Ello People. I am back with a longer chappie. (Just for you Rose! ) Hope you enjoy it

Chapter 4

Past: November 24th : Evening around 6:00 P.M

"Damn stupid Oyaji", Ranma muttered to himself for the umpteenth time that day as he tried to gather some dried wood for their fire. Ranma and his father had camped for that night in a small clearing in the middle of a forest at outskirts of Bangkok so he was trying to find some firewood before sunset. Genma had wanted to get as soon as possible to Bangkok so they could stowaway on one of the flights to Taiwan, though why he wanted to go there was still a mystery to Ranma.

'Why the heck are we leaving already? Baka pop! Wasn't I supposed to master SUffering in RAIN?' Ranma had asked his adamant father when he had got back from his futile attempt to find a weapon in that 'stupid' shop.

'Shut up boy! An excellent opportunity came up….you will find out soon. Besides, I thought you dint like this place' had been his father's reply.

"Well! I just felt it was a waste of travelling all the way to Malaysia and then decide on leaving without accomplishing anything", Ranma tried to give an explanation to himself as he threw another twig into his backpack. But what he said out aloud lost its meaning as a pair of hazel-grey eyes flashed through his mind.

"Damn! I really wanted to look into more shops in that city", Ranma shook his head and told himself again.

Suddenly he heard a scurrying noise at some distance and he lifted his head to listen more closely. His father had warned him about bears but the scurrying was too light to be a bear. Without a warning a white form burst out of the trees and crashed into him.

Ranma opened his eyes to see a pair of scared hazel-grey eyes staring down at him. The eyes calmed down as they looked at him.

"Keep running, she is still going that way. She is trying to get to the river", Ranma heard a man shout from the direction the girl had come, and a more voices responded.

The frightened look returned to the eyes and with one last look into Ranma's eyes the girl quickly pushed herself to her feet and darted forward. Ranma lay dazed for a moment but with only a quick look into the forest he got up to his feet started sprinting after her white form. As Ranma looked at her back, he realized that she was wearing white ninja clothes which explained the white cloth that had been covering her mouth and her head. There was also a bow hanging across her shoulder to hip and quiver full of arrows on her back.

'An archer huh… damn she's fast', Ranma thought to himself. He was going at full speed yet he was having trouble maintaining the distance between them, let alone catching up and Ranma had been very proud of his speed.

Ranma couldn't tell if the girl realized that he was following her but she did not look back or showed signs of slowing down and she was gaining ground bit by bit. But, before he could shout out to her to slow down the girl suddenly skidded to a halt on the dried leaves. Ranma looked at the cause of her sudden halt to see two huge men standing a few feet from her with their arms spread and grinning like idiots.

Ranma saw the girl freeze a bit. "Duck", he shouted to her as he covered the 10 yards between them.

As soon as Ranma was a couple of feet behind her she ducked as Ranma jumped and flew across her head. The two men could only stare in shock as Ranma's feet collided with their faces. They crumpled to the ground, knocked out, and Ranma safely landed on his feet.

Ranma turned around and smiled at the girl.

"What are you doing?" the girl asked with guarded eyes as she cautiously walked towards.

"Helping you out" Ranma replied without a thought. He immediately grabbed her hand and started running again.

"To the river, Right?" Ranma asked as he recalled how far it exactly was.

"Yes" came a huff reply.

It would take them five minutes to get there with their speed but Ranma was scared at how many men might be laying in ambush before then. The only advantage he had was the setting sun. His trained senses had an advantage over the other men in the dim light.

"What then?"

"I have someone waiting with a boat"

"Nice! I promise I will get you there safely" Ranma said resolutely. Ranma hoped that the girl's pursuers weren't already there, otherwise he would have to try and take the girl back towards his father. His dad might be an idiot but he was good at escaping these sorts of situations.

They could hear the men slowly catching up to them.

"How the heck are they so fast?" Ranma asked more to himself than the girl.

"The five that are catching up are trained assassins", the girl finished her sentence and a ninja-guy leapt through a bush from the side and swung his short blade at Ranma.

Ranma saw the glint of the blade before he saw the man, so he ducked pulling the girl down with him. The sword swept over them and Ranma's right foot found the man's groin. He usually did not like such cheap shots but 'Hey! they are assassins' he thought to himself as he realized guiltily that he was enjoying the situation.

The man grunted in pain as he fell to the ground clutching his unmentionables as Ranma pushed back up with his other leg and started to run again.

"Do they want you alive or dead?" after a couple of minutes

"Alive" "I think…" she added as an afterthought.

"Good! I can use you as a shield"

"HEY!" the girl cried out in protest but did not continue as they burst out of the forest thicket to the bank of the river.

No sooner, two forms flitted past them and stood a few feet in front of them. Ranma observed a boat and another white form in it, as he held his ground before the two masked men in black. He gauged their strength as both of them removed a katana each from their backs. They would be caught up by the others if he didn't act quickly

"Finally caught you, you little twerps"

Without giving the two men a chance to goad or say anything else Ranma pushed the girl forcefully towards them and followed behind crouching low behind her back. As Ranma had expected, the two men lowered their swords to prevent avoid hurting the girl.

The men looked startled at the girl tumbling towards them, but realized too late about what was happening as Ranma suddenly stepped from behind the girl's back. He threw a right kick at the man to his right and used the momentum and the push against his head to do a turning side kick against the other man. As the two slumped to the ground he used his two elbows on their heads for good measure.

"That was using you as a shield" Ranma turned and said to the girl who was sitting with her legs sprawled and looking as if the air had been knocked out of her.

"Sorry", Ranma added with a smile.

The girl gave him a disgruntled look as Ranma grabbed her hand again and rushed towards the boat. The white form turned out to be another female in similar white ninja clothes but she looked much older.

They waded a few yards into the shallow water (which reached to their knees) before they reached the woman and the boat.

Ranma helped the girl climb unto the boat and gave the boat a hard shove to set it moving forward. The older woman started using the paddle as the girl looked back at Ranma. He could see the worry in her eyes.

"Aren't you coming?" the girl shouted from the drifting boat.

Ranma shook his head, "Have a pop to get back to. I was just trying to be the friendly neighborhood hero". He had been reading too much of spider-man comics.

The girl's eyes suddenly widened. She pulled out her bow, put an arrow to it, took aim and shot at him, all in a matter of a second. Ranma had time only to look, as the arrow whizzed past his head. He looked behind to see the arrow sticking out of a ninja's neck. The ninja had his katana raised and ready to strike but the arrow had reached him before he reached Ranma. 'I guess that was for shoving you' he thought to himself as the ninja fell, face first, into the water.

Ranma turned around to see the girl waving and motioning him to get out of there. He heard a lot of voices. He turned back to see torches and men pouring out of the trees. There were atleast twenty of them. Ranma sprinted out of the water and sprinted away from the men along the bank.

"Forget the boy!" he heard a shout behind him. Ranma turned to see that the few men that had started after him stop join the others. Ranma looked back to the boat. The girl was still looking at him. He waved a goodbye to her and after she waved back, he turned and sprinted into the forest.

'Hopefully they don't get caught. Wonder what I should say to pop about not having any wood for the fire', Ranma thought as he made his way back to his father when a sudden realization struck him.

"She killed him!"

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Ranma could only stare at Kasumi, dazed, as he tried to comprehend what she had just said.

"W..Whatt do you mean Kasumi?"

"Just what I said. You are my brother"

"I know… But what did you mean by Akane being 'like a sister' and me being your brother?" Ranma asked fervently as he tried to see if he had miscomprehended Kasumi's words.

Kasumi shook her head and she smiled a little at Ranma's confusion.

"Ranma…listen...You are my brother! Akane and Nabiki aren't my real sisters", Kasumi let the words sink in.

After a few seconds, Ranma's brain accepted Kasumi's words. The sun had set and the stars were slowly starting to become visible in the sky.

"But…How?" Ranma's voice finally decided to come back after its initial shock.

"Hmmmm..I guess I have to tell you the whole story. I knew this day would come but I never thought it would be so soon." Kasumi looked into the sky, "Looks like your favorite constellation isn't out yet"

"How do you know that?"

"How many times have I seen you stare at one spot in the night sky."

Ranma looked at Kasumi and observed her smile to the stars. If there was one person besides his mother whom he knew that really cared about him, it was Kasumi. He had always thought Kasumi was just being a traditional host.

"Natsumi, my mother was a nurse in Hokkaido. Genma met her when he was recovering from huge fight. He had received a couple of broken ribs and a broken leg so he was in hospital for a week during which my mother nursed him back to health."

"Whoa pop had a real fight. I always thought he was a wimp and ran away from fights"

"No Ranma, Father… I mean Genma isn't all that bad. I think he became a wimp after he started protecting you as a father. If he was so useless do you think he could invent all those amazing techniques? ….at least the good ones" Kasumi defended and ignored Ranma's soft 'I know that'.

"So while she was nursing him, both of them started falling for each other so after Genma got out they started dating each other. Things were going well for a month before Genma had to go on a trip to Okinawa. During this time Mom fell very sick and during the examinations doctors found out that she had a severe case of lung cancer and that she wouldn't live for more than three years"

"Did my idiot Father leave her for that? I am gonna pound him"

"Ranma! Give you father some credit. Genma and mother really liked each other back then, so when Genma rushed back after hearing she had been sick, my mom acted as if everything was fine. But, after a week she dumped Genma saying that she had had enough with him. Genma was shocked at Mom's words but Mom acted like a bitch and told him to go away and never show her face to him again."

"What! Why would she do that?"

"Think about it Ranma, what would you do? Mom loved Genma so she didn't want him to get too attached to her. She knew he wouldn't leave if he came to know about her sickness which would only make it harder for him when she died. So she decided to let him go."

"Can't believe idiot pop got this much love"

Kasumi shook her head at Ranma and continued. "But, what Mom did not know then was that I was already inside her. She only realized it after Genma left and as you know him she couldn't find for three years."

Kasumi paused for a bit and looked at Ranma who was listening closely. She wondered how he was going to take all this.

"She finally found where Genma was living in her deathbed. So a few days before she died, she wrote Genma a letter and sent me to him. But, Genma was already engaged to auntie Nodoka and their marriage was only a week away when I arrived. Back then auntie Nodoka was supposed to be more traditional than she is now, so Genma was scared that she would not marry him if she came to know about me. Not knowing what to do he went in search of his oldest friend, Tendo, only to find that he had already married and was expecting a child very soon. Genma told the Tendo's about his problem who readily adopted me as their first child. I was told the truth by Mrs Tendo just before she passed away. She had always treated me like her own child and her last wish was for me to take care of Akane and Nabiki. Since then I waited for you to come back from your training trip. Akane and Nabiki are still my sisters, Ranma, but you are my real brother…. More like I am your bastard sister"

Kasumi looked at Ranma who was staring dumbfounded. There was an emotion in his eyes that she could not figure. A single tear slipped from her eyes and she continued "So I will understand if you don't want to see me again or something like that…I can even move away from the Tendos…"

Ranma's heart gave a lurch when he saw the tear from Kasumi's eyes. As the meaning behind Kasumi's words sank in he closed the distance between them in an instant and gave her a sideways hug, resting his head on her shoulder.

"What the heck are you saying Ka-nee. I always loved you as a sister and now that I know you are my sister, you think I am gonna let you go" Ranma said with a quivering voice. He could not control his emotions on finding out that he had a sister but it was a good feeling. It brought a little more life back into his heart. Now he had two people to live for and protect – his mother and his sister.

"You are now under the first priority protection of Ranma Saotome!"Ranma added in a comical tone.

Kasumi gave out a small giggle and ruffled Ranma's hair. "Thanks Ranma…. Look! your constellation is out"

Ranma turned his head on Kasumi's shoulder and looked at the Sagittarius. It was shining brighter than usual and it brought warmth to his heart.

"HENTAI", the two siblings heard a scream

As an impulse Ranma released Kasumi and stood up. He saw Akane fuming at him from the road that led through the park. Ranma's first impulse was to scram but he stood his ground. He wasn't going to let Akane spoil something between them siblings.

Getting her mallet out Akane rushed towards Ranma to impound her punishment. Ranma stopped the blow with one hand. Akane stared at him confused; Ranma never stopped her blows. But, her anger quickly overcame her confusion

"So this is what you were up to, Ranma. How DARE you hit on my sister! Take your punishment like a man" she pulled the mallet back and tried to bring it down again. Ranma's hand stopped it again.

"Shut up Akane" Ranma said with a cold voice. "You don't have the right to be protecting Kasumi. All you are is a temperamental, jealous and arrogant twerp. All you do is use Kasumi as a maid. She does your washing, cooks you food and looks after you, but have you ever tried to understand her? Have you ever wondered why she acts so nonchalant all the time? You go to her with your problems but did you ever try to see if something was bothering her? She may be trying her best to be like a mother to you two but she is not your MOTHER! AKANE. She is just another girl a few years older to you. So the next time you run into someone trying to show your sister some brotherly compassion, try to think about how much love you have actually shown to your sister". With that Ranma pulled the mallet out of Akane's hand and threw it aside, letting his words sink in.

"Ranma… you shouldn't have"

"She had it coming nee-san. I would have let her hit me if it was someone else. Anyway I will see you back home" he retorted quickly picking up Kasumi's basket.

"Ranma don't reveal this to auntie Nodoka…" Kasumi added worriedly as Ranma turned his back towards her.

"Sure…for now" Ranma replied and sprinted towards the Tendo Dojo, leaving Kasumi to bring back a dazed Akane.

"Now how would Mom react on me having a sister who is not her child", Ranma muttered to himself as he rushed back home.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Later that night

Ranma was running as fast as he could though he did not know why. Moonlight seeped through the leaves of the thick forest canopy but Ranma could see only a few feet in front of him.

"Ranma... Help!" he heard the voice he loved the most. He realized why he was running and his speed automatically increased.

"Ranma… Help!" he heard the voice again. 'She is close' he thought

He suddenly burst out of the trees. He looked at a familiar pond. He had stepped in on Hayley while she was taking a bath a few years ago. He looked deeper into the pond and sure enough he saw Her in the bathing garment he had seen her a few years ago; A white cloth covering half her body. But, she did not have the look of surprise he remembered seen on her face. She was staring down into the water and a shadow covered her face. He stared at her as she did not show any signs of drowning. Her pink lips did not smile at him.

"Help! Ranma…" her lips moved and she dived underwater.

"Nooooo…" Ranma screamed and jumped into the pool. He remembered the particular spot to be very deep. He swam with swift hard strokes and reached the spot and dived in. It was pitch dark and he could not see her. He kept pushing with his legs to go deeper.

After about twenty feet he still could not see her and he was running out of air. He did not rise up and kept pushing down. All he wanted was to feel her hand.

Suddenly his hand felt something soft – like skin. His lungs gave way, he could not see but he knew what he was touching.

Ranma bolted upright in his bed. He was drenched in sweat. The room was quite chill and he was gasping for air. His head throbbed with pain and he felt a soft hand patting on his back.

Ranma turned around swiftly to find Kasumi looking at him with a worried face.

"I was coming down for a drink of water when I heard you screaming. Are you alright? You looked as if you were having trouble breathing", Kasumi said softly.

Ranma nodded slowly and looked at his panda of a father. 'He can sleep through anything', he thought to himself.

"I think I am going to be fine. Thanks nee-san"

"Alright then. Here! Have some water" Kasumi offered her glass to Ranma and got up to leave.

"I never had a nightmare about her" Ranma said slowly to Kasumi's back.

Kasumi turned back and smiled at Ranma. "Want to talk about her?"

0o0o0o0o0o

So howz tat? More reviews please. Huh…I have to get back to studying..life's hard for a double major with a dual minor . I 'might' be changing the stories title to '7 heavens'. So look out for that though I haven't decided how appropriate that title is. Please gimme all the reviews that I can get. It gives me a boost to write.

And don't hesitate to point out mistakes.

As for the minor spelling errors, I don't know how the heck that I can't find them!!

Fic dedicated to Hay meadow – cascade - dodd