* * * * * * * * *

 Reaching the end of the path. Hawk looked around and whistled,
"Nice.simplicity at it's finest!" he drawled in a sort of Brit accent. Ranko
snickered at the comparison and would have said some thing if she not
spotted
a well aged old man standing on the steps.
Even just standing there quietly, Hawk can literally feel his
experience and wizened power flowing off of him, until the man swung his
gaze to him and brightened "Come, Come!  We don't get many visitors here!"
Hawk nodded dumbly as he crawled out of his stunned hole that he
fell into. With not much success, his throat felt very dry as he neared the
man,
the power coming off of him is absolutely tremendous.
Hawk tried to speak of some formalities, but his mouth opened and
closed with nothing coming out, except a strangled `Gaah?'
 The man raised an eyebrow, wrinkling his forehead, "Well? Speak up
young man!"
That shook Hawk up. He instantly dropped his pack to the ground
with a loud thud, "The name's Hawk.David KnightHawk.." He managed to
stammer out and stuck out his hand nervously quick.
The man chuckled, "Interesting name." trailing off as he clasped
Hawk's hand, his brow furrowed in concentration then shook out of it a
minute
later as he let go, "You can call me Dragon-Sensei.or just Sensei."
All Hawk could do is nod dumbly again.
 Dragon bowed curtly and waved over the twins, pulling them back to
the sparse building, "Students." getting their prompt attention, "I believe
we
have found the next Element." he said simply, all three now under the
wooden awning.
Ranko gasped and leaned off to the side to see Hawk still standing
there, like a statue with his finger still pointing dumbly into the air. She
leaned
back, her eyes wide and completely silent. Ranma.well.his eyes bugged out
of his head as realization sunk it teeth into his mind, looking over
Sensei's
shoulder to Hawk, "How.?" was all that he managed to get out.
 Sensei chuckled at the both of them, "There are times that I wonder
as well.but I'll have to check him over to find the marking." stopping as
Hawk finally snapped out of it to walk up to the dojo, not catching anything
that have just perspired.
"Excuse me? But I have need to speak with these to as well.it is
fairly important." Hawk finished sheepishly with his hand behind his head.
Sensei nodded, "Very well." and swept into the dojo, appearing
faintly annoyed.
 The twins slowly turned to Hawk, "What is it that you need to talk to
us about?" they chorused.
Walking back to his pack, he waved them over, "Something that can
increase your mental and physical faculties." He said, digging into his
pack.
The twins looked to each other and shrugged, looking back, Hawk has dug out
a small featureless case.
Opening it, Hawk let them see a pair of six inch long plastic cylinders
filled with a milky white liquid, both marked differently and a strange
looking
gun type device, "The Aristanian conversion.something that I am also made
of as well, but I'm more of mental and psychic than physical like these
special
variants are." trailing off as he held and gestured to the two vials. Ranko
and
Ranma both looked intrigued but stayed silent, "This is part of the contract
that
you two signed." shrugging his shoulders, "We might as well get this phase
of the deal done and gone."
The twins shrugged at the same time, "Ok.let's get this `conversion'
over with." Ranma said, looking at the two vials dubiously. Hawk nodded.
"Kewl!" he exclaimed as he dug into his pack again and pulled out
two large crystalline shards, each measuring about a foot and half long and
about 2 inches thick.
 The twins can feel the enormous amount of Ki emanating from the
shards. Pointing curiously to the shards, "What are those?" Ranko asked
simply.
Holding the shards up to the light, "These my dear, Ranko are 100
percent pure Psilite crystals." She looked at Hawk with a blank expression,
"These." gesturing to the crystals, ".are going to become part of you to
increase your Ki reserves and help better focus your current Ki abilities."
he
trailed off at their shocked expression, "It would take FAR to long to
explain it
to ya guys." spinning around, as if trying to find something, "You guys have
someplace that you sleep at or something? I need you two to be laying down
for this.since you are going to be unconscious for a few hours at least."
 Gazing at the shards with an absolute curious expression, "How are
these." pointing to the crystals, ".going to get with in us?" Ranma's
expression looked partially mortified.
Holding up his hand, "Need not worry.all you two have to do is
hold these and they will be broken down and made a part of you." he
chuckled. The twins looked to each other again, then walked off to the other
end of the Dojo, waving for him to come along.
 Obediently following them, Hawk entered a sparsely decorated room
with just a pair of futons on the floor, not much else is evident.
Shaking his head, "Not much of a place for personal effects?" he
asked them sarcastically. The twins both laughed half-heartedly, apparently
a
bit afraid of something of what they have to do.
Hawk patted them both on shoulder, "Don't you two worry! I'll be
right here to keep an eye on things if something were to happen." he started
when their heads snapped to him, "NOT LIKE THAT!! Not with you two.I
mean, in and outside of this room." Sweeping the room exasperatingly.
Swinging his eyes to the both of them, they sighed a breath of relief,
"Now.both of you lie down so we can get this show on the road." he
finished, almost loudly.
 They nodded and complied. They both stretched out on their
individual futons, arms flat on the mattress, both completely still as they
studied the ceiling.
Shaking his head at their blatantly obvious nervousness, Hawk
prepared the gun-device and one of the vials. He set the device off to the
side
and picked up the crystals.
Placing one of them one Ranma's chest, "Now hold this with both
hands and don't ever let go." trailing off with his finger in the air. He
spun to
Ranko with a slight blush, "You." coughing, ".don't need to hold it.heh."
He snorted and flushed even redder.
Before she could say anything, he reluctantly and VERY quickly
placed the shard between her ample bosom, careful of not touching anything.
 Standing back up before Ranko can retort, "Now.When I inject
these," gesturing to the device he put back into his hand, "You will only
have a
moment, about 2 minutes to be exact, to put those shards directly to your
skin." They nodded as they understood, Hawk flushed again,
"Meaning.bare-chested." he muttered.
Ranma stifled a laugh at his discomfort, Ranko turned a beet red.
 Taking his shirt off already, Ranma smirked as his gaze came back to
Ranko. Who seems to be rather embarrassed by the upcoming ordeal. Not as
much as Hawk though.
Hawk slapped a vial into the Device, "Ok.Ranma you're first."
Ranma nodded and laid back down onto his back. Hawk put the device up to a
vein in Ranma's neck and pushed a button on it.
 Ranma's eye's widened from the intense pressure being exerted
through his neck. Before he could yelp in pain, the pressure was gone and he
could already feel drousy. He clutched the PsiLite shard to his chest firmly
and
closed his eyes. Ranma was asleep before he let out one breath of air.
Turning back to Ranko, "This'll hurt a bit." Hawk said, taking out the
used vial and slapping in the other one.
She nodded and laid back down, also clutching at her own shard,
almost fearfully, she screwed her eyes shut when she felt the business end
of
the device press against her neck. Hawk concentrated on minimizing the pain
to her and pulled the trigger.
Unlike Ranma, she hardly felt a thing as sleepiness washed over her.
Opening her eyes, she noticed Hawk darting out of the room at Mach speed.
Smiling, `Shy.isn't he?' she asked herself as she quickly took her shirt
off,
baring her chest, `Gonna have to work on that!'. Absolute drowsiness came at
her in a tidal wave as she clutched the shard between her breasts and fell
asleep.

Closing the door as quietly as he can behind him, Hawk breathed a
sigh of relief. He wiped the nervous sweat off of his brow, then scrubbed
his
face tiredly, "Damn powers.always take a lot out of me." he mumbled to
himself. He then felt a firm hand grasp his shoulder, looking over it.
Hawk saw Sensei, "Come with me to the main room and take off that
damned armor.there's no need for it here." Hawk nodded and then started
unfastening his torso armor.
 Watching Hawk intently. Sensei noticed a flaming dragon adorning
his upper arm, leading into his chest, just over his heart. His eyes widened
in
surprise.
Feeling a pair of eyes watch him, Hawk looked up to Sensei, "What?
Something on me?" looking himself over and spinning around in a circle.
Sensei shook his head, "No, my student.it is that you are one of the
chosen." trailing off as he heard stiff metal clanking onto the floor.
"Chosen?!?! What the hell.?!?" Hawk panicky asked, he stopped at
Sensei's raised hand.
"I mean you have been chosen by the Fire Dragon Elemental."
looking up to Hawk with steel in his eyes, "I will _DEFINITELY_ be training
you in that portion of the `Four Dragon Elemental' style."
Putting his hands up defensively, "Whoa! Hold on here! I just came
here to learn some martial arts for company field missions, not to be
`chosen'!!" practically immersed in almost sheer panic.
Sensei sighed and placed his hands on Hawk's bare shoulders,
ceasing his babbling, "You do not know that this style is the most powerful
known in the MegaVerse." he chuckled as Hawk's face dropped and his eyes
bugged out, "It is probably why you are working for my old friend, Mai.she
usually thinks for the VERY long term." taking his hands of Hawk's
shoulders, he looked to him with steel etched to his face, ".and I know that
there is going to be a menace that is going to plague the universes in a few
hundred years or so...and we need the best fighters from across those
universes
to fight them off." Sensei's eyes took an almost pleading look to them, "Do
you not want to defend your home and your loved ones?"
Looking back to the closed door, Hawk slumped his shoulders,
"Yeah.I would." trailing off as Sensei started laughing lightly, "What?" he
asked him, miffed at being laughed at.
Coughing to side step his laughter, "I take it that you have taken a
liking to the Wind Dragon Elemental.Ranko, isn't it?"
Hawk flushed, "Yeah.I guess so." glancing back to the door, he
snorted, "Quite observant of you." glancing to the door again, "We have to
leave them alone for awhile, since the conversion has to be left undisturbed
for
the next 12 hours to at least to settle in." Hawk said, deciding to change
the
subject.
Sensei nodded, "So then.during the meantime, I will start training
you until such a time has elapsed!" he exclaimed, slapping Hawk's shoulder
excitedly. Hawk jutted his head, "Yep.need something to do."

* * * * * * * * *

Still flat on his back, Ranma shifted his body with a groan. Sitting up,
his body felt like it was on fire, feeling like a thousand thousand pins
driving
just into his skin.
Laying back down, groaning in pain, "Ugh.What did I get myself
into." he asked to no-one but air. The door creaked open, Ranma looked
down his nose to see Hawk coming in with a smallish tray of something.
Ranma's stomach growled angrily, "I see that I have come just in
time!" Hawk exclaimed softly. Another groan filled the room as Ranko came
to a moment later. Hawk quickly covered her with a small blanket, trying to
suppress a glowing blush on his face, even though he noticed that she has
the
look of distess on her face and she is coated with a layer of sweat. He set
the
tray between them, before Ranko could say anything, "You two must eat this
before you black out again." pointing to the tray, which has several bars
that
look like candy. They looked at him dubiously, Hawk shrugged his shoulders,
"That..!" gesturing to the `candy-bars', ".is super concentrated high-
everything food rations, eat as much of it as you two can.you are going to
need it, believe me on that."
The twins stared at the tray. Gathering their reserves, they both took
one of the bars.
Ranma took a bite of one, he grimaced a bit but noticed his hunger
subsiding a bit then reassert itself in force, "Not too bad.at least no
where
near as bad as Akane's cooking!" he beamed, then started taking in as many
of
the bars as he can. Ranko giggled at the comparison, without saying a word,
she dug in as well.
Kicking back against the wall, Hawk crossed his arms as he watch the
two eat. `Sheesh.those two are FAMISHED!!' he wondered to himself with
much amusement. A moment later, the twins finished. Both looked ready to
conk out again, Hawk went back to the tray, motioned to pick it up. He
noticed
that Ranma is already out like a lamp. Shaking his head and trotting over on
his knees, he picked up the tray and started to get up.
Before he could get up, he felt a gentle, warm hand clasp his arm. He
looked down to Ranko's face, she looked to him with a measure of adoration
and no small amount of fear, "Don't leave." she whispered as she wrapped
the blanket more tightly around herself, almost cocooning her.
Concerned as to why she might be scared, "Why don't you want me
to leave?" Hawk whispered her. She glanced at Ranma's sleeping form, then
back to Hawk, "I've been have a nightmare." trailing off as the memory hit
home, ".about.those.men." stopping herself as she shut her eyes, some
tears coming out.
With a lot of indecision later, Hawk's shyness fell to a smoking heap
thanks to that look on her face. Putting the tray down, he stepped over the
trembling Ranko, determination chiseled to his face.
He lain side-by-side to her, she didn't notice him until he slid an arm
under her pillow, his hand reaching up to her shoulder and the other around
her
slender waist.
Whispering into her ear, "I won't leave you." She started when he
pulled her closer to him, ".Ever." he finished off with a breathy whisper.
The intense warmth she felt coming from Hawk and his words
seemingly eased her mind of its turmoil, his steady breathes comforted her
even more as he wrapped her up firmly in his arms. She nuzzled up to him and
drifted off to sleep.
Carefully kicking off his shoes, trying not to wake Ranko up. Hawk
couldn't help but feel some form of attachment to the little red-head he
held in
front of him.
Thinking, `I wonder what pocessed me to say all that to her.' The
day's hard training caught up with him as he yawned, cutting off that trail
of
thought. Shifting around a little, still careful to not wake her, he made
himself
comfortable on the futon and drifted off to sleep.

Peeking through a crack in the door, Sensei smiled, `All is as it
should be.'

* * * * * * * * *

The Next Day at Dragon-Sensei's Dojo.

 Letting in a sharp breath as he came to. Ranma felt more.alive,
stronger.smarter, since many things came to him in crystal sharp clarity. He
lifted his hand in front of him. His eyes widened as he gazed upon on the
immense muscle tone down it.
Feeling it with his other hand, it is rock hard. No, it felt more like
super tight corded steel. Letting his arms down, he looked over to his
sister.
His eyes bugged out when he saw Hawk's arm wrapped around her waist.
Ranma was about to tear him apart until his saw Ranko's
comfortable, almost blissful face, moreso as she clentched onto Hawk's arm.
`She never looked that peaceful for as long as I can remember,' Ranma
thought to himself, with a crooked smile. He put his hands behind his head,
thinking of what else has changed within him.
 A thunderbolt went through his mind as a thought occurred to him.
Looking back over to Ranko, he noticed that she didn't change at all. `Maybe
it is something that we cannot see.' he pondered.
He didn't get a chance to ponder long as she awoke with a wide
yawn. Her movements stirred Hawk from his own sleep. His head popped up
from behind hers.
Ranma snickered at the incredibly sleepy look on his face and the
massively tousled hair. Hawk let his one arm move from under the pillow,
with his other hand, he scrubbed at his face to work some of the cobwebs
out.
 After rubbing her eyes some, she looked over to Ranma. Her jaw
slammed into the floor with an audible thud. "My GOD! You've gotten
huge!!!" she exclaimed, her eyes very wide as she scanned him over.
Ranma started and he looked down himself. His eyes nearly came out
of their appropriate sockets as he saw that his pants are either strained to
it
limit in some places, in many others it gave up the fight. The rends in the
fabric shown the immense, ripped muscle beneath, when he moved to get a
better look at himself, more of the fabric torn.
Looking back to Ranko, he gestured to himself in a utterly shocked
expression. Then his stomach growled, loudly.
 Dissolving into a fit of laughter when Ranma's face fell, Ranko
couldn't help but laugh. "Maybe we should call you the Incredible Hulk now?"
Hawk chimed in sleepily, getting up from the futon.
Ranma's angered face snapped over to Hawk, "I thought we weren't
going to change?!? I've turned into a damned MOUNTAIN!! My speed.!"
Hawk held up his hand in hopes to calm him, "HEY! Don't Worry
about it, your speed should not be effected." looking Ranma straight in the
eye, "In fact, it should be enhanced, though not as much as your strength."
He
finished with a `smarmy' smile.
 Gaze turning inquisitive, Ranko looked at herself. Holding her arm
out in front, "Hmmmm.I don't look different.." She then ran her hand up
and down her arm.
Surprisingly, her skin is still peach soft, yet, when she tenses a muscle
she can see the individual cords under the skin. Her eyes went wide and her
jaw slackened when she saw that, the blanket she held around herself
starting
to slip in her awe.
She heard a loud pair of coughs, then the blanket slid some more,
making itself known once again to her. She snapped her arms around the
blanket, holding it up before it fell any further.
 Ranma's eyes widened at the speed she snatched up the blanket. He
let out an appreciative whistle, "Damn! Your speed.incredible!" He shook
his head, then motioned to get up.
More rips resounded through the air as he moved. Both Ranko and
Hawk snorted down laughter as he got to his feet. Ranma noticed that the
ground seemed more far away than usual as he looked back down, now the rest
of the cloth that could be called his pants absolutely gave up and slid off
of
him, leaving him in quite constricting boxer shorts. He groaned and slapped
his hand to his forehead.
 Coming out of her fit of the giggles, she noted that Ranma is now on
his feet. She started her trailing gaze from his feet, all the way up to his
head.
"Jeeeez!! You literally are a MOUNTAIN!!" she exclaimed as she strained her
neck to look him in the face.
Now feeling very small as Hawk too stood up. She sat down on her
rump in a huff, pouting cutely with her eyes clamped shut since she didn't
get
any height increase.
She would have continued to do so if not for a firm hand gripping her
shoulder, she looked up to Hawk, "Don't worry about it.you have.other
attributes that are definitely more superior to ours, since I guess that
your
particular conversion is more geared towards speed and agility." He finished
with a flashy smile.
Spirits instantly lifted, she nodded happily.
 There was a knock at the door. Sensei stepped through the doorway
as he opened it. "GOOD GOD!" he exclaimed as he looked over Ranma,
"Looks like you really are the Earth Dragon Elemental!" he finished,
squeezing Ranma's massive arm. Shifting his eyes to Hawk, "Looks like Mai
has outdone herself this time `round!" Hawk nodded, would have said
something if not for a round of gurgling growls.
Sensei chuckled at the troop's simultaneous blush when their
stomachs made themselves known that they are currently empty, "Well..How
about we get something to eat first, then we'll see what you three can truly
do?" he asked all three of them.
They all nodded. "Good! Let's go then! We have a long day ahead of
us!" He finished, waving them all out the door, pausing for a moment to let
Ranko get a shirt on. Sensei's eyebrows shot to his hairline as he made a
mental note of how fast she did do that. `._REALLY_ outdone herself.' he
pondered as Ranko skipped, literally out of the door, seemingly much more
energetic than usual.

* * * * * * * * *

In a long forgotten realm of Space-Time, something stirred, but still
slumbered on.
His time of freedom has not yet come, but what is time to a true
immortal?
He stilled once more to dream.
To dream of his lost love from many millennia ago.

* * * * * * * * *

Lifting his head to a disturbance from somewhere, Dragon-Sensei
tensed for what is to come, but quickly past as it disappeared. Sensei was
in
the middle of testing the new abilities that Ranko and Ranma had attained.
Ranma, true to form of one his size, seemed able to lift a 10 meter
wide boulder with little to no effort. Would have tested him with more, but
there are none, larger, boulders anywhere nearby.
Ranko, on the other hand, is the exact opposite. She moved so fast
that even Sensei seemed hard pressed in just keeping an eye on her. There
were times when she did move even faster, it created a sonic boom whenever
she tried the infamous Kachu-Tenshin-Amakaguri-Ken.
 But the Fire elemental, well.he had little to no fighting ability, at
least when compared to the twins. Sensei noticed that Hawk prefered to use
trickery and a bit of subterfuge when it came to a conflict.
He watched Hawk and Ranko spar, `Seems that they have taken a
liking to each other...' Sensei pondered to himself, then noticed that Ranko
cold-clocked Hawk across the clearing screaming something like: `Don't you
dare hold back on me!!' Sensei inwardly smiled, `.the twins will snap him
into shape in no time.' He then went back into barking training orders to
the
troop with things degraded into a tickle fight between Hawk and Ranko.

<It is now time to Insert `Ranma �-Rifts Asunder: Rifts Earth Side Stories'
Here now.>
* * * * * * * * *

Many a Decade Later.In Yet Another Dimension.

 A young man strode down a corridor, his metallic boots ringing
throughout the empty hallway. Dressed in an odd combination of futuristic
half plate armor, mostly covering the torso, forearms, and the calves. He
appears to be in a sparkling good mood.
A chipper female voice called out to him, "Hey, Hawk!", walking to
the wall comm panel, then punching a button.
"Yeah? What's up Misato?" he called into the panel.
Then a dark-purple haired vixen popped up on the comm-panel, she
appears to be rather excited about something, "Just so that you know first
hand." she failed to hold down a fit of giggles, which brought a smile to
Hawk's face.
`Never Fails..' he thought to himself, Misato managed to composed
herself, if not somewhat.
"Admiral. The refit that you have requested has been completed. The
Falcon now has a total of twelve Tachyon Cannon turrets, the Syncronizer-
Cannons have now replaced the main Particle cannons."
Now she is absolutely giddy, "Also your request for the VF-23 Hyper
Sturmvogel came through, and we now have a full complement of  64 ADDS
Lieutenants units with 32 ADDS Sergeants for each Lieutenant and 32 Fighter-
Marine in addition to the 10 White-Tiger fighters with the Ghost AI modules
that we already have. ALSO.we got the Ray-Storm package for a pair of the
Tigers! " She is practically ecstatic now, with the glittering eyes and
everything.
 Hawk grinned again, "Kewl. Though it is a bit of overkill for this last
mission." shrugging his shoulders, "But then again, ya can't be too safe in
that particular dimension we are going to. Thanks for the update, Misato,
I'll
be at the ship whenever I get there."
Misato blanked out of the screen with her trademark
`Gatchabagoose!' and the \/ symbol with her left hand.
 `Ahhh.. Definitely gotta talk to her about that line.Naaaaah!!!
This is my last mission and I'm in for a VERY long vacation.in my home
dimension maybe. Almost a hundred years of crossing dimensions and
gathering technology is damned long enough if ya ask me.' He pondered while
walking down the way.
 Sometime later, still walking around.
Gazing at everything, almost like he is never going to see the place
again, or at least that he will not see it for quite awhile.
Then he came up to a large door to the inner sanctum. `I might as
well get this briefing over with.' he sighed to himself as he opened the
massive door inward.
 He called out as he creaked the door open, "Hey Mai!" He stopped
short when he was blasted by series of party horns when he entered the room,
"Bwah?" he managed to croak, the rabbit ears on his helm perking up in
surprise. He was then tackled by a blur of red. "What the." he managed to
say as he fell to the floor, then recognized the one hugging him. "Ranko-
chan?? What..??" he stopped short when the little bundle of pure energy
kissed
him full on the lips, pulling him in by the cuff of his shirt.
 After the wolf howls died down, she then noticed that he is a little
slack jawed after that. "Happy Birthday!!" then hugged him a little tighter.
A
little while later, someone tapped her on the shoulder, and then she noticed
that
he was turning a crazy shade of blue, pointing to his mouth and lipping
`AIR!!
NEED AIR!!'.
She started, then reluctantly let him go, then Hawk collapsed to the
floor with a coughing fit. "Gomen." she said softly, her head down, almost
on the verge of crying.
Coughing fit subsiding and she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Don't
worry Ranko-chan, no harm done. You know that I'm made of tougher stuff
than that.Besides, how often do I get to be with ya anyways?" he said,
looking around for her significant other, "Where's Ranma?"
When she didn't say anything, she's just looking off into space
behind him. Hawk slowly turned his head around and met nose-to-nose with
the BIG significant other. He started, almost severely, "Daaah!!!" landing
on
his butt, "Geez!! Don't do dat!!" Hawk would have continued berating Ranma
if it weren't for an almost chorus of female giggles around him.
 With a look of false horror on his face, he looked around him, "I'm
surrounded." letting his chin hit his chest, "Okie.I surrender to my fate."
Then he got up, placed his arms in front of him with his hands hanging
loosely, still not letting his head up.
Only to have them grabbed, by two sets of soft hands. Now looking
like he was crucified. He looked up to see his ship's AIs holding them,
namely
Misato and Asuka, both with nasty glints their eyes. He balked as he saw
Ranko coming up to him with an evil glint in her eyes also and her hands in
front of her, with the fingers splayed.
This time, true horror crossed Hawk's face as Ranko crept up to him,
"No.." he squeaked, then Ranko proceeded to come closer in an ever menacing
way, then shouted: "Kachu Tenshin Amakaguriken Revised! Tickle Torture!!"
and proceeded to pummel him with tickles upon tickles.

 After a few minutes of this, Mai herself spoke up, "OK Kiddies!!".
Dead Silence now.
She grinned, "You should all already know that this is his last mission
for quite awhile." she pulled a slight, sly grin to her face when she
noticed
Hawk almost singing `Haleighluya' with his arms in the air, "Keep it up and
you won't have that vacation comin' to ya!", he slumped, "You do know that
I'm only kidding do you?", she said to him with her index finger propping
his
chin up. He perked up after that, with a grin on his face.
And the Party went downhill from there.

 Hawk slumped over in a nearby chair, letting his head go over the top
and his arms over the side, having finially gotten into something more
comfortable than the armor he had on previously. "OI! Am I beat." he
mumbled to himself, "Oof..", words escaped him when the red-head jumped
(literally) into his lap and curled up against his chest and shortly after,
fell
asleep.
Ranma walked up and took a seat next to Hawk, "Ya'know? You're
the only one that she'll do that with." trailing off as he gestured to
Ranko-
chan with a drink in his hand.
Hawk would have shrugged except for one problem, the sleeping
bundle in his lap, "I kinda figured that since." he stopped short as he
remembered the scene involving her, with her clothing ripped off, and a
bunch
of Juicers trying to get some `fun.'
He grimaced at the thought and shook his head to get it out. Hawk
looked up and saw Ranma doing the same, but much more prominent, since it
was he that couldn't do anything but watch. Ranma clenched his fist white-
knuckle tight at the memory, then felt a strong hand grip his forearm.
 Ranma looked up to the concerned eyes of Hawk, "Don't worry about
it man. At least I managed to get there in time to get ya loose from that
titan-
type and get to some of the others before anything really happened to her.",
he trailed off as he ran his hand on top of her head which elicited a hum of
pleasure from her as she snuggled even closer to him.
Both Ranma and Hawk looked at each other and then Ranko, then
back again, "Awwwww." they chorused.
A soft beeping interrupted their walk down memory lane.
  Hawk slumped over the back of the chair and called out, "Yes.what
izzit?!" he said as Ren-like as possible,but is still rather bad.
On the comm-panel, Misato's bright visage lit up the screen, "All
preparations." she got cut off with the guys going `SHHHH!' as quietly as
possible.
Misato blushed in embarrassment when she saw Ranko's sleeping
form, "Sorry.." she started sheepishly as it were allowed, she continued,
much
more quietly this time `round, "As I was saying.The preparations are
complete to the Falcon and is ready to leave whenever you are."
She gestured to Hawk, and stifled a giggle when Ranko-chan
snuggled a little more to him.
Hawk sighed, "Okie, I'll be there when I get there. During the
meantime, I have a little package to drop off first." He gestured Ranko with
a
grin.
Misato grinned herself, more of a carnal grin judging by the `look' in
her eye, "OK.Gatchabagoose!" she signed off the usual way.
 Ranma shook his head as he stood up, "I'll never understand her." He
said as he stretched and then sighed, "I'm gonna get going myself." lost his
speech as he was trying to remember something, then snapped his fingers, "Oh
yeah.we each have our own rooms `till we go back home.just thought that I
should let you know.", finishing the last of his drink, "Ja-Ne." then walked
out
of the room.
 Hawk stretched at bit and looked down to Ranko, `She can be god-
awfully cute when she wants to be.", he thought as he was trying to maneuver
the red-head around so that he can carry her to her room.
Her eyes fluttered open from the attention and suddenly yawned,
somewhat spoiling the moment. "Whatcha doin'?" she asked tiredly, trying to
keep herself from yawning in the process.
Hawk started, "Trying to get ya to your room so that you can sleep
soundly.like you were.", he completed with a smirk.
That got the Red-Head's attention as she zoomed to 100% energy in
an instant.
 She snaked an arm around Hawk's neck, "Go ahead and take me to
my room then.", she said in a VERY sultry, breathy voice, running the tips
her
fingers along his jaw-line, sending high-voltage shocks down his spine.
Hawk gulped, a BIG gulp. `When she is this way.hooooo boy!' He
nodded dumbly in confirmation, then walked out of the room with Ranko in
his arms. `She always know what the hell to do to me.', he thought
somewhat happily as he carried her.

 They reached Ranko's room in couple of minutes. The heavily
sweating Hawk set Ranko-chan on her feet after she coined in her lock number
to the door.
Hawk tried to take this cue to leave, "Uh.I guess that I should be
going to my ship now.", as he turned, he was cut off as he was dragged into
the room, stifling a surprised yelp.
 He turned back around to a sound of a sniffle. He saw one of the few
things that can melt his heart like soft butter over popcorn: Ranko-chan
crying.
`But for what?', he thought to himself as he drew her into a hug. Her crying
quickly subsided somewhat when she held onto him, almost like for dear life.
Hawk started rocking slowly as he held her, "What is it Ranko-chan?"
 She reluctantly let go of him and sat down on the nearby bed, "You
love me right?" she couldn't have said more, her voice failed her as she
looked
to him with watering eyes, "Kami-sama.I wish to didn't have to leave."
trailing off, a tear rolled down her rosed cheek, "Just when we finally
realised." choaking on her own words, she looked back to him pleadingly.
Hawk gathered the last of his reserves and slid behind her. Placing his
hands on her shoulders, near her neck and started to knead the peach soft
flesh
there.
She moaned to the feeling of his strong hands working the kinks out
of her shoulder lovingly. "Of course I do." he started out saying, but Ranko
quickly turned around and kissed him full on the lips.
Succeeding in flopping him to the bed. She let up until the both of
them needed air. It is then that Hawk noticed, with a startled expression,
that
her top is mostly undone and that she is straddling across him.
Noticing his expression, she put on her most sexy pose with one
shoulder-strap of her outfit going over one arm and her head tilted off to
one
side. She also placed her hands on his stomach, close together, squeezing
her
ample `package' into each other, which is still mostly exposed.
Hawk reached up slowly with his right and placed his gentle, but
shaking hand on the side of her face and soft caressed her face to her neck,
"You know that I always will.with all of my heart." he choked out.
Her eyes sparkling, "You don't know what it means to me when you
said that." She leaned down and placed a very loving, very long kiss onto
the
willing lips of Hawk, who encircled his arms around her. "You're the only
one." she breathed into his ear, she then cut off any retort from Hawk by
kissing him greatly.
Pinning his arms down at his sides with her feet, she pulled her top
off, and locked lips with him again...

[Hmmm.since things are getting KINDA steamy here, if you wish.take a
look at `RIFTS ASUNDER: GRATUTIOUS LEMON #1', though it is NOT a
requirement for the whole story!!]

Sometime Later.

 Ranko came out of the washroom in her robe, toweling her hair and
saw Hawk sleeping blissfully there.
Walking up the bed, she clasped his one free hand that was splayed
across the bed with her left hand, eyes sparkling, she pecked him on the
cheek,
"I love you." she whispered into his ear.
Taking the robe off, she then crawled into bed, snuggling up to him,
resting her head on his shoulder, her arm across his torso, fingers splayed
across his slowly rising and falling chest, "I'll love you always." she
drowsily said as she dozed off into deep sleep in the afterglow.
Sleep without the Nightmares.

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