Guten tag!

Vhat is my name? Vhat a silly and pointless question! My name is not important.
Vhat I am is var. Vhat I am is chaos. And oh, vhat beautiful chaos zere is in
zis vorld!

Seven years ago, I met a girl. She vas not much to look at, but she vas a
magnificent varrior. She evaded my troops, humiliated my best soldiers and
destroyed my floating fortress. In exchange, I kidnapped her vard, tortured her
to death and had her revived as a killing machine. I felt zis vas ze beginning
of a beautiful hatred. Unfortunately, she vas blackmailed into surrendering her
very soul to a man from the east.

Ah, such is life. You lose one lifelong enemy. You gain another!

Zis man from the east and I haf had a long and interesting var. I continuously
improf my disciple Rip Van Winkle and he continuously improfs the shell zat used
to be the girl and zey haf glorious battles. Alas, someone has decided to ruin
it for everyone.

A trio of young ladies haf captured ze young lady and vith magic tricks and
mind control haf restored her previous self. Tsk. Such a waste. Still, Rip Van
Winkle is burning vith a desire to make amends for her long string of
humiliating defeats by killing anyone I tell her to. She is such a helpful girl.

I vould consider ze young ladies an obstacle to my plan, but zey too haf such
chaotic lives! Ze young telepath, she has an ex-friend who she cares for
deeply... who is journeying even now vith the killing machine I made out of zat
young vard. And even now, the telepath's hated enemy, a botanist of all zings,
is out to destroy my creation (and possibly ze boy as vell). One uf ze young
ladies is an assassin for the man who commands the botanist, a fact vich none of
zem know, and ze last has chosen to seal the memories of the one she rescued out
of misguided compassion.

Vatching all zis, I can see ze appeal of the American soap opera. Zankfully, zis
vill contain far more bloodshed. I am positively frenzied vith anticipation!



                              C&A Productions Presents

                          A Work of Blatant Self-Insertion


                                   Hybrid Theory


                            Chapter 24: Nobody's Listening



	Link opened her eyes.  It was only for a moment that she was left unable
to see in the pitch darkness; at a thought, dozens of tiny creatures sprang into
the air around her, glowing dully.  The light was hardly any more than that
provided by the stars of the night sky, but Link had adjusted her eyes to see
quite clearly in that amount of illumination.
	She attempted to rise, only to immediately realise that would be
impossible, as her knees refused to move.  An oversight on her part, she quickly
realised.  She had not moved from this position in nearly four months, and the
joints had calcified.  It wouldn't be hard to rectify the problem, however.  One
of her shàyù crawled forth from her sleeve into her hand.  Its tiny mind
whispered a paean of joyous devotion to her even as she strangled its life
force, reshaped its internal workings, and released it a moment later as an
entirely new creature.
	The newly reborn shàyù obediently followed its new directive, which was
not entirely unlike its predecessor's task of keeping Link's muscle fibres from
degenerating.  It injected a specially designed chemical into her bloodstream
which dissolved the excessive mineral deposits in her joints.  In the seconds it
took for this to occur, another newly reengineered shàyù injected a second
chemical which swept the excess calcium and other impurities from her
bloodstream.  By the time Link had risen and taken her second step, the calcium
had begun extruding onto her skin.  More shàyù removed it.
	After five steps, Link reached the densely woven canopy that she had
grown around her for privacy and quiet four months ago.  She commanded it to
shift aside for her, which it did as if bowing out of the way.  Link had
readjusted her eyes a moment before, and thus was not blinded as the brilliant
reasonable facsimile of sunlight poured through.
	Her garden was much as she had left it, despite the preponderance of new
species of plant she had designed in the last two months.  Smells - some
vigourously fresh, some light and pleasant, some sickeningly sweet - washed over
her.  Over some parts of the garden, noxious miasmas hung, but these were kept
carefully within their own areas so as not to sicken other plants.  A few areas
of the garden were enclosed by dark domes of tightly interwoven trees, as Link
herself had been moments ago - reserved for certain fungi and plants that were
best suited to growing in darkness.  Shàyù flittered around the garden in great
dark clouds, each tending plants as they had been designed to do, keeping them
properly fertilised or watered, or adjusting their airflow.  The millions of
whispers of the tiny little lives curled around Link's brain; worshipfully
praising her, crying out for joy at the sight of her, begging for her to notice
the particular colour of their blossoms or how the false sunlight glittered off
their wings.
	Link nodded slightly.  Her servants had done well to maintain the
garden.  The joyous silent song of the garden redoubled at her praise, and Link
silently commanded them to continue her work.  They hastened to do so, and were
then put from her mind, save one particular patch of the garden.
	Those plants were her newest, specially designed for the same task that
had forced Link to emerge from her sanctuary.  She inquired as to their
readiness for what lay before them, and received enthusiastic answers to the
affirmative.  Nodding again, she had several dozen shàyù gather their seedpods
as she exited the garden.
	The area outside the huge chamber that was Link's garden was scarcely
less impressive, though far more friendly to human habitation.  Link allowed
herself to walk around for awhile, refamiliarising herself with Chris's domain.
It had changed significantly in the last four months.  In area, it had increased
twenty-seven percent, and she could tell it now housed forty-six discrete
individuals.  She passed two of the architects Chris had chosen near the
boundaries of the place.  They were slowly excavating a new room from the earth
and rock that surrounded the place, though 'excavating' was perhaps not the
correct term.  Instead, they each carried small yellow cubes that appeared to be
made almost of solid light.  As they put pressure on various parts of the cubes,
they transmuted the rock and earth to various other materials.  Link remembered
the two men as being in open-mouthed awe of the technology that they had been
given, when she, Chris and Angel had first come here.  Now they laughed and
joked as they slowly created another wonder out of base earth.
	And wondrous it was.  Even Link could find little fault with the domain
that Chris had created here, under the dirt and ruins of what had once been the
commune of Mersch.  Built underground, from the core of the galaxy police
spaceship and advanced technologies, the hidden fortress seemed more vibrant and
expansive than the oft-overcast ruins above did.  Huge vaulting rooms were the
norm for the common areas, the ground covered with lush, soft grass and criss-
crossed by streams of fresh water that fed into splashing fountains.  Elegant
fluted alabaster columns reached up into the 'sky', which could almost be
mistaken for the real thing until you noticed the lack of a sun, illumination
instead provided by a steady ambient glow.  The air was fresh, and a slight
breeze carried the slightest scent of flowers.  These were all carefully
designed by Link not to offend even the most sensitive nose or lungs, of course.
In all ways this was a paradise, especially to the inhabitants who came from
war-torn France or the ravaged remains of Germany.
	Which was precisely the point, naturally.  Link observed one young red-
haired woman, a biochemist, working in the designated laboratory area.  Many of
the other people she had run across in their travels had hastily and with clear
surprise greeted her - even those who had not met Link before obviously
recognised she was not simply another dweller here.  This woman, however, was
too distracted to even notice.  She was tapping insistently on a holographic
terminal, staring intently at the modelled behaviour projected on the screen.
	The woman had been rescued from a Chronos facility in Syria seven months
ago, along with another scientist of some ability that had been pressed into
service to develop new bioweapons.  They were not zoanoids: as was usual for
Chronos non-combat personnel, their loyalty was instead ensured by a virulently
lethal drug injection and daily doses of another drug that temporarily halted
the first's effects.  Link had easily cleansed the poison from their
bloodstreams, naturally, and the three had quickly settled into their new homes.
	Five months ago, Link had watched as the woman before her had knelt
before Chris, confessing that she was a Chronos spy, specifically planted in
order to find out where the handful of top-flight scientists and researchers
that had started vanishing in Europe had been taken.  Chris had listened
silently to all this, and when she had completed her confession, he told the
woman of his plans, his goals, his 'perfect possible future'.  The woman had
wept and begged to be killed for being his enemy.
	Chris hadn't obliged her.  The woman really was a very talented
biochemist, and not at all a bad agent, since her subterfuge had gone undetected
as she had amassed information about the facility.  She had been encouraged to
feed certain carefully selected pieces of information back to her superiors in
two reports before she had been 'found out' three months ago and supposedly
killed.  Link had adjusted the woman's formerly black hair and facial features
significantly enough to prevent recognition, and she had continued to serve
Chris since, both as a scientist and in identifying other agents.  Two spies
were allowed to discover impressive but relatively minor secrets of the
technology here and report them before 'escaping' into the Millennium-held
territory; most of the rest were killed.  One other had been allowed to stay
long enough so that he too had confessed to Chris and been converted.
	None of them, before they had become utterly loyal, had met Chris, Link,
or Angel.  All were allowed to believe this facility was a hidden French lab
devoted towards research into ecosystems and their reconstruction as well as
associated work in highly virulent bioweaponry.  For both reasons, a facility
well outside France's borders was only reasonable.  It was a great secret, and
the technological achievement of the hidden base was impressive, so that the
other powers of the world were quite curious and had attempted unsuccessfully to
find the specific location of the laboratory - a secret not known to the
scientists Chris had brought here - several times.  But their curiosity and
satisfaction at having found out about the secret French lab kept them from
guessing at the truth.
	The former spy finally clucked her tongue in frustration and spoke to
the holographic terminal.  "Provide a sterilised area, five feet square."
	A brilliant beam of light shone down from the false sky.  As it touched
the ground, the plants there shifted slowly away from the marble-like floor
underneath and the air was cleansed of even the tiniest dust motes, which Link
could clearly see.  The woman looked at the golden beam, and for a moment the
irritated, harried look on her face faded away, replaced with wonder.
	That too was entirely the point.  Link snorted and strode away as the
woman began to requisition the materials for her experiment from subspace.  Of
course, none of this was what had truly swayed that woman to throw away the life
she'd had to serve Chris faithfully.  Link herself could just barely detect the
truth.  The entire hidden utopia was filled with HIM.  His presence.  His
personality.  She could just feel the edges of it as it dripped into the Second
Circle like acid.  It didn't touch her or Angel, but insinuated itself into the
minds of every other human here.  The effect she was not quite sure of, but it
certainly had assisted in the sudden conversion of the woman and the fanatical
loyalty to Chris she and everyone else who stayed here long enough developed.
	The frightening thing, Link reflected, was that she was not quite
certain how much of the effect was Chris's deliberate act, and how much was
simply the force of his belief in himself and his goals spilling out into the
mundane world around him.  It would not have been the first time Chris had
produced odd, unintentional effects through his usage of the Third Circle.
	Outside the common areas of the hidden fortress, the decor was far less
expansive, instead still closely resembling the original construction of the
ship which had been its core.  Chris's office, itself, was almost
claustrophobic. The room was a reasonable size, but absolutely stuffed with
computers and other equipment, as well as the meta-natural tracking map he'd had
Link create for him and various other odds and ends. Occasionally there'd be a
corpse or two there as well, adding to the one usually in residence.
	Link's lip twisted involuntarily as the metallic door slid aside and she
stepped past it into Chris's domain, but she hid the expression by the time he
noticed her.  It was hard to control her distaste here.  Here, the smell of
decay hovered faintly in the air, but more so was the sense of HIM.  Elsewhere
Link could barely detect his will tainting the fortress, but here she could not
even ignore it.  His presence struck her almost like a physical blow as she
walked into the room.  Still, that was something she'd learned to live with as
her sensitivity had increased, and she'd long since come to terms with being the
subordinate of the undead creature as well.  Were that all there was, she'd have
been able to control her emotions.
	"Oh, she's back!  Did you bring me a present?"
	Chris's marionette was, as usual, only visible at the edge of her
senses.  Link tried to look in her direction, although she really ought to have
known better, and saw only a flash of white from the darkest corner of the room.
She sniffed, ignoring the girl and-
	"Of course I brought you a present," Link found herself saying.  And of
course, she had.  Despite the fact she hadn't.  Grinding her teeth, she released
a shàyù, a brilliant cobalt and amber beetle that floated on gossamer wings
across the room.  Chris merely watched the whole spectacle with a slight smile.
	A small gasp of delight emanated from the corner.  As the shàyù grew
closer, two crimson fingers slid from the darkness, catching one of its wings
and tearing it free.  The shàyù spiralled to the floor, its mind calling out in
distress, but Link resolutely refused to touch its mind in any way.  Not when it
was so close to that... thing.
	"That's what I find so wonderful about you," the childlike voice said
conversationally. "You take these tiny little things, and make them feel so
important and special."  Then the shàyù was snatched into the darkness by a
darting hand.  A moment later, its pleading ceased.
	"If you've had your fun now..." Link said irritably.  Her only response
was a ghostly giggle.
	"What would you like, Link?" Chris said.  "I don't see you in the flesh
very often."
	Link glanced over at him.  "I'm going to leave here to conduct some
field research.  It's something too delicate to trust to anything other than my
own flesh."
	Chris raised the eyebrow over his intact eye.  "Oh?  And what might that
be?"
	"I'm going to collect some samples from Ryouga Hibiki, as well as from
his companion Sailor Saturn.  As long as I am doing so, I will also dispose of
her."
	Chris paused for a moment, considering this.  "Those won't be easy
samples to collect, Link."
	As if she didn't know that!  But Link kept her expression calm, placid.
"Of course not.  Thus, I have been preparing for this for the past six weeks.
Given the knowledge I have acquired of their abilities and personalities, I
don't believe I will have any trouble with them."
	Chris smiled.  "Well, far be it for me to doubt your word.  And
certainly someone has to deal with the so-called 'Messiah of Silence' sooner or
later.  Alright, then.  But don't take long.  Events are soon to come to a head
with the Ukyou situation."  Chris paused.  "Oh.  And if possible, preserve
Sailor Saturn's body."
	Link nodded. "I won't be long at all.  And I intended to bring it back
relatively intact."
	"Very well, then."
	Link retreated from the room, hurrying perhaps the slightest bit.  It
wasn't merely her distaste for Chris and his unnatural marionette.  Instead, she
felt anticipation building within her.
	Ryouga Hibiki.  The immortal man.  Blessed by one of the most powerful
Second Circle effects in her records, able to recover from any injury and adapt
to any circumstance.  And, of course, a direct connection to Nabiki Tendo, even
if Link had been frustratingly unable to learn the precise details of that
connection.
	Hotaru Tomoe, aka Sailor Saturn, self-titled the Messiah of Silence.
The result of a potent mixture of the power of one of the most notable Sailor
Senshi of this system, the curse of undeath, and the biotechnological expertise
of Alexia Ashford.
	It had been quite some time since Link had had the chance to study such
fascinating subjects.  The Sailor Senshi in particular... her actions,
reactions, and brain functions could all provide evidence to prove her theory
about that particular group of girls.
	And the boy's connection to Nabiki Tendo... Link allowed a malicious
frown to cross her face.  That wretched small-time con artist obviously thought
that Sailor Saturn would kill Link.  Otherwise she would have fought harder to
avoid giving up the information.  Link looked forward to watching the reaction
as she informed Nabiki that she had Ryouga in her care.
	Yes, she was very much looking forward to this.
	Link stepped into the sunlight of the surface, which was rather less
clear and beautiful than that which had been underground.  She'd need to cover a
great distance to reach her targets.  She slipped her hand from the green silk
of her robes, clutching a mitama.  Its mind, only partially awake, drowsily
began to rouse itself, but it alone wouldn't be suited for the task Link had in
mind.
	At her mental instruction, one shàyù pulled back the sleeve of the arm
which held the mitama.  The various others crawled out of the way, leaving a
patch of bare, pearly white skin.  One hovered slightly above it, an impossibly
delicate mayfly-like creation with legs sharper than the finest blade.  The
slightest touch of the leg to the underside of Link's arm and a vivid red line
appeared, the blood dripping down towards the mitama even as other shàyù rushed
to mend the wound and clean the trail left by the droplets.
	The blood reached the mitama, mingling with the azure blue of the
crystallised soul.  Link dropped both in the earth at her feet.
	Link had not, in truth, gained such mighty power in the last seven
years.  Her abilities had grown, certainly, but in raw potency many people
surpassed her.  What Link had gained, however, was far more valuable: knowledge,
both of how to use her power, and how to best manipulate it.  She couldn't
project a complicated Second Circle effect much beyond a touch... but the
crimson liquid that carried her life force was just as good as that.  That
beneficial effect was the main reason Link had not yet proceeded with her plan
to replace her circulatory system with something more efficient.
	The soul inside the mitama stretched out, attempting to bond with the
first plant it encountered.  But Link stretched out with her mind, seizing the
Second Circle weave of the magical parasite, drawing it through not only that
first plant, but others, more and more, sinking into the gnarled trees that were
only barely alive, sinking into the algae of the river, encompassing the scrubby
grass and the mindless crawling things of the earth that flourished even here.
She and the aragami touched them all, her guiding the aragami's will to
overwhelm all of theirs, her own mind shaping the physical melding of the
various forms, until finally her steed was complete.
	The basic form was of a classical Chinese dragon, easily twenty meters
long.  Its torso was the twisted grey of the tree trunks, and vines swirled
around it to make up the limbs.  The claws were of the stones of the river, its
eyes were fresh green moss and soft loam, its teeth of the shattered bones of
men that had been unfortunate enough to live in this city when Millennium had
come, and mingled grey worms and grass formed its mane.
	It kneeled before her, and Link allowed it to scoop her up, settling
into a comfortable position just behind its ears.  Her blood still flowed
through the body of the great beast, and Link used that connection to instill in
it a Second Circle weave she'd learned from the staff of the Phoenix King.
	The dragon rose into the air, sniffed it once, and then, with an
coughing roar, turned and flew with unnatural speed towards the east.

*

	Akira walked her motorcycle along the road. Her eyes were downcast and
she was certain she should feel more elated than she was. Not doing so made her
feel a little guilty, even. She looked up and saw the woman walking in front of
her. Ukyou looked exactly the same. Her face had aged not a single day, and she
still moved with the same unhurried quickness. Somehow, over the years, Akira
had forgotten how pretty she was. Even when she had been confronted by her
alter-ego, Akira had somehow forgotten it. Maybe it was the vulgar, even crass
way the outfit Bison had chosen for her showed off her body. Akira was forced to
conclude that it wasn't the type of beauty that looked best wearing next to
nothing. No, there was a certain dignity to Ukyou's severe, utilitarian garb
that made her appealing.
	Akira smiled despite herself. It was good to have her back, even if they
could never be... that way. It wasn't just Ukyou's face that was the same, but
her demeanour had not changed either. It should have been surprising, but
wasn't really. Akira looked back over her shoulder at Nabiki. The woman walked
with a sort of indifferent air about her. Her arms were laced behind her back
and she strolled with her eyes closed, looking like she hadn't a care in the
world. The wishing sword hung at her hip, slapping occasionally against her
thigh.
	Not that Nabiki needed eyes. She was the most powerful telepath on
Earth. The young woman was aware of the world and the people around them in a
way that Akira shuddered to think about. Her mind shied away from the fleeting
memory of what Nabiki had showed her... the vast web of minds that she called
the Oversoul. Akira had trained extensively in mystic senses. She could feel the
life force of living beings, sense the complex web of connections that tied
every living thing to every other living thing. A web that, for all Akira knew,
stretched across the whole of the universe. But for Akira those forces were
distant, coming to her like echoes or vibrations through a spider's silk. For
Nabiki, they were a reality she could never escape.
	It gave the woman power. The power to see into minds, the power to
control them. To alter and erase and manipulate almost as she pleased. So, in
the wake of the struggle in Hong Kong, Akira had asked her a simple favour.
	Erase Ukyou's memories of the last seven years, utterly and without
exception. While Ukyou and Akira had been connected, the two had shared those
memories. Akira remembered most of what had happened to Ukyou over those years
of servitude. She remembered being reduced to an automaton, a tool. She
remembered being used as a weapon, as a pawn, as a sex toy... She remembered
liking it. Akira shuddered. Ukyou did not need to remember those feelings. It
was for her own good.
	Nabiki had hesitated at first, had tried to say that she couldn't do
such things, that it was beyond her skills if not her power. But Akira had
insisted and somehow, Nabiki had done it. But when the operation had been over,
Nabiki had looked at Akira in a strange way... like she was afraid. What did
Nabiki have to fear her for?
	"We should stop here," Ukyou said suddenly. Her long hair was bound back
at her neck, a long ponytail flying loose in the breeze behind her. She wore a
simple white shirt and a pair of dark slacks that she had picked up somewhere in
Russia.
	"Why?" Nabiki asked. She opened her eyes and looked at the sky. "No
offence, Ukyou, but we could be on a train and out of this city before
nightfall. It's only a few days overland by train to Southtown."
	"I..." Ukyou frowned and looked around her. They had made port a few
hours ago and Ukyou had been walking absently around the streets every since.
"There's.... something I need to do here. That's all."
	"What?" Nabiki asked.
	Ukyou seemed unwilling or unable to answer, so she just shrugged softly
and walked on down the road.
	"Hey, it's her decision, right?" Angel said, speaking up for the first
time since they had made landfall. Akira glanced at her, but the girl looked
away. She wore the same clothes she'd had for the fight, and the daring outfit
was drawing more than a few second glances from the passersby. Not that Akira
could blame them. Unlike Ukyou, Angel did not have a beauty that looked better
fully clothed. "If she wants to stay here for a day or two, why not?"
	"Because time is of the essence," Nabiki said peevishly. She lowered her
arms and placed her palms on her hips. "Bison is looking for her and his reach
extends very far. I can feel him, probing the world with his will. He's like a
great flame, a burning brand that can't be denied."
	"Can he really do that?" Akira asked. "Find us just with his will
alone?"
	"Maybe if it was just me, or you or Angel he couldn't." Nabiki looked at
Ukyou. "But he's touched her. She carries a bit of him inside her now, and he
can feel that. I'm keeping us hidden... for now. But even I have to rest
eventually. We need to get someplace where it's safe."
	"We have to get to Ranma," Ukyou said into the silence that followed.
Akira looked away.
	It was wrong of her, to feel such a sickening wrench in her gut at HIS
name. She knew she had no real right to be jealous. Ukyou didn't belong to her,
anymore than she belonged to Bison. On top of that, Ukyou was... straight. Even
if she didn't love Ranma, there was no real chance of anything intimate forming
between them. Still it stung. No, stung was too small a word. It festered, like
a rotten wound.
	It might have been better, if the memory had managed to fade. But six
weeks ago, when Ukyou had woken up...
	"Where is he?" Ukyou had said. She had just come out of a three day
coma. Nabiki had kept her down as she worked her magic, carefully cutting out
pieces of Ukyou's memories with the skill a surgeon would cancerous tissue. She
had been startled at first, frightened and... sad. Her expression had been so
empty and hopeless that it had wrenched Akira's heart to see it.
	"Who?" Nabiki asked. She had just finished explaining the basics of what
had happened to the girl. They had asked her a few probing questions, confirming
that Ukyou remembered everything about her old life up until the point Bison had
taken her. They'd told her seven years had passed, and Ukyou had accepted their
word without batting an eye. Then she had asked the question.
	"Ranma. I have to find Ranma. His life... it's in danger."
	Akira shook her head and forced herself back to the present. This
feeling didn't suit her. Ukyou had explained what she had meant. She had
explained how Bison had taken Ranma in England, how the threat of killing him
was what had forced her to give in at the end. She believed that Ranma's life
was still in danger, that Bison had his hand on the young man's heart even now.
Akira had been forced to confirm the memory, not aloud... but to Nabiki
silently. She remembered that Bison's power could extend that far, and if he had
some power over Ranma, then Ukyou had every reason to be worried.
	Bison was a petty man. If he got frustrated with his search for Ukyou,
he might just snuff Ranma out of sheer pique.
	"All the more reason to leave quickly," Nabiki said. "Plus there are the
other people after us."
	"You don't think they'd really follow us this far?" Akira asked wearily.
She had to admit, she was getting tired of running. If they had stopped and
fought, that would have been one thing. But fleeing disagreed with her nature,
and Akira didn't like it.
	"Maybe..." Nabiki looked around at the people moving around them. "I
know none of them saw us leave on that ship, but they could guess where we're
going. The Shadowloo agents can blend in with the people here, and the
Millennium vampires are deeper into American territory than the united command
is willing to admit."
	"This isn't American territory," Ukyou pointed out absently. "We're in
Canada."
	"Your point?" Nabiki arched an eyebrow. "It's the same thing,
effectively. Canada might have a different elected body, but the real power in
North America is the United Strategic Defence Command. Especially in a large
port city like this one, they have all the political power they need." Nabiki
frowned and looked around. "These people remember eight Millennium attacks in
the last two years alone. The only reason there haven't been more is because the
harbour here prevents the U-boats from sneaking into the docks easily." She
smiled unpleasantly. "It's very easy to avoid detection when your crew needs
neither air nor warmth. Millennium can sneak small forces into this country any
time they wish. They're scared, and they're willing to give up a certain amount
of political independence for the illusion of safety."
	"You're just a font of sunshine and rainbows," Angel said, crossing her
arms over her breasts. "Once again, I think we should listen to Ukyou."
	Akira glanced at Angel again. She was beginning to act more like her old
self again. She had barely strung together two sentences since they'd freed
Ukyou, and her usual good humour and wit had vanished. Akira had presumed it was
the near-death experience in the fight against Lotus Infinite. That was probably
also why she had avoided speaking to Ukyou in the last six weeks unless spoken
to. And since Ukyou had avoided saying anything unless spoken to herself, the
two had not exchanged a single word that Akira was aware of.
	"It will only take a night... just." Ukyou sighed. "I just have to do
something. I... couldn't live with myself if I left here without it."
	"Why don't you just tell us if it's so important?" Nabiki asked
directly. Her eyes narrowed.
	"Why don't you pull it out of my mind if you care so much?" Ukyou
snarled. "It's private."
	The two stared at each other for a long time, the tension in the air
growing noticeably. Akira sighed and stepped between them. "Okay, okay, cut it
out you two. You can hate each other after we get to Southtown. Nobody in
Millennium or Shadowloo is crazy enough to attack the headquarters of S.T.A.R.S.
with anything less than a large army."
	Nabiki snorted. "Fine. Do what you want. I'll find us a hotel."
	"Remember to actually pay for it, Nabiki," Ukyou called as the girl
retreated. Nabiki gave her a look over her shoulder. "A fair price." Nabiki
snorted, flipped her hair and continued walking.
	"Shouldn't we find out what hotel she's going to use?" Akira asked.
	"No." Ukyou looked at her. Her black lotus eyes were cold, her
expression dour. "I can find her. She stands out like a beacon if you know how
to look. Whatever the wishing sword did to her, it made her really easy to
find."
	"Funny, I can't sense her," Akira admitted. "Not especially, anyway."
	"You have to know what to look for." Ukyou made a face. "It's not chi.
It's deeper... a more profound sort of force."
	"The Second Circle?" Akira asked.
	"If you want to call it that," Ukyou said, looking suddenly
uncomfortable.  She changed the subject quickly. "Angel..."
	"Yes, Ukyou?" Angel said a bit too quickly.
	"Do you mind staying here for a bit? I want to make good time, and
unless we want to startle the locals that means using Akira's bike. It's a
little small to fit three..."
	"I don't mind," Angel said. She looked down the street. "I'll be at the
church down there."
	"Church?" Akira said, looking surprised. "I never knew you believed in
God."
	"How can you not?" Angel said, looking at her meaningfully.
	Akira wasn't certain what she meant by that, so she said nothing. Ukyou
walked over to the bike. "The place I want to go is a little outside of town.
About a half-hour. If we start now, we should be back by nightfall."
	"Uh... right." Akira flushed and forced the thought aside as she
straddled the bike. She felt Ukyou get on the back, and felt their bodies touch
for a brief moment. For a second, she thought the shorter girl would wrap her
arms about her waist, then Ukyou leaned back and clasped down firmly on the back
of the seat. Akira knew she wouldn't fall, but couldn't help but feel
disappointed.
	"Just head for one of the bridges across the harbour, I'll guide you
from there," Ukyou said. Akira nodded, revved the engine and then they were off.

*

	It wasn't much of a house. It was set back in a subdivision with unpaved
roads off the highway. The houses here had that distinct middle-class North
American look to them. They were separated from each other by thick trees and
shrubs, many beginning to turn gold and red as spring approached. Akira even saw
a few of the Canadian maples here and there. The house itself was a single story
affair, with an attached garage and white siding. The lawn was neat and a blue
car sat parked in the driveway.
	Akira watched as Ukyou approached the doorway with hesitant steps. For
the life of her, Akira could not figure out what was wrong. She could sense
nothing out of the house that was out of the ordinary. There were two life
forces inside, each no stronger than your average human being. But from the way
Ukyou was moving, you would have guessed that there were two zoalords slumming
it in the suburban neighbourhood.
	Akira sat on the idling motorcycle, watching the woman as she came up to
the door. Ukyou paused, then knocked once tentatively. She was forced to knock
again a few seconds later. The door opened revealing a tall silver-haired man
wearing a knit sweater and slacks. He wasn't much, handsome in a domestic sort
of way, Akira supposed.
	"May I help you, Miss?" he asked.
	"I..." Ukyou slumped, and whether it was from relief or disappointment,
Akira couldn't say. "You wouldn't happen to know if someone named 'Peori' used
to live here, would you?"
	The man shook his head. "We've lived here since we built the place."
	"Ah. Wrong house, then." Ukyou thanked the man and apologised for the
trouble, then walked back to the road. She looked like someone had wrenched out
her heart.
	"What's wrong?" Akira asked, getting off the cycle and approaching her.
She hadn't realised she offered her arm until Ukyou brushed it aside.
	"I... nothing." She sniffed. "I was a fool. I guess. I knew... there was
no way that he could possibly be there."
	"Who?"
	"My father." Ukyou let out a deep breath and sat down on the ground.
	"I thought your father had died." Akira frowned. "Just before you came
to Nerima, if I recall."
	"He did..." Ukyou spoke softly. "And he didn't. One of him did..." Ukyou
looked up at the sky. "It's... I just. I never thought I would miss him. I
always used to tell myself that I was the m... the woman without feelings. That
I never cared about anything. My entire family could die and I wouldn't bat an
eye." She chuckled. "But he was always there. When I faltered, when I fell. I
treated him terribly. I never helped unless he almost forced me. I never even
bought him a Christmas gift. Not even once. But he didn't care. When I flunked
out of school, he helped me. When I needed a place to stay, he found one for me.
When I needed to pay off debts I'd made for myself, he gave without me even
having to ask. He was a good man, and I miss him."
	Akira sat down next to her. "I... don't remember my own father. My
parents died when I was very young. Daigo raised me. He's as much my father as
he is my brother. I... don't want to think about what I would do if he died."
	"Yeah." Ukyou smiled thinly. "But what would you do if he never existed?
What if all your memories of him... what if you forgot them? What if he stopped
being who he is, and became someone else?"
	"I'm not certain what you mean."
	"I'm just rambling." Ukyou stood up. "It's nothing. I just had to... do
this. To see it with..." She sniggered cynically. "I was going to say 'my own
eyes' but how does that apply here?"
	Akira stood up with her and looked into Ukyou's eyes. The strange flower
shape was almost compelling. The way the dark of the iris and the pupil seemed
to merge together wasn't human, but it wasn't ugly either. "I think your eyes
are beautiful," Akira said before she could stop herself.
	Ukyou flushed, then looked quickly away. "Akira... don't..."
	"I'm sorry."
	"It's okay." Ukyou took a long breath. "Come on. We better not keep
Nabiki waiting."
	Akira nodded and reset the kickstand as she boarded the bike. A part of
her wanted to ask Ukyou how a Japanese girl with the name 'Kuonji' could be
looking for her father in a Canadian city under the name 'Peori' but that part
was small and easily ignored. If Ukyou wanted to tell her, she would. Until
then...
	Until then, Akira would be the friend she needed. Until then, she might
not be the person Ukyou was looking for, but she would be the person that was
there.

*

	It was a small Catholic church, clearly either built or renovated fairly
recently. But it looked like most others, with a row of pews leading up to the
altar. Near the door was the shrine to the Blessed Virgin, a collection of
candles standing silent vigil under her sympathetic eyes. Above the massive
double doors was a elegant stained glass window. It was here that Angel was
looking.
	The image was of Christ the Saviour standing among the lambs, a golden
halo about his head. Angel could vaguely recall the church in the small town
where she had grown up. The image there had been of Christ on the cross. She ran
a finger along the hilt of her blade. Honestly, she wasn't certain which image
she preferred more.
	On the one hand, there was the reminder that sacrifice was necessary to
absolve sin. On the other, there was the reminder that mankind needed a
shepherd. If asked, Angel never would have called herself a very religious
person. She had been raised Catholic, but had lost faith in the Christian God a
long time ago. She had placed her faith firmly in another. Her faith was in a
man who got results. A man who walked among the mortals and dispensed miracles
with casual ease.
	He had told her Himself. He was the Chosen One. He had been called here
from a higher plane, a different form of existence. His very nature was unique.
No force on Earth could stop Him, only slow Him down. So, to build the perfect
possible future that He was sent to create, Angel had shed blood. The blood of
her enemies. The blood of her friends.
	All because He was the only one that could do it. The only one that
could fight the darkness and succeed. Not just in driving it back for a time,
but in eliminating it forever.
	So... what then of Ukyou?
	Angel sighed and returned the communications device back into the shape
of an earring. Chris had been unavailable, again. He had been very busy the last
six weeks. She could understand that. When He wasn't in his personal quarters,
the forbidden room deep down at the bottom of the sanctum, He was abroad in the
world. This time, however, not even Link had been available. That was too bad.
Angel hadn't gotten a chance to report back since Hong Kong.
	The constant flight had kept them busy, and Angel had quickly discovered
that Ukyou had a preternatural ability to sense things trying to be hidden. Many
times while they had been crossing Asia the girl had sensed the presence of
scouts or ambush parties long before even Nabiki could. Thinking of Nabiki made
Angel realise something she hadn't been paying attention to much.
	Nabiki hated Ukyou, that much was clear. Angel could understand that.
People hated Chris. People hated gods. It was the nature of those who defied
them to hate. But Nabiki wasn't defying Ukyou. Somewhere between Hong Kong and
getting on that container ship across the Atlantic, Nabiki had conceded
leadership to Ukyou.
	Angel had missed it, because she had been thinking about other things.
But all of them had just fallen in behind Ukyou, following her direction. For
Akira, it made sense. But Nabiki? Not to mention herself, Angel thought
bemusedly.
	There was a creak as the door opened and two figures stepped in. It was
Akira and Ukyou. As usual, Ukyou was in the lead by a few steps. She moved with
a sort of cold efficiency and her face was expressionless. Akira was keeping
pace with her, but her expression was dour. She had been unusually downcast
lately. Angel would have thought she would be overjoyed, given how much she'd
wanted to find Ukyou.
	"Huh." Ukyou paused and looked back over her shoulder. "I don't remember
that being here."
	"What?" Angel asked.
	"The stained glass window." She frowned.
	"Maybe it was added recently." Angel shrugged. "From what I understand
there's been an upswing in religion all across the Americas in the last seven
years."
	"People looking for answers, I guess." Ukyou murmured.
	"Did you use to live here?" Angel asked.
	"In another life, if you want to look at it like that." Ukyou shrugged.
"We should head to the hotel. We want to get going early tomorrow and get to
Southtown as quickly as possible." She looked more directly at Akira. "Are you
certain Ranma will be there?"
	"He tends to move around a lot," Akira hedged. "But his mother and
father live there. If anyone has heard about where he is, it's them."
	Ukyou nodded and started towards the exit. Then she paused, her body
stiffening. Akira looked at her sharply, and subtly altered her stance. "What is
it?"
	"Damn... how did they sneak up so close?" Ukyou hissed. Angel kicked to
her feet and placed a hand on her sword. She and Akira exchanged a glance and
then wordlessly moved to flank Ukyou. They'd gotten into a few fights with
Shadowloo and Millennium forces along the trip, and while Ukyou could hold her
own, they both knew she wasn't as good as them. Not without all the special
abilities Lotus Infinite had used. "Vampires... a cool dozen of them. They have
the place surrounded."
	"This is a church," Angel said, feeling a bit offended.
	"Feel free to hit them with the crucifix then," Ukyou replied dryly.
	"What, and ruin a perfectly good cross?" Angel said with mock
startlement. Then she realised who she was joking with and sobered up. Ukyou
appeared to have not noticed the comment, as her unusual eyes were darting
around the shadows.
	The vampires emerged from the darkness in ones and twos. They didn't
look like much. Men in everyday clothes, women in casual dress. But their eyes
glowed red in the faded light of the building and their mouths were horrifically
distended, filled with row upon row of glittering white fangs. They made a
uniform sibilant hiss.
	"They have us outnumbered," Ukyou pointed out. She reached up, as if she
were going to clench something. Then she spied the faded tattoos on her arm and
her grip relaxed. Instead she fell into an unarmed fighting stance.
	"Well, I'll take the six on the right, if you two can handle the six on
the left," Angel offered with a smile.
	"Greedy," Akira noted.
	Angel stuck her tongue out at her. "Fine. Four each, that better?"
	One of the female vampires laughed, stepping slightly forward from the
others. In the distance, Angel could hear a soft roaring sound. "I wouldn't be
so confident, girl. We're elite vampires, trained in martial arts." She smiled
gruesomely. "We're the equal of any S.T.A.R.S. agent."
	"Can I just ask why you chose to attack us?" Ukyou said slowly. "Even
if you win, your cover is blown."
	The woman looked at her. "No particular reason. But I haven't had a
metahuman's blood since I got here. I was curious what it tasted like."
	"Curiosity killed the cat," Angel pointed out, shifting her stance.
	The vampire woman laughed, and then cut off in surprise as the dull
roar outside suddenly became much louder. Angel leapt back, and even Akira
ducked and covered her head. Only Ukyou wasn't startled in the slightest as the
massive motorcycle came smashing through the plate glass window like a rocket.
For a moment, Angel thought it was Akira's, then she realised it was much
larger, with huge chromed exhausts that roared thunderously in the church.
	Astride the massive machine, unmindful of the cloud of razor-sharp glass
pinwheeling about him, was a man. He was Asian, but larger than most. His hair
was hidden under a red bandana and he wore black sunglasses. His chin was
covered in fine brown stubble. He wore a black leather vest, a blue shirt and
denim pants.
	Still in mid-air the man reached down to the side of his bike, his hands
leaving the handlebars. He pulled two long chromed handguns from holsters beside
the seat of the massive cycle. With casual disregard he aimed and fired each in
different directions. Once, twice, three times he fired. Each shot hit. One
vampire's chest disintegrated, holes the size of bowling balls vanishing from
its torso in time with each shot. Two more fell over, their heads dissolving
into a fine red mist. A final vampire managed to move in time, only losing an
arm from the shoulder down as the bullets whizzed through the air.
	The man kicked off the cycle when it was halfway across the church,
pushing himself backward and executing a perfect flip to land in a crouch on the
floor. Ukyou leaned her head slightly to the side, the massive wheel of the
cycle cutting through the air just to the side of her. There was a loud crash as
it plowed into the altar with enough force to smash the thing to splinters and
rock dust.
	For a moment everyone just stood there, frozen in place. The mystery man
was still crouched on the ground, the chrome-plated Desert Eagles held in the
arms crossed in front of his chest. From this angle Angel could see that words
written in blood-red lettering spelled out 'Lone Wolf' on the back of his vest.
	"It... it's h-HIM!" one of the male vampires called out in horror.
	"He's just one man!" the woman who had spoken earlier shrieked. "Don't
just stand there, get him!"
	All at once the air was full of leaping vampires. They pounced and
glided like birds of prey; one even ran along the top of the pews with hands
outstretched. The man smirked. Angel stepped forward, her sword sliding from its
scabbard, but Ukyou's arm suddenly barred her way. She looked at the woman, but
Ukyou was staring intently at the newcomer, her eyes narrowed dangerously.
	The 'Lone Wolf' exploded into action before the vampires crossed half
the distance to him. He rose in a lazy spiral, his arms swinging out in both
directions. Again and again the reports of his guns filled the air with a crack
like thunder. The running vampire shrieked as one of its legs vanished below the
kneecap, sending it stumbling into the pews. Two more undead died in mid-leap,
one from a hole that appeared where its heart should be, the other when a trio
of shots neatly cut it in half from brow to crotch.
	Then the beasts were next to him. The armless one landed first, swinging
out wildly with its remaining limb. The man stepped back, allowing the blow to
pass harmlessly in front of his face. For its trouble, he placed the muzzle of
his weapon beneath its chin and removed the top of its skull. Even as he did his
other hand lashed out, striking with the butt of his pistol. It crashed into one
monster just before she landed, sending her flying back into another. The two
flew back into and through the wall of the church, making a hole the size of a
sedan on their way out. Then he was in among the remaining three, including the
leader.
	The creatures fought with savage intensity, but still with good
discipline. Angel had to admit that they probably had been trained in the
fundamentals. Most vampires she met had been little more than street brawlers,
attempting to make up for a lack in technique or talent with superhuman speed
and power. The problem, of course, was that when they didn't overwhelm their
victims as brutally as they did with most humans such tactics quickly fell
apart. Even a person with no mastery of chi could kill an unwary vampire if they
had the skill to back it up.
	But these three were wary. They struck as one, giving the man no chance
for counterattack. He moved smoothly among them, his arms a blur as he blocked
attacks from all three sides. Some of the strikes were getting through, but he
only grunted when they hit. From personal experience, Angel knew how much the
strikes of the undead hurt. The guy must have been made out of lead.
	"You'll need this!" Ukyou called suddenly. Angel turned. The woman had
walked over to the bike and retrieved a wrapped cloth bundle from the back. She
spun it through the air. The man looked up and he grinned savagely. There were a
pair of clatters as he dropped his guns, then with a roar he stamped his foot.
The entire church shuddered and Angel stumbled to keep her balance. Akira and
Ukyou seemed unaffected, but the vampires were not. While they were distracted,
the man reached up and caught the bundle as it fell neatly into his hands. He
drew it around him quickly, the cloth unwrapping like a black ribbon behind his
stroke. There was a flash of candlelight off metal, then the man sheathed the
sword with a single motion.
	The three vampires blinked. Then one by one they began to slide apart,
their bodies having been neatly divided right across the heart. The man looked
at Ukyou, then he smiled. It was a charming smile, the kind of roguish grin men
had just before they were about to do something endearing. Or stupid. Or both.
	"I'll be with you ladies in a moment." He looked out the hole his casual
backhand had sent the two vampires through. "Just let me take care of them
before they decide to run away." His voice was soft and pleasant in a manner
that seemed uncharacteristic of his appearance.
	He swung the sword down and attached it to his belt with some hidden
catch as he walked towards the wall. With one hand he reached out and casually
picked up a pew. He thumbed it with his other hand. "Not a stake, but it'll do."
	He cocked the pew over his shoulder like a javelin. Angel shifted
positions, giving herself a better view of outside. The two vampires were
running for their lives, hauling down the road so fast they would be out of
sight in a few seconds. The man didn't seem to mind. He took a moment to line up
his shot, then took two steps forward and launched. The pew travelled like a
missile, leaving a visible ripple in the air behind it. The pavement in the
parking lot buckled in its wake. It passed through the vampires without pausing,
first one then the other, before vanishing from sight.
	The man patted his hands together. He was wearing fingerless denim
gloves, Angel noted idly. He turned to face them. "Not really much. I've been
tracking this particular cell for a few weeks now. Guess they finally decided to
make their move."
	"Thank you," Akira said sincerely.
	"It was nothing," the man said good-humouredly. "You three are just
lucky I was here."
	"Indeed..." Ukyou murmured. She walked up to him. "But... remember to
finish off all your enemies next time. Angel?" Ukyou nodded her head to the
side. Angel saw it. The legless vampire, trying to crawl away. She stepped
forward and channelled her air chakra, and suddenly the world was a golden blur.
Her sword made a sharp hissing sound as it bisected the air. The vampire never
even heard her coming. She flicked the blood off the blade and resheathed it,
making a note to clean it more properly later.
	"Heh." The man chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. He looked kind
of cute in that 'aw shucks' way when he did it. "Guess you ladies could have
taken care of yourselves." He reached up and pulled down his glasses, revealing
a pair of bright blue-green eyes. "But I'm a bit surprised. I thought I knew
every independent meta in the country."
	"We recently arrived," Akira explained. She paused. "We needed to get
out of Asia."
	"Huh." He shrugged. "Yeah, Asia's a pretty tough place, from what I
hear."
	"My name is Akira Kazama," Akira continued, bowing slightly. "Pleased to
meet you." She indicated Angel with one hand. "The lady with the sword is Angel.
And this is-"
	"Aaron," Ukyou introduced herself. "Aaron Peori."
	Akira gave her a long look. Then she continued. "Yes. Aaron." She
straightened. "We were hoping to find refuge here."
	The man rubbed his chin. "Hey, I'm all for it. The more the merrier. But
the suits have rules. You're supposed to register every new metahuman arrival
with S.T.A.R.S."
	"We were planning on doing just that," Ukyou said blithely. "We heard
the headquarters was in Southtown, and were planning on catching a train there
tomorrow."
	"Train?" the man laughed. "Naw. It just so happens that with this little
business taken care of I was on my way back there myself." He extended his hand
towards Ukyou. "I would be delighted if you three young ladies would allow me to
personally guide you there."
	Ukyou didn't take the hand, and after a moment the man pulled it back,
looking puzzled. "Thank you. We'll accept your offer." She narrowed her eyes.
"You... are exceptionally strong, and I'll feel safer with you around to protect
us."
	Akira raised an eyebrow at that, but said nothing.
	"Great!" the man said, smiling roguishly again. "Now, where were you all
staying for the night?"
	"At a hotel." Ukyou said flatly. "Why don't we meet in the morning,
Mr..."
	"Oh." He laughed and patted his side again. "Right. Name's Tsukino.
Shingo Tsukino."
	"SHINGO!" Ukyou yelled, falling back a step.
	"I see my reputation precedes me," he said, buffing his knuckles on his
vest.
	"SHINGO TSUKINO!" Ukyou shrieked.
	"That's my name..."
	"Not a chance in hell!" Ukyou shouted, pointing at him accusingly.
	"Uh... I know I can be a bit overwhelming, but..."
	Akira quickly stepped in.  "Oh... don't mind Uk... Aaron. She's just a
little high-strung after our ordeal in Asia." She grabbed Ukyou's wrist and
began leading her out the door. "Come on."
	"Not a chance!" Ukyou was shouting, but she let herself be led along
without resistance. Angel shrugged and flashed Shingo a helpless grin. He
grinned back at her and winked slowly. She winked coquettishly back at him and
then sashayed from the church.

*

	Akane yelled and ran forward, her blade singing in the air. There was a
loud clatter as the old man parried her attack with one hand. But he shifted
backward, bracing himself with one foot. Akane smiled and pulled back a step,
then launched herself again in the same elegant motion. For a moment the shrine
was filled with the sound of bamboo against bamboo, the air between the two of
them flashing and cracking as Akane battered through his defences with the force
of a volcano.
	Katsuhito smiled a second before she made her mistake. The tip of her
shinnai slid along the edge of his, forced up and just to the right of his ear.
Then his foot snaked out and caught hers. The air exploded from her lungs as she
crashed to the ground in a heap. She groaned and forced herself to her knees,
bracing herself on her weapon. Her breath was coming in short gasps and sweat
was pouring down her brow, more than her headband could account for.
	"How did you know I was going to overextend there?" Akane asked between
breaths.
	"I didn't," Katsuhito answered. He looked as fresh as a daisy, holding
his practice sword balanced on one shoulder.
	"But... your smile?" Akane frowned at him.
	He grinned and adjusted his glasses, causing his eyes to vanish behind
the glare. "That... was just so that you would overthink and make a mistake. I
was about to lose my guard there so I had to do something..." He ducked as Akane
threw her bamboo sword at him. "Hey! What was that for?"
	"You're a dirty cheating old man!" Akane grumbled as she walked over to
the corner her things had been placed in.
	"But I won, didn't I?" he replied simply.
	Akane didn't deign to answer that as she picked up her swords. She
checked them, drawing first the steel then the wooden blade. She absently noted
that she would have to spend some time taking care of them later: the steel was
growing dull and the wood getting chipped. Katsuhito came up behind her, his
footsteps soft.
	"You're getting impatient."
	"I don't like sitting around doing nothing," Akane said simply, slamming
the blades back into their sheaths one at a time. "And staying in one place for
so long..."
	"You should relax. Chronos has no records that this valley even exists.
Plus we have... considerations."
	"Easy for you to say." Akane turned and looked at him. He looked like an
old man, with a pinched face and a pair of tiny spectacles that had a habit of
hiding his eyes when he turned his head in the right way to catch the light. But
he was no ordinary old man.
	Akane wasn't the most sensitive person. Her lessons with Tofu and Ukyou
had never gotten that far, but she could sense the power of this man. "I've been
running for my life for the last seven years. Staying in one place more than a
few weeks was a invitation for a Chronos attack. But a month and a half..." She
sighed. "Is it September already?" she asked rhetorically. She hadn't realised
how much time had passed.
	"It's almost over."
	Akane shook her head. "I just feel I have to do something. Go out there
and make a difference..."
	"Like charging foolishly into the Pillars of Heaven and getting yourself
captured to rescue a man you barely like?" Katsuhito said. He sat down in lotus
position, propping his practice sword against the wall next to him.
	Akane let out a deep breath. "Something like that." She looked down at
him. "Skullomania may be an annoying jackass, but he's MY annoying jackass.
Besides, according to Washuu he hasn't been taken for processing yet. We can
still..."
	"Did you ever consider the reason he hasn't been is because Gyro knows
that it will draw you to him?" Katsuhito asked softly.
	Akane had no response to that, so she turned and left the small temple.
The courtyard was empty. The September sunlight was warm, but the breeze carried
the first hints of autumn as it caressed her cheeks. It felt good after her
workout. She started down the long fight of stairs, enjoying the solitude of the
walk between the old trees that rose up on either side. Her footsteps crunched
lightly on the first of the leaves that had begun to fall.
	At the bottom of the stairwell she found Rei. The young woman was
wearing her traditional shrine maiden gear. Her lustrous black hair shone
against the stark white of her shirt and touched the top of her baggy red pants.
The girl was humming a soft melody to herself as she worked, her straw broom
creating an odd counterpoint to the song.
	"Have I heard that tune before?" Akane asked.
	"Oh!" Rei turned, somewhat startled. "I didn't hear you come down."
	"You were distracted, I guess," Akane said. She sat down on a space that
Rei's efforts had successfully cleared.
	"I'm not certain if you ever heard it before..." Rei shrugged. "My
grandfather used to sing that song to me when I was very young. But he could
never remember the words, so I don't know what the song actually is."
	Akane nodded and stared out across the clearing in which the oddly
modern-looking house was sitting. Beyond it was the lake, the water gleaming
cerulean as the sun crept across its surface. She could see Mamoru trying to
hang up the laundry. He was hampered slightly by the assistance of his
companions.
	There was a rustling sound as Rei sat down next to her.
	"So... have you made a decision yet?"
	Akane thought about the question for a moment. Washuu's offer was
compelling. With her help, there was hope of actually defeating Chronos. Not
just holding them, not just curbing their excesses... actually defeating them.
Her genius, her technology... Akane had seen it in action many times. Weapons
were the least she could offer the resistance. She could hack the Chronos
computers like they were open books, and her understanding of genetics and bio-
mechanics far outstripped anything Akane had ever seen. If Akane had never seen
her hold off a zoalord by herself, she never would have believed half the girl-
child's claims. But... "It's certainly something to think about." Akane frowned.
"But I don't like the fact that I have to pay a price for it."
	Rei shrugged. "Is it that bad a price?" She placed the broom beside her.
"You know he has to be stopped. Somebody has to do it. We need your help."
	"Why me?" Akane smiled as Fevrier began barking orders at the other two,
who had managed to knock Mamoru into the washtub. "Washuu is powerful by
herself."
	"It doesn't work like that," Rei said slowly. "At first I wanted to go
right after him myself. After what he did to Mihoshi..." She clenched her fist,
then forced herself to relax. "But Chris is a dangerous man. His power is
different than anything even Washuu has ever encountered before. At the moment
he's scared of her, scared of what she might be able to do. But that could
change. According to Washuu, he's only limited by what he perceives as a
threat." Her eyes turned hard. "We're only going to get one shot at destroying
him. One chance. We have to make it work the first time."
	"Yeah..." Akane breathed. "I just..." She frowned. "I've never been one
for this kind of thing." Rei gave her a look. "That's different. Chronos is an
organisation, a philosophy. I hate everything they stand for. I'm not fighting
Arkanphel or Purgstall or even Gyro. I'm fighting THEM. This is... revenge. Just
plain revenge. However you candy-coat how it will be good for everyone, the
reason you want me here is to punish him because he hurt you."
	Rei gave Akane a reproachful look. "That's not fair, Akane."
	"Isn't it?" Akane frowned. "What would Sailor Moon do?"
	Rei looked away. "Sailor Moon isn't here," she said softly.
	"Maybe not, but that doesn't mean we can't be the best we can be." Akane
spent a few moments watching as the ex-Dolls tried to strip Mamoru of his wet
clothes. She could just picture them talking about how it was for his own good.
Of course, he was objecting in no uncertain terms. Fevrier was trying to look
like she was unconcerned, but she kept glancing over her shoulder nonetheless.
"When we were back at that mountain when Sailor Moon..." She trailed off. "That
day I saw that this world can have absolute good. And later I learned that you
can do horrible things in the name of that good. I learned that you can say
whatever you want about why you're doing things. But in the end, the only thing
that matters is the choices you make."
	"And what good has always making the correct choice done for you,
Akane?" Rei snapped a little peevishly. Instantly the anger drained from her
face, to be replaced with regret. "I'm sorry, I didn't..."
	"No. You did." Akane adjusted her sword belt. "I haven't done much good
in the last seven years. I admit that." She looked up at Rei, and suddenly
Akane's voice was filled with more pleading then she intended. "Why hasn't she
come, Rei?"
	Rei flinched. "I... don't know."
	"Have you ever talked to her? Asked her to come out and join in the
fighting like us?" Akane gestured impotently. "I... we... the world needs a
symbol. Sometimes I feel like if I could just show her to the people, they would
finally see the lies Chronos has draped around their eyes. They would finally
tear free and rise up. I can't be that symbol, Rei. But Sailor Moon..."
	"I haven't talked to her in years," Rei admitted. She glanced to the
side. They'd been avoiding this topic since they had met each other again, but
it was clear Akane wasn't going to let it drop, so Rei continued. "The place
we left her at... it was evil, Akane. It was full of lies, worse lies than any
Chronos has ever told. The lies of that place seep into your heart and make
themselves at home. They become a part of you."
	"Really?" Akane blinked. Ohtori hadn't seemed that bad, from her
memories of it. Then again, she'd been there for about... a day? Maybe less. It
was hard to remember exactly. "I guess I should have known. Chris was always
about what was practical." She frowned. "So why not go get her out? Washuu and
you could do it, right? Just like you rescued me."
	"It... isn't that simple."
	"Sure it is." Akane said plainly.
	"I... can't go back, Akane."
	"Rei, whatever painful memories you have, whatever happened between you
and her-"
	"NO!" Rei snapped. "Damn it, Akane. I didn't mean I don't want to. I
meant I can't!" She balled up her hands and her face twisted in grief. "You
don't think I haven't tried? For the first few months, I went out every week! I
swore I wouldn't let her stay in that place a day longer! I would MAKE her see
it for what it was... but..."
	"But?"
	"I couldn't find it. It just... it's like I was never there. I can
remember the school, the way the uniform was uncomfortable. I remember this
girl I met, Shiori, and Nanami... I remember Anthy." She shuddered. "No matter
how much I don't want to, I remember Anthy." Then she looked up. "But I can't
find my way back. I think... I think they're blocking me. I ran away and I can't
ever go back."
	"Wait, back up. Can't find it? Don't you remember the way? It's not like
we're talking about a single house in Tokyo or something. This is an entire
city. A rather large one, on the coast even. There aren't that many of them in
Japan."
	"I know that, I just... every time I try and remember the way, I can't."
Rei flicked her fist open slowly. "Poof. Gone. Like I was never there."
	"That's... strange." Akane whispered.
	"Washuu can't find it either. And neither can any of the old graduates."
	"Graduates?"
	"Yeah. It's a school. People graduate from it and move on. I tried
tracking them down, and even found a few. I talked to Shiori a few years back.
But none of them know the way to get back. They all remember it, but not how to
get there."
	Akane stared at her. "There's something you're not telling me."
	"I..." Rei sighed. "I'm not the only one who talked to them. I managed
to get Washuu to sneak Shiori and her family out of the country, but there were
others..." She paused. "Chronos. Gyro. He was looking for them too."
	"He knows where Sailor Moon is?" Akane gasped.
	"Or at least, the name of it. From the way he was trying to track down
the graduates, I'm guessing he's been having about as much luck as me."
	"I see..." Akane stood up stiffly. "I... have to go, Rei."
	"Right." Rei stood up, pulling her broom up with her. "You should still
think about Washuu's offer. She may be a little crazy, but she's a good person.
Helping her defeat Chris, it can't be bad."
	"Right..." Akane murmured, walking away. She hadn't really heard Rei's
parting words. Her mind was too busy thinking about something else. She was
running back in her memory, to the desperate flight across the country of seven
years ago, when she had first been on the run from Chronos. She remembered the
tragedy of Ryugenzawa... and everything in between. It took her a few moments,
but it came back with startling clarity. She knew the exact train one had to
take, the correct path through the surrounding woods. She remembered how to get
to the place where she and Shampoo had sparred that day.
	"So... why can I remember?" she said softly, heading slowly into the
house.

*

	Nabiki found Ukyou brooding near the back of the train. She was standing
on a narrow iron balcony that hung from the last car, her arms draped across the
protective railing. She was looking back as the darkened landscape shot by on
either side, receding endlessly into the past.
	"I'm surprised you're still awake," Nabiki lied, joining her as she slid
the door closed.
	"I don't sleep very well." Ukyou didn't make a move, just staring out
behind them.
	"Any particular reason you're avoiding us all?" Nabiki asked quickly.
The wind was roaring loudly, so she had to speak up lest her words be lost. Of
course, she could have just projected her thoughts at Ukyou, made her think she
was hearing what Nabiki was saying. Ukyou, however, had made it quite clear what
she thought of that practice early on. The young woman hadn't batted an eye when
Nabiki had explained her powers, but had summarily forbidden her from probing
her mind uninvited. Nabiki might have been the kind of person to enter
unannounced, but Ukyou had the ability to simply... eliminate her thoughts. If
Ukyou wanted to, her mind simply became totally blank, like there was nothing
there at all. It was rather unsettling. Of course, Ukyou had to concentrate on
that, but Nabiki didn't favour her chances of sneaking a peek without notice.
	Ukyou shifted a bit uncomfortably. "Just... thinking."
	"About Shingo?" Nabiki asked quickly.
	"You're perceptive," Ukyou complimented her.
	"Not that I had to be." Nabiki chuckled. "I believe that rant you gave
back at the hotel in Halifax was enough to pique my interest."
	"I..." Ukyou sighed. "It's not right, Nabiki."
	"What isn't?"
	Ukyou paused, as if considering whether or not to confide in the older
mercenary. Finally, Ukyou relented. "His power, it's unnatural."
	"Is there one of us here who doesn't have unnatural power, Ukyou?"
	"This is different," Ukyou replied quickly. "Normal humans can train to
the level of great strength, but Shingo... there's magic lingering over him."
	"Magic?" Nabiki blinked.
	"Second Circle. Something has... altered him. He's strong. Stronger than
he has any right to be." She looked at Nabiki. "I also have it on good authority
that he isn't a prodigy of martial arts."
	"Maybe it has something to do with his sister?" Nabiki mused aloud.
	"Perhaps," Ukyou grunted. "But I doubt it. He never displayed any
magical talent..." She shook her head. "I think we should keep an eye on him."
	"I could just..." Nabiki said leadingly.
	"No." Ukyou snapped.
	Nabiki frowned. "Oh please. You find him untrustworthy. He's not really
your friend at all. Why protect his rights so much? He won't even know I did
anything."
	"It's not right, Nabiki."
	"Why?"
	Ukyou opened her mouth, closed it and then looked sullenly to the side.
"It's complicated," she said shortly.
	"No, it really isn't." Nabiki frowned and stepped into her line of
sight. "It's just like with Angel."
	"Not this again..." Ukyou said curtly.
	"Yes. This again." Nabiki stepped closer to her, allowing her voice to
drop a little. "That woman is dangerous."
	"How do you know?" Ukyou frowned. "I thought you said you couldn't get
into her mind?"
	"I can't..." Nabiki tapped her fingers along the railing. "Or more
accurately, there is some powerful static that prevents me from doing it
covertly. I could batter through whatever shield she has around her mind, but
not without her noticing I was doing it." She looked back up the length of the
train, her eyes narrowing. "Which I'm beginning to think I should do
regardless."
	"What proof do you have that she's a danger?" Ukyou asked.
	"None." Nabiki frowned. "But I had instincts before I was a telepath,
Ukyou. I can read people, even when I'm not invading their minds. Plus, I do
pick up some things from her. Emotions. Bits and pieces of thoughts. Nothing
substantive, but when I try and put them together it forms... a bleak picture."
	"What picture?"
	"She knows Chris."
	Nabiki let that hang in the air for a long moment. Ukyou had stiffened
slightly at the mention of her counterpart's name, but no more. Even now, she
was a master at concealing her true feelings. "So do you. So does Akane. Should
I not trust you?"
	"Of course you shouldn't trust me, Ukyou," Nabiki laughed. "I didn't go
through all that trouble to free you out of the goodness of my heart. I plan on
exploiting you."
	"At least you're upfront about it," Ukyou said dryly.
	"At heart I'm a salesman, Ukyou." Nabiki chuckled some more. "Salesmen
make bargains. Sometimes they're unfair, but that's the nature of trade. It's a
game. Which of us will come out ahead is decided by who has the better skill."
She frowned, her mirth vanishing. "I'll be honest and say that I trick and lie
and cheat to get what I want. But in the end, both sides walk away from the
table with something they want. I'm up front about it. Angel... Angel is hiding
something. Hiding something from all of us."
	"I see." Ukyou straightened. "And what do you expect me to do about
this, Nabiki?" Nabiki looked at her. "She risked her life to... to rescue me
just like you and Akira did. I owe her more than confronting her with half-
formed suspicions and mistrust. Even if she is our enemy... I'll deal with that
when we come to it."
	Nabiki paused and looked back at the countryside sliding away into
darkness. "You want her to kill you, don't you?"
	"That's absurd," Ukyou snorted.
	"I may not be able to read you like a book, Ukyou, but like I said, I
still have instincts." She looked back at the girl. It was odd, seeing Ukyou the
age she was now. When they had first met, Ukyou had always seemed so much older,
so much more mature then everyone else. Now she looked like what she was: a
sullen teenager. "You've been going through the motions for the last six weeks,
but your heart isn't in it. You've been deliberately cutting off Akira. You
haven't even bothered to learn anything about the last seven years. This stoic
acceptance bullshit may fly with the others, but I can see right through it."
	"I think this conversation is over, Nabiki," Ukyou said, her tone cold.
	"Oh no, it's just begun." Nabiki leaned in toward her. "I think it's
about time you pulled your head out of your ass, Ukyou." Ukyou's eyes narrowed
dangerously. "We all have to deal with the real world, and quite frankly I'm
sick of you avoiding it. Yes, I know about your stupid prophecy, and guess
what? I don't care." Nabiki examined her nails. "You tried to run away from the
world seven years ago, and now you're one step closer, aren't you?" Nabiki
looked pointedly down at the arm on which the bizarre tattoos could be seen.
	Ukyou snarled and before Nabiki could think her hand was curled around
the lapel of Nabiki's shirt. The fabric shifted ominously as she curled her
fingers into it and Nabiki found herself standing on tiptoes.
	"I don't think I want to listen to you anymore," Ukyou snapped, her
voice still icy.
	"I don't respond well to empty threats," Nabiki replied laconically.
	They stared into each others eyes for a long moment, then Ukyou's hand
relaxed. Nabiki settled back on her feet, unwilling to let her relief show on
her face. Ukyou continued to glare at her, her alien lotus-shaped eyes narrow
and cold. Nabiki took a moment to brush the wrinkles out of her shirt.
	"You can't understand what it's like," Ukyou finally said, turning away.
"I... I lost everything."
	"I think Akira would disagree," Nabiki pointed out.
	"I'll just end up hurting Akira, too." Ukyou smiled, a twisted grimace
of self-loathing. "It's not like I can ever be the person she wants me to be for
her."
	"God, you're even more of a pretentious stuck-up bitch than I remember
you being," Nabiki said with a snort. "Do you even listen to yourself anymore?
So life dealt you a bad hand. Yeah, well do something about it." Nabiki started
towards the door. "I should have let Bison keep you. At least Lotus Infinite
could obey orders. You..." Nabiki shook her head. "You're so self-absorbed you
can't even see the world around you, moving forward while you stare back."
	Nabiki didn't give Ukyou the chance to respond. Instead she reentered
the car, slamming the door behind her. Then she walked a few meters into the
car. Her fist slammed into one of the metal walls hard enough to bring tears to
her eyes. She needed Ukyou!
	Without Ukyou, there would be nothing standing between Nabiki and Chris.
	Without Ukyou, there would be nothing keeping Hotaru from getting
vengeance if she discovered who had sold her out to Link.
	Without Ukyou, Ryouga would...
	Nabiki shoved that last thought aside. She needed to be strong, and the
only thing thinking of him did was reduce her to tears. Wiping her eyes off with
her sleeve, Nabiki started back towards the others. Maybe a few hours of fending
off Shingo's advances would take her mind off things.

*

	It took the train five days to reach Southtown. The time it took was
because of several factors, the least of which was probably the distance
involved. Halifax was a city on the far east coast of Canada. Southtown was a
city near the Mexican border of California. They literally had to cross the
entire continent to get there, which was not an inconsiderable distance. Then
there was the fact that while the train could run all day and night, it tended
to do so at a sedate pace. There were bullet trains in Japan that could break
the sound barrier, but such a feat took power.
	The second most precious commodity in America was power. Everywhere they
went there were posters about it. Patriotic figures, often in S.T.A.R.S.
uniforms, saying how you could do your part in the war by turning off the
lights, conserving water and everything else. It was almost bemusing, in a
strange way reminding Aaron of World War II propaganda films. The advertising
and methods were more slick, sometimes more subtle, but the message was the
same.
	Support the troops. Do your part. Conserve. Produce. Hate the enemy.
	There was also several levels of security that had to be bypassed. While
citizens of either country were free to move about, their movements were
monitored. Getting into or out of a major city required paperwork and tests.
Simple tests. Exposure to intense UV lamps for a few minutes, a blood sample
here and there, and a quick examination by the local psychic.
	That almost surprised Ukyou enough to actually care. None of the anime
or video games that had come together in this gestalt universe seemed to have an
overabundance of psychics, but America had a regular bevy of them. Aaron had
asked Nabiki about it, a question to pass a few meaningless hours on the train
ride between Montreal and Boston.
	"Psychics aren't as common as martial artists," Nabiki had told her
after a moment. She had looked surprised at the question, but then again it had
been the first thing Ukyou had actually asked about, so that was understandable.
"From what I've gathered, nearly everyone has the talent to develop chi control
at some level. Really, everybody does it unconsciously anyway. Respirating and
circulating chi through their chakra points and back into the world. With
training, anyone can learn to harness the natural flow that occurs whenever you
do... anything. Fighting is just the most obvious application. The academies are
just beginning to look into what the training does to the already naturally
intelligent with..." Here Nabiki smiled venomously. "...interesting results. And
it's spreading beyond their ability to control. The techniques are beginning to
filter into the general population. I've heard rumours about one kid, a twelve
year old they smuggled out of the tropics, that thinks on a whole other level.
Some sort of strategic genius and natural born leader. Was fighting Chronos
forces with nothing but a half-dozen men and a few old style weapons, and
winning." Nabiki chuckled. "If he really exists, he's so far underground by now
that not even I know for sure where he would be."
	"Maybe they took him into space," Aaron joked. "To train with all the
other supergeniuses."
	"Maybe." Nabiki shrugged. "Real pure psychics, those with actual
telepathic or extrasensory powers, are nearly nonexistent. But a lot of people
are beginning to develop the same technique you did, Ukyou. Chi awareness,
enhanced perception... People can't tell the difference between that and real
psychic powers because to them the power is pretty much the same. If someone can
understand your thoughts by interpreting the slightest involuntary change in
facial expression or subtlest body language... what's the difference between
that and actually invading your mind, anyway?"
	Ukyou and Aaron had cut off the conversation at that point, wandering
off to think to themselves. Of course, it was huge. Perhaps larger than Nabiki,
or anyone else, thought it would be. People able to benchpress a battle tank or
survive a howitzer shell were one thing. But what about people who could
literally read anyone like an open book? What about engineers who could jump
technological advancements thirty, fifty... a hundred years ahead of the curve
in a few weeks? What would happen when the first of these people learned to
apply the art of chi control to even more esoteric skills, like seduction,
persuasion, oratory...
	It was too big to think about, so they chose not to do that. Ukyou
didn't ask how they got through all the checkpoints and tests without questions,
but she was certain that Shingo's apparent celebrity and Nabiki's... gentle
persuasion had something to do with it. She just spent the time sitting and
thinking about what she would do when she got to Southtown.
	The answer was simple. She would find Ranma.
	Aaron still felt the pain. They had told him, upon waking up, that seven
years had passed. Certainly everyone was older and the world was different.
Aaron never doubted them for a moment. But to him and Ukyou... it was still
1992. Even the season had synched up. It had been late summer when they'd
confronted Bison and the Major in England, and it was early fall now. Aaron
looked down and began to count it out on his fingers, like a child. Six weeks.
More accurately six weeks and four days. With an ironic chuckle he vaguely
realised that his birthday had passed unnoticed two days ago.
	Aaron was still quite aware of his surroundings. He seemed to know
things instinctively now. Thus he was quite certain they were free from any
eavesdroppers when Ukyou began to talk to herself. "Why am I even still here?"
she murmured.
	That was the question of the hour, wasn't it? Nabiki had forced them to
confront some unpleasant realities a few days ago, and they had mostly ignored
her. But the night time confrontation had stayed in the back of their shared
mind, growing larger and larger in that strange no-man's land of thought that
they shared. Like a piece of sand eventually forming into a pearl, the thought
had grown in their mind until there was no ignoring it.
	They were acting like a stuck-up bitch. Like the whiny protagonist of a
hundred different stories. Aaron had always hated them. The sullen arrogance of
a Squall Leonhart or the pathetic spinelessness of a Shinji Ikari, they had
always annoyed him. Ukyou had never really shared his interest in pop culture,
but she disliked the type as well. For her, it had always been the whiny useless
girls of her school who pissed her off. The kind that moaned about their
boyfriends, while secretly gossiping about the lives of others behind their
hands.
	Ukyou had made it a point of pride that when she had been abandoned,
when she had been left on the side of the road, she hadn't started simpering or
moaning. She had gotten pissed off instead. When Aaron had been confronted by
bullies and namecallers and other such struggles of youth he had faced them head
on, with icy determination that was often enough to scare away his antagonists
by itself.
	Where had that gone? Ukyou remembered it quite clearly. That stubborn
pride had driven her to fight Hayato, even when there had been nothing to gain.
It had made them spit in Chris's face, even after he had poisoned them. It had
let them fight on against Jadeite, and Pluto, and Rose and Tethys... Ukyou could
remember what that felt like. Aaron could remember it.
	So why were they standing here, watching the Rocky Mountains slide by,
and wondering where it had all gone? It hadn't been England. Aaron remembered
England. For others, the events of seven years ago had faded. The universal balm
of time had soothed whatever wounds they had acquired during those desperate
struggles. But for Ukyou and Aaron, they were as fresh as yesterday. The soul-
crushing emptiness of London, the mad struggle against Millennium, the stoic
despair of Integra and her empty, meaningless death. And Hotaru.
	The metal of the trainwall squealed as Ukyou curled it between her
fingers. She clenched her eyes shut, but the tears wouldn't be denied. Oh god,
it hurt. It hurt more than anything ever had. She had been beaten to the brink
of death. She had been humiliated. She had been broken, and mutilated. She had
watched her father die of illness, and she had lost her very memory, her very
identity. Ukyou was, in fact, hard pressed to think of an indignity she had not
suffered at some point.
	But this hurt somewhere deeper. It was a bleeding ache, sickening
everything around it. It didn't go away. It festered. Just her name, just the
thought of her name... It made her eyes burn. It made her jaw ache. It made her
lungs empty. She was sobbing, her entire body wracked. She wanted to shove her
head through the wall. She wanted to scream. She wanted to cut out her heart.
She would do anything. Anything at all to make the pain stop. Once, while they
had been travelling through Sweden to catch a boat, Ukyou had slipped away to a
seedy bar. To her disgust she had discovered her chi-enhanced metabolism was
too powerful for such simple escapes. But the temptation to just keep drinking
had been strong. In the end, it had been the taste that sent her away. Alcohol
tasted vile to her, and with her chef's tongue and Aaron's enhanced senses, it
only stood out even more no matter how she tried to hide it.
	But before she had left Sweden, Ukyou had found a place that dealt in
stronger drugs. Drugs that might be strong enough to overcome her innate
resistance. The kind of stuff that erased thought. Erased memory. In the end,
Ukyou had left. But in a pocket of her shirt, unseen...
	No. She took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down. With an
effort of will she shoved the pain back inside, sending it back to fester
unnoticed in the dark recesses of their psyche. Perhaps after they had saved
Ranma, they could contemplate those darker impulses.
	But not until then. They had failed Hotaru. They had failed her utterly
and now she was dead. But they wouldn't fail Ranma. Bison would kill him. It was
only a matter of time. Ukyou had to prevent that. Somehow. She had no idea how,
but the thoughts of the Third Circle floated nebulously in their head.
	The important thing was getting to Southtown, finding Ranma, and
removing Bison's hold on his heart. By whatever means necessary. After that...
Ukyou pulled back the sleeve of her shirt and looked at the markings there. They
could almost go unnoticed, faded and obscure. They weren't tattoos. They were
something beneath her flesh. A part of her she had gained in that missing seven
years. One more step down the path toward her fate.
	They had tried to deny it. They had tried to fight it. They had tried to
run away from it. They had even surrendered to it, allowing Bison to take them
and erase them. All so they wouldn't have to face it. But fate was a cruel
bastard and it would not let them escape.
	Ukyou sighed. Was that it? Was that what had killed that fire inside
them? The prophecy, and all it implied? Ukyou thought it might be. But Aaron
disagreed. He thought it was more personal than that. More immediate. Not
something forced upon them, but something they had done. Or not done.
	Ran. That was the beginning of it. Her death had been... had been far
too real. It had been when everything changed. Despite the battles, despite the
pain and the struggle and the humiliating defeats... up until then it hadn't
seemed real. It was like some game, a roleplaying game where he was just playing
the part of Ukyou Kuonji. Ukyou had always hated him because he made her think
she wasn't real, and he hated to admit it, but she was right. He probably never
had thought of her as real. Even forced to live her life, feel her emotions,
experience her day to day world... it wasn't enough to really hit him with how
real this world had been. He had cut himself off from it. He had erected an icy
shell around his feelings, around his and Ukyou's heart. He had denied the love
Ukyou felt for Ranma, even as it wormed its way into his heart. He had denied
his friendship with Akane, allowing it to be cut off without protest... when
even a single word of reconciliation could have salvaged it.
	Aaron had wanted nothing to do with this world. Then Ran had died, and
suddenly it had all become real to him. Staring down at her broken body, covered
in her blood, cradling her cold flesh in Ukyou's arms. Looking up and seeing the
anguish on Ranma's face. The horror on Hotaru's. The shock on Akira's. That's
the moment when it had become real. When it had stopped being something that was
happening to other people, and starting becoming something that was happening to
him.
	And while Ukyou didn't like it, because it had been the moment he had
started feeling, it had been the moment she had started feeling too. The events
of England, they were just a sad spiral building off that morning. Standing in
the Ex Machina, listening to Yan laugh, Ukyou had been remembering that moment.
That morning. Except instead of Ran it had been Hotaru in her arms. And that had
hurt even more. Then, down on the field, when Bison had threatened Ranma...
	She couldn't do it. She couldn't picture herself, in that stifling hot
classroom, covering in cold blood and staring down at his lifeless face. It
would have destroyed her. Whatever Bison would do to her... whatever he HAD done
to her, it was better than that.
	So that was her answer. She had lost that drive, that pride... that
spirit which never gave up the moment she realised that people died. "So... what
now?" Ukyou asked herself. She couldn't go on this way. Crying alone about a
friend murdered seven years ago, about a little girl taken from her so long ago
that the others had probably forgotten her name, was not going to solve
anything. Giving in to Bison had not saved her from having to face her life.
Fate wasn't going to allow that.
	So what was she supposed to do? Who was supposed to help her? Nabiki had
been right, she was acting foolish, stupid. Her attitude was hurting Akira, if
nothing else. The girl deserved something better than the way Ukyou had been
treating her since she had emerged from the fog. But even if Akira had been
there for her that time, she wouldn't be there at the end. At the end, Ukyou
would face her fate alone.
	So she screwed her eyes shut and she decided not to think about it. For
now, she had to get to Ranma. Get to Ranma. Save him from Bison.
	After that? The next day.
	And the next.
	And the next...

*

	The huntress, Rip Van Winkle, was standing on the edge of the deck,
watching the water run by beneath her. This was one of the few ships in the
Major's navy, a U-boat, a relic of the past dragged out of mothballs in some
hidden cave and refitted for the war to come. There were perhaps a double
handful of the vessels in the world. Each was crewed and piloted only by
vampires and ghouls, and also fuelled by the same. There was no air inside the
metal coffins. There were no engines or reactor piles. Propulsion was provided
by muscle power, the tireless power of the walking dead.
	It had several advantages. It made them virtually undetectable. They
made no noise, had no heat signature and could run underwater for literally
infinite periods of time. Tracking down and destroying them was near impossible.
That was the only reason they had survived the disastrous invasion of
Scandinavia. Tethys ruled the ocean. While Chronos had more ships, more zoanoids
adapted specifically for aquatic combat, than any other power... it was Tethys
that ruled the oceans of the world.
	Rip Van Winkle and others like her were trespassers that survived at her
leisure. She snorted and pulled her rifle closer to her. That would change. It
would all change.
	"Rip Van, ze colour of ze sea, it brings out ze shade of your eyes!"
	She repressed a shudder and looked over her shoulder. Schrodinger was
standing there, his arms jauntily clasped behind his back, one leg askance as he
grinned at her. "Vhat do you vant?" she hissed, her eyes narrowing as she stared
at him over the rim of her glasses.
	"You vound me, Rip Van. Can't I just be here to compliment you?" She
didn't dignify that with a response, and he laughed. "Wery vell." He made a
mocking bow. "I bring news from ze major. He has located your rare flower."
	Rip Van stared at him and then looked back across the sea. In the
distance, she could see a shoreline. The country over there was HIS land,
Shadowloo. Zamiel's home. In all her years, she had never managed to enter that
accursed land once. Not even in her most desperate pursuit of her eternal rival.
Even when the Major had tormented her with ever more vigourous tests and
tortures, she could not bring herself to enter that place. The place where HE
dwelt.
	'Ah Rip Van, such a shame,' the Major had told her once, when she had
returned after being unable to bring herself to sneak into Zamiel's capital. 'I
can only torture your body. But Bison... he can torment your soul. I shall haf
to ask him his secret, someday.'
	"She is not zere," Schrodinger told her in a sing-song voice.
	Rip Van tried not to let her relief show. "Zen vhere is she?" she
growled out.
	"America."
	Rip Van blinked and turned to face him fully, just to make certain this
wasn't some joke. Schrodinger never looked serious, nor grave. But if you knew
him long enough you learned to read his different kinds of amusement. This was
not the kind of amusement of a cat playing with a wounded bird. Nor was it the
teasing amusement of a child taunting a humbled rival. It was the anticipatory
amusement of knowing there would be great fun in the near future.
	"Our agent has reported to us her location, or at least vhere she vill
be shortly. She is in the heart of the beast. Ze fortress of the S.T.A.R.S."
	Rip Van hissed and clenched her fists. Attacking America was foolish,
even for her. Especially that place. There had to be close to a hundred martial
artists in that one city alone. Her hated enemy had chosen to surface in one of
the few places she dared not attack.
	"I haf orders from ze Major concerning zis." He cleared his throat.
"Lieutenant Rip Van Winkle, you shall proceed to zis city at once and eliminate
Lotus Infinite immediately," he said with the odd lilt of memorisation. "Also,
you shall be provided vith a sufficient force to level ze city of Southtown to
a smoking crater, and let not a single living human escape alive."
	Rip Van Winkle stared at the grinning catboy for a few moments, then she
smiled.

*

	Summer clung tenaciously to the city of Southtown, but even here you
could start to see the approaching signs of autumn. The breeze was blowing in
off the ocean, carrying with it the scent of salt and a merciful relief from the
heat. People went around dressed in clothing more commonly suited to much colder
climes, and made frequent references to the chill. Few had ever been to any
place as cold as the wind-blasted plain cities in the Canadian north where the
first sister school of the academy here had been established. Most probably had
never even experienced a winter as cold as the ones of his native Tokyo.
	Ono rubbed his eyes and sighed, leaning back in his chair. The window to
his office was closed and in the corner of the room a fan whirred, its round
head whispering back and forth through the air like the gruesome skull of some
unnatural snake. He chuckled a bit at the morbid comparison. In seven years he
had never really gotten used to the heat of this city. It baked the streets,
rising from the asphalt in waves in the long, agonising months of summer. The
heat did strange things to the brain then.
	Now summer was over, and they had begun the long slow walk into winter.
In a few more months the rains would come and finally relieve the city of the
baking heat. But too quickly the rain would be gone, and the heat would return.
In this dry hellish place, man had no right to build glass towers and claim
dominion.
	He missed Tokyo. He missed his cool little clinic on a back street of a
backwater neighbourhood. He missed old men complaining of aching knees and old
women complaining about old men. He missed sweeping the path and watching the
children walk, carefree and laughing, to school and back. He missed the rain
that came without warning, and left just as quickly. The sudden showers, not the
scouring storms that swept out of the mountains onto this place that had once
been a desert. He missed...
	Ah, but he was growing melancholy in his old age. He swung around in his
chair and looked at the documents spread out across his desk. It was not hard to
understand why his mind had started to wander back to the past. The name on some
of those documents had returned him back to a time, years ago, when he was much
more innocent.
	Back when he was a doctor. A man who had sworn to do no harm. Back
before he trained children to kill and die.
	The door opened and closed and Ono didn't have to look up to know who it
was. His steps were heavy, and the man sat down in one of the comfortable chairs
that Ono kept for students and visitors. Only honoured guests were allowed in
this office to meet him; only exceptional students ever got to talk to him
privately. Genma and Soun handled matters of discipline. Or they had before Soun
had moved north to found the second academy.
	"So, what do we do about her, Doctor?"
	"I don't know, Chris." Ono looked up now, even through he didn't want
to. Chris Redfield looked old. He was about Ono's age, and had looked even
younger than the doctor when they first met. He still had that rugged, masculine
charm that he had displayed when they first met, but now it was beginning to
grow into what polite company called 'distinguished'. His hair was greying at
the temples, and lines of worry had taken up residence at the corners of his
eyes and lips. He had always gone clean-shaven before, but now he had a short
beard. This too was streaked through with grey. "How's Rebecca?" Ono asked.
	Chris sighed and shook his head. "Young."
	Ono grinned. "So are we."
	"Are we?" Chris ran a hand along his face. "I feel eighty years old. She
looks like a child to me sometimes now. I swear she hasn't aged a day. Now I
know why old men are always the ones in charge. This wears out a man too
quickly."
	"Yes." Ono drummed his fingers on his desk. "But if we don't do it..."
	"The whole of the earth, resting in the hands of people not even forty
years old. Kind of scary." Chris leaned forward. "I don't want to do it anymore.
All those kids... the army is flush with them now. And you trained them well...
too well, I think."
	"They had to be trained that way." Ono sighed. "We looked for the
talented ones. The ones with drive and ambition. The ones with the killer
instinct."
	"I know. I've read your papers. I didn't understand half of them, but I
read them." Chris laughed. "But how am I supposed to control them? All the
graduates of these academies, and all the ones who slipped through the cracks...
they're beginning to affect things. They don't want to sit here and quietly
stand on walls. They don't want to fight meaningless little wars in the Bahamas
or the Pacific islands. They want to do something."
	"That's your job," Ono said, feeling bad for saying it.
	"Yeah." Chris frowned. "I'll be the one that decides which of them lives
and dies." He looked at Ono sadly. "Which brings us back to the real reason I'm
here."
	"I don't think she's dangerous," Ono said. He leaned back, picking up a
pen and holding it between his hands. "Not from what I remember of her. She's
very... enigmatic. Unpredictable. But not dangerous."
	"She's been Bison's slave for over seven years," Chris countered. "Who
knows how many people she's killed? Remember Senator Kensington, who vanished
without a trace? That could have been her work."
	"I've been informed she doesn't remember any of that. That she wasn't in
control of her actions. That's she's free of Bison's control."
	"I've read the debriefings..." Chris stood up. "But I'm not certain we
can trust her. I want you to talk to her."
	"You're going to leave the decision in my hands?" Ono resisted the urge
to make the question an accusation.
	"I know you knew her, and that's why you have to do it." Chris rubbed
his chin. "We have to decide if she's a threat or not." His eyes narrowed. "I'm
not saying you'll be signing her death warrant if you can't trust her. I'm
saying that we can't give her sanctuary, either."
	"I'd just like to point out that she didn't have to tell us any of
this." Ono looked down at the pen in his hands. It was blue, and the sun outside
reflected off its mirrored finish. "She's the one who walked into our offices
and confessed everything. Against the protests of her friends, from what I
hear."
	"How many times has Bison, or Chronos, or Millennium managed to sneak
something like this past us? How many died?"
	"That's unfair."
	"It's the truth. You talk to her. You make the decision."
	Ono wanted very badly to hate Redfield just then, but couldn't bring
himself to. He sighed and nodded instead, and Chris left. The wait thereafter
was interminable. Minutes stretched by. He realised he should probably put away
the documents on the desk. But he couldn't find the will to. He was too absorbed
in the meeting that was about to happen.
	But why? Was it because she was a ghost? He had thought her dead for
seven years. Everyone had. Truth be told, they had never really known each
other. She had slept in his clinic, she had done his finances. He had taught her
martial arts, but he had ended up learning more from her in the long run.
Then... she had broken a boy's spine and he had kicked her out to the curb.
After that, he had never seen her again.
	Was that why he was nervous? Afraid of revenge? Or worse yet, afraid of
her knowing eyes when she looked at him? He had cast her out of his life because
he couldn't stand to be part of the violent world she was part of. Yet here he
was, training a army of assassin and soldiers. Weapons for killing.
	No. It went deeper than that.
	Before he had a chance to decide what it was, she was in the room. A
duet of S.T.A.R.S. elites guided her in, and then left. Ono knew they would be
standing just outside the door, ready to burst in at the slightest hint of
anything out of place. Ono looked at the young woman in front of him, and
wondered if they would have time to react if she decided to kill him.
	She had changed, but not aged. She looked sixteen years old. It was like
the last seven years hadn't happened to her. He wondered briefly how old he
looked to her, now that he was losing the lean muscles of his youth. But she was
different in other ways. He had read the reports and seen the pictures, but was
not really prepared for the reality. Her eyes were inhuman, shaped like black
flowers. Combined with her usual cold gaze, the effect chilled him.
	"How's your arm?" he asked into the silence, more to say anything at all
than out of any real curiosity. She blinked, then looked down at her arm. The
five scars still ran down the length of her forearm. He remembered frantically
working into the dark hours of the morning to save the limb.
	"Sometimes it aches when it's damp, or when it's going to rain," Ukyou
responded slowly. "I never really notice, though."
	"Ah." Ono had no better response.
	"Did you ever get together with Kasumi, by the way?" she asked idly, not
really sounding curious, just chatting politely.
	"Ahh, no..." He frowned. "She's up north with her father. I needed to
concentrate on my work and she tended to distract me, so..." He trailed off. It
was an uncomfortable topic. "I'm married now. She's a Chinese national, a
refugee."
	"I'm happy for you," Ukyou replied ritually.
	The silence stretched on another few minutes.
	"Ranma isn't in the city." It wasn't a question, but not quite a
statement either. Ukyou just let it slip into the air to hang for a few moments.
	"No. He isn't here often. Just to visit his mother every now and then.
He and Minako..." He trailed off. Ukyou had looked at him sharply. He continued
carefully. "He's very busy abroad. We've tried to convince him to join on full
time. We could use someone like him as a teacher..."
	"I don't think Ranma wants to teach," Ukyou said.
	"Probably not. But I'd hate to see all that talent go to waste."
	"Indeed." Ukyou sighed and brushed a hand through her bangs. "Why don't
we get to the interrogation? You have to decide if they're going to kill me, or
lock me up, or something, right?"
	Ono didn't bother to ask how she knew. Ukyou always had a way of
knowing. "Yeah." He paused. "What do you remember about being Lotus Infinite?"
	"Nothing." The answer was flat, simple and Ono instantly believed her.
He couldn't say why, but he just did. "But it isn't that simple."
	"Oh?"
	Ukyou looked down, and slowly drew back the sleeve on her other arm.
There was a tattoo there... no, wait, not a tattoo. Shadows, beneath the skin.
Some sort of implants. They looked like circuitry, like the kind of diagrams one
would see in a electrician's notebook. "I don't know what this is. It's...
something he put in me. For all I know, it's how he was controlling me. For all
I know, he could use it to take control of me at any time."
	Ono leaned forward and she invited him to look at the arm with another
gesture. He moved around the desk and laid his fingers on the limb. He probed
gently, looking with eyes that saw more than just the physical. He could sense
layers of chi, and deeper things, inside the folds of whatever it was that was
beneath Ukyou's flesh. He could also tell that the implants extended down the
entire half of her body, but he refrained from examining them all. He took a
deep breath and reverted his senses to normal, then stepped back around the
desk. She was looking at him curiously when he sat down.
	"I don't know what they are either." He frowned. "They store a great
deal of power in them, however. They're implanted along the natural flows of chi
in your body, connected to all your major chakra points. I think... I think they
interact with your aura in some manner. Maybe they help store energy, or
control it, or block it... I can't tell without a more thorough examination." He
paused. "You should be able to do something with them. Just channel chi through
them. It would be easy. Have you tried?"
	"No," Ukyou spat. "I don't want anything to do with them." She paused.
"Could they be removed?" Ono clucked his tongue. "I don't care about scarring,
or if it takes a dozen surgeries..." She trailed off at his expression.
	"Ukyou, those implants are hooked into your body in ways I can't even
imagine. Not just physically, but spiritually. If we tried to remove them, it
could kill you."
	"What if I told you I was willing to risk that?"
	"I'm not," he said firmly.
	She sighed, then leaned back in her seat. "I was afraid of that." She
smirked. "It would have been too simple a solution anyway. And probably wouldn't
solve the actual problem."
	"The actual problem?"
	"You're trying to figure out if I'm still Bison's slave. If I still have
any connections to him. The answer is yes." He narrowed his eyes. "I can... I
can feel him. I can't remember a thing about the last seven years, but I can
feel him. Inside me." She closed her eyes. "When I'm trying to go to sleep at
night. When I wake up in the morning. When my mind drifts. I find myself
thinking about him. I smell him in the air. I hear him on the wind. He's worked
his way into my flesh..." She paused for a moment. "No. That's not right. It's
not that he's worked his way into me, but more like... like he's taken a part of
me. Those seven years, I guess. I can feel them." She reached down, placing her
hand over her stomach. "I left a part of myself back in Thailand. It's with him.
I know it is. I am... a part of him. He is a part of me." She opened his eyes.
"And a part of me, a quiet insistent part of me, want to go back to him. I
think... I think I loved him. Sick and twisted as it is, I think I did."
	"Do you still?"
	"I don't know. I can't remember." She chuckled softly. "But, I really
don't care. I'm here for Ranma." She looked at him. "Bison has his hand on his
heart. I need to find him, protect him. After that, you can do whatever you want
with me. Until then, I'm not going anywhere."
	Ono crossed his arms and looked at her. "Ukyou, seven years ago..."
	"Is ancient history," Ukyou waved his words aside.
	"It isn't." He stood up. "Seven years ago I abandoned you. I abandoned
everything. I was scared. I abandoned Japan, my homeland, my friends." He
frowned. "I trust you. I don't know why I do, but I do. Even back then, back
after Hayato... I trusted you then. I knew that what I did wasn't right. But...
I was scared." He pulled the documents off the desk. "You're my friend, and I
trust you. You have safe haven with us, as long as you need it. I promise...
I'll do everything I can to help you. Even if the people I answer to don't like
it. I'll find out what Bison did to you, and we'll solve this together."
	Ukyou was staring up at him, her expression odd. It took him a second to
realise why. She was looking at him in wonder. He'd never seen wonder on Ukyou's
face before.
	"I..." Ukyou's voice was suddenly choked. She looked away. "Thank you,"
she whispered.
	He smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I should have done this
years ago."
	She said nothing, only stared at the floor.

*

	The air was heavy this far north. Snow still lingered in the shade of
the thick spruce trees, turning the ground muddy under his feet. Ryouga walked
with the same kilometer-eating stride he always had, not hurrying but still
moving much faster than most people expected. He grunted and shifted the pack,
adjusting the pull of the straps. The sun was setting slowly, spreading a blood-
red glow across the sky.
	"Damn," he cursed. He just had to think of that. He'd successfully gone
the entire trip from Yakutsk without once thinking about it. Now, less than five
minutes away, the image would have to resurface. He paused and took a deep
breath and his fingers hovered just over the scarf. The scarf was yellow,
covered in black checkerboard marks. It was much like his old bandanas had been,
before he'd stopped wearing them. He allowed his thumb to drift along the edge
of the fabric for a moment, then he drew a deep breath and forced himself to
start walking again.
	Ryouga forced himself to chuckle. He couldn't believe he was scared. It
was ridiculous. She was a tiny little girl, barely a third his weight, and
looked like she would have trouble fending off the affections of a particularly
fluffy puppy. She didn't even want to hurt him. She wouldn't hurt him. He was
special to her. She had told him as much.
	Besides... he was immortal, wasn't he? Ryouga, the eternal man. She
couldn't really kill him if she tried. But when he thought about what happened
at night, when she walked up to him in the dark, her expressionless eyes glowing
in the shadows of her hair... He shuddered.
	Just once, out of curiosity, he had picked up a novel about vampires. It
was an old book, by some American woman Ryouga couldn't even remember the name
of. He had laughed sourly at the way she described the vampires in her novel.
But the one thing he hadn't laughed at was the part where they fed. Ryouga never
laughed about that.
	She had suggested the process was erotic, something sensual and almost
sexual. That both victim and vampire found an appeal in the process. But Ryouga
knew better. It wasn't pleasant. It hurt. It hurt like hell. Vampires didn't
just puncture a little vein and drain a little blood, they tore out your throat
and lapped up the blood that spurted forth. They devoured you. He easily
recalled the way the strength faded from his body, one limb at a time. The
creeping numbness as Hotaru drank her fill.
	Every morning, when he woke up, he would contemplate leaving. He would
stare out at the sunrise while Hotaru slept and think about just standing up and
walking away. Dylek might try and stop him, but Ryouga had learned a great deal
about the demon blade in the last four years, and he didn't fear it as much as
he used to. No, he had no doubt he could leave anytime he wanted.
	But if he left, if he escaped the nightly torment... it would just be
someone else taking his place. Somebody who wouldn't wake up the next day.
Somebody innocent. Hotaru might have been a creature of darkness that scared
vampires, but she still shared that one overwhelming desire. He had once worked
up the courage to ask her about it and she had looked at him in that disturbing
way she had and her words had echoed hollowly in the night.
	"Because it always has to be blood, Ryouga."
	He'd been too afraid to ask her to explain further. That was the
problem: four years, and he had never really had a conversation with the girl.
She had spoken, and he had listened, but the two of them never talked. He
wandered and she followed and that was all they did. He hated to admit it
because it scared him. It was the way Hotaru KNEW things. Sometimes, when she
was talking to the few people they encountered in their travels, she saw right
to the heart of situations in a way that sent chills down his spine.
	Maybe she really did... No. Ryouga cursed softly and shook his head. If
he started believing that, it was too late. There was no way she was right.
There was no way he would accept it. It was simply too horrific. She was insane,
insane in a way only a shattered little girl could be, but insane nonetheless.
Her preternatural insight... was just some bizarre power she possessed. Some
vampire thing.
	Of course, even accepting her insanity as a given, it still left him at
an impasse. Ryouga had made no progress in four years in figuring out what made
her tick, how he could defuse the time bomb that was once a child. Sometimes,
when he was staring into that sunset, he wondered if she was really worth it.
	The sun sank beneath the horizon and the shadows filled the forest.
Ryouga paused as he heard a twig snap from nearby. For the last few hours it had
been quiet, unnaturally so. It was always silent around her. Even the rain fell
soundlessly in Hotaru's presence these days.
	"You have returned," her voice came out of the darkness. He turned to
face her, but he couldn't see her at first. It wasn't just the night, it was
like the light around her simply vanished. For a moment all he could see was the
massive white-black form of Dylek as it hovered protectively above its mistress.
	"Yeah." He paused, squinting and trying to see her in the shadows. He
might as well have been trying to look through a steel wall. He couldn't even
make out the colour of her eyes, just the vague girl-shape near an ashen pine.
"I got the supplies I needed. I should be good for another few months now."
	"I see." She didn't move, but suddenly Ryouga could see her. He blinked
and frowned. He would never get used to that. He closed his eyes and rubbed his
nose. He wished that he at least could control it consciously. Suddenly adapting
like that always made his heart skip a beat.
	"We should get going, then..." Ryouga offered slowly.
	"No."
	Ryouga blinked. She had never hesitated to leave when he said so before.
He adjusted the fabric of his scarf again, nervously. Then his mind flashed to
darker things. He had told her to wait here, more than two days travel outside
of Yakutsk. It wasn't that she killed everyone on sight anymore. After he'd
forced her to promise not to attack unless provoked, on threat of him leaving,
she'd been very good in that regard. The problem was that in a large city like
that someone was bound to recognise her. It wasn't like she went to great pains
to hide her identity or her mission. No, he didn't want that kind of trouble
right now.
	But what if...
	"I don't care about the little city, Ryouga," Hotaru said, stepping out
of the darkness. He paused on seeing her. She hadn't changed in the slightest
over the years. She still wore the torn and bleached uniform, the blood still
trickled endlessly from the symbol cut into her forehead. Her alien bronze eyes
still stared at him with a strange, compelling compassion and pity. Looking at
her, he remembered why he didn't just walk away at sunrise. He realised with a
suddenness that startled him that he could never walk away. Like a mother would
embrace her son, even if he slew a thousand people, so Ryouga could never leave
Hotaru like this. "We have to stay here for a little while longer."
	"Wh-" Ryouga cut himself off. He knew perfectly well why. He just didn't
want to hear it. Hotaru smiled at him, a smile that showed she knew exactly what
he was thinking. He frowned and turned his eyes away. "Fine." He set down his
pack and sat on it.
	"Don't worry, Ryouga. It's almost over."
	"What is?" Ryouga muttered.
	"Our journey together. I can feel it. We are... rushing towards the
conclusion now. Or maybe the conclusion is rushing towards us? Either way, your
pain will end soon."
	Ryouga shifted uncomfortably. He didn't like it when she started talking
like this. He looked down at the earth, wondering what it was this time. The
last time Hotaru had started talking like this, they'd spent the better part of
a month chasing down some Millennium scientist. But he'd learned to accept it.
Sometimes Hotaru just felt the need to do something, and when she did there was
no talking her out of it. Usually, she at least explained things to him first.
	"And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto
battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces
were as the faces of men."
	"Huh?" Ryouga looked up and stared as he followed Hotaru's gaze. At
first he thought it was a cloud, but it was too close to the ground. Then he
thought it was smoke, but it moved too quickly for any smoke he had ever seen.
Then he saw what rode at its head. It was a dragon, a twenty meter long
serpentine creature with white teeth and long thin green hair that whipped
behind it. And around and about it flew creatures. They might have been insects,
but Ryouga had seen no such insects, especially not ones so large, in all his
travels. And sitting sidesaddle just behind the dragon's neck was a woman.
	With his new eyes, Ryouga could make her out easily as she approached.
She was human, with pale Chinese skin and long black hair pulled back in
elaborate waves from her face by gold and silver hair pins decorated with shards
of blue crystal. The same crystal dangled from her earrings, and trailed from
the golden chains and belts that served to hold her flowing, layered green silk
robes tight to the curves of her body. Her arms were crossed in her lap, the
voluminous sleeves trailing artfully down her legs, the cuffs decorated with
embroidered leaves and insewn crystal of the same brilliant blue. A diaphanous
scarf fluttered behind her in the wind like a pennant, its ends twirled around
her upper arms. From her expression, she might have been out for an evening
ride, careless of the dragon she rode or the swarm of things that fluttered and
zipped through the air behind her.
	Ryouga sighed and rubbed his temple. This was not the first time some
idiot in a colourful costume had come gunning for Hotaru. He glanced over and
saw that she was simply standing there impassively, the demon sword with its
sickle-shaped end hovering eagerly over her shoulder. He narrowed his eyes and
stepped forward, flaring his aura. If this person wanted a display, he'd give
them a display.
	The sky lit up like noon, the pillar of green light around Ryouga
stretching almost five meters into the air above him. The ground at his feet
cracked as the weight of his heavy chi flattened the undergrowth and shattered
weak rock. Tree trunks too close to him snapped and splintered. He allowed the
energy to flow into his eyes, turning them into burning green pits. He snarled
and grit his teeth.
	"Whoever you are, I have to warn you to turn back!" Ryouga shouted.
	The dragon wheeled to a stop just over the treetops, its massive body
curling and uncurling behind it as the head hovered in place. The woman looked
down, her lips pursed in a tiny little frown. "We meet again, Ryouga Hibiki.
You're well, I trust?"
	Ryouga frowned. He didn't remember this woman at all. But a small spark
of hope appeared in his chest. Maybe, just for once, this person had a grudge or
debt to settle with him. That would mean Hotaru could be left out of it
entirely.. And as long as Hotaru wasn't forced to defend herself, she couldn't
kill this poor ignorant fool. Ryouga always made certain anyone that came after
Hotaru had to go through him first. He saved more lives that way.
	"I'm fine. But I'm not really up for a reunion, so I have to warn you to
get out of here," Ryouga said. He didn't really hope it would work, but he had
to try. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Hotaru looking around, her eyes
flitting from shadow to shadow. But whatever she was looking at, it didn't seem
to concern her, so Ryouga placed all his attention on the woman, her giant
plant-grown dragon and her swarm of deformed insects.
	"Don't worry, Ryouga, I never really expected you to remember me
anyway," she said, leaning forward and cupping her chin in one hand as she gazed
condescendingly down at him. "We met once many years ago." She paused, her eyes
shifting slightly. "I suppose we'll have to catch up on old times later."
	The next thing he knew, the forest had turned into a jungle. Thin whips
of green vines covered in inch-long black thorns tore free of the earth, the
trunks of trees and from the canopy overhead. Ryouga reacted instinctively,
pulling his aura in tight and turning it into a sheath across his body. A dozen,
then a hundred, then a thousand vines swirled and spun around his body. They
slid around his arms, his legs, his torso. They pulled taut with a sound like
leather snapping and the staccato crack of hundreds of thorns breaking at once.
	There was a loud clang behind him and Ryouga spun his head backward,
tearing some vines in the process. He watched as Dylek was pulled back through
the air by a web of green, then slammed into a tree with enough force that the
trunk cracked down the centre. The blade tried to pull forward, but more and
more vines laced around it, holding it tighter and tighter.
	"Hotaru!" Ryouga shouted. The little girl was staggering, her body
convulsing as the vines swept around her en masse, snapping around her limbs in
increasing numbers. Blood was blossoming across her body as the thorns ripped
into her flesh. A moment later there was a sickening sound, like someone trying
to suck a thick milkshake through a straw, and the vines around Hotaru began to
turn red. The colour slowly crept down the length of the thin creepers.
	Then the vines around her turned grey, then black. It was sudden, like a
camera flash. Ryouga snarled and tried to pull free of the vines slipping around
him but they were amazingly strong. Hotaru could channel Oblivion with her very
touch: if he didn't stop her soon, she would destroy these creepers and move
onto their master.
	The vines around him began to creak like worn leather, then Ryouga
gasped and stopped, his aura dimming slightly. The vines around Hotaru had died,
but more were replacing them, and more each second. As fast as her touch was
sucking the life force out of them, they were being replaced by more and more.
	"Impressive, isn't she?" Ryouga turned his eyes back, watching the woman
walking towards him, her long sleeves waving in the wind about her. "An ordinary
vampire would be torn to bits by those." The vines were swaying and swinging
around her, disturbingly like arms, none ever coming close enough to touch her.
"In sheer power she far outstrips my own modest abilities," the woman said,
catching his eye again. "Had we run across each other by chance, no doubt she
would have killed me with little trouble. Which is why you never have.
	"But you see, Ryouga... power alone is not everything." She chuckled,
her tone becoming more patronising. "Certainly our dear 'messiah' has potent
abilities, but she has no more understanding of them than a passenger
understands how an aircraft flies.  And the most powerful ignorant demigod is
hardly more threatening to a properly prepared opponent than a yapping dog.
Observe how I have timed this attack to the youngest hours of the evening,
immediately before she was to feed, thus catching her at a low ebb of her
abilities, but not during the day when she may have decided to allow you to
escape with her rather than risk a confrontation."  She gestured, and one of the
vines rose up sinuously beside her, its ebon thorns glistening.  "This is a
specifically designed weapon, an exsanguinator.  As you have no doubt noticed,
it not only restrains quite excellently, but in the case of a subject with less
adamantine skin than yourself, it pierces the flesh, specifically seeking and
draining blood.  This thus swiftly removes from Sailor Saturn a great deal of
her powers. Of course, she still has the ability to channel the force she calls
'the Silence' at a touch, but without her true weapon, she is able to do this at
only a leisurely rate."  She looked around theatrically, her frown oddly
bemused. "The exsanguinators reproduce parasitically.  Sailor Saturn will force
them to kill this entire forest eventually, but it will be at least two days
before she can free herself through that method."
	She stopped walking for a moment, looking down.  "And, of course, there
is Dylek."  The demon blade lay at her feet, a pile of ash from the tree it had
been lashed to blowing in the wind around it.  At the woman's closeness it
twitched spasmodically, but hundreds of vines held it to the ground.  "Once,
such restraints would have been nothing to this weapon.  But the 'Messiah of
Silence' has no desire for companions with wills and desires, now does she?
What dregs are left of this poor creature are inextricably tied to her.  As
Sailor Saturn is rendered helpless, so too is Dylek."  The gowned woman raised
her eyes, and though her lips did not smile, arrogant triumph nearly shone in
her face and voice. "You were going to warn me off in an attempt to save my
life. And Nabiki planned for me to die here.  But I knew more than either of
you.  The much-feared 'Messiah of Silence' is just a child playing with toys she
doesn't comprehend.  Without them, she is nothing more than a spoiled brat,
screaming profanities against a universe she wasn't strong enough for."
	Ryouga glanced back at Hotaru, prompted by the woman's words. Hotaru had
been pulled back into a sitting position against a large rock. Her arms were
pulled up and back, spread back and chained with a continuous growing mass of
vines. The vines were sinking into her flesh, burrowing beneath her lacerated
skin grotesquely, creating bizarre lumps and lines to form. Her legs had been
pulled apart in much the same manner, and as quickly as the things died they
grew back. Her clothing had been torn and shredded, only the mass of thorny
creepers preserving what few tattered pieces remained to provide her with some
measure of dignity. Her head was lolled back, her hair blowing listlessly
against the grey stone. Her skin was not pale, but a sick grey like a corpse
that had been underground far too long. And for once he could see the full shape
of the rune cut into the child's forehead, because no blood flowed from it. In
fact, no blood was there at all.
	Ryouga felt something stir inside him that hadn't stirred in a long
time. It was hot, it was powerful, it was so overwhelming that his vision
blurred and his heart started beating so hard it hurt. It was old and familiar
and he exulted in it. It was rage.
	With a roar, his aura turned from green to crimson and the vines around
him exploded away in all directions. The torn fragments fell like rain as Ryouga
took a slow step forward, his fist clenching and his lips pulling back from his
family's ancestral fangs. "I try not to kill people, but in your case, I think
I'll make an exception!"
	For a brief moment Ryouga saw fear flash in her eyes as his arm hurtled
forward. He could see the air shimmering like a heat mirage as he threw the
punch faster than the human eye could follow. But even as he did, her arm swung
up jerkily, as if it were pulled like a puppet's limb. A black cloud, hundreds
of tiny insects, exploded from her wide sleeves like the smoke of a fire.
Ryouga's blow struck the cloud and he felt the things popping like balloons
against the momentum of his fist.
	They didn't do much more than slow him down, but it was enough. The
swarm threw off his blow so that he missed the woman's face, though by little
enough that the passage of his knuckles caused tiny bruises to appear along her
cheek. Before he could recover, the full weight of the swarm slammed into his
back as the insects completely surrounded him. He staggered to the side,
slamming one leg into the ground with enough force to create a small crater and
restore his balance.
	He spun, swatting and slapping at the things as they crawled over his
body, under his clothes, along his flesh. It was disgusting, but Ryouga had
experienced worse. Unfortunately, he couldn't see more than an inch in front of
his face. He bit out a brief curse and then began to focus his energy. He was
too angry for a full Shishihokodan, but a blast of hot chi set loose
indiscriminately would work just as well.
	Then he felt a small sharp pain in his right ear, like the pricking of a
needle. He ignored it. What did he care if a few of the things sliced him up a
little? He was immortal, and they couldn't possibly do enough damage to stop him
before he unleashed his chi. Then, with a suddenness that left him feeling numb,
the chi vanished. It was like snuffing a candle: one moment he was full of
raging light... the next, he was numb and cold.
	Suddenly he was forced to the ground, some overwhelming weight smashing
him into the forest loam with enough force that the breath exploded from his
lungs. He blinked, then realised that what had dragged him to the ground was the
swarm. A legion of insects, none larger than his thumbnail, and they had
overpowered him.
	Him!
	That... didn't happen.
	He grunted and tried to leverage himself up, but he might as well have
been trying to lift Mount Fuji for all the good it did him. Then the pressure
changed and he felt himself being dragged across the ground. He struggled in
vain as the swarm lifted him up, bracing his back against a tree. The blood-
sucking vines snaked out, wrapping around his arms and legs, lashing his ankles
to the base of the trunk and pulling his arms to the side. He could feel the
insects slicing open his shirt and peeling the fabric back, leaving his chest
exposed. Then the swarm fluttered backwards, vanishing back into the woman's
sleeve like water down a drain.
	The woman was gingerly fingering the bruises on her face with her
unoccupied hand. "Naturally," she mused, not even quite seeming to be paying
attention to him, "I was just as well prepared for your abilities as for hers."
She looked at him again, tilting her head to the side. "At this point your fire
chakra has been suppressed, leaving you as weak as a newborn babe. I'm certain
your interesting abilities will adapt to it... eventually. But since it's
neither immediately life-threatening nor directly harmful, it will probably take
you a long time." She gestured with the arm the swarm had disappeared down. A
much larger insect, the size of a field mouse, flew down from the large swarm
overhead. She reached up and plucked a single leg from it with distracted ease,
the thing giving a tiny death squeal before falling limply to the ground behind
her. "I'm afraid this is going to hurt a great deal. Please don't think too
unkindly of me. I would anaesthetise you, but I'm afraid that might interact
with the drug in your system."
	It was then that Ryouga saw the gleam of light off the edge of the
thing's sickle-shaped leg. Before he had a chance to say anything she pressed
the tip against his sternum and began to slice. He wanted to scream, but he just
couldn't seem to work up the energy. It hurt like hell: he just couldn't seem to
care too deeply. It was like he was a dispassionate observer, merely noting the
existence of the damage as the woman cut him open with surgical efficiency.
	"If it's any consolation, you're really a far more interesting subject
than that girl, anyway," the woman said absently as her blade continued to work
at Ryouga. He could feel her inside him, her fingers probing. He hissed,
gritting his teeth. "After all, she's merely a vampire and a Sailor Senshi, and
while she is singular via combination there are examples of both still running
around. In fact, she's seven years obsolete. You, however, you are UNIQUE!" She
made a soft cooing sound and he groaned as her fingers grabbed something inside
him. "Take this for instance. It's an organ, but I have no idea what it does.
You just grew it at some point, in response to some stimulus you likely don't
even remember. What secrets does it hold? Does it produce hormones that retard
aging? Or maybe aid in the recovery from major trauma by releasing super
coagulants? It could be anything beneficial to you." She looked up at his face,
her eyes sparkling with delight. "And did you realise you aren't really using
your lungs anymore? Oh, you breathe, but your body has found some more efficient
way of absorbing oxygen since your lungs... but I'm rambling." She held up one
blood-stained finger, insects crawling up from her sleeve to clean it as she
talked. "Really, I could study you for decades. Subjecting you to experiments
and seeing what you develop..." She sighed. "It's too bad I don't have access to
a full lab right here. But it does keep me from being distracted from the
important task I came here for."
	The woman stepped back. Ryouga slumped forward, groaning. He could feel
that part of him that controlled his power flitting at the back of his
consciousness, but just out of reach. Why had he never learned to harness it at
will? Why? Because he was afraid of what he might become? Look where that fear
had gotten him now.
	"Really, you should be thanking me, Ryouga." The woman looked down at
her bloody scalpel. "Well, not for this, but in the larger sense. While an
existence as my guinea pig may be unpleasant, it is better than being a walking
blood bank for the self-proclaimed incarnation of the end of the world." Then
she leaned in closer and her eyes narrowed and she lowered her voice to a
conspiratorial whisper. "Besides, you have to admit that the world will be
better off without her."
	"...bitch..." Ryouga finally managed to say. The woman only snorted in
disdain, her frown deepening.
	"If you care so deeply about her, you might not want to look," the woman
sniffed. She turned away from him, her long green robes swirling and the gems
embedded throughout jingling. Ryouga considered it. There was really nothing he
could do. But he couldn't look away. Even if it was torture, he had to see it.
He had to do something.
	Then Hotaru's voice rose from where she sat slumped against the stone.
"It must be sad to be so close to the truth that you are blinded by it, Link,"
she said in a voice barely above a whisper. The woman paused, starting in
surprise. "I can understand your pain. You reach and you reach, grasping at a
thing so close you can feel it slipping from your fingers." Hotaru's head rose,
and she was smiling, a gentle smile of comfort and sympathy. "I was like you
once, believing that there had to be a reason, a point to all this... suffering
and darkness. But I didn't learn the truth until I did the one thing you can
never bring yourself to do."
	"And what is that?" Link said slowly. But she sounded hesitant, as if
uncertain she should be asking the question.
	"Admit to yourself that you can never succeed." Hotaru leaned her head
back as far as the rock she was bound to would let her. "Maybe that is why it is
so hard for you to smile? Because to be satisfied with what you are, what you
know, would be to admit that you can never improve. And you can't stand that
thought, can you, Link?" The older woman's eyes narrowed. "Always so concerned
with rising above yourself, climbing up the ladder. Bending knee to a monster
you abhor for the status it gives you... Mortgaging your humanity for a taste of
power... Risking all those things you've gained on one gamble to catch a glimpse
of the face of God..."
	Link drew herself back up to her full posture, arranging her gown
elegantly around her. "I already know the face of God. Don't think you can
rattle me with empty words as easily as the other fools you've met."
	"Empty?" Hotaru smiled. "Of course they're empty, Link. They're all
empty. It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury. But it isn't a
stage, is it, lost little girl? You caught a glimpse of something bigger than
yourself. You saw exactly how empty this world is, how meaningless. You read the
stories, you know the characters. You laugh at their pathetic lives and trivial
problems, entertainment for jaded masses in a world far more substantive than
anything you will ever experience." The colour drained from Link's face and her
eyes widened, her mouth moving soundlessly. "All this desperate scramble to
prove yourself real. All this quest for knowledge, looking for an answer you
already know isn't there. You are like a child holding her hands over her ears
and screaming 'no', denying what you know is true even though you force yourself
to stay every day in the presence of absolute proof."
	Then Hotaru's voice suddenly turned cold, her words hanging with
vindictive malice. "At least SHE didn't deny it. At least SHE understood it. She
might have been the one who vanished, but you are the one who is a phantom
screaming for acknowledgement. At least Pink-"
	"DON'T YOU EVER SAY THAT NAME!" Link shrieked and stepped forward,
swinging her hand in a vicious slap aimed at Hotaru's cheek. Then she gasped as
the girl calmly turned her head, opened her mouth, and caught the hand in a maw
full of needle-thin fangs. Blood exploded from between the grey-skinned girl's
teeth in long spurts and Link screamed in pain.
	Hotaru twisted her head, a deceptively simple-looking gesture, and
Link's arm tore from her body like a piece of wet paper. Blood blossomed from
the stump of her elbow, bits of flesh wavering in the wind. Hotaru threw back
her head and the blood flowed down her cheeks and stained onto her chest like a
river.
	It was like a soft breeze, a silent wind that swept across the forest.
Where it passed, there was nothing but death in its wake. Hotaru rose, the
blood still running down her lips as the desiccated hand fell limply to the
ground. Her inhuman bronze eyes blazed red as she stared at the slowly
retreating woman.
	"Thank you, Link," Hotaru said softly, compassionately. "Your blood, it
really is the key to these thing's lives." Then before Link could react Hotaru
streaked forward. It was easy, sometimes, for Ryouga to forget how fast she was,
how powerful. With her tendency to rely on him or Dylek to do her fighting, you
forgot that Hotaru had all the speed and strength of a vampire, and beyond.
Hotaru was as much beyond a vampire as Ryouga was beyond a regular man. Link
didn't even have a chance to scream this time before her other arm vanished in a
shower of gore. Red dots splattered across the landscape as Hotaru landed a few
meters away, holding the woman's other arm between her teeth. Dead insects
spilled from the sleeves like a grotesque waterfall.
	Link collapsed to her knees, staring in shock as the little girl grabbed
her severed limb and tore a chunk out of it like she might a chicken leg.
"You... you can't know that! NOBODY knows that! Nobody but them! Nobody in the
universe!"
	"I didn't learn it from somebody in this universe," Hotaru explained
easily. She gestured and Dylek flew up to her hand, resting easily in her grip.
Ryouga staggered forward, suddenly realising he was free and had been for some
time. At some point his torso had mostly healed, but he still felt that creeping
numbness flooding his body. For the briefest of moments, he was thankful for
that.
	At this point, Link broke out into hysterical, body-shaking laughter.
Ryouga sighed. He'd seen such reactions before. "Of course! Of course!" she
shrieked in between peals. "I never considered-" She cut off suddenly, her words
and her laughter dying instantly. She looked down at the ground. "But I can't
let you kill me now."
	From the splattered droplets on the ground erupted geysers of twisted
roots and slime. They shaped themselves into humanoid monsters, faceless
shambling things with ichor-tipped claws that swept through the air at Hotaru.
Her blade rose and fell with mechanical efficiency, hacking the beasts to pieces
in a few seconds. But a few seconds was all Link needed, as a roar erupted from
the dark cloud overhead and the serpentine shape of her dragon swept down in a
tight spiral.
	Just before the thing snatched her in its jaws Ryouga caught one last
glimpse of Link's face, a ghastly wan grimace of victory with eyes feverishly
gleaming with exultation that vanished behind a mass of ivory teeth and wooden
flesh. The thing swept up into the sky like a rocket, vanishing into the cloud
of insects. Ryouga collapsed, sitting down hard and staring upward.
	Slowly, the cloud vanished as the things gradually flew off in all
directions. Of course, by the time they were gone, there was no sign of the
woman. He looked around idly. Even her limbs and the bits of clothing Hotaru had
torn from her had vanished. Aside from the blasted landscape around them, there
was no sign she had even been here. Hotaru approached him, and laid her hand on
his shoulder.
	"It's time to go, Ryouga. This is how it starts."

*

	They had been given the use of a small bed and breakfast on the
outskirts of the city. Akira was down near the edge of the yard, tooling around
with her bike. Her face was covered in grease and her jacket lay in a bundle on
the grass. Black stains ran down her shirt, but she paid them no mind as she
worked. She wore shorts, which she always did when working so she didn't ruin
her leather riding gear. Angel was lying on the deck, her eyes closed and her
body stretched out across a long white chair. She was wearing a string bikini
that only barely managed to be legal and seemed to maintain its position in
direct defiance of the laws of physics. Her golden tattoos ran up her body, an
intricate work of art laced into her bronzed skin.
	Ukyou sat in the doorway. The patio doors were wide open to let in the
refreshing fall breeze. She wore a shirt and slacks. In her hand was a glass
of... green. Something green. Ukyou took a sip and immediately Aaron went to
work, analyzing it, breaking it down into data and information, but she had
identified it before it even touched her tongue. Aaron stopped, somewhat
shamefaced, but the instinct to interpret the data had been automatic. It was
limeade.
	Akira had handed her the drink before heading down to the bike. She had
also given one to Angel, who was mostly ignoring it. Ukyou allowed herself to
consider Angel for a moment. Her white hair was pulled back in something between
a topknot and a ponytail, the bangs styled so that they fell over her right eye.
Her skin was bronzed, smooth and unblemished except for the golden lines of her
tattoo. She was certainly attractive... no, more than that. She was beautiful,
like a sculpted model, a living work of art. She had full lips and her body
curved in all the right...
	Ukyou blinked. She shook her head. Where had that thought come from?
Aaron frowned, and looked down at his drink. It wasn't him. He had come to terms
with the reality of their situation six weeks or seven years ago, depending on
how you chose to count the time. He'd never really felt sexual attraction
before, not to men or women. It wasn't really a case of shyness or queasiness,
just a general apathy towards the idea of sex like he'd had towards virtually
everything else.
	So it had come as something of a shock that he'd started loving Ranma
Saotome. It made perfect sense, intellectually. Ukyou was a teenage girl, with
all the hormonal urges that a young woman was supposed to have. Aaron had even
caught her giving Shingo the once over on the way here. Ukyou smirked at the
thought. Well, he was cute in his Clint Eastwood by way of Jackie Chan kind of
way. Not to mention charming, when he wasn't being completely obnoxious.
	Of course, Ukyou had been giving him the cold shoulder the whole trip.
Mainly because... he was Shingo. He would always be a little brown-haired twerp
to her. Which was unfair, really. She'd never even met Shingo before a week ago.
She had no memories of him as a child, just a few increasingly vague memories of
a TV show Aaron had once watched.
	Aaron caught them there. They had drifted off the topic. He noticed they
had a tendency to do that when they didn't want to think about something. He
forced them to look up again. Angel had gotten up and was stretching like a cat.
She caught Ukyou glancing at her and blinked, looking around her for what the
problem might be. Aaron pulled their gaze away.
	They had... felt something? It was hard to tell. They had been caught
looking, and it was a little embarrassing. Whatever it was, it didn't feel like
the same longing Ukyou had felt for Ranma. The naked desire. But... had Bison
changed them? Done something to their hormones while they were his toy for the
last seven years? Ukyou wouldn't put it past him. So how did they tell? Was it
supposed to feel different when you looked at a girl or a guy?
	Ukyou grimaced in disgust, but it was just a show. She wanted to feel
sick at the very idea of it. She wanted to convince herself that she should feel
sick of it. But Aaron was there, and he knew it was a lie. She didn't feel sick.
She didn't feel disgusted. So... how did she feel?
	Ukyou glanced down the yard, and saw Akira leaning back in the grass.
She was sweating, the sun beating down on her brow as she tilted her head back,
allowing the breeze to pass across her features. Ukyou really did grimace this
time. The one person she knew that she might have been able to talk to this
about, she couldn't. Akira had made her feelings quite clear. Oh, she hadn't
come right out and confessed. But the way she looked at Ukyou, the way she
smiled when she thought Ukyou couldn't see...
	Akira looked over and for a moment their eyes met. Ukyou felt something
hot shoot up her spine and settle in her heart for a moment. What the hell was
that? Akira was just staring at her. They should look away. They were just
giving Akira the wrong signals here. They loved Ranma.
	That thought let Ukyou look away. She took a few deep breaths and downed
the rest of her glass to calm her nerves. She heard the sound of an engine
approaching, felt the strong chi of a warrior. "We have guests," Ukyou called
out.
	Was this the final decision? Tofu had said that Ukyou could stay here as
long as they needed, but that was yesterday. Akira nodded at Ukyou's
announcement, not doubting it for a second. She washed her hands with the hose
before pulling on her pants. She tied the jacket about her waist. Angel just sat
down in a regular chair. Nabiki came out of the house, stepping around Ukyou the
way one might step around a live wire.
	Nabiki was wearing a tank top and cut-off jeans. She looked remarkably
young in them. Aside from being about a half inch taller and a little more
filled in about the waist, she looked the same as she had seven years ago.
Nabiki cast her a dirty look and Ukyou wondered if the brown-haired girl had
heard the thought. Maybe. Ukyou wasn't going to any special effort to conceal
her thoughts, but Nabiki was also not supposed to be snooping.
	It took a few more minutes before the others heard the engine, and then
a few more minutes again before Shingo arrived. His huge Harley-Davidson roared
as he pulled into the yard, parking it with a screech of tires right next to
Akira's bike. There was a girl on the back of his bike. Aaron didn't recognise
her. She was young, maybe eighteen and wore the same uniform he'd been seeing
all over town lately. The S.T.A.R.S. patch on her shoulder was prominent. She
was cute, with a heart-shaped face and short red hair done up in a trio of
pigtails that fell down to her shoulders. He idly wondered if she was from some
series he had never seen before, forgotten... or was just another person caught
up in this world. It reminded him of Angel. He was certain he should recognise
the name and the face, but had no idea from where.
	"Hey, ladies," Shingo said, waving. He flashed them all a bright smile
and climbed off the machine slowly. He left his guns and katana on the vehicle.
The girl had been clinging tightly to his waist on the bike and she let him go
reluctantly. She cast all of them a suspicious look.
	"Shingo," Nabiki said. "Is this a business call, or a casual visit?"
	"Little from column A..." he said holding up two hands and adjusting
their heights. He flashed a large grin at Angel; she smiled alluringly back at
him and leaned back in her chair probably a little bit more than was necessary.
The girl's eyebrow began to twitch violently. His boots made a hollow clumping
sound as he walked up onto the deck, with Akira's lighter footsteps following
him. "This here is Lieutenant McInnis. She said she was coming up here to pass
along some info to you and I offered to give her a ride."
	"You're quite the gentlemen," Angel pointed out, winking at him. McInnis
glared at her and Angel just smiled in response. Nabiki sighed. Akira picked up
a chair and turned it around, then sat with her arms folded over the back.
	"I was going to give her a ride back afterward." He smiled. "It is
getting on towards night soon, after all." He adjusted his shades with both
hands. "Maybe I could show one of you around town some other night, however."
	"If you'll excuse me, Mr. Tsukino, I have to deliver this," the
Lieutenant said sharply, pushing him aside unnecessarily so she could approach
Ukyou. She held a manila folder in her hands. It was sealed with reflective
tape and the young officer made certain Ukyou was holding it firmly before she
let go. She then turned around, raised her nose and began to walk past Shingo.
	Shingo stared at her a moment, then looked chagrined. He grabbed her
shoulder and she glared at him. "Hey, Cassidy, don't be so upset."
	"If you'll remove your hand before I remove it for you, I think I'd
prefer to walk home tonight," she said frostily.
	"Now, don't be that way, Cassidy..." he leaned forward, smiling. She
hesitated, her hand twitching as she tried to decide whether to slug him or not.
But he was in close before she could decide to react. He began to whisper at
her. It was probably too low for the others to make out, but Aaron could hear
it clearly. "I can't help being friendly, baby. These girls just came here from
overseas and they need a little protection. Not like you. I saw you press a tank
over your head. Helpless refugees like these come along all the time, but you...
you have to be the most beautiful thing I've ever seen on the practice yard.
Pure poetry. Your aura is like fire, burning the same colour as your hair, the
colour of an autumn sunset." His other hand reached down and rested on the small
of her back. He did something there, with his fingers, and she giggled. "I can
prove it to you. There's a bluff, not far from the city, where the sun sets
across the ocean. It's the exact same colour as your spirit, the fire of your
soul. That's what I first thought of when I saw you..."
	McInnis's former frostiness had melted away, and she was giggling a bit
as Shingo pulled her closer, whispering into her ear. Nabiki whistled and sat
down next to Ukyou. "That man is dangerous," she said in an appreciating tone.
	"You referring to his pick up lines, or his superhuman strength?" Ukyou
said, smiling despite herself. She knew exactly what Shingo was doing, but then
again she thought that Lieutenant McInnis ALSO knew. It was pretty impressive to
watch a master at work.
	"Ah, he's not so bad." Angel chuckled. "At least he doesn't take himself
as seriously as all the other taka takas..."
	"You keep saying that," Ukyou turned. "What does it mean?"
	"Uh...." Angel shrugged. "It means, uh... Asian. You know, like gringo
except it's taka taka because all your damn names start with it, like Takahashi,
Takashida, Takeuchi... you know, all that crap?"
	Ukyou blinked.
	"Well, after you..." Angel glanced at Shingo. "I mean after Ukyou did
that crazy stuff at the airport everyone around where I grew up was talking
about these Asians who could like fart fireballs and leap over roofs and stuff.
I guess the phrase kind of stuck in my mind. But it's not a bad word or
anything. Heck, I like Shingo. Reminds me in a funny way of this guy I know. You
should meet Remy. Now there is a lady's man..."
	"Remy?" Ukyou raised an eyebrow. "From France?" She frowned. The Street
Fighter III game was supposed to be set years after Street Fighter Alpha... so
why was... Then she paused. Oh right, it WAS years after. Angel's reaction,
however, was unexpected. She snapped her mouth closed and then suddenly looked
away, her expression worried. She kept glancing at Nabiki, who was staring right
back.
	Ukyou decided to break the mood. "Shingo, can I ask you one quick
question before you go?"
	"Huh?" He looked up from the girl in his arms. She glared at him, then
at Ukyou. Ukyou felt the corner of her mouth twitch. From that expression, Ukyou
guessed that Lieutenant McInnis didn't really care what Shingo was doing, as
long as he was totally focused on her while he was doing it. "Uh... sure, what
is it, Aaron?"
	Nabiki blinked and looked at Ukyou. "I thought they thoroughly debriefed
you."
	"They did," Ukyou said, shrugging. She had travelled under the 'assumed'
name only until she got here. Then, she had laid it all out on the table for the
US government.
	"So why doesn't he know your real name?"
	"Real name?" Shingo looked at Nabiki, frowning. Then he shrugged.
"Whatever. Everybody's got to have secrets." he smiled. "Makes her more
mysterious. Exotic." He laughed. "Anyway, I'm not officially working for the US.
I'm more of a contractor, I guess you could say. They don't end up telling me
much." He looked back at McInnis and rubbed her chin with the back of his hand.
"Unless some people slip me information, now and then." She looked very pleased
to have his full attention back.
	Ukyou was almost sad to break up the moment. "If you don't work for the
government, how did you get training?" Shingo looked at her, slowly, carefully.
Much of his cheerful demeanour had faded now. "I mean, I knew your sister,
Usagi. And from the way she described you... you weren't much into martial arts
back in Japan."
	"You knew my sister?" Shingo said suddenly. He took a step away from the
Lieutenant. "Tell me... have you heard anything else about her?"
	"I... I've been out of touch for awhile." Ukyou glanced at Nabiki.
	"I don't know much more." Nabiki shrugged. "There are a lot of people
that would really like to meet your sister, Shingo. She vanished seven years
ago. I'm pretty certain she's still alive."
	Shingo paused and then he smiled. Not a cheerful smile, but an
optimistic smile. "I'm sure of it."
	"You never answered my question," Ukyou pointed out.
	"Oh." He shrugged. "I was tutored by this woman named Blue Mary. She
took a shine to me when I was still just a runt." He grinned. "I was a little
bundle of nerves back then. I wanted to do something, anything to help out. I
just couldn't stand there. I wanted to be just like my idol. I've lived my
entire life trying to live up to his example."
	"Your idol?" Angel asked.
	"You wouldn't know him." Shingo crossed his arms. "He died seven years
ago. I hear he went down fighting Millennium. He was the biggest badass in all
of Tokyo." Ukyou began to get a bad feeling. "Never took shit from nobody. Had
all the ladies hanging on him. Even my sister, the great Sailor Moon, used to
doodle his face and little hearts on her homework. His name was Ukyou Kuonji.
And I've always wanted to be a true man like he was."
	Ukyou fell over, twitching.
	"Oh dear, is something wrong... Aaron?" Nabiki said with false concern.
Akira, meanwhile, had fallen onto her back, laughing so hard she could barely
breathe. Her chair clattered to the deck next to her. Angel was just glancing
between Shingo and Ukyou, blinking.
	Shingo scratched his head and glared a little at Akira. "Fine. If you'll
excuse me, I have to get Lieutenant McInnis back to her quarters... eventually."
He grinned at her and she grinned back.
	Then Ukyou sat up ramrod straight, her eyes widening. Aaron had felt it.
	Akira stopped laughing. Nabiki narrowed her eyes. Angel tensed. Even
Shingo and McInnis stopped in mid-stride, glancing back over their shoulder.
	"Oh god, no..." Ukyou breathed. She looked up at Nabiki. "Nabiki!
Evacuate the city, now!"
	"What?"
	"Just do it!"
	"What makes you think I can..."
	"I don't care if you have to do it person by person. Get the civilians
out of the city, now! Start at the waterfront and work your way back, but do
it!"
	Nabiki looked like she was going to argue, but closed her mouth and her
eyes. A moment later, Aaron could feel her power building. It was like a
vibration, a tremor through the world as Nabiki sent her thoughts running out
through the web of life. While she was doing that, Ukyou turned to the others.
"McInnis, contact your superiors. Tell them to get everything they have ready
down near the pier."
	"The pier?" McInnis had her hand on a radio already, halfway up to her
lips. Then she slowed down. It appeared the instinctive obedience to orders went
only so far. "Wait, what's going on?"
	"The city is under attack." Ukyou looked out in the direction of the
ocean. "Something big is coming."
	"Big?" Angel asked.
	"BIG."

*

	The first indication anybody had that something was wrong was when the
ocean turned black. The water in the bay that served as Southtown's major
shipping port was never especially clear, but even on the cloudiest day it had
that peculiar blue tinge that only the Pacific had.
	A great black cloud rose in the water, spreading under the surface like
smoke. Next came the stench, sickeningly sweet - like rotten eggs. The air
filled with it such that breathing became laboured and eyes watered.
	The Carl Vinson floated just off shore. At over a thousand feet long, it
was an impressive sight. The black airstrip sat atop the tapered hull of the
ship, which always gave the odd impression that the entire thing should have
been overbalanced and toppled into the sea. People scurried across the deck,
prepping planes and gazing into the dark water. After the sudden and unexplained
evacuation of everyone near the harbour, the people on board were not about to
take any chances.
	The third set of planes was launching off the aircraft carrier when it
gave a single lurch. The entire hull lifted out of the water, bucking like a
bull, before collapsing with a gargantuan splash back into the froth. The
heaving deck caught one of the departing F-16's by the tail, flipping it forward
like a coin. The back of the plane sheared straight off and the multi-million
dollar war machine made an ungainly swan dive into the water. The explosion
could be heard across the city.
	The navy crew were good men, one and all. Most had been thrown off their
feet by the event, but few stayed that way for long. The few crewmen sent flying
off the side were tossed lines, even if they had vanished into the black water
without a trace. The crew never panicked, merely went about their job. They were
the first line of defence for Southtown, and they would not lose their cool.
	Some screamed as the ship lurched a second time, their voices carrying
across the harbour distantly. This time when the ship raised into the air, it
did not come down again. Up and up the keel of the ship rose, water pouring out
of the bilges in torrents. Then they saw the first glimpse of the thing under
it.
	At first they thought it was an island. Nothing else could be so large.
A huge black dome, dotted with spines and rocky outcroppings, rising from the
water with ponderous inevitability. The Carl Vinson rose up on the back of the
dome, until there was not a piece of it in the water. The ship fell to its side,
a terrible rending sound cracking through it. Then, with a sound so awful it
would be remembered in nightmares for years to come, the entire aircraft carrier
cracked in two. Great rains of shattered steel and plummeting bodies fell from
the remains of the Carl Vinson as it was torn in two by the monster beneath it.
	The halves of the ship slid into the murky water as the form continued
to rise, and that was when they saw what it was. It was a turtle. The massive
reptile face, full of sharp teeth and with ominous red eyes the size of small
cars, stared at the shoreline with undisguised hatred. First one, then another
of the beast's giant legs emerged from the depths, lumbering forward as the
thing moved into water too shallow to conceal its bulk.
	It was only a fraction of a second later that the shoreline's defences
kicked in. Rockets and missiles, cannons and mortars roared and volleyed,
filling the air with contrails and smoke. The sound was deafening, shattering
glass and sending ripples across the inky black water. Not a single shot missed.
How could they, considering the size of the target? The monster roared, its
voice a sibilant shriek, as the fusillade tore into it. Great smoking craters
appeared in its flesh. Gouts of viscous black blood geysered and spurted. The
shell cracked and shattered. The thing stopped its forward momentum for a
moment.
	A pause filled the air as the artillery crews moved frantically to
reload. But even as they did it was easy to see the effort would be futile.
Already the wounds on the beast were scabbing over. Flesh grew, inflating like
foam as it moved to fill in the wounds. The cracks in the shell seeped thick
liquids that crystallised almost instantly, forming rocky spines and
protrusions.
	Blue Mary narrowed her eyes. She turned around to look behind her. Five
hundred men and women, most of them no more than twenty years old, stared back
at her. They came from every race and creed, from every state and most of the
nations of the world. They were armed with an eclectic mix of weapons both
archaic and modern. Bows and swords and spears were as well-represented as
rifles and pistols. All wore the blue uniform, each had the patch on their arm.
Pro Patria Mori it said, right above the stars.
	"There were five thousand people on the Carl Vinson. Five thousand of
my friends and allies," Mary said, her voice carrying out over the assembled
forces. She turned back towards the monster, which was starting in towards shore
again. The water around it had grown agitated. "Five thousand good men whose
only crime was being willing to stand up for their country. They're dead now. If
the fall didn't kill them, the things in the water did." They could all see it
now. It wasn't just frothing water, it was... things. They might once have been
fish and eels, whales and sharks and squid, but they weren't anymore. Whatever
was in that water had changed them. Their flesh rotted and their bones stuck
out, and thick spines and implements of death had grown out through once healthy
flesh. Many of them had fused together, forming hideous chimeras. An undersea
army. Mary guessed they would have no trouble clawing their way onto land.
	"Whatever else you can say about today, say this... those men didn't die
in vain!" Mary roared, and the soldiers of S.T.A.R.S. roared with her. She saw
it before she felt it, the shadows stretching out in front of her as the auras
of her people flared to life one by one in every colour of the rainbow.
	The turtle saw their animas blazing and it roared in response. Then it
coughed and a thick cloud of noxious black smoke spilled from its maw, settling
over the water like a fog. It rolled across the water towards them, and in its
wake the things in the water became even more twisted, their bodies melting and
reforming.
	"Miasma!" someone shouted.
	"MASKS!" Mary roared. She was already reaching for hers. The mask fit
easily over her face, covering her mouth with a black mass like a beagle's
snout, goggles fitting smoothly over her eyes. The air bladders on the side of
the snout began to inflate and compress in time with her breathing. She knew
they only had enough oxygen for an hour of fighting, after that they would have
to trust the filter. Mary didn't care.
	She could see a figure standing on the turtle now. A figure in black.
The beast was close enough that she could almost make out the face. A great
rage filled her. What she had said earlier was not empty propaganda. She had
known people on the Carl Vinson. They were her friends.
	She held up five fingers and gestured twice, then she ran forward along
the docks. Five sets of footsteps followed her. The monster had reached the end
of the dock. One giant clawed paw rose from the water and crushed the concrete
beneath it like sand. Things rose out of the water on either side, hideous sea
beasts and thick tentacles made of animal corpses. Her gun fired twice, blowing
monsters from her path. More fire came from behind her. Then the air was filled
with the deafening roar of the shoreline artillery again.
	Mary roared and leapt, bouncing off one of the turtle's legs. She
pinballed up the beast, bouncing from place to place, making her way to the
shell and then up the neck. Artillery fell all around her, the orange and black
pillars of the explosions lighting her way. When she finally made it to the top
of the head, the enemy was waiting for her.
	It was a woman. Just one woman. She was slim, nearly rail-thin, wearing
black and long hair that hung like an oil slick from the top of her head. She
had thin glasses and eyes that were filled with sadistic mirth. Her freckles
dimpled as she smiled. There were five more soft thumps as Mary's squad landed
behind her. The woman shifted her grip on the assault rifle she carried, but
made no attempt to bring it to bear.
	"Vell, you've come a long vay to be so disappointed," the woman said.
	"Millennium," Mary said, her voice sounding oddly hollow thanks to her
breather.
	"Ja. Zat is right. You, dear lady, zis is your lucky day. Fortune
smiles, for ze real target of my attention is a voman who lies beyond you in yon
city. I vould tarry a vhile, perhaps entertain myself vith the splendour of your
demise, but as ze old saying goes, zere is no rest for the vicked. Feel free to
entertain yourself vith Lady Alexia's latest incarnation of immaculate
destruction. I must say, it is quite impressive."
	"What?" Mary blinked.
	"Ja. I see." The woman smiled again. "Allow me to explain it in terms
even you can understand. I am ze huntress, Rip Van Winkle. Thank vhatever god
you believe in, for you are not my prey today." She turned to leave.
	"Oh no you don't!" Mary shouted, rushing her. She felt more than saw her
troops falling in behind her.
	She didn't even see the woman move. One moment she was extending her
hand to grasp the huntress, then next the air was exploding from her lungs. The
bladders on her mask filled to capacity, comically flapping in the air like
wings. Then she was flying back. She felt herself hit something solid, and
almost panicked before the arms wrapped around her. A grunt followed.
	"Shen..." she groaned. The soldier grunted again, not trusting himself
to speak. She looked over. If he hadn't caught her, she would have been flung
out into the ocean. She didn't fancy her chances down there.
	"Where did she..." Mary began, but trailed off. Two of her men were
down. One was slumped against a ridge on the turtle head, his arm bent at a
unnatural angle. The other was curled up in a fetal position, clutching her
stomach. Blood was seeping between her hands. As if that wasn't bad enough, she
could see things climbing up the neck of the turtle, cutting them off from their
passage back to the ground.
	And Rip Van Winkle was gone.

*

	They watched the soldiers escorting the last of the civilians out of the
city. The evacuation had gone off without a hitch. Within an hour of Ukyou
sending out the call, Nabiki had managed to get a city of nearly five hundred
thousand people completely empty.
	It was eerie. Akira glanced over at the brown-haired woman. Nabiki was
still standing there, her eyes closed and beads of sweat rolling across her
face. She had known how powerful Nabiki was supposed to be. She had experienced
her focused power first hand. Had seen what it was like for the woman just once.
But even she couldn't help but feel a tinge of awe at this. Shingo and Angel
were both giving Nabiki looks of open shock, with more than a little fear mixed
in.
	But there were other things to stare at aside from Nabiki.
	"I didn't know anything could get that big," Angel breathed, staring
across the city. They were on the top of a skyscraper in the downtown core. It
was one of the tallest in the city and the roof gave them an unobstructed view
of the harbour and the chaos below. They had travelled this far with Lieutenant
McInnis, before Ukyou had insisted they stop here and wait. The Lieutenant had
paused, given Shingo a quick but deep kiss, before getting back in the jeep she
had commandeered and riding down to the waterfront to join her men.
	"Kind of reminds me of Murakumo..." Akira mused aloud.
	"No offence, ladies, but why are we up here?" Shingo asked. He had taken
along his weapons, but seemed antsy as they stood on the roof. "If we're going
to help, shouldn't we be down with the fighting?"
	"We had to get off the streets," Ukyou explained, for the third time.
	Akira looked over the edge of the building, fighting the momentary
vertigo of being hundreds of feet up. Now she could see why. The miasma the
turtle was belching out was flooding through the city like fog. It was heavier
than air, never rising more than two stories high. But the black cloud was so
thick that after a moment it was impossible to see the ground. It made it look
eerily like the buildings were floating in a black sea.
	"Everything in that mist without some form of protection is dead," Ukyou
said. Akira had felt her come close, so she didn't start. "And... moving. The
creatures of the city. Rats. Cats. Dogs. Any pigeon dumb enough to have not
flown away... they're part of its army now." Ukyou looked back towards the
battle at the shorefront. The boom and roar of the artillery echoed across the
city. The flash and bang of the auras of the S.T.A.R.S. flickered though the
mist. Great explosions tore chunks off the beast the size of houses, only to
have them refill almost instantly.
	"Oh..." Shingo looked down at the mist. "Damn. I knew I should have
gotten me one of those breath-mask things." His face screwed up. "But they look
so... lame." He sighed. "Now I'm going to miss all the fun."
	"No, you're not." Ukyou said, looking down and across the building.
Nabiki's eyes opened and she met Ukyou's gaze for a moment. They both nodded.
"She's here."
	Akira knew who it would be before she looked. Rip Van Winkle was on
another rooftop, across the street and four stories beneath them. She had her
rifle balanced on her shoulder and she was smiling up at them.
	"Can't you do something, Nabiki?" Angel asked. She had managed to throw
on her jacket and a pair of shorts, but that was it. Her sword sang from its
sheath, glinting in the sunlight.
	"No..." Nabiki sighed. "Her mind... it's... not human anymore. It's like
it's in a thousand pieces, scattered all around her body. I can't lock onto
anything with enough force to affect her directly."
	"Then I guess we do this the old-fashioned way," Shingo said, grinning.
He walked over to the edge of the roof, placing one thick boot on the top of the
ledge. He smiled down at her, adjusting his shades so they reflected the light.
"Wow. You're an ugly one, aren't you? I usually try to go easy on chicks, but I
think in your case I'll make an exception."
	Angel gave him a flat look. Ukyou just glanced at him and rolled her
eyes.
	"You dare address me like zat? Vhat kind of buffoon are you?"
	"The kind... that is going to kick your ass!" Shingo roared. His muscles
tensed for a fraction of a second, then he leapt.
	"Shingo, wait!" Ukyou yelled too late. He was already half-way across
the street, whooping and drawing his sword from its sheath. "Damn. Okay, Akira,
Angel, you follow him. Try to keep her off-balance and don't let her use that
gun!" She turned to Nabiki. "Nabiki, you stay here. This isn't your fight. But
try to help out down below. The Americans are outnumbered, but with you
providing tactical support that should make up for it. We'll try and keep her
away from you."
	Nabiki opened her mouth as if to object, then she nodded curtly.
	Akira waited another fraction of a second. Angel was already sprinting
for the edge. The glow of the tattoos on her face burned gold and she leapt like
a gazelle. She landed a fraction of an instant after Shingo. Then Ukyou was
charging at the edge as well, and Akira followed her.

*

	Angel set down an instant after Shingo did. The boy was already dashing,
his katana pulled up over his head. A loud roar escaped his mouth as he swung
the blade down towards Rip Van Winkle. There was a blur of motion and then Rip
Van was standing to the side. A loud crack escaped the building as the force of
Shingo's downswing tore a trench into the rooftop. He hissed and spun, trying
to regain his target.
	"So zis is the waunted hero of the American forces?" Rip Van snickered
as she danced backwards a step away from Shingo's second swing. The force of his
blow sent her hair billowing out behind her like a flag. "Nothing more zan a
screaming fool!"
	"I guess that's why he rushes in where I fear to tread?" Angel quipped
as she landed behind the woman. Her sword sang out once, twice, each blow
snapping the air as she poured all the speed of her supercharged wind chakra.
There were two loud cracks as Rip Van Winkle somehow twisted her rifle behind
her, taking the blows on the barrel of the weapon. Angel grinned and pressed the
attack. She was too fast for the vampire to dodge fully, forcing her to parry
with the stock of her rifle again and again.
	"You hold her down while I finish her off!" Shingo shouted, coming in
from the side.
	"I bet you say that to all the girls," Angel laughed.
	Rip Van smiled as the boy's weapon slashed in at the side. The dark-clad
vampire's rifle twisted in her grip and the katana was caught neatly on the
edge. Then her eyes widened as a loud crack echoed across the roof, followed by
a jagged line appearing in the metal of the barrel.
	"Not... possible..." Rip Van shouted as the force of Shingo's blow drove
her back, her feet scuffing up lines of dust.
	"Heh. I may not have much in the way of fancy tricks or special moves,
but I do have raw brute strength!" Shingo roared, striking again. Rip Van Winkle
bounced into the air, floating over the flashing blade. Angel was there to meet
her, using Shingo's shoulder as a stepladder to propel herself higher than the
black-haired undead.
	Her sword flashed out a dozen times, shattering the air. Rip Van danced
back, using the edge of Shingo's sword as a path. Red lines of blood carved
elegant paths through the air as Angel's sword cut shallow strips from the
vampire's flesh. Rip Van leapt away at the end, hissing. But Akira had slid into
the space behind her, her stance wide and her arms drawn back. A bonfire of blue
light erupted around her body for a moment, then collapsed into a pinprick
between the young woman's cupped hands.
	"You insects can't hope-" Rip Van cried, spinning to face Akira. The
girl let out a roaring like a tsunami and thrust her hands. A sphere of
brilliant blue power erupted from her hands. Rip Van thrust one hand into the
sphere, and the blast redoubled in size. The vampire's arm disintegrated, the
flesh peeling back from her bones like a a waterfall running backwards. The blow
sent her flying back, up and over Angel's head.
	Angel landed from her leap and spun to face the woman as she landed with
a thump on the opposite side of the roof. Shingo turned quickly, spinning his
blade around him in an elaborate but unskilled flourish. Akira took a deep
breath and grimaced as Rip Van rose unsteadily to her feet. She was smiling.
	"What're you so happy about?" Shingo asked. "In case you didn't notice,
we are kicking your ass."
	"Heh. You insects haf not even begun to see my true power." Rip Van
Winkle chuckled.
	"Oh, you mean those magic bullets?" Angel chuckled. "Lady. You need to
shoot them to start using them. With a broken rifle and us on you like white on
rice, you think you can do that?"
	"Fire zem?" Rip Van Winkle's smile spread across her face, nearly
splitting it in two. Her mouth was suddenly full of fangs and the sun behind her
cast everything but her teeth and the gleam of her glasses into silhouette. "Vhy
vould I fire zem now?" She laughed. "I did it five minutes ago!"
	"EVERYONE SCATTER!" Ukyou yelled.
	Angel reacted instantly, bouncing up and to the right. She saw Shingo
and Akira doing the same in opposite directions. Then as she watched the roof
where she had been standing dissolved. Hundreds of holes peppered the concrete,
merging and growing until there was nothing left. She could hear the terrible
whine of the magic bullets as they buzzed through the air at a speed faster than
sound. Moving on instinct, she spun her sword around her and was awarded with a
cacophony of metal on metal as her blade deflected too many of the projectiles
to count.
	Shingo gasped in pain. Blood blossomed out of his leg as a bullet gouged
a bloody chunk out of his shin. His headlong flight turned into a forward flop.
Somehow he kept enough presence of mind to turn that into a roll. He kept
rolling forward, his body only a fraction of a second ahead of the dissolving
rooftop. Angel held her breath as his momentum began to slow...
	Then Ukyou was there. There was a flash of silver in her hand and
suddenly she was holding the long cruel-looking pike that Lotus Infinite had
wielded so well. The air before her seemed to shimmer and pulse and there was a
single clear crisp tone, a perfect note that hung in the air. Angel could
literally see the bullets flying into that field and vanishing one by one. Then
the next hundred or so pulled up sharply just before reaching the barrier and
curved into the sky.
	"Ah, Lotus Infinite, I vas vondering vhat you vere doing," Rip Van
Winkle said conversationally, seeming not to care about her missing arm. Angel
landed on the edge of the roof, teetering there for a moment. A good two thirds
of the rooftop had vanished and the hole continued down into the building. She
glanced over and saw Akira crouched on another section of what had once been the
roof.
	Ukyou just stared at Rip Van Winkle and shifted her glaive up so the
blades pointed at the tall woman. The air in front of her returned to normal.
The high-pitched buzz of the magic bullets filled the air as they began to orbit
around the building. A cloud of swarming bullets, forming an impenetrable wall
on all sides.
	"I haf to admit, I am curious. Vhat is Lotus Infinite doing in the
company of two people she vas sent to kill?"
	"They're my friends," Ukyou replied simply.
	"Friends?" Rip Van Winkle chuckled. "Lotus, Lotus, Lotus... people like
you und me? Ve do not haf friends. Ve haf only targets und potential targets."
	"I'm not like you," Ukyou said, her voice like ice.
	"Really?" Rip Van Winkle flashed her that manic fang-filled smile again.
"I haf seen you slaughter entire towns vith a single shot of zat glaive. I haf
seen you annihilate women und children, saints und sinners alike, vithout
batting un eye. I do not know vhat you are playing at, but do not think you can
trick me." Rip Van Winkle took a step forward. "You are a killer. A weapon of
destruction. Just like me."
	"Don't listen, Ukyou!" Akira shouted suddenly.
	"Silence!" Rip Van snapped and gestured sharply. Akira gasped as red
lines carved themselves along her shoulder and thigh. She fell to one knee as
the bullets that had grazed her spun back into the cloud that surrounded them.
"You und ze others haf interfered vith our destined battle quite enough."
	"Hey!" Shingo roared. He was standing again, if unsteadily. "I'm not
about to let some chick steal my spotlight. You want to fight someone, you fight
me!"
	"I haf no time-"
	Shingo cut her off as he pulled back both hands over his head, lacing
the fingers together around the hilt of his sword. Then with a roar he brought
the blade down on what remained of the roof. The effect was spectacular. It was
like someone sheared the entire building in two, right down the middle. A geyser
of dust and debris shot up along the centre of the building. A resounding crack
echoed up from underneath them and Angel saw the black miasma below them ripple
outward with the force of the blow as it sunk into the very foundations of the
skyscraper.
	Then the building, all forty-odd stories of it, began to slide in two
different directions. Rip Van Winkle was gaping in shock. So was Angel. She
MIGHT have been able to pull off something like that. If she had her fire chakra
tattoos on and gave herself a few moments to gather the strength. But while
everyone else stared, Akira was already moving. She dashed across the roof, the
cloud of debris that rose from the collapsing building somehow serving as
adequate footholds. She smashed into Rip Van Winkle with her shoulder and the
vampire flew away from the teetering building.
	The black-haired huntress crashed into a wall of mirrored glass, the
force of her impact sending a ripple away from her like a wave across a pond. In
the wake of the ripple the glass exploded outward in a silvery waterfall, Rip
Van Winkle vanishing into the middle of it.
	"Hold on!" Ukyou was yelling over the sound of the collapsing building.
"When the building falls far enough, we can jump underneath the cloud of bullets
to another building!"
	"Hold on, she says!" Angel cried back, staggering to keep her balance.
"To what exactly? This entire thing is falling apart!"
	"Find a way!" Ukyou shot back unhelpfully. She had leapt away from the
roof she had been standing on as the ground crumbled under her feet. She somehow
found purchase on the frame of a falling window, then leapt away again before
that fell out from underneath her. Angel cursed loudly in Spanish and followed
her example, bouncing from debris to debris in a desperate attempt to stay one
step ahead of the building collapse.
	"You vill all die!"
	Angel looked up and choked. Rip Van Winkle was standing in the middle of
the gaping hole of the other skyscraper. Her body was a torn ruin, but she was
holding up her hand, clutching her fingers like a claw. With a shriek she pulled
it down and the cloud of orbiting bullets hesitated for a moment, then started
spiralling down towards them.
	"Doesn't she ever die?" Shingo yelled, hopping off what looked like the
remains of a desk.
	"Not really," Akira commented, flipping forward on her hands off a large
water-cooler.
	"Damn..." Ukyou hissed. "Everyone get beneath me!"
	"Beneath you is the collapsing building!" Angel felt the need to point
out. "We'll be crushed if we try to move in that mess!"
	"And those bullets will tear you apart if you stay up here!" Ukyou
shouted back. She swung her glaive up, spinning it in the air above. "I just
need one second to hold off the swarm, then get to another building!"
	"Augh! Stupid taka taka!" Angel shouted and stepped forward, plummeting
off the end of the debris she was using as a temporary perch. Her world vanished
into a grey cloud. It was like stepping into the middle of an explosion. The
noise was overwhelming, the dust crept up her nose and ran down her throat. Her
eyes slammed shut, trying to prevent the sharp glass from getting under the
lids.
	She moved on instinct alone. Without sight or sound or smell, all she
could rely on was her memories of which way was up and which was down. The
debris was battering her from all sides. She really wished she could have
switched over to her earth tattoos, but she needed all the speed and grace she
could muster. Jumping blind, her body knocked side to side again and again, she
was sure she would never make it. Either she would be crushed or the fall into
the miasma below would kill her.
	Then she burst into the open air. Her eyes snapped open and she took a
deep breath. Then she saw the wall of the building rapidly approaching her. With
a small gasp she spun, managing to land against the brick wall without either
shattering herself or it. That was when she discovered there were no handholds.
Her blade flashed out, and the metal dug into the wall like a hot knife through
butter. Her arms wrenched as she wrapped her fingers around the hilt, holding
herself over the gap between buildings. She allowed herself to look down.
	About one story below her, the miasma rolled like a dark sea.
	"Great, and I had to go and change out of my swimsuit," Angel muttered,
then looked up the wall. No handholds up the entire side of the building. This
was going to be fun.

*

	"AEGIS SILEO!" Ukyou shouted, holding the Silence Glaive stiffly
above her. Aaron felt more than saw the power of the Silence expand outward in
all directions, forming a disc centred directly at Ukyou's hand. He couldn't
quite see the magic bullets as they drove through the air like supersonic
hornets, but he could feel them as they crashed into the unreality of the
barrier and ceased to exist one by one. Before more than two dozen had been
lost, Rip Van Winkle cursed and pulled her arm up, turning the swarm aside.
	Aaron couldn't believe he'd let them get trapped like that. His mind was
still trapped seven years ago, back when Rip Van Winkle had been intimidating,
but not overwhelming. His simple thought had been that compared to the power all
four of them could bring to bear, she was nothing to worry about. He and Ukyou
had handled her magic bullet before.
	He hadn't even imagined she could control over a thousand of the things
at once.
	Ukyou was moving her legs quickly, shifting her balance on the falling
I-beam Aaron had chosen as their perch. Every bit of concentration she had was
going into maintaining their precarious position, which left him to maintain the
Silence Wall and keep track of the others. As the swarm pulled up again Aaron
allowed himself to shift some focus away from it and to the others. He could
feel the resonance of their chi from the collapsing building beneath them. The
magic that lingered on Angel and Shingo made them easy to pinpoint, but for some
reason it was Akira that Aaron found first.
	He gave a sigh of relief when he felt the three of them exit the
building, flying off in three separate directions. Hopefully Rip Van Winkle was
too focused on Ukyou to have noticed their escape. Which only left the matter of
their own escape.
	There was no way they could do it. It took everything Ukyou had to keep
them afloat, and the ground was coming up fast. Even if Aaron strained what
little chi she could spare from that, there was no way he could keep track of a
thousand projectiles at once - and unless he did, there was no hope of evading
them all. The shield he was holding was already pushing his limits.
	His eyes narrowed. Ukyou nodded. So it was time to say 'fuck you' to
their limits.
	The Third Circle flooded their body. It was like the cloud of debris
under them suddenly became a forest meadow. Ukyou ran along it with the ease and
grace of a gazelle, her long strides taking her to the far edge. She leapt,
knowing she would easily reach the ten-story building across the street. Aaron
collapsed the shield, compressing it to a disc as wide as the Silence Glaive
itself.
	Rip Van Winkle cried out in triumph and the swarm came in again, but
this time Aaron met it with the flashing blade of the Silence Glaive. Floating
through the air like a acrobat, he spun and snapped the weapon around them.
Bullets zipped and buzzed about them, but whenever they came close Aaron was
there, moving faster than any human had a right to, moving his blade in stark
defiance of laws like inertia and momentum. Ukyou turned the bullets into
stepping stones, gaining altitude and momentum from their feeble attempts to
catch them.
	Aaron suddenly realised he was laughing. It had never felt this good
before. It was like raw power flooded their body. Power without limit. The power
to do anything! Ukyou joined him as she passed through the swarm without a
scratch. She spun, landing sideways on the wall of a grey high-rise. For a
moment she hung there like a spider, then started running up the side of the
wall.
	Aaron could feel the angry swarm chasing them. It dove in and through
the walls of the building underneath them, turning the grey stone into
swiss cheese. But it was always beneath them. The swarm chased them, bullets
moving so fast they could intercept planes flying at Mach Five... and they were
outpacing them!
	Ukyou leapt, bouncing from building to building. She ran up one here,
along the side of another there. Up and up she climbed, until there was no
higher building to climb. Then she exploded into the air like a rocket, her last
leap carrying them another five stories up. For one sweet moment it felt like
they could fly. Then gravity finally caught up and they began to swing back
down.
	Turning with the motion, Ukyou faced down, into the canyons of steel and
glass. The climbing swarm of bullets was a darker shadow against the sea of
miasma below. Ukyou grinned and pointed the Silence Glaive straight down as she
fell among them. Aaron expanded the shield, stretching it out and out, focusing
it on the tip of the blade. It became a hemisphere, with them at the centre. The
cloud of bullets broke around them like a wave, and when Ukyou had passed
through it there was a great hole in its centre where almost half of Rip Van
Winkle's projectiles had been.
	Ukyou dove right past the vampire. The black-clad woman shouted and
leapt back, just out of range of a casual swipe. She gestured sharply and the
swarm reversed direction to follow Ukyou down. As she passed Aaron heard the
woman muttering under her breath.
	"Fall! Fall, damn you! Not even you can survive in zat miasma! Even
intangible you still must breathe! SO FALL! FALL!!"
	Ukyou turned in mid-air, allowing Aaron to shift the Silence Glaive
around them. Her feet stuck out and caught the edge of the skyscraper, the
soles of her feet beginning to run along the slick mirrored surfaces that Rip
Van Winkle hadn't shattered when she'd been knocked into it. With a single leap
Ukyou carried them across the street to land on a steeple-roofed building there.
Great stone gargoyles crouched on every corner. Ukyou realised dimly this was a
church of some kind, a large cathedral.
	Once they weren't moving, it hit them all at once.
	They had just drawn more of the Third Circle at once than they ever had
before... and they hadn't felt a thing. Not so much as a mild headache, much
less the crippling internal bleeding Ukyou had come to associate with the power.
Aaron blinked, running a hand over his face that came up without any blood.
What... what had happened?
	In that moment of stunned reevaluation, they almost died. Unable to
comprehend what had happened, they lost control of the power and it vanished
like morning mist. So it was that Aaron didn't even sense the attack coming.
Luckily it wasn't aimed at them, or the cloud of bullets would have torn them to
shreds. Instead, the bullets perforated the church roof all around them, tearing
great chunks out of the green-shingled building. He heard Rip laughing.
	"Now, my magic bullets! EXPLODE!" she cried, loud enough for Aaron's
enhanced hearing to pick up. There was a roar, a thunderous volley of explosions
like that produced by the artillery from earlier, except this was right under
his feet. The next thing he knew, the roof was tearing apart under them. Ukyou
reacted quickly, running to the edge. Geysers of flame erupted here and there,
and Aaron managed to keep her one step ahead of them. Even so, she was singed
pretty badly when one spit forth and briefly engulfed her arm.
	They could access the power again. They should have. But some instinct,
some part of them deep down inside didn't feel right. All she had to trust was
her gut. Even if it saved them, she knew accessing the Third Circle again would
be a bad idea.
	So when Ukyou reached the edge of the roof and leapt she knew she was
going to die. The church was in the middle of a small park, surrounded on all
sides by triple lane roads. Engulfed by the power, they hadn't even noticed the
distance. Now, they knew they could never reach the nearest building, the
nearest refuge from the killing mist down below. Even so, they almost made it.
At the last moment, Aaron gave Ukyou all the power he had been holding and she
used it in one final desperate leap. The space floated underneath them and they
came within a hairsbreadth of the edge of the next building over.
	Then a hand flashed out and snapped tightly around her wrist.
	Ukyou felt her heart skip a beat. She looked up into beautiful blue eyes
that rested atop a devil-may-care smile.
	"Hey, Ucchan! You're alive!" Ranma Saotome called, pulling her up onto
the roof. "Guess I owe Akira an apology." He let her go and Ukyou stumbled
forward, unable to say or feel anything. "C'mon. Whatcha say we take down that
vampire bitch?" And with that he turned and leapt, flying towards the battle.

*

	"I'm beginning to think you do this on purpose," Minako drawled as they
leapt across to another rooftop.
	"I didn't do nuthin'!" Ranma protested reflexively.
	"Idiot," Minako said, rolling her eyes. "I was just referring to the
fact that this is the tenth time we've tried to go somewhere for a vacation,"
she mused. Up ahead, there was a series of shattering explosions. Ranma frowned
and poured on the speed a bit. Minako grimaced and managed to keep up with him.
"I finally agree to come back and visit your parents for a a nice quiet stay in
safe, dull America and what happens? Giant turtles, deadly miasma and mid-air
battles."
	"I know, ain't it great?" Ranma said, smirking over his shoulder at her.
She was about to warn him about the approaching wall of a glass skyscraper, but
he kicked the window in and then they were running through the building.
"Anyway, I saw some guy fighting this swarm of... something up ahead. You think
it's bees? Or maybe mosquitos? I hope it's not mosquitos. I mean, ick. Flying
leeches. Freaks me out."
	Minako smiled and shook her head. She gestured ahead and a beam of
golden light flashed out, blowing away the window on the other side of the
building. They were near the centre of town now; where the fight had been,
according to the reports they'd received. Minako had no idea what Nabiki was
doing in Southtown, but she was certain the woman had something to do with this
mess.
	Ranma paused as he noticed a figure standing on a church roof across
about three blocks away. The person was running as the church was exploding
around him or her. Minako gasped. "He'll never make it!" she pointed out
needlessly. Ranma could see for himself how improbably far the jump was from
that roof to the nearest point high enough to be out of the miasma.
	"Right, like I'll let that happen?" Ranma grinned and then he was off
like a shot. Minako had no chance to keep up with him, so she just ran as fast
as her legs would carry her. Magical enhancements and seven years of training,
and she still couldn't even come close to Ranma when it came to sheer physical
prowess.
	Minako watched him blur across the rooftops, seeming to teleport from
perch to perch as he moved with looping strides. Minako saw the person
stretching out for the edge of the building, and knew he was going to fall
short. Then Ranma was there, and he caught him - no wait, it was a her - with
that same cocksure ease with which he did everything. He paused, looking at the
woman for a second. He said something but Minako missed it as she came in for a
landing on the same roof.
	Then Ranma was turning and sprinting away, heading towards the ruined
tower from which the vampire had been directing her assault. It was then that
Minako saw exactly who Ranma had saved. Her breath caught and she staggered to a
halt.
	"Ukyou..." she gasped.
	Ukyou turned slowly and looked at her. The girl hadn't aged a day. Her
hair, her face, her black lotus eyes... it was all the same. She was wearing a
white shirt and black slacks. Then Minako saw the difference. One of her sleeves
had burned off, and there was a tattoo on Ukyou's arm - lines like a circuit
diagram. They glowed softly with purple light, light that was fading steadily as
she turned to regard Minako.
	Their eyes met.
	In that moment an understanding passed between them. She wasn't certain
how it happened. Maybe it was something female. Maybe it was something even more
primitive. But Minako had spent the last seven years listening to stories about
Ukyou... oh, they had grown less common over the years. But they were always
there. And now... now she was here in the flesh.
	Minako walked over to Ukyou, keeping eye contact the whole way. "You
know what me and Ranma are?" she asked, feeling a burning pit of jealousy deep
in her gut. She knew it was unfair. Ranma had never once indicated he had liked
Ukyou that way. But... Minako knew. And Ukyou was still so young. Ukyou had
always been a better fighter than her. She had always been the one person, the
only person, that Ranma really admired.
	"I know," Ukyou said, her voice thick. She turned away from Minako,
gesturing with one hand. A long slim glaive materialised in her hand, assembling
itself from nothing like a jigsaw puzzle. "We... can talk later. Now... now, we
have to fight."
	"Right."
	The two of them turned as one and ran. Minako was pleased to note that
she had no problem keeping slightly ahead of Ukyou, that she even had to slow
down a little to let the girl keep up. She resisted the urge to leave her
behind. Ranma may have been all about charging in alone, but Minako preferred
teamwork if at all possible.
	They had to take a roundabout route to the tower. A lot of the city had
been damaged severely by the battle, and the number of whole buildings was
depressingly small. Minako thanked whatever providence had allowed them to
evacuate the entire city before the fighting started. On the way, the two said
nothing to each other.
	They couldn't have gotten to the tower that long after Ranma. The entire
top of the building had been torn off, the shattered remains of it had fallen
into the canyon between buildings, the black miasma rolling between the broken
beams and walls. The vampire was standing in the centre of the destruction,
facing away from Ranma. Her breath was coming in long gasps and she was holding
a shattered piece of wreckage in her one remaining arm. Her long inky hair,
stained with blood and dust, trailed down behind her. With a start, Minako
realised that the vampire had done this. In her rage, she had ripped the top off
the building herself.
	"So close... so close..." she was saying.
	"I'll say," Ranma said, walking forward. "You almost killed a real
personal friend of mine. And considering that until a minute ago I thought she
was dead, I think that goes beyond rude to just plain bitchy."
	"You saved her?" the vampire turned and faced him. "Oh... you. I
remember you. Didn't I already almost kill you once?"
	Ranma smirked. "How's the Major's arm?"
	"He got a new one."
	"Minako," Ukyou whispered. The two were crouched behind what used to be
an interior wall. "She doesn't see us yet. If Ranma can keep her distracted, we
can circle around, take her from three sides." Minako glanced, her eyes
narrowing. Then she fought down the irrational urge to argue with the girl. She
nodded and began making her way left, dashing from cover to cover.
	"Ah. And here I was thinking that having one arm was a whole new
Millennium fashion." Ranma chuckled.
	"I vill only need one arm to kill you," the vampire hissed.
	Then Ranma was dashing forward, his words trailing behind him. "Lady, I
don't think you realise something." The vampire stepped forward to meet him,
slashing with her fingers. Ranma slid on his knees, leaning back so her strike
just passed over his jaw. "I am Ranma Saotome." She brought up her knee and
Ranma snapped out one hand, catching it and using the momentum to drive him back
to his feet. "And in case you haven't heard..." His other hand snapped back, his
fingers lacing around her wrist, forcing her extended arm off-balance, "...I'm
the best there is!"
	Ranma's own knee drove into the woman's gut like a hammer. Blood
exploded from her lips as her body bent forward over the blow. Ranma clenched
her knee and wrist tighter, preventing the force of his blow from sending her
flying back. Then his knee vanished. Minako could only see flashes of black
rippling like shadows over water and hear the constant, escalating thrum of his
knee colliding with her stomach again and again and again.
	Finally Ranma gave a loud cry and released her. The vampire floated into
the air as Ranma danced back, his entire body moving with subtle grace. Pivoting
like a ballerina he raised his leg over his head and brought it down on the back
of the rising woman's head. The blow sent her crashing into the floor with
enough force that a gout of debris rose around her on all sides. Ranma
backflipped away, his pigtail flapping in the air, and landed just outside the
collapsing cloud of dust.
	Minako paused, wondering if she would have to get involved after all.
But as the dust cleared, the vampire was pulling herself back to a sitting
position with her one good arm. She was coughing up blood. Minako heard a few
soft thumps and turned to see that others had joined the party. She recognised
Shingo, and the woman he was carrying looked like someone she should know.
Whoever it was, she wore black leather and looked like someone had put her
through a cheese grater. The other woman, the one with the white hair and the
ponytail, she didn't recognise.
	"Hey man, don't start the party without me," Shingo called, placing the
brown-haired woman down on the floor. "I owe that bitch for slashing my leg."
	"Naw, don't worry, kid, I got this one handled."
	"Hey, don't call me kid!"
	"Boys, we can measure your penises later. Let's finish off the undead
killing machine now," the newcomer said.
	The vampire had started laughing. Ranma looked down at it. "What's so
funny?"
	"Fools..." she coughed. "You should haf finished me off vhen you had ze
chance."
	"If you insist..." Ranma drew back his arm. But the vampire's body
blurred as she pulled something from within her jacket.
	"Ranma!" Ukyou shrieked, exploding from cover. Minako followed, and she
could see the white-haired girl moving with a speed that made them both look
like they were swimming in molasses. Ranma, however, saw the danger in time. He
threw himself to the side as the air filled with a loud bang. The woman had been
holding a single derringer, a small gun no bigger than her palm. A cloud of
smoke hovered in front of the barrel, slowly tearing apart in the wind. She had
missed.
	So why was Ukyou and the new girl still running?
	Then Minako remembered where she had met this woman before. Seven years
ago, in England. The huntress, Rip Van Winkle... and her magic bullet. Minako
yelled and brought her hands up. The light of her magic was already gathering on
her fingertips. Ukyou was yelling something, and running straight at her. Wait.
At her?
	Minako gasped and felt herself lifted off her feet. Pain exploded
through her stomach. Everything went silent. She couldn't hear a thing. The
world had slowed to a crawl as she flew up and back. She could see the magic
bullet winging through the air, circling around from behind her. She tried to
warn everyone, but she couldn't say anything. Her mouth was full of something
bitter, coppery.
	Blood. Her blood.
	Ukyou was still running towards her.
	Ranma looked at Minako and she saw it all in his eyes. The look of
horror, the sudden shocked grief. It told her all she needed to know. Then he
roared, the sound failing to reach her, and he spun on Rip Van Winkle. The air
around him cracked, rippling outward from the force of his strike. It caught the
huntress right on the cheek as she was trying to stand up. The blow sent her
flying off the edge of the building like a bullet. Ranma didn't pause; he was
already running after her.
	Then Minako tilted too far backward to see any more. She realised she
was falling. The force of the shot had thrown her clear off the building. She
was going to fall. If the bullet hadn't killed her, the fall or the miasma
would. She drifted down, feeling suddenly sleepy. Was this what it was like to
die?
	Then a hand snapped around her wrist. Suddenly the world was full of
sound again, sound and pain as she slammed hard into the wall of the building.
The glass dented and cracked around her. She looked up, her vision greying.
Ukyou was leaning over the side of the building, holding onto her with one arm.
It must have been a trick of her mind, because it looked like Ukyou's arm was
passing through the corner of the building. Ukyou herself didn't even seem to
notice.
	Minako looked up into Ukyou's black lotus eyes. A terrible thought ran
through her head. She could drop me, she thought. I'm standing between her and
Ranma right now and nobody knows she caught me. She could drop me and nobody
would have to know.
	"Minako!" Ukyou shouted. "Stay with me!" She began to haul her up. "None
of my friends die today, you understand?" Minako tried to answer her, but she
couldn't say anything. Then Ukyou screamed. "NO ONE DIES TODAY!"
	It hit Minako like a lightning bolt. Her back arched and she took a deep
breath. All at once colour returned to her vision. Then she was up on the roof,
lying in a pool of her own blood. Ukyou was kneeling beside her. She looked
grave. "I... I can't believe it. It missed."
	"Like hell it did..." Minako groaned.
	"It went straight through. Didn't hit a single major organ..." Ukyou was
saying, her voice not quite believing. Minako couldn't believe that. She had
felt it. She had felt her life dripping away. That bullet had nearly torn her
in half. She looked over and saw the white-haired girl staring at them, her eyes
wide. Ranma and Shingo were gone, presumably after the huntress.
	"Will you be okay?" Ukyou asked.
	"I'll... be fine..." Minako coughed.
	"Good. I have to go." She stood up. "This ends now." She looked at the
white-haired girl. "Angel. Make certain she and Akira stay safe." Then Ukyou was
gone.
	The girl ran over to Minako. "Don't try to sit up," she advised.
	"Like hell," Minako growled, pushing her aside. "I have to go."
	"You're injured!" the girl insisted, placing a hand on her chest. Minako
growled and forged a chain of golden light. Snapping it rigid like a sword, she
pointed it at the girl.
	"I'm getting up. I've had worse."
	"You taka taka's are crazy..." Angel murmured, but backed off.
	"Which way did they go?" The answer was redundant even before she
finished asking. There was an explosion and Minako was already running in that
direction. Well, staggering, but with great vigour.
	She leapt from the roof. Flicking her wrist and extending her chain like
a line, she caught a nearby crenellation and swung through the city. She found
the battle easily. It was on top of a TV station, the roof covered in satellite
dishes and antennae and all sorts of equipment so that it looked like some
bizarre alien metal forest. Minako landed on the roof with a groan.
	What she saw made her gape. Ranma was down. His body had been sent
crashing through a giant antenna. From the rise and fall of his chest, he was
still alive. Shingo was also unconscious, his body lying in a crater in the
centre of the roof.
	That left Ukyou and Rip Van Winkle facing off. Somehow, the vampire had
regenerated. She was looking down at her restored arm, a smirk on her face.
Around her were the corpses of birds, mangled beyond all recognition, lying in
disturbing piles across the roof.
	"Nice trick," Ukyou was saying, her voice confident. She was circling
the huntress, keeping the point of her glaive pointed at her. "But you can't
keep it up forever."
	Minako narrowed her eyes. She began to unravel a length of golden chain
and sprinted once again from cover to cover, keeping herself out of sight.
	"I'm surprised, Lotus Infinite. Such an attack is beneath you." Rip Van
looked up at her. "If you had struck at my body instead, you might have killed
me. But zen... I vould have killed ze boy."  She laughed. "I admit, he is
impressive. But nowhere near our league, sister."
	"I am not your sister," Ukyou growled.
	"Of course you are. Ve are sister veapons. Twins. Two sides of a coin."
She spread her arms. "Vhen I am whole, no mortal technique can stop me." She
laughed. "Why don't I show you?"
	Rip Van Winkle seemed to teleport through the air. Her hand snapped out,
tapping the glaive to the side. Her other hand came up and caught Ukyou in the
gut. The woman folded forward, coughing and flying backward into a wall. Rip Van
Winkle stopped, blinking. She reached up and adjusted her glasses.
	"Vhat game is zis?" she snapped. "I shouldn't haf even touched you!"
	Ukyou snarled and shot forward, her weapon coming down. But Rip Van
Winkle casually sidestepped the blow and backhanded Ukyou in the face. The blow
drove Ukyou onto her back. The vampire raised her leg and brought her heel down.
It caught Ukyou in the gut and this time blood flecked from her lips. The girl
curled up, clutching her stomach. The glaive clattered to the ground next to
her.
	"Come now, be serious, zis is pathetic," Rip Van Winkle said. She
circled around Ukyou. "Use your speed, your agility! Phase through my fists.
Wanish into ze floor. Do something!" She kicked out, sending Ukyou flying into
the air. The girl screamed, but snapped out her hand, catching an antenna and
preventing herself from being shot into the abyss. The thin metal snapped off
and she plummeted back to the roof with a crash. "Vhat... vhat happened to
you... my eternal rival..."
	"I... am not... Lotus Infinite..." Ukyou gasped, rising to her knees. "I
am not like you. Not anymore."
	"You mean it, don't you?" Rip Van Winkle said, her voice filled with
horror. "You... you really are not her... not the voman I haf spent seven years
chasing... not the one I haf dreamed of surpassing, ze one I haf struggled to
equal..."
	"That's right." Ukyou grinned. "You've been chasing a ghost. Lotus
Infinite is gone. My name... is Ukyou Kuonji!"
	"You... you are NOTHING!" Rip Van roared, and started forward. It was
then that a line of golden hearts streaked in front of her. Minako had done all
she could from the shadows, but she wasn't about to let Ukyou get killed waiting
until she was perfectly ready.
	"Hold it right there!" Minako cried, posing as she held the end of the
golden chain with one hand. Rip Van turned to her, snarling. "You're a monster
from hell, Rip Van Winkle. And I am about to send you back where you belong."
	"You?" Rip Van snorted. "Don't make me laugh!"
	Minako smiled. Then she stepped forward and gestured again, flinging
another chain at the vampire. Rip Van smirked and stepped to the side. Then she
ducked the next strike, and leapt over the next. Minako didn't pause. She kept
firing, filling the air with stream after stream of golden light. Rip Van
continued to laugh as she dodged to the side, keeping one step ahead of the
assault.
	The Minako stopped. Her magical reserves were exhausted. It would have
to do. She took a deep breath.
	"See?" Rip Van snorted and crossed her arms. "I am frankly superior to
you in every way."
	"Except one," Minako pointed out. "Have you ever wondered why, back in
England, I called myself 'V'?" Rip Van Winkle raised an eyebrow. Minako raised
her arms and clenched her fingers. There was a creak all across the roof. "You
see, I knew right away that my power was special. Even the slightest nick from
my attacks and I reduced your kind to dust." Rip Van Winkle was looking around
now, and she finally saw them. They were strung between every antenna, around
every piece of equipment and spire. Hundreds and hundreds of feet of golden
chains, glowing calmly, serenely. They formed a net, a huge net. Rip Van
Winkle's eyes began to widen as she realised the truth. It was a trap, and she
was at the exact centre. Minako smirked. "V does not stand for victory, or
vengeance. V... stands for VAMPIRE KILLER!"
	Minako snapped her arms in violently and the net closed. Rip Van
screamed, trying to dodge. She moved fast, impossibly fast... but the chains
collapsed inward, filling every avenue of escape. "No! Not like zis... NOT
YOU-"
	Then the blazing light slashed through her body in a hundred different
locations. For a moment, her body hung in mid-air, golden lines criss-crossing
her like a checkerboard. Then the light spread out, consuming her body like a
candle wick. When the flare subsided there was nothing but dust blowing away on
the wind.
	Then Minako sighed and let herself collapse unconscious.

*

	"You actually called yourself the 'Vampire Killer'?" Ranma said,
struggling not to laugh.
	"What's wrong with Vampire Killer?" Minako snapped.
	"Geez, Minako." Ranma chuckled and leaned back in his chair, lacing his
hands behind his head. "Couldn't you at least called yourself a 'slayer' or
something?" Then he paused. "Nah. Who'd believe a ditzy blonde girl could be a
vampire slayer? Never happen."
	"Ranma, dear... come closer..." Minako said sweetly. She was lying on a
hospital bed, her stomach bandaged completely and an IV dripping into her arm.
Ranma did as asked, not really hearing the menace in her words.
	"Ow!" He rubbed the back of his head. "What was that for?"
	"Being an idiot." She turned her head to the side.
	"Aw, c'mon, Mina. Don't be that way." He reached out and took her fist
in his hands, cradling it like he would a delicate jewel. "I'll give you one of
my extra special footrubs."
	"Ranma, I hate to break this to you, but you stink at footrubs."
	Ranma blinked. "You always seem to like them."
	Minako blushed. "That's because they usually lead to... well..."
	"Sex?" Ranma said.
	"Yes."
	"Oh. Wow. That's awesome. I mean, I was always using them as an excuse
for sex too.  So... from now on, want to get straight to that?"
	She glared at him.
	Artemis took this as his cue to leave. Over the years, Ranma had
developed an odd ability to totally ignore Artemis (it was slightly worrying,
actually, but considering the alternative...). Minako, however, always remained
aware of him. She really didn't like it when Artemis stayed around when she and
Ranma were getting... intimate. Not only did it 'spoil the mood' as she put it,
but sometimes Ranma forgot that he was supposed to be forgetting Artemis
existed.
	That never ended well.
	So Artemis had learned to be elsewhere. If he didn't, Minako would pull
out the Cone of Solitude. Artemis hated the Cone of Solitude. It was a perfectly
normal neon orange traffic cone, but Minako had used it once to keep him from...
eavesdropping. Ever since, she'd grown rather attached to stuffing him under the
thing when she and Ranma began to play around. Which was often.
	Artemis moved through the hospital like a white ghost. Nobody really
noticed him. The staff was far too busy and the patients far too concerned to
look down for the lithe white figure that slalomed between their feet. Artemis
had become a master of moving about through crowded spaces without being seen.
He noted that the place was mostly returning to normal.
	After the turtle had finally been put down, the miasma had slowly seeped
out of the city over the course of the next day. There were still pockets of it,
from what he heard: heavy clumps of gas that had seeped into the sewers and
subbasements. S.T.A.R.S. was cleaning those out efficiently, as well as taking
out the remaining undead animals. The hospital and similar emergency services
had been restored first, and were running at almost optimal capacity. Still, it
would take weeks, maybe months, before Southtown was recovered from the attack.
	Not to mention the property damage.
	Which led him to his destination. It was a small park just outside the
hospital, a nice place for the patients to get a few hours in the sun. Plant
life had thankfully proven resistant to the miasma, so the park was hardly
touched by the attack. It was out here he found the rest of the heroes of the
day.
	Artemis spotted Ukyou right away. The girl was sitting on a bench,
looking up at the stars overhead. The lights of Southtown were still mainly
unlit, as most of the citizens had not been returned to the city. The stars thus
glimmered brightly in the sky. Ukyou was leaning back, her arms stretched across
the back of the bench.
	The other girl, Akira, was sitting in lotus position on the ground
nearby. The two of them seemed to be talking, so Artemis paused to let them
finish. He wasn't really eavesdropping. He was just... being polite.
	"...yes, I'm perfectly fine, Ukyou," Akira was saying.
	"Are you certain?" Ukyou asked, still not really looking at her. "I
heard you got pretty banged up in the fight."
	"I wouldn't put it that way. I lost a bit of blood, that's all."
	"Did you get hit by one of Rip Van Winkle's bullets?"
	"No."
	"Then what happened?"
	"I... I'm not sure. I think I must have swallowed something while I was
in the collapsing building. Or maybe I was too low and breathed in a bit of the
miasma." Akira was growing agitated as she spoke, her words coming out more
quickly. "Listen, it's not important! I'm safe and sound, okay?"
	Ukyou blinked and looked at her in surprise. "Okay. Whatever you say."
	Akira nodded and sighed, leaning forward and smiling slightly. "I'm just
glad it's over."
	"Is it?" Ukyou murmured. "I keep feeling like I should be expecting the
other shoe to drop."
	"Pardon me, ladies, but may I interrupt?" Artemis asked, stepping into
the open.
	"Artemis?" Ukyou looked at him. "Sure." Ukyou patted her lap and he
smiled before leaping into it. There he discovered that seven years had not
eroded her ability to pamper a cat. Akira gave him a comical little glare and
stuck her tongue out at him. "What's on your mind?"
	"I actually have... an important message, but it can wait a little bit."
He paused. "I really came to find out how you're doing."
	"Indeed?" Ukyou didn't sound like she believed him. But she shrugged and
told him anyway. "Honestly, I don't know. I... it's a lot to take in. So much
has changed. So much hasn't..."
	"You're talking about Ranma and Minako, right?" Artemis asked.
	Ukyou stiffened and this time Akira gave him a real glare. He waited
patiently as Ukyou relaxed. "Yeah... I could tell, the moment I met him. My
senses... they're very sharp. I could... feel her on him. Her smell, her
presence... and his on her." She stroked his back once, then held herself still.
"Tell me, Artemis... are they happy?"
	He paused, considering his answer. He could tell her about the laughter
and the tears they had shared. He could tell her how the two of them, constantly
running, fighting... constantly afraid for their lives one moment and euphoric
with victory the next, had reached out to each other like two healthy teenagers
would under such pressures. He could tell her a long story about the years over
which such comforts had gradually grew into something more. He could tell her
about Minako's confessions to him, how she dreamed of finding a place to settle
down once 'all this was over'... a place where she and Ranma could raise some
kids. He could tell her about how Ranma had never once been unfaithful to
Minako, despite numerous opportunities.
	Instead he said one word. "Yes."
	Ukyou seemed to deflate. "Seven years... I guess it makes sense." She
smirked bitterly. "I lost my chance with him... long ago, anyway. My own stupid
fault for not being able to be honest with my feelings."
	"So... you're giving up on him?" Artemis asked hopefully. He would hate
to see Ukyou and Minako become enemies.
	"I..." She looked apologetically at Akira. "I don't think I'm ready to
say that. I mean, I still hope..." Her voice caught and when she continued it
was cooler, more controlled. "I love him too much to just cut him away like
that. I... I won't stand between them. I can't promise anything about how I
feel."
	"So what's this other news?" Akira asked, trying to change the subject.
	"I..." He paused. "I received a message recently."
	"From Luna?" Ukyou asked. "I heard Sailor Moon vanished around about the
same time..." She didn't finish.
	"No. From Sailor Pluto."
	Ukyou stiffened again.
	"What does she want?" Akira snapped. Her voice was taut with anger.
	"She wants to talk," Artemis said. "Or at least that's what she told me.
Her and Rose... they want to meet you."
	"Alone, I bet," Akira growled. "Don't trust them, Ukyou. They work for
Tethys now."
	"Tethys?" Ukyou asked. "What does she have to do with anything?"
	Akira stood up quickly. "She's calling herself a Dark Queen now. She
runs the Dark Kingdom. Pluto and Rose are her lackeys. Errand girls. Not a
single one of them can be trusted."
	"You certainly sound like you know a lot about them," Artemis pointed
out.
	Akira opened and closed her mouth and looked away, her face flushing.
"I... it's nothing. Water under the bridge. I still say you shouldn't trust
them."
	"Did they ask that I come alone?" Ukyou asked Artemis.
	"Pluto said you could bring as many friends as you want. She told me to
tell you that the two of you need to talk, need to find a way of dealing with
the future laid out before you." He paused and ducked his head. "She sounded
sincere."
	"You knew her, back during the Silver Millennium, right?"
	"Yeah," he responded to Ukyou's question with a nod. "But I can't
remember much from back then. But if you're asking if I trust her because we
used to both work for Queen Serenity..." He paused. There was some sort of
commotion over by the hospital, a couple of women shouting loudly. But it didn't
sound urgent, so he ignored it. "She's working for the people that killed my
Queen. If anything, she's a traitor to everything I've ever stood for." He
lowered his head. "Until we can find Sailor Moon, the Moon Princess... my only
loyalty is to Minako and Ranma.
	"But I believe her. I don't know why. It's a... feeling I have."
	"I'll consider it," Ukyou said. She looked up. "What do you think,
Akira? Me, you, Angel, Ranma, Nabiki... that should be enough to deal with
anything Rose and Pluto could try to ambush us with."
	"I think's it's dumb," Akira pointed out flatly. "Tell them to go fuck
themselves." Ukyou just looked at her. Not a glare or a stare really, just a
calm level look. It seemed to say 'I expect better of you'  Akira sighed. "Why
not take along Shingo, too? I hate to admit it, but with his strength, he's
pretty good in a fight."
	"I don't trust Shingo," Ukyou said calmly.
	"Oh?"
	"Something about his story doesn't ring right." She shrugged. "Like how
he went from being an unathletic kid to the strongest human being in the world
in under seven years, with minimal training and not even as much natural talent
as Akane, much less someone like you or Ranma."
	The commotion was growing closer. There were a lot of women shouting
now. Artemis looked over, frowning as he saw several nurses running out of the
hospital wielding various improvised weapons. Blue Mary and a few other people
he recognised were in the group. They looked pissed. Shingo was chasing after
them, looking worried. They paused, looking around the park as if they had
lost something.
	"Don't get me wrong, he seems like a nice enough guy." Ukyou leaned
back, stretching and arching her back a bit. "But there are a lot of dangerous
things out there. Demons, vampires, the dark kingdom, Chronos... he could have
made a deal with some profound ancient evil and not even have realised it until
it was too late. He still might not..." Ukyou trailed off.
	Artemis looked up and stared. There was something attached to the front
of Ukyou's shirt. It looked, for all the world, liked a shrunken bald old man
wearing a dark purple ninja suit. He was only about twice as big as the moon
cat. Artemis couldn't see his face, since it was currently nuzzled between
Ukyou's breasts. The man was murmuring something about 'sweet' and 'soft'.
	"Uh, Ukyou.... don't look now, but I think there's some... person
attached to your breasts," Akira said slowly.
	Ukyou looked down. Her expression was oddly bemused. "I should have
known I couldn't go through my life without this happening at least once."
	"There he is!" a woman shouted. "Get him!"
	There was a loud roar of approval followed by the charge of many women
heading in this general direction.
	"Up to your old tricks, Happousai?" Ukyou asked conversationally.
	The man looked up from his nuzzling. "Hey, how do you know my name?" he
asked in a dry old voice.
	"You're famous," Ukyou replied dryly.
	They were suddenly surrounded on all sides by a large crowd of women.
Shingo was standing in the back, trying to crane his neck over the crowd and
failing to look innocent.
	"Stay very still, Ukyou," a white-haired girl that Artemis hadn't met
was saying. There was a rasp as she drew a sword that was belted to her thigh.
"We just have to kill that thing on your chest. Won't take a moment. I'm a very
good shot."
	"Looks like I'm not welcome here," Happousai was saying. "Besides, why
make do with oranges when you can have melons?" The man cackled in glee and
flashed through the air. There was a scream as he attached himself to the chest
of the girl with the sword. She began to swing her weapon at him, but somehow he
kept dodging her strikes without ever once taking his hands from her breasts.
	"Impressive, isn't he?" Ukyou asked Akira.
	"How could you stand to be.... fondled like that?" Akira asked. She was
holding her arms around her own chest protectively. The rest of the women were
screaming and trying to help the white-haired girl without much success.
	"Oh..." Ukyou's smile now was filled with pure malice. "Because around
about when I figured out who it was, I sent off a signal with my chi. One that a
friend of ours couldn't help but notice... and if I'm right she should be
arriving about... now."
	"Okay, old man, I think that's just about enough."
	Happousai seemed to jerk, then with a cry of disappointment he leapt off
the white-haired girl's chest and landed just outside the crowd. The crowd
parted as a Japanese woman with short brown hair moved between them. Artemis had
never actually met Nabiki Tendo, but he knew her when he saw her. Plus, she was
radiating more psychic power than he'd felt since the fall of the Silver
Millennium. She was grimacing in disgust.
	"What's going on?" Happousai demanded. He seemed to be trying to do
something, but failing. "Why can't I move?"
	"Because I'm not letting you," Nabiki pointed out, crossing her arms
over her chest protectively. She glared at Ukyou. "You owe me for this. His mind
is like a septic tank."
	"Just hold him," Ukyou asked nicely. She stood up and reached out. The
Silence Glaive materialised in her hand. The weapon gleamed threateningly as
Ukyou walked over to the old man. "I know you're more than capable of healing
yourself from virtually any level of damage. Massive explosions. Savage
beatings. You laugh those off." Ukyou reached out and tapped a nearby rock with
the blade of her weapon. The rock dissolved, unravelling into nothingness with a
menacing hum. "I trust I have your attention then."
	Happousai was suddenly nodding, sweat rolling down his face. Ukyou's
voice was cold, emotionless, implacable.
	"Good. Now, I don't like killing people. So I'm going to give you a
choice. Leave and never come back... or I start selectively vanishing portions
of your anatomy."
	"I think..." Happousai gulped. "The first option sounds fine."
	"I'm glad we understand each other." Ukyou walked back towards the
crowd. "Keep him immobile until they're done with him, would you, Nabiki?"
	"My pleasure," Nabiki growled. The crowd of women smiled nastily and
advanced on Happousai.
	"No fair, no fair! You said I could go!"
	"I never said when," Ukyou pointed out.
	The crowd descended on Happousai and the violence began. Artemis
looked away. Hey, the guy might have been a pervert, and Artemis might have
been a cat, but he was still a man. Some things men should not see.
	"And where are you going?" Nabiki said sweetly, directing her words at
the only other man present. Shingo paused, caught in the middle of trying to
tip-toe away.
	"Uh... nowhere. I was just... drawn to all the screams. Thought I could
help!" He laughed nervously. "But they seem to have it under control so
I'lljustbegoingnowbye!"
	Akira slid in front of him before he could dash away. Her expression was
hard. He sighed and slumped, defeated.
	"What's going on, Nabiki?" Ukyou asked.
	"While I was in that pervert's mind I learned a few things." She glared
at Shingo. "The reason he came here today is because he hadn't gotten his
weekly... tribute. Payment for services rendered, you might say."
	"Payment?" Ukyou blinked.
	"For training Mr. Wonderful here," Nabiki said with a snort. "He agreed
to train Shingo, and Shingo agreed to help him out by stealing panties and
underwear." Nabiki narrowed her eyes. "Except Shingo learned it was easier to
just seduce women and steal their underwear after they'd had sex. I expect most
of the women just thought it was a trophy thing."
	Ukyou blinked. Then she rounded on Shingo sharply. "That's... that's
IT!? That's your big secret?" she roared in disbelief.
	"Uh... yeah..." He nodded his head in shame.
	"That's... that's..." Ukyou threw up her arms. "Not a chance in hell!"
Ukyou walked over and grabbed Shingo by the bicep. "How do you explain THIS,
then? Huh? Superhuman strength! Insane destroy entire skyscrapers strength, huh?
There is NO WAY even Happousai has that kind of strength, let alone this dork!"
	"Hey!" Shingo sounded slightly offended. He pulled his arm free. "Super-
strength? Man, I always thought I was just awesome..."
	"You're magically tainted!" Ukyou said triumphantly.
	Shingo adjusted his shades. "Wow. I guess that magic noodle thing the
master gave me really worked." He rubbed his chin. "Would explain why I have to
shave more often now..."
	Ukyou stared at him, her jaw going slack. "The super soba... oh... for
crying out..." She threw up her hands. "Not a chance in hell!"
	"You keep saying that about him," Akira pointed out.

*

	The sun was rising, turning the sky a deep purple, casting long shadows
from the city across the harbour. The disposal teams were tearing the remains of
the giant beast apart. Akira and Angel found Ukyou on a hill overlooking the
waterfront. It was a small park, surrounded on all sides by houses but with a
magnificent view of the Pacific. Of course, the grim business going on below
ruined the view somewhat. It had taken S.T.A.R.S. most of the day to finish off
the monster, and it would take weeks before the harbour was safe for shipping
again.
	Ukyou wasn't looking down at the water, however. She was sitting with
her back to the Pacific, facing the rising sun. Around her there were cars in
driveways and lights in windows. Because of how high up these bluffs were, they
had been virtually untouched by the miasma and people had been able to move back
in virtually immediately.
	"You shouldn't be out here alone," Akira chided, stopping her cycle on
the street a few meters away from Ukyou. Angel hopped off the back and walked
over to her, keeping her hand on her sword hilt. "There are still people who
would love to see you dead."
	"Indeed," Ukyou replied, running a hand through her hair. "I can take
care of myself, Akira."
	Akira paused before replying. She sighed. "I know, I'm just worried
about you. When I woke up you had left your room at the hospital..."
	"I didn't sleep." Ukyou shrugged. It was chilly this morning, but Ukyou
didn't seem to notice. Angel clenched her jacket a little tighter. "I needed to
think, after yesterday."
	"Yeah, I guess it was kinda hectic," Angel said in a near whisper.
"Still, you worried us both."
	"You too?" Ukyou looked at the woman. Angel's golden tattoos gleamed in
the purple sunrise. "I thought Akira dragged you out of bed to find me."
	"Nah." Angel frowned. "I didn't sleep either. I was..." She coughed. "I
was staying up. Keeping an eye on your room. Making certain noone tried to sneak
in."
	Ukyou considered that for a moment. "Thank you."
	"I... it's the least I can do." Angel looked away. "After what you did
yesterday, I needed to... to do something."
	"I didn't do anything, Angel," Ukyou pointed out. "Minako killed Rip Van
Winkle. The S.T.A.R.S. defeated the monster in the harbour."
	"But you... you... you saved Minako's life!" Angel insisted.
	"I guess. I pulled her off the edge."
	"No! I SAW it. You didn't just pull her up... I saw the wound she took.
There was a hole the size of my fist in her stomach. Noone could have survived
that. But later... she was barely injured. YOU did it."
	Ukyou looked at her. Then she ducked her head. "I think you're right.
I... it was like the time in the warehouse with the Dolls. I DID something. I'm
not even sure what."
	"You... you have a power beyond anything mortal! You can decide who
lives and who dies!" Angel wasn't shouting, but her words were intense,
focused... almost feverish.
	"No, I can't, Angel," Ukyou replied.
	"But you..."
	"Let it be, Angel," Akira recommended gently, placing a hand on the
shorter girl's shoulder. Angel swallowed whatever she had been about to say and
walked a few steps away.
	"I..." Ukyou looked down at her hand. "It seems so big. If I go to talk
to Pluto... it will be about the fate of the entire universe. The prophecy...
the one every psychic, every real psychic in the world saw. One day, I will
destroy everything." Angel was looking at her. Ukyou looked up. "It's just seems
so... ridiculous..."
	Then she blinked, and her eyes focused on the tip of her nose. Akira
frowned, wondering what she saw. Then she saw them, too. Tiny white flakes,
drifting down from the sky. Snow? She held out her hand and felt the tiny cold
touch of them drifting onto her hands. Every moment, the snow grew thicker,
until it was coming down in gentle sheets.
	"I didn't think it ever snowed this far south," Angel said, her voice
filled with wonder.
	"I guess... anything's possible?" Akira said, closing her eyes and
letting the snow hit her face. It was a welcome change from the oppressive heat
of Southtown, anyway.
	Then Ukyou was laughing. Akira's eyes flew open. She had never heard
Ukyou laugh, really laugh, before. But she was laughing now. She was standing
up, spinning and walking slowly through the drifting snow. She was smiling, her
eyes flashing with genuine joy. She turned slowly, her long hair trailing behind
her. She looked so beautiful, Akira's breath caught in her throat.
	Akira took a step forward, then stopped herself. Angel was looking at
Ukyou curiously. The brown-haired girl stopped and spun to face them. "You're
right, Akira. Anything is possible." She laughed, a sound without worry or care.
"I've been so afraid. So afraid for so long that I forgot what it felt like
to... to not be afraid anymore." She wasn't spinning, she was dancing. Her
movements were graceful, sublime. "It feels so wonderful."
	"I..." Akira didn't want to ruin the moment, but she had to ask. "But
what happened? Nothing's changed from five minutes ago..."
	"I know, I KNOW!" Ukyou ran over and tweaked her nose. Akira blinked,
taken off balance as Ukyou danced back. "Isn't it fantastic? I never realised it
before... but NOTHING HAS CHANGED!"
	"Huh?" Angel crossed her arms. "What do you mean?"
	Ukyou looked at her, deciding how to say it. Finally she turned and
pointed to what seemed like a random house. "In that house there is a young
married couple. They have two children. Last night, he came home and found out
she had been sleeping with another man." She paused. "Right now, he's sitting up
alone in his den, drinking hard liquor. He's trying to decide if he should
divorce her, or stay for the sake of the children."
	"That sounds kinda mundane," Angel mused. "I don't see the point."
	"That's IT, that's it exactly!" Ukyou crowed. "I don't see the point,
either! But to that man, that man over there... that decision is everything.
Yesterday, a giant monster attacked his hometown. Five thousand sailors died.
Downtown was reduced to rubble by us. And this has been going on for seven
years! Martial artists, zoanoids, vampires... the world is full of gods and
monsters... and for him none of that is as important as the decisions he's
making right now."
	Ukyou looked down at her hands. "What if there is no point? What if
there is no reason? I've been so worried about what was behind this all, what
the meaning of it all is... my place in the universe." She looked up, and her
eyes were filled with tears. Not sad tears, tears of joy. "All of my life, all
of the battles I've fought... To that man over there, it means nothing! And what
if it does mean nothing? Nothing at all..."
	"That's insane!" Angel suddenly shouted, stepping towards Ukyou. her
face was full of... rage. Hate. "You can't compare your life to that of... some
meaningless man!" She gestured wildly. "All of these people... they are the
nothing! You... you're special. You're CHOSEN!" Angel snarled. "Have you seen
the effect you have on the world? Akira once told me you were like a hurricane,
and she was right. But it doesn't even catch the magnitude... you affect
everyone around you! You change the world just by breathing! How can you say you
mean nothing, when you do that?"
	"Angel, I think you should calm down..." Akira flinched back as Angel
swatted her hand away.
	"Don't tell me to calm down!" Angel was crying now. She turned back to
Ukyou. "You have to mean something! You're... like a god! My family died... good
people died... it has to mean something! IT HAS TO!"
	"Are you looking to me for answers, Angel?" Ukyou replied calmly.
"Because I don't have them. I have power. I realise that now. I can change the
world. I can kill, and I can give life." She looked around. "I spotted that
monster in time, and not a single civilian died. I saved Minako's life. I also
killed hundreds, thousands of people as Bison's slave..."
	"That wasn't you!" Akira protested.
	"Yes it was," Ukyou snapped back. "I knew what would happen when I
surrendered to him. Every life Lotus Infinite took is on my conscience." She
smiled then, a grim smile, but a smile nonetheless. "And I could save a million,
a billion lives and it will never make up for what I did." She turned and looked
at the houses again. "But maybe it doesn't have to. Maybe..." She sighed. "I
don't know. I think I'm on the edge of something here..."
	"I can't stand this," Angel snapped. She turned away. "You're
disrespecting the lives of everyone that died so that we could be here today.
How can you do that?" Then she ran. Akira tried to stop her, but she was gone in
a golden blur before Akira could reach her.
	"It's okay..." Ukyou placed a hand on her shoulder. "She'll be back."
	"I... don't understand." Akira looked at her. "How can that make you
feel better? Angel has a point, it does sound like you don't care about anything
that's happened up till now..."
	"No." Ukyou looked at her. "I do care, Akira. I care a lot. Maybe too
much." She paused. "But here's the thing. I've been afraid. Seven years ago, I
thought the world was coming to an end. I saw everything spiralling out of
control. I saw Chronos and Millennium coming out of the shadows, I saw death
cults and monsters and entire nations die... I thought it was all over. It's
hard to explain, Akira. I was looking at this entire world and I was seeing
things I thought - no, that I KNEW couldn't exist together coming together. I
saw a war brewing, I saw Armageddon. And from all I was seeing, I was a pivotal
part of that. Everyone kept coming at me, talking about the prophecy, or my
hidden power, or something... Everywhere I turned I became the centre of it all
and I was convinced, utterly convinced that I was. That this universe was all
about me. That I was going to stand on a plain one day and I was going to have
to make a choice and my choice would be wrong. Because I'm human. Because I'm
not a god. I'm just a woman.
	"And I gave in. I let go. I made the wrong choice. But you know what?
The world didn't end. There are still people worried about marital affairs.
There are still nasty old perverts like Happousai, and punks like Shingo. The
world didn't turn into hell. Oh, there's problems. But there has always been
problems, Akira. There always has, and there always will be. Mankind has had
problems long before I came around and it will have problems long after I'm
gone.
	"Things have a way of working out. If you had told me seven years ago
that YOU, you of all people would defy everyone... would fight past a killing
machine like Rip Van Winkle, defy Nabiki, Bison... defy everything you'd ever
been told and seen and somehow save me, I wouldn't have believed it. Because I
didn't save myself, Akira. You did. You changed the world. You changed the
future. And if you can do it... why not others? Why do I have to be the only one
that can save the world, or destroy it? Why should only my choices matter?
	"And that's what I just realised. No matter how big it seems to me, no
matter how special or important it seems... it's all the same. Nothing has
changed. For all my struggle and pain life has gone on, and WILL go on. Maybe
someday I will be on the field, and I will be facing a force so twisted and
wrong I will be tempted to destroy everything... but so what? I'm through being
afraid of the choices I haven't even made yet. I'm through worrying about the
things I can't do anything about."
	She turned to Akira, who stood there, stunned silent. "This is my life.
I'll just play with the cards I've been dealt and let the rest fall where they
may. Because, in the end, there is no grand plan. Just people. And I can live
with that." She smiled and patted Akira on the shoulder again. "Come on, let's
get back to the hospital before we catch a cold or something humiliating like
that."
	Akira looked down at her, and nodded wordlessly.
	The ride back to the hospital was silent, but somehow comfortable. The
snow continued to fall as they drove through the empty streets. They reached the
hospital and started in, but they hadn't even come up to the door when a man
came running down the steps. He was middle-aged, with short brown hair and wore
thin spectacles. He was dressed in a brown casual suit.
	"Ukyou, thank heavens... I was afraid..."
	"It's okay, Doc..." Ukyou smiled. "Apparently a lot of people were
worried about me this morning."
	"I see, yes..." He paused. "Ukyou, I have to talk to you. I came as soon
as I got the results but you weren't in your room. I was about to call
security..."
	"Tofu, relax!" Ukyou touched his arm once and he took a deep breath.
"What is it? What results?"
	"The tests we did on you. I finally got all the results back in." Tofu
looked at Akira, and his mouth tightened slightly. "Maybe we should go
inside..."
	"If you need to be alone..." Akira began to step away.
	Ukyou reached out and grabbed her shoulder. Her grip was tight. "No.
Stay. Something's wrong."
	"Ukyou, I think I should tell you this alone."
	"I want her here," Ukyou pointed out. "Akira... is the only person who
never gave up on me. If it's something bad Bison did to me, I want her to know."
	Tofu paused and looked between the two of them. Then he sighed and
nodded. "Okay... Ukyou. I... I don't know how to say this." He pinched his nose.
"All the tests are definitive. Hormone levels. Catscans. Physical exams. The
evidence is conclusive."
	"Stop beating around the bush and say it," Ukyou said, her voice cold.
	"Ukyou... about three years ago you were pregnant. According to all our
tests, it appears you carried the baby to term and gave birth a little over two
years ago."

*

	Angel punched down the wall.  It broke into a satisfying amount of
chunks, many of which flew on to impact the small house behind with much
crashing and rising dust.  Normally she might have been a twinge wary about
committing as much property damage as she was right now, but nobody would be
even able to tell the difference between the damage Angel had caused and the
damage from the battle yesterday.
	Leaping up to the roof, Angel kicked the chimney, which disintegrated
into its component bricks as it hurtled through the air, splashing into a pond
half a block away.  Then, feeling ever so slightly less frustrated, she sat down
at the ridge of the roof.
	"Idiot!" she muttered ferociously.  She wondered if she was referring to
herself, or Ukyou.  Either.  Both.
	Ukyou WAS like Chris. She knew it.  She saw it.  All the others, they
were every bit as much Ukyou's followers as she or Link was to Chris.  Even
Akira, who had been so determined and willful when she and Angel had travelled
together, deferred to Ukyou with hardly a murmur.  Even Nabiki.  Nabiki Tendo!
The infamous queen of the underworld!  And she didn't like Ukyou either, any
idiot could see that. But she still followed the girl's lead as faithfully as
any other.
	Ukyou could tell them tomorrow that she was going to Germany to
single-handedly take out Millennium, and Angel would bet anything Akira and
Nabiki would follow her.  She was like Him.  She was unworldly.  She pulled
ordinary people along in her wake without even trying.
	And yet...
	She was nothing like Chris.  It wasn't just her appearance or powers or
demeanour.  It was that it was so easy for Angel to forget what she was.  It
hadn't been until after the fight with the vampire had been over for nearly half
an hour that Angel, mortified, had realised that she'd argued with Ukyou's
plans, called her insane, made sarcastic comments... treated her like she might
have treated Akira.
	And then there'd been the argument she'd just run from.
	"Idiot," she muttered again, and this time knew she meant herself.
She'd almost given the game away.  She could hardly have done any worse if she'd
screamed 'I work for a different god' at them.  Thankfully, hopefully, with the
stress everybody had been under, maybe they wouldn't think too much about it.
She'd go back, and apologise, and try to remember to stop treating Ukyou as if
she was some ordinary human being.
	And yet... Angel clenched her fists, almost itching to channel her Fire
Chakra and do more damage. It was infuriating. It was like Ukyou was forsaking
her responsibility.  It made her so angry...
	No.  It wasn't that.  It was that she didn't UNDERSTAND that made her so
angry.  Angel sighed and relaxed, unclenching her fists.  In the seven years
since she'd met Him, Angel thought she had come, at least as close as any human
could, to understanding Chris.  To at least understanding how He thought.  At
least He was logical.  He was a god, and He thought like a god.  He thought
calmly, and dispassionately, and long-term.  It wasn't that He didn't care about
things, like Angel, but He never let them interfere with what had to be done.
	That was something Angel could respect.  That was something Angel had
learned to live with.  Angel had always known that if she ever failed on a
mission, Chris would never risk compromising His secrets to rescue her.  Not
because He didn't want to, but because the goals He sought were more important
than a single life. Any life.  And in a strange way, that always made Angel feel
better about the job she did for Him.
	But Ukyou obviously didn't think anything like Chris.  She didn't think
anything like a god ought to.  She was just like Him, and nothing like Him.
	And the hell of it all was, it wasn't that Angel really wanted to
disagree with her or hate her for what she'd said.  Not really.  If Akira had
said that, she'd understand.  Not agree, but understand.
	But Ukyou wasn't Akira!  She wasn't like Angel or Nabiki or anyone else!
That's not how SHE should think!
	Angel stood up with a grimace.  This was just getting her worked up
again.  She needed to fight.  Or drink.  Or flirt with Shingo, though knowing
his 'secret' had killed a lot of his appeal.  But she needed to stop sitting
here and thinking about all this.  It was too big for her anyway.  She'd just
wait and find out what to do from-
	"Angel."
	Him.
	Angel gave a quick glance around, but the section of the city she was in
was still essentially deserted, which was why she'd been wrecking it in the
first place.
	"Are you alone?" His voice whispered into her ear again.
	"Yes," she said, removing the earring and activating the full link.
Chris's holographic image snapped into place.  He was alone, this time, sitting
in His chair.  "I'm glad to see you're back."
	He smiled slightly. "I've been busy.  Events are moving at their fastest
pace in the world since seven years ago.  But you'll find out all about that
soon enough.  What do you have to report?"
	Angel summarised the events of the last few weeks, Chris nodding along
as she spoke.  He already knew most of it, Angel could tell.  But He still
listened with interest to her perspective on events, as He always did.
	"Excellent work," He said when she had finished. "And the destruction of
Rip Van Winkle is a pleasant surprise.  The world is certainly a little better
without her in it."
	Angel dipped her head slightly. "I apologise for losing my cool earlier
with Ukyou."
	He waved that aside. "Don't worry about it.  Link was just being catty
by mentioning it to you the way she did, anyway."  The corner of His mouth
twitched upwards. "Besides, I wouldn't blame anybody for losing their temper at
Ukyou.  She's often very irritating."
	Angel didn't quite know what to say to that, so she merely waited for
any further orders.  A moment later, Chris's momentary good humour evapourated
as He leaned forward, expression becoming serious.
	"Angel, after what happened today, Ukyou and her friends will be heading
to Bisonopolis."
	Angel blinked. "She will?  After what Bison did to her?  I wouldn't
think so..."
	"Trust me.  I know Ukyou very well."
	Angel nodded. "Should I follow them?"
	"Yes.  And when you reach there, I will have a duty for you."
	Angel didn't ask what He meant by that.  There was only one type of task
Chris called a 'duty'.  "Who?"
	He pursed His lips, considering, then shook His head.  "I'm afraid it
wouldn't be prudent to tell you just yet.  You'll be travelling with Nabiki
Tendo, and while your tattoos should be keeping her from reading you, there's no
telling what she might still pick up on."
	"I understand," Angel said.  Her throat was dry.  Of course, she'd
always known this was a likely reason she was here.  Would it be Nabiki?  Ukyou
herself?  Or would it be... Angel grimaced. "I'll be ready."
	"Don't worry.  I have the utmost faith in you, as always.  Take care of
yourself, be watchful, and I'll speak to you again when you reach Bisonopolis."
	Then His image flickered out, leaving Angel alone with her thoughts.


				To Be Continued...


Epsilon: Welcome back to the Ukyou angsting!

Blade: Did you miss it!?!

Epsilon: I'll bet you did! I'll bet you missed it like cirrhosis of the liver!

Blade: Fortuitously, unlike cirrhosis of the liver it has been cured forever. If
Ukyou angsts again I personally vow to butcher one of her friends per chapter
until morale improves.

Epsilon: Ixnay! You're giving away the plot!

Blade: Nah. If I was going to do that, then I'd tell them how Bison has taken
Ukyou's daughter and sent her to Hattori Nutrition College, where she is
drawing upon her mother's genetic legacy of culinary excellence to become a
master cook.

Epsilon: Ah yes. And about the final dramatic show-down between mother and
daughter on Iron Chef.

Blade: But we're not going to give away the plot.

Epsilon: Or WILL we?


*

	"You know, when I heard that you managed to escape, I never thought I'd
see you again," Cracker Jack explained. He was leaning back in the shadows, the
soft red glow of his cigarette making it so that only the lower half of his face
was visible. He spoke with a sort of candid aplomb, as if he was discussing
nothing more important than the weather or the bus schedule. "Like the other
three we lost. I just assumed that nothing in the world would drag you back
here. There were a few days there where I actually missed you, you know?" He
plucked the red ember from his mouth and smiled. "But BISON never doubted. That
was why there was never anyone sent off to get you. You'd be back. That was what
we were told."


			Hybrid Theory Chapter 25: Part Of Me