I'm reposting the three completed acts of Onna: Red Side. I'm not planning
to release new material for act 4 this week, or very soon for that matter.
The main purpose for this repost is to make the revised version available
to everyone before I send it off to RAAC.

Author's Foreword:
This is the first of two stories which combined make up the rewrite of my
longest work ever, "Her". Note, this is a rewrite, not a revision, of
"Her", which means the story is completely changed. It has some of the same
elements but takes them in a completely different direction.

That having been said...
1) The two sections of "Onna" will not be related to one another. Red Side
is a crossover, Yellow Side will be a straight Ranma fic.
2) Red Side is a cross between Ranma 1/2 and an alternate reality of Magic
Knight RayEarth. The RayEarth material used contains drastic changes to the
original storyline. In this alternate timeline, the events of MKR1 change
about halfway through, MKR2 does not occur at all, and the timeline is two
years after the altered MKR1.
3) I'm using the anime continuum of Ranma 1/2, and the manga continuum of
RayEarth.
4) Warning: this tends to get DARK in some places.

   *hajime*

   The thin, cool mist he'd encountered at every step of his journey so far
suddenly thickened. He had to tread more carefully as visibility was
reduced to nil. Ahead of him, he heard the sound of water dripping. He
continued onward.
   A little farther down the trail, he heard faint voices. Straining to
hear, he could make out two: one was laughing cruelly. The other was...a
girl crying?
   Gritting his teeth, he strode into the mist, unmindful of the trail. The
mist began to part, and a spectacle from hell unfolded before him.
   Tied to a roughly hewn wooden stake was a young girl, with long, braided
red hair. She was filthy, naked, covered with welts and bruises, and
crying. Dark rings circled her watery crimson eyes.
   Her tormentor stood before her, his posture arrogant and his laughter
cold and mocking. Beside the tormentor sat a rack of torture
implements...all quite obviously recently used.
   Suddenly, he found himself no longer able to move. Rooted to his spot on
the trail, he could only watch in horror as the cruel man raped his young
prisoner. Her screams rent deep gashes in his soul. He struggled to no
avail against the paralysis which had taken him.
   Her tormentor then turned to face him. An arrogant sneer darkened the
all too familiar features...the ones he saw in the mirror every day.
   Saotome Ranma awoke screaming.

   Ranma 1/2
    "ONNA" Red Side vs. Yellow Side
   
       Red
       Side



Legal:
Ranma 1/2 property of Takahashi Rumiko, Shogakukan, Weekly Shonen, VIZ
Communications.
Magic Knight RayEarth property of CLAMP
Anything else used, I'll deal with in the author's notes at the end. ^_^

   ACT ONE: Honou no Onna

   Chapter 1: Zankoku no Yume

   Genma lazily whapped Ranma over the head with a sign that said "Shut up,
boy" before rolling over and going back to sleep. The Tendou family came
charging into the room, Akane at the head of the pack. "Ranma!" 
   Ranma rubbed his head. His hand came away drenched in sweat. "Kuso..."
he gasped, breathing raggedly.
   "Ara! Ranma-kun, are you alright?" Kasumi knelt beside his futon. Akane
knelt on the other side.
   Ranma took a moment to compose himself, then softly said, "Yeah...I'm
okay. Just...just a bad dream." Assuming his usual cavalier demeanor, he
said, in a still somewhat shaky voice. "Ah, it ain't nothin'. I musta just
ate too much of your cookin' last night Akane."
   Akane's expression went from concerned, to embarrassed, to outraged.
"RANMA NO BAKA!" she screamed, and stalked out of the room. 
   "Ara..." Kasumi said. Then she started. "Ara! I need to finish making
breakfast!" With that, she hurried daintily from the room.
   Nabiki clucked her tongue at Ranma. "Good one Saotome," she snickered,
and made her way back to her own room.
   Soun just bawled for a few minutes. Genma slept on unperturbed.

   A few minutes later, Ranma staggered into the bathroom. "Oh man...I feel
like hell..." Stepping in front of the mirror, he groaned. His reflection
revealed a respectable amount of stubble, bleary eyes, dissheveled hair,
and bags under his eyes. "Oh man...I look like hell too," he muttered.
Stripping off his tank top, but leaving his boxers on, he picked up a
washbucket, and filled it with cold water. Bracing himself, he dumped it
over his head. "BBbbrrrr....cold..." Shaking off the excess droplets, Ranma
was about to commence with the morning toilette, when her gaze locked on
her reflection.
   Slowly, the image in the mirror changed. No longer was she looking at
her drowsy, damp, bleary face. She was now staring into watery auburn eyes
which gazed back at her from a bleeding, tear-streaked, bruised face. The
girl in the mirror was covered in welts and bruises and grime. Her eyes
held a pleading in them. Ranma could do little more than stare back at her.
   Until the girl in the mirror spoke.
   <Help me. Please...help me. Rescue me. Set me free. Please. Help me.>
   With a shriek, Ranma leapt away from the mirror.
   Once again, the rest of the household tore into the room. Akane looked
worried again, but slightly annoyed. Kasumi looked genuinely concerned.
Soun was bawling again. Genma wore no expression. Nabiki smirked.
   "Really, Ranma. Twice in one morning?" Nabiki chided.
   "That...the mirror...girl...my dream..."
   Akane frowned. "Ranma...what are you talking about?"
   Ranma pointed at the mirror...and froze. All it revealed was her own
panicked visage.
   She blinked. "What in the...?"
   Kasumi prompted, "Ranma? Are you alright?" 
   Ranma stepped back shakily from the mirror. "Ah...yeah. I think so.
Yeah."
   With that, the Tendous and Genma retreated from the bathroom. Akane
glanced back at Ranma with worry evident on her face, before closing the
door behind her.
 
   ***Interlude: China***

   :Be careful down there, daughter. It's dangerous.:
   :I'm alright, Father. Don't worry about me.:
   Plum searched the small crevice at the base of the cliff overlooking the
west side of Jyusenkyou. Her father had spotted something down there, and
she was the only one small enough to check it out. 
   :There doesn't seem to be anything down here, Father...:
   Suddenly, a bright red light flared from the corner of the crevice. Plum
frowned, and made her way over to it.
   :How odd...:
   Wedged between two rocks was a slightly dingy white gauntlet with a red
jewel set into the back of the handguard. As she examined it, the jewel
begin pulsing brightly. With a shriek, Plum dropped it.
   :Daughter! Are you alright?:
   :Yes, Father. It just startled me. What is it?:
   :I don't know, Daughter. I have seen nothing of this sort before.:
   The jewel abruptly stopped flashing. Plum picked up the gauntlet and
examined it more closely, frowning. She could have sworn it was dirty a
minute ago; now, it was pristine white. It also seemed a slight bit larger.
:This thing is too strange,: Plum commented. Tucking it into the knapsack
slung over her shoulder, she made her way out of the crevice.

   Chapter 2: The Fiery Pigtailed One

   "Ranma? Are you sure you're feeling alright?"
   Ranma was walking, not on the fence as usual, but on the sidewalk. He
was gazing down at the ground. There seemed to be a tangible aura of
despair from him. "I'm fine Akane."
   "No, Ranma...you're not. Has it got something to do with that dream?"
   Ranma's head snapped up, and he glared at Akane. "Ah, what would YOU
know about it? Just...forget it. Don't bring it up again, alright?"
   Akane smirked. "Fine then, Ranma! See if I care!"
   Ranma sighed. After a moment, he murmured softly, "Akane...I'm sorry."
   Akane did a double take. Ranma? Apologizing? "Ranma...?"
   Ranma sighed, and began, "It's just....you got no idea..."
   Akane stopped walking, and placed a  hand on his shoulder. "Ranma...tell
me."
   Ranma took a deep breath. As he was about to speak...
   ...Benshou-san, a local who had a bad habit of dumping water out of his
window, did exactly that. Right on Ranma's head.
   "Sorry about that!" he called, before shutting his window.
   Akane watched Ranma expectantly. She wasn't sure if the slight redhead
would continue her story or grumble about the unfairness of it all.
Instead, she just sighed, and said, "We're gonna be late to class."
   With the discussion effectively ended, the two girls continued toward
Fuurinkan.

   Ryouga grunted. This wasn't one of his worst days. Not one of the best,
but it could be worse. At least he was back in Nerima. He knew that for a
fact; he'd just seen Ukyou leave her shop, and was following her to the
school. 
   Of course, things weren't incredibly good either. At the moment he was
stuck in pig form...and he'd somehow managed to misplace his favorite
bandana. How the thing came off, he had no idea. At least he had his spare,
the solid yellow one he'd worn the day IT happened.
   Up ahead, he saw Akane, and Ranma. Akane was a plus. Ranma was a
definite minus. 
   Oh well, he'd come this far. Might as well reunite with his beloved...
 
   "Buii! Bukii!"
   Akane turned to the source of the sound, and her eyes lit up with joy.
"Look Ranma! It's P-chan! P-chan, c'mere baby!"
   P-chan trotted happily up to Akane. Ranma looked on with mild amusement.
As Akane swept P-chan into her arms, she noticed something different.
"Ranma, look! P-chan's got a new bandana! I wonder where he got it?"
   Ranma noticed this, and for a moment, her eyes lit up as well. "Oh,
kawaii!" she enthused in a rather bubbly voice. P-chan's eyes widened.
Akane glanced at Ranma in mild shock. "Uhh...Ranma? Are you sure you're
feeling okay?"
   Whatever it was, it had passed. "Yeah Akane, I'm fine. Why do you ask?"
   "Well...it's just, you were acting kinda weird there for a second."
   Ranma blinked, then shrugged. "Eh, let's forget about it and get to
school. I don't wanna have another run-in with Hinako-sensei this mornin'."
   
   As the group approached the gates of Fuurinkan, they were greeted by
Kunou. As usual, he wielded his bokken. Upon seeing them, his eyes
sparkled, and he launched into one of his patented rants.
   "Ah, on this beautiful and clear day, fortune doth indeed favor the
noble scion of the house of Kunou..."
   "Well, y'know what they say...fortune favors the foolish," Ranma
interjected. Akane snickered.
   Kunou paused in his rant, and shot a somewhat amused glance at Ranma
before continuing. "And so the fiery pigtailed one indeed doth make jest at
her love. From the lips of any other, the taunt would garner a severe
thrashing. However, fair goddess, from thine lips it is not a barb, but an
invitation to do honorable battle for the honor of DATING with me!" With
that, Kunou launched himself at Ranma, bokken slicing the air before him.
   Ranma did a series of backflips, placing herself out of the range of
Kunou's striking pattern. Akane expected this to be the moment in which
Ranma downed Kunou with one kick. However, something most unexpected
happened.
   Ranma's eyes glazed over. When she came back into focus, her eyes
widened and she shrieked as Kunou's bokken almost tore her gut open. Diving
wildly to the side, she sprang back to her feet. She seemed to be
concentrating on something. Then, after a moment, she looked down at her
left hand, as if something were missing. As Kunou's sword began raking
towards her again, she rolled several feet to the side. Springing up once
again, she raised her right hand over her head, palm up. 
   "What's that idiot doing?" Akane wondered quietly. P-chan, from his
vantage point in her arms, was wondering the same thing. As much as he
disliked Ranma, he knew this fight should have been over before it started.
   Suddenly, something FLARED above Ranma's right hand. Expression fierce,
she shouted, "HONOU NO.....YAAAAAAA!!!" and brought the raised arm down,
pointing straight at Kunou. 
   Several narrow streaks of bright flame erupted from Ranma's hand.
Kunou's eyes widened, and he frantically tried to parry the fire with his
bokken. The wooden sword was immediately incinerated by the flaming
projectiles. One slammed into Kunou and knocked him across the courtyard,
into the wall of the building.
   Akane and P-chan stared at this spectacle with wide eyes. "What on
earth...?" Akane wondered aloud. P-chan bweed softly. If Ranma had a new
attack like that...
   Suddenly, Ranma began blinking rapidly. She stared at her hand, then at
the pile of smoldering ashes marking what once had been Kunou's bokken.
Then her gaze traveled to the slightly blackened Kunou himself. 
   Akane rushed over to her. "Ranma?"
   Ranma blinked a few times, then said, in a somewhat hoarse voice,
"Yeah?"
   "What....what did you just do?"
   Ranma shook her head. "I...I don't know. I...can't remember."
   
   Nabiki grumbled irritably as she trailed Sasuke, who hauled Kunou's
carcass to Tofuu-sensei's clinic. "Idiot...both this one and Ranma...what
the hell was that all about anyway?"
   Kunou groaned once in response.
   Dragging Kunou through the entrance, the small group was greeted by a
rather concerned Tofuu. "What happened to him?" Tofuu-sensei asked, nodding
at the unconscious kendoist.
   "Ranma happened to him, what else?" Nabiki smirked. "But this was
different than usual."
   Tofuu-sensei raised an eyebrow. "How so?" As they talked, Sasuke lifted
Kunou onto an examination table, and quietly slipped out of the clinic. 
   "Well," Nabiki frowned thoughtfully, "Ranma hit him with some kind of
fire blast."
   "You mean a ki-blast," Tofuu-sensei corrected as he examined the burns
on Kunou's chest.
   Nabiki shook her head. "No, sensei. I know a ki blast when I see
one...hey, living around here you sure see enough of them, right? This was
FIRE."
   Tofuu-sensei frowned, and began probing the burns. "Well, these burns
will heal...but you're right. A ki blast wouldn't leave burns like these."
Frowning, he picked up the phone. 
   "Who are you calling, sensei?" Nabiki asked.
   Without responding, Tofuu began speaking into the phone. "Shampoo? This
is Ono Tofuu. Could you please send your great-grandmother down to my
clinic? It's urgent. Thanks."
   Nabiki stared incredulously at the doctor. "What on earth do you want
with that old Amazon?"
   Tofuu frowned, and sighed. "There's something about these burns...I'm
not sure what to make of them."
   That took Nabiki by surprise. "A problem you can't fix?"
   Tofuu slumped into a chair. "You have to remember, Nabiki...I may be
good at handling a lot of the more...unusual situations that show up around
here, but I'm still fairly young and inexperienced. Cologne is over five
times as old as I am...and experienced with magic."
   Nabiki's eyes widened. "You're saying that what happened to Kunou was
magic?"
   Tofuu frowned pensively. "I'm not sure. That's why I want to get her
opinion on it."

   Ranma was unusually quiet at lunch. Akane was worried. Ryouga was
too...he was watching Ranma closely. 
   Ukyou walked over and sat down with them. "Ranchan? I heard about what
happened with Kunou this morning."
   "I don't want to talk about it," Ranma said. 
   Ukyou shot a glance at Akane, who sighed. "He's been like this all day."
   Suddenly, water rained down on the group, and a lecherous old voice
called out, "Ranma-chan! Come let an old man comfort himself in your
bosom!"
   Happousai attempted to glomp Ranma, only to be flattened by a spatula.
"Leave Ranchan alone. He's had a rough day."
   "But...but I only wanted to comfort the sweet young thing!" Happousai
protested.
   Suddenly, Ranma stood. Hatred smouldered in her eyes. In a dead quiet
voice, she said, "Why can't you sick, evil people just leave me alone?"
   Everyone stared at her in shock. An intangible wind was stirring her
clothing and her pigtail. Akane and Ukyou backed away nervously. Happousai
examined her curiously.
   "But Ranma-chan...I only wanted..."
   "Who is Ranma?" she asked. "If that's some sick word for what you people
treat me like...tying me up....doing...doing..." she shuddered visibly.
Everyone was staring at her strangely now. With a scowl, and with
undisguised hatred smoldering in her eyes, which seemed to have turned a
dark shade of crimson, she snarled, "NO MORE! I'm not taking ANY MORE!" She
extended her cupped hands in front of her, and a small, angry red nexus of
energy formed between them. 
   Ukyou gaped in shock. Akane yelled, "EVERYONE GET DOWN!"
   Happousai could only stare like a deer caught in the headlights.
<Masaka...what on earth is...this...power?>
   Sparks danced along Ranma's hands, fueling the energy between her palms,
expanding it, making it brighter. Then, without warning, she brought her
hands to her side, and with a shout of "SCARLET LIGHTNING!", she released a
white-hot ball of energy, surrounded by an angry red corona. It tore into
Happousai before the old pervert could react.
   Happousai was slammed across the courtyard and through the fence. He lay
out in the street, clothing and what little hair he had left on fire. A
long scorched gouge marked the passage of the fire blast, grass still
smoldering in places. Ranma trembled, then slumped to the ground. Ukyou and
Akane rushed over to her, while everyone else backed away nervously. 
   "Ranma!"  "Ranchan!"
   Ranma was unconcious.

   ***Interlude: China***

   :It lasted much longer this time, Father.:
   The Guide and Plum were standing over a small table, on which rested the
white gauntlet. The gem in the handguard pulsed one last time, and then
went dark again.
   :What do you suppose this thing is, Father?:
   :I have no idea. I've asked one of the elder Niichieju to take a look at
it.:
   There was a knock on the door. Plum opened the door, and a tall,
leathery old woman with graying yet dark hair stepped into the cottage. 
   :Show me this item.:
   The Guide presented the gauntlet to her. She examined it thoughtfully,
frowning. 
   :This object...has tremendous magical power.:
   :Elder, what is it?:
   The woman shook her head. :I do not know.: After a pause, during which
she continued to examine the gauntlet, she nodded decisivly. :Keeper of the
cursed springs...I would ask of you to send this object to Japan.:
   :Japan?: The Guide was puzzled thoroughly.
   The elder nodded, her expression impatient, as though it should be
obvious. :I would have the eldest of our tribe, Khu Lon, examine this
artifact. She will more be able to discern its origin and its purpose than
I or any other in the village would.:
   The Guide nodded. :Very well then. It shall be done.:
   The elder removed a few gold coins from the sash around her waist. :Use
these coins to insure that the package will be delivered immediately. To
the modern world, they are worth enough to buy many luxuries. You will be
able to have the object delivered very swiftly.:
   The Guide nodded and took both the coins and the item. :As you wish,
Elder. Thank you for coming.:
   :It is I who would thank you for bringing this object to our attention.
Such powerful magic as this is not something I would care to have lying
around without knowing what its purpose is.:
   With that, the Elder departed for her village, and the Guide and Plum
departed for the nearest town with delivery services.

   Chapter 3: The Awakening

   Cologne studied Kunou's chest with curiosity. Kunou, who by now was
awake, frowned. "Honored old troll, might I ask what you find so
interesting upon my person?"
   Cologne whacked him with her staff. "Quiet, boy. I'm trying to figure
out what happened to you."
   "That is most obvious. The pigtailed goddess, in her anxious desire to
date with me, tore the bounds of nature themselves to produce heavenly fire
which she..."
   *THUNK*
   "That's more than enough out of you," Cologne muttered, as Kunou fell
unconscious again. 
   Tofuu peeked into the room. "So, have you discovered anything yet?"
   Cologne shook her head, and rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "It's
definitely magic. I'd say whoever did this has at least medium-level skill
with fire spells."
   Tofuu shook his head, incredulous. "I know all the myths and legends of
black magic...attack spells and all that. But don't you find it
inconceivable that someone would actually be able to use it in this day and
age?"
   Cologne shrugged. "Anything's possible. At any rate, the question is
moot. This was definitely a mid-level fire spell."
   Tofuu grimaced. 
   "Tell me, young healer. Who did this again?"
   "According to Nabiki, Ranma did it."
   Cologne shook her head. "Not possible." She pointed at the burns with
her staff. A magenta aura sprung up around them. Tofuu blinked.
"Surprised?" Cologne chuckled. "Relax, only healers such as you and I can
see that. I'll teach you how to do it if you like. Anyway, back to what I
was saying...see this aura?"
   Tofuu nodded. "What is that?"
   "That's the aura of the spellcaster. When a spell is cast, two forces
are released: magic and ki. This aura reflects the ki of the spellcaster."
   "Ah, I see," Tofuu said. "So, casting a spell is like performing a ki
technique but incorporating magic into it."
   "In a way, basically that sums it up," Cologne nodded. "This aura...is
definitely not Ranma's."
   Tofuu frowned. "Well, there aren't too many girls with red hair and
pigtails that could do something like this to Kunou."
   Suddenly, there was a call from the main room of the clinic.
"Tofuu-sensei! Come here quick!"
   Tofuu ran out to the main room. "What is it?" 
   Daisuke and Hiroshi, two Fuurinkan students he recognized, carried a
small stretcher in between them. On it lay a blackened Happousai. Tofuu
blinked. "Happousai's injured? How did this happen?"
   Immediately Cologne was in the room. "Did you say Happi is injured?" She
took a look at the body the two youths had placed on an examination table,
and gasped. "Who on earth could..." 
   As Tofuu watched, a red aura begin to shimmer around the burns on the
withered pervert's torso. Cologne frowned. "Whoever got Kunou this morning,
did this too." Turning to the two boys, she said, "Tell me, did you see who
did this?"
   Hiroshi nodded. "Yes ma'am. It was Ranma."
   Cologne shook her head. "Are you absolutely sure?"
   Daisuke nodded. "Yeah. The old lech splashed Ranma and tried to glomp
her. Then she stood up, and said a bunch of stuff that didn't make any
sense, then blasted him."
   Tofuu and Cologne exchanged a glance. "I think we need to talk to
Ranma," Tofuu said. Cologne nodded.

   At that particular moment, Akane, Ukyou, and Ryouga, now human, strode
into the clinic. Ranma was wrapped in a blanket, and Ryouga was carrying
her on his back. Cologne's eyes widened. Tofuu blinked.
   "Sorry about this, sensei." Ryouga placed Ranma on one of the two
remaining tables. "Ranma fainted on us..."
   Cologne's eyes narrowed as she studied Ranma. "There's an unfamiliar
aura about him...the same one on those burns..."
   At that moment, Ranma groaned, and awoke. Visible only to Cologne and
Tofuu, a flickering magenta shadow which had been swirling around Ranma's
bright yellow aura slowly faded away.
   Cologne pogoed over to the redhead. "Have you been studying black magic,
son-in-law?" Cologne asked.
   "Huh? Old ghoul? What're you talkin' about?"
   "What do you mean 'black magic', granny?" Ryouga asked.
   Cologne sighed. "Kunou and Happi are both here. We know all about what
happened to them, and we know Ranma did it."
   "Did...wha?" Ranma asked.
   "Apparently, you've been casting some fairly strong fire magic today,
Ranma," Tofuu-sensei commented. Everyone except Cologne turned to stare at
him.
   "Is that what happened?" Akane asked. "Both times...magic?'
   "You sure about that sensei?" Ukyou asked.
   Both Tofuu and Cologne nodded. 
   Ranma sighed. "Oh man, what next?"


   A new day dawned bright and clear over the bustling city. The buzz of
laughter and conversation filled the air at the local high schools as
students rushed to prepare for their morning classes.
   At one school, Juuban, two girls with somber expressions stood off to
the side in one of the less crowded hallways, speaking quietly. One had
waist-length sky blue hair and was quite beautiful. The other girl, whose
simply cut light brown locks fell shoulder length, removed her glasses for
a moment, wiping at her eyes. 
   "Have...have you talked to them?" the girl with blue hair asked.
   The sandy-haired girl nodded. "Hai, I spoke with Masaru-san yesterday."
Replacing her glasses, she continued, "They're not doing well. The
family...they've fallen apart. Masaru-san says he hasn't even seen either
of his brothers in several months. And...and Hikari...the poor thing just
isn't the same, he says."
   The blue-haired girl sighed sadly. "How horrible. I still...I still
can't believe it..." Growling, she slammed a fist into her open palm. "And
all for *nothing* too!"
   The brown-haired girl rested a hand on her friend's shoulder, and smiled
sadly. "It's alright. It was something she believed in. It doesn't matter
if things weren't what they seemed..."
   "Yes, it DOES matter! Dammit, Fuu..." Ryuuzaki Umi sighed, closing her
eyes. 
   "Umi-chan..." Their discussion was interrupted by the approach of one of
Fuu's friends, a pretty girl with short bluish hair. "Ohayou, Fuu-chan,"
the girl greeted.
   Fuu smiled slightly. "Ohayou, Ami-chan," she returned the greeting. 
   Ami picked up on her mood immediately. "Anou...what's wrong? You both
seem to be a little upset..."
   Before Umi could comment on just how upset she was, Fuu replied,
"Ami-chan...today is a very sad day for us. Two years ago we..." Her voice
caught in her throat, but she eventually continued, "...two years ago
today, a friend of ours was taken from us."
   Ami's expression paled. "Oh, no...gomen nasai...I had no idea..."
   "It's not something we like to talk about," Umi noted. "Not something we
like to talk about at all."
   Ami nodded. "I understand. I'll leave you to yourselves now. If you need
to talk, I'll be here to listen."
   "Thank you, Ami-chan." Fuu smiled briefly at her, and then moved to
stare out the window.

   Ranma had refused a request to stay home from school today. While he had
no particular desire to go to school, he didn't want to be coddled like
some sick little kid. He was disturbed by what had been happening to him
lately, but he didn't think it was serious enough to let it disrupt his
life--hell, his life was already disrupted enough as it was. 
   As he and Akane walked to school, Ranma noticed a post delivery truck
moving at high speed toward the restaurant district. "Huh. Wonder what that
was all about," Ranma mused. "They don't usually run this early and they
ain't usually in that much of a hurry."
   Akane shrugged. "Probably somebody made some kind of rush overnight
order or something."
   The incident was promptly forgotten about and the walk to Fuurinkan
continued.

   Meanwhile, the same truck pulled up to the delivery entrance at
Nekohanten, and a rather frazzled-looking delivery boy pounded on the door,
holding a parcel beneath his arm. 
   A groggy Shampoo opened the door and irritably snapped, "Make delivery
when note on door say make delivery. No wake up sleeping Amazon womans."
   The nervous delivery man bowed. "S--sorry...I had instructions that this
package had to get here as quickly as possible, and to ignore all
schedules, or I'd lose my job."
   Slighly less angry given the poor man was just doing what he'd been
told, and curious about what could be so important, Shampoo said, "Alright,
you make delivery now. This only time. Happen again, Shampoo make hood
ornament out of man parts."
   The gulped nervously. "I'll...remember that. This package is for
a...Cologne?"
   The elder Amazon pogoed up to the boy. "That would be me."
   The boy pulled out a clipboard. "Sign here, please." Cologne signed, and
took the package. The young man left as quickly as he arrived.
   "Great-grandmother, who package is from?"
   Cologne examined the parcel carefully. Something didn't feel right about
it. She read the return address, and frowned. "Well, whatever this is, it
came from Jyusenkyou," she mused.
   "Aiyah! What they send?"
   Cologne opened the box, and gasped. "Goddess..."
   Shampoo rushed to her side, and peered into the box. "Is funny glove.
What so important about funny glove?"
   Cologne carefully lifted the object from the box, and studied it.
Meanwhile, Shampoo dug a letter out of the box and began reading it.
:Eldest of the Niichieju, this object was found in the cliffs surrounding
the valley of cursed springs. The eldest available Niichieju was baffled by
the object, and requested I send it to you.: 
   Cologne nodded. "Yes, yes, I can see why. This gauntlet...its magic
isn't the most powerful I've ever encountered, but it is very strong...very
alien magic. I've never experienced any force quite like what's coming from
this thing."
   Shampoo frowned. "So it not Amazon thing?"
   Cologne shook her head. "It's not anything from this world." <But its
aura is very familiar,> Cologne added mentally.
   Suddenly, the jewel on the gauntlet began to pulse with scarlet light...

   A bucket of water had made its way onto Ranma's head once again. Akane
watched the redhead worriedly. When Ranma had changed, she had dropped to
the ground. she was clutching at her head, groaning painfully. "Ranma?" she
questioned, kneeling beside the redhead.
   Ranma looked up, looked around, and blinked. "This...this is Tokyo..."
   Akane frowned. "Yeah, of course. Where else would it be."
   "It's...it's not Cephiro..."
   Akane blinked. "Huh?"
   "...not...not...China..."
   Akane was extremely confused. "Ranma...why would you think you're in
China?"
   Ranma grasped Akane's shoulders. "How? How...did I get here?"
   "You walked, baka," Akane snapped, trying to extract herself from the
girl's hold. Something was very wrong with Ranma's eyes...
   Suddenly, Ranma collapsed. Akane caught her before she could hit the
ground. "Ranma!!"
   Ranma blinked several times, and focused on Akane. "Akane? What...I
don't feel so great..."
   "Ranma, we're going home. You need rest."
   Ranma nodded. "Yeah...rest..." Then she shook her head. "No."
   Akane frowned. "Baka, you can't go to school like this!"
   Ranma shook her head. "Not school. Nekohanten."
   Akane's eyes narrowed. "I see. This is all a game so you can see that
Amazon bimbo..."
   Ranma groaned in frustration. "No, baka! I want to talk to the old
ghoul. See if she knows what's happening to me."
   "Oh," Akane replied quietly, and the two made their way off campus and
toward the restaurant district.

   "Ranma! You come to see Shampoo!" As usual, the lavender-haired Amazon
teen bounced towards her currently female marriage prospect. However, for
the first time anyone could remember, her progress was blocked by Cologne's
staff.
   "We don't have time for that right now, child," Cologne barked.
"Son-in-law, what seems to be the trouble?"
   Ranma sighed. "I'm not sure. I keep feeling weak, and blacking out..."
   "This morning after he got splashed near the school, he was asking where
he was. He said something about China."
   Cologne raised an eyebrow. "And you remember none of this, son-in-law?"
   Ranma shook her head. "Nuh-uh."
   "Hmmmm..." Cologne rubbed her chin. She examined Ranma's aura, and
found, alarmingly, that the pure yellow was beginning to tint red over a
large area. <I might as well find out what the connection with that glove
is,> Cologne decided. "Son-in-law. An item was sent to me this morning
which was found near Jyusenkyou. I want you to take a look at it. It might
have something to do with your current condition."
   "You ain't tryin' to pull nothin' funny, are ya old ghoul?" Ranma looked
skeptical.
   Cologne narrowed her eyes. "If you want my help, you'll look at this
object. Otherwise, there's nothing I can do for you."
   Ranma sighed. "Okay, okay."
   Just then, Ukyou entered the restaurant, followed by Ryouga. "Hey,
Ucchan, Ryouga...what're you guys doin' here?"
   "Well, I saw you two headed this way, and I wondered what was up," Ukyou
said. "And this idiot--" she jerked her thumb at Ryouga--"Somehow wound up
*IN* *MY* *BATHROOM* this morning...so I brought him along." Ryouga had the
good grace to look sheepish. 
   Cologne snorted. "In any case, I'll go get the object."

   Cologne returned a few moments later, carrying what appeared to be a
white glove of some sort, with a crimson gem set into the handguard. She
handed it to Ranma.
   Ranma looked at it for a moment. "Well? Anything?" Cologne asked.
   Ranma shook her head. Then suddenly, her eyes went blank. Examining the
gauntlet with care and reverence, she slowly slid it onto her left hand.
   There was a bright pulse of crimson light. Everyone shielded their eyes.
When the light receded, they all gaped at Ranma. Her normally sapphire eyes
were now as red as rubies. Instead of her usual clothing, she wore
something resembling a red school uniform, with knee-length white boots,
some sort of white armor, white shoulderguards, a white bracer on her right
wrist, and the gauntlet on her left hand. She looked around the restaurant
in wonder, confusion, and a little bit of fright, then looked down at
herself, at her hands, then at the faces of the people around her. she
began to listen to them.
   "What in the--?"
   "What's going on here?" 
   "Aiyah..."
   "R...Ranma?"
   Cologne hopped in front of the girl, eyes narrowed. "You...you're not
Ranma, are you?"
   The girl, confusion clear on her face, shook her head. "No," she said
shakily.
   "Who are you?" Cologne asked softly.
   The girl swallowed once, very nervous as she looked at the expectant
faces of the small crowd before her. "Atashi...atashi Shidou Hikaru," she
said.

   ***Interlude: Juuban***

   Standing at the memorial to their fallen friend, Umi and Fuu shared
silent tears of grief. "I still can't believe..." Umi said.
   Fuu nodded, reaching over to squeeze her friend's hand. "Hikaru-chan was
a unique girl. We were lucky to have known her."
   Suddenly, both felt a flash of *something*, and gasped.
   "What--what was that?" Umi asked.
   Fuu frowned. "I'm not sure. It didn't feel like the call to return to
Cephiro..."
   Umi shook her head. "No, it didn't. I don't understand...something is
odd here."

   Chapter 4: Hikaru-chan's Tragedy

   "Aiyah...Ranma, is you alright?"
   The girl standing before them blinked in confusion. Cologne sighed.
"Shampoo...pay attention. This..." she pointed at Hikaru, "Is not Ranma."
   Shampoo frowned. "Shampoo no understand. That Ranma. But why Ranma eyes
red all of sudden?"
   Ukyou groaned. "Stupid bimbo. She's trying to tell you that this person
just LOOKS like Ranma."
   "Who you call stupid bimbo, spatula girl?"
   "Ladies?"
   "You stay out this, stupid pig boy."
   "Hey! Watch it, you...!"
   "Excuse me...."
   The argument which almost turned nasty abruptly ground to a halt as the
confused pigtailed girl spoke. "Can someone please tell me what's going on
here?"
   Cologne frowned. "That, child, is a very good question." Gesturing for
everyone to sit down, Cologne asked, "Who's hungry? I can whip up some
ramen."
   Murmurs of assent rippled around the table, including from their "new"
guest. "Thank you, thank you! I can't remember the last time I ate and I'm
starving!"
   A few moments later, the entire group, plus Tofuu-sensei, Genma, Soun,
and Nabiki, who had shown up rather mysteriously, sat around a cluster of
pushed-together tables in the now closed for business Nekohanten, each
slurping noodles somberly. Everyone had been cautioned that Ranma was...not
quite himself.
   "So, child...Hikaru, you said?" The girl nodded, and Cologne continued.
"Can you tell us who you are?"
   Hikaru looked nervous. "I'm...well, I used to be just a schoolgirl from
Tokyo...a lot of terrible things have happened to me..."
   Nabiki was typing furiously on a laptop, when suddenly she stopped,
looked up at Hikaru, and frowned. "You said your name is...Shidou Hikaru?"
   Hikaru nodded. "Hai, that's right."
   Nabiki frowned, and typed a bit more, then announced, "You're deceased."
   Everyone blinked. "Huh?" Hikaru said.
   "According to this," she said, tapping her laptop, "You died two years
ago on this very day. At Tokyo Tower."
   Akane looked up. "Hey! I remember something about that..."
   Soun nodded. "So do I. There was some kind of occurence there. Everyone
saw a bright light, and when it was over there were two girls standing on
the observation deck crying."
   "And," added Nabiki, "One of the girls from one of the three schools
that had been on a field trip to the Tower that day...disappeared. She was
never found, and after several months she was presumed dead." Looking up,
Nabiki finished, "That girl...was you. Shidou Hikaru."
   Hikaru's crimson eyes widened. "You said...two other girls were there,
crying? After the flash of light?"
   Nabiki nodded, looking back down at her screen. "Yes. Umm...Ryuuzaki
Umi, and Hououji Fuu."
   Hikaru gasped. "They're...they made it back...they did it..."
   Everyone was looking at her strangely. She sighed. "But...they think I'm
dead."
   Cologne frowned. "I hate to say this, dear child, but if my suspicions
are right...you are."
   Everyone looked at the elder Amazon. She looked at Hikaru, and said,
"Why don't you tell us everything, starting with the bright light at Tokyo
Tower."
   
   Hikaru swallowed nervously, taking a sip of her tea, and began:
   "Well, my junior high school and two others were on field trip to the
Tower that day. There was this light, and then the three of us...me, Fuu,
and Umi, all from different schools, were falling, and we landed on this
fish..."
   
   Things were going well for the three young Magic Knights. They'd gotten
the Escudo, and Umi had received her Mashin, Selece. They'd been on their
way to the mountain in the sky, home of the Mashin Windam, when suddenly,
Zagato himself appeared in the sky before them.
   "My mistake has been allowing you to remain in this world," the priest
intoned. "So, now I must remove you from it."
   The Knights exchanged nervous glances, not sure if they were ready to
handle Zagato himself. Then, defiantly, Hikaru stood and shouted, "We will
not be defeated! We will rescue Princess Emeraude!"
   Zagato laughed. "Fools."
   Hikaru prepared her spell, and released it. "Scarlet Lightning!" 
   Zagato raised a shield spell, harmlessly deflecting the blast. He
sneered at the redheaded Knight. "Foolish girl. You've sealed your fate.
You shall be the first to go..."
   With that, a black mist began swirling around Hikaru. She shrieked,
unable to clear it from her skin. Fuu used the Winds of Reprimand spell,
but it couldn't penetrate the mist. Umi attacked Zagato, to no avail.
   
   In her imprisonment, Emeraude sensed what Zagato was doing.
"Beloved...no," she whispered, and concentrated on changing the effect of
the dark spell he'd cast, but couldn't be sure if she succeeded...

   "Die, foolish Knight!" Zagato sneered. The black mist completely
engulfed Hikaru, and a blast of lightning erupted from it. When the mist
finally subsided, Hikaru was nowhere to be found. 
   Zagato laughed triumphantly. "Without her, you'll never win. Give up
now." With that, he disappeared.

   Umi and Fuu stared in horror at the spot where Hikaru had been slain.
"Hikaru-san...no..." Fuu breathed. Umi gave a strangled cry of anguish, and
screamed into the sky, "HIKARU-CHAN!!!!!! NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

   "But...I didn't die. Zagato's spell didn't kill me," Hikaru finished.
Sipping the broth from her ramen, she continued, "Instead, it sent
me...someplace else."
   Everyone stared at her, in varying degrees of incredulity. Nabiki, for
her part, looked like she was watching a shoujo anime that didn't interest
her very much. Akane's eyes were misting slightly. Shampoo looked confused.
Ryouga seemed to be paying rapt attention to the story. Ukyou appeared to
be shocked. Tofuu-sensei had a thoughtful expression on his face. Genma was
just staring at Hikaru. Soun appeared stern and stoic, as he often did when
listening to such tales. Cologne's expression was unreadable. "So," Cologne
said after a moment, "Where did you end up?"
   Hikaru looked down into her bowl, and her eyes shimmered. "Hell." 

   Hikaru looked around, blinking. Her armor was gone, as was her sword.
She still felt her magic, but it felt somewhat weaker. 
   She was surrounded by tall mountains. The air smelled sharp and clean.
Birds chirped in the sky, and small animals romped through the grass
nearby. Normal animals, the kind she was familiar with. 
   "I'm...I'm not in Cephiro anymore," she mused. Brow furrowing, she
sighed, "I hope Umi-chan and Fuu-chan are alright. That Zagato...there's no
telling what he's done to them." Looking around, she became thoughtful. "I
wonder where I am?"
   A group of people passed on a trail near her. She walked near them, and
shouted, "Excuse me! I'm lost, can you tell me where I am?"
   A couple of them looked strangely at her. Then, they turned away and
resumed their journey. Hikaru sighed. "That wasn't nice," she decided.
   She figured following the group might help. Eventually, the road led to
a large palace, with many servants and performers and people milling around
in the courtyard. Some kind of festival was happening. 
   Taking a closer look, she happened to overhear a conversation going on
near her. She didn't understand the language but she did recognize it.
<Chinese? Am I in China?>
   A strange, handsome man in silver armor, with a golden dragon emblazoned
on the breastplate, descended from the palace. His blue-white hair shone in
the afternoon sunlight. Hikaru watched for a bit, occassionally stopping
the odd passerby, trying to find someone who understood Japanese. 
   "Excuse me...anou...can you help me?" 
   After a while of this, two young men in animal hides approached her.
:You must leave. You do not belong here and you are disturbing the citizens
of the Musk Dynasty. Leave peacefully or we will remove you.:
   Hikaru frowned. "I'm sorry...I'm afraid I don't understand you..."
   The two young men exchanged a glance, and grasped her by the arms.
:You're coming with us.:
   "Hey! Ouch! That hurts! Let me go!"
   :Stop babbling in that foreign tongue.:
   :This is a young one. Do you think his Highness will let us...you know?:
asked the one dressed like a wolf.
   The one wearing tiger skins looked at her and grinned. :Maybe.:

   "They threw me in this cold, wet cell. They fed me badly, and what
little they did feed me, I ended up sharing with the rats. I was
occassionally beaten. They left me there for several weeks. Then, one
day..."

   Hikaru cried. She'd been crying a lot lately. She'd never dreamed human
beings could be this cruel. She was starving, and she stank, and she felt
somewhat ill. 
   Suddenly, there was a loud noise, a lot of shouting. She thought she
heard the clashing of weapons.
   Then, suddenly, one wall of her cell became a pile of rubble. She looked
up, and a young woman with long, dark pink hair stepped through, holding a
pair of large spherical maces. "You, foreign girl. I come set you free. You
come with me to village Niichieju."

   As the two made their way hurriedly from the palace, Hikaru said, "Thank
you. Thank you for saving me from that horrible place."
   "You is welcome. Womans should not be locked up in cells. That for men
and animals."
   "Who...who are you? And where are we going?"
   "My name Xiar Min. We go now Niichieju, village of warrior womans."
   "My name is Hikaru."

   Cologne's eyes widened. "So you're the girl from the legend..."
   Hikaru blinked. "Excuse me?"
   Everyone else blinked as well. "Great-grandmother, what you talking?"
   Cologne closed her eyes. "For many centuries, the Niichieju and the Musk
Dynasty were enemies. Many skirmishes were fought, and sadly to say, the
Musk were gaining the upper hand. Hikaru...the people who held you prisoner
were the Musk."
   Hikaru nodded. "Hai, that's right. I found that out when I got to the
village..."
   Cologne held up a hand. "And the elders found out about your magic, and
you helped the Niichieju battle the Musk. You were very upset, and you
eliminated many of the best soldiers in the Musk army."
   Hikaru sighed, bowing her head. "I don't want to think about that. It
hurt to do that. It still hurts." Looking up with tears in her eyes, she
said, "I had to live with that from the day of the battle on..."
 
   Many months later, one of the Niichieju hunting parties found an odd
gauntlet on one of the mountain trails. Bringing it back to the village,
they had given it to the elder. Hikaru had seen it, and become excited. It
was *her* gauntlet, the one in which her sword was kept when not in use.
When she put it on, her armor suddenly flared back into existence, as did
her sword. It was the best thing to happen to her since she'd been rescued.
   "Hikaru." This was the village elder, Tso Pu. "Have you decided?"
   Hikaru sighed. "I don't know. I mean, I can fight, but...I don't like
hurting people."
   Tso Pu sighed. "Then how many more like yourself, innocents, in a
strange land, will be subjected to the cruelty of the Musk?"
   Hikaru blinked. "I...alright. I'll do it."

   "HONOU NO YAAAA!" Hikaru scattered another wave of Musk troops with her
magic, and charged in, cutting down the stragglers with her powerful Escudo
sword. 
   :It's that girl! The one we caught a long time ago!:
   Hikaru knew the voice, if not the language. She turned, and saw the two
men who had grabbed her and thrown her in that awful dungeon. Something
snapped in her. She felt her rage building. With no preamble--they wouldn't
have understood her anyway--she prepared her spell. The two warriors stared
at her in fear.
   "SCARLET LIGHTNING!"
   The tiger man had the sense to dive out of the way. His partner wasn't
as lucky. Both were burned, although the tiger man fared better. One entire
side of the other's body was blackened.

   "I stared down at their charred bodies in horror. I...I couldn't deal
with what I'd done. So, I ran."

   Hikaru looked around. She was in a valley, with many springs, surrounded
by the mountains. She decided it was time to stop for a rest--she'd been
running for what seemed like forever. She curled up in a narrow crevice,
banished her sword and her armor back into the jewel on her glove, and
cried herself to sleep.

   :Well, look at what we have here. It's the little fire bitch.:
   :I think we deserve our revenge.:

   When Hikaru woke up, something was wrong. Her glove was gone--along with
the rest of her clothes. She couldn't move. She looked around, and
discovered she'd been tied up at one end of the valley. She saw two figures
lying in front of a makeshift tent nearby. She made a brief struggle
against her bonds.
   One of the two men looked up, and saw that she had awakened. :Well well,
the little bitch is awake. I hope you're happy with yourself, little whore.
I hope you got off on frying us. Because it's the last time you're gonna do
anything to anyone ever again.:
   And with that, he removed his trousers...

   Hikaru closed her eyes. "Gomen...I...I can't..."
   Cologne placed a withered hand on her shoulder. "It's alright, child.
It's alright."
   Genma looked solemn, while Soun wept. Tofuu wore an uncharacterstic
scowl. Akane looked outraged, while Ukyou looked at the girl with deep
sadness. Shampoo was crying softly. Ryouga looked like he was on the verge
of smashing something. "Those...bastards!" he snarled. "How could they do
something like that...?"
   "It's the way of the Musk, at least it used to be," Cologne sighed.
"That kind of thing doesn't happen anymore, thankfully, but that is why the
Amazons fought the Musk so viciously."
   Hikaru looked up, tears streaking her face. "I...I couldn't believe that
was happening to me. I mean, I never thought anything like that could
happen. I'd always had a good life, my family loved me, my brothers
protected me, I had the sweetest dog, and I had my friends...then that..."
She sobbed.
   Everyone offered her a bit of support. When her sobs subsided, Cologne
asked, "I know this is painful, but...do you remember what happened next?"
   Hikaru thought about it, then shook her head. "The next thing I remember
was seeing..." She frowned. "Someone. It felt like a mirror, or a
dream...it was a boy. About my age, with black hair, in a pigtail..."
   "Ranma," everyone in the room said at once.
   Hikaru looked around in confusion. "Who is this Ranma, anyway?
I've...I've heard that name several times..."
   Suddenly, Shampoo's head snapped up. "Aiyah! Great-grandmother...she no
remember what happen, but she say many spring there...you think she the one
that drown in Nyanniichuan?"
   Everyone gasped. Cologne considered this, and nodded. "It would make
sense. Everything she's described happened right around that time...and if
she is the one who drowned in that spring, then that would explain her
being here, now."
   Everyone turned to Cologne, confused. Hikaru said, "Anou...what spring?
What are you talking about?"
   Cologne closed her eyes. "The place where you were captured, is called
Jyusenkyou, the valley of cursed springs. Over the centuries, each spring
in Jyusenkyou has had someone or something drown in it. When this happens,
the spring becomes cursed, and whoever or whatever falls in it next takes
the body of whatever drowned there. It's a curse which is activated by cold
water, and reversed temporarily with hot water. 
   "Saotome Ranma, the boy you saw when you awoke, was in China about a
year ago, with his father, Genma." She pointed at Genma. "Ranma and his
father trained at Jyusenkyou, despite the warnings of the tour guide. Genma
fell into Shonmaoniichuan, a spring in which a panda once drowned." Cologne
picked up a water glass and flung the contents at Genma, who promptly
transformed into a panda. Hikaru stared, wide-eyed, at the large beast as
it raised a sign reading "Was that really neccessary?"
   "Ranma himself fell into the spring known as Nyanniichuan, in which a
young girl drowned 1500 years earlier." Turning to Hikaru, she said, "Being
the girl from the Amazon legend of the battle in which we defeated most of
the Musk, that places you in that area, in the year in which Nyanniichuan
was formed."
   Hikaru blinked, brow furrowed. "So...what you're saying is...after
they..." Swallowing a lump in her throat, she continued, "...then I
drowned? In a spring?"
   Cologne nodded. "That's what I believe happened."
   "But great-grandmother, if that true, then why she here now?"
   "I have a theory about that," Tofuu said. "When Hikaru was...well, she'd
been in China for quite some time. That would make her about...sixteen when
she drowned?" Hikaru nodded.
   Cologne rubbed her chin. "And Ranma was sixteen when he fell into the
spring."
   "So if Hikaru's soul was still in the spring, possibly because of the
magic she possessed..."
   Cologne nodded. "Of course! It makes sense. Somehow, Hikaru's soul has
been preserved, dormant, in that spring, for fifteen centuries. And when
Ranma, the same age as Hikaru, and similar in appearance to her, fell into
the spring, not only did he take her body...he also freed her soul from the
spring."
   "So what you're saying," Genma said, "Is my son's carrying around the
soul of the girl who disappeared at Tokyo Tower two years ago?"
   Cologne nodded. "That's pretty much it."
   Hikaru stood. "Excuse me...I need to go for a walk." Without another
word, she left the restaurant. 
   Akane, Ukyou, and Shampoo exchanged glances. "We should follow her,"
they decided.
   Cologne shook her head. "No, it's best to give her some space for now.
She can take care of herself, and if Ranma's spirit wakes up again, he can
take care of himself as well."
   Nobody was happy about that, but they decided it was best to go along
with it.


   ***Kyou wa dare da? Kyou wa Hikaru!***

   Chapter 5: Sadness, Joy, and Confusion

   Hikaru took in the city around her. She'd discovered she was in Nerima
district, and, finding enough yen in her pocket for bus fare, she decided
to go have a look at her home district, which was just outside of Juuban.
<Good thing Ranma-kun keeps change on him,> Hikaru mused. <I haven't seen a
yen since that day at Tokyo Tower.>
   As she sat waiting at the bus stop, something rubbed against her ankle
and made a very cute "buii" sound. She looked down, and giggled. "Oh, how
kawaii!" She picked up the small black piglet, which buii'd softly as she
cuddled it. "I wonder if you belong to someone?" she asked. The pig shook
its head. She giggled. "You're a smart one." The piglet said, "Bukii!" 

   Ryouga had excused himself to go to the bathroom as soon as Hikaru had
left. He prayed just once he wouldn't get horribly lost as he splashed
himself and snuck out of the Nekohanten.
   It had taken him a few minutes, but finally he'd spotted Hikaru at a bus
stop. Concerned for the girl, he decided to comfort her, and to find out
where she was going. <I have a bad feeling she's going to try to go
home...that may not be a pleasant experience for her,> he reasoned.
<Especially if she turns back into Ranma...>
   
   Hugging the cute black piglet, Hikaru mused out loud, "Should I find
Umi-chan and Fuu-chan? Should I go home?" She sighed. "What do I tell them?
The truth? And what about Ranma-kun..." She frowned. "Ranma-kun...what if
he never wakes up? Oh, I hope he's alright, wherever he went to. I wouldn't
like it if my living again cost someone else their life."
   Sighing, she finally decided, "I guess the only thing I can do is go to
the cemetery and see if I have a grave."
   The piglet gave her a concerned look. <Uh oh,> he thought. <That's not
one of the best ideas...>
   The bus arrived, and Hikaru and her newfound friend boarded.

   Fuu started. "Ara...! Umi-chan...I think I forgot the incense."
   Umi frowned. "Mou....we'll have to go back to your place and get it.
That's special incense...it's the only thing that will do."
   Fuu nodded, and the two left the cemetery. "We'll be back in a few
moments, Hikaru-chan," Umi told the cold granite marker.

   A short while later, Hikaru and the piglet made their way through the
gates of a small cemetery that Hikaru remembered being in her district.
She'd never gone there herself, having no close dead relatives to pay her
respects to that were buried there. She didn't care much for graveyards, as
a rule. She cared for them even less now, but this was something she had to
do.
   Picking her way along the paths, she eventually came upon a simple
granite marker, atop which sat a miniature iron replica of the Tokyo Tower.
She knelt in front of the stone, and slowly traced the characters engraved
there with the fingers of her left hand. 
   'Shidou Hikaru'
   A tear fell down her cheek as she read her name on the stone, thinking
of how much it must have grieved her family and her close friends to
believe she had died...how much it must have hurt Umi-chan and Fuu-chan,
believing their comrade had been murdered before their very eyes, and never
being able to tell a soul about what really happened...
   "Umi-chan...Fuu-chan...I wish you had known I was still alive..."

   Two solemn girls returned to the cemetery. Fuu bore a bundle of special
incense, wrapped in a special piece of cloth. These were their parting
gifts from Princess Emeraude, who made it possible for the items to cross
back to Earth with them. The incense was a popular wildflower fragrance in
Cephiro, and a personal favorite of Clef. It seemed fitting to light this
special incense to honor Hikaru. The cloth was a reminder of Hikaru's
strength, of how formidable she was...it was the slashed tablecloth she'd
thrown over the mud monster which had attacked them at Presea's house. With
that tablecloth she'd been able to confuse the monster long enough to shove
it into the pond, where it dissolved.
   As they approached the memorial, Umi started. There was someone kneeling
in front of the marker. A girl, with braided red hair, wearing a scarlet
school uniform, and some light white armor. "Masaka..." She blinked.
"Fuu-chan, I think I'm seeing things."
   "Hmm?" Fuu, who'd been lost in thought, looked up at her friend, who was
staring, face pale, ahead. Fuu looked to see what had upset her friend
so... and dropped the bundle. 
   "Impossible..."
   Umi blinked. "You...see her too?"
   Fuu nodded. "Hai..."

   Hikaru had been snapped out of her reverie by the sounds of voices. She
stood and snapped her head around...and gasped, part with fear, part with
joy. They were a little older, much prettier and more well-developed, but
she'd recognize them no matter what. "Umi-chan...Fuu-chan..." she
whispered. Realizing they were staring at her, she walked nervously toward
them, tears streaming from her eyes and a beautiful smile lighting her
face, making her ruby eyes twinkle. "Umi-chan! Fuu-chan!"
   The girls took a step back involuntarily. This slightly saddened Hikaru.
   "Umi-chan...Fuu-chan...gomen nasai..."
   Finally, Umi managed to find her voice. "Hi--Hikaru-chan?" she gasped.
   Hikaru nodded, smiling. "Un!"
   Fuu breathed, "But...how? We saw...Zagato killed you..."
   Hikaru sighed, and looked at the ground. "It's a long story. Too long.
And to be honest, I don't understand a lot of it myself. But, Zagato didn't
kill me."
   "But...how? How did you survive...?"
   Hikaru suddenly ran towards her friends, setting the piglet down on the
ground, and grabbed them both into a hug. The three stood together, crying
tears of joy, marred slightly by confusion. 
   After a moment, when they released each other, Fuu finally noticed
something. "Anou...Hikaru-chan..."
   "Hai, Fuu-chan?"
   Fuu grasped Hikaru's left hand. "How...how do you still have your
armor?"
   Hikaru laughed. "That's one we haven't figured out yet. Listen...I want
to tell you both the whole story..." She paused, and sighed. "Some of it
isn't very pleasant..." Recovering, she looked into their eyes. "It's a
long, and confusing story, and some of it is hard to explain. I'll tell you
everything, but I can't tell you here. Would you two come with me? If it's
not a bother."
   "Of course it's not a bother!" Umi half-snapped. Then, calmer, she said,
"Demo...where are we going?"
   Hikaru smiled, and scooped up her small black traveling companion. "Just
to Nerima."
   The other girls gasped. "Nerima? Why there?"
   "That's...that's where I woke up. And that's where the answers are."
   No hesitation was neccessary. Fuu and Umi, confused but glad to see
their long lost friend again, followed the redhead to the bus stop.

   ***Interlude***

   Ranma stirred. Everything was blackness.
   He tried to move, and realized he didn't have a body to move. He opened
his eyes, and gasped. Something was wrong here.
   He saw a bus stop, and he was approaching it. He tried to shift his
gaze, only to find it wasn't possible. As he tried to figure out what was
going on, the view shifted, to show two smiling faces, one framed with sky
blue hair, the other with light brown hair and glasses. The view also
showed a familiar piglet, and the object Cologne had shown him, which had
somehow gotten onto his arm. 
   Ranma had no idea what was going on, but he intended to find out. And he
was going to start by regaining control of his body.

   Chapter 6: "Who the hell is Hikaru?"

   Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu got off the bus in Nerima. At Fuu's suggestion,
Hikaru had willed her armor to vanish. The other two girls blinked when it
was replaced by a red Chinese shirt and black trousers.
   "So, Hikaru-chan...where have you been these last two years?" Fuu asked.
   Hikaru sighed. "It's been even longer than that, they tell me."
   "Who are 'they' anyway?" Umi asked. "You've been awfully mysterious..."
   Hikaru blinked. "Anou...actually, I never got their names. I guess I was
still in shock at being alive again..."
   "Alive again?" Fuu and Umi chorused.
   "Then...you *did* die?" Fuu asked.
   Hikaru frowned. "Apparently I did."
   "But...you said..." Umi began.
   Hikaru laughed softly. "Confusing isn't it? I still haven't really dealt
with it myself. It's too much for me to think about. Well, the simplest
answer is that Zagato's spell sent me someplace else, I was there two
years, then I died. And now I'm back."
   The other two stared at her nervously. "You're...a ghost?"
   Hikaru giggled. "No, I'm alive." Then, sadly, she added, "In a
sense...I've sort of occupied someone else's body."
   Fuu and Umi looked *really* nervous about that one. Hikaru noticed, and
put on a sad half-smile. "It's a VERY long story, and a lot of it is going
to sound too strange."
   Umi smirked. "Hikaru-chan...we got zapped into Cephiro, learned magic,
fought monsters, met Mokona...saw you get blasted...and everything else
that happened after that...I don't think you can tell us anything too
strange."
   All three girls giggled at that one. 
   Suddenly, Hikaru stopped. Fuu and Umi looked at her with concern.
"Hikaru-chan? Daijobu?"
   "I...I'm not sure," she said. She blinked rapidly.
"Something...happening..." Her eyes widened. "Oh...I think I understand."
With a sad sigh, she said, "Umi-chan, Fuu-chan...I have to go away for a
bit, I think. I hope I'll see you again soon."
   "Anou...what do you mean, 'go away'? What's going on?" 
   Umi received no answer. Hikaru slumped to the ground, unconscious.

   Ranma slowly awoke, with a splitting headache. She opened her eyes, and
the blurred faces of two girls she'd never seen before (or had she?) slowly
came into focus.
   "Wha...where am I?"
   "Hikaru-chan! Are you alright?" the one with sandy-blond hair asked.
   Ranma frowned. "Huh? Who're you?"
   The blue-haired one frowned. "You haven't lost your memory, have you
Hikaru-chan?"
   Ranma blinked. "I think ya got me mixed up with someone else. My name
ain't Hikaru, it's Ranma. Saotome Ranma."
   Fuu noticed something strange. "Umi-chan...her eyes. Look."
   Umi gasped. "They're...blue. What's going on here?"
   Ranma sat up, and glanced around. "How'd I get here? Last I remember I
was at Nekohanten..."
   The two girls looked at her in confusion. "Anou...what's going on here?"
the blue-haired one asked.
   Ranma shrugged. "Don't ask me. I just woke up."
   The pig chose that moment to make its presence known. Ranma frowned.
"Ryouga? What the heck are you doin' here?" he whispered to the piglet.
   Ryouga was hopping up and down and squealing intently. "Do you know
what's goin' on, pig?" Ryouga nodded. Ranma thought for a moment. "Alright,
man. Let's getcha some hot water."
   Ranma scooped up the piglet, then said to the two girls, "Umm...wait
here a sec." Then as an afterthought, he said, "I didn't get your
names...?"
   The girls looked at each other, shrugged, and introduced themselves.
   "Ryuuzaki Umi." 
   "Hououji Fuu."
   Ranma nodded. "Nice t' meetcha. Be right back." With that, Ranma entered
a nearby coffee shop, piglet in hand.

   A moment later, inside the coffee shop's restroom, Ranma splashed the
piglet with a cup of hot water. Ryouga mysteriously found clothes, and
Ranma asked, "So, pig, what's goin' on?"
   Ryouga grumbled, then said, "Ranma...you probably won't believe what I'm
about to tell you."
   Ranma smirked. "Think who you're talkin' to here, Ryouga. I seen so much
weird shit I'll believe just about anything."
   Ryouga shook his head. "You won't believe this..."
   "Man, just spit it out already! Sheesh."
   Ryouga proceeded to give Ranma the short version of what had taken place
that day. Ranma's eyes were wide at the end of the story. "You mean," said
the now-male Ranma, "Some girl that disappeared from Tokyo Tower two years
ago, went to some crazy magic world, got sent back to ancient China, and
drowned in the same spring I got cursed in...is still alive inside me?"
   "That's pretty much it, Ranma."
   Ranma shook his head. "You're right. That one's a stretch." Frowning, he
mused, "Although it'd explain a lot of stuff that's been goin' on
lately...hey man, you said the old ghoul can fill me in on all the
details?"
   Ryouga nodded.
   "Alright then, we'd best get goin'." Ranma made for the exit.
   "Ranma...you should go back out there as a girl, or they won't recognize
you."
   Ranma frowned. "Those two girls outside?"
   Ryouga nodded. "They're Hikaru-san's best friends. They need to know
what's going on."
   Ranma sighed. "Alright, but it's best if I wait till we're outside to
turn into a girl."
   With that, they left, snagging some cold water on the way.
 
   Fuu and Umi were waiting, talking quietly. "What's going on here?" Umi
wondered.
   Fuu shook her head, frowning thoughtfully. "Hikaru-chan said she's
'inside someone else's body'...maybe the girl we just talked to is that
person. In any case, that definitely wasn't Hikaru."
   Umi nodded. "Hai...I really want to find out what's up."
   Just then, two young men, about their age, emerged from the coffee shop.
One had black hair in a pigtail and wore similar clothes to what Hikaru and
the other girl had been wearing. The other wore a yellow bandana much like
the one the piglet had worn, and a yellow tunic and black trousers. 
   The two boys approached them. "Sorry about the wait," the pigtailed one
said.
   Umi frowned. "Anou...who are you?"
   The boy smiled. "This is gonna seem odd, but considering what my friend
here told me, you girls are probably used to this kind of thing." With
that, he poured the cup of water over his head. Umi and Fuu stared,
wide-eyed.
   "What in the...?" Umi asked.
   Fuu commented, "You're the girl from before, right?" 
   Ranma nodded. "Yeah, but I'm really a guy. It's a long story. I have a
curse, that turns me into a girl when I get splashed with cold water."
Gesturing down the street, she said, "I can explain some of it on the way
to the Nekohanten. Then we'll all find out about what's going on here."
   The girls looked dubious, but the other boy said, "If I'm right about
Hikaru-san, she'd probably want you to know what's going on. And if you
want to find out, you need to trust us, because he--" He pointed at Ranma--
"is carrying Hikaru-san's soul around with him."
   Umi and Fuu blinked at that. Finally, Fuu said, "Well, if that's true,
then we won't find out what's going on without trusting you."
   Umi sighed. "We don't have a choice. Alright, Ranma. Lead on." 
   "By the way," the other boy added, "My name is Hibiki Ryouga."
   The foursome began the short journey to the Nekohanten.

   When the group arrived at Nekohanten, everyone was still sitting around
talking about this recent turn of events. They looked up, surprised to see
the two new visitors.
   Shampoo blinked. "Great-grandmother, that Ranma and not Hikaru right?"
   Cologne nodded. "Yes, child."
   Shampoo squealed with joy and promptly glomped Ranma. Akane and Ukyou
scowled. Akane reached for her mallet. "RANMA..." Ukyou hefted her spatula
and warned Shampoo, "Get off Ranchan you hussy."
   Fuu and Umi blinked. Ranma sighed. "Shampoo, please get off of me."
   "Shampoo no let go Ranma! Ranma no turn into Hikaru again, yes? Ranma
alright now, take Shampoo to date?"
   To everyone's (well, everyone who knew Ranma) surprise, Ranma pushed
Shampoo off of her. "I'm not in the mood for you right now, Shampoo."
   Shampoo looked hurt, then angry. Turning to the other two girls, she
said, "Who you? What you do here? Restaurant closed."
   "They're with me, Shampoo," Ranma said.
   Akane raised her mallet. "Two MORE fiancees? Ranma, you PERVERT!"
   Umi and Fuu blinked. "Fiancees?" Fuu asked.
   "TWO MORE!?" Umi wondered incredulously.
   Ryouga raised a hand. "Umm...guys? Can I say something?"
   EVERYONE blinked. Ryouga was the last person anyone ever expected to
come to Ranma's defense.
   "Well, Ryouga?" Akane prompted.
   Ryouga looked nervous and sheepish, but pressed on. "Akane-san, you're
wrong this time. These girls don't even *know* Ranma."
   Akane scowled. "I didn't know him either until I found out I was already
engaged to the baka."
   Ranma groaned. "Jeez, you stupid tomboy, it ain't like that! Wouldja
just listen for once instead of blaming me?"
   Suddenly, Nabiki interrupted. "You..." she said, pointing to the
blue-haired girl, "are Ryuuzaki Umi. And you," she continued, indicating
the girl with glasses, "are Hououji Fuu."
   The two blinked. "That's right. How did you...?" Fuu asked.
   Nabiki tapped the laptop in front of her. 
   Akane blinked, and lowered her mallet. "You're...those two girls. The
ones who were with Hikaru..."
   The two nodded. Akane sighed. "Ranma...I'm sorry."
   Ranma didn't comment. Cologne sighed. "I think everyone needs to calm
down so we can straighten everything out."
   As the gathering became even more crowded, Cologne filled Ranma in on
the details about Hikaru's tragedy, tactfully leaving out what the two Musk
warriors had done to her. She then filled Umi and Fuu in on Ranma's curse,
and how it was related to Hikaru.
   When she was finished, everyone finally had, more or less, an
understanding of what was going on.
   "So," Umi said, looking at Ranma, "You're a boy, but because you fell in
a spring in China, you turn into a girl when you get hit with cold water."
   Ranma nodded. "Yeah."
   "And," Fuu interjected, "Because of Zagato's spell, Hikaru-chan is the
girl who drowned in that spring 1500 years ago. So, because of your
similarities to her, you freed her soul from the spring when you fell in."
   "That pretty much sums it up," Tofuu said. 
   Ranma groaned. "As if life wasn't complicated enough already. At least
this Hikaru girl is a fighter. As often as weird things happen around here,
it'd be too dangerous if she was weaker."
   Cologne nodded. "I think if it had been a weaker girl who had drowned
there, her soul would have been lost. It's Hikaru's magic and the strength
of her spirit that kept her in that spring. And that's why she was able to
reawaken."
   Akane frowned. "So, how will we know when it's Ranma and when it's
Hikaru?"
   Cologne chuckled. "That should be obvious. Not only by their behavior,
but in case you forgot, when Hikaru was in control her eyes were red, and
Ranma's are blue."
   "Oh yeah..." Ukyou said. "She's right."
   Fuu smiled. "At least that's one thing we don't have to worry
about...telling them apart."

   As the discussion continued, Hikaru stirred. She could hear, and see,
what was going on, but it was like watching a movie. She realized what had
happened--Ranma had taken back his body. She wasn't upset. He had a right;
after all, she was the intruder here and not him. But, she was still
disappointed.
   And bored. There really wasn't much to do in here.
   Idly, she wondered what kind of person Ranma was. How he lived, what he
liked, what he did...
   An idea hit her. <I wonder...can I look at his thoughts?> She briefly
debated whether or not she should try. <It would be impolite,> she thought.
<Disrespectful of Ranma-kun. I wouldn't like it if someone poked around in
my head without my consent.>
   But ultimately, curiosity and boredom got the better of Hikaru.
Tentatively, she reached out with her consciousness, and brushed against
Ranma's. Surface thoughts unfolded: 
   <This sucks. How much worse are things gonna get?>
   <But that girl, that Hikaru...guess I can't blame her. It ain't her
fault.>
   <It's sad, that somethin' like that happened. Sounds like she was a
really nice girl.>
   <But this is gonna suck. The tomboy's gonna find more to get angry with
me about, and who knows what else is gonna happen? And I gotta hope this
girl can take care of herself if she's gonna keep waking up. Not everyone's
gonna go easy on her if they see her eyes are red and not blue.>
   <I hope she ain't gonna fall for some guy and start wantin' to date
and....and...eeew.>
   At that, Hikaru mentally blushed. In the process, something slipped.
<Hey!> she thought. <That's mean!>
   <Huh? What the...?>
   Hikaru froze. <Uh oh.> 

   Without warning, Ranma's eyes glazed over, and he slumped forward onto
the table. Everyone crowded around him.

   Nervously, Hikaru thought, <Umm..guess you can hear me in here, huh?>
   Ranma tried to shake off his confusion. <Hey, what the hell's goin' on?>
   Hikaru decided she might as well see how far this communication could
go. Concentrating, she pushed further up against the walls of Ranma's mind.
   Ranma felt something pushing against him, and recoiled. Then, curious,
he pushed back.
   Suddenly, both found themselves sprawled, tangled up in one another, in
a boundless, misty grey space.
   Untangling, and blinking, they stared at each other in shock.
   <What the hell's this? Who...> Ranma thought. He stared at the girl
before him. She had waist-length red hair, in a braid. Her eyes were
crimson, and she wore some sort of school uniform, with some type of armor
placed on and around it.
   Hikaru blinked. <Oops. Sorry about that. I didn't know that was going to
happen.> She took in the appearance of the boy in front of her. She had to
admit, he was pretty handsome. She flushed at that thought. 
   Ranma was also flushing, thinking about how cute this girl was.
   Then they noticed each other flushing, and simultaneously realized
*why*. Both flushed brighter and laughed nervously.
   <Ummm...I guess you're Hikaru, then?> Ranma asked.
   Hikaru nodded. <Hai, and you'd be Ranma.>
   Ranma nodded. <Umm...I'm confused. What is this? How can we see each
other?>
   Hikaru frowned. <I'm not sure. I believe this is all going on in our
mind.> She blushed. <I kinda woke up, and I got bored in here, and I got
curious about you, so I tried to get a peek at your thoughts.>
   Ranma blinked. <So...that's what that was? What I heard? Was you?>
   Hikaru nodded, blushing. <Hai. I'm sorry. I was trying not to alarm
you.>
   Ranma shrugged. <Hey, it's okay. Actually, this is pretty cool. Weird,
but cool.>
   Hikaru giggled. <Yeah, it is. And it means we can talk to each other
like this.>
   Ranma nodded. <Seems like it.> A nervous silence ensued.
   Finally, Hikaru said, <Ranma-kun...I'm sorry. About all this.>
   Ranma blinked. <Huh?>
   Hikaru sighed. <About your curse, about me being in here, disrupting
your life...>
   Ranma took a step closer and put his hands on her shoulders. <Hey, don't
be. It ain't your fault or nothin'. Besides, even without the curse I ain't
exactly got a normal life, y'know?>
   Hikaru looked down. <No, I don't know. That's why I was trying to find
out about you. I just wanted to know who it was I had become part of...>
   Ranma instinctively drew the smaller girl into a hug. She returned the
hug, looking up at him. Ranma smiled. <Well, looks like this is our chance
to get acquainted.>
   Hikaru smiled, and they began to exchange life stories.

   "He's been out for a long time," Genma noted.
   Tofuu nodded. "He seems to be in a trance."
   "What kind of trance?" Ukyou wondered.
   Cologne examined Ranma more closely, inspecting his aura. "Well, this is
interesting," she chuckled dryly. Where earlier she'd seen a red aura
surrounding Ranma's yellow aura, now there was a solid orange aura. 
   "What's interesting?" Umi asked.
   "Well, if my guess is right, Ranma's in a trance because he and Hikaru
are communicating."
   Everyone blinked. "WHAT?" they all shouted.

   <So,> Ranma said, <Whatcha wanna know?>
   <I dunno,> Hikaru shrugged. <Just, whatever. Like, who are you? What do
you do? That kind of thing.>
   Ranma nodded. <Well, you probably already know my name. I'm a martial
artist.>
   <Really? What school?> Hikaru asked. 
   <Saotome-ryuu Musabetsu-Kakutou,> Ranma said proudly.
   Hikaru frowned. <I don't think I've ever heard of it.>
   <Not many have,> Ranma told her. <It's a pretty limited school now. Only
two families even practice it, the Saotomes and the Tendous.>
   <Oh.> Hikaru pondered that.
   <Anyways, that's where one of my problems is. See, my pop and Tendou-san
kinda agreed to engage their children, to carry on the school.>
   Hikaru's eyes widened. <So you're engaged then?>
   Ranma nodded. <Yeah. Remember the girl with the short hair?> Somehow,
Ranma managed to will up an image of her, which stood between them. Ranma
blinked at that. Hikaru just nodded. 
   <I remember her,> she said.
   <That's Tendou Akane, my fiancee.>
   <She's cute. You're lucky,> Hikaru offered. Ranma snorted.
   <Cute ain't the word. She's violent, she's a horrible cook, she's a lead
weight in water, she's got a horrible temper...>
   Suddenly, the image of Akane came to life, weilding an enormous mallet.
<RANMA NO BAKA!> the image cried, and smashed Ranma into the mist. Hikaru
stared. 
   <See what I mean?> Ranma groaned, as the image gave a "hmph" and
vanished.
   <It can't be that bad,> Hikaru said.
   <It's worse,> Ranma replied. <Anyways, as if that ain't bad enough, she
ain't the only one I gotta worry about.> 
   <What do you mean, Ranma-kun?>
   <Well, there's that purple-haired girl, Shampoo.> An image of Shampoo
appeared and promptly glomped Ranma, gushing in broken Japanese. The image
promptly vanished as Ranma told Hikaru the story of how he'd met Shampoo.
Then an image of Ukyou appeared, followed by Kodachi, and explanations of
each. Then Ranma went on to expound about some of the other problems he
had, Hikaru's eyes widening more and more as he continued.
   <So then there's Kunou. He's a real idiot, and has a crush on my girl
side.> An image of Kunou appeared, and Hikaru gasped. 
   <I saw him! When I woke up the first time! He was trying to kill me!>
   Ranma blinked. Then he remembered the previous day at the clinic. <So
that was you who did that,> he mused.
   Hikaru nodded. <Yeah. Him, and then this horrible little old man...> She
shuddered at the memory.
   Ranma nodded grimly. <Happousai,> he said. <Everyone hates him.>
   Hikaru shivered again.
   <And then there's Ryouga,> Ranma continued. An image of an
umbrella-weilding teenager with a leopard-print bandana, and a black piglet
with a similar bandana, appeared.
   <KAWAII!> Hikaru gushed at seeing the piglet. <That's the piggy I met at
the bus stop today!>
   Ranma smirked. <Don't get too attached. That's Ryouga, in his cursed
form.>
   Hikaru deflated. <Oh.>
   Ranma proceeded to tell Hikaru all about "P-chan" and his activities
with Akane. By the end of the tale, Hikaru looked quite upset.
   <That's so wrong of him. He's abusing both you and Akane.>
   <Tell me about it. And there ain't a thing I can do about it until the
tomboy gets a clue.>
   Hikaru silently vowed to have a little talk with Ryouga.
   Finally, Ranma's tales wound down, and Hikaru spoke of her family and
her friends and her adventures in Cephiro. Then she told Ranma about what
happened to her in China, weeping as she finished her tale. 
   Ranma looked grim. <If I ever see Herb again, I'm gonna pound him just
on general principles.> Then, he again hugged Hikaru, and said,
<Hey...they're probably getting scared spitless out there. I mean, neither
of us is awake, right?>
   Wiping her eyes, Hikaru nodded.
   With a smile, Ranma said, <Why don't you go ahead and take over for a
while.>
   <Are you sure?> Hikaru asked, worry evident on her face. <I don't mean
to put you out...I mean, I don't even have a right to be in here...>
   Ranma shrugged. <Nah, it's cool. Your friends miss ya, and I don't feel
like puttin' up with Shampoo and Akane and all them right now. I'll letcha
know when I'm ready to wake up again.>
   Hikaru smiled, and kissed Ranma on the cheek, causing him to flush
bright red. <Arigatou, Ranma-kun.>
   With that, Hikaru vanished, leaving Ranma alone in the grey mist.


   Cologne closed her eyes. "Their auras are overlapping so perfectly as to
form one. The only explanation is that they're both awake, and talking to
each other inside their mind. Since that kind of thing takes a lot of
effort, the rest of the body had to shut down."
   "Aiyah! Great-grandmother, Ranma be alright, yes?"
   Cologne nodded. "Of course. Sooner or later they'll quit talking, and
one of them will wake up."
   Almost as if on cue, the redhead groaned, and sleepily opened her red
eyes. Hikaru sat up, and smiled at everyone. "Hi," she said.
   
   Chapter 7, Section A: A World Away

   A kind, weary woman trod exhaustedly into a beautifully styled and
decorated chamber in what was probably the most exquisite palace to ever
exist, and tiredly slumped into a plush, thronelike chair, leaning forward
onto the richly lacquered dark wood table. She brushed locks of her golden
hair out of her face, heaving a sigh. Despite  her exhaustion, she wore a
smile as she glanced around the room. 
   Decorating the walls were various sketches and painings of a young
woman, with sandy blond hair, and lively green eyes. In some, she wore
flowing, exquisite green dresses, and seemed to be dancing in the painting.
In others, she wore an unusual, yet beautiful green and white armor, and
carried an extremely long sword. In one painting, only a thin layer of
silken gauze clung to her body, as an unknowable wind stirred her hair and
rippled the fabric.
   "I just finished that one this morning," said a deep, gentle voice from
behind her. She turned, and smiled at the young man who had spoken. As
usual, his long, greenish hair created a somewhat wild frame around his
weathered face. His face always saddened her a bit--nobody as young as he
was should have a face like that. The man's visage had been darkened and
chapped by the weather, and small scars spoke of battles he had narrowly
survived. The scar on the bridge of his nose especially bothered her.  
   But, he never spoke of it, so she never felt the need to ask. She was
just thankful that he still lived, and was vibrant and strong...and
creative...
   The young man dropped into another chair, and laid a pad on the table.
Selecting a charcoal pencil, he began carefully constructing another of the
myriad pieces of art he had been filling the palace with ever since his
return.
   "So," he asked as he brushed the charcoal across the rough paper,
"Another exhausting day, sister?"
   She nodded. "Yes, very exhausting. But worthwhile." With a bright
twinkle in her eyes, she said, "You won't believe what we got done today,
Ferio."
   Ferio grinned. His sister was always happy when she returned to the
palace. "And what did the Pillar of Cephiro do today, hmm?"
   Emeraude smiled happily. "We finally purged all the darkness from the
Forest of Silence."
   Ferio's head snapped up, and he gave his sister an incredulous look.
"You're joking, right?"
   Emeraude giggled and shook her head. "It's finally done. There is no
more Silence in that forest."
   Ferio chuckled. "Unbelievable. You're sure it's really over this time?
We thought the forest was tamed when that stupid rock was destroyed..."
   Emeraude sighed. "Yes, I remember. We were all disappointed when the
Forest became just as dangerous again. But, thanks to my beloved, we found
a new home for the darkness of Cephiro."
   Ferio blinked. "Oh?"
   Emeraude nodded. "You know the Intangible Mountains? Well, it took some
doing, but we managed to transfer all the darkness from the Forest of
Silence into those mountains."
   Ferio grunted an approval. "And since nobody could go into those
mountains even if they wanted to..."
   "Nobody will ever be bothered by the monsters again."
   Ferio laughed. "Sounds good." 
   "Yes, it will make many people very happy..." Suddenly, Emeraude pitched
forward onto the table, gasping. Ferio was immediately at her side.
"Emeraude! What's wrong?"
   "I..." Tears of pain streamed from her eyes. "I'm not sure...I feel
so..." Emeraude became limp, her breathing shallow and ragged. 
   "NO!" Ferio shouted. Raising his head, he bellowed, "SOMEONE GET A
HEALER IN HERE, NOW!!!" Clasping his sister's hand, he whispered, "You'll
be alright, sister, I promise...you'll be just fine..."

   Chapter 7, Section B: Pointless Loss: The Tale of the Magic Knights

   Once more, the group in the Nekohanten had all settled in a circle,
sipping tea. "So," Hikaru said finally, "Umi-chan, Fuu-chan...what happened
in Cephiro after Zagato sent me away?"
   Umi and Fuu exchanged a nervous glance. "We'd best tell her. She
deserves to know," Fuu said.
   Umi sighed. "Alright. Here goes..."

   Two bitter, somewhat depressed Magic Knights recovered the Mashin
Windam, and battled more of Zagato's minions. Umi had become slightly
overzealous. Fuu had been very upset over how she'd changed.
   The first apparent change was during the battle with Caldina, the
illusionist. Caldina's spell had ensorcelled Fuu, but somehow Umi had
resisted it. The surprised and enraged Caldina had fought visciously, her
daggers weaving around and between Umi's attacks, but the Magic Knight
distracted her with the Mizu no Ryuu spell, and while Caldina made a wild
dodge, Umi struck. 
   Caldina screamed as the blade of Umi's rapier pierced her through the
eye. Her spell immediately dissipated, and Fuu blinked herself awake, then
gasped as she saw what had happened.
   Umi stood there, snarling at Caldina's twitching corpse. Her rapier had
pierced through the back of the illusionist's cranium, and the body was
slowly sliding down the blade.

   Sadly, Fuu said, "I'll never forget that day. I still see in my
nightmares that woman's death throes..."
   Hikaru gasped. Umi sighed.
   "When we finally got to Zagato," Fuu continued...

   The battle was not going well. Zagato had his own Mashin, and the
Knights were wearing down trying to defend themselves.
   "Fuu, I have an idea," Umi said as they fell back a bit. "Let's try to
combine our magic."
   Fuu, inside Windam, was doubtful. "I don't know...my attack magic isn't
very powerful..."
   "It's worth a shot, right?" Umi asked.
   Concentrating, Umi and Fuu released their powerful Wind and Water magic,
creating a Tidal Wave, which slammed Zagato into the wall. While the priest
was down, Umi lunged forward with her sword. Zagato managed to roll to the
side, but the blow pierced his shoulder.
   Suddenly, Emeraude's voice filled the chamber. "NO!!!!" Zagato's
shoulder began to glow with a bright light. When the light faded, he was
healed, although he still grimaced as if in pain.
   Umi and Fuu looked up incredulously. "That was the Princess...why did
she just do that?"
   Suddenly, Emeraude, resplendent in her white dress, golden hair spilling
down to the floor, appeared between Umi and Zagato.
   "Do not harm him. Please."
   The two Magic Knights emerged from their Mashins, and Umi frowned.
"Princess, how else are we to rescue you?"
   The Princess shook her head sadly. "You don't understand. I imprisoned
myself. I called you here because I can not serve Cephiro as I am now. My
life must be ended."
   Fuu and Umi gasped. Fuu said, "I don't understand. What is wrong?"
   Zagato stood, emerging from his own Mashin, and said, "She's in love,
and she thinks it's bad for Cephiro."
   The two Knights looked at the princess, who bowed her head. "It is true.
I love Zagato. But I also love Cephiro. It is my will that holds this world
together. If I cannot devote my entire being to this world, then what will
become of it?"
   Umi scowled. "Wait a second. You're saying you want to die because
you're in love and you think you can't be a good Princess to these people,
to this world, because of that?"
   Emeraude nodded. 
   Umi snapped. "That's the STUPIDEST thing I have ever heard in my life!"
   Fuu nodded. "She's right. Princess Emeraude...do you deny your love for
Zagato? Are you ashamed of it?"
   Emeraude shook her head sadly. "I cannot deny what is in my heart."
   "Then," Fuu continued, "Do you deny your love for Cephiro?"
   Emeraude gasped as if struck. "Never!"
   Umi knew where this was going. "Then why? Why do you think you have to
die?"
   "Because...because I cannot be the Pillar this world needs, if my heart
yearns for one man..."
   "You're wrong," Umi told her. "If you can't accept your love for one
man, if you can't say, 'Yes, I love this man,' then how can you say, 'Yes,
I love this world'?"
   Fuu nodded. "Exactly. In our world, people who millions of lives depend
on fall in love, marry, and have children all the time. It doesn't make you
a weaker leader, and it doesn't mean you care less for your people."
   "If anything, it makes you stronger," Umi added.
   "They are right, my love," Zagato said quietly. "You are being foolish,
to deny either myself or this world your beautiful spirit."
   Emeraude fell to her knees and began to sob. "What--what have I done?
What...I almost did grave harm to this world...I've been foolish..."
   Zagato knelt beside her and embraced her. "It is alright, my love."
   "So, it's over?" Umi asked.
   Emeraude looked up, and nodded. "Thank you, Magic Knights. Thank you.
You have truly saved Cephiro."
   Umi frowned. "Then send us back to our world."
   Emeraude was saddened. "Yes, of course...I apologize for everything I
have put you through..."
   Umi didn't answer, except to scowl. Fuu did not look particularly
pleased either.
   Emeraude straightened up, and closed her eyes. A bundle appeared in her
arms, which she handed to Fuu. "Take these gifts with you as you return to
your world. Farewell, Magic Knights."
   And then, just like that, they found themselves back on Tokyo Tower.

   Hikaru sat, stunned. "Emeraude...and Zagato..."
   Soun closed his eyes. "Such hardships as are faced, all for one person's
fear of commitment..."
   "Sounds like someone we all know," grumbled Akane, though less
spiritedly than usual. 
   Cologne closed her eyes. "It is, indeed, a sad tale. That a young life
be ruined, for such a silly thing."
   Umi nodded. "I still can't get over it. All the things that happened,
everything we went through, everything Hikaru-chan went through, all for
nothing."
   Hikaru smiled sadly. "Not true, Umi-chan. It wasn't all for nothing.
After all, you did save Cephiro..."
   And with that, Hikaru moved apart from the group, slumped into the
corner, and began to cry.

   Chapter 7, Section C: A Call For Help

   Ferio, Zagato, Clef, Presea, Ascot, Mokona, and various attendants and
healers gathered around the bed upon which the comatose Emeraude lay. A
large, ugly purplish blemish had appeared upon her left arm. 
   One of the healers sighed, and shook his head. "I do not know the cause
of this."
   Clef observed the blemish, and frowned. "Something very dark is causing
this illness. But what...?"
   A courtier suddenly ran into the room, and knelt before Ferio. "Forgive
me, Prince Ferio, I know this is a terrible time, but something dreadful
has happened in one of the outlying towns."
   Ferio, knowing that Emeraude was in the best possible hands, addressed
the messenger. "Alright, what's going on?"
   "It's Bima. Everyone in the town has become very weak, the plants and
animals are dying, and the buildings are decaying. The sun no longer
touches that town."
   Ferio rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Only that town?"
   The courtier nodded. "Yes, your Highness, but the darkness seems to be
slowly spreading."
   Just then, the comatose princess groaned, and the blemish on her arm
expanded alarmingly.
   As Ferio returned his attention to his sister, another courtier entered
the chamber and said, "Your Highness! The area of darkness has spread into
the outlying villages around Bima. It's getting worse."
   At that, Clef looked up, and caught Ferio's gaze. "That darkness...with
people falling ill and things decaying..."
   "It's like a blemish on Cephiro," Ferio finished.
   The two of them stared at the slowly growing blemish on Emeraude's arm.
"A Blemish," they said as one. 
   "We need to find a cure, and soon," Ferio said. "If this continues, it's
more than her life that's at stake. It's this entire world."
   With a loud "puu", Mokona suddenly vanished.
   "Where's Mokona off to?" Presea wondered.
   Nobody had an answer.

   On a street in the heart of Tokyo, there was a sudden flash of light,
and a fat, white, rabbit-like creature with a jewel on its forehead
suddenly dropped to the pavement. Making a loud "puu" sound, it bounced
frenetically down the street, as if in search of something...

    -end of act one-