al709382@campus.ccm.itesm.mx


			The Caller's Plight, by Jorge Pratt

			Part Five and Epilogue



++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"The act of dying is also one of the acts of life."
	(Marcus Aurelius, _Meditations_)

			Final Test:
			Enduring the grief


Memento of the past

	"No, wait!"
	The glowing bird took off, heading for the great Light in 
the distance.
	"Wait!" she called again as she ran through the tunnel of 
darkness, trying to stop the bird. It simply turned back to see 
her, but continued its peaceful flight. It barely moved onwards, 
but no matter how fast she ran she couldn't catch it. She 
_wouldn't_ catch it.
	"Stop...! Don't...!" she tried again. The bird was almost in the 
Light. Already several of Its glimmers were surrounding the bird.
	"Don't go in there...!" she cried out, reaching for the bird. 
But then it turned to see her again. A gold and ruby medallion 
shimmered on the bird's breast. And it went into the Light.
	"No..." she fell on her hands and knees, watching with 
dreaded fascination as the bird became one with the Light. But 
then, It disappeared as well, leaving her alone in the tunnel.
	The cold came almost instantly. Like a sharp blade that 
tore her in half, like an immense weight falling upon her chest. 
The tiniest of silvery glimmers fell from her eyes, splashing 
into the solid darkness.
	But suddenly those tears spread beneath her. An icy pond 
was quickly shaped, its depth extended for eternity. She cried 
out when she fell into the pond. The pond then became 
surrounded by earth, many bamboo poles stretched out from it. 
She tried to keep afloat, but the cursed water pulled her in. 
She would drown.
	A silhouette appeared on Nyannichuan's edge. The silhouette 
of a girl with a pigtail. She called out to this figure, but it 
just looked at her silently. With a desperate effort she reached 
out, grabbing hold of the edge with both hands.
	"Help...!" she called, struggling against the spring's pull. No 
answer came from the girl. "Can't you hear me?! Help!"
	The pigtailed girl kneeled by the edge, as if she were 
about to pull her out of the well. But she didn't do anything. 
She just watched on as the other's hands lost their grip on the 
edge. 
	An immense cloud of frozen darkness appeared overhead. It 
surrounded the pigtailed silhouette, snaking around her without 
bringing out a single reaction from her. Fighting against the 
spring, she stared in shock as the cloud loomed over her.
	"Who... who are you...?" she whispered in fright. Gathering up 
her strength, she shouted, "Who ARE you!?"
	The cloud rose slightly. The pigtailed figure waved her hand 
at her, as if saying goodbye.
	"Wait!" she called from the spring, "Don't leave me! You 
_can't_ leave me!!"
	But the girl stood and walked away. The cloud released a 
low, droning laughter. It suddenly came down and engulfed the 
entire spring, pressing her head into the water.
	The girl lowered her head as the trashing in the water 
suddenly ceased. Behind her, the cloud glowed pale blue as it 
rose from the cursed spring and snaked towards her, enveloping 
her in its cold.
	The darkness of the tunnel parted to reveal the night sky. 
All of the stars illuminated the girl's face. Frozen in shock as 
the cloud began to engulf her, Ranko could only gasp.
	And she woke up.
	The cold light of an usual winter morning came in through 
the bedroom windows. Slowly opening her eyes, Ranko silently 
rolled on her side. She dared not think about what had happened 
just last night, leaving her face expressionless and dim. With an 
absent sigh she sat up. It was then that she realized where she 
was: Akane's bedroom. Next to her, Akane's pajamas were folded on 
top of the cot by the bed. She was also wearing one of Akane's 
nightgowns. Not paying much attention to herself, she thought 
that probably they had brought her here after she fell asleep. 
Oh, well, this house was closer to Herb's than her own.
	Sighing again, she lied back down on Akane's bed and curled 
up into a ball, clutching her fists in front of her chin. She 
noticed something large and white next to her. Reaching out, she 
hugged the "Mokona" plush toy she had received last night and 
held it tightly, drawing a light "puu" from it. Closing her eyes, 
she clenched her body tighter into a ball, and rubbed her cheek 
against the toy's furry head. On the nightstand, her emerald 
necklace glowed in sadness.
	Shaking her head, she sat up again and got out of bed, 
still holding the toy to her chest. Absently, she wondered if she 
hadn't dreamt the whole thing, but dismissed the idea when she 
passed her hand through her hair. Vaguely curious she took a 
mirror from Akane's desk. Her hair was now cut in a round shape 
on the back of her head. She looked silently at the place where 
her pigtail was supposed to be. She shook her head, and simply 
put the mirror back on the desk before reaching for her clothes. 
With every step dragging on, she silently made her way out of 
the bedroom and headed downstairs.
	"Akane, breakfast!" Kasumi called, setting the food on the 
table. Akane was sitting on the corridor between the dining room 
and the garden door, silently looking at the delicate flakes of 
white that floated down.
	"Eh? Oh, thanks, Kasumi," Akane briefly turned to her. In 
her arms, P-chan looked up with a questioning "Bwee?" Akane 
wasn't acting normally today, then again the piglet had no idea 
what had happened. Trying to cheer her up, he wriggled out of 
her arms and stood on her hands, slightly rubbing his nose on 
her chin.
	"Oh, P-chan," she smiled a little, hugging him. Letting out a 
deep sigh, she stood up and straightened her skirt. She had just 
turned towards the table when she saw her. "Ranko-chan..."
	"Here, let me help you," the redhead quickly took the 
dishes out of Kasumi's hands and set them down, then followed by 
serving the rice without having anyone ask her to do so. Akane 
blinked at her, but suddenly noticed that despite the bright 
morning Ranko's eyes were completely obscured.
	Breakfast at the Tendos' was spent in almost complete 
silence, as nobody dared mention anything that could result in 
another outburst of sorrow. But even so, the scene was 
completely different from the first time he died. It was so much 
more painful now, for they had lost more than a friend.
	The remainder of the day was very much the same. With the 
cold air outside, and the gray skies all the time, it seemed the 
only cheerful moods were of the neighbors' next door, whose 
children were still excited about the Christmas presents. But 
they wouldn't be the only ones to receive presents on this quiet 
day.
	"Hm?" Kasumi put the phone down, hearing a light knock on 
the door. Holding her arms to prepare for the cold, she opened 
it a little to take a peek. Nobody was there. Blinking, she 
opened some more and looked around, stepping forward. Her foot 
touched something on the ground.
	"Oh my..." she kneeled to take the gift box, which was about 
a foot high and eight inches wide. Looking around again to find 
the present's courier she shrugged and took it indoors.
	"Oneechan?" Akane looked up from the table, "What's that?"
	"Looks like a present," she replied, then opened the card 
on the box, "Oh, it's for Ranko-chan." She looked up, scanning the 
room, "Where is she?"
	"She's..." Akane grimaced. She never thought she would say 
this, "She's in the laundry room." She thought to herself, "Why is 
she helping out all of a sudden? I thought she would be too 
depressed to do anything."
	Kasumi sighed sadly, as if understanding that Ranko wanted 
to keep her mind distracted from what happened. Curious for a 
moment, she gently swung the box up and down, testing its 
weight. It was odd, it was as though the box were empty. 
Shrugging, she walked towards the laundry room.
	"Ranko-chan?" Kasumi knocked on the door. She almost didn't 
hear the low whimper that came from inside. She grimaced a little 
when she felt her chest hurt in empathy.
	"Come on in," came the monotonous response. Hesitant, 
Kasumi opened the door and walked in. She caught a brief glimpse 
of a reddened mark around Ranko's eyes, as if she had wiped 
them hurriedly with her sleeve.
	"S-somebody left this for you," Kasumi showed her the 
present. Ranko simply reached out and took it, her mind going 
back to taking care of the laundry almost immediately. Kasumi 
felt that pressing pain once more. Being as careful with her 
voice as a cardiologist is with a probe, she said, "Ranko-chan, I 
probably could never know how you feel, but... I want you to 
know, if there is some way I can help you, feel free to come. I 
helped Akane and Nabiki when mother died, I... I just want you to 
be all right."
	Ranko didn't even smile. "Thanks, Kasumi. I'll be okay." She 
looked at the washing machine, "Guess that's done," she turned to 
Kasumi again, "If you need any help around the house, tell me. 
OK?"
	Kasumi blinked, but deciding not to challenge her she 
nodded. "Oh, by the way..." she said, seeing Ranko walk out of the 
room, "Your mother just called. She said it would be okay for 
you to stay a couple of days here. And Ranma-kun will come over 
too." Ranko just nodded, taking the present in her hands. Kasumi 
could almost feel a cold wind accompany the redhead as she 
walked away.
	Akane also felt this wind, suddenly shivering as another 
person walked into the living room. She silently looked at Ranko 
as she sat down at the table, setting the box in front ot her 
before resting her head in her arms.
	"Who's it from?" Akane asked, pointing at the gift.
	"No idea," Ranko pushed it away, not caring about the card 
on it, "Open it if you want."
	Nervous, Akane gulped and took the gift, looking oddly as 
the card was completely blank. She tried to open the box, but no 
matter how hard she pulled she would never open it.
	"Let me try," Nabiki said, but her attempts to open it were 
as fruitless as her sister's. Soun's skill was completely useless 
against it as well.
	"Oh, all right..." Ranko took the box, half-heartedly opening 
it. There was a good deal of warm hay inside, but her eyes 
quickly settled on the present itself.
	"What the..." Akane started. It was a large egg, almost like 
an ostrich's. Reddish-brown spots mottled its beige surface. They 
had never seen an egg like this.
	Akane immediately recalled Phaeron's Esper shape, the 
Phoenix. "You don't suppose he could be..." she stammered, a great 
amount of hope audible in her voice.
	"No," Ranko shook her head, "He could only come back for 
four months because he went into the Light." She sighed, "Who 
knows what happened to his soul." Akane fell silent, chiding 
herself for bringing that into topic.
	Ranko took the gift's card out of curiosity. Her empty gaze 
didn't show any reaction even as she read it.

	"Be careful. It imprints."
		--The Four Guardians


Fighting an empty heart

	"Hey, wait!"
	The glowing figure ran off, climbing the white staircase 
that reached up into the infinite. But she wouldn't let him go. 
Dashing in pursuit, she raced up the stairs. But for every step 
she climbed, he would climb five. Along the staircase, bright 
angels welcomed the figure as he went on. But they stopped her 
when she tried to pass.
	"Let go!" she demanded, struggling against the angels. She 
looked at the figure again, "Wait! Don't...! Let me GO!"
	"It isn't your time," the angels said plainly, then stood on 
the stairs and blocked her way.
	"I don't care! Let me go! La... La... LAEL!" she cried out, 
seeing the figure about to go into the Light. He turned back, a 
gold and ruby medallion glimmering in farewell. And he walked In.
	The angels disappeared. The Light disappeared. Only the 
staircase remained, leaving her in complete solitude.
	But then the staircase shuddered. Looking back, she saw 
the other end of the stairs. And it terrified her. It was a 
gaping void, sucking everything into it. She felt a terrible cold 
as she looked into the Realm of Shadows.
	A thick, dark mist stretched from the void. She reared back 
to a fighting stance, ready to take on any opponent. But then 
the mist became a tendril, it touched the staircase just a few 
steps away from her. The mist materialized, taking the shape of 
a tall winged male.
	She stared in shock, "No! I beat you! You can't be--"
	The demon smiled. Before she could finish he stretched his 
hand towards her. She was suddenly blasted into the staircase 
and through it. As she fell through the nothingness, she could 
see the demon look down at her through the hole in the stairs. 
He was smiling.
	"I can see your pain..." he said, in the dreaded voice she 
knew so well. "But don't worry, it won't last long..." to her 
surprise, he morphed. He took on a smaller shape, female. But 
she no longer cast the presence of a demon, although she wasn't 
an angel either. Her voice had a terrifying, _familiar_ ring to 
it... "Your own feelings will consume you...  Fight me... or the 
darkness will come forever... Fight me! Fight the pain!"
	And she woke up.

			*	*	*

	It was afternoon, although in the constant whiteness of 
the day it was hard to discern it from the morning. It was 
December 26, the atmosphere of Christmas still wouldn't fade 
away. And it was precisely because of this that she felt even 
worse.
	Yuannyan suppressed a sigh as she looked out the window 
of her bedroom. All around, the neighborhood was very lively with 
the various Christmas decorations and a few festivities. 
Everyone outside was happy. Nobody she knew shared that 
emotion.
	Resting her chin on her crossed arms, she silently watched 
as a couple walked along the street, just below the window. The 
young woman was leaning against the man's shoulder, their arms 
locked. Yuannyan's gaze followed them until they were out of 
sight, their disappearance into the distance finally pulled a sigh 
from her lips. But it wasn't because she envied them, after all 
she had Herb. It was her sister she was worried about.
	Finally fed up with just moping around, she stood up and 
left the room. But she immediately went to Ranma's room.
	"Yeah?" came a reply as she knocked on the door.
	"I'm going to check up on her. Wanna come?"
	"Uh, sure..." Ranma replied. The door opened shortly 
thereafter, "You think she's okay?"
	Yuannyan looked away, absent, "I hope so..." She turned to 
her brother again and took his wrist, "Let's go."

	"So, how is...?" Ranma began, too nervous to continue the 
question.
	"Not very well," Akane replied, closing the front door once 
Ranma and Yuannyan had entered. "I really don't know what's come 
over her."
	"What do you mean?" Yuannyan asked.
	"Well, she's been insisting about helping out around the 
house, but... I don't know, it's like she just looks empty or 
something..."
	"Empty?" Ranma repeated.
	"I'm not very sure..." Akane said, "But it looks like she lost 
her character, or... or her emotions... She's not the Ranko we 
know." She paused for a minute, grimacing slightly, "I've seen 
depression, but this..."
	"I'll go talk to her," Ranma said, but was stopped by his 
sister.
	"You better let me do it. Please," she looked at him as if 
expecting approval. He simply nodded.
	Seeing her walk down the hall, Akane released a barely 
audible sigh. As if understanding, Ranma nodded and put a hand 
on her shoulder. She quickly turned to see him, but accepted the 
touch and led him to the dining room. They looked around as the 
ground began to shake...
	"Now where am I!?" came the familiar shout from outside as 
the ground next to the pond suddenly burst upwards.
	"Ryouga-kun..." Akane thought.
	"Oneechan...?" Yuannyan quietly peeked into the laundry 
room, seeing her twin organazing the clothes. Without a single 
word, she walked over to her and pulled her away from the 
chore, taking her hands.
	Yuannyan's shock was silent as she looked at Ranko's face. 
The girl she had come to know as her sister was completely 
vacated of any visible emotions, even her eyes avoided 
reflecting the light from the surroundings and were dark with 
grief.
	Ranko blinked slowly, almost mechanically, "What's wrong?" 
she asked in monotonous voice, her eyes half closed as if she 
were annoyed at the interruption.
	"Oneechan..." Yuannyan grimaced, deeply concerned about her 
change. "I know it hurts, but..."
	Even before the sentence was over, Ranko turned away and 
resumed her work. Yuannyan fell silent, but after shaking her 
head she suddenly pulled her sister by the shoulders, forcing 
her to face her. But as before, Ranko just looked at her with an 
empty gaze, a gaze that Yuannyan could not penetrate.
	"What do you want?" Ranko suddenly said, ruefully. "I've got 
a lot of work to do. I don't want to talk about something that 
can't be changed."
	Yuannyan felt a terrible void at hearing her twin's words. 
"Oneechan, stop it! You can't go on like this!"
	"You wouldn't understand."
	"But I can try! I'm your twin sister, for crying out loud! 
And I know exactly how you feel for..." she shut herself up, 
swallowing hard as she realized she was saying too much.
	"What was that?" Ranko sent her a cocked glance, silencing 
her even further. Seeing she wouldn't be bothered again, she 
returned to her chores. Yuannyan sighed sadly at her.
	"I hope you think about it," she finally said, before hugging 
Ranko tightly, "Oneechan, you know we don't want to see you like 
this... Please come back..." Without another word, she stood back 
and wiped her eyes, then turned around and walked out the 
door... running into a powerful human wall.
	"Hm?" she looked up, "Ryouga-kun?"
	"Eh?" Ranko was surprised enough, she even looked towards 
the door.
	"I just heard," he said, "Ranko-san..."
	Yuannyan gulped, then whispered to him, "Ryouga-kun, are 
you sure you want to talk to her? You... you love her, don't 
you?"
	Nearby, a small black figure nearly collapsed in shock and 
disgust. After finally having found his way out of the closet, P-
chan had thought his misery was over... only to find out his 
"other's" emotions. The little piglet narrowed his eyes, silently 
walking behind the door.
	Ryouga was a deep shade of red as he nodded slightly. But 
Yuannyan realized he would not back out of this. Looking briefly 
towards the door, she hurriedly walked away from the room.
	"So, found your way here again?" Ranko said, still upset. He 
gulped, looking away. "Look, I just want to be alone."
	Ryouga looked silently as she turned her back to him, 
indifferent. Abashed, he closed his eyes and began to turn away. 
But he then heard her voice, "I... I'm sorry about that," she said, 
"But it's just that I don't feel like talking, okay?"
	He snorted through a wry smile, "Don't worry, Ranko-san. I 
won't bother you." He began to head for the door... walking into 
the bathroom instead.
	"'Ranko-san'?" she wondered, her eyes widening a bit. 
"Ryouga, wait!"
	"Eh...? Wak!" he suddenly fell into the cold water of the 
tub, with obvious results.
	"You baka," she couldn't help showing a tiny amused smile. 
Taking a towel from a rack, she picked up the soaked piglet and 
promptly wrapped him in it, holding the cocoon of cloth in her 
arm while using her other hand to fish out Ryouga's clothes. 
	After putting them in the dryer, she turned back to the pig 
in her arms. Wrapped up in a white towel, with only his face and 
front hooves looking out, P-chan looked almost like a baby. She 
smiled a bit at the thought, and followed by playfully pulling his 
nose. P-chan squealed and grabbed her hand with his tiny hooves, 
looking at her with wide, innocent eyes and pulling another smile 
from her.
	"Think you're a baby, eh?" she joked, making P-chan smile 
inwards in relief. "Then it looks like you need to be changed!" 
she added. P-chan's relief turned to embarassed terror. "Just 
kidding, you baka," she smiled, lashing the towel upwards to 
release the pig and catch him on the way down. A bit dizzy, he 
sat on her palms. She held him in one arm and petted his head 
with the other hand, expecting to mock him, but to her surprise 
he actually let her stroke his hair between the ears, a bright 
red hue appearing on the piglet's cheeks. Surprising her even 
further, P-chan then reared back and leapt onto her head. He 
blinked, not used to see her without a pigtail.
	"Hey, cut it out!" she said, a slight hint of amusement in 
her voice. She reached up, but P-chan leapt down onto the 
washing machine and reared back, preparing for another leap. She 
lunged for him, he leapt away and landed on her back, then 
quickly recoiled towards the wall and bounced off it, landing on 
her head again. She snickered slightly, then tried to catch him 
again. It took only a few more tries for the eagerly-awaited 
sound to surface from Ranko's mouth...
	"Huh?" Akane looked up, surprised at the sound that came 
from the bathroom. With a smile shaping on her face, she said, 
"Listen! Isn't she... laughing?"
	"Sounds like it," Ranma replied, sharing in the relief. 
Yuannyan just closed her eyes and sighed, nodding to herself.
	P-chan's smile was wide and long-lasting as he heard 
Ranko's laughter. Convinced he had done a good job, he just 
headed for the door.
	"And where do you think you're going?" she suddenly caught 
him by the bandanna. Sitting on the floor, she smiled softly at 
the P-chan she held in her hands, "Th-thanks, Ryouga. I... really 
needed that." With a sigh, she held him in her arms, "To think I 
almost ended up as I was before I used the Caller... Thank you," 
she pronounced those last words with absolute sincerity, P-
chan's heart grew in warmth along with the reddish color on his 
face. But then, almost reflexively as she forgot he was really 
Ryouga, Ranko held him to her chest. P-chan's eyes bulged out 
before--
	"Bweeeeee...!"
	"Huh?" Ranko suddenly looked down, looking at the red stain 
on her blouse and the unconscious pig. "Stupid baka," she smiled.
	The relief felt in the dining room had not yet faded when 
the sound of hurried footsteps was heard. Looking towards the 
corridor, the trio saw a redheaded blur dash upstairs. Ranma 
choked when he noticed what she carried in her arms.
	"Stupid..." she said again, gently, as she set the pig on 
Akane's bed. As her glance suddenly settled on the Mokona plush 
toy, she sighed sadly but just shook her head. Once more she 
stroked P-chan's head, saying, "Thanks... Ryouga-kun."

			*	*	*

	Ryouga woke up at the constant whimpers that filled the 
night. Groggy, he got up and noticed his porcine shape, as he 
was cuddled inside a small twine basket between the bed and the 
cot, in Akane's bedroom. Embarassed, he also remembered how and 
why he had fainted, but then sighed absently at the memory.
	Once more he heard the whimpers. Looking up towards the 
cot, he realized they were coming from Ranko's sleeping form. 
Nervous for an instant, he recalled what Akane had said about 
Ranko having nightmares ever since Phaeron died. Steeling 
himself, he was about to leap onto the cot when something bit 
his right leg.
	"Bwee!" Ryouga squealed as he fell back onto the floor, 
already twisting around to face the aggressor.
	"Bwerk..." another piglet scowled at him in the darkness. 
Ryouga fell silent when the real P-chan came out into a ray of 
moonlight.
	"What did you do that for?" Ryouga protested in piggish 
tongue.
	"You idiot!" P-chan bonked him with his hooves. "What do you 
think you're doing with... her!?"
	"Huh?" Ryouga blushed, "That's none of your business!"
	"You traitor! To leave dear Akane-san for one of our 
enemies!"
	"She's not _my_ enemy, pig!" Ryouga glared at P-chan.
	"She's the one who kicked us into the spring!"
	"And where would you be if she hadn't?" Ryouga responded. 
P-chan just scowled silently in defeat.
	A slight moan came from the cot, "No... Don't go..."
	Ryouga and P-chan looked up, the first ready to leap 
upwards while the second was totally indifferent. Sighing, Ryouga 
turned to P-chan, "Look, if you love Akane-san then go with her. 
I've got to help Ranko-san."
	"You fool..." P-chan snorted, "You know very well she'll 
never love you."
	Ryouga's heart became cold for half a second, but then he 
replied, "I can still try... And at least I _won't_ be just a 
_pet_... P-chan."
	The two piglets fumed brightly, dense green auras rising 
from their porcine bodies. And suddenly...
	"Bweewee buki-ernk!" both squealed the piggish version of 
the Shishi hoko-dan, blasting each other into a different wall. 
P-chan screeched downwards onto Akane's bed, while Ryouga just 
landed on the desk. Both flared auras again when another voice 
rose.
	"P-chan..." in her sleep, Akane unconsciously grabbed her 
piglet and squeezed him, then rolled on her side. As P-chan 
swore revenge, Ryouga just snickered and shook off the dizziness 
from the blast. Sighing again, he quietly headed for Ranko.

	"Don't go!" she yelled again, in her dream, as the bird flew 
away through the void. But this time, although the bird hadn't 
even left, the tendril of cold darkness stretched for her. Making 
a desperate efffort, she leapt forward with her arms 
outstretched...

	Ryouga blinked as he saw Ranko stretch her arms. Sighing 
as he knew he was doing the right thing, he took the chance and 
leapt into her reach.

	"Gotcha!" she caught the bird in her arms, not even thinking 
about releasing it. It just blinked at her, then turned its long 
neck to look at the Light beyond.
	"Just a little longer... stay here..." she pleaded, smiling as 
she rested her face on the warm feathers.
	The being narrowed her eyes. She had no choice but to let 
Ranko go. Smirking to herself, she slithered away into the void...

	Ryouga felt a calm warmth spread within his small body as 
he heard Ranko's sigh, then the warmth became more soothing as 
he realized she was smiling. Struggling slightly, he turned around 
to face her without breaking free of her hold. He sighed gravely, 
he saw a tiny watery glimmer roll down from her eye. Hoping to 
at least comfort her in her dream, he snuggled against her 
collar and rested his head there.
	Ryouga did not sleep that night. He remained awake, looking 
over her as a protector... as he had _promised_. But it wasn't 
what Phaeron had asked from him what made him stay. Ryouga knew 
that, deep inside, he would never cease to look over her.
	In the morning, even before the alarm clock rang, a small 
black blur was seen coming out of Akane's bedroom. A few minutes 
later, a young man hoisted his backpack and set forth, smiling to 
himself in relief. Smiling in satisfaction.

			*	*	*

	Nodoka woke up with a gasp. Her breathing was ragged and 
difficult, her eyes wide. Swallowing hard, she relazed her tight 
grip on the covers and tried to normalize her breathing. Finally 
calm, she slowly turned to the right, where her husband was still 
a sleeping rock. Feeling uneasy, she stood and reached up, 
awakening Masamune when she unsheathed the katana.
	"Uh...? Oh, what's wrong?" Masamune asked, her blade glowing 
mild white.
	"Ma... Masamune..." Nodoka started, recalling the image from 
her dream, "She's here."
	"Who...?" the sword asked, still half asleep. "What!? _She_ is 
here?!" Nodoka nodded gravely, then looked towards the window as 
if hoping to gaze upon the Tendo dojo.
	"First Dysithal, and now _her_..." she sighed, "Ranko-chan, 
don't let her dominate your soul..."

			*	*	*

	"Hey, I'm here," Ranma called as he entered the Tendo home.
	"Oh, good afternoon, Ranma-kun," Kasumi greeted. "Akane is 
upstairs, and I think your sister is in the dojo."
	"She's training?" Ranma asked, a little dubious. But he 
couldn't suppress a smile when Kasumi nodded. He rolled his eyes: 
whatever Ryouga had done to cheer Ranko up, he would have to 
thank him for it. But for now, he simply turned to the right and 
climbed upstairs.
	"Who is it?" Akane's voice came from the room after Ranma 
knocked on the door.
	"Got a minute?" he asked, opening the door by a slit. 
Almost instantly the door was pulled from his hand as Akane let 
him in. He immediately scanned her face, trying to find any sign 
of worry, but was relieved to find none.
	"So, how is she?" he asked.
	"Well, I can't tell how she really feels but at least she 
seems better," Akane replied, "She's been practicing in the dojo 
almost since breakfast." She walked closer to him, whispering as 
if trying to hide her words, "But I'm still worried, Ranma... She 
looks like she's going to burst any minute."
	"She's got to find a way to get out the pain, after all."
	"I know, but... At first, I was expecting her to go all 
around breaking things or fighting so she could get it out, but 
she just lost her character. If she's back to normal, she could 
still lose control."
	"Then we better go check up on her," he said, finally 
understanding that Akane wanted _him_ to talk to Ranko. But as 
he turned around to leave the room, he caught a glimpse of 
something odd on the nightstand next to Ranko's cot.
	"Hey, what's this?" he asked, taking a large egg in his 
hands.
	"She got that the day after Phaeron-kun died," Akane 
replied, "I don't know who sent it, though. And whatever's in that 
egg, it looks like it doesn't want to come out."
	"Huh?"
	"Look," Akane pointed at the bundle of warm wool cloth 
where the egg had been, "We put it here so the heat would make 
it hatch, but nothing happened."
	Ranma turned back to the egg, looking silently at it. 
Shrugging, he just put it back in the wool cloth and headed out, 
followed by Akane.
	Not a single sound came from the dojo, even as the couple 
aproached. But they could feel a very familiar aura inside it, a 
_red_ aura. They stopped on their tracks at recognizing it, but 
after gasping they hurried to the dojo. However, their 
expectations faded when they saw that the aura was coming from 
Ranko.
	"Eh?" she suddenly opened her eyes, feeling their presence 
in the dojo. "Oniisan..."
	"Yo," he greeted, then began to head towards her.
	"No, wait!" she called, "Just a sec."
	"Wha..." both Ranma and Akane were surprised as the 
redhead's aura became brighter, almost a solid scarlet. On her 
chest, her emerald necklace glowed with almost blinding white 
light, while her bracelet shone in the jewel's luminosity. 
Surprised, they saw her close her eyes, an absent smile shaping 
in her face. The aura expanded, but they both felt an uncanny 
peace in it. But then the red field caused them to look at each 
other, neither blushing but both gazing into the other's eyes.
	"Haaaaa..." Ranko slowly lifted her hands, creating a small 
spark of red between her palms. Her hair and clothes flowed 
upwards, a spherical field around her began to create a powerful 
wind.
	Ranma and Akane turned back to her immediately, seeing how 
Ranko's face showed an absent look, with the spark in her hands 
becoming a wide globe.
	"Oniisan... Oneechan... Stand back..." she managed to say. 
They didn't challenge her. Just then, a midget decided to visit...
	She opened her eyes.
	"Hi!" Happosai called cheerfully, bounding through the door.
	"Kyaaaaa!" Ranko flung her hands forward.
	"Bye..." Happosai's voice trailed away as he was blasted out 
of the dojo.
	Akane and Ranma stared at Ranko in complete awe. Her 
hands were still stretched forward, even the wind around her 
was still blowing towards the door and caused her clothes, hair 
and necklace to wave forward. But the funny part was that she 
was still smiling, her eyes half-closed.
	"That... that was..." Ranma stammered, pointing at the trail 
of red left by the blast.
	"A RedBird!" Akane finished, gasping, "The biggest one I've 
ever seen!" She was right, not even the technique's designer 
himself had ever reached such a state of power with the 
RedBird. "B-but how..." Akane stuttered, turning to Ranko, "RedBird 
is based on..."
	"Yes," Ranko said simply, standing straight without opening 
her eyes. She sighed sadly, "It's... it's about time someone found 
out... I can't keep to myself anymore..."
	"Eh?"
	She chuckled, "Heh. To think I couldn't even think of saying 
this..." she opened her eyes, "Oneechan, you... were right about... 
us."
	Meanwhile, Kasumi hummed to herself as she put Akane's 
clean clothes in her closet. But all of a sudden she heard a low 
sound, accompanied by a strong white glow that came from the 
nightstand. And both came from the egg.
	"Ranko-chan, you..." she gulped, hoping that Ranko wouldn't 
say what she thought she was going to say.
	"RedBird is..." Ranko sighed again, lowering her head, "It's 
completely based on... on love."
	Ranma and Akane swallowed hard.
	"It's true..." Ranko said, smiling absently as she looked 
upwards. "I... I..." she turned bright red, but without erasing her 
smile. "I loved Phaeron-kun."
	The egg cracked. Kasumi gasped.
	It took a few more minutes for the message to hit them 
both with its full meaning. Looking at them, she shook her head.
	"It's ironic, isn't it?" she said, "I couldn't even say it when 
he was here. But now hat he's gone, it's actually easy..." She 
smiled sadly, a tear running down her cheek. Her chest suddenly 
felt incredibly lighter, although a knot formed in her throat. A 
sob heaved upwards along her neck, but she wouldn't release it.
	"Oh, Ranko-chan..." Akane looked uneasily at her. Ranma was 
completely quiet, a surprise for those who knew him.
	"Yes, it's easy..." Ranko repeated. "I loved him," almost 
whispering, she added by lowering her head, "...I really did..." She 
looked up again, forcing a smile, "I... I'm an idiot, right? I mean, 
I could've told him ages ago, but..."
	"'Ages'..." Akane repeated, "Ranko-chan, for how long did 
you..."
	"How long?" Ranko blushed, "I... almost since I first met him, 
I think..."
	"But we thought that you..."
	"Had forgotten?" Ranko finished, "Oneechan, you know me. 
You know I'm so stupid I always hide that sort of thing..." she 
sighed, "I only forgot about what _happened_ in China... I never 
forgot that I loved him." She looked up, "When he awoke Yuan-
chan and I, and he came back, I could barely believe it, I 
thought nothing could be better. But everybody started saying 
how he was my best friend, and even Yuan-chan said that. And 
_he_ never said anything, so... I had to keep quiet..."
	The intense sorrow was heard in her voice as she joked, 
"What a pair of idiots... He didn't say anything because he 
thought I had forgotten about him... And I didn't because I was 
supposed to be his best friend... Stupid..." she clenched her 
fists.
	"But... at least we knew in China..." she smiled a little, 
"Didn't you wonder where he got that medallion? I... I made it, 
the night before we drowned... And he made this for me," she 
moved her left hand up to her chest, rubbing the bracelet with 
her right. Below, the emerald was continuing to glow brightly. "He 
gave this to me a few hours before... before we drowned..." she 
looked down again, "Just as always, we find out just before we're 
split apart..."
	"Ranko-chan, are you alright?" Akane took her hand, seeing 
how Ranko's face was becoming red with grief.
	She shook her head, almost on the verge of tears, "No. How 
could I be alright... Besides... we were never even meant to be..."
	"What?"
	"It happened three times..." Ranko's throat nearly closed up. 
"Just after I had told him, we end up drowning... After fifteen 
hundred years, I see him again, and the same day I was about to 
tell him we get attacked by Coldfire... And this time, he died 
just after we... after we..." she couldn't go on, recalling what 
had happened between them before Seraphim arrived. "And to top 
it off..." she added, "his name is Lael... And it means 'belongs to 
God.'" She grimaced, letting a few tears run down, "We never even 
had a chance... We were never supposed to be from the very 
beginning..."
	"Ranko-chan...!" Akane shared in her grief, she immediately 
hugged the smaller girl before either began to cry. Almost 
instantly, Ranko's willpower shattered and she was forced to 
relieve her chest by crying on Akane's shoulder. Feeling out of 
place, Ranma steeled himself and held both Akane and his little 
sister in his arms, trying to comfort them.
	Akane's heart had to endure a terrible burden as she tried 
to calm Ranko down. Preventing her own eyes from shedding any 
tears, she gently stroked Ranko's head, still not used to her 
now-short hair. Looking up, she saw Ranma's face as a mask, 
stern and silent, yet intensely caring and reassuring.
	Ranko kept on crying silently, as her heart tried to 
relieve itself of all the pain. Her face was already flushed, her 
entire body was shivering. She gripped Akane's clothes as tightly 
as she could, absently chiding herself for showing weakness. But 
only her mind was ashamed of this display, for her heart and 
spirit just _needed_ this release.
	She had only spoken the truth when she pronounced those 
words. She had always loved him. That was the real reason why 
the three years of devising the Caller had robbed her of 
emotions. Back then, she had seen how nearly everyone found 
their place with another. Couples sprouted all around. And all 
the time, she couldn't forget him. The fifteen hundred years of 
separation had only bolstered her feelings for him, thus she 
couldn't let his memory go. But it was precisely this why she 
became empty of emotion. Only Seraphim and Nodoka had known how 
she truly felt, even if to the others she appeared coldhearted. 
When she used the Caller, it was a desperate measure. And in a 
way, it worked. Those four months were an earthly paradise, 
despite her knowledge of the deadline. But like all dreams, it 
eventually vanished, leaving her, once more, broken... and empty.
	It was until yesterday that she had slowly been reversing 
to her older self. But when Ryouga showed up, he had somehow 
shown her that there were still people who would care for her. 
And yet his visit was like a double-edged sword: it helped her 
break away from the embrace of a cold heart, but only to awake 
to the horrible nightmare of having a loved-one die.
	Finally, after a few minutes, the crying became mere 
sniffles. Ranko's eyes didn't have a tear left in them, neither 
did her throat have any sobs. Swallowing hard, she began to 
breathe normally again and controlled her shivering. Seeing her 
actions, Ranma stroked her hair as well, almost oblivious to 
Akane's hand beneath his own. But Akane didn't notice either, she 
was just relieved to see that Ranko had finally let out her pain 
without any self-destructing methods.
	"I... I'm sorry," the redhead apologized, pushing away from 
Akane, "I don't know why I..."
	"Don't say anything, Ranko-chan," Akane put her finger on 
Ranko's mouth, silencing her. "We know how you feel." She looked 
up at Ranma, then whispered to the younger Saotome, "Remember 
that we've been through this too... We understand." She paused 
for a sigh, "Ranko-chan, we know you're strong. But there's 
nothing wrong with crying, especially after this."
	Ranko nodded, wiping her face. Ranma released the girls, 
letting her step back. She looked at Akane's blouse, "Oneechan, I 
didn't mean to--"
	"It's okay," Akane smiled softly at her, ignoring her moist 
shoulder, "We just want to see you're all right."
	Ranma hugged his sister from behind, locking his hands over 
her belly, "We'll always be around to help you, kid."
	She smiled in appreciation, "Thanks, oniisan." Gulping, she 
snickered to herself, "But I still got to say something to you." 
Ranma let her go, she turned around and took his hand as well 
as Akane's, "Oniisan... oneechan... You've always been there for 
me. I just want you to know... I really appreciate it. I love you 
for being my brother," she turned to Ranma, "...and for being my 
best friend," she now turned to Akane.
	"And we love you," Akane and Ranma squeezed her hands, 
"That's why we want you to be all right." Ranko smiled, her eyes 
slightly glazed.
	"And you know something...?" Akane added, "This is probably 
going to sound stupid, but... I really feel like you're my little 
sister."
	Ranko smiled warmly, "Thanks, oneechan."
	"...and if you keep calling me that, it'll be worse!" Akane 
added with a snicker. Both girls giggled a bit, with Akane and 
Ranma happily seeing the redhead's spontaneous smile.
	"Oh, you're here," Kasumi peeked into the dojo.
	"Kasumi?" the trio turned to her.
	"Ranko-chan, your egg is hatching!"

	The Tendos and Saotome siblings were gathered around the 
dinner table, watching intently as the egg's cracks stretched all 
over its surface. It rattled slightly, swerving to the sides 
inside the wool cloth that normally kept it warm.
	"Well now, what kind of bird will it be?" Soun asked, leaning 
forward to examine it.
	"An ostrich, maybe?" Kasumi said.
	"Maybe a condor," Nabiki said.
	"Ranko-chan, didn't the card say who it was from?" Akane 
said.
	"I think Seraphim-chan sent it."
	"And didn't she say anything about it?" Ranma asked.
	Ranko looked up, recalling, then nodded and took out the 
card from her pocket, "Here it is. It says ,'Be careful. It 
imprints.'"
	"It... imprints...?" Soun's eyes widened.
	"Come to think about it..." Kasumi said.
	"That egg looks awfully familiar," Nabiki finished.
	"Huh?" Ranko looked around, noticing how the Tendos and her 
brother were all hiding behind the walls. "What're you..."
	"If that thing is a Phoenix egg, I don't want a dumb bird 
chasing me around again!" Ranma complained.
	"It's just for safety, Ranko-chan," Kasumi said, beckoning 
for her to hide.
	"A Phoenix egg?" Ranko wondered.
	"Hmmm..." a weird old man with glasses analyzed the egg, 
"What do you know, it _is_ a real Phoenix egg--" he reeled over 
after being slapped by Kuno's wad of bills, "S-Sold! Sold!"
	"Who said you could sell it?!" Ranko punted the salesman 
and Kuno towards the Bahamas, then sat down in front of the egg 
again.
	"Are you crazy?!" Ranma called for her, "It'll chase you the 
minute it sees you!"
	She just ignored him, watching carefully as a bit of the 
shell was broken off. Her eyes never left the egg as it shook, 
the shell fell piece by piece until the tiniest of beaks was 
finally seen. Ranko's glazed eyes were fixed on the small 
creature, she absently marveled at this miracle of life.
	A high-pitched shriek came from the egg, drawing a smile 
from her. Hesitant at first, she reached out and pulled away the 
fragments of the shell that had stuck to the little bird's downy. 
At last, half of the egg was broken. The bird was free.
	"Ah..." everyone was astonished by the baby bird. It was 
still skinny and frail, its featherless skin was pink and delicate. 
But to Ranko it was the most beautiful little thing she had ever 
seen. The slightest hint of green downy sparsely covered the 
baby phoenix, with just a few small feathers in the crest and 
tail. Without a word, Ranko quickly took the bird in her hands 
and held it close to her face, trying to give it warmth. The 
phoenix was about half of P-chan's size, and only a tenth of his 
weight. It chirped again when it felt Ranko's hands around it.
	"Oh, man, when that thing opens it eyes..." Ranma groaned.
	"I don't think it'll hurt her, Ranma, "Akane said, feeling 
something odd about the bird.
	"I see..." Ranko thought, "Seraphim-chan and the others sent 
me this... because this little guy is also a phoenix..." She smiled, 
"Something to remember him by..."
	The phoenix shrieked, commanding attention. And slowly, very 
slowly, it opened its eyes. Ranko was the first image it saw.
	Ranma braced himself, ready for the strike. But it never 
came. The phoenix chirped a couple more times, failing as it 
tried to stand up. Ranko smiled at it, then petted its head. 
"You're here to remind me of him..." she thought. Bringing it up 
to look at it directly, she snickered, "So, you're a boy?" The 
bird chirped, she could swear it was embarassed by her 
discovery.  Speaking softly, she said, "My own little phoenix...  
My... Hou-chan."

[Note: "Houou" means "legendary phoenix." "Kou" is the female 

while "Hou" is the male. It can also mean "fire" in Chinese.]

			*	*	*

	Darkness, all around her. Once more she had tried to stop 
him. Once more she failed. And now, she was alone. No Light, no 
tunnel, no stairs. Not even the Shadows. Everything was simply 
darkness.
	Crying. She was surprised by hearing somebody crying. 
Something inside her told her to look for the source. Looking 
around, she ran through the darkness in search of the origin of 
the voice.
	A beam of light descended from above, illuminating a circle 
a few yards ahead. A young girl, about fourteen, appeared in the 
light. She was crying. But although the beam ceased, the girl 
herself seemed to cast off a faint white glow.
	She came near the girl. From a first glance she noticed she 
was wearing ancient Chinese clothes, pure white. But her eyes 
widened when she noticed this girl was red-haired, with her hair 
falling down her shoulders. Ranko gasped when she realized that 
the girl was exactly like her when she was two years younger.
	"It hurts..." the girl moaned, sitting on the ground while 
holding her hands over her gut. "It hurts a lot..."
	"Hey, what's wrong?" Ranko kneeled next to the girl, "Are 
you hurt?"
	"Leave me alone!" the girl yelled suddenly , looking away. "I 
don't want to talk to you!"
	"Calm down," Ranko said in a soothing voice, putting her 
hand on the girl's shoulder.
	"No! Don't touch me!" she slapped her hand away. "Go away!"
	"I just want to help you," Ranko insisted.
	"Well, _don't_!" the girl turned to her, her face scowling 
and her blue eyes glaring angrily at Ranko. "This is all _your_ 
fault, anyway!"
	"My fault?"
	"Yes, it is!" the girl yelled, "You made this happen! You... 
You took him away from me!"
	"What are you..."
	"It was you! You stupid, arrogant bitch! He left because 
you were too damn proud to show that you cared! It was your 
fault!" with that, the girl aimed her palms at Ranko and blasted 
her away with a black bolt.
	"I..." Ranko staggered to her feet, holding her gut.
	"I'll never forgive you!" the girl insisted, tossing out a 
black sphere which crackled with red sparks. "You took him from 
me! From meeee!!!"
	Ranko could barely leap out of the way of the dozens of 
dark missiles that her doppleganger kept throwing at her. But 
then the girl's hair lowed upwards, her aura flared, "I HATE YOU!" 
she screamed, hurling a massive blast.
	Ranko pushed upwards, "White Mountain Protection-D-- UGH!" 
she was crushed against the ground as the blast shattered her 
aura shield. She hadn't even recovered when the girl leapt up 
and delivered a murderous dropkick on her back, pinning her to 
the ground again. Trying to escape, she reached up to White 
Touch the girl, but she simply grabbed her hand and twisted her 
arm. "Gyaaah!" Ranko screamed as the girl broke her wrist. 
Desperate, she called all her magic and surrounded her body with 
a Silver shield, then leapt away from the girl and stretched out 
her good hand, defending.
	"You took him...!" she insisted, "You took him away! It hurts!" 
she doubled over, "It hurts!! Make it stop! Stop the pain! Please 
stop it!" With all her strength she stood up again, moaning, as 
she gathered a large fireball, "Stop the pain!! It _hurts_! IT 
HURTS!!!!"
	She flung the fireball.
	And Ranko woke up.
	Suddenly, the door burst open as a sword-wielding figure 
entered. "Ranko-chan!" Nodoka cried.
	"M-mom...?" Ranko groggily became fully awake, she could 
barely rub her eyes before her mother crushed her in a hug.
	"Are you okay?" Nodoka quickly examined her daughter, then 
put her hands on Ranko's head. "Oh, dear..." she gasped.
	"What?" Ranko asked. Near the cot, Hou-chan groggily 
stirred from his miniature nest.
	"I was right... Dysmerc... is here."

			*	*	*

	"Dysmerc?" Herb asked.
	"That's what Mom said before leaving for the Tendos'," 
Yuannyan replied.
	"Then Dysithal wasn't the only one after your Guardian?"
	Yuannyan shook her head, "It's not like that. Dysithal 
wanted to kill oneechan because of Cordis. But Dysmerc is 
different..." she sighed, "Mom explained it to me. Dysmerc means 
'Test for the Heart' just as Dysithal means 'Heart of Weakness.'"
	"Then what does this demon want?"
	"Dysmerc is not like Dysithal. She's not a demon." Yuannyan 
said, "She's usually putting tests on people like oneechan, who 
have lost someone. Mom said she just enlarges your grief, but 
eventually most people overcome her tests. But those who don't 
defeat her, end up killing themselves out of sorrow." She shook 
her head, "But I don't know why Dysmerc is attacking oneechan 
like this. She usually doesn't show up personally."
	"Maybe Dysithal gave her more power," Herb guessed.
	"I don't know..." Yuannyan pursed her lips, "But either way, I 
got to help oneechan." She stood up from the table, then sat 
down next to Herb and took his hand, "Herb-chan, I don't think I 
could go back with you for New Year in China."
	He sighed, "I understand."
	"Thank you, Herb-chan. It's just that I have to be with her 
now. She finally came out of that trance, but she's even worse 
because she already admitted she loved Phaeron-kun." She sighed 
again, "I have to help her..."
	All of a sudden she leaned against his arm, making him 
blush sligtly. "Herb-chan?" she asked.
	"Yes?"
	"Please don't ever leave me alone."
	He put his arm around her, holding her tightly, "I won't, 
Yuannyan. I promise."
	"I'll wait for you until you come back from China," she said. 
"Be careful."
	With a sigh, both stood up. Peeking from the hallway, Lime 
and Mint hurriedly left the dining room before their master saw 
them. Looking at a clock on the wall, Yuannyan looked up at Herb.
	"I gotta go. I want to have dinner with oneechan at the 
Tendos'."
	"Alright," Herb released her from his hold. Silently, she 
walked away as she headed for the mansion's door. But she 
stopped when she heard Herb's voice behind her.
	"What is it?" she asked.
	He looked at her with a serious glance. "Yuannyan... I love 
you."
	She smiled. For once, she didn't see the Prince of the Musk, 
nor the great ki-master, nor the Brindel warrior. She simply saw 
Herb, a man. Sighing, she replied, "And I love you, Herb-chan." And 
she left the house.
	Looking down, Herb sighed to himself. Suddenly, he pointed 
in a random direction and set his gaze there, "Lime! Mint! 
Prepare for departure!"
	"Y-yes, Herb-sama!" they stammered, wondering how he 
managed to find them.

			*	*	*

	A small phoenix was set on his nest, ready to sleep. After 
putting him down, Ranko just let out a light sniffle as she tried 
hard not to remember Phaeron. Noticing her mood, the bird 
chirped loudly, spreading his wings and fanning his now-lush tail. 
Ranko snickered a bit at seeing him, after only two days Hou-
chan had already grown a full set of feathers. Of course, since 
he was still an infant the feathers were emerald green instead 
of a full-grown phoenix' red and purple. His tail and crest had 
also grown, making him look more like a phoenix. But he had yet 
to learn how to fly.
	"I'll teach you tomorrow, Hou-chan," Ranko said, playfully 
pulling his beak. Hou-chan chirped happily at his adoptive mother, 
but then fell silent as she sighed. "I don't want to sleep," she 
thought. "I know I'll end up in that nightmare again..." She looked 
at her bird, who was standing on the edge of the nest and 
cocking his head. "Oh, I forgot," she smiled, "You'll watch over 
me, won't you, Hou-chan?" she took the bird in her hands, petting 
his head. Hou-chan chirped in delight.
	Snickering at him, Ranko set him down on the nest again, 
which was just next to her cot. As she took off her blouse, she 
didn't notice Hou-chan was covering his eyes with a wing, and he 
didn't watch until she was already in bed. Letting out a faint 
chirp, Hou-chan snuggled his head between his shoulders and set 
down to sleep.
	Ranko sighed before shaking her head. Giving in, she joined 
her pet phoenix as she drifted away into the expected 
nightmare...


			*	*	*

	"Wait!" she called, seeing the young man enter the Light. 
"Don't go! I... I l... I lo..."
	"No you don't."
	"Eh?!" she turned around at hearing the voice. There she 
was, the girl, looking exactly like Ranko did at age fourteen. 
Ranko stood up, rearing back to avoid any attack.
	"You... how could you love him..." the girl sniffled, "You lie... 
If you loved him you would have fought for him, like he did for 
you..."
	"That... that's not true," Ranko replied in sadness, "He 
probably didn't love me anyway..."
	"You bitch!" the girl sent out a dark blast at her, "Lael-
kun loved _me_! If he left it's because _you_ never did anything 
to make him stay!"
	"What could _I_ do? He was supposed to die!" Ranko 
retaliated with a Moko Takabishya, but the girl's blast 
completely obliterated her own ki shot and smashed her into the 
ground.
	"But if you had said something from the beginning he 
wouldn't have used Ultima!" the girl dashed for her, creating a 
large fireball in each hand. "He used it because he thought you 
hated him!" she joined hands to send out a smoldering shot.
	"Agh!" Ranko winced as her calf was burned by the breath of 
fire. "But it was all Dysithal's fault!"
	"Why do you keep blaming other people?! Can't you see it 
hurts?! It really HURTS!" the girl doubled over in pain, rivers of 
tears coming down her eyes. "Please, stop the pain! STOP IT!" she 
pleaded desperately.
	"Hey..." Ranko blinked at her sudden change of attitude.
	"Don't touch me! I hate you! I'll kill you!" the girl dashed 
for Ranko, catching her off-guard to release a brutal barrage of 
blows and kicks. "You took him away! YOU!"
	"N-no..." Ranko tried to stand up, her vision red and hazy.
	"Stop the pain! Please!!!" the girl cried as she darted a 
spearhand towards Ranko's throat.
	And she woke up.

			*	*	*

	Akane looked nervously at Ranko as the redhead came into 
the dining room, with Hou-chan in her arms. She looked awful, but 
probably felt even worse. Her eyes were red, her hair 
disheveled. A few streaks blemished her face, Akane dared guess 
she had been crying. In short, all of Ranko's demeanor was 
disheartening.
	"Are you okay?" Akane asked quietly when Ranko sat down at 
the table. She didn't answer, but Hou-chan looked up at her as 
if worried. Akane sat back and let her be.
	"I wish this would stop," she finally said, nearly whispering.
	"Um, Ranko-chan," Akane tried, "Why don't you go see 
Shampoo's great-grandmother? She could give you something to 
help you sleep."
	"It's not the nightmares..." Ranko said. Realizing what she 
meant, Akane gulped and shut herself up.
	"Oh, well..." the redhead stood up, "Guess I'm not hungry 
anyway..."
	"Where are you going?" Akane asked.
	"To train out of town," she replied, monotone, "I'll be back 
in a day."
	Akane grimaced, "Ranko-chan, are you sure you'll be 
alright?"
	"Of course I'm not sure..." Ranko replied, but then turned to 
her with a forced smirk, "But don't worry. I promised I wouldn't 
try to use the Caller again. Besides, Phaeron-kun wouldn't want 
me to do anything stupid." She turned away, "I _will_ be back 
tomorrow afternoon."
	Akane just looked at her silently, thinking, "I hope you get 
over this soon, Ranko-chan. You have to realize you must let 
go..."

	It was now December 30. She had set up a small camp, in 
the forest. All of the nearby trees already sported visible 
marks of punches, there wasn't a single rock that hadn't been 
shattered by a kick. Perched on a low branch, Hou-chan looked 
uneasily at Ranko.
	This is what had truly brought her out here. The constant 
nightmares, the unceasing pain... she had to vent it out. At the 
moment, she was angrily pulverizing a rock with desperate 
punches, after nearly having uprooted a tree with a jumpkick. 
Finally tired, she fell on all fours and panted, sweat and tears 
mixing in the ground below her face.
	"It's hopeless..." she thought, stopping the tears. But then 
she felt the light caress of feathers against her arm. Turning 
to her right, she couldn't help smiling at her pet phoenix, who 
was holding her bracelet in his beak. "Oh, Hou-chan," she took him 
in her arms and sat on her calves, accepting the bracelet. "You 
really understand how I feel..."
	Hou-chan shrieked lightly, spreading his wings. She blinked, 
"Oh, right! I'm sorry, Hou-chan!" she stood up, setting him on the 
low branch. "I forgot I was supposed to teach you to fly," she 
stuck her tongue out at the bird, who chirped in impatience. 
Looking around to make sure nobody was nearby, she took off her 
clothes and put on her Esper suit, once more without noticing 
how Hou-chan covered his eyes while she undressed.
	"Okay, just wait a bit," Ranko said, fastening her fingerless 
gloves. Closing her eyes, she concentrated. She only felt slight 
tension in the muscles of her shoulders, then her back, as she 
changed. She opened her mouth involuntarily, the weight of the 
wings made her arch her back. With a tingle, the two feathers of 
her crest sprouted from her forehead, signaling the end of the 
transformation.
	"How do I look?" she asked, joking, upon seeing Hou-chan's 
wide eyes. "C'mon, you gotta learn how to do this," she said, 
spreading her wings. As if understanding, Hou-chan spread his 
own. Fanning her tail for balance, she flapped downwards to get 
off the ground and took him in her hands, then rose into the 
air. Shifting her hold, she held Hou-chan from the belly with one 
hand, stretching her arm outwards. The bird reflexively spread 
his wings and tail, staggering briefly as he tried to mantain his 
balance.
	"Okay, now do this," Ranko showed him how she moved her 
wings, sadly recalling the moment when Phaeron had taught her to 
fly. Hou-chan stumbled a bit, but quickly learned to sweep his 
wings back and forth in ovals. "I'm gonna let you go now," Ranko 
warned. The bird immediately began to flap strongly. Slowly at 
first, she drew her hand back. For a few instants, Hou-chan 
clawed the empty air desperately with his talons, but eventually 
picked up his legs and rode an air current.
	"Hey, very good, Hou-chan!" she congratulated. The bird 
turned to her for an instant, but nearly lost the wind and 
immediately looked forward again. She giggled at him, the memory 
of her own mistakes resurfacing in her mind. Not even last 
night's nightmare depressed her this time, the joy of flight 
deprived her of negative emotions.
	"Hey, Hou-chan," she called, speeding up to take the bird in 
her hands, "Let's go back, okay?" she smiled at him. Surprised to 
see her in a better mood, the small phoenix shrieked and rested 
on her palms.

			*	*	*

	She landed in the vacant lot near to the Tendos', holding 
her backpack in her hands and with Hou-chan close behind. 
Cautious, she touched down on a high branch of the tree, hiding 
in the foliage. She sneezed when her bare toes felt the freezing 
wood, she quickly sat down on the branch to avoid losing her 
balance. She took her necklace from the backpack and put it on, 
covering herself with the warmth of a Wind/Fire magic combination 
as she changed back to human and to her normal clothes. 
However, just as she zipped up her winter jacket she caught a 
glimpse of Hou-chan covering his eyes with a wing.
	"What're you doing?" she took the bird in her hands, 
blinking. She snickered at herself, "Right, like a bird's gonna be 
embarassed at seeing me change." Putting the sweating bird on a 
branch, she tossed down the backpack and leapt to the ground, 
shivering a bit as the snow covered her feet up to her ankles. 
Sneezing again, she hoisted her pack and beckoned for Hou-chan 
to follow as she headed for the Tendo house.
	She was almost past the main gates when she suddenly felt 
the all-too familiar pressure around her, followed by mindless 
drivel from an idiot's babbling mouth.
	"Let _GO_!" she punched Kuno away. "Won't you  _ever_ 
understand I won't date you?!"
	"But pigtailed gi--" Kuno's eyes widened as he took a good 
look at her short hair, "Ah! What has happened to your..."
	"And another thing," she fumed at him, "If you want to talk 
to me, use my NAME! I'm so sick of you calling me 'pigtailed girl'!"
	"Very well," he stood up, "I shall-- eh?" he noticed the 
green glimmer on her chest. "Who dared give you such a lowly 
trinket?" he cocked an eyebrow as he reached to take the 
emerald in his fingers. Glaring at him for the remark, Ranko 
concentrated and stretched her right hand. A ring of silvery 
glimmers surrounded her wrist. She began to wave her hand in 
small circles.
	"That's from Phaeron-kun, you moron," she muttered.
	Kuno snorted, "So, the bird man thinks he can buy thine 
heart with cheap items?" he reared back, almost ready to tear 
the necklace off. Hou-chan scowled fiercely at him until...
	"I really suggest you leave it alone, Kuno," Ranko said 
calmly, the tip of her sword less than an inch away from his 
throat. He quickly let go of the emerald. "That was smart," she 
turned away, her sword became a ring of glimmers around her 
wrist again.
	"Ex-pigtailed girl..." Kuno stammered, unnerving her with the 
nickname again. "You... and the bird man..."
	She stopped, but didn't turn to him. She only petted Hou-
chan when he landed on her shoulder, "I loved him, Kuno. Try that 
again and you _wll_ end up in a hospital." With that, she silently 
walked into the Tendo house.
	"You... loved him..." Kuno's modest mind was overwhelmed by 
the thought that a female could not love him. "Ex-pigtailed 
girl..." his eyes went blank. "I see... I have only pestered thee in 
the same manner those fools did..." he sighed, "But it shan't 
happen again..." he stood straight, bracing himself, "Farewell, ex-
pigtailed girl..." He reared back...
	"Akane Tendo!" he somehow managed to enter the dining room 
and glomp onto her simultaneously.
	"What are you doing!?" she punted him back to the Kuno 
estate.

			*	*	*

	The two figures began to head for the Light.
	"No! This time you're not going!" she called. But then, the 
young man rode the large bird as they both rose into the air, 
soaring towards the Light. Determined, she clenched every muscle 
in her body and morphed, spreading her wings as she took off in 
pursuit.
	"I got you!" she finally managed to fly faster than the 
bird, it would only take a few more seconds for her to catch 
them. At last, they wouldn't go into the Light!
	But suddenly a large black sphere was shot towards her. 
She had to swerve to the side to avoid it, the distraction was 
enough for her to lose them as they went Inside.
	"No! Not again!" she shouted, then darted for the Light 
herself. She was almost In when It disapperared, leaving her in 
the darkness once more.
	"You see?!" came the girl's voice, "You made him leave! I 
hate you!" she charged a large blast.
	"This time you won't beat me!" Ranko bellowed through the 
sorrow. She waved her hand in small circles, the glimmers 
suddenly became her long staff while a ring of flames surrounded 
her left wrist.
	"It hurts!" the girl blasted out. Ranko aimed her left hand 
at the shot, sending a giant blaze towards it and cancelling it 
out.
	"I did it!" she smirked, seeing she had finally avoided the 
girl's attack.
	"It HURTS!" the girl cried, floating up to meet her. Ranko 
defended with her staff, but the girl was too fast for her and 
punched her hard in the gut, sending her down to the ground. 
Ranko quickly stood, "Wind!" she aimed her hand at the girl, 
diverting her dropkick.
	"Stop it! Please, STOP IT!" the girl screamed, sending out 
blasts in all directions.
	"If you want me to help, let me do it!" Ranko thrust the 
spiked end of her staff into the ground, flaring her wings and 
tail, "Aurora Dream!"
	"NO!" the girl encased herself in a sphere of light, 
defending from the healing wind of the Aurora Dream. "Leave me 
alone! You made him leave!"
	"I _didn't_ make anyone leave!" Ranko batted away another 
blast with her staff.
	"Yes, you did! It was all your fault!"
	"It was _nobody's_ fault! It's just something that happened, 
period!"
	"But... but... but then why does it hurt so much!?"
	"Because you loved him! Of course it hurts!" Ranko stopped 
herself, standing straight before the girl, "It's supposed to 
hurt. Nobody said this would be easy for us."
	"But the pain...! Stop the pain! Please, stop it!"
	"I can't stop it. It's something that we'll have to endure, I 
guess," she put her hand on the girl's shoulder, "It'll always 
hurt, but we'll somehow get over it..."
	"But the pain..." the girl repeated, crying. Ranko held her 
tightly, feeling how the girl returned the hug. "It hurts... It 
really hurts...!"
	Ranko could feel her eyes becoming watery, as she shared 
in the pain. With a sob, both Ranko and her younger self cried.
	And she woke up.


It's hard to let go

	New Year's eve. For once, the sky wasn't gray anymore, 
although the lights of sunset didn't do much for her mood. And 
yet, it wasn't the nightmare what had brought her depression. 
She still missed him. Like in her nightmare, the pain would not 
stop.
	"What do you mean you won't buy them?" Nabiki said, 
incredulous, into the phone. "I thought you loved having pictures 
of your 'goddess,' Kuno-chan... What? You're not interested 
anymore? Did Kodachi drug you? Wait, don't hang up! We'll make a 
deal! Agh!"
	"Great!" she slammed the receiver. "What's with him...? To 
think Kuno-chan wouldn't like the new pictures I took..."
	Pensive, she rubbed her chin, "Well, I have to admit that 
last batch wasn't as good as the others, with Ranko having cut 
her hair and all... And that depressive face doesn't do much 
good, either..." Walking around the house, she suddenly smirked 
when she looked towards the dining room's open door to the pond. 
There, sitting on the floor with her legs hanging down, Ranko 
sighed as she looked up into the crimson skies, with Hou-chan 
perched on her lap.
	"Perfect. Just what I needed," Nabiki smirked as she took 
her camera from Hyperspace. "Okay, now if you would just lift 
your face a bit," she thought, aiming the camera towards the 
redhead. She took a few shots, then stopped. "Wow. She must be 
really sad this time," she noticed the short distance between 
them. Even Hou-chan was already glaring at Nabiki, although 
Ranko was completely indifferent to pictures by now. Shrugging, 
Nabiki aimed her camera once more--
	SLAP!
	Kasumi pulled her hand back, still chiding Nabiki with her 
gaze. Nabiki dropped her hands, incredulous. Her eyes widened as 
she felt her cheek, wincing slightly at the reddened mark on it. 
Silent, she turned to her right. She stared at Kasumi as she 
walked away.
	"Oneechan..." Nabiki heard another voice behind her, "How 
could you?" Akane asked, "Don't you think she's suffering enough? 
Can't you forget about making money for a while?"
	"I..." Nabiki tried.
	"Forget it," Akane shook her head in disappointment. Nabiki 
remained silent as Akane sat down next to Ranko, trying to 
comfort her. Cocking en eyebrow, she checked the camera. "Hmph. 
It still has one shot left anyway..." she stepped back and took 
the picture, quickly walking away before Akane could glare at 
her.
	"So you really don't want to go train?" Akane asked, trying 
to distract the redhead from these depressive thoughts.
	"Thanks, oneechan," Ranko said, standing up, "But I think I'll 
go take a walk."
	"But how do you feel?" Akane asked carefully.
	"You wanna know?" Ranko sighed, "How did you feel when 
oniisan was turned to ice?" Walking away, she left a surprised 
Akane in the garden as she went out to the street, with no 
route set in her mind.
	She had barely come out the gates when she felt a 
powerful presence above her. Looking up, she only had time to 
see a tall male figure sweep towards her and carry her away in 
one arm, with Masamune quietly glowing in the other. Gulping, 
Ranko looked up at Raphael, her eyes widening silently.

			*	*	*

	He set her down on a small dry patch of the vacant lot. 
She just kept looking at his stern face, a mask not even she 
could interpret. But she then pulled her gaze away from him, 
recalling that Raphael and Phaeron were physically identical 
except for the eyes.
	Looking out the corner of his eye, he felt a constricting 
pain in his chest when he noticed her reaction to his face. 
Shaking his head, he sighed gravely and brandished Masamune in 
both hands.
	"Fiducia..." he thought, closing his eyes, "Please forgive me 
for this... But I can't bear to see her suffer for something I 
did."
	Without a word, he took Ranko's hand and placed the 
katana's hilt inside it, closing her fingers in a fist around the 
sword. Still silent, he stepped back and turned away.
	"Wha..." Ranko could finally blink oddly at him.
	"Do it," he said, getting down on one knee.
	"H-huh?" she felt a chill.
	"This is your chance." He turned briefly at her, "I can't 
see you in this pain, especially if _I_ caused it..." Sighing, he 
looked forward again and closed his eyes. "That's why I'm doing 
this. Do whatever you want with me." He pursed his lips, "Maybe 
my life can repay for what I've put you through."
	A young man stared in utter shock as he saw Ranko look 
absently at Raphael, then at the sword. Masamune didn't dare 
speak as the redhead slowly began to lift the blade, rearing 
back for the strike. Frozen in place, Ryouga even dropped his 
backpack at the sight, barely fifteen yards away from them.
	Raphael just waited patiently, realizing she was lifting the 
sword. With a sigh, he concentrated on Seraphim's face.
	Ryouga could not even breathe. He could only see Ranko's 
eyes become completely empty, the light of sunset broke off 
upon hitting Masamune's perfect metal. Shaking off the initial 
shock, he clenched his fists and made a break for her.
	She suddenly narrowed her eyes, tensing her shoulders.
	"Hyaaaa!" she slashed down.
	Raphael opened his eyes, completely certain that the sword 
had completed its arc, yet surprised at finding himself in one 
piece. Bolting around, he stared at Ranko. In a similar fashion, 
Ryouga just stopped in his tracks even before he could advance 
two yards.
	Ranko breathed heavily for an instant, then stood up. 
Masamune was almost fully thrust into the ground.
	"R-Ranko?" Raphael stammered.
	"Really, who do you think I am?" she sent him a scolding 
glare, slight annoyance in her voice, "You think I'd take revenge 
on you for something Dysithal forced you to do?"
	"But I thought you..."
	"Raphael, I'm not like that," she pulled the sword from the 
ground. "I can't go around blaming other people for this. If 
anything, _I_ should've told him from the beginning..." she looked 
up, "But, y'know? It's okay now... I'll always miss him, but I gotta 
go on. I gotta _learn_ to go on," she smiled, handing him back 
the sword, "You better put her back before Mom notices she's 
gone."
	Now Raphael was the one who fell silent as she began to 
walk away. Looking at her for an instant, he walked towards her 
and stopped her. She chuckled, "What, you _really_ want me to 
kill you?"
	"Are you sure it's okay?" he asked.
	"Raphael..." she put her hand on his shoulder, "Believe me, 
it hurts a lot. But I... I'll have to get on with my life." She 
smiled, "That's why Phaeron-kun saved me when I used the Caller."
	"I hope you're right about this," he said, seeing her walk 
away.
	She stopped, "Yeah, I hope so too." With a slight shiver, 
she suddenly leapt up and onto a rooftop. There was a flash of 
light, and Raphael caught a glimpse of a half-Esper girl flying 
away, riding the cold winds of winter.
	"What the... Where'd she go?" Ryouga came up behind him, 
looking around as he tried to find her.
	"I don't know..." Raphael said, looking upwards. "But..." he 
smiled, "But I have a feeling everything will be all right..."

			*	*	*

	Nabiki walked towards her bedroom, still a bit upset about 
the way her own sisters scolded her for taking those pictures. 
But what was all the fuss about? It's not like she was taking 
advantage of Ranko's weakness or anything, she was just trying 
to make a little pocket money.
	Shrugging, she opened the door to her bedroom... and 
shrieked in shock. All over the room were small bits of broken 
photos, the negatives were rendered useless by the tiny claws 
of one phoenix. It were the more risqu� pictures which had 
suffered the most. Calming down, she scowled fiercely at Hou-
chan.
	"You, you... stupid bird!" she yelled, "Look what you did!"
	Then, as if upsetting her purposely, Hou-chan took another 
envelope of pictures in his beak, then slowly sheared right 
through it with his claws. She immediately grabbed a heavy 
Accounting book and flung it to him. He idly flew up to avoid, 
then darted for the desk and took the only two pictures that 
had come through unscathed. Before she could follow by tossing 
a wide tome of Amateur Photography, Hou-chan flew out of the 
room, dropping both pictures on her arms. Nabiki blinked, then 
silently looked at the photos. Swallowing hard, she sat down on 
her bed and set her eyes on a picture of herself, at age five, 
with her mother.

			*	*	*

	The cool air brushed her hair as she glided through the 
skies, amid a small flock of birds. Looking at her clothes, she 
snickered at herself: she didn't have to change them before 
morphing, for the clothes themselves would change shape along 
with her. Testing her theory, she took off one of the toe- and 
ankle-less cloth legs. It changed back to the shoe and sock she 
was wearing, then these became the beige piece of clothing when 
she put them back on.
	She sighed when she left the flock, preferring to accompany 
a few passing swans. They sang as she approached, noticing she 
wasn't a bird like them. Ranko giggled a bit at the startled 
birds, then lowered her head slightly. Had she really meant that? 
Did she truly believe that it was okay now?
	She crossed her arms on her chest, feeling the small lump 
of her necklace pressing against her collar. She looked forward 
again, realizing she had only flown around in circles around 
Nerima. Curious, she looked down at the people below.
	All those lives... She wondered what everybody was thinking, 
what tragedies they had to endure, what joys they delighted 
upon. So many different people, each leading an own life, and all 
taking various paths. She smiled, her life was probably one of 
the strangest, even though she was barely sixteen. And already 
she had to endure losing somebody...
	She shook her head, avoiding that thought. Spreading her 
arms again, she slowed down a bit before flapping strongly to 
stop her motion. She spread her arms and wings upwards, fanning 
her tail to diminish her rate of descent. She touched down on a 
bench in the park, the cold surface sent a chill through her 
bare toes. She sneezed, then stood straight on the snow-covered 
ground.
	"Aahhh..." she sighed, letting her shoulders drop slightly, "I 
really needed that..." She smiled, flying always seemed to cheer 
her up. "Huh?" she turned around upon hearing footsteps.
	"Ranko-san, I was looking for y---" Ryouga stopped cold 
when he saw her. With his eyes fixed on her, he fell flat on his 
face.
	"Oops," Ranko snickered, "Gotta be more careful when I 
change," she said, quickly changing back to human shape while 
digging him out of the snow.

			*	*	*

	"S-so..." Ryouga fiddled with his hands, sitting on the 
bench, "You can change like that?" he looked up to his right, 
since Ranko was crouched on the bench's seat.
	"Yep," she nodded, noticing how nervous Ryouga was acting 
in her company. "Wonder how P-chan would look as an Esper?" she 
smirked. Ryouga blushed brightly and made some small tries at 
laughing. "So, didn't you say you were looking for me?" Ranko 
asked.
	"Uh, r-right..." Ryouga replied, digging into his backpack. "H-
here," he turned away as he handed her a box, whose wrap was 
as red as his face.
	"Hey, how did you know?" Ranko blinked as she opened the 
box, seeing it filled with candy. She set it on her lap and dug 

in, "I love these." Ryouga couldn't listen, he was simply crying in 
happiness as he thanked his lucky star.
	"But... weren't these for Akane?" Ranko asked, then looked 
oddly at the zoned-out Ryouga. "HEY!" she yelled. He came back 
to earth.
	"Oh, sorry..." he meekly showed a timid smile. After a few 
moments, he finally asked, "Ranko-san... How do you feel?" Her 
sudden change of attitude was an answer enough. Gathering 
strength, he spoke, "Maybe I'm not the best one to tell you 
this... But I know how you feel."
	"Huh?"
	"I've never lost anyone," Ryouga said, "Or at least I hope I 
haven't. But I'm always alone... With this cursed sense of 
direction I can't find my way when I really want to... And my 
family's scattered all over the world... But I know solitude."
	"Ryouga-kun..." Ranko looked strangely at him, then sat down 
on the bench.
	"I never knew a family..." he continued, "And I never even 
dreamed about having friends, but..." he looked briefly at her, 
"Ranko-san, ever since I came here, I had friends for the very 
first time." He couldn't hide a smile, "Heh. To think I met 
everyone because _you_ kicked me into that spring," he smirked 
at her.
	"Hey, who told you to stand in the middle of a cliff 
anyway?" she snickered.
	"Yeah..." he looked away once more. "But anyway..." he 
blushed again, "Ranko-san... thanks."
	She blinked when he turned to her. But soon that confused 
look became slight worry as she looked at Ryouga's eyes: he had 
the same look Phaeron had whenever he talked to her. She 
quickly checked her emerald, but the Brindstone wasn't even 
shimmering.
	"Ryouga-kun, you..." she also blushed. "You don't mean you..."
	"Ranko-san..." he stood up, facing her. Both remained in that 
position for a long time, loud heartbeats were heard all around. 
But Ryouga didn't even reach for her hands. He simply spoke, 
continuing his speech, "Ranko-san, I know. I know how you felt 
for Phaeron." He surprised himself, his voice had shown no trace 
of jealousy. "That's why I came here. I saw what happened back 
there with his brother." Looking seriously at her, he put a hand 
on her shoulder, "All I want to say is... if you need a friend, I'll 
be here."
	"Ryouga-kun?" she looked at his hand. Why was he acting 
like this? He had been her regular enemy almost since she met 
him, but now... Why was he being so nice with her?
	"I..." she looked down.
	"Like I said, I understand how you feel," he squeezed her 
shoulder slightly. "Ranko-san, you have to be strong.  And don't 
forget that there are people here to help you."
	"Ryouga..." she looked up at him with watery eyes, no longer 
wondering about his behavior. Seeing her state, he took her 
hands and pulled her to her feet. All of a sudden every memory 
she had of him changed. He was no longer an opponent, he wasn't 
even a rival fighter. For the first time, she saw him as a real, 
honest friend. And she needed just that.
	"Ranko-san..." he said, "I never thought I'd say this, but... 
I'll always be your friend."
	Trembling slightly under the pressure, she couldn't help but 
lean towards him, hesitantly resting against his chest. Sighing, 
she was slightly startled when she felt his arms surround her, 
but eventually accepted his hold and let herself stay in it.
	Ryouga Hibiki had changed. All the sorrows of eternal 
solitude had hardened him, even though his emotions were still 
young. When he met Akane, he thought his pain had finally ended. 
But everything was put on a tail-spin when Ranko saved him from 
the first Doppleganger. His feelings had somehow matured, he was 
no longer so focused on the first girl he met. But as of late, 
after having talked with Phaeron on Christmas Eve, his attitude 
changed even more dearly.
	"Ranko-san..." he thought, "Thank you. I never really loved 
anyone before you and Akane-san. But now..." he looked down at 
her, "I feel strange... I feel like there's a whole world out 
there... Thank you."
	Slowly, he let her go and pushed her away slightly. "Here," 
he offered one of his bandannas, seeing how her eyes hadn't 
released as single tear but would give out soon. Putting an arm 
around her shoulders, he began to lead her back to the Tendos' 
--not that he had an idea where the dojo was, of course. "You 
okay?" he asked.
	"I... think so," she replied, then looked up at him, "Ryouga-
kun, thanks."
	"Hmph," he snorted, "Don't mention it," he smirked, flashing 
his fangs, "And I mean that. Not a word."
	"Right," she smirked back.
	"I'll go away for a few days," he said.
	"Oh, you're going to cross the street?" she giggled. He 
snickered at the joke, "I have to clear my head..."
	"Hoboy, _that's_ gonna take less than a minute!" she 
smirked, then quieted down, and sent him a worried look, "You 
take care, okay?" He nodded. Blinking, they realized they were 
only a few blocks away from the dojo, which was almost around 
the corner, "Well, see you, Ryouga-kun," Ranko said, stopping. 
Hesitant for a second, she quickly leaned forward and squeezed 
his hands. "Thanks again," she said, stepping back.
	As she rushed ahead, he stood on the street, seeing the 
celestial canopy shedding its reddish pastels to let night 
arrive. Snorting, he smirked to himself and walked away in the 
opposite direction, putting his umbrella on top of his backpack. 
For some reason, he felt undescribably confident. All of the 
world had opened to him. He knew he would never be more than a 
friend to her, but somehow he wasn't unhappy at the result. Deep 
down, his new confidence has sparked hope in him. And he knew, 
someday, he would find his match.
	So, going around a corner, he released a punch out of 
simple joy...
	...and Akari's giant sumo pig was completely knocked out.

			*	*	*

	Ranko walked back home, an absent smile on her face. She 
couldn't tell why, but she felt deeply relieved. But although she 
didn't know it, Ryouga had lifted a great deal of the obscurity 
that pressed upon her heart. Somehow, she was deeply renewed.
	Sighing, she stopped when she saw a little phoenix fly 
towards her. "Hou-chan, come here," she called with a smile, 
opening her arms. The bird chirped happily as he approached. In 
his flight, she noticed he was beginning to shed away some of 
his green downy of infancy, as there were some slight hints of 
red and orange beneath. Also, the feathers around his collar and 
breast were changing, shaping a golden ring around his neck while 
there was a yellow circle around a bright scarlet patch, just 
below the collar.
	But without warning, a large dark blur dropped on top of 
Hou-chan, pinning him to the ground and knocking him out at the 
impact. Ranko froze in terror upon seeing the attacker: a pure-
white cat, with only black gloves and socks. It looked straight 
at her, as if expecting retaliation. Seeing her paralyzed, 
however, the cat quickly darted its head for Hou-chan's neck. 
Ranko could only stare in fright as the cat grasped her pet bird 
in its jaws. Sending a flashing glance at her, it ran down the 
street to dispose of its prey.
	"W..." Ranko's mind was numb in fright, she couldn't even 
think of chasing the cat. Clenching her fists, she shut her eyes 
and forced all her might into taking a step forward. "W... Wait!!" 
she raced forward, keeping her eyes closed. The cat stopped 
briefly, turning to see her. But with her blind chase she only 
managed to trip on the ground, falling face-first into the snow.
	"D-Damn..." she staggered upwards, forcing herself to set 
eyes on the cat. "Y-you let him go, you..."
	The cat cocked its head at her, blinking oddly. Ignoring her, 
it leapt onto a trashcan, then up on a fence. Ranko gasped and 
once more fought to move her body, then jumped onto the fence 
in pursuit. Frozen chills filled her body if she did as much as 
set sight on the cat, let alone _chase_ it! Memories of an 
avalanche of cats burying a young Ranma came to her mind. The 
eyes... the claws... the unnerving meows! And this cat already had 
a large head-start!
	"G-Get back here!" she literally pushed the words out of 
her mouth. "Stop! Hou-chan!"
	Shuddering uncontrollably, she pressed on and enhanced her 
speed. The cat tried to escape by leaping onto a branch, which 
seemed strong enough to support it and the added weight of 
Hou-chan. But all of a sudden the wood snapped, almost as if 
broken by someone else. The cat meowed in surprise as if 
tumbled to the ground. Panting, Ranko reared back from sending 
the Wind blast and hurried down to take Hou-chan out of the 
cat's reach.
	She lunged for him almost at the same time as the cat, but 
she didn't dare pull back her hand. Hissing, the cat lifted a paw 
and swiped at her hand. She shrieked, mostly out of 
aellurophobia than true pain, but quickly slapped the cat away 
with her other hand.
	"Go away!" she yelled, glaring at the cat as she held Hou-
chan in one arm, the other hand stretched forward to defend. All 
of her body shook at the feline sight, but even if this was just 
an animal she would never show weakness. Growling, it arched its 
back and puffed its fur, but realized it was outclassed and 
quietly ran away, becoming lost inside an alley.
	"Good..." Ranko calmed down, relaxing as she sat on her 
calves. Her system was still filled with fear, but it would 
eventually recover. For the moment, the priority was Hou-chan. 
Looking down at him, she gasped when she saw the open wound on 
the back of his long neck, left by the cat's fangs. "Hou-chan!" 
she called, shaking him gently, but the bird was cold and limp, 
his feathers covered in a thin layer of snow. Panicking for an 
instant, she forced herself to remain in one piece and aimed a 
hand upwards, summoning the ring of glimmers that became her 
staff. Concentrating, she turned the halo at the end into a ring 
of searing flames, which roared even though they remained in 
place. A powerful light was then emanated from the angelical 
figurine, it bathed Ranko and Hou-chan in its warm glow. Joining 
in the healing spell, the ring of fire bloomed like a heath when 
Ranko called, "Aurora Rebirth!"
	The dark skies of early night were suddenly illuminated by 
a borealis, the pink glow stretched almost to all the city. 
Concentrating again, she summoned the healing wind, but this time 
it was coupled with the fire from her staff and a flaming 
current enveloped both girl and bird. Relieved as the wound was 
sealed, she carefully stroked Hou-chan's neck and dispersed her 
spell by sending away her staff.
	"He's still too cold..." she thought, feeling the bird's cold 
feathers. She stood up, then opened her jacket and blouse and 
put the bird inside her clothes, resting him against her chest. 
She shivered at his cold, then quickly closed her clothes and 
held him from the outside. She smiled at feeling the fast, steady 
beats of Hou-chan's small heart. Looking around, she got her 
bearings and ran back to the Tendo dojo.
	Ranma blushed strongly, facing Akane in the living room. 
Both sat in front of each other, but for the first time nobody 
was eavesdropping on them. However, they knew what Ranma's visit 
was about. And given the circumstances, there was no way either 
would back out now.
	Akane felt her heart fluttering, her throat completely dry 
and her mind unable to shape words. Ever since Ranma came by a 
few hours ago, after his sister had left, he had been acting 
rather odd. But his oddity only showed when it regarded her, a 
clue she was quick to pick up. He had entered the house saying 
he had to talk to her about something _really_ important, and 
with his behavior she could easily guess what it could be about. 
She gulped again when he faced her, she strengthened herself so 
she could hear with all clarity.
	He, on the other hand, was a nervous wreck. He had never 
learned how to show his feelings. Not only that, but his training 
and rearing had taught him that expressing emotion was a sign of 
weakness. He didn't want to be weak. He _wasn't_ weak. But he 
just _HAD_ to say this...!
	"Wh-what is it?" Akane finally asked, seeing he wasn't going 
to speak during this millenium if left to his own devices.
	"Uh..." he tensed up considerably. "Ak... kane... I, uh... I've 
been thinking 'bout this a lot, and..."
	"Yes?" she listened carefully, _eagerly_.
	"I, well.. It's like this... I--"
	He was cut off as his sister hurriedly entered the house, 
passing by the living room door. She almost didn't see him, "Eh? 
Oniisan, what're you doing here?"
	"Hm?" Akane was distracted long enough for her to see Hou-
chan's head peeking out from Ranko's clothes. "What happened?"
	"A cat. That's what happened," Ranko replied, "I'll be in the 
bath for a while, okay?" she quickly dashed along the corridor, 
headed for the bathroom.
	"A cat?" Akane wondered. She turned back to Ranma, "So, 
what were you gonna say?" She couldn't help smiling.
	"Heh," he snickered, recalling where Hou-chan was tucked, 
"When that thing wakes up, he'll be a very happy bird."
	And Akane couldn't help _glaring_. Nor reaching for her 
brand new Mallet of Doom.
	"You absolute PERVERT!!"
	Ranma thus joined the family of living satellites.

	Ranko closed the bathroom's sliding door with her foot, as 
she was already taking Hou-chan in her hands. She felt the warm 
steam coming from the tub, and smiled at Kasumi's ever-present 
foresight. She put the bird on a towel while she disrobed, then 
gently wrapped him inside a bundle of her clothes. Ranko smiled, 
Hou-chan could have been Phaeron's brother, or maybe even son, 
given how alike the bird was to Esper Phoenix. Snickering, she 
put her hand on Hou-chan and petted him, then slowly got into 
the tub. The warm water was certainly relaxing, it seemed to 
wash away all the pain and exhaustion she felt.
	For a moment, she took a towel and folded it, then put it 
behind her head as a pillow as she leaned back against the tub's 
edge. Closing her eyes, she let out a deep sigh. Today had been 
such an extraordinary day... Although she was still hurt, it 
appeared that life was finally returning to her. The unceasing 
pain was nearly gone... and all because of her friends. She had 
such good friends, even if they didn't always act that way.
	Ryouga... She snickered, blushing slightly. She would have 
never thought he could... he could _feel_ something for her. But 
she was probably wrong, anyway. He certainly acted more like a 
friend when they talked. Besides, she knew he would soon find his 
Akari-chan... just as everyone else would find somebody, except 
her.
	She shook her head at the thought, she wouldn't listen to 
it anymore. Releasing another sigh, she let her head rest 
against the tub, the weariness of the day making her drowsy...

			*	*	*

	A faint breeze brushed the gray landscape, matching the 
colorless sky. But the lone figure stood there, unmoving. She 
held some flowers in her arms, along with a medallion that hung 
from its chain.
	Ranko stood in silence before the grave, only the brush of 
her clothes made any sound. Her hair was no longer short, but 
she hadn't braided it anymore. She seemed to have matured, and 
her eyes were proof of that.
	"Phaeron-kun..." she spoke to the grave, "It's been a year 
since you left. A lot has happened here." She looked around, 
nervous, "It... it still hurts, but I guess I'm finally moving on. 
Oniisan and Akane are closer, but you already know that." She 
smiled, slowly putting the flowers, one at a time, in front of 
the grave. "I miss you, Phaeron-kun. But I guess... if you waited 
so long to see me, maybe I can wait too." She looked up, "You 
never forgot me... and I'll never forget you."
	Sighing, she looked at the gold and ruby medallion she held 
in her hands. With a smile, she folded the chain and set the gift 
upon the flowers, as if reliving the time when she first gave it 
to him. She kneeled, and prayed. But when she stood up, she 
noticed there was a small cardinal perched on the gravestone. It 
chirped at her, then took off towards the ocean. She smiled, 
letting the bird fly away towards theSun.

			*	*	*

	She woke up slowly, gradually realizing she had fallen 
asleep in the tub. Groggy at first, she sat up again and rubbed 
her head, then dunked her face in the warm water to become 
fully awake. Sighing, she thought about the dream she just had.
	"Man... I wish I could really say something like that..." she 
said to herself, "I don't know how long this pain will last."
	Shaking her head, she suddenly heard a low cooing sound 
come from her clothes. She moved towards the side of the tub, 
resting her arms on it. Smiling, she reached down and gently took 
Hou-chan in her hands, noticing how warm he was now. The bird 
weakly opened an eye to see her...
	...and immediately turned away _and_ covered his eyes with 
a wing, realizing she was bathing. Ranko blinked, why would a bird 
be embarassed? Shifting her hands, she turned him around so she 
could see his face. But once more he turned away, the green 
downy on his face fell, making way to solid crimson feathers.
	"Come on, Hou-chan," she snickered, gently pulling his beak. 
The bird nearly lost it when he was forced to look straight at 
her, he struggled with his wings almost madly.
	"Hou-chan, calm down!" she giggled, "You're acting like 
Phaeron-ku..."
	Her voice was cut off as she ceased smiling, she suddenly 
looked at Hou-chan with a gaze that seemed to look _inside_ him. 
No, it couldn't be... Could it? She had said so herself, this was 
just an ordinary bird. Right? But...
	She gasped when she finally noticed the shape of Hou-
chan's patterned feathers around his neck. With the gold ring and 
the bright crimson patch on his breast, the image looked exactly 
like--
	"No." She forced herself to accept the truth. There was no 
way this bird could have any relation to him other than the 
species. Shaking her head, she put Hou-chan on the edge of the 
tub, letting him face away. It would have been nice, she thought, 
at least they could have been together that way. But she 
couldn't go on thinking about this, she had already convinced 
herself she had to let go.
	Sighing, she looked at the bird and caught him sneaking a 
glance at her through the feathers of his wings. "Hey, you 
peeping-tom!" she giggled, playfully taking him in her arms and 
giving him a noogie with her finger. The bird became even redder 
as she held him close to her chest. Noticing how he was now 
burning up, Ranko snickered and got out of the tub, burying him 
in clothes as she took a towel to dry herself. How convenient, 
her pajamas were already in the clean clothes' basket just 
outside, in the laundry room. She put them on, then freed Hou-
chan from the clothes and put him on her shoulder. Petting him, 
she smiled and came out to the hall.
	"Who were you talking to?" Nabiki was standing next to the 
door, apparently waiting. Her face, as always, was a confident 
mask laced with seriousness, she simply leaned against the wall, 
arms crossed.
	"Just Hou-chan," she smirked. "What're you doing, anyway?"
	Nabiki opened her half-closed eyes a bit more, "I heard 
what you said in there. You mentioned something about 'wishing 
to talk like that.'"
	"I was talking to myself, about a dream. So what?"
	Nabiki stood straight, facing her completely. For an 
instant, Ranko suddenly noticed a strong air of maturity 
emanating from this young woman, coupled with a strange sense 
of loss that she could relate to.
	"Follow me," Nabiki said plainly, walking away. Blinking, Ranko 
turned to Hou-chan and shrugged, then caught up with Nabiki and 
let her lead the way upstairs.
	"What?" Ranko asked, seeing Nabiki had stopped at her own 
room's door.
	"Here," she stretched a hand, holding a picture between two 
fingers. Ranko winced slightly, it was the picture that her 
mother had taken during her birthday, with Phaeron sitting next 
to her. While the redhead's eyes glazed slightly over the photo, 
Nabiki sent a glance at Hou-chan and nodded slightly. As if 
understanding, the bird spread his wings briefly.
	"I want to tell you something," Nabiki said. "Got a minute?"
	"This isn't gonna cost me, is it?" Ranko looked up with a 
glare.
	"Hmph. Nice to see you think so well of me," Nabiki snorted. 
"No. It's not going to cost you. Think of it as... a free sample."
	"Okay, what is it?" Ranko crossed her arms, unconsciously 
pressing the picture against her chest.
	"It's about him," Nabiki pointed at the picture.

			*	*	*

	Ranko entered Akane's dark bedroom, still a bit unsure 
about what to do. Sitting on her cot, she took her Mokona doll 
in her arms and squeezed it, receiving a soft "puu" in reply.
	"I know what it means to lose somebody." She recalled 
Nabiki's words from a little while ago. "I was barely seven when 
Mother passed away.
	"You aren't the only one who has had to carry a secret, 
you know. Hasn't Akane told you about how Mother died? No? It's 
no surprise. Akane doesn't even know.
	"I was little, but I understood what was going on. I was 
just playing with the phone, pretending to give orders to 
subordinates, when I picked it up at the wrong time. As it turned 
out I overheard a conversation between Dad and the family 
doctor.
	"I couldn't believe what I had heard. Our own mother, with a 
terminal sickness that gave her only two more months to live. I 
just put the phone back, and tried to forget about the whole 
business, but the way Dad acted around Mother made me sure 
about what was going to happen.
	"You could probably understand how I felt, since Akane and 
Kasumi didn't know anything about it. Mother found out that I 
knew, but tried to pretend everything was all right. Dad still 
doesn't know that I had found out, though. To think I was the 
only one of us three that knew. You felt that, didn't you?
	"Mother passed away just as the doctor said. Akane was 
too little to understand everything, and Kasumi was trying so 
hard to keep us together that she was completely distracted 
from the whole deal. But I didn't have anything to keep me away 
from thinking about what happened. Dad took it better than I 
thought he would, I guess he felt like you feel. But despite 
himself, he showed me a way to get over the grief.
	"Anyway, I saw how you were a few hours ago." Nabiki had 
then put a hand on Ranko's shoulder, "I felt like I should help 
you, like Dad helped me."
	"And how's that?" Ranko had asked.
	"It's like this..."
	Ranko sighed again, recalling what Nabiki had suggested. 
Looking over her shoulder, she saw her pet phoenix sitting 
inside his nest. "Whaddaya say, Hou-chan? Do I try it?" The bird 
sent out a small chirp, bobbing his head. She smiled at him, then 
put the stuffed toy on the bed.
	To say she was nervous would be an understatement. She 
was so hesitant she even thought back to the times when her 
brother had tried to tell Akane about how he felt. Oh, the heck 
with it. Let's just do it already.
	She stood up. With a trembling hand she reached for the 
desk's top drawer. She gulped before opening it. Her eyes were 
quickly attracted to the gold and ruby medallion that shone in 
the moonlight, almost as if sensing her feelings. She stretched 
her hand for it, but pulled it back almost immediately. Steeling 
herself, she quickly reached for the medallion and set her hand 
on it, letting her fingers close around it. Silent, she lifted the 
medallion to her eyes. It meant so much to her. It had been the 
only way she had shown how much she cared for him. She had 
first given it to him before drowing, and now she would give it 
to him once more.
	She came out of the bedroom and headed for the balcony, 
every step filled with both eagerness and doubt. Finally she 
came out, standing by the railing as she looked up into the 
star-filled velvet. All around, she could hear a few festivities 
as nearby houses began to prepare for the coming of the New 
Year, barely four hours away. She heard Hou-chan land on the 
railing, but didn't turn to see him. With a sigh, she closed her 
eyes and opened her mouth...
	"Phaeron-kun," she spoke, "I... don't know if you can hear 
me, but... wherever you are, I hope you listen."
	She sighed. "I miss you. It's been hard to get used to not 
having you around. I don't know if you feel that way." She 
lowered her head, "What I'm really trying to say is..." she looked 
up, her eyes glimmering in the moonlight, "I love you, Phaeron-
kun. I always did. I'm sorry for being so damn stubborn that I 
never said it.
	"It... it hurts, Phaeron-kun. I never thought it'd feel like 
this. Heck, I've been having _nightmares_ about how much it 
hurts." She smiled, "But you know, I think it's alright now. I know 
you loved me, and that's why I won't let you down. I'll somehow 
get over this, and you'll see.
	"I'm not saying I'll forget about you, Phaeron-kun. Like you 
said, you'll always be in here," she put a hand on her chest. "I 
won't ever forget you. But... I'm just saying... maybe it's time I 
let you go."
	With a deep sigh, she looked up. The stars were all 
twinkling brightly as in response. Lowering her gaze again, she 
looked at the medallion. She smiled, and held it in her hands. She 
closed her eyes, mouthing some inaudible words, and lifted her 
hands over her head, offering the medallion to the heavens.
	"I love you," she repeated. The medallion then floated 
upwards by itself, surrounded by a bright golden glow. And all of 
a sudden, it became a shaft of light that stretched to the 
ground and up into the infinite sky. With a faint puff, the shaft 
was dispersed into a myriad of gold glimmers that evanesced into 
the air.
	Ranko released one last sigh, a smile forming across her 
face as a familiar warmth returned to her heart. The warmth 
spread to her entire body, filling her with unexpected energy 
that made her want to yell out loud that she loved him, for all 
the world to hear. But she restrained herself, and had to find 
content in mantaining that soft smile.
	She sent a casual glance at Hou-chan. The small phoenix 
immediately flew to her shoulder and landed on it, then made a 
calm cooing sound as he rubbed his head against her neck, 
exactly like a purring cat. She giggled at the tingles of his tiny 
crest on her skin, then took him in her arms and held him to her 
chest.
	She came back to the bedroom, still unable to wipe the 
smile off her face. With all care she put Hou-chan in his nest, 
then got into her cot and hugged her Mokona doll tightly, smiling 
into its furry head.
	"Good night, Phaeron-kun," she closed her eyes, slowly 
falling asleep, "And... good bye..."


The Caller's Plight

	"...sorry for leaving like this, all of a sudden, but I know 
you'll understand. It's just like last time, I need some time alone 
to clear my mind. I don't know when I'll be back. But don't worry, 
you'll hear from me soon. And besides, I promise I won't do 
anything stupid.
	"If Ryouga-kun gets back before I do, tell him 'thanks' from 
me. Also, thanks a lot, Nabiki. Last night I did what you told me, 
I spoke to him. But don't go taking Yuan-chan's pictures while I'm 
gone, okay?
	"I'll be staying at an inn in the mountains. I left the phone 
number attached to this note, if you need anything. By the way, 
I'm taking Hou-chan with me, so don't look for him.
	"Anyway, I just want to say that I'm sorry for all the bad 
things I've done to you lately. If anything happens to me, please 
don't blame anyone. Oh, and don't let Akane cook. I want to find 
_someone_ alive when I come back.
	"PS: I already miss you."
	Ranko sighed as she recalled the note she had left on the 
door of the house, just as she was leaving. Steeling herself, 
she shifted the weight of her backpack and looked briefly at the 
bird on her shoulder, then turned forward and entered the train 
station.
	She was leaving. Like the first time, when she had left to 
visit her sister in China. However, now she was simply travelling 
to Hokkaido, far North. She needed this trip, for she wanted to 
be alone for a few days. She had been reluctant to take Hou-
chan along, but the bird's insistence convinced her of letting him 
tag along for the trip.
	It was strange, though. All around her, everything seemed 
to be covered by a faint golden light, but she even accepted it 
like the most natural thing. Her sight near the borders was also 
slightly hazy, she felt as if walking in her sleep.
	Shrugging off the slight drowsiness, she reached the train. 
It was an old model, dull-brown with large golden letters on its 
sides. While she waited for the vehicle to open its doors, she 
casually overheard a nearby conversation. Curious, she turned 
to see the couple to her right. She saw a young, light-haired 
man in a dark uniform, with a coat draped over his shoulders and 
the uniform's matching cap covering his head. Whom he was talking 
to, however, she couldn't see. Ranko could only see a young 
girl's hands as the rest of the figure was standing behind a 
column.
	"Be careful, Harumaki-san," the hidden girl said.
	"Don't worry, my Gyouko-san. I'll come back tomorrow."
	"Tomorrow? But you had said you'd come back when the 
cherry trees bloomed..."
	"I know, but I changed my mind. I'll come on the First Day." 
The young man, Harumaki, smiled, "Just remember to call me. I 
could forget."
	"I will, Harumaki-san," the girl replied, then let go of his 
hands. "I will call you."
	"All aboard!" came a call from the train. Motioning for Hou-
chan to follow, Ranko quickly climbed aboard, all while looking to 
her right so she could see the girl. But she only saw Harumaki 
run to the train, boarding it from a different entrance. The 
steel snake began to move almost as soon as they were both 
seated, with the seat next to Ranko being the only empty space 
in the car. She quickly looked out the window, so she could see 
who "Gyouko" was. There was something oddly _familiar_ about 
that couple...
	Ranko could only stare silently. Gyouko could have very 
well been her double, except she had a large pigtail which was 
tied with a pink ribbon. Feeling Hou-chan's slight pecking on her 
shoulder, she turned away and sunk in her seat, wondering where 
she had heard those names before...
	A few hours passed in monotony. Endless white landscapes 
filled the view from all windows, only the constant murmur and 
the steady rocking of the train's wheels were heard. Bored, 
Ranko relaxed and rested her head, deciding to get some slee--
	"Uh, hi..." another familiar voice came, but from behind. "Um, 
do you know where the bathroom is?"
	"Just down the hall," a woman from the train's staff 
replied, pointing.
	"I, uh... I can't go there. I'll get lost."
	"Lost?" Ranko wondered, "And I thought Ryouga-kun had a 
problem."
	"Hm?" the owner of the voice blinked, as if hearing her 
thoughts. She stepped away from the stewardess and looked at 
Ranko. "Hey, did you say 'Ryouga'?"
	"Sure, why?" Ranko turned to see her, but gasped when she 
saw the girl.
	"Do you know a Ryouga Hibiki?" asked the girl, sitting next 
to her. She was Ranko's height, black-haired and with two 
pigtails. There was a bandanna on her hair, identical to Ryouga's, 
plus she had a Hibiki's trademark fangs.
	"Y-you are..." Ranko stammered, incredulous.
	"Yoiko Hibiki," the girl replied with a smirk. "Nice to 
meetcha, um..."
	"R-Ranko. Ranko Saotome," she bowed slightly.
	"Ranko? Hmm..." Yoiko wondered, "Something tells me I should 
know that name... Anyway, you say you know oniichan?"
	"You don't mean Ryouga, do you?"
	"Of course I do! Oniichan's name _is_ Ryouga!"
	Ranko still denied the fact, "But he said he didn't have any 
sisters..."
	Yoiko dismissed with a hand, "Nah, he knows about me. But I 
think Grandpa forgot even that I was born... That old coot."
	"S-so... You're Ryouga-kun's sister, eh?" Ranko forced a 
smile. "W-what are you doing here?"
	Yoiko blushed, "I... I'm just going to visit my boyfriend..." 
Ranko facefaulted, while Hou-chan just stared widely. "His name 
is Youbei. Y'know, he has his own private island!" Yoiko said 
excitedly. "He once told me that a strange girl helped him find 
an onsen that made him rich, and that I looked just like that 
girl."
	"No kidding," Ranko thought, recalling the events on such 
island.
	"I tried to get there myself, but..." Yoiko looked down, 
embarassed, "Guess all Hibikis get lost in their own house." 
Snickering, she looked at Ranko, "Oniichan gets lost too, huh?"
	"He can't find his way out of the bathroom," Ranko joked, 
Yoiko took it in good manner and giggled.
	"Anyway," she continued, "I got lost again and ended up in 
some fancy mansion, owned by some French guys I think. Since one 
of them was coming to Hokkaido anyway, his fianc�e convinced him 
to buy another train ticket for me, and so, here I am!" she said 
cheerfully, "And this time I won't get lost!" Standing up, Yoiko 
looked around and spotted her two benefactors, "There they are. 
Look," she motioned for Ranko to stand. The redhead's eyes 
widened an inch more when she saw the "French guy" and his 
fianc�e.
	"It... can't be," she stammered, "It's that guy! Picolette 
Chardin!"
	"The Second," Yoiko added, "And that's his fianc�e."
	Ranko was shocked even more. Picolette's bride-to-be was a 
girl with long, wavy brown hair and glasses, who wore a big, 
flowing pink dress. She also bore a striking resemblance to Yoiko 
and Gyouko.
	"Impossible," Ranko slid down to her seat, her eyes staring 
blankly. "No, no way. I'm here. I can't be there."
	"What?" Yoiko asked, startling her further.
	"Uh, n-nothing," Ranko replied, her mind reeling from what 
she was experiencing.
	"Hey, look!" Yoiko pointed out the window, "We made it here 
already!" She smiled excitedly at seeing how the train arrived at 
a town, near the foot of a snow-covered hill. "I made it! I made 
it without getting lost!" Yoiko cheered.
	"Good for you," Ranko snickered. Still skeptical about the 
girl's identity, she asked, "Where'll you be staying?"
	"It's the same hotel where they'll stay," Yoiko pointed at 
Picolette and his fianc�e, "an old inn at the base of a 
mountain."
	Ranko nodded, if she wanted to find out more about what 
was going on she should stick close to this Yoiko. "What a 
coincidence, I'll stay there too," she said, "Looks like you'll just 
have to follow me."
	Yoiko sighed in relief, "Thanks a lot. I don't know if I 
could've made it there myself. Just let me tell them you'll take 
me there, okay?" she stood up, headed for Picolette's seat.
	Ranko watched her intently, cocking an eye. "So, whaddaya 
think, Hou-chan? Are they for real?" The phoenix chirped, 
shrugging. She narrowed her eyes, "There's something funny going 
on..."

			*	*	*

	"Hey, thanks for letting me share with you," Yoiko beamed 
at Ranko while they settled in their room.
	"No prob, besides, you don't wanna get lost here, right?" 
Ranko joked, drawing an embarassed grin from Yoiko. "Mind if you 
wait for a minute here?" she asked, "I want to check this place 
out."
	"Go ahead," Yoiko said, taking the phone, "I got to make a 
phone call anyway."
	"Who're you going to call?"
	"Home," Yoiko said with a hopeful smile, "I know it sounds 
pointless, since my family finds our house about once a year, 
but I still wannna know if there's _someone_ there." She dialed, 
then sighed as she waited, "They're never home, but I know that 
someday, they'll answer to my calls."
	"Um, okay," Ranko said, beckoning for Hou-chan, "I'll be back 
in a little while."
	"Would you please get some dumplings? I just love those," 
Yoiko asked, still waiting for an answer.
	"Sure," Ranko shrugged, and went outside.
	"What a nice person," Yoiko thought, then her eyes widened 
as a male voice suddenly answered on the phone. "O-oniichan?! Is 
that you?! Oh, thank you! It's me, Yoiko!"
	Ranko and Hou-chan explored the inn, a rustic house with 
an air of elegance to it. Knitting her brow, Ranko thought, "This 
is impossible. I mean, _I_ disguised myself as 'Yoiko' and as 
Ryouga's fianc�e a long time ago. And the old guy thought _I_ 
was Gyouko. There's got to be an explanation for this..."
	"Excuse me?" she was brought out of her thoughts by her 
own voice, coming from another girl. Looking over her shoulder, 
she found Picolette�s "fianc�e" --the same disguise she had used 
to fool Ryouga on his date with Akane.
	"What?" Ranko asked. It was odd, adressing herself...
	"You helped Yoiko-chan, right?" the bespectacled girl asked, 
"Thanks for letting her stay in you room. Since she's a Hibiki, 
she gets lost very easily."
	Ranko nodded, smirking as she thought, "Okay, if this girl is 
really who I think she is, she'll know this."
	"So, you know the Hibikis?" Ranko asked, "I thought you 
were Ryouga-kun's fianc�e."
	The girl sighed sadly, "I was, but he was already in love 
with another girl. But then I met Picolette, and..." she smiled a 
little, almost timidly. Ranko swallowed hard.
	"You... actually love him?" Ranko shuddered slightly.
	"Yes," the girl nodded eagerly. "Well, at first we were only 
friends, but I never told him how I felt. Then, one day, he was 
going back to France for good. I called him and told him 
everything, and he decided to stay!"
	"You called him?" Ranko blinked, "And he stayed because of 
that?"
	"Uh-huh," the girl beamed. "He was going to leave me. I'd 
have to be crazy not to call him."
	Before Ranko could blink at her words, both girls turned 
when they heard a young man's voice behind them. "Excuse me?" a 
blond boy came up, holding a bouquet in his arms.
	"Hey..." Ranko immediately recognized the boy. "Of course!" 
she snapped her fingers, "You're Densuke, right? You were the 
kid that was sick in the hospital!"
	"Huh?" Densuke blinked, "How do you know... Anyway, have any 
of you seen a beautiful nurse around here?" He turned to Ranko, 
"She looks like you, but she has a pigtail." He sighed in a 
reverie, "She was the one who healed me with a kiss..."
	"I _DID NOT_ kiss you!" Ranko yelled angrily, bringing 
Densuke out of the daydream, "I, uh, I mean, we haven't seen 
her."
	He sighedagain , "Too bad... Sorry for bothering you..." 
Skulking, he dragged himself away.
	"Weird..." Ranko thought, "Yoiko, Ryouga's fianc�e, the old 
coot, Youbei, and now Densuke. It's like somebody's playing back 
my life or something." Blinking, she turned back to the girl with 
the glasses, "What was that?"
	"I asked, what about you? Do you have someone?"
	Ranko slumped down, "I _had_ someone..." Realizing her 
mistake, the girl spoke no further of the subject.
	"Sorry. I hope everything turns out okay," she said. "Well, 
gotta go. There are some calls I got to make. See ya around!" 
the girl waved as she went down the hall.
	"Welcome to the Twilight Zone, eh?" Ranko turned to Hou-
chan, who chirped quizzically. Sighing, she let her feet walk 
aimlessly as she petted the bird on her shoulder.
	"It feels weird..." she thought, "Like somebody's trying to 
tell me something..." There was another sigh, "All of those girls 
found someone. But if even Yoiko has Youbei, how come I... No, 
no, forget it. I'm not going to get depressed again. Last night I 
decided to let go, so I better try to endure this. Still... Those 
four months were so great... Even with all the battles and 
everything... I mean, after waiting for him fifteen hundred years 
it sure was great to be with him for a few months. I wonder if 
he thinks the same thing... But really, I must've been _so_ blind. 
Now that I think about it, he never really acted like a best 
friend. Then again, he was pretty slow too. Man, I almost told 
him everything when that war in Esper World ended, and the idiot 
doesn't even notice how I feel! But the way he was always 
protecting me... Stupid, why didn't I notice?" She shook her head 
slightly, closing her eyes to breathe in the fresh air. "I really 
hope there was a way... If only the Caller could work, I..."
	She stopped her walking, eyes suddenly focused on 
something. "Wait. Exactly _why_ didn't it work? I got everything 
down cold! I reached gold level with my aura, I know healing 
techniques _and_ spells. I can fly, for crying out loud! And how 
come Cordis couldn't help me with the Caller!? Okay, so I didn't 
remember anything about her until I met the other Guardians, and 
Mom didn't either until we went to Esper World. I still should've 
felt Cordis or something... And Phaeron-kun! That idiot! There we 
were, both dead, and he insists on bringing me back! That jerk! 
Didn't he know why I was using the Caller?" She stopped those 
thoughts right there when she realized she was already glowing 
blue, "That's right, he _didn't_ know..." She sighed again, sitting 
at one of the seats around the living room's fireplace. A few of 
the inn's other guests were also there, including a familiar-
looking woman and her son.  "Phaeron-kun..." she thought, "If 
there was a way to bring you back for good... I promised I'd let 
go, but I don't really want to. I..."
	She turned to Hou-chan, who for some reason seemed to be 
watching her very closely. She giggled, "What, you wanna tell me 
something, bird?" She petted his head, drawing a cooing sound 
from him, but then looked away with a serious expression on her 
face.
	"Of _course_." She stood up. "Yes, that _has got_ to be it." 
Standing up again, she sighed deeply, closing her eyes as if 
praying. When she opened them again, she glanced at the window. 
The white mountain loomed just beyond.
	"But Yotarou-chan!" the woman suddenly said, walking 
towards her son, who was looking out another window.
	"Momma! I wanna play outside!" Yotarou squealed. Ranko's 
eyes widened as she recalled the little, sickly boy she had 
helped so long ago.
	"You can't play outside, Yotarou-chan!" his mother said, 
"You'll catch a cold!"
	"But don't want to stay inside! Look! There's a panda out 
there!" He pointed out the window.
	"A panda?!" Ranko suddenly aimed her gaze where he was 
pointing. "NO! Not now! I need more time!" she thought, quickly 
dashing to the inn's back door. Hou-chan understood her 
intentions and immediately darted in pursuit, panicked beyond 
belief.
	"There she is!"
	Ranko felt a chill at hearing her brother's voice. Looking 
back, she saw the entire Saotome family, Akane and Ryouga 
following, all bent on stopping her. "Not yet!" she thought, "Not 
until I make sure I'm right!"
	Already puffing, she ran up the mountainside, finding it 
difficult to run quickly through a ten inch-thick layer of snow. 
Hou-chan shrieked again, but she wouldn't listen even to her pet 
bird.
	"Sis, stop it!" Ranma called, "Don't do it! You'll get yourself 
killed again!"
	"Ranko-chan, please!" Akane followed. "He's GONE! Don't do 
this!"
	"It won't work, Ranko-chan!" Nodoka tried to reach with her 
voice, "Please don't use it!"
	"I gotta try! I won't stop until I see if it works!" she 
replied. "Don't come closer!"
	"I'm sorry, but I gotta stop you!" Ranma yelled, flaring his 
aura. "Haaa...... Triad Blow!"
	"Hah!" Ranko leapt upwards, avoiding the triple strike that 
evaporated a straight path beyond her. Smirking, she could now 
run faster on the dry walkway her brother made.
	"Stop!" Akane yelled, "You promised you wouldn't use it 
again!"
	"It's different now! I know what went wrong!" Ranko smiled, 
feeling warmth in her chest, "I know _exactly_ what went wrong!!"
	"But what if you can't do it!?" Akane cried out, "What about 
us, you stupid! What will Phaeron-kun think!"
	"I'm sorry!" Ranko replied, having nearly reached the summit. 
"I love all of you, so don't try to stop me!"
	"No!" Ranma flung himself towards her with a blast of Wind, 
already stretching his arms for her.
	"Oniisan, I'm really sorry about this..." she thought. Her 
aura quickly flared. "But you'll see how I learned the Protection 
Dome!" she smirked. "White Mountain of Ice!"
	She thrust her palms downwards, into the snow. Indeed, 
during those years of training Cologne had seen Ranko develop 
the White Touch to its full potential. Therefore, she had taken 
her to this place, a mountain that was covered in snow all year 
long, to teach her the final technique of the Joketsuzoku: the 
Mountain Spirit's Mantle, which Ranko revised to create the White 
Mountain Protection-Dome!
	All of a sudden every single bit of snow surrounding her in 
a twelve-feet radius erupted upwards, thanks to the White Touch. 
But then her own ki solidified the snow, shaping a large, hollow 
dome of perfect ice. Inside the dome, Ranko finally rested on all 
fours, preparing for the technique she was about to use.
	"Damn it!" Ranma couldn't break the ice, despite his glowing 
aura's power. Not even Akane's Mjollnir was strong enough to 
shatter the shield. But suddenly, they all saw a bright blue 
light emanating from within as Ranko began to summon her own 
version of the Four Birds of Fire.
	Friendship... The BlueBird was the easiest to call. Using its 
power, Ranko closed her eyes and morphed into an Esper, moving 
her hand in circles to summon her staff.
	"You stupid...! Stop!" Ranma was becoming desperate now.
	Love... She smiled at feeling RedBird's unusual might. She 
grasped the staff in both hands, lifting it.
	"Ranko-chan, please...!" Akane was using her own intense 
magic, coupled with the Brindstone's, but the shield would not 
even crack.
	Hope... The calm power of WhiteBird settled on her, joining 
the passion of RedBird and the strength of BlueBird. The halo on 
her staff's upper end became a ring of golden flames.
	"Oneechaaaaaan!" Yuannyan pounded the shield, tears coming 
down her eyes.
	Determination... To never stop, never hesitate, never 
flinch... GoldBird was the last of the Four Birds.
	"Stand back!" Nodoka called, brandishing Masamune. Hou-chan 
looked nervously at her, then gazed straight into the golden 
illumination.
	A faint beam, wide as a needle, shot out through the exact 
top of the dome. It reached up to the sky, turning the clouds 
golden. The small phoenix' eyes widened and he panicked. All of 
the world began to move in slow motion as he began to fly 
towards the beam.
	Life... The fusion of friendship, love, hope and 
determination... The LightBirds enveloped Ranko's glowing body 
completely.
	She opened her eyes. Her hair, feathers and clothes 
suddenly flared upwards. With a cry, she thrust the spiked end 
of her staff into the ground.
	A single beam of light broke out of the dome. And another. 
Two more followed. Then, the slow-motion became slower still as 
the entire shield of ice shattered and blew outwards, revealing 
a massive sphere of intense ki and magic. Glimmers of all colors 
swirled around the sphere. Inside the light, only Nodoka's eyes 
could discern the staff-wielding figure. Hou-chan shrieked and 
shot straight for her.
	All of a sudden the slow motion ceased and all of the 
beams joined in a single column of light that shot upwards. 
Everyone was blown away, even the snow was pushed away by the 
unmeasurable current of wind that spread from the column.
	Hou-chan was trapped inside it. No one saw him after that.
	With a loud hum, the silhouette in the column suddenly 
evanesced inside it, becoming a ball of light herself. In a 
blinding flash, the ball shot upwards along the pillar, 
disappearing into the sky as she was pulled away from Earth.
	"That... couldn't have been..." Ranma stammered, looking up at 
where the ball had vanished to.
	"No..." Akane thought, too shocked for anything else.
	The Caller was gone.

			*	*	*

	The air was filled with a soothing moisture, as if it had 
just rained. A faint, glimmering dew covered the ground and the 
plants, causing them to reflect the bright sunlight. Given this, 
the imperceptible golden hue of the landscape was filtered so 
much it wasn't even visible.
	She woke up slowly, a faint sigh leaving her lips as if she 
had come out of a dream. She felt unusually light, as if she had 
no body. Of course she did, though, and it felt renewed of all 
injuries or pain. Slowly, she yawned, opening her eyes. She did 
not move, however, she noticed she was lying on a vast plain, 
with flowers carpeting the ground as far as she could see. She 
blinked, even her body was blanketed with flowers, as if 
protecting her nude body from the cool mist.
	Ranko slowly awoke completely, sighing as she understood 
what had happened after _this_ attempt at the Caller. She was 
puzzled, though. This place was not at all like the Gates, as it 
was a valley instead of a forest. Breathing deeply, she closed 
her eyes and accepted the situation. She was so _sure_ that 
the Caller would work this time...
	Opening her eyes again, she sneezed a bit at the cold dew. 
The flowers that covered her shuddered slightly, as only her 
face was uncovered. But when she slowly sat up, she realized 
that they weren't flowers, but tiny butterflies that suddenly 
scattered in all directions. The only real flower was a large 
Cinnabar lilium which seemed to be glued to her hair, as her 
motion didn't make it fall off.
	With another sigh, she slowly stood up and looked around. 
There was nobody on sight aside from the butterflies, and the 
terrain didn't have anything that looked like a path or a 
walkway. Shrugging, she smiled widely and let her feet guide her 
randomly. Her eyes glazed slightly, she could barely contain 
herself as she knew _he_ would come to greet her.
	Meanwhile, she could do nothing but wait. But she decided 
to explore a little, after all this was almost Paradise.
	The clear blue skies overhead were an absolute wonder, it 
was the first time she saw them while in the Gates. Also, the 
large mountains in the distance seemed to mark a boundary, 
although she couldn't tell what they were separating. However, 
she finally set her sight on something she recognized: to her 
right, at the base of the largest mountain, was a deep forest. 
The Gates. But she blinked. At the middle of the forest was a 
tall, rectangular shape of light. She swallowed hard: she was 
looking at the Gates _from inside the Light_.
	No wonder she felt so perfectly at _peace_.
	An intense warmth spread within her. Instead of feeling 
nervous, she felt _good_ at being in the Light. Nothing she 
would think could take that smile from her. Looking up, her smile 
enlarged as a flock of doves passed right overhead.
	So, the Caller had tossed her all the way here? Then it 
meant there was no going back this time. She felt saddened for 
an instant, thinking about her family and friends. But the 
sadness was fleeting, she immediately directed her thoughts to 
where she was, and what would happen.
	She walked aimlessly for a few hours, just enjoying the 
perfection of the landscape and the deep happiness that began 
to take root inside her. She wasn't even bothered by the fact 
that she was alone, and no matter how much she ran or walked 
she just wouldn't grow tired.
	Eventually, a new sound came to her ears when she was a 
few miles away from the Gates. The forest stretched over to 
this area, although it was different from the passage between 
the Gates and the Light. Shrugging, she decided to rest there 
for a moment while somebody came by to pick her up.
	She came into the forest, once more hearing that sound. It 
was like a quiet gurgle, she knew immediately that it was a small 
stream. After only a few moments, she found its source. Inside 
the forest, there was a small waterfall, only a dozen meters 
high. The black stones that framed it seemed hard and sharp, but 
her bare feet weren't hurt by them. Slowly, she descended to the 
bottom of the falls, using the stones as a staircase. She took 
in a deep breath of the faint mist caused by the waterfall, and 
smirked to herself as she kneeled by the edge. She waved her 
hand in the glistening waters, feeling even more cleansed than 
before. She shrugged, she wanted to spread that feeling. Closing 
her eyes, she dove into the pond made by the waterfall. She 
splashed her head out of the water, a broad, open smile on her 
face. True, the purity of the water seemed to penetrate her, 
cleaning her from the inside out. Enjoying the feeling, she slowly 
swam along the river until she found a soft patch of grass on 
its side. Well, if she was dead she had all the time she could 
ever want. Sighing, she laid back against the grass, resting her 
eyes.
	She didn't fall asleep, calmly feeling the brush of a mild 
breeze against her face. But as she waited, she failed to notice 
what was happening to the red lilium on her hair. The water was 
actually causing it to dissolve on her head, the flower slowly 
melted amid her hair. And it glistened, when the flower was 
completely dissolved it became one with her hair and restored it 
to its original length, and then went even further. After a few 
minutes, Ranko's hair reached down to the bottom of her 
shoulders.
	All of a sudden, she felt a presence nearby. She smiled, 
knowing beforehand who it would be. Sitting straight on the 
riverbed, she opened her eyes.
	"Phae--" she started, but suddenly her eyes widened. In the 
blink of an eye she brought up her knees and covered her chest 
with one hand, reaching for a rock with the other. But when she 
glanced at the man for a second time, she somehow knew it was 
all right. And when she took a third glance at him she couldn't 
help but gasp in astonishment. It was a tall man, with a humbly-
elegant attire and a bright scarlet belt. His glistening hair 
seemed to rival the Sun, given how much light it reflected from 
his halo. His wings were very large, and perfect. But it were his 
eyes what impressed her the most. They were deep blue, and when 
they settled on her she felt as if he were looking straight into 
her soul.
	"Welcome," the angel spoke.
	"Who..." she began, still not sure about coming out of the 
water.
	He smiled, "You don't need to know my name, since you will 
soon forget all about this."
	"Huh?"
	"Come," he said, kneeling while he offered a hand. Dubious 
at first, she looked at the hand and then at his face. With a 
hesitant nod she reached forward, slowly standing up. Funny, now 
she didn't even care about not being dressed.
	"Somebody wants to see you," he smiled, leading her away 
from the river. "Somebody very close to you."
	She nodded eagerly, holding onto the angel's hand like a 
little girl who is being led by a brother. They walked in silence 
for a few moments, but she could notice that the trees were 
beginning to sprout closer to one another, thus the light was 
filtered into thin beams. Finally, they came to a stop at a place 
where two tall trees shaped a doorframe, a broad slit of light 
illuminated the space between these wooden columns.
	"Go on," the angel motioned for her to pass between the 
trees. "She's just beyond them."
	"'She'?" Ranko blinked, then opened her eyes widely, "You 
mean _she's_ here?!" Her smile became even broader.
	"Yes," he nodded. "Go. You're too young to be here anyway."
	Too young? What did he mean? Shrugging, she let go of his 
hand and headed for the twin trees. Suddenly she gasped, her 
feet were disappearing. She quickly kneeled and felt her calves, 
then slowly moved her hands downwards. True, her feet were 
gone, although she was still perfectly able to stand. She turned 
back to the angel, but he nodded. Gulping, she continued onwards. 
Her entire body slowly began to fade, she was nearly invisible 
when she passed between the trees...
	She came out of the Light, her body was completely solid 
again. Although she couldn't feel the infinite Peace anymore, she 
was glad to recognize the Passage, and the Gates just a few 
meters beyond. She understood, it still wasn't her time. Waving 
goodbye to the Light, she was pleasantly surprised to discover 
a smile in It. Turning away, she ran from the Light until she 
reached the familiar forest.
	"Wait up, you don't have to leave just yet."
	Ranko stopped when she heard that voice. Whipping around, 
she stared in silence, her eyes slightly glazed. And _she_ came 
into view, stepping out from behind a tree.
	At first glance, she looked like a young woman, barely 
twenty-one. Her hair, auburn, flowed into a ponytail that fell 
over her shoulder. She wore a pure-white bodysuit, whose ankles 
and sleeves bloomed widely upon reaching the feet and wrists. 
Over this suit she wore what resembled a pastel-blue coat, 
sleeveless, which reached down to the middle of her calves. 
Strapped to her back was an empty scabbard, while her whole 
neck was covered by a collar of gold fabric. Her eyes were blue, 
a little deeper than Ranko's, while her wings extended to nearly 
twenty feet. Lastly, her halo was bright and smooth, almost like 
the soft caress of dawn. But by looking very closely, one could 
see similar traits between her and Ranko. Familiar traits.
	"Oneechan!" Ranko was quick to run towards the angel and 
hug her, nearly throwing her off balance. Smiling at her, Cordis 
Fortitudo enveloped her in warm feathers of white.
	"Hi," Cordis said, stroking Ranko's head. "Been here long?"
	"Not really," Ranko stepped back, her heart beating hard in 
excitement. "How.... how did you know I was coming?"
	"I'm your Guardian, kid, remember?" Cordis snickered.
	"Right, I forgot," Ranko smirked, "What're you doing here?"
	"I just came to greet my little sister," Cordis said, "You 
know, for a human you're sure a lot of trouble!"
	"Sorry. But how are you? I mean, we haven't had a real 
chance to talk almost since we drowned."
	Cordis sighed, "I've been okay. But it's you I'm worried 
about." Ranko looked downwards when she realized what Cordis 
meant. "I saw what you did last night. It was very good to see 
you finally getting over it."
	"I don't think I'm over it," Ranko replied, "Have you seen 
him? How is he?"
	"Whoa, hold on," Cordis smiled, "He's fine. But he's also 
worried about you." She paused, "Did you really mean to use the 
Caller?"
	"Yeah, well, I thought I knew why it hadn't worked..." Ranko 
slumped down, "Guess I was wrong again."
	"You weren't wrong," Cordis put a hand on her shoulder. 
"But like He said, the Caller doesn't have power over life and 
death."
	"Then looks like I better accept it, huh?" Ranko looked up, 
"There's no way he can come back."
	"Sister, you're a martial artist. You should know better 
than to defeat yourself before the fight. Remember Jusenkyo and 
the Orb? They trapped you, but you still had hope, right?"
	"I guess. But it's just that I don't want to forget Phaeron-
kun."
	"And you won't if you keep him here," she pointed at Ranko's 
chest.
	"That's not what I mean. Look, we waited fifteen hundred 
years. What if I go back and end up with someone else? How 
would he feel?"
	"Phaeron knows it can happen, and already accepted it. You 
don't know it, but he asked Ryouga to take care of you before 
he died."
	"He did?" Ranko blinked, finally understanding Ryouga's 
behavior from a few days before. "Urgh."
	Cordis giggled, "Come on, Ryouga's not such a bad guy. 
Phaeron picked _him_, after all."
	"It's not like he would've picked Kuno," Ranko shuddered. 
Cordis snickered at her.
	"Anway," she continued, "I understand what you mean. Of 
course you're too proud to admit it," she sent an amused glance 
at Ranko, who looked down in embarassment, "but I know that you 
don't want to forget how you loved him." Sighing, Cordis walked 
over to Ranko. Standing before her, the redhead's height barely 
reached Cordis chin. "But you have to know..." the angel said, 
"You don't have to forget."
	"Thanks," Ranko smiled, "Too bad I won't remember any of 
this when I go back, right?"
	"Not really," Cordis smirked, "You'll find out soon, anyway. 
But right now, you better get going. You know what'll happen if 
you stay here too long."
	"Can't I wait a few minutes? Okay, so I 'talked' to him last 
night, but I still want to see him."
	Cordis smiled softly, "He knows, Ranko. Believe me, he knows 
exactly how you feel." Snickering, she put her hands on the girl's 
shoulders. All of a sudden, Ranko was covered by a faint gray 
gown, of warm cotton, which reached all the way to the ground 
and whose back was bare, the opening reached to the bottom of 
her shoulders.
	"There, _now_ you can go back," Cordis said, stepping away. 
"Ranko..." her face turned gentle, although it kept a serious 
look, "be careful. I'm your Guardian but sometimes I can't help 
you. And..." she lowered her gaze, "be strong. I broke down when 
Dysithal appeared. You always stood against him. I know you'll be 
alright."
	Ranko smiled at her, truly feeling as if Cordis were her 
older sister, "I will. And I'll tell Mom you're alright, okay?"
	"Thanks," Cordis said, sighing, "I wish I could talk to her 
again. I miss her a lot."
	"I know the feeling," Ranko nodded, stepping away. "That 
reminds me. Who was that guy, the angel that picked me up? Your 
boyfriend or something?"
	Cordis turned bright red and hurriedly looked away. Ranko 
laughed, "Yeah, and they say _I_ hide my emotions. See ya, 
oneechan!"
	"R-right," Cordis regained her composture, "See you later, 
litle sister." Just as Ranko walked away, the angel smiled at her. 
"And remember... never say good-bye."

			*	*	*

	Of course, it would have been a good thing if Cordis had 
told her how to get _out_ of the Gates. Ranko had been walking 
through the forest without finding anything that looked remotely 
like an exit. She was already memorizing where each tree was 
from how many times she walked around in circles.
	"Jeeze, and how do they expect me to go back if there's no 
exit?" she said to herself, leaning against a tree. She closed 
her eyes, trying to remember how she got out when she was 
first killed by Coldfire. But suddenly she heard two voices, a 
male and a female, talking nearby. And the male was perfectly 
distinguishable as...
	"Phaeron-kun?" Ranko quickly looked around, trying to see 
him. He was talking to Cordis, that was obvious, but where were 
they? Hiding among the trees, she walked all over the area, 
trying to find them. Finally, she caught a glimpse of a bright 
glow as it settled on the trees nearby.  She smirked, Cordis' 
halo was much too bright to pass unnoticed.
	"I know, but you're the guy who loves her. You should know 
too that she doesn't give up," Cordis said. Ranko easily saw her, 
but couldn't see the other person.
	"I just wish she stopped using the Caller," Ranko heard 
Phaeron sigh, "Yes, it would be paradise to be with her in the 
Light, but she's still got a life to live!"
	She smiled. Even now, he was still worried about her. And 
he admitted he wanted to be with her! Sighing, Ranko quickly went 
around another tree. Her vision was finally vacated of 
obstacles.
	"It can't be..." she gasped.
	"I miss her, Cordis," Phaeron's voice came out of the beak 
of tiny Hou-chan.
	"I know, Phaeron. But the reason you were given that body 
is that you could look over her, even if she didn't know it was 
you."
	"Sometimes I feel like showing who I am," the phoenix said, 
"I can't stand to see her in that pain. Besides, she nearly found 
out yesterday, in the bathroom."
	"But what would happen then, Phaeron?" Cordis took the bird 
in one hand, gently stroking his back. "If she found out your 
soul is in a bird, she'd be very sad for you. And then _you'd_ 
see her like that. Would you really want to see her suffer more 
than what she already is?" The bird hung his head, negating. 
"Now, I know it hurts but if you really want to look over her 
then go back. Remember, if you want to you could always come to 
the Gates whenever you like and we'd put an animal soul inside 
that body."
	"N-no. It's okay," the phoenix looked up at Cordis. "I can't 
stand seeing her like that, but I won't run away from it either. 
I'll be all right."
	Cordis smiled, "Okay, then, go! Maybe you can still catch 
her!"
	"Thanks, Cordis. You really deserve that name," smiling, the 
bird took off and flew away, weaving a path amid the trees. 
Ranko quickly followed him with her sight, then, after a brief 
glance towards Cordis, ran off in pursuit.
	"Hey, Hou-chan!" she called, mocking, with a wide smile on 
her face. She couldn't wait to catch him. Sure, it _would_ hurt 
to see him only as a bird, but there were so many things she 
wanted to say personally to him! And deep down, she hoped he 
would reply in kind...
	"Hou-chan, wait!" she yelled again, pursuing the bird. He 
suddenly slowed down, turning his long neck towards her. With the 
tiny beak dropping a foot, he stared widely at her in pleased 
surprise. He couldn't wait a second more to turn around his 
trajectory, headed straight for her arms. Opening his beak, he 
was about to speak when--
	"Ak!" Ranko lifted her arms, defending reflexively as a large 
blaze erupted between her and the bird. Without wasting a second 
another blast suddenly hit the phoenix and slammed him against a 
tree.
	"No!" Ranko leapt over the blaze and took him in her arms, 
gently stroking the limp body. Looking up, she quickly set her 
eyes on _him_.
	"It's been a long time, sister," Debilitatis Cor, Dysithal, 
loomed over her, less than two feet away.
	"You!" Ranko got up... with a massive ki-charged uppercut. 
Dysithal simply blocked with his hand, trapping her fist in it. 
She quickly kneed his wrist, forcing him to release her. Dysithal 
was about to counter when another voice came.
	"Release her at once."
	Dysithal slowly turned around to the owner of the voice. 
He sent a brief, chilling glance at Ranko, and stepped back.
	"You can go. He won't harm you, I promise."
	Ranko nodded. Looking up, she realized _how_ to leave the 
Gates. In this place, she found it easy to tap into her magic 
and morph to an Esper. Although her tail had to share room with 
her legs inside the gown, her wings easily sprouted through the 
opening at the back. Smiling at the bird in her arms, she leapt 
up and took off, flapping her wings down as she headed towards 
the sky.
	Finally, Dysithal turned back to Cordis.
	"Why?" she asked.
	"It's my duty," he replied.
	"A demon, following orders?" she blinked.
	"An angel, threatening to fight me?"
	Both smirked.
	"It was so much easier when people had less faith," 
Dysithal said, looking towards the ascending Esper.
	"Your master will eventually lose," Cordis replied. "Faith 
has become stronger now. The Shadows will soon disappear."
	"Maybe," Dysithal snickered, "But there will always be 
someone whose faith is brittle and fragile."
	"As always," Cordis nodded, "But that's why we're here for. 
Even if people ignore us, the Guardians will always be there for 
them."
	"That will be your folly," Dysithal smirked.
	"With people like her, it would never be folly. Our victory 
will not be truly ours. It will come when people finally open 
their eyes to the Light."
	"Not all humans are like those in our family," Dysithal 
contested.
	"True, but everyone has the potential to rise again. 
Everyone can reach and surpass an angel." She sighed, "And that 
will be the day when our work is complete." Opening her eyes, 
she turned to Dysithal, "Of course, now that she faced her own 
negative emotions, you _do_ know what will happen to us."
	"Of course I do," Dysithal couldn't help scowling. "But hear 
this: somewhere, somebody will be consumed by Fear. When that 
happens, the Debilitatis Cor shall be reborn. Never forget that, 
wench."
	She smirked, "I won't. And I shall look forward to 
vanquishing you once more." She stretched her hand towards him, 
"But now, this is something neither of us can stop."
	The demon clenched his fists, muttering something about 
revenge. But all of a sudden, Cordis' halo began to enlarge, then 
it sent out myriads of glimmers that enveloped him. Slowly, 
Dysithal began to evanesce. His scar vanished. His wings became 
cleansed once more, his features changed while his hair and suit 
changed color.
	Cordis had lost her body over fifteen hundred years ago. 
Lost to a demon. But now, the demon was defeated. Her soul and 
body were finally at ease.
	Slowly, Cordis' spirit entered her body, a calm glee flooded 
her chest. Opening her eyes, she looked around.
	"It shall never be over... It won't ever be finished..." 
Dysithal's essence repeated as he disappeared into the Shadows. 

"And I will wait..."
	"I know," Cordis said. "The struggle will go on forever. But 
maybe, just maybe, someday the people of Creation will awake... 
And the scales will tip in our side."
	"Such high hopes..." came a voice. Cordis turned to her 
right, seeing a creature of pure spiritual Light. Smiling, she 
greeted her cousin, Dysmerc.
	"The Balance will remain for all eternity, Cordis," she said, 
"Until the Last Day."
	"Can't blame an angel for dreaming," she smiled. Slightly 
worried, she asked, "So, what about her?"
	Dysmerc smiled, "She passed all Five Tests, with flying 
colors."
	"Then it means..." Cordis smiled widely.
	"Yes," Dysmerc looked up, "It's time for the Brindel to 
awake."
	"So, can't break the Balance?" Cordis smirked. Dysmerc 
shrugged, "Okay, so I like her. Sue me."
	Sighing, both angels looked up, "The time has come..." Cordis 
turned to Dysmerc again, "What will happen now?"
	"I don't have the slightest idea." Dysmerc smirked 
mischievously. "But I'm more than willing to find out."



++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

			EPILOGUE

Answer to the Call

	She woke up, finding herself in Akane's bedroom. Groggily 
coming to her senses, Ranko sighed when she realized where she 
was.
	"A dream...?" she thought, rubbing her eyes, "All of that... 
was just a dream?"
	Curious, she looked towards a nearby calendar. Yes, it was 
January 1st. Everything, from leaving to Hokkaido, to all the 
girls she had disguised as, to using the Caller and meeting 
Cordis, had been but a fleeting illusion of her subconscious. She 
sighed, after all, it had been a good dream. Smiling, she saw 
Akane sleeping in her bed. According to her nightstand's clock, it 
was still six in the morning. Okay, let's just sleep for five more 
minutes...
	She suddenly opened her eyes widely, sitting up in complete 
surprise. There, on the bed, were two large feathers. Her _own_ 
feathers. Her eyes widened a step further when she realized she 
was wearing a light gray cotton gown. She was about to brush 
her hair when she stopped herself.
	"It felt like a dream. I didn't go anywhere, because it's 
still New Year and I'm in Akane's bedroom. It's gotta be a dream."
	Looking around, she quickly found her target. "Hey, wake 
up!" she gently shook Hou-chan. He just returned an empty, 
animal gaze, albeit an annoyed one at being woken up so early. 
Ranko sighed, sitting down on the cot. She took her Mokona doll, 
squeezing it.
	She looked out the window, smiling at the snowflakes that 
steadily floated down. Just then, a flock of doves crossed the 
sky. Her eyes went wide once more as they reminded her of 
something.
	A great warmth grew inside her, her smile was about to 
burst her face. Her heart began to beat rapidly in excitement, 
she could already feel anticipated happiness. Without a single 
word she leapt out of bed, gently putting her plush doll on it. 
Breathing heavily in delight, she kneeled by Akane's bed and 
shook her.
	"Whu... Ran...?" Akane groggily opened her eyes.
	"Oneechan...! I know! I know!"
	"Good for you..." Akane went back to slumberland. Ranko 
could only smile in amusement. Akane didn't understand. How could 
she understand how _happy_ she felt? Snickering, she beckoned 
for Hou-chan, "C'mon, you stupid bird! Follow me!"
	Dubious at first, the bird panicked when he saw his 
adoptive mother run out of the room, her intentions of leaving 
the house were written all over her face. He shrieked, then 
quickly took off and darted in pursuit. Ranko could barely 
believe herself. She knew! She KNEW!!
	"Hm?" from the kitchen, Kasumi blinked when she heard 
hurried steps descending the staircase. Curious, she peeked out, 
"Oh, my! Ranko-chan, you will catch a cold!"
	"Kasumi...!" Ranko stopped briefly, skipping in place as she 
desperately wanted to continue running. "Kasumi! I know!"
	"Oh, that's good, Ranko-chan," Kasumi smiled, confused, then 
blinked as Ranko took off running once more. But then she did a 
double-take, "When did Ranko-chan's hair grow that much?"

			*	*	*

	"Oniisan, it's _way_ too early..." Yuannyan complained, 
groggily rubbing her eyes.
	"Uh, sorry..." he said, nervously peeking from the door, "But 
I need a little advice..."

			*	*	*

	"Eternal seas separate us,
	Seas that a word from your lips can overcome.
	Like twilight, like dawn,
	My feelings for you are always certain.
	Your rejection is a knife,
	Your compassion gives me life.
	A jewel your heart is,
	Unreachable and precious,
	In all the world, the greatest treasure.
	A sentence you have given me,
	Yet I won't succumb.
	An answer I now seek from you,
	One word shall be enough.
	My love I have given you;
	Should it your heart reach,
	Would it find a home?"

	Cologne cocked an eyebrow as she re-read the message that 
Mousse had written on a card for Shampoo, as a Christmas 
present. She never expected him to actually have this skill, the 
old ghoul always thought he was but a blithering idiot.
	She had definitely underestimated him. She had 
underestimated his love for Shampoo, which had reached a point 
where it were her emotions what he was trying to prod. And 
knowing her great-granddaughter's delight towards romance, 
Cologne would have believed that, if Shampoo ever read this 
message, she would accept her love for Mousse.
	However, it was too late.
	"Goodbye, Shampoo," Mousse said sternly, hoisting his 
backpack.
	"Mousse wait!" she called.
	"I won't, Shampoo. I see that I will never reach your heart. 
As I asked in that letter, I wanted to know only one thing. I 
have my answer."
	"Letter?" Shampoo blinked. "Wait!"
	"No," Mousse repeated. "Goodb-- ugh!"
	"That why you should wait. Stupid Mousse." Shampoo looked 
away from him, leaving Cologne to dig the weapons master out of 
the closet.

			*	*	*

	Mink woke up in an explosion of joy. Today, according to 
Mousse, Shampoo was supposed to give an answer. She hated to 
say this, but Mink wished she would spurn him again.
	"Mousse-sama..." she sighed, "At last you'll come..."

			*	*	*

	A pair of winged creatures slowly descended towards 
Nerima, both snickering in advance at the surprise they would 
give. 
	"This will leave them speechless," Crystallus said, turning 
to his mate.
	"Hm-hmm," the half-Esper woman replied. She was like Ranko's 
Esper shape, although her tail was much larger and her wings 
were sharper. Not only that, but all of her hair and feathers 
had become crystal. Sighing, Melaia turned to Crystallus and 
smiled.

			*	*	*

	Esper World.
	Maduin and Phantom looked up. They hadn't felt this 
presence since...

			*	*	*

	World of Ruin.
	Terra Branford looked oddly at the pendant she had 
inherited from her father, Maduin. Without warning, the diamond 
Brindstone began to shimmer wildly.

			*	*	*

	The Gates.
	Cordis and Dysmerc nodded to each other. Smiling, they 
headed towards the Light... and the Ageless One.

			*	*	*

	Nerima.
	Ranko quickly ran towards the vacant lot, her long red hair 
waving behind her. Her bliss was so great she didn't even feel 
the snow beneath her bare feet, nor the cold winter breeze that 
enveloped her.
	She knew.
	And _nothing_ would stop her now.

			*	*	*

	Ranma stood atop the roof of a nearby building, fiddling 
with his hands. This was it. Not unlike a battle, but completely 
different. He woud NOT back out now. He would do it and he'd do 
it now!
	Leaping down, he faced the gates to the Tendo Dojo. Taking 
a deep breath, he went in.

			*	*	*

	Akane groggily sat up, surprised at not finding Ranko in 
the cot next to her bed. Oh, well, she thought with a yawn, she 
was probably training already.
	She blinked. Was that Ranma's voice? What was he doing here 
so early? She quickly put on her clothes, then gulped when she 
saw him there, at the foot of the stairs, waiting for her.

			*	*	*

	Herb and the Musk warriors stepped out of the mansion. 
They had barely returned last night, but due to the hour he 
hadn't wanted to disturb Yuannyan's sleep with a visit. However, 
today he would meet her again.

			*	*	*

	Ranko stood in the exact middle of the vacant lot, her 
hands stretched down with the palms facing the ground. Hou-chan 
had just arrived when she was enveloped by the Four Birds.

			*	*	*

	"What the..." Ukyou had barely awakened when she felt 
something calling her. Letting her instinct guide her, she found 
her Brindstone. And it was glowing rather brightly.

			*	*	*

	"Uh..." Ranma was too nervous to notice his aquamarine's 
glow, "Akane, I want to tell you something..."
	"R-Ranma..." she stammered, too focused on his words to see 
how her opal shimmered.

			*	*	*

	"Hou-chan, come here," Ranko called, her voice calm even as 
the powerful golden wind made her hair and gown wave in its 
currents. Gulping, the bird could do nothing but enter her aura.

			*	*	*

	"I... I've been thinking..." Ranma's eyes seemed to be very 
interested on analizing the floor. "You, uh... Remember what I 
said the other day...?"
	"Yes," Akane's nervousness was also pretty noticeable, 
"When we two... and..." she recalled the tiny black box.
	"It's like... I mean, you know..." He suddenly looked up at 
her. "Akane, I..."
	"Ranma..." she looked at him with large eyes. "Do you...?"
	"Y-you know..." he repeated, too much of a wreck to go 
beyond that. "I just thought, maybe... maybe we just started off 
on the wrong foot."
	"Hm?"
	"I mean... Your running into me in the bathroom, and later... 
I was so mad I said some things I..."
	"R-ra..." she couldn't even finish his name as his words 
were making her feel as if she were inside a bonfire. Ranma felt 
the same, for he constantly fiddled with his shirt's collar. If it 
weren't because his Brindstone was being summoned by someone 
else, he would have burst into Fire magic by now.
	"So..." he turned away. "Maybe... we can... you know... start 
over...?" he looked back at her after pronouncing those words, as 
if expecting approval. Akane stared widely, Ranma Saotome had 
_never_ acted like this!
	"Why...?" her voice reached him like whisper.
	"I, uh... I thought about sis... I mean, seeing her like that... 
It made me think, it's not like we've got all the time in the 
world... She, uh, she never said it and look what happened..."
	"Ranma," Akane's nervous face could finally become a soft, 
nearly seraphic smile. He blushed _very_ mightily when he saw 
that beautiful smile.
	"S-so...?" he questioned.
	"Go ahead," she snickered.
	"O-okay..." he strengthened his posture, as if trying to 
impress somebody.
	"I'm Ranma Saotome. And you are...?"
	"Akane Tendo," she smiled.
	"I hear you like martial arts?"
	"You're pretty good yourself, right?"
	He managed to smirk at that, "Heh. I hate to brag, but..."
	"...and I also heard you're vain."
	"Urk," he sweated visibly, "And someone told me your cooking 
can kill the dead."
	Akane glared at him. They were doing it again!
	But then his mocking face softened, "...but I also know your 
curry and rice is pretty edible."
	She smiled, "Wanna try it?" With a confident smile, Ranma 
nodded. But as they walked towards the kitchen, hand in hand, 
they both stopped for a sigh. Ranma shook his head, "This is 
stupid. I'm a martial artist, so let's just come out and say it.."
	Akane's head was never so light, her chest never felt this 
wonderful. Just as he was about to pronounce three short words, 
she put a finger on his lips, shushing him.
	"Eh..?"
	"You don't have to say it," Akane's smile could have rivaled 
any angel, her closed eyes bolstered her peaceful beauty. "I 
_know_."
	She opened her eyes. And blinked. Ranma had passed out.
	"And here I go all the way to say that..." she glowered at 
him. "You JERK!" she punted him through the roof.

			*	*	*

	All of a sudden, a loud boom was heard all over Nerima. 
People everywhere ceased their activities to gasp in utter 
amazement at the powerful glow coming from a vacant lot near 
the Tendo Dojo.
	"What the..." Ryouga bolted around, oblivious to his 
aquamarine's glow.
	"What is it, Ryouga-sama?" Akari asked as she arrived on 
Katsu-nigiri's back, finally discovering her beloved's campsite.
	"That aura... It feels like..."
	Eyes wide, he immediately leapt onto the sumo pig's back, in 
front to Akari. "Go! Find the source of that light!" he commanded.
	"Bweee!" Katsu-nigiri squealed, dashing.
	"Ryouga-sama!" Akari took the chance to glomp onto him from 
behind, using the speed as an excuse. Smiling at her, Ryouga 
looked forward again and focused on the light. He had never felt 
so _perfectly_ wonderful.

			*	*	*

	"M-Mousse..." Shampoo's eyes went still as she finished 
reading the poem. "Mousse, wait!" 
	Running out of the Nekohanten, she quickly leapt onto her 
bike. There was no way she could let him go just like that, 
especially now! There was no way she could let him go to _Mink_!
	But just as she went around the corner, her bicycle 
screeched to a stop. Her eyes were closed, the powerful red 
aura of her garnet Brindstone engulfed her. She slowly sighed, 
her hair flowing upwards...

			*	*	*

	"Mousse-sama, what wrong?" Mink noticed the blue glow of 
Mousse's sapphire cover his body, making him close his eyes and 
causing his hair to flow.

			*	*	*

	"Crysta!" Melaia called by the nickname she had given her 
love, but then her own emerald engulfed her in a bright aura.

			*	*	*

	Nodoka immediately became an angel, her topaz was 
responsible.
	The Musk warriors stopped walking mid-way to the Saotome 
house. Two diamonds and an amethyst shimmered in power.
	Yuannyan would have leapt towards her fianc� if she 
weren't in the same situation. Standing a few yards away from 
him, she could only sigh at the near-infinite might that was 
chanelled through her body.

			*	*	*

	Ranko thrust her staff's lower end into the ground, then 
quickly pushed it upwards with a cry:
	"I am the Caller... and I want an Answer!!!!"
	The skies went pink with an Aurora Borealis' glow.
	Suddenly, every single Brindel warrior in the Nerima area 
was summoned before the Caller. The people nearby could only 
see the youths disappear in a bright flash, transported to the 
street just in front of the vacant lot.
	"What the..." Ranma immediately thought, awakening. "Hey!" he 
noticed Ranko's shape inside the sphere of light, although he 
couldn't see her wings nor tail.
	"Ranko-chan!" Akane yelled, following her fianc� as he ran 
towards her.
	"No!" Nodoka's eyes widened, "It's the Ca--"
	She couldn't finish. Suddenly, Ranko's entire body began to 
emit several beams of light, then the beams joined and shaped a 
large, flashing column of magic and ki that shot upwards. 
Everyone was frozen as they saw the redhead become a ball of 
light, then shoot up along the column...

	A beam of light detached from a Terran group of islands, 
stretching far into the reaches of space. Its magic granted it 
freedom from the boundaries of physics, hence the beam quickly 
reached the World of Ruin.
	"Look!" Celes pointed up. Silent, she and Locke gazed at the 
bright line that slowly stretched across the sky, with a large 
ball at its end.
	All the people of Esper World looked up and gasped. The 
night sky was cleaved in two by a faint beam of 
undistinguishable color, the sphere at its lead detached 
countless glimmers of silver in its wake.
	Many other worlds saw this signal. Several planets 
acknowledged its absolute wonder, unable to do much aside from 
look in astonishment.
			*	*	*

	Cordis and Dysmerc stood before the Light.
	"It is time."
	"YES."

			*	*	*

	All of the Brindstones flashed outwards, enveloping their 
wearers in rings of the jewel's color. But then, each of the 
magical gems filled its Brindel warrior with light. The stellar 
knights all arched their backs forward, their eyes closed as if 
experiencing rapture. And suddenly, they released a thin beam 
towards the Caller.
	Thousands of tiny shafts of light reached up from the 
planets, mixing with the larger column. They became one with it, 
following its trajectory. But at last, the ray ceased advancing. 
There, in the middle of the endless void, the Caller stopped.

			*	*	*

	Kasumi looked silently out the window. Nabiki was already 
frozen in confusion, Soun kept weeping as he expected some evil 
from the column. But the elder Tendo sister was simply 
speechless.
	"Excuse me," came a voice from the front door. Kasumi 
easily broke through her own stupor, then calmly walked to the 
hall and opened the door. She found herself looking straight at 
a young maiden, green-haired and with deep emerald eyes, draped 
in a lavish green tunic. There was a bright emerald embedded in 
her forehead.
	She smiled, "Sorry for bothering, but... Where are the 
Brindel?"

			*	*	*

	The pink glow was forced to yield. A massive red sphere 
appeared in the air, in front of the Caller. Its presence alone 
brought the warriors back to consciousness.
	All of the stones shimmered a last time.
	From the sky, dozens upon dozens of golden glimmers 
descended from the clouds, then they all slowly floated towards 
the Caller.
	A small glimmer appeared inside the red sphere. It was a 
plain medallion, made of a ruby encrusted on a circle of gold. 
Two other jewels, an emerald necklace and a simple topaz, 
touched the ruby.
	The Ruby of Crimson Star.
	All of a sudden the Crimson Star infused Phaeron's 
medallion with its essence, then disappeared without trace. With 
a ruby's glow, the Caller suddenly became but a faint light. But 
before anyone could even move, a gigantic sphere came down upon 
the vacant lot. Everyone was blown outwards by the force, even 
the snow evaporated.
	And then, very slowly, the sphere of gold began to 
evanesce...

			*	*	*

	There cannot be a grave...
	Love must trascend time and space...
	Faith must reach its greatest peak...
	Selflessness in the soul...
	Strength of heart free and unbridled...
	And the permission of the Light...
	One must have all these...
	To end the Caller's Plight.

			*	*	*

	The two figures in the vanishing sphere held each other 
tightly, unending tears streaming down their eyes. A pair of 
hearts beat hard and excitedly, as if wishing to become one. 
Very slowly, almost eternally, the youths detached from one 
another.
	Around the vacant lot, sprawled all over the street, the 
motley group could do nothing but gasp. But relief and happiness 
were soon spread throughout the people.
	Once more, the silhouettes engulfed one another in a warm 
embrace. Just as the last remaining glimmers of the Caller 
disappeared, he pronounced one short phrase...
	Completely at a loss for words, Ranko could only say:
	"Welcome back..."
	And she smiled.


			The End...

		      ...of The Caller's Plight.


++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

			------->Cast<-------

		_MAIN STARS_:

		Ranko Saotome
		Ranma Saotome
		Akane Tendo
		Lael Phaeron
		Ryouga Hibiki
		Raphael Coldfire
		Laris Brillan/Seraphim/Fiducia Angelum Femina
		Nodoka Saotome/Pax
		Debilitatis Cor/Dysithal
		Cordis Fortitudo Angelum Femina
		Ukyou Kuonji 
		Yuannyan Saotome
		Genma Saotome
		Soun Tendo
		Kasumi Tendo
		Nabiki Tendo
		Mousse
		Shampoo
		Cologne
		Herb
		Lime
		Mint
		Happosai
		Mog
		Mink
		Shugo-kou/Melaia
		Konatsu
		Tsubasa Kurenai

		_SUPPORTING CHARACTERS_

ESPERS:			VILLAINS:
Crystallus			Kefka
Maduin			Lavos
Nadir Kishal		The Four Fiends
Apeiron Mireillia Nix	Delat
Terion Anes
Andellia			ANGELS:
Titan 			Dysmerc
Starlet 			Etheldred
Syrtis Palidor		Bryna
Ifrit 			Uriel
Phantom			Sister Angela
Kary 			
Terrato			OTHER:
Fenrir 			Chaos
Shoat 			Ultros
	 			Chupon
			Masamune/Lumen Gladius (female)
			Illumina Blade/Lumen Gladius (male)
			Arianne Lochmer�
			Siegfried
			Listar
			Spekkio, Master of War 
			Tiamat 
			Yamata no Orochi 
			Makaze/Demon Wind


		ADDITIONAL CHARACTERS (in no order whatsoever):

			The Returners 
			Golbez 
			FuSoYa 
			Azusa Shiratori 
			Pantyhose Taro 
			Rouge 
			Lum 
			Ataru Moroboshi 
			Shutaro Mendo 
			Kinnosuke 
			Ryuu Kumon 
			Akari Unryuu 
			Hinako Ninomiya 
			Densuke 
			Yotarou 
			The Seven Lucky God Martial Artists 
			The Magnificent Seven 
			Pinky and the Brain 
			Yakko, Wakko and Dot 
			Larry, Curly and Moe 
			Shinnosuke 
			Kyoko Otonashi 
			Yusaku Godai 
			The Loon Squad 

			...and so many others...


			Most important participant in TCP:

			The Ageless One/The Light

			With cameos by:
			The Predator (Predator)
			Son Gokuu (Dragon Ball Z)
			Shirotsuku Ladat (Wings of Honneamise)
			Parn (Record of Lodoss War)
			Deedlit (RoLW)
			Slayn (RoLW)
			Ghim (RoLW)
			Etoh (RoLW)
			Woodchuck (RoLW)
			Mokona (Magic Knight RayEarth)
			Crimson Star and Emerald Star (that's right:
			they're the TerBril and the AnBril!! My OWN
			creations!!!!!!!)
			Keiichi (AMG)
			Belldandy (AMG)
			Skuld (AMG)
			The One Ring of Power (The Lord of the Rings)
			Gandalf the Gray (TLoR)
			Big Brother (2010: The year we make contact)
			Scylla and Charybdis (The Odyssey)
			The Simpsons (Duh.)

		And of course, the main protagonist of this story:
				YOU!!