Insertion

 

 Part 79

 

 Reborn at last!

 

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

 

 There was only darkness around them, the golden sheen of their aura 
reflected off the bricks that surrounded them in the alleyway. Nothing but pure 
power that drifted off their skin like a flame. Silence reigned in the night and 
they relaxed, their aura dying brought them back into the darkness once again. 
Without a word they walked out into the street, their body practically aching 
with a forgotten power. The street was empty and silent, no pedestrians, cars, 
or even streetlights for blocks. The moon hung overhead and light the treetops 
in the park in front of them, giving the pavement a shadowy web of light 
patches. Not so much as a gentle breeze disturbed the tranquility of the scene 
as they glanced around.

 

 "Hey, it's quiet," commented Carrot out loud.

 

 "And dark," agreed Pissant.

 

 "Thank you Captain Obvious, and Observant Boy," replied Dan 
irritably.

 

 "Now what?" asked Ranma as he looked down at himself for a moment and 
blinked. Their clothes were tattered and worn, and a small hole was burned 
through the front of it. "Man, this shirt has a hole in it."

 

 "So fix it," said Dan.

 

 "I'm trying, it's not working," muttered Ranma as he concentrated on 
the task. "Stupid shirt! Work damn it!"

 

 "We're wearing regular clothes now. We don't have that symbiote 
anymore," replied Carrot calmly. 

 

 "What? You mean we gotta wear regular clothes?" asked Ranma in 
disgust.

 

 "Yeah," said Carrot with a small sigh. "I guess we got spoiled 
huh?"

 

 "That sucks," commented Dan.

 

 "Yeah, there's one more thing you should know about..." said 
Carrot.

 

 "What's that?" asked Ranma.

 

 A light rain fell from the sky, drenching them instantly. The 
familiar sensation of the Jusenkyo curse swept over their body and the body 
actually managed to give a collective blink.

 

 "NO FREAKING WAY!" cried Ranma in horror.

 

 "This could get annoying," said Dan without much emotion in the 
statement.

 

 "Xianfu!" said Pissant cheerfully as he smiled at their reflection in 
a small puddle.

 

 "Yup, that's her," said Carrot as he stared at it and shrugged. 


 

 "What happened? I thought we could control this!" cried Ranma.

 

 "No, actually we were never cured. I just started using our clothes 
to...disguise it," said Carrot sheepishly. "After a while, it just became a 
reflex for all of us."

 

 "Great, no clothes, no cure," grumbled Dan. "Oh well. I feel like ice 
cream."

 

 "Hey! What about that evil us?" cried Ranma.

 

 "What about him?" said Carrot. "We've got plenty of time for that 
later. I'm hungry too."

 

 "Well, kinda," agreed Ranma as he looked at their stomach. "I guess 
we should eat something."

 

 "Wonder how long we've been gone?" asked Dan.

 

 "Couldn't have been too long, we're in pretty good shape," said 
Carrot with a small shrug.

 

 "Yeah, it's not like we'd bring us back as a rotting corpse," said 
Pissant cheerfully. 

 

 "..." was the collective response from the others.

 

 "Okay, maybe we would, but someone would have found us if we'd been 
here that long," amended the now nervous sounding Pissant.

 

 "He's got a point," agreed Carrot. "We'd have woken up in the ground, 
or a coroners office if we'd been gone that long."

 

 "Hey, I think I know where we are," said Dan as he turned their head 
to look at a familiar statue. It was an iron lion statue. "We should go this 
way. Remember that place with the ice cream challenge that we never managed to 
get around too?"
 
 "Eat your own weight in ice cream, and it's 
all free?" asked Ranma cheerfully.

 

 "Yeah, that one," said Carrot.

 

 "We weigh a lot," muttered Pissant nervously.

 

 "Come on, what's eight-hundred pounds of ice-cream to us? I bet this 
body hasn't eaten all day," said Carrot as he started in the right 
direction.

 

 "Will they be open at this time of night?" said Pissant dumbly.

 

 "It's only eight o'clock. I think we made it darker than normal back 
there for dramatic purposes," said Dan with a small shrug.

 

 "Oh," said Pissant dumbly.

 

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

 

 "That little witch!" growled the storeowner as he stared at the photo 
on the wall of his business. "I'm glad I limited that offer to only once in a 
lifetime. Who could have known such a person existed? She ate four times her own 
weight in ice cream! It shouldn't be possible!" Tears flooded his eyes as he 
glared at the cheery sunnyness that is Usagi Tsukino's face. A plaque proudly 
proclaiming that she had done the impossible rested on the wall. 

 

 At first he'd been euphoric about the girl. She had proven that his 
challenge could be met, and that could lead to other customers trying to do the 
same. Then, the impossible happened...she actually reached double her own body 
weight. "No big deal, I'll just break even! It'll be great publicity!" Then, the 
horrifying little troll kept going, eating deeper and deeper into his profits. 
Finally, with the last spoonful, she destroyed it.

 

 Now his ice-cream shop held a place in the Guinness book of world 
records. He had immortalized the little monster for all time. Or so he 
thought.

 

 A jingling noise filled the air as the door opened. A lone figure 
walked into the small shop, eyeing the sign that hung in the window proclaiming 
his challenge. With each step the change in her pockets jingled, her pigtail 
bobbed up and down behind her head as she narrowed her eyes and stopped cold in 
a bow legged stance. "I hear you issued a challenge stranger."

 

 The ice-cream shop owner turned and looked up at the clock. It was a 
half-hour until closing time. He rubbed his bald spot and pulled up his gut as 
he turned to face her, unconsciously mimicking her stance. "Yes."

 

 He wasn't sure how, but he could swear he heard a whistling music in 
the air at that very moment for the briefest of seconds.

 

 "I aim to collect," she said as she jerked her thumb towards her 
smirking mug. "Name's Ranma Saotome."

 

 "I am Jiro, only one has ever succeeded," he warned as his grin 
started to form again. At last, a chance at redemption. "What is that thing over 
your head?"

 

 "What thing?" Said the redhead as she glanced around the room. Ranma 
arched her eyebrow as she noticed the photo of Usagi on the wall and turned her 
attention back towards the man. "I'm game."

 

 The ice-cream vendor smirked and stepped back, revealing a set of 
scales. "First, ya gotta weigh in. No one can help you either. If one other 
person eats so much as a spoonful, ya gotta pay."

 

 Ranma nodded and walked up to the scales. They groaned under the 
weight and she smirked at the man's hanging jaw. 

 

 "What the?" he said as he looked at the readout. "Seven hundred and 
sixty five pounds?"

 

 "Start scoopin," said Ranma as she stepped off the scales and smirked 
at him.

 

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

 

 A half-hour later, a broken man cried out in anguish. His scream 
echoed through the night sky. A new world record had been achieved yet again, 
taking a spot right above Usagi Tsukino's name. She hadn't managed to eat four 
times her own weight, only double. Still, it was more than enough to break the 
man and his business completely.

 

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

 

 Elsewhere...

 

 Ranma Saotome smirked as he looked out over the city, his city. Soon 
everything would belong to him, and him alone. "It's not time to start just 
yet," he said to himself as he turned away from the edge of the looming tower of 
iron and glass. High atop Tokyo Tower he looked up at the sky as plans began to 
form inside his shadowy mind. "Soon, it will begin."

 

 "You!" cried a familiar voice from the darkness.

 

 Slowly he turned and narrowed his eyes at the figure that stood 
before him. "Pluto, how nice to see you," he replied calmly as he smirked at her 
suddenly.

 

 "What have you done?" she snapped angrily.

 

 "What indeed?" he replied calmly, a cylinder of metal appearing in 
his hand.

 

 "Crystal Tokyo is gone, shattered completely from the stream of time. 
It shouldn't be possible!" she snarled hatefully. "It is impossible!"

 

 "Is it?" he asked her coolly, not moving from where he was standing. 
His power was slowly building up though. "I hadn't realized that."

 

 "No one, not even you, can completely destroy a path! Something else 
is at work here Genaku. You're just a catalyst!"

 

 "Maybe so, but soon this world will be gone, and you with it," he 
replied calmly.

 

 "What?" said Pluto as her frowned deepened.

 

 "Really Pluto, you don't honestly think that you're strong enough to 
kill me? Do you?" he asked as he flicked the switch on the side of his blade 
calmly. "I'm getting such wonderful ideas though, Hotaru, she'll be the 
first."

 

 "You keep your hands off her!" screamed Pluto angrily as her cool 
demeanor started to break down.

 

 "What? Don't be foolish, I'm simply planning on freeing her," said 
Ranma as he chuckled. "Then we'll start. First Japan, then all Asia, finally, 
the world. Soon it will all be mine. The best part is, there isn't a thing you 
can do to stop me, isn't that right mother?"

 

 "What?" muttered Pluto in horror as she stepped back.

 

 Standing before her, was the most hated enemy of the senshi. Queen 
Beryl was smiling at her as she looked her son up and down with a snort of 
approval. "Yes, we will rule the world."

 

 "Bah, why rule, when it would be so much more fun to destroy it?" 
replied the boy casually as he readied his light saber and 
chuckled.
 
 "Destroy them, both of them," said Beryl as she 
looked at her son.

 

 "If she could be turned, she would become a powerful ally," said 
Ranma with a sudden tensing in his voice.

 

 "Can it be done?" asked Beryl.

 

 "She will join us, or die," said Ranma coldly as he looked at 
Pluto.

 

 The woman was staring at him with her jaw slacked in horror. 
"What?"

 

 "Thought I didn't know?" replied the boy as he started to stalk 
forward. 

 

 "You know nothing!" snapped the woman as she lifted the time staff 
up. "Tsuki! We are leaving!" she called out suddenly as she jumped back.

 

 Ranma's eyes went wild as he activated the other blade on the 
double-edged light weapon. With a grunt of effort he tossed it through the air 
and towards Pluto as she vanished into the porthole. Tsuki emerged from where 
she had been hiding in the shadows and was forced to turn aside as the older 
senshi vanished in front of her eyes. She blinked when she noticed the hunk of 
metal that clattered to the ground at her feet. "What?" She gasped when she 
realized what it was.

 

 It was the bottom of the Time Staff.

 

 "No!" she looked up and jumped to her feet, the porthole gone and her 
mistress with it. A low humming sound filled the air and she spun around to find 
a circle of red energy moving towards her at an amazing rate of speed. She 
screamed and ducked low, avoiding the blow within a hair's width.

 

 Ranma caught the blade and shut it off completely, staring at the 
girl with a confident smirk.

 

 "She isn't so strong," commented Nodoka.

 

 "You can't compare her to Chibi Usa mother," snorted the boy calmly. 
"She has uses."

 

 Tsuki was in trouble and she knew it. "Son of a bitch. You won't get 
away with this!"

 

 "Who's going to stop me? You?" snorted Ranma as he flicked his 
wrist.

 

 Tsuki looked down in confusion at the small metal object at her feet. 
"What?"

 

 "We're going to play a little game Tsuki, if you manage to survive, 
you might learn something," he said as he readied himself. "I'll take it from 
here mother."

 

 Beryl frowned at this, but complied, vanishing into a porthole of her 
own.

 

 "The Force is with you young Senshi, but you are not a Jedi yet," 
said Ranma coldly as he stood against the backdrop of the city. The wind blowing 
his clothing violently around his body.

 

 "What the hell are you babbling about?" said the girl as she stepped 
forward and picked up the weapon from the ground. She felt confident, eager to 
engage her enemy. Almost in answer to his words, the lightsaber in her hands 
came to life, emitting a green glow.

 

 Tsuki lunged forward, but Ranma repelled the blow easily. Again the 
girl rushed forward, her strikes seeming to test the waters now as she carefully 
poked at her opponent's sword.

 

 "He hasn't used that transformation trick of his yet, I've still got 
a chance..." she thought as she readied herself and frowned. "I've got to end 
this fast! If he does it, I'm done for!"

 

 Ranma smirked at her, amusement clear in his eyes. 

 

 They attacked each other, Ranma playing with her easily despite a 
surprising skill with the weapon. He hacked and slashed at her, but she blocked 
every strike. It was easy to tell he was enjoying this immensely.

 

 "You have learned much, young one."

 

 Whether it was fate, or just coincidence, Tsuki responded. "You'll 
find I'm full of surprises!"

 

 Ranma made two quick moves, hooking her sword out of her hands. It 
rolled across the ground towards the edge of the roof of the observation deck. 
She cursed as she jumped back as the boy lashed out at her feet. She rolled 
across the ground and looked up, just in time to see Ranma descending on her 
like a bird of prey. With a quick motion, she avoided his landing. She stood 
upright shakily and kept her vision on him steadily.

 

 "Your destiny lies with me Tsuki, Setsuna knew this to be 
true!"

 

 "No!" screamed the girl angrily.

 

 Behind her, a trap door leading into a maintenance shaft in the tower 
opened up behind her. All the while, Ranma continued to move forward, edging her 
towards the hole. Finally, she stumbled back as she stepped into the open hole 
and tumbled down into the shaft.

 

 "All too easy, perhaps you are not as strong as I had thought," 
replied the boy calmly as he looked down into the hole.

 

 Tsuki was clinging to the rung of a ladder just below him. She glared 
up at him and grit her teeth in anger. "Damn, I've got too..." Her eyes flashed 
and she appeared to vanish as she slowed down time enough for her to rush up and 
move past the man. She noticed his eyes tracked her across her path and he moved 
fast enough to keep facing her the entire time.

 

 "Impressive, most impressive."

 

 Tsuki rolled across the ground and came up with the discarded 
lightsaber. She ignited it and faced off against him again. They two blades 
slammed into one another, sending a crackling noise across the open roof.

 

 "Setsuna has taught you well. You have controlled your fear. Now, 
release your anger! Only your hatred will destroy me!"

 

 Tsuki took up a more cautious position now. She controlled her anger 
and glared at the boy in confusion. She knew he was playing with her, but he was 
also up to something, and she couldn't quite figure out what it was. "Damn." She 
moved forward defensively, closing up quickly and using jabbing strikes to keep 
him occupied. 

 

 The boy was being pushed back and he narrowed his eyes at her.

 

 Tsuki pressed forward, growing more and more aggressive, but still 
not quite reaching the level she had been at in the beginning. Her moves were 
controlled and more cautious. Finally, Ranma reached the edge of the tower and 
stepped back to avoid a strike. He tumbled over the side and she noticed his 
face contort with anger as he vanished from sight into the darkness of the 
street below.

 

 It had taken everything she had to reach this point, and she 
collapsed against the edge of the building. She stared down into the city below 
and frowned. There was no way it could be this easy, and she knew it. She 
deactivated her sword and looked back at the trap door she had fallen in once 
again. With a frown, she stood up and started towards it.

 

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

 

 Within a minute's time, she found herself standing in the observation 
deck of the landmark. Glass windows surrounded the central tower an all sides, 
looking out over the city below in a spectacular fashion. She frowned as she 
strolled forward and glanced around. There was nothing disturbed, no sign that 
he had come inside.

 

 That is, until he appeared before him with a smirk on his face. 


 

 Tsuki's weapon came to life and she charged forward with it held high 
over her head. He blocked it casually and smirked at her as he stared her in the 
eyes. One of the display cases shattered behind her, one of the objects inside 
flew through the air towards her. It was a small model of the tower designed to 
show how it was built. The girl turned and hacked it in half, only to be struck 
hard by the fire extinguisher that followed it from the other side.

 

 She was forced to take another hit from a smaller display as Ranma 
hacked at her with his sword, she was forced to counter as the boy hacked at her 
while being bombarded on all sides by small objects from around the room.

 

 Finally the window behind her shattered outward as one of the objects 
glanced off her shoulder and flew though the glass.

 

 Tsuki frowned as the telekinetic attack stopped suddenly and she 
staggered to her feet with the light saber held ready. She was panting and 
leaning over slightly with one arm clutching her shoulder in pain. One of her 
eyes were closed and she glared at him hatefully.

 

 The boy charged forward, hacking down with his sword with immense 
force. She was sprawled out across the ground and the boy pointed his blade at 
her neck, mere inches away. 

 

 "You are beaten. It is useless to resist. Don't let yourself be 
destroyed, as Obi-Wan did!"

 

 "Who?" muttered the girl painfully as she stared at him in 
confusion.

 

 "It's nothing," muttered the boy as he blushed after his slip 
up.

 

The girl answered by rolling sideways and thrusting her sword at Ranma so 
viciously that she nicked him on the shoulder. 
 
 Ranma growled 
in pain and anger, but didn't appear to be effected by the blow. His sword 
slashes were much more violent and a lot faster now as he hacked and slashed at 
her in a rage. She was backed towards the open window and gasped as he spun her 
blade around his own and hacked it in half just above her thumb. She stared at 
it in horror for a moment and glanced back at the window. It was the only place 
left to go. 

 

 Tsuki steeled herself and frowned at the man in defiance.

 

 "There is no escape. Don't make me destroy you. Tsuki, you do not yet 
realize your importance. You have only begun to discover your power. Join me, 
and  I will complete your training. With our combined strength, we can end 
this destructive conflict, and bring order to the galaxy!"

 

 "I'll never join you!" screamed the girl as tears started to flow 
down her face.

 

 "If only you knew the power of the Dark Side! Setsuna, never told you 
what happened to your father!"

 

 "My father? He was a great man! A general!" screamed the girl 
angrily. "He saved the entire kingdom many times! He..."

 

 "Was someone Setsuna hates so much, that she won't even allow you to 
call her 'mother'," interrupted the boy calmly.

 

 "That's not true! It's a title...I'm in training..."

 

 "Fool, don't you realize? I, am your father," said Ranma with a 
deadly finality in his voice.

 

 "NOOOOOOOO! NOOOOOOOO! IT'S NOT TRUE! THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!" screamed 
the girl as she staggered through the broken glass, closer to the edge of the 
window.

 

 "You don't even get it do you? You did it yourself. You see, when you 
sent me back in time, a time when your father was sterile. You gave the Moon 
Kingdom access to a genetic code identical to the man who should have been your 
father. They had almost broken the sterility that held his genes in check...but 
why bother finishing, when you already have a complete set that matches it 
exactly?"

 

 Tsuki went pale as she stopped backing away and stared at him. Her 
jaw was hanging down and she wavered for a moment. Her knees very nearly gave 
out on her and she gasped. "No. It's...not true...it can't be..."

 

 "Search your feelings, you know it to be true!" said Ranma 
calmly.

 

 "NOOOOOOO! NOOOOOOOOOOO!" cried the girl in anguish as she clutched 
her head and fell to her knees completely. She ignored the glass that cut into 
her legs and simply stared forward in horror.

 

 "We can even destroy Beryl if you like. It'll be fun! Join me, and we 
can rule the Galaxy as Father and Daughter!"

 

 Tsuki staggered to her feet, her face an ashen white as she backed 
away from him again.

 

 He smiled at her and reached out with his hand. "Come with me. It is 
the only way."

 

 "I've got a better one. We've done this scene too many times already 
anyway," said a voice from behind her. "It's beating a dead horse to do it now. 
Right kid?"

 

 Tsuki turned around and saw Ranma Saotome floating in the air just 
outside the window with his arms crossed over his chest and a smirk on his face. 
She turned and blinked, looking at the other Ranma in confusion for a moment 
before turning back towards the one outside. With a small shrug, she passed out 
cold.

 

 Dark Ranma was glaring at his counterpart in shocked awe. 
"Impossible! I killed you!"

 

 "Yeah, it kind of sucked," said Ranma calmly as he floated into the 
room. 

 

 "What the? How did you survive?"

 

 "I didn't," said Ranma as his smirk widened and he landed on the 
glass with a small crunching sound. "Would you believe King Kai's place is real? 
It's a bitch of a walk though."

 

 Dark Ranma roared in rage as the lightsaber came to life in his 
hands. Ranma chuckled and his golden aura flared to life around him. With a 
casual flick of his wrist he stopped the blade cold with his finger and backed 
away from his opponent with an ease that made his fight with Tsuki seem like 
child's play.

 

 "Are you finished yet?" asked Ranma calmly as he narrowed his eyes at 
the boy.

 

 "Damn you! You're injured, and you're no stronger than you were 
before!" His own aura of gold power flashed to life around him and Ranma 
smirked.

 

 "Think so, I've got a new trick I think you're going to like," said 
Ranma calmly.

 

 Dark Ranma stepped back slowly with his eyes growing wide. 
"What?"

 

 "Heh, what's this thing old man?" said a familiar voice from behind 
him. 

 

 Chibi Usa was floating behind Super Ranma and poking at the small 
ring that floated just over his head.

 

 "Huh? What thing?" said Ranma in confusion as he looked up. The 
object shifted and stayed just over his head, keeping out of his line of sight. 
"I don't see anything."

 

 "It's about time you showed up!" snapped Dark Ranma irritably at the 
little girl. 

 

 "I thought you could handle him," snorted Chibi Usa irritably. "Guess 
I was wrong old man."

 

 "Bah! Don't be stupid! He's my equal in power! I thought you said you 
came back to make sure I could handle him fool!?" snorted the Evil Ranma 
angrily. "Do your job! Don't forget who's existence is riding on this 
brat!"

 

 "Equal?" snorted Ranma with a small chuckle as he looked back and 
fourth at the pair. Finally he noticed his reflection in one of the intact 
windows and blinked. "Hey...what the heck is that thing?"

 

 The trio turned to see the good Ranma poking at the tiny ring of 
light that floated over his head in confusion. It made a slight twang as he 
touched it, as if it was some sort of super tightly wound metal. "Neat!"

 

 "Enough of this! Destroy him!" snarled Evil Ranma.

 

 Ranma smirked as the pair began to power up in front of him again, 
both of them undergoing the complete first level transformation. "Oh yeah, I was 
gonna show you a new trick!" He smiled to himself and spread his legs while 
moving his arms into an offensive stance. "Don't blink now!" He winked at the 
pair and suddenly his aura jumped.

 

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

 

 "So? What's this trick? Ranmot?" asked Dan with a rough sounding 
snort.

 

 "Ranma is fine Dan, and the trick is, you're going to help us this 
time," replied the fused pair in amusement.

 

 "Huh?" said Dan dumbly.

 

 "You heard me," said Ranma calmly. "Come on loser, you can do 
it."

 

 Dan mentally shrugged his shoulders and stared forward. "Okay. What 
do I do?"

 

 "Pay attention, I'm gonna walk you through this," said Ranma with a 
slight chuckle.

 

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

 

 Evil Ranma and Chibi Usa stared with their jaws hanging down in 
shock. 

 

 "Impossible! They've reached the second level in only eight hours?" 
cried Dark Ranma in shock.

 

 "Second level?" said Chibi Usa as she narrowed her eyes at her 
father. "What second level? You never told me about any second level."

 

 "And give away my trump card in case you decided to turn on me? I 
think not," snorted Dark Ranma irritably. "You're strong enough as you are, and 
the both of us can take him.

 

 Ranma was simply watching them both, his body now almost double it's 
original size. His hair had grown outward and upward yet again, and his pigtail 
now reached the small of his back. He smirked at the pair and clenched his 
fists. "I'm betting you two idiots are thinking you might have a chance to take 
me now. Boy, you're really stupid."

 

 Chibi Usa growled as the golden figure backed out of the window and 
began to float out above the city in the sky.

 

 The two Super Saiyans glanced at one another and then followed 
outside. "What are we going to do?" growled Chibi Usa angrily. "He's not 
bluffing, he's stronger than the both of us put together. Surely you can feel 
that!"

 

 "Heh, I've got that covered," said Evil Ranma. "I was going to save 
this for the Hibiki boy. It's the first place I went after I escaped that prison 
of a body. Just in case I happened to meet someone who might be strong enough to 
be a threat to me."

 

 "Keep your hands off him," growled the little girl irritably.

 

 "You'll understand soon enough," said Evil Ranma as he chuckled. 
"Keep him distracted, I've only got one shot at this."

 

 Chibi Usa nodded grimly and stared up at the Second Level Super 
Saiyan nervously. "You should have said something about this."

 

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

 

 Tsuki groaned painfully as she staggered awake and found herself 
lying in a pile of broken glass. She shook her head and slowly rose to her feet. 
Slowly, she moved towards one of the windows and blinked in surprise.

 

 "Oh shit. It wasn't a dream! There's two of them!" cried the girl in 
shocked horror.  
 
 Her mother was going to have an 
aneurysm when she found out about this. She sighed and hung her head in horror. 
"What am I going to do?" She stared out the window, unable to take her eyes off 
the opposing trio. "...and how much of what he said is true?" It was an idea she 
didn't like one bit, but something deep inside her was telling her it was indeed 
the truth. That was something she definitely didn't want to deal with on any 
level.

 

 "Mistress Pluto...Mother...why didn't you tell me? Why?" she said as 
tears started to blur her vision.

 

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

 

 Setsuna stared through the gates of time with a calm expression on 
her face. The broken staff rested in her palm, and she was powerless to do 
anything until it was fixed. Without it's power, she could not create a porthole 
to the Earth.

 

 Now she could do nothing but watch. She stood in silence, something 
deep inside her chest aching as she stared at her daughter's new revelations. 
"Tsuki, I'm sorry...but..." She trailed off. "It was for the best, surely you 
understand that?" A single tear fell down her cheek as she looked at her 
daughter's image for a long moment. 

 

 She knew the girl would have survived the fall, and that her 
determination to destroy the evil would only be strengthened by that 
moment.  She also knew that Genaku McTome could bend the flow of time 
around him at will. Creating new paths, and now apparently, shattering old ones. 


 

 Her eyes slowly turned to lock onto the pair of him facing off in the 
sky over Tokyo within the image. Once again, he'd done the impossible, once 
again, he'd managed to prove himself against everything that should be. This 
time, he took all of the hope she had in her heart with her. He'd shown his true 
colors at last, and now he would bring the world into darkness. There was 
nothing she could do to stop it.

 

 The only thing she could do now is pray. Pray that one of them would 
destroy the other. It was the only hope she had left.

 

 She turned her eyes towards her daughter's image. There she saw the 
hope still alive, still free. "Perhaps, she will be ready sooner than I had 
thought?" She looked at the broken staff in her hands and frowned. "Soon indeed, 
but not just yet." She pried herself away from the image. It would do her no 
good to watch the battle unfold, unable to do anything. She had to fix the 
staff, and now that she knew her daughter was alive, she could set her 
concentration to the task completely. The staff had to be repaired, then she 
could do a bit more than just watch.

 

 "I pray for your safety, good luck child," she said as she turned her 
head to look at her daughter one last time.

 

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

 

 TBC...

 

 NEXT TIME: The secret attack!!!

 

 

 

--- Carrotglace

--- carrotglace@mindspring.com 

--- EarthLink: It's your Internet.


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