Ranma was surprised, to say the least.  The creature in front of him
was the last thing he expected to see, here of all places.  It seemed
a curious mingling of various animals, with the face of a lion, the
body of a horse, and the feet of a tiger.  It  smiled at him in a
manner that Ranma might have considered kind, were it not for the
creature's sharp teeth and decidedly feline facial appearance.

	"Wh...what the hell are you?" he managed, not relaxing a bit from his
ready stance.

	"Baku," it replied softly.  *Dream Eater.*
	
	*Devour, oh Baku, my evil dream!*  The common cry of many Japanese as
they awoke from a terrible nightmare.  Ranma had heard many stories
about this creature from various people while he was growing up on the
road, although he'd never taken them seriously until this moment. 

	So.  The Devourer of Nightmares.  It wasn't so bad then, right? 
"What do you want?  It's not like we're asleep or nothing.  You don't
got any reason to be here."

	The golden lion's eyes blinked at him placidly, and Ranma swallowed
hard against the faint stirrings of feline fear within him.

	"Ah," the Baku whispered.  "But... your life *is* a nightmare, is it
not?"

	Ranma blinked.  "Uh... did I say that?"  Then again, this didn't
sound so good after all.  The creature stepped towards him, a hidden
intent gleaming brightly in its eyes.  "Hey, now, wait just a min--"

	And then, something hanging around the creature's neck glowed
fiercely, and Ranma screamed.



Washu-chan presents...
A Ranma 1/2 Fanfic

	Dream Eater



	The flowers on Akane's dresser were about three weeks dead, Nabiki
noted as she entered the room without knocking.  The roses were limp,
dry and brittle, and the daisies were nearly black with decay.  A few
days earlier, when she had casually enquired  if Akane was ever going
throw them away, her sister had nearly bit her head off.

	"Never," she had replied vehemently.

	Nabiki wisely didn't broach the subject again.  At least, she mused
wryly, the engagement ring on her sister's finger wouldn't rot away.

	Not that it made any difference anyway.  The ring was about as
useless as the flowers.  Just a visual reminder of something that
would never happen.

	After all, if Ranma was anywhere to be found, at least in Nerima, she
would have tracked him down by now.  On top of that, she had called
every police district in Japan, it seemed, as well as made inquiries
at every single sea port and airstrip, large or puny, that she could
find.  No one matching Ranma's distinctive description, in either
form, had been seen.  Anywhere.  

	Everyone, friends, family and even casual aquaintences at school, had
helped in the search.  Even Ukyo and Shampoo helped, which was
surprising, considering their initial volitile reaction to the
gleaming band of silver that adorned Akane's finger.  But their
reasons for finding Ranma were probably less than magnanimous.  After
all, when they went to confront him, seething with anger at the
audacity he had to finally grow a spine and make a choice, it was too
late.  He was gone.  

	Near as anyone could tell, he had disappeared on the way to his
mother's house - only recently rebuilt from the fiancee fiasco that
had destroyed it a year earlier.  He had gone to visit Nodoka, Akane
said, because his mother was still distraught over his decision to
stay with the Tendos when she moved back home.  Genma had stayed
behind as well, but that apparently didn't bother her nearly as much
as losing her son yet again.  So, after the joyous announcement that
left Father weeping copiously all over the dining table, Ranma left to
visit with her and tell her the good news.  And no one had seen him
since.

	It had been a long month of searching.  Nabiki was tired.

	"I'm throwing in the towel," she said.

	Akane looked up from her desk, which was strewn with maps, scraps of
paper with hastily scribbled notes, phone numbers and contact names,
and set the phone receiver back into its cradle.  Her eyes were red
from crying again, no doubt, even though they were dry now.  "What?"
she asked.

	"I quit," Nabiki repeated.  "I've done everything I can.  I'm not
omniscient, you know.  I don't have unlimited resources.  There's
nothing more I can do."

	"Fine," Akane said wearily.  "Thanks for your help."

	Nabkiki blinked.  "That's it?  You're not going to try and talk me
into continuing?"

	"Why?  Like you said, you've done everything you can.  I believe you.
 And I appreciate what you have been able to do."

	Nabiki eyed her narrowly.  "And what are you going to do?  I can tell
you've got something planned."

	"I'm leaving tomorrow."

	"I knew it."  Nabiki sighed.  "And where do you think you can look
that hasn't already been scoured by someone already?"

	"Everywhere.  Anywhere.  I'm going to start with China."

	Oh jeeze.  "You think he would run off and look for a cure without
telling you?  On the very night he finally proposed?"

	"Well, it's a hell of a lot better than the alternative," she snapped.

	Damn.  She didn't want to go there, but...  "Akane, he didn't even
pack.  All of his belongings are here."

	Akane stood abruptly, toppling her chair to the floor, and glared at
her.  "Are you saying I should give up, Nabiki?"  Her voice was tight
and determined.  "Because I won't.  Not until I find him, or at least
until I find out what happened to him."

	Ah, thought Nabiki.  That last qualifier at the end was new.  It
eased her mind a bit to know that at Akane was finally being realistic.

	But China...  However unlikely it was that Ranma had run off to China
without notice, it was still someplace to look, she supposed.  After
all, checking all the sea ports in the world didn't help a whit if the
guy decided to just swim like last time.

	"So, what plans have you made?"

	"Cologne has agreed to help.  She's staying here in Japan to take
care of the Nekohanten, but she's going to see what she can find out
through her channels of influence.  Shampoo is going to be the guide,
and Ukyo is going to take care of supplies.  I've already bought the
passports and tickets for our passage."

	"I see."  Nabiki folded her arms across her chest.  "Sounds like
you've got everything taken of, although I'm not sure how comfortable
I am with you traipsing off on an expedition with the Former Fiancee
Brigade."

	"We've called a truce," Akane said shortly.  "Whatever rivalries we
may have had mean nothing until we find Ranma."

	Nabiki wondered silently if Akane would be so willing to call a truce
if she weren't so secure in her knowledge that Ranma had chosen *her.*
 She certainly hadn't showed such unwavering confidence in the face of
her rivals before now.

	"Oh, and Unlce Saotome's coming too."

	Nabiki blinked.  Well, that wasn't much of a surprise -- or comfort,
for that matter.  But then Nodoka hadn't allowed the man within 50
meters of her since Ranma's disappearence, insisting that he spend
every waking moment trying to find their son.  Nabiki got the
impression that she blamed him, somehow, which was probably just her
way of dealing with the fact that Ranma had vanished on his way to see
*her.*

	Ah well.  If she knew Genma, he would probably ditch the girls as
soon as possible.  And the girls probably wouldn't have any complaints.

	"Does Father know?" she asked.

	"No.  And you won't tell him, either, until I'm gone."

	"Of course not."  Nabiki's indingance was genuine.  "What do you take
me for?"

	Akane's eyes softened.  "Thanks, oneechan."

	"No problem.  Just be careful, okay?  And call if you need help. 
Collect."

	"On an international call?"  Akane's mouth quirked up at the corner. 
"My, how generous."

	Nabiki raised an eyebrow.  "Come on, sis.  This is you we're talking
about.  This is you and Ranma.  I don't charge for family emergencies."

	Which was the wrong thing to say, because Akane's firm resolved
suddenly crumbled under the onset of tears.  "Hey... hey, come on,
Akane."  Nabiki akwardly put one hand on Akane's shoulder.  "It will
be okay."

	"I've got to find him, Nabiki," she said hoarsely, as the tears once
again streaked down her face.  "I didn't even have him for an entire
evening, and he promised... he..."

	"You'll find him."  An easy, convenient lie.  But, as she once read
somewhere, sometimes when someone tells a lie, and both people know
it's a lie, it can be more powerful than the truth.

~*~

To be continued?  Let me know if I should bother.	




==



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