Nabiki and Ranma waved toward the Terry and Rock before beginning their own journey back to Nerima. As they walked in silence, Ranma contemplated over what Terry said before Nabiki arrived. She was training at a young age in magic, especially in defensive combat,. Why? Unable to contain his curiosity, he did what came naturally. "You heard what he said about you, right?"

The girl looked at him for a moment before sighing. "You're getting sharper and sharper, Saotome-kun" She looked forward and continued, "Yes, I heard some of it"

"Then why? And who was the person Terry referring to?"

"Oh, are you jealous, Saotome-kun?" she teased, batting her eyelashes at him. "I feel flattered," she said, while putting a hand over her breast. "Do you really like me?"

"OF COUSE NOT! HOW CAN SOMEONE CARES ABOUT SOMEONE LIKE YOU!" Ranma cried out, not caring what he said.

Nabiki stopped in her stride for a second, before walking again, this time not saying anything. Realizing that he had made a mistake, Ranma began to apologize, but Nabiki merely shook her head slowly and smiled. "I did it for a piece of illusion"

"A piece of illusion? What do you mean by that?"

"Remember the question you asked me when we were on the train?"

"I asked you... about what you wished for"

"That's right, you do remember" She opened her palm and let a dried-up leaf land on it. "A piece of a dream so that I can go on after my mother had died"

Ranma didn't know what to make of what was happening, so he keep quiet.

Nabiki brought her hand nearer to her face to look at the leaf. She then held it by the stem. "When you arrived, I was wondering how you will look like... what you will have encountered on your training..."

"Then you saw me and quickly foisted me off Akane"

"Yes, because I really hate you that time... and envied you"

Ranma was surprised by the frank admission "Why?"

"One of the reasons is that you and your father are foolish"

"You don't like me because I'm stupid"

"It's not the same" She let the leaf fall to the ground, "A falling leave to a child is something beautiful and to be enjoyed, but to a biologist, is a natural mechanism being employed by trees to prevent their resources from being wasted while waiting for next season to come. It is hard for him to recapture the joy the child has over the leaf. But that is the price he must pay to gain knowledge over the leaf " She began to walk. "No matter how much, he wouldn't be able to go back, for to acquire the knowledge of what it is, he has forsaken his youth. Sure, he has some fascination with it, but it's not the same"

"What are you talking about, Nabs? What does a man studying a leaf has anything to do with your wish?"

A sweatdrop appeared on Nabiki's temple. "Maybe I do hate you a bit for being a half assed idiot. She giggled. "But then again, I'm jealous of you for that"

"What is the cost of your wish?"

Nabiki looked a bit nostalgic. "I lost a bit of my soul" When she saw the scared look on his face, she sighed defeatedly, "A soul doesn't have to mean a life. It could be something precious to you. For example, your clothing can be considered your soul, because your clothing defines your personality. For me, it's my most treasured memory"

"Memory about what?"

"If I know about it, doesn't that means I remember and haven't lost it?"

"Oh yeah, you're right"

"As always"

Ranma then realized that something wasn't right. "How much this info about you will cost me?" he asked suspiciously.

"Nothing"

"Did you knock your head on something?"

"Idiot!" She was about to say more when small black pig with a scarf around its neck appeared from a nearby bush, made a frustrated sound and jumped into another bush, leaving two stunned teenagers in its wake. "Couldn't be... Is that Ryouga whom I've just seen?"

"Yeah... . I saw the pendant you gave him" he smirked, "Looks like it's not working as well as you hoped"

"The pendant I gave him... It's as I suspected..." Nabiki frowned again and kept quiet throughout their journey home, deep in thought.

A very young Ranma was jogging in the park by himself. Earlier on, he was jogging with his father; his father had ran off somewhere, while muttering something about the need for a martial artist to ensure that his nutrition intake is adequate. Nevertheless, his father told him not to stop jogging and a still naïve and obedient Ranma followed his command. Now, after running nonstop for three hours, Ranma began to feel tired. But, he would have continued running if he hadn't heard a sob nearby.

He walked toward the source of the sob to see a girl as young as him crying beside a tree.

"Why are you crying?" he asked.

The girl continued crying, but pointed to a branch on the tree. Ranma saw something shining there. Upon a closer look, it was a pendant. He briefly wondered how the thing got there before deciding to climb the tree. Upon reaching the branch, he called out.

"Hey you down there"

The girl stopped crying and looked up.

"This thing's yours?"

"Yes" she answered, wiping her tears.

"I can give it to you. But on one condition"

"What is it?"

"You must stop crying and smile"

The girl tried her best to control her tears and after a few seconds succeeded. She then smiled to him in gratitude.

"You look cute when you smile"

"Is it true?"

"Yes, a martial artist never lie"

Then without warning the branch Ranma was on broke and he hit the ground quite hard. The girl quickly went to his side.

"Are you all right?" she asked worriedly

In response, Ranma handed the pendant to her. "Heh! I think I just broke my leg. My father will be angry with this"

Then suddenly, the girl put her hand on his leg and a black aura appeared around the area. The boy was surprised, but did nothing. After a few seconds, the girl pulled away.

"Your leg is okay now" she said, still smiling. "But don't tell anyone 'bout this, okay?"

"Okay"

The girl helped Ranma to stand up. He was astonished as it was as if his leg wasn't broken at all.

"Ano.. may… may I know your name?"

"Saotome Ranma"

"Ranma…Wild horse. What a nice name" The girl giggled.

"What's yours?"

The girl's mouth opened to tell him her name. Ranma nodded. "I like that name. It suits you"

"Really!"

"Of course!"

The girl hummed. "Why don't you cry when you fell of the tree just now?"

"My father tells me that martial artist don't cry n I am one"

The girl hugged him. "You're the best martial artist in the world, coz you helped me"

"No, I'm not the best yet"

The girl was quiet for a moment and then pulled his hand. "'Kay, you can be the best later. How about we go and play at the playground?"

"But martial artist don't play in the playground"

"Don't be a stick in the mud. We can practice on lot of things on the playground. Let's go"

"I'm not a stick in the mud. I'm a boy and the mud is over there. Whoaa…" Ranma let himself to be led by her.

They played and enjoyed themselves on the playground despite Ranma's earlier protest. After a while, they finally sit on the swings.

"Ne, Ranma"

"What is it?"

"Will we meet again?"

"Sure"

"Then maybe I can buy you a strawberry ice cream cone as a reward for helping me. I can't buy you one now coz I didn't bring my purse with me"

"Promise?"

The girl put her hand on her heart solemnly. "If I break my promise, I will be swallowed by the monsters in my closet and under my bed"

"Whoa! Don't be too serious"

"For you, my promise must be serious" Then girl became quiet. "Ranma… I think I like you"

Ranma innocently kissed her cheek and she blushed. "I like you too"

Her face was shining with happiness. She got up and stood in front of him. "It is set then, the best martial artist in the world. I promise, when we grow up, I will take care of you forever" She bowed.

To Ranma's alarm, her image began to become fuzzy.

"I will take care of you forever"

Ranma stretched his hand. "Wait!"

"I will take care of you forever… this, I promise you, Ranma"

Ranma woke up from his dream, sweating profusely. He had the same dream about his childhood time every now and then, but this time the dream was very vivid. But as he felt tired at that time, he was about to dismiss it and go back to sleep when something hit his mind. He has finally remembered what the girl looks like.

"I see you have finally remembered me and our childhood time together, Ranma" a girl's voice caused him to search in the darken room until his eyes settled on a standing figure. He stood and approached her.

"I finally remembered everything about you" he exclaimed. "Now I..." Ranma was interrupted by a finger on his lip. Then he was surprised when she kissed him.

He tried to shake off the kiss, but after a while found himself responding to it. It was as if the girl put every bit of her soul into the kiss. Despite his earlier resolve, Ranma couldn't help himself from kissing her back. They finally broke it, looking at each other tenderly.

"Ranma" the girl sighed while putting her head on his shoulder.

He encircled her in his arms and briefly wondered why it felt right to hold her. He played with her hair, inhaling her scent. Somehow, the normal control he exhibit whenever he's with a girl has deserted him. But at that exact moment, it wasn't on his list of concern. "We should be very quiet as we don't want to wake pop over there"

"It's all right" She pointed around the room which looked a bit warped. "We are in another dimension and everything we say or do would not be heard by everyone nearby. I also cast a spell to hide my presence from any nearby magic user" To demonstrate the point, she step on a sleeping Genma only to have her feet pass through him.

"Oh, yeah. I just remember that you can do magic"

She nuzzled her face on his neck. "Are you scared of me, the best martial artist in the world?"

The pigtailed martial artist chuckled. "I'm more afraid of your effects on me, how your presence makes my stomach flutters" The way the words danced on his mouth was too romantic for Ranma, but he felt compelled to say them to her; he must make her know how he felt.

"Ranma…" She kissed him again, this time coaxing his mouth to open and let their tongues intertwined. This time the kiss lasted longer than the previous one as he was determined not to be the first to break away. When they separated, the girl smiled. "Ranma, from the first time we met I fell love with you"

Despite having heard the same proclamation from many girls, Ranma felt his heart was bursting with happiness.

"I want to be with you together. Taking care of you… " Tears began to fall from her eyes. Ranma was about to wipe them off when she put her hand on his forehead. To his shock he found out that he couldn't move his body. "I really love you, Ranma. Really really love you. With every passing day my love for you becomes stronger and it is driving me crazy with the need to stay with you. It was as if my purpose in life is to fall in love with you" She smiled bitter sweetly.

Despite being unable to move his body, Ranma managed to look into her eyes and realized that everything she said were true. The love in her eyes was too strong and was visible in the cover of the darkness they were in.

"But… despite this, Ranma, I know that I can't be with you. And you should forget about me"

"No. I also like you. It took me years to even remember your name and I don't want to forget again"

The hand on Ranma's hand began to emit a black aura.

"NO!" Ranma screamed as his mind warned him that she was going to do something to him, but it was in vain as no one heard him. From the corners of his eyes, he could see his father sleeping nearby.

"Don't worry, the best martial artist in the world. For you, tonight will be like other nights, where you rest and recuperate after your grueling day" Her face fell. "You will forget about your dream and what we shared tonight"

"I don't want to forget who you are. I don't want to forget. I think that I also…"

"Your rough appearance hide your sweetness and kindness, Ranma. You're still the person I know since that day… and more… and…" Tears rolled down her cheeks as she sobbed.

"Please, don't do it"

"You deserve someone better. But I promise that I will take care of you from the distance"

"No" Ranma willed his hands to move. After a while, his hands began to move very slowly toward her hand, wanting to stop it.

He saw she smiled through her tear stricken face for the last time.

"ERASE"

There was a single dark spark of energy through Ranma's forehead and he became unconscious. He would have dropped to the ground if not the girl catching his unconscious body and held it. "Now, it is too early for that, Ranma," she cooed, as a smile appeared on her face. "Too early. But you have advanced beyond my expectation, Ranma"

She then laid Ranma's body on the floor. "I will help you become stronger" She bit her left forefinger until blood started to gush out. Using the bloodied finger, she draw a strange symbol on Ranma's forehead. "You will become stronger, much stronger" She then drew a similar symbol on her right palm. The symbol on her hand began to catch on fire. She the began to chant the spell, "Dengan kuasa lima elemen: api, air, tanah, pokok, besi, kupersembahkan benih kuasaku kepada dia, atas nama perjanjian yang dipatuhi oleh jiwaku" The girl then put her hand on Ranma's head, "RELEASE!"

Ranma was engulfed in a dark aura as a magical circle appeared underneath him. Then the dark aura began to enter his body. After the whole process was done, she raised her hand from his forehead, smiling. "Your magical power will start to develop inside you from now on, without anyone knowing about it" As she began to fade into the night, she whispered,
"I'll see you tomorrow, Ranma"

"Saotome-kun, you looked as if you woke up the wrong side of futon" Nabiki commented.

"Why do you care?" He said curtly. For the life of him Ranma couldn't figure out why he felt extremely crappy that morning.

Nabiki raised her eyebrows.

"We are worried about you" Akane said.

He sighed. "Dunno. Felt as if I want to kick everyone's ass today"

"Although I have a killer size headache right now, you don't see me loosing my cool, Saotome-kun," her sister chimed in.

Ranma muttered incomprehensibly in response. As they approached the Furinkan high school, he smiled. "Yeah, maybe beating Kuno will cheer me a bit" he said happily when spied the said person was waiting for him.

"Halt, Saotome"

Ranma grinned and waited for the attack but it never came. Instead, Kuno bowed respectfully toward him.

"How's my comrade in arm feel today?"

Ranma blinked.

"Ranma, you managed to talk him out of fighting you, remember?" Akane whispered.

Kuno waited for response, but in the end said, "If thou feel any sign of ailment, please do not feel it to be above your noble existence to solicit my help. Kuno family will be honored to sponsor your treatment in our hospital ward"

"Yeah, I bet that's why Kodachi became like what she is now" Akane whispered to her sister.

"Hush! Kuno baby wouldn't like to hear that" Nabiki whispered back.

"Yeah" Ranma said, hand at the back of his head. "I appreciate that very much. But I'm fine"

"Very well, I shall take your righteous words for it. But remember that the path a true samurai walk will be the one where he sacrifices himself for his comrade. But, for now, this samurai will proceed with his holy morning ritual" He gestured toward the student body. "Come, my bethrens and rivals in love. We must strike while the fair maiden is vulnerable"

Akane barely managed to prepare herself for the incoming onslaught. But, even her training couldn't help her from being buried under a mound of presents and chocolates. Ranma was about to help pull her out of it when Nabiki stopped him.

"You're sure you want to fly today, Saotome-kun?" Nabiki asked him menacingly.

Ranma mumbled something but was stopped by a large cry.

"RANMA! IT IS YOUR FAULT!"

The pigtailed martial artist cracked his knuckle, smiling gleefully and prepared for the fight with Ryouga to release his pent up frustration. Meanwhile his bracelet glowed with a sightly dark tint, concealing a hairline crack on it.

1
Author's note (9 February 2006)

1) Somehow, I seem to have a flood of ideas, which is evidenced by the frequent upload. It also seemed that I've stopped preparing buffer chapters for this story. But don't worry, the flood is receding as other matters are competing for my attention.

2) The translation for the spell the unnamed person (the girl who kissed Ranma) was using: "By the power of five elements: fire, water, earth, trees and metal, I present my seed of power to him, in the name of the agreement that was signed by my soul" The reason why the elements are not earth, fire, wind and water is because I'm following the Chinese elements instead of Greek's.

3) There's no description of Cross Over in this episode because the girl isn't a character in any anime. Sure, the way she cast her spell is an amalgation of magic Card Captor Sakura and Naruto, but that's all. That said, this is the path my story will eventually go.