Chapter 2

She stood looking out across the garden watching the two figures who moved among the flowers. Her red robes hung loosely in the still night air and in the distance she could hear the sounds of revelry and merrymaking. Her companion was at the party and she silently wished him well with the woman who had captured his heart.

She reached up to brush away a stray strand of red hair and her fingers gently touched the scar that ran from her temple to her chin. Her hand lingered near that scar as she remembered the blade that had made the cut. Another few inches and she would have died. She should have died, but the Dragon had been there to save her from those last few inches. He was always there for her just as she, the Phoenix, was always there for him. Hand returning to her side, she chased the memories of the past away and concentrated on the present.

The young couple had moved to the far end of the large garden where the shadows made it hard for her to see much. All the better. She didn’t need to be close to keep an eye on them. Long ago she had made it her duty to watch over the princess and all those who she called friend. Payment for a debt she felt she owed the girls mother. A debt she would pay with her life if she had to.

Silence filled the air now and she wondered what had happened to the party. Seconds later an explosion rocked the surrounding area and she turned to see smoke rising into the sky. Her naginata came to her hand in a flash, blade and haft forged in fires drawn from the core of the Earth and burning hotter than the sun. It fell from her numb hands, though, as images flashed into her head. Black fire burning with hate, consuming all in its path. The final roar of a mighty beast slain by the hand of evil filled her ears and the smell of burning flesh filled her nostrils.

Collapsing to her knees next to the fallen weapon, the Phoenix began to weep. Her companion had been killed and she had not even been there to try and stop it. She had failed. A burning rage filled her heart and flames leapt into view around her. They would die. All of those who had brought their evil to this place would die at her hand. Hands grasping her weapon and fire filling her eyes, she began searching out those she wished to see lying dead before her.

When the red haze of rage and battle finally left her, she was standing over the body of the fallen princess. The area around her was completely devastated and bodies lay strewn about the ground. Tears streaming down her face, she fell to her knees before the lifeless form of the one she had sworn to protect. She had failed again. Wounds, both big and small, covered her body and she knew it wouldn’t be long before she joined her companions. That knowledge didn’t ease her guilt though.

Something compelled her to look up and she saw a glowing aura encompass the princess. Scanning the area she noted that the same aura was surrounding a number of lifeless figures. She watched in awe as the souls of this realm’s warrior’s rose into the air. She knew now what was happening. Someone was sending them forward to be reborn again just as she had been reborn so many times before.

Staring up at the glowing image of the princess she remembered her oath. She would not fail in the next life. The flaming bird from which she took her name appeared around her. With a shout that resembled the cry of a bird, she used the last of her strength to cast her very soul outward. The flaming bird rose into the air and launched itself at the soul of the princess. It engulfed her, flaring wildly, and then faded away, becoming one with the powers of the moon. The lifeless body of a woman dressed in red robes fell to the ground to lay forgotten for a thousand years.

Serena opened her eyes slowly. The final cry of the woman in her dream still sounded in her ears. Now she knew more about her previous life, but that wasn’t much of a comfort considering how it had turned out. She felt the whole thing was sad and wished it could have been different. She wondered if Ranma had come into his power the same way.

Sitting bolt upright in bed, she looked around with wide eyes that saw little of her surroundings. Thinking of Ranma had brought a flurry of memories to the surface. The fight with Dolgoth, the pain and darkness, and the red light that had surrounded her, it all came crashing home. She held her hands up before her to make sure that she was indeed fine and noted that she was wearing a nightgown of some type.

A million questions sprung up in her mind. How had she gotten here, where was here, how had she survived, where was Darien? Before panic could set in, the only door in the small room opened to admit a familiar face.

"I see you’re finally awake," noted Ranma as he shut the door behind him.

Serena breathed a sigh of relief. At least she wasn’t all alone here. "What happened?" she blurted out. "How did we get here? Where is here?"

Ranma held his hands up as if to ward off invisible blows. "Whoa, hold on a sec. One question at a time."

The boy she called friend walked over to the room’s only chair. Pulling it out from under a desk, he turned it to face her and sat down The way he sat at complete ease with arms crossed spoke of his confidence in himself and his abilities. She had seen him fight and knew he had every right to be confident, but sometimes he carried it to a fault. He had the same problem with his pride.

"Where are we?" she asked in a slower, calmer voice.

Ranma put on a grin that made him look like a boy about to pull some sort of prank. "We’re in a village called Baicho. It’s located on the eastern side of a country called Sersey. The oceans about twenty-miles south of here."

Serena stared blankly at the grinning boy. "I realize I didn’t spend much time studying geography, but none of those names sound even the least bit familiar. Where’s Tokyo from here?"

The martial artist shrugged. "Have no idea. It’s not surprising you don’t recognize the names though."

He said no more, but simply sat there staring at her with a look she thought was supposed to be innocent. It looked more like he was trying to keep a straight face while telling a joke. She knew what he wanted from her so she asked the obvious question. "Why?"

"Because we’re in another dimension." He said it so nonchalantly that it took a few moments for the words to sink in.

"That’s not funny Ranma," scolded Serena. "Tell me where we really are."

"I told you the truth. If you don’t believe me than look out the window and see for yourself."

Glaring at Ranma, she got up on her knees and opened the shutters to the window above her head. She stared in mute shock at what she saw. All of the buildings looked like something out of a history book. The people moving up and down the cobblestone street were dressed in strange clothing and carts drawn by both people and animals clattered by. The air was clean and she could see no smoke rising into the air from factories. Sitting back down on the bed, she gave Ranma a wide-eyed look.

"Are you sure we’re not in France or something?" The boy shook his head. "Oh. How the hell did we wind up in another dimension?"

"I don’t know."

"Well, how do we get home?"

Ranma smiled. "Yesterday I talked to some people who think they may have a way for us to get home. It will take some work and they want our help with something first, but we should be fine."

Serena sighed with relief. "That’s good to hear. You said you talked to them yesterday? How long have I been out?"

"It’s been about four days since they found us unconscious in a forest. I just woke up yesterday."

"Who’s they?"

"The same people who are gonna help us."

"Oh yeah? What are they like?"

"Let’s see. The apparent leader of the group is a loud-mouthed sorceress with an attitude. Her closest companion is a swordsman who has pudding for brains. The one you’ll get along best with is a sorceress who fights for justice. And last, but not least, there’s a sorcerer who’s one-third human, one-third demon, and one-third golem. I think we’ll fit in nicely."

She only shook her head. Leave it to Ranma to hook up with the weirdest group available. She lay back in the bed and stared up at the ceiling. "I’m worried."

"About what? I told you I found a way to get home."

"But how long will it take?"

Ranma considered for a moment. "We talked about it last night and decided it could take anywhere from six months to a year."

She sighed. "A year. A year without us to help protect the Earth."

"Don’t worry about it. We took care of that Dolgoth guy, remember?"

"But what if there are others? What if our abilities are still needed and we’re not there to use them? Will our friends be able to hold up without us?"

The martial artist waved one hand in the air, dismissing her fears. "They know what there doing. They’ll be fine."

"So you’re not worried at all? Not even about Akane?"

"That tom-boy? She’ll probably yell at any demons that show up and they’ll all run away. She can take care of herself." Despite his words a frown took the place of his confident smile and he turned to stare out the window. She knew he really was worried about her but that he wouldn’t admit it. She decided to let the matter drop.

"Do our new companions know about your curse?" He nodded. "What about our other abilities?"

"No. Do you remember how we defeated Dolgoth?"

The question came out of nowhere and caught her off guard. She thought about it for a moment and finally shook her head. "No, I can’t remember anything about those last few minutes. Anything except pain that is."

"Same with me. I can remember a surge of power and that’s it. Probably better that way."

"What do you mean?"

Ranma held his hand up before his face and tightened it into a fist. Veins appeared on his forearm as his fist clenched. "All of my strength, fighting ability, techniques, all of what makes me such a great martial artist has been earned. Earned through sweat and blood and even tears. But within about a two-week period I was handed powers beyond compare. It doesn’t feel right."

He let his hand fall to his side with a sigh. "Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t like having power handed to me on a silver platter. Ryoga had it happen once and he didn’t like it much either. Part of it was the way he got it, but some of it was because deep down inside he knew he hadn’t earned it. I think I’m happier without super powers."

Serena considered what had been said for a moment. She had never really thought about how she had come into her abilities before. All her time and energy was spent in using her abilities, not obtaining them. Her powers had been earned through their use. She said as much and Ranma shrugged.

"It sounds good, but I can’t see it that way."

"So you think less of me because I didn’t train for years to get the powers I have?"

Suddenly Ranma’s eyes got large and he leaned away from her as if thinking he was going to be hit. "I didn’t mean it that way," he protested. "It just that…I just…" His argument spluttered away into nothing.

"Listen to me. It’s how you use your strength, not how you got it, that makes you worthy of it. It doesn’t make you less to use abilities that were simply handed to you as long as you use them as they were intended to be used."

"I guess. It still doesn’t feel right though."

It was obvious to Serena that he wasn’t going to be easily convinced. But that was Ranma, stubborn and full of pride. She decided to change the subject. There was a question she wanted to ask for about a week now, but hadn’t been able to. "Ranma, would you teach me how to fight?"

"Huh? What do ya mean? I thought you already knew how to fight."

"Not really. Not like you. Out of all the Scouts I’m the least coordinated and I’ve never been able to fight like Lita or Rei. I’m not smart like Amy and even though I’m the leader Mina’s better at it. If I can’t use my wand for some reason than I’m almost useless."

"No you’re not."

"Yes I am! I want to learn how to fight like you."

"You want to learn martial arts, not how to fight."

Now she was confused. "Isn’t martial arts, fighting?"

"Yes and no. I use it for simply fighting sometimes, but the martial arts were meant to be used for defense. Fighting is hurting someone because you can. Martial arts is hurting someone because you have to. There’s a lot more to it than simply punching and kicking." He must have read her thoughts because he grinned and added: "I may act like a simple fighter sometimes, but I’m not. I’m a martial artist."

She flushed and looked away. "I didn’t say…"

"No, but you thought it. Don’t worry about it though." He stood up and replaced the chair under the desk. "There are clothes in the wardrobe. Get dressed and come down stairs."

"Why?"

"I want to introduce you to our traveling companions." He made his way to the door, but stopped short of opening it. "It’s too late in the day for us to start our journey so we’ll probably spend the night here. We’ll start this evening."

"Start what?"

"Your training." That said he opened the door and stepped out before she could say anything.

So he was going to teach her after all. She hadn’t been sure there for a minute. Getting out of the bed quickly she went to the wardrobe and took a look inside. There was a dress that she thought was beautiful but probably wouldn’t work for martial arts training. Next to the dress was something similar to what Ranma had been wearing. A simple brown shirt and loose brown pants.

With a longing glance at the dress, she pulled out the shirt and pants. They were both a little big, but they worked. She decided she’d look into something that fit better later. Right now she was eager to begin her training and her stomach was reminding her that she hadn’t eaten anything in four days. Humming a little tune to herself, she left the room and headed downstairs.

Ranma groaned as both Serena and Amelia crashed headfirst into the ground. It amazed him that anyone could be so uncoordinated. To find two such people together had to be next to impossible, but somehow he had managed it. Off to the side both Lina and Gourry were rolling on the ground laughing and even reserved Zel was smiling.

When Serena had come downstairs, Amelia had cast her understanding spell and introductions had been given. As he had expected, Serena and Amelia had hit it off very well. The two of them seemed to have a great deal in common.

After the pony-tailed girl had eaten half of the inn's foodstuffs, the issue of training had come up. Amelia had wanted to learn too, so he agreed to teach both of them. He had offered to teach the others as well, but they had been content to simply watch.

He had started the two girls off with some simple punching and blocking drills. That had gone fairly well. It had been when he reached the kicking drills that things had started to break down. Neither one of them seemed to be able to stand on one foot without falling flat on her face. It was all very frustrating.

Walking over to where the girls were moaning over their newest bruises, he reached down and picked them both up off the ground. "Serena, are you any more coordinated as Sailor Moon?"

She shook her teary-eyed head. "No."

"What about you," he asked turning to Amelia, "do you have any spells to improve your coordination?"

"No, nothing like that."

He sighed wearily. "Maybe you two should just stick to what you know already."

"You said you’d train me," said Serena at the same time Amelia blurted out: "But I want to learn to fight just like you Mr. Ranma."

The two began talking to him at the same time; demanding and pleading that he train them. "All right. All right! I’ll train you. But your gonna have to try harder not to fall down every time you kick."

"You should just give up Ranma," shouted Lina. "It’s obvious neither one of them has what it takes to learn your fighting style."

Both girls rounded on the sorceress with furious glares. "Anything can be accomplished if the cause is true," stated Amelia in a grand voice. "I will use what I learn here to fight those that bring injustice to the world. Nothing shall dissuade me from my goal."

"That’s right," added Serena. "A heart that is full of love can accomplish anything. I will learn to fight and return to my own world to fight for the ones I love and care for." Lina blinked a few times and then fell back into fits of laughter.

"I don’t see you out here Lina," said Ranma in a quiet voice. As clumsy as they were, these were his students and he wouldn’t let anyone bad mouth them.

Lina’s laughter was cut off as if by a knife. She sat up and looked at him with a hint of malice in her eyes. "I don’t need your fancy fighting. My magic works just fine."

"It didn’t seem to be working too well yesterday." He knew he shouldn’t be provoking her, but it was in his nature and he couldn’t stop.

Her eyes narrowed. "It’s working fine today. Maybe you’d like a little demonstration?" Gourry and Zel began moving away from Lina rapidly. Amelia took Serena’s arm and moved away from Ranma.

Never being one to turn down a challenge, Ranma opened his mouth when he knew better. "Let’s see what you’ve got."

The two combatants stared at each other across the expanse of bare ground they had been using as a training ground. On the sidelines the others watched, but no one dared make a sound. Finally a small smile bent the corner of Lina’s lips and in one smooth motion she brought her hand over her head and cast it forward as if throwing something. "Fireball!"

As the flaming sphere sped towards him, Ranma answered with his own attack. "Mooko Takabisha!"

The two blasts met halfway between the two warriors resulting in a tremendous explosion. Waves of heat washed over Ranma and a wall of force from the backlash of the collision hit him square in the chest. He was sent flying backwards, but he rolled as he hit the ground and came up on one knee. Before him all he could see was a cloud of smoke.

He waited for it to dissipate and when it did he could see Lina in a position similar to his own. If her appearance was any indication, than he was now in serious need of a bath. There was nothing left of the training area but a large crater.

Standing up he walked toward his opponent and she began moving towards him. They met in the center of the crater and stood eyeing each other from several feet apart. "Impressive," complimented Ranma.

"Thank you. You didn’t do half bad yourself considering you no nothing of magic. I asked yesterday, but didn’t get an answer so I’ll ask again. How’d you do that?"

He shrugged. "It’s a martial arts trick. Come train with the others and maybe someday I’ll teach it to you."

"Maybe I’ll take you up on that offer."

"Um…Excuse me," said Zel from off to their right. They turned to see a very blackened Zelgadiss standing next to three other burnt figures. A little squinting proved them to be Serena, Gourry, and Amelia. All of them looked angry. "I know you two were having fun, but you could have warned us before blowing up the surrounding area!"

Ranma grinned. "We’ll keep that in mind for next time."

"I don’t know Zel," said Lina with a big smile. "I think burnt toast is a good look for you." Both her and Ranma began laughing uproariously.

"Now why should I bother to hurt you people when you do such a good job of it yourselves?" All laughter was cut off sharply as everyone turned to see who had spoken. Standing in the midst of about ten large, green, ugly, humanoid figures was Dalgar brandishing his oversized blade. His armor had been repaired since their last meeting. "Where is the girl who humiliated me and my men yesterday? I have a score to settle with her."

Ranma stepped forward boldly. Ignoring the strange creatures around the man, he addressed Dalgar directly. "So you came back for more huh? Better for you if you had stayed down."

"Who are you boy?"

He grinned and cracked his knuckles. "Ranma Saotome of the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts. Better known to you as the girl who dusted you yesterday. Only now I’m a guy."

Dalgar looked him up and down, squinting as he studied him, and then suddenly his eyes widened in shock. "It’s true. Your aura is the same as hers. How is this possible?"

"Long story. So are we gonna fight or what?"

Lina stepped up next to him. She held her hand out palm up and a small flame appeared over it. "This time there’s no anti-magic field to protect you. This time you will face my full power."

Dalgar laughed loudly. "I look forward to seeing what pathetic power you have to show me Lina Inverse. Unfortunately my fight is with this boy right now. If you’d like you can play with some of my friends here, though." The green uglies standing behind him began grunting and spreading out, preparing to fight.

A pair of hands tapped him and Lina on the shoulder and he turned to see Zel standing there. "In case you two haven’t noticed he has ten ogres backing him. We are slightly outnumbered."

Ranma and Lina stared at him blankly for a few moments. "And?" they asked simultaneously when he didn’t continue.

Zel sighed and hung his head. "Never mind. I forgot who I was talking to."

The chimera moved up next to Lina, and Ranma turned back to Dalgar. "Where were we? Oh yeah, now I remember. I was just about to kick your ass."

"You caught me off guard last time boy. You will not have such an easy time of it again."

"Whatever." Tired of talking, Ranma charged.

Serena watched Ranma charge the man in armor. Apparently they had fought before, but she had never heard anything about it. She expected the big ugly guys to block his path, but they let him through to the man who had challenged him. The ogres began advancing slowly on the rest of them though, and she lost sight of Ranma.

Amelia jumped in front of her. "You should stay behind us Ms. Serena. We’ll take care of these guys." Serena looked around and saw Lina and Zel were readying spells, and Gourry had his sword out. She felt a little out of place.

Zelgadiss turned to look at her. "If you have any special abilities what so ever now would be a good time to use them." Without waiting for a reply he turned back to prepare for the impending battle.

It was obvious that he didn’t expect anything from her and she doubted the others did either. She would prove differently though. Cupping her brooch between her hands she chanted the words that would change her into Sailor Moon. The crystal within flared once, twice, and then fizzled. Nothing else happened.

Suddenly very worried that something was wrong, she tried again. Once again the crystal flared twice and than died. "What’s wrong?" she cried. "Why won’t it work? Something must have happened to the crystal when we came to this dimension." Her eyes widened suddenly as understanding hit her like a truck.

Luna and Amy had told her on several occasions that the powers of the Sailor Scouts were drawn from their respective planets. Or in her case the moon. This world might or might not have a moon of its own, but either way it wasn’t her moon. The moon that worked as her power source was in another dimension.

Hopelessness consumed her. As long as she was in this dimension she wouldn’t have her Scout powers to help Ranma and the others. She was useless. "No!" she exclaimed suddenly. Amelia turned to look at her. "I will not be useless! I will find a way to become Sailor Moon!" She raised her brooch over her head and tried once again. "Moon Crystal Power!" Pouring her very soul into the crystal, she willed it to find her power source.

The crystal flared once, twice, a third time. Serena felt it reach out across the vastness of space. She felt it as it parted the fabric of time and space to reach between worlds. Felt it as it found the remnants of the Moon Kingdom and drew power from the satellite upon which they slept. A familiar light consumed her and she heard a gasp from Amelia.

After the transformation was over, she wasted no time in beginning her attack. Bringing out her scepter, she leveled it at the first ogre. "Moon Scepter Activation!" The crescent shape blast shot forward and disintegrated the ugly creature. The other ogres stopped their steady advance and everyone turned to look at her.

"I am Sailor Moon, champion of love and justice!" she stated in a clear voice. "On behalf of the moon I shall right wrongs and triumph over evil!" Leveling a finger at the remaining ogres she smiled. "And that means you!"

A wide-eyed Amelia ran up to stand next to her and assumed a similar pose. "I, Amelia Wil Tesla Seyrunn, shall also defeat you in the name of love and justice. Prepare to meet your unholy creator foul monsters."

The ogres looked at each other and shrugged. This time they came at a dead run. "Fireball! Elmikia Lance! Flare Arrow!" The spells from the three magic users flew true and struck down ogres in mid-step. Two of the ones that made it through the first volley fell to Gourry’s sword. Her wand accounted for another one.

The remaining three ogres closed the rest of the distance and split up. Sailor Moon found herself facing one of the large, hairy, beasts all alone. It brought two hands down to try and crush her, but she managed to role out of the way. Seeing an opportunity, she smashed the creature’s big toe with her wand. It let out a roar of pain and began hopping on one leg while holding it’s injured appendage. A quick blast from her wand finished it off.

Looking around to see how the others were doing, she found them all dispatching their opponents with spells and blades. She began searching for Ranma, but smoke from the recent explosions hung thick in the air and she couldn’t see a thing. She thought she heard the sounds of battle close by though.

"Where’s Ranma and that other guy?" she demanded of Amelia when the girl came over to check on her.

"I don’t know Ms. Serena. The last I saw of him was when he charged in after Dalgar."

Sailor Moon stomped her foot. "Damn him for always trying to fight these battles on his own. Even he needs help sometimes."

As if to confirm her statement, Ranma came hurtling out of the hazy air to crash into the ground. Slowly getting to his feet, he wiped away a trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth. "Whatever that thing is," he stated, "it sure ain’t human."

"What do you mean?" demanded Sailor Moon.

Ranma pointed back the direction he had flown from. "I mean that."

She turned to look and took a step back from what she saw. Striding purposefully through the smoke was what looked like a twelve-foot tall man wielding a very large black sword and dressed in black armor adorned with blood red spikes on the shoulders. His skin was pale green and his black hair stuck out in all directions. Where his eyes should have been, there were instead two burning flames.

"I’m impressed with you human," it stated in a deep voice. "It is rare that I am ever forced to reveal my true form in order to defeat an opponent."

Sailor Moon looked at the others and realized that, with the exception of Ranma, they were all slowly backing away. They didn’t look afraid exactly, just extremely wary. "What is that thing?" she asked quietly.

Lina answered her question without ever taking her eyes off of their new opponent. "A Monster. Lord what’s-his-name must want me real bad to send a monster. And in case you haven’t already realized it, we’re in big trouble."