Ranma lay back against the pillows and gazed up at the stars. She could make out some of the constellations that she had learned about back home, but as Ranma knew it, they were in the wrong parts of the sky. And some of the constellations that should be visible weren't even there, or bits of them were missing.

It was the same sky, but truly different. Everyday Ranma hoped the she would wake up and be staring at her own ceiling again at the dojo. The plain room. Come down the stairs and find Kasumi and Mr. Tendo waiting at the table with breakfast. Ranma closed her eyes.

Akane…

"What do the stars look like in your world, Ranma?" Rei asked, sitting next to him chewing on a bit of molin.

"Same," Ranma said flatly, "But different really. Can't explain it too well."

Ranma looked at the sky again. A flash of light streaked across the sky near the horizon. Ranma made a wish. Though not the first time she'd made a wish in this world, but it was the same one. It had always been the same one. To find her.

Ikari snorted, huffed and her snoring broke her sleep. She looked around, rolled over and went back to sleep. Rei smirked at her. It was difficult for people to get adjusted to being awake at night and sleeping during the day. Rei had to get used to it as part of her training, so the change over was minimal. Ranma would be okay, but Ikari was useless during the night.

Ranma closed her eyes again and tried to concentrate on the clickety-clack of the desert all around him. Little beetle-like creatures that used their bodies to communicate across the vast, dark distances in the badlands. Trying to find the one they love. Ranma heard the pecaricos up ahead, huffing away as they pulled the wagons across the sands and rocks. Ranma looked to the front of the huge wagon at the curious pervert who was their guide. Tsute Dokusatsu had pretty much disgusted Ranma, but after they had started on their journey, Ranma found him to be a wealth of information about this world.

The pecaricos, for instance. Huge, bipedal lizards that roamed the northern deserts near the sea. Kind of like camels, they could traverse vast distances without the need for food or water. Ranma was fascinated with the female, Yuubi, who was slightly larger than her mate. Tsute had told him that it was Jooji, the male who bore the offspring. Ranma chortled at this. Yuubi was a kindred soul then. Of course, Jooji was the male, but Yuubi couldn't bear children, like Ranma, and yet was trapped in a female body, also like Ranma.

Ranma looked at Tsute again. He seemed quite happy to sit at the front of the wagon, simply singing snatches of odd doggerel to himself while driving. A sailor on the seas of sand.

Ranma felt Rei shift next to him. After what had happened in the hotel three nights ago, Ranma had tried to distance herself. Tried, didn't succeed, but tried. Rei was just so damned nice though. She seemed happy to simply be with Ranma and didn't really care, so long as they were together. She explained that she was sorry for forcing the issue, but that she felt that Ranma would never find this other girl. And at least she could comfort her in the meantime. She cried in Ranma's arms begging for forgiveness and Ranma couldn't keep it from her. Rei was just trying to love her the only way she knew how, and Ranma was never one to throw stones.

But Rei asked her for a promise that Ranma was none too eager to give. If Akane were proven to be gone for one reason or another, then Ranma would give Rei a chance for love. Ranma thought on it for a day and reluctantly agreed. It was simple enough to come by as Ranma knew she would never give up looking, but something in the back of her mind told her it was because Rei would really love her.

The desert rolled past them underneath the wagon. It crunched and shifted along the weight of the huge wagon. Roughly rectangular, the wheels were imbedded near the sides of the wagon; similar to the way a car has wheel wells. Tsute had said that sometimes in the spring, he would be out and get caught in a flash flood. He had lifted the tarp that covered the bottom of the wagon and Ranma could see a black ichor covering the bottom. It was waterproof. Ranma wondered about the pecaricos. Tsute said they could swim great distances as well.

The wagon was well stocked for the ten-day trip to Kellenel. Certainly they wouldn't eat like kings, but at least they wouldn't die of hunger. Boredom, maybe, but not hunger. Tsute had also told them that water would be found along the way. He wouldn't say what it was, but just smiled in the way that told Ranma she'd have to hurt him for it.

They were already down to four barrels of water. Ranma could hear them sloshing around in the back of the wagon where they covered Ikari's snoring. One advantage to sleeping in the day was that they tended to drink less of the water. Ranma calculated that they would run out about three days out of Kellenel. Then Tsute's plan would either come about, or Ranma would have to think very hard about keeping Rei from killing him.

As she drifted off to sleep, many thoughts ran through Ranma's mind, but one remained constant. Find Akane. Find the one she loved.

***

The dawn shivered as it made it's way across the lonesome desert. It crossed the dunes and illuminated creatures as they scurried from view back into their burrows for the day. It knew the way across the desert, for it had traveled this path for millions of years in an unending stream of action that it knew no one could stop. On the other side of the desert was the sea, where happy creatures would play along the shore and merrily eat one another in a miasma of evolution.

Something new flashed across the path, but the sun didn't take time to find out what it had run over. Neither did the thing it ran over move very much away from the oncoming light. The sun gently caressed the bulging pectoral muscles that rose and fell in the unending rhythm of breath.

Today would be the day.

The massive muscles moved in a graceful motion as the huge man got to his feet. He looked south.

Today would be the day that he would meet the Shiro Daiou.

The man began to walk south. He would reach them by midday.

Today would be the day that Gouka Kiyomeru would kill the Shiro Daiou.

***

Just after sunrise, the intense heat from the desert made them stop. Ranma and Rei had helped Tsute put up the tarps and care for Yuubi and Jooji. Rei made herself comfortable on the far end of the tarp and was quickly asleep. Ikari huffed in frustration. She tried to relax and get to sleep herself, but her body told her that she'd have to wait until dark again. Ikari looked towards Ranma, who was also dozing in the late morning sun. She seemed to innocent, and yet, she could fight better than Ikari.

Of course, she couldn't release the binding energy of her cells either, but then Ikari always thought that that was a detriment. She wished she didn't blow up every time she got pissed. She tried not to get angry, but some things just pushed her too far. Like this Tsute guy…

He merrily sang his little songs from sun up to sun down and never seemed tired. He never strayed far from camp and always seemed to have an eye on at least one of them. Like now. He was making no pains to watch Ranma while she slept. But then, Ranma also seemed to have less modesty asleep than awake. Both Rei and Ranma had been asleep for several hours.

Ikari looked out across the oddly colored desert. Bits of it were the yellow of sand; bits of it were pure white, probably from salt. Other bits were red, some were black. Ikari sighed and fanned herself. It was all hot.

She felt a presence next to her and looked up. It was Tsute. He held out a section of something green to her.

"What is it?" Ikari asked.

It smelled faintly of wassard sticks.

"Kelban fruit," Tsute said, nibbling on his own section, "There's a big kelban plant over there."

He pointed behind him and Ikari took the section of watery plant. She sniffed it and sipped some of the free juice. It had a cooling effect as it slid down her throat.

"Good thing 'bout springtime in the badlands. Well, the first good thing," Tsute said as he eyed Ranma again, "Couple other good things too."

"Yeah, like what?" Ikari muttered, chewing down the rest of the plant.

It began to warm in her stomach, but made her feel oddly cool all over.

"One thing is gullible tourists," Tsute said, smiling his lecherous smile, "Like yerself. The other is kelban fruit."

Ikari shook her head to clear the fog that began to creep in on her vision. Suddenly, she felt terribly wrong. She scrambled heavily over to Ranma and saw that she had several sections of fruit strewn next to her. Ikari threw her head over towards Rei and noticed that she too had a couple pieces of fruit by her hands. Ikari began to try and build up her anger, but the fog kept interfering. Calming her and cooling her at the same time. Making her want to sleep. Ikari tried to get to her feet, but her knees buckled under her and she crumpled to the tarp.

Ikari could feel the paralysis sweep over her limbs as Tsute rolled her over.

"You see my dear, I'm an old bastard," Tsute crooned into her face, "And by the time you wake up, I'll be long enough gone that any journey you make to find me will kill you."

Ikari felt him undo her robes as her consciousness left her.

***

Esu looked around at the assembled sister-protectorates around the chamber. They had all agreed to gather after the last namagoroshi attack. They all knew that Mikan was the cause, but for what they had no idea. The other odd thing was that every one of the staffs had been decharged in the same instant. Almost like Mikan had taken all the demons and evil creatures and flung them away to someplace else, never to return.

Because they hadn't returned. All efforts were made that day to repair the section of wall that the dragon had broken through, in order to protect the nunnery from that night's attack. The attack never came. It hadn't come the night before last either. So last night, Esu spoke with each of the sister-protectorates and called together a council for the next night.

So many egos bounced around the room that Esu thought she'd have to duck occasionally. She sighed. Why couldn't the congregation ever seem to get along? Sure, bits here and bits there, but not all together.

"So?" Hana Son shouted at Esu, "Just because you're the chosen protectorate, does that mean it overrides the rest of our most important opinions?"

"Hana-san, we cannot and will not simply send her back into the wilderness," Esu calmly rose an eyebrow at her, "For she needs protected as much as you do and that is final. I told you all that I would take her to the one who is looking for her, Ranma Saotome."

A quick hush ran through the congregation. Esu sighed again. So much prejudice.

"You would go back to that little-"

"Hana-san!" a smaller sister next to Hana interrupted.

It was Sesai Son. Hana looked at her.

"-Witch," Hana continued, "You would go back to her? Forsake all the protectorate duties? For what?"

Esu tried to keep from smiling. Hana had never in her life been with a lover. She had come straight from a rich family from Ullenel in the south. And while her families' contribution to the nunnery had been most appreciated, it was almost a farce that she had been given sisterhood. Much less a protectorate of her own. Somehow, the fat little wench that had arrived six years ago turned into a fat little fighter that was staring up at Esu.

"And without her, without Ranma," Esu asked, "Would any of us have been able to use the ijutsu hoshi?"

There was a quiet muttering around the room. Esu smiled as she continued on towards her position at the head of the room. That would shut them up for a while. Reminding them of the good that came from Ranma's visit always offset the fact of what remained. It hadn't been her fault about the namagoroshi. Things like that just happened.

Esu brushed off the seat that was carved into the wall and sat down. Esu smiled again. It had been Ranma that helped her found this nunnery almost a year and a half ago. Since then, it had flourished as a center for learning and life, even under the constant attack of the namagoroshi. Those creatures and the nightly fights had turned a rough group of young women into the best kickers of ass this side of Akamerajh.

Even the other sister-protectorates would never think to challenge Esu for the right in leading the congregation. They'd have to fight her for it and they couldn't even defeat Ijisai, much less Esu. Esu smiled again. Esu wasn't all that sure that she could even defeat Ijisai, who would make a fine sister-protectorate someday.

"It is settled then," Esu said, "I will take a group of three with me along with the girl Mikan and we will find Ranma Saotome."

"Esu-san," Sesai asked, timidly, "What will become of the sisterhood should you not return?"

Esu lowered her head. She didn't want to think about it, but it was a most valid question, especially since finding and travelling with Ranma generally entailed getting into more fights than normal. It would have to be done.

"Your question in a valid one. One that I wished would not have to be taken into account, but we all know of our track records with Saotome," Esu said, loudly enough to be heard by all the sisters in the room, "Therefore, before I leave seven days hence I will chose a successor."

Hana stood and began to speak, only to be silenced by the look from Esu. The other sisters muttered to themselves as the unspoken challenge. Hana would be the one who would chose to revolt rather than be led by someone other than Esu. So be it. Some would follow her, but the rest would rise to accept the new head of the sisterhood. Hana sat down quietly and straightened the front of her robes.

Now whether or not the new head would actually accept her position would be another matter entirely.

***

Gouka had a problem. He looked out across the vast desert and scratched his head in wonder. How could the Shiro Daiou expect to meet her end wandering around in the desert by herself? Gouka had found the man that had been with them. He neither put up much resistance when he died, nor did he offer any assistance in finding the Shiro Daiou.

The two huge creatures stayed with the wagon, guarding it as they might have guarded a nest. The smaller one attacked Gouka and he was forced to kill it, which was sad. Gouka never like to kill anything below his level of intelligence, much less animals. But, he had to protect himself while he tried to get information from the man. After the man perished, Gouka opened two of the casks for the remaining animal, who seemed to be mourning the loss of its companion.

Gouka then started down the path that the wagon made in the sand behind it. He would not kill animals outright. Humans, most certainly, for they knew the difference between good and evil. Right and wrong were almost inborn. And the Shiro Daiou had been given life to almost solely bring down the will of his master, Akuji. She would have to be of the vilest evil then, wouldn't she?

So Gouka had traveled the path. Back towards the town in the south. But it was growing dark already and the desert at night would drain his abilities too much to fight. So Gouka found an out of the way spot in a small rock outcropping and settled in for the night. He could track them again tomorrow. Or, if they happened to pass in the night, he could track them and take them at daybreak.

Either way, he could rest before the fight. And that was good…

***

There was a thick blanket of blackness covering her mind. Ikari felt like she wanted to sleep further, but the disgusting heat penetrated through and almost made her gag. There was something else too. A strangled kind of noise that seemed to annoy her and make her want to help whoever was making that noise at the same time. A cry. Yes, a plea outside of the realm of darkness that folded gently around her mind. A cry for help.

The fog lifted from Ikari's mind as Rei shook her awake. Ikari looked into the tear stained face of Rei Kinkaku as she straightened Ikari's robes around her. Rei continued to shake her. Ikari tried to say something, but it only came out in a muffled growl. The last moments came back to Ikari in a rush and she rolled over in a fit of nausea. That man…He had touched her…

He had tried to…He had touched her!

Something else banged on the edges of her consciousness as the sound came back and caused her to retch again. Ikari wiped her mouth and looked over to Rei, who was holding Ranma to herself. Just sat there, crying and rocking back and forth. There was a buzz in Ikari's head as she tried to stand. Her stomach kept her grounded, but she crawled over to Ranma.

"She's not…" Rei began through her tears, "She's not waking up!"

Ikari reached for a pulse. Rei kept pulling at Ranma and Ikari pushed her back, a little rougher than she should have. She didn't have the time to be nice about it though, as Ikari could feel the poisons still working in her body, numbing any extreme motion.

With slow, careful movements, she could feel a slight pulse. There, along her breastbone, right where it should be. Ikari put her right hand on the nape of Ranma's neck and tried to concentrate on healing. The spells weakly pulsed back and forth between the two, but Ikari could tell that it would take some time. She was able to hold the concentration for the spell for a time, but had to break it as the nausea returned.

Ikari lay on her back, panting with exertion, though whether between healing two people at once, or that strange drug plant, she didn't know. Rei had stopped crying at least. Rei…?

Ikari looked around and saw that Rei had gathered her sword together and was looking across the desert in the late afternoon light. At least that bastard had left the overhead tarp. Rei came back and knelt to Ikari.

"I'm going to kill him now," she said quietly, "Will Ranma be all right?"

"Yeah," Ikari said roughly, "It'll just take some time, but she should be okay. She did have many pieces of that blasted fruit though."

"If I find him, I'll bring back the wagon and as much water as I can," Rei said, examining her blade before replacing it, "After I kill him, of course. Protect Ranma. Heal yourself and him. See if you can find water in any of these other plants that are non-lethal. I don't know, but I'll be back as quickly as I can."

Ikari nodded and hung her head as the numbness crept into her neck.

"Don't worry, if it comes down to it, I'll come back and you can use my immortal body to find out," Rei said, smiling slightly, "I'll be back before morning."

And with that, Rei began to run in the directions of the wagon tracks. Ikari crawled weakly back towards Ranma and pulled her limp form more towards the center of the tarp. The wind kicked up slightly and what small comfort Ikari could afford Ranma would be hers.

Ikari had a couple of ideas and she hoped that at least one of them would work.

***

Ijisai carried the kettle back to the table. It hissed slightly and the contents shifted and bubbled happily about. Ijisai set the kettle down onto a small pad on the table and opened the top. Wonderful smells drifted up to meet both of them in the tiny room. A small grumble issued from Mikan's stomach in response to the smells, and Ijisai smiled.

Mikan happily proffered her bowl to Ijisai, who took it with a smile. The soup was one of Ijisai's favorite recipes and it had been a while since she had the opportunity to cook for anyone. She cooked for Son-sama every now and then, but most of the sister-protectorate's nights were taken up saving them all from the namagoroshi.

Mikan split the bread apart as Ijisai poured her own bowl and sat across from Mikan. The contents of the soup seemed a little sharp for Ijisai's taste, but then, she had to use what was left out of Son-sama's trampled garden. Much of the ripe vegetables were too far gone. There was enough however.

Mikan certainly seemed to be enjoying her share, wolfing down sections of bread along with mouthfuls of soup. She enjoyed it when people ate her cooking. It made her happy. And happiness in this day and age was too few and far in between not to cherish. Mikan swallowed another mouthful and there was a knock at the door.

"I'll get it," Ijisai smiled as she opened the door.

It was Esu. She looked frayed and a little more than honked off. Ijisai stepped aside as Esu came in. She got another bowl and poured a portion for her mentor. Esu looked at it and began to decline. Her expression softened and she accepted it. Ijisai moved her place and brought Esu to the table to join herself and Mikan, who looked happily to Esu.

"Hmph," Esu mumbled through her soup, "As usual Ijisai, you astound me with your skills. This is quite good."

Ijisai happily munched away at her soup.

"I'm sorry you two, I know I'm not much company," Esu continued, "The council is allowing me to take you on the journey with me, on one condition."

"What's the condition, Son-sama?" Ijisai asked.

She was naturally curious, as this was the first thing not Ranma-related that the council had ever agreed on. Well, as far as Ijisai knew.

"The condition is that I name my replacement should anything happen on this trip."

Ijisai stopped eating as her mentor's words struck her full on like a cold mountain bath. She set her spoon down in the bowl and wiped her mouth as she tried to force clear thought. It could be anyone. The leading protectorate was Hana Son, which didn't set too well with Ijisai. Hana didn't know the proper training methods, the proper spells, the incantations for proper demon removal and half a million other things that Ijisai knew better than her.

Ijisai wouldn't kid herself. She was not a full sister yet. It would be several years before that honor could be bestowed on her and Ijisai knew it. That was okay with her too. She had enough responsibilities without having to worry about being protectorate. So the sisterhood would wait. She had the rest of her life to worry about that. Ijisai was barely eighteen summers old as it was. Far too young to be a sister. Yes…Far too young.

"Have you decided who it will be?" Ijisai asked quietly.

"Yes."

The answer was flat. As if it were a decision that she should know full well, like some kind of daily ritual. Ijisai wouldn't push it though, as that would be highly rude, especially here, at the dinner table.

"Would you like to know who I chose?" Esu asked.

Ijisai thought on this for a few moments, but said nothing. She knew that the direct question required a direct answer, as was her teaching.

"No, Son-sama," Ijisai said at last, "I can wait for you to announce it to all."

Esu chortled slightly.

"I HAVE announced it," Esu slurped down a bit of soup, "Why do you think I JUST came from council chambers? Those old biddies…Hells, even the young biddies like Hana. They had to stomach my announcement when they forced the issue. Well, they asked for it."

"So who did you choose?" Mikan chimed in.

"No Mikan," Esu said, sounding more motherlike than she would have preferred, "Since Ijisai-san would have to answer directly to the new head of the sisterhood, it directly involves her."

"Oh."

"It's okay Mikan, I don't mind," Ijisai said happily spooning more soup for the girl, "Besides, I can follow anyone's directions."

"Hmm, I suppose I should be offended at that," Esu said.

She smiled at Ijisai's shocked look of concern and nudged her with an elbow.

"If it were to come from anyone but Ijisai-chan here," she finished.

Ijisai blushed in embarrassment at the closeness that Son-sama seemed to be affording her. She looked down and smiled coyly. Mikan began to giggle and was soon joined by Esu, who laughed openly as the meal continued. Ijisai began to laugh as the mood lightened around her.

Esu had to admit, she wasn't going to join Ijisai when she said she was going to make dinner for Mikan. Now that she was here, it was turning into the finest meal she'd had in a long time.

***

Gouka stirred in the night. Someone was coming. He rolled over to his stomach as his eyes adjusted to the moonlight. Big Brother was new and Little Brother was only half full. This left the desert quite dark and what little moonlight did reach the floor was swept up by the dust whorls that kicked up in the last couple of hours.

Gouka frowned. Soon, the dust and sand would cover the tracks and make tracking much more difficult. Ten'imuhou-sama wanted this matter taken care of. Gouka knew that. He also knew that Kowaku and Hisomu had most likely been placed in places in Shiro's route as back up. It wasn't that his lord didn't trust his efforts, that was just how things were done. Gouka knew that as well.

From the darkness came the form. Someone who was running. From something? To something? Gouka couldn't tell. He looked to the west at the clouds that were building on the horizon. There would be a storm soon. Rain? Unlikely. More like a sandstorm. Hurricane force winds that sandblasted entire sections of rock face. Gouka sneered. He would have to take shelter if he was out here in that. He might even lose days finding them again.

He had picked up from his earlier spot and moved back towards the wagon, which was most likely this person's destination. Someplace to ride out the storm perhaps. The figure came into view and Gouka snarled lightly to himself. It was her! The Shiro Daiou. Had to be. This girl moved with the grace and confidence that would make people follow her. Gouka had been given a description, but in the poor moonlight couldn't make her out very well.

Shiro was supposed to have short hair, this girl most obviously had long hair. That could be a ruse though. Kowaku seemed to change her looks daily when the mood struck her. This girl was wearing a jumpsuit of some fashion or other. Shiro was supposed to have the robes of one of the southern tribes. Again, a ruse. Lastly, this girl had a long scabbard nestled along the small of her back. Gouka smiled at the arrangement. Quite efficient that.

She's right handed. That would be important to know, especially in the upcoming fight. Gouka could almost hear her over the increasing wind. She checked the barrels and petted the large creature, who seemed overjoyed at meeting her again. She ministered to the creature that Gouka had to kill, but soon stopped when she realized that it was too far gone.

To the man that Gouka killed, she basically ignored until she had readied the wagon and the remaining creature for travel. She went to the man, searched about his person and took several objects from his body. Gouka cursed himself. He didn't check the man simply because he was never on the lookout for a man. He wouldn't make the same mistake twice. She threw the objects in the back of the wagon and returned to the man.

She drew her blade, which began to glow white with energy. She slashed in three, direct cuts, filling the night sky with a burning whiteness from which Gouka had to shield his eyes. It stopped and Gouka could see that she had sheathed her blade again. She spat once at the body and walked back to the wagon. She muttered something to the creature as she turned the wagon around. Gouka could see her sigh as she guided the creature back into the desert down the slowly fading tracks. As Gouka watched the wagon move slowly into the distance, he moved from his hiding spot and went to the body.

One slash had severed his head from his body. The second slash split his body in half lengthwise, laying all the organs bare. Gouka smiled. This little one had a dangerous fire in her that was being kept in check. It had to be the evil of the Shiro Daiou. Only her corruptive influence would give rise to this kind of power.

The third slash was not one, but hundreds…Thousands. Writing in the language of one of the southern tribes the ignobleness of the cretin before him. Gouka looked again. In detail that was shockingly accurate. Thousands of slashes…Thousands, all over what remained of his body. Gouka smiled at the disappearing wagon. Gouka began to follow her.

Dangerous indeed…

***

The sun had dropped about an hour ago. It was still too damned hot.

Her plan had worked. The evaporation properties of the poison fruit held some useful purpose after all. Ikari took a piece of fruit and rubbed it against her forehead. The liquid quickly whisked away in the stronger breezes that were coming from the horizon. This little trick had kept her and Ranma cool during the remainder of the day. She hoped that it would cool more during the night, though there were more rocks in this area and they held heat well in this area.

Of course, it also meant that they didn't freeze by morning either. Ikari had some experience with desert climates, but she had never been stuck out in it. Nor did she ever get the proper training for stuff like that. Ikari cursed herself for the hundredth time that she had not listened to her grandmother better.

She thought healing was a silly art. Sure, it had its uses and she had learned them. Her mother had said she was a natural at it, but Ikari didn't want to be fawned over, like the other girls in the village. The other, older healers weren't fawned over, but they were just old ladies who didn't know the first thing about fighting. They would always roll their eyes at her and demand that she get back to her studies.

She studied the healer craft, that was true. And she had it all down in record time, but she hungered for more. Not just more, but different as well. Offensive, not just defensive. So, in a fit of pubescent naivete, she journeyed to the outer reaches of the woodlands. A strange hermit lived there. Ikari never knew her name and only referred to her as Gaia. That wasn't her true name, but she seemed to like it well enough. She realized the importance of offense as well as defense. She was the one to give Ikari the curse…Or blessing, she supposed.

It depended on how one wanted to look at it. Being able to forcefully expel all the energy trapped in the cells of one's body was a tremendous weapon. Being only able to use it when someone really pissed her off made the weapon practically useless. Ikari had seen why she had been given it long ago when one of the boys teased her and she blew up, taking a part of the village with her.

Ikari chuckled and coughed in the sandy wind. THAT had been a summer…

She looked off into the distance at the vague purple clouds. Ikari figured that the sun was still shining off the desert in that direction. The clouds were building heavily and moving in fast. A storm. She wiped another piece of fruit across her hands and wiped down Ranma again. She didn't want to…But…

She placed her hand once again at the nape of Ranma's neck and concentrated. The healing came faster this time.

Finally, she thought.

Ikari could feel the light flowing into the smaller girl below her. The healing would be better this time, as Ikari didn't have to heal herself anymore. There was something wrong this time though.

There was a blackness in the girl's head, the likes of which Ikari had never seen before. It swirled around and coalesced together like something living. It wasn't organic, something that she could have removed in Kellenel. It wasn't magical, which Ikari could expel by herself. It was something in between and oddly tied to Ranma in some way. Ikari poked at it and the thing lashed out, attacking Ranma's body from the inside.

Ranma lashed out with her body and cried out in pain as the thing attacked her. Ikari stopped her prodding. She calmed Ranma and soothed the pain that the thing had brought on. It allowed Ikari to heal Ranma all she could, but it resisted being removed from Ranma's head. The creature, or whatever it was, seemed to be helping Ikari to keep the girl alive. It just slept there, feeding off of Ranma.

Ikari hated parasites.

She stopped the healing and lay back on the tarp. Time always passed so quickly when she was healing. The clouds to the west were closer, but Ikari couldn't make them out very well as the sun had completely gone from the sky. The winds were growing, however and Ikari knew that she would have to do something, or they'd lose part of the tarp to the onrushing sand.

Ikari brushed off as much sand as she could and set down the two poles on the western edge. They fit together near the end and created a nice bivouac that, at least for now, was out of the way of the storm. The thirst began to set in for the first time as Ikari sat in the dark next to Ranma. The coolness of the kelban fruit helped, but she still needed a drink. Earlier on, she had tried to draw the poison out of the fruit itself, but it seemed somehow tied to the water in the fruit. Something about the evaporative properties. Thankfully, the bush wasn't that far off and Ikari could scramble out and back in a matter of seconds to get more fruit.

The sands shifted outside the tent as Ikari watched them. Churning against the ever-increasing wind that howled away in the night. Ikari touched Ranma's arm, taking a measure of the poison in her system. It was still there, keeping her asleep. Ikari knew that she'd probably have the same problems when she awoke, but the danger of it had now passed at least.

Something caught Ikari's attention as she watched the dancing sands. Something out beyond the kelban plant. Out there, where the winds were blowing the paths clean of those that strayed too far from cover. Something that hadn't been there before. It was a figure. It walked…

No, Ikari corrected herself, Walking probably wouldn't be the most correct term for it. More like lurching.

And it was coming this way. Ikari could now see that whatever the person was, it was wrapped in white. Ikari could see that it had a bundle around its shoulder and stumbled frequently under its burden. The person got back up and continued on, but soon stumbled and fell.

Ikari waited for a minute. The figure didn't rise again. Ikari waited another minute, eagerly wanting the person to get up slowly and make it's way to her shelter. The winds blurred the figure, but the little light that came off of Little Brother shone against the figures white garments, illuminating them like a lamp in the night.

Ranma began to cough and tried to roll over on her side.

Ikari wanted so badly to be able to shout out an epithet at that point, but knew she lacked the saliva to do it. She chuckled to herself at the situation. Her grandmother had said that it always happens at once. Ikari never really knew what she meant until that moment.

Well, Ikari thought, First things first.

She gently helped Ranma get close to the edge of the tarp while she threw up. Ikari patted her on the back and tried to help the healing along, but she was too weak from the last time. Too soon. Too soon…

Ikari got up and made her way into the storm in the general direction of the figure, who had almost been buried by the increasing storm.

The white robes, Ikari thought frantically, Got to find the robes.

She almost stumbled as she came across the person and Ikari rushed to dig her from beneath the swelling sands. The person was small, not much taller than Ranma. Ikari huffed in frustration and picked up the person into her arms. She looked back at the tent and could barely see for the sand in her face. Ikari coughed and stumbled slowly back to the camp. It helped knowing where she was from the kelban plant that was just over the small ridge next to them.

As she came back to the tent, she set the small person on one side and put a hand on Ranma's back as she vainly tried to stand, or even sit up. Ikari was right, she was having the same reaction. Ikari pulled Ranma back down and stroked her forehead to try and calm the girl. It helped a little when Ranma smiled back. She couldn't talk. Ikari knew it was kind of a combination of thirst and the fact that she'd already thrown up two or three times. Ikari was silently grateful for the sands in that respect as they covered what would otherwise quickly become a stinky mess.

The other person stirred at the sounds that came thickly from Ranma. She was still trying to speak and Ikari couldn't use her own voice to tell her to shut up. Ikari pulled Ranma and the new person towards the center. Ranma tried to gather herself together and rolled slowly onto her stomach, noticeably keeping herself from retching again.

Ikari felt good that her healing hadn't been in vain. There was a point that she thought she might have been too late in healing the girl, but she responded well to the treatment.

Probably, Ikari thought as she began to check the stranger, Because I've done it so many times...Why this...

The stranger was female. Ikari pushed her outer robes aside as she tried to help the strange girl to be more comfortable. The girl had a helmet of some sort on the half hid her face. Ranma crawled slowly to sit on the other side of girl across from Ikari. She held up her hand to Ranma's forehead to steady her and to try and stop her from wobbling back and forth. Ranma smiled a weak smile and looked down at the girl. Ikari removed the helmet. The girl was quite pretty. Sunburned obviously and dehydrated to say the least, but otherwise in remarkable condition for being in the desert. Ikari could see that she had blonde hair that was sunbleached in sections.

A calm came through the storm and the winds died away. The silence that remained was only punctuated by a strange gurgling noise from Ranma as the new moonlight spread its light onto the stranger. Ikari looked at Ranma, fearful that the poison had taken hold again, but was confused at Ranma's wide-eyed expression. Ranma stared at the girl in a way that Ikari had never seen before. That fearful, hopeful, surprised expression that could only be expressed by Ranma in the shout that followed.

"AKANE!"

***