I don't own Ranma 1/2, Rumiko Takahashi does.

A man, about 19 years old, was heading straight for Nerima. Strangely enough, he had a remarkable resemblance to Ranma, except his hair was longer, brown and pulled back in a rubber band.

He trudged through the freshly made puddles as he spat out, "You will pay for this, Genma!" Meanwhile, a little black pig slowly walked toward him. As he walked past it, he noticed it had a yellow bandanna with small, black squares scattered on it.

"Get away from me," Kayley screamed! Yup! She's back in school and once again, she was being chased by the school idiot, Tatewaki Kuno.

Kuno ran after her asking, "My love, why are you so angry?"

Kayley spun around and grabbed the shirt of his kendo outfit and shouted, "Listen Baka! If I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times! I already have a boyfriend!" As she said this, she kicked him in the stomach and a punch in the jaw sent Kuno into low orbit.

Akane and Ranma came up to her. Ranma complimented, "Wow! I see Ryoga's taught you some tricks."

after the Saffron incident, Ranma had completely gotten over being angry at her, and she still lives at the dojo while she's in school. She can't go cross-country with Ryoga. Believe me, she would if she could. Nabiki still takes pictures of her and sells them to Kuno, Kayley can't stop that, but at least she has stopped her from taking pictures too out of the way. Whoo! That's a lot of talking.

And that pretty much brings us up to date. As Ranma, Akane and Kayley walked off, Kuno landed with a thud.

When they arrived home, a very short and very old man with a scarf tied to his nose, or something like that with a bag full of something, rampaged through the house. The old man skidded to a halt in front of them and was staring at Kayley.

A bit annoyed at this strange man's behavior, she barked, "What! What are you staring at!"

He asked with excitement, "Hiya, cutie! How about I treat you to a hot fudged sundae?"

Akane punched him through a nearby window saying, "How about you don't!"

Confused, Kayley asked, "What was that?"

Ranma said in a manner, like it was an everyday occurrence, "That was Happosai. The resident freak and a major hentai."

Kayley asked, "Well, if he's THAT big of a problem, why don't you just trash him, Ranma? He doesn't seem tough."

He responded, "Oh, you don't know how energetic that little freak is."

A split second later, Happosai busted through the same window and just started clinging to Kayley. True, she was really annoyed at this twerp, but she kept her cool. She pried him off and turned him toward her and told him, "You better listen, and listen good. Do that again and I'll give you a lesson in the meaning of pain."

Happosai begged, "Oh, come on. How could you deny this frail, old, man such a simple request?"

She wasn't falling for it, "It seems you're not taking me seriously enough." She squeezed both shoulder blades. Both Ranma and Akane had never heard him wail that loudly. Before she dropped him she said, "That was your warning."

As Ranma, Akane and Kayley walked off, Ranma asked, "Do you think Kasumi will make Suiyaki tonight?"

Kayley asked, "Hmm, never ate that before. Maybe I'll like it."

Kasumi Tendo was just finishing her shopping. Carrying bread, vegetables, and other miscellaneous groceries. She was having a hard time seeing where she was going.

She accidentally bumped into a man and dropped her bags. When he spoke, his voice was fairly deep, but it had a soft tone to it, "Gomen-nasai."

Kasumi looked at him and spoke the first thing in her mind, "Ranma, what are you doing here!" On further inspection, she knew it wasn't Ranma, but he sure looked a lot like him. Kasumi, polite as always, bowed and begged, "Please forgive me. I thought…"

The young man stopped her, "You don't have to apol…" At that point, something clicked, "Did you say Ranma? As in, Ranma Saotome?"

She answered as he picked up her groceries, "Why, yes. Are you a friend of his?"

He handed her her groceries and asked, "Not exactly. Nee! If I carry your groceries, will you let me see him again?"

Kasumi smiled, "What a nice young man. Hai! Ranma and his Uncle Saotome are living with us. Will you stay for dinner?"

The young man said, "Arigatou! What's your name?"

She answered, "My name's Kasumi Tendo. What's yours?"

He said, "I'm Kyote."

Over the next half-hour, Kasumi and Kyote talked. One particularly strange topic was Kyote giving her a recipe for beef stew. She found it very odd for him to know so much about cooking.

When they got to the Tendo home, they could hear Ranma and Akane arguing again. Kasumi called out, "Ranma, Akane! I'm home!"

Kayley came in from another room and started excitedly, "Kasumi! Welcome…back?"

Right in front of Kayley was a man that looked just like Ranma, but she sensed something odd about him. Remember in Part 1, I told you that Saffron wouldn't let her learn to sense Ki's. Well, that isn't the type of sensing I mean. She could tell, by the way his his fingers gently, delicately, touched the palm of his hands. It was almost feminine.

Without caring who the girl was, Kyote asked, "Where is Ranma Saotome?"

Kayley yelled down the hall, in the direction of the arguing, "Oi! Ranma! Company!"

Ranma popped into the room and came face to face with an almost mirror image of himself. Kyote gave him no time to be amazed, "Ranma Saotome! As the true heir Saotome School of Indiscriminate Grappling, I challenge you! First though, where is Genma!"

As if he had made a wish, Genma came through the door with Soun. Kyote grew extremely violent as he attacked, screaming, "Genma Saotome! Get ready to die!"

His skill easily allowed him to beat Genma to a pulp. As angry as he was, Kyote probably would have killed Genma, if Ranma hadn't interfered. He kicked Kyote out of the way.

Ranma saw that Kyote's anger was so intense, tears formed as his face flushed bright red. Ranma stood between Kyote and his father. He asked Genma, "Pop! What did you do to this man to make him so mad!"

Genma was completely confused, "I don't know, Ranma! I've never seen him before!"

Kyote's fists shook as he shouted, "He stole my inheritance from me! Now I'm gonna take my revenge on the both of you!"

By now, Ranma was starting to get angry. He yelled, "Who are you to barge in here and challenge me!"

Kyote smiled, "Fair enough. I am Kyote Saotome. The eldest child of the Saotome family."

Ranma went into shock, "You're my…older brother? How can that be? I'm an only child."

Kyote's head jerked towards Genma, "So, you lied to him. This makes things different. But, I'm still gonna claim what is rightfully mine. I will give you one month to train. Then we will fight." Without a word, he walked out of the dojo.

Genma got to thinking. (Kyote? That's the name of my daughter. Why is he using her name?)

Meanwhile, Ranma was worried. He thought, (If he could take out Pop so easily, then I don't stand a chance.

Ryoga Hibiki was sitting under a tree. In the forest, just North of Hokkaido, a lonely boy was thinking about an event that happened.

Last week, the Tendo's invited Kayley and him on a trip to a natural hot springs. (Of course, Ranma and Ryoga were acting exactly as they did when the ship, Bensense, shipwrecked and they were stranded.) that reference was from Ranma ½ the movie 2: Nihao My Concubine.

he remembered that Ranma was Still teasing him about his curse, "Man, you are SO slow, bacon bits. Just like a little pig."

Ryoga was fuming, "RANMAAA! How dare you say that!" He charged Ranma and suprisingly enough, was able to grab ahold of his target.

For a few minutes, they tussled on the ground, both exchanging blows whenever possible. Ranma finally managed to pin Ryoga to the ground, but at that moment, they heard Akane scream, "Ryoga! Come quickly! Kayley's hysterical and is clawing her shoulder!"

Ryoga agilely flipped Ranma out of the way and was on his feet in one smooth motion. His mind raced as he imagined everything that could have happened. When they arrived, Kayley was indeed screaming and her right shoulder was bleeding because she had dug her nails in so deep.

Ryoga called out to her as he waded through the water. As he reached her, Ryoga grabbed her wrists and told her, "Kayley, stop it! You're gonna hurt yourself! KAYLEY!"

She finally quit struggling. Her voice was shaky as she looked down to the shoulder she just mutilated, "Ryoga, it's back. The mark's back."

Ryoga looked at her shoulder and through the blood, he saw the mark of the Phoenix. Ryoga asked, "How…could it reappear?"

By this time, Kayley was hugging him saying, "Ryoga, I'm scared. What's going on?"

Ryoga knew that he had to stay calm for her sake, but he also had to get that wound taken care of. As he started leading her out of the water, he said, "don't worry, I'll figure out why that came back, but we've got to get that wound taken care of, okay?"

Kasumi had the first-aid kit, and a clean rag soaked with alcohol. She applied the rag to Kayley's shoulder and she jerked from the pain. Ryoga sat down next to her and held her so she could be treated. She did her best to keep from shouting out, through the pain.

A couple of hours later, Kasumi pulled Ryoga aside, "Ryoga. That wound was so deep, it could have easily became infected. What…(sigh)why would she do that to herself?"

Ryoga shook his head, "You don't understand, Kasumi. When we fought Saffron, he forced Kayley to reveal that mark to us. You can't imagine the shame that was on her face. I guess Saffron had her that terrified."

Kasumi commented sadly, "how terrible." She became serious, "Listen to me, Ryoga. Kayley is a very special person to you, right? She needs you, so you need to be there for her."

Back in the woods, Ryoga became even more sullen, "I'm sorry, I got lost again. I'm gonna find my way back."

The following Monday started pretty normal. Ranma and Akane argued their way to school. Kayley hadn't been getting much sleep since the Phoenix mark had appeared again. So she's been constantly yawning.

When they arrived at school, they saw a girl talking to Kuno. As if that wasn't weird neough, the girl had the same hair and blue-gray eyes that Ranma did. She walked away from Kuno and as she walked past Ranma, he thought he saw her sneering at him.

He walked up to Kuno and asked, "Who was that?"

Kuno answered, "That, Saotome, was the beautiful Kyo. Nabiki told her to come to me." After a moment, Kuno continued, "Strange. She looks so much like the pig-tailed girl."

Ranma thought to himself, "He's right. She looks like she could almost be my twin."

That afternoon, after gym, Rnam and the boys were taking their showers. Kyote walked in and went to the sinks. Now you know what happens to shower-water when you turn on a sink. Anyway, Kyote turned on the fot water. There was a lot of male screams and one female scream.

The men bailed out of the showers because it was so cold. Meanwhile, Kyote continued to turn the water on and off until Ranma got fed up with it and ran out screaming, "Alright! Who the he…" He saw who it was, "So it was you. Kyote, we're fighting in a month. Why can't you leave me alone till then?"

Kyote's eyes grew dark, unfocused. Ranma had never seen such anger before as Kyote growled, "Leav me alone? That's exactly what you did to me, and I will NOT leave you alone. EVER!"

Ranma realized just how irrational he was. Kyote turned away and started to walk off, but Ranma got mad, "Don't turn away from me like that!"

Kyote warned him, without turning, "Ranma, you better watch what you're saying."

Ranma continued, "Don't give me that crap! I won't be…"

Kyote warned again, "Ranma, you better shut up." Like a viper's strike, Kyote punched his fist through a concrete wall. Shocked, Ranma saw Kyote's bloody fist and his voice shaked with emotion, "You don't know what you've done to me."

Several days later, Kyo was jogging down the streets of Nerima. Her hand was bandaged up and she was in a real pensive mood. Anyone you gets in her way, when she was like this, would end up getting plowed. And to prove that point, she rammed into Mousse as she passed over a bridge. She knocked the poor boy completely off the concrete and into the river.

She stopped and waited for the boy to resurface, but he didn't. Then Kyo started to get worried, "I hope I didn't kill the kid." She jumped in to save him.

Kyote searched the water, but the only thing he saw was a drowning duck. A drowning duck? That was wierd enough, but this duck had bangs. Kyote thought, "Wait a second, ducks don't have bangs,"He wrapped the wet chinese robes around the duck as he searched for some hot water. He quickly found a public restroom. He locked the door, cupped his hands together and gathered hot water, turning him into a girl again. Suprise, suprise, huh? Kyote-chan splashed the duck and it turned back into a man. But there was another prblem, Mousse wasn't breathing.

She immediately started giving him mouth-to-mouth resussitation. Kyote-chan hoped she could save him, because she didn't want his death on her conscience. Finally, Mousse sucked in a deep breath, then started coughing.

Mousse started to get up but Kyote-chan pushed him back down and said, "Stay down. I don't wanna see you in your birthday suit."

Mousse looked down and saw that he was barely covered. Kyote-chan turned around while Mousse got dressed. She said, "I'm sorry. When I get this, I don't pay much attention to what I'm doing."

Mousse was finally dressed. He told her, "I'm glad you saved me." Mousse suddenly noticed something about Kyote-chan, "You…you look just like Ranma."

She lowered her eyes. She wasn't angry, in fact, she expected it. She told him, "I'm not surprised. My name's Kyote Saotome. I'm his sister."

Mousse said, "As I said, I'm grateful, but I'm afraid that your brother has some serious payback coming to him."

Kyote-chan snickered, "Get in line, but I don't think there'll be much left after I get through with him. You see I challenged him to a fight, but more importantly, I want him to know the pain I've felt."

Mousse made a comment, "Kyote, I have no doubt that you're strong, but Ranma isn't the type that would hit a girl. What makes you think that he'll fight you?"

She pulled her hair back in a rubberband, went to the sink and splashed herself with cold water. Kyote turned and replied in a male voice, "He probably wouldn't if he actually thought I was a girl."

Mousse realized, "You purposely jumped into Jusenkyo's cursed springs!" Kyote nodded his head, but Mousse started shaking him, begging, "You…you've got to show me which one is Nannichuan!"

Kyote moved Mousse's hands away, "Easy pal, it's not that simple."

Mousse asked, a bit annoyed, "Why not?"

She laughed, but it came out sounding like a cackle, "You expect me to be able to single out one spring out of 100+ springs? There's no way I could remember that."

Mousse answered, "You're right, but you couldn't blame me for trying."

Kyote smiled, "You're nice. How would you like to talk about this more while we get something to eat? It'll be my treat."

That night, Kyote-chan and Mousse where at a local diner. Kyote-chan was sipping on a Mudslide, Yeah, I know it's alcohol but in Japan, I'm pretty sure that the legal drinking age is 18 or 19. So she has the right. While Mousse was eating. Along with drinking, she was pouring her heart out to Mousse, "I was 9 years old. I was also almost a blackbelt. I should have gone with them, instead, they tried to turn me into the happy homemaker. I wanted to take over the family martial arts, have a real life. I just didn't want to be abandoned."

Mousse looked at her with pity. He began, "Kyote..I wish…"

She stopped him cold, "I don't want your sympathy. I really don't know what I'm gonna do about my brother, but that's our problem. Besides, according to what you said, you've got enough problems trying to get a girls attention."

Mousse admitted, "Yeah, thanks to Ranma, Shampoo doesn't even acknowledge me."

Kyote-chan smiled, " I might have an idea on how to help you, but I have to make sure of a few things first."

Mousse asked, "Why do you want to help me?"

Her face became sorrowful as she explained, "You're like me. Being abandoned by the one you love."

Ryoga was seriously lost. None of the surroundings were familiar, so he wasn't even sure if he was on the same continent anymore. He was in a forest, that much was positive. After a while of walking, he came to a sign. I believe I mentioned in Part 1 that Ryoga knew how to read and speak several languages. It read:

Welcome to Shing Ma Village.

He realized right away that he was in China. He also knew that the Shing Ma were a peaceful tribe and the elders tended to foresee the future.

He was immediately surrounded by warm greetings. The passer-bys each called out, "Nihao!"

Ryoga smiled thoughtfully. He knew he had to bring Kayley here someday. He found one girl and asked, "Do you know how to get to Nerima, Japan?"

She stared at him confusedly and answered, "I'm sorry. I never been out of this province."

He was disappointed, but he explained, "Please, can you lead me to someone who can help me? There's this girl that I'm in love with and I need to be with her."

She understood and told him, "I think Lady Ma Fing would know. She is very wise."

Ryoga nodded and replied, "Thank you. I appreciate it."

When they arrived, they saw an old woman, who was praying on some sort of ceremonial blanket. The young woman announced him, "Lady Ma Fing, I'm sorry to interrupt you, but this young man needs your help. His name is Ryoga Hibiki."

Ma Fing bowed to finish up her prayer, then she looked up and the site of him and her eyes went wide with shock. Her eyes still locked to him, she asked, "Please! Come closer!"

This was starting to creep Ryoga out, but he did as she told him. She continued, "Are you the lost one? The eternally cursed?"

Ryoga couldn't believe it. A total stranger just knew a stranger, kept hidden from even his parents. He asked cautiously, "How did you know?"

"This is very important. A girl, did you rescue her from the flames of the Phoenix?" She gathered from Ryoga's, almost horrified, reaction that she was right. She continued, "I know this must be quite a shock for you, so I shall explain."

"Fifteen years ago, I traveled to the Jusenkyo mountains. A young woman approached me with her 3 year old daughter. She was very pale, as if she was barely alive. I was reading fortunes at the time and I know I'll never forget that day. She had told me that it was too late for her, but she wanted to know about her daughter. My vision was thus."

"I saw the girl, considerably older, dying…"

Ryoga interrupted, "You saw Saffron draining her energy?"

Ma Fing replied, "Saffron? The man whom the Phoenix people considers a god? Yes, that's him."

She continued, "And I saw you, your heart full of sorrow, rescue her with a Lion's Roar." That was sort of a pun. Shishi-hokodan translates to lion's roar.

Ryoga asked expectantly, "The mark of the Phoenix has reappeared on her shoulder. I want to know when it will go away."

She concentrated a moment and soon her facial features became very uneasy, until she could no longer handle it. She gasped and tried to regain her composure.

Meanwhile, Ryoga asked, a bit worried, "What do you see?" In a way, he feared her answer.

She asked, "Are you prepared to see the future?"

Ryoga told her, "I have to know, no matter how horrible. I might be able to change it, if I know."

The old woman sighed, "Very well." Suddenly, Ryoga's mind was flooded with dark images. He was walking in a room, completely black, only a small portion was lit. As he approached, he saw a figure laying on the floor. It was Kayley. She was dead.

His worst nightmare was unfolding and he slumped to his knees.

For some unknown reason, he looked off to the side and saw someone. He saw a girl who looked somewhat younger. However, it was hard to tell because most of her face was still covered in the shadows. He did see slight evidence that her hair was a purple color. Also, her eyes, unmistakenly, had tears in them. Unable to contain his grief any longer, he grabbed his head with his hands and screamed out the word why.

The next thing he realized, he was back in the villiage, but he was still screaming and holding his head. Ryoga did his best to compose himself, and keep telling himself that it hasn't happened. Vowing not to let it happen. Eventually, Ryoga asked, "The girl…the girl who killed Kayley. Why was she crying?"

Ma Fing couldn't answer that and failed to admit that she didn't show him the entire vision. Refused to show that Kayley wasn't the only one to die. She simply remained silent.

Ryoga couldn't wait for her answer. With a heavy heart, he left the village, determined to return to Kayley to protect her. He even forgot his entire reason for seeing Ma Fing in the first place, directions.