Ranma could feel a warm body curled up next to his, a body that he warmly and lovingly gripped. (CUTE VOICE: Oh! Can Shampoo play? Can Shampoo play?) He smiled at the tender feeling of someone's naked breasts pressed against his bare chest, the unusual, alluring sensation of flesh on flesh that he.... (CUTE VOICE: Hey!) Wait a minute. Ranma snapped his eyes open and drew back a bit to stare into Miko's serene face--she was soundly asleep and dangerously close. He gulped and, feeling terribly uncomfortable, quickly but gently unwrapped her arm from around him and backed away. (CHEF'S VOICE: You'd better!) He sat on his legs and turned away from her, blushing. Diverting his mind, he studied the dimly-lit room he was in, and it didn't take long for him to realize that it was HIS room--the guest room back at the dojo. But there was no oversized panda sleeping in the adjacent mat--there was no an adjacent mat. Everything was unnaturally quiet--not even an insect buzzing. A pale moonlight washed through the windows, duller than he expected. He traced the path of the light across the floor, casually neglecting Miko's direction for the moment, until he traced it onto his chest--his MANLY chest. He was not wearing a shirt, but he was wearing his favorite pair of black trousers--much to his relief. He brought his hands up and touched his chest to confirm that he was indeed male at the moment. But something felt strange about the form he was in. His body didn't carry itself right and he could almost feel two lumps where his own breasts would be (ghost breasts). He heard a feminine moan of discomfort coming from behind, and he winced, suddenly feeling like kicking himself. He needed to check on Miko to see if she was hurt! This was no time to get embarrassed and shy away. He turned around and instantly froze when he saw her. She was topless, as he had felt not too long ago, and she was also wearing a black pair of trousers like his, baggy as they always were in his girl form. Since he had moved away from her, she had rolled onto her back and spread herself wide across his mat in a pose Kunou would kill himself thirty-times over to see, one arm out and one over her head, her head tilted slightly upward and to the side.... Ranma's mouth gaped. (CHEF'S NOTE AND CUTE VOICE: PERVERT!) She was absolutely stunning. _Is THAT really what I look like when I sleep in girl form?_ It was much more revealing than any picture Nabiki could ever take. She was.... Ranma closed his eyes and groaned. _Just remember who you're lookin at, you pervert!_ Miko groaned and turned her head to the side with a disgusted look on her face. Ramna hurried to her side (it's more like teleportation than crawling) and touched a point on her arm to make sure her pulse was steady; he hovered the other hand close to her mouth to check her breathing. He started to whisper her name, but then he noticed something wrong--something out of place. "Ok. Whose back there? Is that you, Ryouga?" He tried to keep his voice as low as possible. A few seconds later, a shadow that shouldn't have been there stated moving forward. Ranma moved around to put himself between it and Miko, but he didn't leave her side. "A very touching scene, would not you agree?" Into the hazy light stepped a man wearing a long, black robe that twinkled with points of light, like a piece of a starry, midnight sky had been cut out and woven into a garment. His head was turned slightly to a crow on his left shoulder, whom he seemed to be speaking to. "And just who the heck are you and what are you doing in here?" Ranma raised his hands into a light defensive posture. The dark man waved his hand in dismissal and glanced around the room, then at the topless girl he was protecting. "So this is what you were dreaming about before I arrived." He sounded mockingly surprised. Ranma's face drew up in confusion. "Huh?" He WAS dreaming about something before he awoke, wasn't he. His mind quickly wandered around to retrive the data he needed. He scratched the side of his head with a finger and muttered, "Really? I could've swore I was dreaming about a mile-high mound of catnip and and a ball of yarn." He shrugged. (CUTE VOICE: Ooohh! Me too!) The dark man groaned. (CUTE VOICE: Well, can't win em all.) The crow chuckled. The dark man glanced coldly at it and it broke into a comical, un-crowlike grin, then hopped down to the ground. Ranma kept an eye on the crow as it hobbled closer. When it was close enough, he smashed his foot into it to halt its progress, then returned his attention to the dark man and waited for an answer. The dark man motioned toward Miko. "I just wanted to see why your little friend is so devoted to you. She would do anything for you, you know." Ranma glanced back at Miko, then back at the stranger. "Yeah? Well... huh?" Ranma turned to see the crow hopping around on Miko's stomach. He carefully shifted his glance from the bird to the dark guy and back to the bird. As of yet, the stranger was just standing there. Ranma finished his thought: "Well, you could say the feeling's mutual." The crow hopped closer and closer to Miko's chest, constantly swivelling its head sideways to look at her body from all possible angles. When it reached her breasts, it started lightly poking at them with his beak. Miko grunted in discomfort but did not wake, and Ranma narrowed his eyes. The crow stared at one of her nipples like an infinitely strange object, placing its eye almost directly on top. It pecked the surface and Miko grunted even louder, but did not wake. Ranma instantly grabbed the curious bird by the throat and hissed, "That wasn't a very nice thing to do, especially to a girl!" He tossed the bird back to the dark stranger, who caught it like a softball and scolded it for its rudeness. He turned back to the dark stranger more fiercely. "Now you better tell me who you are and what you're doing here before I get mad!" The dark man smiled. "How strongly do you feel for the girl? Are you prepared to die for her? She is prepared to die for you." Ranma's eyes widened in shock, but soon returned to normal. He chuckled, "A true martial artist is always ready to lay down his, or her, life for another." The dark man smiled as well. "Is that so. Miko has already decided to sacrifice her life for yours this very day." Ranma gasped and his eyes widened again. "What? What do you mean?" The dark man gleemed in approval, having successfully grabbed his attention. He folded his arms and started slowly pacing. "You may call me what you like--I do not really have a name anymore, or a preference to one. And I am, I guess you may call me, a messenger of fate. My masters write the future like a script for a play and I, in turn, make sure it happens. It is a very interesting and challenging profession." "So what're you tryin to say?" Ranma sidestepped with each move his adversary made, making sure he was always between the stranger and his friend. "That you can control the future or somethin?" The dark man chuckled and started stroking his crow like a cat. "Or something." "So what're ya doin here?" Ranma was mildly interested--even though this was more Cologne's area--but he didn't like the feel of the stranger's cold presence and wanted him away. The dark man stopped and folded his arms, much to the crow's annoyance. He said sternly, "You know as well as I, Ranma Saotome, that Miko Lee is fated to die. It has already been written." Ranma almost fell backward in shock, but he didn't say anything. "You at least suspected that she was the one who drowned in the the infamous Cursed Springs." Ranma's face drew up in fear. The crow sort of laughed-gurgled. Ranma clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, a tear forming in his eye. "I... I'll prevent it from happening! I'll stick to her like glue for the rest of her life if necessary!" The dark man shook his head slowly. "You know that you cannot do that. You have other places to be. Anyway, she's going to die today, and I assure you, you will not be able to stop it." "I...." Ranma started to repeat his litany, but he felt less sure of the words now. No matter how pigheaded he wanted to be about it, he knew a prophesy of death was over his head. He was cursed in the Spring of Drowned Girl, and Miko seemed to be the unlucky drowned victim. "But how can she die now? The girl and the pig (Niko) weren't supposed to die in the same year!" The dark man shugged. "Mortal error. You should correct the guide who told you that." Ranma closed his eyes tightly. _Shit!_ The tear fell down Ranma's cheek, but he didn't notice. He muttered hashly, "There's got to be something I can do!" The dark man brightened--he had been waiting for this moment. "Ah! But there is." Ranma looked up, still with a sour face. The stranger placed the crow back on his shoulder and continued pacing. "My efforts have not yet been completed. Fate has not yet been sealed. I still need one item for the binding ceremony: the phoenix statue." "That goofy thing?" Ranma almost laughed. The dark man was slightly annoyed at the majestic bird's description. (CUTE VOICE: Please. It really goofy-looking bird.) "With that statue, I can... bend the prophesy to allow Miko to live!" He turned his back in disgust. "However, it was taken from me soon after I retrieved it, and it will be difficult, even for me, to repossess in time to save her." Ranma growled, "Just tell me where it is and I'll get it myself!" The dark man laughed lightly. "I am sure you would." He spun back around--almost joyfully. "But you need not be so foolish. Xi Fang and his court jester now hold the phoenix idol, and they will use it to lure me into combat. Today, when the sun nears its zenith, I will challenge the former emperor for the idol, and his clown will be left to guard the statue. All you have to do is take it from him." Ranma, teeth still clenced, glanced at Miko. "Ok. I'll do it. For Miko." The dark man tickled the crow under its chin and it crooned. "Did you hear that? Such devotion." He stretched his arms out as if he had been working hard, the clasped his hands together. "I have rather grown to admire you, Saotome--as a fighter and a teacher." "Hm?" Ranma raised his eyebrows. "You have done a splendid job of training Miko." He bowed with a flourish. "I was her first victory." Ranma did a double-take. "She defeated you in a fight?!" He looked hard at Miko. "But how?" When he turned back, the dark-robed man was gone. He heard the dark man's voice echo through the walls: "You must have more faith in your abilities, and hers as well." The midnight-robed man, the avatar, sat in a small, shaded glade with his legs crossed and arms folded. His eyes were closed, and he was in a deep trance. The black bird resting on his shoulder was also in a deep trance. The both steadily recovered at the same rate. The bird ruffled its feathers, but the dark man did nothing. He glanced at the crow out of the corner of his eye. "Do you think they got the message?" The bird bobbed its head and squawked. Ranma and Miko both felt a warm body curled up next to her, a body which she warmly and lovingly embraced. Ranma could feel the peculiar sensation of someone's breasts pressed against hers, separated by cloth, but still.... Wait a minute.... HER OWN BREASTS! Miko came to the same realization at the same time. Ranma and Miko both blinked their eyes open at the same time to stare into their own mirror image in wonderment. They stared at each other a few seconds, then looked at their chests. Miko shrieked, "You're a girl!" just as Ranma shrieked, "I'm a girl!" and they both pushed away quickly. Doshin, Reikiba, and Twilight looked up from the spots where they were lying. Miko was momentarily startled, sitting dumbly and covering her chest with her arms, but then she started crawling toward Ranma, deciding that she still liked the feeling of her guardian's embrace. (CHEF'S NOTE: Oh, crap! Not you too!) Ranma kept backing away, waving a hand in front of her, and shouting, "I'm sorry I'm sorry it's not what you think I wasn't trying to...." !CRASH! A hand suddenly punched up from the rubble and grabbed Ranma's forearm with uncanny strength (I would say wrist, but her wrist is too small.). "Waaaaa!!!" Ranma cried out in pain and fear, then started pommeling the mysterious hand with a rock. Miko hurried and did the same. The three onlookers sprang up to help, but by that time, Miko started rapidly stabbing it with her needle and it let go. Ranma immediately scooped Miko into her arms and ran for the open field away from the jungle. Reikiba immediately scooped Doshin into his arms and ran INTO the jungle. Twilight looked right and left, wondering which duo to follow--and why they were splitting up. !BOOM! The area around the hand exploded and rubble was sent shooting in all directions. The shimmercat was sent tumbling toward the jungle and barely missed a tree. _The jungle it is._ She dashed into the bushes that the samurai brushed past. As the smoke was settling, a pair of bloodied hands clutched at the far edge of the newly-formed crater. Lon pulled himself half-way out of the hole, threw an elbow onto level ground, then rested while he looked around, breathing hard. He wasn't going to let this event go lightly. _THAT DOES IT! I'LL MAKE SURE THEY FEEL A LOT OF PAIN BEFORE THEY DIE!!!_ He pounded his fist against the ground and yelled, "YOU'LL ALL SUFFER FOR THIS!!!" "WHA...!" The small seizmic desturbance of his fist caused him to fall back in, and the crater collapsed, burying him again. "Salon?!" Salon stumbled out of the foliage and into the harem girls' loose encampment. (NOTE: And don't you say it, Ukyou!) (CHEF'S NOTE: What?! I wasn't gonna say nothin!) She was doubled over, holding one arm across her ribcage, and she was limping heavily, her left leg stiff and dragging while she held the other hand against her crotch. Most of the harem girls, recognizing the nature of the second wound, momentarily forgot about their own pain and reflexively placed their hands protectively over their own crotch (CHEF'S NOTE: And some over other's crotches.) (NOTE: *sigh*). Komiki, being the only one up at the moment, rushed to Salon's side to help her walk. "Mistress Salon! What happened?" "Out of my way, whelp!" Salon tried to forcibly shove Komiki away, but only managed to lose her balance. She staggered and cried, "Perhaps a little help!" Komiki smiled and took Salon's arm, then helped her limp over to where Chun-Mae was standing smugly with her arms crossed. Chun-Mae eyed her sometimes-friend with amusement. "Run into some trouble along the way, witchwoman?" Salon spit a bit of blood onto the ground and hissed, "Because of that damned Liu-Sing, I may not be able to have children!" (CHEF'S NOTE: Aaaaw. Too bad. That would solve a few of MY problems, though.) (CUTE VOICE: Hey!) The former empress looked shocked. Komiki wobbled and gasped hastily, "Mistress Chun-Mae! She's getting heavier!" Chun-Mae quickly took Salon's other arm and held her up with surprising strength. The former-harem-girl sighed in relief. Salon spat, "That clown you so much admire has double-crossed us and taken the statue for himself! I tried to follow him through the jungle, but he suprised me... (CUTE VOICE: Suuuure he did.) and tried to kill me." Komiki gasped, unused to violence. Chun-Mae scowled. She had found Liu-Sing full of grace and humor, and she thought he was different than all the other men she knew. She had greatly overestimated him. She hissed, "Men." The guards within earshot looked around with worry. Salon looked around the clearing in distaste. All the girls were huddled closely together for support, some lightly crying, some sniffling, and some peacefully holding on to another with her eyes closed. Several embarrassed guards, unmasked but still cloaked, were sitting within the mass with two or three girls each hanging off of them in some way--the guards looked as though they'd rather be elsewhere. It looked like one massive group hug. Suddenly, Salon winced in pain and her leg spasmed. Komiki looked down and saw that the sorceress tightened her grip around her (own) inner thigh. Komiki leaned forward to meet Salon's gaze and asked, without shyness, "May I have a look at your wound?" Some of the girls looked up and held their breaths. Komiki reached down, but Salon slapped her hand away in disgust. "I'll pass." She shoved away from Chun-Mae and balanced herself. "Anyway, I have more important matters to attend to." Komiki was dismayed. Salon started walking and Chun-Mae grabbed her arm. "Wait! Where are you going?" Salon yanked her arm away and continued walking away. "Away from here. I have things to do. Liu-Sing must pay." Chun-Mae held out her arm to stop the witchwoman again, but Salon dodged forward. "But we need you here! All of these girls need your expertese to survive out here! I do not know enough and the guards I have are barely adequate!" Salon stopped to think about something, but she didn't turn around. Komiki, who had been standing like a frightened child, bravely stepped up. "Please, Mistress Salon! We'll do anything you say!" Salon smiled. Chun-Mae gulped when she thought of the possible implications of Komiki's promise. _*sigh* What's done is done._ She straightened herself up and, when the witchwoman didn't move for a long time, she said, "Now would you get back here and let Komiki look at that wound." She smiled. "Trust me, I know from personal experience that Komiki's touch can be... miraculously soothing." (CUTE VOICE AND CHEF'S NOTE: PERVERT!) Salon rolled her eyes and groaned. Former Emperor Xi Fang, still wearing nothing more than dark gray pants, was sitting in the usual meditative position atop a grassy hill. The sun, still rising in the west, shone on him with warm waves, unhindered by trees or shrubbery. He smiled as he felt all of his energy steadily returning through the vibrant rays. Liu-Sing stood a few feet away, facing away from the sun, and juggled three red balls and the phoenix statue. Two guards stood silently in the shade of a tree. The jester asked after a period of unnerving silence, "Should I go and check the remains of the palace for survivors?" Xi Fang answered calmly, "That is not necessary. They all survived." Liu-Sing looked surprised but didn't lose his concentration. He shrugged. "What about the 'Dark One'?" Fang smiled. "He will come to me now that I have the idol." Liu-Sing shrugged again. Fang added, "He will bring another. I trust you can deal with him." Liu-Sing smiled and started juggling behind his back. Ranma stopped running after she realized two things: 1) Lon was way the hell back there, and 2) She had absolutely no idea where they were. She fell to his knees in the middle of a lush meadow and set Miko down, then backed away. She held out his hands pleadingly. "Look, Miko, I don't know what happened back there! I don't even know how we got in that position--I can't remember! One minute I'm in the palace, and then I musta blacked out or something, so don't go gettin the wrong...." "Shut up." Ranma stopped and looked at Miko more carefully. She was holding her arms as if she were cold, and tears were streaking down her face from her big, beautiful, glittery eyes. She bit her lower lip. Ranma reached out a hand, but was afraid to touch her lest she fall to pieces. Ranma settled down and asked, "Why are you crying?" Miko stared at her guardian for several seconds and pouted, her condition only deteriorating, until finally, she rushed forward, tightly embraced her friend, and started crying into her shoulder. After Ranma overcame the sudden shock, she steadily closed her arms around Miko. She asked again, more softly, "Why are you crying? What's wrong?" She was answered with sobs. For a long while, they just held each other with nothing said. Miko loosened her grip and her stomach started rumbling. She slowly started laughing tears instead of shedding them and chimed, "Guardian Spirit, can we go get something to eat?" Ranma's face contorted in confusion. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ok ok. So this is another long one. I tried to keep it short-- HONESTLY! Again, I hope it was worth the effort. I've been thinking a lot about Miko. (CHEF'S NOTE: Yeah. In the bedroom, in the bathroom....) Shutup. You're getting just as bad as Happousai! (CHEF'S NOTE: Eeew! Take it back! Take it back!) (CUTE VOICE: Hmph. And everyone think Shampoo bad.) Anyway, the more I write about Miko, the more I like her. I.... Well, I'll just say that you'll be seeing her again in the future. I was kind of stuck after I blew up the palace. (CHEF'S NOTE: HA! You only WISH you had that kind of power.) Anyway, blowing up the palace seemed to be the climax of the story, but I still had some more material to cover. I wasn't expecting to have to resort to dream sequences, but it does achieve what I wanted and it does lead to the final battle--the story's just gotten a lot more affectionate, and so has Ranma (but I guess without abuse from Akane or tug-of-war among his other fiancees, he would open up a bit more). Anyway, I hope it all works out. THE NEXT CHAPTER: (CHEF'S VOICE: Drumroll please! *drumroll*) THE CONCLUSION OF THE STORY! (CUTE VOICE: Oooh. Aaaaah. Impressive.) Shie shen.Back to the Ranma 1/2 Library Fanfic Archive