Dedicated to: Noah! ^_^ Hi hi!
Author's notes: I have two comments, one: Never listen to Inu-yasha
music while writing Ranma 1/2 stuff, you'll get a big urge to just make
Ranma have Inu-yasha-like qualities and you'll have to go back through
the chapter you wrote taking out all the parts where Ranma twitches his
dog ears. XD, two: *whistles innocently* Cephiro? Cephiro? Never heard
of i--*is hit by a frying pan and knocked unconscious* X_x
Hikaru continued running until she bumped into someone. "Hikaru...what's wrong?" It was a familiar voice, but Hikaru didn't take note to who it was, so she continued to cry into the someone's shirt. She felt arms wrap around her slowly in a hug, and blinked, looking up. Tears continued to slide down her face and her eyes widened as she saw who it was.
"R-Ranma?" She backed away, and the arms that had embraced her fell to his sides. He was looking at her, eyes concerned and worried.
"I came to look for you since it was taking you so long to come back...and I find you like this? Hikaru, what's wrong?"
Hikaru stepped back. H-he'd never...She turned and ran. He followed closely behind. "Ranma! Go away! Please, just leave me alone!" She shouted back to him. The tears were gone now, but Ranma continued to follow her.
If only she could go back to Cephiro a third time to be in peace, for just a little while. Come to think of it..today was the day they had planned awhile ago to meet once again at Tokyo Tower. We promised to, but Fuu and Umi didn't come to the Tower last time. Hikaru bumped, once again, into someone. The someone was Umi, which let Ranma slow down and finally catch up to Hikaru. Okay..so he could have easily overrun her and made her admit why she had been crying..but Ranma wasn't like that.
Hikaru smiled like nothing had ever been wrong. "Hi Umi! How're you?" Umi smiled back, pretending not to have seen her being chased by Ranma.
"I was heading home, it's rather late, shouldn't you two be heading home too?" Umi blinked. "Oh yeah..I was going to talk to you, too." She glanced at Ranma. "Um, could you excuse us for a bit? Why don't you head home? I have to talk to Hikaru." Umi made as shoo-ing guesture at Ranma, half-smiling, half-glaring.
Ranma crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at Umi, but walked away and turned a corner. Umi turned to Hikaru once again and smiled sadly. "Been awhile since we've been able to go to Cephiro, huh?" Umi gently nudged Hikaru. "Been awhile since you've been able to see Lantis and Eagle!"
Hikaru's eyes lowered to her feet as she heard Umi. "Lantis I don't want to see...Eagle, I miss, he's one of the many people I love! You, Fuu, Eagle, and everyone else in Cephiro, I love you all. But Eagle is alot like a brother, yet not that much like a brother..but..." Hikaru blinked in confusion, trying to explain.
Umi put a hand on Hikaru's shoulder, looking concerned. "I understand about Eagle being like a brother, but why don't you wanna see Lantis?"
"...Last time we went to Cephiro, Lantis and I had a discussion, and he started yelling at me for always saying I loved everyone, because I never said I just loved him. I did love him like that. I did. But I wanted everyone to know I loved them too. Not the way I used to love Lantis, but in the way a friend loves another friend..." Hikaru shook her head, fighting tears once more. "He said he never wanted to see me again. And...so..." Umi cut her off.
"That jerk! He should understand you! Not get mad at you for being you. Gr...I hate people that make you sad! And..." Umi turned her angry face into a sly grin. "Used to love Lantis? Do you not love anybody now...or is there someone else?"
Ranma now listened in closer. (Yes, he had been eavesdropping from behind the corner.)
Hikaru blushed. "Noone..." She said it very quietly, not meeting Umi's eyes. "But I wish so badly that we could see them again..." Umi nodded. "I do too." She put a hand on Hikaru's shoulder, both wishing that they could speak to most of their Cephirian friends again, but couldn't since they couldn't visit Cephiro without Fuu.
A flash of blindingly bright white light surrounded a small area around Hikaru and Umi. Ranma watched, suprised and speechless from around the corner. When the bright light disappeared, there was a group of people with Hikaru and Umi in the middle. They were all dressed oddly.
"Ah-ah...Eagle! Lantis! Ascot! Clef! Caldina! Mokona!" Hikaru cried out in suprise. "How--?" Mokona puu'ed and jumped into Hikaru's arms. Mokona pointed to Eagle, smiling, and Hikaru's eyes widened. "Eagle! You're back to normal!" Eagle nodded slowly, smiling.
"Lafarga! Primera!" Umi shouted who Hikaru missed and they all hugged eachother. "Hikaru and I missed you all so much!"
"Uhm..question..where are all of you going to live?" Hikaru blinked. Mokona smiled. Umi looked at Hikaru exasperatedly.
"C'mon Hikaru, you're talking to the person who created Earth and Cephiro!"
"Oh yeah."
A beam shot out of Mokona's jewel and a house appeared where a spot for a home was being made. Mokona nodded approvingly at his/her own work and puu'd.
"That's another thing...you guys are all speaking Japanese! Not Cephirian!" Hikaru exclaimed.
Ascot smiled cheerfully. "Mokona gave us the ability and knowledge to speak it."
Hikaru sweatdropped at the group of people. "If we stay here we're going to attract attention with all of your clothes! Umi and I'll come and get you tomorrow afternoon-cause Umi and I have school- so you're able to live here as normal people...what're you doing here, by the way?"
"Mokona wanted to be with Earth for awhile, and we missed you Magic Knights, so we asked Mokona to take us along for a bit!" Caldina informed her, "Mokona didn't take our magic abilities away when we came here, which is an added bonus."
Hikaru and Umi began to sweatdrop. All the problems that had the chance of sprouting up...Hikaru rubbed and eye tiredly. "I missed you all, but we all need to sleep now, it's getting really late."
The Cephirians nodded, as did Mokona who hopped into the home he had created, followed by the others. Umi and Hikaru smiled. "You're staying at Ukyou's correct?" Hikaru asked.
Umi nodded, "And you at the Tendo's."
Hikaru nodded. They went in different directions as they left. Hikaru turned the corner and her eyes widened. She saw a glimpse of Ranma disappearing into the distance, towards the Tendo home. Was it her imagination? She smiled. It must be. She began the walk to the Tendo household.
. . .
Hikaru woke up early, and looked at the clock next to Nabiki's bed. 6:00. She rolled up her futon and put it away, quietly dressing and then sneaking out the door of Nabiki's room. She flinched, and smiled. Tomorrow was the last day that she'd have to put up with the stupid cast on one of her arms. Then all that needed to heal was the rather large bruise on her stomach and the healing underneath the skin, where some internal bleeding had occured. She had bandage wrapped around it, too.
She wore her Furinkan High uniform, and went to the kitchen. She found Kasumi there, cooking breakfast as early as this. "Oh my, you're up early." She said politely with her soft-spoken voice. Hikaru smiled.
"Hello! Um...you wouldn't mind if I helped you cook breakfast and our lunches, right?" Kasumi let her join in, and time passed to 6:30, a half an hour left until the Furinkan High school day started. She saw Akane walk downstairs in her own Furinkan High uniform and glared at the red-haired girl.
Hikaru sighed. Perhaps Akane had not gotten over the jealousy of the fact that she had become one of Ranma's friends. "Akane, if Ranma loves you I will not step in your way, but I ask that you let me be his friend and not hate me." Hikaru spoke slowly at the table. Soun Tendo, Genma Saotome, Ranma, and Akane sputtered rice.
Akane sniffed and lifted her chin up, finishing the rest of her breakfast, and stalked out of the Tendo Home. Nabiki put a hand on Hikaru. "Don't worry, Akane has a big temper, it takes awhile for it to cool. She has been acting weird lately though...I mean...before she entered her room yesterday I tried to talk to her and she just laughed like a madwoman, and now she seems fine, but angry." Nabiki whispered so noone else could hear. Hikaru nodded. Perhaps Akane had been in temporary insanity.
"I'm not in love with a tomboy like her!" Ranma yelled out so everyone at the table could hear, and continued eating.
Soun glared at Ranma. "Raaaannmmaaaaaaa, you will marry Akane as heir to the Tendo Training hall!"
"Maybe I don't want to marry her at all!" He glared back. Hikaru smiled shyly with a sweatdrop on her head.
"Ah, Ranma, Mr. Tendo, please stop fighting."
Akane's astonished voice was heard as she yelled out to them. "Hey Hikaru, someone here at the door wants to talk to you!"
Hikaru blinked. "Could it be Umi?" She looked at the others sitting at the table. "Please excuse me." She bobbed her head down and then got up, walking to the door of the Tendo Household. "Hello, who is it?"
Akane was staring up at someone taller than her, who it was Hikaru hadn't noticed yet, and walked to stand next to Hikaru. "Hello-" She stopped abruptly.
"LANTIS?!" A shocked voice rang through the Tendo home, and Ranma got up from the table, rushing over to see what was wrong.
"His name is Lantis?" Akane spoke. She looked back up at the man, his eyes were so attractive...she shook her head. "Nice to meet you, Lantis, talk to you later!" She rushed out of the home and ran for the school.
Hikaru had dropped her school bag and was staring up at the tall man in black. He stared back. Ranma narrowed his eyes at the man, walking over to the two. "I assume you're name is Lantis?" he said.
Lantis' gaze drifted to the young man, then back to Hikaru, deciding to not take too much notice of him. "I hoped to speak to you again. I hope beyond hope that you will forgive the harsh words I spoke to you before."
Hikaru said nothing, and Lantis walked away. Ranma fought jealousy down and put a hand on Hikaru's shoulder. She seemed plainly frightened. "Hikaru? Are you alright?"
"...He can't possibly think that things can go back to the way they were...I've changed, and I'm not going to change back, I won't." Hikaru whispered to herself, but Ranma overheard her.
"Hikaru?" She seemed to realize his presence and blushed, eyes going to the wall.
"S-sorry! I'm fine." She put on a shaky smile
and took Ranma's hand. "We need to hurry to school or else we'll
be late!"