* Author notes *
I apologized to those who have emailed me which I didn't reply. I was so
busy for the passed week. Thanks to those who sent me C&C. I appreciated
it very much. I am still accepting comments. Thanks!

Rani@}-'--,--

Thanks to our pre-readers : Lord Talon, Ratbat, Seratia, Kahlil Noriega,

Jonathan Lloyd, Black Ice, Skuld63282@aol.com and Ezrial1@aol.com.

Disclaimer: All Ranma 1/2  characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi and Co.

All Fushigi-yuugi characters belongs to Yu Watase.

Fushigi Mizu (Chapter 2)
by: Rani

The bright light quickly disappeared and everyone was left speechless.
All of them were dumbfounded and shocked at the turn of events.
Instantly, everyone started to talk about the event which had  just
happened as all of them made their own conclusions.

"Maybe it's a UFO."

"A UFO?"

"I think it was another one of the science club's experiments."

"Didn't Miss Hinako suck their energy because they tried to use her for
their experiment?

"It must be one of those plots the principal has to have our hair cut."

"The principal is in Hawaii now, vacationing as usual. Hey! I heard that
Tatewaki was to take his place..."

Everyone was excited to tell their friends the events that happened in
the library. By the time the lunch bell rang, everyone was out of the
library.

Except Akane. She was still looking for Ranma, wanting to give her a
piece of her mind, not to mention her mallet for teasing Ryoga. The poor
boy already had enough problems on his mind and Ranma was adding to them
with her tricks and disguises.

"Ranma! Where are you?" Akane whispered furiously.

Akane didn't hear any reply and she began to search around the aisles
and on top of the bookshelves but she couldn't find Ranma at all.

"That's strange, I know Ranma was here with me before the incident
happened," Akane thought. She started to get worried. Something might
have happened to Ranma. She remembered the way Ranma had suddenly
disappeared as she was hit by the book.

"Akane! You are getting paranoid! She must have ran away and hid
somewhere," Akane consoled herself. "I'll find her and she'll get it!
That pervert!" she muttered as she began to pick her things up. She was
going to be late for lunch.

But as she reached for the door, she remembered the book that she had
thrown at Ranma.

"The book! I need that for my project!" Akane said as she ran back to
retrieve it.

Akane retraced her steps, and found the book on the floor. It was lying
exactly where Ranma had been standing when she'd been hit by it. She
picked the book up.

"The Universe of the Four Gods... Strange! It looks brand new," Akane
said as she examined the book.

Akane was about to open the book when the bell rang, signaling that
lunch time was over. She could hear the sound of the students returning
back to their classrooms.

"Great! I haven't eaten yet and I'm late for my class already!  Ranma!
You'll be sorry  when I'm done with you!" Akane silently swore and
placed the book with her things. She ran as fast as she could, not to
miss her next class.

"I wonder where Ryoga is?" Akane thought. She knew that Ryoga was with
Ranma before the whole incident happened.

Somewhere, still in the library, a pile of books moved. Suddenly, a boy
with a yellow bandana burst out of it. He looked very, very furious.

"Ranma! Where are you? Fight me like a man!" Ryoga shouted as he
searched for Ranma.

"You are going to pay for insulting me!" he added. He brashed through
the wall.

"Another one of them, Flo," the janitor said. They watched the scene.

"Kids today don't have respect for the library!" the librarian answered.

* * *

In the depths of the mystical forest, Taiitsu-kun could hear a shout
coming down from the sky.  It went on for a few more minutes; then, she
heard the shout end with a loud thud.

"It is done," Taiitsu-kun announced.

In the enchanted mirror, she could see a girl landed in the desert. She
had red hair and blue eyes.

"She is here," She said softly.

Her mirror emitted a bright red light.

* * *

"Stupid tomboy! How come she always has such bad timing? " Ranma
complained, as she rubbed her sore head.

Standing  up to ease her muscles, she felt strangely drained like she
just had an argument with Akane, trying to convince her that she doesn't
have any affair with Shampoo or Ukyo .

A strong current of air rushed past Ranma and swept her hair and skirt.
It was strange; there was no window on the back of the library.

Ranma lifted her head, and realized that this was not the library.

"Where am I?" Ranma wondered.

There was no sight of books or classmates in front of her. Instead, all
she saw were acres and acres of sand surrounding her.

"This isn't the library! This is a desert!" Ranma exclaimed.

Ranma's eyes grew wide open. "Desert? What am I doing in here?" She
thought as her body went numb. Her heart stopped beating for a second.

"Oh God! I am in the desert!" Ranma started to freak out.

"What am I doing here? How did I get here?" Ranma asked herself,
concentrating to remember the things that happened before she was
brought here.

I was teasing Ryoga. Akane saw us and got angry. She had a book in her
hand. She threw it at me. The book opened on a certain page. I picked up
the book...

Suddenly, the pieces fell into place. "It's the book!" Ranma realized.

"Hahaha! I am in a book! I was actually sucked in by a book!" Ranma said
while she laughed.

Her laughter suddenly changed into a groan.

"I've been sucked into a book! What am I thinking?" she moaned.

Looking around the place, Ranma couldn't explain it but she felt as if
she'd come home. Like she had been here before; as if she had been born
here.

That thought, however, was interrupted by the sound of horse's hooves.
Ranma looked around to find where the sound was coming from, and saw a
small wagon coming towards her.

The wagon stopped when it reached Ranma. She looked up to see an old
woman driving it.

Ranma was a little surprised that an old woman could handle a wagon with
seven horses tied to it. Yet there was something familiar about the
woman's gray hair and blue eyes. Images of a woman calling her came into
her mind.

"Reigen! Reigen! Come here my child!"

Ranma quickly shook all of her thoughts away when she realized that the
old woman was talking to her.

"Could you please repeat what you said?" Ranma asked.

The old woman didn't looked angry when Ranma asked her to repeat her
question. She looked as if she knew the reason why.

"I asked if you were lost," the old woman answered.

Ranma was thinking. Maybe if she could find a town, she might get some
answers why she was here and at the same time find a way to get home.
This place was giving her the creeps. It was all too real to her.

"Yes, Could you take me to the nearest town?" Ranma asked.

"Eiyou?" the old woman asked.

"Yes, Eiyou," Ranma answered "Wherever that is anyway." she silently
added to herself.

The woman was silent for a moment before she agreed. But she could only
take her to the outskirts of the town. She mentioned.

Ranma agreed. There she reasoned, she could walk until she reached the
town and fix this mess she got herself into as soon as possible.

Ranma climbed up inside the wagon. She saw lots of food, a small cot and
clothes inside. Because of the events that had happened, Ranma forgot
her tiredness and hunger.

The old woman, noticing Ranma's tired and hungry condition, told her
that she should have some food, take some new clothes and get some rest.

Ranma thanked the woman, and gladly ate the offered food and changed
into a new set of clothes. Since there was only one set of clothes, she
didn't have a choice to choose. She examined herself after she changed.
The pants and shirt looked like a uniform of some kind of soldier, but
she didn't care, as long as she was able to get out of the Fuurinkan
uniform. The soldier's uniform was surely made for a man. It hung
loosely on her, hiding her curvaceous body. It made her look more like a
boy than a girl. Ranma hid her hair with a piece of cloth, as her
gleaming red tresses was very unusual and she didn't want to attract any
attention.

Satisfied with her appearance, she decided to take a little nap. Once
she lay down on the small cot, she fell asleep quickly.

The old woman driving the wagon smiled. It was a long time since she had
seen Ranma. She knew that Ranma would face a lot of obstacles before
reaching her destiny.

"Sleep well, my child. You still have a long way to go," the old woman
whispered softly.

* * *

Tamahome was tired. He had been searching for Miaka for days but still
there was no sign of her.  He was already thinking that she had been
returned to her world by Taiitsu-kun.

Tamahome disregarded the thought quickly. It was impossible. Miaka was
the Sazuka no Miko. She was the only one capable to summon  Suzaku.
Everyone knew that, even Miaka herself.

It was already nightfall and Tamahome decided to sleep underneath a big
tree. He decided that he'd continue his search early the next morning.

As he settled into his sleep, he could not remove the worry and fear he
felt in his heart.

"Miaka..." Tamahome whispered sadly.

Tamahome had never loved any girl more than her. Her mere voice could
make Tamahome forget all about his problems and fears. Everything about
her was perfect. Her brown hair the shone brightly in the sun, her eyes
that were like mirrors to her soul,  her face that was so beautiful and
sweet, her slim body and  cute smile. Everything.

Tamahome could still remember the last time they had talked. It was
under the moon and the stars. Her ideals, passion and commitment to
Konan's security made Tamahome love her even more, if that was possible.

Never had he seen a girl so selfless as Miaka. She put her safety and
life on the line just for a country she had little knowledge of.

Their last kiss still lingered on Tamahome's lips. The sweetness and
coolness of it, sealing their love forever.

"I'll get you back, Miaka," Tamahome promised before he closed his eyes.

* * *

The old woman reached the outskirts of  Konan by night time. She woke
Ranma who was  still asleep on the cot. Ranma was first surprised but
then remembered  her situation quickly and climbed down out of the
wagon.

"Just follow that path and you should reach the town in no time," the
old woman said.

Ranma thanked the old  woman for her kindness and started to travel down
the path the old woman  had pointed out.

The old woman watched Ranma walk away  and whispered softly, "Take care
of her for me, Taiitsu-kun. She is the key to everything."

* * *

Ranma walked for a mile before fatigue wore on her. She still felt tired
even after the short nap she had.

Satisfied at the progress she had made, she decided to sleep underneath
a nearby tree. Then she would continue her journey to the town the next
morning.

As soon as Ranma found a suitable resting place, she plopped down and in
a short while, she was already snoring .

Unaware of  a person asleep beside her...

* * *

The bright rays of the sun and the sound of birds woke Ranma up. Still
half-asleep, Ranma tried to go back to sleep when she felt oddly warm.
Since the air was still cold despite of the sun, she  wiggled closer,
wanting more of the warmth.

Ranma noticed that her cheeks touched something broad. It felt hard and
warm. Her nose inhaled the scent. It smelled like sweat and musk.
Although Ranma was still half-asleep, she couldn't stop herself from
enjoying the smell.

At that moment, Tamahome was dreaming that he was holding Miaka. He
noticed that Miaka's front seemed a lot bigger and softer, and she
smelled of roses, not jasmine. But he didn't care as long as Miaka was
with him.

"Miaka... " Tamahome moaned.

At the sound of a man's voice, Ranma woke up completely. Her eyes shot
wide open and she saw a blue-haired guy holding her in his arms.

"You jerk!" Ranma shouted.

Tamahome's eyes opened just in time to see a hand punching him.

It didn't hurt him much but it was enough to wake him fully.

He saw a man wearing uniform of a Kutou soldier.

"An enemy!" Tamahome realized. Wondering what a Kotou soldier would be
doing here, Tamahome suddenly remembered Chiriko's presumption. "Chiriko
is right! Miaka must have been kidnapped by Nakago's men!"

Tamahome's anger was sparked. Believing that Miaka was in Nakago's
possession seemed to increase his anger. He wasn't angry; he was
furious.

And the thought that the soldier had punched him made him angrier. He
wanted to beat the hell out of this soldier.

The ogre on Tamahome's forehead flared up. It increased his strength and
power ten times. He was ready to kick ass.

Ranma's anger had the same intensity as Tamahome's. How dare he do that
to her! She was a guy! No man had ever gotten that close to Ranma. Even
Mikado who was the one to kiss her hadn't stood a chance. He had gotten
what he deserved.

Ranma knew that it wasn't the real reason why she was furious. It was
the fact that she had rather enjoyed it which made her feel bitter and
angry.

Ranma was about to call him a pervert when he attacked her. Caught by
surprised, Ranma fell down.

"You are a weakling," Tamahome said as he looked down on his enemy.

Ranma was pissed off by the man's haughtiness. She wanted to teach him a
lesson. She used her chestnut fist to attack him.

 This surprised Tamahome. He was able to counter almost all of the
punches but he felt pain around his midsection.

Tamahome fell down on his knees in pain. "You are a weakling," Ranma
said, her eyes twinkling. It was her turn to tease Tamahome.

Tamahome never considered defeat. He stood up, his dark blue eyes
focusing on her blue ones, and told her "Release Miaka, or else you will
die, enemy!" Tamahome warned. His ogre character flared up more.

"Who is Miaka? I don't know her!" Ranma answered. She realized now that
their reasons for fighting were different from one another.

"Don't play games with me, Kotou soldier! I am prepared to kill you for
Miaka! Give her back!" Tamahome said. He was serious.

"Arghhh!" Tamahome shouted, releasing punches that were less in number
than Ranma but strong enough to destroy a tree behind Ranma.

"He's good. Better than pig-boy," Ranma thought, amazed at the jerk's
strength.

Ranma dodged each attack with ease but that didn't stop the worry she
had in her heart. She didn't want to fight him, but he had to pay for
what he had done to her: hugging her as though she were his girlfriend
and calling her a weakling.

The jerk stopped throwing punches at her. She knew that he was tired as
much as she was.

"Give her back to me! Tell Nakago that I'll be your captive; just don't
hurt her!" Tamahome said. His blue eyes  looked deeply into hers.

Ranma felt that he wasn't an enemy at all. She didn't want to fight him
anymore, so she decided to leave him. She needed a diversion and she
knew what to do.

She collected all of her energy into a chi ball.  Once she was satisfied
with its size, she released it to distract him and give her time to
escape.

Tamahome was able to dodge the ball and saw the soldier run off to
Eiyou. Tamahome didn't give up easily. He followed the soldier.

"Come back here!" Tamahome shouted.

* * *

Taiitsu-kun saw everything from her enchanted mirror. She shook her head
in disappointment.

"Must I do all the work?'

It looked like she'd have to show up in Konan again.