LIGHTBEARERS

A Fanfic done by Arkanghel22. All Ranma 1⁄2 characters are owned by Rumiko Takahashi.

As soon as the sky cleared up, Shampoo, Mousse and Ukyo went back to their homes respectively. Ryoga had gotten himself lost again sometime earlier and must be halfway through Kyoto by now. The Tendo household was relatively peaceful again, with Genma & Soun playing their frantic game of Shogi, Nabiki browsing through her stack of magazines, Kasumi humming to herself as she prepared food in the kitchen, and Akane was… no where in sight.

"She must be studying in her room," Ranma thought to himself. He glanced listlessly up the stairs leading to the bedrooms.

"Maybe I should be studying, too… Maybe I should go ask for her help… Maybe… What's wrong with her anyway?!?!"

He glared angrily at nothing in particular as he tugged angrily at his pigtail. He could still remember how Akane stared at Riyo as he fought her this morning. She didn't even spare him a glance!!! She's his fiancée, she should be rooting for him, not for his opponent! She wasn't even disappointed when he conceded defeat. She just kept staring at Riyo with a curious expression on her face.

"Stupid kawaiikune tomboy!" Ranma muttered. And what was it about those strangers anyway? They're suspicious characters! Who in his right mind would suddenly pop in a koi pond, half-dead from a beating?

"I wouldn't be surprised if they try to kidnap Akane to challenge me to a REAL fight. Stupid hags!" Ranma muttered vehemently.

"Stupid hags? Who're you calling stupid hags?"

Ranma came out of his reverie to find a pair of Chinese-looking eyes just inches away from his face.

"Eeep!" he squeaked as he jumped away from Sian.

Sian laughed. "My, aren't you jumpy." She raised an eyebrow at him.

Ranma frowned. "I swear I almost thought you were Shampoo," he grumbled.

"You did? Now what would you think that?," she asked, smiling. "Anyway, we're about to eat." She showed him a bowl of steaming noodles she carried.

"Sian helped me prepare lunch," Kasumi said cheerfully as she brought more dishes in from the kitchen. "Ranma, can you please call the others to eat?"

Ranma picked himself up and dusted his pants. "All right, Kasumi."

Akane was really quiet through lunch. Ranma kept glancing at her but she didn't seem to notice. She didn't join in the conversation going around the table. She just picked listlessly at her food. She seemed to be thinking very hard about something.

Suddenly, Ranma found his face shoved inside his rice bowl.

"Pull yourself together, boy! That's the fifth crab stick I've stolen from your bowl and you haven't noticed!" Genma said.

"Lay off, old man! Go eat some bamboo or somethin'!!!" Ranma answered angrily. He grabbed the older man by the scruff and threw him to the koi pond. A moment later, a giant panda surfaced and attacked.

This apparently drew Akane's attention, at last.

"For Kami's sake, we've got guest's here! Go fight somewhere else!" Akane yelled. She stood up, threw Ranma out and sat down again.

Ranma grinned to himself. "Hey, I'm not finished yet! Kawaii-kune tomboy!" he yelled back. Akane merely turned her back to him, but it didn't matter. Ranma had seen a spark of the Akane he knew, and that was enough.

"More rice, Aki? Sian?"

"No thanks, Kasumi. That was delicious!"

"Superb!"

"Please pass the tea, Nabiki"

"mpph… here"

"Thanks"

Cologne surveyed the city from her vantage point. This was a tourist spot built precisely because you can see the whole Nerima from here. At night, couples usually populated this place, but because of the heavy rains earlier, no one was here but Cologne.

It was just as well, since Cologne wanted to think and concentrate.

The old crone looked down at the quiet city as a growing disquiet bloomed in her chest. As her concentration deepened, the awful cracks that were invisible to the untrained eye running all throughout the city became more evident. These were no ordinary cracks. They glittered with crystalline light, looking eerily attractive. The cracks crisscrossed all throughout the city, flaring and dying as if there was a fireball throbbing beneath the surface. As Cologne watched, she noticed the dark blobs slipping through the cracks. She could sense the evil in them. An odd chill ran down her spine.

"Limbo. The lights of limbo," she murmured. "I have to consult my scrolls."