybe five minutes.  Or maybe a
million zillion billion minutes.  Maybe even as long as an hour.
  But it didn't help.  everything was still dark, every thing was still
scary.  It was like the boogeyman was near, or maybe uu and oni--zombies
and ogres--were going to get her.  Maybe ghosts.  Or maybe worst of
all--that scary man who wore the blue suit and red cape, and had really
mean look on his face, and really scary eyes.  He was a really bad man.
  So she called out to anybody who could hear her:  "Otoosan!  Okaasan!
Oniichan!  Where are you?"
  But no one answered her.
  So she sat down on the mud-colored ground and cried.


  Then all of a sudden, there was a voice.  A gentle, loving voice that
sounded as if she would help the little girl.  "Why are you crying, child?"
 The voice asked, the voice full of caring and love.
  Eyes still shut, the little girl sobbed,
"Be-because...(sniff)...everybody's gone away!  I'm all alone, and I-I-I'm
so...(sniff)... scared and I want my family!"
  The voice lowered to her level.  The little girl felt somebody wiping the
tears away from her face, someone kiss her forehead, making all her fears
and her hurt go away.  The little girl opened her eyes, and looked at the
person who owned the voice.
  The person was a woman.  A grown-up, with red hair and dark blue eyes.
The woman wore a red shirt and black pants that looked just like what the
little girl was wearing.  And the woman had a really pretty smile and she
looked so full of light and color and love.  She looked like someone the
little girl knew, but she didn't know who or why.  the woman had a sword on
her right side that was really shiny and neat looking.
  "What's your name?"  the little girl asked.
  The nice woman said, "My name is Lao Jiukiu Tsesao, the Emperor of
China's finest warrior, the First Chinese Amazon."  The little girl
scrunched her face at that; how could she remember it all?  But the woman
laughed softly and said, "I'm sorry, I forgot that that is sometimes a
mouthful to say.  You may call me Jiu."
  "Okay!"  the little girl nodded her head enthusiastically.  "And you can
call me...uh, um..."  She looked sad again. "I forgot my name."
  "That's okay, little one.  That is why I am here.  To help you find your
name again, and to help you find your way home."
  "Domo arigato gozaimasu, Jiu-san." The little girl stood up and bowed
politely, just as she was taught.
  The woman laughed again, making the little girl smile.  "Child, it is not
needed.  Warriors such as we do not need to bow to one another, or use
honorifics."
  "I am a worrier, too?" the little girl exclaimed.  Maybe that was her
name.  Worrier.  And just what was an "Onerifik"?
  "No, young one.  I said 'warrior', not 'worrier.'  And you don't need to
say 'Jiu-san', just Jiu."
  "Okay!"  The little girl beamed, a bright smile on her face.  
  "So are you ready to go, little princess?" Jiu asked.
  "Hai!" the little girl said, jumping up and down excitedly.
  "I cannot say I blame you.  This place reeks of death and sadness.  It is
not for the likes of a bright sunbeam such as you."


  Jiu lifted her hand into the air, and it glowed with a soft blue light,
like a pretty sky, or somebody's eyes, but she couldn't remember who.
There was a flash and a then a sweet song of music filled the air, a
prettier version of same song the little girl had heard before.  In the
distance, there was a bright, pretty light, and something moving in that
light, coming closer to Jiu and the girl.
  As it got close enough, the little girl could see that it was a bird.  A
really big bird, like an eagle, only bigger.  Really bigger.  At first, the
little girl hid behind Jiu, frightened, but Jiu simply smiled, and said
that the bird was a friend, and would take them away from here and help her
to get home.  At this, the little girl moved out from behind and next to
Jiu again.  If Jiu wasn't afraid, then she must be a warrior.  And if Jiu
was a warrior and had called the little girl a warrior, then the little
girl was not supposed to be afraid, either.
  So she wouldn't be.
  The bird landed next to the two, and it was bigger than the little girl
imagined.  It was as big as a car.  No, a house.  No, bigger.  Maybe it was
bigger than Otoosan.  But it was a really pretty blue bird, and it had the
prettiest blue eyes, like those sparkly things that she always saw grownups
wear.  But Jiu didn't wear any, and maybe it was because Jiu was a warrior.
So maybe when she got bigger, she shouldn't wear any, either.
  The big bird spoke to Jiu.  "Is this the one?"  the big bird had a strong
voice, like her Otoosan, but it was also very good and very nice.  She
could tell that he was a very nice bird.
  "Yes, she is," Jiu said, smiling.  And then she gestured at the little
girl. "But she needs our help to get home."  Jiu turned to the little girl.
 "Princess, this is the Phoenix of Heaven.  He has come to take us to a
place where we can help get you home."
  The little girl bowed again.  "Konnichi wa, Mr. Big Blue Bird. Ikaga desu
ka?"
  the big bird chirped something that sounded like a laugh.  "Such a sweet
and polite child she is, Jiu.  She is without a doubt the one."  He then
looked directly at the girl.  "Child I am quite fine.  You may call me
Phoenix."
  The little girl nodded enthusiastically, really happy to have found two
friends who would help her.  "Okay, Mr. Feniks."
  Mr. Feniks laughed his pretty bird laugh again, and Jiu laughed, too.
"Close enough," Mr. Feniks said.  "So, little one, would you like a ride?"
  The girl nodded once more.


  Today was becoming a very special day.  She was so lonely at first, but
now she had found two friends.  She was flying!  She and Jiu were riding on
the back of Mr. Feniks and they were high above the ugly ground.  And as
they got higher and higher, the icky black sky went away and turned into a
beautiful blue one!  This was fun!
  "Whee!" the little girl said, bouncing for joy.
  "You're not scared?"  Mr. Feniks asked.
  "No.  Jiu isn't scared, 'cause she's a warrior.  And she said I'm a
warrior too.  So that means I'm not supposed to be scared," the little girl
said, matter-of-factly.
  "It could be that she is beginning to remember who she is," Jiu said to
Mr. Feniks.
  "It could be that," Mr. Feniks agreed.
  So they flew.
  And flew.
  And flew.
  And it seemed like they flew forever and ever and ever.  And even longer
than that. Maybe for a whole minute. Or maybe five minutes.  Or maybe a
million zillion billion minutes.  Maybe even as long as an hour.
  And the little girl wasn't afraid anymore.


  Finally, they arrived where they needed to go.  And it was the prettiest
place of all.  It looked like a big pretty building, and there was grass
and flowers and butterflies and birds--not as big or pretty as Mr. Feniks
but still nice--and there were fluffy clouds in the sky and a nice yellow
sun and everything.  The building was kinda white, but at the same time was
a pretty rainbow, too.  Mr. Feniks said the color was called 'Iridescent',
a really big word.  Jiu smiled and said it was also called
'Mother-of-pearl'.  The little girl smiled at this.
  She reached out to smell a rose, and a butterfly landed on her shoulder.
The butterfly said to her, "It is nice to see the one has graced us with
her presence."  Then the butterfly flew away to play with the other
butterflies.
  The little girl turned to look at Jade.  "Jiu, is my name 'The One'?"
  "No, princess.   It is an honorific, like 'san' or even 'princess'.
They call you that because it is easier to say than 'child' or 'young one'
or 'little one'.  But it also means that you are special."
  The little smiled again.  Someone thought she was special!
  "Jiu, who lives here?" the little girl asked.
  "I do.  And so does the Phoenix.  There is also one other that lives
here, and you shall meet him as well.  He is the wisest of the wise, and
the kindest of the kind.  If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be here."
  "Kind of like the cat girl who helped me a long time ago?"  How did the
little girl know that?  She only knew about her parents and brother, and
now the cat girl?  She didn't even know her own name.
  "Yes, very much like the cat girl, who is also the Mountain Woman," Jiu
nodded.  "No, let me tell you ahead of time, child.  The creature that you
are about to meet looks very very scary, but as I said earlier, and you
said to the Phoenix, you are a warrior.  You cannot be afraid."
  The girl nodded her head in solemn promise.  If Jiu said that she must
not be afraid, then she should not be afraid.  However, the little girl did
ask, "Will Mr. Feniks be there?"
  "Yes, young one, the Phoenix will be there.  In fact, he is there now,
talking to the one that you should meet.  Are you ready?"  Jiu held out her
hand to the little girl.
  The little girl took the older woman's hand, and strode in, as brave as
she could be.  And together, they walked in to the pagoda, ready to face
the next step in the adventure to get the little girl home.


  Finally, they arrived at a door.  Jiu opened the door for them, and they
walked down the prettiest hall the little girl had ever seen.  The walls
were covered in that Mother of Pearl stuff, and the ground was covered in a
really soft and cuddly red carpet that tickled her bare feet as she walked
on it.  And they walked and talked, and the little girl smiled and thought
that she would like to be as brave as Jiu when she grew up, and that she
wished she could play some more in the garden, and that she could do a
million billion zillion other things.
  Jiu simply asked her one thing:  if she was willing to do what was right
before she got home.  But before the little girl could answer, Jiu said,
"Princess, do not answer that at the moment.  You will know when it is time
to give your word on that.
  They continued to walk down the second corridor, until they got to what
looked like a cave at the end of the hall.  But it wasn't one of those
icky, dark, ugly caves.  It wasn't the kind with moss and rats and bats and
worms.  It was a nice cave, with little puddles of water that glowed with
pretty rainbow lights, and a clean floor, and nice walls with gold and
Chinese pictures.  And sitting in front of them was Mr. Feniks.  And
somebody else.


  The somebody else was a big snaky thing, kinda like an alligator that got
pulled really long.  And it had hair that looked kinda like Jiu's and
somebody else's but she couldn't remember whose. And even though Jiu said
he would look scary, there was a light in his eyes that said he was like a
really big puppy dog.  And besides, the little girl was a warrior.  She
wasn't supposed to be afraid.  At all.
  So she wasn't.  And to prove it, she went up to the "snakigator" and
hugged it.  The snakigator turned red for a second, while Mr. Feniks and
Jiu chuckled.  Jiu smiled and said, "It appears that you have met your
match, old friend."    
  The big snakigator spoke. "Perhaps, Jiu, perhaps."  He then turned to the
little girl.  "Child, do you know who I am?"
  She shook her head.  "Gomen ne sai, but I don't know."
  The snakigator sort of smiled, and said, "That is okay, Jewel of the
Nyannichuan.  I am the Leung of the Earth, the Ryu of the world, the mighty
Dragon of the Orient.  But you may call me Leung."
  The little girl bowed her head, and said, "Pleased ta meetcha, Mr. Lung."
  Mr. Feniks looked at Mr. Lung and told him, "Get used to it."
  Mr. Lung did his smile again and said, "I can see that.  It is part of
the myriad of events that proves her to be the one that we are looking for."
  Jiu looked at the others.  "But we may be nearly too late.  The demon has
already victimized her.  She cannot remember who she is.  She remembers
fragments of where she was and of those with her, but she does not know how
to go back.  When I found her, I found her on the edge of Entropy.  If she
had wandered in the wrong direction, all would've been lost.  As it is, we
have a slim chance."  She then looked at Mr. Lung.  "Can you do anything
for her?"
  Mr. Lung said, "She is within our world.  It will be difficult at best.
But all will rely on her to cross the void.  Only she can do that.  But
before she can do that, the Phoenix must reawaken her."
  "And that I shall do."  Mr. Feniks walked right next to the little girl
and told her, "Little one, what I'm about to tell you, you may not
understand right now, but later you will.  The important thing now is that
you listen to me, and try to remember every word I tell you.  Can you do
that for me?"
  The little girl nodded her head and said, "I will try."
  "Good.  Then let us begin."


  "Child, the first origins of your life began when Jiu sank beneath the
waters of the Nyannichuan.  When your brother entered the pool himself, the
connection created your spirit.  That is how you were created--you are
partially the reincarnation of Jiu.  But that is not how you were born.
  "Once I told you that you were a Saotome, but that you were also a
magical construct filled with hate and anger.  I did not explain how that
came to be.  Child, the Heart of the Demon--what you all had thought to be
the Phoenix Eye--did not create you.  It was the catalyst that brought you
to the place of your actual, true birth:  not Osaka, Japan as your Birth
Certificate states; nor Jusenkyo, China as your brother's 'curse' was
concerned; but the Crystal Temple, the mystical palace of the despot Nguyen
Tran Loc.  Your birth saved your brother from a fate worse than you can
have imagined.  This, however, is not the point that I am trying to stress.
  "When you first used the power of the ruby, that awoke the demon from its
ages-old slumber.  And because it was given to you, the purest soul
available, it began to corrupt you in order to meet its ends.  And as it
discovered that you were the reincarnation of its mortal enemy, it moved
with a glee and a zeal to take its revenge out on you, an innocent who had
never known what you had done wrong, who had never done any wrong.
  Child, you were born at age eighteen, then listed as seventeen to cover
your innocence.  As you see yourself now, a six year old child, is the
culmination of your total experiences on your own, minus the 'buffer year',
and what the demon has done to you.  You were born with the life, loves,
hopes, fears, and dreams of your brother--of another person.  You have not
had enough of your own life experiences to totally be the adult that you
are, but you weren't born as a child.  You have been battered and abused,
nearly killed and used, and all without your own opinion involved--all this
in the 'womb'.  In the years you have lived, you have been forced to grow
up in far too fast of a way, something that should never be done to a child.
  "But now you are at the crossroads. An event has happened to you that
will allow you to make your choice, an actual important choice that only
you can make.  You can stay here with us as the child that you are, and
live in peace; or you can return to your home as the warrior that you are.
If you stay with us, you will be happy, but many people will be hurt; even
now there are people in need.  If you go home, you may never see us
again--our time on earth is done and it is time for new legends to come.
  "So the question lies to you, child:  will you stay or will you go to
help those in need?"


  The little girl wanted to stay.  She really would have loved to have
stayed in the garden and played with the butterflies, to ride Mr. Feniks
and spend her time with Mr. Lung, and learn to be a warrior with Jiu.  But
she knew that her parents had always told her that it was right to help
those who needed help.  She knew her brother had always helped people when
they needed it.  So she knew that she had to, too.  So she told Mr. Feniks,
"I hafta go.  I hafta be a warrior."
  "Then we shall go,"  Mr. Feniks told her.  The big bird turned to the
others and said "She is ready to go; I can do no more for her."
  Jiu looked at the others.  "It seems our little fighter is ready to face
the Canyon of the Void."  
  "Then it is time for the young warrior to go," Mr. Lung agreed.  He
looked at the little girl and said, "Would you like a ride?"


  She was riding again!  And this was MORE fun!  It was more funner than
any fun thing in the funnest, fun world!
  Riding on the back of Mr. Lung by herself (Jiu rode on the back of Mr.
Feniks) was a really really special treat.  As they flew over a really
pretty forest, now, Mr. Lung flew through the branches and really close to
the ground, doing loops and being like riding a rollercoaster.  She yelped
for joy, and the more she did, the more that Mr. Lung smiled and did more
really fun stuff.  And she wasn't afraid, not one little itty-bitty bit.
  "It could be that she is beginning to remember her true self," Jiu said
to Mr. Feniks.
  "It could be that," Mr. Feniks agreed.
  So they flew.
  And flew.
  And flew.
  And it seemed like they flew forever and ever and ever.  And even longer
than that.  Maybe for a whole minute.  Or maybe five minutes.  Or maybe a
million zillion billion minutes.  Maybe even as long as an hour.
  And the little girl wasn't afraid anymore.
  Because she was a warrior.


  And they flew into a dark, scary place.  It was like being in that ugly,
icky place again, only worse.  This place was all black and really scary.
Finally they all landed and Mr. Lung said, "Here we are."  But she didn't
know where "here" was.
All she could see was darkness and a big black hole, even blacker than the
black that surrounded them.  And the only change was a gray stone bridge
that was the same color as the icky pencil sky she had seen some time ago.
  And the truth became clear: she was afraid, and very very scared.  She
wasn't a warrior, and could never be.  She didn't know what to do. All she
could see was that the blackness was scarier than anything she'd ever
  So she sat on the black ground and cried again.
  Jiu came to her side and asked "Child, why do you cry?  Why are you
afraid of that which is out there?"  She pointed out to the beyond, and at
the farthest point away, two tiny specks of blue sparked to life.  "If you
wish to be brave and be a warrior, then you must go to the light and begin
your struggle."
  The little girl wiped the tears from her eyes and said stopped sobbing
long enough to say, "But I don't know what to do!  And that place is SCARY!
 It hurts even to look at it."
  Jiu nodded her head.  "Yes it does.  But you said you were a warrior.
That means that you must be stronger than the worst fear.  You must be
stronger than the worst hurt."  She looked at Mr. Lung.  "Show her."


  Mr. Lung put his paw in the air, and a pretty sparkly light danced on the
top of one of his claws.  Then the light moved away, and the air around all
of them got really swirly and melty, like someone pouring fudge and caramel
on the sky.  Then a pretty swirly bubble became in the center of all of
them.  The little girl could see pictures in the bubble like she was
watching a cartoon on TV.
  The scene showed a woman carrying two small squiggly knives and a man
that had a big stick and a knife on the top of the stick.  The woman had
long, flowing grayish-purple hair, brown eyes; she looked as brave as Jiu.
The man had dark brown hair and the same color eyes; he looked very brave,
too.  They were both bleeding, but fought on, beating up really bad people.
 They must be warriors, the little girl decided.
  The woman said to the man, "We're running up against shinobi again."  She
flipped over a small black ball that blew up under her, landed on her feet
and slashed a strange man wearing black.  "Tate!  How you holding up?"
  The man swung the stick so fast, the little girl could keep track of the
people he hit with it.  "Passably well, Shampoo, my old friend.  But it's
obvious that they were keeping more of these lunatics in reserve."
  The man and the woman ran around a corner, and then she couldn't see them
anymore.  As the picture began to disappear, the little girl could see the
woman snarl a name that sounded like she thought it was icky.  "Kaguro...."
 And then the bubble TV was empty.
  "Who was that?" the little girl asked Jiu.
  "Those are two brave warriors that are fighting against the army of the
bad demon that Phoenix told you about," the older woman said.  "they could
use a warrior of your bravery to help them."  She pointed at the twin
lights in the distance. "All you have to do is go to the lights and touch
them.  Then you will be on your way home."
  The little girl looked at the bubble again, then looked over the deep
blackness and the stone bridge, towards the twin lights, then shook her
head.  "I can't.  I'm scared."
  "It is okay to be scared, young one,"  Jiu replied, hugging the small
child.  However, she added, "We all get scared sometimes.  I was afraid
when I came to see the Leung for the first time.  I was afraid when I
fought my way to the top of Jusenkyo mountain.  I was afraid every minute
that I fought the demon."
  The little girl stopped crying, surprised that the brave and mighty Jiu
could be afraid.  "You get scared, too, Jiu?"
  The Chinese Amazon nodded, then kneeled down to the little girl's height
and looked her straight in the eyes.  "The reason I fought on and was brave
is because I found a reason to fight.  the reason was because of my child
and my people."  She smiled her special smile again--the one the little
girl liked the most--hugged her, and said, "Let us find what it is you
would fight the most for."


  The bubble TV glowed again, and showed a man walking through the streets
of a city.  He was larger than many of the other men around him, and he
dressed differently, too.  He wore a beige karate suit, and glasses.  He
looked completely bald, but wore a scarf over his head.  He had a look of
strength and bravery, but there was also kindness and gentleness in his
piercing black eyes.  He was conversing with someone, but the little girl
couldn't tell who.
  "Otoosan!" the little girl said, voice filled with cheer.  But she
remained firm.  She loved her father dearly, but there was something about
Pop (silly old man, she thought, then wondered where that thought came
from) that didn't force her to move towards the bridge.
  "But I thought you loved your father," Jiu asked.
  "I love Otoosan lots an' lots, but I...I just...."  The little girl
couldn't finish her sentence.  
  "I understand," Jiu said.  "Don't be saddened.  We may yet find what it
is that will be your strength.  The Chinese warrior turned to Mr. Lung and
said, "Next."
  The bubble glowed again, and showed the little girl's father...and the
one that he was conversing with.  The woman had short, light brown hair
with just a hint of silvery-gray.  She wore a kimono, and a sword at her
side.  The look in her brown eyes said the same thing in her husband's eyes.
  "Okaasan!" the little girl squealed, and ran towards the bridge, but
stopped.  the darkness loomed before her, ready to swallow her up.  She ran
back, hiding behind Jiu; the fear of the black unknown was too strong for
the little girl, easily defeating her love for her parents.  
  She looked to Jiu.  "I can't.  Too scared."  the little girl began to cry
again. 
     

  The look on the little girl's face nearly broke Jiu's heart.  Then it
dawned on Jiu.  She told the girl, "I just remembered what it was that you
will fight for."  As a puzzled look wrinkled the little girl's face, Don't
worry, even I make mistakes.  That's what makes you such a great
warrior--learning from your mistakes."  She turned to Mr. Lung again.
"Please show the face.  The most important face to this little girl."
  "I cannot," Mr. Lung said.  "My power is weakened by this place."
  "Then I shall help you,"  Mr. Feniks said, as he put his wing on Mr.
Lung's paw.  "The princess told us that she is brave.  We must be brave for
her."
  The bubble glowed once more, and showed a different scene.


  The bubble showed the inside of an airplane.  There was a man wearing
clothes just like Jiu's.   He had black hair in the same style as Jiu's,
but she couldn't see the color of his eyes; she knew who it was,
nonetheless.  He was being held by a woman who looked both angry and sad at
the same time.  She had short black hair, and in her teary brown eyes, a
barely controllable anger could be seen. 
  Seeing the pair, the little girl's heart snapped.  "Oniichan....
Akane-chan...."  she whispered.  She turned to Jiu.  "Why are they crying?"
  Jiu opened her mouth to speak, but was beaten by Mr. Feniks.  "Because
they miss you very much, little princess.  Your brother and sister-in-law
know you are missing and are looking for you."
  *That* did it.  The girl ignored the darkness and began to race towards
the bridge.  At the last, she was caught by Jiu.  "Let me go!" she
screamed.  "I hafta help my brother and Akane-chan!"
  Jiu bent down and whispered something in the little girl's ear.  Speaking
aloud again, she said, "It will help you when you face your final obstacle
getting home."  She then gave the little girl her sword.  "This is the
sword of a warrior.  You shall need it.  And with that, now it was time to
say good-bye."
  "Good-bye?" the little girl asked.
  "Child, our time on earth is done.  It falls upon you to be the one to
carry on."  She hugged the little girl to her.  "Dear one, my child,
daughter of my past, you will not see us again.  But we will always be
there for you."
  She hugged Jiu, promising herself she wouldn't cry.  "I-I'll miss you."
She then went over to Mr. Feniks and hugged him as well.  "Thank you for
everything."  
  "It was nothing, child," the bird said.
  She then turned to Mr. Lung, but he was already gone.  Jiu explained, "He
is not big on good-byes, child, so please forgive him.  He would tell you
that you are quite welcome."   Jiu pointed toward the twin lights.  "Now go
to your home, and your brother.  You are sorely missed."  
  With that, Lao Jiukiu Tsesao and the legendary Phoenix of Heaven
disappeared into the darkness.
   

  The little girl wasted no time, and began to race across the bridge.  She
ran and ran and ran.  She began to glow red, and the darkness fell away.
After a while, it got darker and darker,  and the little girl began to
falter, slow and then stopped.  She wanted to run back, but she couldn't
see where she started.  The darkness closed in around her and she became
afraid again.
  She swung the sword, about her size, but light as a feather in her hand,
but the tendrils of darkness seemed to close in deeper and deeper.  It was
slowly choking her, drenching her, enveloping her and claiming her to be
the defeated in this game where the stakes were all too high.  
  The brightness of the lights dimmed to nearly nothing at her hesitance
and began to gutter and fade.  It was clear that the little girl would give
up, and lose all.  Truth be told, she would've given up right there and
then if it wasn't for something in her mind.  A memory....

  The crowd of fighters gathered around a wounded Ranma, an equally injured
Akane, and the mysterious girl that looked like Ranma's alter ego.  The
three of them marched out of the remains of the Crystal Temple, towards the
their friends, the wounded, and the dead....

  "....who is she, Ranma?" Nabiki asked, completely perplexed.  All the
others who were still conscious, were just as stunned.
  Ryoga and Natsume voiced the same words, not believing that this--what it
appeared to be--was possible, could be possible:  "Ranma-chan...."
  "No, not 'Ranma-chan'.  Ranko." Genma himself somehow knew the answer,
and was at a near loss for words.   A look of true astonishment and wonder
crossed his face as he whispered to no one in particular:  "She's my
daughter...."

  ....Ranma put one arm around his fianc‚e, and held her.  He put his other
arm around the redhead, and said with a note of pure pride in his voice,
"This is my sister, Ranko.  Anybody who has a problem with that will have
to deal with *me.*"  He then looked at his sister, and there was no
mistaking the love, joy, and pride he had in his eyes.  "You did good, sis.
 Thank you."
  Akane looked at the girl in the same way.  "Welcome to the family,
onnechan...."

  ....A teary-eyed Ranko smiled, and would've said something, if it hadn't
been for Genma putting his arms around the three, holding his children and
future daughter-in-law close to him....

  The little girl got up, picked up her sword, and began to glow red again,
the sword becoming a torch of impossible brightness.  She screamed at the
darkness, "I'm not going to give up!" With that, she began her rush towards
the small lights again.  As she ran, her aura began to change.  It began as
a red aura, then faded to the color of white, then became a bright blue
ball of lightning as she raced towards the stars.  The darkness closed in
on her again, but her power flared brighter, and the enclosing darkness
gave way to her brightness.
  She saw the lights, emanating from two small sparkly marbles.  Shouting a
cry of "I'm coming, Ranma!" the little girl leapt on the marbles and
touched them....

*   *   *

  Thus, the six-year-old child that had never been, that had inexplicably
once was, and that somehow would always be, once again became the
25-year-old martial artist.  The colors of her body regained their normal
tones, her eyes blinked, and with a momentary loss of equilibrium, she got
to her knees.   Unaware of anything for the moment, of where she was or
what had happened, barely noticing the still forms of her friends Libby and
Mousse at her side, she sat, looking at the true Phoenix Eyes in her left
hand, and the sword of Lao Jiukiu Tsesao--her sword, now--in her right.
  So she sat.
  And sat.
  And sat.
  And it seemed like she sat forever and ever and ever.  And even longer
than that.  Maybe for a whole minute.  Or maybe five minutes.  Or maybe a
million zillion billion minutes.  Maybe even as long as an hour.
  And Ranko Saotome wasn't afraid anymore.
  Because she was a warrior.


  Ranko leapt to her feet from the sitting position, pausing long enough to
put the Phoenix Eyes in her pocket, and the Jusenkyo Sword in her sash
belt.  She didn't pause to wonder how she'd managed to change into her
Chinese tang and pants; she just knew.  She was at least glad that her hair
wasn't in her old pigtail style.
  She wanted to "tell" Ranma that she was okay, but she couldn't; the bond
had somehow vanished.  A moment's worry crossed her mind, but she thought
about it for a second, then reasoned that it was a side effect of her
"death".   {So long as that demon's around, my bond's been neutralized.
They don't know I'm okay, and they're truly hurting, because they love me,
and think I'm a goner.  So demon bitch has made Ranma and Akane distraught.
 That little factoid makes me very pissed.  The demon doesn't realize that
people get hurt when I get pissed.}
  She formed a fist, and her aura flared angrily.  Her red aura was gone,
supplanted by the electric blue aura she had just developed.  She noticed
that her new battle aura wasn't so much of a ki aura than a storm of plasma
energy.  She looked at her fist, and noticed the small arcs of electricity
dancing around it like an organic storm cloud.
  She smiled wickedly.  "Okay demon girl, you'd best be ready.  'Cause it's
payback time."  By force of habit, she punched her fist into her open palm.
  The energy discharge shook the room.

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