Okay kiddies, its the long awaited (24 hours?) next part to the Arashi
series. As a small side note, I fixed the text on my homepage so it
doesn't blink anymore. ::grins sheepishly:: Thank you, and please
Email me with your reactions- to this part and the ones before it. As
I said before, the series is undergoing major transitions right now,
I'll repost it when I've finished editing.

You can find this story- (Be warned, its an early, unedited version)
and a whole bunch of other crud at my (now non-blinking) homepage:
http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Garden/2324
:)


	                "Alone in Time"

	              Ranma 1/2 Fanfiction

	               Part Four: "Avatar"



	Where to begin? Arashi asked herself. She looked around the table. 
Mousse, Ranma and Akane all looked back at her. After Nekura's attack,
they had moved into Arashi's kitchen. Now that sat around her
table, waiting for her to tell her tale. Arashi drew a deep breath,
and began.
	"The first thing I should tell you is that 'Arashi' is not my real
name."
	Mousse nodded. "I kind of figured," he said. "After all, that's not a
Chinese name, and you said you were raised in China."
	Arashi looked down at the floor sheepishly. "I won't tell you my real
name," she said, "I haven't used it for six hundred years, and I don't
see any reason to change that now."
	"Six hundred years? What?!" Akane stood up from the table. "Are you
putting us on?!"
	"I guess I got a little ahead of myself," Arashi laughed. "Please,
sit down, and let me start at the beginning." Akane sat, though
grudgingly.   
	"You know that everything in the world has its light side and its
dark side: the yin and the yang, fire and water, and so on. Well,
Nekura and I were born and raised in a mountain village in Northern
China. By the way, 'Nekura' isn't her real name either. The first time
we came to Japan, we both changed our names. Neither of us wanted to
remember who we had once been, but for different reasons. 
	"Anyways, in the village, when we both turned sixteen, a certain
alignment in the stars created a catastrophe. The dark forces in and
around our village were able to break out of the spiritual realm and
posess a human host. They chose Nekura. She went on a mad rampage,
destroying our village and several miles of surrounding countryside.
Unchecked, she might have destroyed all of China and beyond. However,
the very same alignment that allowed the dark to break free also
allowed the light forces to break free and choose their own avatar
against Nekura, and preserve the balance between dark and light. As
her twin sister, and the only survivor of the destruction of our
village, I was the logical candidate. They gave me a choice, but I
knew from the beginning I had to choose to keep the eternal balance,
creating a force of good to fight against Nekura's evil. Once Nekura
is destroyed, the forces of light will leave me, and I will be able to
live a normal life again." Arashi paused and took a gulp from a glass
of water next to her. 
	"I was 'gifted' with two things to help me. The first is a guardian,
who helps and advises me. The second," here Arashi's voice grew hard
and bitter. "The second was the gift of immortality, that I might not
die before my job was completed. So I have remained absolutely
unchanged from the day I agreed to become the avatar of light, even as
I watched those around me grow old and wither into dust."
	Akane laid a comforting hand over hers. "How long," she asked gently,
"Have you been fighting?"
	Arashi grew thoughtful. "I haven't counted for the longest time,"she
confessed, "I believe its about nine hundred years now."
	 Everyone around the table looked startled. 
	"Give or take a decade... Although, once," Arashi amended, "Nekura
defeated me, and I was sealed into a kind of sleep for three hundred
years. After I awoke, I went out and defeated her. Thinking her gone,
I returned to the mountains of my youth. As I continued to not age, I
knew she was still alive, but I thought she wouldn't show up again for
at least another hundred years or so." 
	Mousse looked at her thoughtfully. "So that's how you got so good at
Martial Arts. You learned from the ancient masters, and had nine
hundred years to practice."
	Arashi bowed her head. "True," she said, "Since our powers from the
light and dark forces are exactly equally matched, the only way for
Nekura and I to overcome each other is with our physical bodies."
	"So how do you destroy her?"
	Arashi shook her head, white hair covering her face for a moment. "I
wish I knew. I've defeated her, she defeated me, and we just come back
again. Sometimes I worry that neither of us will destroy the
other, and we'll be forced to wander the world, fighting each other,
forever!" Arashi worked her throat against the lump she could feel
rising. She felt Akane's hand on her shoulder.
	Ranma leaned back in his chair. "I don't know. I mean, it all sounds
a little farfetched, you know? I mean, don't get me wrong, Arashi, I
trust you an' all, but it's just..."
	Arashi nodded. "I understand your skepticism. I know it's all a
little hard to believe, and I wouldn't have told you it if I didn't
have proof. Remember the companion I told you about?" Arashi streched
out her cupped hand, palm up. A small golden light began to gather in
the center of her palm. 
	"Arashi," the light spoke. "I see you told your friends."
	"Whoa!" Ranma leaned forward to inspect the golden ball of light. The
light moved back slightly. "Can you just call that up whenever you
want?"
	"Yes. Although, sometimes, it'll just appear on its own."
	"I am not an 'it' thank you, and please don't refer to me as if I'm
not present." The ball managed to sound very insulted. Arashi hid a
smile behind her hand. "But we've no time for this. Arashi, I have a
message and a task for you. Do you know of the nearby temple? I
believe it is only three streets over from here."
	Arashi shook her head. "No, actually, I don't."
	"I do," Akane spoke up. "I went there a few days ago to buy a
good-luck charm."
	"Good. This temple is very special. It has a shrine in it, with an
ancient statue that has a jewel clenched in its hand."
	"Yes, so?"
	"You need to hurry to the temple and retrieve the jewel before Nekura
does. It is the key to a very powerful weapon."
	Arashi stood. "Why didn't you tell me of this before? If Nekura gets
at that temple, she'll destroy it!"
	"We didn't know until Nekura found out about it. You mustn't waste
any time. Nekura is on her way to the temple right now."
	Mousse, Ranma and Akane stood up. "We'll go with you," Akane said.
Arashi smiled in gratitude. "Thank you for your offer, but don't you
think the four of us together would make it a little hard to sneak in?"
	"Not at all," Akane smiled and looked at Ranma. "I think I have a
plan."


			*	*	*

	Girl-Ranma pulled irritably at her black miniskirt. "This is so
humiliating," she grumbled. "Why is it every plan she comes up with
has me dressin' up in some ridiculous outfit?" 
	"Oh, stop grumbling," Akane told her. "Don't you want to help Arashi?"
	"I can't walk in these stupid heels. And I don't see why you couldn't
have done the distraction bit, while I help get the jewel."
	"Because you don't know your way around the temple, and I do. Now
stop complaining."
	"Kawaii-kune." Ranma grumbled under her breath. Akane smiled and said
nothing. Ranma could complain as much as he wanted, as long as he went
along with the plan. 
	Arashi stood nearby, twisting her hands nervously. "Do you really
think this'll work?" She asked Mousse.
	"Only one way to find out," he replied grimly. The plan which Akane
had thought up was elegant in its simplicity. Ranma ("disguised" as a
girl) would distract the monk who guarded the statue. Akane and 
Arashi would sneak in and grab the jewel, while Mousse served as
look-out, warning them if anyone came near.
	Arashi was nervous about involving her friends so closely with
Nekura, but they were absolutely adamant about accompanying her on
this quest. Even more nerve-wracking was the fact that it was a _temple_
they were burglarizing. They didn't need the wrath of who knew how
many deities descending on them. Arashi's companion had told them that
it was fine, no fire and brimstone would befall them, but you never
could be too sure, especially around those hypersensitive lesser
dieties.
	Akane looked around. "Is everyone all set? Then let's go!"
	"Wait a minute." Arashi disappeared into another room. She emerged
again, carrying her bo staff and a couple of sheathed knives around
her waist. She wrapped the staff in cloth and carried it over her
shoulder, and put a light jacket on to hide the knives.
	"Just in case," she said. Ranma looked for a minute at the long,
thin, cloth wrapped bundle on her back and shuddered. 
	"Let's go then," she said.
	They reached the temple without incident, the pedestrians on the
street completly ignoring them. Ranma headed towards the front, while
Mousse stayed outside the gate and Akane and Arashi ducked into the
shrine throught a seldom-used side door. Akane heard a high-pitched
giggle, unmistakably girl-Ranma's, drifting back to them from the
front of the shrine, where a young novice preist stood sweeping the
courtyard. 'The oldest trick in the book,' Arashi thought to herself,
'But it works!' She and Akane crept into the huge room of the shrine.
	The statue of the God of Luck sat on a velvet cushion in a niche on
the west wall of the room. He was grinning jovially, with his great
belly bare to the world. Arashi looked it over carefully. There!
The left hand was clenched tight, with something sparkly showing
through between the fingers. Arashi nodded to Akane. Akane snuck
silently to the door and kept a careful watch while Arashi walked to
the statue. 
	Arashi stood for a minute in front of it, admiring the ancient
craftmen's fine work. Finally, she reached a hand out to pry the jewel
out from between its fingers. It wouldn't budge. Arashi took a deep
breath and tried again. Still wouldn't budge. She tried prying it out
with a knife, beating it, cursing softly at it, praying to it,
offering money to it, nothing worked. The statue's hand refused to move,
and the jewel would not come free. 
	Arashi knew she was running out of time. Ranma could only keep the
preist distracted for so long, and a worshipper might come in at any
minute. It was only luck that had kept them away this long. Luck! That 
was it! Arashi took a one-hundred yen coin out of her pocket. She
grinned at the statue. "Hear me now, Hotei, god of luck. I'll flip
this coin in the air.  If it lands on heads, you're going to open your
hand and let me have that jewel. If it lands on tails, I'll go away
and leave you alone. Deal?" Arashi knew none of the seven lucky gods
would not be able to resist a gamble like that. 
	She tossed the coin high into the air, closing her eyes and praying
fervently for heads. If she lost this, it was quite possible that this
beautiful temple would be destroyed when Nekura came to retreive the
jewel. And then, if Nekura got a hold of that "very 
powerful weapon"... She was staking _everything_ on this one little
coin toss. 
	Arashi heard the coin clink on the floor. She was afraid to open her
eyes again. Finally, she forced herself to look down. The coin had
landed on heads. She looked quickly to the hand of the statue. It was
open, the jewel resting lightly on the upturned palm. She heard a
voice, seemingly coming from everywhere at once. "Never again," it
said. But the tone was light and teasing. Arashi smiled and grabbed
the jewel. She signalled to Akane, and they sneaked back out the door.
	Arashi waited breathlessly outside as Akane went around front to get
Ranma and Mousse. As she waited, she studied the jewel in her hand. It
appeared to be actually two stones, one black, one white, but joined
together into a yin-yang pattern in one stone with no apparent seams.
It was cut in a decahedronal pattern, ten facets reflecting the light
of the red-orange sunset. It was incredibly beautiful, but Arashi
didn't see how it could be the key to a weapon.
Finally, she pocketed it. She could find out more about that later. 
	A scream from the front of the temple snapped Arashi to attention.
She rounded the corner and broke into a run. She caught a glimpse of
raven black hair and doubled her speed. Nekura stood in the courtyard
of the temple. She had a hold of the young priest's 
throat with one hand, suspending him a foot off the ground. The other
hand held her black kitana, pointed at the base of his throat. Akane,
Ranma and Mousse all stood a distance away, watching intently, but
unwilling to attack in case Nekura hurt the young man. 
	"Where is it?!" Nekura hissed. "Where have you hidden it?" The novice
shook his head.
	"I don't know what you're talking about," Panic made his breaths
short and ragged. Nekura scowled and pressed her kitana harder against
his throat. A drop of blood appeared, scarlet against his 
white shirt.
	"Nekura!" Arashi shouted. "He doesn't have what you want! Leave him
alone!"
	Nekura turned, to see Arashi standing there. "Oh, but you're wrong,
Arashi. Hidden in this temple is a jewel I must find. I won't let you
or some simpering priest to stand in my way!" With that, she 
drew her blade lightly across the young man's neck, leaving a trail of
crimson blood. "Now do you want to tell me where its hidden?"
	The priest gasped in pain. "I-I don't know!" He forced out. 
	Arashi felt a white-hot rage growing in her chest. "He can't know
where it is!" She shouted. She pulled the gem out of her pocket.
"Because I have it!"
	Nekura dropped the young man and whirled around. She eyed the jewel
flashing in Arashi's hands. "How did you get it? Well, that's not
important. I want it, and I want it now. So you better hand it over."
	"Ranma, Akane, Mousse." Arashi said sharply. "Take the priest and get
out of here."
	"Arashi," Mousse started to protest.
	"Go!" There was no mistaking Arashi's tone of voice. "I can't be
worrying about you while we fight."
	Ranma reluctantly picked the priest up, supporting him with an arm
under his shoulders. "But we could help you!"
	"This is my fight. I'll meet you back at my apartment later."
	"But-" Akane started. Arashi sighed. It was obvious they were _not_
going to leave her. She hated to do this to her friends, but she
needed them out of the way. Without taking her eyes off Nekura, she 
made a simple guesture with her right hand. There was no blinding
flash of light, no smoke or funky sound effects. Akane, Ranma and
Mousse simply found themselves back in Arashi's apartment, the
unconcious priest still on Ranma's shoulder.
	Back at the temple, Arashi, after completing her spell, had taken her
staff from her back and pulled it into the "guard" position. Nekura
laughed and narrowed her eyes.
	"Still fighting with that silly stick?" Arashi glared, but said
nothing. Nekura gave up trying to bait her and leapt, slashing her
sword downwards. Arashi blocked, and lashed out at Nekura in a
blindingly fast kick. Nekura vaulted over her and landed gracefully on
her feet. "Just testing your reflexes," Nekura laughed. "Now let's see
if you can still take a real fight!" She stretched out her hand, palm
up. A black energy began to gather in the center, not as much black
light as a total absence of light. Arashi did the same, gathering a
bright white energy. Nekura lunged at her, and the fight began in
earnest. 
	Ranma paced up and down the small apartment like an angry tiger."Why
are we just sitting here when we could be helping her?!"
	Akane gently swabbed disinfectant into the unconcious priest's throat
wound. Luckily, Nekura had not cut him deeply. If she had, he would
have been dead by now. "She told us to stay away for a reason. She
knows Nekura a lot better than we do, and she may be a lot more
powerful than we suspect."
	"What are we going to do about him?" Mousse asked from the corner.
"When he wakes up, he's probably not going to be happy." 
	"We'll deal with that when it happens."
	
		*	*	*
	The two girls, avatars of light and dark, fought in the courtyard of
the temple. The sun, behind the building, had nearly set, the remaining
light filling the courtyard with strange shadows. Neither girl could
gain an advantage over the other. They fought, panting, breathless,
only the grace of the gods keeping away the temple-goers that usually
flocked here at this time of day. The last sliver of the sun slipped
below the horizon, and, for a moment, the lanscape was cast into
twilight, a perfect balance
of darkness and light. Then, as the pale moon rose, turning her
indifferent face to the small piece of land where a desperate battle
for life and death was being waged, a terrible mistake was made. 



	End of Part Four


What do you think? What do you think? Tell me! Special thanks must go
out to a certain person for this part- you know who you are- who
raised the question of why on Earth Arashi had a Japanese name when
she was Chinese. Is this a good answer for ya? ;) Till next
time, Thank you and keep dreamin'!









_________________________________________________________
DO YOU YAHOO!?
Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com