It was winter. A light snowfall had blanketed the town, and more snowflakes continued to glide earthward. Most people were inside enjoying the warmth of a fire, or gathered together around a table drinking hot chocolate, as the Tendo and Saotome families were. However, not everyone was bundled up around a cozy kitchen table…
A lone figure steadily moved through the snow-covered streets as though the person was floating on air. The stranger's feet seemed to glide across the frozen material as if it were a sheet of ice. The stranger paused, and began walking normally, feeling the soft crunch of the snow, with each step. She smiled beneath the cowl of her cloak.
Meanwhile, Ryoga, who was lost as usual, and was fairly close to freezing to death, clumsily stomped through knee-high snow in an attempt to reach the Tendo's. He suddenly plunged to one knee, and used his parasol for support. Ice lined the brim of his eyelids and he was beginning to lose his sense of sight. Determined to reach the dojo, he climbed to his feet. Right, left, right… strained from his efforts, Ryoga reached out a hand murmured 'Akane,' plopped face first into the snow, his resolve having given up.
The stranger noticed the unexpected movement among the plane of white before her and dashed forward, flinging twin sprays of snow behind her. She came to an abrupt stop and immediately flipped sideways over a buried fence and landed next to Ryoga. She knelt next to him and pressed a gloved hand against his temple. It was faint, but he had a pulse. She carefully wrapped him in her thermal cloak, hoisting his limp body over her shoulder. The icy winds felt surprising good to her bare arms, and the frozen air sent a surge of energy down her bare neck. She tucked his umbrella under her other arm and started off in a trot toward the Tendo residence.
~~~~~~
Ranma's ears perked up. He had heard a light knock at the front door.
"I'll go see who it is," he pushed his mug of hot chocolate aside and got up from the table. Akane rolled her eyes and followed her fiancé. As soon as Ranma opened the door, a gush of freezing air flooded the corridor, causing him to shiver. Akane stood a few feet behind him, her teeth chattering. Ranma was horrified to see Ryoga's prone body lying on the doorstep, wrapped up in a midnight-black cloak. Akane gasped when she saw his lifeless face.
"He's fine, just get him near a fire quick," a dark figure called from beyond the view of the door. "Or he will die."
"What'd you do to him!?" Ranma began cracking his knuckles.
"And to think this is what I get for bringing the poor guy here," she answered from amidst the pale gloom. "If it hadn't been for me, Ranma Saotome," she stepped into the light. "Your friend would no longer be among the living."
The stranger was an attractive girl a little shorter than Ranma. She wore a blue and black segmented tabard running over each shoulder and down to her waist, with a long, thin blue cloth hanging from her waist to a few inches above the knee. She had a similar cloth at the back that ended at the base of her buttocks. Her arms, and sides were largely bare, and she had blue gauntlets with black gloves on each hand. Her blazingly white hair, which had just a tint of blue, was spiked upward. Finally, her ice-blue eyes peered out from behind an intricately detailed mouth cover of the same blue and black design. A small Chinese emblem was inscribed on the tabard above her left breast. Ranma silently sounded it out. It read, "Lin Kuei."
"What the heck…" he stammered.
A lone figure steadily moved through the snow-covered streets as though the person was floating on air. The stranger's feet seemed to glide across the frozen material as if it were a sheet of ice. The stranger paused, and began walking normally, feeling the soft crunch of the snow, with each step. She smiled beneath the cowl of her cloak.
Meanwhile, Ryoga, who was lost as usual, and was fairly close to freezing to death, clumsily stomped through knee-high snow in an attempt to reach the Tendo's. He suddenly plunged to one knee, and used his parasol for support. Ice lined the brim of his eyelids and he was beginning to lose his sense of sight. Determined to reach the dojo, he climbed to his feet. Right, left, right… strained from his efforts, Ryoga reached out a hand murmured 'Akane,' plopped face first into the snow, his resolve having given up.
The stranger noticed the unexpected movement among the plane of white before her and dashed forward, flinging twin sprays of snow behind her. She came to an abrupt stop and immediately flipped sideways over a buried fence and landed next to Ryoga. She knelt next to him and pressed a gloved hand against his temple. It was faint, but he had a pulse. She carefully wrapped him in her thermal cloak, hoisting his limp body over her shoulder. The icy winds felt surprising good to her bare arms, and the frozen air sent a surge of energy down her bare neck. She tucked his umbrella under her other arm and started off in a trot toward the Tendo residence.
~~~~~~
Ranma's ears perked up. He had heard a light knock at the front door.
"I'll go see who it is," he pushed his mug of hot chocolate aside and got up from the table. Akane rolled her eyes and followed her fiancé. As soon as Ranma opened the door, a gush of freezing air flooded the corridor, causing him to shiver. Akane stood a few feet behind him, her teeth chattering. Ranma was horrified to see Ryoga's prone body lying on the doorstep, wrapped up in a midnight-black cloak. Akane gasped when she saw his lifeless face.
"He's fine, just get him near a fire quick," a dark figure called from beyond the view of the door. "Or he will die."
"What'd you do to him!?" Ranma began cracking his knuckles.
"And to think this is what I get for bringing the poor guy here," she answered from amidst the pale gloom. "If it hadn't been for me, Ranma Saotome," she stepped into the light. "Your friend would no longer be among the living."
The stranger was an attractive girl a little shorter than Ranma. She wore a blue and black segmented tabard running over each shoulder and down to her waist, with a long, thin blue cloth hanging from her waist to a few inches above the knee. She had a similar cloth at the back that ended at the base of her buttocks. Her arms, and sides were largely bare, and she had blue gauntlets with black gloves on each hand. Her blazingly white hair, which had just a tint of blue, was spiked upward. Finally, her ice-blue eyes peered out from behind an intricately detailed mouth cover of the same blue and black design. A small Chinese emblem was inscribed on the tabard above her left breast. Ranma silently sounded it out. It read, "Lin Kuei."
"What the heck…" he stammered.