Disclaimer: Look at chapter one.

A/N: Wow. ANOTHER chapter! You guys are soooo lucky. I have so many other stories that are in desperate need of another chapter but I decided to write one for this. It might be a while till the next chapter but don't be disappointed okay?

I worked hard on this chapter, so please review with comments okay? Even if it is to flame me or something. Bye!

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I'm sure I looked like a complete and total idiot as I stood there blinking at the blonde hair gaijin. I couldn't help it! I mean the guy strolled out of the shadows like predatory c-ca-ca-ca-one of those things, and says he couldn't wait to meet me. I could feel that love coming off of him like it did from Armand. Another guy loved me without knowing me?

How confusing!

And what did he mean 'finally'? I wasn't being spied or anything was I? But I remembered how Armand had appeared at just the right time last night and how he said I was the most unique person he had seen in a while. I couldn't admit to anyone if they asked me right now, but I felt a little ashamed and embarassed.

What if Armand had been spying on me every night since I came from Nerima? Would he have seen all those times I would wake up at night and go to the dojo crying out my tears of pain and fustration? Did he see all those times I would kick my books aside in anger in the dojo when I attempted to do my algebra homework in secret only to get angry that I couldn't do simple math problems?

Did he see me that night after I had killed the first time? Had he been watching me without my knowing and seeing me slowly die inside from the guilt and depression? Did he watch as I grew a shorter and shorter temper as my life got worse and worse? Did he see my soul through my mask I wear?

Too many questions and no way to get answers! In fact, I don't know if I wanted the answers to my questions. I didn't want to know if he had seen me break down piece by piece, slowly get further and further in depression and loosing my ability to create the MT blast I used to counter Ryoga's Shi Shi Hokodan. I didn't want to think about what he thinks of me right now.

I felt hard, stony arms encircle me and pull me close in a hug. I stiffened in the embrace for two reasons: One not ever having been hugged like this, Two for the fact I was being hugged. I felt I was being lead to a comfortable chair as the figure sat down and pulled me into his lap. My eyes widened as I knew it was Marius, he was the one trying to comfort me now.

The old vampire held me close as he rubbed my back soothingly and I hadn't realized I had tears sliding down my cheeks. When had I started to cry? I tried to wipe them and to get out of his embrace because I was appalled at my crying and acting not manly-like. What would mom think if she saw me in the arms of a man, a vampire no less, and crying like a big baby?

The arms wouldn't budge around me however, when I tried to get up. I almost struggled but Marius whispered into my ear with a soft voice with underlying love. "It's okay to cry child. Don't let it build up inside you, let it out." He ran his fingers through the hair on the back of my head and his other hand rubbed my back. "Tell me about your life, you'll feel better."

I never told anyone about my life, my feelings about it, or how nutty it was. So I told him, but I'm not sure why I did it so easily. I told him everything that had happened me as far back as I could remember. I told him about traveling with my father for ten years. I told him the horrors of the Nekoken and the loss of my best friend Ukyo only to find her again years later. I spoke of Jusenkyo and how changing into a girl made me feel like I lost my manhood. My feelings about the day I arrived at the Amazon village and of Shampoo's journey to kill me because I defeated her in combat.

I recalled all the pain and loneliness I felt until I got to the Tendo Dojo and thought I had a friend again. But when Akane rejected me because I was really a guy hurt me a lot. I told the vampire things I never told any one else or even admitted to myself. I surprised myself several times when I spoke about how it hurt me to know I had no real friends and that I was just a reflection of what people wanted.

I recalled the battle of Saffron, the phoenix king. Marius was surprised I think, to hear that I had killed a god but didn't show it. I even told him of the failed wedding and how it turned out to be a huge big mess where everyone attacked everyone. I said I really didn't want to be married yet anyway, it would be too hard to fend off all my other rivals.

During my confession of my feelings on everything and the story of my life, he didn't say a word. He didn't judge me like anyone else would have, he listened to me like a real father would. Not like that stupid panda that would tell me I was being weak like a girl and I shouldn't act like this. Marius didn't make any comments or anything, just offered me support as I told all about myself to him. I think he felt I didn't need any questions or judgements on my life right now, to my great relief.

After I finished, I felt much better. It felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders and I felt much lighter. I didn't feel as bad now, but I did feel extremely tired. I don't mean the kind of tired as in you did a lot of work and your muscles hurt. But I meant the kind of tired as I was emotionally drained from just telling my life. I think he realized this as I started to drift off into sleep in his arms.

I didn't mind the fact of his stone arms or how they felt cold no matter how close we were to the fire. I had gotten used to it, it didn't bother me so much now. I just relaxed in the warm, loving aura of his that made me feel loved and wanted. He continued to hold me like a child or as a lover, I couldn't really decide. Nor did I care really, I just felt better then I had ever felt before in a long time.

As I fell asleep, I heard a soft whisper of Armand's voice in my mind but I was too tired really care about it at the time.

'We'll keep you safe, Ranma. You are strong and brave to endure a life like yours. Rest, and feel better, little one.'

****

Nabiki frowned as she hung up the phone. She checked off another name on the list with her pen feeling more and more frustrated. Ranma had disappeared yesterday and hadn't come back last night. What really ticked her off was not the fact that he was gone, but the fact he could hide so well! None of her contacts had seen him at all during the day except at lunchtime in school.

Ranma was not one of the people she would consider intelligent. But for him to get away from her contacts so easily and not get caught yet by the second hour is an amazing feat. She was sure that he had to be in Japan somewhere, he wouldn't act like his panda-father and run away from his problems.

Nabiki smirked as she thought about one of the few weaknesses the pig-tailed martial artist had. He had too much honor for this day and age. So much honor that she could use to her advantage in certain situations to get him to do what she wanted him to do. She knew many people had found this weakness since even that fat panda, Genma, had figured out how to use his honor against him. But she wasn't worried about that at all, blackmail could always be used instead of honor.

What would cause him to disappear without a trace? It couldn't be a kidnapper, she checked off that idea as soon as it had popped into her mind. No one captures Saotome Ranma, he was the one that rescued everyone. She thought maybe he had run away but she had checked that one off too.

Nabiki tried to consider the possibility that maybe he just was out somewhere but that didn't click in her mind. The only places Ranma would go were to the dojo or to Ucchan's or the Nekohaten. But she had already contacted the people she knew there and no one had seen Ranma in his boy or girl form there since two days ago.

She was running out of ideas of what could have happened to him. If she didn't find out soon, she was going to have many pissed off martial art bride-to-bes and rivals on her tail. She frowned again, looking down at all the checked off names. She had no idea where he was, and no clue to lead her there. What could she do to insure that she wouldn't get pounded flat into the ground?

Damn it Ranma! This is all your fault!

****

Lestat stared out at the midnight blue sky with a feeling of slight loneliness. Louis had departed from his company a little while ago to hunt since he still needed to hunt for blood each night. It was strange to not hunt for blood now, he enjoyed the act of drinking very much but he didn't need it anymore. Since drinking from Akasha, the Queen of the Damned, he no longer needed to feed nightly like he had been for the last two hundred years.

He had no idea the amount of power he had now, he didn't really want to know either. He was the brat prince and he did what he wanted, when he wanted. He just wasn't ready for the power yet, he wanted to wait a little longer.

He smirked as he glanced in the direction of the Talamasca in London and wondered if that old human, David, would accept his offer for immortality. Lestat wouldn't give it to him of course, but he wanted to see if his theory proved true. He wanted to see if a human had the ability to resist the temptation of immortality.

Lestat looked over at the view of the ocean that his balcony showed. Night Island was in that direction, the island where Marius had lived on for quite a while before departing to a new location with Those Who Must Be Kept.

The old Roman vampire had kept the island open to any vampire who wished to stay there; it was a place where you could 'get together' with other vampires while you stopped on the way to where ever you were going. Not many vampires would use it too much since vampires tended to want to be alone then in groups most of the time.

But he couldn't keep his curiosity from bubbling up. The Brat prince wondered if anyone was there now, just wanting for anyone to show up. It was possible after all that some vampire was hiding out there. Maybe when his fledgling came back from his hunt, they could go to Night Island. It would be interesting to see if maybe Armand was staying there, or even Marius.

It had been a while since he had seen them. He grinned wickedly at the thought of meeting his two mentors at the Island. He nodded to himself and decided that when Louis got back, they would head there. Even if his human-like fledging didn't want to. He'd force Louis to go with him. He didn't want to go alone afterall, where was the fun in that?

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Done! Mwahahaa. See I told you I would get other characters into the story somehow. ^.^ Please tell me what you think okay? And don't go easy on me. I want to improve to make this one of the best stories out there!

Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

-AlantisB