Progeny
By Jeffrey Vasquez

Disclaimer:

Based on the series Sailor Moon. All characters copyrighted by the
beautiful Naoko Takeuchi, Toei Animation, and Kodansha.

The characters of Ranma ½ are the express property of the most revered
Rumiko Takahashi and Shogokukan. I am in no way claiming, or even
pretending to own these characters.

All others belong to me.


Author's notes:

This story contains altered scenes from the finale of the Ranma ½ manga.
For those of you who haven't read it, sorry.  I'm changing it enough not
to
spoil it for you, but the battle with Saffron will remain unchanged for
the
most part.

Special thanks go out to Chris Rijk and the other dedicated fans of
Ranma
1/2, who blessed us unworthy, linguistically challenged, idiots across
the
world, with a few English translations of Volume 38 of Ranma 1/2.

<> Foreign Language

********
Elsewhere

**Hello?**  Nabiki called out mentally. **Hey! Uh, Mother!  Or what
ever I'm supposed to call you!**

It sounded weird calling a disembodied voice "Mother", nevertheless
Nabiki wished that her voice were steadier.  The idea of talking to a
disembodied voice at all was very un comfortable.  In her defense, she
hadn't spent so much time alone and in the dark before.  The light that
had
surrounded her had disappeared when Mother had unfolded the tale of the
Moon Kingdom.  But after the light show, it hadn't returned.

Darkness had enveloped her, and left her feeling very much alone.  Time
had long ago lost all meaning for her, especially after the others left.
It
was so quiet, that the silence seemed loud.

**I am here.**

Whew!  So she wasn't alone after all.  Not that she was afraid to be...
it
was just nice to know that she hadn't been abandoned.  Nabiki reached up
and ran her fingers through her short brown hair, or at least she tried
to.
She wasn't quite sure if she had succeeded or not, because her limbs
felt
numb.  Her chocolate brown eyes were open, supposedly, but there was
still nothing to sense let alone see.  She felt like she was floating.

**Why is it so dark?**

She wished that her voice didn't remind her of a four year old's.  It
was
hard enough dealing with these. . . entities. . . without confirming
their
assumptions.  She swallowed her trepidation and focused her mind.

**Dear child, it is always darkest before the dawn.**  That thought sent
chills down her spine.

**What's happening?** She wasn't entirely sure that she wanted to know.

**Little that would mean anything to you, Dear.**

Nabiki harrumphed mentally and commanded her arms to cross, despite
the fact that she could not see or feel them.  It was the principle of
the
thing.  She just wanted to feel productive, and "Mother" wasn't helping
at all.

**Could you tell me anyways?**

Fat chance of that.  After the story of the Moon Kingdom was finished,
Mother had demonstrated herself to be a poor conversationalist.  A warm
smile seemed to light her mind, along with a sense of hesitation; as if
the elderly voice was weighing what to reveal and what to keep to
herself.

**Phoenix Mountain is under siege.**

**Phoenix Mountain?**

Dread filled the now youngest Tendo's heart. That was where her baby
sister had died.  That was also where Yoshitsune and the others had
gone.
She hoped that they were all right.  An image of a certain statuesque
man
lingered in her mind's eye, eliciting a few mental chuckles from around
her.

So she wasn't so alone with Mother after all.

**A place far from here, young one.  One that I see you know.  Sadly,
without their king's full power they will not be able to stand against
the
Darkness much longer.**  The warm smile projected a sadness that
Nabiki couldn't bring herself to feel.

Definitely time to change the subject.

**What will happen when Phoenix Mountain falls?**

Dread and anger filled her from without.  The emotions were not her own,
and each was a distinct feeling backed by a different identity.  The
experience reminded her of a layered, candy, jaw- breaker that she had
enjoyed as a little girl.  Each layer was a different flavor, sometimes
sour, sometimes sweet, but each one had its own appeal.  The variety
made the taste something wonderful.  She wished that this experience
were more like the one from her memory.

Mother seemed to take it all in stride, hiding her emotions well.  All
that
Nabiki could feel from her, was a sense of resignation.

**When our cousins fall, the Butcher will look for more meat to cut.**
There was a sense of inevitability in her sending, accompanied by a
sharp
mourning, sense of loss. **Yet I wonder if he knows that he cuts for
another?**

**Can't we do something to stop this. . . this Butcher?**

Nabiki felt. . . what was it?  Amusement?  It was the same emotion that
she would have directed to a cute little boy or girl who when they asked
a
naive question.

**We are Daughter.  We are.** Mother's attempt to placate and humor
Nabiki were met with a spiky tang of resentment.

**So. . .?  What are we doing?**

**Impatience.** Another voice, one almost as ancient sounding as
Mother's came to her mind.  **The mark of youth that drives old wings
to beat faster and harder than they should.**

**Now Father. . . .**  Mother sent fondly, **. . . the child has a right
to
know.  Especially since she will play such an integral part in what is
to
come.**  Gruff skepticism floated among the other sensations of barely
contained mirth.

**Well?  Are you going to tell her Mother?  Or shall I?**

Faugh!  And the old wind bag had the nerve to call her impatient! This
time there was laughter; a great deal of it in fact, rolling around her,
caressing her affectionately and making her feel loved.  Even from the
direction of the gruffness.

**We're going to Tokyo Dear Heart,** Mother's sending was filled with
hope. **To resurrect a dead kingdom.**

Nabiki shivered... sort of.  Somehow she knew that Ranma was at the
center of all of this.  He usually was.

So much for wanting to be a part of all the action.

*********
Near Phoenix Mountain

Ryouga and Mousse ran for their fool lives.

Not for the first, nor the last time, Mousse wondered how they had
gotten
to China without crossing a major body of water.  They had been going to
the Tendo dojo to say their farewells to Ranma before going their
separate ways.

Mousse had the misfortune of walking into a telephone pole and breaking
his last pair of glasses.  But his true folly had been to ask Ryouga to
help
him find his way to the dojo from there.

They had been traveling for more than a month, through a thick
wilderness that had been both icy cold, and unbearably hot.  And not
once
in all that time, had Mousse found another pair of glasses. . . .

He often wondered which of his ancestors had cursed him so.

"I thought you said that we were going to be safe!"  Ryouga's angry
voice
floated back to him. "'Amazons!' you said!  'We can go to Joketsuzoku,'
you said!"  The rope that was tied to Mousse's wrist gave a sharp tug as
it
snagged on a tree branch.

"Hey!  How was I supposed to know that they were running away from the
village?"  Something very blunt, impacted his head very hard.

"We no run stupid Mans!  We on too, too secret mission for Elder

Cologne!"  Mousse groaned, not from the blow to his head, but from the
ache to his pride.  Out of all the Amazons that he could have been stuck
with, why did it have to be Phau Set?

She had been one of the many girls growing up that he had spurned in his
pursuit of Shampoo, and she was dedicated to making his life miserable
for it.

"'Hell hath no fury. . . .'" he mumbled.

"Shut up, you!"  Phau Set's older sister, Xi Fu had a better handle on
languages but no personality to back that gift up.  She was pretty in
her
own way, but waaay too stuffy and traditional for his tastes.

At least she didn't hit him as much as Phau Set did.

"Because of you two, we never made it to the mountain on time!"  Mousse
could feel Ryouga bristle with outrage.

"So?  You should be thanking us!  We kept you alive from whatever. . .
those things were didn't we?"

Xi Fu snorted derisively, but held her tongue.  She knew that Ryouga was
right, but she didn't have to like it.  Who cares if these two weakling
(well
maybe not weakling) males had been lucky enough to defeat the
Rhakshasa scout?  Luck could carry you only so far before it dumped you
flat on your face.

Truth to tell though, she was thankful.  Especially after coming upon
Phoenix Mountain.  Mousse was too.  They had come over a rise five
miles south of the mountain, only to watch it burn from the inside out.
The stench had been terrible for Mousse; a blending of wood smoke
and burnt flesh that laced the wind with a sickeningly sweet blend of
decay and destruction.

A howl from behind him, caused the group to double their pace. They had
been running for two days now, and Mousse had insisted that Ryouga take
point; in the hopes that the Lost Boy would somehow lose their pursuers.

Both the monsters and the Amazons.

Thus far Ryouga had little or no luck in either endeavor.  Par for
course in
both of the misfits lives.  The moment that they needed a break, they
were
dealt the worst possible luck.

Life sucked.

A moment later the blind martial artist ran into Ryouga's stationary
back,
and was sent sprawling.  "What are you doing!?!"  The crashing
underbrush was the only warning that he received, as a black blur swept
passed them.  Pain bloomed across his back, like some blossoming
inferno.

He could feel the blood oozing down his back, mixing with the salty
sweat
and grime that coated his back.  A scimitar leapt into his hands
instinctively as he moved back to back with Ryouga.  The Amazons
entered the scene an instant later, weapons drawn.

"A good chase. . . meat."  Gods!  The thing's voice was like oil
creeping
over dry leaves.  "But every hunt has an end."  He didn't know what
would be worse, enduring the thing's voice, or being forced to look at
it
and listen to it speak.

For once in his life, he was glad to have poor sight.

"No use running. . . ."  Ryouga sounded detached and void of hope.
Mousse almost smiled happily.

"I'm glad that you see this.  The hunt is boring if the chase lasts too
long."

Xi Fu's sweat laden scent entered Mousse's nostrils and a slight shift
in
the undergrowth told him that she was settling into a better position.
Thankfully the thing was in front of them and not behind.  It made
Ryouga's job easier.

"You killed all those people in the Amazon village. . . ."

"As I will kill you."  Mousse could here the sneer in the thing's voice.
Ryouga was growing more depressed.

". . . and at Phoenix Mountain. . ."

"Yessssss."  The monster's purr set the hairs on the back of his neck,
standing on end.

"Why am I so cursed?"  Mousse could see the glow surrounding Ryouga
now, and it was steadily growing brighter by the second.  From what he
remembered of the technique, Mousse knew that he was probably going to
get fried too.

How utterly fitting. . . a meaningless death, for a meaningless life.
Had he
been able to step outside of himself, Mousse would have been surprised.
His body had taken on the same sickly green glow as Ryouga's.

"Why must people always die?  Oh, Akane. . . ."

**Shampoo. . . .**

The monster growled and launched itself at Ryouga.  Mousse tensed,
waiting for the blow to fall.

"SHI SHI HOKODAN!"

*********

**I remember.**

The thought played across their collective minds, like a water sprite
dancing across the surface of a placid lake.  Images, dark and
foreboding
rose to the surface consuming peace.  Hidden walls crumbled, fears and
dark secrets emerged from the depths of their collective soul.

Sailor Pluto seemed to glow with a crimson light, and then a doorway to
the past opened.

**********
The Moon Kingdom

Serenity screamed out in agony as another harsh contraction washed over
her.  Huge droplets of sweat beaded on her flushed brow. After
thirty-six
hours of labor, she was almost done.  And though she loved her child
more than life itself, she was going to very happy to have her figure
back.
She was very tired of looking like she had a watermelon stuck in her
stomach.

A very human Luna stood where Serenity's husband should have been,
holding her hand, adding her strength to her Queen's.  But that was old
news.  Ahbrim had made it clear long ago where his allegiances lay.

The midwife, Lasa, smiled brightly.

"One more push Majesty!" She coached. "The baby's almost out!"


Serenity inhaled sharply and then bore down, pushing for all that she
was
worth.  The low growl that rumbled from her throat grew steadily,
turning
into a cry of triumph as the pressure released.  The acute pain ended,
turning into a dull throbbing that ebbed into numbness as exhaustion
seeped into her bones.

A strong, healthy wail went up throughout the room, followed by a mighty
cry throughout the palace.  It was as if all the stars of Heaven cried
out at
the child's coming.  Lasa looked up at her Queen with tears in her eyes.
Her voice was choked with intense emotion as she severed the cord from
the child.  Luna looked on the child with her own tears, as she took the
boy into the warm blanket and proceeded to clean it.

Serenity waited impatiently for Luna to bring her the Jewel of her life.
Her first born.  Luna worked quickly, and brought the child. "Mother,"
she
whispered with great emotion. "I give you your Son."

Serenity looked into the face of the Moon Kingdom's Prince, memorizing
every little wrinkle and all the lines on his tiny fingers.  She was
mesmerized.  How could this fussy little stranger be the same being,
that
not moments before had been a part of her?

"He's so beautiful!" Tears of joy ran freely down her cheeks, but she
refused to look away from her son.

"By what Name shall he be known?"  Sailor Pluto stood not far off,
resolute but not immune to the scene before her.  A broad smile and
annoyingly wet eyes plagued her normally serious demeanor.

Serenity looked up at Setsuna, one of her dearest friends and beamed.
"Aramas.  Son of Hope."

**********

A mist clouded the vision of a proud mother's joyous face, enveloping
the
scene.  Another voice surfaced.

**I remember.**

Sailor Uranus glowed softly, limned with a majestic orange light that
boarded on bronze.

**********
Moon Kingdom, one week after Ur's sentencing.

"How could you let him live?" The newly appointed Uranus, cried out at
her Queen.  Raw pain cut the air like a knife.  "He stole from me the
only
family that I had left!"

"Uranus!"  Luna cried out against the agonized youth. "Hold your
tongue!"  She would have lit into the young Senshi, had Serenity not cut
her off with a slight motion of her hand.

The Moon Queen wore a black dress that signified her mourning, and her
eyes still bore the mark of hot, angry tears.  She clenched her newborn
son
to her chest fearfully.  As if he too might soon be lost to her.  But
Uranus'
grief, though different was no less potent.  Serenity knew this, and was
sympathetic.  Still, she had to turn the young woman from the path of
vengeance, or she too would fall to the darkness.

"You seek justice?"  Serenity asked in a voice that was all but devoid
of
life.  "You seek retribution against Ur for his crime against you."

Sailor Uranus sent a challenging look her Queen's way.  "I don't just
seek
it!  I demand it!" she spat.

Serenity nodded once, and then slowly stood.  Uranus marveled at her
beauty and grace, something that she knew she would never have.  And as
the Matriarch of the Twelve Kingdoms stood, Uranus knew that she had
gone too far.  Even so the rash girl refused to back down.

"Then I grant it."  Uranus cried out with joy, and spun on her heel.
The
Valley of Silence was one quick teleport away, and so too was Ur's
ultimate demise.  Serenity though, had other plans for the young woman.

"HALT!"  One word.  That's all it ever took for Serenity to be obeyed,
and
with reason.  The anger that laced her voice was enough to split stone,
and
it made Uranus freeze in mid-step.  "Where do you think you are going?"

Uranus spun on her heel in frustration. "Where else?  To kill the
bastard
that murdered my mother!"  Serenity smiled darkly.  It was the single
most terrifying thing that Uranus had experienced.

"What gave you the impression that I sanctioned that?" The smile didn't
fade, causing Uranus to work hard to respond.

"But. . . but you said. . . ."

"I said that you would be granted your request for retribution.  I said
nothing about offering Ur release from his imprisonment."  Serenity
descended the steps that led up to her throne, coming to stand before
the
tall, powerful frame of Uranus.  Her eyes narrowed angrily and bore down
on the Senshi.  She had to show the girl the pointlessness of vengeance,
and the poison that it created.  If she did not, she feared that Uranus
would
be lost to her.

"Ur shall remain where he is for all Eternity."  Her voice was smooth
and
controlled.  "He will live, conscious of his existence, aware of his
plight,
and unable to free himself.  He will pay for his crimes until Terra
crumbles into dust.  Do I make myself clear?"  Uranus swallowed hard,
and nodded.

Yet, through her fear she still felt slighted.  Ur may suffer throughout
Eternity, but it did nothing to heal the void in her own heart.  "And
what
of Justice?"

Serenity raised an eyebrow at the question.  "What of it Uranus?  Do you
not see that his suffering will be eternal?"

"His suffering cannot bring my mother back!" the blonde woman spat
angrily.

Serenity sighed and moved over to a small bassinet, where she lay a
sleeping Aramas.  With all the considerable dignity that she could
muster,
she returned to face one of her chosen champions.  The girl had lost her
center, the foundation of her world.

"Well?  Where is the retribution that you promised?"  Uranus demanded.

Serenity smiled sadly and shook her head.  "What do you seek Ilzbeth?  A
life for a life?  There is a balance that must be maintained.  For all
the
power of the Ginzuishou, I cannot craft for you another.  The very
thought
is obscene."

The girl's angry, tortured countenance was a pitiful sight to behold.
She,
in her inexperience, wanted something to make her mother's passing
meaningful.  "Very well, you desire a just recompense, so be it. Justice
demands that you take the life of a mother to replace the one that was
taken from you." She paused, taking a deep breath.  "I offer myself."

"Serenity-sama!"  Luna cried out in anger and shock.

"Know your place Chancellor!"  The queen raged at her advisor.  "I am
dispensing Justice."

"But my Queen!" Luna protested.

"Luna!"  The rebuke was swift and sure, and Luna was cowed.  And the
Queen returned to her champion.

Uranus smiled and shook her head.

"Why do you smile Senshi?  Am I missing some joke?" Uranus again
swallowed at the deadly serious tone in her Matriarch's voice.

"No Majesty." she said bowing. "It's just . . . well. . . ."

Serenity rolled her eyes. "Spit it out girl and be done with it."

"I've sworn an oath." Uranus cleared her throat and recited in a strong
voice the tie that bound her to Serenity. " 'Beneath the Stars of Heaven
and by my True Name; my life shall fall before that of my Queen.  I
shall
stand watch against all threats from without.  I will guard against all
terror
from within.'"  She smiled weakly, before shrugging.  "I'd have to kill
myself, before I could kill you Majesty, and somehow I don't think that
this would turn out well."

"Then I release you from your bond.  Take my life for that of your
mother's."  It was cruel to put Uranus in such a position, but the girl
needed to understand the heavy mantle that she now wore.  She would
have to understand the difference between retribution and true justice.

"I will not do that your majesty."

Serenity nodded darkly at the young woman, as if she had already seen
this.  "So be it. Then kill Ur's heir."

"WHAT!" Luna screamed.  "NOOOOOO!" With a great heave the
chancellor launched herself from the dias, changing in mid-leap from her
human guise, to a hybrid form of her natural feline state and her human
mask.

Long wicked looking claws stood out on her hands, and her black eyes
narrowed to deadly slits.  A feral hiss emitted from her throat as she
placed herself between her prince and two mad women.

"Stand aside Luna," Serenity said stoically.  "Let Justice reign.
Uranus
desires recompense for the life of a family member.  Let her have it."

"You're joking, right?"  Uranus asked, but the deadly serious look in
the
Queen's eyes, chilled the Sword Princess to her bones.

Luna had the audacity to growl at her Queen.  "Over my dead body."

Serenity shook her head, and motioned with her hand.  The Ginzishou
flared once and Luna found herself encased in a block of crystal.  She
clawed at the prison until her fingers bled, and even then she refused
to
give in; hammering on the barrier until her hands matched her claws.
Tears of anger and frustration cascaded down her furred cheeks.

Uranus looked at her ruler as if she had grown another head.

"Well?  Here is your chance.  Dispense your Justice."  Serenity urged.

"You're serious." The girl was stunned.

"Of course I'm serious! Call forth your sword, and spill his perverted
blood.  You wanted this girl.  Take your vengeance and be done with it!"
Uranus made no move to comply.  "DO IT!" The command was bellowed
with such force, that Aramas woke in a crying fit.

The squeals of the child, mingled with her own anger and frustration
pushed the Sword Princess into action.  She summoned her soul's sword
to her, and flew at the wailing baby's cradle.  Within an instant she
stood
over Aramas, with her sword raised above her head.  At the sight of
Uranus, the Prince ceased crying and stared at her with large, innocent
eyes.

He reached out for her and smiled hesitantly.

All of Uranus' resolve crumbled beneath the onslaught of the child's
charm, and she fell to her knees weeping over him.  Her sword winked out
of existence the moment her knees touched the floor.

Serenity released Luna with a wave of her hand, healing her injuries in
the
same moment.  The advisor looked between her Queen and the Senshi
with mistrust.  Serenity ignored her closest friend for the time being.
Choosing instead to comfort the afflicted young woman draped over her
son.

"Why didn't you take your Justice?" she asked Uranus.

The short- girl haired wept for sometime before answering. "Because he
was innocent."

"I am glad that you can see the difference."  The Queen said.  "Ur has
been punished.  Stop punishing yourself" She rested her hands on Uranus'
shoulders, and tried ineffectually to massage the girl's pain away.
"There
was nothing that you could have done for Anne, save die with her.  She
died for something that she believed in.  She was the most noble of
souls
and I loved her like a sister."

Serenity walked around the bassinet, so that she could look Uranus in
the
eyes.  "There will come a time when you are called to fight for
something
you believe in Ilzbeth.  Something that you love enough to die for."
The
words hung like a dark prophecy between the two women, bringing with it
an uncomfortable silence.

Aramas took the opportunity of Uranus' distraction to grab a handful of
her short hair and yank.  The mannish Senshi grinned and winced.

*********

The scene faded. Mists closed over the memory.  And another pair of
voices rose from the depths.

"I remember."

Luna and Artemis glowed white and gold in turn, shifting shape as they
did so.  Their now human faces smiled warmly, glowing just as much
as the crescents on their foreheads did.

**********

Luna ran through the corridors of the Palace.  Decorum, for once, had
been thrown to the wind.  The urgency of her message forced her to
assume her felinoid shape, to gain the extra speed and agility needed to
get the message to her Queen; without any embarrassing incidents with
the nobles of the court.

She flew down the Mardrinus' Hall and up the wide flight of stairs that
lead up to the throne room.  Lady Diameties made the mistake of stopping
to talk to the fat, Lord Gorin, and Luna was forced to hurdle them both.
Diameties fell flat on her anorexic butt with a screech, while Gorin
soiled
himself in his surprise.  There were times that Luna hated having
heightened senses.  She had no time to waste on helping "the Bloat" and
"the Stick" to their feet.

Thankfully.

She would never hear the end of this later, but that was an acceptable
fate
if she could save the life of her Prince.

Two guards were stupid enough to bar her path as she barreled up to the
great doors of the throne room. The delay was no more than a blink of
her
eyes, before their stupidity was punished.  It took both men eight weeks
to
recover from their wounds, and they accorded Luna the greatest respect
whenever their paths crossed after that.

As Luna recovered and raced to the dias of her Queen, she noticed that
Setsuna stood at Serenity's side.  The Senshi of Time whispered
something in the Queen's ear at which Serenity nodded.

"Clear the Hall!" Sailor Pluto cried.  Rapping the Time Staff three
times
on the dias.  The ringing it made, held an echo of power in it that sent
noble and page alike scurrying for cover.

The Hall was clear well before Luna had made it half way up the dias.
Luna smiled.  Had it been Saturn instead of Pluto, the Venusian cat knew
that they would have reacted even faster.

Serenity nodded again when the hall was seemingly clear.  "Call them
Pluto."  Setsuna nodded once and bowed before sending out the call to
the
other Senshi.  Luna slowed her pace when she had all but reached the
summit of dias.

The Queen's eyes rested heavily on Luna.  "She has sent them hasn't
she?" Luna hung her head.  "There is no proof Majesty that she is
orchestrating the endeavor," the Chancellor said darkly. "At least not
any
longer."

"Can we revive your witness?" Serenity asked hopefully.

Luna shook her head sadly.  "Onyx left very little to heal Majesty. We
have no evidence to take to Endymion and the council of the Twelve
Kingdoms."

Serenity slammed her fist on the marble arm of her throne with such
force
as to send cracks spider webbing across its surface.  "The WHORE!" she
cried out as she stood.  "THAT SLUTTY WITCH!  She stole my husband,
she sank Atlantis with her greed, and now she seeks to steal MY SON!"

Pluto could count the number of times on two hands that Serenity had
ever been truly angry, and still have fingers to spare.  But in all the
times
that she had seen the woman incensed, she had never known her to exhibit
such hatred.  Serenity whirled on her two aides, her white dress
billowing
wildly to match the fervor in her eyes.

"She will not have him!"  The deadly tone in her voice was enough to
send shivers down the other women's spines. Pluto finally understood the
saying about the lioness and her cub.  "I will go to war before that
slimy,
gutter tramp lays one finger on Aramas!"

The words still echoed loudly throughout the Hall when the other Senshi
began to appear in great pillars of light.  Serenity waited until they
had all
arrived.

Elders Mars, Venus, and Jupiter arrived together.  Followed closely by
Mercury and Neptune.  Serenity waved her hand, indicating that they
search the room.

Mercury's visor ferreted out twenty listening devices and two spies,
that
were dealt with quickly and efficiently.  When nothing else was found
Serenity nodded again to Pluto who tapped her communicator twice
calling out for Uranus and the young Neptune to join the group.

The two young Senshi appeared with a young Aramas cradled in
Neptune's arms, fast asleep.  As far as her son was concerned, Serenity
trusted few.  But Uranus and Neptune had all but adopted the boy as
their
own.  Uranus was as attached to Aramas as Luna, and guarded him just as
fiercely.  And the elegant Neptune was the only other person, next to
the
Queen herself, that could put the young toddler to sleep.  Something
that
grated on Luna's nerves to no end.

Serenity reviewed her champions critically and then motioned them
together.  It was no secret that Onyx of Lemuria had coveted Ahbrim
Ur's heir, nor was it a secret that Serenity lost no love for the woman.
What was a secret was the fact that the Moon Queen had known the other
woman's every step up until her mole had been ferreted out.

The plan to assault the Palace was a well known fact as well, at least
to
Serenity.  And so provisions had been made, a plan set in motion, and
old
favors called in.  With Onyx's attack imminent, it was time to put all
of
this mother's preparation into motion.

She would not lose her son to the witch.  And this plan ensured it.  The
Ginzishou glowed and the Senshi teleported.  Luna was left to console
the
weeping Serenity, as she sent her one and only son away.  War would
descend on them all, destroying the fragile alliances that she had
struggled
so hard to build.  All over the legacy of one, loathsome, man.

Three long years had passed since Ur had been shut away, and here she
stood, still plagued by his evils.  Would she never be free of him?  The
void in her heart testified that he would always hold sway over her.
For
now, all that she could do was weep tears of mourning for the second
time.  Her son was lost to her, cradled in the arms of another, in order
to
be safe from the clutching grasp of evil.

How would love prevail, when she was forced to give away her Hope?

**********

Pluto stood before a very bedraggled Artemis, gently placing the child
in
the Venusian's willowy arms. Young Neptune wept openly, as did some
of the Elder Senshi.

>From this moment Aramas, Prince of the Moon Kingdom was dead. A
fabrication would ensue, and a lie published to cover the myriad of half
truths that they themselves would be forced to speak.

Artemis would have no idea, whose child he raised either.  The poor
beggar hadn't been seen in the palace since he had left Luna at the
altar.
But the Senshi were not allowed to judge men by their faults.  He had
made an error, a painful one that had almost cost him his life.  And
while
his self-inflicted exile aided their cause, Pluto could see that it was
killing
him inside.

"Guard this one as if he were your own, Artemis."  She said solemnly.
"Train him up to defend himself and his Queen, for he will be needed in
the future. Another will come to aid you in your task.  Be watchful." It
was all that needed to be said. Setsuna watched as life entered the
wastelands that were the Venusian's eyes.

He had reason to live again, a purpose and a chance at redemption. She
prayed that he didn't squander it.  Or the second chance that he was
being
given with Luna.

**********

"I remember."

Ami and the other Senshi sang.  Their voices formed a magnificent
chorus that swelled in the heart.  A companionable love underlined an
immense oceanic passion that could barely be contained.

**********

"He returns." Pluto whispered unknowingly to the gathered Senshi.

Young Venus looked at Pluto quizzically.  "Who is returning
Pluto-Sensei?"

Pluto looked up at the gathered soldiers, and smiled grimly. "A ghost."
Her joy faded to a sense of urgency.  "One that might remain a ghost for
true.  Come, Saturn, a life hangs in the balance!"

*****
The Moon Palace

The pounding of distressed boots echoed up and down the pristine
corridors of the Moon Palace.  Servants melted into the shadows in order
to avoid being trampled by the anxious war-weary group.  Isis shadowed
the floating block of ice that she had encased the young mercenary in,
pushing men and women out of her path as she made her way to the
throne room.

**I can't lose you yet, you mule headed man.  I've only just found
you!**

The long, black shaft that pierced his side yet remained, surrounded by
a
swirl of frozen blood.  Her visor carefully monitored his life signs,
telling
her to hurry.  Small clots of Nobility blocked one corridor, gawking at
the
young Senshi of Mercury and her four battle-weary escorts.  Fresh blood
still stained their faces and coursed from minor wounds all along their
bodies.

The young peacocks and hens created a human wall of inquisitiveness that
impeded the troupe's progress.  "Get the hell out of my way, you
vultures!" Mercury screamed at them, her eyes flaring with a blue light
that dropped the hall's temperature thirty degrees instantly.

The young nobles knew when retreat was considered the better part of
valor, and dealing with a bloody, bruised Senshi (albeit a young one)
was
not something that anyone looked forward to.

"There was no need. . ." One of the soldiers started to say.  His once
long,
white mane, had been chopped haphazardly to become a bloody, matted,
grey mess.  He looked old, and tired with a wicked cut running down the
length of his shivering, right arm.

"Shut up Artemis." Isis' breath came out in a puffed cloud, and her tone
seemed to make the room's temperature drop even more.

The other men knew their places and continued to usher their fallen
comrade to the presence of their Queen, as they had been commanded.
Isis refused to remove her eyes from the handsome man's face in the icy
coffin at her side.

*****
The Queen's personal suite

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE'S BACK!"  Serenity couldn't believe her
ears.

Luna cringed against the Queen's onslaught, and quickly tried to
explain
the situation.  "He was wounded in a border skirmish. . . ." Luna winced
even as the words escaped her lips.  That was the last thing that you
tell a
mother about her estranged son.

Serenity's eyes grew heavy with concern, a concern that pushed her from
her chambers at break neck speed.

*****
The Throne Room

Pluto waited patiently.  Time was a stream that carried the universe in
its
currents.  There was no use worrying about when events would happen.
She knew that they just would.

Two doors, on opposite ends of the vast room seemed to blow open
simultaneously.  From one end, marched a grim procession, while
from the other a worried mother that should have known better.

Guards rushed to impede young Mercury, but the icy way their breath
froze before their faces warned them off.  Or it may have actually been
the
sharp, cold stare that she pinned each man with that halted their
advance.
They let her pass, unhindered into the presence of Queen Serenity and
her
champions.

Pluto raised an eye brow at the sudden change in young Mercury. Where a
bookish, reserved girl had left the shining court, a focused,
commanding,
young woman returned.  She closed her eyes and looked into the score of
possible futures.  It was as her future self had hinted at, but she
still had to
play her part.  The future was a fickle thing at best and had to be
handled
carefully.

"Have a care Majesty." Her rich voice called out the warning to the
running Queen, causing her to slow her pace.  Anyone stupid enough to
ignore Sailor Pluto was doomed to folly.  "You stand at a crossroads,
tread
carefully."

Serenity looked at Pluto with an expectant glare, waiting for more
information that she knew wouldn't come. But, there was always hope for
a first time.  The Senshi of Time simply stared back with cool
indifference.  Serenity shook her head, and resigned herself to a sight
that
she knew was going to tear her apart.  A peace seemed to settle over her
as
she assumed the mantle of a ruler again.

"Young Mercury. . . ." Her voice rang clearly throughout the Hall,
betraying more than a little worry.  Sometimes she really hated the
acoustics in this place.  "You have returned to us early, and bearing
the
mark of war on you."  The soldiers immediately bent their knees to their
queen.

She took in each soldier critically gagging their wounds and their
faces,
committing all to memory before returning her gaze to the young woman.
At the sight of Artemis, her eyes widened a bit, but not as much as Luna
's
did when recognition finally set in.

He had matured it seemed.  War tended to do that to a person.

Isis didn't respond right away, engrossed in the readout on her visor.
His
pulse was dropping more!  She frantically began dissolving the ice,
hoping
to warm his body and get aid for his wound.

"Young Mercury?"  Serenity had to remain calm, but the haunted look on
the girl's face was rending her apart inside.  When she still received
no
response, she turned her attention to Elder Mercury.  The woman nodded
and took over control of the situation.

"ISIS!" She called out in her sternest voice. It was a tactic that she
hadn't
had to use since the girl was five, but it was the only thing that she
knew
would get through to her.  True to form, young Mercury jumped and
turned to her mother quickly.  "The Queen has spoken to you Senshi!
What do you have to report?"

Isis grew wide eyed and curtsied before her liege.

"Softly Hathomet.  There is no need to scold your daughter, so."  The
Queen said, drawing near the melting block of ice. "It is clear that
there is
a life hanging in the balance."

The young Senshi of Mercury could hold the tears back no longer and
crumbled beneath the stress of her first real conflict, and the harsh
reality
that she might lose her first true love.

"Majesty, please!  Is there nothing that you can do to save him?"  She
pleaded.

Serenity needed no more permission to act.  She motioned to Elder Mars
to remove the ice from around the young man and moved out of the way
so that Saturn could work as well.  It was difficult to remove herself
from
her son's side, but appearances needed to be maintained.

She drew Isis to her, wrapping an arm around the girl's shoulder as she
escorted her away from the crowd. "Tell me what happened." She said
softly. "Why was a diplomatic embassy attacked?  Were they bandits or
something more?"

Isis looked into her queen's angelic face, anger and hatred welling from
deep within her.  The change in moods took Serenity back.  Isis was the
gentlest soul that she knew next to her own daughter.  To merit this
level
of emotion, the news would be grim indeed.

"Lemuria has advanced on Khartur your majesty, and the holy city has
fallen to Onyx."  Serenity's eyes narrowed to tiny slits as well at the
news.
"We walked into a trap."

Artemis made himself known then, by angrily breaking the shaft that had
moments before been imbedded in the young man's side.  The act
drew everyone's attention to the Venusian, and from him to the now
sitting young man.  A mop of dark hair topped his roguishly handsome
features.

**So much like his father. . . .** Serenity thought bleakly.

He looked around him at the surroundings, and smirked.  "So Pop," he
said flippantly.  "Did we win?" Luna growled at the broken speech
patterns.  She had spent twelve years teaching him how to speak
properly
and in just under three, Artemis had destroyed all that she had done.

"Artemis. . . ."  She hissed dangerously.

Artemis looked up at Luna and shrugged.  Aramas turned his gaze from
his foster father at the sound of Luna's voice.  The boy's eyes lit up
in
recognition and he was about to speak again, when Artemis took the
opportunity to sucker punch the young man, knocking him out cold.

There was a collective gasp throughout the room from those that knew
who the Venusian had just hit.  Eyes slowly found a very calm Serenity
clutching her dress until her knuckles had turned white, while trying to
reign in her temper.

She knew that he was right in doing so.  There were still spies among
her
court and her guard, and the moment that Onyx found out about Aramas,
chaos would erupt among the Twelve Kingdoms.  All because of who the
boy was.

The Venusian looked up at everyone with a puzzled look on his face.  But
directed his comments to Luna.  "What! He needs to rest doesn't he?"

No one in the History of the Silver Millennium had ever witnessed Queen
Serenity face-fault before.  For Artemis, it had to be one of the
funniest
things he had ever seen.  That is until he found his way into a dungeon
cell
for the night.

He was let out in time to see his foster son inducted into the Crescent
Guard, even as he himself was given his new commission as an advisor to
Serenity's throne.

*********
Somewhere in China. . . I think.

By the time Mousse's ears stopped ringing, and he could open his eyes
without a stabbing headache assaulting his brain, it was dark.  It wasn'
t so
much the lack of light that tipped him off, it was the voices of night
creatures singing to each other.  The odd way that the sounds echoed
spoke of a shelter of some kind, which by the musty dampness, was a cave
or over hang of some sort.

A crackling nearby spoke of a camp fire, but the abundant smell of wood
smoke, that hung heavily in the air, was far more than the small fire
could
produce.  He moaned softly as he sat up, clutching his head against the
throbbing that beset him.

<Lie down Mousse.> Phau Set's soft command set his teeth on edge. Why
did all women find it within themselves to order a man about?

<I am tired of lying down.> He propped himself up onto his elbows,
desperately fighting off the vertigo that fell upon him.

He would have made it farther, had it not been for a strong, yet petite,
hand impeding his progress. <Let me up.> his voice was filled with
impatient petulance.  It was then that he noticed that he was only
covered
with a small blanket covering his waist.  He blushed and narrowed his
eyes dangerously. <Where Are my clothes?>

<You're even more dense now, than before you left the village.>  She
said
in exasperation, ignoring his demand and his question with equal fervor.
<And worse company. . . .>

<Look you!> he bristled, <I didn't ask for your repugnant company!  So
you can just go to. . .>

"WHAM!"

Phau Set shook her aching hand, and watched as Mousse stared back at
her blankly.  His eyes had this funny, glazed, look about them as the
large
welt slowly grew from the top of his head where she made contact.

<I've had worse you know.> He said calmly before passing into a
dreamless slumber.

<He's grown stronger. . . .> The younger Amazon said fondly.

<And more insolent.> Her sister snapped from where she sat next to
Ryouga. <We should leave them here and be on our way.>

<After they saved us Xi Fu?> Phau Set said incredulously. <Twice?  I
thought that you above all would honor a blood debt.>  Xi Fu grumbled
darkly, but said nothing in return.  The large stick that she was
stirring the
coals with, stabbed more than stirred.

<I helped carry this great oaf didn't I?> She said defensively. <I could
have left him. . . . I should have, he weighs a ton!>

<If you say so.> Phau Set didn't try to hide the smile that lit up her
face in
the soft fire light.  Xi Fu grumbled more, and her stabbing increased
vigorously.

The sisters sat in silence for a time, Phau Set cleaning Mousse's many
wounds and Xi Fu trying her level best to ignore Ryouga's naked chest.
And failing considerably.

They both had been amazed at the sheer devastation that Ryouga's attack
had caused, and even more so that both men had survived with only a few
bruises.  Their clothing however had been another story altogether.  Not
that the two were complaining. . . really.

<So what are we going to do now?> Xi Fu demanded angrily.

<Wait for them to recover I suppose.  We can't risk carrying them
again,>
she swallowed hard, <. . . not if we want to live at any rate.>

Xi Fu removed the burning stick from the flames and stared at it harshly
for a long time. <That's what I thought you'd say.> She plunged the
stick
deep into the coals wrathfully, and then cuddled up next to Ryouga.
With
little reluctance at all Phau Set observed. <You've got first watch.
Wake
me in four hours.>

Ryouga snored loudly in his sleep and threw an arm over Xi Fu, causing
the Amazon to squawk in protest and punch Ryouga in the small of his
ribs.  It felt like hitting stone, but the Lost Boy grunted and removed
the
offending appendage.

  Phau Set couldn't help but giggle, earning a scathing look from her
sister.
<You find something amusing sister?> The tone of her speech was
measured, but sending off more menace than their mother's yelling ever
had.

<No. No, no, no.> She protested. <Not at all.> The small smile, and the
mirthful snort that escaped her lips gave away the lie.

<That's good.> Xi Fu said sweetly. <Because you get to keep "Stony"
here, warm tomorrow night.> Phau Set's laughter was severed quite
nicely, allowing Xi Fu to work herself into a more comfortable spot.

If the Outsider lived through this, she was going to make sure that he
suffered for it.  Ryouga snorted again and threw an arm over the Amazon,
who growled fiercely under her breath.

No man had the right to do this to her. . . .  No matter how good it
felt.

**********
"I remember."

Serenity and Endymion blended their voices harmoniously.  For each
sound a star was born to light the darkness, and the strength of their
love
warmed all present.

**********

Prince Endymion waited patiently beneath the Princess' balcony in the
Tellan Garden, named for a stalwart family that had died defending the
Queen when she was younger.  Tall hedges blocked the rest of the
courtyard from prying eyes, and Stardrops bloomed fragrantly throughout
the small garden.

The night air was cool against his face, but not unpleasantly so.  He
had
wanted to do this for quite sometime, but had never had the nerve.  Had
it
not been a reliable tip from Aramas, the Prince of Terra would never
have
known of the Princess' crush.

"Serenity!"  He whispered nervously, as loudly as he dared without
drawing the attention of the night watch.

The balcony remained dark.

"Serenity!"  He tried a little louder, with no more success than before.
He
thought for sure that she would have at least waited up for him.

Particularly after the letter that Aramas had forced him to write, with
the
help of the Inner Senshi of course.

"She fell asleep twenty minutes ago."

Endymion started at the sound of Aramas' voice above him.  The branch
of the apple tree that supported the guardsman, didn't seem big enough.
Nevertheless, Aramas lounged on the limb as if it were a couch or a bed.

"Once her head hits the pillow, nothing short of Pluto's Dead Scream can
wake her. . ."  He smiled cattily, and continued.  ". . . unless you
know the
secret of course."

Endymion knew that he was walking into some sort of mischief, but for
the life of himself, couldn't stop the question from coming.  "What
secret?"

Aramas winked playfully, and then stood up casually.  "Watch."  He took
a deep breath, and to Endymion's utter dismay yelled at the top of his
lungs.

"APPLE TARTS!  CHOCOLATE CREAM PASTRIES!  RASPBERRY
ICE!  STRAWBERRY PIE!  CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES!"  A
contented moan sounded from the room above, as he paused for a breath.

He looked down into Endymion's frantic gaze, with a carefree glint in
his
eyes.  The Prince of Earth cast his eyes about looking for the Night
Watch,
that any moment would storm the garden and carry them away.

Aramas snorted dryly before yelling again. "SERENITY!  YOU'RE
LATE!"

There was a screech, and then a cry, followed by a loud "Thump!" from
up above.  A few very choice, very colorful epitaphs drifted down to
Endymion's ears, letting him know that this was not the first time that
Aramas had woken the Princess in the middle of the night.

A deftly thrown shoe arced out the window to topple Serenity's impish
guard.  One would  think that after almost two years of service, that
the
two would come to some sort of agreement.  But the heat in Serenity's
eyes was evidence enough for any court, to see that she loathed her
bodyguard.

"ARAMAS!  You Cow-kissing sonofa. . . ."  Serenity's voice trailed off
as
she saw Endymion standing beneath the balcony.

The two stared at each other for a long time, neither moving or saying a
word.  It was even hard to breath, for fear of breaking the magic of the
moment.

Aramas slipped away silently, far enough to give the two a semblance of
privacy, but close enough to protect his charge if the need arose.

**********

"I remember."

Ranma floated in the sweet stillness of a black void.  Literally
thousands
of images surged through his confused mind.  Visions of a life long
past,
and the fresher scars of nightmares from this life that had yet to fade.

**********

Ranma clutched the doll that held Akane's soul to his chest with one
hand, while the other held the Gekkaja.  The crescent bladed staff
cooled him against the fierce onslaught of Saffron's heat, as he fell
earthward.

**She'll never make it if I wait for us to land.** He thought direly.
**When she closes her eyes, it'll be too late!** All he needed was to
restore the moisture to her body, and the Dragon Tap was just beneath
him.  The cold water would re-hydrate her and she'd be okay.  He
gathered his strength and tossed the Gekkaja like a spear, with pinpoint
accuracy, into the head of the tap.  It would cool the water as it
flowed
from the mouth of the ornamental dragon.

Unfortunately, he wasn't falling fast enough to reach the water in time,
and he knew it.

**The air's still filled with Saffron's heat.  If I bring down my Cold
Fist
here, I can call the water. . . .** He looked at the small doll in his
hands
with concern. **Until then, don't die Akane!**

He focused his spirit and allowed himself to call forth the calm he
needed
to perform the maneuver.  His body temperature dropped considerably
cooling the humid air around him.  His fist started glowing as the air
whipped his pigtail in a frenzy behind his head.

"HISSHOU NO ICHIGEKI!" (A Strike for Life!) He cried out defiantly to
the Fates, and his fist glowed brighter still.

He had one shot at this, he had to make it count.  The punch flew from
him with all the strength that he could spare.

**Dragon Look to the Heavens!** His prayer was equal parts command
and plea as the energy that he had built shot forth from his arm, down
towards the Dragon Tap.

"HIRYU GYOTEN HAAAAAAA!" (Flying Dragon Staring up at Heaven
Strike)

The concentrated cyclone shot forth like the finger of God, down into
the
Dragon Tap, tearing it apart as if it were made of paper.  The whirlwind
collected the pieces, spinning them above the shattered neck of the tap.

**Please work! PLEASE!** his heart cried out urgently, as the miniature
tornado slammed the severed head of the giant faucet, down on top of the
broken neck.  Water fountained upward, in an angry release, from the
mouth of the Dragon toward Ranma.

"DID IT!"  He cried triumphantly as cold water washed over him.  He
could feel his mass shift slightly.  His center of gravity changed and
the
world seemed a little larger through his eyes.

**Akane, it's the water.  Please come back to me, please!!** The magic
water from the tap drenched the tiny doll, which seemed to suck it up
thirstily and expand impossibly.

"A. . .AKANE!"

Ranma held Akane's now normal, and very naked body; his concern for
modesty was thrown to the wind as he looked for any signs of life.  His
heart plummeted as he found . . . nothing.

No pulse.  No breath.

Nothing.

He landed on the ground lightly, cradling Akane's still form in his
arms.
His heart still pounded like a jackhammer, trying to burst free from his
chest. But aside from that, the rest of his body was numb.

Somehow, he managed to find a kettle and heated it from a pool of
scalding water left over from the Phoenix Tap.  The water washed over
him, allowing the world to return to its normal proportions.

He settled down near a pool of cool water and slipped his shirt around
Akane's shoulders to preserve what little dignity that he could on her
behalf.

He had taken too long.  Saffron had just been too tough.  If only she
had
stayed out of the fight!  If she would have, just once, listened to him
and
not interfered!  If she hadn't interfered, he would have been dead.
Ranma
raised his fist and hit himself, leaving a nasty bruise on his cheek.

"Sorry. . . , that's not what I meant to say . . . ."  His voice was
thick with
the pain of his broken heart.  "I really wanted to say 'Thank you'...."

The only sound was the quiet splashing of the water near by.  No one
intruded; no one dared.

"I'm sorry Akane. . . ." He faltered.  His eyes became misty with tears.
"It's
because. . . I'm awkward. . . ."  His breath escaped his lungs in a
ragged
sigh as he brushed the hair behind her ear with a soft slow motion.

"I could never tell you how I really felt, so I just kept making you mad
at
me and hurting you...."  A sudden sense of desperation entered his soul.
He needed her.  She was the only one that he truly loved and he had
never
had the courage to tell her.

"... wake up Akane...."

A cool breeze tousled his hair.

"There's something that I want to say...."

**... please.**

"Akane... Can't you hear me?"  The tears began to fall.  He couldn't
hold
them back; if he tried he knew that he would break beneath the pressure.


The small wet diamonds fell on her beautifully pale face and slid down
the contours of her cheek.

"Please let me tell you that I love you, Akane!"  His appeal was met by
silence and his anguished, helpless tears pooled around her eyes as he
held
her close.

"AKANE!"  The torment of his loss shot to the Heavens, and the pooled
tears rolled down her cheeks; as if she too wept at the cruelty of life.
Their love, having never been acknowledged, would never find fruition.

The echoes of his grief bounced throughout the mountain vale, adding a
thousand voices to his one. A chorus of Ranmas mourned while he sat
immobile with his love clutched to his chest in a death grip.  Shock
settled over him and after an unknown period of time, depression.  All
his
pain, all of his loss, spiraled into himself.  He gathered it all to him
like a
shepherd would his flock, and nurtured it.

Nothing mattered anymore.  She was gone and wasn't coming back.  So
what was there left to live for?  Nothing.

No more silent dreams.  No more fun.  No more secret smiles.

No more Akane.

This was a sacred place, a place of change; a place of Power.  A power
that sung out to Ranma to be used.  He could see the blood lines that
made
up the Earth's Ki.  They were great, spiritual veins that intersected at
various points all around him.

**Use us.**  They seemed to whisper. **Use us.**

And so, Ranma did.  He opened himself fully to them and absorbed their
might, making it his own.  He was never sure of how he did what he did,
but he found himself drawing in the rivers of power until it hurt.

That's when he felt Ryouga hit him across his jaw.  The blow didn't
fully
register, let alone the young man's words; despite the fact that the
Lost
Boy was apparently screaming them.

He followed Ryouga's pointing finger to the group of innocents cluttered
together in terror behind him and then let his vision drift back to his
own
glowing body.  The sickly green aura that cascaded from his hands hurt
to
look at.

". . .anma!  Let it go or you'll kill us all!  You've gathered too much
power!"  Soun and Genma joined Ryouga and softly urged Ranma to
release the energy.

He didn't do it because they asked him to.  He did it because it's what
Akane would have wanted.

With casual slowness, he lifted his hand and pointed at a random
mountain.  No sound left his lips as the concentrated beam launched
itself
from the tip of his finger.  The shockwave that followed in the blast's
wake, however, knocked everyone on their backs.

There was a flash of light and an incredible roar, then silence.

He heard someone behind him saying something in an awed voice.
Shampoo, he thought; but he couldn't quite make out what she had said.
All of his attention was fixed on the face of the woman he had failed.
Her
body was growing colder by the minute, but he couldn't let her go.

If he could have torn his gaze away from her silent face, he would have
seen that the mountain he had chosen was . . . gone.

**I'm sorry Akane.** his mind whispered pitifully, **So very sorry.**
He
kissed her pale lips for the first and last time of his own free will,
wishing
that he had done this a very long time ago.

**********

Ranma woke to an immense headache.  His brain felt like melted butter in
a hot skillet.  There was an uncomfortable heaviness laying across his
chest and shoulders.  He didn't remember a whole lot, except for that
crazy dream.

The sudden void in his heart hurt just as bad as now as it had then, and
he
silently wondered if the pain would ever stop. **Akane.**

He groggily wondered where he was, and allowed his mind to backtrack
over the events.  He remembered walking with Ami to her friend's house,
and then there was that freaky guy with the c. . .c. . cat head.  And
then
Mercury showed up....

MARUT!"  Ranma's eyes shot open, to find himself in a dark kitchen.

The Rhakshasa's name still hung on his lips, as more of the strange
images tumbled around in his head.  His eyes closed tiredly as memories
bobbed erratically to the surface of his mind.


Names, places, faces. . . deeds.  It was all a tangled mess that he
worked
through slowly.

He had worn a black and silver uniform, and had fought something that he
had known to be Marut with a different shape; lots of wings and three
faces.  Isis. . .Isis?  Who was that?

She had fought along side of him....  No it hadn't been Isis, it had
been
Ami.

Yeah.  That seemed right.

They had scarred the bastard together.  Marking him for forever. He had
promised to hunt them for that Eternity, and destroy them in every
incarnation they donned.

The slime had vowed to kill Ami, he wouldn't let Ami die like he had let
Akane die. Ami had been fighting Marut when Ranma had been under the
rubble.  He had heard them.  AMI!

Ranma bolted up right, sending a yowling Luna flying from his chest to
land on Usagi's face.  Ami's head slid from his stomach into his lap,
and
for a moment. . . for just one instant Ranma thought that he was seeing
a
ghost come back to life.

The way that her hair fell across her face, and the way that her lips
pouted,
were so very familiar.  Not Akane. . . not really, but someone else that
he
had lost long ago.

His head hurt terribly, and everything was hazy.  The people around him
were familiar, and yet save for a few minor introductions here and
there,
he was sure that he had never laid eyes on them before.  But he knew
things about them, or at least felt he did.  Things that only a close
friend
would know.

Especially Usagi and Endymion....

Wait a minute. . .  Endymion?  Who the hell was that?

"Ugh."  His body protested movement vehemently, but Ranma made
himself get up anyway.  He arranged Ami so that she would be
comfortable until she woke, checking her for injuries in the process.

When he was satisfied with Ami's health, he immediately moved onto
Usagi.  Worry and fear marred his face as he checked her over carefully.

"Is she alright?"  Luna's voice asked anxiously.

"She'll be fine Mama.  It would take more than this to put the likes of
her
out of commission."  Ranma smiled and rocked back to rest on his heel,
his arms resting on his knees.

The long look over the young woman was accompanied by a hundred
different memories, good and bad.  They made his head throb and his
body tighten up, which irritated him.

"I see that she's filling out some in the hips though."

It was unfortunate that Usagi had chosen that moment to wake. Well,
unfortunate for Ranma that is.

"ARAMAS NO BAKA!"  The same cast iron skillet that had rendered
Ranma insensate before, was brought into play a second time.  The
resulting ringing echo was enough to wake everyone else, while sending
Ranma into a well needed nap.

Usagi grumbled under her breath about being cursed with idiot brothers,
while she fidgeted with her skirt.  She hadn't had sweets in a whole
week,
not counting the frozen yogurt treats that she had this afternoon, and
the
candy bar at lunch, and the chocolate cup cakes for breakfast, and....

The list went on and on, until finally Usagi gave up and started
wailing.
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!  I'M FAAAAAAAAAT!"

Luna covered her eyes with her paw and shook her head in dismay.  One
would think that after several thousand years of separation, that the
two of
them would finally get along.

**Yeah, right. . . .** she thought grimly as she inspected the lump on
Ranma's forehead.

********
End Part Seven