CHAPTER 14

-"BROTHER & SISTER MEET AGAIN FOR THE FIRST TIME"-

It's late at night. R is in his apartment. He'd just finished perfecting Ms. Hinako's chi-draining technique, "Happö Goju-en Satsu" (Happo 50-Yen Kill). After taking a bath, putting on his red silk robe, and drinking his usual glass of wine, R decides to go to bed.

But R's too excited to sleep. He can't wait to try out his new move on Ranma at school tomorrow. While he's lying in bed, he's dreaming of showing up at school, fighting with Ranma, then using the Happo 50-Yen Kill to suck Ranma dry! Then, while Ranma's weakened, R then finishes him off with a single blow! And then R would seize control of the Anything-Goes School of Martial Arts! He would be the supreme fighter!

R smiles. Then, just when he finally goes to sleep, the telephone by his bed rings. R picks it up.

He yawns, while answering the phone. "Huh? Hello?

Dr Wily's on the phone. Good evening, R. It's been a while since I last talked to you.

"Oh, it's just you, Wily. What do you want? SOME of us are trying to sleep here, ya know.

Err… right. Anyway, I'm calling to inform you that we will be coming to join you very soon.

"Gee, that's funny…. You were supposed to be here in Nerima weeks ago. What was the holdup?"

"We've had some… delays. As you probably already know, we had some new players to join our team…

R knows who Wily is talking about. "You mean our crazy High Priest and that weird girl that hangs out with him?"

Yes, he does seem rather odd, but…Anyway, thanks to them, we now know a little bit more about Ranma and his friends. We've even gained new allies. And it took our construction crew longer than we thought to finish building the mansion. But I just received a call from them, and it's finally finished. So we'll be able to come to Japan like we originally intended, then continue our efforts to get the Phoenix Stone back.

"When should I expect you?"

In two days. I'll have some of our men get your things from your apartment and move them to the mansion. It will be your home as well as our secret hideout. I'll leave instructions for you so you can move in right after school.

"Yes, sir."

By the way, how are you coming with your current mission?

"In my spare time, I've been working on a new move! I just finished mastering it this evening. I can't wait to use it! Saotome won't even have a chance! HA!"

That's good. Now… Dr Wily then speaks in a low voice …do you remember your instructions, my boy?

R goes into a trance. "Yes, sir. I will find Ranma Saotome, and then kill him."

Excellent. Now sleep.

On Dr. Wily's hypnotic suggestion, R goes back to sleep. Then Dr Wily hangs up.

Meanwhile, at the RED CAT GANG's secret fortress, there is much activity going on. The RED CATS are busy loading equipment and supplies for their new hideout aboard a cargo plane, preparing to fly out to Japan.

A RED CAT soldier walks up to Dr. Wily. "Dr. Wily! We have finished loading the supplies. May we go now?"

Wily is pleased. "Excellent. You may go ahead and depart for Nerima, Japan. We will join you as soon as we finish taking care of things here.

"Yes, sir!" The soldier obeys, leaving Dr. Wily's presence.

Hours later, the cargo plane flies out from the secret fortress. Erick and Delia are watching it leave.

"Well, there they go, off to Nerima…." Delia says. "Say, Erick, weren't we going to go with them?"

Erick is sitting in a throne-like chair in his lair. "Not to worry, De-chan. We'll join our forces in Nerima later. Besides, I'm expecting a call from M. Bison. Oh, by the way, guess who I ran into while I was visiting Tokyo?"

"You don't mean….?"

"Yep, Michael Angelus. But don't worry about him. He'll be too busy trying to keep R from becoming the Cat Ghost King's new body to even bother with us. Like I said, he's not our concern for now." He smiles. "All the players in my little game are coming together… It won't be long now, hee hee hee."

At the Tendo Dojo, Ran was in her room trying to sleep. She's having another dream….

(Dream-Sequence)

She remembered being afraid first. She wasn't sure why. The memories of running through a long hallway while being chased by men intent on capturing or killing her…

She remembered terror too. Not just of the men or of fear of death, but of what would happen if the object that she was carrying remained in the hands of her superiors…

We see a long and dark hallway. Sounds of running footsteps are heard. It's Ran! She's wearing a black form-fitting jumpsuit with red trim and carrying something in a duffel bag. An alarm has been sounded, and angry shouts are heard throughout the hallway.

"HEY! She's got the Phoenix Stone! After her!"

Ran keeps running until some strange-looking guys in red Chinese clothes and matching caps block her path. They are soldiers of the RED CAT GANG! At the head of the group is one Tesaki Onekomaru, who (by the way) is the Meowth-lookalike soldier from Chapter 2.

Onekomaru sneers, "We got ya now, Lady Ran! There's no escape!"

Ran then tries to run the other way, but finds out that more RED CAT Soldiers are blocking that way, too! She's trapped, and the soldiers know it!

Onekomaru laughs, "See? We told ya so! There's no way out! Now hand over that Phoenix Stone, and we won't have to mess ya up!"

Ran smiles. "Then, I'll just make one. HEAT DRIVE!!"

Cut to outside, and we can see that it's the RED CAT GANG's Secret Fortress. A huge explosion blasts a hole in one of the walls.

KA-BOOM!!

Many soldiers are injured from the blast and are looking up at Ran in fear.

Ran tells thems, "Sorry, guys, but I'm taking the Phoenix Stone."

She then leaps out of the hole and runs away from the fortress, with the RED CATS in hot pursuit. Ran keeps on running until she makes her way into a clearing in the woods. Suddenly, she feels something leap right over her head and land right in front of her! A masked man wearing black ninja pants and crimson armor stands before Ran. All Ran can see that even looks familiar to her is a mane of long white hair sticking out from behind the sinister-looking mask.

AUTHOR's NOTE: Now imagine, if you will, Yoshimitsu's costume from Tekken 3 but with the mask of the Green Goblin from the Spider Man movie. Then paint all of the pieces of this guy's armor (including the mask) in red. We now return you to our story in progress…

The masked guy draws his sword, which shines in the pale moonlight. An evil aura surrounds him. Ran gets into a fighting stance, ready to fight him. Then he speaks… "I hate to do this to you, but orders are orders."

Ran recognizes the man's voice, and knows who it is. It's R's! "That voice…! Oh no! It can't be!"

"Surrender, and return the Phoenix Stone, NOW!"

"But, I…I can't! If I do, then you'll be…."

"Then, you will die. We of the RED CAT GANG do not tolerate traitors. You must be dealt with."

Fearful, Ran pleads, "No, please! Don't do this! You have to let me escape, or you'll be in terrible danger!

"ENOUGH! I have my orders!" The masked warrior charges toward Ran with frightening speed!

Ran screams, "BROTHER, NO!"!

The last thing she sees is the masked guy swinging his sword….

(End of Dream)

Ran wakes up with a shock. She practically screams as she bolts upright in bed. She breathes heavily, and a cold sweat pours down her face. What she saw in that crazy dream scared her.

"Brother…Brother… Huh? Brother? I don't remember even having a brother, and yet… But, why did he try to kill me?…Why….?"

She stares with unfocused eyes into the darkness of her room, trying not to think of what she remembered from her past, but slowly, it creeps back into the forefront of her mind. She curls up into a fetal position in her bed. The tears roll from her eyes as she hugs her legs to her chest. She just wants to scream out, but she can't find her voice at the moment. So she just lies there. She wants to do something, but isn't sure what to do. That awful memory leaves a horrible feeling in her. It is a feeling of guilt and sadness. After about twenty minutes she gets up and walks down the hall. She stops in front of the door to Ranma and Genma's room. She looks at it and thinks to herself if she should do this. She then steels her nerves and knocks on the door.

Ranma Saotome, of the Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts lies in his bed, wearing a white shirt and boxers as he sleeps... Or tries to anyway. He stares up at the ceiling, contemplating how his life has changed over the past couple of weeks since Ran Hayami came into his life. Ranma then hears a knock at the door. He looks over to the clock to see it is a few minutes past midnight. He gets up out of bed and goes to the door.

"Please, Ranma…" Ran's voice can be heard on the other side of the door.

Ranma opens the door slightly. "Ran? It's the middle of the night. What's wrong?"

Ranma stops in mid-sentence when he sees Ran fully. He can see that she's been crying.

"I'm…I'm scared," Ran tells him.

"You're what?" Ranma asks disbelievingly.

"It's so lonely in my room. I had another bad dream, and…please, Ranma, can't I just sleep with you?"

"Wh-what?!" Ranma almost panics. Back in the day, in situations like this, the next thing that would happen is poor Ranma getting clocked in the head with an extra-large mallet by Akane.

"Please? It's just for tonight. I'm scared to sleep by myself."

"OK, I know you're scared, but…"

"Please Ranma, I'm begging you! I…I don't want to be alone. Not now. Please…"

Ranma sighs, "All right, come on in."

Ranma brings her into the room. He leads her over to his bed, and sets her down on it. Then he sits down beside Ran. Once that's done he patiently waits for Ran to tell him what's bothering her. Neither one speaks, but each looks into the other's eyes.

Ranma stares at Ran's eyes. No matter how many times he looks at those pretty green orbs of hers, he finds himself entranced by them. The way they sparkle with a cool as ice gleam, and the way there's a slight emerald tint to them that makes them seem more jewel-like. He knows that the eyes are windows to the soul. He can see the pain in them, but is afraid to ask her what's wrong, afraid of making things worse for her than they already are. So he just stares into her eyes for the longest time.

As Ranma looks into Ran's eyes, she looks right back into his. They are a dark blue that seem to roll with the warmth of a tropical sea. She always loved looking into his eyes. They always have a way of calming her whenever she is upset. She notices that there is sympathy in his eyes. Sympathy for her. It makes her feel in a way she hasn't felt before. He truly cares for her as a person. Not just as a fighter, not as the cold-hearted warrior that her superiors intended her to be, but as a normal human being. For the very first time in her lonely life, Ran feels loved. She remembers how Ranma has been a friend to her, ever since she came to Nerima. That's why she's afraid of telling him what she remembers now. It may make him hate her, just push her aside and go on with his life. And the thought just crushes her. Her eyes start to water again, but Ranma clasps her hands. Now concerned, he asks her, "Ran... What's wrong? What happened?"

Ran looks at Ranma's hands clasping her own. "... I... I don't know…but…" She takes a deep breath and begins, "I remember..."

"... Remember what?"

"I remember… something that happened before I came here…."

And Ran then tells Ranma about her dream where those strange-looking guys in red Chinese clothes and matching caps are chasing her and that guy in the red armor with the long white hair who tried to kill her…

Ranma like, "Oh come on, Ran, that was probably just another one of those crazy dreams. It doesn't mean anything."

Ran's not convinced. "This time, I don't think so, Ranma. That dream was different from the ones I've had lately. It's as if I got to see a part of my past. But it still worries me. What if I do remember my real past? Will I still be Ran Hayami? What if I had to…. you know…."

"What? Kill me?"

"Please, don't say that! It scares me just thinking about it! Oh…" Ran starts to cry.

Ran then feels Ranma's arms around her.

Ranma smiles. "Ran, that's not going to happen... For what it's worth, well… I care about you. Me, Akane, Pops, Mr. Tendo, Kasumi, Nabiki, we all do. No matter what happened to you. To us, you will always be Ran."

Ran's eyes water as she smiles back. "Ranma..." She sighs in relief, returning his embrace.

"Anyway, let's go back to sleep. We'll have to get up soon. We still got school tomorrow, ya know.

They finally go back to bed to get some sleep. Ranma smiles. Apparently, he is what's keeping her happy. So he pulls the blanket over them and they stay there for a bit. Ran holds onto Ranma's arm for dear life as soon as he's in the bed. This makes Ranma a little nervous. "Oh, Ran, what's wrong now?"

Ran looks up at him. "I just…. wanted to know that you're still there."

Ran falls asleep soon, with her arms still wrapped around Ranma's and her head on his chest, a faint smile on her face. Ranma looks at Ran's sleeping form and he thinks of how peaceful she looks while sleeping. But he was worried about Ran's latest dream….

Ranma thinks: Those guys Ran mentioned in her dream… They sound like the RED CAT GANG…But it can't be them – Me, Pops, Akane, Shampoo, Mousse, and Ryoga beat them and their boss, the Cat Ghost King, a long time ago. Still, why would they be after Ran? He looks again at the sleeping Ran. Don't worry, Ran. I'll protect you. I promise. Even if it means my life…

Ranma tries to go back to sleep, sure of only one thing.

He wouldn't let Ran down.

The next morning, Ranma, Akane, and Ran arrive at Furinkan High, when Ranma hears a familiar angry cry…

"RANMA SAOTOME, PREPARE TO DIE!"

R dives in from the sky with an attack. Ranma grabs Akane and leaps out of the way. R strikes the ground with a punch as he lands, creating a 10-foot wide crater.

Akane reacts angrily, "Hey! What's the big idea grabbing me like that for and….HUH? Ranma, who's that?"

Ranma says, "Oh, it's just Carl again. He's almost as annoying as Ryoga."

"D'OH!!" R facefaults, then gets angry. "IT'S R, NOT CARL! GOOD GRIEF! Can't you at least TRY to get my name right?"

"Yeah, whatever. I gotta go or I'll be late for class! See you around, Carl." Ranma and Akane run off to school)

R facefaults again, hard. "ACK! IT'S R, I TELL YOU!

Ranma notices that Ran isn't with them. "Hey, Ran! You coming or what? Ran…"

Ran is just standing there looking at R, like she's in a trance or something. Ranma has to gently shake her to snap her out of it. She responds, "Oh! Ranma!"

Ranma asks her, "Ran, are you okay?"

"Ranma, I'm fine. Really. OH! We've gotta go, or we'll be late!"

And the two join Akane and dash off to class, meanwhile…

R gets up from the ground and notices that Ranma's gone, again… "Huh? HEY! COME BACK HERE!!"

And R runs after them.

As she's running, Ran thinks: R…why do I get the feeling that I know you?

Believe it or not, this wasn't the first time Ran had thought about R. Over the past few weeks, Ran was wondering why R seemed so familiar to her. And, why did he hate Ranma so much, she intended to find out.

Ran only caught a glimpse of R when he fought Ranma for the first time at school. But since that day, she had a strange feeling about him, like she's known him from somewhere. She would get this feeling whenever he was around. Recently, Ran learned that Nabiki and R were in some of the same classes together. So between classes, she asks Nabiki if she knew anything about R….

"Nabiki, I was wondering if you knew anything about R…"

"That's funny, Ran. Why do you want to know about THAT guy for?" Nabiki asks her curiously.

"Because…." Ran is about to tell Nabiki, but changes her mind, and asks, "So, what's he like?"

"I have no idea."

"No idea?"

"R is really a mystery, much like you, Ran. I did some "research" on him, and I couldn't find anything at all. It's like he just shows up out of nowhere, you know?"

"I…I think so."

"And get this! Ever since he came, he's become the top student on the honor roll. Even Principal Kuno was shocked. Hard to believe, especially since R sleeps through most of his classes…"

Ran's wide-eyed in surprise. "He sleeps through class, and yet he gets good grades? Wait a minute, something's not adding up here."

Nabiki nods, "I know. Anyway, I remember one particular incident, and it was during math class…."

(BEGIN FLASHBACK)

We're in Nabiki and R's math class. The teacher is trying to teach today's lesson but is distracted by R's sleeping in class. The math teacher hates it when students aren't paying attention, so he decides to put R on the spot…

In a loud voice, the teacher says, "MR. SHIROBARA! WAKE UP!"

R wakes up! "ACK!! Huh? Wha?"

All the other students giggle. The teacher, however, is not amused. "Good morning, Mr. Shirobara. Did you enjoy your beauty sleep? Anyway, now that you have decided to pay attention to lecture, perhaps you would care to answer one of the examples on the board?"

R's irritated, but he does what the teacher asks. "Uh, yeah, sure…" But he's thinking: Stupid teacher, waking me up like that when I'm busy plotting to kill Saotome! I'll show him!

With an evil smile, R then gets up from his desk and walks up to the front of the class.

The teacher gives R a piece of chalk and points to the math problem on the board. "Here's the problem, R. Solve it."

R turns to his classmates, and says, "Hope you're taking notes, 'cause I'm only gonna do this once!"

R looks at the problem for one second, and then proceeds to write down the calculations and equations necessary to solve it. Then, he stops and turns to face the teacher. "And, here we go… How's that?"

The teacher, hoping to embarrass R in front of the class, checks R's work, and is shocked by what he didn't expect to see – R getting the correct answer.

The teacher thinks: He… he…got it right! All the correct equations, the calculations, they're all there! Impossible! Aloud, he asks, "But…but…how?"

R says innocently, "It's really simple, sir. You just have to be, well…. a genius, that's all."

Everybody facefaults, "HUH?"

R then takes the chalk and tosses it back at the teacher, bouncing it off his head. The other students all laugh at this scene. Even Nabiki can't help but giggle. Instead of R, the teacher's the one getting embarrassed.

The teacher's frustrated 'cause his scheme's foiled. "D'OH!" Hanging his head in defeat, he sighs, "You may sit down now, Mr. Shirobara."

R bows respectfully to the teacher, "Thank you, sir." He goes back to his desk and sits down, then says to the teacher, "Now, aren't you glad we live in more modern times, sir? If this were medieval Japan, such an offense would mean you'd have to commit seppuku, huh? Well, wake me when class is over, will you?"

And with that, R goes right back to sleep! The students continue laughing. The teacher is blushing, his face red as a tomato. He's wishing he had a sword nearby….

(END FLASHBACK)

Another thing Ran notices is that R is always by himself, even at lunchtime. He would never eat in the cafeteria with the other students, preferring rather to eat alone.

The next thing she sees is that R doesn't have any friends. This intrigues Ran a lot. To some people, R was seen as a single, self-important person who didn't care about anybody or anything but himself. He considered other people to be no more than bothers. It seemed R's only goal in life was to kill Ranma, and he wouldn't rest until he did. Most people just kept their distance from R; not wanting to get beat up like Kuno did when he interrupted Ranma and R's first fight.

How could someone enjoy being alone all the time? This didn't make any sense at all to Ran. To her, friends were very important. She learned that when she came to Nerima.

But R…. What was it about him that seemed so familiar to Ran? She had to know. So, that afternoon, Ran decides to talk to R during lunch...

At lunchtime, we see R sitting under a tree outside the school. He sees Ran coming toward him. R thinks: That girl is... familiar...Where have I seen her before?

The next thing he knows, Ran is sitting beside him! "Hi!" she says cheerfully.

R just turns around and glares at this girl. She's got some nerve! "Hmm?"

R sees that Ran has her lunch with her. "Hey. What's with the food?"

Ran replies, "It's just my lunch, that's all. You don't mind if I eat here with you? I made a little bit of extra food, and you're welcome to have some of it if you like."

R snorts, "Hmph. Do whatever you want…" He looks away from her.

R figures that she'll go away, but he sees that the girl is still there! This surprises R, but he's finding it annoying. "..."

Ran is sitting on the grass with her legs stretched out, eating a piece of fruit, while R edges away from Ran. "Just what are you plotting, girl?" he asks her.

Ran smiles. "Oh, nothing much... just this…"

She looks at R from the side, with her head titled. She'd sensed something was wrong by the way he's acting around her, so she confronts him, asking, "You…you don't like me, do you?"

R turns to Ran, looking like he'd just seen something disgusting, while Ran looks at him from the side, looking worried. He flatly tells her, "You're horribly nauseating."

Stung by his response, Ran counters, "Hey! Can't you be a little more friendly?"

Ran gets no response from R. She just looks at him. R looks back at her. Irritated, R asks, "Why are you still looking at me like that! Didn't your folks teach you not to stare?"

Ran's hurt. "I…I don't have any."

"What? Any what?"

"Folks…parents…a mother and a father…. I never had either. I've been all alone." Ran looks like she's about to cry.

"Ah, geez… Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that. Don't cry, okay?" R he hands Ran his handkerchief, a red silk one with a golden letter R embroidered in it; Ran dries her tears. "If it'll make you feel any better, I've got no folks either. I've been on my own for pretty much most of my life too. Anyway, let's not talk about such unpleasant things."

Ran seems to calm down, and then she resumes eating her lunch. She notices something… "Umm…R?"

"Ah?" R asks in reply.

"You usually bring your lunch from home, right?"

"Well, yeah, but not today. I've been busy, uh…getting my stuff packed. I'm moving to a new place. So, I forgot… to pack my lunch.

"Why didn't you say so? I…"

"Hm? What?"

"I've been living with this family who runs a dojo. In the mornings, I help make lunches for everyone."

"Sounds like that's a lot of work for you."

"So, I've gotten really good at cooking, though you might not think it.

"Hmm…."

"And sometimes, I prepare too much food…"

R finally says, "Well, if you want, I'll…. help you with the leftovers."

Ran's happy. "Oh, please! That would be great!"

R's like, "Yeah, whatever. Don't get any silly ideas. Just 'cause I'm eating part of your lunch, doesn't make me your friend or nothing." He notices his stomach's growling. "Still, though…" He then notices a couple of sandwiches in Ran's lunch. "…you mind if I have one?"

Ran: Oh, I don't mind. Go ahead

R takes one of the sandwiches, and takes a bite. His taste buds are in for a surprise however, for Ran had tuna fish sandwiches for her lunch. She liked to spread mayonnaise on one slice of bread, and mustard on the other slice. Then she would add the tuna, and for a little zing, a little sweet relish.

R's eyes go wide with delight at the taste. "This is...it's good..." Realizing it's good, he wolfs down on the sandwich. "Ah! Yummy! Hey, this is yummy, you know."

Ran's surprised; she's happy he likes her food. "Really...?" She looks at him dreamily.

There was still one more sandwich left. When he had finished off the one he just ate, R ate that one too. Satisfied, he says, "Not bad…." He wipes his mouth with a napkin. "Could have used a little less mayo there…" Then, to Ran, "Say, you mentioned you were staying at a dojo. If I may ask, which one?"

Ran snaps out of it, "Huh? Oh, it's the Tendo Dojo. Why do you ask?"

R's ears perk up when he hears that. The Tendo Dojo! I knew it! Now I remember where I've seen that girl! She hangs out with Ranma! Heh heh heh… I'll be sure to remember that! R thinks. Aloud, he says to Ran. "I'm sorry; I wasn't trying to pry or anything. I'm still kinda new around here, and I don't really know my way around this neighborhood."

Ran says, "Oh! Well, I could show you around maybe one day after school."

"Hey, that'd be great, and…" R hears his cell phone ringing. "Will you excuse me? I gotta go take this call." He answers the phone. "Hello? Yes. Yes, I understand. I'll be there right after school. Yes. OK." He hangs up, then checks his watch. "Oh, will you look at the time? I gotta go to class!"

"Oh…But…." There's so much I wanted to ask you… Ran thinks sadly, the look on her face matching her thoughts.

R notices Ran's sad look on her face. "Hey, don't look so down. Cheer up! We'll probably see each other again tomorrow. See you around, kid. Thanks for the sandwiches." And thanks for the information on the Tendo Dojo. Watch out, Ranma! Ha ha ha!

And R gets up, running off to his next class. Ran looks up, watching him go.

Ran thinks: He…He liked my sandwiches. It's like that old saying, "the way to a man's heart is through his stomach". But I still can't shake this feeling that I know him from somewhere… She smiles. I just know I'll see him again!

Then Ran hears Ranma calling her. "Hey, Ran! C'mon, or we'll be late for class!"

Ran: I'm coming!

She gets up and runs toward Ranma, and then they both run back to class.

TO BE CONTINUED…