**EVE**
This applies to all the story not just the first chapter....
<xyz> = chinese or other language (when specified)
Ranma = male Ranma
Ranma-chan = erm...female Ranma I _think_..
P-chan = oh, come on..like you don't know already!
((Disclaimer: All Ranma 1/2 characters are owned by Rumiko Takahashi and co. 
This is a non-profit making exercise. Only Jaden, Eve and Mr. Fujishima are 
mine.)) 
PS...the name that appears isn't mine because I use someone else's computer to 
send this story....

CHAPTER 1 - THE END'S BEGINNING
"Be prepared for what life's got in store for you or you might just buy it."

      ....Eve ran across the lonely lot, her feet drumming on the hard 
concrete. The heat clung to her chest and the atmosphere bit her face. She 
wasn't going to be captured, never! 
      A burst of light shot out and hit her leg.
      "Aaaah! Damn it!" The pain dragged her body to the boiling ground, 
slamming her face against rock-hard surface. Blood seeped from her bruised 
mouth. Another ray charged towards Eve's direction. With pain gripping her 
body, she thrust herself up and away. Leaping over a fence, Eve felt her 
muscles tense as a solid beam of light wrapped around her healthy leg, 
slamming her to the ground, face-first. 
       A low groan emerged from Eve's throat as she felt her leg being dragged 
and pulled towards....towards...SHe threw herself onto her back and looked at 
the source. The source grabbed the attention of the empty lot it was in, 
covering the vast ground before Eve's struggling form. It was a circle of 
dense, brilliant intoxicating white light with strands of dancing rays, 
emerging from it, closing in on the stunned victim. Caught in it's glare for a 
few seconds, Eve's body was drawn by the rope of burning light to this 
mysterious, swirling circle of destiny. 
       But Eve didn't buy that mysticism and tried, futilely, to release her 
leg from the scorched band of light encircling it. The heat from the circle 
started to rippple and rasp across her pale skin.
       "I...won't...let...you...get...me...Jaden!...Ever!" Anger and fear 
drove her on. Eve dug her long nails into the melting concrete, sinking deep 
and hard. Teeth gritted and eyes screwed up, Eve reflexively dodged as a 
strands of light rasped and twirled round her. 
       Standing up, she dug her feet into the concrete lava, ignoring the 
searing pain as her feet cried out against the burns inflicted upon them. 
Still holding onto the leg, the circle shot out, from one side, a slim stream 
of fire which wrapped itself around Eve's neck and then guided itself back 
into the other side of the circle, wrenching her neck out of place. Threads of 
light then creeped round her weakened body and knotted at her back. Eve 
couldn't let Jaden get her, she couldn't! She is determined to live on! She 
had no choice but to fight, she was the last one of her kind! 
       "You've destroyed all the others but I won't let you take me! Give up 
Jaden and leave me alone!" Eve shook her head wildly, her blood red hair 
seething with fury.  
       The solid fire began to blacken Eve's skin. Against her will, she felt 
her body numb in shock to the heat. She did know that she was losing and that 
her soul was slowly melting in response to the ever closer ball of light, 
which was growing in size as Eve's now prone form was brought slowly toward 
it's centre. Her body, an unwilling participant in Jaden's revenge against at 
Eve and her descendants.
       Blackness rather than the strong light overtook Eve's mind as she felt 
herself falling into unconsciousness. Her mind slowly being blanketed by smoky 
spiritual death. Her last though before the blanket covered her completely was 
"please help me, someone, please....."
      
                                       *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *
       
       Ranma bounced across the rooftops as flying bandana's from below 
crossed his path, again and again. 
       "Cut it out, Ryoga! I'm tryin' to deliver something to Dr. Tofu!"
       "You shall pay for your humiliation!" 
       Ranma jumped towards the avenger and kicked him to the ground. Standing 
on Ryoga's chest to keep him down, Ryoga looked at him with an annoyed glare.
       "There's an empty lot and an abandoned factory a few hundred yards 
down, just at the edge of the city, if you can keep up, pig-boy, we'll fight 
there!" Ranma bounded down the street. Ryoga jumped up, bared his fangs and 
moved in for the kill.
       "You shall pay for that!" Ryoga ran down the street after Ranma, who 
occasionally looked back and directed some insult at him. Ryoga ignored the 
intense heat which rippled over his body as he and Ranma approached the large, 
open square of littered concrete. His senses fired back, pleading with Ryoga 
to stop and turn around. His pride struck his senses and anger gave the 
killing blow to any doubts.
       On the other hand Ranma seemed to slow down as he approached the 
abandoned square. He felt his skin begin to burn as he turned round the 
corner, stepping into the supposedly empty lot. 
       Ranma started at the sight before him and edged back out, causing a 
rampaging Ryoga to collide with him.
       "Idiot! We gotta do something!" Ranma stood up and looked at Ryoga who 
seemed ready to pounce. "Look!"
       "Don't try to distract me! Tricks won't work!"
       "Hey, P-chan, even you couldn't be that thick-headed!" And with that 
Ranma pushed Ryoga into the lot.
       "Aaaah!" Ryoga jumped back, his body felt like it was on fire. He 
turned his head and stared hypnotically at the sight before him.
       To him and Ranma, the sight before them was nothing new but it still 
chilled their minds while burning their bodies. They saw this massive ball of 
light occupying most of the space in front of them. Bright white whisps of 
light seemed to be emanating from it. Ryoga gasped involuntarily as he saw a 
hand reach out from a knot of threaded fire, which was slowly retreating into 
the nucleus of the blinding creation of Jade - the ball of alive light. 
       Something flashed across Ryoga's dark pupils and he shot across towards 
the crisp, blackening hand, closely followed by Ranma. Both felt the heat glue 
their clothes to their bodies but neither took great notice. Thoughts of 
safety and common sense reached neither Ranma nor the lost boy as they dived 
to save the hand's owner. Ryoga snarled as he buried his hand into the pale 
fire. Ranma tried to but even his hand couldn't stand the charring furnace 
that was the ball of fire, imprisoning an unknown in it. He stood amazed as 
Ryoga seemed unaware of the pain and was pulling back the hand out of the 
fiery chasm. An unrecognisable expression crossed Ryoga's face and he 
continued to drag back with all his strength. A battle aura formed around him 
and his hand once again came back out, this time attatched to another. As 
Ryoga pulled out the rest of the red-haired girl, the circle of light 
contracted and expanded rapidly.
      "Moko Takabisha!" Ranma's hands blasted a powerful light of their own 
towards the weak force. Nothing. Ryoga was still helping the redhead out of 
the threads. "....Moko Takabisha!" Nothing. Ranma had just emitted one of his 
biggest energy blasts and it was barely the strength of a passing breeze.
      "Unh!" Ryoga grunts as he pulls the strange girl out of the strands and 
fiery ropes. The girl is nearly completely black, the smell of burning flesh 
causing Ranma to reel back. "Take her," Ryoga casually thrusts the charred 
body at Ranma, who holds it with doubt, unsure what to do next.
      He does see what Ryoga is about to do and shakes his head.
      "I tried my biggest Moko Takabisha, your's ain't going to work! Think of 
something else, I am!" But Ryoga ignored him and for several seconds, nothing 
happened.
      "Shishihokodan!!!!"
      Ranma sees light explode from Ryoga's hands, and hit the weak ball of 
light which throws itself back from the bullet of energy and shoots straight 
up, leaving flames in the air. 
     The ball of solid air collapses outwardly mid-flight. 
     Ranma starts to run, holding the girl close. He realises a pair of 
footsteps is missing. 
     "Ryoga, come on, your blast is going to level these old factory 
buildings! Get out of the way!" Ryoga just stands and watches, his face 
glistening from the humidity, his eyes dark and unreactive. Ranma dashes back, 
grabs Ryoga's arm and pulls him away as the ki blast hits the walls on either 
side. The bricks pull away from each other, disintegrating inwardly. The walls 
attack the lot, diving into the ground. The ground shudders and shifts in 
response.       
The air is kicked out of Ranma's chest as the explosion knocks the three 
back.Ranma starts as a piece of masonry flies a little too close. 
     Ranma lets out a deep breath as the calm takes over the site, his 
quickening heartbeat slowing down as the dust rises from the not-so-empty lot.
    "Ryoga, how did you do that?" Ranma gently carried the unknown girl over 
to him, recieving no response from the silent martial artist, whose head is 
bowed down. "Wake up, P-Chan! This ain't funny!" 
     Ranma felt motion in his arms, he looks to the girl's face, whose face is 
black and still burning. The girls eyelids lift themselves up slowly, 
revealing startling sky blue eyes, almost alien in their intensity. The mouth 
seems to move but throught the croaks all Ranma can make out is 
"..Eve...thanks...". The eyelids weigh heavily down on the strange girls face 
and the mouth stops moving. 
    Hearing sirens pierce towards them, Ranma shakes one of Ryoga's red 
shoulders. He turns round groggily, looking at Ranma strangely.
    "Hey Ryoga, why are you acting so wierd?"
    Ryoga's sleepy eyes blink and grow large as he looks round at the 
destruction.
    "W-What happened? What --?" His startled speech was cut of by exhaustion 
as he collapsed to the warm concrete road.
    "He's not the only one confused!" Ranma tenses as he see not only an 
ambulance turn round the corner towards them but a police car too.
    A tall figure steps gracefully out of the police car and strides on 
towards the three. Ranma looks on in recognition and fear.
    "Ranma! What have you been up to this time? Getting an innocent involved 
in your matches just isn't on!"
    "Hey, Seargent Fujishima, this time it isn't my fault! Me an' Ryoga here 
saved this girl, I _think_ it's a girl...," Ranma then felt the girl's weight 
being lifted from his still hot arms, a cool breeze soothing them gently, as 
he spoke to Seargent Fujishima, who he recognised as the policeman who often 
had to investigate the 'disturbances' Ranma and his 'friends' caused.
    "Oh really," Seargent Fujishima snapped sarcastically, "explain."
    "Well...," Ranma sighed as he eyed two stretchers with lost boy and the 
unkown girl being loaded into the ambulance, "...me and Ryoga were just 
running along when I saw this weird light..."

                       *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

    The blackness cleared as he opened his eyes, just to be attacked by stark 
light. 
    "Where..where am I?"
    "Hey Ranma, quick, he's awake," he heard a voice call in the distance. 
Suddenly a vision of beauty came into sight, barely feet away. Followed by a 
sight much less pleasing.
    "Hi Ryoga, how are you doing? You've been out for hours," Akane's sweet 
voice sang through Ryoga's normally dark soul. He slowly sat up, feeling  the 
bandages held tightly to him, leaning back he smiled at Akane's . His smile 
soured when he saw the person standing next to her, a little too close to her 
from Ryoga's perspective.
    "Hey, Ryoga, how's it going?" Ranma stood, his bare arms coverd in 
bandgaes also. Akane turned at looked back at Ranma angrily.
    "Ranma, you're not supposed to be walking about yet! You should get some 
rest like the doctor said," Akane's voice barely covered the concern in her 
voice. Ranma didn't seem to notice, while Ryoga winced as his heart broke, 
once again.
    "I'm going, I'm going. I'll leave you two _alone_."
    "Hey, it isn't like that! Stop teasing me and poor Ryoga! He saved you and 
that girl's life, you know?"
    "I know, I know," a bitter taste of jealousy was obvious in Ranma's sullen 
voice as he walked away. Akane turned around to face the bemused Ryoga.
    "Akane....please don't mind me asking but what do you mean?"
    "Huh? You mean you don't remember?"
    Ryoga shook his head, blankness in his eyes.
    "You pulled a girl from a ball of fire, I was told, and then you let off a 
massive ki blast which levelled an abandoned factory."
    "N-no..."
    Akane looked away distractedly.
    "Wierd, I wonder if Dr, Tofu knows anything...? I saw him at that girls 
bedside...He doesn't even work here. I'll just go find him."
    "No, don't leave Akane-san, I need you!" is what Ryoga was wanting to say 
but instead he only murmured "fine."
    As she closed the curtain behind her, Ryoga hit his bandaged head with his 
bandaged arm, cursing his thrown away chance to spend time alone with dear 
Akane. He shifted in his hospital gown, uncomfortable in these strange clothes 
and in his thoughts. 
                       
                                       *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  
    
    Akane opened the curtain to the strange girl's bed, which was in the 
intensive ward, and saw Ranma sitting down beside her, chatting to the 
unconscious girl. A slither of jealousy crept through Akane until she opened 
the curtain further and saw Mr. Saotome standing over Ranma and peeked further 
and saw Dr. Tofu sitting on the other side of the bed, talking to Ranma. Akane 
sighed in relief and her anger diminished. Stepping in, Akane heard Dr. Tofu's 
greeting but she only was paying attention to stranger. 
    She saw the burns plastering the barely recognisable face, long, wispy, 
red hair sprawling over the pillow, with crisp burnt ends.  There were tubes, 
needles and wires protruding from her face and arms. The covers were raised 
which suggested that the girl's legs were in a just as worse condition as her 
face. The calmness of the girl's scarred but peaceful face was disturbed by 
the constant beeping of the EEG, which was the only thing reminding the world 
that this human was still alive.                 
     Ranma noticed Akane's disturbed look and that truobled him unerringly. He 
stood up from the plastic seat.
     "Akane...you OK?" He didn't notice the concern, plain in his voice, which 
seemd to please his father. Akane jolted out of her shock.
     "Yeah, I'm fine, really."
     "You sure? You looked a little wierd back then."
     Akane smiled inwardly as she noticed that he was worried for her. 
Outwardly, she smiled back happily at Ranma, "Yes, I am," but there was still 
a haunted look in her eyes, which kept returning to the mysterious girl.
     Ryoga stepped into the room, unnoticed by the rest. He wanted to know 
what was happening, he needed answers. 
     Suddenly there was a murmur from the girl and all eyes turned to her. Her 
eyes didn't open but a hand reached up and fell back down again. Her eyes 
slowly grated open and she turned to look at Ranma.
     "I'm s-sorry...s-so sorry"
     "Akane," Dr. Tofu whispered, "could you get a doctor. Akane silently 
stepped out of the room. "What's your name?"
     "E-Eve..."
     "Eve, everything's going to be alright, you're in a hospital," Dr. Tofu 
spoke softly.
     Her eyes widened when she saw Ryoga and her eyes darted to Ranma, a 
scared feeling came from her.
     "You...you have to leave, Ryoga, and R-Ranma too..Y-you're not safe..," 
her throat was hoarse but her words, clear. No-one seemed to care that she 
knew their names but that something was really wrong. Both boys felt their 
hearts sink and their heartbeat quicken.
     "Why is that, Eve?" Dr. Tofu asked, hoping that she was just babbling but 
from what he had heard from Ranma, his heart just did not agree with his 
denying mind. Eve once again focussed on Ryoga and then Ranma, both aware of 
the intensity of her gaze.
     "Jaden...she knows you now..."    
                          
                                          *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *      
 End of chapter 1
By Kawaii
As always, C&C is appreciated. I'm hoping to continue this and add more 
layers, twists and turns, revenge, romance, adventure, suspense and fantasy to 
the story as it goes on. Y'know the usual, everyday stuff. This is the rough 
version but don't go easy on me 'cos of that. "^_^"