Part 6 majorly revised. I wasn't very happy with the Luna -
Lina scenes, and several comments made that clear as well.
OOC could be excused but worse, it wasn't very funny nor in
keeping with the series. So, some changes and a new title -
does it work better?

Thanks to ZeYoung Liou for part of the second scene. The
evil twist is all mine though. :)

View! Through the Looking Glass.
By Kagami

"So, it's finally come down to this."

The cold voice sent a shiver down Lina's spine. The taproom
of the inn, empty but for the five of them, seemed
infinitely chill and dark. Considering that it was brightly
lit with candles and had a roaring fire, it was a most
impressive feat.

Amelia couldn't understand it. Apart from slightly more
purplish-coloured hair, Luna Inverse looked like an taller
version of Lina with bigger ... ahem. Hardly a scary
figure. Why was Lina so afraid of her sister?

"That's right, sis." Lina hesitated. "I need your help."

Luna tapped her fingers on the counter of the bar. "How
old were you when Mother left, Lina? About eight?" Luna
asked pensively. "You don't remember a thing about it, do
you?"

"No, not really," replied Lina.

Luna shrugged. "I was fourteen at the time. I remember
all of it. Every little bit," she said.

"What are you both talking about?" asked Akane in
bewilderment.

Luna looked at the rest of them in surprise. "Lina never
told you? Here, I'll show you." She pulled a small hand
mirror from a pocket and beckoned to them to look.

---

Zelgadis stepped up to the house in which he and Ranma now
lived. It wasn't very large, definitely on the small side
for two Knights of Ceipheid. However, with him often
travelling abroad in search for Ranma's cure, and Ranma
usually on some errand or another for the king, it wasn't
as if they needed anything fancy.

Zel smiled to himself.  After all those years of drifting
from one place to another, it actually felt good to have
a home and someone familiar to return to - just as a good
friend, of course. Zelgadis would one day find a cure for
Ranma, he promised himself yet again.

He was just about to knock, when the door burst open.

"Zel-chan! I knew it was you," Ranma ran up to Zelgadis,
and folded him into an eager embrace.

Zelgadis was mildly surprised. While Ranma was always happy
at his return, she was seldom so openly affectionate.

"Are you over that bout of food poisoning?" he asked with
concern. Ranma had been pretty sick when he had left
nearly seven months ago.

"Huh? Oh, sure, Zel-chan. I'm fine and I'm glad you're
back," Ranma said with a bright smile.

Zelgadis looked down at the excited redhead clutching to
him, and allowed a smile to form. It was at times like
this that he could allow himself to dream a little - a
beautiful home, loyal friends, and he could just imagine
Ranma greeting him like this, twenty years later, while
the children stood by, teenagers by then ...

Then, he heard a soft cry coming from indoors. Zelgadis
cocked his head and asked, "What was that?"

"Oh, remember that victory celebration before this last
trip of yours and how we both got drunk?" Ranma asked as
she drew him inside.

"Uh, huh." Zelgadis racked his brains in an effort to
remember. Wasn't that about ten months ago?

"And remember how we ended up on the bed ... together?"
Ranma continued.

"Uh ..." Zelgadis paused, warning signals flashing all
over his brain. Was that a cot Ranma was leaning over?

"And how we insisted nothing happened?" she asked. Turning,
she brought a tiny, cherubic angel into view. "Meet your
new daughter, Zel-chan," Ranma said softly, "I named her
Luna. Isn't she cute?"

---

"Ranma ...?" Akane asked, nausea coursing through her
system.

"... and Zelgadis-san?" finished Amelia with a sickly
smile pasted on her face.

"Wow, Lina, Ranma's really your mom, huh?" Gourry said,
innocent delight evident in his eyes. "And Zelgadis! I had
no idea it was true. It must be so wonderful ..."

*Crash* *Pummel* *Tinkle*

"Owww ..."

"Want to see more?" Luna asked, not taking her eyes from
the small mirror in her hands.

---

"Ouch!" exclaimed Zelgadis as he removed the mallet from
his head. "I'm not made of stone anymore, you know."

"Hah!" Ranma folded her hands across her chest and
snapped back. "The first time was forgivable. After all,
you had no idea. But this time, you've no excuse!"

"Aww, come on, Ranma. The King sent me to Kalmaart in
your place. You know I didn't have a choice."

"Hmmph," Ranma snorted, then softened. "A feeble excuse
... but come over and say hello then."

Rubbing his head, Zelgadis stepped up to the small cot,
a slow smile stealing across his features. "Hello, Lina.
Welcome to the world."

---

"Urgh.." Akane gurgled, looking ready to puke.

"Waaah! Zelgadis-san!" wailed Amelia in distress.

"Awww, Lina, you were so cute as a baby," Gourry said,
gazing at the unfolding scene in the mirror.

*Blam* *Thud* *Clonk*

"Owww ..."

"Have you seen enough?" Luna looked solemn. "I forbid you
to do this, Lina." She paused significantly. "Are you
going to defy me on this?"

The darkness seemed to swirl across her face, eyes glowing
faintly red. Were those fangs protruding from her lips?

"Wah! Scary!" cried Gourry and Amelia, who were tightly
hugging each other for mutual reassurance.

"That's nothing," Akane commented, trying for nonchalance,
as she peeked out from behind them both, "Daddy's Demon
Head is much worse."

"N.." Lina looked at the expectant if frightened faces
behind her. "Yes," she squeaked out. "Yes, I am."

"You are?" Luna seemed nonplussed. "I don't get it. After
all those years of being punished, you should be doing
everything I say. Where did I go wrong?"

"What? You terrorized me for over five years just to get
your own way now?!" Lina shouted in disbelief, anger
blossoming on her face.

"That's right, I did. Don't you get it, Lina? This whole
future, it's a mistake. Which you caused. If you never go
back, Mother and Father would have stayed with us."

"I don't believe you, sis! How could you?" Lina asked
bitterly.

"Well, Mother wouldn't have approved. But don't you see,
if you don't go back, we would never have been left alone
and I wouldn't have had to punish you. I never thought
you would defy me on this. I planned it so well."

"Wait a minute. I know Lina's really afraid of you but
what's all this about her being punished?" Gourry asked
Luna.

"Yeah, this sounds like injustice!" Amelia chipped in,
always ready to act for good.

Akane cracked her knuckles loudly, the beginnings of an
ugly understanding appearing.

"Oh, it was nothing much," Luna said airily.

"What do you mean nothing much?" Lina fumed indignantly,
outrage evident in her tone. "You locked away my favourite
Shazaard Lugandi doll, threatened to throw it away, and
sent me to bed without supper at the drop of a pin if I
took a step wrong."

---

In a room above.

"What was that?!" exclaimed the girl as the floor shook.

"Oh, probably just an earth tremor. We get them
occasionally here," answered the guy, eager to get back
to their necking.

---

"Is that all?!" asked Akane as she and the others picked
themselves up from the floor.

"All? I loved that doll!" Lina said.

"Still want to do it, Lina?" asked Luna with a serious
expression on her face.

"I have to," Lina replied. Her eyes flicked towards the two
dark-haired girls. "It's not right to leave them there."

"When did you ever get so concerned with right and wrong?"
A trace of bitterness clouded Luna's face. "But I won't
stop you. Take this, then." She handed over two slips of
paper.

Lina unfolded the first slip. "The Gate?"

Luna nodded. "You'll know when to use the other. Now, get
lost, Lina."

When they left, the taproom seemed much smaller and more
lonely than it had been. "Lina, you idiot." Luna's eyes
misted over as her gaze fell on the silver frame of the
mirror, worked with a stylized R motif.

"Mother," she whispered as she looked into the past.

---

A fourteen-year old girl, gangling and with bright purple
hair, ran up to her waiting mother.

"I did it, Mom," she gasped breathlessly. "Timas gave me
the job."

Ranma smiled at her enthusiastic daughter. "That's great,
Luna-chan. Now, remember what we told you about what to
do if anyone gropes you."

"A kick to the groin and a low-level fireball in the
face!" Luna chanted in unison with her laughing mother.
"Let's go home and tell daddy."

"Yes, why don't we?"

---

Comments?

Doh, someone told me - Prince Philionel is the Crown
Prince of Saillune; the King's still around.

I originally crafted a much darker version of this in
another revision but also threw it out. Luna was much
nastier in that one (who knows what's IC for her) but
again it didn't fit the series mood.