al709382@campus.ccm.itesm.mx The Caller's Plight by Jorge Pratt PART II, section A "Thought would destroy their paradise. No more; --where ignorance is bliss, 'Tis folly to be wise." (Thomas Gray, _Ibid_) Second Test: Rivalry It begins A few days had passed, with few things out of the ordinary. Coldfire had left on a trip, Ryouga had already found out about the rebirth (and suffered a mild heart attack in the process)and Phaeron had offered to train Akane and the siblings. Even Ranko had started working at both Ucchan's and Nekohanten, spending a day at each. Everything seemed to be in place. Peace had arrived. A peace that would soon be broken. * * * Everything was quiet in Tokyo. But suddenly, a large field of white energy gathered in the center of the city. Within a second, the megalopolis was destroyed by a swelling ball of pure psychic power. "Whoa, wait! That scene is from Akira! This is a continuation of Ranma 1/2!" Err... Forget what I just wrote... A lone man walked pleasantly through the dark forest, holding his hands behind him as he smiled at the beautiful surroundings. Everything was silent, except for the slight scruffing of his long green coat trailing behind him on the grass. "So this is the fabled Esper World..." he said. As he closed his eyes, three spheres of energy appeared around his head, to which they were joined by beams of light. "What do you say?" he asked to the orbs. "Release me at once!" the orb that glowed bright blue called, enraged. "Nobody is master of Zeromus!" "It would be wise if you freed us," the calm voice came from a strange orb, in which colors swirled randomly. "Now, gentlemen, do lighten up," Kefka said, smiling at his three captive spheres, "Can't you witness the magnificence of the landscape around us?" "Indeed... A magnificence I am eager to eliminate," the third orb, completely black, said. Kefka grinned, "There, you see? Even old Exdeath here agrees with me. And besides, it was I who restored your spirits, was I not? If not for me, you would still be nothing but stray ghosts." "Yes... Stray ghosts... It was in such form that my power was at its peak..." the swirling sphere complained. "But hear this, Lord of Magic: Chaos is servant to no man, whether it is a mortal or the fool who dethroned the Three Goddesses." "I loathe to admit, but I agree with Chaos," Exdeath's essence said. "When you least expect it, we shall destroy you with the very power you intend to take from us." "Is that right?" Kefka cackled in his terrifying shrill laughter, "And how would you do that?" "Like so!" Zeromus summoned what little magic he still possessed, "Black Hole!" Suddenly a huge rift appeared behind Kefka. Its intense gravitational field immediately absorbed a good-sized chunk of the forest, but Kefka wasn't affected in the least. "Release me!" Zeromus demanded, "Release me or you shall pay! Virus!" Kefka didn't even feel this new attack. Instead, he smirked and grasped Zeromus' sphere with his left hand, aiming it straight at the void. The tremendous pull tore off a few bits of energy from the orb. "Are you absolutely sure you want me to release you?" he mocked. Zeromus felt humilliated, his own attack was being used against him. Cursing, he closed the Black Hole. "Now do you see?" Kefka said, teasing, "You might have been powerful in your day, but face the times, will you? I am the only true Destroyer now, and I am your Master. My power dearly surpasses yours. If you try to turn against me, I will be forced to destroy your very souls. I don't think you would like that, even though I'd certainly enjoy it." He cackled again. "You might be a Destroyer, like we used to be..." Exdeath said, "But you can never even compare to what I did to the world I reigned upon." Kefka put his hand on his forehead, "Oh, come on. You only fused two planets into one. Big deal. I changed my world from World of Balance to World of Ruin. And its going to _stay_ ruined for the rest of eternity." He fell silent for a moment, even his smirk disappeared, "But maybe you are right. I have no need for your power, anyway..." with that he released the three spheres. Taking the advantage, they all attacked him at the same time. "Inferno!" Chaos summoned. "Big Bang!" Zeromus called upon the cosmic power. Exdeath simply began to absorb Kefka's life. "On second thought..." The former Magitek Knight narrowed his eyes, smirking, and lifted his hands, "Encase!" The three orbs shrieked in agony as strange emerald bits began covering them until they had an hexagonal shape. A bright ruby appeared inside them. Slowly, the three Magicites descended upon Kefka's hands. "Now we shall see if you oppose me, masters of destruction. I will deprive you of your powers and then Esper World, followed by all of Creation, shall be mine to crush!" Every single Esper in that world was awakened from its peaceful sleep by a shrill cackle. * * * "All right. Now try to channel your inner energy into a sphere..." Phaeron demonstrated before Akane. She kept trying, but she couldn't create a ki ball no matter how hard she tried. "It's no use," she said. "We've been doing this for days and I can't get it right." "You can do it. You just need to make an effort." "Like trying to teach a fish how to fly," Ranma mocked as he and his sister came into the dojo. "Shut up," Akane looked away. "Really, from all the times you glow blue you should already know this stuff," Ranma continued. Akane's mallet was on his face in a flash, as she chased him out to the garden. "Those guys'll never learn," Phaeron said. "You really think she can do it?" Ranko asked, "She's not used to this kind of techniques, you know." "Come on, anyone can do this. Remember when you taught me the White Touch? I couldn't get it right the first two hundred times. But then I managed to learn it." "That's one of the few things I do remember. But you never learned the Gray." "There's still time," he said. "That reminds me, you don't know how to use the Birds, right? I could teach you." She shrugged, "If there's nothing better to do..." she headed for the middle of the dojo. "Alright, raise your arms," Phaeron said. "The Birds are just like a normal ki blast, but they get their power from emotions, like the Shishihokodan. For example, the White Bird is based on hope. So, concentrate on a strong positive feeling." She closed her eyes and began creating a sphere within her palms. "For now, just try to channel that emotion. I'll help you with the ki." Phaeron stood behind her and charged his palms, then took her arms and sent his ki through them. He didn't notice Ranko turning slightly red. The ball in her hands was changing from blue to bright crimson as she concentrated on this feeling. "Stop that!" they heard Ranma yell when he came into the dojo, followed by Akane. Ranko suddenly opened her eyes and the ball turned blue again. "Ready? Now!" Phaeron pushed her arms forward. "Kyaa!" a large BlueBird was shot out of her hands and through the door. Ranma and Akane had to move to the sides to avoid it. "Hey, very good!" Phaeron patted her back. "Guess you didn't even need my help. What were you thinking about, anyway?" "Nothing," Ranko slumped down slightly. "How did you...?" Ranma and Akane stared in disbelief. "That was one of the strongest BlueBirds I have ever seen," Phaeron said, "Heck, if you had concentrated on something a bit _different_ you would've gotten a RedBird!" "So, you're teaching her your own techniques?" Akane asked. "Sure. When we were in China, she and Yuannyan shared some of their techniques with me, so this is a way to repay them. Want to continue with the training?" Akane took a final swing at Ranma and then walked towards Phaeron. Ranko sat down next to her brother, "So, how'd you do that?" he asked. "Hm?" she snapped back to her senses, "Oh, it's just like our own blasts, where we have to concentrate on an emotion." "I think I know what you can do," Phaeron said. "First, you have to know what I have learned about ki. Sometimes, martial arts teach you ways to channel your inner strength, but they don't teach you where it comes from. Ki is actually the mix of your mind, heart and spirit, from which you can create what people call 'vital energy'. Everyone has the power to feel their own ki, but in order to manifest it you have to concentrate on something that gives you strength. The other side of the coin is Ryouga's blast. He uses it to channel his anger out of his system. "You, like some people in this room, have a power you haven't yet realized. For example, remember the time when you tried to attack Herb. You were practically exploding with power back then. Now all you need to learn is how to call it at will, so you can use it whenever you want." "But how do I call it?" Akane asked. Phaeron seemed thoughtful for an instant, "Okay, close your eyes. Um, you better get behind a wall, Ranko-chan." He took Akane to the other end of the dojo, "Now, Akane, try to imagine Shampoo or Ukyou, glomping onto Ranma." Seeing that Akane was being covered by a faint blue, Ranma said, "Hey, what are you telling her?" "Now, concentrate on that image. Focus all your strength." Akane was covered by a large blue aura, "Ranma, you..." she muttered. Her fists were clenched. "Okay, release it," Phaeron backed away from her. "...JERK!!" Akane threw a mighty punch, her fist covered by a blue glow which disappeared almost immediately. A powerful gust of hot wind stretched away from her body, then it shot towards Ranma. "Oww! What'd you do that for?!" he yelped as he clutched his chest, rubbing the slight burn. Akane looked at her hand, incredule. "I... I did it..." "You did it, all right," Ranko smiled at her, "Hey, you okay, oniisan?" "Ugh... That tomboy didn't hurt me..." "Oh, I didn't?" Akane reared her hand backwards, beaming in pride. Ranma put his hands in front of him, defending, "Hey! Calm down! Besides, it's not like you can beat me." "Think so?" Akane happily sent another ki-punch that sent him flying. "Tooombooooy..." his voice trailed off in the distance. * * * The United States. Not the intended landing point, but it would do nicely. Of course, her real destination was Japan, but here were far better resources here... Edward Miller looked out the window and yawned. Boy, it was boring. It was midnight, and the most exciting thing that had happened in his shift was that stray cat that somehow got into his booth. He certainly didn't expect this when he applied for the job at Security at the CIA headquarters. No wonder there was an opening for this job. Guarding the main entrance from his booth was probably the dullest position in the Agency. Nothing ever happened here, since nobody would dare attack one of the most powerful organizations in the world. And if something _did_ happen, then the Main Security guards would solve the problem with ease. Now, _those_ guys got to see some action once in a while, unlike-- What was that? He suddenly heard a loud noise, like a hollow explosion. He stood up and walked out of the booth, examining the territory around him. But there was nothing there. Just out of curiosity, he looked upwards. He nearly cried out in shock as he saw a massive distortion in the midnight sky. The distortion then tore open, revealing some kind of rift. "I shouldn't have read that Zero Hour thing," Ed thought to himself, "Now I'm seeing things." He turned away and rubbed his eyes, then turned back to the rift and was shocked to find it was still there. However, this time there was something else. If he didn't know better, he would have sworn he saw a magnificent creature coming out of he rift, heading for the CIA complex. It was a perfect mare, strong and agile, ebony dark. Its mane and tail weren't just red, they were really made of blazing fire. The mare's hooves were golden, and left a fiery trail as it descended to the ground, as if it were running on thin air. "No, no," Ed waved dismissively. "I'm just seeing things. Next time I see the boss, I'll get transferred to the daytime shift." And as he got back into his booth, he didn't notice the mare landing on top of the complex. The so-called Central Intelligence Agency had quite a pompous name, she thought. The complex didn't even live up to its name. But then again, these weak humans would never reach the level of sophistication she was used to. A few weapon caches --filled with primitive artifacts, of course. Not even the most advanced human weapons could match a good White Bow or the Illumina blade--, plenty of offices, entire warehouses filled with archives not yet transcribed into computer files, rudimentary communication and computer labs... none of that impressed her. But still, this was the best place to find information. And that is what she needed. Know your opponents before confronting them, that was her style. Heading for one of the offices, she took a small, pen-like tube from her belt. She pressed it against the doorknob, easily disconnecting the alarm and nullifying the security code needed to enter. With that obstacle removed, she only had to deliver a light open-palm jab and the door was relieved of its hinges and fell to the floor, silently hitting the carpeting. She peeked her head inside the office. Good, there was nobody here. Not that it would be a problem for her, but she didn't feel like hurting any innocent bystanders. Before she went inside, she took a quartet of small blades from her belt and flung them to the middle of the room. The blades hovered in place for an instant before they shot out in different directions, each hitting a hidden camera or a microphone. Now she could work. After putting the door back in its place, she sat at the desk and turned on the computer. As the arcane artifact came to life, she couldn't help but snicker at the humans' imagination. Truly, to think that their future laid in computers was merely a fantasy. Why, Espers have possessed technology far more advanced than this for hundreds of years and they never "became one with the machine". True, she was quite skilled at the use of computers and their networks, but she would never forget her mind and spirit just thanks to her vast electronic equipment. And to think humans believe that technology would allow them to gain knowledge and intelligence by the use of mere plastic boxes with little silicon bits inside. Why, even she knew that was just a delusion. And she was the best hacker in all of Esper World. Finally, the awaited screen appeared. How primitive, the computer was actually asking for her to _log on_. Who designed this security network, an imp? No matter, she just pulled a cable from her backpack and connected it to one of the ports in the back of the CPU. With a mental command, she began running one of her favorite applications, which she had written herself. Her pet, the "Disrupt" virus simply accessed the mainframe and allowed her any privilege she desired, without any other users knowing. Using the Disrupt on this mainframe was like using a nuclear bomb to demolish a wooden shack, but she didn't care. Whoever designed this system was just asking for it. Now, at last, she had access to all the information in the world. But first things first. She established a link to the FBI mainframe. A few connections to the Internet and she was all set. She only had to download-- An incoming message? She blinked in surprise. Great, somebody was probably working late and noticed there was another user. All right, let's hear what this interruption is all about. But what's this? It seemed somebody was just fooling around in the net. Not knowing whether to laugh or curse at whomever interrupted, she just murmured something and waved her hand dismissively. On the other end of the compound, someone suddenly fell asleep on his keyboard. Good, no more interruptions. With her backpack still connected to the CPU, she downloaded a new search engine she had been working on. But these computers are so slow... There, finally, after two seconds she had downloaded the 2560k application into the computer. A new icon appeared on the screen. She clicked on it. the screen printed out. she typed. And finally, using the connection she had made with the FBI, There was a slight pause as the computer received her query. Then, it replied, She pursed her lips, recalling what she needed. Then she typed again, After half a minute, the screen came alive again. Two windows showed the results for the first two searches, while the third was still working. Meanwhile, she glanced at the information she received. > to skip, type <> to print entire file> She looked around the room to find the printer. A small aura appeared around her head as he used her mental power to turn it on. She blinked in confusion, The rest of the entries were useless. Something about the play _Romeo and Juliet_, a giant white cat, and the like. But the information she had now was more than enough. She closed the windows and glanced at the FBI records. Opening another window, she established a connection with the Japanese Civil Records and linked it to the FBI. She first obtained a text-only entry showing the birth certificate for two different people, both named "Saotome, Ranma". One of them was a 17 or 16-year-old kid, so it was useless. The other, for a 15 year-old girl, was more appropriate. However, these were just text files. She needed the real thing. She clicked on a button labeled "Scanned records" and she received a large JPEG image showing the actual certificates. The document was normal in the case of the boy, but the birth certificate for the girl was slightly messy, as if done in a hurry. There was also a barely visible smudge in her year of birth. It was the same story with her school certificates. They appeared to have been done recently, maybe even falsified. That theory was strengthened by the fact that there were no other records for the girl before the present year. In fact, all the evidence indicated she simply appeared out of thin air about a year ago. But if there were no police records either, why would anyone falsify her own certificates? She would have to ponder on that later. Right now, the CIA had outlived its usefulness. With a mental command, she erased the new files and applications from the computer. But then an idea formed in her mind. "Might as well mess up your life..." she thought, a smirk appearing on her face. Using the connection she had somehow established with a place called Furinkan High School, she accessed the individual files for each student. With just the stroke of a key, the grades for both students named Saotome dropped tremendously, plus fictional records indicating delinquency and affiliation to youth gangs appeared. Smiling to herself, she stood up and disconnected from the CPU, then tucked the print-outs in the backpack. Just as she leaned to turn off the computer, though, the door burst open. It was then that she realized she had forgotten about the silent alarms. There were three security agents at the door, all dressed neatly in Armani suits. All pointing 8 mm Berettas at her. "Don't move," Devlin said. Standing next to him were his two partners, Jackson and Sanders. Before them was what appeared to be a young woman, dressed entirely in black, but with gold armlets and anklets which held the ninja uniform. On her waist was a strange belt, which hung loosely and had several small compartments. She hoisted a rectangular backpack, from which a pair of cables ran down her arms and seemed to connect with her armlets. Her fiery red hair fell down in cascades on her shoulders and backpack, reaching down almost to her knees. But in the dim light, they couldn't see her eyes. "Forgive me, gentlemen, for intruding," she said politely, "I had merely come to acquire information. Now, if you'd be so kind as to allow me to leave, I shall repay you by parting quietly." "Don't move a muscle, girl," Sanders stretched one arm to grab the phone on the wall. "Chief? Looks like we got a spy here." "Spy?" she laughed quietly, "But I am not a spy. Now, you better put down those ridiculous little pistols or you could hurt yourselves. If you'll excuse me, I have to leave." She started walking towards them. "FREEZE!" Devlin commanded. She kept walking. Angered, he took aim and fired. She suddenly stopped, as a light impact was felt on her chest. Then another. She wobbled backwards due to the blow. As she looked down, she noticed two small holes in her chest, just where her heart was located. She touched these holes and winced slightly. Blood poured down from the openings. HER blood. "You... have... hurt... me..." she hissed, still staring blankly into the wound. Suddenly filled with _intense_ rage, she looked up towards the men. Her black eyes turned blazing red. A vicious scowl appeared on her face. In fact, her entire personality had changed. The guards backed away in fear and confusion. "Thou hast hurt me!" her voice was louder this time. "Thou art dead!" In less than a second, she charged her right hand with glowing energy and sliced the air in front of her. Three long shafts of pure energy shot out from the wake her hand left. "Piercing Arrows!" she yelled, and the fire arrows darted towards those who injured her. They didn't even have time to move. The energy arrows pierced their Kevlar and went through them front to back. The holes they left were cauterized instantly by the heat. She looked down in disgust upon the dead bodies in front of her, a scowl still locked on her face. She simply put her left hand on her injuries and they sealed up, as though they were never made. "Thou shan't afflict Mireillia ever again," she hissed. Hearing the alarms being activated, she dashed for the window. Just before she reached it, she threw her hands downwards and arched her back. Her hair became real fire. The guards outside the complex were hurrying towards the main doors, keeping a close watch over the air vents and windows. Then, as they heard a mare's neighing, a window was smashed open. And what they saw would never leave their minds. Nightmare... Visitors "...and so, officials at CIA haven't found the reason this intruder could have had to trespass, and assassinate three of the chief security employees..." the TV set was tuned in for the evening news, as the Tendos had dinner along with Phaeron. "However, it is this reporter's opinion that the FBI and CIA have uncovered what the intruder was looking for, but their respective spokesmen have signed a non-disclosure agreement which prevents them from revealing it to the press. Now, in other news..." "So, how many days now?" Akane asked Ranko. "It's been six days," the redhead said, sulky. "Really, I don't know why I agreed to do this. These things are too tight." "But you seem to stand wearing them, Ranko-chan," Nodoka said. "I told you, proper underwear is not so bad." "Well, I guess I got used to them. But don't even _try_ to get me into a neglig� or anything, alright?" "Tomboy, tomboy, tomboy..." Ranma said between bites, grinning. "Baka, baka, baka," Akane and Ranko said simultaneusly. "...And now, Hiro Yoshida live, from Sydney, Australia. Hiro?" The reporter came up on the screen, "Well, Takeshi-san, the situation here is very strange. It seems a nearby town was utterly obliterated by what witnesses called 'a beam of light from the sky, burning everything in its path and tearing the ground open'..." Phaeron felt something familiar about that description. He payed attention as the newscast continued, "...fortunately, the town was evacuated before anything else happened, so there is a positive zero-casualties. However, property damage might escalate up to five hundred million yen. The Australian government was shocked, of course... Wait, it seems we have a chance to speak with the mayor of the town. People are telling me he has gone insane... Excuse me, sir, are you the mayor?" "Yes, I was the mayor of this fine town." "Could you tell us what happened, in your own words?" The mayor's face turned to a look of utter terror, "It was the light! It burned everything down! It... It was the Light of Judgement!!" Phaeron choked on his mouthful at hearing these last three words. "No," he said firmly to himself, "No way that was the Light of Judgement..." he muttered as he turned the TV off. "I'm just imagining things, that's all." "Hey, turn that back on!" Nabiki said, "They were going to show how my stocks are doing in Wall Street!" "You have stocks?" Akane asked. "Sure," Nabiki said, paying more attention to the economics report on the TV, "Microsoft, Kodak, Sony, Matsushita... buy low, laugh shamelessly at those who buy high, that's my motto." "I thought your motto was, 'I'll extort you to bankrupcy if I don't rob you blind first'," Ranma said. "Remember you still owe me those five thousand yen, Ranma- kun," she said, nonplussed. A few instants later she cheered quietly as she saw her stocks going up 150 points. "What's wrong, Phaeron-kun?" Akane asked, looking at him, "You're pale." "Pale?" Ranko said, "He's whiter than ivory!" "N-nothing," he said nervously, "The news reminded me of something. Don't worry 'bout it. If you'll excuse me, I think I better go train in the dojo." He got up and left. "Now what?" Ranko asked. Akane shrugged. "So, you think it was the Light of Judgement?" Phaeron asked to Crystallus, who had appeared in front of him in the dojo. "I don't know. I was at the affected town when it came. But it was very different this time. It was more focused in wreaking havoc and creating overall damage than killing and murdering. Definitely not _his_ style." "Well, just in case, try to get in touch with Seraphim. If he _is_ back, we can't return to Esper World to find out. I'll try to make contact with Cordis again, if she remembers. Meanwhile, I'll get some training on those new moves I developed." "You do that," Crystallus said. "Maybe you'll need them soon." "I hope not, Crystallus. I hope not." Phaeron turned away and began doing some forms before moving up to advanced techniques. "Need a sparring partner?" Ranko came into the dojo, followed by Akane. "Hm? Oh, Ranko-chan," Phaeron rubbed his brow with his backhand. "Sure, if you can keep up." He grinned. Ranko fumed slightly, but then faced Phaeron and both moved to fighting positions. They just remained there for an instant, as they analized each other. At this moment Ranma came into the dojo as well. Suddenly Ranko threw a fast jab at Phaeron. He pushed the fist aside and countered with a right crescent kick. She kneeled and tried a foot sweep. He leapt upwards and landed behind her, immediately releasing a powerful back kick. She quickly turned around, grabbed his foot and pushed forward. He took the fall and rolled away. She took to the air and tried a drop kick. He got to his feet and sidestepped, throwing an elbow jab at the back of her head. She ducked and punched his gut. He staggered away slightly. "Sorry 'bout that," she said. "But you still don't go all- out against me." Snickering, she added, "And you still got a long way to go. Akane could beat you," Akane fumed at the redhead's remark, but by analizing Phaeron's basic techniques she realized she was right. "Oh, want me to go all-out?" he smirked. "Okay, let's go!" he dashed at her and delivered a barrage of blows. Each was very predictable, but blinding fast. She barely had time to block them all. Before she knew it he was already in the air and behind her, grasping her left arm behind her back with his right hand and locking her neck with his left arm. "So how's that?" "Better," she shrugged and threw her head backwards, making him lose his grip on her neck, then slipped out of his hold and turned around to her left, delivering a powerful right hook. He twisted to the side to avoid it, then took her arm and hooked his right foot around her leg and swept her off her feet. She landed on the floor and rolled towards him, extending her right leg to kick him as she rolled. "That's pretty good," Akane said. Ranma didn't anwer. She turned to see him but he was paralized, completely shocked to admit his own sister was actually getting better than himself. Phaeron and Ranko leapt upwards, meeting in midair and delivering a hail of blows which the other blocked. When they landed, she immediately dropped and tried a shin kick. He just hopped backwards to avoid it. "That was better," Ranko said with a smirk, "Weakling." "Very funny. But you've gotten better too," he smirked. "Looks like being at the Gates also helped you." "Not really," she threw a simple front kick. "It's just that I remembered something. I'll tell you later." He threw his hands downwards to block the kick, then handsprung off her leg and leapt over her. She faked a flying kick and attacked with a leaping punch. He dodged, but then suddenly fell to the floor, landing on his feet. His eyes were blank as a strange gray aura covered his head. He seemed to be in trance. "Hm? Phaeron-kun?" Ranko stared at him. "What's going on?" Akane asked, walking towards them. "Shh," Crystallus smirked, "Watch this very carefully." Phaeron didn't move. As if hearing somebody talking to him, he replied, "So, it's you again... About time you showed, you... You're coming here? When?... Alright, where will you arrive at?... Right, gate thirty, Narita Airport. You should just use your Esper form... Okay, okay... See you tomorrow, then." Phaeron came out of his trance, suddenly relaxing his muscles, "So, where were we?" "What was that?" Akane asked. "That? Oh, I just got in touch with an old friend of mine, Nadir Kishal. He's coming here tomorrow." He turned to Crystallus, "He says he wants to talk to us about something very important." "Important? Knowing him, he probably lost his comb," Crystallus said. "And he's arriving at the airport?" Ranma asked. "Not very dramatic." "Why, did you expect him to come out of a ball of fire and say, 'take me to your leaders' or something like that? He's just a rich showoff," Phaeron said. "Anyway, I'm supposed to meet him tomorrow at noon. You're welcome to come if you'd like." "I don't remember any Nadir," Ranko said," Of course, I don't remember a lot of things before our accident, either. Did you meet him after Jusenkyo?" "Yep. He's an Esper, like me," he smirked, "As a matter of fact, I think you have met someone like this particular Esper once..." * * * It was Saturday morning. The weather was warm, a subtle breeze brushed the trees. Only a few yells and grunts were heard in the distance as Ranma and Genma trained. Ryouga was somewhere in Nairobi, the local restaurants were just opening their doors. A more peaceful and routinary day couldn't have been picked. "I still don't understand why you have to stay _here_," Phaeron said as he finished getting ready. "Because I'm your other half, you moron," Coldfire said, "I can't spend the rest of my life wandering about. Imagine, if all I did was travel around the world, I'd end up like... like that Hibiki guy." He shivered, "Brrr. Scary. Besides, Kyoko took this well." "That's because Mrs. Otonashi thinks you're my twin brother," Phaeron headed for the door. "Just one warning: don't say anything to the other tenants, okay? It's for your own good." Coldfire leaned back against the wall, putting his hands behind his head, "I don't know... I look just like you. Just think about all the stuff I could do, with everyone blaming _you_. The temptation is too great to ignore. " "Very funny." "All right, all right..." Coldfire stood upright and lifted his right palm, "I, Coldfire of the Gray Phoenix, of insane judgement, solemnly swear I will not impersonate my double in my benefit." "And..." "Okay, okay, and I also vow to never again lie, cheat, or deceive. Happy now?" Coldfire scowled at him. "Quite," Phaeron grinned and left Maison Ikkoku. "Wow, that was _some_ breakfast," Ranma said, rubbing his belly, "For once in my life I am full. What're we celebrating?" "Three things, Ranma," Nodoka said, "This day marks exactly one month since you and Ranko-chan started to get along, plus it's been a month and a half since I've met you again." "And you have your victory too, Auntie," Akane added with a smirk. "DON'T remind me," Ranko said, sulky. "Now I gotta wear these stupid things all the time." Kasumi came back to the dining room, bringing the mail, "Alright, father, here you go... Nabiki-chan, your stockbroker... Akane-chan, your issue of _Chefs No Matter What_..." she didn't notice Akane's mallet being embedded deep into Ranma's snickering face, "And you got a letter, Ranko-chan. Well, I think. It's addressed to a 'Ranma'." Ranko took the letter while her brother looked over her shoulder. Both felt a slight chill when they read the only sentence in the letter: "EVEN A WILD HORSE CAN BE KILLED." "Whoever sent this has got a very weird sense of humor," Ranko said. "Nah, it's probably just Ryouga," Ranma said, "Maybe he finally found some brains and used them to make up this new strategy." "Anyone home?" Phaeron descended upon the garden. He had transformed into a Phoenix bird. "Take a look at this," Ranko showed him the anonymous letter. "Whoa. Weird sense of humor. You got any enemies I don't know about?" "Nope. At least none who would do this," Ranma said. "There's a way to find out..." Phaeron said. Suddenly, they were standing on a stage. Akane and Ranko, wearing leotards, came onstage with a wooden board which had three options written on it. "Number 1," Ranma said, holding a microphone, while the girls showed the option on the board, "It's a former schoolmate on whose foot I stepped and has now sworn eternal revenge." "Number 2," Ranko said, "It's a crazed fighter from China who has somthing against Happosai, Shampoo or Pop." "And number 3," Akane said, "It's yet another fianc�e for Ranma..." "Fianc�e?" she asked with a maniac look on her face, clutching both Ranma and I by the collar. "Hey, don't look at me, this guy's the writer," Ranma said. "Well?" Akane's mallet appeared threatenigly closer to my face. "Nah, let him go," Phaeron said, "He'd never tell us anyway. But we better get moving. Nadir said he'd arrive at ten o'clock," Phaeron turned into a human and headed for the door. "He didn't take this too badly," Akane said. Ranma and Ranko shrugged, "What's there to worry about? We get threatened like this on a regular basis." They stood up and left. "I'm not very sure about this..." Akane followed them, a thoughtful expression on her face. * * * They were waiting at the airport, gate 30. It was already nine fifty and none of the planes had arrived. They were becoming restless. "You sure he's coming today?" Ranma asked. "That's what he said," Phaeron nodded. "But did he say thirty or thirteen?" Akane asked. Phaeron sweated visibly, "Um, I... kinda forgot." The three other people smacked their foreheads simultaneously. "All right. We'll go wait by gate 13. You stay here," Ranma and Phaeron hurried to the other end of the airport. "Wait... nah, forget it," Ranko sat back down. Akane looked at her, "Um, Ranko, there's something I wanted to ask you..." "What?" Akane became nervous, "Well, you know... This is strange, but... About your... I mean, you were the same, but..." Ranko smiled and sat back, "Oh, _that's_it. I knew it. You want to know what oniisan feels, right?" Akane's deep shade of red was an answer enough, "Sorry, but I can't tell you a thing." Akane turned to her, "Hm? Why not?" She quickly restated that, "Not that I really care about it, but..." Ranko took her hand, "Look, oneechan, I DO know what he feels, but I can't really tell you. I..." She looked thoughtful for an instant, as if she were about to say something unpleasant, "Only Mom, Seraphim-chan and Phaeron-kun know about this, but I have to let you know. Remember that nanban mirror?" Akane nodded, "Well, that mirror can show what would happen in different timelines, right? Now, I am from one of those alternate worlds." Akane was shocked, "What are you talking about?" Ranko took a deep breath, "I am already nineteen years old. There was another world where Phaeron-kun really _did_ die. I spent three years trying to find a way to get him back, but in the end the technique was too strong and I... I ended up dying too. When I met Seraphim-chan after that, she told me there was a way to bring him back, so I agreed. She brought both me and Phaeron-kun back in time so she could revive him, so here we are. "But the point is, I already know what's going to happen three years from now. I know how everyone's gonna end up. That's one of the reasons why I can't tell you." Akane didn't know what to say. To hear that Ranko had already lived through the next three years was just overwhelming. Not only that, but she had been the real reason Phaeron was alive again. "Please. Don't tell oniisan about this, okay?" Ranko said, "He'd freak out if he heard I practically killed myself." Akane tried to sort things out, "But then... what other reasons do you have?" "Oniisan and I used to be the same, remember? It wouldn't be very sporting if I told you. Besides, if this is gonna work out between you two then _he_ has to tell you about this." She leaned back, a smirk appearing on her face, "But, y'know, being a different person helps a lot." "What do you mean?" "Oh, come on. We're both girls. I have a feeling about how _you_ feel for oniisan. Heck, I may be his sister but I'm not blind." She winked mischievously at Akane. Akane looked away, upset, "Me? Like that baka? You must be out of your mind. I was just curious about him, that's all." She slowly turned back to Ranko, "By the way, does Phaeron-kun know who _really_ baked that cake?" she smirked at Ranko, who blushed mightily in reply but said nothing. The loudspeakers came to life, "Flight 709, from Beijing, arriving at gate 13. Gate 13." "Guess that's the one," Ranko said, standing up. Immediately after, another announcement indicated a flight arriving at gate 30, but she didn't notice it. People began pouring out of the nearby gates through the connecting bridge. Akane turned back, noticing that Gate 30 also had asign that read "Arriving from Beijing." She turned to the redhead, "Hey, Ranko--" Suddenly a bright white light came from the outside. People began fleeing the nearby gates, while those still inside the bridges hurried to the exit, pushing each other madly. "What the..." Ranko tried to see what was happening. Outside, a massive beam of energy descended from the skies, crashing into the asphalt runway and shearing the ground open as a deadly blade, a wake of fire being left by the tremendous heat. The beam sliced through one of the bridges, barely missing the last of the crew. As the fatal ray continued, the two girls realized it was about to cut through the bridge to Gate 30. And its doors were still closed. "My God..." Ranko gasped. "There are people in there!" she and Akane dashed for the doors, yanking them open despite the metallic locks. They managed to leap aside as the waves of terrified passengers flooded the airport gates. When the bridge was empty, Ranko and Akane peeked inside, just to be sure. Their heart skipped a beat as they saw the last of the passengers just standing there, facing the incoming beam. "Are you nuts?!" both girls dashed towards him. He heard them, but didn't move from his position. Instead, he assumed a fighting stance towards the beam. As the girls rushed to him, everything seemed to be played in slow-motion: the man waved his hands in small circles in front of him, similar to a Tai-Chi form. He then reared his hands backwards and delivered a powerful push, while a strange golden glow came from beneath his hair. Outside the bridge, loads of airport equipment were piling up, brought together by an invisible force in order to mount a barrier against the ray. The beam hit the shield... and sliced it like a hot knife through butter. The man suddenly lost his confidence and stared agape at the beam as it started cutting through the bridge's wall. "Watch out!!" Ranko and Akane flung themselves towards him and pushed him out of the beam's way mere instants before it vaporized him. Their heave was so strong they were sent flying several meters away, knocking the man unconscious. Then the bridge collapsed. Making use of their last strength, the girls pulled the swooned man and leapt back to the other end of the bridge as soon as the beam had cut completely through. Just as they landed, they flung him over to the exit and leapt away before the two halves of the bridge crashed onto the runway. They were laying on the tiled floor. The girls, gasping, got up on their knees and elbows. "Crazy idiot...." Ranko said. Akane helped her to her feet. The man woke up, and stood up as well. He appeared to be about slightly younger than eighteen, though his bright green eyes showed the experience of a lifetime. He wore a white long-sleeved Chinese shirt, similar to Ranma's, and gray loose-fitting trousers, also Chinese. His cloth shoes and armlets were golden. His wildly-groomed green hair barely covered the small, antler-like horns that protruded just above his ears. Even with the long gray cape over his shoulders, Ranko couldn't help noticing he resembled Pantyhose Taro slightly. "Heavens..." he said, rubbing his head as he regained his senses, "What happened...?" He opened his eyes to see Ranko and Akane. "You!" "Hm?" the girls blinked. "You SAVED my life!" the boy said, glomping onto them, "Then you must be the ones I have to marr--" he couldn't finish now that he had two fists in his face. "Hey, you okay?" Ranma and Phaeron came running back to gate 30. They too had seen the beam and rushed over as soon as they saw it. Phaeron stopped short when he saw the green- haired boy. "So, you _are_ here..." he said in a stern voice. The boy turned to him. "Indeed, I am here. It has been a long time, Phaeron of Fenix." "Then _this_ guy's your friend?" Ranko asked. "I notice you have told them about me," the boy said. "Yep. Everyone, meet Nadir Kishal, one of my best friends from Esper World," Phaeron smiled and shook hands with his partner. Nadir shook hands with Phaeron and Ranma, but then he turned back to the girls, "Please, introduce me to these lovely sylphs, Phaeron." The girls turned slightly red, while Ranma cocked one eyebrow, "Akane? Lovely? Are you blind or someth--" Akane hit him with her mallet, the 1465th time since the series started. "Akane Tendo," she bowed. Nadir bowed ceremoniously, holding one of the draped ends of his cape with his left hand. Phaeron rolled his eyes. "I'm Ranma Saotome, but everyone calls me Ranko," the redhead bowed slightly and stretched her open hand. Instead of shaking it, though, he took her hand and leaned forward to kiss her backhand. She pulled her hand away immediately after, annoyed. "Ranma Saotome," he bowed as well, "I'm her older brother." Nadir examined the three people, as if remembering something. Finally, he turned to Phaeron, "They really _do_ look like the images Seraphim showed you." "Yeah, whatever," Phaeron said, "Right now we've got business to talk about." Not the average Esper "So, what's another Esper doing here?" Ranma asked, as the troop began leaving the airport. "I'd say that's the answer," Nadir said, pointing at the gash in the runway. "I was afraid you'd say that," Phaeron shook his head grimly, "So, what happened?" "I'll tell you all about it, but first let's get out of here." He shifted the leather cylinder in his shoulder, "I don't like to be in a place that was struck by the Light of Judgement." "What's that?" Akane asked, pointing at the cylinder. "You play golf or something?" Ranma guessed. Nadir snapped like a mongoose, "It's a _quiver_, you dolt! For arrows, not golf clubs!" "Whoa, calm down!" Ranko said, "Oniisan was just asking." Nadir turned to her and suddenly dropped his angered attitude. "So you're still clinging to those things, eh?" Phaeron asked. He turned to his friends, "You'll have to forgive him. For Nadir, those arrows are the greatest treasure in the world." "They're not just that," Nadir said, removing the quiver from his shoulder. He opened the top to reveal at least sixty long wooden shafts inside, "These were given to me by the great Apollo long ago, even before the War. And this..." he stretched his palm forward and a majestic long bow appeared in his hand, "...was a gift from the huntress Artemis herself, just like Phaeron here got his staff from the lord of lightning Ramuh." Phaeron looked downwards, recalling how he had to sacrifice his staff during the battle against Coldfire. He turned back to the others, "You see, all of us Espers have somewhat of a 'trademark' weapon. Mine was the staff, Nadir's the bow, and so on. The only one who doesn't have any weapons is Seraphim, but it's obvious why." "By the way," Akane asked, "Just what kind of Esper are you, anyway?" she looked at Nadir's horns, curious. "I'm a kind that has not set foot on this planet for a very long time," Nadir smirked, flashing his fangs, "A kind that comes from China. Actually, I come from that land myself." "What do you mean?" "Nadir's just like me and Seraphim," Phaeron said. "It turns out he went to a certain training ground hundreds of years ago..." "...and he drowned in a spring but then it transported him to the world of Espers," Ranma finished. Nadir was surprised to discover they already were acquainted with the tragic tale of Jusenkyo. "So, which spring did you create?" "I don't remember exactly," Nadir said, "I think it's called Naniichuan or something like th--" "YOU made the 'spring of drowned man'?!" they asked, dumbfounded. Nadir blinked in confusion, "I think so, why?" he noticed Phaeron was nearly laughing his head off. "C'mon, Nadir, don't you remember?" the phoenix said. "After all the troubles I went through to find it..." Ranma said. "Hey!" Ranko bonked him on the head. "Well, anyway, when I arrived in Esper world I was turned into-- watch out!" Nadir pulled Akane out of the way just as an entire platoon of soldiers appeared in front of them, headed for the blast site. If he hadn't pulled her, they would have trampled her. "Th-thanks," she said, recovering her posture. When they turned to Nadir, they saw his horns were glowing brightly. "Sorry about that," he said, just as the horns ceased glowing. "The premonition caught me by surprise." "How'd you know that was going to happen?" Ranko asked. Nadir turned to Phaeron, "What, you haven't told them?" Phaeron explained again, "Nadir has great mental powers, even for an Esper. Telekinesis and premonition are some of them. You saw his horns glow, right? That's what happens whenever he uses those powers." "Then you can see into the future?" Ranma asked. Nadir nodded, "Only the near future, though. And most of the times my premonitions have to be triggered by another event, so I can't really see what I would like to. But this power is really handy when it comes to avoid accidents. Oh, and I would look forward if I were you, Ranma," he said just before Ranma walked head-on into the airport's glass doors. "Told you." * * * Later, they arrived at the dojo. Akane and Ranko were fascinated by Nadir's tale of how he became an Esper, much to his pleasure. Ranma and Phaeron just frowned as nobody payed attention to them. Crystallus had joined the group by now, and looked amused at Phaeron's frowning face. "So, this is the famous place, eh?" Nadir examined the dojo's sign. Without turning, he pointed to the other side of the road, his horns glowing, "Watch it. You're about to be crushed by a cat." "A cat...?" Ranma turned to where Nadir was pointing... and was squashed by Shampoo's bycicle. "Sorry," Nadir said, "I should've said 'squashed' instead of 'crushed'." "Who is you?" Shampoo detached herself from Ranma after Akane had _crushed_ his head with a mallet. Nadir introduced himself, but wasn't as gallant as when he met Akane and Ranko, something Phaeron was quick to notice. "Thank heavens you're safe!" Soun and Genma ran out of the house as soon as they saw the teenagers. Nodoka, far more calm about it, simply crushed her children in a hug as she sighed in relief. "What's going on? Why are you acting like that?" Akane asked. "We heard on the radio that something terrible had happened at the airport," Nodoka said. "We were worried that something might have happened to you." She released Ranma and Ranko when she realized their faces were blue. "And there's also..." she started to say when she saw Nadir. "Good afternoon, Mrs. Saotome," he said, again bowing ceremoniously, "My name is Nadir Kishal, Esper, and friend of Phaeron. And pleased to meet you too, Mr. Saotome, Mr. Tendo. It's a pleasure to meet the parents of these fair ladies." "What's with him?" Ranko and Akane turned to Phaeron, but he just shrugged. "Pleased to meet you," Nodoka said. Then she turned to Ranma and Ranko again, "I'm becoming worried, too. While you were out, your sister found another envelope in your room, Akane-chan. It was addressed to Ranma again." Nadir's horns glowed once more, "Now THAT's some sense of humor," he said, disgusted. They turned to him briefly before coming inside. "H-here's your letter..." Kasumi handed the envelope to Ranko. Strangely, her hands were trembling slightly when she handed it over. Noticing the air of nervousism, the siblings opened the envelope. Again, it was an anonymous threat. "THE ETERNAL VEIL OF DARKNESS SHALL FALL OVER YOU SHORTLY." "Again?" Ranma asked. "Who's sending these, anyway?" Shampoo took a close look at the letter," Hmm. Maybe great-grandmother know something." "She doesn't," Nadir said, "I have a feeling none of you have ever met the person who's doing this. There's something familiar about this, but I can't put a finger on it." Akane looked at the message. Just like before, she _knew_ something was not right. But from the look of Ranma and Ranko's dispreoccupated faces, she didn't know what to make of it. The Evil revived "So Kefka's back, is he?" Coldfire asked, crossing his arms. "That's what Nadir said," Phaeron closed the door of room 3, making sure nobody was eavesdropping from outside. "I didn't just say it," Nadir leaned against the wall, "I know it to be a fact. That's why I came here." "Then what happened?" Nadir sat down, a look of worry locked in his face, "A couple of weeks ago, all of us Espers began feeling the power of the Three Goddesses in our world. You should have been there: even old Maduin was excited. But when we arrived at the place the power was coming from, it turned out that it was Kefka. Many died, some were captured. Only about a dozen of us escaped before Kefka turned everyone into Magicite." Phaeron was shocked, "B-but how's that possible? We helped the Returners destroy him..." Nadir shook his head, "Nobody knows how he returned. The fact is, he took us by surprise. It doesn't matter how he came back, we only want to see him out of our world." Phaeron looked down gravely, "Who did he...?" Nadir sighed sadly, "As I said, he got many of us. Carbunkl, Bismark, ZoneSeeker... And those are the ones you knew personally. But the list of Espers that were trapped in Magicite is even larger: he encased Bahamut, Ramuh, Crusader, Ragnarok, Siren..." "And Palidor?" Phaeron asked, his voice filled with worry about his adoptive brother. "No, he got away too," Nadir said. "But we don't know what happened after that. All of us who escaped scattered all over Esper World, so we don't know anything about Palidor and a few others." In truth, he _did_ know, but he still didn't trust Coldfire. "Then what _do_ you know?" the dark phoenix asked. "Well, some of us escaped to the city of Valran, in the Outer Limits. We're lucky not even Kefka can penetrate that place's defenses." "And who's there?" "Only a few: Andellia and Terion, since nothing can hold those two down; Phantom, and, thank heavens, Maduin. We can't be thankful enough that you, Seraphim and Crystallus were here when that happened. But who we're really worried about is Mireillia." Phaeron and Coldfire swallowed hard, "What happened to Mireillia?" Nadir blinked, "We were hoping you'd know. Ever since you came back she vanished. Terion was sure she would be with you, after all he's her brother." "We don't know about her either," Coldfire said, "then again she's always travelling all over the place. Kinda reminds me of that Hibiki character." Nadir slumped down, "Well, that's so typical of her. You can't trust that kind of Espers anymore. We sure could have used her help, though." "I second _that_," Coldfire said, "From what I remember, Mireillia was even more powerful than Atma and Poltergeist combined." "But returning to the subject," Phaeron said, "You're here to ask for our help?" Nadir turned to him, "Right. You know how it is: Phantom and Maduin don't fight anymore, and only three Espers against Kefka and his legions is like a fly versus a hurricane. We don't only need your help, we're desperate for it. I don't know what Seraphim has to say about this, but even if she's not allowed to fight we could use three phoeni in our battle." Phaeron crossed his arms in thought, knowing fully what would happen if he didn't agree to help, but not at all willing to lose what he had just regained. "All right," he finally said, "I'll help. You're always too proud to admit you need assistance, but from seeing you act like this then it means everyone needs me." "You surprise me," Coldfire said, "After all, you just got back from the dead, and you have a clear shot at 'it' after 1500 years. Maybe you should stay here while _I_ go instead." Phaeron smiled at his double, "Thanks, but this is something I have to do myself. I'll have to count on you to take care of things around here in case I--" "Hold it," Crystallus said, suddenly appearing in the middle of the room, "Coldfire's right. I know how you feel, so maybe you should stay here to take care of he-- of _them_. We can take care of Kefka." "Then I guess the three of us will go," Phaeron said, "No matter what my feelings are, it's my duty to help those who need me." "When will you tell her, then?" Coldfire asked, "You don't leave friends in the dark when you're about to go on a potentially fatal trip, you know, especially your best friend." "Who're you talking about?" Nadir asked, curious, "is it that girl with the pigtail?" he began to drift off in a reverie, something that the phoeni noticed. "What's with you, anyway?" Phaeron asked, "Ever since you arrived here you've been acting strange around her and Akane. Knowing how well you abide by Esper Law, you'd think they saved your life or something." Nadir smirked, "Oho, so you became upset, eh?" he thought, "Then I better not tell you that they _did_ save my life. It will be very interesting when they find out what happens to an Esper, according to our Law, when somebody else saves his life." He said, "Why do you say that? I'm merely acting in the way any normal male Esper would react upon meeting two people that may very well be Seraphim's twins," enjoying Phaeron's coloured reaction, he continued, "in fact, I think I noticed a few white feathers nearby, didn't you?" Phaeron was about to reply, but Coldfire was quicker, "Just stay away from them, okay? I'm sure none of them wants anything to do with a half-monster like you." Nadir fumed greatly, his smirk vanishing as he roared, "Who are YOU calling monster, you ex-demon?! I'll have you know my Esper side is still very alluring for girls like Andellia and even Starlet." Coldfire didn't supress his laughter, "Can't wait to see the look in Akane and Zhaodi's faces when you morph into the Kir--" "Shut UP!!" Nadir used his telekinetic power to blast Coldfire out the window, then used it again to levitate himself and blast off in his pursuit, leaving Phaeron and Crystallus rolling their eyes. "Hm?" Kyoko looked up and gasped as she saw two people flying out of Phaeron's window, but then the second one transformed into some kind of equine creature. Shaking her head, she continued petting Mr. Soichiro's head, "This is all Yusaku's fault. Now I'm seeing things." The Nightmare begins Ryouga fell down on the grass, his vision blurred after receiving the tremendous blows. He could notice he was still on the same hill in Hokkaido, and it was still noon according to the brightness before him. But his head was swimming, he had to struggle to keep himself conscious. All he could focus on was the figure in front of him. The figure that had ambushed and fought him relentlessly until he fell. "Damn you..." he said weakly, trying to get a hold of his umbrella, which lay torn and broken a few feet away from him. The figure giggled, "I'm sorry. This had nothing to do with you. I just wanted to see how strong you were." She combed her long red hair with her hand. "And we..." Ryouga muttered, "we were starting to become friends... Why did you do this to me, Ranko?" Again, she giggled, "Why do you want to know? Just remember who it was that defeated you." She began to walk away, "Oh, and I'd get some treatment on those injuries if I were you." With that, she jumped upwards. Ryouga tried to follow with his eyes, but her trajectory caused her to vanish in the golden sun. Ryouga blinked in pain and looked down again, clenching his teeth. "Curse you, Saotome..." * * * Five people and a female angel were dashing their way to Furinkan High school, late as usual. The Saotome siblings were on the fence, Akane and Seraphim on the road, Phaeron on another fence and Nadir levitated himself above them. It was Friday, one month since the new Esper had arrived. The phoeni and Nadir had been training with great devotion in preparation for their future battle (of which neither the Tendos nor the Saotomes knew about.) Nadir's actions towards Akane _and_ Ranko had become quite obvious to Phaeron and Ranma, though neither of the girls had noticed. Instead, they just considered him a close friend. Also, the Saotomes had begun to take the anonymous letters seriously, considering they were receiving about three of them everyday. The latest one, which they received just before leaving, had been the worst, and it had confirmed the target, "I WONDER IF YOUR BLOOD IS THE SAME SHADE AS YOUR HAIR." Obviously, Ranko was in a _very_ bad mood. Even her brother kept his distance, and he could swear he could see steam coming from her. "Do you know who's doing that, Seraphim?" Akane asked. The angel shrugged, "I don't know. Whoever is doing this knows very well how to hide even from us angels." "Well I, for one, am sick and tired of this," Ranko said. "First Coldfire, then Shampoo, sometimes Ryouga, Kodachi, for a while Herb, then Coldfire again, and now this one. Just how many people want to kill me anyway?!" "And what reason would they have?" Akane said, "You haven't even fought anybody over the last two months." Ranko's attitude shifted slightly when she heard those last two words, as she turned briefly to Phaeron. She still hadn't told anyone what was going to happen, not even Phaeron himself knew he would die in a little over two months. She was about to try and find a way to tell him when they arrived at Furinkan. "Here we go again..." Phaeron said. "Um, try to control yourself while we fight, okay sis?" Ranma said, well-aware of what would happen to half of the male population of their school if Ranko fought them while in a bad mood. "What? What's going on?" Nadir asked. "You don't know this, since this is the first time you come with us..." Akane said, "But every single morning, the guys from our school fight us." Nadir was taken aback, "And why in heaven's name would they do that?" "They have the crazy idea that if they beat Akane or Ranko-chan then they'll be able to date them," Phaeron explained. "Now THAT's a concept," Nadir grinned. "Wonder why Maduin didn't think of it first." He descended to the road and ran next to Akane. "Don't worry. I won't let any of those imbeciles get near you." Phaeron and Ranma rolled their eyes. "Thank you, Nadir-kun, but I can really take care of myself." "And all of you better stay outta my way," Ranko said, already set to bulldoze through the mob. Akane had never seen her that upset. Fortunately for the Furinkan student population, Miss Hinako had already taken the "impetus" out of them, which is why the group found the gates empty except for two people: Hinako and Kuno. "Mr. Saotome! Miss Saotome!" Hinako said irritated, "I have to speak to you very seriously! Come inside at once!" "Hm?" they both stopped on their tracks, "Now what?" "Ah, what a vision of loveliness I have been rewarded with," Kuno sighed, "not even the miscreant brother nor the fraudulent bird-man can stain the image before mine eyes..." "Who's he?" Nadir asked to Akane. Kuno immediately noticed. "You! Who might you be to address the glorious Akane Tendo without my permission?" "What's his problem?" Nadir turned to Ranko. Kuno was outraged. How dare this stranger pester his loves in such manner? This was an offense he would not allow to pass unpunished. "Tell me your name, cad, before the great Tatewaki Kuno, Blue Thunder of Furinkan High, smites you!" Nadir seemed to be enjoying every second. Taking a cue from Phaeron's decade-long-type introductions, he started, "I am from the farthest lands..." It was a good thing Hinako was still waiting by the door, otherwise all of them would have been late after waiting for Nadir to finish showing off. Finally, after noon, he said his name. "Do you mock Tatewaki Kuno?" he grasped his bokuto tightly, "Now I shall teach you to respect the pigtailed girl and Akane Tendo! Prepare yourself!" "Oh, so you want to fight?" Nadir took his bow and a single arrow from his quiver. The arrow's tip was covered with a small rubber pouch, like training arrows. After all, he didn't want to injure a human. "Now face the mighty bow of Apollo and the arrows of Artemis!" "We better get inside," Phaeron shoved the rest of the people into the building, including Hinako. "No! I have to take care of these delinquents!" she fluttered her way back outside. "Boor!" Kuno dashed towards Nadir and delivered a powerful thrust that only hit the wall. Meanwhile, Nadir had taken to the air and was aiming his arrow towards Kuno. He didn't fire though. He didn't want to take advantage of a weakling. "Stand your ground!" Kuno next tried to slice the air in front of Nadir. This time, the Esper leapt away and took aim for real. "I shouldn't do this to a weak human, but if you are among the idiots who hound my friends..." he shot the arrow, which opened into a wide net, ensnaring Kuno. Nadir grinned as Hinako scowled at him, dragging the captive Blue Thunder into school. "I think I'm gonna like this place," Nadir smirked. "So there you are," Hinako said as she came into the classroom, after dropping Kuno in his own class. "We have something very important to talk about, Mr. and Miss Saotome." "Now what did you do?" Akane whispered to Ranma. He just shrugged. "Until further notice..." Hinako continued, "you are both suspended from Furinkan High school." "WHAT?!" both of them rose violently from their seats. "Why is that?" Seraphim asked calmly. "We have discovered that both of you are affiliated to some of the most dangerous youth gangs in the city, plus we found you both have records indicating delinquency." She looked both angry and disappointed. "Where did you get that information from?" Phaeron asked, "It's obviously false." "It's not false. It's on the computer," Hinako said, "I'm afraid you will have to leave the school grounds." Nadir rubbed his chin with his fingers, recalling how he used to be one of the best hackers in Esper World, "May I take a look at your files? There could be a mistake there. Besides, these two aren't delinquents." "Your behavior from before tells me that _you_ are a delinquent too. I won't let you look at our files," Hinako pointed a five-yen coin at him. "Oh, you'll let me, all right," Nadir's horns began glowing. "In fact, you'll let me check through your records and see that your claims are erroneous." His eyes narrowed. Hinako slowly dropped the coin, "O-okay. I don't think they're delinquents, anyway..." She fluttered to the teacher's lounge to look for the key to the file room. Everyone looked at Nadir dumbfounded. "How did you..." Ranma asked. "The Force has great influence on the weak-minded..." they facefaulted. A large drop of sweat formed on Nadir's head, "Er, no, I mean, I just hypnotized her. Another of my mental powers." "You can look at them now," Hinako said as she returned to the room. The entire class followed her to the file room. Nadir quickly took seat in front of the computer terminal and began typing away. His horns were glowing brightly. "What's he doing?" Akane asked. Phaeron shrugged, "Hacking into the system. After all, if Espers have magic that can change the orbit of entire planets, what wouldn't he do with a computer? Although I have to admit, Nadir's only the second best hacker in Esper World." "Well, 'second best' has found something," Nadir said, "You're not gonna believe this, but it seems that someone in the FBI deliberately changed all your records, even your grades." Ranma took a closer look at the monitor, "Wow, I didn't know I was doing that well in Math." "And you're not," Nadir said, "In fact you're doing better, but whoever changed this definitely wanted to mess both of you up. Look." He pointed at the screen. "You never told me you joined the Black Dragons," Ranko said to her brother, "What, are you crazy?" "I never did that!" he said, "You're the one who has three dozen charges for shoplifting, two arrest warrants from smuggling, and one for... for pros... for prost..." he babbled something incoherent, unable to continue. Phaeron fumed like a volcano at that last fake record. "Can you correct their files?" Ukyou asked. "Sure thing," he grinned, "I don't know who did this but he sure didn't do much to cover his tracks. Heck, he even left the backup files intact." With just a few key strokes the old, _normal_ files had returned. Ranma and Ranko frowned. "See, told you s--" suddenly a high-pitched sound came from the computer, forcing them to look straight into the monitor. Slowly, the screen which showed the records faded to black, leaving a single message written in a large red font. "SO, YOU'VE BEGUN TO DISCOVER ME." "Not AGAIN!" Ranko nearly blasted the monitor to bits. Everyone in the room had to back away from her as she shed an intense flame of rage. "This is getting too serious," Akane said, while Ranma filled Ukyou in to the anonymous threats his sister had been receiving. "Then the same person who's been sending them also wants to ruin your image," Phaeron said. When she turned her angry stare at him he nearly froze in shock. "From what I see, the strategy's working," Ukyou said, now that she knew everything about the messages. "What do you mean?" Akane asked. "Look at her," Ukyou pointed at Ranko without attracting the redhead's attention, "According to what Ranchan told me, she's been getting worse with each new threat. My guess is, whoever is sending them is doing it in order to psyche her out for the inevitable encounter." "Then as you said, the strategy's a complete success," Phaeron said, out of Ranko's earshot. He tried a different approach with her, "Look, Ranko-chan, you've got nothing to worry about. You know none of us would ever let this person hurt you. Right, Ranma?" "Right," he said, "It's okay, sis. We're here for you." "Besides..." Nadir added with a confident smirk, "whoever this person is, it's not like he can take on four Espers and an angel." He couldn't help thinking about both the messages and the hacker, "This is very familiar, though. Too familiar." "Four? You're helping too, Nadir?" Phaeron asked. The Esper beamed, "Sure. I mean, I can't allow anything bad to happen to _her_." He smiled strangely, causing Ranko to come out of her anger and blink at him in bewilderment. * * * The rest of the schoolday passed without anything out of the ordinary. Only Ranko split from the group as this was the day she worked at Nekohanten. "So, the threats keep coming?" Cologne asked when she noticed the look on Ranko's face. "You still not know who do that?" Shampoo's limited Japanese allowed her to say. "Nope, not a single clue," the redhead said as she changed out of the school uniform and into a pale yellow Chinese outfit in the Nekohanten's back room. "You know, I've been examining some of the ancient scrolls Nadir brought with him..." the old crone picked up a couple of lavishly-decorated cylinders, "I might teach you some of these techniques if it makes you feel better." Ranko smiled for the first time since the day started, "No thanks, Granny." She remembered all the times she had asked her to teach her, in her alternate universe, "I've learned everything I need from you," she thought. Cologne shrugged, indifferent, "Suit yourself," she snorted as she thought to herself, "So far we can't get to the son-in- law through her. There has to be a way to get his sister on our side..." Business thrived for the rest of the day, understandably for a place where both Shampoo and Ranko served as waitresses. And most of the customers in the restaurant that day were the same who would go over to Ucchan's the next day, then return to Nekohanten... and so on. By nightfall, however, the crowd had decreased in number and most of the people in the restaurant were either couples or elder people, meaning the workload would reduce and Ranko could leave. But just as she was heading out, Shampoo hurriedly left on a delivery, followed by Mousse. "Be careful, son-in-law's sister," Cologne said. Ranko noticed the gentle tone in the old maid's voice, "Why're they acting so nice with me?" she thought, but then shook her head, shrugging off those thoughts when she realized she was being paranoid. What was she worried about, anyway? She recalled what Phaeron and her brother had said back at school. These threats didn't mean anything, after all she and Ranma had faced greater perils in their travels. And with the friends she had, there was nothing to be afraid of... She sudenly stopped on her tracks. Afraid? No, she couldn't be _afraid_. Certainly not of a cowardly adversary who preferred to taunt her from afar, avoiding any real, head-on confrontation. She definitely wasn't afraid. Or at least that what she kept telling herself. * * * Ryouga rested his weight on the umbrella, trying to shake off the dizziness that enveloped him. It was night, he could see that much. But where was he? Was he still in Japan, or had he ended up in Newark again? A familiar voice humming a song confirmed his suspicions. He looked ahead, searching the territory for the source of the voice, and saw a blur walking down the road, and --he hoped-- headed for the Tendo Dojo. Clenching his teeth, Ryouga slowly followed the blur from a distance, like a hunter waiting to strike down his prey. A blurred one, though. But this was a red-haired prey. "Curse you, Saotome..." Ryouga muttered, hidden from Ranko's view by the shadows of the night. * * * Mousse leapt back, panting. Out the corner of his eye, he saw his precious Shampoo, laying unconscious next to the river's fence. On the other side of the road, Cologne was virtually plastered on the concrete wall. He took out a spare pair of glasses, as his first pair had been crushed to tiny shards by his opponent. But suddenly a long chain with a small steel weight on its end ensnared the frame of the glasses and pulled them from his face. Mousse winced when he heard the distinctive shattering sound of inch-thick lenses hitting pavement. "Why are you doing this?" he called out, pure anger fueling his voice. The figure in front of him giggled and sent out yet another ki blast at him. He barely had time to deflect the energy ball with a large wok he pulled out of hyperspace (his robe wasn't large enough to conceal THAT.) Immediately he sent a flurry of sais at the figure, hoping to scare it off. He gasped, for even his blurred vision allowed him to see the figure defend against each and every weapon by clapping its hands on it. Making use of the distraction, it pressed something on its left gauntlet, causing a small tube to protrude from it. Mousse was nearly blasted by the plasma bolt that was shot out from it, but then countered with his trademark steel claw. In less than a second, the figure retrieved what looked like a lightsaber from its backpack and sliced the chain that connected Mousse to the claw. Seeing the new weapon, Mousse took out his scimitar and leapt absurdly high up into the air, contrasting with the bright light of the moon and coming down on top of the unguarding attacker. But just as he slashed downwards, the figure placed its left arm in a defending position and a bright energy field materialized on its forearm. It was an electronically-created shield, not at all like Phaeron's aura barriers. The scimitar broke easily at the contact, then the figure batted Mousse away with the shield, knocking him into the fence. Battered but not yet beaten, Mousse stepped back. With several powerful thrusts he darted every single weapon in his right sleeve towards the opponent, but they were all sliced to pieces by a small glowing dirk. Determined, Mousse took out the greatest weapon of all: a massive, three-feet-in-diameter spiked ball. "I don't know who you are..." he said, swinging the monstrosity over his head, "but if you dared hurt my Shampoo, then you must suffer the consequences!" with a strong heave he let go of the chain, the spiked ball headed exactly towards the ebony-clad enemy. All his confidence flustered when the figure simply put its hand in front of it and the ball stopped in midair, then it clenched its fist and the weapon was crushed to dust by a powerful, crimson-colored aura shield. "Impossible..." he said involuntarily as he watched in awe. Without warning, the figure caught Mousse off guard and shot him in the chest with a small golden pistol it had pulled from its belt. Mousse doubled over in pain as the energy bolt from the gun still coursed through his body. "Do you admit defeat now?" the figure said, kneeling next to him. "We'll never forget this..." Mousse muttered, "Even if I don't get you, my dear Shampoo or her great-grandmother will give you the Kiss of Death..." The figure laughed quietly, "Will they really?" it walked over to both Amazons and put its hands on their forehead. A faint pink glow irradiated from them briefly, "I don't know why they would be willing to do that, especially since they don't remember any of this." It smirked evilly, "And _you_ certainly wouldn't tell you darling Shampoo she was defeated, now would you? After all, you are aware of how crushed she would feel if she knew any of it." Mousse muttered something in Cantonese. "I knew you wouldn't," it smirked, and began walking away. The enemy stopped briefly, then turned back to the Chinese boy, "And if I were you, I would take them to a hospital as soon as I recovered. These should be enough," it dropped a small pouch filled with gold coins. With nothing more to say, it continued walking down the road. Mousse watched silently as it spread its arms, then its entire body was covered by a powerful white light and it floated upwards. When it reached a modest height, it suddenly threw its hands forward and down, and arched its back. Its knee-length hair became blazing fire, and what appeared to be a seventeen-year-old human suddenly transformed into a perfect black equine, with fiery mane and tail and golden hooves that left a fiery trail on the sky. And then everything made sense to Mousse. That was an Esper. An Esper physically stronger than Ryouga. Faster than Ranma. With more hidden weapons than himself. More powerful than Phaeron. And worse yet, even more obsessed than Coldfire. Whomever it was hunting, he or she was in great peril. * * * Ranko sneezed involuntarily before calling, "I'm home," taking off her shoes. It took her a second to realize her mother was already hugging her tightly. "Urk... M-mom... let... go..." she gasped. "We were so worried!" Nodoka said, "Thank God you're safe!" "We have to talk, sis," Ranma said, coming into view. "What happened here?" she asked, thankful that her mother had released her. "You got another threat," Akane said, "According to the envelope, this would be the last." "But it's definitely the worst..." Phaeron said. Ranko noticed both he and Nadir had a rather greenish hue on their faces, as if they had the irresistible urge to throw up. "I don't know if I want to see it," Ranko said, staring at the Espers. "But it's better if you do," she heard her father's voice behind her. It was full of worry and consternation, she hardly recognized him at all. Deciding not to challenge them, she hesitantly took the envelope and took a deep breath before taking the letter. "ADDER'S DEATH SHALL BEFALL YOU IN SHORT." She became sligthly pale when she read that last part, for it meant that whoever had sent this was fully determined to take her life. "What's this 'adder's death' deal?" she was still curious enough to ask. Nadir and Phaeron quickly covered their mouths wih their hands. Kasumi promptly gave them some antiacid before anything... unpleasant... happened. "Adder's... urk..." Phaeron finally said, "That's an expression from Esper World. To say that you wish someone to have 'Adder's Death' means that you loathe that person in a way no human could ever despise." "It's derived from an old Esper legend," Nadir said, "A long time ago, the Adder was destroyed in our world. Its death was so gruesome and terrifying it still makes us sick." "But at least we know who we're dealing with here," Ranma said, "If that 'Adder's Death' thing is an Esper expression, then it means we're facing another Esper who doesn't like sis very much." "And WHO would?!" Ryouga suddenly burst into the dining room, coming through the garden, "Ranko! How dare you!" The redhead was completely flabbergasted, "Ry-Ryouga? What...?" "Don't play dumb! You ambushed me back there, and I've got the injuries to prove it!" "Don't talk to my daughter like that," everyone was surprised by Genma, "If you have a problem with her then talk first." "All right, then!" another voice, this one feminine, reached them. Ranko was nearly flattened by a large spatula, "Let's talk about what you did to me!" Ranma was the quickest to react, "What are you two talking about?" Ryouga and Ukyou took a deep breath before starting. "I was in Hokkaido when cleaning up my restaurant when out of the bushes and kicked me in started wrecking up the place then broke my umbrella in broken chairs everywhere nearly killed my poor restaurant--" "Shut up!" Ranma yelled. Ukyou and Ryouga settled down, "Alright, one at a time." Ukyou could only give a sorrowful glance to Ranko, then a few tears started coming down her eyes, "How... How could you, Ranchan? You knew that restaurant was all I had..." "Wha... what are you talking about, Ucchan?" Ranko could swear she felt the big drop of sweat forming in her head. "'What am I talking about'?!" Ukyou turned violently, outraged, "I'm talking about how you wrecked my restaurant! So maybe the tips aren't as big as the ones you get at Shampoo's place, but you didn't have to do that!" "Now hold on," Phaeron intervened, "She never did anything to your place. You must be mistaking her for someone else." "Oh, it's so obvious _you'd_ defend her, you baka," Ukyou tried hard not to hit both of them with her spatula. "But you won't be able to keep _me_ away!" Ryouga said, fed up with waiting, "Not after what she did to me!" Nodoka was surprisingly calm, "Do not even THINK you can hurt my little girl." Ryouga turned to her, regaining his composture, "With all due respect, Mrs. Saotome..." he pointed at Ranko as if his index were a branding iron with the words "guilty as hell" on it, "BUT YOUR DAUGHTER NEARLY KILLED ME!" "Are you sure, Ryouga-kun?" Akane asked quietly. He suddenly lost all his fury at the sound of her voice. "You HAVE made that same mistake before, you know," Phaeron pointed out. "Yes, but it was _you_ who defeated Doppleganger," Ukyou reminded him. Ranma quickly took his sister by the shoulders and pushed her forwards, making her face Ukyou and Ryouga, "Look at this face. Do you really think this girl would even think of hurting either of you?" Ukyou looked dubiously at Ranko, who was now red as a beet. But her blue eyes confirmed her innocence to Ukyou, and she even noticed slight fear in them, as if the redhead were afraid to lose their friendship. Ukyou stepped away, blushing out of embarassment. Ryouga was a harder nut to crack. Ranma had to literally force her towards him until their faces were about an inch apart. They were taking a big risk here, after all Ryouga was in the perfect position to hold her neck and strangle her. Large beads of sweat ran down his face as he tried not to give in, but little success. "I've got her now..." he thought, but couldn't help staring into her eyes, "So cute... What am I thinking?! She's Ranma! And she practically killed me! And she... she looks innocent... Argh!! She couldn't have been the one who hurt me!" He slumped down in admittance, letting his arms go slack. Ranko relaxed as well, but then she realized how close her face was to Ryouga's and smashed her brother's head into the floorboards, "What were you thinking?!" Ukyou dropped her weapon and looked down to the floor, "I'm... I'm sorry I yelled at you, Ranchan," she said, feeling miserable. "It's okay, Ucchan," Ranko smiled and took Ukyou's hand, "We're still friends? I can help you fix your restaurant if you want me to." Ukyou looked up and hugged the smaller girl, "Sure, friends." "I'm sorry too," Ryouga said in his embarassed tone, rubbing his head, "It's just that... You always fool me with your disguises, so..." "Don't worry, P-chan," Ranko grinned at him, but then the real P-chan showed up and bit her ankle, "Yaah! Get this little creep off me!" she shook her leg so hard the piglet was sent crashing to the floor. "Hey, don't do that to P-chan!" Akane and Ryouga were quick to punt her into the wall. "But what made you think she had done all those things?" Phaeron asked. Ukyou and Ryouga turned to each other, trying to remember something, "That's the funny part," Ukyou said, "I don't really remember what happened. All I know is someone who looked like Ranchan wrecked my restaurant. She made sure I didn't forget that I was attacked by a redhaired girl who knew martial arts." "The same thing happened to me," Ryouga said, "But the first thing this girl did was hit me hard on the head so everything was blurry around me. That's why I couldn't be sure that it had been Ranko who attacked me." "I see a connection here," Nadir said. He turned to Phaeron, "Remember what you said when we found those fake records?" "I get it," Akane said, "First they wanted to ruin her image at school, then with our friends too." "What are you talking about?" Ryouga asked. Phaeron showed him the dozens upon dozens of anonymous threats. Ryouga gulped after reading some of them. "This has gone too far," Nodoka said gravely. "I don't know who is behind this, but we can't let this continue. Especially after what that last letter said." "What should we do, Auntie?" Akane asked. Nodoka shook her head. "Maybe we should mount guard around here," Nadir suggested, "If that message's right, then you'll be attacked in the next few days," he put his arm around Ranko, who immediately slipped away from him. "That _is_ a good idea," Genma said. "But we couldn't ask them to stay awake all night out there in the street," Nodoka said. "Maybe..." she turned to Phaeron, "Um, Phaeron-kun, do you think maybe she could stay at your place for a few days, while you stay here to help us set up a trap for the attacker?" The Esper gulped at this. "Y-you mean she should stay at _my_ apartment house?" he thought, already imagining potentially fatal outcomes if the Loon Squad were to hear about this. "Maybe it would be better if Phaeron-kun just spent a few nights here, instead," Kasumi said. She was sure that having a girl sleep over at a guy's place just wasn't proper. "But wouldn't it be a problem?" Nodoka asked, "We are already pushing your hospitality too far..." Kasumi smiled and shook her head, "Really, it's no problem at all. What matters is that Ranko-chan is safe, right?" "Well, I guess I _could_ stay here..." Phaeron said. "I'd just have to call Coldfire so he can 'explain' to everybody back at the apartment," as he spoke, he kept sending covert glances at Ranko. "Count me in, too," Nadir said. "Are you sure, Nadir-kun?" Akane asked. "As I said before, there's no way I'm letting any two-bit Esper hurt dear Ranko," everyone's eyes opened widely when he said the word "dear," but that only managed to make Nadir grin even more. "Uh, all right, then," Nodoka cleared her throat. "So you and Phaeron-kun can spend a few nights here. We'll pull out a pair of spare futons for you." "That'all right, Mrs Saotome," Phaeron said, "We can sleep in the dojo." "Then that's where we'll put you up," Nodoka said. Her voice turned gentler, a tender smile appearing on her face, "Thank you for doing this. I really feel better knowing Ranko- chan is safe with you two in this house." Ranko slowly turned to her mother, opening her mouth slightly as if trying to say something. She remained silent though, and a faint reddish hue appeared on her face when her eyes turned to Phaeron. Under a bloodshot moon Rain was pouring down on Tokyo, helping the already-low temperature of the night drop even more. The streets were deserted, the only sound was the constant fall of the water on the pavement and roof tiles. This peaceful lullaby of the rain was suddenly altered, as one could hear the sound of somebody ruinning down the street, the splash of feet on water puddles coming faintly from the distance. Everything was quiet in the Tendo residence. Happosai was thankfully nowhere around, and the people inside slept easy knowing there were two Espers in the house. However, in Akane's room, there was a slight clattering sound coming from a cot. The clock on her nightstand read 11:52 pm. Knowing the last few nights had been very cold, Akane was cuddled comfortably in her cat-face pajamas. Ranko, on the other hand, was shivering uncontrollably as she was curled up into a ball in the nightgown she had borrowed from Akane (she had had to relinquish the fish- cake PJ's to her brother. Her mother insisted on her "wearing feminine clothes," though,) and since it only reached down to below the knees, she had to hug her legs to prevent them from getting goosebumps. It took a few more minutes of her teeth clattering to wake Akane, but she ignored the sound and went back to sleep. Meanwhile in the dojo, things were not as peaceful. Nadir was a rock, but Phaeron kept mumbling and rolling around restlessly in his sleep. Suddenly his dream made him bring his hands together and fire off a short-range ki blast. He didn't wake up, but Nadir shot up like one of his arrows. "What the..." he looked around, sensing the presence of ki in the room. His eyes settled on Phaeron, who was glowing like a flare. "_Now_ what's the problem?" he thought as he sat upright and examined the phoenix. He continued mumbling, mostly two Chinese female names that he kept repeating, until Nadir finally heard a familiar name: "...Him... Coldfire..." Phaeron mumbled. "Coldfire?" Nadir thought, intrigued. "What could he be dreaming about?" he kneeled next to Phaeron, placing his hand just a few inches over his forehead. His horns began to glow, "Allow me to enter Phaeron's mind..." Nadir chanted. A barrage of images assaulted the green-haired Esper's mind: a fight near a waterfall, an ancient Chinese village, and-- "What the... What's Ranko doing there? And how come that other girl looks just like her?" he tried to sort out what his mental power let him see, "Oh, he must be having a dream about his life before becoming an Esper. I recognize those springs. And come to think of it, that village looks like the Joketsuzoku's..." he continued eavesdropping on Phaeron's dream for a while, but soon he lost interest and crawled back to is futon. He didn't notice Phaeron's mumblings started to become more and more upset. His golden aura was also becoming pure light. "Pan...di... Zha... o... di..." came a final mumble before the entire dojo started trembling violently. Nadir turned back to him immediately, horrified when he saw Phaeron was close to becoming pure energy. Without a second thought Nadir scrambled to his feet and levitated Phaeron while he manually opened the door, then practically tossed him out to the yard, regadless of the rain. It didn't matter anyway, every drop of water that touched him evaporated instantly. Nadir was shocked when Phaeron spread his arms, a large ball of blazing fire appearing on each of his hands. He was preparing to attack, even though he was asleep. "What in the world is going on?!" Nadir said, creating a telekinetic shield around himself to keep from getting wet. A broad beam of white light appeared next to him. "Poor brother Phaeron," Seraphim said, shaking her head, "I don't like to see him like this." "What's happening?" Nadir asked her. Seraphim sighed, "He's having that nightmare again. Whenever he is under great pressure he dreams about the accident at Jusenkyo. Right now I think this is the part when he returns and sees what Coldfire did to the twins." Nadir fell silent. But suddenly Phaeron's aura of light began creating an air current around him. It caused a small object to come out from underneath his clothes. "What's this?" Nadir bent down to examine the object. It was a small gold medallion, with a ruby embedded in its center, still holding on to the tattered gold thread around Phaeron's neck. "I'd leave that alone if I were you, brother Nadir," Seraphim said worriedly. "Oh, c'mon. I just want to see what this is," Nadir didn't pay attention. He took the medallion in his fingers, careful enough not to rip it from Phaeron. The ruby had an ovoid shape, and was perfectly polished. The gold circle it was incrusted in was also without a blemish. But he felt some kind of patterns on its back. He turned it over and noticed an intrincate carving, in Chinese characters, maybe a message of some sort. Over it, there was a rough, sloppy picture, like a child's attempts at drawing a person's portrait. "Let's see..." Nadir recognized the characters, as he was also from ancient China. His eyes opened widely when he interpreted the message. "I told you you should have left it alone," Seraphim said. Nadir stared at Phaeron dumbfounded, "Who... Who gave you this?!" he asked to the sleeping form. He turned to Seraphim, but the angel was gone. "Great. I'll find out anyway..." he thought as he aimed his hand at Phaeron's head. Without warning, the sleeper's face turned into a horrendous, vicious scowl. Nadir reconsidered his actions in a flash. "C O L D F I R E . . ." Phaeron said through clenched teeth. Seeing what was about to happen, Nadir decided it was best to go back inside and cast an aura shield over the entire house. Phaeron was left outside in the rain. Slowly, he brought his fists together. The fire balls in his hands flared. "LIGHTBIRD-PHOENIX!" Phaeron blasted out an energy shot that was shaped like a titanic flaming Phoenix. The entire area was bathed in orange light and even the rain ceased. The astronomers at the Monte Palomar observatory added the phenomenon to their list of unsolved mysteries. They never did find out what that strange energy emission that came from Japan was, but they followed its trajectory as it flew up to outer space, headed for the Andromeda nebula. Phaeron's body slumped down due to exhaustion. After his aura fizzled, one could see his face was wet. But it wasn't rain what had soaked it. He mumbled a name one last time, then finally the nightmare ended and a dreamless sleep followed. The dark figure looked at him silently. It was kneeling on top of the fence, waiting. It smirked: not even Seraphim had sensed its presence. But when it first saw Phaeron, it clenched every muscle in its body. Just who was it that caused such great pain in him? Who could do that to the Esper Phoenix? It got to its feet and ran along the fence, headed for the garden. Whoever it was that affected Phoenix so much, it didn't matter. There were more important tasks to be accomplished first. * * * Ranko woke up, mostly out of her constant shivering than because of the yell that had come from outside a few minutes ago. Then she realized she had been curled into a ball and felt disgusted, chiding herself for behaving like a little child. Still tottering to the sides, half asleep, she made her way to the closet and half-heartedly looked for an extra blanket or, with luck, an eiderdown. She was about to go back to bed when the door creaked on its hinges and opened slightly, letting a warm, delicious smell into the bedroom. She sniffed in pleasure at the smell of sukiyaki that came from downstairs. Letting her stomach take the lead, she put all common sense aside and dropped the blankets, then silently walked out of the room. It was even colder in the hallway, she noted once she felt both the freezing air hit her legs, and the ice-cold floorboards beneath her feet. Since she was barely awake, she dreamed of putting on a nice pair of thick wool socks. It was this reverie what nearly caused her to fall down the stairs, but fortunately she woke up completely after bonking her head on the floor. She muttered something inintelligible while rubbing her head, but then the rich smell picked at her nose again and she got to her feet, smiling as she let the scent pull her through the corridors. When she finally reached the dining room, the first thing she noticed was the open door to the garden. No wonder she felt freezing, they had left the door open! She shivered greatly when a gust of cold air came from outside and hit her body. Rubbing her arms with her hands, she tiptoed to the door and pushed it closed with her hips, enjoying the warmth that her own hands were giving to her arms. There, so much better now. The room felt warmer all of a sudden, once the door was shut. Again she smelled the delicious sukiyaki, and she realized that it was right in front of her, on the table. She grinned and made a bee-line towards it. She sat down at the table, split the chopsticks and licked her lips while her eyes widened greatly. She didn't know who had left this out here, but she was deeply thankful for it. She was about to take the first bite when her common sense came back to her like an avalanche. Her battle instincts took over and ordered her to get the heck out of there immediately. Gasping at the realization, Ranko leapt away from the table the second before a quartet of small blades whistled through the air where her chest had just been. She landed on the other side of the room, scanning her surroundings intently. Funny, she hadn't heard the knives hit the table. Curious for an instant, she looked over to the place where she had been sitting. She supressed a gasp when she saw the four blades were hovering in midair, spinning in place as if waiting. Without the slightest warning they stopped spinning and darted straight at her, but this time she waited an instant longer before dropping flat to the floor, hearing the blades embedding deep into the wood. Vigilant as ever, she got to her feet and bent down, her knees nearly touching the floor. She realized she would be in need for more freedom of movement and pulled up her nightgown, tying it around her waist. She ignored the cold that now assaulted her entire lower limbs and slowly, very slowly, circled the table until she reached the hallway. She heard a hiss, like a steam vent being opened, then leapt straight up before a blade of light cleaved the air instead of her legs. She tried to look for the source of the attacks, but the shadows that fell on the room prevented her from seeing much. Swallowing hard, she looked all around her before slipping to the hallway. Like an arrow she made a break for the door, confident she would be able to fight this enemy once they were in the garden, where there was nothing to hide her adversary. Her running speed was incredible, but every step seemed to drag on forever. She could hear several weapons being fired behind her, some of them tearing through the rice paper walls, but she didn't dare stop. She was perfectly sure what would happen if she hesitated. Finally she reached the door. She pushed it to the side and leapt out, breaking a hard right once she was beyond the door. Unfortunately, she didn't see the large puddle of water which she stepped right into. The momentum of her dash, combined with the tremendous strength she put into the right turn caused her right ankle to give away and she tumbled to the ground, splashing into the puddle. She cursed and got up on all fours, already feeling the nightgown sticking to her body and restricting her movements like a heavy mesh net. She tried to stand up, but fell down again just as she tried to put weight on her ankle. "Dammit, not now!" she thought to herself, "Don't let a twisted ankle slow you down!" With all the strength she could muster she heaved up and used her arms to boost her towards the garden, setting her left foot on the ground and kicking away, which sent her over the carp pond. She landed next to the tree, putting her back to it for protection. The enemy still didn't show up. It was only now that Ranko felt the water on her nightgown increase the great cold she felt all over her body. For a moment she considered taking it off --she would be extremely cold, but at least the soaked nightgown wouldn't hamper her movements nor freeze her to death,-- but quickly decided against it, realizing she would be very vulnerable when she were to bring it over her head. Steeling herself, she forced her body to endure the cold and tried to summon her ki. Having an aura surround her body would help her get warmer, after all. But just as the red field appeared around her _another_ energy blade came flying her way. She cartwheeled away from it, but then a long chain came out of the darkness, ensnared her right foot and pulled, bringing her down. Ranko hit the wet grass hard with her back, but the real pain was coming from her foot. Her ankle was already starting to swell, this pull probably dislocated it. Tears streamed down her eyes as she silently endured the burning pain that was shooting up her leg, while somebody kept pulling her from the other end of the chain. Trying to stop the pain, she grabbed the chain and pulled, succeeding only in straining her arms. Taking a deep breath, she gripped the grass with her fists, clenching so hard her knuckles became white, and pulled in her right leg. She caught a glimpse of somebody being pulled from amid the shadows and fall towards her. In a split second her left foot darted for the other's head, sending the figure tumbling backwards, but she also heard a sickening crack in her ankle. This time the pain was too much to endure, even for Ranko. She yelled and moaned in pain, clutching her dislocated ankle as she rolled on her back, not even feeling the soaked grass beneath her. She didn't notice the dark figure looming over her either. "Weakling..." the female said in a despective voice, filled with hatred and fury. She brought her hand upwards, charging it with razor-sharp ki. Just before she slashed downwards, she took a second to look at the small redhaired girl in front of her. Truly, how pathetic; a broken ankle was NOTHING compared to the injuries after sparring sessions in Esper World. And to think this little wench had been Coldfire's adversary. Amusing. No, wait, she was not amused. She was _disgusted_ by this pigtailed girl's display. Disgusted beyond what any human would ever feel. But now she had to finish the job. The ki in her hand took the shape of a crescent moon. The assassin swung her right hand to the left, ready to slice through Ranko's neck. "Ranma Saotome..." she said grimly, "...DIE! NIGHTMARE PENDULUM!" She spread her arm outwards... ...and received a powerful kick to her midsection, causing her aura to fizzle and her knife vanished. Ranko was up on her hands and right knee, her left foot was forced deep into the female attacker's gut. The force of the kick sent the dark enemy backwards. Recovering instantly from the blow, she became incredibly angry, but quickly opened the door to the dining room, went in and closed it again. Ranko set her left knee on the ground and panted from the effort. While she was rolling on the ground, mere instants before, she had had to clutch her right ankle tightly so it would go numb. She hated doing that, but it was the only way she could forget the incredible pain that was still coming from her ankle. Using the tree for support, she got up on her left leg , feeling a very faint sensation as the toes of her right foot slightly touched the tip of the blades of grass. Not letting another tear come out of her eyes, she hopped towards the dining room door, even more determined to find the girl who nearly killed her. With a strong heave she opened the door with both arms, letting a gust of wind follow her entrance into the house. With flames in her eyes, she scanned the room completely. The now-abundant moonlight left hardly any shadows large enough to conceal a human being. Seeing the room was empty, she hopped over to the hallway, leaning against the frame of the door that separated it from the dining room. Suddenly, the figure appeared before her again. But it simply walked towards her, letting Ranko have a good look at her would-be-murderer. It was a girl all right, a girl wearing some sort of ninja uniform. But she was taller than Ranko, maybe about Phaeron's height, and her fiery red hair reached down to her knees. On her arms there were strange armlets, apparently mechanical. Judging from the small tube that protruded from the right armlet, Ranko immediately realized this was where the chain had been shot from. On her legs she also wore anklets, but these apparently were ordinary pieces of armor. On her waist there was a strange loose belt, more like a bandolier, from which an arcane-looking pistol dangled menacingly. There was also a small backpack slung over the girl's shoulders, but most of it was concealed by the hair. The girl's face, despite being hidden, gave away a great hatred towards Ranko, a hatred not even Coldfire had felt. Her red eyes seemed to glow with the very hellfire. "Who are you?" Ranko asked, trying to show confidence and determination in her voice. The girl laughed quietly, "Dost thou really want to know? Thou art about to die, and I would enjoy seeing thee depart to the Netherworld without the knowledge of mine name." Before Ranko could think, "She speaks like Kuno," the girl's attitude changed greatly, "Still, thou hast hurt me. Such is an offense I can never forgive. And I assure thee, thy death won't come as easily as I had intended. No, it shalt be painful, long... Adder's Death has now befallen thee, and I am the executioner!" The girl took an object out of her belt. It looked roughly like a lavish hilt for a sword, shaped like a dragon. The head itself was the handle, the long folds behind the ears were the guard, and the large white pearl in the dragon's mouth was the pommel. The girl gripped it tightly. A ghostly gray aura enveloped her body. "Thou art nothing but a mere human. Now we shalt see how badly thou fare against the AtmaWeapon!" Suddenly the girl brought the AtmaWeapon upwards. The aura around her body was channeled to it and a _long_ blade of pure energy sprouted from the hilt. Ranko hopped backwards slightly at the sight of the blade. She swallowed hard and assumed a defensive stance, even though it would be useless. "Yaaa!" the girl's sword slashed towards Ranko. The redhead brough her arm upwards, defending. She knew it would never be enough. A severed arm fell to the floor, staining the boards crimson. Ranko opened her eyes, feeling a hand on her shoulder. "Ph-Phaeron-kun!" The Phoenix Esper was standing between the two girls, his right hand had gently pushed Ranko out of the way, but his left arm was in a defending position. Ranko thought her eyes were failing her, but she couldn't see his forearm. The girl's energy sword had already completed its arc. Feeling her heart jumping out her mouth, Ranko looked downwards. There, on the floor, was Phaeron's left forearm. She quickly turned to look at him, and slowly moved her eyes from his shoulder and up his arm, completely sure that it had been an illusion. But then his arm ended in a bloody stump just after the elbow. The left sleeve of his shirt also ended there, the edge cauterized by the intense heat of the sword. "Phaeron-kun!" she called again, shocked, before tasting the sour bile arriving at her mouth. "Are you alright, Ranko-chan?" he asked, not daring take his eyes off the attacker. On cue, all feeling returned to her right ankle, causing her to release a slight whimper and hold on to Phaeron's right arm. He realized her condition immediately. "Y O U . . ." he said through clenched teeth, glaring viciously at the intruder. How dare she! HOW DARE SHE HURT HER?! "Phaeron...?" the girl thought to herself. Like Ranko, she was shocked to discover she had lopped his forearm right off. But he didn't have to say a single word, and the severed appendix on the floor suddenly burned to ashes. These ashes converged on the stump and his left arm regenerated completely, minus some of the left sleeve, much to Ranko and the girl's amazement. "Now..." Phaeron said grimly. "before I punish you, tell me... Who are you, and why do you have an Esper weapon?!" Ranko slowly hopped forwards, but then lost her balance and leaned against the wall to Phaeron's right. "I didn' want to do this the hard way..." the girl said. Phaeron gasped as he recognized the voice, "YOU?!" Without another word, she aimed the pistol at Ranko's head and fired. The redhead didn't even had time to react before she fell unconscious. "Ranko-chan!" Phaeron quickly held her with his right arm. "Why you..." he pushed the air in front of him with his left hand. The girl was nearly blasted away by the full power White Touch, but she withstood the attack, "This was not planned, Phaeron," she said before shooting a small sleeping-gas pellet from her pistol. Phaeron tried to fight off the effects, but it wasn't easy as he also tried not to let Ranko fall. Slowly, he was brought to his knees; his blurred vision allowed him to see how the girl had unsheathed another Esper weapon, the Graedus dirk. She was readying herself to strike Ranko in the chest. "NO!" with his last effort, Phaeron pushed his left hand upwards and created a crystal dome around himself and Ranko. The Graedus bounced off harmlessly. Staggering back, the girl sighed and aimed her hand at both of them. The last thing Phaeron saw before falling unconscious to the ground was a flash of faint purple light. This was unexpected, she thought. Phaeron was not supposed to interfere. If not for him, the insolent wench would have been sliced in two the AtmaWeapon. And now they were both laying on the floor, perfectly vulnerable if not for the crystal dome that Phaeron was somehow mantaining. This was NOT good. She would have to think of another strategy. Fortunately, she had all the time in the world to prepare herself, considering she had used her own version of the Mind Reaper on them, the same as she used on the two Amazons. Shame it wasn't as powerful as Phaeron's Mind Blast, but at least this way they wouldn't remember anything about what had just happened. They would probably remember being attacked, but she would vanish from their memories of this night. And that meant Phaeron would forget who she _really_ was. Snorting, the girl looked away from the sleeping forms and walked out the dining room door. Once she was in the garden, she threw her hands forward and arched her back, transforming into a magnificent black mare. With the greatest of ease, she leapt over the fence and continued upwards, as if she were running on thin air. "This quarrel has not finished, Ranma Saotome. Thou will yet be slain by the Nightmare, whose power has no rival..." The Esper disappeared amid the darkness of the night. For now, there was somebody else she could take out her anger on. * * * The peace of an October Saturday morning arrived as it always did, with nothing out of the ordinary. The birds were chirping, a few of them drinking from the puddles from last night's rain. The leaves of the trees and the grass were covered with crystalline dew. And the fresh morning air came in through the open door of the dining room. Ranko rolled over in her sleep, a smile on her face as a peaceful dream passed through her mind. Her pillow was kind of hard and shapeless, but it didn't seem to bother her. Sighing deeply, she rolled over to her left, and suddenly her face was buried in some kind of warm mass. She woke up immediately to find herself breathing into Phaeron's chest. She bolted upwards in an instant, sitting on her calves and covering her mouth with her hands. An intense red hue appeared on her face even before she started wondering what was going on. She looked at the human figure in front of her. It was Phaeron, alright, but he wasn't asleep. Instead, he appeared to be in some sort of coma as his face was worn and he seemed to be in pain. His left hand was somehow stretched upwards. Feeling her heart beating hard and fast, she looked around. There was a perfect crystal dome covering both of them, and it served to provide them with heat. In fact, her nightgown had dried completely, looking as if it had never been soaked. Blushing again she hurriedly pulled it down, not quite sure why it had been tied around her waist and not really wanting to know. But... what had happened? What the heck were they doing lying on the floor?! She gasped when she heard an alarm clock beeping upstairs. If Kasumi came down and saw them... No, if her _MOTHER_ came down...! "Phaeron-kun! Wake up!" she put her hands on his chest and shook him hard, making only his left arm fall idly to the floor. Her heart skip a beat at the loud sound it made. She continued to shake him, but to no avail. He was completely drained. "Come ON! Wake up already!" Raising her eyes, she noticed the crystal dome was beginning to vanish. Fine, if he didn't want to wake up then she'd have to leave him there. She began crawling away on all fours, but before she could get very far she felt something nagging at her from inside. She felt miserable when she looked back at Phaeron, so vulnerable and drained. She couldn't leave him there. Her face turned gentler when she crawled back to him. Maybe she could drag him back to the dojo, or at least someplace safe. But as she returned, her right hand felt something sticky on the floor. She looked down and her eyes opened widely: it was a large reddish-brown stain, probably made by some liquid that dried up during the night. A liquid with a striking resemblance to blood. She was stricken with horror as a sudden recollection came to her. What had happened last night... The person who had been sending the threats had finally attacked her... Her ankle had dislocated... Then Phaeron protected her just before she was killed. She looked down her right leg for confirmation and was shocked to see her foot twisted in a rather akward position. Strange, she didn't feel any pain at all but that probably meant her leg had become numb during the night. She'd have to worry about that later. Phaeron had worn himself out in order to protect her from... from whoever it was. She frowned at not being able to remember how the girl looked like. The "girl"? How did she remember that? She reached Phaeron and started tugging at his shirt. It would be very hard to move him, considering she couldn't stand up, but she couldn't just leave him in the hall. Forced to rely only on her left leg to drag him, she took a long time just taking him to the dining room. Before she reached the door, she slumped down at the fatigue. She sat up immediately after realizing she had rested against his chest. The sunlight that came through the open door let her have a better look at him. She worriedly examined his left arm, which showed only a faint white mark where the sword had struck. But his face... It was deathly pale, his mouth slightly open in a rigid position. Not caring anymore about being caught, she shook him hard, calling his name. There was no answer. She shook harder, even slapping him a few times, but he did not stir. Starting to become more desperate, Ranko grasped the collar of his shirt and shook him up and down. "Phaeron-kun! Wake up! Wake UP!" she noticed how shaky her voice was, so filled with worry. Feeling a chill travel down her spine, she hit his chest with her fists. "Please wake up!" her voice was almost a cry, she realized he wasn't responding. "No... not again!" she slammed him against the floor, "Don't you dare die on me again! I... You've still got two more months!" she tried to keep control of herself as a tear ran down her cheek. She forced herself to close her eyes and take a deep breath. She couldn't lose control, not now. It had been because of her that he had drained himself to mantain the shield, and now he needed her help. Concentrating, she tried to keep him out of her mind as she looked for a way to restore his depleted ki. Strange, during the three years she had trained with Cologne she had never learned any healing technique. But wait... It hadn't been _Cologne_ who taught her... Of course! There was the time when they fought Coldfire, at Star-Peak! Crystallus had taught her the Cure spells back then. And with all the training she had gone through, it was easy to use those spells. Focusing her mind, she took Phaeron's hand in her own and began casting the Cure 3 spell on him. Small green lights surrounded them as the magic began to take effect. It seemed to take forever, but color eventually returned to his face. His mouth let out a long exhalation and then closed. Even the mark on his arm vanished. Relieved, Ranko smiled. "Uhhh..." Phaeron tried to open his eyes, "Where am I?" A storm of events passed through his mind when he recalled something about a fight, but no matter how hard he tried he couldn't remember who had attacked them. Slowly, he opened his eyes to find himself lying down on the dining room floor. Ranko was sitting beside him, still holding his hand. "Thank goodness," she slumped down, letting the magic aura fizzle. "You alright?" she whispered, trying not to hurt his ears. "Eh? R-Ranko-chan?" with a great effort he sat up, rubbing his eyes with his left hand. His vision still blurry, he turned to her, blinking. He could only see the small girl's silhouette contrasting with a very bright light. Ranko sighed in relief, the spell had worked smoothly. Raising her eyes once more, she involuntarily looked straight into Phaeron's eyes, deep blue meeting blazing red. She stayed like that for what seemed like ages, but didn't realize her face was starting to show something more than just relief in her smile. She was brought out of her trance when Phaeron asked, "Why are you crying?" "Huh?" she was so satisfied to see he hadn't died that she hadn't even noticed her eyes had become watery. Blushing out of embarassment and a little anger, she stared to the floor. Then she realized she was still holding his hand. Shuddering with anger she stopped blushing and the redness on her face was suddenly caused by fury. She gripped his hand incredibly tight, seeing his arm starting to turn white. "R-Ran--" Phaeron was cut short when she somehow got up on her left leg and pulled him with her, then started spinning and swung him in a wide circle. "PHAERON NO BAAAAKKAAAA!!" she let go and sent him flying into orbit. * * * The two families were gathered at the breakfast table, shivering slightly at the cold that had come in during the night despite the heaters. A bruised and bandaged Phaeron was still swerving dizzily as he tried not to fall with his face into his rice bowl. Nadir couldn't imagine what had happened to his Esper friend, although he preferred not to talk about how he had left him out in the rain. He couldn't tell why Ranko kept sending Phaeron all those weird glances, either, while Kasumi applied some first-aid to her ankle. "Well, you sure got up early," Akane said to the redhead. She froze for a moment before replying, "I had to take care of a few things." "But I still don't see how you managed to dislocate your ankle," Nodoka said. Ranko and Phaeron sweated visibly. "Oh my. Why are all those screens torn?" Kasumi saw the tattered shoji screens that separated the dining room from the hall, the only visible proof of the fight. "Well, I..." Ranko tried to say. "Let's say we won't be able to get much sleep from now on," Phaeron said. "Looks like the one who's been sending the threats finally--" He was interrupted by a broad beam of white light that descended upon the garden. But instead of being bright and solid, the beam was flickering like a lightbulb about to go out. When the light disappeared, every one of them gasped in fright at the sight of Seraphim. She seemed to be all right, but her hair and wings were messed up and her white gown was torn in several places. She was even panting, exhausted. She stumbled over to the dining room door and rested against the frame. "S-Seraphim?!" Ranma was the only one who could react, "What the heck happened?!" "Who could have done this to you?" Akane's voice was barely heard, but she was right: who could be so powerful... so _malignant_... as to try and hurt an angel!? The angel girl swallowed hard and took a mouthful of air before turning towards them, "B-brother Phaeron... Mireillia has arrived." Phaeron's blood became ice, his face a whiter shade of pale. Not even needing to use his premonition abilities, Nadir casually said, "Hmph. Little Mireillia, eh? Someone's gonna die soon." Then, like somebody who has just heard a judge's final sentence, Phaeron slowly turned to Ranko. The protector "Ah, good morning!" Dr. Tofu stopped sweeping the porch, and welcomed Ranko and Phaeron as they arrived at his clinic. The redhead was hopping on one leg, using Phaeron's arm for support. Tofu sighed and shook his head, realizing instantly what had happened to her. Soon they were inside, Mr. Saotome was preparing some bandages while Ranko sat down on a stool, waiting as Phaeron and Tofu put an extra matress on top of one of the beds. Then Mr. Saotome picked her up and sat her on the bed, her feet hanging without touching the floor due to the extra height of the matress. "So, you're Phaeron then," Dr. Tofu said, waiting for Ranko to pull down her pants so he could examine her ankle. "I've heard a lot about you. Is it true you can use healing spells?" Phaeron nodded, "Yes, but I think dislocations are out of even _my_ league." Dr. Tofu turned back to Ranko, kneeling in front of her to get a closer look at her ankle, "Hmm. Actually, it's a good thing you didn't try to fix this. I've never seen such an injury during the time I've been treating Ranma and his sister," he examined the swollen ankle, almost twice its normal size now. "How did this happen?" Ranko cleared her throat, "I, uh, at first I only sprained it when I slipped on a puddle, but then this what's-her-name pulled my foot until, well, until it gave away." She noticed Phaeron fumed greatly after hearing what happened. "And you say your whole right leg is numb?" Tofu began massaging her foot, slowly moving up to the ankle. "No, not the whole leg, only down from the middle of my calf. That's why it doesn't hu-- Oww!" she reflexively put her hands on her leg, feeling the pain returning to her once more. "Sorry," Tofu said, "But I had to make blood circulate through your leg again. I hope it didn't hurt as much." He looked up at her. She shook her head, silently, as a small tear of pain glimmered in the corner of her eye. "Is she going to be all right?" Genma asked. "This will be very difficult to do, but yes. Could you hand me that bottle, please?" Tofu pointed at the cabinet. Genma gave him a small bottle of anaesthesia. Tofu inserted a syringe in it and retrieved a small amount of liquid. Phaeron sweated greatly when he saw Ranko's face as Dr. Tofu inserted the hypodermic in her leg. "Okay, Ranko, before we begin I have to loosen up your ankle muscles. The anaesthetic will help you endure more of the pain, but this may still hurt a bit." She nodded and Tofu took her small foot in his hands, slowly moving his thumbs in circles as his hands moved upwards from her foot to her ankle. Phaeron couln't control himself any more when he heard hear moan slightly. "That's it! Cure Fo--" Tofu stopped immediately and glanced at him sternly, "Phaeron, I know you mean well and you only want to help, but you have to let me do this alone. If this makes you nervous I'm afraid you'll have to leave the room." Phaeron just stood there, his hands still stretching towards Ranko. "It's okay, Phaeron-kun," she said, "I can take this." He looked at her, worried at first but then admiration replaced his nervousness. She was willing to endure this injury without a complaint, despite how serious it was. Not wanting to let her down, he steeled himself and nodded, then began to head out to the waiting room. "Maybe you should go with him, Mr. Saotome," Dr. Tofu said. Genma put a hand on the girl's shoulder and smiled, proud to have raised such a brave daughter. "Oh, and you better give him these," the doctor handed him two small metal balls, which were hollow and made a tinkling sound when moved, "One of my patients gave them to me, they are Chinese and are used to soothe stress. Just tell him to roll them in his hands." Genma nodded and left the room. Dr. Tofu continued the massage for a few more minutes, then smiled and said, "Looks like he cares a lot about you." Ranko turned bright red, but then she looked towards the door, "Yes, well he is a friend..." she sighed sadly, "...a good friend..." she repeated, almost whispering. Tofu still managed to hear that last part, but only smiled and said nothing more about it. "All set," he finally said. "I'm ready." She looked at him with confidence. "All right. I'm going to explain what's wrong with your ankle and then what I will do about it. What you have is a level 3 Weber luxation in which your tibia and fibula slid out of place, and the reason it hurts so much is that the joint capsule that makes your ankle is twisted and squashed by those two bones. It's a very good thing you came here immediately otherwise the fluid inside the capsule would have bursted out. Now, what I will do is that I'm going to pull your foot so your fibula and tibia slide out of the incorrect position, then I will rearrange them and fit them into their original positions. That's why I needed Phaeron and your father out of the room: placing your bones back together will require lots of concentration. Not only that, but unless the anaesthetic takes full force this can be rather painful. Of course, I could use general anaesthesia and you'd be asleep all the while, but I need your consent to use it as the only general anaesthesia I have here is in gas form. So which do you choose?" Ranko shook her head, "No, I want to be awake. I promised him I could take this." She took a rag from the table and folded it several times, then put it in her mouth and bit into it, "Awm weady," she mumbled. Dr. Tofu smiled at her naivet� and proceeeded to take her heel with his left hand, then put the right hand just over the ankle. Both of them took a deep breath, and Dr. Tofu gently began to pull. Ranko shut her eyes, trying not to let a single tear come out. Although she gritted her teeth on the rag, her slight grunts and moans still reached the waiting room. Phaeron paced nervously around the room, fidgeting with the stress balls in his right hand. He began to sweat even more when he heard the first moans. Had he been in a hospital, people would have believed him to be a first-time father from the restless stride he mantained. Genma silently stared at him, as if examining him. He was starting to consider what would happen if he engaged his daughter to the Esper, but immediately thought about the _long_ lecture Nodoka had given him regarding arranged marriages in general, plus she had made special emphasis in making sure he wouldn't promise Ranko in marriage. But still, looking at how concerned Phaeron was about her, and how well they got along, he vowed to himself he would talk about this with Phaeron's parents... even though he didn't know they had died right around the Fifth century, AD. Finally, after what felt like a lifetime of torture for Phaeron, Tofu called from the room. The Esper and Genma were inside in a flash, the doctor had to move out of the way to avoid being trampled. Phaeron was next to her faster than the eye could follow. "Are you all right?" he asked. Ranko's face was red after containing the pain, her cheeks were soaked from the tears that had come from her eyes, and even her fingers were dug deep into the blankets of the bed as she gripped them tightly. Slowly letting go, she brought a hand up in front of her and flashed him a thumbs-up. She removed the rag from her mouth and wiped away the last tear before it ran down her right cheek. Phaeron turned to Tofu impatiently. The doctor smiled, "You can use them now." Phaeron didn't need more than that, he was already casting the Cure spell on Ranko. The redhead recovered even faster that usual. When her father offered her a dish of water, she took another towel and soaked it, cleaning her face with it. Dr. Tofu kneeled in front of her again and began rubbing her foot, ankle and calf, spreading the balm on her skin. Ranko immediately felt the warmth of the balm begin to heal her ankle. After a while, Tofu cleaned off the remnants of the balm and bandaged the regions where he had applied it. Then he took an elastic ankle-supporter and put it in place before putting a second layer of bandaging. Ranko put her pants back on without tying the string at the end of the right leg so it wouldn't hurt her. "Well, that's that," he said, "this should be better in a little under a week, but I suggest you don't try to put weight on it until about ten days or so. I'll give you some crutches if you need them." "No thanks, Doctor," Ranko said, sliding off of the bed and touching down gently with her left foot. "Thank you, Dr. Tofu," Phaeron said, and then gave him two shapeless pieces of metal he had been holding in his hands. Tofu looked flaggerbasted at the squashed stress balls. Phaeron kneeled in front of Ranko, his back turned to her. "What're you doing?" she asked. "If you don't want crutches this is the only way," Phaeron said, "C'mon, piggyback." She giggled briefly before bending to put her hands on his shoulders. He got up slowly and held the insides of her knees with his hands, then she shifted position and put her arms around his neck, so her hands were now falling down on his chest. "Well, see you later, Doc," Phaeron walked out of the room, but then stopped quickly when he saw Kasumi had just arrived. "Is your ankle healed now?" she asked. Ranko smiled and nodded. Tofu heard the voice, "K-Kasumi? Is that you?" he began fidgeting with the shapeless balls in his hands. Ranko motioned for Phaeron to leave, which he promply did before they became envolved in the disaster. Kasumi then turned to the doctor and said, "Hello, Dr. Tofu. I had come by to see how Ranko-chan was doing, and to bring you this..." she showed him a tray of biscuits. "K-Ka-Kasumi!!" Tofu excaimed. Genma winced when he saw the stress balls had been restored to their original state. * * * Phaeron was running towards the Tendo dojo at full speed. Ranko could barely hang onto him as she yelled, "Phaeron-kun! Calm down!" "Didn't we already go through this?!" Phaeron said, "Blazing Bu--" "Calm down, I said!!" she gripped his neck tightly, causing his eyes to bulge out and he crashed face-first into a lamppost. "Yes! We DID go through this before!" he sputtered as he leapt into the air and blasted off towards the dojo. "What's wrong with you anyway?!" "There's no time to explain, but I have to get you someplace safe and FAST!" he was already coming in through the window of Ranma's room. He gently placed her on the futon and took Ranko's backpack, then began filling it madly with her clothes. Ranko just stared at him agape. What the hell was he doing? She had never seen him so worried, not even when Coldfire was after them. Suddenly Phaeron got up and hoisted the backpack over his shoulders, then with the greatest care held Ranko in his arms and dashed downstairs, only to have his face meet the floorboards as Ranma stepped on his head. He barely had time to stretch his arms forward so he wouldn't squash Ranko. "What are you doing?" Ranma asked calmly, still crouched on Phaeron's head. "And where were you taking my sister?" "You weren't trying to elope, were you?" Nabiki could barely contain her laughter. "Oneechan, really! What are you thinking?!" Akane said. "You better have a good excuse for this," Ryouga loomed over Phaeron while Ranma helped his sister stand up. "Ouch..." Phaeron rubbed his head, "I _do_ have a good excuse, actually." "Like what?" Ryouga pulled him up by the collar. Ranko and Ranma were surprised to see him actually defending her. "He does have one," Nadir came in through the front door. The bright light from outside gave him a foreboding shadow, and together with his grim attitude they couldn't help but gasp at him. Once they had calmed down, they were all gathered around the dinner table, while Nadir was leaning with his back on the doorframe, vigilant. Kasumi was applying some band-aids to the scrapes Phaeron's face received when he fell. "So, why're you two so worked up?" Ranma asked. "Yeah, you've been like that ever since Seraphim came here," Akane added. "All right," Phaeron said calmly, "Let me tell you about somebody. About the girl Apeiron Mireillia Nix." "Apei-what?" Ranko asked. "The _Esper_ Mireillia..." Nadir added, looking out to the garden. "Is she the one who has been threatening Ranko-chan?" Nodoka asked. Phaeron nodded gravely, "Looks like it. And now that I look at it from this point of view, all the pieces fit." "She's quite devious," Nadir said, "that explains the letters. Plus she's also the best hacker in our world, so you can see who changed your records at school." "And to top it off, she has red hair," Phaeron finished, "That's why Ukyou and Ryouga mistook her for Ranko-chan." "But why is she doing this?" Ryouga asked. Phaeron was taken aback slightly, "I... I don't know." "Like heck you know," Nadir said, crossing his arms, "You know perfectly well why that shameless wench would do something like this." "Nadir-kun, what's wrong?" Akane asked. He just looked away, miffled. "Mireillia used to be his fianc�e," Phaeron whispered, "He was deeply hurt when she left him." "Try _this_ for 'deeply hurt'!" Nadir blasted him into the floor with a telekinetic shot. "But why are you so worried about het?" Akane asked, "Aren't you two Espers also?" Phaeron sat up again, "Yes, we are Espers. But Mireillia is the most powerful we know, even more than Coldfire. If Ranko- chan is being hunted by her, we can't ever let our guard down." "And we won't," both Ranma and Ryouga said, surprising both Ranko and each other. Phaeron closed his eyes and lowered his head, "That's good to know, but I still think we should get her to someplace where Mireillia can't find her. Maybe going back to China with Yuannyan and Herb would be good..." Ranko looked at him calmly, "Don't worry, Phaeron-kun. I appreciate you looking out for me but I can really take care of myself. It's okay." She put her hand on his shoulder. "If you say so..." * * * It was almost midnight at Maison Ikkoku. Phaeron hadn't even changed out of his clothes as he restlessly rolled over on his futon, mumbling and thinking. He couldn't believe the nerve on that girl, attacking Ranko in the middle of the night. And to think he had saved her life once... "Aargh!" he suddenly sat up, "I can't believe Mireillia is actually trying to pull this off! Why does she have to do this, anyway! First it was Seraphim in Esper World, now Ranko-chan! Is she crazy!?" He continued breathing heavily for a while, trying to calm himself down. It was no use losing control now, especially since he had to keep Mireillia from hurting Ranko. He smiled at the thought of his friend. "She really amazes me, though. Here we are, facing an enemy who's even deadlier than Coldfire, and she still doesn't lose the slightest bit of confidence. Cordis must be very proud of her, it's too bad Ranko-chan can't remember who our Guardian is. I wonder what happened to her. Looks like she can't remember most of what happened before she drowned in that pool. Funny, Yuannyan can remember everything, even though she was trapped in there far longer than Ranko-chan." He sighed, "I'd like to see Cordis again, though." He took out his gold and ruby medallion and gripped it tightly, "She'd probably help Ranko-chan remember everything." He thought back to his life before meeting the twins. He had really been out of it back then, after all he was possessed by Coldfire. He smiled when he recalled what happened when Zhao-- when _Ranko_ met her Guardian. He never thought anyone's eyes could widen that much. He sighed again, "She's right. So what if Mireillia's here? It's not like she can get past Seraphim, Crystallus, Ranma, Coldfire and myself. And come to think of it, it's pretty obvious Nadir's in love with both Akane and Ranko-chan. Jeeze, you'd think they _saved his life_ or something. Hmph. Oh, well, he's a good ally anyway, even though Mireillia did always beat him four- out-of-five times. But still, I'm not the same Phoenix anymore, either. Alright, she used to beat me hands down too, but now that I've seen the Gates I've become stronger than even Mireillia. I've got the crystal domes, and my new Stymphalian techniques have never been seen by anyone. And let's not forget the Phoenix Flare, either..." he shuddered mightily at the mention of the technique, then smiled as he resumed his soliloquy, "You're right, Ranko-chan. If you're taking this so easily, then I guess I shouldn't be so worried. But I won't let my guard down. I'll make sure she doesn't fulfilll her objective." He suddenly rose to one knee, waves splashing in his background, "Don't worry, Ranko-chan, the Espers will protect you!" "Told you so." Phaeron suffered a heart attack, then facefaulted when he saw Akemi and Yotsuya in his room, the redhead sipping a beer while sitting against a wall, and the man peeping out through the hole in the same wall. "I knew there just _had_ to be a 'chan' around there somewhere," Akemi winked at Phaeron. "He certainly kept to himself," Yotsuya said. "Wha... What're you talking about?" Phaeron was still clutching his chest. Akemi smirked, "Oh, come on. We heard it, about your 'Ranko-chan'?" Phaeron blinked in sincere confusion, "I don't understand a word you're saying. She's a friend from school, that's all." "Oh yeah? Then what's with the little 'chan' bit?" He looked dubiously at her, "What about it? That's just a suffix, right? What does it have to do with anything?" Yotsuya knit his brow in thought, "What does that suffix means to you?" Phaeron shrugged, "I don't know. I only know some suffixes, but I still haven't learned all the meanings." Akemi leaned forward, "Is that right? What does 'san' mean?" He snapped his fingers, "Ah, I remember. It's a suffix used to address toddlers and small children." "Nope. What about 'kun'?" "That's how girls address each other, and parents also use it to call their children." "Wrong again. 'Sama'?" "Oh, that's used to address underclassmen, like kouhai is for upperclassmen." Akemi and Yotsuya smacked their foreheads, "Then what about 'sempai'?" Phaeron sat back, trying to remember someone using that word. Of course, Ranma and Ranko always said it to Kuno before kicking him upside the face. "Sempai is used for complete morons." Akemi and Yotsuya groaned. "That does it. I'm going back to bed," Akemi crawled out of his room through the door. "Wait!" Phaeron called, "You didn't tell me what 'chan' means!" "You don't deserve to learn," Akemi said sulky. "Foreigners. They never care for learning the language," Yotsuya said as he slithered back to his room. Phaeron grinned, and stood up. "Well, if I can't sleep, I better put this extra energy to good use." And with that he morphed into the Phoenix and flew out the window towards the Tendo dojo, willing to stay there guarding all night if necessary. * * * A week and a half had passed. They hadn't even heard of Mireillia, even though the tension around the dojo could only grow. For some reason, Phaeron seemed to be very tired as the siblings and Akane noticed he slept through most of the classes, and there were also large bags under his eyes. Fortunately, Ranko's ankle had healed up completely by now as Kuno noticed when she punted him towards Paris. "What's wrong, Phaeron-kun?" Akane asked as they returned from school. The Esper was simply crawling on all fours. "Whazzat...? Wha you say?" "You look like you haven't slept in ages," Ranko said. "Remember that _you_ said we needed to be alert." "Thaz whad I've been doin'," he mumbled to the asphalt as he collapsed on the street. "Oh, good grief," Ranko and Ranma propped him up by the feet and shoulders and started carrying him with them. Akane just rolled her eyes. "We're back!" Ranma called as they came in. He just dropped Phaeron although his sister carried him to the living room. "What happened to him?" Kasumi asked. "That's what we want to know," the redhead said. A few hours passed, and Phaeron slept through dinner and a few games of Go between Soun and Genma. Even Akane had time to explain Math to Ranma (we all know that takes large amounts of time) before the phoenix woke up. "Aigh..." he groaned, "Where am I?" "Home," Nabiki said, "Well, our home anyway. Your bill is 5000 yen." "Stop that," Ranko said, coming from the kitchen, "So, what happened?" she asked before offering some watermelon. "I was just sleepy, that's all," he took the watermelon, "Thanks, Ranko-chan. Anyway, that nap really restored me." He stretched his arms. "Nap? You were out for almost six hours," Phaeron facefaulted on the floor. "What's wrong, anyway? Why are you acting like this?" "Uh... Nothing. I better get going. Thanks for your hospitality, Mr. Tendo. See you tomorrow, Ranko-chan." He unsteadily got to his feet and tottered his way out the front door. Ranko just sighed in disappointment. They had been through this once before, with Coldfire. Why didn't he say the whole thing straight? He was always keeping to himself. And now that he could barely stay awake, she had to admit she was worried. * * * It was midnight. Everyone was asleep. Everyone, that is, but Akane. Silently tip-toeing past Ranko, she took a blanket, then left the room and put on a pair of slippers before going downstairs. Taking a coat from the rack next to the door, she stepped out and headed for the dojo. Instead of going inside, though, she walked past it and found the ladder in the small wooden shack. Looking up to the roof, she gripped the ladder and walked over to the house. Carefully, she leaned the ladder against the building and climbed it. "I knew it," she thought when she reached the top. She was already aware of what she would find, but was still slightly surprised. Phaeron was sitting on top of the roof, his back to her, holding his knees in his arms and resting his head on them. Akane smiled kindly at him. No wonder he was always asleep during class, he had been spending every night up here, watching over the house. He must really care for her, Akane thought, being there in the cold without voicing a single complaint. Slowly, she scampered upwards and walked over to him. When she reached him she noticed he was awake, his eyes glowing faintly. Akane took the blanket she had been carrying and put it around him. He shifted slightly, "Thanks, Akane." She was surprised that he recongized her, but then shrugged and sat down beside him. Noticing she was cold, Phaeron removed the blanket and covered her with it, heating himself up with a low-grade aura instead. Akane was enveloped too by the soothing warmth. "So this is what you've been doing?" she asked, looking into the stars. He nodded silently. "Why?" He sighed, "Because I have to. I can't let Mireillia hurt her. What happened the other night showed me I can't let my guard down. You see, Mireillia is a creature of the night. She can't turn into her Esper form during the day and, thus, is weaker. But during the night she's powerful, too powerful. I'm afraid of what she might do to Ranko-chan." Akane quickly turned to him, agape. Had he just said he was afraid? Just who was this Mireillia? Would she really be willing to... to kill Ranko? Phaeron continued, "But it's even worse. I have to tell this to somebody, I can't hide it anymore." He took a deep breath, Akane listening carefully, "Before we went to Jusenkyo, we found out about our Guardian angel. Her name is Cordis Fortitudo. It was usually thanks to her that we were able to defeat Coldfire in the past. You should see her: whenever she's around, it would seem some of her power is channelled to Yuannyan and Ranko-chan, and even I become stronger too. But Mireillia can sometimes be even more powerful than an angel, like what you saw when Seraphim arrived the other day. That's why I'm afraid." Akane didn't know what to make of this. She knew Ranko was strong, but she didn't expect her to actually have a guardian angel. Not only that, but if Mireillia was capable of defeating an angel, then... "Can you tell me something else about Cordis?" Akane asked. Phaeron smiled, "Well, she's a long story by herself. As I remember, she was originally Ranko-chan and Yuannyan's Guardian even before I met them. Ranko-chan told me how she met her. As it turns out, the twins had an accident at sea while travelling from Japan to China. It was then that Cordis revealed herself to Ranko-chan, and then helped her save Yuannyan from drowning. A few months later, when I was already possessed by Coldfire, she revealed herself again, and that's how Yuannyan met her. But Cordis isn't the same kind of angel as Seraphim. I don't remember exactly why, but Cordis can't come to Earth in her own body. Like Coldfire, she had to come through somebody else in order to help me. And guess _who_ she used..." he smirked. Akane gasped. "But after our accident, somehow Ranko-chan lost all her memory of Cordis. In fact, she forgot many things from that time," he sighed sadly, "so that's why she hasn't even spoken about her." Akane heard something familiar about this. Wait a minute... Ranko _was_ giving a few hints about Cordis, hints that she understood now that she had heard about the angel. "Maybe she _does_ remember, Phaeron-kun." He brightened up, "You think so?" He touched the medallion under his shirt, hopeful. "Maybe... Remember that time when you two were sparring, and she said she had gotten better because she had remembered something?" He snapped his fingers, "You're right! And... uh... did she tell you about..." Akane nodded, "She told me at the airport. I would have never imagined she'd do that." "Well, that's another of Cordis marks. After all, what can you expect from an angel named 'Strength of Heart'? But I still don't understand why she killed herself just to get me back." Akane glared at him briefly, thinking, "If you don't see why then you're blind as a bat." She tried to show a smile, "But you see? Maybe she does remember about your guardian after all. Who knows? Maybe she remembers about those other things you told me about," she winked. Phaeron turned slighlty red, "Thanks, Akane. This really helped me a lot," he said. Smiling back, she got up and headed for the ladder, "Don't stay up too late, okay?" she waved and began descending, but then she heard Phaeron again, "Akane?" he called. She looked up at him. He was standing on the ridge of the roof, "Thank you. I'm really glad to have friends such as you." Akane smiled tenderly, "No, Phaeron-kun. It's Ranko who should be grateful to have you as her friend. Good night!" she called and stepped down. Phaeron was still standing on the ridge, staring into the dark curtain above him. Could it be? Was it possible that Ranko had remembered Cordis? If that were true, then... then she could have recalled the medallion, too. Staring up to the stars, into the Phoenix Constellation, Phaeron smiled and crossed his arms, his soul filled with new hope. Then, fueled by confidence, he shot out the largest White Bird and RedBird the world had ever seen. * * * It was late afternoon at the Tendo Dojo. Akane was still a little sleepy while Phaeron was simply flat on his face in his ricebowl. It was a good thing it was Saturday, otherwise they would have slept right through all their classes at school, given that the pair didn't seem to have gotten any sleep. "Jeeze, you're really out of it," Ranko fished Phaeron's head out of the bowl, then winced while sticking her tongue out in disgust when he saw his rice-filled face. After cleaning the cereal off him with a napkin she placed his chopsticks next to him, "All right, now wake up and eat! I'm not Akane, you don't have to faint now that it was my turn to make dinner you kn-- urk!!" she found her head beneath Akane's mallet again. "I heard that..." Akane yawned. Ranko sat up again and picked up Phaeron's head once more. "You're pathetic," she said as she picked up his chopsticks and fed him, she even had to move his jaw up and down to make him chew. Akane looked at her and giggled. Ranko noticed her and blushed strongly while her eyes widened, but then she smacked Phaeron back into the bowl, muttering. "C'mon, Ranko," Akane smirked, "Aren't you going to help your friend?" "Very funny, oneechan," the redhead stuck her tongue out at her. "Uhhh... Where am I...?" Phaeron slowly rose from the bowl. He looked at his surrundings, "Oh, that's right..." he covered his mouth as he yawned like a hippo. "Hey, I was wondering where that salmon roll was!" Nabiki said, looking down his throat. He shut his mouth, dumbfounded. "Good, now that you're awake you can eat," Ranko forced the chopsticks into his hands, "I didn't spend all that time making this so it would spoil, you know." "It's his problem if he doesn't want it, sis," Ranma said, "This is great. Thank goodness we're great cooks, unlike some girl I know..." Phaeron looked at Ranko, oblivious to Akane chasing Ranma in the garden. Smirking, he began to eat. Nodoka smiled, seeing how Ranko looked at him with wide eyes as she expected the answer. When he finished, he smiled and complimented her cooking. Ranko beamed for an instant, and her mother cheered to herself at her daughter's reaction. However, Genma and Soun were too busy filling their mouths with the food to even notice. Nodoka frowned at her husband. Akane stuffed the mallet back into the Rumic World Hyperspace, "Whew, that really woke me up." She brushed her hair. "...But it knocked me out..." Ranma collapsed on his sister's lap. Ranko looked at him silently, then turned to Akane, "So, have you two decided yet?" Akane turned bright red, "No we haven't! There's no way I'll ever marry an idiotic macho like him!" "Oh?" Ranko seemed nonplussed, "And if I told you what the idiotic macho thinks about you?" Akane's eyes widened and she stared to the floor, trying to come up with a retort, "And if I told 'someone' about a certain cake?" Ranko gulped and glared at her. Akane glared back. Nabiki furiously scribbled away in her pocketbook, trying to deduce what the pair had threatened each other with and thinking how much she would charge for the info. But then Akane and Ranko stopped glaring and suddenly burst out in laughter, even Ranma's head fell off his sister's lap at her agitation. "Look at us," Ranko said, "We're acting like kids." "Speak for yourself, baby," Akane grinned. "Hey, I'm nearly sixteen, you know!" Ranko protested, "Of course, at your age you tend to forget things..." "Immature." "Old hag." "Pig-tails." "Stuffed animals and pink clothes." "Hey, we're doing it again!" Akane said. "Well, you started it." "Did not!" "Did too, and I won't fall for that. I'm going to train," Ranko stuck her togue out at her and stood up, heading for the dojo. Suddenly she heard Phaeron's voice calling her name. But he sounded stern, rigid. She turned back to him. "It's about time I said this," he stood up, still not looking at her. He thought to himself, "Now we'll se if you were right, Akane." He suddenly turned to Ranko and said two single words, "Cordis Fortitudo." Ranko was frozen like ice. End of Second Test, section A ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The TerBril (who wonders how the HECK is he gonna post Fourth Test: one meg long all by itself.)