Previous chapters are availible at http://templar.anifics.com/  comments
are welcome.

Disclaimer: the text below is a work of fanfiction.  the characters are
used without permission and are not intended for profit

Silent Angels
by Andrew Wilson

Chapter 3: Unfinished Business

Ranma idly flicked a stone down the cliffs surrounding the valley.  More 
than twenty years had passed since he had been to this location, and it 
hadn't changed a bit.

"I hate this place," he growled.

Beside Ranma, Zelgadis chuckled. "With a name like 'Pools of Sorrow,' do 
you really think you're supposed to like them?"

Ranma shared a smile with his friend.  Over the past years, Zelgadis had 
lightened up considerably. *And not just in skin color,* Ranma would 
often add.

The valley of Jusenkyo stretched out before them.  A thousand pools, 
each possessing a curse for any who fall in.  A thousand places, on the 
other side of the mirror, where souls were trapped and tormented for the 
amusement of the Nightlords.

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Ranma inquired.

Zelgadis shook his head. "Of course not.  I won't be sure until we try 
it.  That's what an experiment means."

"And if anything goes wrong?" Kasumi asked as she and Setsuna approached 
from their own private discussion.

Zelgadis shrugged. "I don't know that, either.  I've been here three 
times in the past decade, this plan is the result of all my research."

"Then let's get too it," Ranma said.

Zelgadis snapped his fingers as a ripple passed over his form, changing 
flesh to stone.  A moment later the sword at his hip began to glow 
brightly, and a door-shaped patch of air in front of him seemed to fade 
away until all that was left was a shimmering black portal.

"Show off," Ranma snorted.  He turned to the ladies, and caught Kasumi 
in the middle of her own change.  She had her arms stretched over her 
head, and her back slightly arched, as though in the middle of an 
athletic routine.  An inky wave rolled over her skin until it matched 
the shade of her leathers, while her hair shifted to silver feathers. 
Her wings emerged from her back, and perfectly matched the stretch the 
rest of her body was performing.

Ranma blushed as his own transformation started.  Even after all these 
years, Kasumi's subtle teasing could still remind him of just how 
beautiful his wife was, no matter her form.  After his own change was 
complete (which, as usual, introduced him to sensations that no man was 
supposed to experience) she noticed Zelgadis staring in Kasumi's direction.

Ranma slapped the stone man on the back of his head. "That's my wife 
you'rrre starrring at."

Zelgadis coughed and quickly turned away. "Sorry, she took me by 
surpri-YEOUCH!"

Setsuna smirked as she dissipated the electricity crackling around the 
end of her staff.

"If you boys are finished," Kasumi said as she walked toward the 
doorway, "we really should get on with it."

Ranma and Zelgadis exchanged a glance and a shrug before following. 
Setsuna was suppressing laughter as she also went through the door.  She 
never understood why Kasumi was dressed in that leather catsuit.  Sure, 
it was able to distract enemies, but only those that noticed or cared 
about such things, which most minions of the Nightlords don't.  Ranma 
was much more practical in his loose silk garments (though he also 
favored black), and Zelgadis still had the habit of wearing the same 
faded kackies that he had been wearing since...long before anyone else 
in the group had been alive.

Of course, Setsuna reflected, she shouldn't be the one to talk about 
strange clothing, since she often wore a business suit in the field.

Finally letting out a chuckle, Setsuna stepped though the doorway, and 
into the Nightlands.

*******

The valley was the same, and yet it wasn't.  Instead of lush hills, the 
landscape was a blasted wasteland.  Instead of pools in the valley far 
below, mounds of glowing crystal rose from random spots in the ground.

And instead of a blue sky there was an eternal, starless night.

"Come on," Ranma growled as she started down the cliffs, "let's get this 
overrr with."

Kasumi nodded. "Agreed, I would like to leave this place as soon as 
possible." Without another word, she jumped off the cliffs.  An instant 
later, she spread her wings and floated slowly to the ground.

Zelgadis and Setsuna followed Kasumi off the cliffs, though neither had 
wings.  Using their powers, Zelgadis performed some creative 
manipulations of the local gravitational fields, while Setsuna generated 
a cushion of thick ait below her feet.  Because of that, the couple was 
the first to arrive at the bottom.  Ranma waiting a moment, then began 
dropping from one rocky ledge to the next.

"So," Ranma mused once they all reached the valley floor, "we just 
starrrt blowing up the crrrystals one by one?"

Zelgadis nodded. "Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find a way 
around that."

"Then you haven't been looking hard enough."

All four spun toward the new voice.  A short figure was leaning against 
the cliff walls.  The voice had been deep, but feminine, and somehow 
Ranma found it familiar.

"You," Setsuna growled.

"Hmmm?" The figure stepped into the glow from the crystals, and Ranma 
recognized her, though it had been more than two decades since she had 
seen that face.

Short.

Child-like build.

Deep, slightly squeaky voice.

Long, spiky hair that seemed to alternate between shades of red and pink 
depending on the light it was in.

Green eyes with a definite glint of mischief.

"Washu," Kasumi stated.

"Yes!" the alien woman exclaimed. "I am Washu, the greatest scientific 
genius in the Megaverse!"

"And a Nightlord minion," Zelgadis growled.

Washu snorted, then turned to examine Setsuna. "Hmmmmm.  Looks like 
you've been keeping fit," she said as she made a circuit around the 
shocked woman. "No degradation in muscle mass.  And capacity for 
visual-psychological warfare is the same, though it could be better if 
you'd change your style of dress."

"Visual-psychological warfare?" Setsuna asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Your sex appeal, silly.  Have you ever considered a mini-skirt?  How 
about a leotard?  They might help."

The gem capping Setsuna's staff flared, and a swarm of mind bolts flew 
at the short scientist, only to disappear an inch from the redhead's skin.

"Now now, you should have better manners than that."

"What do you want?" Ranma asked in order to steer the conversation away 
from the brawl it was approaching.

Washu smiled. "To help you, of course."

"Why should we believe you want to help," Zelgadis growled. "You were 
perfectly willing to play games with Setsuna's life last time we met."

"No, I was actually testing how far you would go to help her.  I knew 
you had that little bauble, since it was my lab that Xelloss stole it from."

"Why?" Setsuna asked.

"Morrre to a point," Ranma said, once again trying to get the discussion 
back to the matter at hand, "how do you know what we'rrre planning."

Washu's smile seemed to grow smug. "Do you know how Setsuna was born?"

The named woman's eyes hardened. "In a lab, mostly from your work.  What 
of it?"

"Early on in the project, I discovered that the human species, while 
possessing great potential, was limited.  If I tried to create a person 
to Ahriman's specifications, his plan would have worked."

"Huh?" Four voices chorused.

"Simple," a lectern and academic robes appeard out of nowhere. "I knew 
what the Time Staff could do, and I wouldn't allow such a fine piece of 
work be corrupted as he wanted.  So I decided to up the power of the 
project, making sure that the subject could eventually break free.  For 
that I needed a different sample to work with, one with more raw power."

Setsuna's face paled. "Oh my God," she breathed.

"Of course," Washu continued, "it would have taken a complete genetic 
scan and genome analysis to determine that the project, you, wasn't 
truly human."

"You mean..." Zelgadis trailed off as the potential of Washu's lesson 
struck him.

"I guess," Washu concluded as the cap and podium vanished, "you could 
say that only half your DNA was cooked up in a lab, the rest came from a 
donor.  So can you do something for me?"

"What?" Setsuna asked in a weak voice.

"Can you call me mom?" Washu asked with a huge grin.

There was a very loud "thud" as four bodies hit the ground simultaneously.

*******

When Ranma regained consciousness, Washu was siting on a cushion that 
was floating in mid air while typing on some kind of holographic keyboard.

"After all you've seen, and all you've done, you're shocked by something 
as simple as who your friend's mother really is."

"If that's trrrue," Ranma asked as the others got to their feet, "why 
werrre you helping Ahrrriman in the firrrst place."

Washu stopped typing, and the holo-computer disappeared. "Come, I'll 
show you," she said in a voice that had lost it's squeaky quality.

They quickly wove their way through the crystal mounds.  Washu refused 
to answer any further questions, going so far as to pull a very large 
gun out of wherever the other props had come from to discourage Ranma's 
curiosity.  Well, Ranma called it curiosity, everyone else called it 
paranoia.  But that was expected.  Ranma made her living (and kept her 
family alive) by being paranoid.

Ranma was the first to spot their destination.  It was a crystal mound 
that was slightly larger than those around it, though it did not have a 
corresponding pool on Earth (Zelgadis had a map).  A young woman was 
suspended in the crystal, though not like the other victims of Jusenkyo. 
  For one thing, she was fully clothed (so far as the skin-tight black 
outfit could be considered 'clothed').  Another oddity was the sense of 
power Ranma could feel radiating from the crystal.  It was enough to 
raise the hairs on the back of her neck, but also had the impression of 
restraint.

"Who is she?" Ranma asked.

"Seven hundred years ago," Washu explained, "the pools trapped the souls 
of those who drowned there, but did not curse those that were simply 
splashed.  At that time, she came to the area.  She stumbled into a 
dimensional portal and landed right in the middle of one of Ahriman's 
parties.  After a short - but very violent - fight, Xelloss was able to 
seal her into the Juskenkyo prison."

"Her power caused the pools to give out curses," Zelgadis surmised.

Wahsu nodded. "And the prisoners knew it.  For most, it caused them even 
more suffering, which pleased Ahriman even more."

"Why did you show us this?" Kasumi asked.

"She wants us to free the woman," Setsuna replied. "Because she's been 
supplying the springs with power, she's become an integral part of the 
prison.  Break this one, and every other spring will be destroyed in an 
instant."

"Very good," Washu complimented. "I'm glad to see you got some of my 
smarts."

Setsuna glared at Washu. "So who is she?"

"Your sister," Washu said simply.

Ranma glanced back and forth between Setsuna, Washu, and the woman in 
the crystal. "You don't look alike."

Zelgadis snorted. "Like that means anything."

Kasumi smiled. "When we were younger, you looked more like Ryoga than 
your father."

Ranma shrugged. "Trrrue."

"Actually," Washu commented, "that's because my genes really don't 
influence my childrens' phenotype.  Indications are subtle."

Ranma looked back at the woman in the crystal. "Well, they both have 
grrreen hairrr."

"No," Kasumi said, "her's is more blue."

Zelgadis sighed in exasperation. "Can we get on with this, please?  I 
don't like being in the same dimension as Xelloss, much less a few miles 
from his fortress."

"You worry too much," Washu replied. "He doesn't know we're here.  And 
he won't.  But we should finish this as soon as possible.  So, I've 
given you the target, go do your stuff."

Ranma glared at Washu, then turned to Zelgadis and raised an eyebrow. 
Zelgadis nodded, then he and Setsuna moved around the crystal mound and 
took up positions two o'clock and ten o'clock, with Ranma standing at 
six.  As one, each of the three began to gather energy in his or her own 
way.  Between Ranma's raised hands floated a ball of utter darkness, 
which was matched with the pale blue sphere floating before Zelgadis' 
palms, which was also matched with the grey cloud hovering just below 
the level of Setsuna's eyes.

"I hope this works," Washu muttered.

"You're not sure?" Kasumi asked quietly.

"No," Washu continued in a low voice so as to not disturbed the trio 
around the crystal. "It's a good theory he came up with, I don't think I 
could come up with a different one with the resources he had access to. 
  I had another way, but it required things that I don't have access to."

"So what they're doing..."

"To put it in terms you would understand, they're cauterizing a wound 
with fire instead of suturing it.  Same result, but more dangerous."

The pair fell silent as the next stage in the ritual was performed. 
Zelgadis raised his free hand and made a slight gesture.  As one, 
streams of energy from the three sources flowed upwards, meeting above 
the crystal's center.  They formed a swirling ball of color which 
hovered for a moment before sinking into the crystal mound.  The crystal 
rippled for a briefly, then was still.

"It didn't work?" Kasumi asked.

"Wait for it," Washu advised.

A single crack formed at the peak of the crystal.  It quickly, and 
silently, expanded and split, forming a spider-web of cracks over the 
entire surface.  The crystal's glow seemed brighter at the cracks, and 
soon Kasumi saw them widening.  A moment later, she was shocked to see 
the trapped woman's eyes open, and the crystal exploded as though a 
victim of the rage in the woman's eyes.

"Free!" the woman screamed.  Her voice was almost a tangible force, 
spreading throughout the valley.  As the shock wave hit each spring, the 
crystal shattered in a spectacular shower of glittering fragments.  One 
by one, the imprisoned spirits hovered for an instant before fading 
away.  For once, the looks on their faces were of peace instead of pain.

Kasumi looked over her shoulder in time to see the image of a 
pink-haired girl disappear.  She could have swore there was a lecherous 
look on the girl's face.

"Where is that black-lunged son of a bitch?" the woman from the crystal 
snarled.

"Hold your horses, Ryoko," Washu snapped.

The woman - Ryoko, obviously - turned her anger toward the diminutive 
redhead.  Washu simply stared back.  A beam of light from Ryoko's hand 
disappeared like Setsuna's mind bolts before her body froze mid-leap. 
The snarling anger on her face told the companions that only her body 
was paralyzed.  After a few moments, the changing expressions on Ryoko's 
face suggested that there was some kind of mental communication going on 
between them.  Setsuna confirmed this when she suddenly winced.

"What are they saying?" Zelgadis asked.

"You don't want to know," Setsuna replied.

Ryoko's glare softened slightly as she glanced at Setsuna. "Later," she 
mouthed.

Before Setsuna could reply, Ryoko gave Washu a final glare then shot off 
into the sky.  She was flying at close to mach 1 by the time she reached 
the outer edge of the valley.

Ranma studied the direction Ryoko disappeared into. "Doesn't that 
dirrrection lead to..."

Zelgadis nodded. "Ahiman's - excuse me, Xelloss' - fortress."

"Uh-oh," Ranma breathed.

"Gather 'round," Washu said as her holographic computer reappeared. 
"Time to watch the show."

*******

Tofu stared at the rubble in the distance, then down at the bowling bag 
in his hand.

"Quite a temper, wouldn't you say?"

Some muffled sounds emerged from the bag before Tofu decided to open it. 
  Xelloss' face stared back at him with it's usual self-satisfied 
expression that was ruined by the ragged stump where the Nightlord's 
neck should have been.

"I should have anticipated this," Xelloss stated, apparently unconcerned 
with his lack of a body. "My fault there.  Of course, I was thinking of 
relocating, anyway."

Tofu raised an eyebrow. "You were, or you're just posing to cover up the 
fact that she kicked your ass?"

"Now that, old friend, is a secret."

"So how long until you regenerate?"

Even lacking shoulders, Xelloss gave the impression of a shrug. "Her 
attacks were on a spiritual level as well as physical.  It should take 
me a day or so to regain enough power to create a new body.  Of course, 
that assumes a supply of food."

"I believe a few slave pens survived the explosion.  Let's see what's 
there."

End chapter 3

Yeah, been even longer since I updated this one.  What can I say, 
school, work, everything else.  The usual.


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