Chapter 4

Three figures floated in a void of inky blackness. Warrior, sorceress, and princess. They spun in a slow circle, arms extended out slightly, feet together, and eyes shut. Each was oblivious to the fact that they were here. Not because they were unaware, but because time did not flow here. They had not had the chance to become aware.

A single figure appeared in the center of the three. It wasn’t as if he had simply appeared there, but more like he had always been there and no one had taken any notice of him until now. He was an old man, bent with age and dressed in tattered gray robes. His unkempt gray bead flowed down to his feet and in one hand he held a staff topped with a clock. The clock continued to function even though it should have been impossible for time to pass here.

"Listen," intoned the old man in a voice belonging to a young man. "You will remember none of what happens here when you awake, but listen anyway because some day you may and you should have an explanation for what is about to be done." The three figures continued their slow orbit; none giving any sign that they were even alive.

"I am Chronos, god of time and space. I have foreseen the future and know what is to come, what is supposed to come. Fate has brought you to me and so now I act with the knowledge that what is done here will help to save a universe. I doubt you will enjoy much of what is about to occur, but you will live and you will fight on."

The god turned to a girl with long blonde hair. He raised his staff above his head and a small crystal rose from the girl’s chest to float high above her head. "Princess you have ever been and princess will you ever be, but Scout you are no longer." Chronos brought his staff down and the crystal split down the middle to form two identical pieces. One of those pieces came to rest on the girl’s forehead while the other remained floating in the air.

He turned to a girl with long red hair. "Sorceress, your powers are great, but when the fate of a universe rests on your actions you will find that they are not enough. I grant you the strength needed although not in the way you would like." The remaining crystal half flew from where it floated and attached itself to the second girl’s forehead. There it shown brightly, resonating with it’s twin across the way.

"For you to gain such power, another has lost. The balance must be maintained. Knowledge can be shared so knowledge shall you give." The god raised his staff again and red light seemed to gather over the red head. When a small glowing ball had been formed he waved his staff and it flew over to the blonde. Chronos lowered his staff and the light settled into the girl’s head. "You two are linked now. Two halves of the same moon."

He turned to a boy with black hair. "Half and half you have ever been and half and half shall you always remain. But now those halves shall become two." He pointed his staff at the boy and a line of blue light appeared running down his center. It glowed faintly at first and then flared up brightly. There it remained, separating the boy into two symmetrical halves.

"What had needed to be done has been done. Now it is time for you to return to your world." He spun his staff above his head and the darkness that surrounded them reached out to engulf the three people. In seconds only the god was left standing in the void, and then he too was gone.

Serena walked through a maze of mirrors. She had no idea where she was or where she was going. It was all so confusing and every time she tried to think on it, her head began to hurt. She rubbed at her forehead now and felt a small lump there. Frowning, she stopped in front of one of the mirrors and studied her reflection.

Where the bump on her head should have been, there was, instead, a small white glow. She touched it hesitantly and was shocked when her fingers slipped into the glow to strike something solid underneath. Images of brain sucking aliens came to her mind and she stumbled back from the mirror with a startled cry. Her back bumped into something and she jumped and spun to come down facing her imagined attacker.

The attacker, it turned out, was herself or rather, her reflection. Letting out a long breath, she once again began studying her forehead. Suddenly the image before her began to change until she was looking at a much younger version of herself. Her child self seemed to study her for a moment and then she turned and ran off. The mirror followed her.

Serena watched in amazement as the little girl ran up a grass-covered hill. She tripped over a hidden root and fell to the ground, skinning her knee in the process. Tears sprang to her eyes as she sat down and nursed her injured knee. All of a sudden, someone was next to the girl comforting her. Then another person appeared and Serena realized she was seeing her parents. Tears stung her own eyes and she reached to touch them. The mirror rippled like water under her touch.

Quickly she snatched her hand back and the mirror calmed. Now she saw herself standing before Metallia. She was garbed as the Moon Princess and her dead friends lay on the ground around her. Her crescent wand came up as she pulled on the power of the Silver Imperium Crystal in order to defeat the one who had brought so much misery to her world. The image shifted again, this time without her touch.

A young girl she didn’t recognize stood stiffly in front of a small house. She had long red hair and her eyes watered with unshed tears. The girl reached over to gingerly touch her elbow; jaw set in silent refusal to cry over the small injury. A hand came to rest on her head and she looked up into a man’s smiling face. The man said something and handed her a pastry. Beaming, the girl began to rapidly devour the pastry, her injury forgotten.

The image shifted again. Now she saw Lina holding the sword of light before her as she faced a huge creature that could have only come from someone’s nightmares. Gourry and Zel lay on the ground, still alive but seriously hurt. Lina began to chant something unheard and darkness began to surround her. The pure glow of the sword was engulfed in blackness beyond dark and she raised it over her head with the intent of striking the monster before her. Even as she swung the image shattered.

The Lina she knew stood before her in the mirror. Serena regarded the image, waiting for something to happen. The reflection simply regarded her in turn. Hesitantly, she extended a hand toward the mirror. To her surprise, the figure before her emulated the gesture. Maybe it was simply a warped reflection.

Her hand touched something solid and she gasped. It wasn’t the cold hardness of mirror she touched, but the rough, leathery texture of a glove. Lina looked equally surprised. The two stared at each other in stunned silence for a moment. Finally Serena broke the quiet stillness. "Lina?"

The sorceress nodded. "Where are we?"

Serena studied the maze around her. "I don’t know. A dream I think."

Lina snorted. "I’ve heard of people having the same dream, but not meeting in it. How do you explain this encounter if we’re in a dream?"

"I don’t know. It just feels like a dream. Like I should know this place." Once again she looked around the maze. This time images flashed across the mirrors. They were too fast for her to get a good look at though. "I can’t remember ever being in a maze like this before."

"Neither can I. It’s funny, but when I first woke up here I thought I was inside of a giant crystal. The walls look like mirrors, but they resemble the faucets of a gem as well. Suppose I just have money on the brain though."

Serena nodded absently, still trying to view the pictures flashing through the maze. Something in Lina’s words tugged at her mind, but she couldn’t seem to concentrate on anything. "Do you know how we got here?"

"No. The last thing I remember is…is…" There was a pause and she turned back to Lina. The sorceress’s brow was knit in concentration and she had one hand held to her forehead. "I don’t know. All I can remember is a bright flash of light and then the feeling of intense fear and pain. My head is starting to ache."

That fit with what she had discovered when she had tried to remember. "Can you see the images in the walls?"
Lina nodded. "One of you, one of me. From my past."

Something made Serena look to the headband wrapped around Lina’s forehead. "Take your headband off."

"Huh? Why?"

"I want to see something." Lina shrugged and undid the piece of black cloth she wore. When it came away Serena could see a soft white glow emanating from an unknown source. "You have a glowing forehead too."

Lina looked to Serena’s forehead and then reached up to touch her own. "What is it?"

"I don’t know. It seems as if I should though. None of this makes any sense." Suddenly the glow on Lina’s forehead began to intensify. She could feel her own forehead began to grow warm. "What’s going on?"

"I…I don’t know."

The glow became so bright that it hurt to look at it. Suddenly all of the mirrors silently shattered, sending waves of glass shards everywhere. Serena tried to protect her face from the broken glass, but she couldn’t move. She closed her eyes and suddenly her mind was filled with a thousand images. More than a thousand. An entire lifetimes worth.

She saw Lina, was Lina. The sorceress’s entire life spread out before her. All of her hopes, her dreams, everything. It was too much. She screamed as pain racked her brain. Darkness consumed all, and then there was the pure light of the sun.

Ranma watched the couple walking along the forest path in confusion. He had no idea where he was or how he had gotten here. To top it off, he appeared to be nothing more than a floating apparition without any physical form. He simply glided behind these two as if pulled by an invisible rope. Having nothing better to do, he studied the pair.

When he actually took the time to look closely, he realized he recognized both of them. The man was himself, almost. His hair was longer and tied in a loose ponytail rather than a pigtail. He wore blue armor adorned with silver dragons and a large sword hung at his side. The hard lines that made up his face seemed to soften as he smiled down at the girl walking by his side.

The girl was also himself. Or more specifically, the female side that had so often looked back from a mirror, Riana. This was the first time he had seen her as herself rather than a Sailor Scout. She looked much like his girl form, but there were a few differences. A small scar puckered her cheek and her eyes had a harder, more serious set to them. There were other, even smaller differences, but you wouldn’t notice them if you weren’t looking for them. In her hands was a bouquet of flowers.

The Dragon and Sailor Sol before their death, he mused. Wonder how I got here.

I remember this day. The thought was not his own even though it seemed to come from his head. He still found himself trying to swing his head around to search for someone. Being without a head or even a reasonable facsimile made this an impossible task.

Who’s there? he demanded. There was no reply and after a few moments he put the voice down as some trick of the dream he was currently having. He assumed it was a dream since nothing else could possibly make any sense.

He turned back to the two people striding along the forest path and a thought suddenly struck him. His girl form was almost identical to Riana leading him to believe that it was she who had drowned in the Jusenkyo spring. But he had seen her die on the Moon. How was it that his female half could look so much like her? At that moment the couple rounded a corner and his disembodied gaze was thrown out across a valley he knew all too well. A valley filled with springs.

Such a sad place, intoned the voice in his mind. So many died here. She died here.

Ranma ignored the voice this time, choosing to concentrate on what was before him. He watched as Riana and the Dragon slowly made their way down the rocky path leading to the springs. Why anyone would want to visit this place was a mystery to him. The two talked to one another as they went, but he was too far away to make out their words.

As they neared the springs, Ranma began to drift towards them. By the time he was close enough to hear them though, they had stopped talking. They walked along in silence and it seemed to him that their moods were subdued, as if whatever they had come to do hung heavily on their hearts. Finally they came to a stop before one spring and stood looking down into its clear depths.

Ranma looked around the area, got his bearings, and came to the sudden realization of exactly where they were. This is the spring I fell into. The spring of drowned girl.

This is the spring in which she drowned. The voice was back once again.

Go away.

That was the first time the voice had responded to him and it took him completely by surprise. If he had had a mouth it would have been hanging wide open. He had no time to think on the strange event though, because the couple was talking again and he wanted to hear what they were saying.

The man was asking something. "…where she drowned?"

Riana nodded. "Yes. My sister fell in battle and drowned in this pool one year ago this day." She knelt down and placed the flowers before the pool. Tears began to well up in her eyes.

The Dragon placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Shara was a good person and a fine warrior. Her memory will live as long as the Silver Millennium." Ranma winced inwardly at that statement.

"Thank you, Ryu. Your words mean much to me."

The two stood by the pool in silence for a long time. Finally Riana stood and, hand in hand, they began to make the return trip to wherever it was they had come from. Ranma watched them go from where he remained floating by the spring, whatever connection that had bound him to them now broken.

Why do I dream about this day? It was the voice again. It was a sad day for me.

This isn’t your dream stupid. It’s mine.

Ranma snorted. Maybe you’re the demon invading people’s dreams. Did you ever think of that?

I am the Sun! Suddenly he was flying up and away from Jusenkyo. Like a kite without a string he drifted among the clouds for what seemed like an eternity. The voice was gone though, something he was thankful for. He was beginning to wonder if he would ever wake from this dream when his eyes opened to the sunlight streaming down into his face.

Zelgadiss sat on a large boulder and stared out across the lake upon whose bank they were camped. Behind him, he could hear the sounds of Amelia and Gourry taking care of the others. It had been three days since they had been forced to flee Haggen with their injured companions. The people living there had not been happy with them after the tornado of wild magic had ripped an entire section of their city apart. Zel didn’t blame them.

Luckily for him and his companions, none of their friends had sustained any physical injuries. The fact that they had been unconscious for the last three days meant that something was wrong on the inside though. That and certain physical changes in all of them made for problems he really didn’t want to consider. At the moment they were on their way to a temple he knew of. It was about another two days away and the clerics there would be willing to help.

Zel sighed wearily and jumped off of his perch. He was more than a little worried for his friends, even though he wouldn’t admit it to the others. For all he knew they could all be stark raving mad when they woke up. He was about to go back to camp and prepare for the day’s journey when a shout from that direction whipped his head around.

"Fireball!" The boulder he had been sitting on suddenly erupted in a fiery explosion. Zel hit the ground as large rock fragments bounced off of his back doing little damage thanks to his tough hide. When the last pieces of boulder had flown over his head, he jumped to his feet and drew his sword. Whoever had attacked him was in for a nasty surprise.

He dashed around the remains of the boulder and stopped to stare at the spectacle before him. Serena was sitting wide-eyed on the ground with one hand extended before her. Amelia, Gourry, and Lina were all staring at Serena with shock written plainly on their faces. The crystal embedded in the girl’s forehead was glowing with a faint red color. The twin to that crystal was attached to Lina’s forehead and it too was glowing faintly. There was no sign of his attacker.

The crystals had been in their foreheads when he had pulled them from the tree they had been hanging in. No amount of prying had been able to dislodge the stones and he had been loath to try more direct methods. At the time they hadn’t seemed to pose any danger so they had left them alone. Now he wondered if that had been wise.

"What happened?" he asked indicating the shattered boulder. No one answered his question; all of them looking stunned speechless. He moved closer to the small group and repeated his question.

Amelia shook her head as if coming out of a daze. "S…Serena just sat up suddenly and threw her hand out. She shouted fireball and, well, that’s what happened."

Zelgadiss studied Serena for a few moments. "How did you cast a fireball spell?"

"I…I don’t know! It just sort of happened. I can’t even remember doing it." Serena looked flustered as she stared at the remains of the boulder and then suddenly she turned to regard Lina. If it was at all possible, Zel would have sworn that her eyes got bigger.

The two girls sat staring at one another and then finally Lina shook her head and looked around. "What happened?" she asked quietly. It was obvious she wasn’t talking about the fireball.

Zel squatted down next to the pair. "You were caught in a tornado of wild magic. Luckily you both appear to be unharmed. Unless of course the crystals embedded in both your foreheads are dangerous."

Both girls looked at each other and then turned back to him. "No," they answered in unison.

"How do you know? Do you even know what the crystals are?"

Once again they looked at each other before answering. Finally Serena fumbled with her brooch. Taking it from where she had it clipped on her shirt, she opened it up. The inside was empty. "We were right. It is the…"

"…Silver Imperium Crystal," finished Lina. "We thought so."

The two went back to staring at one another as they fingered the crystals protruding from their heads. Gourry put a hand on Lina’s shoulder and she looked up. "Are you sure you’re okay?"

The sorceress nodded. "Fine. What about…"

"…Ranma?" Serena swung her head around to look for him.

Zelgadiss stood up. "He…She…They appear to be fine. Sort of."

"What do you mean…" began Lina.

"…they and sort of?" This whole sentence thing was starting to get on his nerves, but there were more important things to think about at the moment.

He pointed to their left and they both turned to look. Lying on a blanket in the sun was Ranma snoring loudly. The girls studied him for a moment and then turned back to Zel with questioning looks on their faces. He gestured off to his right and once again they both turned to look. Lying on a blanket in the sun was Ranma’s female half. Both girls gasped in shock.

"We felt that they should be kept apart from one another," said Amelia. "That way when they wake up they won’t have the shock of seeing themselves separated. Actually we have no idea what’s going to happen when they wake up. If they wake up."

As if on cue, the male Ranma groaned and sat up slowly. He rubbed at his eyes for a moment and then looked around. "What happened?" he asked groggily. He saw everyone staring at him and stared back defiantly. "What?"

As one, all heads turned to regard his female half. She was just beginning to sit up and take note of her situation. Her reaction was slightly different when she caught sight of everyone staring at her. She jumped to her feet and assumed a fighting stance. "Where am I?" she demanded. Everyone looked at one another and turned once again to the male Ranma.

"What the hell is up with you guys?" Their bodies blocked his other half from view, leaving him ignorant of his current situation. "Did all of you hit your heads on something while I was asleep?" Ignoring the martial artist’s question, five heads swiveled away once again.

"I’ll ask one more time. Where am I and how did I get here?"

Zel decided it was time to resolve the situation. "Don’t you remember who we are Ranma?"

"Hey! I’m behind you rock for brains." Zel ignored the insult and continued to watch the female Ranma.

"My name is not Ranma. Now answer my question before I have to hurt you."

Everyone went back to exchanging glances. The male Ranma came stomping over to the group glaring menacingly at Zelgadiss. "What is wrong with you?" he demanded. Zel pointed and Ranma gasped. He stared at his female half for a few moments and then shook his head. "A dream. I’m obviously still asleep. Wake me when I wake up." He turned to return to his blanket.

For her part, his female half stared at him with wide eyes. "Ryu?" she asked hesitantly. Ranma stopped and turned around slowly. The eyes of his counterpart widened in surprise and delight. "It is you Ryu!"

Ranma had a very sick look on his face. "This isn’t a dream is it?" Everyone shook their head and he sighed. "This should prove interesting."

Serena stood up from where she had been sitting on the ground and Lina followed suit moments later. In relation to the female Ranma, Serena had been partially obscured by the sorceress. As she came into full view, the pigtailed girls eyes got even wider and she went to one knee. "Princess," she exclaimed.

Serena and Lina shared another one of those looks. "Why do you call this man Ryu and why do you address me as princess."

The girl seemed confused for a moment. "Are you not princess Serena and is he not the Dragon?"

Male Ranma was suddenly pushing his way through the group to stand facing his other half. "You! You were that voice in my dream. In the one about Jusenkyo and…and…" His voice trailed off and he suddenly looked like he was going to be ill. "This isn’t happening."

"Do you know…"

"…what’s going on?"

Zel glared at the two girls, but Ranma began talking before he could ask them to stop it with the shared sentence thing. "I think so. I don’t know how or why, but I think so. You’re Riana aren’t you?"

His female half nodded. "Of course. Who else would I be?"

Ranma groaned and covered his face with his hands. Then he had a sudden mood change and began looking around excitedly. He spied a bucket full of water that was going to be used to put out the campfire and a grin split his face. "If she’s me than maybe I don’t have to be a girl anymore." He rushed over, picked up the bucket, and dumped it over his head. The group now contained two female Ranma’s. "It’s not fair!" she whined.

Riana’s face showed open shock. "Sh…Shara? But how?"

"I’m not Shara and I ain’t Ryu either. My names Ranma Saotome and I’m going back to bed." The martial artist stomped over to her blanket and threw herself down on it.

The remaining pigtailed girl turned to the only other person there she seemed to trust. "What is going on?" she asked Serena in a weak voice.

"I think we’ve…"

"…figured out what happened."

"Will you two stop that," roared Zel.

The two girls looked at one another. "We can’t," said Lina.

"Why not? What’s wrong with you two?"

Lina took a deep breath as if to prepare for a difficult task. "Each of us has half of the Silver Imperium Crystal attached to our forehead. The result of this is a link that gives us access to each other’s thoughts. It is very difficult to distinguish between our own thoughts and the others without lots of concentration." Her forehead was beaded in sweat by the time she was done.

Everyone, including Riana, was staring at the two in shock and confusion. "Can’t you block it some way?" asked Amelia.

"We’ve been trying since…"

"…we woke up."

Zel could only shake his head. Life just seemed to be getting stranger by the moment. "Does that have something to do with Serena’s fireball?"

"We’re not sure," answered Serena. "But we think…"

"…it was a fluke. It shouldn’t happen again."

"Fine, fine," said Zel as he rubbed at his temples. He could feel a headache coming on. "Now what about Ranma."

Both girls opened their mouths at the same time, but suddenly a very male Ranma was standing there again. In one hand was an empty teapot. "I’m tired of hearing things in stereo. I’ll explain." He moved to stand a few feet away from Riana and looked directly at her as he spoke.

"One thousand years ago the Moon Kingdom fought a battle against an evil known as Metallia. The war ended in a stalemate with the Moon Kingdom destroyed and Metallia imprisoned. You died, Serena died, the Dragon died, everyone died. However, Queen Serenity sent all of the souls into the future to be reborn. Your soul and the Dragon’s soul were fused as one though, and have remained as one up until now. Now something has split you from the Dragon, which means now there are two of me."

Riana looked scared and more than a little confused. "But aren’t you the Dragon?"

"Yes, but not willingly. And I have no knowledge of my past life except what has been shown in my dreams."

"This has to be some kind of joke."

Ranma began laughing wildly. "That’s right, a joke. Just one great big cosmic joke. I sure hope someone out there is having a good laugh at our expense." Still chuckling to himself, the martial artist wandered off into the surrounding forest. No one made a move to stop him.

The silence that had descended at Ranma’s departure finally lifted when Serena stood and went to put an arm around Riana. The confused girl looked up at her princess and seemed to take some comfort in her presence. "If the Moon Kingdom was destroyed then where are we? Earth?"

Serena sighed. "Not exactly. Walk with me and I’ll explain everything I can about our situation." With that, she led the girl in the direction opposite the one Ranma had taken.

"Well," said Amelia, "at least everyone is still alive."

Lina snorted. "I’m not entirely sure that’s a good thing. You will all be happy to know that we have been able to put a block on our thoughts. It’s very annoying to have that girl in my head."

Zel looked in the direction Serena had gone and then looked down at Lina. "Remind me never to go anywhere with you again. To many strange things happen." He doubted they would get any traveling done that day so he left the camp to find a new rock to sit on.

Ranma stared straight ahead, eyes locked on the winding road before him. He didn’t dare let them stray for fear of catching the eye of the one person he wished to have nothing to do with. Riana walked with Serena and Amelia several yards to his right. The few times she had attempted to engage him in conversation he had immediately began talking to Zelgadiss, who walked at his side. The chimera obviously didn’t like being used in this manner, but Ranma could have cared less at that moment.

Thinking about his twin was enough to set his eyes wandering and he suddenly found himself looking over at the other group. Riana wore her hair unbound, but she continued to wear the same clothes he did since they fit her comfortably. He realized Serena was glaring at him furiously and he snapped his gaze to the front. Neither her nor Amelia seemed to like the way he was treating her. Lina, walking ahead of the group with Gourry, shot a disapproving look his direction from time to time as well.

It wasn’t that he didn’t like the girl. She seemed like a nice enough person to him. What made him avoid her was the fact that he knew exactly what her relation to the Dragon had been. The last thing he needed right now was another fiancée.

They rounded a corner and Ranma could see a town in the distance. The sun was beginning to set and he was glad to know that they wouldn’t be spending the night outside. Lina had promised that they would reach this town before nightfall even though they hadn’t left the lake until late afternoon, but he hadn’t been sure he believed her until now. It would be easier to avoid people in an inn rather than outdoors.

The party soon found themselves entering the small town of Pesh and began searching for a suitable inn. This wasn’t hard to do since there was only one. It was large enough to accommodate all of them, but just barely. When they entered, Lina instantly went to one of the common room tables and sat down.

"Aren’t ya gonna get us rooms?" asked Ranma.

Lina gave him such a look of innocence that it was obviously faked. "I thought maybe we’d eat first."

Everyone seemed content with this idea, but Ranma snorted. It was obvious that this was some kind of scheme worked up to get him to talk to Riana. He wasn’t falling for it. Turning on his heels he headed for the door.

"Where are you going Ranma?" asked Serena.

"For a walk."

"Aren’t you hungry?"

"No." He was out the door before anyone could say more. Looking over his shoulder to make sure no one was following him, he began an in depth study of Pesh. This took all of fifteen minutes so he took to exploring the surrounding forest. This involved smashing rocks and breaking tree branches. The roving gang of bandits that had been preparing to sack the town left in a hurry upon seeing the martial artist clearing a wide path through the forest.

It was well past dark when he finally returned to the town. He figured everyone would be in their rooms by now, but when he was halfway to the inn a figure stepped out from between two buildings and stood blocking his path. From the light of the moon he could see that it was Serena. "What do you want?"

"Ranma Saotome, you should be ashamed of yourself! The way you treated Riana today was terrible."

"What do ya mean? I haven’t treated her like anything."

"That’s my point Ranma. I find that your actions today leave much to be desired." She cocked her head to one side as if listening to something and her eyes seemed to get far away. The crystal on her forehead caught the moonlight and sparkled faintly. Finally she turned her attention back to him. "Lina agrees with me and says to add the fact that she’s seen better manners from a troll."

"Whatever." He moved to go around her, but she moved to block his path. "Leave me alone!" he snapped.

"Not until you tell me why you won’t talk to Riana."

"Why the hell should I talk to her?"

Serena’s eyes widened in anger. "She’s alone and scared in a world a thousand years beyond her own. You’re the one person who can provide a link to that lost life and yet you act as if she wasn’t there."

"Can’t she talk to you? You probably know more about that time than I do."

"Yes, but she sees me as her princess, not her friend. She won’t confide in me the way she will in you."

"Maybe it’s better that way." He moved to go around her again and she made no move to stop him this time.

"Why?" she asked before he could take more than three steps. "Why won’t you talk to her?" There was a pleading tone to her voice that made him stop.

After much staring at the empty street he finally turned to face her. "Her relation to my past self is not one that she will easily forget. The last thing I need on my hands right now is another fiancee."

Serena had a look of sadness in her eyes. "I know that. I’ve already talked to her and she knows that you are not the man she loved a thousand years ago. I understand your feelings on the matter, but that’s no excuse for the way you’ve been treating her. You could at least try to be friends with her."

The two stood looking at one another in silence for several minutes before Ranma spoke. "Maybe I’ll try to be friends," he sighed. "But only friends."

Serena smiled and walked over to place a hand on his shoulder. "Thank you." That was all she said before heading back to the inn. Ranma remained in the middle of the street staring up at the stars for a few minutes after that.

Finally he turned to go back to the inn. He was heading for the front door when a soft noise sounded from around the back of the building. Curious, he went to investigate. Moving silently so as not to alert a potential attacker, he crept along the side of the inn and peeked around the corner. What he saw there made his heart lurch.

Riana was siting on the ground, back against the wall with her face buried in her hands. The noise he had heard was her softly weeping. He realized he was more than likely the cause of this emotional outburst and, remembering what Serena had said, decided to do something about it.

He didn’t try to move quietly, but Riana’s sobs drowned out the little noise he did make. When he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder she started and looked up at him with tear blurred eyes. "Hey," was all he said before squatting down next to her.

"Wh…what are you doing here?" she asked while trying to dry her eyes on her sleeves.

Ranma ignored the question and stared up at the night sky. "Nice night, huh?"

Riana seemed a little confused by his sudden change in attitude and stared at him for several moments before replying. "Yes."

He smiled. "Almost it looks like Earth’s sky, but the constellations are all different. Couldn’t find my way around this world if I tried. I’d be as lost as Ryoga."

"Whose Ryoga?"

"Someone I know from home." He began to go into great detail about Ryoga’s lack of direction sense and soon Riana was laughing instead of crying. When her laughter had died down he looked at her with a serious expression. "I’m sorry about how I treated you today. I was a little…confused about whole situation."

She smiled up at him. "I understand. I’m not totally sure I know what’s going on either."

"Friends then?"

"Friends," she agreed. It was hidden well, but he could detect a hint of sadness in her voice. "Tell me something, why do you change into a girl when splashed with cold water?"

"You mean Serena didn’t tell you?" She shook her head. "It’s a little confusing, but I’ll do my best to explain." He then launched into a detailed explanation of his trip to China and his fall into the cursed spring of Jusenkyo. The spring in which Riana’s twin sister had drowned so long ago.

Serena returned to the inn after talking with Ranma and immediately went to sit at the table Lina occupied by herself. "Well, that takes care of that."

Lina nodded. "I’m glad that that little situation was resolved before it went too far."

"It’s kind of sad though. Riana still has feelings for him even though he’s not the same man. She says that much of the way he talks and acts is the same as before. At least he agreed to be her friend."

"They say that love can grow from the seeds of friendship. Maybe something will happen. Right now we have more important things to discuss though. Like what to do about us."

Serena was confused for a moment. "What about us?"

"I know you’re smarter than Gourry," snapped Lina. "Try to act like it. I’m talking about the crystals imbedded in our foreheads."

"What’s wrong with them? Now that we’ve figured out how to block our thoughts they might actually be useful."

"But we don’t know that. They could be dangerous. We have to discover all that we can about them before we make any assumptions."

"I suppose you’re right. It’s really strange though. I feel as if I’ve lost something, but at the same time it’s like something else has come to fill the vacancy. I don’t understand it at all."

Lina nodded in understanding. "That’s why we have to figure these things out," she said tapping the crystal on her forehead. "Until we do I doubt a lot of things will make much sense."

Serena was silent for a few moments. "How much do you remember?"

"About your life? Not a whole lot. Mostly just flashes of unconnected images. It seems that only the parts of your life containing strong emotions remained after I had seen it all. What about you?"

"The same. Just random thoughts and feelings."

A mischievous grin crossed Lina’s face. "You’re going to have to tell me about Darien someday."

Serena felt the heat rising in her face. "We were talking about what to do about the crystal remember? I think we should discuss it in the morning. I’m beat." She faked a large yawn to emphasize her point.

Lina smiled with barely contained amusement. "In the morning then." The two girls left the common room and began ascending the stairs leading to their rooms. Suddenly there came to them the sound of something tearing followed by a huge explosion from outside. Both girls exchanged glances and then dashed outside to see what the commotion was. The building across the street was now all over the street with the remains of its foundation glowing brilliantly in the fires that burned everywhere. The source of the destruction was readily apparent.

Not far down the street was a creature from a nightmare. It was about ten feet tall with two heads and three arms and legs. One head was a pasty green color and had a large mouth from which two fangs protruded. Two red eyes burned in the face like glowing cinders. The other head was that of an old man only slightly twisted to make it more horrifying. Where one of the arms should have ended in a hand, it instead ended in a sword blacker than the night surrounding it.

"Dalgar and…"

"…Koldan. But how?"

Zelgadiss, Gourry, and Amelia came charging through the inn door and stopped to stare at the creature before them. "So," said Zel with a twisted smile, "those two didn’t completely escape the wild magic either."

Ranma and Riana came dashing around the side of the inn to join the others. "Oh, man," exclaimed Ranma, "not them again."

"Friend of yours?" asked Riana

"Not exactly. So does anyone have a plan or should we do this the usual way." Everyone exchanged glances and then shrugged. "Thought so. It’s more fun like this anyway." Cracking his knuckles, the martial artist stepped forward.

Lina stepped up next to Ranma. "Maybe we should get his attention first. Fireball!" The fiery projectile shot forward, blazing brightly in the darkness. It connected with the Sword of Night and came flying back. Everyone threw themselves to the ground, as the inn became a very large torch. "Oh yeah, I forgot about that."

"So I was right…right. You are here…here." There was an echo to the creatures speech that Serena found highly annoying. She was beginning to sympathize with Zel in the matter of her and Lina’s speech pattern.

"You know, that’s a good look for you guys," taunted Ranma.

"Mock us if you want…want. You will soon find that there are many advantages to this form though…though." The Dalgar, Koldan monster moved forward with incredible speed to swing at Ranma with his sword. At the same time, one hand was making complicated gestures in the air. Ranma dodged the sword blow, but even as he did, a blast of ice hit him square in the chest. A very frozen martial artist landed in the middle of the street with a dull thud.

"Ranma!" screamed Riana.

"Damn," cursed Lina. Serena could feel a tinge of fear coming from the sorceress through their link. "He can cast spells at the same time as he attacks or defends. We are in big trouble."

"He’s going to pay!" Everyone turned to see a very angry Riana holding her henshin rod. "I will make him pay! Sol Star Power!" Nothing happened. She tried again and still nothing happened. Riana turned to Serena with a worried look. "What’s wrong? Why can’t I transform?"

Serena didn’t know why and she didn’t have time to figure it out. "Moon Crystal Power!" Nothing happened. She tried again and still nothing happened. "What’s wrong? Why can’t I transform?"

The others were staring at the two Scouts with troubled looks. "If you two can’t fight then stay back while we take care of this," said Lina. "I don’t want you getting hurt." She turned to fling some more spells at Kolgar, as she had dubbed him, when the ground beneath them exploded in a fountain of rock and fire. Everyone was sent flying in various directions.

Serena pushed herself off of the ground from where she had been thrown and looked around. The others were slowly picking themselves off of the ground as well, but it was obvious that everyone was in bad shape. She hurt in a dozen places and she could feel blood running down her face. Ranma was still an ice cube in the middle of the street and Kolgar was laughing wildly.

"You see fools…fools! Now I am more powerful than ever…ever. You will all die at my hands and then I shall have your powers…powers."

Serena felt a sense defeat flood through her. She had no way of fighting this thing now, and the others looked as if they were in no condition to fight. Ranma could even be dead for all she knew. She slumped to the ground, unable to find the strength to even sit up. It was over. They had lost.

"NO!" The voice rebounded from the inside of her head as well as in her ears. "We will never give up!" shouted Lina. The crystal on her forehead was beginning to pulse with a soft white glow. "We will defeat you! We have the power to do so!" She threw one hand above her head and the pulsing in the crystal increased in intensity. "Moon Magic Transformation, Ignite!" A blinding white light exploded around Lina, and Serena was forced to shield her eyes. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Riana suddenly engulfed in a similar light only gold instead of white.

Then it was all over and everyone was staring at Lina in confusion and amazement.