Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½, but I do own Kyoko so please don't steal. Thank you.

Author's Notes: This is the first actual chapter of my story. Please be kind. I have an idea of what I'm doing with Kyoko. Someone suggested that she is someone else for Ranma. All I can say is just wait and see. Well, enough with the stupid notes and let's get on with the show.

Demon's Crossing

Chapter 1: Life is What You Make of It

Doctor Tofu's clinic was a hop, skip, and a jump away from where Ranma found his passenger. Well, at least it was that way for the pigtailed martial artist. Anyone else would have had to take bus. The young martial artist felt bad about waking him up, but this was an emergency. The girl in his arms had barely stirred the whole time. He gave the door a few firm kicks, not hard enough to break the door. The lights upstairs came on and a head poked out the window.

"Can I help you? Oh Ranma! What is it?" the good doctor called out softly. The young man stood back and showed the doctor his precious cargo. Tofu nodded as he saw the girl and pulled his back in. The lights in the clinic came on downstairs and the door opened to admit Ranma. As soon as he was inside, the door was shut and locked behind him. The boy figured it was a good precaution. The door might hold back a youma for a few seconds.

"I found this girl fighting a group of youma. She looks bad Doc." He said as he laid the girl down gently in the examination room.

"You did the right thing bringing her here as quickly as you did. Please wait outside." He gently shooed the concerned young man out into the waiting room. When he left, he addressed the young girl. "You can quit pretending to b unconscious." He said with a hint of a smile. The girl opened her eyes and gave him a slight smile in return.

"Thanks for not giving me away." She said to the doctor. He merely waved it off as he checked her injuries.

"Demon hunting is a dangerous business, you should be more prepared." he admonished her gently. The girl flushed guiltily.

"I wasn't supposed to be hunting tonight. They told me to take a break." She said, turning an even brighter shade of red. The young doctor chuckled softly as he made sure everything was as it should be. To Ranma's eye she had been nearly torn apart, but a demon hunter's body had great endurance for fighting their quarry.

"It would be best if you rested for a few days." He said to her. The girl smiled at an idea.

"I could always ask Ranma if I could stay with him." She smiled at the thought. Doctor Tofu sweatdropped at the idea. The normally calm doctor was understandably agitated.

"That's not a good idea. If you have any designs on him…" he began, but wasn't allowed to finish. The girl's sudden laughter interrupted him.

"I have no romantic notions in mind at all, dear doctor. My mother actually said I should meet him. Something about her 'manly son'." The girl giggled. Tofu was so surprised he nearly face-faulted. The doctor's thoughts were "This will certainly be interesting…"

Ranma was sitting in the waiting room. He felt an indescribable connection to the girl. The pigtailed martial artist was so worried he was holding the magazine upside down. Tossing that aside, he stood up and began to pace. Knocking his fists together and snapping his fingers, he wasn't normally this agitated and his concern for the girl was beyond his understanding. He only knew that she had somehow felt familiar. The door opened, his head whipped around to see what was going on. Kyoko walked out of the doctor's office, stumbling slightly, Ranma was there almost in an instant to help her. She tried to wave him off, but he insisted. Well, not insisted so much as just scooping her up and taking off. Doctor Tofu was actually snickering at how everyone was going to react to this twist in the usual dynamic. He silently wished the teens good luck.

"Y'know, ya didn't have to do this." Kyoko said to Ranma as they traveled. The boy was having trouble putting it into words, but the feeling was growing stronger. The girl merely snuggled in closer, relishing in the closeness. She just prayed that she didn't get her brother in trouble. His thoughts were roughly along the same lines, but his concern was for her.

"If the fiancée brigade gets wind of this, she's as good as dead. Shampoo would probably take her head off without even waiting for an explanation." he thought, rapidly thinking about methods of Kyoko-preservation. Some of the ideas were just plain exotic, but one stood out. "I could just say she's my cousin! Get mom to back me up. Even the Baka Panda would go along with it. On that thought, he took off flying along the rooftops towards the Saotome house instead of the Tendo-ke. His explanations to them could wait until morning.

The house looked dark and silent, considering it was close to midnight that would explain a lot. The only light was in a bedroom upstairs that Ranma knew was mom's room. The girl was quietly napping in his arms until he gently shook her awake so that he could set her down. He needed a hand free to unlock the door at least. The girl's eyes roamed over every inch of the house with a little smile that Ranma couldn't figure out. When they entered, he saw his mom walking down the steps in a bathrobe. She noticeably brightened up when she saw her "manly son".

"Hey mom, sorry 'bout this." He said to is mother. She smiled at him.

"That's alright, honey. What is it?" she asked, seemingly unconcerned about the late hour.

"Uhm.. I have a friend who needs a place to stay…" he began before a motion caught the Saotome matriarch's eye. Her smile grew even wider.

"I'm sure I can find a place for Kyoko." She said to the confused Ranma. The girl behind him suddenly rushed forward and gave the woman a big hug that was more then gladly returned. To say that the pigtailed martial artist was confused would be like saying the sun is a little warm. Meaning, it would be a gross understatement. The two smiling females looked to him. "Perhaps I should explain. Why don't you two go into the living room and I will get some tea." She gently shooed the two of them away before heading into the kitchen.

The two teens sat in the living room on the couch. Ranma feeling strangely at ease with the girl sitting next to him with his arm around her shoulders. She put his arm around her shoulders, but he just didn't feel like moving it. It brought a warm feeling to him, he squeezed her shoulder almost absently. The girl almost purred in delight, but refrained from doing so. The two were thinking the same thing. They were thinking about the battle earlier. Ranma was upset because he had to kill again, but he was glad Kyoko was safe. Kyoko was remembering her fear of dying. Her mind replaying it all in detail. She knew it was her last night on this planet when six demons surrounded her. She had already fought several others before them, but this was too much. She had given up hope, when she saw a pigtailed young man watching. It was too much, she had to give the boy time to get away, but the determined look on his face and hardened gaze seemed to pierce the lead youma's confidence even though the beast was facing away from him. The sweat had beaded on his brow. She blinked and almost missed it when the boy starting running very quickly at the monster. The fight was over before she knew it, but her reserves had been cut so low that it was a wonder that she had stayed conscious. She was so happy to be here right now. Soon the truth would be out.

In the kitchen, Nodoka Saotome stared at the kettle on the stove as if divining hidden mysteries from the smooth surface. She had cried briefly, but made sure she washed her face well. No sense worrying the children. The woman grieved for what she must now tell them. It shamed her greatly that she could do something like this. She looked towards the kettle and noticed it was steaming. She fixed the tea and sighed softly. It was time to confront her sin and her son.

She came in with the tea. To all outward appearance she looked fine, but it was obvious that something was bothering her to those who knew her. As she sat across from them, pouring the tea, the two teens fidgeted in anticipation of what she had to say.

"I believe I should explain to the two of you what is going on. Ranma, my son, your new friend Kyoko has information that you don't. I am about to correct that." The matriarch took in a cleansing breath before continuing. "Some time ago, before I met your father, I met someone of a 'lower caste'. He and I fell in love and had determined to get married, but my parents would have none of it." Her hand trembled while holding the cup, but she steadied herself with an effort. "We were to be forced apart. We didn't wish to forget each other. So one night, we gave ourselves to each other. The result was that I was pregnant. My parents were infuriated. They forced my marriage to Genma. In due course, a child was born. A beautiful little girl with her father's eyes. I-I named her Kyoko." The narrative was draining her quickly, but she had to finish. Ranma was staring at the girl beside him with new wonder. "Shortly thereafter, I became pregnant with you, Ranma. The r-reason you never knew your sister was because your father forbade me from keeping her. I-I made sure she was with a good family and always tried to maintain contact. She finally came to see me a few weeks ago, before your failed wedding. What I'm trying to say is, meet your sister Ranma." The woman was smiling, but the pain was clearly visible in her eyes. Ranma right then promised pain to his idiotic father, but returning his enthusiastic sister's hug was more important. Nodoka came over and embraced the two of them. Little did they know what had just begun.

End

Author's Notes: I'm just setting up the story. I swear the chapters will get longer, but I'm still feeling my way out through the story. Please read and review. Ja ne!