[Ranma/SM][FanFic] Prince of Time, Chapter 3

[ken payne]

Prince of Time.
A Ranma 1/2/Sailor Moon Cross-over
By KPJAM

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Ranma and characters used are the creation of
Rumiko Takahashi and owned by her and Shogagukan, Kitty and Viz
Communications.
Sailor Moon and it's characters are copyrighted by Naoko Takeuchi, Toei
Animation, and Kodansha.

Big thanks to Thermopyle and Martin for pre-reading and helping out with
this story and having a lot of patience with me.

Chapter Three: Pluto's Choice

Akane watched in shock as the attack hit Ranma, rendering him completely
motionless. Time seemed to slow to a crawl, as she silently mouthed his name
over and over. She watched in surprise as the woman, Noriko, stood from the
place she had fallen next to Ranma.

"What Lost Boy do?" Akane turned to see Shampoo angrily advancing on Ryoga
with Cologne right behind her.

She took one last glance at Ranma before moving towards Ryoga, who was
staring wondrously at his hands, oblivious to the outside world.

She noticed that Ryoga looked exhausted, his knees were wobbly, he had a
fine sheen of perspiration on his forehead and his shoulders were slumped.
He started giggling, slowly then building up to laughing like a maniac.

"I did it, I defeated Ranma!" Ryoga shouted to the sky,
"Bwahahahahhahahahahahhha."

He was so lost in his own world that he didn't notice as Noriko marched up
to him and backhanded him across the face. He stumbled a few steps from the
blow while Noriko followed her actions with the few additional steps
necessary to track down the boy.

"Release him now," she growled at him.

"Stupid Pig-Boy go free Shampoo Airen now," Shampoo seconded the notion,
while Cologne and Akane approached Ryoga.

Noriko had taken the boy by the collar and was holding him up. "You are
going to free him, aren't you, Ryouken?" she spoke coldly, twisting the
collar in her hand as she spoke to him.

Ryoga focused on the woman in front of him, gulping audibly as he looked
into her cold piercing eyes. The mirth and joy had drained from his face as
he seemed uneasy with his new predicament.

"Mana Arrow!"

All heads whipped around to find the source of the sound, when a burst of
light struck the ground exploding in a blinding flash at their feet. The
force of the explosion ripped up the concrete and sprayed the gathered crowd
twenty feet away.

Akane regained her feet quickly, angered and annoyed at the attack. She
looked for the source of the attack and instead witnessed a woman hefting
the unconscious Ryoga onto her shoulder. She was wearing a white tunic and
hose with gold trim, reminding Akane of an elf. She also had a white bow
slung over shoulder.

Akane angrily advanced on the woman, pissed at being attacked and ready to
rescue Ryoga.

The newcomer focused on Noriko, ignoring the others around her, "Fancy
meeting you here, Noriko. I think Ryouken here did a wonderful job. Don't
you agree?" She smirked at Noriko.

"Yumiko," Noriko gasped in surprise. She straightened her posture as she
assumed a commanding expression before responding, "Release Meio at once!"

"Sorry, Princess," she said sarcastically, "Meio got what he deserves."
She smiled brightly, obviously pleased with this turn of events.

"Who Meio? Fix Shampoo Airen NOW!" Shampoo had recovered her feet and was
currently advancing on Yumiko, with open hostility in her face and
movements.

"Sorry all, have to go," Yumiko chirped brightly before she vanished into
thin air with her unconscious passenger.

"Most impressive," Cologne said as hopped up to Noriko. "Noriko, is it?
How do we free son-in-law?"

Noriko look at Cologne askance. "Who are you and why did you refer to Mei..
Ranma as son-in-law?" Noriko asked Cologne.
"I am Elder Cologne of the Joketsuzoku village. Ranma defeated my
great-granddaughter Shampoo," she indicated Shampoo who smiled, "in battle
and is now her husband by the laws of our village."

A small frown passed over Noriko's face as she examined Shampoo.

"Do you know how to free Ranma?" Cologne reiterated her question, looking at
the other woman intently.

"I don't know," Noriko breathed out heavily as she said these words,
returning her attention to the Matriarch.

"What do you mean you don't know?!?" Akane yelled. "You seem to know
everything else!" She was frustrated and scared, and this woman who seemed
to have brought all the current weirdness to her life claimed to lack
knowledge that would make everything better again.

Noriko turned to look at the angry girl. "No one knows everything!" She
took a deep breath and started walking over to Ranma's frozen form, with the
others trailing behind.

"The attack Ryouken used was a magical attack developed by Professor
Fujisawa. He was a researcher and magician on Vulcan, and he was very
talented at using magic and the development of its use. Ryouken and Yumiko
were two of his assistants and brightest students." She paused in her
explanation, gazing intently at the unmoving form a few feet in front of
her.

"The last thing I remember is that they were developing this attack, along
with researching a few other things that were important to Meio and his
family. I had other concerns and was not completely caught up on his
research."

"What I do know is that when the attack hits, it moves the target, and a
small area around it, outside the flow of time," she finished with a sigh
as she turned to face the other woman.

"You mean Ranma is frozen in time," Cologne clarified, moving over to
examine the area that defined Ranma's prison.

"Yes," Noriko confirmed, while hanging her head slightly, ignoring the
movements of the older woman.

"Aiya!" Shampoo gasped excitedly, her hands coming to her mouth before she
moved to join her great-grandmother. "Poor Ranma. Shampoo kill Ryoga when
she see him next."

"Oh, Ranma," Akane sighed, she felt a knot form in her heart upon hearing
the older woman's words. She looked at him frozen there in the middle of
his struggle to rise. She stopped herself from going to him, not wanting to
show her grief to others.

Usually the events around Ranma were too exciting to allow the girl to dwell
on any of her feelings for more than a second, this was to surreal for her.
Ranma was always there pushing some her buttons, creating some heated
emotion in her. Occasionally it was a happiness and pride in his actions and
accomplishments, most often it was annoyance and anger, but he was always
moving. Even when he lost he was never down long, never immobile, like he
was now.

She felt like she was in some twilight zone and any minute the episode would
end and everything would return to normal. Ranma would finish getting up
and go fight Ryoga again until one of them couldn't stand. If it happened
to be one of the few occasions it was the Ranma who had fallen, he would be
up soon, focusing on how or why he had lost to the exclusion of all other.

That probably annoyed her the most, he would focus on some meaningless fight
and completely ignore her. She'd give anything for him to be moving around
now, ignoring or insulting her, instead of this nothing. She would gladly
take the insults and aggravation associated with him in place of this
nothingness. If he could move or talk, at least then she would have an
outlet for her emotions, now she had nothing.

"Itoh!" Noriko had produced a small device, and was talking into it,
capturing Akane's attention.

"What are you doing now?" Akane asked suddenly, jerking her head up to look
at the other woman.

"I'm going to go see what files I have on this attack. See if I can a
counter is listed somewhere or if I can devise a way to undo this," Noriko
replied as a voice could be heard coming out of the device.

"Itoh here."

"I'm returning."

"Wait! I'm going with you," Akane spoke up hastily.

"Aiya! Shampoo go too," the Chinese girl chirped.

"Itoh, hold on a minute," Noriko spoke into her communicator.

"What did you say?" She asked the two girls.

"Ranma, Shampoo husband. I go with." Shampoo emphatically nodded her head
in conjunction with her words.

"Grrrr. He's not your husband!" Akane growled, rounding on Shampoo and
yelling into the other girls face.

"Law says so, so is so," Shampoo smugly replied, folding her arms across her
chest and ignoring Akane.

"Enough!" Noriko snapped. She paused for a second looking over the two
girls considering their requests. They probably wouldn't be much help, in
fact they probably would cause trouble. On the other hand she did need
information, she knew next to nothing about Meio's current life. If worst
came to worst she could have them locked up or transported off the ship.
She really had very little to lose and a lot to potentially gain. "You can
both come." She turned to Cologne with a questioning glance, "What about
you?"

"I will search elsewhere for answers," Cologne replied.

Noriko just nodded at that and addressed her communicator again. "Itoh,
bring up three, me and the two closest to me." She turned to the girls,
saying, "Behave." A moment later the three of them vanished leaving Cologne
alone in the street.

She walked over to Ranma and started examining the predicament the boy had
allowed himself to fall into.

------------------------------

Setsuna walked down the hallway of a castle long abandoned. It had been her
home when she growing up, her father's seat of power. She hadn't been here
in centuries, never visited after Serenity had gifted her a new castle for
her new position as the Senshi of Pluto and the Guardian of the Time Gates.
This place had been abandoned since then. As the new kingdom took over, the
new rulers of Pluto had erected their own structures.

The hall she was walking along led to the throne room. It was the place she
had gone to decide her last huge personal decision, and she felt it fitting
she go there to make what would perhaps be her last decision.

She had come here directly from the Gates of Time, where she had witnessed
the fate that had befallen her brother. "Oh, Meio," she whispered out loud,
thinking about the predicament he was in.

She had been able to track his movements from the park, while not being able
to focus on him directly, she could focus on his surroundings, following his
past movements until she witnessed the very end of the fight.

She had struggled with the notion of going back in time to see if she could
save him, tabling the idea for the moment as she considered other options.
She had allowed herself glimpses of the future and the past before to gain
information or insight into events. Only once had she actually traveled
through time, the results had proved disastrous, creating more problems than
the action had solved.

No, time travel would be a last resort, time had a way of setting its own
course, no matter how hard someone tried to steer it. If your actions
reinforced the flow they would work and be successful, try to bend or alter
that flow and it could destroy you.

"Meio, Meio," she thought again, he had been getting himself into trouble
as long as she could remember, often it was in an attempt to help out
someone, usually her. She remembered fondly the time he verbally dressed
down and then fought one of the groundskeeper that had yelled at her for
picking flowers on the palace grounds. Father had been less than pleased,
the groundskeeper had been doing his duty, and was twice Meio's size. Meio
had walked away with a few bruises, including the huge one to his ego, as
the groundskeeper had proven more than capable of handling the much younger
and smaller boy.

Antics like that had assured him permanent hero status for so much of her
adolescence, there seemed nothing he couldn't handle. Even when she knew he
was outclassed or nervous he never showed it, he always had a smile on his
face to go along with his holier than thou attitude.

It made her jealous at times, his ability to always get away with anything
and everything he wanted. There was even a time he got away with using her
father's family sword to practice with. Father had been furious, but Meio
had simply said he need to practice with what he would be using some day.
Then, father had come up short and laughed as his son faced him with a cocky
smirk. Meio, of course had only received a verbal reprimand, while their
father was still chuckling!

They had been nearly inseparable growing up, he was the yang to her yin.
She was born minutes after him and mother would joke that whenever Meio
appeared, Setsuna would be right behind.

Meio had always seemed to be there for her, always seeming to appear at her
side when boredom was threatening to set in, or to come up with a kind word
when her confidence was waning. The population of Pluto had been small,
with no other noble families on the planet and with almost no children their
own age, the two of them had been twin stars in an empty galaxy.

Setsuna examined the walls as she walked through the long deserted hallway,
the candle she was using to illuminate her way gave off ominous shadow along
them. Contemporary architecture would describe the decor as gothic, but she
had only found comfort in the dreary surroundings. The stones were gray,
the color of almost all rock found on Pluto. The stones were denser than
the ones currently found on Earth, in conjunction with the magic used to
reinforce the structure, it was little wonder the castle still stood even
after thousands of years in neglect.

She remembered how she used to do this as a child, sneaking into the throne
room and pretending she was queen. She would be sitting on her father's
throne, wondering what it would be like to rule the solar system at her
brother's side.

He would sneak up to her and scare her. Then she would start to scream, but
he would always be right behind her, with a hand quickly on her mouth.

---------------------

"Shhh, it's only me, Set-chan," he would whisper in her ear, calming her
instantly.

"Jerk," she would say while turning to strike him playfully. He would
always turn and allow her to punch him on the shoulder, calming her.

He always seemed to sense when she had stopped waiting for him, thinking
that tonight would be the night he didn't come. She asked him occasionally
if he went there every night, and he would reply in the negative, that he
only went when he felt she was there. He had made her feel so important to
him when they were growing up, it's no wonder he was the center of her
world.

They would chat and then go raid the kitchen for a nighttime snack. It
seems so long ago, but she could recall it so clearly walking down these
long forgotten corridors. Memories she hadn't thought about in ages,
memories of a carefree time, when the world centered around a boy a few
minutes her elder, but always her hero.

--------

She approached the double doors that led to the throne room. Setsuna paused
for a second to steady her nerves before pushing open the doors to the large
room.

She couldn't see the thrones from the doors. They were too far away in the
inadequate lighting provided by the candle she carried. She didn't feel
like looking for the panel that would illuminate the room, realizing it
would be too depressing to try and have the lights fail to work. She hadn't
tried to turn on anything since she teleported directly to her old room and
walked the short distance here. She also appreciated the memories that the
current lighting brought, moments when the world really was just her and
Meio.

She remembered the last time she had snuck into this room, she was almost
sixteen, it was also one of the few times Meio had ever truly angered her.

---------------------

Noriko and her family had been visiting from Vulcan, after the initial
pleasantries she had wanted nothing to do with matters of state. She hadn't
been asked to leave but Meio had been asked to stay. He was the heir, while
she was the little princess. These things rarely occurred to her, but
occasionally she would be offended, especially as she began to grow older
and his time was spent more and more in learning how to govern and rule.
She was never specifically excluded, but not being the focus of attention or
having her brother's attention stolen from her had occasionally irked her.

She was later annoyed when he didn't come to report back to her. He had
always done that before, if for no other reason than to complain about how
boring the meeting had been.

She had gone to the throne room later that night, seeking the fantasy that
she was the center of everything, hoping Meio would come join her. She
could never describe the weird combination of exhilaration and solitude the
room provided her at night. She realized it may be strange but her favorite
times growing up were the quiet conversations she would have in this room
with her brother.

During the day it was their fathers, a very public place where every move
was watched, determined by protocol and tradition. When night fell, it was
theirs, a place of quiet solitude where their actions were free and
unrestrained. When day returned, it would revert back to a place of
business, the fate of millions was debated over, while at night it was a
place of imagination and wonder.

She had entered as usual, quietly entering, opening the doors slowly, just
enough to squeeze through the space. She had walked towards the thrones,
surprised at seeing people there. She had considered turning around when
curiosity had gotten the better of her. She hadn't been positive, but she
could have sworn the two people we kissing.

"Hey, Set-chan," Meio had called out, startling her. She remembered the
casual way that he had greeted her, like he was doing nothing wrong,
bringing another into their space.

"Hi," she replied, still a little annoyed at being overlooked this
afternoon, the intrusion of another added to her pique. It wouldn't have
mattered who was there, it was their time and place.

"Sister, allow me the pleasure of introducing to you Princess Noriko
Miyamoto, Daughter of Torajiro Miyamoto, and future ice-queen of Pluto,"
Meio said with obvious mirth in his voice.

She and Meio had known Noriko for years, she would probably qualify as the
twin's only real friend, spending time together when their parents would
visit one another. The engagement was a shock to her, no one had mentioned
it her before, and she deduced correctly that that had been part of the
topic of conversation earlier.

It was good news, they would make a good match. She knew Meio had found
Noriko attractive and enjoyed her company, but no one had said anything to
her, not even Meio! She had thought he told her everything, and finding out
otherwise felt like someone had punched her in the stomach.

"Meio!" Noriko squealed in response to his jibe about her personality.

Meio laughed, "My future bride shows some emotion," he continued the good
natured teasing.

"Stop this now, or I won't be your future anything," she replied, looking
at him with a humorous sparkly in her eyes and a smile forming at the
corners of her mouth.

"You wound me, fair lady," he replied attempting to but failing to replace
the mirth in his voice with disappointment.

Setsuna slipped away unnoticed, returning to her room to brood, feeling at
the moment as if she had lost her best friend.

That began the realization that Meio wouldn't be hers solely forever. Her
anger and loneliness at that moment had been an adolescent reaction to
realizing she wasn't the center of his world. He was growing up, they both
had meant so much to each other, but his position and the expectations
placed upon him cut severely into the time he could spend with her.

---------------------------

Four years later she would again be in this room, sitting on the throne,
only this time it was for real. She remembered it as if it was yesterday.
She sat on the throne holding her staff, staring intently at the big double
doors. Serenity had arrived on the planet a short time ago and should be in
the room any minute.

Vulcan was still in her mind, as it always was. She was never supposed to
attain this position, it was her father's and would have, should have, been
Meio's.

She had been surprised when Queen Serenity had agreed to meet her on Pluto,
it was a magnanimous gesture to a vanquished foe. Serenity had come to
finalize the terms of the surrender and cease-fire that had been hastily
ironed out.

The large double doors had opened and Serenity had walked in, larger than
life, followed by two of her Senshi and flanked by her royal guard.

Setsuna remembered that she had never been so nervous in all her life as she
watched the procession approach her. In her imagination it was always the
vanquished foe who was coming to plead mercy, not the conquerors coming to
take over.

She had made the decision to surrender in order to spare lives. It had been
two months since the destruction of Vulcan and they had already lost contact
with Jupiter and Saturn. They had lost their leaders and their best
generals with Vulcan, she had no faith in the few that had survived.

Setsuna had spent time at the gates, looking at the future and seeing
nothing but more death and destruction to her people and her kingdom.

She exchanged formal greetings with Serenity before Setsuna formally
surrendered, abdicating the rule of the remaining planets under their
house's rule.

She couldn't remember what words had been said that day, she hadn't been
able to remember them seconds after they left her lips or remember
Serenity's after they had reached her ears. She did remember the beautiful
cream gown and regal manner Serenity bore. She also remembered the looks on
the two Senshi, young and proud, their faces beaming with pride, while the
guards looked grim and serious, marching in lines flanking the three women.

She remembered being slowly put at ease, as if it had been old friends
visiting, but there was never any doubt who was in charge. Serenity spoke
of future peace and tranquility, all under Serenity's rule.

--------------

That was the last time she had sat upon her father's throne, until today.
Setsuna looked around the now empty room. This was where she had come to
decide on her kingdom's surrender, and this would be the place where she
would decide her brother's fate.

She had three choices, two really, doing nothing was not on option. The
rift in time that held her brother needed to be repaired. Unfortunately the
repair bill would be someone's life.

------------------------------------

Yumiko appeared in a lavishly decorated bedroom. She took a few steps and
deposited her unconscious passenger on a large canopied bed.

"Hmm, seems you found the fountain of youth, Ryouken," she spoke to the
slumbering boy, "you and Meio both."

He had been over a hundred when she last saw him, but only appeared to be in
his mid-twenties, now he appeared to be a teenager.

"Well, you finally beat him, you deserve your rest," she spoke softly to
the boy, pride in her voice, pride that was clearly shown on her face. The
spell he had cast took a lot of energy, she expected him to sleep at least
through the night. She kissed his forehead before turning and leaving the
room.

-------

Akane watched as the background dissolved and the world went dark for a
moment before it reappeared.

She turned around to orient herself, noting the gray metallic walls of the
room they appeared in. It was large and spartan, the walls free of any
adornments. She noticed they had appeared on an elevated pad, and the only
object in the room was a rectangular pillar four feet high.

She noticed a man, Itoh she believed his name was, standing behind the
pillar examining something at the top of it that was obscured from view.

He looked up when they arrived and took a few steps towards Noriko, stopping
a good foot before the platform.

"Itoh, make sure the database of Professor Fujisawa's work is online. I
need to do some research on some of his work."

"Yes, sir," he saluted Noriko and began to turn when he was interrupted.

"Itoh, also prepare two additional rooms, we may have guests tonight," she
added, turning to look at the young girls when she spoke.

"If you two would follow me," she asked Shampoo and Akane.

"Aiya, where we?" Shampoo asked, startled by being addressed.

"You're on board of the best starship ever produced from Vulcan, the last
legacy of my people, the 'VSS Omega'," she replied in an almost recited way,
"be welcome. Now, if you'll both follow me, we have some research to do,"
Noriko stated again, before turning to walk towards the door Itoh had just
left thorough. The door slid open when she drew close, Akane and Shampoo
both paused for a moment, looking at the opening in wonder before shrugging
their shoulders and passing through it.

"So," Noriko began, "Akane, is it? What's your relationship to Ranma?"

"Well he's my fiance," she responded.

"Ranma, Shampoo husband, much better than fiance," the young girl chirped.

"Grrr... He's not your husband!" Akane yelled.

"Ladies!" Noriko's voice snapped, bringing both young women up short.
"We're here to find a way to restore Ranma. Not have petty arguments about
a man that right now can't lift a finger," she growled, anger and
frustration tinged her voice.

"Sorry," both girls mumbled, while bowing their heads and showing an
unusual amount of decorum.

They walked down the hallways in silence, passing the occasional crew
member. Akane noticed everyone saluted Noriko when they passed. Her
earlier annoyance at the woman was slowly being replaced with admiration at
her obvious position of respect.

Shampoo walked along quietly, wondering about this woman she was following.
She noticed the respect the other people on this ship gave the woman, the
same respect her fellow villagers paid her great-grandmother.

"So, what does Ranma say about all of this?" Noriko broke the silence with
a follow-up question.

When neither girl responded, Noriko continued to probe, "So he hasn't said
anything about this either way?"

"Our fathers arranged it, it wasn't my idea!" Akane quickly responded.

"But you take offense when Shampoo claims him as her husband?" Noriko
queried, she hadn't broken her stride or even turned to either girl as they
continued down the corridor.

"Kitchen-Destroyer too too shy to admit she like Shampoo airen." Shampoo
looked smugly at Akane when she spoke, clearly letting the other woman know
she wasn't too shy to tell her Airen how she felt.

"I am not!" Akane replied hotly, stopping to glare at Shampoo.

"So you both want him, but he has made no decision?" Noriko had stopped to
face both young women. She looked at both of them appraisingly, apparently
sizing them up for some hidden purpose. With a quick nod of her head she
went up to a nearby door and entered.

Shampoo and Akane both followed the older woman into the room. They found a
large room filled with desks. The desks facing them had some sort of
computer terminal in the middle of it.

"This is the ship's library." She walked briskly to one of the desks and sat
down, typing a few words and touching the screen occasionally.

"Akane, you can use this one." She indicated the seat she had just vacated.
"I'll explain it to the both of you at once. Shampoo, come watch also,"
she indicated the screen on the desk and waited for the two girls to come
take their places.

"Here, this has a touch screen navigational system. Touch the link to the
information you want to see. If you want to do a search, press the search
button here and type in a string of words you wish to use. If you have
questions or need anything I'll be nearby."

She took Shampoo to another desk and set her up to do research concurrently,
before moving to her own desk and terminal.

---------------

Ami was walking along with Makoto, Minako, and Usagi. They had stayed
around the shrine for a couple hours, indulging in talking about the finer
points of fashion, boys, school, boys, their new enemy, and boys.

They were currently trying to reassure Usagi of Mamoru's love. The college
student was supposed to be in labs all day, not an acceptable excuse to the
future Queen of Crystal Tokyo. Ami knew Usagi was whining just to whine,
everyone knew how much Mamoru loved Usagi.

"Hey, I wonder if that new guy is another Mamoru," Makoto exclaimed.

"Yeah, Sailor Venus definitely needs a prince," Minako skipped a few steps
in excitement. "He was a prince of Venus, destined to marry the prettiest
princess on Venus: ME!" Minako giggled as she twirled around with her hand
balled in a fist under her chin.

"Hey, Mamoru is way cuter!" Usagi exclaimed jumping into Minako's face. Ami
and Makoto just groaned from the antics of their two friends.

"He's from Pluto," Ami suddenly gasped, stopping in her tracks at her sudden
revelation. The others stopped when hearing her words and turned to regard
her.

"How do you know that?" Minako asked. If anyone else had spoken she would
have been sure it was just to place a dent in her fantasy.

"I remember him now," she mentioned. Her eyes squinted slightly in thought
before she began her tale.

-----------------------

She had been on Mercury doing research in one of the libraries when a man
had approached her while she had been reading.

"The Senshi of Mercury, I presume," he spoke to her with a deep voice. She
was startled at his words, and turned to look up into the eyes of one of the
most handsome men she had ever seen. He was a little under six feet, with
his shoulder length black hair done in a pigtail. His eyes were as green as
the deepest seas on Earth, a very attractive complement to his dark
complexion.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," he had the good grace to look a
little sheepish, which only added to her attraction to him.

"That's fine," she answered as her heart skipped a beat. "Do I know you?"

"Now you do," he relied with a smile. "My name is Meio, I came here
seeking knowledge. I was told the scientists of Mercury were the brightest
of the solar system. I happen to come in here today and spotted a very
attractive young woman studying. When I asked the librarian about you, he
informed me that you were the famous Senshi of Mercury."

She blushed in response, as her heart beat a little faster, she recognized
the flattery for what it was, but even as her logic senses told her that he
probably said the same complimentary things to everyone, her raging libido
was joyfully doing back-flips from his kind words and attention.

She started to loose focus on his words as her mind brought an image, of the
two of them in a flowery field. She was laying on his stomach reading while
his voice paid her compliments. Her book was removed from in front of her
face to be replaced by his smiling face moving towards hers.....

"....I came to you."

She face had taken on a crimson quality when she realized he was expecting
her to answer him in some way. "That's nice, how can I kiss you.. oops, umm,
I mean how can I help you?" She held her head up, keeping eye contact, as
her blush deepened as it traveled through her whole body.

He looked at her, the slight twitching of his left eyebrow was the only
indication that he noticed her blunder, otherwise he went on acting like
nothing out of the ordinary had happened, either he really hadn't or he was
being polite. Either explanation had merits, which one was more desirable
to the young girl was yet to be determined.

"I wanted to do some general research on the Moon Kingdom," he answered.

"Oh, that's a very big research subject, may I ask why?"

"General knowledge. My father always stressed the importance of knowledge.
I had heard that the communications systems for the kingdom have undergone a
vast overhaul and improvement since you joined the project."

She remembered spending the rest of the afternoon and dinner with the
charming man, talking over her role in keeping the solar system connected,
and other various bits of information.

---------------------

The girls were so engrossed in the revelation from the Senshi of Mercury
they failed to notice the tall green-haired woman across the street.

Setsuna watched as the girl moved by amiable chatting. She took a long look
at them as the walked in the twilight, silhouetted against the setting sun.

"Walking away in the sunset. How appropriate," she muttered to herself,
regret laced her words before she turned and walked away.

--------------------------------

Harumi Shinigami walked away from the communications station on Saturn. It
was Monday morning and her boss had just informed her they no longer had any
need for the services of the newly discovered Senshi of Destruction.

He had been more diplomatic than that, but the meaning behind the words was
evident. He had told her they couldn't see having such an important person
work at their facility. She had tried to explain to them that she was
powerless, she wasn't a Senshi yet, she was only the possibility of the
Senshi of Destruction, there was no proof that she would ever be a Senshi.

She fought back the tears that threatened her, rejection and coldness was
all she received for her attempts at explaining. Even her own father
cringed at the sight of her after she had mistakenly told him. They lived
in a relatively small settlement, word had spread through most of it over
the weekend.

It had happened the previous Friday. Queen Serenity had been touring the
outer planets and had decided to grace her place of employment with a visit.
She worked at the main communication hub on Saturn. They controlled the
relay satellites that kept the Moon Kingdom's inner planets connected to the
outer planets.

She had been working at her computer terminal when one of the Senshi had
come up and taken her to the manager's office to speak with the Queen.
Queen Serenity had been on a diplomatic trip to Saturn and Jupiter. Today
was the last day of her visit to the planet before she returned to the Moon.

Meeting the Queen had been the most thrilling development in her life, up
until they had told her why she was called to meet the Queen, and what that
revelation represented. If she was ever called, it would be the end of all
the worlds in the system. She had asked why they had picked her, asked if
they could choose another from Saturn? The Queen had replied that the
choice was made by fate and destiny, humans had no choice in the matter.

They had explained the prophecies to her and told her not to worry. The
only problem was her boss was there and heard everything. The next day was
Saturday and the whole city had heard, people were shunning her as she
walked down the street, some would go so far as to turn around or walk
across the street to avoid her.

She was walking swiftly away, trying to run from the reminder of her curse
when she ran straight into someone. She stumbled back, threatening to fall
over when a pair of strong hands grabbed her and steadied her.

"Are you alright, miss?" She looked up into the face of the handsome man
that she had almost run over.

"Um, yes," she said, her voice cracking.

"You really don't look well, Miss..." he paused, waiting for her to supply
a name.

"Harumi Shinigami," she replied hesitantly.

She looked into his green eyes and saw them sparkle, matching the smile he
had on his face.

"Such a pretty young girl, what do you have to cry about?" he spoke softly,
soothingly.

"It's nothing, really," she replied. She was positive if she told him he
would run from her, like all the others had.

"Well, if you don't want to tell me, you don't have to. Have you had
breakfast?" he asked quickly, changing the topic.

"Yes," she replied, a little force returning to her voice.

"Where were you headed in such a rush?" He continued to look directly into
her face. His words and gentle demeanor where calming her down to the point
she began noticing more about him. His attire was very nice, almost regal,
matching his bearing. He seemed decently muscular and was extremely
handsome.

"Nowhere," she replied, "nowhere at all," whispering the second iteration
under her breath.

"Well in that case, allow me to buy you a cup of coffee as a small apology
for running into you," he spoke hopefully. A broad smile across his face,
as if it would be the greatest pleasure in the world if she said yes.

"Sure," she responded, not being able to think of a suitable way of
declining the invitation while trying to ignore the hope swelling up in her
chest.

He took her to a small establishment close by, where they were quickly
seated and menus set before them.

"I'm sorry I don't recall you telling me your name," she mentioned to her
companion. She was a little stunned at her actions, joining a complete
stranger for coffee, and she hadn't even gotten his name.

"No, I'm the one who's sorry. I don't know where my manners are, but please
call me Meio," he replied. Again putting her at ease with his friendly
demeanor.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Meio," she replied shyly.

"I'm very glad to make your acquaintance, Harumi." He smiled and held out
a hand. She paused a second to understand before taking his hand and
shaking it and smiling for the first time since Friday.

They talked over beverages and small custards for over an hour, Meio slowly
drawing her out, making her feel comfortable and admittedly happy. He
actually did most of the talking, telling stories about people she never
knew and situations that were indescribably funny to her.

He had so captivated her, she had barely noticed the fearful looks the
waitress was giving them, or the fact that she never came to check up on
them, only coming over to the table when Meio would call for her

After he finished telling a story about running from a mob of women, who
wanted to marry him because he had beaten them in combat, she excused
herself to go to the bathroom.

When she returned she saw him heatedly discussing something with the
manager. She slowly approached the table, stopping well short of it, but
still close enough to hear their conversation.

"I don't care about your silly superstitions, if you don't want us here,
I'll be happy to take my business elsewhere," Meio spoke harshly. It was a
horrible contrast to soft and cheerful voice he had used to befriend her
with.

"I beg your pardon sir, you're more than welcome--" he was cut-off before
he finished his sentence.

"No, I won't patronize a place which holds such hostility towards a young
lady who has done nothing to anyone!" She watched as he stood up and
approached the other man who was actually a good six inches taller. Meio's
presence and manner spoke of someone who was looking down on a flea, not
looking up to someone larger.

"We'll leave, not because you asked, but because I don't want to have to
associate with a worthless piece of Saturn's scum like you!" The most
amazing thing was he hadn't raised his voice all that much, yet she knew the
whole place could hear him, and the venom in his voice.

The wonderful time she had been having was shattered again. "Was this how
the rest of her life would be?" she asked herself. The tears that had been
forgotten welled up in her eyes again as she turned and bolted for the door.

She had run only a few steps from the front door when a pair of strong hand
grabbed her shoulders, stopping her dead.

She struggled for a second, before a calming voice whispered in her ear.
"It's okay, Harumi, it's okay."

She couldn't control the tears anymore as she replied weakly, "No, no it's
not. Everyone hates me now!"

"No, I don't hate you," the soft soothing voice continued in her ear, "
listen don't let a few idiots control you."

"Why? Do you know who I am? Do you know what I am!?!" she screamed through
her tears, threatening to break away from him.

"Better than you do, I think." She stopped suddenly at his words. Shock
written all over her face.

"What do you mean?" she nervously asked after she had regained some measure
of coherent thought.

"You are the Senshi of Destruction, or you might be one day, if the
situation arises," he said gravely.

"Then... then, how can you..?" Her mind boggled at his words, she had spent
the weekend in a never ending spiral of self-pity and self-loathing.

"Shhh..," he interrupted her. "I don't know if I can understand what you
feel, but I understand what you are and what you represent. Hating you,
shunning you, is not going to change the future, or what is to come."

"But..."

"No buts. You represent a terrible possibility, but it isn't you that should
be feared," that soft soothing voice continued to force into her troubled
soul.

"I still don't..," she broke off her sentence finishing it in her head,
"believe you."

"The future is never certain, take that from someone who knows. If the times
comes for you to become the Senshi of Saturn it won't be your fault. It
will be because all other hope is lost and you are the last hope. That's
something to be proud of, something these people should be thankful for,"
he ended the statement with a small smile.

"Now come on, I still have tons of information I need about my new friend."
He took her hand and they walked away together.

---------------

A knock on the door brought Hotaru back from her reminiscing. "Yes," She
looked up as Haruka and Michiru walked into the room.

"Are you okay, Hotaru?" Michiru asked with a small frown, as both women took
seats on Setsuna's bed.

"Yes," she said, "I'm alright."

"Why are you studying in here?" Haruka asked concerned. Hotaru had stayed
in Setsuna's room since they returned from the shrine, only leaving the room
for a quick dinner.

"I'm waiting for Setsuna-mama," Hotaru replied casually.

"Why?" Haruka wondered what was so important to the young girl. Setsuna
had gone out before for various reasons, Hotaru had never reacted this way
before.

"Does it have something to do with that Noriko woman?" Haruka asked.

"No," Hotaru responded without hesitation. The answer further baffled
Haruka, if it wasn't their new enemy Hotaru was worried about, "Then
what!?!" Haruka shouted, letting her frustration and worry overcome her.

The shout earned her a small glare from Michiru. It was really only a
slight creasing of her brow, and the narrowing of her eyes, but Haruka knew
it meant extreme displeasure from her lover.

"Meio," Hotaru almost whispered the name.

"The boy that was there today?" Haruka asked confused.

"Yes, I'm worried about her seeing him." Hotaru spoke.

"Why?" Haruka asked. A part of her was calming down because the boy seemed
almost benign, definitely nothing to worry about, but then why the concern
over Setsuna seeing him?

"He's her brother, or rather he was her brother." Hotaru replied after
taking a noticeable breath.

"WHAT!?!" the two elder woman yelled in unison jumping of the bed.

"Wait, how do you know?" Haruka asked after taking a moment for the
revelation to sink in. She followed up her first question with another
before Hotaru had answered the first, "Why didn't you say something before?"

"I knew him... he told me, back on Saturn," Hotaru replied softly, bowing
her head to avoid their gazes.

"What did he tell you? How did you know him?" Haruka asked excitedly
walking up to her daughter

"I'd rather not say," she replied softly, still avoiding looking at them.

"It could be important?" Haruka continued.

"I know, but--" Hotaru broke off her sentence.

Michiru grabbed Haruka's shoulder, pulling her back a step before she took
up the questioning. "But what Hotaru?" she asked gently, placing a hand on
Hotaru's shoulder and smiling.

Hotaru looked up at the contact into Michiru's face. "Setsuna-mama needs to
tell, it's her story," she responded meekly.

"And what about how you know him?" Michiru switched tactics.

"I don't want to talk about it!" she responded defensively, surprising both
woman.

"Hotaru!" Haruka snapped back, tired of all the non-answers.

"Haruka!" Michiru said sternly.

"What!?!" Haruka responded in exasperation. She hated not being able to
act and not knowing what was going on was preventing her from doing
anything.

"Give her space, she'll tell us when she's ready," Michiru said calmly.

"But--" Haruka started to reply.

"No," she said to Haruka before turning to Hotaru, "Hotaru, we came in to
tell you we were going out for ice cream. Would you like to join us, or
have us bring you something back?"

"No thanks, I... I really--" Hotaru was interrupted before she could
continue.

"That's okay dear, when your ready we're here for you," Michiru said in her
most motherly voice.
"But--" Haruka started to speak.

"Isn't that right, Haruka?" her voice while soft was laced with steel and
command.

"Yeah, Hotaru, we're here for you, okay," Haruka said. She looked softly at
her daughter, before turning and looking angrily at Michiru as they walked
out.

Michiru returned the look with an icy stare, a look she had become very
experienced at giving.

Hotaru looked down at her history book, trying to remember where she had
left off.

-----------

Shampoo stared blankly at the screen in front of her. Some of the
information she had seen was interesting but most of it was technical and
boring. She stifled another yawn as she read over some essay on "Practical
Theories on Time Manipulation." The title sounded interesting but the text
was dry and boring.

She was second guessing her decision to come help the two other woman.
Maybe she should have gone and looked for Ryoga instead. She had simply
tagged along with Noriko and Akane instead of thinking clearly. It was
unlikely she would be of much help here, and if she could have found Ryoga
she might have been the one to save Ranma.

They had gained a little bit of information about the new attack Ryoga had,
but nothing all that helpful. The more interesting things to Shampoo had
been the little tidbits of information Noriko had let slip. Things like
Ranma being a re-incarnated prince, Meio, from thousands of years ago,
actually an un-crowned king, without a kingdom.

Noriko had also mentioned that Ryoga bore a strong resemblance to a person
named Ryouken who used to work for Meio. The attack Ryoga had used was one
that he had been helping Professor Fujisawa develop, giving a clear
indication that he was this Ryouken man.

When the girls had queried Noriko about how they could be the same people
from thousands of years ago she had answered saying they were both
apparently re-incarnated. The frustrating thing was Shampoo knew Noriko was
hiding something, holding back lots of information. The woman deflected
questions better than she could block Akane's feeble punches and kicks.

Shampoo gave up on the article she was reading and looked at the screen.
Wondering if this machine could provide answers Noriko seemed unwilling to,
she typed in Meio and hit the search key.

She watched in awe as the screen filled with lists of links, most with his
name in the titles. She scanned a few before coming to link with the
heading, "Marriage of Meio Kojima and Noriko Miyamoto." She stifled her
desire to jump up and attack Noriko, settling for glaring at the woman. She
hit the link that would bring the information to her as she stared at the
short blurb.

"Ryosuke Kojima and Torajiro Miyamoto proudly announce the wedding of
Meioosei Kojima and Noriko Miyamoto to be held on..." Shampoo read a date
and place she didn't understand. She went back to the list finding no more
references to the occasion.

"Aiya!" Shampoo jumped up from her terminal. She looked at Noriko with
murder in her eyes. "Shampoo know Noriko lie. You come to take Shampoo
Airen!" She assumed an aggressive position ready to attack at any moment.

"What is the problem Shampoo?" Noriko calmly replied while standing from her
terminal.

"Shampoo read you marry Ranma."

"What?!?" Akane gasped rising up from her seat as well.

"No, we were never married," Noriko replied calmly bitterness tingeing her
voice.

"Shampoo, what are you talking about?" Akane walked towards rival.

"Shampoo read about wedding of Noriko and Ranma," Shampoo said angrily,
still staring at the object of her anger.

"There was an announcement of our wedding date, but it was postponed when
the war broke out," Noriko said.

"So you're not really married to Ranma?" Akane asked in relief.

"No. Meio and I never married." Noriko replied defensively, stressing the
name Meio.

"Shampoo kill any girl who get close to Ranma!" Shampoo yelled as she
lunged to attacked Noriko.

Noriko stood her ground as Shampoo came at her, moving at the last minutes
and throwing the girl into the wall.

"No fighting in the library!" Noriko snapped. "If you want to have a little
workout we have a room for that," Noriko said cordially, an evil grin
forming on her lips.

Shampoo stood woozily, she had barely seen the other woman move. One minute
she was standing like a sitting-duck, the next moment Noriko's body shifted
and her hands blurred only to have Shampoo end up against the wall.

"Show room now!" Shampoo demanded. She may not be Ranma's only fiancee,
but she would prove she was the best fighter. Noriko nodded to the woman
and walked out of the room. Shampoo followed with Akane right on their
heel.

Shampoo followed Noriko down the hallways of the ship, she was dying to get
a crack at the woman. She had attacked foolishly and had been embarrassed
by that fact. She would show this woman who was the best fighter and send
her packing.

They eventually walked through a few doorways and ended up in a huge room,
with padded floors and walls. Noriko had walked the whole way without once
turning around to exchange the customary glares and stares that Shampoo had
been expecting.

When Noriko made it to the center of the room she turned to face Shampoo,
taking a relaxed defensive stance. "Whenever you're ready," she said
without preamble.

Shampoo stopped a few feet from her and took an aggressive stance. "Shampoo
ready."

They stared at each other for a few moments before Noriko moved. Shampoo
moved for a counter to the simple attack but found she was too slow, as the
jab slipped past her guard to land on her temple. Noriko quickly followed
that up with a few more jabs, slowly pushing Shampoo back.

Shampoo was growing annoyed, she was proving unable to match the other
woman's speed or agility. On top of that she looked like this was just a
sparring match, not a duel to the death, it reminded her too much of
sparring with her great-grandmother.

She decided she would need to go offensive, sweeping a forearm in front of
her to hopefully through Noriko's rhythm off she followed it up with a
straight punch. She saw her blow land on the other woman's chin and turned
and crouched to do a spinning leg sweep which found nothing but air.

She had only taken her eyes off Noriko for a second to follow through with
the spin, but in that moment Noriko had circled her and landed a hard blow
across Shampoo's chin sending the younger girl sprawling across the floor.

Shampoo rose angrily, she would not loose to another outsider! She paused
for a second to look at her opponent before charging. "AIYA!" she screamed
as she moved as quickly as possible, employing one of her most intricate
attacks at her opponent, who only danced outside her reach.

When Shampoo paused to regroup, Noriko attacked at a speed Shampoo couldn't
follow much less hope to match. Shampoo raised her arms in a useless attempt
to defend herself before she was overcome and knocked unconscious.

Akane looked on stunned as she watched Shampoo get dismantled, she wondered
if even Ranma could defeat Shampoo so quickly.

The worst part was she had no idea what Noriko wanted. Did she want Ranma,
or Meio as she knew him to be? Her initial response of not caring and that
baka could do whatever he wanted by the realization that this woman might
actually be a threat.

As much as Ranma pissed her off with the other fiancees, deep down she
believed he would always be there for her.

Noriko walked over towards the door and opened up a panel. "Noriko here."
She spoke into it.

"Yes sir," a female's voice answered.

"Send a medic team to the gymnasium," she spoke.

"Right away, sir. Sir, you should get to the communications center right
away," the voice said.

Noriko's eyebrows shot up. "Why?"

"It's Meio, he's gone, sir."

"What!?!" Akane yelled as she rushed up to the communicator.

Noriko looked stunned, visible flinching at the words. "What happened?" she
asked the panel, glaring at Akane.

Akane glared back but held her tongue.

"We're not sure sir, we weren't monitoring him continuously, but it appears
the whole area is back to normal."

"I'm on my way," Noriko said as she hit a button on the display.

"What do they mean he's gone? The area's back to normal?" Akane asked
worriedly. The expression on Noriko's face wasn't good.

"Either Ryouken came back and released him or someone sealed the breach in
time," her voice was troubled causing Akane's panic to rise.

"That's good, it means he's free," Akane said hopefully.

"Maybe, but if Ryouken didn't release him, he's most likely dead," Noriko
looked at Akane sadly, as Akane stood stunned, fear seeping into her heart.

"Come on," Noriko said, talking the younger girl by the hand. "Let's go
see what we can find out."

---------------------------

Hotaru was awoken by the sound of someone moving around the room. She
tiredly opened her eyes to see Setsuna gazing down at her.

"Setsuna-mama," the small girl cried as she snapped instantly awake
springing from the bed and hugging Setsuna. "I was so worried. Where have
you been?" she asked as she looked up at the taller woman.

"I had to do some thinking," she replied, looking down at the center of her
new life.

"About Meio?" She felt the woman stiffen at the question.

"If you must know, yes." Setsuna answered almost coldly.

"Did you get to go talk to him?" Hotaru asked expectantly, hoping for both
possible responses for different reasons.

Setsuna jerked in surprise at that question. "You are very perceptive, but
no I haven't spoken to him."

"Why not, he's your brother, isn't he?" She asked, hoping to get
confirmation that he wasn't a liar about everything.

"How?" Setsuna gasped and broke the embrace gently, keeping contact by
holding onto her shoulders, looking at the girl in surprise.

"I remembered him also," Hotaru responded, "I knew him on Saturn."

"I see, how did you know he was my brother?" Setsuna had regained some of
her composure.

"He told me." Hotaru replied, remembering her shock when he had told her,
and they joy that he had confided in her.

"I see," Setsuna gave her laconic response. She released her hold on
Hotaru and walked across the room before continuing, "He's in trouble now, I
need to go to him," she spoke seriously, a note of determination in her
voice.

Hotaru stood speechless, unease settling into the pits of her stomach. The
silence lasted for a minute before either spoke again.

"Why? What's wrong with him?" Hotaru was the first to speak, unsure of her
desire to know the answer.

"Did you know, of all the Senshi, I was the only one who took more than a
moment to agree to become one?" Setsuna queried wistfully, ignoring the
question asked of her.

"No, why wouldn't you want to become a Senshi, Setsuna-mama?" Hotaru asked
confused as to how this related to their topic of conversation, and not
mentioning that she never had a choice.

"Remember what I told all of you at the shrine earlier today, about the
war?" Setsuna asked another question without giving an answer.

"Yes, you were the second child, I remember that." Hotaru said patiently.

"Yes, I was the second child. I surrendered the realm my family had built
up over the centuries. I had thought my family had perished on Vulcan," she
spoke sadly, her back was to Hotaru.

"But they didn't all die, I knew Meio," Hotaru said confused again at the
direction the conversation had taken.

"I though he had died with our parents, and no, I don't know why he didn't
contact me, although... It doesn't matter Hotaru. Serenity... after my
surrender she informed me I had the seed that was necessary to become the
Senshi of Pluto. Since my family had created the time-gates and I was
already decently versed in their use, I could guard the them and be one of
the Outer Senshi."

"The position meant I was free to stay on Pluto in my misery, only looking
out for the threats from beyond the solar system," Setsuna said sadly.

"Mama," Hotaru spoke, a sadness overcoming her as she listened to her
fellow warrior and 'mother'. She knew all the Outers were isolated at their
posts, unable to join the Inner Senshi, but she never realized Setsuna had
wanted it that way. They were separated from the queen they were supposed
to love and the other Senshi who shared their responsibility to protect.

She tried to imagine the loneliness Setsuna must have felt, and also the
courage it must have taken to agree to be a Senshi for the woman who caused
her so much pain and grief.

"Shh.. Dear, let me continue," she said softly at the girl before
continuing, "I gave up my family when I agreed to work for the enemy when I
should have died with them. But I wanted to protect the people that my
family had governed, so I finally accepted," her voice was heavy, laden
with sadness. Hotaru felt her eyes begin to water as worry began to gnaw at
her again. She had never seen Setsuna like this, so sad, so obviously
distraught.

"I made the hardest decision in my life back then. I think I've done the
right things, I know I've always tried." Hotaru notice the despair in
Setsuna's voice, the fear in her stomach intensified as the woman opened up
to her in a way she couldn't have imagined.

Hotaru ran up to Setsuna in a full blown panic latching on to her guardian.
"It's okay, Setsuna-mama, we all know you did what was best."

"I owe it to him, to try and save him. Know that I love you, little one,
you brought life back to my life," her voice was cracking up now, "you and
the others."

Setsuna twisted in Hotaru's embrace, cupping the girl's chin and lifting her
face to meet her gaze.

Hotaru broke out in tears as she saw the long streams running down Setsuna's
face.

"I don't know what will happen, but know that I love you," she kissed the
young woman on the forehead, before quickly breaking the embrace and taking
a few swift steps backwards.

"I love you all," where the last words she spoke before she disappeared.

"No!!!" Hotaru wailed as she ran through the space Setsuna had just
vacated.

She took a moment to collect her thoughts before yelling, "Saturn Star Power
Make-up!"

----

Sailor Pluto appeared in the abandoned street that held her brother. Those
who had gawked at the frozen boy had all disappeared earlier, returning to
their homes and loved ones. Setsuna walked the few feet to the barrier and
looked at the face of her brother. Younger than she remembered by a few
years. If nothing else, this would remove her from any further
responsibilities. She wondered what had happened to him back on Vulcan?
She wondered what would have happened if he had taken over instead of her.
He was the one who had been trained to lead, not her.

She wiped the last of the tears from her eyes. She had planned on leaving a
note, talking to Hotaru had been harder than she imagined. She was afraid
that if she had stayed any longer she have lacked the strength to act.

She wondered again if there were any other choices, could she just leave
well enough alone and pretend like he didn't exist, had never existed like
she had done for so long. Ignoring the part of her life before she became
the Senshi of Pluto.

She stared at the face that had so thoroughly impacted her childhood, the
face of the one she had loved above all others, her brother. She knew in
that instant her course was set, she would sacrifice the world for him. If
for no other reason than to atone for her lack of faith in him before. He
had miraculously survived, the figure in front of her was testament to that.

She straightened herself, thinking of the wonderful girl she had left in her
bedroom, the two others that had shared her newfound joy at parenting, the
wonderful innocence and determination of the Inner Senshi. She had made
sure to see them all today, saying good-bye in the only way she could. She
hoped they would forgive her, and Small Lady would understand.

She raised her staff over her head, tensing her muscles in preparation. She
wasn't positive this would work, the theory was sound as far as she could
tell.

"Time stop!" she screamed into the silent night. The world stopped around
her as she knew true silence. She felt the power of the spell course
through her, she could only describe it as electricity coursing through her
veins.

She ignored the feelings and stress that was placed upon her body and used
all her speed to take the two necessary steps to grab a hold of her brother,
feeling the eiree felling of the other disturbance. Her heart leapt when
she was actually able to penetrate the area around her brother, fearing that
her attempt would have been in vain. She quickly pulled him away from the
disturbance in time. She felt like she was going to rip apart, the weight
of the magic she was using tearing at her.

She silently released the magic she had wielded to return the flow of time
to normal, feeling the remaining magic flow from her body.

She felt her brother struggle in her arms and she released him, lacking the
strength to hold him as she would have liked, or even the strength to keep
from falling on her rear.

She looked at him as his head spun around in an attempt to orient himself,
their eyes locked, she smiled as she saw the expression on his face change
from anger to surprise to finally, thankfully, recognition.

"I love you, brother," she said just before the world turned white and she
ceased to be.

End chapter Three.

Author's notes: I hope you enjoyed this, comments and suggestions welcome.

You can find my other stories at the following places.

http://kpjam.anifics.com
http://www.fanfiction.net/

E-mail me at nior...@nyc.rr.com