Lines Of Destiny
A Sailor Moon / Ranma 1/2 Crossover
By Louis-Philippe Giroux

Sailor Moon was created by Naoko Takeuchi and Ranma 1/2 by Rumiko Takahashi. Please don't sue me.

Chapter 10

    While Akane was slowly remembering memories of her previous life, Ranma was still awake, thinking about what had happened in the last two days. He had been so sure he would finally be able to relax with Akane, to have a chance to live a normal life and now, because of the curse, he would have to be extra careful around his cousin during the next few days.
    Disgusted by it all, he closed his eyes, trying one last time to find the sleep that had eluded him so far.

    The next thing he realized, he was standing in a forest clearing. He looked around, not recognizing where he was. He knew this was a dream, so at some point his mind would release him to where he wanted to be. At any rate, it was peaceful here, and peace was something he had had little of so far in his life.
    He sat down and prepared to meditate for a while when a voice from behind him said, "I hate to disturb you, but could we talk for a little while?"
    Ranma spun around, startled. Standing a few feet away was a girl who looked exactly like his female side, except for her hairstyle and clothing. Instead of a braid or a ponytail, her hair hung loose and came almost completely down her back. Her outfit was stranger than most Ranma had seen so far, although it seemed to tickle his memory for some reason. What she was wearing was analogous to a blue bodysuit with a long, knee-length skirt that parted up the front. On her forearms were bracers, similar to the ones he usually wore, but made of leather, and from them, leading up to her shoulder, were translucent ribbons that twisted upward. On her feet were white boots with a strange arrow-like design which was also familiar for some reason. But what caught Ranma's eye was the dark blue cloak that was tossed back over her shoulders, or rather the pin that closed the cloak above her breasts. It was a symbol that he would recognize anywhere now. A symbol which held both a mixture of pride, fear, and strangely enough, longing.

    It was a quartered circle.
    The symbol of a kingdom long dead, a remnant the past.
    A symbol worn only by the Royal Family of that kingdom.
    The symbol for the planet Earth.

    "Who're you?" he asked warily.
    The girl did not answer as she sat down on a tree stump. She looked at him with a secretive smile. "This clearing used to be our favourite hiding spot when we played hide and seek with Endymion. Don't you remember it?"
    Ranma became nervous. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said, slightly backing away. "Who're you?" he repeated.
    The girl took a deep breath. "I'm you, or at least part of who you used to be. I can give you a formal introduction, but I'm fairly sure you know who I am."
    Ranma started. The first part was exactly what the voice had said when he had first transformed into... *NO!!!* he thought. *That's over!*
    The girl sighed, shaking her head. "I'm afraid you're not quite right, Ranma. Nothing is over yet."
    "Hey! How'd you know what I was thinking!?" Ranma protested.
    "Why wouldn't I know what we're thinking?"
    Ranma blinked, unsure of what to say.
    The girl smiled slightly. "It's so confusing to you, isn't it? You don't even want to consider the truth."
    Ranma felt a cold shiver go down his spine. "What truth?"
    The girl had an expression of sympathy on her face that was almost hard to look at. "What I mean is that you and I are the same person. We always have been and always will be."
    "NO!" Ranma snapped, suddenly angry. "I know who you are! You're the stupid girl who drowned in the damn Jusenkyou spring 1500 years ago! This is all your fault!"
    The girl suddenly looked introspective. "Maybe in a way it is," she said in a soft voice. She shook her head and turned once more towards Ranma, suddenly looking tired. "It was as much my fault as it is yours, Ranma. In some ways you're still as stubborn as we ever were."
    "I wasn't the one who drowned at Jusenkyou!" Ranma snapped.
    The girl shook her head. "Maybe it would help if you remembered..."
    Ranma backed away without realizing it. "I remember everything about my life just fine and I know you weren't anywhere in it before Jusenkyou!"
    The girl said nothing. She just looked at him, pity evident in her eyes.

    And he Remembered.
    Ranma remembered Atlantis, the beauty of it, and the place where she had grown up.
    He remembered her parents and Aunt Yonagi playing and being with her as she grew up.
    He remembered laughing and playing with Endymion when she was a child.
    Remembered the trusted friendship of the Guardians, whom she considered a part of her family.
    Remembered how they trained her to fulfil her destined role as Terra.
    Meeting with Serenity, whom she loved with all her heart.
    The Oath she gave to Serenity.
    Joy.
    Sadness.
    Love.
    Death.

    The Truth.

    "NOOOOOO!!!" Ranma screamed, falling to his knees. "GET OUT OF MY HEAD! I'M RANMA SAOTOME! I'M A MAN, YOU HEAR ME?!!" Ranma eventually collapsed to his knees. "Please stop it, stop it, stop itstopitstopit..." he begged, his eyes shut tight. He stayed that way until he felt someone put a hand on his shoulder and a soft voice speak.
    "Please, Ranma. You'll never be able to face the future if you don't accept your past."
    Ranma's eyes opened and he saw that... her. But he knew who she was. Who... he... had been. *NO!!!* a part of him still protested. He pushed himself to his feet.
    "Why?" he asked in a hoarse voice. "Why do you do this to me, Akana? I did nothing to you!"
    Akana smiled. "So. You've finally admitted to yourself who I am and who you were. It's a beginning."
    But Ranma kept going. "It makes no sense. How could we possibly be the same... You lived so long ago!" But he knew, the memories had come back and this time, there was no escaping them.
    She closed her eyes. "You and I represent the ultimate form of what you know as Yin and Yang. We are two halves of the same soul, split apart by an incident almost 1500 years ago. An incident where I lost my life and my fiance to those I trusted with my life."
    Ranma did not want to remember, but he did. All those memories... And the worst of it was that he could hear the Jusenkyou Guide's voice: *Very tragic story of young girl who drown in spring one thousand five hundred years ago. Now whoever fall in that spring...*
    Akana continued: "1500 years ago, we were Akana, Princess of Atlantis, First Princess of Earth, the younger sister of Prince Endymion. The world we lived in was peaceful and I was fortunate enough to be born to a loving family. It was divined very early in my life that I would one day inherit the mantle of Sailor Terra, Senshi of Earth."
    On cue, Akana's clothes shifted to her Sailor Terra fuku. "Being named one of the Senshi was one of the greatest honors and also one of the greatest responsibilities in the system. I clearly remember the first time I met Princess Serenity. She truly deserved her name. As time went on, I met the other girls who would become Senshi as well and we became close friends. I had a very good life... until the day we died."
    "You still haven't told me what you want," said Ranma, oddly calm.
    Akana took a deep breath. "When I was dropped, nearly dead, in a pool at Jusenkyou, my last thoughts were about Serenity. When I felt the magic ripping my soul out of my body, I tried to hold on as long as I could... but..." Akana paused and closed her eyes. "To this day, I'm still not sure what really happened, but I had given up when I heard Queen Serenity's voice telling me I would someday be reborn, along with the princess and the other Senshi. It's probably the only thing that has kept me from going completely mad, being trapped within that cursed spring for so long."
    Ranma listened and against his will found himself remembering every detail Akana spoke of. He remembered his final struggle with Nephrite and Zoisite. He remembered dying. He unconsciously put a hand to his chest, remembering the exact spot where the sword had run him through.
    "And then," Akana continued. "I felt it, eighteen years ago. Our rebirth. It filled me with a happiness you couldn't possibly understand. It also meant the Princess would eventually be reborn. But something went... wrong. We were reborn as a man."
    "And what's wrong with that?" asked Ranma menacingly.
    "In itself, absolutely nothing," replied Akana, nonplussed. "But you couldn't access your Senshi abilities with half your soul missing, among other things. There was still a chance, though. By that time, many travellers had been to Jusenkyou and I had figured out how the springs worked."
    "Which reminds me," Ranma interrupted. "I know for a fact that the Musk Dynasty used the Nyannichuan to make wives out of animals. Lots of other people must've fallen in the Nyannichuan along the years. If you're the one that drowned in Jusenkyou, does that mean you possess everyone who's cursed?"
    Akana shook her head. "They never gained my soul; the pool gave them a... rough approximation of my shape. I've told you that when I died, something really strange happened. I have the feeling that my soul was supposed to have been completely sealed in the spring. Forever."
    Ranma shivered. No matter how he might feel about the entire issue, that was not something he would wish on his worst enemy.
    As if reading his thoughts, Akana continued. "Fortunately, part of it was... rescued by Queen Serenity. If my soul had been completely trapped, who knows what might have happened. But the fact is that my soul hadn't been completely trapped. It had been broken into two pieces like a puzzle. It could only be complete if the two pieces were reunited. That's why I was so happy when we were reborn; not only because of the Princess, but also because it meant a chance of finally being complete once more."
    Ranma's eyes narrowed at that point, but Akana continued.
    "I've always been half-aware of what you did throughout your childhood. Kind of like a vague dream... or nightmare, depending on the times. I must say I was... surprised at times to see how differently you were raised from the way we were."
    "Stop that," Ranma cut in.
    Akana blinked. "Stop what?"
    "This 'we' stuff. As far as I'm concerned, we're talking about you, not about us."
    The redhead shrugged. "I'm you. In the past, we were Akana, but now, we're also Ranma."
    It was Ranma's turn to blink in confusion, even as his beliefs told him this was perfectly believable.
    Akana paused a moment, and then continued when Ranma did not say anything more. Wincing slightly, she said, "I feel sorry about the Neko-Ken training by the way. We used to love cats, especially the Advisors to the Court. All things considered, I think that Endymion was a much better father than Genma ever was or could be."
    Ranma gave up trying to convince her not to use 'we'. He then blinked, something she had said coming back to him. "I thought you said that Endymion was your brother..." he trailed suspiciously.
    Akana gave a short, heartfelt laugh. "Think about it Ranma. You've got our memories, use them!"
    Ranma frowned, unsure, but almost instantly, the answer came to his mind. He remembered his... her brother, Endymion and his... her father, also named Endymion. *Aghh!* thought Ranma, exasperated. *Gotta get those damn memories outta my head!* When he looked at Terra again, he noticed she was frowning slightly for the first time since he'd encountered her.
    "Ranma, why do you keep fighting the memories?" she asked, tilting her head.
    "Because they're not mine!" he snapped, not thinking about what he was saying. "I don't care who you are or who you were, but I'm not going to let you take over my mind!" He stopped ranting and looked at Akana, waiting for her reaction. So far, she'd only raised her eyebrows questioningly.
    She snickered.
    Then she laughed.
    Ranma braced himself for an attack, then realized that Akana's laughter wasn't maniacal, but rather mirthful. Akana was almost bent in two, as if she was laughing at the greatest joke that had ever been said. Ranma wasn't too sure what to make of it, though. Eventually the laughter subsided some.
    "You... (snicker) You think that I'm trying to take over our mind?" she asked, trying to choke back the urge to laugh some more. "That's the silliest thing I ever heard!"
    Ranma found it hard to remain angry against his redheaded counterpart, but he still managed to look it. "If you're not planning to take over, then why are you shoving all those memories inside my head?"
    Akana shook her head, still smiling widely.
    *Because we are the same person, Ranma.*
    Ranma took a step back, surprised. Where had that thought come from?
    "So stubborn," said Akana ruefully. "Let me finish our story, okay?" she asked. Not waiting for an answer, she continued. "As I was saying earlier, I've been half-aware of everything you did when you were young. Until you left on your training trip, however, I wasn't sure there would ever be a way for us to be reunited once more. But then you came to Jusenkyou."
    "Wait a minute," said Ranma, interrupting her. "Coming to Jusenkyou was Pop's stupid idea, not mine." His eyes suddenly narrowed and his tone suddenly became threatening. "Did you manipulate Pop into coming to Jusenkyou?" he asked, almost snarling.
    Akana did not seem to take offense at the change in tone. "I appreciate your faith in my abilities, but no, I couldn't have influenced your father any more than I could have gotten out of that spring by myself. It was fate that drew you to Jusenkyou, not me."
    "Fate?" Ranma scoffed. "Yeah, right!"
    Akana shrugged. "Believe what you will, but I can see no other reason why you wound up at Jusenkyou." She then paused, eyebrows furrowing in concentration. "Well, there is someone who could have interfered, but..." she trailed off, shaking her head. "I'm getting sidetracked. Anyway, to make a long story short, so to speak, when you fell in the spring, you became my salvation. For the first time since my death, I was at peace. We were complete, at long last... or so I thought."
    "What do you mean, 'or so I thought'?" asked Ranma. "You still haven't explained why I've never had these memories before today or why you never spoke to me before. It's not as if you haven't had time."
    Akana looked introspective. "I thought we became complete when you fell into the spring, but a few moments later I found out that we weren't. At least not entirely. I could see out your eyes, feel everything you felt, and know who you were completely, but I couldn't get through to you or let you know I was there. You have a very formidable will Ranma, and I think that, along with certain other factors, prevented us from fully rejoining. We became one being once again, yet still two separate ones, if that makes any sense. Perhaps because your will was stronger, or perhaps a side effect of Jusenkyou, or maybe even because of the time we spent apart, but I became devastated, and let myself reside into the background. Over the years, as you became less stubborn about things, a few memories started to return, but it wasn't until we transformed back into Sailor Terra that the final barriers broke down."
    Ranma was at a loss. All the memories said that Akana was speaking the truth, yet there was still some part of him that stubbornly refused to believe he and the girl were in any way related.
    Akana took his indecision as a sign to continue. "When that happened, all of our memories flooded into you. I think it came in too fast, because you were in shock when I tried to talk to you and let you know I was here. Seeing as my talking to you was making you hysterical and that you weren't going to listen to me anyway, I temporarily... hid away until you and I could talk about it. Mars helped the process along when she... well, cleaned up in here." Akana frowned slightly in confusion. "It's still hard to think of Mars as our cousin in this life, and not to be directly related to Endymion but... Oh well, once our cousin was done, I decided to wait until you fell asleep, since I figured it would be easier for us to talk like this."
    "I wish I'd never turned in to Sailor Terra, then," Ranma muttered. He looked at Akana and blinked when he realized that she looked as if she was about to cry. "Err... What'd I say?" he asked, unintelligently.
    Akana's voice was thick with emotion. "I'm stuck in a spring for who knows how long, missing a part of my soul, always conscious, never sleeping and when I finally get a chance to meet myself again, he treats me as a... a curse and wishes he'd never seen me," she said, bitterly. "How am I supposed to feel? Elated? I realize you haven't been real happy about your trip to Jusenkyou, but I thought you'd at least appreciate learning that the form you view as a curse isn't one," she finished, nearing tears. Apparently, the redhead had been pushed a little too far.
    Ranma felt ashamed of himself at that moment, partly because he knew that Akana wasn't faking her emotions. He tried to apologize. "Look, I'm sorry, but I thought you were trying to take over my mind..." he never finished as Akana suddenly looked at him, pleading him to understand.
    "I don't want your body, Ranma! Haven't you figured that part out yet? I've already lived my life and it would be selfish of me to try and deprive you of yours. Besides, I'm not heartless. I know you're married. I would never try to break you and your wife up. I happen to know how much you went through for her in the last two years."
    Ranma was beginning to feel like a complete jerk. She hadn't lied about this either. He was about to try apologizing once more when Akana continued.
    "Besides," said the redhead in a subdued tone, "I like Akane. She looks a lot like Kanma, and seeing you with her helps me imagine what life could have been like if Kanma and I hadn't paid the price for my foolishness."
    *Kanma?* Ranma thought, puzzled. "Your fiance, right?" Akana nodded. Ranma blinked as an image came back to him. *He does look like Akane...* Ranma shook his head. The last thing he wanted to do was remember being engaged to a man. He noticed that there was a point she had avoided discussing, though. "What about the Senshi? I can't take up the mantle of Sailor Terra with my promise to Akane, and I don't want to. Would it be too much to ask for some peace? What we knew in our past life?"
    Akana sighed. "No, it isn't too much to ask." Her tone became pleading: "At least help them to train, teach them what you know. In an emergency become Sailor Terra and help them. As a martial artist you know the code as well as I do, and you know the oath we swore. An oath that transcends our lives."
    *She just had to say it,* thought Ranma, feeling trapped. The oath played itself in his mind. 'As a martial artist I will always help those who are in trouble, in need of help, or in need of a friend. I will not turn my back on duty or honour, and will not forsake those whose needs outweigh my own. I will fight and die for what is right and honourable, and I will defend the Lords and Ladies to whom I am sworn.' Ranma looked askance at Akana. "I don't think they really need my help, though," said Ranma, trying to salvage the situation. "They've seemed to have done rather well so far," he remarked.
    Akana took a deep breath and sighed. "Ranma, do you remember the other Oath, the one we swore so long ago?" she asked.
    Ranma did not answer.
    "I know you remember it. Are you so afraid to speak of it?"
    "I'm not afraid of anything!" Ranma snapped.
    Akana looked at him expectantly.
    Ranma squirmed for a few seconds under Akana's gaze before finally answering in a distant voice: "Princess Serenity, this I swear to you. From this moment on, my life is yours. For you, there is no task that is impossible and no threat that I cannot conquer. I will fight for your happiness and die for your survival. For as long as my soul lives on, this I swear to you."
    There was silence for a few, heavy moments. "Serenity hated that Oath," said Ranma absently.
    A faint smile crossed Akana's lips. "Yes, she did, didn't she? She always cared more about others, about us, than she did about herself. She would have made a great queen. She can still be one."
    Ranma stayed silent.
    "There's another thing I wish to speak of with you," added Akana in a subdued voice.
    Ranma masked his surprise. He had been sure she would try to hold him to the Oath. Why else would she have made him say it? He cut that line of thoughts as he saw that Akana was waiting for him to answer. "What is it?" he asked neutrally.
    "Endymion."
    "What about him?" he asked, his tone still neutral.
    "Why won't you acknowledge him?"
    Ranma turned away from Akana. "He's your brother," he said softly. "Not mine." He had hoped to avoid this. She hadn't really talked about Endymion so far and he had hoped she would keep it that way.
    "Why do you seek to avoid him so much?" Akana persisted.
    "Because he thinks he's found a sister. I'm not a girl." He said the last with soft determination.
    Akana took a deep breath to calm herself. "That... that's your decision, I guess." She sighed. "If you won't acknowledge him as your brother, why won't you at least explain things to him? Tell him about me!"
    "NO!" Ranma roared, suddenly shifting emotions. "There are too many people on this planet who know about the curse already. I'll not disgrace myself further!"
    "And what will you do about your link with him?" she said softly.
    Ranma chose not to answer, but Akana would not let him go so easily.
    "The psychic abilities you had in your past life are reemerging, Ranma. They're weaker than Endymion's, but they're still strong enough to reestablish the link my brother and I had so long ago, even if only partially. Endymion already used it unconsciously to find you when you first tried to get away. Soon, you'll be able to tell where the other is and perceive the other's feelings. You won't be able to ignore him for long."
    Ranma stood still.
    It was a while before Akana spoke again. "I know you'll do the right thing," she said quietly.
    *The right thing?* Ranma wondered. *I'm not sure what the right thing is anymore. I can't acknowledge him, or let the others know about the curse... about Akana. But what do I do?* He then remembered something important. "So, what happens to you?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
    Akana looked at him, sadness still present on her features. "I stay here, within your mind. It's not as if I can go elsewhere, you know."
    Ranma nodded absently and turned around, as if to leave, when he heard Akana's voice once more.
    "Ranma?" she said softly, "Thanks for not calling me a curse... At least not in the end."
    Ranma's reply was lost as a strident sound pierced the air.

    Ranma opened a bleary eye to look at the alarm clock in front of him that was currently emitting a very annoying beeping sound.
    *Kami-sama,* he thought. *Already morning?* He blinked. *I can't believe an alarm clock actually woke me up!*
    Beside him, he felt Akane's arm trying to reach over him to shut off the alarm clock. Smiling, he switched it off himself and proceeded to rouse his wife to full awareness by gently shaking her.
    "C'mon, Akane-chan, wake up," he said, a bit puzzled. *Jeez,* he thought, *I'm supposed to be the one who's hard to wake up.*
    "Ranma?" came Akane's sleepy voice. "What time is it?"
    "It's a quarter to seven."
    "Lemme sleep some more..." she mumbled.
    Ranma smirked. "I thought you wanted me to train you," he said slyly.
    Akane's eyes snapped open. "I'm up!" she said, suddenly alert. She looked around and saw Ranma smirking at her. "You tricked me!" she accused.
    Ranma shook his head. "I didn't trick you, Akane-chan. You wanna practice or not?"
    Akane smiled widely. "Sure!" she said happily. "Now shoo! I've got to get dressed."
    Ranma looked hurt. "I'm your husband!" he protested. "Why do you want to send me away?" *Especially now,* the dirty part of his mind added.
    Akane's smile suddenly became sultry. "Oh, you'll see it all, don't worry," she said coyly. "But I'm keeping it all as a surprise for when we move out of here."
    Ranma started sweating. "That's cruel, Akane," he said, pained.
    Akane couldn't help giggling a little. She did, however, point him to the door of their room.
    Ranma resignedly padded out of the room, swearing silently to himself that they would move out today.

    As soon as Ranma left, the smile left Akane's face, as she sat on her futon for a few minutes, thinking about what had happened last night. She could still remember her dream very clearly, and the more she thought about it, the more she remembered things that hadn't occurred in the dream, such as fragments of Kanma's childhood and more memories about Verika.
    Verika... or Hotaru?
    Hotaru... or Sailor Saturn?
    *I've got to find out what that was all about,* she thought. *Rei said she'd unlock memories, but I certainly don't remember ever being a guy, doing magic or fighting people in grey uniforms.* She shook her head. *Probably just some weird dreams. Really weird dreams.*
    As she dressed in a practice gi, though, her curiosity kept increasing.
    When she left her room, she headed outside to join Ranma when she bumped into Rei.
    "Oh! I'm sorry!" they both said at the same time. They both blinked and looked at each other with a curious expression, then both giggled slightly.
    "So," began Rei, "did you have a good night's sleep?" Her pleasant tone hid the sick feeling she had gotten when she had tried to get some information on the pool-filled valley Michiru had drawn for her. Before she could get precise answers, she had been staggered by the amount of magic and death that emanated from that place. Rei had had goosebumps until she had fallen asleep. Whatever that place really was, she now knew it was most definitely not a vacation spot. What had Ranma been doing there? And what about Ranko, the mysterious cousin Ranma seemed to forget half the time? Rei gave herself a mental shake. She would have time to think about all these things later.
    Meanwhile, when Rei had asked her question, Akane had stopped smiling and her features had become hesitant. "Well... Now that you mention it, I had really strange dreams last night."
    Rei tried to school her features as best she could. This could get interesting. "What kind of dreams?"
    "Well, first of all, I'd like to know if your, ah, hypnotism could have had side-effects?"
    Rei blinked. "I'm not sure... Maybe, I guess. Why do you ask? Do you remember where you saw Hotaru before?" she probed.
    "I dreamt about Hotaru-chan all right, but it didn't make any sense! None of it made any sense! It was as if it was another life!"
    *All right!* thought Rei. *This is almost perfect proof! Now, all I have to do is decide whether to tell Akane now or wait until she can speak with Hotaru.* She took a small breath and decided. "Well, it might have been brought on by my technique yesterday. What I do recommend, though, is that you go find Hotaru and talk it over with her. She'll probably be able to make some sense out of all that."
    Akane frowned slightly. "What are you talking about, Rei? What would Hotaru-chan know about my dreams?"
    Rei smiled slightly. She had decided to let Hotaru take over. She could probably break it more easily to Akane than she ever could. "She knows more than you realize about what you may think are just dreams," the priestess answered mysteriously.
    Akane looked at Rei in mild confusion. "What?..." she said eloquently.
    Rei gave Akane a pat on the shoulder. "Trust me on that, just go speak to her." And with that, the priestess headed outside. Rei would need to speak about this to Hotaru and the others, though.
    Akane wondered about what had just happened for a few moments before running after Rei. She found Ranma's cryptic cousin on the porch, gawking at something in the courtyard. As Akane moved closer, she finally saw what Rei was gawking at. Ranma was standing in the middle of the courtyard, glowing a bright blue. What startled Akane, though, wasn't quite the fact that Ranma was currently emitting a battle aura, but rather that he was standing beside Rei's grandfather, obviously straining to contain a two-foot wide crackling ball of chi...

    A few minutes earlier, while he was still on his way to the courtyard to start his warm-up exercises, Ranma had found himself wondering about the previous night's events. Now that he could finally think about it, he started dwelling on the most peculiar dream he had last night.
    *Was it a dream?* he wondered. *It felt so real...*
    He noticed he'd arrived in the courtyard. Looking around, he decided to try something. He sat down cross-legged and began to concentrate. *Akana!* he silently shouted. *Are you there?*
    However, there was no response. Ranma tried several times, but without success. For a moment, he had thought he might have heard something, but he deemed it as wishful thinking. After his last try, Ranma stood up, a pensive look on his face. *Maybe... Maybe it was just a dream,* he thought.
    But if it had been only a dream, why was he feeling so... disappointed? He began toying with his hair, which he had taken time to tie back into a braid when he left his room, but still no answer came.
    He shook his head and began a warm-up kata, losing himself in the dance-like ritual. He was well on his way to relaxing completely when he heard an aged voice call his name. He opened his eyes and saw his grandfather looking at him curiously. "Did you say something, grandfather?"
    The old man smiled. "I called your name several times, but you didn't seem to hear me. I was watching you throughout your kata; you seemed very intent on something."
    "Just trying to get rid of a few bad dreams," said Ranma, shrugging.
    The old priest walked down the steps, a strange look crossing his face. "Ranma," he started, "I spoke for a while with Akane yesterday, after you left."
    Ranma began to frown. "Please, grandfather, don't get me started on that again..."
    The diminutive priest waved his hands. "That's not what I wanted to talk to you about."
    Ranma raised an eyebrow. "What about, then?"
    "Akane was kind enough to tell us a general history of what happened in Nerima since you arrived there."
    Ranma blinked. *Wait a minute, I thought she didn't want people to know...*
    Seeing Ranma silent, the elder Hino continued. "She told us, among other things, that you knew how to manipulate your chi. Is this true?"
    *Oh, that.* Ranma relaxed muscles he did not remember tensing. "Um, yeah, I can. I showed Rei yesterday. Why do you ask?"
    Rei's grandfather appeared slightly puzzled about Ranma's rather cavalier attitude towards his ability. "Ranma, I don't think you quite realize how few people can manipulate their chi. Most of those who can use their chi usually spend most of their lives training to do so. Rei can use it in her fire readings, and even though it's an astounding accomplishment at her age, the amount of chi she can draw is rather limited. If it's not too much to ask, I'd like you to show me what you can do."
    Ranma couldn't see the harm in that, so he agreed. Holding his hand palm up, he concentrated, and just as he had done almost two days before with Rei, a baseball-sized sphere of blue chi formed over his hand.
    The old Shinto priest's eyes widened in shock. "Unbelievable," he breathed. He quickly picked himself up. "Very impressive, grandson."
    Ranma shrugged, dissipating the small sphere. Even though he'd been doing this for awhile now, he still felt somewhat flattered by his grandfather's words.
    "So how did you end up learning how to do this?"
    Ranma briefly told his grandfather about how Ryoga had learned the Shi Shi Hokodan and how it had forced him to come up with a counter-technique.
    The elder Hino's mind boggled. "You mean... You learned how to do a chi-blast just because someone else could do it? You learned it just like that?"
    Ranma slightly winced at the casual way he'd described the learning process. He supposed his grandfather had expected something a bit more... spiritual?
    "So..." said the old priest after a while. "Just how big can you make them?"
    Ranma smirked. "I can make them very big, but I can't hold them very long in place. The bigger they are, the faster I have to shoot them off."
    "Can you make a big one you can hold in place? I'd like to get the feel of it."
    "All right, if it means so much to you. But don't stand too close, 'cause if I feel it slipping away, I'll have to shoot it off." He looked around. "Are you sure this won't attract attention if I do have to shoot it?"
    "I don't think so. Strange things have a way of happening around here. I don't think anyone would investigate." Suddenly, Grandfather Hino grinned and pointed towards a large rock, perhaps six feet large, sitting in a corner of the yard. "As a matter of fact, I would be very be glad if you could aim it at that rock over there. I've been meaning to get rid of it for a long time now, but I never got around to it because it's so big."
    "All right," Ranma nodded. He took a step back and began concentrating. He put his hands in front of him as his battle aura slowly became visible. A ball of chi appeared between his hands. Ranma then closed his eyes and began the now-automatic mental kata he went through to create a chi blast. "Mouko..." he whispered, and the ball of chi started to grow. When the sphere reached a size of approximately two feet, he realized that the strain in keeping the sphere in place was taking its toll on him.
    "Grandpa," he hissed through clenched teeth. "I don't think I can hold it for very long."
    There was a pause of a few seconds. "All right, you can let it go now."
    Ranma's eyes snapped open and he aimed towards the rock in question and finished his mental kata. "...Takabisha!" he shouted, releasing the chi blast. The blue energy sphere blazed its way to the rock and slammed into the target, flinging stone fragments everywhere. When the dust cleared, there was no longer one big rock, but several, smaller rocks, the largest one being a little over one foot wide.
    Ranma turned towards his grandfather. "How was that?"
    The elder Hino's left eye twitched. He shook his head and turned to Ranma. "Confidence?" he asked, one eyebrow raised.
    Ranma blinked. "You could tell?"
    The aged priest snorted. "With that much of it floating around? How could I not? I may be old, but I'm not senile."
    "Ranma, that was amazing!" said a voice behind them.
    The two men turned around to see Rei running towards them. "Good morning, Rei," said Ranma. "I hope I didn't wake you up or anything."
    Rei shook her head. "You didn't wake me, but I saw your little demonstration just now. That was fantastic, Ranma! Very much more so than the little one you showed me when you arrived."
    "So Grandpa told me. He wanted me to show him my chi abilities and since you'd already seen what I can do, well..." he shrugged. *Maybe she can get the other Senshi off my back now that she knows how strong I am.*
    "All right, Ranma. Can we practice, now that you've finished showing off?" asked Akane from somewhere behind him.
    Ranma winced. Akane was probably going to lay it on him because of his little demonstration. When he turned around, though, he noticed that she wore a small, secretive smile. He blinked, puzzled.
    "All right, then. We'll leave you to your practice," said the old priest, dragging his distracted grand-daughter with him.
    Akane watched them leave and started a warm-up kata of her own. Ranma cautiously approached her.
    "Are you mad at me?" he asked, trying to figure out whether she'd hit him or not.
    Akane paused in her kata and looked up at the sky for a few moments. "No, I'm not," she finally said. "I'm the one who told your grandfather about the fact that you could do chi blasts. I kind of figured out he'd eventually come around and ask you to show him."
    "That's another thing. What *did* you tell them yesterday? I thought you didn't want anyone to know what happened to us..."
    Akane finished her exercises. "I didn't tell them everything. I just told them you attracted a number of challengers and fiancees, that's all." She turned to Ranma and adopted a ready stance. "So, do we talk - or do we practice?"
    Ranma grinned, troubles momentarily forgotten. "If that's the way you want it!"

    Rei and her grandfather stood on the porch, watching the two martial artists spar. The elder Hino whistled appreciatively.
    "Ranma's very good, isn't he? I'm sure his dojo will be an outstanding success when he finally takes up teaching."
    The young priestess thought about Ami's words. *If he's managed to get abilities like that through training alone, imagine what he could teach us!* Rei shook her head. "I wonder if he'd be willing to teach me how to manipulate my chi like he does?"
    Her grandfather shrugged. "He might if you ask him nicely enough." He paused for a moment. "Rei-chan, why would you want him to show you destructive techniques?"
    Rei winced internally. *I really shouldn't underestimate him.* She carefully chose her reply before answering. "That wasn't what I meant, Grandpa. I'd just like to learn how to channel as much chi as he does. It would help a lot with the fire readings."
    The elder Hino was silent for a moment, then nodded.
    Rei couldn't help frowning inwardly. *Does he know?...* she wondered. She left the thought hanging and went back to her previous concerns. She considered calling Hotaru to tell her about Akane, but then decided to wait until after school. After all, it was unlikely Hotaru and Akane would meet during the day.

    Half an hour later, the happy couple was well on its way to the university.
    "So what kind of lectures do you have?" asked Akane.
    "I'm not sure. I haven't really checked my schedule so far," admitted Ranma.
    Akane shook her head. "I still don't understand how you managed to get admitted to university with that kind of attitude."
    Ranma managed to look offended. "Hey, it's just that I have an appointment with a counselor before the first lecture starts. I was thinking about that instead."
    "A counselor already?" Akane asked, raising an eyebrow. "I thought you'd last longer in your program," she said, a hint of mischief in her voice.
    "Ha, ha, ha..." said Ranma sarcastically. "Remember what I said yesterday about my seeing a job offer as a P.E. assistant? It was written that we had to work through a counselor to get the job, so I'm going to see a counselor to know more about it." Akane nodded absently. A few moments passed in dead silence passed before Ranma spoke again. "Akane, is it me or did you seem a little... distracted during our sparring session?"
    Akane blinked several times, as if shaking herself from a daydream. "Oh, sorry, Ranma. What did you say?"
    Ranma raised an eyebrow. "I was commenting on the fact that you looked a bit distracted during training this morning."
    Akane blushed slightly. "Sorry. It's just that I had a really weird dream last night."
    Paranoia reared its ugly head.
    "What kind of dream?" Ranma asked, a bit nervous.
    "Ah, well..." Akane started sweating. She wasn't sure she wanted to share her dream with Ranma. He'd probably call her a tomboy because of it. "It's... nothing bad, Ranma. Don't worry; I'll be fine!" she finished cheerfully.
    Ranma became slightly suspicious. *Did she have the same dream I had?* he wondered. He began to panic. *I hope she didn't. She'd call me a pervert forever! And she could be right.*
    And so, both continued on their way, happy that the other one wouldn't press matters.

    Hotaru left the apartment where she lived with Haruka and Michiru at the same time they did that morning. As she walked to school, she thought about the previous day's events. While the business with Sailor Terra was important, finding out whether Akane was in fact Kanma was more important to her.
    *Maybe I should have called Rei before leaving to ask her if she tried to jog Akane's memories yesterday,* the smallest Senshi thought.
    When she finally arrived at her school, she noticed that the gates were closed and a lot of students were milling around outside, some of whom were fellow classmates. There were even a few teachers present. Wondering what was going on, she approached one of the students, a classmate by the name of Hiriko.
    "Why are the gates closed?" Hotaru asked.
    "They won't let us inside because there's been a flood inside," replied Hiriko.
    Hotaru blinked. "A flood?"
    Hiriko shrugged. "That's what Sakura told me. Apparently, several water pipes broke last night and now, there's water everywhere."
    "How did that happen?" asked Hotaru. *I hope it's not a monster,* she thought.
    Hiriko did not get a chance to reply. A teacher suddenly raised his voice.
    "Your attention please! Due to the water damage, classes will be suspended for today." A loud cheer went off from amidst the crowd of students. The teacher went on as if nothing had happened. "Before you can return to your homes, though, you will be given extra homework to do today and you will be quizzed on it tomorrow." A groan replaced the cheer in the crowd.
    Hotaru's expression brightened at the news of having no classes. *Maybe I'll be able to see Akane today!* she thought happily.

    Elsewhere in Juuban, Mamoru was eating breakfast, thinking about more questions than he'd had when he'd gone to sleep the day before. He'd woken up with even more knowledge of the past this morning.
    "Why is it all happening now?" he wondered out loud. Was it because of Akana, or Ranko, as she liked to be called now?
    Thoughts of his reincarnated sister almost made him want to cry. Since the childhood car accident which had claimed his parents' lives and his memory, he had spent his life alone, as an orphan, never truly understood by anyone, until he met Usagi. Despite the rocky start of their relationship, they had gotten closer until they had finally learned who they really were. At last, he had someone to trust, to fall back on in times of need.
    But it still wasn't enough. Mamoru loved Usagi more than anyone else in the world, but there were some things he just couldn't tell her sometimes. What was he supposed to do if he wanted to discuss some issues about his relationship with Usagi? He very well couldn't talk to her about it. The other girls? No, it would eventually get back to Usagi, even if it was by accident. He always wanted someone he could just talk with, without having to worry about whether Usagi would hear it or not.
    And now, he had a sister. A sister who did not seem to like him a lot, which honestly confused him. The memories he was regaining of his past existence showed him that they had been much closer than most siblings. He remembered playing in the palace gardens with Akana. He remembered playing jokes on the Guardians with her help...
    The glass of water Mamoru was drinking shook and he immediately started coughing. *The Guardians!* he thought, dazed. *Maybe they can help me figure out what's the problem!*
    Coughing one last time he quickly walked to his room, looking for a rectangular glass case he had kept with him for a very long time. When he found it, he held it up and looked at its contents. Nestled inside were fragments of four minerals he could now identify with his eyes closed: jadeite, nephrite, zoisite and kunzite.
    The stones were all that remained of the four men of the same names who, a long time ago, had been Endymion's bodyguards before they were subverted by Beryl.
    Mamoru had been able to speak to them once before, for advice against the Black Moon family. He wondered if he could do it again. He took the glass case and brought it to the living room. He put the case on a table and gently opened the top. He then sat on a couch, closed his eyes and concentrated. A blue aura began emanating from him, like tendrils of smoke surrounding his body.
    The four mineral shards began to glow and there was suddenly a bright flash of light.

    Meanwhile in Nerima, Katsunishiki, Akari's gigantic pet sumo pig, was making its way to a well-known dojo, ignoring the occasional odd looks the pedestrians gave him. Compared to some other places where people screamed in fear when they saw him, Nerima was paradise.
    Finally stopping at the Tendo Dojo's door, the massive porcine squealed loudly. The door opened to reveal Kasumi.
    "Yes?" the eldest daughter said. "Can I help..." she trailed off when she saw who at the door. Kasumi blinked once in confusion before recovering. "Katsunishiki-chan!" beamed Kasumi. "It's been a long time since we've seen you here." She looked around the sumo pig. "Are Akari-chan and Ryouga-kun with you?"
    Katsunishiki shook his head.
    "Oh my!" said Kasumi, a hand going to her cheek. "Is there something wrong?"
    Katsunishiki shook his head again, but then raised it so that Kasumi could see his neck.
    Kasumi blinked again when she saw the "necklace" he wore. "What's this?" There was a thick ribbon around the giant pig's neck, and attached to this ribbon were two items: a small flask and a letter. Kasumi turned the letter around and saw that the letter was addressed to Ranma and Akane, at the Tendo Dojo.
    Kasumi took a few steps back so that she could talk to the giant porcine without straining her neck. "I'm afraid they live elsewhere now, Katsunishiki-chan," she told the pig.
    Katsunishiki began to whine as only a giant sumo pig can.
    Upon hearing the sound, Kasumi immediately took pity on him. "I can tell you where they are if you want?"
    Katsunishiki seemed to consider this and nodded, but Kasumi was now stuck with trying to tell a sumo pig how to navigate through Tokyo. Not an easy task.
    Then, the proverbial lightbulb appeared over her head. She turned around and walked back inside the house. "Auntie Saotome! Uncle Saotome!"

    "How may we be of service, Prince Endymion?" asked Kunzite's ghost. Behind it were the other Guardian's ghosts, all smiling at Mamoru.
    Mamoru smiled, glad of the spirit's words. It had been easier to summon the four spirits of his friends this time. He briefly wondered why, but shook his head and took a deep breath. He knew from experience that he wouldn't be able to talk to them for long.
    "I want you to tell me about my sister," he told the white-haired ghost.
    Kunzite's eyebrows rose. "You remember Akana?"
    Mamoru favoured him with a flat stare. "I only met her by accident a few days ago. It would seem that you didn't bother to tell me about her when I last spoke to you."
    Kunzite winced. "Not by choice, my liege. We were bound."
    Mamoru was puzzled by the ghost's answer. "Bound by whom?" he asked curiously.
    "Better that you don't know, my Prince," answered Nephrite, looking a bit uncomfortable.
    Mamoru gathered his thoughts. He could investigate that later, but now... "I want to know why Akana, or Ranko as she calls herself now, seems to hate me," he asked.
    The four ghosts looked at each other uneasily, Nephrite and Zoisite sharing a guilty glance.
    "My liege..." Kunzite began hesitatingly. The white-haired ghost seemed to be struggling with himself over something. "It is not you she hates, but who she was."
    Mamoru frowned. Ranko hated herself? That didn't make sense. Why would she hate knowing she had been Akana? She'd been a perfectly normal and happy girl back in the Silver Millennium. "What do you mean, Kunzite?"
    "We cannot answer that question. Not now," answered Jadeite in Kunzite's stead. "But if you must have your answers now, you can try asking the Guardian of Time."
    "Pluto?" asked Mamoru, confused by the change of subject. "What does she have to do with this?"
    "She had a part in creating the current situation. We cannot say more," answered Jadeite.
    Mamoru sighed. "Can't you even give me a hint?" he said. He got up and began pacing. "I need to know why she hates the very idea of being my sister." He stopped pacing and frowned slightly. "Come to think of it, she only went really crazy when she transformed into Sailor Terra..." he trailed, trying to think. His musings were interrupted when he felt his link to the Four Guardians fading.
    "We cannot stay in this plane any longer, Prince Endymion," said Kunzite, his ethereal form wavering like smoke. "Still, it was good to see you again, even if we could not help you in the way you wanted."
    Before Mamoru could say anything, Zoisite forestalled him. "Prince, if you see Akana again, please tell her I'm sorry for what I did. I was not in control of myself."
    Mamoru blinked at the odd request, but nodded his head in consent anyway. "Goodbye, my friends. I hope we can speak again one day."
    The fading ghosts smiled. "She will not be angry forever, Endymion," said Nephrite, his voice already far away. "Remember that."
    Mamoru found himself smiling at the departing ghost's comment. He wished it could be true. The four ghosts' shapes became like smoke and Mamoru blinked when he realized that the "smoke" was rearranging itself to form a word in kanji.
    Jusenkyou.
    *What is Jusenkyou?* thought Mamoru, now alone again.

    Once they had arrived at Mizuharo University, Ranma and Akane told each other goodbye and decided that they would meet at the shrine in the afternoon after their classes. While Akane was headed for one of her acting classes, Ranma realized it was time for his appointment with the counselor.
    Making his way through the maze of corridors, he came to a stop in front of a door onto which a small plaque was affixed.
    A plaque bearing the name of Setsuna Meiou.
    Ranma knocked on the door, waiting for an answer.
    "You can come in, Saotome-san," came a woman's voice from the other side of the door.
    Ranma blinked in confusion and opened the door. Inside the office was a dark-skinned woman with long, flowing dark green hair, sitting in front of a large, ornate desk. Looking around, he found the office lined with ancient-looking wooden bookshelves which looked as if they had been crafted with painstaking precision. They were completely filled with books, some new, some seeming very old. Ranma suddenly had the impression he'd gone back in time. He had never seen any teacher's office decorated like this before. He was still looking at his surroundings when he heard the counselor's voice.
    "You can sit down, Saotome-san," she said. Was that a hint of amusement in her voice?
    "Uh... Hai," mumbled Ranma, making his way over to a chair by the desk. Once he was sitting, he looked questioningly at the counselor. "Excuse me, Meiou-sensei, but how did you know I was the one at the door?" She looked at him, her face solemn, but Ranma was sure there was something else behind those piercing reddish eyes.
    "Simple," said Setsuna, a tiny smile appearing on her lips. "You are the only person who made an appointment with me this early today."
    Ranma almost frowned. There was something suspicious in what she had said, but since it was more a vague feeling than anything else, he decided to leave it alone.
    "So why did you request this appointment, Saotome-san?" asked Setsuna.
    The question brought Ranma out of his musings and back to reality. "Um, yeah... Yesterday, I saw a job offer for a physical education assistant at a high school. It didn't mention where, but it said we had to ask a counselor about it, so that's why I made an appointment. I was wondering if my being an expert martial artist could be worth something here? Could I get a course credited or something?"
    Setsuna's lips quirked, almost too fast for an eye to see. "Actually, it is not a permanent job, but more like a stage. But still, let me see..." she trailed off, reading some of the documents on her desk. A few moments later, her eyes came back to Ranma's. "According to your file, you are studying to become a certified sensei. Is this correct?" she questioned. Ranma nodded. "Then it is safe to assume that you plan to open a dojo if you complete your course?"
    "Hai," said Ranma proudly. "I'm the heir to the Saotome Musabetsu Kakuto Ryuu."
    Setsuna looked at Ranma for a few more seconds, then nodded. "Very well. In that case, I approve."
    Ranma's expression brightened considerably. That had certainly been fast. He had thought he would have to do a whole lot more arguing. "Would it be credited?" he thought to ask.
    Setsuna nodded. "If you do a good job, yes."
    "All right!" Ranma enthused. "Where would it be?" he asked eagerly.
    "At Juuban High school," said Setsuna, smiling a bit again.
    Ranma's smile faded slightly. He could have sworn he'd seen or heard the name before. But where? He gave up after a few moments and shrugged mentally. It didn't really matter. He would rather teach high schoolers than sit in a class and listen to boring lectures any day. "So when would I start?" he finally asked.
    "This morning, in one hour," replied Setsuna calmly.
    Ranma's eyes bugged out. "Th... This morning? One hour?" he stammered. "But... I... I have courses this morning!" he managed to get out, despite his surprise.
    Setsuna waved his concerns away almost negligently. "Today is special. It would only be until this afternoon. I can assure you that you would not miss much this morning." She tilted her head slightly. "Or are you not ready for this responsibility?" she asked, arching an eyebrow.
    That seemed to shake Ranma out of his daze. "Of course I'm ready!" he protested.
    "Good," said Setsuna, now smiling again. "I will give you directions to the school," she said, writing something on a piece of paper. "You can start heading there right away. Tamura-sensei, the head physical education teacher, already knows of your arrival and is expecting you this morning." She handed Ranma the piece of paper. "Do you have any other questions?"
    Ranma looked at the piece of paper in his hands. There was an address and a few instructions on them. He tilted his head slightly. "Just what will I be expected to do there anyway?"
    "Tamura-sensei will tell you the specific details. Today, you will probably do nothing more than observe, and maybe help if he thinks it is needed."
    Ranma nodded. "In that case, I should probably be going, then." He stood up and bowed to Setsuna. "Thank you for your help, Meiou-sensei." As he turned and was about to leave, though, he got a good look at the bookshelves again and found himself unable to contain his curiosity. "Excuse me, Meiou-sensei?" he asked, a bit hesitant.
    "Yes?"
    "Sorry if I'm being impolite here, but I was wondering... Why are there so many books in your office?"
    Setsuna shrugged faintly. "They're all mine. I like to read. It helps pass the time"
    Ranma turned towards the nearest bookcase and read one title out loud: "The Theories of Reincarnation." He gave Setsuna a slightly puzzled look.
    "I have... unusual tastes, as far as reading is concerned," replied Setsuna, smiling faintly as if remembering something she liked. "I like to read books about magic and what is commonly referred to as the paranormal." She then looked at Ranma, as if hoping to recognize something in his eyes, but then quickly looked away, a slightly distressed look on her features.
    That last action struck Ranma as quite strange. He didn't know anything about Setsuna, yet he knew that she didn't usually behave like this. But how did he kow?
    "You might even say I grew up in a magical family," said Setsuna softly. She shook her head, dispersing the thoughts she had been harboring. Now was not the time. Especially not now.
    Ranma looked oddly at Setsuna, a bit confused about her behaviour, and was struck by how old her eyes looked. Eyes that had seen a lot, much more so than could be accounted for by her apparent age. The only other person he had known to have old eyes like these was Cologne; but at least in the old Amazon's case, her body matched the look in her eyes.
    He then realized that she was watching him and saying nothing. Perhaps it was time he left. "Um, Meiou-sensei," he said, getting up, "I think I'll have to get going if I want to get there in time," he said.
    Setsuna looked at him a little longer, then nodded thoughtfully. "Very well," she said. "Far be it from me to make you late on your first day. I hope you enjoy your first teaching experience, Saotome-san."
    Ranma bowed and left. Once outside, he found himself thinking about the counselor's odd behaviour. Why had she looked at him so strangely, anyway? He quickly shook his head and chided himself for thinking too much about it.

    As soon as Ranma left, Setsuna sighed and began walking around in her office. *How long?* she wondered. *How long have I been preparing for this?* The answer came by itself. A long time. Far too long. And that utterly blank look he'd given her. He really didn't remember her. Then again, how could he? She remembered *him*, though.
    She released another sigh. The timeline was now at a critical junction and Ranma was one of the more important variables in the equation. If everything went according to plan, the Senshi might be able to avoid a battle that could tear apart the entire planet, but at what cost to the Senshi themselves? *There are so many variables,* Setsuna thought glumly. *So many things that can go wrong and I can do almost nothing to prevent them.*
    She walked to a window and gazed outside the courtyard, remembering a distant time where she didn't have so many concerns, so many reponsibilities. A time when she had been happy. *I miss you, Mother,* she thought forlornly.
    The Guardian of Time shook her head. She had been a manipulator for such a long time and would now face the consequences. Setsuna feared what Ranma's reaction would be when he realized exactly who she was, what she had done and what she would yet do. Would he ever forgive her for what would happen in the next few years? Only time would tell.

    Meanwhile, Mamoru was walking towards the university's library, intent on finding out as much as he could about "Jusenkyou". The Guardians had obviously tried to bend whatever rule which prohibited them from speaking freely and he intended to make the most of it.
    *Maybe I should ask Ami if she's got anything on her computer,* he thought while turning a corner. His inattention to where he was walking cost him as he suddenly slammed into someone.
    "Hey, watch it!" the other person said.
    "Oh, sorry, I wasn't watching where..." Mamoru blinked. "Ranma?"
    Ranma's eyes narrowed slightly. "You again?"
    Mamoru blinked again. Ranma did not look pleased to see him, but what had he done to Ranma? Oh wait. Ranko. Had she told him anything? He took a nervous breath. "Say, Ranma, you wouldn't know where Ranko is, would you?"
    Ranma merely looked at him. "She was rather distressed when we saw each other last night, although she wouldn't tell me why. She also said she didn't want anything to do with you ever again." He tilted his head. "I wonder why?" he asked rethorically.
    Mamoru adopted a pained expression. "There was a... misunderstanding between us. Apparently, she didn't take something I told her very well."
    *Now there's an understatement if I ever heard one!* thought Ranma. "And what exactly was it?" he asked aloud.
    Mamoru's expression became defensive. "That is between me and her," he said curtly.
    Ranma raised an eyebrow. "Is it? Well then, I don't know why I should bother trying to help you find her."
    Both young men stared at one another before Ranma moved around Mamoru and headed past him.
    Looking at the back of the retreating martial artist, Mamoru decided to try one last thing. "What about Jusenkyou, Ranma?" he called out loud.
    Ranma stopped dead in his tracks. A few tense moments later, he turned around slowly, deliberately. "What about Jusenkyou?" he asked flatly.
    Mamoru's mind was racing. Whatever Jusenkyou was, the word had definitely had an effect on Ranma. He had replied so flatly he might as well have screamed it. There had to be some way he could take advantage of this. "Look," he said calmly. "All I want is a chance to talk with Ranko, okay. Just talk, nothing else. I won't even make any mention of... relationships of any kind," he finished hesitatingly.
    Ranma slowly raised an eyebrow. "Relationships? That's my cousin you're talking about."
    This time, it was Mamoru who gave him the flat look. "Not like that!" he said, annoyed. "I already have a girlfriend!" He passed a hand through his hair. "Look, she'll understand what I mean. Just tell her I want to talk about... about Jusenkyou and the Four Guardians. Tell her that." He still didn't know what Jusenkyou was, but if Ranma knew about it, Ranko probably did.
    Ranma's eyes widened at the mention of the Four Guardians, but he stayed silent, now eyeing Mamoru somewhat nervously. After a long, silent pause, Ranma turned around and left. "I'll tell her," was all he said.
    Mamoru silently watched Ranma leave, hoping he would get one more chance to set things right with Ranko. He did not try to pursue Ranma. After all, it just wouldn't do to antagonize the only person who could find Ranko for him.
    Although that wasn't strictly true. He could use that little mental trick to home in on her again, but Ranko had told him not to use it and he did not think that using it to seek even reconciliation would endear him to her.
    He thought about Ranma's reaction when he said the word Jusenkyou and tried to figure out what it could have meant. Ranma had been shocked, that at least was sure. He had tried to hide it, but Mamoru was good enough at reading people that he knew he'd hit an important nerve.
    But what was it?
    He had also reacted at the mention of the Guardians, Mamoru remembered, but how could he know about them? Perhaps Ranko had told him some things? He frowned. She had said she would not tell anyone and he believed her.
    With a shake of the head, Mamoru resumed his way towards the library, more determined than ever to get answers.

    Ranma waited until he was out of the building before stopping. He leaned against a brick wall, trying to regain control.
    *That didn't go very well,* he thought warily. He tried to think about what Mamoru had told him.
    He knew about Jusenkyou.
    Or did he really?
    Mamoru had tossed the name like that in the air, but hadn't followed up on it. If he knew what Jusenkyou was, why had he simply stopped there? Unless... unless he had only happened to have heard the word before. But who could have told him? How could he know what the word meant to Ranma?
    And he wanted to talk to him. Her. Ranko.
    He wanted to talk about the Four Guardians.
    Ranma tried to ignore the memories associated with that name. Akana and Endymion had grown up together, watched by four men whose duty was to protect them at all costs. They had been like brothers to the two siblings.
    And they were responsible for the murders of Akana and her fiance Kanma, the male Akane look-alike.
    He still couldn't remember that part very well, nor was he sure he wanted to. After all, those were Akana's memories.
    Ranma's thoughts began heading in a different direction once Ranma began thinking about the girl who claimed to be his previous incarnation. He hadn't been able to contact her this morning. He'd almost felt something shortly before he had spoken with his grandfather, but it had vanished as quickly as it had appeared.
    Why would that be? Had the entire thing been a dream? A part of him steadfastly refused to believe so, and he wondered why. His thoughts drifting in yet another direction, Ranma thought about Akana's request concerning Endymion. She wanted him to know the truth.
    The problem was that the feeling wasn't exactly shared by Ranma. Several reasons for this came to the surface, but strangely enough, none seemed to hold any real weight.
    Ranma shook his head and tried to forget all of this as he began walking towards Juuban High.
    It didn't really work.

    While all this was going on outside, Akane was having trouble concentrating on the lecture the teacher was giving in front of the class. For some reason, her thoughts kept wandering to the dream she had had last night.
*But was it really a dream or something else?* she thought to herself. Rei's explanation this morning, or rather the lack of one, still puzzled her. Rei had obviously known something, but had directed Akane towards Hotaru for answers.
    And Akane was beginning to seriously hope that Hotaru would have answers. The memories from the dream had not faded. Just the opposite, in fact: the longer Akane thought about it, the clearer they became. More than once, she had had to slap down the urge to try one of the spells Kanma had used in the dream, just to see if they would work.
    Giving herself a mental shake, she focused on something else. Something that troubled her greatly whenever she thought of it. Whoever Kanma had been, he had created two staffs she remembered well, and not from the dream this time. The dreaded Kinjakan, whom Akane had had a most unfortunate encounter with, and the Gekkaja, its magical counterpart. When she tried, she could remember bits of the staff-crafting itself, she could remember melding her power with...
    Akane blinked. Her power? She had to shake her head at that. It had been awfully easy to think that she had been Kanma in that dream.
    Her thoughts wandered back to the previous subject. Kanma was the one who had created the two staffs which had been an integral part of Ranma's latest adventure, an adventure which had so nearly claimed her life twice. Once when she had been used in the creation of the Akaneniichuan and again when her mishandling of the Kinjakan caused her to transform into a dehydrated doll. She should have seen that last one coming. After all, she had incorporated very intricate and powerful spells in those two staffs. She should have remembered that using them without basic precautions could be deadly...
    *I've done it again!* she thought, annoyed. She had once again assumed a personal perspective with the dream memories. Strange thing was that she didn't seem to mind, though.
    Forcing herself to listen to the teacher, she hoped she would be able to talk with Hotaru soon.

    Ranma's left eye twitched.
    *Of all the high schools in Tokyo, it had to be this one?* he thought incredulously. *If I'd known, I would've asked for another school,* he finished morosely.
    Following the directions given to him, Ranma had soon found himself standing in front of Juuban High School. The name had not rung a bell when Meiou-sensei had told him about it, but now...
    It was not that Ranma had a grudge against this school in particular, but more the fact that he suspected that the Senshi might be going to that school. He wanted as little interaction with them as he could possibly get away with, because the longer he stayed near them, the more probable it became that they would see the curse eventually and who knew what would happen then? That was a question Ranma wished he would never have to answer.
    Walking towards the main doors, Ranma could still see part of the crater he had created when he had first tried to hit Happosai the previous day. The wall he had been punched through, on the other hand, had already been repaired.
    The interior of the school looked similar enough to Furinkan's as to not cause Ranma any great surprise. Following the directions on the piece of paper, Ranma quickly made his way to an office with the name "Hidoshi Tamura" written on a small plaque besides it.
    "Come in," he heard a deep voice say when he knocked on the door.
    Ranma opened the door to reveal a spartan-looking office, quite unlike the counselor's. Tamura-sensei was a man who looked to be well into his mid-forties, but who still looked in top shape.
    Ranma bowed to the man. "Tamura-sensei? My name is Ranma Saotome. I'm a new student at Mizuharo University and I..."
    "Ah yes!" interrupted Tamura. "Meiou-sensei told me you'd be coming by anytime now. Take a seat," he said, indicating a chair in front of his desk. Once Ranma had sat down, Tamura-sensei smiled at him. "I've heard a lot about you, Saotome-san," he began conversationally. "Some of it even good," he added with a smirk.
    Ranma blinked, although he wasn't sure if it was because the man had already heard of him or if it was because someone had actually said good things about him. "You have?"
"Yes," said Tamura, nodding with a smile on his lips. "The good things came from Meiou-sensei but the rest I heard by reputation."
    Ranma blinked again. *Meiou-sensei told him good things about me?* he wondered, puzzled. *But she doesn't even know me. How could she have possibly?...* And then, the second part of what the man had said trickled through. "Reputation?" he asked out loud, almost wincing. This could be bad.
    Tamura nodded. "At first, when Meiou-sensei told me your name, I wasn't sure you were the same person I thought, but when she sent me your file, I saw that I was right."
    "Right about what?" asked Ranma, if a bit weakly.
    Tamura kept smiling enigmatically. "Ranma Saotome, the apparent heir to the Musabetsu Kakuto Ryuu, a style known by very few people. A young man also rumoured by many to be one of the best martial artists in Japan."
    *Well,* thought Ranma, *That ain't so bad. At least he didn't hear rumours about the curse.* He looked inquisitively at the man in front of him. "Um, if you don't mind my asking, Tamura-sensei, where did you hear all that?"
    The teacher shrugged slightly. "I follow the news in the martial arts community, Saotome-san. People who have seen your fights speak highly of your skill. In a way, I'm honoured to have a martial artist of your caliber come here, of all places, for a stage."
    Ranma sat there, surprised by the turn of events. It wasn't everyday his skill was recognized by someone other than a super martial artist with a grudge or a marriage contract. And the best thing was that it felt good because it tended to boost your ego, not something Ranma needed greatly, but still...
    Something popped in the middle of Ranma's self-congratulation session. Something which had bothered him slightly on the way to Juuban High. "Tamura-sensei? Was there anyone else who applied for this stage?"
    Tamura winced slightly, his good humour fading a little. "Not many people applied, and most of those who did didn't have the qualifications for it."
    "Why so few people?" asked Ranma.
    "Well," said Tamura hesitatingly, "this neighbourhood has a reputation for having... odd occurrences happening in it."
    Ranma looked puzzled. "Odd occurrences?" he echoed.
    Tamura sighed. "Monsters, Saotome-san. There are tales of monsters rampaging regularly through this district, several of them near here. That's what scares people away."
    "Oh that?" Ranma waved his hands negligently. "Don't worry, I can take care of myself, if it comes down to that."
    Tamura's smile came back. "I like your attitude, Saotome-san," he said, getting up.
    *You're probably the only one in the city who does,* finished Ranma mentally.
    "In any case, I'd like to see firsthand how good you are. Would you mind sparring a little before class begins? We've still got about fifteen minutes."
    Ranma nodded enthusiastically. "Sure!"

    Meanwhile, elsewhere in the same school as courses were finishing...
    "Usagi-chan?" asked Makoto, waving a hand in front of the blonde girl. "Are you there?"
    Said girl blinked a couple of times, then blushed slightly. "Sorry, Mako-chan, I wasn't really paying attention."
    "You're lucky Haruna-sensei didn't catch you daydreaming again, Usagi," reproached Ami, shaking her head. "You should really pay more attention in class. Not only would the teacher leave you alone, but you would also probably get better grades that way."
    When Usagi didn't answer, even to whine about the unfairness of life in general, Makoto and Ami looked at each other worriedly.
    "Usagi-chan, what's wrong?" asked the tall brunette. "You're even more spaced out than usual."
    Usagi sighed. "I just keep thinking about yesterday, Mako-chan. I mean, what did I do wrong? She hates us and I don't even really know why."
    Ami and Makoto flashed each other a concerned look. The entire Sailor Terra issue had been a sore point since the meeting yesterday and worse, Usagi seemed to think it was all her fault somehow. They had all tried to convince her otherwise, but without much success.
    "It's not your fault, Usagi," repeated Ami tiredly. "None of us knew she was going to react like that."
    "Yeah," chimed Makoto. "Maybe Rei will have answers for us after school this afternoon. After all, she was supposed to do a fire reading."
    Usagi sighed and got up. "And you know what's even worse? Mamo-chan won't even speak to me about it. He's all closed up about it. He didn't take what happened yesterday well at all."
    Makoto winced. "I think I might have an idea how he feels. I don't think I'd take it very well if I learned all of a sudden that I had a long-lost brother or sister who acted the way she did." She shook her head.
    "But you see," insisted Usagi, "that's where I know I was the one who goofed up. Mamo-chan said she acted pretty much okay before I gave her the henshin rod, so that makes me the one responsible for the whole mess!" she finished, depressed.
    The two other girls sighed. Of all the times Usagi could have chosen to become responsible, this was not one of the best.
    "Come on," chided Makoto. "It's not so bad. I'm sure we'll find an answer to this whole mess soon." She straightened up. "Now get up, Usagi-chan. It wouldn't do to be late for the next class, now would it?"
    Ami rolled her eyes. Of course. Physical education. Aside from home economics, it was probably the only class Makoto liked. Too bad it wasn't the same for Usagi, who groaned painfully at the prospect of another torture session.
    
    A dozen minutes later, the three were finishing dressing up for P.E. class when one of their classmates, who had already left the locker room, came back in a rush.
    "Hey everybody!" she almost squealed. "You gotta come see this! There's this really cute hunk sparring with Tamura-sensei in the gymnasium." Most of the girls responded to the statement by hurrying out of the changing room.
    Usagi turned to Makoto. "Hey, Mako-chan, maybe you..." she trailed off when she realized Makoto wasn't there. Looking around her, she saw that the brunette was already pushing her way out of the changing room. Usagi blinked and turned to Ami, who shrugged.
    "Sometimes, I think she has bloodhound ancestry for that sort of thing," deadpanned the shorter-haired of the two.
    Usagi giggled at the comment.
    Making their own way out of the changing room, they stopped and stared when they realized just exactly who was the "really cute hunk".
    "Ranma?" chorused a surprised Usagi and Ami. Glancing at each other wonderingly, the made their way towards Makoto, who was standing a few feet away, just as surprised as they were.
    "Wow, he's good," said a girl besides Makoto.
    "He's playing with the sensei," replied Makoto absently.
    The other girl stared at Makoto. "What?"
    Makoto blinked herself out of her daze and turned to the girl. "I saw the guy fight before..."
    Usagi and Ami shot each other a worried glance.
    "And I can easily tell he's not giving his all," the brunette finished.
    Usagi and Ami sighed in relief.
    The other girl went back to watching Ranma. "He's really handsome... I wonder if he has a girlfriend?"
    "He's married," said Makoto, depressed.
    "NANI???" came the surprised shout from several girls.

    Ranma and Tamura were startled out of their sparring session when they heard a shout coming from the knot of assembled students. Moving away from each other, they bowed and turned to the crowd.
    "All right! Silence, please!" ordered Tamura. When the crowd settled down, he tried to locate the source of the shout. "All right," he said. "What was all the shouting about?"
    The crowd was silent.
    Tamura shook his head and sighed softly. *Out-of-control gossiping again, I'll bet,* he thought wryly. "Now that I have your attention, I want to introduce you to Ranma Saotome," he said, gesturing towards Ranma. "He's an excellent martial artist, as you've just seen, and he'll be coming here regularly at Juuban High to help me teach for this semester." He clapped his hands together. "All right now, take your positions."
    As the students began moving, Ranma suddenly noticed who was heading towards him, and whatever good mood he'd managed to acquire after his sparring match with Tamura suddenly went out of the window. It didn't take him long to recognize Usagi, as her hairstyle was pretty much unique. He recognized the two other girls as Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Mercury. He was about to scowl at them and tell them to leave him alone when he remembered that his male form was supposed to be unaware of what had happened yesterday. He settled on gritting his teeth instead.
    *I just had to fall on a class with three of them in it,* he thought, depressed.
    "Ranma-san? What are you doing here in Juuban High?" asked Ami. "I thought you went to Mizuharo University."
    Ranma shrugged. "You heard Tamura-sensei. I'm doing this so I can get a course or two credited at the university. I won't always be here, don't worry."
    Usagi blinked at the last comment, but quickly asked a question that had been on her mind since yesterday. "Ranma, do you know where Ranko is? I'd like to speak to her."
    Ranma couldn't help the tightening of his features. Was everyone going to hound him with that for the rest of his days? "She went back to Nerima," he said. "She didn't seem happy about what happened yesterday." Ranma was surprised at the expression that crossed Usagi's face. It seemed like sadness, or maybe regret.
    "I know," she said quietly. "I wanted to apologize for what happened yesterday."
    Ranma blinked, perplexed. This, he hadn't expected. She did seem genuinely remorseful about something, but what about, exactly? Was she sorry about giving him the henshin rod? He idly wondered how much would they reveal to him. "Apologize about what?" he hazarded.
    "Um, well..." she started to say, but was interrupted by Tamura's cough.
    "Tsukino-san? Mizuno-san? Kino-san? Would you please take your positions?"
    "Hai!" responded all three girls, moving away.
    Tamura approached Ranma. "Problems?" he asked.
    "No," the pig-tailed martial artist. "Happenstance. We met before and they were wondering how come I was here." He looked at Tamura. "Why did you think I had a problem?"
    Tamura raised an eyebrow. "You didn't see your face, Saotome-san."
    *Was I that obvious?* wondered Ranma.
    "Anyway," said Tamura, waving the matter away, "I wanted to thank you for the sparring match." He raised an eyebrow, smiling slightly. "Even if I know you were holding back," he finished wryly.
    Ranma grimaced. "Tamura-sensei..."
    Tamura, seeing the expression, laughed. "Don't take it the wrong way, Saotome-san. I know I wouldn't hold out for long in an all-out fight against someone of your caliber. I'm not angry over it." He clapped Ranma on the shoulder. "Now come on, we have a class to teach."
    Ranma looked at Tamura's retreating back. *He sure is easygoing,* he thought. *Maybe this won't be so bad after all.*

    While all of this was going on in Juuban High, Akane was fidgeting more and more at Mizuharo. She had just finished attending a lecture and was now on a break for a few hours. Unfortunately, the break was anything but relaxing. With free time on her hands, she found herself thinking more and more about Hotaru and the dream she had had the previous night.
    She was presently sitting at a table, trying to make sense of the notes she had scribbled during the lecture. The problem was, of course, that her mind was completely elsewhere at the moment. Namely, she was still trying to decide whether the dream had been effectively that, a dream, or something else.
    Frustrated at her lack of concentration, she got up and decided to go take a walk. Maybe it would help her clear her mind.
    As she left the university campus, she wondered how Ranma had fared in his meeting with the counselor. *He probably breezed through it,* she told herself reassuringly. *He doesn't have a dream bothering him.*
    She was walking aimlessly in the streets, preoccupied with her thoughts, when she heard someone shout her name.
    Blinking out of her trance, she looked around her for the source of the voice and quickly located it.
    Her heart skipped a beat when she saw Hotaru standing on the other side of the street, waving her hand. She stared for a moment before rushing across the street, heedless of the shouts directed at her by the angry cyclists she almost bowled over in doing so.
    "Hotaru-chan!" said Akane merrily, scooping the young girl up in her arms. "It's so good to see you again!"
    Hotaru stiffened in anticipation, her greeting frozen in her throat. Had Rei done as she had asked her yesterday? Akane had seemed awfully enthusiastic in her greeting. Did that mean she remembered? Before she could voice a comment, though, Akane put her down and looked at her quizzically.
    "Say, Hotaru-chan, how come you're outside of school at this time of day?"
    "There was water damage at our school last night," answered Hotaru, shaken out of her thoughts. "They closed the school down today for repairs."
    Akane nodded, almost absently. She was looking at Hotaru, tilting her head slightly, a considering expression on her face.
    "Akane?" asked Hotaru, worried. "Are you all right?"
    The older girl shook her head, smiling. "Yeah, I am, Hotaru-chan. Don't worry," she reassured her. "Let's walk, okay?" She looked around, an uncertain expression on her face. "There are a few things I'd like to talk to you about."
    Hotaru's heart suddenly tripled its current speed, which already wasn't anything to laugh at. "Um, sure!" she said happily. *Oh! I hope this is about what I think it is!* she thought, fighting the urge to tell Akane everything right away. A dark corner of her mind reminded that there was still a possibility that Akane wasn't Kanma reborn.
    They walked in silence until they reached a small public park, where they found a bench to sit on. The park was surprisingly quiet for this time of day. The only other occupants of the park were the birds, who were chirping away their own business in the surrounding trees.
    It was Akane who broke the silence first. "Hotaru-chan," she began hesitatingly. "Are you sure you haven't seen me anywhere before?"
    Hotaru's good mood faded slightly. "Well..." she hesitated. She knew that Haruka or Michiru would not appreciate her spilling the beans about their secret identities to Akane for no good reason, so it meant that Akane would have to take the first steps. "You seem familiar, yes," she finally said. It would have to do.
    Akane looked at Hotaru again and tried to figure out what she had meant with that comment, but couldn't make out the expression in the young girl's face. She was about to prod further when she stopped and asked herself if she really wanted this. Was it really all true? Magic, reincarnation and all that? Had there really been a thriving civilisation that spread through the planets thousands of years ago? Other things came to mind. Had she really been a man in a previous life? Would embracing memories she was unsure of turn her into some kind of deviant?
    Maybe she had just badly interpreted a dream, although a part of her refused to believe so. And in the event that it should all turn out to be all true, was she really ready to deal with everything that would follow? She had a good life, now. The fiancee business was over, Ranma didn't have anyone out to kill him. No risks. Just living happily ever after, just like a fairy tale.
    Akane let out a small, almost inaudible sigh. Did Hotaru even remember the same things she did? She had said that Akane looked familiar. Just how much familiar? Did the young girl remember herself as Sailor Saturn? Was she really one of the Sailor Senshi? Ranma had said that they existed for real; they weren't just vague urban legends.
    It would be so easy to just remain good friends. But if Hotaru really was her younger sister... Akane almost sighed wistfully, letting the tantalizing dream memories come back up to the surface.
    Akane looked back again at Hotaru, who seemed to be watching her anxiously. Why didn't she say anything? She took a deep breath. "Hotaru-chan, last night, I spoke with Rei, at the shrine. I told her that I thought you looked familiar and she offered to... well... help me remember. I'm not sure what it did, but last night..." she trailed off. She took a deep breath and looked Hotaru in the eyes. "Hotaru-chan, where exactly do you remember seeing me before?"
    Hotaru had to tell herself several times that Akane had to make the first move before she answered with a vague: "I'm not sure... It's like a dream." She saw Akane's pensive look and couldn't help adding softly: "A good dream."
    Akane smiled thinly. "Do you..." she trailed off. *Argh!* she thought a little angrily. *How do I say this without sounding like an idiot?* An idea suddenly came to her. *I've got it!* She dug in her bookbag and retrieved a sheet and a pen.
    "Akane?" asked Hotaru, puzzled by Akane's behaviour.
    "Just a moment, Hotaru-chan," said Akane distractedly. *I can just draw something and ask her if it reminds her of anything. If not, then no harm done and if it does, well... I'll deal with it when and if it happens.* The only problem was that she didn't know what to draw. She thought about a picture of Kanma's staff, Mjollnir, but then decided against it. It should be something Hotaru could recognize from her past.
    If any of it was true.
    Then it dawned on her. She began to draw an object she remembered clearly from Verika's life. If something could get a reaction out of Hotaru, this would. Once she finished, she handed the sheet to Hotaru. "Does this remind you of anything, Hotaru-chan?"
    Hotaru eagerly took the piece of paper, and saw. It was a drawing, done in haste, but it showed something she could never, ever forget.
    The Silence Glaive.
    Akane carefully watched Hotaru's reaction, as it went from hesitant to joyful. *Does she know what it is?* she wondered.
    Hotaru was more than happy. She had been right all along. "Hai, it does." She looked Akane in the eyes. "That's the Silence Glaive, the weapon of the Senshi of Saturn."
    Akane stood still in shock for a few moments. "V... Verika?" she stuttered. "Saturn, the past... Was it all real?"
    Hotaru dropped the sheet and quickly threw her hands around Akane's neck and hugged her as tightly as she could. "I hoped so much you were Kanma reborn! I've missed you so much!" she said, surprisingly softly.
    Akane was still reeling. "How, Verika... I mean Hotaru-chan... How is this possible? What happened?"
    Hotaru reluctantly let go of Akane. "That's what I'd like to know. I thought you'd died with all the others on Saturn. When I came back, everything had been destroyed."
    "No," said Akane, shaking her head, trying to remember everything all at once. "I wasn't on Saturn, I was on Earth. A... diplomatic mission, I think." She was silent for a moment then frowned. "Hotaru," she said, embarrassed. "Was I really, I mean... Oh how do I say this... Was Kanma..."
    Hotaru giggled as she realized what Akane was driving at. "Hai, Kanma was a guy." She hugged Akane again. "But I don't mind a sister at all."
    Oddly enough, Akane's first thought was along the lines of: *If Ranma finds out, he'll tease me about being a tomboy for the rest of my life!*
    "Hotaru-chan, we've got a lot to catch up on," finally said Akane.
    The answer came as a giggle. "We've got a lot of time... Oneesan."
    Despite the weirdness of the present moment, Akane couldn't help smiling. Big sister. She had never been called that before. She liked it.
    She decided she had made the right choice.
    The mood was suddenly shattered when they heard several people screaming outside the park. They both looked at each other with puzzled expressions before wordlessly getting off the bench and walking to the edge of the park.
    "What the..." echoed Akane and Hotaru, finally seeing what was causing all the screaming.
    It was big, it was black, and it looked mean. Real mean.
    It could have passed as a man, if you could find a twelve-foot tall individual with ebony skin, an ugly face, viciously clawed hands and muscles that would make Silvester Stallone look like Gosunkugi. It also had, strangely enough, two long, spiked tails.
    Akane frowned when she realized that the thing not only looked meaner, but seemed a lot more dangerous than the bug-like monster that had attacked at the train station. It was practically oozing with malice. She was still staring when, all of a sudden, the thing flexed its two huge legs and leaped away. It left behind screams, a flattened car and a broken water fountain.
    "I have to go after it." The sentence was out of Hotaru's mouth before she could stop it. She didn't know whether Akane had realized that she was Sailor Saturn in this life as well.
    Akane looked at her oddly. "Go after it? Hotaru-chan..." she trailed off and blinked in confusion. "Oh, right. Sailor Saturn, right?" she added sheepishly.
    Hotaru breathed a sigh of relief. "Hai," she answered. "I'll call the others as well." She looked around to see if there were any people aside from Akane watching her and found none. She took her henshin rod out of its subspace pocket.
    "Saturn Planet Power, Make-Up!"
    A deep violet light covered Hotaru and was subsequently absorbed in her body without the slightest sound. The fuku automatically formed around her and the Silence Glaive's deadly shape materialized in her right hand.
    Akane watched the whole proceeding, fascinated. When the transformation was finished, she looked at Sailor Saturn and frowned. *Awfully short skirt,* she thought. "Won't people recognize you like that, Hotaru-chan? I mean, you don't even wear a mask or anything."
    "We don't need to," answered Saturn. "The transformation includes a disguise field that encourages people not to recognize us. You didn't fall for it because you saw the transformation occurring." She tilted her head slightly. "And call me Saturn when I'm like this, not Hotaru. You wouldn't want to blow my cover now, would you?"
    "Oh," was all Akane said. She blinked and put a hand over Sailor Saturn's shoulder. "I'm coming with you," she said decisively. "I'm not letting you go alone after that thing."
    "You can't!" protested Saturn. "You don't have any protection!..." she trailed off and looked at Akane. "Or do you?..." she asked wonderingly.
    "What are you talking about?" said Akane. "You're not making any sen..." she cut her protest short when she understood what Sailor Saturn was talking about. "The Knight Guard armour?"
    Saturn nodded enthusiastically.
    "You gotta be kidding!" said Akane, dismayed. "That armour was designed for a man!" she added, almost embarrassed.
    Saturn shrugged. "It was a magical armour. Maybe it'll adapt differently this time."
    Akane reddened slightly. "But still..."
    "Look," added Saturn, something coming back to her. "You're going to need a weapon, no? Kanma couldn't cast spells very well without his staff."
    "The staff," Akane murmured, lost in thoughts. She held out a hand in front of her. "How did that go?" she muttered. "Oh, yes..." Her eyes narrowed. "Mjollnir!" she said, but nothing happened. She frowned. "Maybe if I..." she muttered again and took a deep breath. "MJOLLNIR!" she shouted and a hammer-headed staff that hadn't been used in over a thousand and a half years suddenly materialized in her hand.
    Saturn and Akane couldn't help staring at it.
    "Oh my god," Akane breathed. She looked at it again and realized that it was indeed the same staff she had used as Kanma so long ago in the past. "This thing brings back so many memories," she said softly.
    Saturn was becoming impatient. "Akane! The monster's getting away!"
    Akane shook her head. "Oh, right." She took a deep breath. *If that thing turns me into a man, I swear I'll scream,* she thought grimly and raised the staff.
    "Knight Guard Power!"

    Back in Juuban, P.E. class was drawing to its end and Ranma was glad that he had managed to avoid the three Senshi for most of the class. Looking at Usagi, he couldn't help wondering how someone who was so uncoordinated could end up as the leader of a bunch of super-powered vigilante schoolgirls.
    "All right!" yelled Tamura-sensei. "Gather around, I've got a few things to say before class finishes."
    Ranma ignored the bustle. Something was coming this way. Something that definitely wasn't nice. He began frowning. It was still far, but he could feel it already. That was bad. And it was coming closer.
    "Tamura-sensei?" said Ranma, out loud.
    Tamura turned from where he was speaking. "Yes, Saotome-san?"
    "Get the students out. Now," he said, frowning even more and looking at one of the walls of the gymnasium as if he could see through them. Oh yes, it was evil and it was getting closer. This could get messy.
    "What?" asked Tamura, bewildered. "What are you talking... about?..." he said, frowning towards the end.
    *He's starting to feel it too,* realized Ranma. It would be here any moment. There wasn't time. It was going to be messy. His danger sense was screaming. He turned towards the assembled students. "Get out of here! Now!" he shouted. The students began milling around and murmuring among themselves, unsure of what to do.
    "Do it!" shouted Tamura. "Everyone out! Now!" There was fear in his eyes.
    The wall at the far end of the gymnasium suddenly exploded towards the inside of the room, showering bits of cement, wood and plaster everywhere.
    As soon as they saw the creature, most of the students began screaming and running. Fortunately, there was an exit close by and the students didn't need to go anywhere near the monster.
    "Tamura-sensei!" shouted Ranma over the frightened shrieks of students trying to leave. "Help them get out. I'll draw that thing away!"
    Tamura looked at him, then nodded. "Don't get yourself killed, Saotome!"
    Ranma nodded, idly noting the slightly more familiar form of address. He turned to the thing... a demon he decided by its looks, and began running towards it. He could feel its hate getting stronger as he moved closer. Whatever that thing was, he had to take it down. Now.
    Less than ten feet away, he jumped in the air and brought his hands together as fast as he could. "MOUKO TAKABISHA!" he yelled, throwing a gigantic chi-blast straight at the demon. The being in question merely stood there and let the attack hit it, pushing it back a few feet, but doing no appreciable damage. Ranma used that time to vault over the demon and stand in the hole it had made on its way in.
    "Come on!" he taunted. "You wanna fight? I'm the best there is!"
    The demon turned around and smiled. Ranma decided he didn't like that smile. It seemed, well, a bit too sadistic for his tastes. "You are Ranma Saotome?" it asked in a voice that sounded like rotten leather crumbling.
    Ranma blinked, and narrowed his eyes. "So what if I am?" he said defiantly.
    "Greetings from Happosai," the demon replied with a grin.
    *Happosai?* Ranma thought in shock. *He summoned this thing?* He shook his head. He could deal with the pervert later; right now, he had more pressing business.
    That was the last thing he thought before the demon performed an inhumanly fast kick that went right through his defensive stance and sent him flying out of the school grounds.

    When the students had begun rushing out, Makoto had had enough luck to hold on to Usagi and Ami both and push them back in the changing room, instead of letting herself be carried by the human flood.
    "Did you see that thing?" said Makoto. "We gotta change and kill that thing, right Usagi?"
    Usagi nodded, a shaky smile on her lips. "And I was wondering why Ranma had suddenly gone crazy."
    "Ranma probably felt it long before we did," said Ami, shaking her head. "He was trying to warn us."
    Makoto sneaked a quick peek out the door and her breath caught. "Kuso!" she swore.
    "Mako-can? What's wrong?" quickly asked Usagi.
    Makoto closed the door. "Bad news. Ranma just got kicked out of school. Literally."
    Usagi's answer was to go back to where she had stashed her clothes and dig out the Ginzuishou. "Come on!" she said in a uncharacteristic show of bravery. "We have to help him!"

    Meanwhile, elsewhere in the school, Michiru and Haruka had been bored. Of course, Michiru had not shown any signs of it, unlike Haruka, and had quietly endured the lecture. However, as it progressed, the turquoise-haired Senshi began to grow nervous. She had almost risked a look with the Mirror, but didn't want to be stuck answering delicate questions from the teacher if she happened to be caught.
    As it was, she was only slightly less surprised than the others when she heard the gymnasium wall collapse and the wild screaming that ensued.
    Their teacher immediately stopped the lecture and opened the door to see what was happening and was almost bowled over by the flood of students trying to get away.
    "There's a monster in the gymnasium!" shouted one of the fleeing students.
    Haruka and Michiru looked at one another and nodded.

    Ranma impacted painfully against a wall on the other side of the street in front of the school. He shook his head, trying to get rid of the cobwebs when he saw the demon running towards him.
    *Damn, it's fast!* thought Ranma. *I need some breathing space.*
    He waited until the demon was almost on top of him before slashing his hands apart as fast as he could. "KIJIN RAISHU DAN!!" he yelled, sending a vacuum blade right in the demon's face, who screamed in pain from the impact. Ranma quickly got behind the demon and looked around. By now, most of the innocent bystanders had fled the street, leaving the combatants alone with the monster.
    The demon turned around, no longer smiling. "That hurt, you little fool," it snarled.
    "Oh yeah?" Ranma shot back. "Well how about this!" he said, forming a giant chi-sphere in front of him. Predictably, the demon lunged at Ranma, who smirked. "Sucker! RENSHA HAPPA-DAN!" he cried, releasing the storm of miniature chi balls. Unlike the last time, however, he was ready for the recoil and successfully directed the entire storm on the demon... who wasn't there anymore. The technique reduced the wall he had impacted into to so much rubble, but there was no trace of the demon.
    *What the...?* was the last coherent thought Ranma had before he was caught by a blow on the back which sent him collapsing on the pavement.
    "Looking for me?" said the demon, amused. "I don't make the same mistakes twice." It was already raising its taloned foot above Ranma's head when a voice caught its attention.
    "Harming those who would teach others is unforgivable! In the name of the Moon, I will punish you!"
    The demon blinked at Sailor Moon. Ranma, who was getting up on his knees, groaned in disgust. *Do they have to make speeches, too?* Although he had to admit that the demon's now unprotected back was a golden opportunity.
    "ROGA SHUHAI TAI!" he shouted, using his fingers to make bloody gashes in the demon's skin. The demon roared in pain and whipped around to pound Ranma in the pavement and received a Haku Dato Shin Sho to the chest for its trouble. Ranma then crescent-kicked it as hard as he could in the face and jumped over the stunned demon.
    "What are you waiting for?!" he yelled to the Senshi. "Hit it!"
    Sailor Jupiter was the first to take up the offer. "Sparkling Vital Pressure!" she shouted, throwing the lightning ball at the demon, who dodged.
    "You fight well," said the demon. "But I'm better," it finished, and Ranma and the Senshi watched as it healed all traces of damage done to its body.
    *This... might take a while,* thought Ranma, glumly.
    He quickly dashed towards it, trying to render it unconscious by hitting it at Amaguriken speed, but received another shock as he saw that his blows did not seem to have any lasting effect. An instant of distraction was all the demon needed to snake one of its tails around Ranma's legs, lifting him up helplessly.
    "Thank you so much for coming to me," said the demon, holding Ranma upside down at face level with itself. It was about to cave Ranma's face in when all hell cut loose.
    "Rainbow Moon Heart Ache!" Sailor Moon yelled at the same time as Neptune and Uranus showed up.
    The demon, still holding Ranma, leaped over Sailor Moon's attack, but that only served to put it straight in Sailor Neptune's sight.
    "Deep Submerge!" she cried, aiming a water globe at the airborne demon. It reacted by tossing Ranma straight into Neptune's attack. Seeing the demon's move, the aqua-haired Senshi tried to cancel the attack, but it was too late.
    The Deep Submerge, a magical water-based attack, was more than enough to trigger Ranma's curse and render him almost unconscious from the pain.
    The Senshi watched in shock as Ranma's figure became smaller and his hair changed colour. The demon seemed to be more confused than anything else.
    "Ranko?!" came the incredulous comment from several throats. Seeing Ranko fall bonelessly to the ground seemed to galvanize every player into action.
    "A shapeshifter?" the demon wondered out loud. "It matters not." It raised a hand to punch the immobile redhead into the ground, but never got the opportunity to do just that as a bright, golden chain wrapped around its wrist. It turned its head around, just in time to glare at the latest newcomer, Sailor Venus.
    "What is this farce?" it growled. It turned around completely to face Venus and forgetting all about Ranma. "If you want to make such pests of yourselves, then I will be glad to deal with you as well."
    "Oh yeah?!" came a voice behind it. "Deal with this!"
    The demon turned around just in time to get a slash to the chest, courtesy of Sailor Uranus' Space Sword. Uranus managed a shaky dodge under the return strike and shouted "Now!"
    A Crescent Beam Shower and a Supreme Thunder immediately hammered it from different directions. It was followed shortly afterwards by another attempt by Sailor Moon with the Rainbow Moon Heart Ache. This time, the demon barely dodged around it.
    "Burning Mandala!" came a new cry from behind it. It felt mystic flame sear its back and whirled around, snarling from the pain. Another girl had arrived, this one with a red outfit. It regenerated its wounds once more. It needed to end this soon. Despite appearances, it wouldn't be able to regenerate itself forever.
    The demon was so busy evading strikes that it never noticed Sailor Neptune sneaking Ranma-chan away from it.

    Once Neptune had Ranma-chan in her grasp, she immediately carried the redhead over to Mercury. She gently deposited her on the ground. "Is he... she all right?" she asked.
    Mercury activated her visor. "I don't know," she said. "I'm not even sure I understand what happened here. Ranma turned into Ranko?" She shook her head in confusion.
    "We'll figure it out later," said Neptune quickly. "Can you take care of her? The others need my help. It's all we can do to keep that thing from regenerating itself long enough for Sailor Moon to correctly aim her attack."
    Mercury nodded. "I'll be okay." As Neptune left, her visor delivered a diagnostic: mild shock and three broken ribs. Mercury was surprised in more ways than one. Not many people would be able to stand getting hit with a Deep Submerge and walk away with just a few broken ribs. She turned her attention to that problem. *Unless Saturn arrives, he... she will have to go to the hospital,* thought Mercury. She silently shook her head. *Ranma or Ranko, whoever you are, you have a lot of explaining to do.* She looked at the latest Senshi to arrive. *Especially to Rei.*
    Suddenly, Ranma-chan's eyes snapped open.

    Ranma had very nearly lost consciousness when the Deep Submerge had hit him. He had not even had time to form a defense.
    As he changed to female, one thought in particular that stood out was that the Senshi now all knew of her curse, and that didn't make her happy at all. She was trying to get back to full consciousness when she heard a familiar voice.
    *Ranma! Can you talk to me?* Akana spoke urgently into her mind.
    Ranma-chan would have jumped in surprise if she had been enough in control to do so. *Akana? Is that you?*
    *Who else would talk to you in your head?* she replied, not unkindly. *Listen to me carefully...*
    Ranma-chan cut her off. *Where have you been? I've been trying to contact you all morning long. I was starting to think that you'd been nothing more than a dream!* Another part of the redhead's mind wondered why she was so happy to hear about Akana.
    *I'm not sure,* replied Akana's voice. *I tried to talk to you this morning as well. It looks like we can only speak when we're asleep or when you're female for the moment. Maybe it will change later.*
    *Yeah, well later is for later. Sorry to step out on you like that, but I gotta stop that thing.*
    *Ranma!* she heard Akana's shocked voice. *We've got broken ribs! We can't go back out there!*
    Ranma-chan did the equivalent of a mental snort. *Watch me,* she told Akana flatly. *Besides, I fight with odds like these all the time.*
    *I know,* said Akana tiredly. *And sometimes, it makes me wonder if you have a death wish.* There was a short pause. *If you're going to do something as stupid as that, at least turn into Sailor Terra!* insisted Akana.
    *Why should I?* she asked defensively. She was surprised to notice that Akana had changed her form of address. She had addressed her personally this time.
    *For once, could you be a bit more reasonable? The outfit isn't only for show, you know. The bodysuit is like armour. If anything, it will help stabilize your ribs.*
    *I'm not letting anyone see me in that thing!* said Ranma defiantly.
    *RANMA!* Akana's voice screamed in his mind. *Please let go of your stupid pride! This is more important! They all saw you change a few minutes ago. They know you were Terra the other day! What's it going to change?* There was short pause. *Besides, didn't you wear something similar when you fought that cheerleader Mariko? I don't remember you whining about it too much then, did you?*
    Ranma-chan stayed silent at Akana's outburst. This was the first time Akana had lost her temper like that. *I wouldn't be able to turn into Terra even if I wanted to. I threw the henshin rod away the other day.*
    *Not exactly,* said Akana's voice. *I triggered the storage command when you threw it away. It's still there in the subspace pocket.*
    There was a long silence.
    *Ranma!* pleaded Akana. *You have to help them! The Princess is fighting along with them and you have to protect her! She is the most important!*
    The Oath.
    Ranma-chan felt something brush her mind. *Endymion,* she thought. *He's coming to help her.*
    *Not just her,* Akana said. *You as well. He's coming to help you as well. Remember the link?*
    *I told him not to use it to find me!* snarled Ranma-chan.
    *He didn't do it on purpose,* said Akana. *You're attuned to one another. He couldn't help sensing you get hurt anymore than you could if he was injured.*
    More silence.
    *All right,* said Ranma-chan. *But only for this time, understand?*
    She could feel Akana's joy. *Thank you, Ranma.*
    Ranma-chan woke up.

    Mamoru had been in the library, researching all he could about Jusenkyou when he felt Usagi being in danger. He quickly dashed out of the library, nearly shoving several students away in the process. As he ran towards the exit, he cursed the fact that there hadn't seemed to be much information about Jusenkyou, or at least not in what he'd checked so far. He had found a vague reference to a set of springs, but that had been all. There were, however, still quite a few books left to check.
    Once he got outside, he quickly located an empty spot and shifted into Tuxedo Kamen. After that, he quickly took to the rooftops and leaped away towards Juuban High.
    When he was a few blocks away, he spotted two other roof-hoppers. Sailor Saturn's Silence Glaive was unmistakable, but he didn't recognize the other who was with her. He angled his trajectory so he would meet up with them.
    "Sailor Saturn!" he called out. Both figures glanced his way, slightly surprised.
    "Tuxedo Kamen!" shouted Sailor Saturn in return, waving a hand.
    Tuxedo Kamen quickly caught up with them, stopping on a roof. "I suppose we're going in the same direction?" he asked her.
    "Looks like it," said Saturn. "I called Neptune and Uranus, but they were already at the site and so were the others. Mars is on her way."
    Tuxedo shifted his attention and looked at Saturn's companion. A young woman with short black hair held back by a yellow headband, she was decked out in an odd set of grey and gold armour that tickled Endymion's memory. The upper half of the armour consisted in slightly oversized shoulderguards and a shield-shaped breastplate with the sigil of Saturn. Hip guards on each side rested against tight black pants. She was wearing grey boots with golden knee guards and the whole outfit was complimented by a grey cape with a golden trim that was attached to the shoulderguards.
    She was also carrying what Tuxedo Kamen personally thought was an oversized hammer with a long handle. A hammer that was pointed on one end, too.
    "Who are you?" asked Tuxedo Kamen. It had only taken a moment to look, but he was in too much of a hurry to be polite.
    "Why don't we just keep going," said the young woman. "I'll explain on the way."
    Tuxedo Kamen nodded and soon, they were back on their way.
    "So," said Tuxedo Kamen briskly. "Explain."
    "She's my reincarnated brother, Tuxedo Kamen," said Saturn happily.
    Tuxedo Kamen almost fell flat on his face. "B-Brother?" he stuttered.
    "Saturn-chan, remind me to teach you something about tact," said the young woman with a sigh as they jumped another roof.
    Sailor Saturn blushed. "Ah... Um, sorry, Akane. It just sort of slipped out."
    "Akane?" said Tuxedo Kamen, remembering the name. "Ranma's wife?"
    Akane blinked. "You know me?"
    "Yes, but I didn't recognize you before. You must have a disguise field like the Senshi."
    Akane brightened. "Really? I didn't remember I had that. Well that helps!" She thought for a moment. "Maybe I should call myself Saturn Knight, then. That used to be my title."
    Just as they were getting closer to their goal, Tuxedo Kamen suddenly stopped and clutched his head.
    "What's wrong?" asked Saturn, kneeling beside him.
    "She... she's been hurt!" he panted. He could feel it in his mind now.
    "Sailor Moon's been hurt?" asked Saturn, horrified. "Come on, then! We have to get there now!"
    "No," said Tuxedo Kamen, getting up. "Not Sailor Moon. Ranko."
    Akane's eyes bugged out. "Ranko? As in the redhead that looks like Ranma?"
    Tuxedo Kamen nodded. "Hai. I found out two days ago that she's my reincarnated sister." He looked at Saturn. "Maybe it's reincarnation season or something. Anyway, we seem to be sharing some sort of mental link. All I know is that Ranko's just been hurt badly."
    Akane didn't know whether to stare at Tuxedo Kamen, tell him he was completely insane, or just fall down laughing her guts out. Ranko was Ranma. Ranma was his reincarnated sister? No wait, that wasn't right. It didn't make sense. Well, then again, she was Saturn's reincarnated brother. Maybe that was why he'd been acting so weird this morning. *This is making my head hurt,* she thought numbly. She shook her head when she saw Tuxedo Kamen leaping away once more. "Wait! There's something you should know!"
    "Later!" said the masked man.
    Akane turned to Saturn. "I think he's got it all wrong, Saturn."
    "Not likely," answered Saturn, following Tuxedo Kamen. "We found out something rather interesting about Ranko yesterday."
    "What?" asked Akane, following Saturn. *This just keeps getting better and better!* she thought wryly.
    "That's not for me to tell," replied Saturn.
    Akane would have pried further, but they arrived at the battle site, and the scene wasn't pretty. Over two-thirds of the street was nothing more than rubble and the Senshi were obviously getting tired of fighting the monster Akane and Sailor Saturn had been following.
    Tuxedo Kamen looked around and quickly saw that Sailor Moon was unharmed. Neptune and Mars were currently protecting her, but Uranus, Venus and Jupiter looked as though they were running out of steam. He saw Mercury kneeling at Ranko's side and it confirmed the gut feeling he had had that Ranko had been hurt. He turned to his two other companions. "All right. I strike first and help guard Sailor Moon so the others can get closer to that thing. Saturn, you strike second and go help Ranko right after." He turned to Akane. "If you can fight, we could use it."
    Akane's face was a stony mask. "If it's that thing that hurt Ranma, then it's dead," she said flatly. She deliberately left out the fact that she hadn't had time to try out any magic so far. How hard could it be? After all, she did have Kanma's memories. Well, some of them at any rate.
    "Ranma?" said Tuxedo Kamen, puzzled. "Oh, nevermind." He turned towards the monster, who was now stalking towards Sailor Moon and threw an entire garden's worth of roses into its back.
    The demon roared in pain, allowing Tuxedo Kamen to jump in front of Sailor Moon, catching its attention. Seeing that the demon was not looking in their direction, Saturn's brow furrowed in concentration as she hefted the Glaive.
She jumped off the roof she was standing on and slashed down at the demon with a resounding cry of "Silence Glaive Surprise!" The enhanced slash from the weapon made a deep cut in its back, amidst the impromptu rose garden. Seeing that her attack worked, she quickly moved towards where Ranko and Mercury were sitting. It looked as if the redhead was beginning to get up.
    Akane had blinked at Tuxedo Kamen's somewhat unusual attack. *Roses? He attacks with roses?* she thought incredulously. But after witnessing the demon's pained reaction, she had to admit that however silly the attack might look, it sure seemed to work. She then watched Saturn attack, surprised at her newfound sister's skill with the giant weapon. And now it was her turn.
    Unfortunately, the demon had turned around once more and was now watching her warily. Mars, seeing the problem, shot a Fire Soul at the demon, who was forced to turn towards her to avoid the attack. Akane gave Mars a quick nod in thanks. Hefting Mjollnir, she took a deep breath and leaped, hoping she would get the spell she was thinking about right.
    "Shirak Tabris!" she shouted, swinging her staff at the demon. There should have been a shockwave - that much Akane remembered from Kanma's memories - but nothing happened.
    Well, that wasn't quite true. She did manage to hit the demon with the pointed end of the hammerhead, thus catching its attention.
    Which she suddenly wished she hadn't done, because the demon now looked even more ready to kill than before. Its two tails lashed out, trying to bat Akane out of the way, but she barely parried the strikes at the last moment with Mjollnir's haft, her arms smarting from the shock. *Why didn't it work?* she thought frantically. She had to get out of reach before that thing impaled her.
    Oddly enough, the demon just stood there for a second, unmoving, before howling "ENOUGH!!!"

    Unaware of the new arrivals, Ranma-chan had begun getting up, clutching her ribs, despite the repeated protests of Sailor Mercury.
    "Stop it!" said Mercury, futilely trying to stop the redhead from moving. "You'll aggravate the injury"
    Ranma-chan pushed her away. "It's nothing, I can deal with it. I gotta go kill that thing," she said, wincing as she spoke the words.
    "The others can handle it," said Mercury, glaring at the redhead. "You may be strong, but you aren't invulnerable, Ranko. You go out like this and that demon will kill you."
    Ranma-chan sighed. "The name's Ranma, not Ranko. Don't pretend you didn't see it on my account."
    Mercury's glare faltered. "So you are Ranma? You're the same? How..."
    Ranma-chan didn't answer as Saturn rushed towards them.
    "Saturn!" said Mercury, surprised. "When did you get here?"
    "I just did," replied the smallest Senshi. She turned to Ranko. "Tuxedo Kamen told me and... ah..." she faltered, unsure of what to say, "... and the Saturn Knight that you'd been hurt, so hold still," she finished, immediately pressing her hands just below the redhead's breasts. Now was perhaps not the best time to tell her about Akane.
    Before Ranma-chan had a chance to protest about anything, she felt soft warmth spreading through her body. A moment later, it vanished. She reflexively took a deep breath and braced for a pain that didn't come. She was about to ask Saturn how she had done that when she heard Akana's shocked voice inside her head.
    //Saturn Knight? Kanma?? How...?//
    Ranma-chan found herself looking towards the battlefield where a young woman in gray armour had just barely blocked a rather vicious strike from the demon.
    *She doesn't look like a Senshi,* thought Ranma.
    //That's because she isn't one!// replied Akana, still shocked.
    *Then who...* Any further questioning was put on hold when they all heard the demon howl a loud "ENOUGH!!!"
    The cry was so loud that all the fighting stopped for a moment. The demon growled and began radiating darkness, as paradoxal as it might seem. Its wounds healed once more and it turned towards Ranma-chan. It started running towards her.
    Ranma-chan was about to meet its charge when Saturn stepped in front of her, holding the Glaive as if she was about to parry a strike with it.
    "Get out of the way!" said Ranma-chan, but Saturn paid her warning no heed. The demon was practically on top of them when Saturn shouted "SILENCE WALL!" There was a shimmering in the air and the demon crashed head-first into what Ranma-chan realized was an invisible wall. "Whoa..." she said amazed.
    "Get away, quickly!" said Saturn through clenched teeth. The demon was now punching the Silence Wall as fast and as hard as it could. "I won't be able to hold this for long!"
    "No way," said Ranma-chan. "That thing is after me. It wants a piece of me? He's gonna get one." She reached behind her in a gesture that felt hauntingly familiar and came back with the henshin rod. She looked at it for a brief moment, feelings of longing and revulsion coursing through her. Ranma-chan closed her eyes and raised the rod. "Terra Star Power, Make-Up," she whispered.

    And the Power coursed through her.
    She hated it. She revelled in it.
    She was betraying herself. This was who she was.
    Never again. Always and forever.
    And as quickly as it began, it stopped.

    And she felt wonderful.

    Automatically, her subconscious came up with a speech, but Terra was unable to stop it in time. "Creating chaos and hurting innocents who come to school is unforgivable!" she said out loud. Inside, she was cringing. They were all looking at her, too. She had barely managed to stop herself from posing when she decided that if she was stuck saying a speech, at least it would be her speech. "In the name of the Earth," she said, moving her arms in front of herself, "I'm gonna kick you straight back to hell!"
    The demon's assault on the Silence Wall had faltered when Ranma-chan had transformed. Therefore, it was still a bit puzzled by its quarry's new physical appearance and had dismissed the speech as unimportant when it realized something.
    It had left itself wide open for an attack.
    Saturn, sensing what had happened, quickly dropped the Wall and ducked aside, just in time to hear a resounding "MOUKO TAKABISHA!!!"
    The chi-blast, which was several times as powerful as her normal ones, flung the demon a good forty meters away down the street in a cloud of smoke. Sailor Terra lowered her arms and smirked. *Take that, you stupid demon.*
    The smirk wore off and was immediately replaced by a stunned expression when she saw the demon wobble back up and start running right back right towards her. *What the hell does it take for that thing to stay down?!*
    //Use your power!// interjected Akana.
    *My power?* wondered Terra. She blinked when the knowledge came back to her. *Oh right.* She turned towards Sailor Venus, who was gaping at her from a dozen meters away. "Toss me your chain, now!"
    "W-What?" Venus stammered, confused.
    "THE CHAIN!" Terra yelled, the demon getting closer by the second.
    The yell shook Venus out of her trance. "Venus Love-Me Chain!" she shouted, sending the golden heart chain towards Terra, who casually caught it with her left hand. Something unexpected then happened. The chain suddenly winked out of existence, much to Sailor Venus' confusion. She tried to warn the red-haired Senshi when she noticed that the yellow trim of Terra's fuku had just turned a bright orange, like her own fuku. She blinked.
    Terra smiled. She had the power now. The demon was almost on her. She moved to meet its charge and yelled: "TERRA MIMIC! LOVE-ME CHAIN!" She evaded the demon's initial charge, but immediately swung back around it, the Love-Me Chain back in her hands.
    Two eyeblinks later, the demon's arms were pinned to its body by the bright, golden chain. Sailor Terra was behind it, holding the end of the chain in her hands. "Gotcha!" she said brightly.
    "Not quite," snarled the demon, twisting around and using Terra's hold on the Love-Me Chain to toss her into a wall.
    Terra shook her head. "What are you waiting for?" she yelled to the other Senshi. "Hit the damn thing!"
    "Right!" said Sailor Moon, who began charging up for the Rainbow Moon Heart Ache.
    Of course, the demon saw this and immediately tried to move out of range. It didn't get the chance as it realized its legs were now also tangled up in another golden chain. It looked at Terra, who was smiling smugly.
    "Going somewhere?" taunted Terra.
    The demon would have snarled again if it hadn't been quickly getting scared at the moment. It turned around, feeling an energy surge and the last thing it saw was the sight of Sailor Moon's attack headed straight for it.
    It didn't even have time to scream.
    Sailor Terra winced as the attack completely disintegrated the demon. *Usagi may be a klutz,* she thought, *but that attack more than makes up for it.*
    She then realized everyone was staring at her. Tuxedo Kamen, the Senshi, even the girl in the gray-and-gold armour.
    //I think they're going to want explanations now,// commented Akana from the recesses of Terra's mind.
    Terra buried her face in her hands.

Author's notes

- Roga Shuhai Tai (Wolf Fang Attack From Behind Figure): A move from the Saotome School Of Underhanded Techniques, which consists in attacking from behind with hooked fingers like a the fangs of a pouncing wolf.

- Haku Dato Shin Sho (White Snake Reliable Fist): An Umi-sen-ken technique. A rapid series of fingers-first strikes, that send damage right through an opponent's body and out the other side.

- The "Oath" isn't completely original. I remember reading something *very* much like it in an another Sailor Moon fanfic *very* long ago... Can't remember where, though. My apologies to the author who came up with it.

- Thanks to Hitomi for her comments and suggestions for the dream scene dialogues.

- For those who don't get it, I use * * quotes when Ranma and Akana converse inside a dream (they're both thinking) and // quotes when Ranma is awake.

- The bit about talking to the Guardians? Taken from the manga, Vol. 5 (I'll put a scan on my Web site). In the manga, Sailor Mars killed Jadeite, Jupiter killed Nephrite and Venus killed Zoisite. I don't quite remember how Kunzite died, but after the whole mess, Mamoru kept four stones - it was all that was left of the men who were once his protectors. Mamoru "talked" with their spirits shortly after he used the Tuxedo Smoking Bomber attack for the first time (Black Moon incident).

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