Disclaimer: This is a work of fanfiction, I do not claim any rights to any of the characters or concepts created or owned by Viz Video or Rumiko Takahashi. This is just the work of one fan to the others. The only characters or concepts that I claim are the ones I created or introduced. That said, I bring you:

Ranma ½: When you are lost in a sea of grief, look for a light to guide you home.

Chapter 1: Crying in the rain.

A lone figure stood under the heavy clouds before a family memorial. His shoulders slumped, and his head hung down. His messy black hair was tied back haphazardly. He stared at the stone, his fingers started to reach out to touch a name, then withdrew before he made contact. Like he was unworthy in some way, or if he touched the stone, it would only confirm the reality that was represented by it. He stood there, as silent and still as the stones that surrounded him. His eyes seemed to brim with unreleased emotion, the usually clear blue stormy and worn.

Eventually, it seemed that even the skies decided to grieve with him, as the rain poured down on the lone figure. As the water washed over him, he seemed to shrink into himself. His clothing hung on the smaller, more buxom figure like some little girl playing dress up with her older brother's clothing. It seemed like the skies opening and pouring down rain like tears was the signal that he, now she, had been waiting for. She collapsed slowly to the ground, her tears washed away in the downpour. And there she sat, until another figure emerged from the rain, an umbrella held overhead.

This second figure was also a woman, or teen at least. Her lavender hair was done up in a tight bun at the base of her neck, and she wore the dress suit of an office worker. She stood silently behind the dejected girl for a moment, then slowly moved to stand behind her, almost like she had decided to approach some wild animal. She slowly leaned forward, and sheltered the bedraggled form before her from the rain.

"You are going to get sick if you stay here, Ranma." She said softly.

"Leave me alone, Xian Pu. It's none of your business." Ranma answered without looking up.

"Well… I hate to tell you this, but today… Today I am making it my business." Xian Pu said as she slowly reached down and laid a hand on the cold, damp shoulder of the smaller girl.

"What makes today special? Why today?" Ranma said in a sad voice.

"You know as well as I do. Now, let's get you somewhere warm and dry." Xian Pu said as she pulled the surprisingly light girl up.

Ranma looked like she was going to protest, then sighed and let Xian Pu drag her along behind her. She doesn't look up as Xian Pu hailed them a cab, or even when the taller girl dragged her out of the back of the cab and up to her apartment.

The first reaction Xian Pu really got out of her old friend, love interest, and sometimes rival was when she started to undress her

"I can do it on my own." Ranma said halfheartedly.

Xian Pu gave her an expectant look, then finally Ranma sighed and started to undress with no sign of reservation about being naked in front of the other girl. Xian Pu bit her lip as she got a good look at Ranma. She looked thin, her ribs could almost be counted. Her once sleek and muscular form had started to lose that sculptured perfection. It had been obvious before that Ranma had not been taking proper care of herself, but now it was evident like a sign put up in neon just how far the once unstoppable martial arts master had fallen.

"When was the last time you had a good meal, Ranma?" Xian Pu asked as she collected the redheads discarded clothing to put it in the wash. The noncommittal shrug she got didn't do anything to help ease her worries. "Are you still staying at that little apartment downtown?" Xian Pu asked, as she figured she could run over and get some stuff for Ranma if needed.

"No… I haven't been there for a while." Ranma answered without looking at her.

"Then… Where have you been staying?" Xian Pu asked as she stopped and looked at the smaller girl. At Ranma's shrug she narrowed her eyes. "You ARE staying somewhere, and not just living on the street… Right?" She asked, but Ranma refused to look at her.

"I thought so. So, where have you been staying, Ranma. Answer me." Xian Pu said as she grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around the smaller girl before she stepped into the bathroom long enough to get the tub started to fill with hot water.

"I… Just found a place for a few days, that's all." Ranma said while she didn't look at Xian Pu.

Xian Pu had known Ranma for more than long enough to know when they were not telling the truth, regardless of what form they wore at the moment. After a moment, Xian Pu's eyes widened as she had a thought. "It's the bridge. The one that you used to sit under when you… Had a fight with her. You have been staying there, haven't you?" Xian Pu said it more as a statement than a question. After a few sullen moments, Ranma sighed and nodded.

"Ranma! What… Why?" Xian Pu said as she knelt down beside the other girl.

"Why does it matter what happens to me? I couldn't protect her. In the end, I can't protect anyone, XIan Pu. So, what good am I? What purpose does it serve for me to continue living? Why should anyone care? The Tendo's will be better off when I'm dead." Ranma said without looking at XIan Pu. Ranma started a bit when Xian Pu grabbed her by the shoulders and made her look her in the eye.

"Ranma, you have to stop blaming yourself for what happened. There wasn't anything you could have done, there wasn't anything anyone could have done. Doing this to yourself? It's not going to make things better. It's not going to bring her back." She said forcefully.

"Why do you care? She's gone. I thought you would be happy about that." Ranma said as she looked down.

"We fought… A lot. We both wanted the same thing, but… I liked her, in my own way you know. What happened? It never should have happened. And what the idiots in the village tried to do after was worse. It's part of the reason I didn't return, you know. Why I stayed in Japan. Why I stayed here." Xian Pu took a breath and stood, then offered her hand to Ranma. "Let's get you in the bath, then I am going to put some food in that bottomless pit you call a stomach. After that… You are going to sleep here, at least for tonight."

"What? Going to try and seduce me again? What's the point?" Ranma said as she hesitated, then took her hand and allowed Xian Pu to pull her up.

"I'm not the bubble headed idiot I acted anymore, you know. I want you to be okay, and right now.. . You aren't. Would you prefer if I was all 'Wo Ai Ne! Airen! You take Xian Pu on date now, yes?' like I used to be?" She asked sarcastically.

Ranma cracked a smile for a moment, then looked away. "No… Not really. Though, you were easier to deal with back then."

"That was because I thought I knew what I wanted. I've grown up since then, you know." XIan Pu said. She took Ranma into the bath, and then got a pensive look on her face. "Sit down, I will be right back to wash your back. No running off, got it?"

"I can take care of myself…." Ranma said as she sat down and let the blanket slide off of her body.

Xian Pu's response was a dismissive snort as she stepped out of the room. She returned a very short time later wrapped in a robe with her cheeks slightly pink. Ranma sighed as she looked at her and shook her head.

"So, now you drop the robe and try to seduce me with your naked body, is that right?" Ranma asked deadpan.

Xian Pu gave him an exasperated sigh then took off the robe and folded it neatly. Underneath she had put on a jade green bikini, one that was far more conservative than the last one Ranma had seen her in on the beach years ago. Xian Pu fiddled with it for a moment, then knelt down behind Rana and reached for the sprayer head. "Close your eyes, let me wash you off then let's get you in the bath. I want to get you warmed up."

"I'll go guy as soon as I get in the tub, you know." Ranma said as she did as she was instructed.

"And? Your point being? Ranma, with how many times I snuck into the bath or your bed, I have seen you naked more times than I care to remember. And that is why I put on my bikini. I wanted to prove that I don't have ulterior motives." She said as he carefully washed off the redhead, then helped her get into the tub while Ranma protested the entire time.

As the change slipped over him, Xian Pu looked at him then sighed. "Sit forward." As he gave her a confused look, she sighed again. "Sit forward so I can get in behind you. I don't want you passing out in the tub and drowning. And I'm not sitting in front of you. My tub is plenty big enough for two, soooo… Sit forward."

Ranma started to protest, then sighed and did as she told him. Xian Pu smiled and slipped into the tub behind him, then gently pulled him back to lay against her chest. "Relax for a bit, please? Let me take care of you for just a bit. Let me be the friend I honestly should have years ago."

"Why? Why… Are you doing this? What do you hope to get out of it?" Ranma said as he slowly leaned back and closed his eyes.

"Just doing what is right for once, that is all Ranma. Something I should have done years ago, but… I was too afraid to. Too afraid to let anyone see me be weak, or genuinely care for someone. Too afraid to actually care for the people that mattered to me." She said, then realized that Ranma had fallen asleep against her and sighed. "Too afraid to admit that I actually loved anyone." She said quietly as she wrapped Ranma in her arms and let him sleep for a while, surrounded by soothing, comforting warmth.

*A/N*

A new, unconnected story. It's going to be a bit darker at points than my others, and probably be toeing the line a bit closer on the M rating than I usually go. The seed for this story was a request from a fan, the story is mine. Enjoy, and I look forward to hearing from you all.