al709382@campus.ccm.itesm.mx

		The Caller's Plight, by Jorge Pratt

			Part III, section G (final)


+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


Silent Voices

	It was morning, but nobody could notice the lights of 
sunrise as the watery courtain continued to fall on the land. It 
was a peaceful, soothing sound, almost harmonious. The cold gray 
landspace outside gave the impression of great serenity and, 
coupled with the constant rain, made everyone wish they could 
stay in bed all day long. But there were people for whom staying 
in bed was the last thing on their minds.
	"Come on, now your right foot forward," Phaeron said as he 
guided Ranko around her bed. She was holding on to his left arm 
for support, taking a few hesitant steps.
	"Don't you think it's too soon?" Akane asked, "Seraphim 
_did_ say it would take a little longer before you could walk."
	"I'm fine," Ranko said, still not taking her eyes off her 
feet, "I feel way better than I did yesterday. But this floor's 
too cold, though," she sneezed.
	"At least you can feel and touch with your feet now," 
Phaeron said, "You told me you couldn't even feel your legs 
yesterday." He stepped forward, "Okay, try to follow me."
	There was a knock on the door, "Come in," Akane said.
	"So here you are," Andellia came in, "Now, Phaeron, you know 
she has to be in bed right now."
	"It's okay, I asked him," Ranko staggered as her legs nearly 
lost their strength.
	"You should rest anyway," Andellia insisted, "Anyway, I came 
to tell you something. Even after last night, Maduin wants to 
reward you again. He's planning your visit to the treasure 
vaults of Valran, in case you want something from them."
	"Thanks," Akane said, "But I've been thinking... How are we 
going to go back home?" she turned to Phaeron. Ranko immediately 
recalled what Mireillia had said.
	"Uh..." Phaeron stammered, "I hadn't thought of that. Maybe 
we should hold a meeting with Maduin and the others. Andellia, 
could you tell him, please?"
	"Alright," she nodded, "I'll ask him to join us after the 
humans come back from the vaults. See you later," she walked 
out of the room, but suddenly turned back, "And..." she pointed 
at Ranko. The redhead suddenly floated upwards and was set down 
on the bed. Andellia left, but Ranko frowned.
	"I wonder why I hadn't thought about this earlier," Phaeron 
said.
	"Do you really want to leave already, oneechan?" Ranko 
asked. "I mean, I'd sure like to see how this place is without 
having to fight someone."
	"It's not that I don't like being here," Akane admitted, "but 
we've been here for over a week already. Don't you think the 
others back home are getting worried?"
	"I still say I'd like to stay here a while," Ranko shrugged.
	"Well, I sure hope you can stay here at least one day 
longer," Phaeron said, "That is, if it stops raining soon. 
Tomorrow's a very special day."
	"What's going to happen tomorrow?" Akane asked.
	Phaeron smirked, looking out the window, "You'll see..."

			*	*	*

	The Espers were gathered at the council's room, waiting. 
Night had fallen, and the rain had turned into a thunderstorm. 
The humans were sure taking their time in the vaults. Not that 
the Espers needed any of the treasure inside, having a society 
that didn't need money, but they didn't want the vaults to be 
vacated competely, either.
	"Finally," Maduin rose from his seat as he saw them come in 
through the door. Although the humans had left the many pouches 
of gold coins back in their rooms, they were now wearing elegant 
Esper clothing. But they knew their limits, though, and the only 
jewels they had taken were still humble enough to be outshone 
by the gold bracelet around Ranko's wrist.
	"So..." Maduin said as he invited them to sit. Ranma slowly 
backed up to the chair, releasing his sister from the piggyback. 
"I take it you've ransacked our treasure hoardes," Maduin 
smirked, mockingly.
	"Just be glad my sister didn't come," Akane said.
	"Then let's go down to business," Maduin said, "I hear you 
want to know how to return to your planet." Mireillia sent a 
glance at Ranko, who slumped down.
	"Can't we go back the same way Seraphim brought us?" Ukyou 
asked.
	"It's not that easy," Andellia said, "The magic in this 
planet is so powerful it's not very likely to let you go. Almost 
any kind of spatial-displacement spell can lead you here, but not 
the other way around."
	"How come?" Akane asked.
	"Because this world naturally attracts magic," Nadir said, 
"The portals we use are fundamentally magical, so it's easy to 
find Esper World with them, but impossibly hard to _leave_ 
through them."
	"If you want to leave," Mireillia said, "it has to be through 
physical means, like a spaceship or electronic portals."
	"But then how can _you_ travel back to Earth?" Akane 
asked to the Espers.
	"As I told you when you met me," Phaeron said, "It was 
difficult to arrive on Earth for two reasons: first, Esper 
World's magic was like a barrier, it didn't let me find Earth's 
location. Second, when I finally found it, I was forced to use the 
maximum power of the Phoenix Flare to leave this planet." Nadir, 
Crystallus and Coldfire nodded in sympathy.
	"I had to do something similar," Mireillia said, "But instead 
of using my maximum power, I used my electronic equipment to 
create a portal. Unfortunately, it would take me months to build 
a machine strong enough to transport more than one person 
without overloading."
	"Maybe we should contact the Lunarians," Maduin said, "Since 
they are space travellers, they might have a solution for your 
problem."
	"Okay, but I'd like to stay a little longer here," Ranko 
said.
	"I wouldn't advise it," Maduin said, "Remember what happened 
to all of you when you first arrived on this world. If you were 
to stay here too long, the spell that turned you into Espers 
might become permanent, and you would be like one of us. 
Although you would change at will, your condition would be 
definite. No Green Cherry would restore you."
	"And that's not all," Nadir said, "If this world's magic traps 
you like it did to us, you wouldn't turn into the pseudo-Esper 
shapes you have now. For example, many of the dragons from 
Sapphire Giants _were_ humans. At first, they were turned into 
mermen, sylphs, gnomes, and others. With time, when they got 
used to Esper World's magic, they were turned into Chromatic 
Dragons. Now, only the Seraphic Crystal can restore them."
	"And how long would this take?" Mousse asked.
	"It usually takes between a month and two years," Andellia 
said, "it's hard to tell with each person. It might take less with 
you because of your own magic."
	"Then in the best case, we'd have less than a month to find 
a way to get outta here, right?" Ranma asked.
	"That would mean he's got two more months, tops," Ranko 
thought.
	"And how long would it take to contact those Lunarians?" 
Herb asked.
	"Not too long," Andellia said, "Our transport tubes are 
operational once more, remember? We could go tomorrow and ask 
them to lend us a spacecraft."
	"Tomorrow?!" Ranko gasped. That was too soon. It would 
probably take _more_ than a month for her to find a way to keep 
Phaeron alive, she needed at least two more weeks here.
	"By the way, how did the Returners get back?" Phaeron 
asked.
	"They haven't," Maduin said, "They're also trying to find a 
way to get off this planet. But they have problems of their own. 
It seems one of their crew is missing, and they found out they 
had two stowaways when they came. They're trying to find them 
before going back."
	"Then maybe we should work together with them to find a 
solution," Herb said.
	"Well, whatever the solution," Maduin said, "you have to 
hurry. There's no telling when the magic will change you 
permanently."

			*	*	*

	"I still say it's too bad we can't stay here longer," Ranko 
said, much later, as they began to head for bed. Even though she 
was holding on to Nodoka's arm, she still staggered slightly as 
she tried to walk.
	"You'd really like that, wouldn't you?" Akane asked, "You've 
been insisting about it all day."
	"Why not? I mean, this place is great. We can use magic 
whenever we want to, all our friends are here and, best of all, 
the old pervert will never find us here."
	"But don't you miss our home?" Akane opened the door to 
their room, "All this weird fighting with demons and monsters 
made me wish I was back fighting those guys at school every 
morning. Besides..." she turned to the redhead, "Earth _is_ our 
home. We don't belong here."
	"Maybe, but, at least for a while, it'd be great to stay 
here on vacation. You went up to Seraphim-chan's house, don't 
you remember how beautiful everything looked from up there?"
	"You're right about that," Akane agreed, "but our home is 
beautiful too."
	"C'mon, with all that smog? I can't remember when was the 
last time I breathed air so clean, or felt rain that's not acid."
	"I think you're exaggerating, Ranko-chan," Nodoka said, "It's 
true that this world has astounding beauty, but I'm sure you 
would still prefer our own home."
	"Not if going back kills Phaeron-kun," she muttered under 
her breath. "Okay," she said, "maybe you don't want to stay here, 
but what if I do? You go back home while I--"
	Akane interrupted her, "Why in the world would you want to 
stay here by yourself?" Ranko was taken aback, she turned red 
and stammered. "Don't tell me you like this world better than 
your own!"
	"I... So what if I do?!" Ranko angrily stood before Akane.
	"My family is back on Earth, in case you forgot!" Akane 
replied. "And _we're_ your family too! If you want to leave us 
behind I don't care! Just tell me why!"
	Ranko staggered slightly as a sob heaved up her chest, 
"Because..." she tried to say. Akane crossed her arms, upset. 
Ranko turned away, taking a deep breath. "You want to know why?" 
she finally said, her voice breaking.
	Suddenly she violently turned around to face Akane, just 
as a thunderbolt illuminated the region, "Because Phaeron-kun's 
dying and there's _nothing_ I can do about it!"
	Akane was frozen in surprise and confusion as she saw 
Ranko struggling to pull back the tears in her eyes, her face 
colored crimson. But the pressure was finally too much, she fell 
to her knees as her legs gave out. Before Akane could break out 
of her stupor, Nodoka quickly kneeled by her daughter. The 
redhead clung to her immediately.
	"Ra... Ranko-chan, I'm..." Akane tried to reach for her.
	"Akane-chan, could you please let me talk to her for a 
moment?" Nodoka looked up, her face filled with worry.
	"Auntie...?" Akane was still too surprised to argue, 
especially after seeing Ranko reacting like that. Slowly stepping 
back, she blindly reached for the doorknob and twisted it, 
hurriedly walking out the door.
	"I'm... I'm sorry..." Ranko said through the tears.
	"It's okay, it's okay," Nodoka said calmly, "Ranko-chan, is it 
about what Seraphim said?"
	She looked up, "M-mom, you know?"
	Nodoka sighed sadly, gently pressing her daughter's head 
against her chest, "Yes, dear, I know." She stroked the red hair, 
"I know..."
	Outside, Akane was still confused. What could have caused 
_Ranko_ to fall apart like that? And what about what she said?
	"Is he sick or something?" she found herself wondering, "Why 
did she say he's dying?" That coudn't be right. Everyone was all 
right, whatever injuries Andellia and Seraphim hadn't healed were 
cured by the rain. And with such a host of heal magic-users, 
diseases were out of the question. What could it be?
	"And what does it have to do with leaving this world?" 
Akane thought. "Or maybe... Maybe he _is_ sick, and the only way 
he can stay alive is by staying here..." She turned back to the 
door, thinking, "Ranko-chan... When did he tell you?"
	"Akane-chan?" was heard from within. She quickly stood by 
the door, "Yes, Auntie?"
	"You can come in now. It's all right."
	Hesitant at first, Akane nervously twisted the doorknob, 
peeking through the slit as the door slowly opened. "Sure?" she 
asked. Nodoka silently nodded.
	"S-sorry I yelled at you..." sitting on the bed, Ranko looked 
downcast.
	"I'm so sorry, Ranko-chan," Akane surprised her, "I didn't 
know... When did you find out?"
	Ranko's eyes widened greatly, "Y-you know too?" Akane 
nodded. "How did you..."
	"Don't worry," Akane put a hand on her shoulder, "Everything 
will turn out fine. If there's anything I can do..." she suddenly 
snapped her fingers, "I know. I'll help you find a way to keep him 
alive!"
	"No!" Ranko said reflexively, thinking that Akane meant to 
help her with the Caller. "I mean, it's okay, oneechan. It's 
something _I_ have to do myself."
	"Have to do yourself...?" Akane wondered aloud, "You mean... 
You mean you really do--"
	"No!" Ranko repeated, but this time blushing, "Of course not, 
you baka! What are you thinking?"
	"So everything is back to normal," Nodoka smiled warmly. 
"Good night, girls," she stood up, but giggled when she noticed 
that they were both so focused on arguing that neither noticed 
her.

			*	*	*

	Everything was dark. The rain had finally ceased, although 
a few clouds were still dripping their water. Not a single sound 
was heard, except for the occasional, quiet gurgle of a droplet 
rippling into a puddle. Far away, Sapphire Giants were already 
greeting the very first ray of sunlight.
	All of a sudden, a light patting was heard in the corridors, 
as if someone were trying to walk without waking anyone else. 
Slowly, the steps stopped before the door to one of the rooms. 
With a light squeak, the doorknob twisted. The hinges creaked 
loudly, making him wince. He peeked his head through the opening.
	"Hmm? Whozzat?" Ranko said, still half-asleep.
	"Oops," was the reply.
	"Eh? Phaeron-kun?" she rubbed her eyes, "It's too early, 
what're you doin'?"
	"Sorry to wake you," he whispered, "Remember what I said 
yesterday, that today is very special? I thought that since 
you'll be staying for a while maybe you'd like to see one of the 
greatest wonders of Esper World."
	"At this hour?" Ranko sat up, "What is it?"
	"Well, it's kind of a surprise. What do you say?"
	She was about to say "no thanks" when she recalled what 
had happened last night. "Maybe I'll convince him to stay here," 
she thought. "O-okay. Just let me tell Akane." She staggered a 
bit when she tried to stand up, but it seemed she was almost 
fully recovered by now.
	"I''l wait for you on the cliff," Phaeron said, then vanished 
into the dark corridor.
	"Hey, oneechan," Ranko said, yawning, "Yo..."
	Akane rollled over in her bed, her mind waking up but her 
body still sleeping, "Uh? What is it?"
	"I'm going out with Phaeron-kun for a little while, okay? 
Save some breakfast for us."
	"Oh, okay..." Akane went back to sleep. But just as Ranko 
headed for the door, she awoke again as she was hit by the 
words, "Wait. Did you say you're _going out_ with Phaeron-kun?"
	Ranko gasped and turned very red, "That's _not_ what I 
meant!"
	"Oh, sure it isn't," Akane smirked in the darkness.
	"Forget I ever said anything," Ranko fumed and walked out 
while Akane giggled. Honestly, she could act so childish 
sometimes, Ranko thought. She just said she was going _out_ with 
him, but not _going out_ like on... like on a _date_. But Akane 
had to mess it up, like always.
	"Ready?" a Phoenix bird asked, turning back when he heard 
the footsteps. "Uh..."
	"What?" Ranko asked, shivering a bit.
	"You left in a hurry, right?" Phaeron asked. She looked at 
herself, noticing she was in her pajamas. No wonder she was cold. 
"Don't worry, you'll be okay," he spread his wings, "All aboard."
	Shrugging, Ranko hopped onto his back. He reared back, and 
leapt out towards the dark sea. Gliding, he let the oceanic wind 
lift him, then aimed Northeast.
	"So, what's going on?" Ranko asked.
	"I found out when we came back from Cat's Eye," Phaeron 
began to explain, "We really had great timing. It turns out today 
is Paqueis' Day. Very few people know about it, since it's not an 
Esper holiday. But every 150 years, on this day, something 
incredible happens at Silvermoon Lake, at dawn. I guess you 
could compare it to seeing the Halley comet when it passes near 
Earth."
	"And where is this Silvermoon?" she asked. If they had to 
leave so early in the morning, it meant the lake was pretty far.
	"It's just ahead, north of Eliann, and halfway from Valran 
to Mysei. But I'll use a Comet Flare to get there, since it's as 
far from Valran as Artanis. Hold on." He narrowed his wings, 
creating a wedge-shaped shield around himself and Ranko, then 
bursting in the azure blaze of his special technique. Despite 
having the shield, Ranko still felt the wind and speed pushing 
her backwards, she had to tighten her grip on his wings.
	A few minutes passed in silence, with the oceanscape moving 
rapidly beneath them. All the while they travelled through 
darkened skies, although dawn was quickly approaching. The twin 
moons gleamed overhead as they began their descent. Noticing 
them, Phaeron pressed on, moving even faster. But finally, the 
ocean ended and they passed over a bay. A seemingly-endless 
forest appeared before them. The Phoenix finally slowed down, 
they still had plenty of time before dawn. Ranko saw the perfect 
opening to try and convince him.
	"I don't get those guys," she said, "Why do they want to go 
home so soon?"
	"Maybe they just want to get away from all _this_ 
crazyness and go back to their _own_," Phaeron smirked, "I'd like 
to go back home too."
	Ranko gulped at his words, "Yeah, I'd like to go back, but 
later. We've got the chance of a lifetime to visit another 
planet, and the minute we come out of the fighting they want to 
go back. That other world where we fought I understand, because 
it was almost destroyed. But this place..." she looked at the 
approaching trees, "this place is beautiful."
	"Earth is also beautiful, Ranko-chan," Phaeron said, "Trust 
me. I've lived centuries here, and that made me appreciate what 
Earth is and what it has. I missed not being able to be with 
other humans, sharing ordinary problems. Sure, it's great to live 
in Esper World. After all, one lives in a society that doens't 
need money, where we have no governments but leaders instead, 
and they are determined by honor and intelligence. A little too 
utopian if you ask me."
	"Utopian?" Ranko cocked one eye, "This is one perfect 
society _anyone_ would like to live in!"
	"I know, that's why I'd have to be crazy not to like it 
here," Phaeron conceded, "but whenever we have problems, it's 
because there's some Destroyer nipping at us." He sighed, "Boy, 
I've dreamed of someday living a normal life on Earth, having a 
good job, worrying about things such as taxes or bills, with the 
biggest problem being how to deal with a potential costumer or 
having to deliver a speech."
	"A lot of guys live like that, you know, and they'd gladly 
trade places with you."
	"I don't really think so, Ranko-chan. For example, the guys 
back home could never even imagine how close Earth was to being 
eaten by Lavos. Accountants don't have to worry about 
mantaining the Balance of the Universe, policemen don't have to 
deal with Elemental Fiends, politicians don't have a clue about 
dealing with interstellar races, the people in the army don't 
even know who Kefka was. Instead, the Espers and Lunarians are 
always taking care of those things, with nobody knowing. 
Sometimes, being an Esper is one of the loneliest occpations one 
could think of. That's why I like Earth so much. It's never facing 
the threats Esper World is, although I have to admit it does 
have many serious problems."
	"That's right. What about crime? Nobody's safe these days 
anymore, except the criminals. And looks like hardly anyone gives 
a damn about what's happening to the environment."
	"But it's not a lost battle yet," Phaeron said, "and it's one 
of the reasons why I'd love to go back. Look around. If we 
Espers, having the ability to destroy entire planets without 
using our full power, can take care of our planet _and_ live in 
peace with each other, imagine what we could do on a planet like 
Earth."
	"Oh, yeah..." Ranko said, thoughtful, "I remember Crystallus 
saying something like that when you... I mean, when you..."
	"A couple of weeks after I died, I remember," Phaeron 
finished, "I've been thinking about helping those Greenpeace guys 
too."
	"Yeah, right," Ranko smirked, "I can see you stopping a 
nuclear test with an aura shield."
	"Not exactly what I had in mind, but that's pretty close," 
Phaeron smiled amusedly, "Anyway, that's why I want to go back 
to Earth."
	"I know, but couldn't we wait a little while?" Ranko asked, 
"I'd like to spend a vacation here. Say..." she said as if the idea 
had just occurred to her, "What if we spend Christmas here? I 
bet this place looks great in winter."
	Phaeron smirked, "It does, but we're in the middle of spring 
here. Esper World's orbit around its Sun is the same width as 
Earth's, it'll take a long time to reach winter." Ranko slumped 
down, "But we _could_ spend winter here. You should see the 
celebrations at Seraphim's place during Christmas." The redhead 
brightened up, hopeful they would stay after all. "Yes, we could 
go back home and come here during autumn." Ranko slumped down 
again.
	"But it sounds like you really want to stay here," Phaeron 
continued. She looked at him, hoping to convince him this time.
	"It's a paradise here, kinda like the Gates," she replied.
	"But you know what'll happen if you stay here too long."
	She shrugged, "I don't mind turning into Tinkerbell. I'm 
beginning to like it."
	"Don't say things like that. You were lucky, but would you 
say the same thing if you had been turned into something like 
Tiamat, or Kary?" Ranko shuddered. But suddenly she couldn't 
control her shuddering, she felt her body being surrounded by a 
strange magic...
	"So, would you really like living here?" Phaeron asked. No 
answer. "Ranko-chan?"
	"I don't know," a fairy softly touched down on his beak. He 
immediately closed his eyes, this time her clothing hadn't 
miniaturized. Phaeron strengthened his shield, preventing her 
clothes from falling into the forest.
	"What happened?" Ranko asked, sitting down on his beak.
	"See? The magic is already affecting you. Thank God you 
turned into that Esper shape rather than a six-armed snake-
woman."
	"Very funny," she crossed her arms.
	"But anyway," Phaeron continued, trying to fly with his 
eyes closed, "I like Earth even better than Esper World. It's 
where I was born, it's my _home_. I've studied it's history, and I 
would like to someday travel all over the world. I'd like to grow 
old, maybe have a family..." as he sighed, Ranko slumped down 
more and more, feeling how her eyes were beginning to fill. She 
felt awful, he had so many dreams about the future, dreams she 
knew would never be fulfilled. If it was hard to tell him about it 
before, now it was downright impossible for her to tell him he 
was going to die one month after they arrived on Earth.
	"But none of that is possible here," he finished, "Nobody 
_grows_ old, even though I'd be looking at turning 2000 in about 
499 years. I know _all_ of Esper World. Someday, I'll show it to 
the rest of you, but for now we should just be heading home. 
Everyone must be worried about us."
	He was surprised as he didn't receive a reply. Instead, he 
felt a slight pressure on his neck and head. Opening his eyes, he 
noticed Ranko wasn't on his beak anymore. "Probably fell asleep 
again," he thought.
	"Maybe... maybe you're right," he heard her above him. "Maybe 
we should go back home." Lying face down along his neck, cuddling 
amid his feathers, Ranko sighed sadly. If he wanted so much to 
go back, she couldn't contest him. But now she had to had hope. 
Maybe Seraphim could let him go, or she could make a deal with 
her, or something. Cologne and Happosai knew a great deal, maybe 
they could her her find a way to keep him alive. Damn it, if only 
he hadn't used Ultima...
	Finally, they reached Silvermoon Lake. Honoring its name, it 
shone brightly as it reflected the double orbs above. It was 
shaped like a crescent moon, opening to the West. The lake was 
nestled amid the forest , with a large, imposing mountain range 
surrounding the woods to the East. From above, this range would 
resemble a backwards "C," holding Silvermoon Lake inside it.
	"Okay, hold on," Phaeron said. Ranko sat up, then felt the 
magic cover her again. She quickly used it to turn back human. 
Phaeron stopped momentarily his descent, waiting for her to 
quickly put her clothes back on. Then he dismissed his shield, 
slowing down as he began to submerge in the sea of trees. 
Steadily stopping, he flapped his wings backwards and landed on a 
branch, then immediately turned human and twisted around, holding 
Ranko as he leapt down to the grass below.
	"Can you walk?" he asked. She rolled her eyes in mild 
annoyance and detached herself from him, staggering a bit before 
standing straight. They were in the middle of the forest now, 
just a couple of minutes away from Silvermoon. Since it was still 
dark, the forest was dark and bluish, although it resembled the 
Gates very closely with its immensely-tall trees and soft grass. 
Most animals were still asleep, the only sounds aside from their 
footsteps were made by the crickets and owls. A breeze brushed 
the forest, waving the branches at its whim. As the treetops 
filtered the moonlight into single beams, this movement caused 
the rays of light to dance around like faint spotlights.
	They came out of the forest and to a narrow clearing, 
which sloped down to the West side of the lake. Phaeron motioned 
towards a fallen tree, a few yards away. They both sat on the 
grass, leaning back against the hollow trunk. Before them lay 
Silvermoon, and beyond, the mountains. But they were odd. It 
seemed the mountain range was split in two directly before them, 
with two large mountains to each side of the division. They were 
triangle-shaped, the vortex between them aimed down at the 
middle of the lake while their summits pointed at the moons 
above.
	Phaeron heard a light rustle. They both turned to the left, 
seeing a tiny mammal, like miniature monkey with a squirrel's tail. 
It squeaked at them, then hurriedly slipped into its den below 
the ground.
	"The sun will come up in less than five minutes," Phaeron 
said, "That little guy is a nocturnal creature, and always waits 
until the last second before going to sleep."
	"Then whatever you wanted to show me is about to happen?" 
Ranko asked, holding her knees in her arms.
	"Right," Phaeron nodded, "Now, see how the lake reflects 
both moons and the two mountains? And how the moons look like 
they're almost touching the peaks of those mountains? Watch 
this."
	She snuggled herself against the tree and looked forward, 
waiting. The reflection of the moons and the real satellites 
shaped a square, with a silver circle in each corner while the 
mountains and their reflections shaped an X inside the square. 
"Don't look at the center of that X," Phaeron warned.
	About five seconds later, a ray of sunlight came exactly 
between the mountains, through the middle of the X. The 
mountains' vortex focused the ray strongly, making it a bright 
shaft of light that shot from between the mountains and hit the 
forest, passing a few feet over Ranko. But after a few moments, 
the shaft was gone. It was replaced by a bright area of golden 
light that came up from between the mountains. Suddenly, as the 
sun rose, the navy-blue sky turned bright yellow near the 
horizon, creating a strange yellow-blue combination in the sky, 
with the two moons exactly behind the peaks.
	It was then that it happened. The heat of the sunlight 
began to create a breeze that descended from the mountains,  
passing through the rock formations and creating a loud humming 
sound, almost like a chorus. The breeze then came down to the 
lake, disturbing its perfect surface. The triangle made by the 
sun and the two moons was reflected by the lake, although it 
rippled because of the breeze. Then another shaft of light was 
focused by the vortex, but it hit down into the lake instead of 
straight into the forest. This shaft was continuous.
	"Watch this, it'll last a few seconds," Phaeron whispered.
	The breeze ceased. The triangle was reflected perfectly by 
the lake, with the corners of both figures meeting in a single 
spot. The shaft came down from that same spot. Suddenly, and 
defying logic, the reflection changed. The triangular place that 
reflected the yellow sky suddenly switched places with the place 
that reflected the night sky. The result was a perfect 
representation of an hourglass, with the mountains and their 
reflections being the frame, the moon (and their reflections too) 
being the corners, and the sun being the knot at the middle. The 
sand would be the yellow color of the sky, with the shaft of 
light representing the falling sand that came down to the bottom 
half of the hourglass,
	"Now the fun begins," Phaeron said.
	As before, the reflections of the sky traded places and 
the "sand" returned upwards. The shaft ceased. The sunlight 
finally overcame the mountains and all the sky was colored gold 
for six seconds, fading the moons. But amazingly, the lake didn't 
reflect this light.
	Slowly, the gold light faded back to the normal hue of 
sunrise. The lake also returned to normal, the moons appeared 
again. Even the humming ceased. Almost half of the sun was 
already out of the horizon.
	"What in the..." Ranko blinked.
	"Amazing, isn't it?" Phaeron leaned back, "I call that the 
Time Reversal, since it looks like the sand of the hourglass 
goes back up. It's pretty complicated, but I finally discovered 
what causes that optical effect. Look." He leaned towards Ranko, 
who came closer to him. He pointed at the lake, "See that part 
where the light was bent so it looked like the reflections 
changed places? It turns out there is a diamond lode right 
beneath that. That's what caused the reflections to go awry. 
Next, the shaft of light was focused by two tiny, thumb-wide 
crevices that are exactly at the vortex of those mountains. 
Other crevices make the humming. The hourglass itself is made 
because the moons are retrograd, and that's why they go from 
West to East instead ot East to West, like the sun. But the 
real cause of those effects is the Crisande Woods, which is 
right behind the mountains. You wouldn't believe those trees. 
They're made of crystal, so they reflect the sunlight and amplify 
it. So, when the sun came up, the trees enhanced its light. And 
when the hourglass reverted, they were like a screen that 
intensified the light a tenfold."
	"It was beautiful, don't spoil it with explanations," Ranko 
smiled at him.
	"You liked it?" Phaeron beamed.
	"It was worth getting out of bed that early. But you say 
this happens only once every 150 years?"
	"It's because of Esper World's orbit. Only once in that time 
does this planet reach the precise position in order to create 
this effect. But there are lots other: sunset at the Trident  
makes for a fan-shaped reflection, midday at Sapphire Woods fills 
the forest with blue light, and so on."
	"And you were trying to convince me of going back home, 
eh?" Ranko smirked.
	"Yeah, well, I remember sunrise at Jusenkyo, or sunset at 
Mt. Fuji." He smirked back and stood up, offering a hand. Ranko 
took his hand and stood, looking at the lake.
	"That reminds me..." Phaeron said, "Here."
	"What?" Ranko said when he took her hand and placed 
something on her palm.
	"I found that on the edge of Adder's Mouth," Phaeron said, 
"Didn't I tell you not to take it off?" he smirked. "No wonder 
Lavos got you."
	"Hey, I was looking for this," she replied, putting the Wall 
Ring on her finger. And then she realized what he had said, "Shut 
up, you baka!" she bonked him.
	"Sorry," he shrugged.
	"So, you think they're up yet?" she asked.
	"Nah. Knowing them, they'll be asleep for another couple of 
hours. But maybe we should get back."
	"Wait a second. First you show me what this world has to 
offer and now you wanna go back? Hey, if we're going home in a 
few days at least show me around a little. Where's your house, 
anyway?"
	Phaeron blinked, "_You_ want to see _my_ place?"
	She shrugged, "Sure, I mean, if you lived here for hundreds 
of years you must have a house."
	Phaeron rubbed his head, "Well, if you want to see it..." he 
spread his arms and morphed, "Okay, hop on!"
	With the redhead on his back, Phoenix rose into the air. He 
flew over Silvermoon, heading for the opening between the 
mountains. "Where is it?" Ranko asked.
	"Just over the mountains, in the entrance to Crisande, 
actually. But close your eyes. Right now, the crystal trees are 
reflecting too much light. I'll tell you when to open them again."
	She closed her eyes. She felt him speed up, the wind 
pressing harder against her. But then it also pressed upwards, 
Phaeron was descending. She could smell the wet grass, a 
delicious scent caused by the rain. But then it mixed with the 
smell of bark, and flowers. A rustic scent followed, like old 
wood. And then, the Phoenix landed.
	"Okay, open them," he said. She obeyed. They were standing 
before a wooden cabin, surrounded by a few normal and Green 
Cherry trees. Its courtains were closed, and the porch lights 
turned off. Phaeron morphed back and opened the unlocked door, 
peeking inside.
	"Yaaah!" he suddenly jumped, "W-wait a sec. Gotta clean up 
the mess in there."
	"Come on, it's oka--"
	Before she could finish, a cleaning tornado swept through 
the cabin, making it vibrate wildly. She sweated visibly. After a 
few seconds, he came out again.
	"Sorry 'bout that. Now, welcome to my humble abode," he 
bowed as he opened the door, following Ranko after she came 
inside.
	Inside the cabin, the smell of cedar immediately assaulted 
her nose. The living room was the largest room in the house, 
moderately dark and with wide windows. An extinguished fireplace 
was seen in the far wall, while there were two corridors 
stretching from that wall, one to each side of the fireplace. Old, 
comfortable-looking couches surrounded the middle of the room, 
covered with patterned pillows and cloths. A black screen, like a 
TV but much more advanced, was mounted on the wall to the left. 
But next to the sofa, was a small table. The portrait on this 
table was put down, hiding its picture.
	"Come on, I'll show you around," Phaeron said. They went 
through the corridor to the right of the fireplace. There was a 
small kitchen, sufficient for one person's needs, and a storage 
room next to it. Beyond was the back door, a training hall 
visible beyond its window.
	"Growl..."
	"Oh, pipe down, will you?" Ranko looked at her belly.
	"Knowing that stomach of yours, it'll need more than that 
to keep quiet," Phaeron smiled. "Go on ahead, explore all you 
want. I'll get something from the kitchen."
	Nodding, Ranko went back to the living room. There were 
many other portraits and pictures over the fireplace, including 
most of Phaeron's friends. She walked over to the next corridor. 
This corridor wasn't made of wood, but instead was a tunnel of 
opaque glass, which let in the light from outside. Many pots and 
plants dotted the sides of this tunnel.
	She reached the last room, the bedroom. Right in front of 
her was the single bed, while a wardrobe was seen on the wall 
to the left. Beside it was another door, probably a bathroom. To 
the right was a glass wall, leading to the garden outside. She 
came inside, noticing many of the portraits here had been put 
down. Shrugging, she sat on the bed, trying to figure out what 
the strange object in the corner was for. It was like a cross of 
two copper rings, positioned vertically on an axis. This axis was 
mounted on a thin bronze pedestal, carved with intrincate runes 
that she couldn't interpret.  She walked over to it and pushed 
one of the rings. It began spinning, followed by the other, but 
they just clanked against each other. Shrugging, she looked 
upwards. There was a broad skylight on the ceiling, over the bed. 
Sitting down again, she took one of the portraits on the 
nightstand, one that had also been put down. She was about to 
look at the picture when she heard Phaeron coming.
	"You in here?" he walked in from the glass corridor, 
carrying a dish of... something. She put down the picture without 
seeing it.
	"What is that?" she stood and looked at the food, pinching 
it to make sure it wasn't alive.
	"Very funny," he glared at me for that remark, "This is an 
Esper delicacy called solm. It's made of fish, curry and other 
spices. Go on, try it."
	Taking the spoon from the plate, she took a bite, surprised 
at the taste of this "solm." "Vewy gwood," she said through a 
mothful. As she ate, she asked him about the metal sculpture in 
the corner.
	"No, it's not a sculpture," he corrected, "Look," he put his 
hands to the sides of the object, nearly touching the rings. 
Concentrating, he created a ki ball between his palms, shaping it 
inside the two rings. He stepped back. Suddenly the rings began 
to spin, not releasing the ki sphere. With a flash of white, the 
rings became a ball of light, with small golden sparks running 
over it.
	"Now what?" Ranko asked.
	"Say a date, any date," Phaeron said. She mentioned a 
random date. Phaeron put his hand on top of the sphere and 
repeated it. He stepped back once more.
	"What the..." Ranko stammered when she saw the sphere turn 
to crystal. Inside it, she could see herself, trying to pull 
chestnuts from an open fire. Phaeron said another date. The 
sphere then showed Ranma training for the Hiryuu shoten-ha.
	"This is how I was able to keep up with you," Phaeron said. 
"Remember that I told you that Seraphim made images for me 
whenever I wanted to see what was happening on Earth? Well, she 
gave me this. With this little gadget I can look at any moment in 
time I want except the future, like a reverse crystal ball. I 
could ask for this to show what happened yesterday, and it 
would show me exactly that." He deactivated the sphere, "First I 
only used it to study Earth's history, or what had happened 
while I was Magicite. I also used it to check up on who fell into 
our springs. But about a year ago, I began to use it for 
something different..."
	"To see how I was doing," Ranko continued, "So that's why 
you could recognize every one of my friends when you came 
back." She handed him the dish and spoon.
	"Exactly," Phaeron blinked at how the dish was clean, "I'll 
go leave this in the kitchen. Be right back."
	As he left, Ranko looked thoughtfully at the artifact. 
Walking over to it, she filled it with a ki ball and commanded it. 
"Okay, show me 495 AD."
	"Day?" the object asked.
	"Um, say, April 24th."
	The sphere flashed brightly. It understood her wishes and 
somehow knew she wanted to see China. It showed Jusenkyo, in 
the morning. Many people were gathered around the springs, 
gossiping, "What a shame... So young... All three of them... Poor 
girls..."
	Ranko felt a chill freeze her spine. If it was morning, and 
the people were talking about that... It meant that was the very 
next day after they drowned.
	"I definetely don't want to see myself drown," she thought, 
"Okay, show me April 22nd, 495--"
	"Ranko-chan, come over here!" Phaeron called. She was 
distracted, the sphere lost its focus. "Great," she thought, then 
went back to the living room, "What?"
	"What do you say we go to Jurtahs?" Phaeron asked, "It's a 
small city south of here. You'd like it, it's the China of Esper 
World when it comes to martial arts."
	She smirked, "You're on." She looked at herself, "But... Got 
any clothes I could wear?"
	"Hmm, I think so. Check my wardrobe."
	Hurrying back, she opened the wardrobe's doors, finding a 
full-body mirror inside one. She searched through the various 
clothing, finding nothing androgenous enough. "Ah. Perfect," she 
said as she found a set of Chinese clothing. She quickly put it 
on, looking in the mirror. It was a scarlet shirt, sleeveless and 
broad-necked, like a wushu uniform, with black trousers and a 
green belt. She was suddenly frozen as the image jogged her 
memory.
	"Ready?" Phaeron knocked on the door. She stammered, "C-
Come in..."
	"What's wrong?" he asked. "Hey, I haven't worn that in..." he 
counted with his fingers, "over three hundred years!"
	"Phaeron-kun, this..." she looked at him seriously, "you wore 
this when we were in China."
	He gulped loudly, that _was_ his usual colthing when they 
trained together before the accident. "Can you remember anything 
else?" She shook her head, "No wait. I feel something." She looked 
at the clothes, "Water... I feel water..." Her eyes widened as she 
was suddenly horrified, reflexively running towards him. He 
caught her in his arms.
	"You okay?"
	"Dunno... I saw Coldfire... and Pandi-chan... She was..."
	He suddenly realized how she had just called her sister. 
Trying to help her, he asked, "How do you feel, Zhaodi-chan?"
	"It's... nothing." She turned back to normal, "It's okay. Guess 
these clothes reminded me of drowning, that's all."
	"Do you want to go back?"
	She looked at him, cocking one eye, "And miss learning new 
techniques in that city? You crazy?" she smirked as she ran out 
the garden door, "C'mon, catch me if you can!"
	"Never race an Esper!" he followed, smiling.

			*	*	*

	Ukyou sighed as she looked out into the sea, sitting on 
the edge of the cliff. Sunrise was only now reaching Valran, and 
the rest were barely waking up by now.
	Man, she missed her restaurant. The Cat Cafe was probably 
booming with costumers, having nobody to open Ucchan's for 
business. She even missed Tsubasa's constant pestering. But 
really, if she wanted a trasvestite for a suitor she'd skip a 
few more manga volumes and get it over with.
	Suddenly she heard footsteps behind her. Hurried footsteps. 
She quickly turned, but there was nobody there. She turned back 
to the sea. There they were again, the footsteps. She waited a 
little longer before she bolted around, catching a glimpse of a 
shadow disappearing into thin air.
	Ukyou grasped her combat spatula. Friends don't hide like 
that. Whoever it was would be turned to okonomiyaki, and boy did 
she miss flattening people into Japanese pizzas. She stood up, 
listening closely for any source of sound. Then she looked 
around, cautious. Nothing was  out of the ordinary.
	All of a sudden a pair of seagulls squaked and took to the 
air, startling her. She put her hand on her brow, looking upwards 
as the stupid birds flew out to the sea. "Jeez, I need to cook 
some okonomiyaki or I'll go insane," she said to no one in 
particular. She shrugged, and took one step towards the castle.
	Something white and furry suddenly leapt at her.
	"Kupo!"
	"Gyaaaaaah!" she covered her face...


Return to Cat's Eye

	...And smashed her spatula on the ground. If the white furry 
thing had been there, it would have turned into a white furry 
marmelade. Ukyou retrieved her utensil, looking around. Wherever 
it had gone to, that thing has vanished perfectly.
	"Gaah!" she looked down. It was holding onto her leg like a 
cling-on. She swung her spatula at it. It leapt out of the way.
	"Ugh..." she tried to keep herself from crying out when she 
hit her foot with the spatula. "That does it! Come out, you... 
you..."
	"Kupo!" the thing leapt at her again. Surprised, she 
stumbled backwards... over the edge of the cliff.
	"Wah!" she thrust her spatula into the cliffside, holding 
onto it. The seas roared below her, but she was more worried 
about the rocky protrusions at the base of the cliff. She looked 
up, feeling a pebble hitting her shoulder.
	There it was, standing in the edge and looking down at her 
with puppy-eyes. It was a small, white creature, about two and a 
half feet tall. It was like a cross beteen a teddy bear, a cat 
and a bat: short and chubby, with squinted eyes and whiskers, 
and two tiny pink wings on its back, matching the big round pink 
nose. Between its small pointed ears was a thread, on top of 
which there was a bright yellow ball of fur. She would have said 
"kawaii!" if it weren't for her predicament.
	"Hold on, kupo!" it said, then produced a mean-looking 
halberd out of nowhere. Grabbing it in its hands, the creature 
lowered the staff towards Ukyou. Dubious at first, she grabbed 
it and let herself be pulled up.
	"What... are you?" she stared at the white teddy bear. How 
could this creature be so strong with that size?
	"Hi!" it lifted a paw. "I'm a Moogle, kupo!"
	"Moogle?"
	"Name's Mog," the creature said, "Sorry for scaring ya."
	"Hey, Ucchan!" was heard as Ranma came out to the cliff. 
"What happened? I heard you shout, you okay?"
	"Hi, kupo!" Mog said.
	"What the..." Ranma cocked an eye at the sight.
	"Where did you come from?" Ukyou asked.
	"I came with my friends, Locke, Celes..." Mog said, "I'm 
supposed to be their scout, but... I got lost."
	"So much for a scout," Ranma said, "I'm Ranma. What's your 
name?"
	"Nice to meet you, kupo! I'm Mog!" he danced a little jig.
	"I'm Ukyou," she said.
	"Ukyou! Ukyou!" Mog repeated, dancing again.The earth began 
to vibrate with his steps. "I like you, kupo!" his face turned mild 
red.
	"You like me?" Ukyou looked at him oddly.
	"Like you a lot, kupo!" Mog pulled a single rose from 
hyperspace and offered it.
	"Guess you got yourself another suitor, Ucchan," Ranma 
laughed.
	"Ranchan, really!" she bonked him with her spatula. But when 
she turned back to Mog, the moogle blushed and fiddled with his 
furry hands. "Oh boy..."
	"I know!" Mog said, a lightbulb appearing over him, "I'll dance 
for you, kupo!" he leapt away and began to move slowly. A soft 
music came from thin air. "Love Sonata!" Mog said, dancing. A ring 
of blue fireballs appeared around Ukyou, following Mog's dance.
	"What in the world...?" Ranma stared at the fireballs. 
	"You like it, kupo?" Mog asked.
	"How did you do that?" Ranma asked.
	"Dancing, kupo," Mog replied.
	"How can dancing do that?" Ukyou asked.
	"Easy. Look down!" Mog pointed at the sea, "This dance is 
called Water Rondo!" As he danced, the sea surged up and 
smashed against the cliffside. "Now, some special steps," Mog 
said, "El Nino!" the water pulled back, taking many of the largest 
rocks at the base into the undertow, "Plasma!" a circular gap 
opened in the water, letting a pair of beams shoot out from it.
	"Amazing!" Ukyou gasped.
	"What's going on out here?" Nadir came out. "Hey, Mog! 
What're you doing here?"
	"Hi, kupo!" Mog stopped dancing. The sea returned to normal.
	"You know him?" Ranma asked to the Esper.
	"Sure, this little fellow was with us when we first fought 
Kefka." He kneeled by Mog, "And I remember he had a crush on 
Starlet, eh?" he nudged him.
	"Not Starlet, kupo!" Mog said childishly, "Ukyou!" he pointed 
at her. She giggled quietly. Tsubasa would rip his hair out when 
he found out. And how would she spurn such a kawaii teddy bear? 
She even smiled at him when Mog hugged her leg, like a small 
child.
	"Hey, oniisan!"
	Ranma looked up at hearing Ranko's voice. Suddenly she 
leapt down from Phoenix' back and ran towards them. Phaeron 
landed and also joined them.
	"What's up?" Ranma asked.
	"We know!" Ranko said, excited, "We know how to go back 
home!"

			*	*	*

	Once again, they were gathered at the council. They were 
waiting for Maduin to arrive with one of his friends. Mog was 
sitting happily on Ukyou's lap, leaning on the table. She never 
thought this little guy liked her so much.
	"I apologize for the delay," Maduin said when he finally 
came in. "I'd like to introduce you to my old friend, FuSoYa."
	"How do you do," the old man bowed. "I am a Lunarian, and I 
believe you need help from my race."
	"Yes, we have to go back home," Mousse said.
	"Actually, we found out there _is_ a way," Phaeron said. "A 
while ago, Ranko-chan and I ran into FuSoYa in the city of 
Jurtahs. We told him about our problem, and he gave us the 
solution."
	"Yes, that is correct," FuSoYa said. "Being a race that 
often travels through space, we have the technology to build 
spacecrafts. However, building a vehicle large enough for all of 
you would require a year or two, not to mention it has to be 
magical in order to let you arrive on Earth quickly. There are 
no Lunarian ships lke that anymore, except one.
	"When our race arrived on this planet, most of our ships 
were left on one of the moons. But there is another one, which 
crashed into the sea and was lost eons ago."
	"But when we arrived at Jurtahs," Phareon said, "We went to 
check the city's records. It turns out that the ship does exist, 
and it was once stolen by the Magenta Tritons."
	"And where is it?" Akane asked.
	"In the Southern Continent," FoSuYa said.
	"And guess what," Ranko smirked, "We gotta go back to Cat's 
Eye to get it."

			*	*	*

	It was in the afternoon that they were preparing for their 
departure. Preparing their luggage, the humans were given a 
magic knapsack each, allowing them to carry all the treasure and 
items they had found. A devious plan formed in Ranma's mind when 
he saw all the shiny gold coins.
	"Nabiki will go insane," Akane said, "when she sees us come 
back with all this gold."
	"You got that right," Ranko replied with a snicker, "Maybe I 
can bribe her so she stops taking pictures of me."
	"I can't believe we only stayed here one week," Ranma put 
the Mirage Vest and Murasame inside the knapsack.
	"You want to stay longer?" Akane asked.
	"No, I mean that it's like we've been here for ages."
	"No kidding. Even the writer spent three times as many 
pages in _this_ week as  in the other three months we spent 
back home."
	"It' gonna be great to see the guys back home," Ranma said, 
looking upwards.
	"Are you feeling okay, oniisan?" Ranko cocked one eye, "It 
means we'll hafta deal with Kuno, the old freak..."
	"Exactly," Ranma smirked, creating a fireball in his hand, 
"Can't wait to fight the old perv with _this_ magic."
	"But the Espers said we can only use the magic here," 
Akane reminded. "We'll see, we'll see..." Ranma answered absent-
mindedly.
	After a few more minutes, the whole troop was once more 
gathered at the courtyard, waiting. Only the panda seemed to be 
having troubles carrying his knapsack. "Don't you think you took 
a bit too much gold, dear?" Nodoka asked, glaring at him.
	"No!" he wrote on a sign before toppling over. "Okay, maybe 
just a little bit too much..."
	"We'll miss you," Starlet said, "You helped us so much..."
	"Maghiwokenjuwghan?"
	"What was that?" Akane turned to a very bandaged 
Siegfried.
	He painfully reached for the bandages on his mouth, "I said, 
can I look inside your bags? I think I lost something there."
	"Right, lost," Locke glared at him, "And they call _me_ 
thief."
	"All of Esper World is at debt with you," Maduin said 
sternly, "but don't overdo it," he stared at the panda.
	"Oh, shut up," he wrote.
	"We better get going," Phaeron said, "Flying at top speed 
it'll still take us a while getting there."
	"You're coming too, right?" Akane turned to the other 
Espers.
	"Sure, how could I abandon my fianc�es?" Nadir smirked.
	"And _someone_ has to make sure this guy behaves," 
Mireillia glared at him.
	"We'd like to visit Earth for a while," Andellia and Terion 
said, "Besides, you'll need help finding that missing spaceship."
	"So, everyone ready?" not much for dragging good-byes, 
Coldfire hoisted his pack.
	"But you needn't worry about time," Arianne said, "Listar 
and his dragons offered to take you personally to Cat's Eye. In 
fact I think I hear them coming."
	"Okay, so we'll wait at the Beacon," Locke said, "When you 
find this spaceship, you'll pick us up."
	"Right," Phaeron said.
	"Are you sure you want to leave with them, Mog?" Celes 
asked to the little guy.
	"I'll stay with Ukyou, kupo!" the Moogle replied, happily 
taking Ukyou's hand.
	"You'll drive Tsubasa mad, Mog-chan," she smiled at him.
	"All right," Ranma said, shaking Maduin's massive hand, 
"Maybe we'll meet again."
	"We'll be looking forward to it," the Esper replied. They 
heard the sound of large leathery wings flapping outside.
	"Be careful, child," Garland hugged Mireillia as if he were 
her real father. She returned the hug.
	"Okay, bye!" Akane waved as the group headed outside. The 
Espers and Returners waved back.
	"So, Cat's Eye?" Listar, as a Blue Dragon, let everyone 
climb on his back.
	"Right," Ranko said, "That old man said we have to look for 
an entrance in Adder's Mouth." Nodding, Listar flapped his wings 
and took off, creating a strong blast of wind around and below 
him.
	Suddenly he blinked, "Isn't that one of your friends?"
	"That idiot..." Ranma held his head.
	"Yo, Ryouga!" Ranko called. He looked up from his McDonald's 
map and cried out in shock, then leapt towards the wall and 
bounced off it, landing on Listar's back.
	And so, as the Espers at Valran waved goodbye, the dragon 
and his passengers were lost in the afternoon horizon, headed 
towards the once-evil valley of Cat's Eye.

			*	*	*

	It took a considerably short time to reach the shores of 
the Southern Continent, since the dragons had arranged a relay 
system to transport the group, plus they were flying at their 
maximum speed. As they passed over Eliann, with the skies just 
beginning to darken, large corollas of various colors flared all 
around, as the inhabitants of the recovering city greeeted their 
saviors with great fireworks. Kary even created a midair Fire 
magic show in appeciation.
	The Magenta Tritons from Artanis also saluted the 
warriors, even coming out to the surface to shoot their 
fireworks as well. Near Kassir Canyon, Scylla hissed fiercely at 
the dragon's passengers. The Beacon, to the north, gleamed 
brightly in welcome. A few miles away, Tiamat and the Orochi 
groggily looked up with their many heads. Seeing nothing of their 
interest, they lied back down and snuggled against each other.
	"We're here," the Green Dragon that carried them at the 
moment said. "Cat's Eye dead ahead."
	"I'm gonna miss this place," Ranko said.
	"Don't worry, we'll find a way," Akane whispered. Mireillia 
sighed sadly at Phaeron.
	The dragon flew over the muntains, skimming Phantom Forest. 
The trees hummed in a chorus, luring them into their dark 
foliage. The Phantom Train whistled as it arrived at its station. 
Masamune glowed brightly as they flew over the remains of Delat 
Castle.
	"Last stop, guys," the dragon said. The Espers nodded and 
morphed. But before Herb could swallow the Green Cherry to turn 
into a Long Dragon, a cloud of silver rose from the ground, 
crystalline dust glimmering all around it. The Green Dragon 
lowered his head in awe.
	"Welcome, Light Warriors," the cloud said, "I, Bahamut, 
Terran king of dragons, salute you." The cloud took the shape of 
a large beast, with chromatic scales that changed from black to 
dark green, to navy blue and silver. "I wanted to thank you, 
humans, for helping us. When you released the rain over this 
world, all of us Espers that remained in Magicite were freed. And 
it was thanks to you. But I also need to speak to one of you," 
Bahamut glanced at the Musk warriors, "You have done a 
magnificent job guarding our kingdom, Herb. Give my regards to 
Kirin also, son."
	"Son?!" the troop gasped in surprise.
	"S-son?" Lime and Mint looked at each other, "You don't 
suppose he... he's..."
	"Son?" Herb stared widely at Bahamut, "Father?!"
	"Yes, Herb," Bahamut said, "I'm king Cinnamon."
	"Father!" Herb stared agape at him.
	"But you said he had passed away, Herb-chan," Yuannyan 
said.
	"He supposedly had," Mint explained, "But actually nobody in 
the Musk knows what really happened." After a few seconds of 
silence, the wolf-boy suddenly leapt into the air, "YES! I talked 
to a girl!"
	"Lucky dog," Lime glared at him.
	"What happened?" Herb asked. Bahamut sighed, "You were too 
young to remember, but your dear mother passed away when you 
were three. Investigating ancient scrolls, I discovered a 
technique that might bring her back to life. A technique I 
christened 'The Summoning.'" 
	"Do tell," Ranko crossed her arms. What a coincidence, the 
Caller and the Summoning...
	"It worked well, for a while. But then the technique 
backfired. The energy was too much to endure, but with my ki I 
could defend myself from it. But the clash of powers eventually 
sent me back in time to a distant planet, with vast magic."
	"I think I know this story," Mireillia said, "Master Chaos 
told me you, or a king Bahamut, once lived on his planet until 
the Lavos destroyed it."
	"True," Bahamut said, "But in time I left that world and 
sought through the galaxy, hoping to return home. I visited many 
planets, until Esper World captured me."
	"Will you come back with us?" Herb asked, excited to find 
out his father was alive.
	Bahamut shook his head, "I'm afraid I can't. I'm too old, 
looking to my 1242nd birthday. Besides, you and your brother are 
doing an extraordinary work ruling over our kingdom. Being king 
is just not appealing for me anymore. Still..." he added with a 
draconian smirk, "I hear there will be a new dragon king. He'll 
need an advisor."
	"Ahem..." Yuannyan poked Herb.
	"Oh, right. Father, this is my fianc�e, Yuannyan."
	"It's an honor to meet you, sir," she bowed.
	"And her family," Herb motioned to the Saotomes, who bowed 
as well.
	"I had heard of them," Bahamut turned to Phaeron, 
"Congratulations, son. You have my blessings." He lowered his 
head to whisper, "And between you and me, I think you have much 
better taste than your brother," Herb and Yuannyan turned deep 
red.
	Bahamut lifted his head again, "So, then, stay well, Light 
Warriors. May you find a way back home safely and quickly." He 
bowed in midair, then opened his snout to cover himself with a 
gush of blue flames. When the fire receded, Bahamut had vanished 
completely.
	"Goodbye, father," Herb closed his eyes, smiling. Yuannyan 
held his arm.
	"Next thing you know, Ranma will turn out to be Happosai's 
grandson," Ryouga snickered.
	"What did you say?!" Ranma and the panda jumpkicked him, 
shuddering at the mere thought.
	"But he _is_ your father, dear," Nodoka joked. Ranma and 
Ranko passed out while the panda's black fur turned white.
	"Okay, okay," Phaeron tried to contain his snickering, "Let's 
go!"
	Herb turned into the golden long and flew alongside the 
Green Dragon, waiting for the humans to ride him. The Espers 
flew next to him, then the troop waved goodbye at the dragon 
before plunging towards the valley.
	"Okay, so where did the old guy say it was?" Ukyou asked.
	"It's supposed to be at the end of an underground tunnel," 
Phaeron replied, "And _that's_ the only opening there could be to 
the tunnel," he pointed at Adder's Mouth. "Now, according to 
Jurtahs' records, there's a very strong energy shield protecting 
the entrance to the tunnel, also disguising it. Mireillia, we'll 
need your computer to spot the opening. Mog, your Aura Lance 
will be perfect to pierce the shield and keep it open. But we 
won't have much time to pass so I suggest that everyone but 
Mog and Ukyou rides on Herb's back. I'll carry you two." He flew 
alongside Herb, letting the pair ride on his back. The other 
Espers landed on the dragon.
	"Okay, so what now, kupo?" Mog asked, taking a bright white 
lance out of thin air. (His membership to the Hyperspace Club 
hadn't been renewed. He'd have to ask Akane about the 
procedures later.)
	"We're at the head, so I'll ram the shield with my own 
crystal barrier while you break through it with the Aura Lance," 
Phaeron replied, diving for the pit that divided Cat's Eye. "So, 
according to FuSoYa, the entrance to the Serpent Trench is in 
the middle of Adder's Mouth..."
	"S-Serpent Trench?! The Adder?!" Mog suddenly panicked for 
some reason.
	"What's wrong, Mog-chan?" Ukyou petted his head. "You look 
like you saw a ghost."
	"We gotta get out of here, kupo!" he said nervously. "We... 
We _CAN'T_ go in there!!"


The Serpent Trench

	As the Phoenix and Long dove towards Adder's Mouth, the 
wind boxing everyone's ears, Mog shuddered as if he were facing 
a deathly evil. Not even facing Kefka and TriTier-Bosch, in their 
first battle, had frightened him so. Trying to relax him, Ukyou 
petted his head.
	"What are you saying?" she asked.
	"Mog, the Adder's dead. Even its spirit has left this place," 
Phaeron said, "I know that it destroyed many Moogle villages in 
the past, but neither he nor Terrato will show up ever again."
	"Tell that to my parents, kupo!" Mog replied in a mix of 
anger, terror and sadness.
	"So that's it?" Ukyou thought, "That snake killed his 
family?" She smiled and put her hands on Mog's shoulders, from 
behind. "Don't worry, Mog-chan. It's all right." But she received 
no reply. The small creature was still terrified.
	"Okay, we'll stay back while the others find the opening," 
Phaeron rose again, signaling to Mireillia. "Try to calm down, 
OK?"
	The scarlet glimmer of the Phoenix came out of Adder's 
Mouth once more, while Herb-dragon went inside. Standing, 
Mireillia spread her arms. Her equipment whirred as she 
commanded it mentally, and suddenly large searchlights sprouted 
from her armlets, each hitting a wall of the cliff.
	"Okay, try to look for the entrance," she said to the 
others.
	"I have a better idea," Akane said, "Why don't you increase 
the light? If that shield is transparent, I'm sure a strong light 
would cast a shadow inside the tunnel."
	"Good thinking," Mireillia acknowledged, "Cover your eyes, 
now. I'm going to flare the searchlights." With that, her entire 
armlets glowed brightly, casting a gray-white light over the full 
extent of the pit's walls. "Shadow magic! Darkness Growth!" she 
commanded.
	"There!" Herb-dragon saw the natural shadow stretching out 
of the cave like a tendril.
	"Got it!" awake thanks to the light, Ranko shot out a small 
sphere of Light magic that slowly settled on the shield. Mireillia 
turned off her armlets. The cave was illuminated brightly by the 
sphere, making it obvious. Herb-dragon rose again.
	"Now we have to break the shield," from above, Phaeron 
said. "Can you handle it?"
	"Not sure, kupo," Mog grasped the Aura Lance tightly. He 
turned back and looked up at Ukyou, who ruffled his head in 
return. "O... Okay, kupo!" he said. "Let's go!"
	"Herb, get ready to follow us!" Phaeron immediately shot 
down towards the opening. "Wish I could use the Penetrator in 
this shape," he thought. The pit travelled at a high speed to his 
sides. Suddenly, there it was. Breaking a hard nose-lift, he 
pulled like an arrow straight towards the shield.
	"Diamond Beak!" he yelled.
	"Go, kupo!" Mog stood on his back and thrust the Aura 
Lance with all of his might.
	Both the beak and the Lance hit the shield at the same 
time.
	With the sound of breaking glass, the Phoenix broke through 
the shield. Turning back at once, Phaeron hurried back and 
floated in the middle of the shield, preventing it from closing 
with a crystal aura-ring on its edge, while Mog stuck the Lance 
in the opening. A large golden bolt passed through the opening 
with a blast of wind. Phaeron flung himself out of the colapsing 
shield.
	"Now, that wasn't so rough," Ukyou said, petting Mog.
	"Everyone okay?" Phaeron flew towards Herb. Aside from 
having their hair swept back from the tremendous speed, and 
their faces locked in shock, they were all right. "Well, the 
Serpent Trench is quite long, so I think we should fly for a 
while. But later we'll have to walk and, according to Jurtahs' 
records, there's a great river that stretches from midway 
through the Trench until the end. We'll have to swim through 
that."
	"Swim?" All Jusenkyo-cursed characters joined Akane in a 
nervous sweat.
	"Ranchan, you okay?" Ukyou leapt from Phaeron's back and 
onto Herb's, quickly followed by Mog. The other Espers morphed 
and leapt off, flying alongside the dragon. "Let's go, then," 
Phaeron said as the troop headed into the ebony depths of the 
unknown passage.
	Everything was silent inside the Serpent Trench, a 
condition sparsely broken by a drop of limewater dripping from a 
stalactite. With Terion's horn emitting a soft glow, reflected and 
amplified by Crystallus' body, the walls were barely visible. 
However, a foul, reeking stench filled the tunnel like a heavy 
fog, so thick it could be parted with a knife.
	"Jeez, didn't we tell you to go to the bathroom?" Ranma 
turned to the rest of the gang, waving his hand before him,
	"It's not that," Andellia said. Ranma opened his mouth to 
speak. "No, it wasn't my cooking, Ranma," Akane shot him dead with 
a  glare before he could get off a word.
	"Something's wrong here," Coldfire looked around, "Can 
someone light up this place?"
	"Sure," Ranko stretched her hands upwards, releasing a 
sphere that spread out, illuminating the passage.
	"Agh..." everyone looked around in mild terror and disgust. 
Mog hid his head in Ukyou's arms while all the Espers turned a 
help-I'm-gonna-hurl shade of green.
	They were flying inside the Adder's decomposing skeleton.
	Hundreds upon hundreds of ribs, thick as fir trees, lined 
the walls of the tunnel, while the immense spinal column held up 
the ceiling. The musty air was filled by the penetrating stench 
of decay, and by looking down they could find the origin... 
although they had to force themselves to keep from throwing up. 
The floor-- no, the disgusting _mass_ below them was dark brown, 
covered in sticky fluids that shone in the light. Maggots had 
found a haven in the Adder's rotting flesh, to the point many 
parts of the carcass were practically white from all the tiny 
parasites that infested them.
	"I'm gonna hurl... 'bout two hundred times..." Ranma covered 
his mouth. "And I thought only Akane's cooking could be so 
revolt--"
	"No wonder the Espers were so disgusted back then," Akane 
said, removing her mallet from Ranma's head. "However this thing 
died it must have been awful."
	"Sheesh, the smell!" Ukyou winced, "Water!" she aimed her 
hands downwards. All of a sudden the floor was flooded, cleansing 
the carcass fairly. Mousse sent out a wave of Wind to thin out 
the stench.
	"Dear?" Nodoka looked at the panda, who for some reason 
seemed much thinner now...
	"Grow...." he held his belly, holding a sign which read, "Did 
someone see me do it?"
	"You okay?" Ranko turned to a nauseating Phoenix.
	"Lucky Shampoo bring just in case," the Amazon took a small 
flask from her backpack, "Shampoo usually use this on bad food, 
but Anti-Akane spice should do trick."
	"What did you say?" Akane scowled at her while Shampoo 
dealt small pills to each person. For Akane's bewilderment, the 
spice worked like a good Pepto, healing even the Espers.
	"Hint, hint," Ranma nudged her. Akane malleted him, "My 
cooking is _not_ a rotting carcass, you jerk!"
	"Let's hurry and get out of this place," Ranko said. 
"Growl..." her stomach reminded.
	"How can it think of eating in a place like this?" Akane 
stared at her widely.
	"Can't help it. After seeing _your_ cooking, seeing this 
stuff won't make me throw up."
	"Then shut you and your belly up!" Akane said, punting her 
away. After bouncing off the wall, the redhead landed amid the 
reddish feathers of Phoenix, "Nya!" she stuck her tongue out at 
Akane. A pebble hit her head, "Uh-oh..."
	Suddenly the place she bounced off cracked and crumbled. 
"Waaah!" the troop stared widely as the ceiling behind them gave 
away, followed by that _above_ them. The Espers and dragon flew 
like lightning away from the cave-in.
	"You idiot!" Akane shouted.
	"Hey, _you_ kicked me!"
	"But it was _your_ stupid fault!"
	"Now, now..." Nodoka tried.
	"Don't worry, master Herb!" Lime said, cracking his knuckles. 
"Um, how did you guys do it?"
	"You mean you haven't even tried to use magic, you big 
cat?!" Mint shouted.
	"Shut up!" he roared back, "Um, how... Earth?" He looked up. 
The boulder above them shook, but suddenly held, "Ah, I got it! 
Earth!" he pushed upwards with both hands. Around them, the 
crumbling ribs became solid as stone, holding the ceiling like 
giant columns.
	"Good work, Lime!" Herb said.
	"Hmph," miffled, Ryouga crossed his arms, "I would have done 
the same thing. He just beat me to it."
	"Well, that one was close," Phaeron said, then looked down. 
There was no more decaying flesh here, even the smell had been 
left behind. "But it looks like we're out of the worst part. Let's 
find a place to rest."

			*	*	*

	They were snuggled in a small crevice carved into the side 
of the tunnel, almost like a niche. At this part of the Serpent 
Trench, the tunnel was beginning to become narrow, they would 
have to start walking soon. Not that it mattered, they had 
already gone through quite a large distance from the entrance. 
Also, the carrion predators from the tunnel had already disposed 
of most of the flesh from the cadaver, leaving the bones 
shining-white.
	"What time is it, anyway?" Ranma asked, noticing sleep was 
soon to claim him.
	"I can't say, but we're close to midnight," Phaeron thought 
back, "Yeah, we entered the Trench at nightfall, so maybe it _is_ 
midnight."
	"Then we better eat and rest for now," Coldfire said, 
"Tomorrow we'll spend all day in this place."
	"So, what will we eat?" Ranko eagerly sat by the fire.
	"Maduin had something prepared for us," Andellia said, 
taking out several wrapped packages from a knapsack and handing 
them out. Upon being opened, they were revealed to be dishes of 
the Esper food called _solm_. Ranko smiled widely at them.
	As Terion handed out small packets of a spicy sauce, Ranma 
suddenly approached his sister, "The name's Cordis, right?"
	"Uh?"
	"That guardian angel's Cordis?" she nodded. Ranma suddenly 
backed away and joined his hands as in prayer, "Thank you so 
much, Cordis. You kept us from eating Akane's cooking tonight."
	"Don't you think that gag is getting old?" Phaeron said, 
then cocked his eye as the cave shook from the impact of a 
large boulder having an intimate contact with Ranma's skull.
	"Why, I oughta...." Akane clenched her fists, "Why are you 
_always_ being such a stupid idiot?!"
	"And why do _you_ always overreact to everything?!"
	"Violent girl more crazy than gymnast girl, that why," 
Shampoo said.
	"What did you say?!"
	"Hitting people with five-ton boulders is not what you'd 
call normal behavior," Ukyou smirked. The three girls began their 
blue-aura thing.
	"Now, calm down," Nodoka said, "Remember that you still have 
to decide about your engagement." Akane and Ranma went quite 
red, falling silent instantly.
	"Decide?" Ukyou snapped towards her.
	"What you mean?" Shampoo followed.
	"This is gonna be a looong night..." the panda wrote on a 
sign.

			*	*	*

	The party walked through the now low-overhead section of 
the Trench, still shaking off a slight drowsiness. They reckoned 
it was very early in the morning, which was actually for the 
best: they could advance the farthest this way. Walking mostly in 
pairs, each couple chatting, the formation was broken only in one 
place: where Shampoo and Ukyou walked to Ranma's sides, with 
Akane and Mog glaring at them.
	"Stupid jerk," Akane thought, turning away.
	"Keep away from Ukyou, kupo," Mog glared daggers at Ranma.
	"I _definitely_ don't get those guys," Ranko said. "I mean, 
first they cry their eyes out at Kefka's fortress, and now 
they're fighting again."
	"Don't worry about them," Phaeron said, "They're just back 
to normal, that's all. But you'll see. Once they settle that 
engagement deal, they'll admit their feelings."
	"Maybe, but I'm beginning to wish I had a videocamera with 
me when we went into Kefka's place. I'd show 'em."
	"But don't you hate it when Mr. Tendo and Mr. Saotome do 
that?"
	"That's because they just wanna force them together. I..."
	"Want to see them happy?" he ventured. Ranko just nodded 
silently.
	They walked in silence for a while, not noticing the tunnel 
was now even smaller. But Ranko had a point. From the way they 
acted upon meeting again, Ranma and Akane would have needed 
just a little push to go all the way and admit their feelings. 
But now they weren't just back to their usual bickering, but the 
fact that now Ukyou and Shampoo knew about the decision 
regarding the engagement had only made it worse. But it was 
strange, Ranko thought. Why had Ryouga remained outside the 
conflict? This was a perfect opportunity to be with Akane.
	She shrugged, putting aside that thought. But suddenly, a 
small light appeared in the distance, a small shimmer surrounded 
by the darkness of the tunnel. As they walked on, the light 
moved, and its rectangular shape cast off a faint aura around 
it. It was like a lantern, actually.
	"What's that?" she asked, pointing at the lantern.
	"That's weird," Phaeron said, "I didn't think there was any 
other creature in here."
	"Hm?" the light also caught Mog's attention. "I've seen that 
before, kupo. Where did I see it?"
	Nadir's horns began to glow with that ominous light of 
premonition. "Wait," he called, "Everyone, stop. Don't walk any 
further."
	"What's going on?"
	"Just stay as close as possible to the wall," he replied, 
"Mireillia, cast a Shadow cover to hide us."
	"Will you explain already?" knowing it was better to heed 
the order, Mireillia covered everyone with a Shadow field.
	"If you must know," Nadir used his telepathy to communicate 
with the others, "that's the lantern of a Master Pug."
	"I remember, kupo,"Mog said, "Nobody make a sound and we'll 
be okay."
	The lantern continued to move towards them, swiveling. Not 
a single sound was made by the party as the scruffing of feet 
against the rock floor was heard. Soon, the creature was seen. 
It was a midget, barely doubling Mog's height. Draped in a ragged 
tunic, and with a rope for a belt, the creature even looked like 
a monk thanks to the ring of hair on its head. But the Pug was 
just a blue humanoid creature, with a featureless face and 
simple black marbles for eyes. Ranma snickered at the sight of 
it.
	"That's what we're hiding from?"
	"Don't underestimate it, kupo. Master Pug is very powerful."
	"Be quiet, Ranma," Akane glared at him.
	"It's cute, though," Yuannyan shrugged.
	The Pug suddenly stopped and looked around, sniffing. The 
group went silent again. It lifted its lantern and held it over 
its head, trying to get a better view of its surroundings. But it 
only found the shadows, thick strands of dark cast off by the 
light from the lantern. Shaking its head, the Pug moved on, 
unaware of the dozens of eyes watching its every move. Finally, 
it went down the tunnel, disappearing from sight.
	"Okay, we're past it," Nadir nodded to Mireillia, who recalled 
her Shadow magic. But as soon as the group went back to the 
middle of the tunnel, the Pug appeared behind them, grasping its 
lantern tightly. Striding relentlessly towards them, it began to 
murmur an incantation.
	"Great," Nadir said, "Get the heck out of here!" he yelled, 
leading the others.
	"I'm not running from that little creep," Ranma cracked his 
knuckles. "Fire!"
	The Pug glowed strangely as it abosorbed the magic attack, 
changing through each color of the spectrum. It contined 
onwards, unstoppable. One step.
	"Either get away or stop that thing!" Phaeron yelled, "Don't 
let it reach us!"
	"Kachuu Tenshin Amaguri-ken!" Ranma leapt at the Pug, but 
simply bounced off a magic barrier. Two steps.
	"Dance of Dusk Requiem," Mog began to move in circles, 
"Lode Stone!"
	The ceiling caved in over the Pug, trapping it momentarily. 
But then all the rocks were turned to dust by the intense light 
of the lantern. Four steps.
	"Guess stopping it is out of the question," Herb said, 
"Kiryuu tou!" he slashed the ground with his ki-knife, tearing it 
apart and creating a large pit between the Pug and the party. 
"There. Now it can't reach us."
	Six steps. The ground glowed beneath it.
	"That stupid thing's gonna walk right into the pit!" Ranko 
said.
	Eight steps. The glowing ground began to shake.
	"Either way, let's get away from it," Nadir insisted.
	Nine steps. Pebbles rose around it.
	"Too late, kupo!" Mog pointed at the creature. It was one 
step away from the edge of the pit.
	With a stomp, the Pug stepped forward.
	Ten steps. The spell was complete.
	The stomp caused the glow in the ground to become blinding, 
but then became a single beam that shot upwards, encasing the 
Pug in a column of light. Several blue orbs hovered around its 
head.
	"Step Mine," it said in a monotonous voice. Suddenly all the 
orbs around it floated upwards. The beam dissipated.
	"What the...?!" Ranma said as a rain of blue spheres came 
down upon each person. The Espers defended with their weapons, 
but the humans' ki-blasts wouldn't cancel the shots. "Agh!" one of 
the orbs made contact with Ranma, exploding upon impact.
	"Oniisan!" Ranko leapt for him, kicking away an orb that 
sped for his head. The bomb burst into the wall, cracking it.
	"Watch out!" Phaeron morphed and shielded Nodoka and Akane 
beneath his large wings, enduring the explosions on his back. 
Seeing his plight, Coldfire also morphed and shattered the bombs 
with Havoc Wing darts. Imitating him, Ryouga flung his bandannas 
at the orbs while Ukyou and Mousse followed with their small 
throwing weapons.
	"Shampoo save airen!" she took her bonbori and batted away 
several bombs into the wall. But the Step Mines kept on dropping 
from thin air. The next hit was lopsided, her round maces blew 
up. "Aiyaa!" she cried as the shrapnel was blown in all 
directions.
	"Shampoo!" Mousse used his wind to knock away the shards 
from hitting his beloved's face, then pushed up and kept the 
missiles from falling. The attack was effectively halted.
	"Mousse!" Shampoo said, looking widely at him. He brushed 
his hair, "It was nothing, my precious Sha--"
	"Stupid Mousse stepping on Shampoo's foot," the Amazon 
glared at him. But she turned back to Ranma, "See? Violent girls 
no good fianc�e. Only Shampoo save airen."
	"And what's this?" Ukyou showed the bomb she had stopped 
with her spatula, "While you were crying about your mace 
exploding, I stopped this from hitting Ranchan's face."
	"And where was stupid cook when..."
	"Uh, you guys?" came a weak voice from below, "Could you 
like, get OFF ME?" Ranma the human carpet said.
	"Now what?" Ranko pointed at all the spheres that Mousse 
was still holding. Enraged, the Pug stepped along the edge of the 
pit and repeated the spell. The rain of bombs came on top of the 
previous wave, which made for an explosion seen only on high-
budget-no-plot films.
	"Oh, shit," they looked up at the collapsing ceiling.
	"Rasp!" the Pug cackled as the spell drained every bit of 
magic power from them. Without it, neither Lime nor Ryouga could 
use Earth to contain the cave-in. "Step Mine!"
	The group was forced to make a run for it as the tunnel 
came down _and_ exploded behind them. But the spell followed 
them all the way, bringing down even more rocks as they escaped. 
Fortunately, they came to a large open hall with a high ceiling... 
with stalactites and stalagmites. The explosions brought down 
many of the sharp protrusions, which fell upon the ground like 
giant spears. Not only that, but the stalagmites forced the 
group to weave a path through the hall as the rising spires 
littered the floor.
	"We won't last long in here!" Ranma yelled, trying to fire 
off a Moko Takabishya to disintegrate the rocks.
	"Not unless we do something to stop it!" as she ran, Ranko 
crossed her arms and began to summon her white aura. "White 
Mountain Protection-Dome!" she shouted, pushing upwards. The 
bright shield held, but without magic she was already grimacing 
at the effort. Another impact would shatter the shield and crush 
her.
	"No, it won't!" Ryouga yelled, then crossed his arms himself, 
"Ultimate Shishi hoko-dan!" he yelled, spreading his arms. The 
green blast rose from his position and hit the ceiling, the 
impact obliterating most of the stalactites. Then the massive 
ball crashed down, its shockwave blasting the remaining 
stalagmites to dust and creating a perfect flat floor. Seeing 
the cave-in had diminished in strength, Ranko slumped down and 
let her shield fizzle...
	...just as a Step Mine exploded in the ceiling above her. 
Before anyone could notice, a quartet of large rocks came down 
on top of her. "Damn," she thought, struggling to her feet. But 
at the exact moment she jumped away from two of the boulders, 
a third one trapped her left foot between the three rocks. Not 
only was she kept from jumping, but her momentum nearly 
dislocated her ankle.
	"Ranko-chan!" Phaeron turned back and morphed to human, 
leaping towards her as the fourth boulder aimed for her.
	"I'll save you!" Ryouga also made a break for it, "Bakusai 
Tenketsu!" he jabbed the boulder, making it explode. Phaeron 
instantly caught her and leapt away while Ryouga punched the 
falling rock to simple pebbles.
	"Look!" Akane pointed forward. The hall abruptly ended in a 
straight vertcal wall. But about thirty feet over the ground, 
there was an opening just large enough for Herb to fit as a 
dragon.
	"We won't last a second if we try to climb that," Phaeron 
said, "Alright, I'll have to use it. Close your eyes, Ranko-chan."
	"What're you--"
	"Everyone, quick! Get beneath me! Herb, change into a 
dragon and carry them to that opening! I'll hold the cave-in!" 
Then, clenching every one of his muscles, he suddenly opened his 
eyes, glowing bright orange. "PHOENIX FLARE!"
	"Yow!" Ranko was forced to close her eyes as the Esper 
that carried her suddenly became pure energy, expanding 
obscenely into a titanic firebird. As if she were standing on a 
dry gel, she submerged into the fire and ended up near the 
thorax of this ghostly Phoenix. However, the rocks that 
continued to fall were burnt to nothingness when they touched 
the Phoenix Flare. Serving as a perfect shield, he spread his 
wings. Already affected heavily by Esper World's magic, Herb 
didn't need a Green Cherry to change. He let everyone climb on 
his back and he rose towards the opening, slithering into it like 
a giant snake. Then Phoenix swooped down and stared into the 
ceiling, shooting out a concentrated gush of flames that seared 
the stone, melting it. The last remaining Step Mines shook the 
stone with their explosions, but that was all the damage 
inflicted.
	Rising to the opening, the Phoenix became smaller, flying 
into it and gently depositing Ranko on the floor. With a sputter 
of flames, Phaeron turned back to human shape, right down to 
the clothes he was wearing and the backpack he carried, a few 
tongues of fire still rising from his body. 
	"I'll never get used to that," he panted, "Everyone okay?"
	"Looks like it," Ranma said, "Hey, sis, you okay?"
	"Kind of. Twisted my ankle, though... _again_." She rubbed it.
	"So, how much longer until we reach the end of this 
tunnel?" Akane asked.
	"Not too much," Phaeron said, "Hear that roar? We must be 
pretty close to the river by now." As if to prove his point, he 
motioned towards the thick mist that awaited them, farther down 
the tunnel.
	"Let's hurry up, then," Ranma said, "Or else the whole cave 
will come down."
	"Wait up, oniisan," Ranko stretched her arms for Phaeron to 
pick her up in a piggyback. All set to continue, they plunged into 
the mist, soon becoming dark silhouettes contrasting in the 
foggy whiteness beyond.
	They advanced fairly quickly at this point, despite being 
mildly tired after that escape. But the mist was soft and cool, 
relieving their aches and cleaning them inside out when they 
breathed it. Combined with the tranquilizing gurgle of nearby 
water, even Ranma and Akane forgot the heated arguments.
	"Just a little farther now," Phaeron said, "Hmm... Smell that 
moisture."
	"So what will we do when we get back?" Ranko asked, "We'll 
sure have one heck of trouble explaining what we've been up to."
	"Right," Akane said, "I don't think Hinako-sensei would 
understand if we told her we had to defeat a couple monsters 
that wanted to destroy Earth."
	"Just give'er a lollipop and she'll get off our back," Ranma 
smirked. "But I'm gonna love the look on Nabiki's face when she 
sees us coming with all that gold."
	"Nah, she'll just find a way to take it," Ranko said, "You'll 
see, the second she spots the coins she'll step up her interest 
rates for the money she lent you."
	"I don't think she will..." Ranma replied with a wicked smirk.
	"We're talking Nabiki, Ranchan. What could you do to keep 
her from all this cash?"
	"Oh, I got a few ideas..."
	"Hmph. Why airen want to deal with mercenary girl? If he 
marry Shampoo, he no have to see her anymore. He keep all 
money and give Shampoo nice wedding ring."
	"That's what you think, buster," Ukyou said, "I'm already 
thinking what kind of wedding gifts Ranchan and I will get."
	"C'mon, you guys--" Ranma tried.
	"You can use that money to move to another country for 
all I care," Akane said. Maybe the soft mist hadn't relaxed them 
after all.
	"What did I tell you?" Ranko said. Phaeron snickered.
	"Hm?" Akane turned to them, forgetting her anger as she 
smiled briefly at them, "I'm noticing a pattern here."
	"What do you mean?" Ranko asked.
	"Oh, nothing. It's just that you always find a way to end up 
like that," she pointed at the redhead being carried in piggyback 
by Phaeron.
	"What are..." she turned reddish, "You think I _like_ this?"
	"Well, it's the third time in this fanfic."
	Phaeron began, "It's just that--"
	"Well, I _don't_ like it!" Ranko quickly replied, "Happy now?"
	"Whatever you say," Akane smirked, turning away.
	"Where does she get those ideas anyway...." Ranko muttered 
under her breath, still blushing. She suddenly felt a lash in her 
thigh, like a whip, "What the hell do you think you're doing?!" she 
yelled at Phaeron.
	"What?" he turned to see her. She was still red, but from 
fury. He could even see steam venting out of her head. "Huh?"
	"Yowch!" Akane also felt a whiplash in her upper thigh, "You 
pervert!" she turned around and slammed Ranma on the ground, 
her face red and seething with fury.
	"I didn't do nothing!" he replied, then stood and confronted 
Akane, "What're you babbling about this time?!"
	"Ow!" Yuannyan yelped softly as she felt the whiplash in 
the same place as the others, "Herb-chan, cut it out!" she 
turned back to him, her face the same shade as her hair, "At 
least wait till we're married _and_ alone!"
	"What are you talking about?" he asked, sincerely confused.
	"Aiya!" it was Shampoo's turn to feel the lashing pain. Red-
faced, she whipped around... setting her eyes on Mousse. "Hentai!" 
she slammed her bonbori on his head.
	"What?!" he asked from the ground.
	"Ow!" "Agh!" Lime and Mint felt the lash too, "That hurt, you 
know!" they shouted to each other.
	"What in the..." Ranma and Phaeron looked around, noticing 
how, one by one, every person in the group was suddenly yelping 
and turning red in fury. "What's going on here?"
	"Eek!" Mireillia eeked, with the same reason. Nadir gulped 
loudly when the Nightmare hissed at him, "Thou perverted dragon-
horse..."
	"Wah!" Andellia and Terion were hit at the same time, "What 
are you trying to do?!" they asked simultaneously.
	"This is odd-- yeaowch!" Crystallus felt something hit his 
tail feathers. "Will you douse yourself with water?! And I'm a 
_bird_!" he pecked at Coldfire.
	"Well?!" Akane violently pulled Ranma to face her, "What's 
your excuse, you ecchi fiend!" she punted him to the wall.
	"I said I didn't--" he was interrupted by his own yelp as 
something hit him from behind. "You stupid broad! Now look what 
you did!" he shouted with a red face, as the others.
	"B-But I didn't do anything!" the panda sweated nervously 
as a red-faced Nodoka threatened him with Masamune, "Hey, hold 
on a sec!" the sword complained.
	"I don't get it..." Phaeron blinked. "Ow!"
	"What I don't get is why you touched me like that!" Ranko 
said as she continued to pull his hair.
	"Ranko-chan, I-- Oww!"
	"What?!" she demanded, but he nonchalantly dropped her on 
the ground, "Ouch..." she rubbed her bottom. As red as the 
others, Phaeron began to argue with her.
	"I said, BEAT IT!" Ukyou slammed her spatula on Ryouga's 
head, then they both engaged in a heated, red-faced argument.
	"You too, kupo?" Mog was the only one, aside from Coldfire, 
who hadn't been affected by this mysterious affliction. "Agh!" he 
barely leapt out of the way of a thick green whip. "What the..." 
he looked into the mist, seeing MANY vines...
	"Oh no, kupo!" he leapt up, avoiding the whipping vine. 
Seeing him in distress, Coldfire morphed to a bird and swept his 
wings, dispersing the mist with an air current. Crawling on the 
floor were many large plants, with long vines. The vines also had 
tiny quills on their surface, as the plants themselves had 
flowers of the strangest kind: flowers shaped like grinning, 
demonic faces.
	"Bloompires!" Mog yelped, then leapt away from a lashing 
vine. "No wonder they're like that!" he pointed at the others, who 
were so concentrated in arguing they didn't even notice him.
	"They must have gotten them with their poison!" Coldfire 
skewered several vines with steel feathers, literally nailing 
them to the ground. "Mog, you help the others while I take care 
of these plants!"
	"Got it, kupo!" Mog nodded, and began to cast a healing 
spell. As he did, though, a Bloompire lashed for him. He barely 
managed to roll away and leapt for Ukyou. "Sorry, kupo, but I 
need this," he said as he took her megaspatula, then dropped low 
to the ground and spun the utensil over his head, repulsing and 
cleaving the vines nearby as he concentrated. Still a bit drained 
from Master Pug's Rasp spell, summoning magic would be difficult.
	"Hah!" Coldfire hahed as he shred the vines with his claws, 
"I always had a thing for gardening!" he smirked as he mowed 
down the dread plants. "How's it coming, Mog?" he asked, catcing 
a glimpse of the party out the corner of his eye. Arguing was 
one thing, but those guys were already drawing their weapons!
	"Almost done, kupo!" Mog jumped up and squashed the "head" 
of a Bloompire with the spatula, "Ready! Recover!" he lifted his 
arms. A blue beam descended upon the group, engulfing it 
completely. The poisoned thorns that the Bloompires had stuck in 
their thighs simply evanesced away, thin silvery beams rising 
from the ground inside the blue column.
	"And... Hah!" Coldfire clipped the last of the evil weeds, 
then set fire on it. "Get outta here!" he yelled to a bunch of 
flabbergasted people. "Get out, I said, unless you're interested 
in Esper BBQ!"
	Too confused to argue, the rest followed him as the other 
plants also caught on fire. "Whatever happened, sorry," Phaeron 
said, picking Ranko up again. "Later, okay? This place is burning 
up!" she reminded.
	With the fire stretching towards them, they quickly leapt 
over a small stream and ran past a chimney, the long vertical 
well that let the water into the cave. It was until they reached 
the familiar "staircase" of gours --semilunar formations of 
stone, like steps with small puddles of water inside-- that they 
realized it.
	"We reached the river!" Phaeron cheered.
	"But what happened back there?" Akane asked.
	"You went crazy, that's what," Ranma grinned before being 
slammed yet _again_.
	"We'll explain later," Coldfire said, "Now let's get out of 
this blasted tunnel and get it over with."
	"All right," Phaeron said, thoughtful, "The cave is too small 
to fly over the water, and we've still got a long way to go..."
	"I don't think I can use magic yet," Ukyou grimaced.
	"I know," Yuannyan said, "Herb-chan, dragons were thought 
to be gods of lakes and rivers, right?" she winked at him.
	"Of course," he winked back and dove into the crystal-clear 
waters. Seconds later, the liquid glowed gold as a dragon rose 
from it, floating.  "Hop on," he said, "I'll be your raft."
	Nodding, everyone stepped on his scaly back. Yuannyan sat 
down on his head, between his antlers, while Phaeron set Ranko 
down amid the silvery strands of the dragon mane, taking her 
ankle to begin a mild healing spell. Andellia also used her staff 
to help him.
	"Well, we're out of the worst part," Crystallus said, "I once 
heard this river is not too long, and what creature would we 
find at this depths?" Nobody noticed the large shadow that swam 
alongside Herb.
	"Don't speak too soon," Phaeron said, "We still have to find 
that spaceship when we get to the end of the tunnel."
	"I'd say we're home free," Ranko said, moving her foot in 
circles to test it. In the water, the shadow cackled.
	After a few minutes, the river grew wider, the ceiling 
higher. It would have been a quiet trip if the riverbed hadn't 
become so irregular. Many rocky protrusions sprouted before 
them, making Herb weave among them. But finally, they reached 
the end. They came to a large whirlpool, set aside from the rest 
of the river by a barrier of rock.
	"This is it," Phaeron said as everyone disembarked from 
Herb's back and the dragon prince turned back human.
	"Exactly," a voice came from the river. Everyone turned 
back. "This is it... for you!"
	A large purple tentacle rose from the water and grabbed a 
stalactite, flinging it at the group. Ryouga easily caught and 
crushed it. "Muscle-heads?" the voice said, "Hate 'em!" another 
tentacle sprouted and hit Ryouga incredibly hard, making _him_ 
see stars!
	"What?" Ranma started, "Who's there?"
	"Why, I'm so insulted!" the voice said, "Don't you recognize 
octopus royalty when you see it?" Mog and the Espers slapped 
their foreheads
	"We face Kefka. We face Lavos. We face the Fiends. And now 
we face _him_?!"
	"Oh, shut up," the voice said, "To think I had to come as a 
a stowaway in Setzer's airship, and _this_ is how I'm 
appreciated? Why, I'll show you! Mwa ha ha!"
	Suddenly four pairs of purple tentacles splashed out of 
the water, dancing. Ever so slowly, a large purple dome began to 
rise from the water. It was a gigantic octopus, and a deformed 
one at that: its tentacles were normal, but its head was simply 
a hemisphere with big humanoid eyes, almost cat-like, while its 
mouth, instead of being a beak between the tentacles, was a 
gaping hole below the eyes, a mouth filled with large, nasty 
yellow fangs.
	"Who're you calling deformed?!" the octopus bonked me with 
each tentacle.
	"Don't you brush your teeth?" Akane asked, seeing the 
yellow fangs.
	"Ah, we have a comedian here!" the octopus said. "Mwa ha ha! 
I'm Ultros, and I won't let you pass!"
	"Give up and go home, kupo," Mog glared at him. "You've got 
a job at the Colisseum, remember?"
	"Oh, that," Ultros dismissed with a tentacle, "I'm on 
vacation. I just came to see what kind of damage I could make 
here. Now, if you'll excuse me..." he grabbed hold of four 
stalactites, then broke them off ans swung them like clubs, "As I 
was saying..." he leapt out of the water and over the party, 
splashing next to the magic whirlpool, "I'm bored, so I won't let 
you pass!"
	"Just try it!" Ranma leapt at him with a jumpkick. Ultros 
reared back and batted him with each of his stone clubs. 
"Oniisan!" Ranko also tried to jumpkick, but handstood on a club 
and leapt off it. Ultros hit his own tentacle.
	"Yeowch!" he yelped, "Why you little... Octopus Ink!" he 
opened his mouth. Ranko was bombarded by a blast of ink that 
turned her completely black. "Mwa ha ha!" Ultros laughed at the 
black girl's blinking eyes before batting her away too.
	"Now _that_ does it!" Phaeron scowled at him, "Fireball!" he 
shot out a fiery missile that ignited Ultros' tentacle.
	"Ow! Seafood soup!" Ultros cried, then plastered Phaeron to 
the ground with his tentacles.
	"Now you'll pay!" Mireillia and Ryouga both leapt to attack, 
each for different reasons. Ultros grabbed Mireillia and knocked 
Ryouga aside, back to the ground.
	"Come on! Say 'mama'!" Ultros cackled as he squeezed 
Mireillia. "Oh, you won't say 'mama'?"
	"Leave her alone, you overgrown grape!" Nadir skewered the 
tentacle with an arrow, forcing him to release Mireillia.
	"Ouch!" Ultros rubbed his wound. "Grape?!" Grape?! Nobody 
makes fun of my beautiful head like that! Take this!" he lunged 
for Nadir with his four stone clubs, but they were just crushed 
in mid-attack by Nadir's mental power. Ultros blinked at his 
crumbling weapons, and shrugged. "Now, for my Extra-Super-duper 
Interdimensional Ultimate Final Death Technique Attack!!" Ultros 
began to spin while the others glared after the mention of the 
name. "Ultros' Ultra Carrousel!"
	He just splashed in the water for about half a minute.
	"Huh?" he blinked at the people, "You're still here?"
	"Was that supposed to scare us?" Ranma glared at him.
	"I don't get it... It used to get me lots of ovations back 
at the Colisseum..."
	"Then get this!" Ranma and Ranko dropkicked at the same 
time. Panicking, Ultros knocked them away with a flailing tentacle. 
The siblings crashed into a leaping Shampoo... and the three of 
them fell into the river.
	"Uh-oh..." everyone sweated nervously.
	"They haven't come up," Phaeron noted.
	"As I said, uh-oh," Akane repeated.
	"Mew..." a very wet Shampoo-neko dragged herself out of the 
water and back onto the rocks. As before, Ukyou and Akane mixed 
magic to turn her back human.
	"Mwa ha ha!" Ultros cackled, "Guess they're in Davey Jones' 
locker by now!"
	"Zhaodi-chan!" Yuannyan called.
	"Ugh..." two pigtailed figures came out of the water, getting 
up on all fours.
	"Hm?" everyone looked at them.
	"Meow?" Ranma meowed.
	"Myew?" Ranko followed.
	The chaos that ensued would be legendary.
	"ROWR!" the Cat-fu siblings pounced for Ultros, who idly 
caught them in his tentacles.
	"I'd let them go if I were you," Phaeron said, getting 
everyone behind a crystal shield. Magic or not, Cat-fu is still 
unbeatable.
	"What can two psychotic humans do to octopus royalty?" 
Ultros shrugged.
	"ROWR!" the siblings repeated, and scratched Ultros' 
tentacles. Enraged, he dragged them down into the water. The 
pool trashed about like in a typhoon, even the whirlpool 
dissipated briefly. Many gurgling meows and cries of "Agh! Leave 
that alone, you...! No, don't! Ah, my eyes! My tentacles! My mouth! 
My head! My... me! Oh, poor me..." were heard through the water.
	"Mrowr!" Ranma leapt out of the water and landed on Akane's 
lap, much to Nodoka's surprise, and started purring.
	"Ranko-chan, enough!" Phaeron called. Sitting on a very-
battered Ultros' head, Ranko playfully swung a "paw" at a 
tentacle, which idly swung back and forth. Upon his call, she 
meowed happily and leapt onto his chest, knocking him down and 
purring.
	"I... I..." Ultros stared blankly into space.
	"And _now_, dear..." Nodoka said calmly, "Why are my son and 
daughter _acting_ like cats?" Masamune came very close to a 
furry throat.
	"Ranchan, snap out of it!" Ukyou doused him with water.
	"I... I..." Ultros stared blankly into space, again.
	"We told you to let us pass," Nadir said.
	"I... I..."
	"Will you say it already?" Akane said.
	"I... I... I'll tell! You'll see! I'll tell Mommy! You hit me!" 
Ultros cried like a little child. "Uh... That's not right... But 
you'll see! I didn't come alone! I'll be back!" he glared at them 
and dove into the whirlpool, letting himself be sucked into it.
	"So, weren't we headed the same way?" Ranma asked.
	"Um... help... please..." a gasp came from th ground.
	"Aww, how cute," Akane giggled. Cat-fu Ranko had purred 
herself to sleep.
	"Chest... about... to turn... into jelly..." Phaeron gasped, his 
chest truly turning to jelly from the redhead's purring.

			*	*	*
			
	"So where are they?" Locke asked, impatient, at the base 
of Seraphim's Beacon.
	"Give them some time," Celes replied, "I'm sure the Serpent 
Trench is not just a cave."
	"Indeed, it's very dangerous," Maduin said, "It's said there 
is an invincible guardian there, called the Master Pug, looking 
over the remains of the Adder."
	"Invincible?" Setzer repeated, "_We_ faced a Master Pug on 
our world and defeated it."
	"After it nearly killed us," Locke reminded.
	"But are you sure you want to come?" Celes turned to 
Maduin, "You know what will happen if any human from our world 
sees you."
	"I'm not worried about that," Maduin smirked, "I simply want 
to see my daughter again. You said Terra was sad at the idea 
that she couldn't come?"
	"That's right," Locke said, "You should've seen her. She was 
already turning to her Esper shape in anticipation. But when 
FoSoYa came to our world and told her that Kefka might use her 
again, she was quite saddened."
	"But just seeing you will bring life back to her," Celes 
smiled, sighing, "I know I'd like to see my parents again."

			*	*	*
			
	It was beautiful. All around, you could hardly tell they  
were inside a whirlpool, judging from the various shades taken 
by their surroundings. As it turned out, neither Akane nor the 
"cursed" people had to worry about the water: being magical by 
itself, Jusenkyo had absolutely no effect on it. On the contrary, 
as soon as they dove into the whirlpool they were transported 
to a different dimension, one of color and sound (no, not the 
Disney Show.)
	All around them, the water shaped a long, seemingly-endless 
chimney that lead them down. They floated slowly through it, 
almost as if they could control their descent. And the water 
often changed color, from crystal-blue to garnet-red, to olive-
green and gold-yellow. Every arc of the rainbow was beautifully 
imitated by the water.
	But as all good things, it ended. The whirlpool eventually 
tossed them out from another pool, who knows where. Recovering 
from the rough landing, the first thing they noticed was the pool 
itself: it was indeed like a portal, for it was inside a fountain, 
crafted with marble sculptures and embossed writing.
	"Look at that," Akane pointed, astounded, at the far end of 
the cave. There was a large, actually _gargantuan_ door in the 
wall. But it seemed to have been carved into the rock, for the 
door shared the dark green color of the stone and seemed very 
much impregnable.
	"I recognize this emblem," Mireillia said upon examining the 
door's crest. "The Magenta Tritons sealed their greatest 
treasures with this, a magic emblem. The only way to open it is 
through magic also."
	"But Wind won't even faze that," Phaeron considered, "Nor 
Fire, for that matter. We need something else."
	"What about Earth?" Ryouga asked, eager to try his hand at 
it. "You can try," Phaeron said. "All right." Ryouga stood forward 
and faced the door.
	"Hmm... I can't start an earthquake to rip it off its 
foundations, so I guess I'll have to pry it open." Crossing his 
arms, he was surrounded by the aura of Earth Magic. He didn't 
even need to chant, as a large, bright ball of green energy 
appeared upon the door. A similar, but smaller sphere formed on
Ryouga's forehead. A bridge of green electricity was formed 
between the two balls, crackling like lightning.
	"Are you okay, Ryouga-kun?" Akane asked.
	"Don't worry, I think it's budging..." he dared not lose more 
concentration as the door creaked loudly. Dust and pebbles 
dropped from the doorframe.
	"He did it!" recovered from Cat-fu, Ranko pointed at an 
infinitely-thin slit that opened the gates. Confident, Ryouga 
pressed on. The ball on the door was pushed forward, jamming 
inside the opening and forcing it outwards.
	"Erghhh..." Ryouga's mind was beginning to tire from this 
effort. And the door was just large enough for Shampoo-neko to 
make it through. "Can't take it..." he thought.
	"Let me help," Nadir stepped forward.
	"You know Earth Magic?" Mireillia blinked at him.
	"I know a little, but it might do the trick." He stood next 
to Ryouga.
	"I can do it myself..." he grunted through clenched teeth.
	"You're gonna hurt yourself by doing this," Nadir said, then 
his horns glowed as he spread his arms. Ryouga's sphere suddenly 
found no resistance as Nadir's own magic spread apart the gates, 
the wall cracking under the pressure. "Phew... There, it's done," 
he wiped his brow, motioning towards the open door.
	"Thanks..." Ryouga muttered, "for humilliating me."
	"Come on! We're practically there!" Ranma lead the excited 
group toward the gates, oblivious to the giant shadow that 
loomed over them.
	"Not so fast, kiddies," Ultros suddenly dropped from the 
ceiling, blocking the way.
	"Don't you need water to live?" Akane asked.
	"Not this pretty boy," Ultros grinned, "I can live in the air 
for all it matters. But what really matters is that you won't 
get past me this time! Because now I brought a friend!"
	"No... he can't mean he brought HIM..." Mog and the Espers 
thought.
	"Yes! Behold... Master Chupon!"
	"What kind of ridiculous name is that?" Ranma cocked an 
eye. "Whoa!" he barely leapt away from a gush of flames that 
seared the ground. Looking up, the troop gasped at witnessing 
the creature known as Chupon.
	It was very, VERY amorphic. But oh well... Suffice to say it 
was big as the Dojo destroyer, puffed up like a balloon 
(actually, it _could_ be balloon- shaped,) with two clawed arms 
that protruded to its sides, dark eyes, a HUGE gaping hole with 
dozens of teeth on its edge --the mouth. And boy, it was pink.
Not pink as in "blind-me" fluorescent pink, but very PINK 
nonetheless. Yes, it could put the P. Panther to shame.
	But regardless of color, Chupon was as fearsome as any 
other creature they had ever encountered. Maybe it was the 
mouth that took up over 40% of its body, or the disgusting bad 
breath it had. Or maybe it was the "I love Barney" baseball cap 
it sported, complete with the purple dinosaur.
	"Yeech," Ranma shuddered at the sight of that cap.
	"Master Chupon is hungry!" Ultros said, "And when he's 
hungry, he's angry! He even gnawed on my head once! Master 
Chupon, take them!"
	Not even deigning to speak, Chupon soared towards the 
group, scattering it all over the hall. Without having to pick a 
target, he opened his mouth to spew forth a gush of flames, 
licking the ground with it.
	"It's outta control!" Ranma yelled.
	"Somebody stop him!" Yuannyan shouted. This might be a 
comical enemy, but a _deadly_ comical enemy.
	"Let's just get it over with!" Ukyou created a large water 
spout beneath Shampoo, turning her into a cat. "Ranchan!" she 
flung the cat at him.
	"No way! A CAAAAAAAAAT!" he plastered himself on the wall 
as he tried to run away.
	"Myow!" Shampoo leapt onto Ranko, clinging to her face.
	"Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" she 
screamed (duh.)
	"You know how expensive it will be to get them on therapy, 
dear?" Nodoka calmly grabbed him by the furry collar. "Maybe if I 
sell you to the zoo or the circus..."
	"Myew!"
	"Don't you think this could lead to irreversible mental 
damage?" Phaeron asked, concerned, upon seeing the frenzied 
redhead pouncing for Chupon.
	"Nah. They're both crazy already," Akane replied.
	"Myew!" "Growl!" "Nyaw!" "Grrr!" "Rowl!" "Aaaatchooooo!"
	With that last sneeze Chupon easily blew away the Cat-fu 
redhead. Ultros smirked, "That won't work with Master Chupon! Mwa 
ha ha!"
	Everyone looked at Chupon flabbergasted.
	"He... He _beat_ the Cat Fist?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!"
	"Myow..." Ranko licked a scratch on her "paw" and leapt back, 
"Rowr!"
	"Atchoooo!" Chupon blew her away just as easily, but this 
time the impact with the wall also knocked her back to human 
mind. "Wow... anyone get the license of that bulldozer...?"
	"We've got to get outta here!" Ukyou yelled, "If that thing 
can sneeze away Ranchan's Cat Fist we're in deep trouble!"
	"I have an idea!" Akane said, "Make a break for the door!"
	Awakened by the previous fight, Ranma stared at her, "You 
can't take that thing on! It's crazy!"
	"Who says I'll fight it?" Akane smirked mischievously. "Now..." 
she aimed her palms at Chupon, "Es'dee magic!"
	"Waaaaaaahhhh!" Ultros cried as he was hit by it too. 
"You'll pay for this, I mean it!!" his voice shrank along with his 
body.
	"Growl!" a tiny Chupon slashed at Akane with his claw, 
barely scratching her skin.
	"I still say we should've used that against Kefka," Ranko 
grinned, "Let's go!" Following, the troop burst into the hall. They 
were left completely speechless by what they saw.
	The Big Whale. It had a very fitting name, the spaceship 
was truly shaped like a large gray whale with its tail slightly 
lifted. The dull shine of the gray metal was often broken by a 
few red and blue lights on the "head," like signaling lights. 
However, instead of having a normal "head," the front of the
ship was stunted and curved, and the ship also lacked "fins" to 
the sides. But it was still large enough to transport them all, 
and then some. Yes, they were completely at a loss for words, 
as they were amazed.
	"How's that stupid thing gonna get us home?!"
	Or maybe they weren't.
	"Don't underestimate the Big Whale," Mireillia said, "It's a 
truly legendary vehicle."
	"Yeah. The part of the legend that is true is that it 
exists. The part that is a lie is that it flies!"
	"Can't you wait until we're inside _before_ you start 
ranting for no reason?" Phaeron turned to Ranma, who agreed but 
was still skeptical.
	"Well, to see if it works..." Mireillia activated her 
computer. Rising her right armlet, she released a small 
greeenish-blue sphere that floated toward the Big Whale. 
Floating over it, the sphere cast a beam that covered the ship. 
Instantly it lit up, the engines roaring to life. The hatch to the 
side even opened.
	"See?" Ranko turned to her brother, who rolled his eyes.
	The troop boarded the Big Whale, impressed by its 
technology. The panels and monitors that lined the walls of the 
bridge lit up with activity, the main light was turned on and 
filled the room with a bright light. In the middle of the bridge 
was a mechanical pedestal, on top of which there was a large 
crystal.
	"That should be the Crystal of Flight," Mireillia said, "and 
those are the navigational controls," she pointed at the front. 
"The living quarters should be over there," she pointed at the 
door in the back.
	"We'll check that, you figure out how to get this whale to 
fly," Ranko said, following the humans and Mog as they went to 
the door. Getting past it, they found a spacious hall with many 
strange-looking capsules. Looking at the beds inside them, they 
realized these were hibernation capsules. In the corner 
of the chamber was a vertical tube, they guessed it lead to 
another chamber like this one. While they packed their stuff in 
the compartments beneath each capsule, Phaeron came to the 
quarters.
	"So, we all fit in?" he asked.
	"Guess so," Ranko said, "There are ten capsules here and 
ten upstairs. Just enough for all of us."
	"And what's over there'" he began to walk towards another 
hatch, obscured by the shadows. Opening several air vents, he 
pushed the door. "I can't believe it," he stammered with a big 
smile. "Look!"
	They had found the cargo bay. But it wasn't the bay itself 
what  pleasantly surprised him, but what he found inside it. 
Ranko walked through the door and looked puzzled at their 
discovery.
	It was another ship, considerably smaller, almost like a 
fighter. The main body was white, resembling a riverside stone 
slab: flat and rounded, with a barely noticeable trapeze shape. 
It had a small cockpit near the front, with just enough space 
for four people to ride inside it. The cockpit was surrounded
by a transparent dome, which had a vertical "sail" attached to 
it. This sail matched the two wings, attached close to the front 
of the ship, brown and with golden edges.
	"It's... it's the EPOCH!" Phaeron smiled broadly.
	"The what?"
	"The Epoch!" he repeated, "It's a time machine! Spekkio's 
always talking about it."
	"What are you doing?" Akane also came into the cargo bay. 
"Did you say time machine?"
	"Where did this come from?" Phaeron asked rethorically as 
he put his hand on the smooth metallic plates of the Epoch.
	"Time machine... time machine..." Akane repeated to herself, 
trying to remember where she had heard about it before. "Ah! I 
know! When we met Arianne, she said she had used a time machine 
to come to this planet, but that it crashed in the ocean!"
	"But where did she get it, unless... Of course! She must 
have been to the _other_ planet that destroyed a Lavos! That's 
where this ship came from!"
	"What's all the commotion?" Mireillia and Nadir came in, "The 
EPOCH!"
	"That's right," Phaeron smirked, "This is very good!"
	"Wait. If the Epoch's here it means..." Nadir turned to 
Mireillia.
	"Right! We can connect Epoch's time circuits to the Big 
Whale's navigation controls and we can be back on Earth just as 
if we never left it! I'll start the programming right away!"
	A time machine, Ranko repeated in her mind. If it was 
possible, then she could still have a chance to save him. All she 
had to do was set the date backwards on the Epoch, maybe a 
month or a week _before_ they left for Esper World, and they 
would arrive with enough time for her to find a way to keep him 
alive!
	"I'm done!" Mireillia said, lifting her screwdriver in triumph.
	"That was QUICK," Akane blinked at her. Mireillia had 
connected both vehicles _and_ programmed them in less than two 
minutes!
	"Well, I'm the best hacker in Esper World," she replied with 
a smirk. "So, now the Big Whale will take us to Earth, and as 
soon as we reach the Moon's orbit it will time-travel to the 
same day we left, about a week ago. Let's just hope the Kefka 
from _that_ time doesn't notice us."
	"And how did you program the time-machine?" Ranko asked.
	"Pretty simple," Nadir said, "We just gave Earth's 
coordinates to Epoch, then its own computer figured out how 
many days have passed on _that_ planet,  made a relation with 
Esper World's orbit to figure out the time difference, and 
the rest was solved by the computer. All we had to do to set 
the date was give it how many Earth days we would like to go 
back once we arrived. Now, we set nine days."
	"So I'll have to put sixteen days and we'll go back 
_another_ week," the redhead thought.
	"Let's go to the bridge!" Mireillia said, still excited. She 
was, after all, in her element. "We still have to pick up the 
Returners!" she happily bounced out and back to the command 
bridge.
	"That little..." Nadir smiled at her, "Wait up!"
	"Huh?" Akane and Ranko blinked at him. Not only had he 
forgotten about making a pass at them, but was also quite 
visibly showing interest in his former fianc�e also. Oh, well, 
they didn't mind.
	A few minutes later, with most of the people getting ready 
in the hibernation capsules, Ranma, Akane, Ranko, Ryouga and the 
Espers Phaeron, Mireillia and Nadir were sitting at the controls 
of the legendary Lunarian ship.
	"Here goes nothing," Ranma said.
	"It'll work, you'll see," Mireillia said.
	"Okay, let's activate the Crystal of Flight," Nadir pushed a 
lever. Behind them, the crystal began to shimmer as it channelled 
its energy to the Big Whale.
	"Crystal engaged, main thrusters charging," he now pressed 
down another lever. The craft shook as the engines rumbled.
	"Main thrusters... fire," Mireillia pushed a big red button. 
The Whale shook violently, its engines pushing their limits, but 
it didn't get off the ground.
	"I knew it!" Ranma slammed a fist on the panel.
	"Something is wrong. All the connections are in perfect 
condition," Mireillia looked around nervously.
	"Hey," Ukyou came into the bridge, "In case you're 
interested, we're stuck."
	"I know," Ranma crossed his arms.
	"No, I mean _stuck_. Look out the window."
	"What..." Nadir pressed a button, bringing to the screen an 
image of the Whale's side. True, the rock had actually imprisoned 
the spaceship. And the engines would overheat if they tried to 
force out of the rock.
	"I'll do it," Ryouga stood up, "And this time I mean it."
	"You sure?" Ranko looked at him. He flashed her a thumbs-
up. "Trust me."
	Crossing his arms once more, he grimaced as his Earth 
magic went full-charge. The ground beneath the ship shuddered 
and rumbled, clinging to it like glue. Ryouga pressed further.
	"Just a little more..." Nadir looked at the monitor.
	"Come on, Ryouga-kun!" Akane cheered.
	"You can do it!" Ranko called. Suddenly his aura flared and 
the ground below exploded in a large version of the Bakusai 
Tenketsu. The Big Whale shot upwards, released from the earthly 
bonds.
	"Way to go, Ryouga!" Ranko applauded.
	"Very good, P-chan," Ranma smirked.
	"Who're you calling P-chan?!" Ryouga bonked him, still 
blushing after Ranko's compliment.
	"Now, to get out of the tunnel," Phaeron joined his palms, 
"Spell of Exit!"
	As the ship evanesced into the air, nobody noticed a small 
pink balloon nor a purple octopus sneaking into it. Closing the 
pressurized hatch, Chupon cackled like a gremlin.

			*	*	*
			
	"Look! Over there!" Celes pointed.
	"I see it but I can't believe it..." Setzer stared.
	From the base of the Beacon they could see a gigantic 
whirlpool, in the middle of the bay that separated the white 
tower from the rest of the continent. And slowly, splashing as it 
surfaced from the whirlpool, a large whale glowed with every 
color of the spectrum as it rose from the waters. Dripping 
water, the Big Whale spun in the air to face the Returners.
	"Whoa," Ranko said, looking through a monitor, "We enter 
through Cat's Eye and we come out all the way over here? That 
Serpent Trench sure was long."
	"Imagine how large the Adder was when it lived," Phaeron 
said. "Okay, we're out. Let's take the Returners home."
	A white beam engulfed the airship Falcon as Locke, Setzer, 
Celes and Maduin climbed on board. The Falcon was then encased 
in a magical sphere, which would let them breathe inside it while 
travelling through space. Luckily, the World of Ruin and Esper 
World were in the same solar system, it would take only
a few hours to take them back.
	And so, pulling the Falcon with a tractor beam, the Big 
Whale began to shed ghostly images of itself as it proyected 
towards outer space. With a flash, the spaceship disappeared 
into the sky, glimmering as it left the atmosphere.


Stars in their Destiny

	The bluish orb that was the World of Ruin sped away as 
the Big Whale left. With the Returners back at their own home, 
the group was finally heading for Earth. Feeding the coordinates 
to the ship's computers, Mireillia and Nadir put it on auto-pilot. 
With just the push of a button, the gray ship jumped to 
hyperspace in a flash of light.
	"Well, that's settled," Mireillia said, standing up. "Let' go 
join the others."
	Meanwhile, the others were gathered in the second-floor 
quarters, which had a great look-out window stretching from 
floor to ceiling, nearly replacing all the walls. It was like being 
inside a planetarium, yet this time the stars outside were real.
	"I still don't get it," Ukyou said, "How did you find out 
about us?"
	Mog twirled the naginata on his fingers, "I was supposed to 
be my friends' scout, kupo. When Kefka came back, we thought he'd 
attack us. But since he never showed up, we got nervous. Then, 
at a meeting, the other guys said I should go to Esper World to 
see if somebody knew something. I arrived a few hours before 
you got on the Phantom Train."
	"And you spied on us the whole time?" Akane stared widely 
at him.
	"Not _spying_, kupo!" Mog replied, "But... But..." his facial 
fur turned reddish, "I sorta followed you, and saw Ukyou, and..."
	"But why did you show up so late?" Ukyou asked. "Didn't you 
go into Kefka's tower?"
	"I wanted to, so I could help, but when you three..." he 
pointed at Phaeron and the twins, "fell asleep, I think the spell 
got me too. By the time I woke up, I was already seeing boulders 
come from the sky and a huge urchin right over the forest."
	"It's a miracle you survived, then," Terion said, "Phantom 
Forest could have captured you."
	"Nah, Siegfried helped me," Mog said, "he was wounded pretty 
badly, but he looked out for me. He said he had been fighting a 
demon, but escaped after sticking a sword in its chest. To repay 
him, I cured most of his wounds."
	"He didn't say what happened to the demon?" Phaeron asked.
	"Nope. But knowing Siegfried it's probably dead anyway."
	"So he took care of you?" Nadir asked, "Check your 
pockets."
	"Moogles don't have pockets, kupo."
	"Good for you, Siegfried would've emptied them out."
	"Anyway," Mog continued, "I looked for you guys all over. 
But somebody told me you had gone back to Valran, so I went 
there. Next thing I know, you're all Brindel warriors."
	"Then you were looking over us all that time?" Ukyou asked. 
"Why didn't you just come out when we were at the party?"
	Mog turned red again, "I, uh... I didn't know what to say, 
kupo..."
	Akane giggled, "I get it. You were trying to gather the 
courage to speak to her, right?" Mog nodded sheepishly, while 
Ukyou smiled tenderly at him.
	"Yep, I wonder how Tsubasa'll take this when we get back," 
she said, smirking.
	"Or Konatsu," Ranko whispered to Phaeron, since both knew 
what the future three years would bring. They snickered.
	"That reminds me," Akane said, "I've been meaning to ask 
you. Will we get to keep our magic back home?" The Espers looked 
at each other before bursting out, snickering.
	"Sure," Phaeron said, "You can use any magic you want..." 
Ranma smirked deviously again, "As long as you keep your 
Brindstones with you."
	"Brindstones?" Ryouga asked, "What are those?"
	"What, you haven't seen them?" Mireillia asked, "That's 
weird, I thought Uncle would have shown them to you by the time 
we left."
	"Maybe he forgot," Phaeron said, looking through his 
backpack. "Here, look. This is a Brindstone."
	He opened his hand to reveal a gem, grape-sized and with a 
"cabochon" shape (a special way to cut gems, shaping them like a 
perfect hemisphere.)
	"That looks like a topaz," Akane said. Everyone stared at 
her. "Hey, with Nabiki as a sister, you learn to recognize 
jewels."
	"It _is_ a topaz," Phaeron smirked, "And it's one of the 
eight gems of the Brindstone Ring. The others are emerald, 
garnet, diamond, sapphire. opal, amethyst and aquamarine. Look in 
your bags, you must have gotten some of them. I'll tell you what 
they mean."
	"Here it is," Akane took out her Brindstone, "It's an opal."
	"It simbolizes hope. It doesn't surprise me you got it."
	"What's this?" Ranma took a pale blue gem, identical to 
Ryouga's.
	"Aquamarine means valor. And sapphire..." he turned to Ukyou 
and Mousse, "means intelligence."
	"Shampoo get ruby?" she blinked.
	"That's a garnet, and represents loyalty. Herb and 
Yuannyan's amethyst stands for sincerity."
	"And diamond?" Mint and Lime asked.
	"Don't get it wrong," Phaeron smirked, "but it means 
innocence."
	"Maybe you should meet more girls," Herb turned to his 
bodyguards.
	"Great. I didn't get anything," Ranko said, having emptied 
out her backpack.
	"Maduin must have forgotten," Phaeron said, "Ryouga, could 
you make two small rocks with your magic?" After briefly glowing 
green, Ryouga handed him a pair of stones. "Okay, I'll make a 
Brindel Lodestone. Watch." Pressing the stones in his hands, they 
flashed brightly before being filled with magic power. When he 
opened his hands again, the stones gleamed bright silver.
	"Take one," he said to the redhead, who grabbed a stone.
	"Can I try?" Nodoka said. Phaeron readily gave her the 
other stone. She didn't feel like disclosing it now, but she 
secretly needed that stone... After humming, the gem glowed white 
before becoming a transparent brownish-gold. "Another topaz?"
	"It means fidelity," Phaeron said, "That really doesn't 
surprise me."
	"Does this tell anything to you dear?" Nodoka winked at the 
panda.
	"What's the matter with this crazy thing?" Ranko looked at 
the glowing stone, which changed color randomly. It finally glowed 
green and turned into an iridescent emerald.
	"I knew it," Mireillia thought, looking back and forth 
between the redhead and Phaeron.
	"Of all the stones..." Phaeron said, "You had to pick the 
one that I forgot about, didn't you?" he smirked at her.
	"Doesn't it mean..." Terion whispered to Andellia. Both had 
an emerald due to their feelings for each other.
	"Yes, it does," she winked at him.
	"I guess it'll come back to me," Phaeron said, "In the 
meantime, you notice how your Brindstones have a flat side? 
Check the carving on it." They turned over their gems to see 
the runes on them, in bas-relief. "If I'm right, everybody but 
you..." he turned to Ranma, Akane and Ranko, "will have the same 
crest  on the stone."
	"That's right," Ryouga said, "We all have a dragon curled in 
a circle. Looks like there's a planet inside that circle."
	"And I have a cross inside a moon," Akane said.
	"A triangle in a sun," Ranma followed.
	"My God... It's_full_ of _stars_..."
	All eyes glared at Ranko.
	"Sorry," she smiled, "Couldn't help it." She looked closely at 
her emerald, "It does have a ring of stars, though. With a weird 
'8' inside it."
	"Exactly," Coldfire said, "Haven't we told you about the 
origin of the Sacred Order of Brindel?"

			*	*	*

	"It began nearly 1500 years ago, about one year after our 
'accident,'" Phaeron said. "When the War of the Magi had just 
begun."
	"Phaeron, Syrtis and I lived in an underwater kingdom," 
Andellia said, "ruled by king Odin. A few days before, the goddess 
Poltergeist had turned us all into Espers, but we managed to 
fight her mental command and escape becoming her slaves. It was 
all thanks to Odin's intervention: he had nearly the same power 
as Chaos, overwhelming even the goddesses."
	"That's why the warring kingdoms and the goddesses wanted 
to destroy him," Coldfire said, "Being under Doom's command, I was 
sent out many times against his realm. Of course, his magic was 
so powerful we never succeeded."
	"But there was _one_ time," Andellia said, "when Doom's 
armies, lead by the wolf Fenrir, penetrated our defenses. We 
lost many knights that day, the rest of us were forced to 
retreat to the towers. But just as Doom herself showed to deal 
the final blow, the Stars arrived."
	"Stars?"
	"Not ordinary stars, of course," Phaeron said, "That's just 
the nickname we gave them, since their physical shapes were 
giant blinding objects. One was lively green, the other blazing 
red."
	"In our language," Andellia said, "the word 'star' is 
pronounced 'brillan.' Thus, the Emerald Star and Crimson Star 
were called 'Brindel,' which means 'Star Knights.'"
	"The Brindel defeated Doom and Fenrir, obviously," Phaeron 
continued, "But then they took human shape. Emerald Star and 
Crimson Star, female and male. Each had a gem on the forehead, 
with their respective colors. Then they gave king Odin the 
Brindel Ring: a mirror surrounded by a selection of gems that 
represent the highest ideals. 
	"But Crimson Star saved the ruby for himself, although 
Emerald gave her own jewel to crown the Ring. It's said that 
when Crimson Star returns to bring the ruby, which stands for 
'satisfaction,' the Brindel Ring will be complete. When that 
happens, the Brindstones will be given the might of their 
creators."
	"Why?" Akane asked.
	"Because Crimson Star will only come when there are no 
more Destroyers. That's why he has the 'satisfaction' gem. With 
no Destroyers, it will mean that the order of Brindel won't be 
needed anymore. So, in reward for the eons of service, the 
warriors of Brindel will be endowed with a long and prosper life. 
As if the Brindstones turned into good-luck charms, so to 
speak."
	"And what's with all the different jewels?" Ukyou asked.
	"Like bird-boy said," Coldfire replied, "they represent 
ideals and feelings. According to Brindel legend, in order to 
access the Order you must show proof of having reached a 
balance between the three Forces: mind, heart and spirit. 
However, no matter how balanced you are, you're always more 
inclined towards a particular aspect. When you first touch a 
Brindel Lodestone, the gem makes contact with your inner self 
and shows that aspect. It simbolizes where your true strength 
lies. For example, if you have an opal it means that hope drives 
you onward. Amethyst means that it's your sincerity where your 
strength lies."
	"And the crests?" Ranko asked.
	"They just show which branch of the Brindel you belong to. 
But no matter what crest you have, all Brindel are equal to 
each other. An Astbrindel is by no means superior to a regular 
Brindel," Andellia explained. "The cycling dragon shows you're the 
elite. Since it's surrounding a planet, it means you're defenders 
instead of attackers."
	"The Lunbrindel is marked by the crossed Briandor," Phaeron 
said, "Briandor is one of Esper World's moons, remember? The 
cross represents spiritual power, while the moon shows serenity 
and peace."
	"Then someone made a mistake," Ranma mocked, "Akane, serene 
and peaceful?"
	"Shut up," she elbowed him in the gut, "You probably don't 
even measure up to what your jewel says you are."
	"Actually, the Solbrindel is Lunbrindel's opposite and 
complement. Kinda like the yin-yang duality. It's marked by a gold 
triangle before a flaring sun. The triangle means perfect balance 
in the three Forces. The sun shows a brash, unbridled 
character."
	"See?" triumphant, Ranma arrogantly crossed his arms. Akane 
rolled her eyes.
	"Astbrindel is marked by a ring of stars surrounding an 
'infinity' symbol," Phaeron smirked amusedly at Ranko, "_not_ a 
'weird 8.' Anyway, these are eight stars, which stand for the 
Brindel Ring. The Infinity symbol is supposed to represent what 
would happen when the Ring is complete. From the legends, an 
Astbrindel supposedly binds all the other Star Knights together. 
Also, an Astbrindel is the heart of the Brindel Ring."
	"Well, we all met each other thanks to her," Ryouga said, 
"I'd say it's pretty logical."
	"But what does this legend have to do with us keeping our 
magic?" Mousse asked.
	"Its because of the magic power in the Brindstones," 
Andellia said, taking her own emerald, "Look." She took the gem in 
two fingers and placed it over her forehead, the flat side 
touching her skin. Closing her eyes, she used the gem to proyect 
her thoughts into a pale green sphere that appeared in front of 
her.
	"Wow," Akane looked at her amazed.
	"See?" Phaeron said, "As long as you're in physical contact 
with your Brindstone, its power will give you access to magic 
whenever you want. All you have to do is summon your ki to do 
it. It's that simple."
	"Then all we gotta do is focus our ki into it?" Ranma 
repeated, then smirked evilly, "The old freak's toast."
	"Now all we have to do is think of a way to keep Nabiki's 
hands away from these jewels," Akane said.
	"Hah. I already have a plan that will definitely keep her at 
bay," Ranma winked at her.
	A mild beeping was heard in the quarters, followed by a red 
light that beckoned towards the bridge. "I'll go check," Mireillia 
said, "Seems like we found a planet that might be Earth."

			*	*	*

	The primaveral forest teemed with life, many small mammals 
scurried out from their lairs and shelters now that the rain had 
ceased. Crystalline dew still clung to the foliage, the beautiful 
dryads silently hid back amid the trees. But suddenly this peace 
was disturbed, as a large gray whale descended upon the forest 
with a strong blast of wind. The treetops shuddered and shook 
wildly at the currents, the Big Whale's thrusters fanned away 
the moist leaves.
	With a soft thump, it landed. After all, this was Mireillia 
at the helm. From inside, the landing was so precise they could 
barely feel the touch-down.
	"What?" Akane said as she stepped out the external hatch, 
but without descending to the ground just yet.
	"What are you waiting for?" Ranma came up behind her, 
slightly annoyed at her just standing there. "Will you move?"
	"Shhh," she shushed him, "Something's wrong here."
	"It's just a forest, what could be wr--"
	He was cut off as a wicked dirk darted an inch away from 
his face, clipping a few of his hairs. All of a sudden, many of 
the bushes before them shook violently. Several large shadows 
crept quickly among them.
	"What's going on?" Ranko came out as well. "Gaah!" a spear 
bounced off the Big Whale, its tip breaking at hitting the plates.
	"What the hell is that?!" Ranma pointed at a kobold that 
pounced out of the bushes, snarling at him. Another werewolf 
leapt out, and another. In just two seconds an entire batallion 
of wolf-men had surrounded the Big Whale.
	"Hah!" a cleric's mace was embedded deep into the ground 
between the creatures and the ship.
	"Kobolds!" a short, stubby man leapt out of the forest, 
brandishing a heavy battleaxe. With tremendous ease he began to 
sway a path through the monsters.
	"Don't be so brash!" an enchanting maiden, armor-clad, joined 
him. She quickly dispatched of an attacking kobold with her thin 
sword. But she missed a wolf-man that leapt from behind. "Ah!"
	"Hyaaa!" the kobold fell at the strike of a broadsword, 
wielded by a young man in brown armor.
	"Wait for us!" another man, thin and with wild hair, came 
into the fray, followed by a youth in white robes and a skinny 
man with dark attire. This last one began to use his staff to 
summon a magic spell.
	"What's the matter? Did something happen?" Mireillia saw the 
trio dashing back to the bridge.
	"Nothing _will_ happen if you get us outta here NOW!" Ranma 
yelled.
	The Big Whale rose again with a powerful gust of wind, 
knocking the fighters below off their feet. Hurriedly, the ship 
hurtled to hyperspace once more, leaving a dumbfound party 
below.
	"Wha... What the hell was that thing?" the young knight 
asked. "Ghim?" he turned to the short dwarf.
	"Not a clue... Slayn?" the dwarf turned to the wizard.
	"Deedlit?" the wizard turned to the elf maiden.
	"Etoh?" she turned to the cleric.
	"Wood?" he turned to the thin thief.
	"Parn?" he turned back to the young knight,
	"In all of Lodoss, I have never seen a whale fly!"
	"We mustn't let our guard down," Slayn stood up, "That might 
have been a trick of Karla, or maybe even Ashram. We're too 
close to be led astray by these traps."
	The Big Whale flew off into the dark reaches of space...

			*	*	*

	Everyone was asleep in the legendary spacecraft. Well, 
almost everybody. Nadir was mounting guard at the bridge's main 
control panel, idly cursing and swearing for no apparent reason. 
"Agh... Why you little... Damn thing... Stupid puzzle... Arrghh..."
	Nadir violently twisted the Rubic cube in his hands, glaring 
at it as if wanting to destroy the frustrating thing. The Halley 
comet soared right in front of the Big Whale. He didn't flinch. A 
gargantuan black rectangle passed over the ship. He shuddered in 
anger at the cube, letting Big Brother float away. A majestic 
wormhole appeared exactly ahead. Nadir just punched the cube, 
irritated. The wormhole closed one second before the Big Whale 
reached it. A slim shadow slipped behind him, disrupting the 
connections on the Crystal of Flight. The unconscious body of 
Dysithal hurtled into a nearby black hole, exploding along with 
it. Nadir yelled at the Rubic.
	So much for mounting guard.
	The shadow blinked quizzicaly at Nadir's bickering with the 
colored cube, then stealthily crawled back to the hatch leading 
to the living quarters. Creeping from shadow to shadow, the 
figure opened an air vent, wincing at the infinitely-loud sound it 
made. Cursing, the figure slithered through the hatch, closing it 
afterwards.
	Ah, there it was. The solution to it all.
	Adjusting the dark green cloth she had tied around her 
head, Ranko silently sought a way to board the Epoch. The dome 
around the cockpit was bolted down, pressurized. That was _not_ 
the way in. She looked beneath the ship, between the two 
pontoon-like cylinders on the underside of Epoch. 
	There. A handle.
	The Epoch was floating by itself inside the cargo bay, the 
space between it and the floor was barely high enough for her 
to walk through. Crouching, she headed for the handle and 
grabbed it, then twisted it. A low hiss was heard as the entire 
panel gave away, slowly descending to the floor. As it turned 
out, almost all of the cockpit had descended out of the Epoch. 
The controls remained up there, but the seats had been lowered 
by a lever. Sitting at the pilot's seat, Ranko pressed a button 
to her right and the cockpit went back up. With another hiss, the 
compartment was sealed with an airlock.
	Before her lay an impressive array of instruments. At first 
glance, she could only make out the steering wheel. A closer 
inspection revealed a height meter, a gyroscope, meters for 
fuel, power and speed, a gearshift --or at least she thought so, 
it looked very much like it,-- the ignition controls, and...
	The time-navigation controls.
	They were completely different to the DeLorean's, but she 
guessed the designer of the Epoch had never watched _Back to 
the Future_. A clock-like device was the main piece, although it 
had only half of the clock's face and a single hand. Instead of 
numbers, the meter had the words "End of Time," "Far Future," 
"Near Future," "Present;" "Near Past," "Far Past," and "Absolute 
Time," written in golden font. At the moment, the hand was still 
pointing at "Present." It was normal, after all they wouldn't 
time-travel until reaching Earth. Finally, there they were. The 
time indicators. The bottom one showed a strange date, reading, 
"1999, Day of Lavos." Nah, that was probably from that other 
planet that this time-machine came from. The indicator above it 
read the current date and time, exact to the nanosecond. And 
the last indicator read a date one week before, which was the 
same day they left Earth. Quickly scanning the control panel, she 
looked for a way to change the target date.
	At last, she found a small handle beneath the panel, like a 
car's glove compartment's lock. She pulled back an entire 
keyboard, which faced the copilot's seat. Sliding over, she 
analized the keyboard. Man, a hacker like Mireillia or Nadir would 
have found a way through this easily. She, on the other hand, 
knew only one thing about computers: they existed. She wished 
she had payed attention to the time Nadir hacked into Furinkan's 
files.
	All right, this was a computer. She pressed a random key. 
The time-indicators lit up, a tiny single-line monitor appeared 
on the monitor. What now, what now... Another random key, labeled 
"Access." The monitor's red lettering printed out, "Enter 
command."
	Hmm... This was a time machine, so she could try a "T" for 
"time." Okay, let's press that key.
	"Invalid command."
	Oops, no good. "How?" she thought aloud, as if asking the 
computer--
	"Ask the computer?" she repeated, "Why not?"
	But the problem was what question to make. Or maybe she 
didn't have to make one. All right, press that question mark key.
	A small panel opened on the keyboard, to the right of the 
keys. She smirked in triumph, below the panel was a written list 
of commands. Cheering silently, she followed the instructions. Not 
without many great blunders, of course, and in time she nearly 
imitated Nadir's cursing. But after a couple of hours, she 
thought she had figured out the way this thing worked. Which was 
good, for she had "accidentally" changed the target date to 
August, 1945, and the target city was Hiroshima, and then to the 
Spanish Inquisition, and the Age of Terror after the French 
Revolution. But quickly, now, she typed away the date she 
_wanted_: exactly eight days before they left for Esper World. 
Now all she had to do was press that big "Enter" key...
	"Are you sure?"
	The voice nearly made her yelp in surprise. Suppressing 
that reflex, Ranko lifted her eyes from the keyboard and looked 
around. Who was that?
	"You're taking a great decision, sister."
	"Seraphim-chan!" Ranko suddenly spotted the female angel 
sitting next to her, on the pilot's seat. Her radiant spirit lit 
up the entire cargo bay, her warm glow covered the redhead as 
if embracing her.
	"She's not the only one here," another peaceful voice came 
from behind. Etheldred and Bryna sat on the passenger's seat, 
both looking sternly at her.
	"You're all here?" Ranko asked.
	"No, brother Uriel didn't come. We wanted to keep this talk 
between us girls."
	"But where were you, guys? Why didn't you come to the 
party?"
	Seraphim smiled, "Well, _I_ was there, remember? But as for 
sisters Etheldred and Bryna, and brother Uriel, they helped make 
sure the Rain of Life covered all the world. That's why they 
couldn't come to the celebrations."
	"But we're not here to explain," Etheldred said, "but it is 
_you_ who needs to do so."
	"Me?" Ranko blinked, but then turned away, sighing, "Oh, 
right..." her eyes closed slightly, as she avoided eye-contact 
with the other angels.
	"I understand," Seraphim said, looking forward. "Now that the 
war is over, your worries have shifted back to him, isn't that 
right?" Ranko nodded sheepishly. "You're worried about what is 
soon to happen."
	"But can't I do something?" Ranko turned to her, "I mean, 
you... you're _angels_. Can't you keep him alive? Please!"
	"I know, believe me, I know it hurts," Seraphim looked at 
her sadly, "I've seen into your soul, and it's painful to see how 
you've silently endured these months, carrying a secret that you 
can't, but must, reveal. You feel compelled to tell him, but 
because of your feelings you think you'd be betraying him if you 
told him now."
	"But if I can't tell him, what else can I do?" Ranko asked, 
her voice breaking a little, "You practically told me he _will_ 
die!"
	"I'm sorry," Seraphim said, "but there are times when even 
Messengers can't do anything. Remember that it was brother 
Phaeron himself who gave up his soul so you could live. All I 
could do was bring him back for three months so far, and I'm not 
sure I can keep this up for long. When you went to Esper World, 
its magic relieved the burden from me, for a while. The magic on 
Earth is not as strong, or as powerful."
	"But what you're about to do is very bad for sister 
Fiducia," Etheldred said, "she won't tell you, of course, but if 
there are two of him at the same time, she'll have to strain 
herself just to keep them both alive. This is the sort of thing 
that can cost an angel her wings... or kill her outright."
	Ranko gasped, "I... I didn't know..."
	"It's the truth," Bryna said, "Sister Fiducia was already 
pressing her limits when you left Earth. She can't keep him alive 
as long as you would both want to, much less with _two_ of him 
at the same time, during an entire week."
	"I'd gladly die too if it could help," Seraphim said, "But if I 
do, I'm afraid I wouldn't be allowed to continue keeping him 
alive."
	"But... what _can_ I do?" Ranko asked.
	Silence fell upon the room, like an icy knife that tore her 
apart with each passing second. Seraphim gave no answer, the 
other angels looked nervously at each other. Ranko felt as if an 
eternity had passed when Seraphim finally spoke.
	"I'll tell you what _we_ can do," she looked serious, "I'll do 
my best to keep brother Phaeron alive for five more weeks after 
you arrive on Earth, including the week you already set back. 
But you have to promise that you will NOT try to improve the 
Caller, or even try to use or practice it. You surely don't want 
to turn one tragedy into two. Do you understand?"
	Ranko nodded. "I understand... But what I don't understand is 
why this happened. Can't... Can't _He_ do something?"
	"Sister Ranko, don't say that!" Seraphim raised her voice 
slightly, "Don't involve the Light in this matter!"
	"It's not like the Light had anything to do with Phaeron's 
decision," Etheldred said, "On the other hand, by bringing him 
back to life a disbalance was created. He was supposed to have 
died back then, but since he's alive the balance of souls between 
the Three Realms has been broken."
	"Isn't there a way to restore that balance without killing 
him?"
	Etheldred closed her eyes gravely, but Bryna sighed sadly 
and replied, "Yes, but it is even more difficult. There are only 
three ways to restore that balance, and taking Phaeron with us 
is one of them."
	"What are the other two?" there was a hint of hope in 
Ranko's voice.
	The angels turned silently to each other, as if trying to 
decide whether to tell her or not.
	"Please!" she insisted.
	"All right," Bryna said. "To restore the balance you would 
either have to..." she turned to her siblings for reassurance. 
They nodded. "You would have to either give your own soul, or 
send brother Dysithal back to the Realm of Shadow."

			*	*	*

	An emerald orb spun to face the light of the Sun, sending 
away the night. Many glimmers appeared on the other side of the 
planet, as sunset began for the people from that continent. But 
another glimmer, solitary in the cosmic heights, orbited the 
world of humans.
	"Can anyone hear me?" came a transmission from the 
sattellite, "If you do, please listen! My name... well, you probably 
know me already, my name is Shiro. Most of you know me as 
'astronaut Ladat,' from Oneamano's Royal Space Force. This is my 
second trip out here, and I have to say very little has changed 
since my first one. Please, to all the people who can hear me, 
you have to listen! It's not too late. There's still hope for us. 
Out here, we can forget our wars, our problems. We're so little 
in space, there's no reason to fight anymore!"
	Shiro looked out the window, hoping that this time he 
wouldn't be blinded by the sun. "God, it's so beautiful out here. I 
wish I could show all of you. The stars seem so close... I can 
see everything from up here... The sun, the stars, the moon... A 
city's just below me right now. And there's a whale flying 
towards me and--" he blinked, realizing what he had said. "Holy...! 
I-it's a big, gigantic WHALE coming towards me!"
	"AAAGGHH!" he reflexively lifted his arms as the whale 
passed right over him. After a minute, noticing he was still in 
one piece, Shiro looked out the window once more.
	"Phew... Must have been dreaming for a second there... How 
could a _whale_ be out here in space anyway?"
	The Big Whale flew off into the dark reaches of space...

			*	*	*

	Ranko snuggled up in the sheets of the hibernation capsule, 
still a bit shaken inside from what had happened. Phaeron would 
die, that was a sure thing. And he didn't have a clue.
	She punched the inside of the capsule in despair. Why had 
that idiot done that for her? They could have been together in 
the Light, but he _had_ to save her, didn't he? And even further 
back, why had that moron used Ultima? Why did she have to get 
so mad at him when she found out about Coldfire? WHY?!
	She bit into the covers, trying to vent out her pain. Sure, 
Bryna had told her about the other ways to restore the so-
called "balance," but they were even worse. Where the hell would 
she find Dysithal now, other than that, Hell? And even if she 
did, how would she defeat him?
	And there was that other option. She would do it to keep 
him alive, but it would be even worse. If she gave herself up 
then Phaeron would spend the rest of his life bemoaning her act. 
The last thing she wanted was to see him like that.
	That thought startled her for a moment. It's what Phaeron 
probably endured for those three years, seeing her in grief, 
training for the Caller and powerless to stop her. If she 
suffered during those years, she couldn't imagine what he had 
passed through.
	She looked out through the capsule, into the one on the 
other side of the room. Who else could know that the youth she 
now looked at would soon sleep the endless sleep? There, so 
peaceful, he didn't even imagine what would happen in five measly 
weeks.
	Looking into his face, she felt unworthy of his sacrifice. 
First he killed himself to save her from their deadliest enemy, 
then he gave up his own soul to rescue her from her worst 
opponent: herself. What had gotten into him? Why was he always 
sacrificing himself for her?
	And looking into his face, she silently cried.

			*	*	*

	There it lay, the prized jewel. The grounds for the game 
since ancestral times. Its wispy clouds, its deepest oceans. From 
the eternal snow of its mountains to the sizzling heat of its 
deserts, this planet was a valuable prey. And for one of _its_ 
kind, what better place to find the most entertaining of games...
	For the Hunt was all that _it_ lived for, its very 
lifeblood. As vital as the air it breathed. And yet, when 
examining a world as this, it would still take a moment to enjoy 
the magnificence of its lands. Lands so filled with marvelous 
prizes, although only the Prey would appease it.
	But not just any creature would suffice. With ease it would 
dispatch of a powerful beast with its bare hands. Why, that last 
time it even vanquished a creature --what was its name? A... 
xenomorph?-- with just its hands. But no. For brutal game it 
would have sought out another world, with stronger creatures. It 
wanted cunning game, and cunning as devious as these humans' 
was seldom found.
	Rumors exist that many of its kind had been recently 
defeated by humans. The incident at the jungle. Then that other 
time, in the city. Truly remarkable fighters had eliminated their 
Hunters, attaining a rank of great honor even amongst its kind.
	Then there was that _other_ incident. When it attempted to 
make a trophy out of a Japanese human. That had been a 
humilliating Hunt, in many respects. But it had grown stronger 
now. True, that game had caused it to be stripped of its 
trophies and honors. But this time it wasn't the Hunt what drove 
it. It was revenge.
	The Predator smiled inwards. This time, the shape-changing 
boy would not escape. He could change into a small pig, a cat, 
or even into a female version of himself, as he did in their 
previous encounter. But nothing would stop the ultimate Predator 
from claming his skull...
	Except maybe the Big Whale crashing into its ship and 
knocking it away.
	Losing all control, the Predator accidentally pressed a 
button that launched its ship into hyperspace. But instead of 
travelling through space, it travelled through dimensions.
	And landed right in the middle of the Dragon Ball universe.
	"Wha..." a gold-haired Goku stared at it...
	The Predator looked around.
	"KAMEHAMEHA!"
	The Predator sweated visibly.

			*	*	*

	"Huh...?" Mireillia opened an eye. Nadir was continously 
knocking on the glass of her capsule, trying to awake her. 
Everyone else was already up, except a pigtailed redhead that 
didn't feel like getting out of bed right now.
	"We're reaching Earth!" Nadir yelled, "C'mon!"
	"Wake me up when we reach Earth, 'kay..." Mireillia didn't 
listen to a word he said, and fell asleep once more.
	Popping a few veins, Nadir had to lead the _others_ to the 
bridge. "We're about to time-jump. Hold on."
	The Crystal of Flight and Epoch's engines gleamed in 
coordination. The Big Whale suddenly shot forward, leaving a wake 
of ghostly images of itself. With the sound of a cracking whip, 
the spaceship flashed white and vanished...
	...and reappeared right between two of the mountains that 
surround Jusenkyo,
	"WAAAAAAHHHH!" the troop screamed as they dove towards 
the pools at a breakneck speed. Mireillia groggily came to the 
bridge and joined the screaming chorus.
	"Hmm... Nothing interesting ever happen here..." the Jusenkyo 
guide sipped his pipe. "Maybe better go look for daughter..." 
	"WAAAAAAHHHH!"
	"Yes, I look for Plum," the Guide said to himself, "It too 
quiet around Training Ground of Cursed Springs..."
	"WAAAAAAHHHH!"
	"Hm?" the Guide looked up.
	"WAAAAAAHHHH!"
	"Will you calm down?!" Mousse, recalling his experience with 
the escape ship, sat at the controls.
	"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!"
	The Big Whale stopped one foot away from the ground. The 
springs rippled slightly at the wind it caused.
	"As I say, nothing ever happen in Jusenkyo," the Guide 
shrugged and went into his cabin. A few seconds passed before it 
came...
	"YAAAA! BIG GRAY WHALE DROP FROM SKY!"
	"That happen last week," Plum shrugged.
	Inside the Big Whale, everyone was sprawled all over the 
bridge. Ranma and Shampoo were bent over the Crystal of Flight. 
Andellia and Terion were in a position that they were truly 
enjoying. Mog was stuck into a monitor. Ukyou and Ryouga had 
somehow landed perfectly into a pair of seats. The panda, 
cushioning everyone else's fall, was flat as a stamp.
	"Uh..." Mireillia uhed.
	"Uh..." Nadir uhed.
	She had landed right on top of him, their faces less than 
one centimeter apart. They both turned deep red and... burst into 
healthy laughter.
	"Hey, you saved my life!" Mireillia smiled.
	Nadir blinked, "It wasn't that bad, I don't think you 
would've--"
	"I said..." Mireillia winked at him, "You _saved_ my life. Get 
it?"
	Nadir smiled broadly, "Of course I saved your life. I risked 
life and limb for you."
	"So..."
	"So... will you marry me?"
	And thus, the Nightmare got over the Phoenix. It was the 
Kirin whom she really loved.

			*	*	*

	At the same time, in the living quarters, many loud sniffles 
came from one of the capsules. Yet nobody heard them. For the 
cry was no longer silent, the pain was too much to endure. Her 
only confort was a pillow, stained and soaked where it met her 
eyes.


			End of the Third Test
			... and Dysmerc is disappointed.