At Long Last!!!  Enjoy, people! :)

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- The new version of chapter 11 doesn't have the halfway-through Pluto scene where she observes Katsunishiki and Co. coming to the shrine. Pretend it never happened.

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Lines Of Destiny
A Sailor Moon/Ranma 1/2 Crossover

By Louis-Philippe Giroux
<dragon@anime.sobhrach.com>

Thank you for all your comments!
Keep'em coming! C&C is always welcome!!!

Sailor Moon was created by Naoko Takeuchi and
Ranma 1/2 by Rumiko Takahashi. Please don't sue me.

The latest versions of the previous chapters (and the ones with the least formatting errors) are always the ones on my WWW page at http://www.anime.sobhrach.com/~dragon/lines/lines.html

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Chapter 12



  The first things Ranma heard as he came out of the Neko-ken were shouts and cries, coming from all around him. *What happened?* he thought confusedly. *Last thing I remember is... is...* his eyes widened. *Happosai... the Nannichuan!* He tried to blink away the daze he was in and scrambled to his feet, looking around wildly. The first thing that caught his attention was the sight of Akane and Mamoru running towards him.

  "RANMA! Are you okay?" Akane asked worriedly, helping him stand up.

  For a brief moment, Ranma stared at Akane uncomprehendingly, then his voice suddenly became frantic as he grabbed Akane by the shoulders. "The water! Tell me the Nannichuan is safe! Please!!!"

  Akane winced, and it wasn't because she was being shaken like a doll. "I'm sorry, Ranma... Happosai's Happo-daikarin knocked it out of Ten'ou-san's hands and it hit..." she never got a chance to finish as Ranma snarled and threw his head towards the heavens.

  "NNNOOOOOOOOO!!" he howled in anguish. *So close... So _damn_ close!*

  Akane took an involuntary step back when she saw the hate blaze in Ranma's eyes. It was strong enough that she could practically taste it, and sensitivity to Ki was not one of her strongest talents to start with.

  "This time, the pervert's gonna pay," Ranma said, saying each word slowly, softly. "He's taken my cure away from me when I needed it the most. This is the _last_ time!"

  Akane winced at the venom she heard in the words and she wasn't the only one.

  Mamoru had actually stepped back and was throwing very concerned looks towards Ranma. Even though he'd tried to put a shield between Ranma and himself, the whole Neko-ken episode had rattled him badly enough that he could still feel the "aftertaste" of Ranma's ailurophobia. Some images had leaked into Mamoru's mind, too. Something about a pit filled with hungry monsters and slashing claws and... well... He decided he'd seen - or felt - enough. And now, there was this... rage. He tried to block the feelings without success. Apparently, Ranma wasn't aware that he was... broadcasting with his psychic talent right now.

  Akane looked around at the chaos in the shrine yard and gave a silent thanks to the Kami that grandpa Hino wasn't present. Nodoka was just staring at the whole scene with a dazed look and Katsunishiki, well she wasn't sure what the sumo pig was feeling right now and she didn't really care. "Ranma, I meant to tell you... The Nannichuan landed on someone."

  Ranma came out of his rage and looked at Akane uncertainly. "What? Who!?" *Not the Princess!*

  Akane looked miserable and pointed towards the steps of the shrine.

  Ranma seemed to take notice of the rest of the courtyard for the first time since his awakening. Hotaru and Makoto were near Haruka, who was laying unconscious on the ground, scorch marks all over his clothes. Hotaru had her hands pressed against Haruka and Ranma could see a small glow coming from her hands. *The Happo-daikarin,* Ranma guessed. He'd been the target of those firecrackers often enough to recognize the damage those things could do. He quickly surmised that the glow he was seeing came from Hotaru's healing powers, which Akane had mentioned earlier. Makoto seemed to be standing guard over both of them, although she was throwing worried looks over to where the rest of the girls were huddled.

  All the other girls were standing in a circle, obviously huddled around someone. He quickly noticed Usagi and Rei among those who made the ring, so it couldn't be either of them. *Why the hell do I care if they're alright anyhow?* he thought grumpily. He began walking towards the group of girls. Let's see, it wasn't Usagi or Rei, and he could see Minako and Ami on the other side, so who did that leave? Something made him look at Haruka again, and suddenly, something clicked. Haruka had a girlfriend, and she was the only one he couldn't see.

  "Oh, no..." He hurried up, Akane and Mamoru following him. Reaching the knot of girls, he forced his way through and winced when he saw who had collapsed unconscious.

  The man Minako and Usagi were trying to wake up was wearing a fashionable, short-sleeved green dress that would have looked pretty good on any female, but looked pretty ridiculous, not to mention undersized, on his rather large frame, as some distasteful rips now proved. The shoes were the only thing that had apparently survived the ordeal, somewhat intact, as they had somehow fallen off Michiru's feet when he had fallen. His hair was styled the same way Michiru wore hers, except for the fact that it was now of a deep, royal blue color. His angular face sported a few cuts that were barely bleeding anymore, but a large bruise on her forehead was what stood out the most. Apparently, some of the flask's fragments had made a number of cuts, but Ami was efficiently cleaning them up with a handkerchief.

  Ranma turned halfway around and looked at Akane, who was looking positively sick at the scene.

  "Of all people around here, I think she's the among the worst this could have happened to," murmured Mamoru. *Other than Usako,* he added silently.

  Ranma found himself shrugging. "Which is why it doesn't really surprise me," he muttered.

  "Ranma!" Akane protested. "You could show some sympathy!"

  "I didn't say I didn't _care_! I just said it didn't surprise me! There's a difference! I really am sorry for her..." he trailed off. *That was _my_ cure!* he thought resentfully.

  The sound of Ranma's voice acted as a catalyst for the girls' attention.

  "Ranma?" asked Usagi, looking up. "You're okay?" Ranma nodded. "Tell me! What happened to Michiru-san?!" Usagi asked quickly.

  "That was a bottle of Nannichuan water. Pool of Drowned Man." Ranma sighed. "That bottle was supposed to cure my curse and... damn... Just what the hell happened anyway? Last thing I remember is Happosai trying to uncork the bottle and then..." he shuddered. They... The c-c-cats aren't around anymore, right?" He didn't notice the nervous twitch Mamoru gave behind him.

  "Um... no. I think you scared them, acting like that..." Usagi said uneasily. Actually, they were hiding under some bushes, but she left that out.

  "Was _that_ the Neko-ken?" asked Rei. Ranma had mentioned he was a bit of a live grenade while in that state. *Might as well be sure,* she thought.

  Ranma nodded. "Apparently, the Happo-daikarin was enough to shake me out of it." He looked at Minako. "Go get some hot _and_ cold water; we'll need'em." Minako threw one last nervous look at the male Michiru, then nodded, running up the steps of the shrine. Ranma pointed at Michiru with a wave of the hand. "How exactly _did_ she get splashed?"

  It was Ami, who was still cleaning Michiru's facial cuts, who answered in a detached, clinical tone. "After the dwarf tossed Luna at you, you began acting like a cat. You managed to separate the flask from him for a while and Haruka managed to save the flask before it spilled over the ground. Happosai," she continued, emphasizing disgust at the name, " tried to recover the flask, but you... hit him and he went flying over the rooftops. Unfortunately, he dropped one of those firecracker bombs near Haruka before you got rid of him. Haruka shielded herself from the explosion as best she could, but the flask went flying. Michiru was running towards Haruka; she was knocked out by the flask's impact with her forehead."

  Ranma blinked a couple of times, then looked at Haruka, who was still out. *Shielded _herself_? Haruka's a girl? Geez, am I gonna run into every cross-dresser in Tokyo?* He shook his head and took a deep breath. "So... she doesn't know she's cursed?"

  Ami looked up briefly, then shook her head. "It's unlikely."

  "What's going to happen to Michiru-san?" cut in Usagi anxiously.

  Ranma shrugged. "I'm sorry about it, but she's now cursed just like I am, except in reverse. Each time she's splashed in cold water, she'll flip into this form and hot water will turn her back into girl."

  "I suppose that if this Nannichuan had cured your condition, then the Nyannichuan could cure Michiru-san's condition, am I correct?" asked Ami.

  Ranma nodded. "It would, but the problem is that Jusenkyou is in China and Saffron and I kinda..."

  "Ranma? Is everything alright, son?" suddenly asked a voice from behind them.

  Ranma's eyes widened as he turned around. *Crap! Can't believe I forgot about Mom!* "Uh, yeah, Mom, I'm alright. Well... except for my cure, that is."

  Nodoka who had spent the last few minutes in a sort of daze, reached the circle of girls just as Minako came back with two glasses of water. "I saw the flask fly. What happened...?" she trailed off. She looked at her son worriedly. "Ranma, Kasumi hinted about the Neko-ken after you left, but I never thought..." Nodoka blinked, seeing the new Michiru on the ground, behind Ranma. "Oh my. This isn't good. Not good at all," she commented, forgetting all about the Neko-ken.

  "Well thank you for that brilliant observation," Rei muttered sarcastically.

  "You should show your elders more respect, Rei-chan!" Nodoka scolded.

  Rei stared at Nodoka. *Is she for real? Doesn't she realize what just happened?*

  Ranma interrupted before the pair got too far. He'd seen enough of Rei's temper to guess that the outcome wouldn't be all that pretty. "Mom, I'm sorry, but it looks like my cure is going to have to wait for now." He looked around the courtyard, frowning. "Where's Pop?"

  Nodoka scowled. "Your father ran away when Happosai threatened to take him on another training trip. I will need to speak to him about that."

  Ranma shook his head. Just like his old man to run away when Happosai was involved. "About the Neko-ken, Mom, I..."

  Nodoka cut him off. "No need, son. As I said, Kasumi had already warned me, but still," she shook her head, "this is another point I will have to talk about with my errant husband," she finished with a hint of steel in her voice.

  Ranma smiled and hoped Genma was going to pay up for that particular training blunder.

  "Um, Ranma?" asked Minako, coming back. "What do I do with these?" she held up two glasses of water.

  "Pour half the hot water on her head. She might freak less if she wakes up as a girl. We'll just have to tell her slowly."

  Behind them, Haruka stirred. "Haruka-papa's waking up!" Hotaru called out.

  Ranma grabbed the glass of water from Minako's hands and quickly upended half of it on Michiru's head. There were a few gasps when the change occurred. Dark blue hair became sea-green, and Michiru shrunk a bit, now filling the dress in the right places. The waist and the shoulder areas of the dress were completely ruined.

  Michiru groaned and put a hand to her head. That had _hurt_. *That will teach me about not dodging quickly enough...* she chastised herself. *How long have I been out?* she wondered.

  "Michiru-san? Are you okay?" Usagi's voice.

  Michiru tried to get on her feet and found herself helped by quite a few pair of hands. "What?..." she asked weakly. She absently noticed that some of her clothing was damp, if not completely wet. Even her hair. Why? And how had her shoes fallen off at that?

  "You were... um... knocked out by the flask when it hit your forehead," Ami answered.

  Why was Ami so hesitant? The flask? Ah, yes, the flask that Haruka was holding. It all came back in a flash. Haruka had caught the flask Ranma had tried to use... Akane said something about it. Right. It's water would turn the one who touched it into a man. Then there had been an explosion of some sorts, Haruka had been thrown backwards and...

  The flask had exploded all over her.

  Michiru stiffened, closed her eyes and quickly patted her chest. Nope, they were still there. They were wet, but they were there. She let out a relieved sigh. She opened her eyes and looked at the other girls who were looking at her with worried expressions. Mamoru, Ranma, who seemed to be sane again, and Akane were also there, looking worried as well. Ranma's mother, Nodoka, if memory served well, was standing behind Ranma. She looked worried too.

  And seeing so many people looking worried made her worried, too.

  "Um... Michiru-san?" said Usagi timidly. "Are you okay? I mean..."

  Michiru waved away her concerns. "I'm alright Usagi-chan. I've had worse..." she trailed off, unwilling to go further with Nodoka present. Her eyes widened as she remembered something. "Haruka!" she said quickly, struggling free of the helping hands. "Is Haruka all right?"

  Curiously, it was Ranma who restrained her. "He... I mean _she's_ okay. She got a bit burned from Happosai's Happo-daikarin, but Hotaru took care of it."

  "Michiru?" came Haruka's slightly unsteady voice

  Case in point.

  "Haruka!" Michiru said, relieved. She quickly hugged her slightly scorched love. "I was worried about you!"

  Haruka grinned, her usual demeanor quickly coming back to the fore. "Nothing can keep me down for long," she said with a smirk. Said smirk quickly vanished when she saw the bruise and the small cuts that Michiru had on her face. "Are _you_ okay? That bruise and those cuts..." she twisted around. "Hotaru-chan? Michiru's hurt. Could you come and heal her, please?"

  Hotaru smiled weakly. "Right..."

  Michiru swatted Haruka, almost petulantly. "I'm not an invalid! Hotaru-chan must be tired. Let her rest! Besides, I didn't even feel the bruise or the cuts until you touched them."

  Haruka looked back at Michiru and nodded reluctantly. "Okay..." she blinked, when it finally seeped in that Michiru was all wet and that her dress seemed ripped in some places, especially the shoulders and the waist. "What happened to you anyway?"

  "That flask you were holding blew up all over me," Michiru said, shrugging.

  A lump of ice formed in Haruka's gut. "But... Akane said that..."

  Michiru put a finger on her significant other's lips. "Nothing happened. I'm just wet, okay?"

  Haruka was about to relax when they heard several coughs from behind them. Both of them turned around too see everyone looking at them with really strange expressions. Haruka's left eyebrow twitched. "What?"

  "Err... um... well, you see..." hedged a very nervous Usagi uncertainly. Something did kind of happen and... well..." she trailed off and suddenly turned around, hiding behind Mamoru. "I can't say it, Mamo-chan!" the pony-tailed blonde wailed, clutching the young man's shirt tightly. "It's too horrible! Rei-chan, you're a shrine maiden, you tell her!" To the side, Ranma frowned.

  Rei blinked. "What? Why should I...!" she protested. She looked around wildly and pegged the first person she saw. "Minako, you're better at this than I am - tell Michiru!"

  Minako's eyes bugged out. "Me? No way! I'm stupid, not crazy!"

  Everyone looked at Minako strangely, except Ami, who groaned.

  Under the bushes, Artemis shook his head in disappointment. "There's no hope for that girl," he muttered sadly.

  Luna swatted him. "Be quiet!"

  "We should be out there helping them," complained Artemis.

  "Ranma's mother and that monstrous pig creature are still there. Besides, do you want Ranma to relapse into the Neko-ken? Thank you, but once was enough for me!" shot back Luna.

  "We are _definitely_ going to have to fix that problem," groused the white cat.

  Luna blinked. "How?"

  Artemis paused. "I'll let you know when I find an answer."

  Luna shook her head in disappointment.

  Meanwhile, Minako blinked, then mentally went over what she'd just said. She frowned. "That didn't come out right, did it?"

  Everyone shook their heads this time, except Haruka and Michiru, who were beginning to sweat.

  "Girls," said Michiru nervously. "What is it?" It couldn't be _that_. She was still a girl, wasn't she? Haruka was clutching her hand, saying nothing.

  Michiru began sweating even more when she saw Minako pass the buck to Makoto, who passed it to Hotaru, who quickly claimed she was too tired (it was a lie, of course, but she didn't want to deal with it) and passed it onto Ami, who lowered her eyes and politely declined.

  Haruka was getting _really_ nervous at this point. Ami refusing to explain something? This was bad. Very bad.

  Ami passed the buck to Ranma. The martial artist was about to pass the buck to someone else when Michiru, in an uncharacteristic burst of annoyance, stepped up and shook Ranma by the shirt.

  "Will you all stop this and tell me what's wrong!?" she said, annoyed.

  Ranma was sweating. *Why does this always happen to me?* Michiru obviously wasn't going to let go anytime soon, so it looked as if it was going to be up to him to explain. He turned sideways and glared at Usagi, who was peeking from behind Mamoru. "You owe me for this," he growled.

  Usagi nodded, ponytails bobbing.

  That somehow annoyed Ranma even more. He turned back to Michiru, who was developing a dangerous glint in her eyes. A quick look revealed that Haruka was getting there quickly too.

  *Tell her slowly, I had to say. This sucks.* Out loud, he said: "Err... what's the last thing you remember?"

  Michiru calmed down. Just a bit. "The last thing I remember is the flask hitting me in the head. It knocked me out," she said carefully.

  "What?" said Haruka, startled.

  Ranma took a deep breath, ignoring Haruka's subsequent apologies to Michiru. "Did you know what was in that bottle?"

  *Nononononononono....* boiled the thought in the back of her mind. "Akane said that the water would turn the one who touched it into a... man," Michiru said, stumbling on the last word. *What's wrong with me?* she thought frantically, looking at everyone's faces. Pity and sorrow were all she could find.

  *NO!*

  "But I'm still a girl, so that wasn't it, right?" she asked nervously. Why did they all flinch like that?

  "You... did get hit, Kaiou-san," Akane said softly. "The reason you're wet is because we splashed you with hot water before you woke up..."

  This time, it was Haruka who spoke up nervously. "This is a joke, right? Or we're dreaming all this?"

  Ranma sighed. "You don't wanna believe? Well, I don't blame you, but it ain't gonna go away..." he said reluctantly.

  "NO!" Michiru vehemently replied, becoming more agitated. "You're lying!"

  Ranma frowned. *This is getting us nowhere!* He took the glass of cold water from Minako's hands and sprayed some of it on her.

  "Hey!" the blonde protested. "What was _that_ for!?"

  "See?" Ranma said, pointing at the glass. "Regular cold water." He spilled some of it on himself, activating the curse. "It turns me into a girl, and it turns _you_" he said, splashing Michiru with the rest, "into a guy."

  Michiru had stared at Ranma's transformation just long enough for the martial artist to spray the rest of the cold water on her. She felt a tingle all over her body and later on, she would liken what came next as being molded like clay. She felt parts of herself shift, her chest contracting and blinked when she realized that she had _grown_ slightly. When the tingling vanished, the first thing she noticed was that her dress now felt very constricting. She was also rather glad she wasn't wearing her small shoes right now, as she felt her feet become substantially bigger.

  Slowly, still staring straight ahead, she patted her chest. Yep, they were gone. She took a look at her hand and the arm attached to it and realized that both were bigger than she remembered. *It's... true?...*

  Darkness.

  Haruka watched slack-jawed as Michiru's female features simply melted and reformed into those of a man who could easily pass for the violinist's brother. Michiru's new, more angular facial features were the first thing she saw. Then came the deep blue hair and the change in height. *Michiru?...* she thought dazedly.

  She was about to put a hand on her... _his_ shoulder, but halted when she saw him pat himself on the chest, then look at his hands. Haruka barely had time to recuperate from the shock when Michiru suddenly passed out. The sandy-haired woman managed to catch her now male love before the body hit the ground.

  Cries of concern burst from everywhere at once.

  "Michiru-san!"

  "Michiru!"

  Ranma watched as everyone suddenly crowded around Michiru. She mentally replayed the last few seconds and winced in sympathy. The chest patting gesture had felt all-too-familiar to her. It wasn't what she'd done the first time, but it was close enough. She couldn't, however, decide if Michiru's passing out was a good or a bad thing. But first things first. She walked over to Nodoka, who was shaking her head silently.

  "Mom?"

  Nodoka started, as if disturbed from something. "Yes, son?"

  Ranma shook her head. "I'm sorry you had to see that, Mom..."

  Nodoka sighed. "You were so close to being a true man once again. This truly is misfortune."

  Ranma grunted. "Somehow, I shoulda known something like that would happen."

  Nodoka frowned slightly "What do you mean?"

  "Every single time I get close to a cure, something happens. You saw what happened the first time Akane and I were almost married... It's as if someone or something doesn't want me to get cured."

  "You _will_ be cured one day, son. Even if it is not today." Nodoka looked at Michiru, who was being hauled back into the shrine. "What will happen to her?"

  Ranma sighed. "Well, she'll be cured if she can get ahold of some Nyannichuan, but I don't know if she'll have as many problems as I did when she does try to get cured. The good news is that she didn't scream or run away, so there's a chance she'll deal with it better than I did."

  Nodoka nodded absently. Her gaze turned back to Katsunishiki, who was still looking at Ranma, then down the street where Genma had fled. She scowled. "I have to go, son. I still have to track down your cowardly father." She turned to her erstwhile daughter. "None of the girls here seemed very surprised when you changed, son," she said with an edge in her voice. "Did they already know of the curse?"

  "They're Rei's friends, Mom," Ranma said quickly. "They found out by accident! One of them tripped and dropped a glass of water on me."

  Nodoka raised an eyebrow. "And what did they say about the curse?"

  Ranma sweated. "They didn't mind all that much. They were startled, but that's about it."

  The older woman seemed satisfied with the explanation. "Well, I must leave, son. Have you found a new place to stay?"

  Ranma nodded. "Yeah, just found it earlier today. We were plannin' on moving there this evening, in fact."

  Nodoka nodded and looked around. "Where is Akane-chan?"

  As if she had been summoned, Akane appeared on top of the shrine steps and quickly jogged towards them. When she came close, she held out an envelope in front of her. "I was writing a letter to Ryouga-kun and Akari-chan," she said by way of explanation. "I thought Katsunishiki could take the letter back with him." She turned to the massive pig. "Can you?"

  Katsunishiki grunted what Akane guessed was an affirmative.

  "Can I read it first?" asked Ranma.

  Akane nodded and handed the letter to her. Ranma read it, wincing a bit, then nodded, giving it back to Akane, who went to tie it on the leftover end of Katsunishiki's collar.

  *I hope Ryouga won't be too disappointed by what happened to the water...* the redheaded girl thought.

  Nodoka hugged Ranma and Akane. "I hope everything will go well here," she said. She faced Ranma. "I hope you will help that poor girl deal with her curse. That would be a manly thing to do."

  Ranma gave a pained smile at her mother's words. *Just what I needed. Another reason to stay near those weirdoes,* she thought glumly. "Uh... sure, I'll help her. You bet."

  Nodoka nodded and turned to Akane, a pensive look on her face. "Akane-chan?"

  "Yes?"

  "Walk with me for a while. I wish to ask you some questions." Nodoka's tone was pleasant, if neutral.

  Akane and Ranma glanced at one another curiously, then turned back to Nodoka. "Sure."

  They bade goodbye to one another once more and soon, Nodoka, Akane and Katsunishiki were walking away at a leisurely pace.

  Ranma turned back towards the shrine, and let out a deep breath. *Time to deal with _this_ mess.* As she trudged back up the shrine steps, she wondered why Akana hadn't made an appearance yet. *Oy! Akana!* she hollered silently.

  No answer.

  Ranma frowned and tried again, without any more success. *That's strange,* she thought, but quickly pushed the subject away when she met up with Usagi at the main entrance.

  "Ranma! Is your mother still around?" she quickly asked.

  Ranma blinked. "No, she left a minute ago. Akane went with her..." she didn't get a chance to finish, as Usagi flashed past her, running down the steps of the shrine. The red-headed girl stared. *What was _that_ all about?* Her questions went unanswered, as Mamoru approached her.

  "Ranma! Did you see Usagi somewhere?" he asked, a puzzled tone in his voice.

  Ranma frowned in confusion and pointed behind her. "She was here, she asked me where my mother was and poof, she was gone." She paused. "Does she do that often?"

  Mamoru shrugged uneasily. "Sometimes," he admitted.

  The two silently stared at one another for an entire minute before they blinked at the same time.

  "Soo..." Ranma said, suddenly eager for a change of scene, "Did Michiru wake up?"

  Mamoru nodded, still looking at Ranma curiously. "We moved hi... _her_ into Rei's room," he corrected himself. "Haruka's not doing so well, though. She's either flogging herself for what happened or frothing at the mouth at the injustice of it all."

  Ranma rolled her eyes. "Greeeaaat!" she muttered sarcastically. "Add two more people who'll want to kill me."

  Mamoru blinked in confusion. "What's _that_ supposed to mean? Haruka's angry, yes, but not at you. It's the dwarf, Happosai, she wants to kill."

  It was Ranma's turn to blink in confusion. "What?! You mean she isn't out to kill me or maim me?" That was rather unusual.

  Mamoru looked at Ranma doubtfully. "Nooo..." he replied slowly. "You do know who Haruka is, don't you?"

  Ranma nodded. "She's a Senshi, I understand that much, but I don't know which one..."

  "Uranus, and Michiru is Neptune," completed Mamoru. "From what I could gather, Haruka knows that it was Happosai who attacked Usagi and Minako at Juuban and since it was one of _his_ bombs that caused all this, well..." he shrugged uneasily. "He'll be in big trouble if she catches up to him."

  Ranma nodded absently. There actually was someone who believed it wasn't her fault? That was almost something to celebrate about. "I'm going to go see Michiru. I guess... I guess I'm the one who can best relate to her right now..." she said slowly.

  Mamoru nodded and they both went inside.

  "I'LL KILL HAPPOSAI!" raged Haruka, pacing in the corridor. In front of Rei's room, Minako and Makoto and Rei were keeping an eye on her, while Ami and Hotaru were waiting inside Rei's room for Michiru to wake up.

  "Why don't you yell louder?" groused Rei. "I think some people on Hokkaido didn't hear that last one."

  Haruka glared at her. "I don't care! As soon as I figure out how to cure Michiru, we'll hunt him down together and kill that stinking little piece of... AAAARRRGH!!" She breathed heavily for a moment. "And then I'll kill him again because he hurt Usagi!"

  Ami suddenly poked her head out of Rei's room. "Would all of you mind being quiet for a while? All this yelling is not conducive to a peaceful recovery for Michiru," she said in a stern voice, just before closing the door again.

  Rei, Haruka, Minako and Makoto stared at the door for a few moments.

  "Come on," Rei said. "Let's go in another room, at least."

  A bit later, Haruka was still grumbling about the various operations she would perform on Happosai. Without anaesthetics, of course.

  "Can you leave me a piece of him to play with?" asked Makoto seriously.

  Minako and Rei stared at Makoto.

  Haruka pierced Makoto with her gaze, then nodded after a few seconds. "Sure."

  Minako and Rei looked at one another and winced.

  "You might find that to be a tad harder than you think," said a dry voice from behind Haruka.

  Haruka spun around, spotting Mamoru and Ranma, still in female form. "You stayed," said Haruka, surprisingly calm.

  Ranma sighed. "This whole mess is partly my fault..." she trailed off and looked at Haruka, who, while younger, was taller than her, in either form.

  Haruka cut her off. "It's not your head I want - it's that bastard Happosai; he's the one who splashed her!" she said angrily. "Where is he now?"

  Ranma shrugged. "Last thing I remember is collapsing under the Neko-ken. I've absolutely _no_ idea what I was doing when I was under."

  Haruka shook her head and gave a mirthless laugh, then looked back up at Ranma. "Tell me something. Is it... permanent?"

  "She'll be subject to the hot-cold water rule like I am, but the only true cure would be for her to be splashed with some Nyannichuan."

  "Where do I get some Nyannichuan?" asked Haruka quietly.

  "Jusenkyou, in the Bayankala mountain range, in China."

  "Michiru and I are well off. We can afford the trip," Haruka said confidently, then took a step back in surprise when Ranma and Mamoru both reeled backwards, as though they had been punched.

  Ranma's eyes bulged open and she turned back to Mamoru, who was not looking all that well. "Did you do that?" she asked shakily, unable to muster any anger.

  Mamoru frantically shook his head back and forth. "No," he said a bit hoarsely. "That was most definitely _not_ me!"

  Everyone else in the corridor was staring at them.

  "Ranma? Mamoru?" Rei asked worriedly. "What's wrong?"

  Ranma shook her head, looking somewhat pale. "Not sure, but whatever it was, it was _not_ pleasant!" she said quickly.

  Haruka was looking all around as if she expected someone to attack. "What are you talking about? Is it an enemy?"

  "No..." said Mamoru slowly, leaning against the wall. "It was... I don't know... like a..." he trailed off, obviously trying to pin a word to what had just happened.

  "A gut feeling," Ranma completed, and Mamoru nodded, unsure.

  Rei was beginning to feel decidedly uncomfortable. "What _kind_ of gut feeling?"

  Mamoru frowned. "Danger."

  "Doom," Ranma followed almost immediately.

  "Uh, guys?" Makoto said nervously. "What are you talking about? And how did you two do that?"

  Mamoru looked at Ranma, who shrugged uneasily. "It happened as soon as Haruka said she could afford the trip - I... I got this feeling of danger..." He shook his head. "It was like a worse version of the feeling I get when Usako's in danger, but it didn't have anything to do with _her_ this time."

  Ranma's eyes narrowed in thought. "Yeah," she murmured. "Was it a warning?" she asked slowly, looking at Mamoru, who thought about it.

  "Wait!" Rei interrupted. "If it _was_ some kind of psychic warning, why were you the only ones who received it?" Ranma looked oddly at her cousin, then at Mamoru, who shook his head. who suddenly understood. "Your... link, or whatever with Mamoru, right?"

  Ranma nodded curtly. "Though I have no idea _what_ exactly that was," she said slowly.

  Rei blinked and suddenly took on a curious expression. "I wonder..." she trailed off.

  Everyone else in the corridor waited for the rest.

  She shook her head. "I'll do a fire reading, but still, I wonder if..." she trailed off again, looking at Ranma and Mamoru with narrowed eyes.

  "What?" Ranma asked irritably.

  Rei paused for a second. "I wonder if that wasn't some sort of vague precognition ability you two have. It might be that you can do something similar to my fire readings."

  "Precognition?" said Mamoru, unsure.

  Ranma looked equally unsure. "I don't remember Akana or Endymion ever having that power..." she said doubtfully.

  Rei shook her head. "I know a lot about this sort of thing, Ranma. I'm sure I could list several reasons why you have it now and not then."

  Ranma still didn't look convinced, but before she could answer, Haruka spoke up: "That's all well and fine, but I still don't see what that was about. They can't even tell what the danger was about!" she protested. "Michiru can do some precog at times with the Mirror and even you, Rei, you do some at times with your fire readings, but you know how to interpret it; _they_ can't!" she finished, pointing at Ranma and Mamoru.

  Rei raised an eyebrow. "Really, Haruka? They said that the... warning or whatever came right after you said you'd go to China with Michiru. I'd think about that if I were you."

  Ranma looked at Mamoru curiously. Mamoru shrugged slowly, and Ranma nodded thoughtfully. Haruka glared at the priestess, but Rei was unruffled.

  "There's a reason why these warnings happen, Haruka. Maybe you should have Michiru look at the Mirror before rushing to China."

  Haruka frowned. "I can't believe this! Don't you want Michiru to be cured?" she snarled.

  It was Rei's turn to frown. "All I'm saying is that you should ask Michiru to take a look at the Mirror before you go!" she retorted.

  "Hey, hey!" Makoto stepped in between the two. "This isn't worth starting a fight over!"

  Haruka glared a little more at Rei, then looked at Ranma. "So what can I do to help Michiru, then?"

  Ranma shrugged apologetically. "Help her to deal with it. And you might want to be aware that Jusenkyou tends to make us cold water magnets."

  "Us?" Haruka looked puzzled.

  "Me, Kaiou-san and every other Jusenkyou-cursed person I've ever met," Ranma said.

  "You know other people who switch genders?" asked Makoto incredulously.

  "The don't necessarily change genders, they can change into animals, too," the redhead explained. Seeing the looks, she kept going. "I know people who turn into pigs, pandas, ducks, even c-c-ats," she said, stumbling on the last word.

  Everyone stared at Ranma.

  "It's true!" she protested. "There's also this asshole who was baptized into the Niuhoomanmaorenniichuan." Ranma saw the puzzled looks and sighed. "Spring of Drowned Yeti Riding a Bull carrying a Crane and Eel," she explained.

  Minako blinked. "What does he look like?"

  "Like a giant, winged bull with an eel tail. He got octopus tentacles later on, too. You'd probably mistake him for a demon or something."

  There was some more staring.

  "I'm beginning to understand why the monster at the train station didn't bother you much..." Rei said slowly.

  Ranma rolled her eyes. She looked at Rei, then at the others. "Well. Akane's gonna be back soon, so I'll go get our things ready."

  Rei blinked. "What are you talking about?"

  "We found an apartment earlier," Ranma explained. "We've even paid for it. All we need is to get our suitcases there and we'll be settled."

  As Ranma was moving out of the room, Rei called out: "What about the discussion we were having before we were interrupted?"

  The pig-tailed redhead stopped and slowly looked back at Rei, anger visible on her features. "Why don't you _discuss_ it with your friends?" she said venomously. "None of you seem to understand the concept of privacy." She paused, then looked at Mamoru. "Maybe except _you_. Sometimes."

  Everyone except Rei and Mamoru reddened slightly, though Haruka barely gave any sign of it. Mamoru sighed and Rei narrowed her eyes. She opened her mouth and was about to speak when she heard Usagi's voice at the entrance.

  * * *

  <A few minutes earlier>

  "So are you going to tell me what you were talking about with Nodoka?" Akane asked Usagi, who was walking alongside her. Both girls were heading back to the Hikawa Shrine, having taken their leave from Nodoka a few minutes earlier. Katsunishiki had left even earlier, scaring quite a few people as he left the neighborhood.

  The blonde with the odd hairdo besides her smiled thinly. "I just... I just wanted to make sure I understood how she sees Ranma."

  Akane looked at Usagi oddly. "You didn't tell her about Ranma being a Senshi, did you?" she asked nervously. She had only left both of them alone for a few minutes; she hoped nothing bad would come of it.

  Usagi shook her head vigorously. "Of course not!" She calmed down slightly. "It's just that after hearing about Ranma's childhood and that... that... seppuku pledge," she shuddered at the thought, "I really wanted to speak with his mother to see if she was really that bad."

  Akane glanced once more at the younger girl. "And?"

  Usagi was silent for a while. "I hadn't thought there were still people who thought like she does." She hesitated. "She was very... um... vocal about Ranma's manliness."

  Akane smiled grimly. She knew what Usagi was talking about. Nodoka had grilled the newly wedded woman, trying to make sure that her son was still as manly as ever. If anything, the fact that he was in a shrine and surrounded by younger girls had only made Nodoka prouder, the only shadow being the fact that the couple had not yet... consummated their union.

  Akane couldn't help shivering slightly. Nodoka's idea of manliness still bothered her at times. At least Usagi's presence had prevented Nodoka from going into extreme details about what Akane should do when the time finally came. However, Akane had still been severely embarrassed by her new mother's behavior.

  "Don't worry about it, Usagi-chan," said Akane reassuringly. "Her bark is a lot worse than her bite."

  Usagi looked at Akane nervously. "She was carrying a _katana_," the blonde pointed out.

  Akane shrugged.

  Usagi looked at her again, then shook her head. For a few minutes, neither of them said a word, until Usagi suddenly stopped. Akane look behind her. "What's wrong?"

  "Are you ever going to tell Ranma that you're the Saturn Knight?" Usagi asked quietly.

  Akane flinched. "It's not quite that easy, Usagi-chan. Ranma..." she sighed, "I just don't know how he'll react anymore. He really seems to hate the whole idea of being a Senshi and he looks hell-bent on holding that promise of his to me. If I tell him I'm the Knight, I don't know what he'll think of me; I... _I'm_ the one who was advocating for a quiet life and now..." she trailed off, unsure as to how she should continue.

  "And now you want to help us," concluded Usagi.

  Akane sighed again. "I'm not sure anymore what I want anymore, Usagi-chan. Before Ranma came to Nerima, I was respected as the strongest martial artist in the neighborhood. But with Ranma's arrival came all the lunatics who either wanted to kill him or marry him or do the same to me. I went from best to one of the weakest almost instantaneously. Do you have any idea how depressing that was? But now, I can fight on an even keel. If something threatens me, I can fight back."

  Usagi suddenly looked nervous. "You're not thinking of using your magic on people, are you?"

  Akane shook her head. "Of course not. Besides, that part of our lives is over... I hope. You weren't there when Ranma fought Saffron in China. You didn't see what he went through for me. He never told anyone, but I know he had nightmares for the following weeks. All that because I couldn't fight well enough to prevent myself from being kidnapped. I owe him, Usagi-chan."  Akane raised her head and looked at the sky. "If Kiima showed her face again, I could beat the crap out of her, I'm sure of it," she said softly.

  Usagi looked at Akane, trying to make sense out of what the older girl rambled on about. This was the first time she'd heard anything about a "Saffron", yet she didn't pry. Something told her that Akane would not elaborate anyway. She sighed. It looked as if Sailor Terra would not be making appearances after all. She thought of something else and frowned slightly. "Um... About the demon that attacked Ranma... I mean, Ranma said there might be more sent after him. Do you think he was right?"

  A troubled look crossed Akane's features. "It's possible. Happosai's always been a sore loser if anything and I wouldn't be surprised if Ranma goes ballistic next time he sees that decrepit hentai. It won't be pretty, I can assure you of that."

  Usagi shivered. "He won't be the only one out for blood. The relations between our groups have improved in the last few months, but I don't think having Michiru cursed like that is going to help things along. I don't _really_ know Haruka all that well, but if there's one thing that's consistent about her, it's that she's extremely protective of Michiru. If she finds that Happosai character, I'm afraid she won't hesitate to try and kill him for what he did to Michiru."

  Akane blinked. "Your groups?"

  Usagi nodded. "Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and I are... the main group, you could say. Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto are the second group and they're usually concerned with other matters. Our group worked alone for a long time before we even knew of the others' existence. And worse, when we finally _did_ meet, we didn't exactly get off on the right foot," Usagi commented ruefully, remembering all that had happened in the fight against the daemons, Mistress 9 and Pharaoh 90.

  Akane blinked. "Mmmhh... Who's Pluto? I don't believe I met her..."

  Usagi sighed. "She's the Guardian of Time. As for where she is, I have no idea. She can disappear at a moment's notice and no one's seen her recently..." she trailed off, eyes widening.

  "That's not what I meant, Usagi-chan," said Akane, shaking her head. "I remember enough from Kanma's life to know that, I just wanted to know her real name..." Akane didn't finish her question when she noticed Usagi's startled expression.

  "THAT'S IT!!" suddenly cried Usagi happily. She turned to Akane. "Pluto'll be able to go back in time and undo what happened to Michiru!"

  While Usagi was busy celebrating that fact, Akane frowned slightly. She put a hand on Usagi's shoulder, calming the happy blonde. "Um, Usagi-chan, I don't mean to depress you or anything, but why didn't Pluto do anything to _prevent_ this from happening in the first place? My memories of her are spotty, but still, I remember her having excellent foresight..."

  The observation considerably dampened Usagi's enthusiasm. "But... But why would she do something like that on purpose? Setsuna does odd things at times, but she would never allow Michiru to be cursed on _purpose_! From what I can tell, she treats Haruka, Michiru and Hotaru like little sisters!" Usagi shook her head. "I can't believe she'd do something like that."

  Akane was thinking hard by now. *So, her name is Setsuna now, is it? That's good to know.* Her memories of her from Kanma were not necessarily fond ones. She did remember Pluto as being fairly crafty, though. Maybe she had a secret agenda? Aloud, she continued: "The way I see it, there are two choices: either she had no idea this was going to happen; I mean, it could be a mistake, but what if she _knew_ what was going to happen? What would she gain by that? Cursing Michiru would serve no purpose..." A horrible suspicion suddenly bloomed in Akane's mind. *What if Pluto did nothing... in order to prevent Ranma from getting cured?* She quickly put a damper on the thought. Ranma had complained numerous times that she jumped to conclusions too quickly. *I'll confront Pluto first,* she decided. If it _was_ a mistake, everything would be fixed and... Ranma would have the Nannichuan.

  So why didn't she feel any happier about it?

  Meanwhile, Usagi was thinking thoughts of her own and was also planning a confrontation with Setsuna when the time came. There just _had_ to be a good reason for what had happened. A guilty corner of her mind suggested that if it had been _Haruka_ who had been hit with the Nannichuan, she could have understood, but Michiru? Try as she might, she couldn't come up with a reason.

  Suddenly, both of them realized that they were back at the Shrine. Wordlessly, each of them caught in her own thoughts, the climbed the steps to the top where Usagi announced her presence with a mild "Tadaima!"

  * * *

  Rei was quick to abandon pursuit of Ranma and homed in on Usagi's voice. As she turned a corner, she began berating the blonde: "Where have you _been_, meatball head?" the young priestess complained. "We could have used your help you know..." she trailed off when she saw Akane looking at her with a raised eyebrow. Rei immediately shifted gears. "I need to have a word with _you_, Akane."

  Usagi rolled her eyes and went to find the others.

  The new target of Rei's temper sighed. "What is it, Rei?"

  "You really _have_ to tell Ranma about your being Saturn Knight," she nearly hissed. "You heard what he said when we were arguing before everything went to hell. The only thing that's really stopping him is _you_."

  Akane jumped and looked around for signs of Ranma's presence. "Don't say that out loud!" she whispered urgently. "He might hear you!"

  Rei shook her head. "He won't," she said in a low voice. "He's busy packing your things. He says he found your apartment already." She paused. "So when _are_ you going to tell him?"

  Akane was silent for a few moments, observing Rei. "Not yet," she finally said.

  Rei's eyes got wide. "Why?"

  "Because I want to talk to Pluto, first," Akane said forcefully. "I want to know if she had anything to do with this fiasco. I want to know why she didn't prevent all this from happening!"

  The answer took Rei by surprise, although it should not have. Akane had raised an extremely valid point. Where _was_ Setsuna? Why hadn't she done anything? *Especially since it concerns their group,* she added in her mind. Rei looked at Akane curiously. "How did you know about Pluto, anyway?"

  Akane tapped her head. "My memories from Kanma. I hadn't really thought about her until Usagi mentioned her name by accident when we were coming back together. I want to see her, Rei. How can I contact her?"

  Rei thought about it. "You might want to ask any Haruka, Michiru or Hotaru-chan. They have a lot more contact with her than we do." She paused and looked at Akane again. "This is a really big mess, you know."

  Akane sighed again. "I know," she said, sounding tired. She looked around. "So, is Michiru-san awake yet?" Inside, she cringed. It was _not_ going to be a fun next few weeks for the violin player.

  "Hotaru and Ami are with her," Rei said, walking back to the living room. "Ami chased us off because we were making too much noise." When they both got there, they saw Usagi talking to Haruka.

  "So you see," they heard the long-haired blonde finish,"if we can find Setsuna, I'm sure she'll put everything back together."

  Haruka looked like she wanted to shoot herself. She sat on a couch, stunned. "I can't believe I didn't think about Pluto," she said in a voice barely above a whisper. She then broke into a wide grin. "All right! This'll be over before it becomes any worse!"

  While she was congratulating herself, Akane winced slightly. Before she could speak, Makoto raised a hand, her expression uncertain.

  "I don't wanna rain on your parade, Haruka, but why would Pluto wait this long to act if she was gonna do something?" Rei nodded, frowning.

  Haruka frowned, her good mood vanishing almost instantly. "You... have a point. I'm not sure, but I'll ask her as soon as she pops back in."

  "Speaking of Pluto, we are going to have a _very_ long chat with her," came an irritated female voice from the corner.

  Everyone turned in time to see Luna and Artemis glide into the room. The black cat immediately headed towards Usagi while the white one headed for Minako.

  "This is a complete and utter mess," said Artemis. "Ranma's mad at nearly everyone, Michiru's cursed... I can't believe Pluto would allow things to go this bad." He turned his heads towards Akane. "I'm sorry about the loss of Ranma's cure, Akane-san. I never expected this... Neko-ken to be as dangerous as it ended up being."

  Akane smiled wanly. "That was mild. He could have turned the entire shrine into kindling if he he'd been feeling like it."

  Everyone stared at her.

  Luna eventually broke the silence. "Is there _any_ way we can get close enough to Ranma to talk to him, Akane-san?"

  Akane shook her head. "I don't think so. He knows what you are now." *And I'm still trying to get used to _you_,* she added silently.

  Artemis and Luna both blinked. "What do you mean?" they chorused.

  "Apparently, he heard Minako refer to you by name when she came to get you earlier for the meeting at Michiru's place," put in Usagi. "Somehow, he heard enough to make the connection."

  "That's no good," Artemis muttered. When he saw the questioning looks, he elaborated: "I'd been thinking that if he closed his eyes Luna and I might have been able to talk to him, but I don't think it'll work now."

  "Haruka," said Luna after a pause. "We're extremely sorry about Michiru. If we can ever help, you need only ask."

  Haruka's lips curled into a sardonic smile.

  Before the conversation could advance further, Ami walked in the room. "Michiru is awake, Haruka," she said, addressing the sandy-haired woman. "Ranma and Hotaru are talking with her right now, but I think she really needs to see you.." she trailed off.

  Haruka was already gone.

  Ami blinked and looked towards Rei's bedroom. A smile flickered on her face before she shook her head and turned back to the others. "So? What is the present status of things?"

  "Not again..." muttered Minako.

  * * *

  A few moments earlier, Ranma, male again after a trip to the kitchen, had finished packing his things when he heard Ami leave Rei's room. He looked at the door for a moment, then, sighed softly. Walking up to it, he knocked softly.

  "Come in," a voice said from inside.

  Ranma opened the door and saw Michiru sitting on the bed, her back against the wall. Hotaru was besides her, looking slightly exasperated.

  "Ranma-san!" exclaimed Hotaru. She gave a quick look to Michiru, who was looking at Ranma somewhat suspiciously. She turned back to Ranma. "Can you convince her that it isn't the end of the world, please? She's been depressed ever since she woke up."

  "I'm not depressed," said Michiru glumly.

  Hotaru rolled her eyes and Ranma couldn't help the slight curving of his lips. It was odd, seeing someone go through what _he_ had gone through so long ago. "Look, Hotaru's right - it ain't the end of the world. Heck, I went through the exact same thing as you, if in reverse," Ranma explained. "Look at the bright side; with Haruka around, you won't have to buy a lot of new clothes..." He trailed off when he saw the glares he was receiving from both girls. "Sorry!" he amended quickly. "You know, if you can manage to get some Nyannichuan, you'll be completely cured."

  Michiru's features brightened at that, eyes wide. Hotaru's did the same, for that matter, which caused Ranma to breathe a sigh of relief. It was also at that time that Haruka burst in the room.

  "Michiru! Are you okay, love?" asked Haruka quickly.

  Michiru smiled a bit. "I'll... I'll be okay, Haruka. I just need time to... adjust," she finished uneasily.

  Haruka was already holding the green-haired girl's hands in her own. "You may not have to. For all we know, Pluto will probably undo this whole mess."

  Michiru and Hotaru's eyes went wide. Ranma frowned and closed his eyes.

  "How could I have forgotten about Pluto?" moaned Michiru. Hotaru closed her eyes and whispered something under her breath.

  Before Michiru could go on, Haruka squeezed Michiru's hands a bit more. "Even if she's not here, we can go to this Jusenkyou ourselves and get your cure."

  Ranma frowned. "Haruka, what about the vision?"

  "I'll deal with that in due time, Ranma," said Haruka testily, while Michiru just looked inquisitively at Ranma.

  "Vision?" inquired the violinist. "What vision? Did Rei do a fire reading?"

  Ranma looked faintly uneasy. "No, it wasn't Rei, it was me and Mamoru."

  Michiru blinked. "I knew Mamoru had a hint of psychic talent, but I didn't know either of you were precognitives."

  Ranma rolled his eyes. "_I_ don't think it was precognition, but Rei's pretty sure it was."

  Michiru looked thoughtful. "Rei does know what she is about when it comes to that, Ranma. So what kind of vision was it?"

  Ranma glanced at Haruka, who looked mildly irritated. He got the message. "I'll let Haruka tell you; she was there. I gotta go anyway." And with that, Ranma left the room, only to notice Hotaru coming out after him.

  She caught his inquisitive look. "I think you got the right idea: they need to be alone together for now," she answered.

  "Hotaru-chan?" asked Ranma. "Can I ask you two questions?"

  Hotaru blinked. "If I can. What about?"

  Ranma took a breath: "You've been hanging out with Akane, yes?"

  The purple-eyed girl nodded vigorously, mindful of how much she should reveal about her relation to Akane. "She's really nice and she also got rid of some bullies who were picking on me."

  Ranma's eyes narrowed slightly. "Does she know you're a Senshi?" he asked slowly.

  Hotaru jumped slightly at the statement. "What does that have to do with anything?"

  The martial artist scowled, but relented after a while. He hefted his and Akane's bags and turned to Hotaru. "The point is this, kid: I don't want her to be involved with this madness. She doesn't want any part of it, trust me. If you wanna stay _friends_ with her, I won't stop you, but don't drag her in any Senshi business, got that?" he warned.

  Hotaru took a step back. "Did you even ask her about it?" she asked nervously. Ranma scowled further, which quelled the young girl's protests.

  Ranma looked pensive for a moment that looked at Hotaru again. "I've only got one more question: where can I find Sailor Pluto?" This time, Hotaru shrugged. "I have no idea where she is right now. The last time we saw her was a little under a week ago and she hasn't shown up since..." she trailed off, then paused for a moment. "It's not normal for her to let something like this happen. I hope she's okay," she fretted.

  Ranma looked at her and gave a slight shrug. Haruka's mention of Sailor Pluto has triggered something inside his head, but his memories of her were rather vague. Akana had only met the Guardian once or twice in her life. That fact alone contributed to the vagueness. What Ranma _did_ remember, and that fact had been confirmed by Haruka, was that Pluto could move through time. That alone was worth a shot. *Then again,* thought Ranma glumly, *she's a Senshi too. She'll probably be on _their_ side.*

  Hotaru looked at Ranma, tilting her head slightly. "What are you going to do now, Ranma-san?"

  Ranma shook his head and looked at the small girl. "I'm going to get Akane and we're going to go to our apartment is what I'm gonna do."

  "No, I meant about the other things?"

  Ranma scowled. "There ain't gonna _be_ other things if I can help it." He quickly walked to the living room, preventing Hotaru from discussing the point further.

  * * *

  Half an hour later, Haruka, Michiru and Hotaru were on the way back to their apartment. Michiru and Hotaru had both been informed of the psychic flash of danger Ranma and Mamoru had felt, but Michiru wanted to be back at their home before she tried using the Mirror. She had had too many shocks and just wanted to rest now. She had barely been able to handle the pitying looks from the rest of the Senshi.

  Haruka was alternating between feeling miserable and wishing that Pluto would show herself so that this whole mess would be fixed. Makoto's words about why Pluto hadn't stopped anything from happening were still haunting her. *This just has to be a mistake!* she kept repeating to herself.

  As for Hotaru, she thought either of Michiru or of Akane. The first was quite understandable, as it wasn't every day that the figure you tended to think of as your mother suddenly became cursed to change into a man when wet. As for Akane, Hotaru was still concerned about what would happen between her and Ranma. She knew that her "sister" was in a bind. Akane had begged Ranma to try and not get into fights, something that Ranma had promised he would try. Only now, the tables were reversed and Akane was the hinge on which everything rested. That was assuming that Ranma wanted anything more to do with the Senshi.

  Her musings came to an end as Haruka pulled the car up in their small house's driveway. Haruka had once explained that between her wealth and Michiru's, they could have gotten something much bigger, but they didn't want to attract attention. Left unsaid was the staggering amount of secret funds Setsuna could tap into if things became necessary. Haruka and Michiru were silently walking up to the door when the automatic sprinklers that were installed on the front lawn suddenly activated, spraying the two young women.

  Hotaru blinked when she saw the transformation occur from behind Michiru. Her shoulders had suddenly broadened and her hair had suddenly turned dark blue. _He_ had also gained some height, making him a half-inch taller than Haruka, who gave a small jump at her lover's transformation.

  Michiru was standing rock still. He could feel his broader frame straining against the dress he wore, which already sported several rips. Actually, he could feel a lot of things that were not... quite pleasant right now. Maintaining his balance with ill-fitting heeled shoes that were quite possibly going to explode any second was bad enough for the moment. "Let's just go in," he said in a strained voice, surprised at his new voice's tone. "I don't want to deal with this right now."

  Haruka just stood besides him, staring and getting wetter by the moment, courtesy of the lawn sprinklers. She distractedly mumbled something about water magnets. She then suddenly twitched back to consciousness. "Er... Right," she said, quickly shoving the key into the lock. A quick twist later, they were all inside. Michiru hastily removed his shoes, breathing a sigh of relief. He looked a them and grimaced. *I'll have to buy new ones,* he thought before heading for the kitchen.

  Haruka followed him with her eyes until he disappeared. She sighed. *Poor Michiru,* she thought. *If it was possible, I'd take the curse in an instant.* She turned to Hotaru, who was also looking towards the kitchen. "Hotaru-chan, you'd better go to bed," said the older girl. "You _do_ have school tomorrow."

  Hotaru almost protested, but remained quiet when she saw Haruka's determined expression. "Hai, Haruka-papa," she said, with a touch of resentment in her voice.

  Once Hotaru had left, Haruka saw Michiru, female once more heading for their bedroom. Haruka eventually went to join her lover. Michiru had already discarded the ruined dress and was wearing a pale green nightgown. Sitting on the bed, she was looking at the aforementioned dress with some amount of longing.

  "Are you going to try the Mirror now, love?" asked Haruka.

  Michiru nodded. "I should. Setsuna still hasn't returned, so she won't be of any help for now." Reaching behind her, she removed the Deep Aqua Mirror from its subspace pocket and put it in front of her, concentrating on the possibility of going to China to get a cure.

  Haruka didn't have to wait for Michiru's interpretation of the images when she saw the expression on the other girl's face. "Not good, uh?"

  Michiru lowered the Mirror, looking a bit green around the gills, so to speak. "Not really," she said. "The Mirror wasn't very concrete, as usual, but I can safely say that it would mean our doom to go to China. Something to do with the airplane, I think."

  Haruka cursed. "So, Mamoru and Ranma's vision was accurate," she mumbled. After a moment, she added: "Then we wait for Setsuna. She's our best hope to fix this mess."

  They suddenly heard the front door squeak open.

  * * *

  Meiou Setsuna opened the door to the house she shared with three other Senshi and gave a sigh of relief. Maintaining so many cover identities was hard work, not to mention that Haruka and Michiru would probably have news about Sailor Terra, or rather Ranma Saotome.

  She couldn't help the small smile that crossed her features at the thought of the name. A long time she'd waited for him. A _very_ long time. She was mildly startled when Haruka and Michiru suddenly rushed into the living room. Michiru's expression was more than a little frazzled and Haruka looked very anxious.

  "Is there a problem, you two?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

  Michiru and Haruka stared at her, apparently stunned at something. Setsuna's brow crinkled in thought. *What's wrong with them?*

  "Don't you have _any_ idea what happened lately around here?" said Michiru in a strangled voice.

  Setsuna blinked. "If you're talking about Sailor Terra, I knew she, or rather _he_, would awaken soon, but..." she trailed off, noticing that Haruka's left eye was developing a nervous twitch, something that only happened when the girl was _very_ upset. "What happened? I assume Saotome proved to be somewhat intractable, but I had already anticipated that," she continued, then she blinked warily. Michiru was also developing nervous twitches. _That_ was definitely unusual. She frowned slightly. "All right you two. What happened?"

  Michiru suddenly made a dash for the kitchen, startling Setsuna. Before the dark-skinned woman could inquire as to the reason of such behavior, Haruka spoke up in a dangerous whisper: "What happened? Weren't you watching events from the Gate?"

  Setsuna frowned a bit more. "I haven't been to the Gate in a while now; I was all over Tokyo taking care of some personal problems for the last few days, but aside from Terra's appearance, I did not foresee any overly dangerous events..." she trailed off when Michiru suddenly put herself between Setsuna and Haruka, a glass of water in her hands.

  "_This_ is what's wrong!" she said in a distraught voice. She upended the glass of water over her head and changed once more, dangerously straining the limits of the nightgown's fabric.

  Setsuna's eyes bugged out. It took a lot to faze her, and Michiru had delivered. "What?.." she whispered. She stood there, slack-jawed for a few seconds, until her eyes suddenly narrowed. Silently, she raised a hand and a pale yellow glow appeared around it. Setsuna muttered a few words in a language neither Michiru or Haruka could follow. The glow went from yellow to chaotic mix of red, green, gold and black. Setsuna's eyes widened again and she nearly took a step back. "Jusenkyou," she whispered, shocked. Her eyes settled on Michiru's. "How did you come in contact with Jusenkyou water!?" she demanded forcefully, her gaze now unwavering.

  Michiru blinked when she saw the change of expression. "You recognize this curse?"

  Setsuna was now openly frowning. "I repeat the question: where did you come in contact with Jusenkyou water? There should not be _any_ active cursewater in Japan right now."

  "From what I was able to find out, this... Nannichuan water was a gift for Ranma," Haruka said slowly. She wondered how Setsuna could switch from shock to anger to poker face so quickly. What happened next took her completely by surprise

  Setsuna looked at Haruka with a horrified expression. "Nannichuan?" she whispered. Haruka nodded hesitantly. She caught Haruka by the shoulders. "Tell me Ranma did not get splashed with it as well!" she demanded.

  "He didn't!" she protested. "Michiru's the one who got splashed!"

  Setsuna sighed in relief. One crisis averted.

  By that time, Michiru was getting pretty steamed. "Oi! Setsuna!" he barked. "What about _me_?"

  Setsuna winced and turned back to the blue-haired man. "My apologies. I've been... rather concerned about Ranma's behavior lately," she said by way of explanation. "He must not be cured for a while yet."

  Michiru and Haruka shared a puzzled glance, then turned back to Setsuna, who was looking worriedly at Michiru. "So, can you go back in time and undo this?" Michiru asked hopefully.

  Setsuna shook her head. "I'm sorry, but I can't," she said sadly.

  "Why _not_?" demanded Haruka and Michiru together.

  The dark-haired woman winced. "I can sometimes guide events so that they will occur as I wish they would, but I have been forbidden to go back to the past to change minor events."

  "MINOR?" exploded Haruka. "You call what happened to Michiru _minor_!?"

  "Calm yourself, Haruka!" warned Setsuna. "The sad truth of it is that in the grand scheme of things, Michiru's curse _is_ a very minor event!"

  "But we saved the world lots of times!" Haruka complained. "Doesn't that count?"

  Setsuna just _looked_ at Haruka.

  "You interfered in the Black Moon War!" protested Haruka defensively.

  Setsuna almost rolled her eyes. "That was a _major_ event, Haruka. Besides, They cheated by sending their people into the past, so as the Guardian, I was justified in interfering."

  "You said you were forbidden to go back, Setsuna," Michiru interrupted. "Forbidden by whom?"

  Setsuna's eyes were far away for a moment. "By the one who granted me my power," she said stiffly.

  The other two's eyes widened slightly, but stayed silent for a moment. Haruka finally broke the silence. "Can't you bend the rules just this once?" she asked, then recoiled as Setsuna glared at her.

  "Setsuna, this isn't minor to _me_!" insisted Michiru. "Can't you do something? The Mirror tells me doom will occur if Haruka and I try to get the water that will counteract this curse."

  Setsuna's eyes widened. "Michiru, I know this is hard to understand, but do _not_ go to Jusenkyou for any reason! I have seen the effects of the Pools of Sorrow, and trying to cure yourself now would only result in something worse!"

  Michiru blinked. "What are you talking about?" he asked warily.

  Setsuna paused. "Think about it this way: a Jusenkyou curse is always inflicted for a reason. What that reason is, I don't know. Perhaps only Jusenkyou knows it. As long as you haven't fulfilled that reason, any attempt to get cured will only result in disaster."

  Michiru suddenly put the images he'd gotten from the Mirror together. *A plane crash?!* he thought, then shuddered.

  Haruka blinked. "What do you mean, disaster? Ranma would have been cured no problem if it hadn't been for that Happosai character.." she trailed off, eyes widening.

  Setsuna smiled grimly. "_Do_ you realize what happened? It was not Ranma's time to get cured, so something happened to interfere with the process."

  "But if Ranma wasn't _meant_ to be cured," Michiru said slowly, "why were you worried about whether he'd been cured in the first place?"

  "Because I don't know _when_ he will be allowed to be cured," explained Setsuna. "If it had been time for him, he would have managed to pour the Nannichuan on himself. Jusenkyou's designs are closed to me. I can't tell when someone has served their... sentence," she finished with a grimace. "It is like a geas in a way. A very insidious one at that."

  "Are you saying that those springs Ranma told us about are _sentient_?" asked a skeptical Michiru.

  Setsuna shrugged. "Perhaps, perhaps not. The definition of sentience varies depending on when, where and who you ask. Perhaps it is a form of sentience beyond ours, perhaps not. As I said, Jusenkyou's designs are closed to me. That place radiates so much chaos that my temporal foresight is useless against it."

  Haruka thought about something. "You mean it really _was_ Ranma's fault that Michiru got cursed?" she demanded incredulously.

  Setsuna shook her head. "Not exactly. It's more like Jusenkyou's fault, or rather, the fault of whoever sent the Nannichuan to Ranma in the first place. Even then, there is no indication that the individual who sent the water was aware of Jusenkyou's rules." She paused. "Or it could even be that Jusenkyou allowed the individual to send the water for some reason known only to itself. It might have been Jusekyou itself that masked the arrival of the water to Japan... " She frowned. "Bah! Far too many possibilities. I could speculate on the reasons for a century and still not find out the truth in the end. I keep telling myself that I should have foreseen something like this happening, but perhaps it was ordained that I would not see this event," she mused. "I will have to go back to the Gate to make sure."

  Haruka and Michiru both stared at the Guardian of Time. That had sounded... complicated. Even for Setsuna.

  "So what can I do?" asked Michiru worriedly. There was a creeping thought in the back of her mind that said Jusenkyou might have done all this to curse her on purpose, and that disturbed her. From what Setsuna had said, it seemed to be well within the pools' power.

  The green-haired woman sighed. "I'm sorry Michiru, but you'll have to deal with it for the moment. All I can say is that your Talisman should be quite sufficient in finding out whether it is all right for you to seek a cure."

  Haruka cringed when she saw Michiru's depressed look. She went over and held his hands. "Come on," she said softly. "Let's get some hot water and change you back." Michiru didn't answer. Haruka took a deep breath. "Michiru, I promised a long time ago that I'd stand by your side whatever happened. I'm not going to let you face this alone, I promise you that. We'll face it together, as we've always done, trust me," she finished confidently.

  Michiru cracked a small smile. "Thank you Haruka, I needed that," he said softly. Haruka smiled even more.

  Together, they began heading for the kitchen when Setsuna cleared her throat. Looking back, they saw her walking up to them with a piece of paper, which she gave to Michiru.

  He looked at it and saw an address and phone number. "What's this?" he asked, looking at Setsuna.

  Setsuna looked regretfully Michiru. "I'm truly sorry this happened to you, Michiru, but perhaps I can be of small help. These are the address and phone number of the new apartment where Ranma and Akane have moved. Ranma may be a bit... harsh at times, but he has a good heart inside. If you really need to talk to someone who understands what it is like to be cursed, he might be able to lend an ear to your problems. After all, he's been living with his curse for a long time, now."

  Michiru looked at the small paper, then gave a silent nod of thanks to Setsuna. As he went into the kitchen, Haruka turned to Setsuna. "I do have a question, though: why are you so interested in Saotome? Don't tell me it's because he's a Senshi; you panicked way more than I ever expected you to when I mentioned the Nannichuan."

  Setsuna looked at Haruka regretfully for a moment, then turned around, summoning the Garnet Rod. "It's something that only concerns a few people, Haruka, and you are not one of them. Perhaps one day you will find out, but not today. Leave it at that," said Setsuna calmly.

  Haruka blinked, and the Guardian of Time faded into nothingness.

  * * *

  Ranma and Akane both sneezed as they were unpacking their meager belongings in what would be their home for the next six months at the very least.

  Akane rubbed her nose. "Someone must be talking about us," she said.

  Ranma said nothing.

  Akane looked sideways at her husband. "Are you okay, Ranma? You've been kinda glum since we left Rei's shrine." Of course, she knew what he was brooding about, but appearances had to be maintained. If only until she found a safe way to explain everything to Ranma. She looked around their apartment, small but remarkably well-furnished for the price they had paid. Truly a special find.

  The trip from the Hikawa Shrine had been mostly silent, as Ranma had spent most of the time brooding as he was doing now. Akane had felt no inclination to disturb him, as she was busy thinking about issues of her own as well. The good-byes had been rather subdued as well. Rei and the other girls, playing along with the fact that Akane wasn't supposed to be aware of the truth, had not pressed Ranma for more answer, simply saying a cordial goodbye. Rei had offered to let Ranma sleep at the shrine for an extra night, but Ranma had had more than enough of all the insanity that went around and politely declined. Grandfather Hino had not returned when Ranma had left, but the latter had promised Rei that he would come back to thank the elder Hino at the very least.

  Ranma was lost in rather unwelcome thoughts when he noticed that Akane was looking at him worriedly. He forced a smile. "Don't worry, dear, I've just got a lot on my mind, but I think everything's going to be fine now."

  Akane couldn't help blushing slightly at the 'dear'. *If only he'd been this sweet from the beginning,* she thought, remembering the discordant start of their relationship. Glancing at Ranma once again, an idea took root in Akane's mind and she blushed beet red. Fortunately for her, Ranma had his back turned to her, so he missed Akane trying to get her heart rate back under control. *Nodoka just _had_ to make all those ecchi suggestions about it,* she thought nervously. *Well, it would certainly cheer him up. I hope. Not to mention that I _did_ promise...* She briefly wondered _who_ she was trying to convince with her justifications. She took a deep breath and schooled her features as best she could.

  "Ranma?" she said sweetly. "I'm going to go change, so be a dear and stay right here, okay?" Giving her husband a kiss on the cheek, Akane took a bathrobe she had brought with her and went to the bathroom.

  Ranma looked after her, wide-eyed. His fingers brushed the spot where his wife had just kissed him. *What was _that_ about?* he thought, bewildered. Well, whatever the reason, it _had_ shaken him out of his funk. He looked at the single futon he was going to share from now on with Akane... his wife.

  It hadn't quite sunk in yet that he was finally married to her, after two long years of delays, challenges, battles and unwanted wannabe lovers. *She's so much nicer like this,* he mused. *Why didn't she act like that from the beginning?* After a pause, he shook his head wearily. *I've got to get some sleep,* he thought. *These last few days have been insane. At least that's over now.*

  He removed his shirt and pants, and was wondering how he was going to approach Akane about the sleeping arrangements. At Rei's, the futons had been separate, despite Makoto's suggestion, so the... problem of single futons had not yet been an issue.

  "Ranma?" came Akane's trembling voice from behind him.

  He turned around. "Is something wrong... Akane...?" he trailed off with a squeak, his jaw now happily resting on the ground.

  Akane was standing in the bedroom door, wearing... not a lot, actually. She also had a healthy blush, due in no small part to the way Ranma was staring at her. "Well?" she asked, curious about what Ranma's next words would be.

  "You're... gorgeous..." Ranma whispered, eyes still open wide.

  Akane's sense of restraint was barely capable to stop her from just running up to Ranma and tackling him on the futon.

  Barely five seconds later, said sense of restraint went out the window and libido took its place.

  Ranma didn't go to sleep for a looooong time.

  What _did_ happen? Well, that... is a secret.

  * * *

  Much later that night, when Ranma and Akane had _finally_ fallen asleep, Ranma dreamt again. He found himself in the Tendo Dojo, wearing a gi, standing in front of a training dummy. He was almost beginning to wonder what the dream was about when Akana appeared off to the side in a silent flash, wearing a white gi of her own.

  Ranma was still a bit... out of it and didn't react for the first few moments. He did so, however, when Akana jumped at him, putting her hands around his neck... and gave him a great big kiss.

  The martial artist's eyes bugged out. He quickly pushed Akana off him and stared at her. "What the _hell_ was that about?!" he demanded, whatever euphoria he still had from his close encounter with Akane evaporating almost instantly.

  For a moment, as strange as it might seem, Akana looked as if she was about to cry. Suddenly, her eyes widened and she shook her head violently. "That was... unique," she mumbled.

  Ranma kept staring at her uncomprehendingly. "What's the matter with you?"

  Akana gave a weak smile. "Sorry 'bout that, but making love to Akane... well let's just say it had... unforeseen consequences, not that what happened earlier was any better, that is," she finished diplomatically.

  "You were spyin' on us?!" Ranma demanded, outraged.

  Akana rolled her eyes. "What was I supposed to do? Leave the room?"

  "Yes!" insisted Ranma, now blushing.

  Akana raised an eyebrow, suddenly developing a lazy smile "Well," she drawled, "in the course of a single day, you've managed to prove that you can outclass almost any weirdness we ever had to face back in the Millenium." She shook her head. "You really do warp probability wherever you walk," she said.

  Ranma was sufficiently relieved that she seemed to be sane again that he didn't bother correcting her use of the plural pronoun. "I don't know. Seeing what happened today, I'm personally more surprised that Michiru and Haruka aren't out to kill me for some reason." He watched her warily. She didn't _look_ like she was going to lose it again.

  Akana smirked, picking up on Ranma's comment. "Someone didn't blame us. Run, the end of the world is approaching!" she joked.

  Ranma blinked and edged away from Akana again. "Are you okay?" he asked carefully. He was ready to jump away if she even _looked_ at him the wrong way.

  Akana smiled lazily once more. "Shouldn't you be asking yourself that?"

  Ranma stared, unsure of what to do.

  Akana suddenly frowned then shook her head violently. She then stopped, a slightly distressed look in her eyes. "That was certainly unsettling..." she murmured.

  By that time, Ranma was becoming pretty worried. "Hey, what's wrong with you? You've been acting whacko since this whole dream started."

  Akana started slightly. "Sorry, but that whole Neko-ken thing really rattled us badly. It took me a while to... well... reassemble myself once you came back to your senses. That and everything else that happened, well, let's just say I was lucky not to behave even more strangely that what I just did." She caught Ranma's questioning look. "I'm in your head, remember, Ranma?" she explained. "Whatever affects your mind, affects me as well. The Neko-ken and... Akane, well, that falls into that category."

  Ranma frowned. "Don't put the Neko-ken on the same level as Akane. Neko-ken's a billion times worse." He paused. "You mean you're gonna go nuts more and more often?" That wasn't something to look forward to.

  Akana's left eye twitched. "The walls that separate us as different... well... personalities are weakening, Ranma. Between Endymion's power and... well.. mentally stressful conditions like the Neko-ken," she said diplomatically, "I don't expect I'll be around forever."

  Ranma frowned. "What's the Neko-ken got to do with the way you just acted?"

  Akana shrugged. "What I did when I appeared... I think that was your subconscious doing it." She frowned. "I _think_."

  Ranma's left eye twitched. "My subconscious?..." *Great, my subconscious wants to kiss me? Damn it, can't I ever get a break? Why does this sort of thing happen to me?*

  Akana laughed out loud and Ranma glared at her. She gave him a helpless look. "Oh, come on, mister Martial Arts Master! It wasn't _that_ horrible. Besides, did you _really_ think I'd be talking to you in your head until the day we die? I'm sure you know better than that, Ranma." She shrugged. "Eventually, I'll fade away, you know that. I don't know when or how, but one day, all you'll have of me are memories." She looked at him for a while. "I'm sorry you weren't able to get cured," she said after a bit.

  Ranma threw a sidelong look at her. "Really? I'd have thought you'd be happy I can continue to be a Senshi," he said sarcastically.

  Akana hopped over and swatted him lightly on the head. "You know me better than that!" she chided.

  And he did, Ranma realized. He would have known if she had tried to tell a lie, just as she could easily tell if he told one.

  "Besides," the redhead continued, "there's never been any conclusive proof that a man couldn't become a Senshi."

  "I'm sure I'd look real good in a fuku..." he trailed off and looked at himself. Yep. He was wearing the stupid skirted leotard complete with the ribbons. Damn dreams.

  Akana's eyes suddenly looked like ping-pong balls. "Wha?..." was all that came out, and it did so as a strangled squawk. She stared at him for a second, then burst out laughing. Within seconds, she was on the dojo's wooden floor, rolling on the grounds, clutching her ribs.

  Ranma flushed crimson, then willed his usual Chinese attire back on himself. As he stomped over to Akana, he noticed that there was a large badge stitched on the back of her gi. A rainbow, shining over a river with a mountain in the background. Remarkably detailed, too.

  Ranma shook himself out of his small daze and banged the floor with his foot. "That's not funny!" he yelled.

  Akana managed to stop laughing for a second, then looked at him, from her position on the floor. She snickered, then burst out laughing again.

  "HEY!!" Ranma shouted.

  The redhead managed to prop herself up, still giggling insanely. "I... I'm sorry," she choked out, "but seeing you like that..." she had to fight off a fresh attack of giggles and snickers. "It was just too funny."  She tried to school her features, with limited success. "Sorry."

  "I'm _so_ glad you enjoyed it," Ranma shot back sarcastically. He grumbled for a bit while Akana was recovering.

  Akana quickly caught on to his mood. "Hey, this is _your_ mind!" she warned him. "I didn't have anything to do with that!"

  Ranma frowned, and decided to change the subject. "What's gonna happen to Michiru, anyway?"

  All traces of mirth left Akana. "I don't know," she said after a while. "I can't do anything anyway, so why ask me?"

  Ranma shrugged. "I feel bad about what happened."

  "Even if Haruka and Michiru told you it wasn't your fault?" Akana reminded gently. She shook her head. "It's too bad, really. Given her reaction, I don't think _this_ Neptune is anything like her previous incarnation."

  Ranma blinked. "What do you... Oh yeah, Azalene _was_ a bit of a tomboy, wasn't she?"

  "A _bit_? You're becoming a master of understatement, Ranma. There were times when she made this time's Uranus look like a gracious lady. Funny, isn't it? Uranus was the refined one back in the Millenium. Go figure. I wonder if the Queen put our personalities in a blender when she sent us forward in time?" Akana asked wryly.

  This time, Ranma started. "What's wrong with you? That didn't sound like you at all..."

  Akana stayed silent for a while. She then silently walked out of the dojo. Ranma followed her outside, where what he saw stunned him.

  There was a golden glow outside, almost as if the sky was aflame with a gentle sun rays. And a sun it was, warm and inviting. Ranma suddenly felt the urge to just walk out into that cloud and revel in the warmth. "What is it?" he managed to get out.

  Akana smiled sadly. "Endymion. Mamoru. However you wish to call him in this time, but there he is."

  _That_ shook Ranma out of his trance. "What? Endymion? What are you talking about?"

  Akana looked at the glow wistfully. "Our bond, Ranma. Endymion is the stronger one between us, remember? This is our subconscious' representation of his power. It's growing, and it will keep growing until it fulfills its true potential. We're empathic siblings. We're used to basking in the other's presence; it was always as natural as breathing."

  Ranma fought back some unwanted images. "I told him to stay out of my mind," he murmured.

  Akana sighed. "And how long will that last, Ranma? Why do you find it so... _revolting_ to have a brother?" Ranma kept silent, but Akana's eyes suddenly widened to the size of dinner plates. "RANMA!" she yelled, sounding shocked beyond belief.

  Ranma jumped in surprise. "What?!..." he said in a defensive tone.

  Akana stared at him. "How can you possibly think that? Gaea's hand shelter us! He's our BROTHER, not a long dead lover! The bond doesn't work that way; you can't _fall_ for your empathic sibling!"

  Ranma said nothing.

  Akana shook her head. "That's bull, Ranma. It doesn't matter, man _or_ woman! Our grandfather and grand-uncle were both men and they were both empathic siblings. They never became lovers or anything! The bond isn't about that kind of love, it's... it's about trust and confidence! It's about having someone to confide in or to help you when you're in trouble!" Akana shook her head. "Endymion is in love with the Princess and none other; he may even be soul-bonded to her for all I know. And you love no other than Akane." Ranma tried to change the subject. "Rei says we can do precognition. I certainly don't remember that as being one of your talents."

  Akana raised an eyebrow. "Ah, yes, you mean that flash we had this afternoon?"

  Ranma nodded.

  Akana looked introspective for a moment. "It's possible," she admitted.

  Ranma blinked. "But you couldn't do precog back in the Silver Millenium and Mamoru got the flash too, so it _has_ to be because of ... well... _those_ talents."

  "_Our_ talents," Akana corrected. "You forgot a little detail, though, Ranma."

  "Like what?"

  "Like the fact that you have the same raw psychic talent we had back in the Millenium, but unlike me, you have an extremely strong will coupled with a remarkable mental discipline. I wasn't a slouch, but you _have_ trained harder than we ever did back then. That has an effect on our talents, Ranma. It might be that all this discipline and exercise made you more receptive to certain forms of psychic manifestations."

  Ranma looked at her blankly.

  Akana rolled her eyes. "Look, you're simply got a stronger mental discipline than we did back then, it's that simple. Back in the old days, It wasn't unusual for psychics to develop an extra talent or two over the years when they became more experienced."

  Ranma frowned. "Then why did Mamoru get the vision too? He ain't no martial artist!"

  Akane shrugged. "He has less skill right now, but a lot more raw power than you do, so maybe it evens out, I'm not sure." She paused. "Or it could be a side-effect of your empathic link."

  They were silent for a while. "Tell me one tiny little thing, Ranma," asked Akana.

  Ranma stayed silent.

  "Why?" asked Akana simply. "Why are you so afraid to trust someone? _Anyone_?"

  "I trust Akane," he replied evenly.

  Akana shook her head. "You keep secrets, even from her. Did you tell her you're a Senshi?"

  Ranma scowled. "She doesn't need to know about that."

  "Why don't you let her decide what she needs to know?" said Akana gently.

  Ranma said nothing.

  Akana smiled sadly. "You've led such a lonely life, Ranma. Always alone and no one to confide in. You're so used to it that in time, it became a natural defense. 'Don't let anyone close to you, so they won't be able to hurt you.' Look what it did to you and Akane. It took you both two years to get over your distrust of each other and even now, you still find it hard at times to let her into your heart. How long will you let that go on?"

  "That's none of your business," he replied evenly.

  "Would it kill you to make a few friends, Ranma? Do you hate the idea _that_ much?"

  Ranma couldn't help thinking about his childhood. Ucchan. Ryouga. He had become friends with them, and what had the results been? A thirst for vengeance for both of them, if for different reasons. Even Akane had initially welcomed Ranma as a friend, only to turn him away when she had learned of the curse. "It doesn't matter," Ranma said forcefully. "I've made my choice and now I have to live by it. Just like it's always been. I don't really think any of them would like to see me now, anyway."

  "Who would hate you?" asked Akana gently.

  Ranma looked at her in the eye. "Rei would."

  Akana sighed, slightly shaking her head. After a while, she looked back up at Ranma. "Our bickering notwithstanding, Ranma, I'm glad about you and Akane; you've deserved that and much more for a long time," said the redhead after a while. She paused, then smiled impishly. "Pretend the kiss I gave you was for her, will you?" she said, laughing suddenly.

  Ranma took a step back, unsure as to whether Akana would suddenly become... affectionate once more.

  The psychic representation of his past life just grinned at him. "Remember, Ranma," she said conversationally, her image fading. "Life can be good or bad, but _you_ decide how to make the call. No one else can."

  Ranma looked at her disappearing image, then at the golden glow outside the dream dojo. He scowled.

  * * *

  The following morning, at the Kaiou/Ten'ou residence, breakfast was a quiet affair. Setsuna's explanations about Jusenkyou had not brightened anyone's spirits, especially Michiru's, who looked like she was about ready to kill someone.

  In the single hour since she had been awake, she had been drenched by a malfunctioning faucet, the hot water in the shower had failed and the glass of water she was drinking suddenly drenched her when she had slipped on the kitchen floor. All this led to an unusually nasty-tempered Michiru.

  Hotaru had left a few minutes earlier, so it was Haruka who was doomed to stay with the temporarily unstable violinist. When the sandy-haired girl saw her lover using her chopsticks to stab at an invisible something in her plate, she became more than slightly concerned.

  "Michiru, maybe you should just take the day off school, today," Haruka offered. "It'll do you some good and it's not like there's anything we really need to catch up on."

  Michiru continued brooding and stabbing some unknown opponent with her chopsticks.

  Haruka winced. This was most definitely un-Michiru-like behavior. The worst part is that normally, she would have asked for Setsuna's advice, but the Guardian of Time had not shown up again since her departure the evening before. She had tried comforting Michiru, but so far, Haruka was getting a cold shoulder to most of her approaches. Even Hotaru had been somewhat cowed by Michiru's attitude this morning.

  Sighing, Haruka went into the kitchen to wash her dishes and stopped when she saw the piece of paper that Setsuna had given her laying on a small desk.

  Ranma's phone number.

  Haruka was quite aware that Usagi had asked everyone to back away from Ranma, but the sandy-haired girl didn't really care right now if Ranma wanted to be a Senshi or not. Setsuna had said that Ranma might be the only one who truly understood what Michiru was going through and the Guardian might be correct. Taking the phone in her hands, she reasoned that this wouldn't have anything to do with Ranma being a Senshi, so Usagi wouldn't be able to say that she'd disobeyed royal orders.

  * * *

  The atmosphere at the Saotome lodging was far more cheerful this morning. Ranma had forgotten most of his talk with Akana, so he was in a reasonably good mood.

  Akane, on the other hand, was positively _glowing_. She had been sporting a silly little smile ever since she had woken up and she swore that nothing would darken this day.

  "So you have courses this morning?" asked Ranma, once they had finished breakfast.

  Akane nodded. "Yeah, in fact, I have to leave in the next few minutes. I didn't expect to get up so late this morning," she said, blushing slightly.

  Ranma couldn't help grinning. "Well, it was time well spent if you ask me."

  Akane went from pink to red.

  Ranma laughed.

  Akane tried to frown, but it ended up as a cute pout. "Hentai!" she said merrily.

  Ranma raised an eyebrow. "Who jumped who last night?" he asked, amused.

  Akane just smirked. "Admit it. It was as good for you as it was for me!"

  Ranma swept up Akane and kissed her on the lips. "I'm not sure," he said, coming back for air. "We might have to try again to find out."

  Akane _glowed_ even brighter, then let off a squawk of protest when she saw the time. "I have to go, Ranma," she said hurriedly, kissing him again, but more quickly this time.

  A few exchanged good-byes later, Ranma was left alone in the apartment. It seemed as though things were going to work out after all. No split personalities, no Senshi... just him and Akane. #RING#

  Ranma blinked. And the phone too, it would seem. *I wonder who's calling us?* He lifted the receiver. "Moshi-moshi?" he asked.

  #Ranma? It's Ten'ou Haruka. Listen, could you...#

  "Jeez!" Ranma interrupted, suddenly annoyed. "Can't you people just leave us _alone_?"

  #This doesn't have anything to do with you being a Senshi!# Haruka shot back.

  Ranma blinked. "If not, then what do you want with me?"

  Haruka explained the various mishaps Michiru had encountered the previous night and this morning. #She's in a really foul mood, right now. Is there any chance you could swing by and talk to her? This is tearing her apart, I'm sure of it.#

  Ranma thought about it. It was true that having a Jusenkyou curse wasn't a ticket to an easy life. *Well, I did promise Mom I'd help the girl, and she says she's not there to bug me,* he reflected. "Okay, I suppose I can come, but I really need to buy some stuff for our apartment, so could we possibly meet somewhere else than your place?"

  Haruka paused for a moment, then rattled off an address. #It's a large mall, actually. They've got pretty much all the stores you could want something from for your place. How about it?#

  Ranma nodded, though Haruka couldn't see it. He much preferred public spaces, as they wouldn't be tempted to try any Sesnhi stunts there. "Where do you want us to meet once we're at the mall?"

  #There's a large statue in the middle of the first floor in an open area. Meet us there.#

  "Okay," Ranma confirmed.

  #Thanks, Ranma. I really appreciate it at this point. Michiru's going nuts, Setsuna isn't here and I don't wanna call Usagi-chan on this.#

  "I'll be there in about half an hour," Ranma said.

  There was a sigh on the other side of the line. #Thanks, Ranma. I know you don't wanna have anything to do with us, but if it helps Michiru, I'll do anything.#

  As Ranma put the phone back in its cradle, he blinked. *Wait a minute! Setsuna?* He shook his head. *Must be a different person,* he told himself.

  * * *

  Chiba Mamoru looked at his cup of coffee and wasted no time in downing it. He had not gotten much sleep last night for _some_ reason and he had a sneaking feeling that Ranma was the cause of it.

  *Ranma may want me out of his head, but he definitely needs to stay out of _mine_ at certain times,* the young man groused internally. *Not to mention that weird dream I had..."

  Mamoru checked his watch and decided that by the time he got to the local mall, most of the stores would be open. He had quite a lot of browsing to do in some of the bookstores there, after all.

  * * *

  Just outside the city, an immaculately-dressed man looked towards the Juuban ward of Tokyo. Dressed in a white three-piece suit and wearing black sunglasses, the man was the picture of poise itself.

  *He is somewhere in there,* thought the man gleefully. *His life is _mine_!*

  A second later, he was gone and no one could ever have guessed that someone had been standing there.

  * * *

  At the Gate of Time, Pluto frowned as she "saw" yesterday's events unfold before her eyes. She desperately wanted to know who could be behind the Nannichuan water.

  She kept on watching events unfold backwards in time until she noticed _who_ had sent the massive porcine on its way. It had been more than 8000 years and that annoying Jovian's descendants _still_ managed to evade her Sight because of their utter ability to get lost. *I should have dealt with Gokuu during the Silver Millennium,* she thought irritably. *They're as bas as Jusenkyou when it comes to tracking them. How they managed to maintain a line of descendants for all these years is beyond me.*

  Still the damage was done and the Edict prevented her from altering the past. Michiru was going to have to deal with her curse for the moment.

  Giving a small sigh of regret, Pluto focused her temporal sight on Happosai. What she saw made her blanch. *How could anyone be foolish enough to release one of _them_?* And it was too late to stop it, too. She stepped out of the time stream, reappearing in the house she shared with the other Senshi.

  As soon as her feet touched the ground, she ran out of the house and kept running.

  * * *

  Ranma eventually made it to the shopping mall. He was dressed in his classic black pants and red silk shirt, but was also wearing a light jacket over the ensemble in order to blend in a bit more. Once inside, he immediately looked for a statue, which he found quickly enough. Standing around it, he found the silhouettes of Haruka and Michiru.

  Ranma blinked. That was Michiru? That shade of sea-green was pretty much unique, but... he realized that it was the first time that he'd seen Michiru tie her hair and wear slacks. Indeed, the violinist seemed to be wearing an outfit that most likely belonged to Haruka. Flat-soled shoes, black slacks and an dark green polo sweater. Her hair was tied into a loose ponytail, too. The effect was odd. The ensemble was completely normal, yet on Michiru, they looked anything _but_ ordinary. The girl seemed to have a gift to make anything she wore look like high fashion.

  Haruka was the first to make eye contact. "Oi, Ranma!" she called out.

  Ranma waved in acknowledgement. The crowd was making so much noise that you wouldn't be able to hear anything over two feet away. As he finally made his way to the pair, he noticed Michiru's sullen expression and half-hearted attempt at a greeting.

  Ranma may not have been a psychologist by any stretch of the imagination, but after dealing with a certain directionally-challenged martial artist for so long, he could recognize the signs of depression. "So," Ranma began, "the curse has really got you depressed, hasn't it?" sympathized Ranma.

  Michiru raised her head, slowly. "How can you put up with it?" she asked in a whisper. "Every single thing that can go wrong _has_, so far. I get splashed from glasses of water, faulty sinks and every single water-based accident in creation! Each time I see someone with a glass of water, I panic. I'm going crazy!"

  Ranma winced. "Sometimes it's worse. You look like you're going through a rough stretch. I assume that's the reason for your clothing?"

  Michiru nodded. "After what happened, I felt it best to dress in a way that wouldn't be too embarrassing if I changed. Especially here. Luckily, my cursed form is just a tad taller than Haruka, so I can use her clothes." The green-haired's girl's facial features became angry, though her voice did not change. "I haven't dared wear any of my dresses because of the off-chance that I might change at the wrong time!"

  Ranma sighed. "Look, it's not always that bad. Mainly, you've got to learn to avoid water if possible. I know it sounds stupid, but Jusenkyou curses make water magnets out of people, so you get more headed towards you than the average person. Even I've sometimes got problems with that, but there are _some_ tricks."

  Michiru looked doubtful. "How do I stop water from touching me?"

  "That's where being limber counts for, for one thing."

  Haruka looked doubtful. "Being limber enough to dodge water? Give me a break."

  Ranma shrugged. "That and good clothing that absorbs water. It can prevent the change sometimes. There's also a matter of how _much_ water hits you."

  Michiru looked around her, then leaned towards Ranma. "Did you ever accidentally change in an embarrassing situation?" she asked quietly.

  Ranma rolled his eyes. "All the friggin' time. I've forgotten how many times exactly."

  Michiru looked as if she was about to cry.

  The pig-tailed martial artist realized he'd put his foot in his mouth again. *Damn!* he thought nervously. *I really wish I knew how to do this. Stupid headshrink stuff isn't what I do best.* He took a breath. "Look, instead of complaining about how bad your cursed form is, try to find some advantages about it."

  Michiru made a face. "You tell me, then. What's so great about being a guy?"

  Ranma paused. "What's so great about being a girl?" he asked back.

  "It's not the same thing to turn _into_ a girl!" Michiru protested.

  Ranma gaped. "What? So a guy who turns into a girl is fine, but a girl who turns into a guy is a disaster? Isn't that a double standard or something?"

  Michiru couldn't help feeling embarrassed. "Okay, maybe you're right, but Haruka's the more tomboyish of us. I feel utterly ridiculous when I'm in my cursed form. I keep thinking that any stranger will spot me and laugh at me."

  "Wasn't like that in the Silver Millenium, trust me," he muttered slowly. Ranma thought about it. "You could ask Haruka for some lessons in how to behave as a guy, then. It won't make people quite as suspicious of you then."

  "Hey!" Haruka protested.

  "It's true," Ranma countered. "When we first met at the cafe, I thought you were a guy. You'll do just fine."

  Haruka wasn't sure as to whether she should take the last statement as an insult or a compliment. She opted for compliment.

  "I'm not sure I can do a convincing man, all things considered," continued Michiru.

  Ranma waved her concerns away. "I'm sure you can do something decent." He paused, then continued hesitantly. "One other thing. I don't know how often you get into... fights, but you should really learn to use that cursed body of yours properly. I'm sure you've noticed that your balance is different when you're a guy."

  Michiru nodded slowly. "Yes, I noticed. I haven't tried anything more than walking so far, let alone running or anything more complicated. But it doesn't really matter. I'll always change back quickly and I won't be a _guy_ if I get into fights anyway, if you know what I mean?"

  Ranma nodded stiffly. "You overestimate the number of times hot water will be available. You might be forced to stay a guy for a while. What would you do if you were attacked then?"

  Haruka and Michiru looked at Ranma oddly. "Unlike what we've learned of _your_ life, Ranma," said Haruka, "we don't get into fights all that often and when we have to, we... don't do it like this, if you know what I mean?"

  Ranma shrugged. "Suit yourself, but you won't be able to fool people when you need to if you walk all the wrong way."

  "What's that got to do with fighting?" asked Michiru, unsure.

  "Take martial arts for example. It's the kind of exercise that would make you reach your balance quickly, in either form," explained Ranma.

  "I prefer gymnastics," muttered the violinist. "Haruka's the martial artist."

  "You should be careful; your male body probably isn't quite as limber as your female one, but it's stronger and has longer reach. In my case, I've even got slightly different fighting styles depending on the body I use. If you do gymnastics, prepare to fall on your back for a while."

  Michiru looked at him oddly.

  Ranma thumped his chest. "_They_ make a major difference, as do the hips. Trust me on that. It took me a while to learn that when I got my curse."

  Michiru nodded reluctantly. "I still don't like this curse, though."

  Ranma gave another shrug. "And I still don't love my girl side, but I've managed to live with it. You'll learn too, eventually."

  Michiru still looked uncertain. "I still say you got the better deal."

  Ranma stared at her. "_I_ got the better deal? Why? At least, when _you're_ cursed, you two make a _real_ couple."

  Michiru and Haruka spluttered a reply, but someone chose this moment to tap Ranma on the shoulder.

  Ranma turned around "What?" he asked, when he saw a black-haired man dressed in a white three-piece suit and wearing black sunglasses.

  The man smiled, which immediately sent warning signs up Ranma's spine. "I've been looking around for you. You should make a good meal if you're stronger than the old one," the man said conversationally. Ranma stared, as did Haruka and Michiru.

  "What the hell are you talking about?" demanded a puzzled Ranma.

  The smile got a bit wider. "Nothing much. Just _this!_" he finished forcefully with a punch that sent Ranma flying into one of the mall's supporting columns, cracking it with the impact.

  The people closest to the group immediately began screaming.

  "Still alive? Oh, you'll make a nice meal indeed!" the man laughed. He was walking again towards Ranma when he turned around and casually ducked the right cross Haruka had tried to tag him with. He reached over, took her outstretched arm and flipped her over and slammed her on the floor as if she weighed nothing. "Patience," the man said with a smirk. "I'll be with you in a moment."

  "Haruka!" Michiru cried in concern, and immediately tried to get the man off balance so she could use a throw. The man never gave her a chance. He caught her by the sweater and effortlessly tossed her behind him.

  Off-balance and in the air, Michiru could only stare in shock as she saw that she was going to land in a fountain. One resounding splash later, a now-male Michiru staggered up. Almost immediately, a passerby helped him out of the fountain.

  "Sir, are you okay?" asked the man when he saw Michiru's dazed look.

  "I'll be all right," he muttered and his eyes widened when he realized that he was male again. He looked at the passerby, expecting shock because of the curse, but felt relieved when he only saw concern in the man's eyes. Haruka's clothes had probably just saved him from a potential embarrassment.

  With a shock, he realized that Haruka was still out there. He pushed the man away and got out of the fountain. He gaped when he saw what was happening.

  Ranma had recovered quickly from the unexpected punch. The man was at least as strong as Ryouga and as quick as himself. By the time he got his bearings straight, he saw Michiru get unceremoniously tossed in a fountain. He winced. She might be good when a Senshi, but Michiru's little martial arts display had left a lot to be desired.

  He quickly spotted Haruka struggling back up, obviously from where she'd been thrown. The crowd was either running away or watching the suited man warily. Some were crying for security and others for help. Raising his Ki levels, he decided to rush the man. In the blink of an eye, the man was there and meeting his attacks blow for blow.

  Ranma jumped back in surprise. "Who the hell are you!" he demanded. "Whaddya want with me!"

  The man never lost his smile. "Who am I? You can call me Mordecai. What I want? Your life for a start. Then maybe I'll move on to your friends. They seem to have a lot of life-force themselves!"

  Ranma's eyes widened, but remained in a defensive stance. "_What_ are you?" he asked.

  Mordecai removed his glasses, revealing blood-red eyes. "Do you really want to know?" he asked, amused. He looked around him, noticing the crowd, and grinned even wider. "You know, if we're going to have a public fight, I'll have to look the part, won't I?"

  Ranma decided he didn't like what was going to happen. He was right.

  Before everyone's eyes, Mordecai's form wavered, as if suddenly made out of smoke and a second later, something really mean took his place.

  It was humanoid, black and blood-red and around eight feet tall. Every inch of it was powerful muscle, down to the huge tail behind him, which was snaking about in a decidedly ominous manner. The arms sported bony protrusions which ended with long elbow claws. The knees also possessed the same sort of protrusions. It's head had sprouted a huge bone crown on top of his forehead. When it smiled, most of the bystanders who hadn't left yet did when they saw its teeth glinting like really sharp knives. "How do you like it?" it asked, its voice surprisingly clear, if grave.

  "I've seen uglier," answered Ranma, surprisingly calm despite Mordecai's change in appearance. "So what's your beef with me?"

  The smile never left Mordecai's face, which significantly unnerved Ranma. *I wish he'd stop smiling,* he thought absently.

  "My _beef_?" Mordecai said, laughing a bit. "It's not a grudge I have against you in particular, human. You just happen to be the person that most stood out from that withered gnome's thoughts. And from what I saw, that makes you a wonderful meal for someone like me."

  "I don't taste real good, trust me," Ranma said, trying to think of a way out. The power he felt from that thing was making him more than slightly nervous. "Wait a minute! Withered gnome?! Are you talking about Happosai?"

  Mordecai shrugged. "I didn't bother learning his name. The idiot wasn't watching what he was doing, yet he did release me, so I spared his life. Maybe I'll just kill him once I'm through with you."

  "Why don't you go kill _him_ first?" offered Ranma hopefully.

  Mordecai rolled his eyes, an action which took Ranma pretty much by surprise. "I'm afraid not. You'd make a much better meal, trust me."

  "I've fought stupid demons before," Ranma boasted. "What's one more?"

  Mordecai grinned. It was an evil grin. A _very_ evil grin. "Sorry to disappoint you boy, but I'm no mere demon; I'm an Arch-Demon." "You know what they say: the bigger they are, the harder they fall!" retorted Ranma.

  Mordecai smiled pleasantly, apparently unfazed, and cracked his knuckles. "Enough, now. I'm hungry," he said, then disappeared, only to reappear behind Ranma, smashing Ranma down with a double-fisted punch, driving the martial artist into the floor.

  Ranma's reflexes were the only thing that saved him. As the air was driven out of his lungs, he performed a tight roll to the left, thus preventing himself from being disemboweled by Mordecai's horned knee thrust. Gasping he got back up, only to see Mordecai looking at him curiously.

  "Strange," the Arch-Demon said. "Most humans would have died after the first blow." He shrugged. "Oh well," he continued, his grin suddenly returning, "I've always enjoyed playing with my food first." The demon snapped his fingers, the sound making Ranma shiver. "I know!" he said jovially. "Let's play Hide and Seek!"

  Ranma was momentarily puzzled. *What kind of demon acts like this?* he wondered. He decided to take the fight to his enemy instead of waiting for it to attack. Summoning his Ki again, he made a dash for Mordecai's position.

  The Arch-Demon merely grinned and held a hand forward. A black ball formed in it and he uttered two words: "Shadow Veil."

  Ranma, expecting some kind of energy attack, dodged to the side, but got a surprise as the ball of darkness merely expanded beyond him without doing any damage. *Oh shit!* he thought as he realized that he couldn't see or sense anything anymore.

  Mordecai laughed. From somewhere. "Now, we play, human!" he said enthusiastically.

  *When this is over, I'm gonna kill Happosai. Several times. Even if it's not his fault.* Ranma thought angrily. He addressed the darkness. "My NAME, you stupid piece of shit, is SAOTOME RANMA AND I'LL KICK YOUR ASS!" he screamed.

  Mordecai chuckled. "We'll see!" was all he said.

  * * *

  Outside the sphere of darkness, chaos reigned. By now, most people had run away from the scene, aside from a few courageous (or foolish) bystanders.

  From outside the sphere, one could see jagged silver lightning snaking about its surface. The sphere was about 70 feet wide and it was covering most of the open area on the ground floor.

  Michiru had helped a gasping Haruka out of harm's way while Ranma had been stalling the demon and they were both running around, trying to find a secluded spot, although the male Michiru was having a hard time of it. They would have changed to their Senshi forms right here and then, but there were too many bystanders still floating around.

  "There!" Haruka said, pointing to a narrow corridor with many supply entrances. "We can change there!"

  They opened a door at random, finding themselves in a small storage room, boxes lying everywhere. After making sure there were not any security cameras to contend with, Haruka raised her henshin rod and shouted: "URANUS PLANET POWER, MAKE-UP!" and suddenly, Ten'ou Haruka was replaced by Sailor Uranus. The Sailor was about to dash out of the room when she noticed that Michiru was holding his henshin rod in trembling hands.

  "What are you waiting for, Michiru?" Uranus demanded. "We have to get that thing quickly!"

  "B-But..." Michiru stammered, "I'm a guy right now!"

  Uranus' eyes widened slightly. "Oh. Well, there's no hot water, so you'll have to try anyway."

  "I'm not sure," Michiru hedged.

  Uranus came over Michiru and held his hands. "Michiru, I swear everything will be all right. Now you have to try and transform _now_, or Ranma will be a grease spot by the time we get back!"

  Michiru nodded grimly and raised his henshin rod and shouted: "NEPTUNE PLANET POWER, MAKE-UP!" The power coursed through him and he felt a shudder run through him. When it was over, Sailor Neptune was standing there, and she was female.

  Neptune's eyes widened. "I'm a girl again?" she whispered. Turning to Uranus, she put on one of her patented smiles. "Let's go, partner!" she said, and dashed out of the room with a grinning Uranus. *Now let's just hope the others are gonna come soon,* thought Uranus.

  In another part of the mall, Mamoru was also running towards the disturbance. He had been browsing a book when the screams had begun and it had been remarkably easy to find out the source of the disturbance. What worried him is that he'd felt Ranma's presence spike in his mind a few moments ago. Ranma was here, in the mall, and was probably involved with the problem.

  He turned around a corner, and promptly slammed into Sailor Neptune, knocking them both down.

  "Arrgh," he groaned, trying to get up.

  "Mamoru-san? Is that you?" came a voice from behind him.

  Mamoru tried to blink away the stars in his vision and saw Sailor Uranus looking at him. "What?..." he said, dazed. "What are you two doing here?"

  "The same thing _you_ are, apparently," said Neptune, getting back to her feet and showing no sign of being injured.

  Mamoru nodded. That made sense. "What's happening? I heard the screams and suddenly, everyone's running away."

  "We were talking with Ranma, no real problem when this guy in a white suit comes up and tells Ranma he wants to eat him. Next thing we know, Ranma's buried in a pillar, I'm on the ground and Michiru's in a fountain," explained Haruka quickly.

  "Eat him?" Mamoru repeated disbelievingly. "Is Ranma all right?"

  Haruka nodded. "I don't know how he can take that sort of punishment and live when not a Senshi, but he bought some time to escape and transform. We signalled the others, but I have no idea as to when they'll get here."

  Mamoru nodded and after making sure that no one was watching him, took out a red rose and promptly became Tuxedo Kamen.

  "I envy you," said Uranus. "You get to do it quick and easy."

  Tuxedo Kamen smirked and the three rushed towards their destination.

  Inside the sphere, Ranma was losing. Slowly, but surely. Mordecai was completely invisible in the darkness and was using the fact to take potshots at the martial artist whenever possible. Some, Ranma could dodge, but not all.

  Ranma had already tried to jump or run out of the sphere without success. He was lobbing Mouko Takabishas around, but without being able to sense Mordecai's presence anymore, he had no idea if any of his attacks had connected. A badly bruised arm and a long gash on his left leg were painful reminders of the consequences of trying hand-to-hand combat with the Arch-Demon.

  "I must say," Mordecais's voice rang form everywhere at once, "you're providing me with more entertainment than I've had in a very long time!"

  Ranma gritted his teeth and gathered another Ki ball in his hands. *If only he'd stop being so goddamn happy about all of it!* he thought furiously.

  "SUBMARINE REFLECTION!"

  Ranma started in surprise and gasped as the darkness around him shattered like a mirror. Mordecai, for once, was no less surprised.

  "Who..?" the Arch-Demon wondered out loud. He turned around and saw two skimpily-dressed human females and one male in formal wear. The sight made him pause in curiosity just long enough for Ranma to take action.

  "RENSHA HAPPA DAN!" he yelled, initiating the Ki "gatling gun" technique he had recently invented.

  The veritable storm of Ki balls struck Mordecai at full strength, blowing him through a store wall.

  Ranma grinned. "Gotcha, you ugly bastard!" he laughed.

  "Not quite," came Mordecai's voice, coming from the rubble.

  Ranma barely had time to see Mordecai flying at him at full speed before the Arch-Demon was upon him. Seeing Mordecai rearing for a punch, Ranma jumped straight up, but his opponent grinned and spun in the air, crescent-kicking the martial artist straight up and across the mall.

  Ranma went flying like a missile, crashing through a store on the second floor.

  "RANMA!" Tuxedo Kamen screamed, when he saw the martial artist get punted like a football.

  "Kami-sama," Sailor Neptune whispered in shock, the Deep Aqua Mirror held limply in her hand.

  Uranus winced. "If he's still alive, I want his secret," she muttered. Seeing Tuxedo Kamen frozen in shock, she turned him around. "Listen to me! Go see if Ranma's still alive!" she said. "Neptune and I will take care of freak boy here."

  Tuxedo Kamen looked at Uranus for a moment, then nodded. To Uranus and Neptune's surprise, Tuxedo Kamen began emitting a golden aura. He quickly began running. Straight for Mordecai.

  Mordecai laughed a bit after sending Ranma flying. "Oops," he said. "Better go eat him while he's still warm!"

  "LIKE HELL YOU WILL!" came a shout from behind him.

  Mordecai blinked in surprise and turned around only to have Tuxedo Kamen punch him in the stomach screaming: "TUXEDO SMOKING BOMBER!"

  There was a powerful explosion of blue energy and the Arch-Demon folded in half like a lawn chair, allowing Tuxedo Kamen to used the bone ridge on his head to jump to the second floor where Ranma was.

  Uranus and Neptune gaped at the sight.

  "When the hell did he start doing things like that?" demanded Uranus, looking at the downed creature.

  "Later!" said Neptune. "We have to keep that thing away from them!"

  Uranus nodded and retrieved her own Talisman, the Space Sword. Giving Neptune a short nod, they race forth to battle.

  Mordecai slowly got up, groaning. That had _hurt. Many things could harm him, but psionics were one of the few beings capable of _sneaking up_ on him. That particular one had combat training, too. He decided that he would have to be careful with this... man in black. The Arch-Demon sensed the two other females rush towards him and his eyes widened. *So much POWER!* he thought hungrily. *Each of them has more power than the boy!*

  He rushed forth to battle.

  * * *

  On the mall's second floor, Tuxedo Kamen was trying to find out where Ranma had landed. Everyone had fled the level, so at least he didn't have to worry about witnesses. Not finding him anywhere, he extended his psionic sense to look for Ranma, who he quickly found to be buried under several boxes of books in a nearby store. Rushing over, he immediately began throwing the boxes off him, amazed at his current strength. He was one-handedly lifting weights that would have him gasping for air in normal times.

  *I wonder if it's all those Psi-Techs I've been dreaming about recently,* he thought.

  Soon enough, a gasping Ranma was happily breathing freely.

  Tuxedo Kamen winced when he saw the sorry state Ranma was in. the martial artist had managed to block the blow, but only barely. His arms now looked like they were both broken in several places, and that was ignoring all the other bruises he had. Acting on instinct, he put his hands on Ranma's arms and suddenly, there was a bright flash.

  Ranma came to with a yelp. Blinking his eyes to try and focus, he saw Tuxedo Kamen beside him, looking a bit tired and staring at his hands in puzzlement. "What are you doing here?" Ranma groaned, struggling to stand up.

  Tuxedo Kamen helped him up. "I was shopping here when everything went to hell. What does that thing want with you, anyway?"

  Ranma shrugged and looked at his arms. *Weird,* he thought, flexing his hands. *When I blocked Mordecai, I could have sworn he'd crushed both my arms. It sure _felt_ like it*

  Tuxedo Kamen saw what he was looking at. "You arms looked like hell. I think I did something without realizing it with the... that power."

  Ranma looked at him, the nodded. "Thanks, I appreciate it," he said honestly. *So, that thing _did_ break my arms,* he thought. They still hurt like hell, but he could still use them, which was more than he could have done before. He suddenly looked up, alarmed. "Hey! Who's dealing with Mordecai?"

  "Uranus and Neptune. We sent a call for the others, but we don't know how long it'll take before they can come."

  Ranma grunted. "No way am I gonna leave two girls to take care of this."

  Tuxedo Kamen's eyes widened. "Are you crazy? You're good, _damn_ good, even, but that thing already crushed your arms once! You'll get massacred if you try and get close to it again!"

  Ranma glared at him, then ran outside the store. "I'll kill him _myself_, no matter what I have to do!" he called back.

  "Ranma!" Tuxedo Kamen called behind him.

  * * *

  Neptune and Uranus were having moderate success dealing with Mordecai. They had a hard time hitting him, but the Arch-Demon seemed strangely reluctant to approach them, even shying away when their Talismans came near them. Their regular attacks took too much time to cast to be effective, so that was also out of the question.

  What did unsettle the two Senshi, however, was the fact that he kept looking at them the same way someone who hadn't eaten in a month would look at a fresh bowl of ramen.

  The stalemate ended when Mordecai finally managed to knock down Uranus and separate Neptune from the Mirror, grabbing her by the neck.

  "I'm going to _enjoy_ eating you," he purred. Neptune's eyes widened and she began gathering power for the Deep Submerge.

  "HEY UGLY!" came a shout from above.

  Mordecai barely had time to glance up and wonder what was the problem _this_ time before a booted foot connected with his face, knocking him off balance.

  Neptune knew an opportunity when she saw one. "DEEP SUBMERGE!" she cried, releasing the power in Mordecai's face. The effect was satisfying.

  Mordecai screamed in pain and was blown backwards.

  Neptune looked up and saw Sailor Terra readying a Ki-blast. "You're MINE, Mordecai," she warned, releasing the blast and blowing Mordecai even further down.

  "Terra?!" came the surprised shout from Uranus and Neptune.

  Sailor Terra didn't answer. Almost instantly, she was on Mordecai, using the Amaguriken technique to try and pound the Arch-Demon into mush. Sadly, it wasn't enough as Mordecai managed to knock Ranma away.

  Getting up to his feet, the Arch-Demon began frowning. Two psionics of this level was too many by two for his taste, but they were so _powerful_! The redheaded female that had just shown up shone even brighter than the previous two to his senses, despite her psionic ability. He decided to end this quickly before the male came back. Terra didn't even have time to put up a defense as she was ruthlessly pounded in the ground by Mordecai. The blows were like ten Ryougas hitting her at Amaguriken speed.

  Mordecai smirked as the redhead collapsed, spitting blood from the mouth. He was actually very impressed that she hadn't been reduced to pulp yet, but he had to finish quickly.

  "GET AWAY FROM MY SISTER!" he heard a familiar voice yell behind him before he felt a psychic fist knock him out of the way. He got up and looked at Tuxedo Kamen, who suddenly threw a veritable garden of roses at him. Mordecai, surprised, blocked, but blinked when he saw what had been thrown. The roses were sticking on him, but the Arch-Demon barely felt anything. Eyeing Tuxedo Kamen, he smirked. "Was that supposed to hurt?"

  Tuxedo Kamen smirked in turn. "No, but this will," he said, snapping his fingers. Every rose that had impacted with Mordecai detonated, making the Arch-Demon howl in pain.

  Meanwhile, Uranus and Neptune dragged Terra to safety. Seeing the condition of the redheaded Sailor, Uranus grimaced. "How much damage can she _take_?" she wondered out loud, looking at the blood seeping through the fuku's fabric. To show that much damage, her ribs were certainly not in good condition.

  As if Uranus' words had been a switch, Terra's body began to glow. The two Senshi took a step back in surprise when Terra suddenly rose like a zombie.

  "Stay down" pleaded Neptune. "That thing nearly made oatmeal of your ribs."

  Terra just looked at her, golden eyes glowing bright along with the rest of her body. Neptune edged back without noticing it. She touched Uranus on the shoulder, whispering "Terra Mimic. World Shaking."

  Uranus felt a small jolt go through her. "Hey! What did you..." she trailed off when she saw the trim of Terra's skirt change from gold to the blue of her own.

  Terra turned towards Mordecai, who seemed to be genuinely angry at Tuxedo Kamen, then grinned.

  * * *

  Tuxedo Kamen desperately tried to keep up the mesh-like shield of blue energy which was currently the only thing standing between him and an angry Mordecai, but wasn't sure how long he would last. Whatever reserves he had, they were nearly sapped and he didn't have any illusions of survival if the shield failed.

  It turned out he wouldn't have to find out when Terra suddenly tripped Mordecai, who wasn't paying attention. He barely had time to gape at the sorry sight of Terra's injuries before he realized that she was also glowing blue.

  Before Mordecai could get up, Terra pounced on him. Tuxedo Kamen heard the faint words: "Kachuu Tenshin Amaguriken revised: Armageddon Symphony." And then it began. Sailor Terra was not only doing the Kachuu Tenshin Amaguriken, but was executing a World Shaking with each punch.

  Tuxedo Kamen, Neptune and Uranus were thrown clear off by the impact shockwaves, only to put their hands on their ears when they heard Mordecai's howls of pain.

  As quickly as it had started, it stopped. Terra collapsed bonelessly on top of Mordecai, who looked like someone had broken everything in his body. The ground underneath them was no more than fine gravel.

  The Senshi and Tuxedo Kamen Rushed forward carried his sibling's unconscious form away from the still twitching Mordecai. Terra was completely unconscious, a fact that didn't reassure Tuxedo Kamen much. He could barely feel the link between him and her. He tried to give her some of his energy, using the same trick as before, but found out he was too exhausted.

  "URANUS! NEPTUNE!" came two familiar voices behind them.

  The two Senshi and Tuxedo Kamen turned around to see Pluto and Saturn running towards them.

  "Saturn, take care of Terra!" barked Pluto. "I have to make sure that thing is taken care of."

  Ignoring Uranus and Neptune's cries for attention, Pluto ran over to Mordecai's twitching body, then scowled.

  The Arch-Demon chuckled weakly. "That was an impressive technique, but it will take far more than that to kill me."

  Pluto flipped the Garnet Rod around and jammed the Garnet Orb in Mordecai's mouth. "Let's see how you like this, then!" she said venomously. "Dead Scream!" she hissed.

  Mordecai's eyes widened in fear.

  The other Senshi and Tuxedo Kamen could only stare in shock at Pluto's actions, and on the second floor, two people watched the scene with interest.



  Author's Notes.

  - The Battles Have Begun... <wink> Next, on LoD: Why did Terra reappear? Who is watching the Senshi? More chaos!  What *did* happen between Mordecai and the "old gnome"? Setsuna gets chewed out by the Jusenkyou Division! It's Happosai season and Michiru wants a piece (so do others, for that matter).  Also, for those who wonder, this chapter marked the beginning of the second half of the fic. It's halfway done! I think. Don't quote me on that...

- Fuku/male-female transformations: wait for chapter 13.  I'm not going to start now...

- Mordecai's design came to me when I used Diablo too many times in FF8... Diablo without wings. More or less.

- No, gutter heads: I don't do explicit hentai. Use those dirty little minds of yours for the bedroom scene. :)

- Small note about Michiru's hair - It does come down quite a few inches below shoulder level in the manga at times, therefore making it longer than in the anime. It's not exactly consistent, though... And she *does* wear slacks at times in the manga.

- An absolutely huge ****THANK YOU**** to my army of pre-readers, who have been with me for so long, some from the very beginning, three years ago:

Jorge A. Pratt, who gave me the kickstart I needed to write fanfiction
Chris "Manga Reference/Sounding Board" Rijk
Sachs
Mike "Ohmen" Rever
Blood Blade
Regius Gunawan
Mike "Crank Out That Fanart" Koos
David Johnston
T.H. Tiger
Krista Perry
Kevin D. Hammel
Nicholas "Nightelf" Leifker
Ryan Erik
Shaun McIsaac
Terence Fergusson
Joshua Holmstrom
Eric McGinnis
Edward Becerra
Hitomi Ichinoei
Richard Robinson
Zen
HPackrat
Ann "Diese" Pinsonneault
Stewy 'Dark Fiber'
George
Eternal Lost Lurker
X-ile
Kichigai
William Jones
Nicholas "Pandomine" McCarthy
Liath Corrine MoonShadow
Outlaender
Dewey Brown
Daniel Denson
Jonas Fang
Tan Pham
Celeste Byrd
Fiona Song
Evangeline Nebedum
Stephen Ayers
Slrphoenix
Lina-chan

  ...

  I think that's everyone who's ever been a pre-reader for me at some point or other... If I missed you, it wasn't intentional!







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