<Insert Usual Disclaimer>

Shock! Can It Really Be True?
By Kagami

Ranma and Akane stared at the remnants of yet another cure
that hadn't panned out. The Mirror of Changes had brought
them to the top of this green hill and promptly shattered.
The light rain falling seemed to match Ranma's mood - sheer
gloom - perfectly.

"Where are we, Ranma?" Akane asked the short redhead, not
really expecting an answer. That was why she was rather
surprised when somebody replied.

"You're on the outskirts of Saillune."

Akane looked up to see a short, dark-haired girl dressed
in strange white clothes. Ranma continued staring at the
broken shards of glass lying near his feet.

"Er, hi there. I'm Akane Tendo and this is Ranma Saotome.
Nice to meet you." She nudged Ranma, who responded with a
desultory, "Hi."

The girl smiled widely and nodded. "Hi there, I'm Amelia.
Nice to meet you." She turned to smile at Ranma and froze.
Amelia's smile dripped into a half-panicked expression and
she spun round and called out, "Oi! Lina-san, Gourry-san,
Zelgadis-san, hurry up!"

"They're so slow," Amelia muttered. She smacked her fist
into her other palm and shouted, "Lina-san, there's a
travelling food stall on the next hill."

Akane sat back in bewilderment, while Ranma started to perk
up. "Really? Where?"

A stiff breeze whipped up and two speeding blurs resolved
themselves into a redheaded girl and a blond swordsman.
"Where? Where? Where? Eh, Amelia?" They spun around, looking
for the imaginary stall.

"There, Lina-san," said Amelia, pointing at Ranma.

Lina Inverse stared directly at Ranma Saotome and Ranma
Saotome stared back at Lina Inverse.

"What the ...?" asked Ranma.

Akane looked shocked, swiveling her head between the two
redheads.

Gourry remained oblivious.

But the best reaction came from Lina. She looked absolutely
stunned, mouth gaping and tears welling from huge eyes. She
said a single word.

"Mother?!"

---

Heh. Reactions?

###

A shortfic continuation of Shock!

With thanks to Psycho Sam for Gourry and Amelia's reactions.

Quest! And a New Friendship?
By Kagami

"Aaah!" Lina ran both hands through her hair in frustration.
"I don't get it!"

"You too, Lina?" asked Gourry. "I just don't understand ..."

"What? What don't you understand?" Boing. Lina was suddenly
in Gourry's face. "How can she be my mother if she's dead?
Why does she look so young? What?"

Gourry scratched his head in puzzlement. "Actually, Lina, I
was just wondering how she could be your mother when her
breasts are so much bigger than yours."

*Crack* *Smash* *Thud*

"Oww..."

Akane spoke up hesitantly, "Ah, Lina-san, does Ranma really
look like your mother?"

"Look at this." Lina pulled out a locket from around her
neck and opened it. "My mother and father when they were
young."

Amelia, Akane, a recovered Gourry and a reluctant Ranma
crowded around to get a glimpse.

"Wow, she really does look like you, Ranma-san," gushed
Amelia as she clasped her hands together. "Oh, a mother and
daughter reunited through the vagaries of fate - it's so
just!"

"Hey! Wait just a minute ..." Ranma protested, indignant at
the conclusion.

"But, Lina, I can't see your father's face at all," Gourry
said, "There's an ink stain over it."

"It's always been like that," muttered Lina as she snapped
the locket shut and replaced it.

"Ranma, you really do look alike," Akane said in surprise.
"Do you think ..."

"No way, Akane!" Ranma snarled. "Look you, Lina, I can't be
your mother. I'm a guy, dammit!"

"How can you possibly think you're a guy with those huge
things?" Lina snarled back while pointing at Ranma's most
feminine items.

"Just get me some hot water and I'll show you!"

Thus, Zelgadis came across a most curious scene as he
strolled up to the top of the hill, with Lina virtually
tearing at her hair in frustration and two people he hadn't
seen before, one of whom looked remarkably like Lina. For
a moment, he contemplated walking away in search of the next
artifact to cure his curse but somehow, he uttered the
fateful words instead.

"So, would someone like to explain this?"

---

Much later ...

"So, you've been looking for a cure all this time, huh?"
Ranma asked sympathetically. "I know how you feel. Man, I
can't tell you how many times for some way to get back to
China and Jusenkyo. And then, there was the Instant
Nannichuan, the Wishbringer sword, the waterproof soap - I
could go on forever."

Zelgadis nodded in agreement. "I've searched hundreds of
libraries, ruined temples, looked for artifacts like the
Clair Bible, and I've never been able to find a cure."

"Damn right! It's like there's some kinda fate against us
getting cured." Ranma held up a few shards of broken
glass. "This was the last thing I tried - the Mirror of
Changes."

"Hmm, I've heard of something like that in Sairaag. I was
going to take a look but we got sidetracked into hunting
down Zanaffar ..." Zelgadis trailed off thoughtfully.

"But it doesn't work. All it did was transport us to this
world," Ranma protested.

"Ah, but did you use the right method to activate it?"
asked Zelgadis.

Silence.

Then, a small voice, "Right method?"

---

"I'm telling you it's weird, Lina-san, for Zelgadis-san to
get along so well with someone just like that!" Amelia
shouted.

Akane also looked a bit concerned. "It's not really normal
for Ranma to make friends that easily either."

Unfortunately for them, Lina was drowning her frustrations
in her favorite task - eating. So, she wasn't really
paying attention.

"Well, there's no real problem. Ranma's a guy, right?"
said Lina comfortingly.

"Say, remember how Zelgadis fell in love with that woman
who was really Xelloss in disguise?" asked Gourry
cluelessly. "And Xelloss is a guy, right?"

"FIREBALL!" Gourry crumpled in a charred heap and Lina
proceeded to swipe the toasted swordsman's food.

Akane mused, "You know there's something awfully familiar
about this."

"Wah! Zelgadis-san ..." cried Amelia.

---

"Well, I didn't have time! We were ducking the old freak's
bombs, and that idiot panda was in the way as well. The
temple was coming apart at the seams," growled Ranma. "I
just shook the Mirror and told it to do something."

"What was foremost on your mind at that moment, Ranma?"
Zelgadis asked.

"Huh? Getting me and Akane out of there, of course."

"And not on curing your curse," Zelgadis stated solemnly.

Ranma cursed. "You're right. I blew it completely, Zel!"

"Not so!" said a grinning Zelgadis, a virtually unique
sight for anyone who knew him well. "As I said before,
there's an artifact called the Mirror of Changes in
Sairaag. If it's the same thing, then we can both use it
to cure our curses. After all, your Mirror worked for you
and Akane."

Ranma gave a matching grin. "What are we waiting for
then?"

---

Heh. Make of it what you will.

###

Third spamfic in the series, following on from Shock! and
Quest!

A minor revision. With thanks to Reispirit for help with
Lina's motivations.

Change! The Mirror of Legend?
By Kagami

The Temple of the Water Dragon Lord in Sairaag was hardly an
impressive sight. Instead, it was a mouldering pile of rock;
a massive eyesore that the locals had learned to ignore and
avoid.

Still, it wasn't all that bad considering that the
worshipped being in question had perished in the Demon Wars
over a thousand years ago. Worshippers fell away and the
temple itself fell into disuse and disrepair, with the folk
from nearby Gann town preferring their isolation.

However, if one of those fine townsfolk had been wandering
near those ruins on this rather sunny day, they would have
heard strange yells mingled with muffled explosions that
seemed to issue from the depths of the ancient temple.

Yells that sounded disturbingly like so.

"Burst Flare!"

"Moko Takabisha!"

Ranma Saotome was having a good time. The attacking golems
were rather weak, each capable of being defeated by a
combination of physical attacks and his confidence blast.
Of course, it helped to have Zel along. The array of
Shamanistic magic was truly awe-inspiring; something he
would definitely have to learn before heading home. The
chimaera wasn't a bad hand at close combat either.

"Well, they're obviously guarding something here," he said
before ducking a ham-handed attempt to pulverise him. A
return kick converted the stone creature into rubble.
"Though they're pretty pathetic."

"True, but don't get carried away. They're being guided by
something," Zelgadis replied, while casually polishing off
an attacking golem. "Keep your guard up until we get to
the main chamber."

"Okay, okay," Ranma said dismissively. A brief pause in the
conversation ensured while two more golems were disposed of,
then another abrupt sally came from Ranma.

"Say, I wonder if Akane got my note?" he asked.

---

"Ranma, you idiot!" swore Akane as she crumpled up the
hapless parchment missive that she'd re-read for the
umpteenth time. Just when she'd thought they had been
making progress too.

Somehow, 'Off with Zel to look for a cure. Be back in a
couple of weeks. Have a good time with Lina, Gourry and
Amelia until then. Seeya.' scrawled in a barely legible
hand didn't really cut it with her.

She wondered if they sold hammers in Sairaag.

After ducking out in the middle of the night, Ranma and
Zelgadis had a lead of over half a day on the rest of them.
Still, they were slowly catching up. A cry from Amelia
and a shout from Gourry broke her out of her reflection.

Akane looked up to see a dozen bandits attacking ... no,
wait, they were groaning rather piteously and most were
staggering along covered by a massive numbers of bandages.
Others were being carried by the walking wounded. The
miniscule threat became rather less when the bandits
recognized just who was standing in front of them.

"Aaahhh! Ceiphied save us!"

"The Bandit-Slayer!"

"It's that bit... uh, I mean, Lina Inverse."

"Help! Mama!"

If Lina Inverse hated the terror and hatred her name and
reputation inspired in bandits (those still alive that was),
it certainly wasn't possible to tell from her behaviour.
Rather, she acted more than pleased at the interruption,
leaving Akane to watch the ensuring events with much
bemusement.

"So," Lina growled pleasantly at the quaking bandits, "who
did this to you?"

A walking mass of bandages replied. "It was that stone guy
and the red-headed bitch with him."

"Yeah," piped in another, "we thought she was you for a
moment, but she was stacked, man, really stacked! Not like
yo..."

"Fireball!"

The charred idiot hit the ground rather hard.

"Anyone else have an issue about it?" Lina menaced, all
traces of amusement gone from her voice. But, the sweetness
and light returned with her next few words. "You can help
us though. And I might just let it go at that. How long ago
did you attack them?"

"A few hours back! It was raining hard. Yeah, that's
right. They were on the road to Gann town." The bandit
spokesman somehow conveyed his nervousness despite the
covering bandages. "Uh, can we go now?"

"I guess ..." Lina sounded reluctant.

"Come on, Lina-san," Amelia cut in just as Akane was about
to speak. "We have to find Zelgadis-san quickly. Uh, and
Ranma-san for Akane-san."

Lina sighed theatrically. "It's your lucky day, boys. Make
the most of it." Inwardly, she enthused; they were so close
to catching up to them. If the cure could be made to work
for her 'condition' and if she was to have a shot at it,
and perhaps save both their butts in the bargain, she
didn't have time to indulge in fun.

Comments trailed behind them as they moved past the
bandits. Sometimes, people just don't know when to shut up.

"Luck, she says. It'll take me a week to recover ..."

"Ziras, you have any spare bandages? I think I crapped my
pants ..."

"Wow, I met the Bandit-Slayer and lived! My rep'll
sky-rocket."

"Just one fireball?" Lina whispered sotto voce.

"Come on, Lina-san," Amelia repeated firmly.

---

*Boom!*

The stone portals collapsed majestically as Zelgadis
strode forward to confront the malovolent entity that
controlled the attacking golems.

"Uh, hello?" piped the said entity.

"Guardian Golem!" Zelgadis hissed as he noticed the
animated face on the stone wall facing him and Ranma. A
large, facetted gem was embedded in the forehead,
providing a dazzling contrast to the smooth contours.

"That's right. The name's Joe," replied the rocky face.
"My job's to guard the talisman of the Great Shazaard
Lugandi; an item so powerful and unbalancing that it
could disrupt the world as we know it."

"Say, should he be telling us all of this?" enquired
Ranma of Zelgadis.

"Well, it's been five thousand years and I'm bored. I
could tell you the history behind its creation?" Joe
asked hopefully, eager for an audience. "And it's purpose?"

Ranma looked impatient. "Yeah, yeah. The Mirror of Changes,
right? Well, we need to use it, so why don't we just get
on with it?"

"Mirror of Changes? I guess you could call it that ... But
if you insist on fighting, I'll have to oblige you."

"Ranma, wait ..." Zelgadis said.

"Moko Takabisha!"

The chi-blast impacted on the rocky face, chipping a few
fragments, while Ranma charged forward. However, Joe only
smiled in return and Ranma was unprepared for the stone
arm that rose from the floor and punched him.

"Damn!" Zelgadis dodged aside as a hail of stone shards
peppered the spot where he was standing. He started
casting spells, incinerating stone tentacles, spikes,
darts and fists that erupted from the walls, giving Ranma
time to recover.

Ranma rolled to avoid the few further attacks that came
his way. The Guardian had focused his attention on
Zelgadis, judging him to be the greater threat and
giving Ranma a narrow window of opportunity with which to
act.

"Ranma, the gem! Break it!" shouted Zelgadis as he fended
off hordes of stone tendrils.

Ranma sprung from a low crouch and ricochetted off the
roof, aiming for the forehead. Stone hands erupted from
the ceiling, just missing his feet. Shards of stone flew
at him but Ranma had anticipated that, and adriotly used
his spinning momentum gained from twisting off the ceiling
to avoid or deflect them.

"Waaahhh!" Joe cried as Ranma's kick landed, crushing the
sparkling ornament. "I'm doomed. Five thousand years of
existence wiped out just like ..." The face shattered into
a thousand pieces, and Ranma landed amid a literal hail of
dust and debris.

His eyes though, were focused on the alcove revealed by
Joe's destruction. The inset mirror was a full body-length
and covered with enough jewels to buy a comfortable
retirement.

The Mirror of Changes.

###

The fourth spamfic - following on from Shock!, Quest!, and
Chance!

With thanks to VGAP for plotting help. :)

Wish! A Cure for A Curse?
By Kagami

Zelgadis stepped up beside Ranma. "I wonder what Joe was
about to say before you attacked? He seemed surprised by
something." He was about to say more, but his eyes were
drawn to the runic script covering the walls beside the
mirror. "Wait, there's some writing here ..." he trailed
off tantalizingly.

"Well, what does it say?" asked Ranma when the pause
became a long silence.

"Actually, I can't read it at all," admitted Zelgadis,
"but I'm sure it's pretty important."

"Doesn't matter. The mirror's here and I'm going to use
it."

"Wait a minute, Ranma," Zelgadis spoke quickly. "From
what you've told me and from what I know about this type
of artifact, you only get one chance at changing the past
with it. It attunes itself to your mind when you touch it
and responds to your most urgent desires."

"So, you're saying it can change more than one thing at
a time, Zel?" Ranma wondered aloud. What about his fiancee
problems? They were a big, unsolvable issue as well.

Zelgadis nodded. "Right, it can grant wishes but only once.
The crystals power it for that one use, then they shatter
and the mirror with it."

"How does it work?"

"Simple enough. Think hard about what you want, and place
your hand on the surface of mirror."

"Okay, Zel, on the count to three..."

A solution, Ranma thought firmly as his hand reached for
the smooth surface, for my curse and my fiancees. A cure,
thought Zelgadis, for my cursed body as his own hand stole
towards the mirror.

"Death to you, defilers!" shouted a broken lump of stone
on the floor. "Think you've beaten me? I'm Joe. I've stood
guard over that darn thing for five thousand years. I'll
pull the temple down around all of us, rather than let you
have it!"

Ominously, pieces of stone fell from the ceiling to
shatter on the floor.

"We've got to get out of here!" Ranma shouted nervously.
Not again! Why did these things keep happening to him?
He kept his hand moving towards the mirror.

"Keep your mind focused, Ranma!" Zelgadis replied.

Right, Ranma's mind yammered, a solution for the fiancees
and his cur... a shadow fell over them. Involuntarily,
Ranma looked up to see a massive block tumbling towards
them. "Look out!" he burst out.

Then, his fingers touched the cool pane of glass.

The world went white.

---

The road to Gann town curves in a slight arc as it crests
a small hilltop. From this point, it was possible to gain
a truly majestic view of the Temple of the Water Dragon
Lord. Of course, ever since the temple fell into ruin,
few travelers on the road stopped to gaze at the scenery.

However, for four weary travelers cresting the rise, it
provided the vista for an awe-inspiring scene: the sight
of the broken walls and mouldering stone piles tumbling
into the sinking ground. For them, the final destruction
of the temple meant a great deal more.

"Ranma!"

"Zelgadis-san!"

"My cure!"

"Say, was that the Temple of the Water Dragon Lord?"
Gourry asked artlessly. "How are we going to get in now,
Lina?"

"No, no, no, no, no!" Lina ran over to the rubble and
began kicking at it in despair. "It can't be gone! *Flare
Arrow!* *Blast Ash!* *Digger Volt!* *Mega Brand!*" She
paused, panting, then continued, "Darkness from
twilight ..."

"No, Lina-san!" Amelia protested. She shook herself out of
her stupor and ran up as she heard Lina begin the Dragon
Slave. "Stop it, Lina-san! Zelgadis-san and Ranma-san are
still down there. You might kill them!" Akane and Gourry
arrived to help her restrain the upset Lina.

Lina turned to flash a sunny smile at Gourry that somehow
seemed a trifle overdone. "Gourry, lend me the Sword of
Light, will you? I just need to use it for a bit."

"Huh? Well, okay, Lina." Gourry removed the hilt from the
scabbard hanging by his side, and shouted the summoning
words, "Light, come forth!"

He handed the Sword of Light over to Lina, still looking
puzzled. "What are you going to use it for, Lina?"

"This!" Lina charged at the caved-in ruins, brandishing
the sword, before hacking and stabbing the energy blade
into the rubble. Each stab was violently punctuated with
a savage 'No!'.

"Ah! Lina! Be careful with my sword!" Gourry clucked with
worry.

Akane sank down on her knees, sick with despair, as she
watched Lina attack the debris. They couldn't be dead,
could they? It wasn't possible, not Ranma ...

---

Zelgadis awoke with a major headache. That was fairly
unusual, since the last time had been the incident with
the cannonball. He raised his hand to his sore forehead
when he suddenly paused, eyes widening in disbelief.

His hand was normal! Flesh-toned skin, pinkish
fingernails, and light traces of hair. Perfectly normal.
Zelgadis felt his face; it too was normal skin, rather
than hard stone. He was cured. At last.

It was then that he realized that he was sitting on a
grassy hilltop, and not buried beneath tons of rubble and
debris. And that he wasn't alone. Another form lay beside
him, unconscious to the world.

Ranma. But he was in his female form. That wasn't right.
The mirror should have cured him as well. What had gone
wrong? Even as he began to examine him, Ranma started to
stir.

"Ranma! Are you all right? What happened to you and why
are you still female?" Zelgadis asked with concern.

"Owww! My head hurts like hell," Ranma groaned, holding
his head in pain. "Whatcha talking about, Zel?" he
mumbled, "I've always been a girl."

Uh, oh, Zelgadis thought.

###

No. 5 revised.

Glance! Reflections of the Past.
By Kagami

The Church of Ceipheid in Zefielia was way too large for the
attendance at their small wedding. The white-robed priest of
Ceiphied solemnly intoned the preliminaries before arriving
at the critical questions.

"Ranma Inverse, do you consent to take this man to be your
lawfully wedded husband?"

"I do," Ranma replied serenely.

"Zelgadis Graywers, do you consent to take this woman to be
your lawfully wedded wife?"

Zelgadis answered, "I d..."

... and awoke gasping in panic. A bad dream, that's all it
was. He nervously wiped at the sweat covering him, before
relaxing slightly in his bed. A simple nightmare. Thank
Ceiphied for reality.

A female voice carolled from outside the room. "Zel-chan,
it's time for breakfast."

Then again, reality wasn't that much better.

---

Zelgadis surreptitiously stared the young girl - no, young
woman - gobbling up breakfast in front of him. His mind
drifted back over the events over the past two years that
had led them to Zefielia.

***

On a grassy hilltop.

"I wonder where we are, Zel?" Ranma asked as he massaged
his temples. Of course, now that he currently in his female
body, thought he was female and showed no inclination to
change back, the male pronouns probably weren't too
appropriate.

"You're on the outskirts of Saillune," a male voice
answered unexpectedly.

Zelgadis and Ranma turned to see a young man, slim and with
raven-dark hair, standing there. He snapped his fingers
suddenly. "Oh, where are my manners? My name is Philionel,
wandering Champion of Justice. Nice to meet you."

Zelgadis felt his eyes widen involuntarily.

***

In a nameless inn.

"Aww, come on, Zel-chan. Lighten up a bit, willya?" Ranma
mumbled as she munched steadily through an enormous platter
of edibles. "We've got money after saving that bumbling
prince's hide from all those assassins. Even got paid for
those martial arts lessons. We're free and we can eat
all we want. Why're you grousing so much for?"

"Well, we haven't been able to find a way home or find a
cure for you," Zelgadis said.

"I don't need a cure," Ranma shot back. "There's nothing
wrong with me."

"This is serious, Ranma. It's like you're the opposite ..
. no, the inverse of who you were before," he said with
concern. "We've got to get you back to normal."

Ranma sat back with annoyance. "Inverse, inverse! Look,
the mirror cured me, okay? I'm me, Ranma Sao... feh, fine
then, if you want it that way ... Ranma Inverse! For as
long as I'm in this world, you can call me Ranma Inverse,
wandering martial artist and apprentice sorcerer."

"..." Zelgadis tried speaking but nothing seemed willing
to emerge from his gaping mouth.

"You can close your mouth now, Zel-chan," Ranma said
mischievously. She flashed a quick smile, glad to have
diverted Zelgadis' train of thought. "Yeah, I like the
sound of that."

This, Zelgadis thought faintly, wasn't a good sign.

***

In a bandit camp.

"So, why are we going to Zefielia, Ranma?" Zelgadis asked as
he stepped over one of the groaning bodies.

"Because Rei Magnus is there," Ranma replied. "You know,
legendary guy who created the Dragon Slave and Blast Bomb?"

"Is he still alive?" wondered Zelgadis.

"Well, that bard said so. We'll see when we get there.
Lucky guy," Ranma said with a grin, "he's gonna get me as
an apprentice."

***

On a shattered mountaintop.

"Don't die, Rei-sama!" Ranma begged as she knelt by his
side. She clasped his cold hand between her own.

"It's ... all right, Ranma." Bright blood bubbled between
his lips, and Ranma hastily wiped it away. "Z..Zefielia
is ... safe now. I've lived ... beyond my years ... and I
have you ... to carry on. J..Join the Knights like you
planned. You've a ... bright future, Ranma." His eyes
flicked to her side.

"I hope ... things go ... wellll ..." Then, he died.

"Rei-sama! Rei-sama!" Ranma felt the tears trickle down her
face. She whirled and buried her face into the comforting
presence by her side. "Waahhh! Zel-chan, what am I gonna
do?"

"It'll be okay, it'll be okay," he soothed, his arms
awkwardly placed around the sobbing girl. "It'll be all
right. I promise, Ranma ... chan."

***

In Zefielia Castle.

"I knight you, Ranma Inverse," said the king as he laid the
flat of the blade upon her shoulder. "Rise, Lady Ranma, and
join the exalted ranks of the Knights of Ceipheid."

The king turned to the second kneeling figure and proceeded
to dub him as well. "Rise, Sir Zelgadis."

The crowd cheered the surviving Heroes of Mount Phalos, and
the band struck up a merry tune of celebration.

Ranma, resplendent in a white gown and with her
flame-coloured hair cascading in glorious waves, turned
with a cheeky smile to her partner. "May I have this dance,
Sir Zelgadis?"

"I didn't know you could dance, Lady Ranma," Zelgadis said
in surprise.

"Well, no," Ranma conceded. "Though that's hardly a polite
thing to say to a lady," she murmured, eyes flashing. Never
one to keep grudges, she relented quickly. "But you can
teach me, Zel-chan, can't you?"

"Well ... I guess."

***

That had been six months ago, Zelgadis mused. Since then,
things had stayed in a funny state of comfortable and
awkward between the two of them. He was uncomfortably aware
that her feelings had changed from mere friendship whereas
he couldn't get past the fact that he still saw her as a
guy ... mostly.

"What's the matter, Zel-chan? Not hungry?" Ranma's voice
broke into his reverie. "And I spent so much time cooking
it this morning too," she weedled.

"No, no, I was just thinking," Zelgadis answered as he
started eating with relish.

---

Akane sat back in exhaustion, staring at her grime-covered
fingers. Two weeks of excavation and divination spells had
determined that Ranma and Zelgadis weren't trapped or dead
beneath the massive cave-in.

That didn't leave them much to go on. It was as though they
had just vanished.

"Where is that idiot now?" she murmured despondently.

Lina slammed her hands on the table. "All right, let's face
it. They aren't here anymore and we have no idea where they
are." She hesitated. "Much as I hate it, there's only one
thing left to do."

"What's that, Lina-san?" Amelia asked from her slumped
position.

Lina's voice trembled with dread, "We have to go and see my
sister ..."

---

Ever wondered why Prince Philionel (Amelia's father for
those unfamiliar with Slayers) knows martial arts or who
Luna and Lina learn magic from? Well, here you go.

###

Part 6 majorly revised.

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.

"Nothing much? 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.

"What do you mean 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?

###