Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Total Shock ❯ Secrets ( Chapter 8 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Disclaimer: None of the series, characters, or locations mentioned in this story are owned by the author of this story unless stated otherwise.

Come on, people… it's discouraging to write with no reviews. If it's bad, tell me it's bad and how I can fix it. If it's good, don't leave me hanging…

Also, any other glaring errors will be fixed tomorrow 'cause I'm too lazy to fix it right now.

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??? - 0300 Hours

---

In the midst of darkness there is a long, luminescent table. A variety of people sit around this surface; at its head is a man with short, brown looking well into his twenties. His hair is slicked up into small spikes and a small portion of the front curls down over his left eye. Both of his eyes are brown and his face is unblemished. The only visible part of his body is covered in familiar white spandex. He had a smirk settled on his face and was staring straight ahead.

At the other end of the table sits a familiar man with lengthened ears and flowing white hair. His face was cool and expressionless, and he was wearing the same spandex-like material that all of the table's attendants were wearing.

“Pallas.” The brown haired man spoke. “What is your assessment of the people on the surface?”

“…” Pallas was silent for a time. His eyes passed over the others at the table and he finally spoke. “…The surface dwellers are ready.”

“Is that so? Tell me why you believe this to be true.”

“They are already fast approaching a new age. With Ill Palazzo finally coming out of hiding as well as the many extra terrestrials whose attention has been attracted to Aselia… it is only a matter of time before Earth enters it's next space age.”

“Hmm…” The brown haired man seemed to consider this.

“There is also the involvement of the Senshi to consider.” This time, an auburn haired man from the side spoke up. A part of it fell down to cover almost half of his face, but otherwise was brushed back. His uniform was purple.

“Yes. The Eternal Sword was willing to show me a small part of Meiou's plans.” The brown haired man regarded Pallas once again. “You said something of extra terrestrials. What has happened while we were away?”

“Much has happened within the last twelve thousand years,” Pallas started. “Most recently being Jurai's prince escaping to Aselia,”

“Feh, Jurai,” the brown haired man snorted. “They have deemed Aselia an insignificant colony, have they not?”

“Arguably to our benefit,” Pallas shrugged. “However, that is of little importance. As I was saying, Jurai's prince came to Aselia to lay low after capturing and imprisoning Ryoko.”

“She's imprisoned?” A woman bearing resemblance to Pallas spoke up. Her hair was cut much shorter and only fell to her neck. “I didn't think that was possible. And to think it would be on Aselia.”

“I was surprised when rumors of her disappearance sprang up, but capture? That's new,” said a man with elegantly flowing red hair. He was leaning back and had an amused look on his face.

“Thee's and Thou's in meetings, Zelos,” the brown haired man frowned.

“Right, right, whatever, supreme ruler guy,” Zelos snorted. “It's hard to take a guy named Lloyd seriously you know-“ He was cut off by an elbow to the ribs. He turned to face the silver haired woman. “That hurt you know,” He frowned. The brown-haired man was glaring at the auburn haired man from earlier.

“Hey, don't look at me. It was your mother's idea,” he shrugged.

“Whatever,” Lloyd snapped. “Pallas.”

“Oh, yes.” Pallas blinked and started again. “Anyway, a few years after Yosho imprisoned Ryoko, his descendant accidentally released her. Two Juraian princesses learned of their location through this and came to earth, but were stranded. Ever since then, we've had a steady stream of people coming in- the Galaxy Police, criminals, weirdoes and the sort,” He waved it off. “There's also the matter of the Chaos Emeralds.”

“Chaos Emeralds?” a few voices spoke up.

“You can look them up in the Derris-Kharlan Core System if you're really that interested,” Lloyd commented rather casually.

“I will,” the silver haired woman proclaimed, crossing her arms.

“Pallas, what else convinces you that they are ready for their next Era?”

“Yggdrasill,” Pallas breathed. “That and Shitaru's appearance, as well as that of an unnamed Mazoku.”

Silence reigned for at least an entire minute.

“…So at this point, it wouldn't matter if we interfered or not.” Lloyd spoke up after a while.

“For the most part. It would be helpful though; the Senshi have potential and their intentions are good, if somewhat misguided. They don't have to abandon Crystal Tokyo; Shitaru is no doubt going to impart another ice age upon Aselia, but it would also be well enough for them to establish control over the other worlds, and move their people there so that their losses are not as great.”

“However…I do not believe that is the only reason Shitaru has come back to Aselia,” Pallas said quietly.

“…Oh?” Lloyd said, uncertainly. “What else could he possibly be here to do?”

“I believe he has found a successor.”

---

Earth, Ryoga's house somewhere around 0500 hours

---

Ryoga sat down across from Ranma and handed her a tissue. They were both still in their sleeping clothes (Not that they could really be called pajamas…) Ranma in the tank top and shorts and he in much the same thing, although his was a T-shirt.

The girl had been crying since he got down there and by now her eyes were awfully red, and her cheeks sort of puffed out. She dabbed the remainder of moisture from her eyes and there was silence as the two waited for Ranma to collect herself. Ryoga himself was in a mild state of shock; he'd found the boy-turned-girl before him…crying, which in itself was a cause for extreme caution. After about a minute, Ranma finally spoke up.

“Ryoga,” She started while looking at the table. “What…what really happened a week ago?”

“Huh?” Ryoga asked, confused. “What are you talking about?”

“The party,” She supplied. This only got more confused looks from the lost boy. “You know, the one you crashed…literally,” she said lightly, in an attempt at humor.

“Oh…Th-that,” Ryoga said. Ranma-chan looked up as much as she could without moving her head and saw that the boy was, as she'd expected, looking around nervously and apparently trying to think of something to say. “W-well…uh, there was that fight,” He said.

“What…happened during the time I was out?”

“Uh, well didn't Akane tell you what happened?” The lost boy seemed to be looking everywhere but directly at her.

“…Humor me,”

“Uhm, well…you see…The monster knocked you out, and…uh…” Ryoga inwardly cursed; he wasn't a habitual liar so he knew it was obvious he was stalling. `Well, I suppose I can just tell a half-truth,' “…I used a perfected form of that Teisuu Shishi Hokudan, and that killed it,” He said.

“So then, why was everyone looking so beat up if you killed it right away?” Ranma asked, more than a hint of suspicion in her voice.

“…It's not important. All that matters is that we killed it.”

“I think it's important,” Ranma said angrily. “Tell me what happened, Ryoga.” Ryoga was pleading with whatever gods existed that for once something weird would happen when he needed it to. `Akane begged me not to tell him what happened…I can't let her down!'

“It…it, uh,” Ryoga was looking around frantically. “Well, there was more than one!” He almost yelled.

“There were two, right?”

“Yeah, and the second one was much stronger,” Ryoga nodded. “He was a challenge, but we were able to beat him,” the lost boy nodded again.

“What did it look like, Ryoga?”

“Oh, well that's simple. It was big and ugly,” Ryoga snickered.

“Oh really,” She growled. “Describe it for me. In detail.”

“Uh, it was a demon. Not worth it to remember what it looked like.”

“Did it look like the guy we fought last night?” Ranma asked dryly. “Because the way you reacted to that guy was pretty weird.” Ryoga froze up and his eyes locked with hers. Her eyes served as a reminder that she had been wailing her heart out only minutes before. “You know what, Ryoga? He told me some stuff after he got rid of everyone else. He said that you were lying to me,” There was a slight tone of aggression to her voice.

“R-Ranma, you know better than to trust that type, right? It was just a monster-“

“Tell me what happened.”

“I already told you what happened!”

“DAMMIT!” She slammed her fists on the table, and Ryoga winced at the spider cracks that formed as a result. It was a good thing there was a cloth covering the table and he was glad Ranma still had enough control not to break his table in two. “Tell me what really happened, not some sugar coated story to make me feel better!” She was yelling now, and Ryoga noticed that as an angry girl, she was several times more frightening than she'd ever been as a guy. He honestly hoped his sister and the doll-thing hadn't been awakened by that last outburst, but it was terribly unlikely at this point.

“…” Ryoga looked at her straight in the eyes. He turned away before crossing his arms and sighing. With his eyes shut, he started talking. “It's true that someone was able to beat the demon right away,” He said. “The first one, anyway. You used a technique from one of my dreams that tore it up pretty gruesomely. After that, you turned on us and we all started fighting. Then a man whom you called `hanyou' was demanding that you gave him something, some kind of jewel-“

“The Shikon no kakera,” Ranma supplied. `Technique from his dreams?' Ryoga nodded and continued.

“After that, you attacked each other and he was knocked away…”

“Then you attacked,” Ranma said with a tone of finality. “And I nearly killed everyone there with my bare hands.” When Ryoga looked at her, she was looking down at the table again, her hands not having left the spots where they had impacted the table. “He showed me everything, Ryoga…How I attacked Usagi, Chibi-Usa, Touya…I could even remember the feelings and thoughts I had during that time,” She said. Ryoga noticed a single tear fall to the table and turned back to face her.

“…Uh, Ranma,” He started in what he hoped sounded reassuring. “You don't need to cry about it,” `Besides, that's just freaking me out. Next you'll…' He inwardly shuddered. `I don't even want to know what's next.'

“But Ryoga, how can I call my self a Martial Artist if I'm capable of losing control like that?”

“It was that jewel, you idiot!” Ranma snorted.

“That's an excuse, and besides, its influence hasn't left me,” She growled.

“Look, whatever bull that guy fed you yesterday, just don't believe it! He seemed like the type to screw with your head,” Ranma shook her head.

“You don't understand.” She sighed again. “It's… I…”

“Listen to yourself! What are you saying?” Ryoga stood up, sending his chair back rather quickly. He held his arms out and clenched his fists in frustration. “This is not the Saotome Ranma that I know! The Ranma I know would be…would be…”

“What, Ryoga? What would I be doing if I knew it was only a matter of time before… before I struck again?”

“Well you wouldn't be doing this!” He said angrily.

“Guess again, moron, `cause here I am!”

“Dammit,” Ryoga's face was red with anger and frustration, and he was near ready to leave the girl to herself. “Why are you even talking to me about this stuff?”

“'Cause you just had to stay and watch me at my worst,” She said bitterly.

“Only because I care about you!” The fanged boy said. Ranma looked up at him in surprise. “I mean,” He stuttered. “Dammit, you're supposed to be my rival! I'm not going to…lose my sparring partner just because you want to cry around like a…like…”

“Like a weak little girl, right?” Ranma finished quietly, casting her gaze back to the table.

“I…That's not what I was going to say—“

“Of course not,” She closed her eyes and Ryoga could feel a new wave of depression from her.

Ryoga was thoroughly confused, perplexed, and at a loss of what to do next. So of course, he resorted to his default tactic when dealing with Ranma. He growled and grabbed the girl by the arm rather forcefully before storming out of the house by its kitchen exit.

“H-hey, what are you doing?” Ranma's eyes were open wide as the lost boy dragged her outside and tossed her towards the fence she had smashed into the day before.

“Shut up and fight me, Ranma!” Ryoga roared as he leapt forward with a kick that she easily dodged.

“You stupid jerk!” She cried out as she threw a vertical punch that the lost boy blocked. She ducked under his round house and went for a sweeping kick that almost connected, but he managed to flip over it and continue his own assault.

Rie groaned and rubbed her eyes as she slowly became aware of the world. The light in her room was too dim to have woken her up, but her blank mind did not register this fact and she slid out of bed. The previous night, her brother and his friend had been out for an extended period of time and neither had told her where they'd gone, but she reasoned that the two were old enough and definitely strong enough to take care of themselves. The sounds of combat drifted up to her room and she blankly nodded; the pair was getting their morning sparring session in which meant she'd have to start the furo for them. `Oh well, I need it too,' she sniffed her arm and sighed; she'd have to do their laundary too as this was the last set clean set of pajamas.

Ironic that most of her pajamas were covered with piglet prints, but now she knew why she felt she had to get them.

She closed her eyes and rubbed them again, before looking up at her mirror. Her hair fell slightly below her shoulders and was full of tangles at the moment and she sighed before picking up the brush on her nightstand to get rid of them. Unlike Ryoga's, her own room was somewhat bare. This was mainly because she could almost never be bothered to get a part time job and pay for some silly souvenirs or anything, and she always seemed to have just enough for the cheapest of meals.

When she was satisfied with her hair, she turned and hopped out of bed, walking over to her own travel pack. Most of her clothes were inside because she couldn't really trust herself to leave them at home. She pulled out some jean shorts and a pink t-shirt.

Nearby, the chest with Suiseiseki in it blew open and the doll was standing there, panting. This thoroughly confused Rie because she didn't know if the doll had lungs or not.

“Suiseiseki? Is something wrong?” The doll turned and looked at her with a blank look.

“Rie, do you remember last night at all -desu?” The doll asked seriously.

“Huh? Yeah, we stayed home while those two boys went out to spar, remember?”

“Y-yes, of course -desu.” The doll stepped out of her box and began looking around. `I need to find one of the others. That has…never happened before.' She looked up at Rie's mirror and nodded. “Rie, please tell Suiseiseki's master that he does not need to worry about her for now -desu, and that I hope he feels better soon -desu.” She walked over to the mirror and it began glowing a bright blue color. Rie froze and watched as the doll walked into the mirror and the light faded away.

“…”

Ranma-chan grunted and pulled one of the straps to her tank top up to keep the thing from falling off as she fought. Beads of sweat dripped down her face as she smirked at her opponent.

“Time to get serious!” she yelled as she leapt at Ryoga again, fist cocked back to strike. Using a modified version of the Katchu Tenshin Amaguriken that she was able to make as a result of Touya's training, She slammed her fist into the Lost boy exactly eight hundred times in one strike. `Touya said to look for a golden ring when using my chi to recycle it…'

“Heh, serious, eh? That's all right with me!” Ryouga snarled as he blasted away from the wall at her with his own great speed and she jumped to dodge. He'd left a crater(she sweat dropped upon realizing how much that would have hurt his unguarded feet if he wasn't so tough) and followed her up into the air.

`I forgot how fast he's gotten! Damn, I'm gonna have to get used to him being as fast as me!' She smirked in spite of it all; after all, the air was her element, and they had lots of air at that moment. “Mouko Takabisha!” She called out the attack of her name as she let a blast of chi fly towards him. She used her chi to suddenly change her direction in the air and flew at him behind the Chi blast. When the blast impacted Ryoga, he barely had enough time to realize that Ranma had grabbed him and hurled him at the ground in a blur.

He impacted it with a shockwave and the crater that formed as a result was at least two and a half meters wide at the surface level. When he stood up, he dusted himself off as if he'd merely tripped.

“Damn, what does it take to hurt you?!” She asked in confusion. Ryoga flinched as he flashed back to a time where all it took was one hit for him to bruise. She saw this and frowned. “Pay attention to the fight! Double Mouko Takabisha!” She yelled the name of her attack as she threw twin balls of chi at the other boy and the attack dissipated as he hit hers with his own. That was when she realized he was just standing there. “Eh? What's up?”

“Maybe we should take this someplace else,” Ryoga said, motioning all around his yard. There were at least five nicely sized craters, his fence had been destroyed and the damage was starting to near his house. “I'm already going to need some new landscaping, I don't want to end up rebuilding the whole house,” He explained.

“Oh,” the girl scratched her head. “I guess so. Maybe we can get better dressed too.” She made a show of keeping her tank top on. `I almost fell out of the damn thing like three times!'

“And you can change back,” He said, looking away with a red face.

“Nah, can't for the next few days,” she said, walking past him in the house with her arms behind her head.

“Huh?”

“Don't wanna talk `bout it,” she growled as she walked into the house. Ryoga just shrugged and followed.

---

Unnamed Condo, 0913 hours

---

“Man,” Kotarou groaned as he climbed out of his bed. “What a way to spend the first night here…”

“Tell me about it,” Asuna moaned. “I'm still tired…”

“Then go back to sleep,” He said.

“Can't. The sun's too bright.”

Indeed, the room where their two bunk beds were had a rather large window, and the curtains were fairly see through.

“It's damn bright in here…” Kotarou groaned. He stood up and rubbed his eyes, turning to the door that led to their new living room. “Hey Negi!” Kotarou called out. “What's up? Why are you watching TV?” He walked over to join the boy who was sitting on the ground and watching the in-room TV.

“They're doing a news story on the Senshi…” He said.

“Huh?”

“The Sailor Senshi,” Asuna yawned as she walked out of the bedroom. `I do need to get my own room. Sleeping in the same room as two little boys is going to get very old very fast.' She glanced at the television and slowed down on her way to their kitchen.

There were a different group of people on the TV along with the Sailor Senshi, and they were all fighting another boy. According to the reporters that were going over the footage, the boy was cursed as well as possessed. He was obviously winning against the Senshi and their new associates were.

“Hey, those guys are new.” She said as she walked over to join the two. “What's going on so far?”

“Apparently, an anonymous source donated this tape to several news stations and all of them are running the same story,” Negi said. “I can't believe the home country just lets magi run rampant here…”

“They would be fools to get involved with that boy,” said a new voice. All three glanced back at Satoshi.

“How did you get in here?”

“That's a secret. Now, as for that kid,” He said, pointing at the screen, where a pig-tailed boy was seen battling other martial artists, “He's been cursed by Jusenkyo. No sane magi would be caught near the place or it's victims, really,” He shrugged.

“Oh…” Negi said, turning back to the TV. “Why is it such big news that these guys are working with the Senshi anyway?”

“The Sailor Senshi were super heroines. Their return as well as the appearance of new allies is bound to be big news. Tokyo is probably gearing up for the next series of monster attacks or something,” Kotarou shrugged.

“Hmm. Well, Asuna, could you come with me right quickly? I have something I would like to discuss with you…in private.” He said.

“Eh? With me? Why?” the girl asked nervously.

“It is in regards to the…deformity that has afflicted you,” Asuna flinched; why did he always have to smile so pleasantly?

“Well…all right,” She said. “Where did you want to go?”

“Just follow me,” The two left Kotarou and Negi alone and Negi looked over at his…rival.

“…I don't trust that guy,” Kotarou said suddenly. “Something about him seems off.”

“Well…he works for Mahora…I can't say Konoe would hire an untrustworthy person…”

“Well, are we going to start our investigation without her?”

“Yes, I'm sure she won't mind.” Negi sighed.

As soon as they were outside the room, Satoshi turned to face Asuna.

“Hold on tight, we're going to be moving through the astral plane,” He smiled.

“Astral…plane?”

“Ask Negi about it later, he'll tell you all about it,” The man said cheerfully.

---

Tendo Dojo

---

Soun Tendo was an irate man. His dojo was being invaded by paparazzi in an attempt to find a Ranma that was not there and he had no idea how much longer the barricade he would hold. He had been extremely confused when the newsgroups started knocking on his door early in the morning asking for his prospective son-in-law. When he told them the boy was unavailable, they readily accepted this, informing him that they could wait. When they started setting up camp in the yard, however, he became worried. More groups of people had begun to show up over a period of time, and now his entire yard was filled with tents, cameras, stage lights and all manner of reporters.

Now, he'd come to accept that Ranma's curse could attract some unwanted attention quite a while ago, and although this was a bit extreme he'd lived through far worse since the boy's arrival.

The last straw was when his youngest daughter ran down to him, with a mixed look of fear and anger in her eyes.

“Daddy, another one tried to climb in through my window!”

`This is getting ridiculous,' Soun growled as he, Genma, and his daughter proceeded to barricade the doors and windows to his Dojo. Whoever had exposed the boy's secret was causing them a lot of grief. Genma and Akane agreed to brainstorm who could have done such a thing and they had sat down in the dojo to do so while Kasumi cooked breakfast. Cologne was unlikely because it could attract unwanted attention to her status as a possible illegal immigrant and the amazons as a whole. The master really didn't care for such things, The Kuno siblings didn't even realize that Ranma had a curse, Ryoga would never have found any of the offices that these people were coming from…It was all very quickly narrowed down to one person.

“Nabiki!” He yelled out the name of his middle daughter and she was in the Dojo minutes later.

“What?” The girl asked simply, holding a laptop up with one arm. “I was kind of busy.”

“I was hoping you could explain all of that nonsense out there for us.” Tendo motioned towards the windows and doors of the Dojo.

“Oh, that. Well, I was approached a while back by a client who requested that I publicize the details regarding Ranma and the Nerima Wrecking Crew, as well as any other Super Natural occurrences in the area.” She started.

“Who was that client?” Akane asked.

“I'd say it's confidential, but there's no point in keeping it from you since you don't know her.” She approached the group and sat down. “A little while ago, she released footage of a martial arts tournament in at Mahora Academy's yearly Festival, see,” She started. “She's been going around the net to specific people requesting real evidence of Magic. She found my personal website, became interested and contacted me, we set up a simple contract, and that was it,” She said. She set down her laptop and turned it to face the group. A picture of a Chinese girl dressed in elegant robes appeared.

“Her name is Chao Lingshen, but that was all she ever really told me, about herself.” Nabiki shrugged. “She's probably from some obscure Chinese nation like that Herb guy or the Amazons…”

“So you just sold out as much information as you could about Ranma? How could you do that, Nabiki?” Akane asked, indignantly. Nabiki looked around at her family hesitantly and shook her head a few times before speaking.

“…When we discussed final payment, it came down to five hundred million yen.”

Everyone present turned pale in the face.

---

The Kuno mansion

---

Tatewaki Kuno's mind was a mess. That is to say, a far worse mess than usual.

The dreams…no, memories of his past life had not ceased with his transformation, as much as he believed, or hoped rather, they would. Currently, he was sitting in his room, which happened to be his personal shrine to the pig-tailed girl and Akane Tendo. He grabbed the newspaper that was always brought in by his servants so as to scan it for any noteworthy articles as he did every morning.

His eyes slightly widened at what he saw.

“Hmm…”

---

Ryoga's house

---

Ranma and Ryoga sat at the table in the kitchen quietly, waiting for Rie to finish cooking. Though both teens could do it, Rie had already started and insisted that they let her finish. So the teens took turns in the furo, Ranma first, Ryoga second.

As Rie added the finishing touches, Ryoga walked into the room and sat across from Ranma as he had earlier. Both were trying hard not to think about what had happened that morning.

“Hey, Where's Suiseiseki?” Ranma finally asked the girl when she noticed the doll's absence.

“She told me to tell you that you didn't need to worry about her for a little while,” Rie said as she turned off the burners and walked over to the table with a tray. Ryoga blanched when he noticed the bacon and realized he'd forgotten to tell his sister that he could never eat the stuff after having walked many a mile in a pig's shoes.

Rie turned to face Ranma with a confused expression on her face. “Oh yeah, she also said to tell you to cheer up or something.” She blinked when the other girl looked around nervously and sat down to join them. After a few minutes, she noticed that Ranma wasn't eating.

“Is something wrong, Ranma?” the younger girl asked.

“Ah, no, it's nothing,” She answered, finally getting some food for herself.

“What happened last night, anyway?” She asked, furrowing her brow. “Suiseiseki did ask me an odd question.”

Ranma's face went pale and she shut her eyes.

“It's nothing to talk about,” Ryoga said abruptly, giving his sister a certain look. Rie noticed Ranma and nodded.

“Well, what are you guys going to do today?”

“We're going to find a place where we can properly spar,” Ryoga said, going back to his food. Rie took notice of the absence of bacon on his plate and wondered why she didn't figure out something like that before hand before shrugging and getting some more for herself.

“Can I go? When are you guys going to teach me that kind of stuff?” She asked.

“Well…” Ryoga looked at Ranma and the girl shrugged. “I suppose I could start training you when we're done sparring…” He suggested.

“Can I help?” Ranma asked eagerly.

“If you promise not to corrupt her,” Ryoga said with a level stare.

“Of course, of course.” Ranma answered without even hearing what he'd said.

“I don't see why not,” Ryoga shrugged. Rie smiled at that. Ranma looked at her, feeling weirded out by the fact that the ten year old girl had teeth that looked more…dangerous than hers.

Ranma and Ryoga walked out of the house, intent on finding a better place to spar. Rie was following them and they all walked along the street silently for a time, before Ranma noticed something out of the ordinary.

“Ryoga, do people usually stare and point at you when you leave your home?” She asked, looking around nervously.

“Usually, yeah. I mean, people never see us home,” Ryoga said honestly and Rie nodded in agreement.

“Oh,” Ranma said. She seemed to calm down for a few moments as they continued walking, but was soon annoyed with the looks people were giving them. “I really don't think they're looking at us because of that, guys,” She said. The three stopped and looked around. “You'd think we were celebrities or something.” She said in annoyance.

Suddenly, a boy separated from his mother and ran over to them from across the street when there were no cars.

“Are you really that guy? Are you really Ranma Saotome?” the boy asked.

“Uh, yeah,” Ranma-chan said without blinking. `Wait. Guy?' A look of alarm appeared on her face.

“Wow! You're so cool!”

“Wait a minute…Where did you hear that, kid?”

“It was on the news this morning! Bye-bye!” the boy ran off back to his mom and started jumping up and down while talking to her. People nearby the two looked at Ranma and Ryoga with wide eyes.

“Maybe we should get going-“ Ranma was interrupted by the ringing of a nearby payphone. Finding the scene somewhat familiar decided to go ahead and answer it. “Moshi Moshi,”

“Ranma.” Nabiki's voice sounded.

“Nabiki.”

“Go to Kuno's house. Now.”

“What? Why?” Ranma asked indignantly.

“Just do it, Saotome. I was able to find you first, but let's just say… I'm not the only one using city cameras to look for you toda…Saotome, start running. Now.”

“What? What's the deal?”

“There they are!” Cried out unfamiliar voices. Ranma turned to see a crowd of people opposite of them running towards them. “It's Ranma and Ryoga!”

`Just another day in Furinkan, Nerima,' Ranma growled as she let the phone drop, sprinting away. Ryoga and Rie took that as their cue to follow.

“Hey! You don't need to carry me!” Rie screamed as her brother grabbed her and ran, carrying her under his shoulder. “This is uncomfortable!” Ryoga switched her to the newlywed style.

“Ranma, where are we going?” Ryoga ignored his sister and ran after Ranma.

“Kuno's. Don't ask why; I've got no idea.”

“Oh,” Ryoga said. “Does it have to do with all of those people who are chasing us?”

“Ryoga, Ryoga…It always has to do with the angry mob that's chasing me…err, us.” Ranma said. “That was Nabiki.”

“How did she know where we were?” Ryoga asked in confusion, his little sister mirroring his expression.

“She said something about city cameras.” Ranma responded as she leapt high into the air. Ryoga followed him and they both landed on the roof of a house they'd passed earlier upon leaving Ryoga's and began their trek to Kuno's mansion.

“Sugoi! They really can fly!” one of the people who'd been following them cried out in amazement.

`That's not something you hear in Nerima everyday,' Ranma narrowed her eyes and looked down. “What the hell is going on today, anyway?” she grumbled.

---

“Here we are,” Satoshi said with a cheerful smile. Asuna opened her eyes and gawked at her surroundings.

“We're…at Mahora Academy?”

“Indeed,” Satoshi pointed held his staff up in the direction before them. “Look familiar, my little sylvan princess?” He asked brightly. Asuna's eyes fell forward and she gasped.

“Yggdrasill,” She breathed. She unconsciously started walking towards it.

“Correct!” Satoshi said as he followed closely behind. “This is the Great Tree of Kharlan that provides mana to the planet and all of those living on it, as well as a physical connection to that which is known as the Life Stream, of which on this world exists only one other,” the man smiled.

`Life stream…Wait!' Asuna turned to look at Satoshi with wide eyes. “You mean all that garbage about the Life Stream is real?”

“Garbage? Negi hasn't told you anything other than the utmost truth,” Satoshi smiled. “Someone is waiting for us. Come,” He said, leading the way. She blinked and she followed him.

“One of? What's the other connection?” Asuna asked after a while. They were almost to the base of the giant tree, and she began looking around for the person that would be waiting for them.

“That will remain a secret for the time being.” He said and he nodded towards the tree. He put a hand on it and looked towards her. “Here…can you feel the flow of Mana?”

“Huh?” She asked.

“Put your hand on the tree,” He said. She did so and her eyes opened slightly. “So you can feel it. Then it's not a fluke,” He said, opening his own eyes. She blinked as she realized that was the first time she'd ever seen his eyes.

They were red.

“Here,” He said, releasing the tree. Asuna followed his example and she looked at him.

“What's not a fluke, though?”

“Your heritage,” He smiled. “Asuna, you are a pure blooded elf. I'm not sure how you got down from Exire, but you did, and now, thanks to this tree, your true heritage has been exposed.”

“Elf.” She gave him a half lidded stare.

“Sylvan if you prefer,” He said, shrugging. “Anyway, follow me.” He said and he jumped up to the lowest branch of the tree. Asuna looked up in horror; it had to have been at least two five stories up, and there were no foot holds for her to grab on to at all, and the fact that he had merely jumped up there was astonishing in itself.

“How am I supposed to get up there?!” She yelled up at him.

“You'll manage,” He shouted and he stood there patiently, waiting. “You don't want to keep our friend waiting, do you?”

`What? Who's waiting for us?' “Man…how did I get roped into this again?”

“Come on now, time is of the essence,” He chirped.

---

“Is that Ranma?” Chibi-usa's voice called out as she pointed at one Ranma Saotome, who was currently barreling down the street with another boy following her with something in his arms. Usagi blinked and looked at the girl; it was indeed her as there was no mistaking the coloration of the Chinese silk clothes and hair. “Oi! Ranma!” Chibi-Usa waved at Ranma and the girl was distracted for a moment. She changed her direction a bit and ran over to them, with Ryoga following, although when they stopped, they were running in place.

“Chibi-Usa, Usagi,” Ranma-chan nodded. `They look fine,' “What's up?”

“Ranma, how do you know these girls?” Ryoga asked angrily.

“Hey, set me down already!” Rie yelled out. “There's no purpose when we've stopped!” Ryoga set the girl down and shrugged.

“Anyway, to answer your question, Ryoga, they're friends of mine,” Ranma snapped at her partner. “No Fiancées or anythin'.”

“Oh? Okay,” Ryoga said with relief.

“Wow! You're Ryoga?” Chibi-Usa said. `I've only seen him once before, and he didn't know that was me,' she remembered. “Wow, Ranma's told us all about you!”

“Oh?” Ryoga asked. `Why do I feel like I've seen her before?' “That's uh…that's wonderful, I guess. What has h…she told you?”

“They know,” Ranma said, easing some of Ryoga's tension.

“Oh,” Ryoga blinked.

“He said you were the strongest constant rival he's ever had,” Chibi-Usa shrugged. “So we've been wanting to meet you for a little while, that's all.”

“I see,” Ryoga nodded. “Well, I suppose it's nice to meet you, uh…”

“I'm Usagi, and this is Usagi,” Chibi-Usa bowed, motioning her `relative'.

“…Ok.” Ryoga said nervously scratching his head as he returned the gesture.

“Well what are you guys running from?” the older Usagi asked. “Is it the Fiance brigade?”

“Er, no,” Ranma said. “Though I wish that's all it was.”

“Huh?” Usagi asked. “Then what could it be?”

“I dunno, Nabiki said she'd tell us when we got to Kuno's mansion.” She looked over her shoulder. “Look, it was nice seeing you, but we've gotta go,”

“Okay,” Usagi nodded with understanding.

“Well, See ya later,” Ranma nodded and took off again. Ryoga picked up his sister again and took off, much to her annoyance.

“Hey! I can run on my own!” Usagi watched as the two disappeared down the road. There was a rumbling noise and the two girls turned to the side where Ryoga and Ranma had come, and a few cars and two news vans sped down the road. In the direction the two had taken off. Following them was a huge group of people running on the sidewalk.

The two stood there in silence as the crowd washed over them.

---

Higurashi shrine, 1228 hours

---

Kagome was in her room, with Inuyasha, and the two were watching her television; Kagome in horror, and Inuyasha in confusion.

“Why is your house in there now?” He asked. “And why are there pictures of us from that fight a while ago where that kid was hit by a jewel shard?”

“Someone videotaped us,” She said. “And thanks to that, someone was able to pick out who I was from the video.” The helicopter passed overhead again and Kagome looked out of her window at it as it started turning a in circle. “They're already staked out at Akane's place,” She muttered. The dojo had been on several different channels.

So far, the only people who hadn't been identified from any of the videos was her cousin, and she suspected his family fortune had something to do with that, as well as the two Sailor Senshi and their Tuxedoed companion, all of which had obvious magic to hide them. `That's it. That's the safest place for us to go since the well is messed up,'

“I'm going to be right back,” Kagome said as she left her room. Inuyasha merely sat there, feeling awkward, waiting for Kagome to return. When she did, she grabbed her pack, which was usually full of a change of clothes and some dried food.

“Inuyasha, let's go,” She commanded, walking over to the window. `When the helicopter goes over again and we can't be seen by it,'

“Go? Where are we going? Have you figured out a way to fix the well?” He asked.

“No, but I'm going to save us a lot of trouble,”

“Hmph,” the hanyou snorted. “You still haven't answered the question,” he said.

“That place we were a week ago. I'll tell you where to go from there.” She jumped on his back and put her arms around his neck, and he blinked.

“What am I, your steed?”

“Yes, now go!” She cried dramatically. Inuyasha grumbled something about ingrates and opened her window, then put an arm around each leg so she wouldn't fall off. “Go when that thing in the sky passes over again so it can't see us.” Inuyasha nodded and waited for such a moment.

“Hang on!” He shouted as he leapt out of the open window. When Kagome looked back, she saw the tail end of the Helicopter, meaning that there was no possible way for them to be seen. Or so she hoped.

---

“Oh my, you are taking a while with this,” Satoshi mock yawned. The highest Asuna had climbed up was nearly halfway to his branch, but she slipped and fell. That had been from a running start and a rather impressive (for someone with little training) jump.

“Dammit, why the hell am I even doing this?”

“Hm,” Satoshi nodded. “Fine, I shall help you, if just this once. Levitation!” Asuna's eyes bugged as she felt a force lift her from the ground and she was soon on the same branch as he. “Now then, shall we?”

“What…” Asuna's face was suddenly red with anger. “WHAT THE HELL!? WHY THE HELL DID YOU HAVE ME DOING THAT IF YOU COULD DO THAT THE WHOLE TIME?!

“It's a-“

“If you say SECRET I will knock your head off—“

“Joke!” He said with a sweat drop. “Yes, come along now, child.” He jumped from the lowest branch to the next one up and she clumsily followed. After a while of this, they were up in the mid sections of the tree, and from all of the foliage, Asuna couldn't see the ground or the sky around them. The light came from the dim glow of the Tree itself.

“Sugoi,” she managed . “It's like a huge room of tree branches!”

“It's bigger than most buildings,” Satoshi agreed. “This is where you'll be training with our friend and I.”

“Wait. Your friend? Training?” She raised an eyebrow. “Just what have you brought me for?”

“Your potential is great, even greater than that of your young friend,” came a new voice. The voice came from all around them, but Asuna had a feeling it wasn't the tree.

“Huh?” She looked around in confusion.

“I'm right here,” Said the voice, this time, from just in front of them, and a man materialized before her, but he was blanketed in shadow. He took a step forward into the light that she could see and smirked.

Before them stood a man with long black hair arranged in a pigtail that fell down to his waist, his eyes were sapphire and there were two scar-like marks on the side of his face, one per cheek. His clothes were all black, made of a material Asuna was sure she'd never seen before; there were no seams or anything that gave it away as having been sown together at all. They seemed to be made just for him they were a little baggy, but the cuffs looked to be made with something akin to elastic and it clung to his wrists, ankles and neck.

“Dai,” Satoshi started pleasantly. “So good to see you again.”

“Indeed,” `Dai' said. “So this is the elf you were talking about earlier.”

“What's going on here?” she asked, clueless.

“This is Dai,” Satoshi said. “And I've already told you what's going on here.”

“Yeah, what's this about training?” She asked suspiciously.

“Kagurazaka Asuna,” The pig-tailed man started. His posture was stiff and his entire body had a serious air to it. “There will come a time when people depend on you for protection, no matter how hard you wish to deny it. Your power at that time may determine the fate of the entire solar system. I am not going to let you enter such a situation unprepared.”

“W-what are you talking about?” the man ignored her and continued.

“At the same time, I am not going to simply bestow upon you the power required to do what you must. It is a power you will earn, as you did before, so many years ago.” Asuna felt a strange, sudden urge to prostrate herself infront of the man called Dai.

“Who…who are you?”

“I am the prince of a kingdom long dead on the verge of resurrection,” He closed his eyes. “And now, I have learned that we have a limited amount of time to do so, as the Great Freeze is nearing.” He opened them back. “Three of the Astral order have been called back, and it is only a matter of time before the others…as well as my true self awaken. You will be the fourth.” He pointed at her head and an odd symbol appeared on her forehead for the briefest of moments.

“There,” Dai said, interrupting the dramatic air. “Now that that is done, you can begin your training,”

Asuna merely blinked. “What the hell was all of that about anyway??”

“All will come in time,” Dai said with a smirk. “As for now, I'm going to make you stronger,”

“What?” Asuna was very confused. `Nothing they're saying is making any sense!' “Didn't you say I had to earn my strength?”

“Yes, which is exactly what you're going to do. For the rest of the day, you're going to practice dodging in an enclosed space with bad foot holds,” He mentioned the area around them. It was full of tree branches, and none of them save for the one they were on were wide enough to be stood on comfortably. “The point of this exercise is to drill it into your mind to take in your surroundings so that landing on something like a narrow tree branch like these comes second nature in a fight.”

“Dodging? W-what? What am I dodging?” Dai chuckled and held up his hand. The symbol of the moon appeared on his forehead and a large purple sword materialized in his raised hand. “W-what the hell?”

“You'll be dodging me,” He sneered and the whites of his eyes turned red, with blue irises. “Try to keep alive, dear.” He lunged at her and she instinctively jumped to the side, but she slipped on the next tree branch and found herself falling down. She screamed and tried to grasp one of the branches, finally getting a hold of one after a while of scrambling. She hurriedly pulled herself up and looked around with wide, fearful eyes. She found herself shrieking and jumping at the same time, this time going a bit higher up than she'd thought she could and she ended up pulling herself up to the branch just in time to pull her legs up as the crazed Dai passed through the air. As she hung upside down, she wondered what the odd feeling she felt from all directions was, when suddenly, her danger senses flared from above.

“YEEEK!” She cried as she let go of the branch and fell down to another just as he stabbed down where she'd been. If she had stayed there, his sword would have pierced through her belly as it had the branch between the two of them. `He's fast! How'd he get that fast?!'

Meanwhile, somewhere above them…

“Yare yare,” Satoshi sighed. “His bloodlust permeates this entire tree. I wonder how long it is before someone notices?”

“Not very long at all,” Came a familiar voice to his side. Satoshi turned, and his face lit with momentary surprise at the short blonde girl standing beside him. She was draped in her usual all-consuming black.

“Oh! Evangeline-san!” He said cheerfully. “What can I do for you?”

“You could kill yourself,” She snarled.

“That's not very nice, Evangeline-san,” He said, sounding wholly and totally as if he was berating a child.

“`Nice' should not be in your vocabulary.” The ancient vampire before him was growling, her hands up and glowing with a spell.

“Ah yes,” He said, opening his eyes to slits. “With Yggdrasill revived, your powers were able to grow to the point where the curse no longer affects you, hmm?” He turned to regard her then. “What is it you wish of me then, oh dark and terrible `Dark Evangel'?”

“What are you planning to do? Better yet, who is that down there messing with the brat's girlfriend?”

“That is a secret,” He said, gaining a cheerful expression and holding up a finger.

“Hmph,” She narrowed her eyes at him and frowned at what was happening below. “Do as you will,” she narrowed her eyes at him vanished.

“My my, I hope she doesn't decide to give us any trouble,” He turned his gaze back to what was happening below, where the Kagurazaka girl was doing her best to dodge the insane (and insanely fast) Dai.

---

Kuno Mansion, approximately 1335 hours

---

Ranma and Ryoga warily walked into the Kuno Mansion. Ryoga set down his luggage as soon as they got in and were now looking around in confusion.

“Where is everyone?” Ryoga asked. “I can sense them but barely-“

The ground below them opened downwards and the four fell down into the hole. Just as suddenly, the door shut itself.

Secret area - Kuno compound

“They should be here any moment,” Tatewaki said to his guests. Among them were all of the Tendos and one Saotome. “It should be noted that the route they took is not the most comfortable nor the safest,” He admitted.

“I had no idea you had this kind of stuff under your house,” Akane muttered as she looked at all of the surveillance monitors in the room they were in. The room wasn't too luxurious; it was large but the only light came from the wall of monitors and the room was not furnished for a high level of comfort. Suddenly, two familiar voices as well as two unfamiliar voices sounded in the distance, growing quickly louder as it got closer.

Suddenly, Ranma, Ryoga, and Rie all fell from a square shaped hole in the ceiling and landed on each other, with Ranma on the bottom, Rie on the top, and Ryoga under her.

“My back!”

“Ow…what the hell…”

“What happened?” Ryoga groaned from under his sister.

“I don't know man, but get the hell off of my back!”

“Ranma!” cried out several voices at once. Ranma-chan looked up from the ground and gave a silly smile.

“Hey guys!” She said. “What's up?”

“Don't you `What's up' me! What was that running away nonsense you pulled off?!”

“Oh, uh, that,” Ranma blinked, looking around. “Well it didn't last very long, did it?” She asked.

“We'll have enough time for chatter later,” Nabiki interrupted. “For now, the reason we're here, Saotome,”

“Oh yeah. What was all that crap outside?” Ranma asked as Ryoga and Rie finally got off of her. She sat up and rubbed her back with, wincing in pain. “Why did you tell me to come here of all places?” She asked with a disgusted glance at Kuno.

“The reason for that is simple. The world knows about your curse,” Nabiki shrugged.

“What? How?!” She asked, eyes wide with fear.

“They some how managed to get their hands on heaping mountains of evidence,” Nabiki shrugged again. “It's a mystery.”

“That's not good. We've got to warn everyone with a curse to stay inside then, right?”

“Not quite. They came to the Dojo looking for you this morning,” Akane said. “Daddy, Uncle Saotome and I boarded up the windows to keep them from coming in to flush you out, when Nabiki came up with the plan to get us to Kuno's place.”

“Okay, but why Kuno, and how did you get out the boarded up house?”

“They let us out because we're not cursed, and Saotome-Ojisan sneaked out when we did, using the Umi Sen-ken,” Kasumi explained. Several nods followed.

“As for the reason you have come to my humble-estate, pig-tailed girl, I have been invited to a prestigious award ceremony in Fukuoka by my dear cousin Shinshige. I have accepted, and it would be most convenient for you to temporarily re-locate so that the disgusting dogs of the media lose interest in the story.”

“Yeah, okay,” Ranma sighed. “I guess that makes sense. But how the hell are we getting to Fukuoka?”

“My father has a private jet for such occasions,” Kuno nodded. Ranma and Ryoga's jaws hung open. “We will be departing within the hour if that is acceptable.”

“Puh-puh-PRIVATE JET?!” Ranma-chan shouted. “What the hell does your family do!?”

“That is not for me to say,” Kuno said dramatically.

“The Kuno family owns several shares of successful companies throughout Japan. Although they were nobles in previous a time, they have been able to maintain wealth and public standing through modern success,” Nabiki shrugged. “I looked it up.”

“Okay, yeah,” Ranma nodded. She knew a little about nobles and such; her mom had once told her that they were descended from Samurai as well. “Wait, what about mom?”

“Your mother is done with her business trip and agreed to meet with us in Fukuoka,” Genma explained. “She said she's had a feeling this day would come since she learned about your curse.”

“Oh,” Ranma nodded. “Well shouldn't we leave right away?”

“None of us are prepared for a week-long trek in Fukuoka,” Kuno said. “You will have time to prepare yourselves and we will be leaving at sundown,”

“Well that's easy- I'm already packed and Ryoga's family is always packed,” she said. “Ryoga and I can get them and come b-“ There was a distant noise above them and a new scream sounded from above. They watched as a red blur fell from above and landed infront of them.

“What…the…hell…” the red thing muttered. Everyone got a good look at him and blinked at the girl that was straddling his back.

“Kagome?” Kuno spoke up. “To what honor do I owe this visit, dear cousin?” He asked.

“Tachi?” She asked, looking at him. “Why didn't you tell me there was a trap like that in your house last time we met?! And who are all of these people?” She asked him as she hopped off of Inuyasha's back.

“The thought skipped my mind,” He blinked. “What are you doing here?”

“Cousin?” Akane asked, confused. Kagome looked at her and blinked as well.

“Akane? What are you doing here?” the younger girl asked.

“It's a weird story,” Akane said. “What are you doing here? You're related to Kuno?” She asked.

“Uh, yeah, cousins. As for why we're here, a bunch of weird people started coming up to my house, and finally they got a helicopter to start circling overhead. I figured this place was safe because no one on TV had mentioned Tachi's name yet,” She explained.

“You're just in time,” Kuno said. “We're going to Fukuoka to escape this nonsense,”

“Ah, really?” she asked. “Why Fukuoka?”

“Shinshige offered to put us up.”

“That's a good idea, I guess,” She said. “I told mom I would go to the sengok…err, stay with you, so it's all right for me to go.”

With that, the twelve prepared to leave Nerima and it's insanity behind, even if only temporarily.

---

Yggdrasill, 1728 hours

---

“Hmm, you are improving,” Dai said calmly as Asuna stood, clothes torn and with a multitude of scrapes and cuts on her body, but all in all still together. She was panting opposite of him, watching him and simultaneously frantically looking around for a suitable spot to land on should he attack again.

“Can we call it a day already?” She asked, her voice coming out in ragged breaths. `I feel so numb…'

“Hmm, I suppose I can go easy on you today,” He said. “Xellis!” He yelled out. Satoshi appeared, standing in between the two. “You can take her back now,” He inclined his head over at Asuna and Satoshi turned to face the girl.

“She looks a little tired,” Satoshi agreed. He walked over to the girl and the two vanished, leaving Dai standing in the mass of branches.

Dai looked up and leapt upwards using the branches for extra lift every time he felt himself slowing down. Soon, he was standing at the highest part of the World Tree and looking at the Moon.

“So I have found Yggdrasill…” He stared at the celestial body, reveling in it's beauty even though it was pot-marked with craters. “Soon…”

Negi gawked as Asuna stumbled into their room.

“I knew it! What did that sneaky bastard do to you?” Kotarou yelled out as he stomped over to her.

“Some…weird training…” She said.

“Training?” Kotarou asked. He sniffed the air and frowned. “You smell like that weird tree at Mahora! Did he really take you that far?”

“The world tree?” Negi asked quietly, finally speaking.

“Yes, that's the one,” Kotarou nodded.

“It's okay…they weren't really…trying to kill me…” Asuna grumbled. `At least I don't think so…' Kotarou looked her up and down and snorted.

“Well, if the Ane-san says they weren't trying to kill her, then I guess they weren't trying to kill her,” He shrugged, walking away.

“Hah…So Negi…what were you and that punk doing all day?”

“We were out looking for the source of that odd power. For some reason, there's been an outbreak of magic here and we had to be very stealthy about it,”

“I thought that old man Konoe said it didn't matter if you used magic in public any more?” She asked, confused.

“It's still uncomfortable,” Negi fidgeted. “You must be feeling awful,” He said. “Is there anything I can do for you?”

“Yeah. Can you drag me to my bed?” She asked.

“Ah…uh…Okay.”

---

Kuno Private Jet

---

Ranma-chan looked out of a large window of the plane in awe at the lights of Tokyo below them as they left. The window had been put there for just such a thing. “Sugoi na…”

“It always looks best at night, Pig-tailed girl,” Kuno said casually as he stood over her shoulder, watching it with her. “Truly, such an enchanting sight should only be beheld by those as wondrous as yourself,” Ranma-chan sweatdropped at his attempt at flirting, but refrained from sending his head through the a majestic window..

“Ah, yeah…uh, thanks, Kuno,” She said nervously. “Hey, you know, I suddenly have to use the restroom,” She said. He nodded and stood up.

“It is to the left of the back,” He said, walking forward through the aisle towards a door. She sighed in relief and got up as if making to really use it, when she realized she did need to use it.

“Dammit, I prefer to be a guy when I do this,” she grumbled.

Far further up in the plane, Nabiki was relaxing with her laptop on the side of a pull-out tray. She had to admire the interior of the jet; the room they were in was more like that of a hotel room. It had a large flat panel television and the sound was surround with speakers built into the walls and there were two couches that most of them were on as well as a loveseat and a few solitary chairs. There were three bedrooms as well as a fully equipped kitchen.

“This is really first class here, Kuno-kun,” she drawled as she took a sip from orange juice in a wine glass. `If things hold true, we'll be living like this too,' she smirked.

“Indeed,” the boy only nodded as he stared straight ahead, seemingly focused on something else entirely. Nabiki shrugged and looked over to his sister who was sitting across from her.

“So aren't you going to go do something about the pig-tailed harlot or something?” Nabiki asked the girl.

“Although it does not set well with me that she is here, there is not much I can do to change that. She best watch herself when we have landed, however,” The girl snorted.

“Ah.” Nabiki nodded. She looked around and spotted her father and uncle playing Shogi to pass the time. She looked over her shoulder and saw Kasumi reading a book and Akane walking away from the group. She went the way Kuno had just come and absently wondered if his presence was really that much of a bother to her.

Further down the plane Ryoga and Rie were watching the cityscape below them in awe. Ranma exited the bathroom, wiping her hands dry on her pants as she approached them.

“Ryoga, we need to talk,” She said. Ryoga looked up at Ranma and blinked.

“There's nothing left to talk about, Ranma,” Ryoga said, unmoving.

“Yes there is,” Ranma said, gritting her teeth.

“Fine,” Ryoga said angrily. “I'm listening,”

“We need to talk alone.” Ranma said firmly. Rie stood up and looked at her.

“What is so important that I can't hear it?”

“It's grown-up stuff,” Ryoga said seriously as he frowned, turning back to the view below them.

“You're not grownups. You can't tell me what to do!”

“We can so,” Ranma-chan sneered. “Now get lost, squirt.”

“Hey!” Rie said indignantly.

“Oh yeah. Uh, beat it, kid.”

“Humph, whatever.” Rie said. “I'll go see what's up with those other people.” She walked out of the room and left them alone.

“What is it you wanted to talk about, Ranma? We already said what was to be said.”

“I wanted to…” Ranma looked out of the window and winced as she said the next words. “I wanted to apologize for the way I behaved this morning. It wasn't right for me to do that when you were just trying to help me.”

“Yeah, whatever,” Ryoga grunted. “Is that it?”

“Is that it? Whaddya mean is that it?” She asked angrily.

“Careful Ranma, you're starting to sound like at woman,” Ryoga said with mock-fear in his voice.

“You little punk!” She hit him in the shoulder.

“You hit like a girl too,” the boy snorted. “Fine, fine. I accept your apology,” he said, waving it aside. “But you know, that really was rude, considering I was putting you up with no rent or anything,” Ranma snorted.

“You can't ask for rent from a sleepover,” she sat down and joined him as they watched the ground. “Man, Tokyo's pretty big, huh?”

“With all of those wards and stuff? Of course,” the boy snorted. “It's one of the biggest cities in the world.”

“You would know, you've been all over the place,”

“Heh,” Ryoga shrugged. A knock on the door alerted them and they looked over to see Akane smiling with the door open.

“Hope I'm not interrupting,”

“Err,” Ranma-chan said, scooting away from Ryoga. “Nuthin, ain't nuthin.” She looked away.

“I didn't know you two were such close friends,” the girl said as she walked into the room to join them. “I told you he was nice, and knew that you'd be friends if ever you stopped picking on him,” She said, looking at the red headed girl.

“Don't get us wrong,” Ranma said. “We're still rivals. Rivals can have a friendly conversation every once in a while, huh?” She elbowed the boy.

“Uh, right,” Ryoga said, not paying attention.

“You look more like buds to me,” Akane sat down inbetween the two and looked out. “The lights of the city are so pretty from up here,”

“Heh,” Ranma said.

“So what were you two talking about before I showed up?”

“Uh, nuthin,” Ranma said nervously.

“It has to be if it made Saotome Ranma, Man among men, properly apologize to someone,” She said.

“You were spyin' on us?” Ranma asked angrily.

“I was stealth training,”

“Oh,” When Ranma seemed to accept that, Ryoga and Akane looked at each other before erupting into fits of laughter. “What? What's up? Did I miss something funny?” The girl asked.

“No, not at all,” Akane said. “But hey, why are you in girl form? There's hot water you know,”

“Can't change back for a day or two,” Ranma said absently.

“Oh yeah.” Akane nodded in understanding.

“What the heck are you two talking about, anyway?” Ryoga asked.

“You should know, idiot, you were the one who brought it up the other day,” Ranma growled. The meaning was lost on Ryoga as he had no clue as to what she was talking about. “It's not important. What's important is…” Ranma turned serious and looked at Akane. “Akane, I found out about last week.” She said evenly. Akane looked at her and when realization dawned her face was blank.

“O-oh?” She asked looking at Ryoga.

“Pig boy didn't tell me nuthin',” Ranma said, crossing her arms. “Akane, why couldn't you trust me enough to tell me what had happened?” Akane turned to look at her and sighed. “Did you think I couldn't deal with the fact that I beat a bunch a' people up?”

“I knew it would devastate you,” She admitted. “You're not the nicest person around, but you're not murderous either. You were possessed, but I knew that if you knew what it was you'd done, you'd feel guilty about it. You're always feeling guilty about stuff that isn't your fault,” She sighed.

“That's not true,” Ranma protested.

“…Hate to admit it, but it is,” Ryoga said. The two girls looked at him in surprise. “Back when Akane and I fist met…”

“And then, with Ukyo,” Akane said. “I can't believe you just stood there for her.”

“Hey, I did dodge when she tried to kill me,” the girl said.

“Still, you have a tendency to take responsibility for something you haven't done,”

“But that was me,” Ranma insisted. “Of course I should take responsibility.

“That wasn't you. That was the guy we fought last night,” Ryoga said. “You're two different people, obviously. He's a demon, you're not. That's the end of it.” Ryoga said. “Enough about that. I've had enough of being depressed lately, I don't need to put up with this crap,”

“Fine, fine,” Ranma said. “There's one more thing though. This morning you said I used a technique from your dreams. What did you mean by that?”

“What?” Ryoga asked.

“When `I' killed that other monster,” Ranma said, trying to get the lost boy to remember. “C'mon, you called it something…the Gekikou Ken or something…”

“Satsugeki Bukou Ken.” Ryoga said suddenly. “It is a deadly technique designed to quickly annihilate the opponent that is always unique to the user and can be used by either a fist or a sword, or combination of both. The technique is actually more of a focus that allows it's user to branch from one fighting technique to the next without pause…” He shook his head. “I can't remember the rest.”

“W…what?” Akane asked.

“Ryoga, what kind of dream was that?”

“I believe I can explain,” came a familiar voice. Kuno was standing there with a tired expression on his face. The three looked at Kuno's forehead with wide eyes as the sigil of Jupiter shone on his forehead.

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