The characters contained within this story are owned by Takahashi 
Rumiko and Takeuchi Naoko. No infringement of copyright is intended. 
This work to be distributed for free, unchanged, crediting the current 
author.

Thanks to my pre-readers:
Ben
aevan			  http://aevan.virtualave.net
Kevin D. Hammel     http://www.anime.sobhrach.com/~khammel/
Blood Blade         http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Towers/5920
Mike Rever
Robert MacNab


This story is dedicated to the letter F and the number 8.


Visit my website at
dzillman@ozemail.com.au
http://www.ozemail.com.au/~dzillman/fire
                          _________________
                         /                 \
                         | Destiny's Child |
                         \_________________/


---------------------------------
Epilogue 1: A Learning Experience
---------------------------------


"I'm home!"

The door slammed, and Michiru was just in time turning around to be 
able to catch a bundle of black haired energy as it tried to run past 
her. The smaller girl's hug was not exactly what would be called 
enthusiastic, but it she was no longer struggling to get away like she 
had yesterday. It was still only two days since Michiru's worst 
nightmare had come to life, and now she was just glad that she could 
hold onto some of the happiness that she had one had.

Two days ago, Michiru's world had come crashing down in chaos. 
Awakening to a shout, she and Haruka had been treated to the idea that 
their dear foster child Hotaru had been killed in cold blood by her 
brother. The fact that she herself was going to be dead soon after that 
made little difference - almost comforting really - but the thought of 
her beloved Haruka dying had turned the knife in the open wound of her 
soul.

Michiru had survived the torturous six hours that followed as Setsuna 
and Haruka tried think of a way they could defuse the bomb that 
threatened them, but she was more dead than alive the whole time. 
Losing Hotaru had hurt her more than she could comprehend, and the only 
thing that had brought her back to the world was when that same girl - 
presumed dead - walked into the room.

Seeing Hotaru alive and having her save all three of the Outer Senshi 
from certain death was enough to break the last bastions of Michiru's 
mental defences. Holding Hotaru in her arms like she was clinging to a 
life preserver, Michiru had cried in earnest, sobbing uncontrollably 
even as Hotaru had tried to talk. It had taken hours to her calm her 
down, and hours more before Hotaru, Mars and Sailor Moon had been able 
to explain things.

Michiru would have believed what Hotaru told her without needing the 
other two girls there, but her spouse and occasional housemate 
definitely needed the support of the Inners' calm voices. Calm voices 
that sometimes were the only source of reason in the room. Michiru 
would never forget the brief moment where Sailor Moon stepped between 
Sailor Pluto and Sailor Saturn. Both held weapons crackling with barely 
contained energy, and each wanted to kill the other. Only when Sailor 
Moon risked her life did Sailor Pluto finally raise her weapon and 
disappear into the time stream. Saturn had silently morphed back into 
Hotaru, glaring at everyone in anger until Michiru had picked her up 
and placed her on her lap. 

Hotaru had been so startled by that action she had not reacted for 
several precious moments; at least, they had been precious to Michiru. 
Overcoming her shock at still being treated like a little girl, Hotaru 
had slapped Michiru and leapt back to her feet. It had not been a hard 
blow, but the meaning was clear enough to everyone: she might look like 
Hotaru, but this little girl was someone else entirely.

That simple act of rebellion seemed to calm Hotaru, in many ways it 
seemed to shock her as much as it had shocked Michiru. No matter what 
their thoughts on that matter, it did quiet everyone for a while, and 
allow Rei to talk. Rei needed to be the one doing the talking, because 
she both knew everything and was not as blinded by emotion as everyone 
else in the room. Unfortunately, it was also at that time that Sailor 
Moon needed to leave. Without Sailor Pluto, there was little danger of 
her Senshi killing each other, and since she was still an ordinary girl 
with parents that worried, Sailor Moon had bid them a good night and 
wished Rei the best in mending relations.

It was from that point on that everyone had finally gotten the 
explanations out into the air and everything was cleared up. It had all 
been so confusing, it still was, but Michiru understood one thing: 
things would never be the same. The girl she loved and had raised as a 
baby was gone. Intellectually she admitted that Ranma had every right 
to be angry and confused, but it did not help the pain. 

When night had fallen, Hotaru had left with Rei, and it was like 
watching a piece of their life walk into the darkness. Michiru and 
Haruka had both invested so much love and time with the child, it hurt 
so much to see her walk out on them. Michiru had cried almost 
continuously for two hours after that.

She was still holding onto her partner and sniffling when there was a 
soft knock on the door late that night. When Haruka opened the door, it 
revealed someone that they were not entirely sure that they would see 
again; Ranma, in his boy form. He was tall, proud and strong, but there 
was something in his eyes... A pain, a loss, a recognition of the truth 
perhaps.

He had looked at both Michiru and Haruka, and Michiru could feel her 
heart break all over again. Just looking into his eyes, she could see 
that he understood their confusion and loss. From the way that he stood 
in the doorway and nervously shuffled, it was obvious he was not 
entirely sure why he was there either. As the silence stretched and 
became unbearable, Haruka had eventually forced herself to start 
speaking.

"Ranma---" 

"I ain't calling you 'Mama' and 'Papa'... I was just wondering... Can 
I... Can I stay here tonight?"

They had both nodded with some trepidation, but Ranma had simply come 
in and walked off to his room. They had not stopped him, nor had they 
even tried to ask him what had brought him back. It was her fear that 
had not allowed her to question it, but somehow, Michiru hoped that her 
daughter was still with them somehow, and she felt something for them 
still. All Michiru really wanted then was for Ranma to change back into 
Hotaru and call her "Michiru-mama" like she once had, but the girl was 
quite certain that would not happen any day soon.

Blinking her eyes, Michiru realised that she was still holding Hotaru, 
and both of them were in the house. A small, gentle finger raised to 
her face and gently brushed across her cheek removing a trail of 
moisture.

"Don't cry, Michiru-san. Things aren't that bad."

Michiru strengthened her hug for a moment then set the girl down, 
ruffling her hair. This Hotaru was not the same one that they had 
raised, that was evident to everyone. She was too tall, too mature, too 
wise in the ways of the world. Far too wise in the ways of fighting and 
death for the cherished child of Kaiou Michiru. Maybe others could not 
see it, but when Michiru looked into this eyes of this adult in a 
child's body, she could see her daughter. 

She had never asked Ranma or Hotaru what made her come back that night. 
Nor had she ever questioned why the girl wanted to stay with them. 
Somehow, to do so would be tempting fate, and Michiru counted herself 
satisfied that she could have Hotaru back with her in whatever form the 
girl took. 

Although she had meant well, Hotaru's recent gesture was another spike 
through her heart. Michiru's child might have done exactly the same 
thing, but she would not have called Michiru by her name. It was always 
"Mama", more familiar, closer, friendlier. Knowing that she could not 
have everything in the world, Michiru put on a happy - if slightly 
strained face - and smiled back.

"Hey, what are you doing hanging around in the kitchen with us old 
women? Don't you have a hot date with Rei-chan tonight?"

Hotaru blushed and playfully slapped Michiru's hand. "Hey, it's not 
like that! Tonight they're going to introduce me to the rest of the 
Senshi. You ought to know that, you're going to be there!"

Michiru turned Hotaru around and pushed her towards the living room. 
"Yes, but we're going later. Now go say hello to Haruka and get 
changed."

Without a sound, Hotaru dashed through the house. Michiru sighed. 
Tonight would be difficult. Not because of Sailor Saturn; she knew that 
Hotaru or Ranma would be able to control themselves. It was Setsuna 
that worried her. The Guardian of Time had not deigned to show her face 
in the last two days, and it worried Michiru that Setsuna might be 
planning something against Saturn. But if Setsuna set herself against 
the newest Senshi, Michiru knew which side she and Haruka would take. 
It would be a definite blow to the team if they had to do without the 
Time Senshi. But blood is thicker than water, and even if the new 
Hotaru was not as much her daughter as she once was, Michiru would 
still fight for her to her last breath.

Leaving her foster mother behind, Hotaru dodged a couple of walls and 
sprinted straight at Haruka. The fact that Haruka was sitting on the 
couch reading a newspaper, and there was a wide coffee table separating 
them did not make any difference to her. Just before she hit the table, 
Hotaru launched herself into the air and over the obstacles. Haruka 
spotted her in mid air, but before she could even drop her paper, 
Hotaru had passed overhead, doing a brief handstand on the blonde hair 
to give her the final spin she needed for a perfect landing.

While the carpet was still flexing from the impact of her white cotton 
clad feet, Hotaru threw her arms around the blonde girls neck, lightly 
applying a choke hold. "Come on, Haruka. You said you were supposed to 
be good at martial arts. Anyone could have attacked you then. What 
could you be reading that's so interesting?"

Haruka cleared her throat and smiled a little as Hotaru released her 
hold. The idea of herself as a father figure to Hotaru had been blown 
out the window, and she had wondered if there was any place for her in 
the strange family that was struggling to find its form. Since that 
night, she and Ranma had not really talked to each other. Glad that 
Hotaru had been the one to make the gesture, Haruka kept her tone 
light, just for the hope of being able to find some sort of common 
ground with the latest Senshi.

"Just keeping up on the latest race results."

"Car racing _again_? You're going to be able to come to the park this 
weekend, aren't you?"

"The park? But I thought..."

"What? Just because I've regained my memories doesn't mean I can't 
enjoy getting some exercise, can it?"

Haruka grinned. She knew that Michiru still felt that their girl was 
inside this new person, and now maybe she was beginning to agree. A 
phone call to Rei and Chibi-Usa yesterday told her that Ranma and 
Hotaru had been lively, youthful, irreverent and full of energy, but 
she somehow could not get past the idea that someone four hundred years 
old should act differently. Then again, they had met Saturn Knight on 
several occasions, and he did not seem to be the all wise, all knowing 
person that Haruka expected of someone that had spent centuries in 
various monasteries. 

"Oh, I suppose in that case you think that you could take me in a 
wresting match now, just because you've gained a few inches. Hmmm?"

Hotaru laughed. This was better, Haruka had been far too serious for 
the last couple of days. "Well, I was going to change and show you what 
a real man can do, but I suppose you need every advantage you can get."

Coughs and splutters shook the broad shoulders under Hotaru's arms. 
That jab about Haruka's sex and her attraction to Michiru was almost 
enough to get her angry, but she decided to take it in the tone that it 
was meant. 

"You what?! Leave that eight foot walking stick of yours at home, old 
woman, and I'll show you a thing or two."

Hotaru released her, one arm brushing almost absently across Haruka's 
shoulder as the small girl walked away. Halfway across the room, Hotaru 
paused. She hesitated a couple of times, the finally flashed a smile. 
"Thank you, Haruka-san."

Raising her left hand, Haruka gently touched the spot on her neck where 
their skin had touched. Her little girl was still alive. She was Ranma, 
but... but she was still their Hotaru. Tossing down the paper, Haruka 
walked into the kitchen. Maybe Michiru had a better idea what was going 
on than her.

In her room, Hotaru sat on the end of the bed and looked at her 
reflection in the mirror. It was a girl's face, girl's body and girl's 
clothes, but somehow that did not matter as much to her anymore. Ever 
since she had become Sailor Saturn, she realised that she did not 
really mind being a girl. Not any more; she was part girl now, she knew 
it was well within her abilities to force the shape changing magic to 
only respond to freezing water, but somehow that seemed wrong. She was 
a boy at heart, but Hotaru found that she no longer minded being a 
girl.

Of course, that was not to say that she fancied boys or anything. Like 
her disturbing 'parents', Ranma firmly believed that he only had 
interest in girls, but he saw himself in a different light to them. For 
him it was natural, for them... For them, it was a lifestyle choice. 
That was what Rei called it, and if he could not understand it, well, 
they were not hurting him with it, so he would not hurt them about it.

Gently placing her fingers on the mirror, Hotaru traced the outlines of 
her face, no longer wondering who the woman was that drowned in the 
spring to give her this body. She knew who she used to be, so much of 
that was clear to her now. All that remained was to try and understand 
who she was in the present.

After he had explained everything to Haruka and Michiru, Ranma had gone 
back to the temple with Rei. They had a spare room there, she had said, 
you can stay as long as you like. He had almost taken her up on the 
offer, but something stopped him. He had not been able to explain to 
Rei why he had needed to go back to the Outers' home that night. Last 
night he had again tried to tell her why he was staying there, but it 
was not until this afternoon that he truly understood his own 
motivation. 

He loved Rei. Ranma knew that deep in his heart. He knew it with all 
his soul. He also knew that she loved him, and that someday - when she 
was ready - he would ask and they would be married. His not wanting to 
live with her now had nothing to do with that at all. Certainly, he was 
a little tense after four hundred years, but after waiting that long, 
he could wait as long as she needed to be ready.

This afternoon he realised that his motivation for staying here was not 
from the love of a man and a woman, it was the love of a family. He 
might be four hundred years old, and he might have only lived with 
Haruka and Michiru for the last four months, but he could remember them 
all so clearly. Those four months were the most enjoyable months he 
could remember since he had lived with Akane.

Living with the Outers was so simple, so pure. He loved them, and they 
loved him. There were no secrets, no hiding who he was, no questionable 
motivations. They were a family, with each and every person loving each 
other. That was why he had to come back here. Not just for the pain 
that his leaving would cause the girls, but for the pain it would cause 
him. Their family was so perfect, to lose it would be a crime. 

What they once had was gone. There was no bringing it back. Not now, 
not tomorrow, never. However, Ranma fervently believed that they could 
make something else. Something different, but still good. It would need 
work, care and nourishing, but he could see them becoming a family of 
sorts again, maybe a similar sort of family to the Inner Senshi; Queen 
Serenity had described them as being all sisters in some way. Ranma 
knew that their efforts to make this new family would not be in vain. 
Mixed with his other memories, they already had the basics, a level of 
love and understanding that went beyond description: the love of a 
little girl and her parents.

That was why he had reacted so violently when he received his memories 
back. Something this perfect cannot exist, they told him. This much 
happiness and love is just not possible. If it is not possible, and it 
is not real, then it must have been a deliberate effort to deceive him. 
That was what had hurt him the most, the memory of having something so 
perfect, only to have it stolen away and shown as a deception.

Even when he had found out the truth, he had still tried to deny it, 
clinging to the comfortable reality that he was used to. To accept the 
idea that he had just tried to kill his foster parents, to accept the 
idea that he had caused so much pain to people who loved him; it was 
almost too much to bear.

Getting up from the bed, Hotaru began to undress. She kept a small 
kettle in her bedroom, so warm water was always on hand. As Hotaru grew 
into Ranma, he smirked and flexed his muscles; the mirror told him he 
looked much better as a guy than a girl: check out those biceps! 
Dragging a shirt over his head, Ranma began hunting around for a set of 
pants that would fit him. He knew that he had put them here 
somewhere...

Family...

Ranma liked that word. It rolled off the tongue, it said whole worlds 
of information in just the one word. Family... Walking down the hall so 
he could get back to the kitchen, he reflected that 'family' was enough 
reason in itself to stay here. Theirs was no ordinary family but it was 
no less real.

Like any family, they would have their disagreements; their ups and 
downs. He felt like a lost relative coming back, a prodigal child 
returning. He was confused about so many things, not the least of them 
was his "parents". He knew so many conflicting facts about them, it was 
hard to sort out what was right. Relying on his emotions was no better, 
since he had blind desires to both kill them and trust them implicitly. 
Just sorting out what he felt about them was something that would take 
time, but it would be worth it in the end.

When he reached the kitchen, Haruka and Michiru were busy talking, so 
he kept his footsteps light so as not to disturb. Before they both 
realised what was happening, he gathered them into a hug and held on 
tight. Holding the two women, he was pleasantly surprised when they not 
only failed to flinch, but they returned the hug equally. Ranma was not 
sure why he had done it, this was certainly the first time that he had 
initiated any sort of emotional contact with them, but it felt right. 

Even friends could hug each other, right?

As they stood in the kitchen, each held the other and understood better 
how things were. Hotaru was no longer their daughter, and they were no 
longer his parents. He was their daughter, their brother, their best 
friend, their wise uncle and aunt all rolled into one. To him, they 
were parents, friends, and equals. Age was not an issue; they were all 
likely to live for longer than they would wish to count. His sex did 
not matter; he changed it as easily as heating a cup of water.

What mattered was time, understanding, and love. They were a family, 
and that was all they needed now. Time would lead to understanding, and 
with understanding would come the love that they all desired. For now, 
each would be content that they were together and working towards a 
better future.

*	*	*

Walking into the Hikawa Shrine, Ranma ruminated on how such simple 
things could become so complex. Since Queen Serenity had needed her 
Senshi form's speed to get to the Shrine last time, then staying that 
way until she left the Outers' home, Ranma had never actually seen the 
girl behind the disguise magic. To add to the confusion, when Hotaru 
and Rei had been trying to explain things to the Outers initially, 
there was so much concern over killing each other and Hotaru's survival 
that Ranma's true form did not even rate a mention until after the 
Queen left.

Knowing that he needed to decently introduce himself to his team mates, 
Ranma had asked Rei to organise a meeting with the Inner Senshi. 
Surprisingly enough, it had been the fire Senshi herself that had 
recommended waiting an extra day. Looking back on it, Rei's suggestion 
that he spend the day trying to understand his feelings for the Outers 
had been time well spent. He had reached an understanding now. He was 
surer of himself, more in control now that his memories had had enough 
time to settle down and merge cleanly. 

Of course, the Inners had reacted in a manner entirely predictable to 
anyone who knew them. Even the studious Ami had insisted on a party for 
their newest member. Rei had not been forthcoming about Ranma's dual 
identity, simply saying that Ranma was back in her life, and Sailor 
Saturn had recovered her memories. Sailor Mars was clearly enjoying 
being the only one in possession of all the facts, and although she 
would never admit it to anyone, she could understand how omniscience 
had easily become addictive to Sailor Pluto.

"A party..." Ranma said as he walked into the shrine. He might have 
spent hardly any time here in the last four months, but he still 
remembered every stone and every piece of wood. 

A slow smile brightened his face as he walked to the front door. "A 
party sounds just right."

When Rei slid the door open, she was wearing a very familiar red dress. 
It was ankle length, and tight in all the right places. It showed 
nothing indecent, but somehow it seemed to offer the suggestion of 
everything it went to such precise efforts to conceal. 

"Whoo... Ahh..." Ranma chuckled nervously for a moment. "I think that 
means I got the measurements right."

"Come here, you. You made me wait all day yesterday for this, so..." 
Showing that she was the bolder of the two, Rei engulfed Ranma in a 
hug, holding him against her tightly. For four months she had learned 
to live with her feelings, hoping that they would diminish in time, 
only to learn that they did not. Now she had Ranma back in her life, 
she did not intend to lose him. If it meant that she needed to be open 
and honest about her feelings so that he would never be tempted to find 
solace in Ukyo's or Makoto's or even Shampoo's arms, it was something 
she could easily live with.

Placing a hand softly on the side of her face, Ranma moved away from 
her slightly. He moved slowly, sure and experienced in the arts of 
being with someone you loved. When he bent his head down, Rei looked up 
at him and smiled, closing her eyes, losing herself in the warmth of 
his mouth and his love. The kiss was warm, tender and gentle. It was 
not urgent or demanding; they had an eternity to explore their 
feelings. It was love, commitment, and companionship.

Breaking for air, Ranma again held Rei close to him. He smiled ruefully 
when he noticed that they were still standing in her doorway, an open 
spectacle for anyone that came to the shrine. Not that it mattered, of 
course, but he liked to know when he was on display.

"What time are the others coming?"

Rei smiled even more, closing her eyes as she felt the deep, warm 
vibrations of his chest when he spoke. "Soon, I guess. I asked one of 
them to be here three quarters of an hour early. Since that was thirty 
minutes ago, she should be here soon."

"So your saying we have time for another kiss?"

Rather than let words waste their precious moments, Rei simply tilted 
her head back and let that be message enough. They were still in the 
doorway when a small cough caught their attention. Rei tried to back 
away, but Ranma kept one arm around her waist as he turned to face the 
sound of the person who had arrived.

Usagi smiled at them and the politeness to blush and look slightly 
abashed at having intruded. Chibi-Usa - who was standing next to her - 
just looked up at Ranma and Rei with wide eyed wonder. 

"Umm... Sorry for interrupting guys, but we were sort of waiting here 
for a while. I guess... heh, heh... you were a bit busy..."

Then, before anyone could move, Usagi grabbed Rei's hand and dragged 
her off to the corner of the building. Getting a questioning look from 
Ranma, Chibi-Usa just shrugged. She had no idea what her mother was up 
to most of the time, why should now be any different?

"Rei!" Usagi whispered fiercely. "What is _he_ doing here? We have to 
get rid of him! We can't have him around when Sailor Saturn gets here 
and we do introductions, even if he is your boyfriend."

Rei smirked, knowing she would enjoy every last moment of this. Taking 
Usagi's hand, she pulled the shorter girl back towards the other two. 
In a voice loud enough to be heard by all of them, Rei pushed Usagi 
forwards and introduced her.

"Now, may I present her most Imperial Highness, Queen Serenity! Or 
Sailor Moon as we usually call her."

Stumbling slightly, Usagi turned around and gave Rei a quick glare 
before she tried to babble her way out of the revelation. Before she 
managed to say "Well, you see, that is, I..." Ranma had already 
reacted. 

Stumbling backwards, slightly, Ranma pointed a shaky finger between the 
girls. "You're saying _Usagi_ is Queen Serenity?! What? Next you're 
gunna say that Chibi-Usa is really Sailor Moon!"

To his eternal horror, Rei's Cheshire Cat grin grew even broader as she 
nodded her head. Ranma was still staring between each girl trying to 
understand something he would have deemed impossible just a few minutes 
ago. Usagi was a ditz, a bubble headed definition of the word "blonde"; 
she must have been about as far from the heroic and poised Queen 
Serenity as he could imagine. 

It was at that moment that Rei's other close friends also chose to walk 
up. Three other girls, each bearing a close resemblance to the Sailor 
Senshi. Because of the effect of the disguise magic, he was not 
certain, but he could feel a settling in his stomach. Their timing was 
right, they were always with Rei, and she was Sailor Mars. Added to the 
fact that the fastidiously honest Hino Rei had just fingered two of the 
girls as being Sailor Senshi...

"Sailors Jupiter, Mercury and Venus, I presume?"

The three girls had their arms full with food, so they did not try and 
attack her physically, but their collective gaze was so cold it could 
have frozen a lake. "Rei-chan, I know he's your boyfriend, but how 
could you tell him?"

Smiling so much she though that her face would split, Rei turned 
slightly and gestured at Ranma. "I'm sorry, Ami-chan. May I present 
Saturn Knight?"

After months of being "poor Rei-chan, whose boyfriend ran away", she 
was enjoying her moment of triumph out of proportion. Despite that, Rei 
loved being a showman. The flash, the ceremony, the ability to pull 
facts out of thin air. Knowing what everyone else was only guessing at 
made things so much fun. It was like revealing the truth of a fire 
reading, but here there was no doubt or confusion and none of the 
tiredness that came with the effort of trying to read the future. 

With Ranma being a little slow on the uptake, Rei gave him a nudge with 
her elbow. Shaking himself out of his stunned state, Ranma moved away 
slightly and brought on his power. With his reawakening two days ago, 
he had full control over his powers, allowing him to become Saturn 
Knight or Sailor Saturn at will. With neither fuss nor fanfare, his 
ordinary clothes vanished, swirling softly into the mask, formal suit 
and cape that was the trademark of the Knights of the Moon Kingdom.

Hushed awe came from all around. Suddenly, everything was clear to the 
Inners. They were not just here to meet Sailor Saturn, they were here 
to meet the whole family. Now that they had seen it, Ranma's revelation 
made sense. It was obvious that all of the royalty from Saturn would be 
reincarnated into the same family, making Ranma and Hotaru, brother and 
sister. It also meant that...

Ranma smile matched Rei's as they watched understanding wash over 
everyone's faces. Everyone was just as easy to read as their memories 
slowly brought another fact to the fore, bursting the bubble of their 
joy. Saturn Knight was royalty by marriage. The man in the cape 
standing next to Rei was the destined husband of his own sister, the 
little girl they knew as Hotaru. 

Just as quick on the uptake as everyone else, Chibi-Usa was the first 
to speak, and she voiced the thought that they all shared. "Ewww. 
That's icky! She's his sister!"

Rei could not hold in her mirth any longer, and before she knew what 
had happened, Ranma had caught her in his strong arms as her body-
shaking laughter stole her balance. When Ranma placed her on a small 
seat, she placed a hand on his arm in thanks, but even then she could 
not laughing. With tears of joy streaming from her eyes, it took two 
tries to get the words out, but the effort was worth it.

"But then again..."

With a fond look down at Rei, Saturn Knight grasped the Silence Glaive 
firmly in his hand. With a sly wink and a nod of his head, Ranma again 
activated his magic. Rather than the pomp and flash of a normal Senshi 
transformation, Ranma was better versed in the ways of magic. His 
transformation was purely physical, since his other normal forms - 
male, female or Saturn Knight - still had access to the full Senshi 
magic.

Before their eyes, the assembled Inner Senshi were treated to the sight 
only one person had ever seen before. Weight and years slipped from 
Ranma like water from an ice statue in the hot sun. His black clothes 
shrunk across most of the body, changing to a white bodysuit and dark 
skirt that left no question as to the sex of the wearer. 

Looking like a recruiting poster for a legion of magical girls, Sailor 
Saturn stood there grinning from ear to ear. Her enjoyment of the 
stunned looking girls ended quite suddenly when she felt Chibi-Usa's 
little fist beat into her side. 

"Hotaru!" She burst out, sounding betrayed. "How could you do that to 
me? I thought you were my best friend. I thought your liked me. How 
could you lie to me all that time? How could you pretend to be Hotaru, 
pretend to be my best friend in the whole world when it was all a lie? 
How could you say you were Hotaru when you were really Ranma? It's... 
It's not fair!"

Releasing the Silence Glaive to go back into storage, Sailor Saturn 
turned and gathered the reluctant Chibi-Usa into a hug. Although her 
friend was obviously not keen on letting Saturn hold onto her, she was 
not able to escape, as the Senshi held her firmly but gently. Leaning 
her head on her little friend's shoulder, Hotaru spoke in a voice 
choked with emotion.

"It wasn't pretend, Chibi-Usa. None of it ever was. Sometimes... 
Sometimes I might have thought I was pretending to be a girl, but I 
wasn't. I know that now. I... I've always been Sailor Saturn, just like 
Rei was always Sailor Mars, even before she realised it. Ever since I 
was born, all those years ago, I've always been Sailor Saturn, just 
like I was Saturn Knight."

"It's not that, not much," the pink haired girl countered. "I... I can 
understand that, but... But why did you have to pretend to be my 
friend?"

"I never had to pretend that, Chibi-Usa. Not once, not even for a 
single second. When I first got to Tokyo, I didn't have any friends. 
When I started being Tomoe Hotaru, you were the first person to be nice 
to me that whole time. I like you Chib-Usa. You're my friend, my very, 
very special friend. Never, ever forget that."

"But... But I'm just a little girl. Rei-san told us that you were four-
hundred years old. You must be so smart, and know so much. I'm just a 
little girl, how can you say your friends with someone like me? Your so 
much better than I am, you know so much more."

Standing back, Hotaru placed her hands on her friend's shoulders and 
looked into Chibi-Usa's hurt and confused eyes and tried to make her 
understand. "Just because I'm older than you are, doesn't mean I can't 
be your friend. I like you for who you are. Not for what you know, or 
anything else. You're a really, really nice person, Chibi-Usa. I like 
you a lot. I never wanted to hurt you or pretend to be something I 
wasn't, but... But back then I wanted to be cured, I just wanted to be 
normal Ranma, to have normal friends like you and Rei and everyone 
else. That's why I never told you the truth about myself. I... I was 
afraid of what you would think. I was afraid you wouldn't like me 
anymore if you found out I was really four hundred years old and turned 
into a boy.
"I... I'm sorry, Chibi-Usa."

Blinking her big, pink eyes several times, Chibi-Usa fought to come to 
grips with what she had just learned. When she saw him transform, she 
had been certain that Ranma was just pretending to be the nice little 
girl that Chibi-Usa had called Hotaru, her friend. Making a decision, 
Chibi-Usa lunged forwards and caught the slightly taller girl in an 
embrace. 

"You're still my friend?"

"Always. I'll always be your friend, Chibi-Usa. Always. And I'll never 
hide anything from you again."

After a time, Sailor Saturn looked up and noticed all of the other 
girls standing around. Although they had not been as close as Chibi-Usa 
and Hotaru or Ranma and Rei, they were all friends to some degree or 
another. Although accomplished at hiding secrets from the world 
themselves, it came as a shock when you realised that someone you knew 
and liked had been hiding something as big as this.

Listening to Sailor Saturn's, Ranma's, explanation to Chibi-Usa, the 
girls began to understand that what she said, she not only meant for 
Chibi-Usa, she meant for all of them. It must have been hard for 
someone like Ranma, trying to adapt to life in Tokyo after so long 
away. Just being able to meet people and speak with them as friends 
must have been worth almost any sacrifice. If that meant hiding who you 
were, and sometimes lying to them a little... Was it really any 
different than when they told someone that they did not know who the 
Sailor Senshi were?

Usagi was the first to move as she stepped forward from the ring of 
girls. Putting her arms around Sailor Saturn and her daughter, she 
tried to make them feel the same understanding that she felt, feel the 
same love and hope that she did. "Welcome home, Hotaru. Welcome to the 
team."

As though a signal, Usagi's words spurred everyone else into action. In 
no time, all the girls were cheering crying and joining in the general 
feeling of happiness and reunion. Taking their time, Saturn hugged, 
cried and laughed with each of the girls, sharing in their good wishes, 
and their acceptance into their special team of people. 

Makoto was the last in line, but it was an attempt to ensure she would 
have the longest, rather than any reluctance. Having just released the 
bubbly, enthusiastic Minako, Hotaru turned to find Makoto kneeling next 
to her, sweeping her into an embrace as tight and desperate as the one 
she had shared with Chibi-Usa. 

Feeling tears on her shoulders, Hotaru knew that there was nothing she 
could say to ease things with Makoto. In the same way that Chibi-Usa 
had been Hotaru's special friend, Makoto had claimed a special place in 
Ranma's heart. Not the same place that Rei and Sailor Mars held, but 
the place of a friend, a companion, someone you could trust and rely 
on.

"I... I'm sorry, Mako-chan."

"Don't... Don't say you're sorry. We both know that it couldn't have 
worked out. But... But it was nice to pretend, even... even if I sort 
of knew from the beginning that I couldn't have ever gotten Ranma. 
Would... Would you be able to change back? To become him again?"

Concentrating, Hotaru triggered the magic in herself, growing greatly 
to become a martial artist they all recognised. Water still triggered 
his "curse", but with effort, he could start it himself, changing sexes 
if he needed to. It was not easy, but it was a lot more convenient that 
needing a glass of hot water. Especially if you happen to be holding 
onto someone at the same time. Still holding onto Makoto as he changed, 
Ranma drew her to her feet, so that her head rested on his firm chest, 
and her arms now encircled his well muscled form.

"It feels... It feels so nice to hold you like this, Ranma. Just like I 
always imagined it would."

"Hey... Mako-chan. It's OK, you don't have to be sad."

She murmured her assent, but Ranma could tell that her heart was not in 
it. "It's true, Mako-chan. You've got a long, long time. I'm sure 
you're going to find the right guy, it's just time. And that's 
something you have plenty of. We all do. I had to wait three hundred 
and fifty years to find Rei-chan, but I'm sure you can do it much 
faster, especially with the rest of us helping."

Blinking tears out of her eyes, Makoto look at the man she had been 
pursuing so adamantly and wondered if he was right. Was she chasing him 
because of who he was, or because of who she wanted him to be? Maybe 
she had been deceiving herself, thinking that Ranma returned her love. 
Maybe even that had been an illusion to, she thought as she realised 
just how little it had hurt when she realised she had lost him. Unlike 
Rei, Makoto had gone on with her life, hunting other boys. Ranma had 
been... a dream, nothing more really. An awfully nice dream, she 
realised, but just a dream. The right man for her was still out there, 
still waiting to be found.

"If you could finish pawing my boyfriend," an acidic voice came from 
beside her. "Then perhaps we could go inside and start setting up some 
of this food."

Blushing all the way to the roots of her hair, Makoto jumped away from 
Ranma,  realising that Rei was right. In her entranced, thoughtful 
state, she had accidentally let her hands wander, and well, Ranma 
looked to be as embarrassed as she was. Not to mention that the other 
Senshi all were doing their best to look in another direction. Of 
course, Ranma did have a very nice butt.

"Sorry, Rei-chan."

"That's OK, Mako-chan." The fire Senshi and mistress of the shrine 
replied as she slipped an arm around said boyfriend. "I've know I can 
trust you, and I'm beginning to understand that I can trust this idiot 
too."

Ranma beamed at them, running an hand under the silken black hair that 
cascaded down Rei's back to run a tickling finger across her spine. 
"And who were you calling an idiot, tomboy?"

"Oh? A tomboy, am I?" Rei queried and she retaliated, seeking to tickle 
his vulnerable ribs. 

"Um?... Guys?... The food?" This time it was Rei and Ranma's turn to 
look embarrassed. Nodding, they separated, and picked up some of the 
bundles of food that the arriving girls had brought, helping to bring 
it into the house. Rei had prepared things there for an evening of 
talking and eating, but the others had gone a long way to providing the 
snacks that they would need to keep a crowd of hungry teenagers fed, 
especially when that group contained a pair of motor-mouths like Ranma 
and Usagi.

Once they had the food safely in the kitchen, sure that the 
refrigerated food would not melt or run, Ami broached the question that 
must have been on so many of their minds. "Ranma-san... If you don't 
mind... What was it like? When you grew up? What have you really been 
doing all this time?"

Picking up a piece of celery and crunching on it, Ranma wondered where 
to start. It did not take long for him to decided the best place, and 
he smiled as he had his first chance to relate this to a group of 
friends in many, many years.

"When I was little, my father took me on a great training journey, to 
make me the greatest practitioner of Anything Goes Martial Arts in the 
world. You have to remember, this was a long time ago, and people took 
this sort of fighting much more seriously then. We did not really have 
guns in Japan then, it was fists and blades that made up armies. 
"Anything Goes was the greatest form of martial arts in Japan in that 
era. My father was one of the two great masters at that stage, and he 
and his friend used to train people for the Shogun, creating the 
soldiers that would defend his life and protect the people of our great 
nation.
"One day, before I was even born, Pop and his friend got this idea into 
their head about assuring the continuance of the School, of making the 
next generation even better than this one. Well, I was about sixteen 
when  I first met Tendo Akane and---"

It was not a story that could be told quickly, nor could it be told 
simply. By the time two hours had passed Ranma was still talking about 
the time that he and Akane had been called to Kyoto to personally face 
the challenge offered by the then-High Warlord of the Shogun. Although 
quiet compared to his current life, the days of his youth with Akane 
would not be considered quiet by any normal standards. The Senshi's 
lives were hardly normal, but by comparison to what they were learning 
about Ranma, they seemed staid and dull.

As it was approaching full dark outside the shrine, a quiet but firm 
knock could be heard.  Excusing herself from the party, Rei went to 
open the door, only to return shortly with a pair of tall, smiling 
women. Gracing the Inners with their presence, Haruka and Michiru waved 
hello and laid out another couple of plates of food.

Amidst a chorus of greetings and well wishing, Haruka claimed a couple 
of spaces on some cushions, and Michiru loaded up a plate with some 
finger food for them to share. Since Ranma was still in his male form, 
everyone watched with some nervousness as the girls said hello to him. 
As far as most of them knew, the last time that Ranma and the Outers 
had met had been when he had been Saturn Knight, their mortal enemy. 
After all, it was easy to forget that in a different shape, Ranma had 
really been their adopted daughter for the last few months.

Noticing the tension in the room, Michiru smiled and placed a hand on 
Ranma's arm. "It's all right, everyone. Ranma and us... We've worked 
things out."

Aside from Rei - who was aware that Ranma was living with the Outers 
and generally feeling well disposed to them - Ami was the first to 
understand. Placing a hand over her mouth, Ami let out a delicate 
little laugh. "Oh! That's right! Ranma is Hotaru-chan and... Oh my, 
Ranma. Whatever was it like for you? Can you remember what it was like 
when you were a little girl?"

Smiling around one of the dumplings Michiru had brought, Ranma nodded 
solemnly, or as solemnly as possible while stuffing your face. "Gulp! 
Actually, Ami-chan. That's sort of the main reason we're all here 
today. It, sort of got pretty messy for a while."

"What happened? Usagi told us that Sailor Saturn was back and 
threatened to hurt Michiru-san and Haruka-san. I was so surprised, I 
dropped the book I was reading. Hotaru-chan always loved her parents so 
much."

Looking embarrassed, Ranma faced away from the studious girl. "I... I'd 
rather not talk about it. It wasn't exactly one of my best moments, and 
well..."

Ranma trailed off, and for a while the silence stretched. Everyone was 
wondering about a graceful way of ending the difficult moment when 
Usagi managed to stick her foot in it, and end the problem completely. 
"And what about Setsuna-san? I thought she'd be here if anyone was. You 
didn't do anything to her, did you?"

"Yeah," the other Senshi with long blonde hair added. "You were pretty 
mad at her last time I saw you. Usagi-chan couldn't stop talking about 
that thing you did with the Glaive at the top of Mugen Academy's tower 
for weeks afterwards."

"Well... I sort of went for a look for her and then we---"

"---We talked about it. Didn't we, Ranma?" A frosty voice from the 
doorway interrupted him and completed his sentence."

"Umm... Yeah... Talked about it..." Ranma looked confused for a moment, 
then gave the dark haired Senshi standing in the doorway a cheeky 
smile. "Same way I talked to---"

"---Yes. Well. I came. I was at the party. Now, if you will excuse me, 
I will be going home. Goodnight." With a short, sharp nod, Setsuna 
turned on her heel and walked out the door. The entire time she had 
been there, her face had shown no emotion, but the mask she wore was a 
different one from the expressionless mask she usually effected. 
Tonight it was a hard, rigid shield, holding back some obviously fierce 
emotion.

"Wow. I've never seen Setsuna act like that before." Makoto began. 
"What did you say to her."

Ranma shrugged nonchalantly and reached for sweet bun sitting near his 
queen. "Not much..." Chomp!... "You didn't want that, did you, Usagi-
chan?"

*	*	*

It had happened yesterday. An epiphany, a feeling of complete 
understanding.

Ranma had awoken that day, resolving that it was a day to be spent 
ironing things out with her new housemate. Lying there in bed - as a 
girl since Ranma was more used to sleeping that way - Ranma had 
reflected on Rei's advice to him as he said goodbye to her at the foot 
of her shrine. "Talk to them." She had said. "Listen to them."

Since they had been up until almost three AM last night, it was late 
when Ranma got out of bed, almost seven thirty. Most people might not 
regard that as very late, but Ranma was used to waking around four in 
the morning for a jog and a workout. This morning felt odd without the 
workout, but the time spent with Michiru and Haruka last night had been 
worth it. She was not sure just how she felt about them yet, but she 
knew she was more certain than she had been just hours before. She also 
realised that there was so much they had all misunderstood for so long.

Sitting on the end of her bed, Ranma tried to think of all the things 
she needed to get done that day. There was Michiru and Haruka of 
course, and they would be first, by dint of the fact that would share 
her breakfast with them. Then there was Setsuna, the so-called Guardian 
Of Time. The name itself was enough to make Ranma give a most ungirlish 
snort of derision. Guardian Of Time, her cute little butt! Anyone 
having access to the Gates Of Time was asking for trouble, and trouble 
was something that Ranma could do without for a while.

What could she do about it, though? She was here, potent and dangerous 
to be sure, but there was no way that she could get in contact with 
Setsuna unless the elusive Senshi wished it. She needed to find Setsuna 
and stop her. The Gates Of Time were not supposed to be in the 
possession of any one person. No matter what Queen Serenity might say 
on the subject.

Just thinking about the problem like that seemed to bring its own 
solution. A solution so full blown and perfect, Ranma knew that it 
could not have been her own. An instant after considering the 
possibility of how to stop someone with access to the Gates Of Time and 
how to close down that access, Ranma had the answer. That sort of ease 
spoke of interference, and the sorts of spells Ranma suddenly knew 
spoke of Lina Inverse.

Ranma might have deeply respected his ancient teacher of magic, but he 
could not help groaning slightly at what Lina had done. He could 
understand why Lina would go to such measures to ensure that no-one 
knew how to get to the Gates, but it was frustrating to realise that 
she had embedded such important information in his subconscious without 
even giving him a hint.

What Lina had done was provide him everything he needed. Without doubt, 
Ranma now understood exactly what he needed to do. With no more effort 
than changing into his Senshi form, Ranma would be capable of 
transiting to the Gates Of Time. By that simple spell - and with really 
was incredibly easy once you knew it -  Ranma could follow Setsuna 
wherever she might flee. In essence, because Ranma had been 
concentrating on how to find a threat to the human race that had fled 
to the Gates, she had opened the door on a whole new swath of memories 
and magic.

Apparently, some time when she had been training with Lina all those 
many decades ago, the Sorceress had taught him everything she knew 
about time travel and the Gates. Then, she had sealed it all. Perhaps 
that was another reason that Lina had not taught him a large quantity 
of White magic, since it would not have taken a great healing spell to 
break the seal Lina had put on the knowledge. On the other hand, 
without the proper thought trigger or external influence, Ranma would 
never have known she had access to the Gates Of Time. 

Temptation. That was what it all came down to. Temptation. After all 
this time of seeing her own faults, Ranma was quite capable of 
admitting she was not perfect. True, she was better than everyone else, 
and probably closer to perfect than anyone else she knew, but she was 
still subject to temptation. Lina had known that Ranma might have been 
effectively immortal, and that over the centuries, the desire to use 
the Gates would have become greater each and every day. As the burden 
of living in isolation grew, so would the desire to go back and change 
the one thing that had tarnished so much of her life. Jusenkyo.

Giving into that enticement would have been enough to cause an 
irrevocable, and possibly unrecoverable, paradox. The world would have 
been shattered on the anvil of causality, and it would have been her 
fault for teaching him about the Gates Of Time.

All that had changed when Ranma had been thinking about a villainous 
fugitive that had fled to the Gates as sanctuary. This was a threat 
that was greater than Ranma's temptation. A threat more dire and needy 
that the risk he presented. True, he might still go mad in time, but 
Lina had included a treat to help him with that too.

Now that she knew she could find Setsuna - or Sailor Pluto as she 
probably would rather be called - it was time for something more 
pressing: breakfast. Not having eaten since early yesterday on the way 
to Rei's, Ranma's stomach was growling like a panda awaking from 
hibernation, and Ranma had first hand experience with how that sounded.

Making up a tray of miso, rice, fish, bread, coffee, tea, rolls and 
some other assortments that she had found in the fridge, Ranma laid out 
the table. She could have done it quietly enough to ensure she would be 
able to eat undisturbed, but she wanted company. Too many things had 
remained unsaid last night, and she wanted to say them now, to be able 
to think about them as she went off to face this challenge today. More 
importantly, if anything today was going to cause her to work out some 
frustrations on Sailor Pluto, Ranma knew that it would be her next 
meeting with the women posing as her parents.

She was right in many ways. When Haruka and Michiru first came down, 
they instinctively treated Hotaru as the same girl she had been two 
days ago. That ended quite quickly when Ranma stated point blank that 
she would not tolerate it, but things got progressively better after 
that. She might not have chosen them as her friends initially, but 
Ranma was forced to admit that when you were not trying to rip each 
other throats out, the girls could be quite decent company.

Around eleven, Ranma packed up the breakfast dishes and accepted 
Michiru's offer to clean them. When she told the tall, blonde, boyish 
Senshi that she was going for a walk, Haruka had quickly offered to 
join her, but Ranma had demurred. She did not intend to tell anyone 
that she had access to the Gates, so visiting Setsuna would have to be 
a private venture.

Out of the house, down the road, over the hill and in the park, Ranma 
hid behind a tree. She knew no-one had followed her. Not only did she 
have great evasion skills, but she had inherited an enormous level of 
trust from her time as a girl in the Outers' care. Michiru and Haruka 
had said they would let her do what she wanted undisturbed, and she 
believed them. Intellectually, her older memories made her rile against 
the blind trust buried in her heart, but she understood that it was 
real, and they deserved it. 

The reason Hotaru - what was a name other than a convenient way to 
label the body - hid behind the tree was privacy from others who might 
stumble through her section of the park by accident. Changing to Sailor 
Saturn was not the concern it was for her that it was for the other 
girls, but even then she took care with her secret. 

In a short, unimpressive sequence, a small dark haired girl in a dark 
skirt and deep green blouse became the Senshi of Creation and 
Destruction, Sailor Saturn. In less time than it took to say "Oh my 
goodness, Sailor Saturn is going to beat up Sailor Pluto", the small 
Senshi vanished, moving into the time stream as only a select few 
could.

Thick white fog surrounded Sailor Saturn in every direction she looked. 
The indefinable otherwhere that was home to the Gates Of Time. The 
ultimate magical object to have ever been created by the human race. A 
device so powerful, it even rivalled the invidious Mazoku. Speaking of 
which, it should be around here somewhere.

Turning and walking felt funny in the semi-lit internal luminescence of 
the fog. There was no sun here, so there was also no sunlight. Nor was 
there any lamps, torches or electric light. Here, light just _was_. In 
the same way that the fog _was_. It existed in this place where nothing 
else did, and that existence provided its own substance of reality. 

There was no set direction to move, just forward, toward the Gates. 
That was the only way you could move here, even if you did not know 
where the Gates Of Time actually were. Towards or away. Pick a 
direction, any direction, and that could be towards them, since they 
were the only thing here. If that basic concept was confusing and gave 
you headaches, you had no business messing with something as delicate 
as time travel.

"You!"

Sailor Pluto's hate filled shout brought Saturn's head around to face 
her. There she was, tall, elegant, and very, very angry. Striding 
through the fog, she advanced to meet Saturn as the smallest Senshi 
finally drew close enough to the Gates themselves. How you can draw 
closer to something that was more a concept than a physical item was up 
for debate, but Saturn knew she was almost at the Gates. At this 
distance, she could feel their power, seductive and alluring, just as 
Lina had described it.

"It's me. And I'm here to shut you down."

Planting her feet wide, Pluto held the Key to the Gates Of Time like a 
staff. Light rolled off the massive garnet set into the top of it, and 
Saturn could almost feel the hatred emanate from the otherwise composed 
woman. "I've guarded these Gates for thousands of years, and only three 
times have I failed. I shall not fall to someone like you."

Planting the Silence Glaive into the ground beside her, Saturn sized up 
the bigger woman. Was there any chance of talking her into submission? 
This was Pluto's ground much more than it was Saturn's, and she did not 
really want to fight if she did not need to. "Three times? I though 
Queen Serenity said it was only twice."

Briefly, pain and shame twisted their way across the Time Senshi's 
features, but resolution and anger finally crowded them out. "Three. 
Chibi-Usa was an accident, and she hasn't done anything wrong. The Dark 
Moon Family was a mistake, but we managed to stop them before anything 
serious happened."

"That's two. What was the third?"

"You would not remember the Mil-Cothans and their beautiful floating 
cities. Long before the rise of the modern nations, I watched from 
here. The Mil-Cothans... discovered the Gates. I could not stop them 
when the sent an army in here, and look what happened. They managed to 
keep me from my duty as Guardian Of The Gates Of Time for less than a 
month, and now they are no more. Not even a memory of them remains in 
any mind but my own. Erased from the universe by their own greed and 
foolishness.
"The time paradox they created wiped themselves and their entire 
existence from history. Nothing remained, nothing at all. No people, no 
cities, none of their great literary works. Even the name of their 
people is only known by myself. Everything else... never existed.
"I will not allow you to do the same!"

With a determined yell, Sailor Pluto ran forwards and swung the Time 
Staff in a great wide sweep. Rather than dodging, Sailor Saturn tried 
to catch the weapon, seeking to disarm her opponent and end the battle 
quickly. What did not expect was the strength of the blow. Rather than 
being parried and diverted from its course, the key shaped Staff 
continued inexorably through its arc, catching Saturn in the stomach, 
and hefting her backwards.

Gasping in pain, Saturn made herself roll to the side. Gods! That thing 
was heavy, but Pluto wielded it so easily! The blow she had taken felt 
worse than anything Ryoga had ever landed, and if it was not for the 
additional magical armour provided by her Senshi form, Saturn was sure 
that each and every one of her ribs would have been broken. As it was, 
she could barely stand in time as Pluto brought the Key in for an 
overhead swing, designed to catch the girl as she tried to get up.

"I shall not lose this time! Ahh!" 

Pluto yelled in anger as she again swung at her adversary. Rather than 
try to parry this time, Saturn tried to take advantage of the thought 
that the Staff must be truly massive to afford such a wallop. 
Unfortunately, Pluto managed to reverse direction with unbelievable 
ease and caught Saturn on the temple with a light tap just as the girl 
was beginning her Amaguriken attack. 

While Saturn's speed punching was sufficient to knock the tall woman 
back several steps with even just a few blows, the feather light tap of 
the Staff was almost enough to lift off Saturn's skull. Neck 
complaining miserably, Saturn felt the side of her head from where she 
lay on the ground, several metres away at the end of her flight. She 
was amazed to discover that the only thing that seemed to have kept her 
brains from leaking out all over the end of the Staff was her now 
heavily dented tiara.

"Wh- What the heck is that thing?"

Smirking, Pluto advanced again, warily, but with confidence. "This is 
the Key. The Key to the Gates Of Time. In this whole place, there are 
only two things that are really, honestly _here_. This Key, and the 
Gates themselves. While I hold the Key, you cannot take it from my 
hands, nor can you stop it."

When she got close enough, Pluto began striking at Saturn again, but 
the smaller girl back-pedalled furiously, dodging the potentially 
lethal strikes. "It is nothing dangerous, but it is anchored to reality 
in ways you cannot begin to comprehend. In normal time, it is nothing 
more than a staff, but here, it is indestructible and invincible. 
Frankly, I'm surprised that you managed to survive either of those 
blows. I've split plate armour with a single hit, and I'll split you 
too!"

Anger was making Pluto faster, but it was also making her sloppier. 
That invincible weapon made a very difficult target, and were it not 
for Saturn's substantial martial skills, she would have been a stain in 
the mists of time long ago. Finally, Pluto over-extended just a touch 
too far. Not even her Senshi enhanced speed would allow her to bring 
back that crushing weapon in time to stop Sailor Saturn's attack.

Clear purple eyes narrowed in concentration and determination, Saturn 
launched herself inside Pluto's guard, catching the woman with a 
staggering series of blows, to send her reeling and flailing. 
Deliberately letting her adversary get a grip on herself, Saturn stayed 
away for a time. 

"It doesn't have to be this way, Pluto. We're on the same side. You 
don't have to fight me!"

"No! Your small mind cannot begin to comprehend the powers of the 
Gates. None but I may have access, for only I have withstood the 
temptation they pose. I alone can guard the Gates. I alone!"

Dodging another series of increasingly frenetic attacks, Saturn 
persisted. "I don't want the Gates. No-one should have them. Please, we 
have to stop this!"

"Never! I will never surrender their power to you!"

Reluctant to grievously injur the woman she knew was a friend and ally 
of her queen, Saturn spun under a sweeping horizontal strike that would 
have left her a foot shorter if it connected. Moving with a speed that 
almost blurred in the mists, Saturn was past and behind Pluto before 
the woman could react. A short jump placed the young girl on Pluto's 
back, and she wrapped the larger woman in a sealing embrace almost 
instantly.

With Saturn's leg's around her waist and her small, unreasonably strong 
arms hooked under Pluto's armpits to immobilise the Senshi's arms, 
Saturn was faced with a mouth full of green hair, but was otherwise 
safe. Pluto could do nothing but walk around, and in this empty 
vastness, there was nothing but themselves and the Gates to use as 
weapons. As desperate as they might be, neither even considered using 
the Gates Of Time as a weapon in their fight. Beating Saturn against 
their stone arches might have loosened her grip, but Pluto knew that 
the risks of such an action were enormous.

"Let! Me! Go!" Pluto fumed through clenched teeth as she struggled 
against Saturn.

"No! I'm doing this for your own good. I have to seal the Gates before 
something happens, something we'll never know to regret."

"No! I cannot fail! I have withstood them for so long, I shall defend 
them forever! I have seen the future! I know that I alone stand 
Guardian over the Gates Of Time!"

That was enough to shake the little Senshi. She could tell be the 
frantic honesty in Pluto's voice that this was the truth. Plain and 
simple, Pluto had told her that she could not win, that somehow, 
someday, Pluto would again stand watch over the Gates, would again have 
control over their fearsome power.

The shock of that terrifying revelation was enough to distract Saturn 
for a crucial moment. Although she never slackened her grip on Pluto, 
she did not notice it as the woman let the Time Staff, Key to the 
Gates, slip lightly through her fingers until she held it much nearer 
the end. All she could manage was a slight twist of her wrist, but it 
was enough. Enough to send the unstoppable Time Staff bumping into 
Saturn's right thigh.

With a scream of agony, Saturn released Pluto and fell to the ground. 
Her leg was bent at a horrible angle, and tears blurred her vision. 
So... This was how it ended. She was going to lose to Pluto. Maybe 
Pluto was really the Time Senshi. She had said that she had seen her 
future, and her future was at the Gates. Pluto alone would hold the 
power of time...

Time...

Pluto stood above the small girl, a manic look of glee on her face as 
she raised the Time Staff...

Time...

Yet another block faded from Saturn's mind. An unfurling of secrets 
best left hidden...

Time...

That fate Key began to descent, terribly, horribly fast to Saturn's 
pain wracked senses...

Time...

"DARK DOME: ENCLOSE!"

From her position on the ground, surrounded by slowly curling mists, 
Sailor Saturn looked up at the featureless black sphere in front of 
her. Previously known only to one other person alive, the Dark Dome 
Enclose was Sailor Pluto's most potent weapon. With the power of her 
time-based magic, Pluto was capable of sheering off a section of the 
universe from the flow of time. Now she was not alone in that 
knowledge, as one other possessed it, and she too was a Senshi with the 
magic to cast it.

From Pluto's personal perspective, no time would have passed from when 
Saturn began to speak the words, to when the spell was released. To 
Saturn, she was alone again, accompanied only by a perfect sphere 
holding the temporally enclosed Sailor Pluto. Lina had done it again. 
Just when Saturn believed that there was no recourse, that there was no 
hope, Lina's heritage revealed yet another hidden layer.

Knowledge of the Gates was protected by secrecy. Knowledge of how to 
reach them was stolen from the world, hidden in Ranma's subconscious 
until earlier that day when she released it. More dangerous than the 
Gates themselves - for as with all Gates, they could be shut - were the 
magical spells that took their power from the Gates. Spells such as the 
Dark Dome Enclose whose very power strained the boarders of reality 
whenever it was cast.

It was a terrible burden. Now Saturn understood what Lina had done and 
why. With the power at her fingertips, she could rule the world. She 
could do anything, be anywhere, and be undefeatable. By the nature of 
their magic, these time spells took no time to cast. The mere stating 
of the words were retroactive, as was the building of the magic. It 
took a finite time to cast a Time Stop or Dark Dome, but they took 
effect instantly, a quirk of the fact that a successful spell must have 
been cast, and therefore it was impossible to interfere with the spell 
as it was being cast.

Time travel hurt the head. 

Temptation hurt too. When Lina had sealed these spells inside her, she 
obviously knew what she was doing. No-one should be able to resist 
their temptation for as long as a Senshi might live. The chances to use 
such spells as these were too numerous to count. No accident need 
happen ever again, since Ranma now possessed the capability of 
preventing any misfortune from ever coming to pass.

With a shaking hand, Saturn looked at the surface of the sphere that 
held Sailor Pluto captive. "How? How did you do it? All those years? 
All those centuries? How did you stay sane? How did you stop from doing 
what you could have done?"

With grim certainty, Saturn knew that she could never achieve the same. 
She was mortal, she was human. Better than most, she was no stranger to 
desire and being able to resist it, but she could feel a gnawing dread 
that she would not be able to resist a fraction as long as Sailor Pluto 
had done. What sort of person could stand by and watch someone fight 
and be hurt when you knew you could bring instant victory against any 
foe?

Sailor Pluto was who, but what sort of person was she? Saturn's respect 
for the ancient Senshi had risen immeasurably in just the few moments 
that she had access to the same magic as Pluto, but she could not 
understand the woman. How? How could she have guarded these infernal, 
tempting Gates all those millennia and not given in to temptation?

A slight shift of position made Saturn again realise that it was not 
only her head that was hurting, it was her leg also. Looking down at 
her leg, Saturn gritted her teeth and pulled, setting the bone to 
straight. In the white, eerie silence that surrounded the Gates Of 
Time, a scream echoed, travelling infinite distances to nowhere.

Given time, her leg would heal, and be none the worse for ware. 
Healing, revitalising Ki was already coursing though the damaged flesh 
and broken bone, helping to knit and mend, even as Senshi magic was 
healing in its own way. Full health was only days away.

With a start, Saturn wrenched her eyes away from the Gates. Some sort 
of insidious calling was enticing her to use the Gates, to go backwards 
just those few vital minutes and stop Pluto hurting her, or even going 
forward, accelerating time on her leg so that it would heal in minutes, 
not days. She would be strong! She would resist!

Flicking a glance at the sphere, Saturn cursed and began to pull 
herself to the Gates. She would not be strong and resist, guarding the 
Gates for all time; she would do what she came here for in the first 
place and end their menace. When she had left the normalcy of reality, 
she had been set on sealing the Gates, preventing Pluto from ever 
accessing that power. Within instants of her gaining the full power 
associated with them, those thoughts had fled, leaving her thinking of 
how she could try to stay sane while guarding them herself.

Realistically, there was no need, and Sailor Saturn knew that was the 
one option that was truly open to her. She needed time to rest to heal 
her leg, and that could best be gained waiting here, outside the normal 
reality. If the desire to take advantage of the Gates was this strong 
minutes after becoming their master, how would she fare days later when 
her leg was healed?

Now close to the Gates, Sailor Saturn bowed her head and reached out a 
white-gloved hand. Pressing slightly, she radiated magic and felt the 
slight resistance that Lina's memory told her was the interface between 
then and now. That infinitesimal barrier between past, present, future 
and the never that the Gates resided in. 

Opening her eyes, Sailor Saturn looked at the infinite capacity for 
good, evil and power and began to chant.

"Gate of Time,
"Anchor to all eras and doorway to all days:
"Bestow the powers of the Gate unto my key.
"Grant unto me your powers!"

The very air began to throb and hum, and Saturn felt a massive power 
begin to roll over her from within the Gate. This was not an 
uncontrolled power, but instead the exact opposite. This was the 
creation of the very controls that held the Gates Of Time in check, 
that sealed the time stream from the fissure they represented. For now, 
Sailor Saturn was forging a new Key, a new access to the Gates Of Time.

With a start, Saturn almost broke the spell as she felt the massive 
magic beginning to affect something she never imagined possible. The 
Silence Glaive, her weapon, supposedly immune to all magic, was 
altering, changing, and growing into new powers. At the base of the 
staff, the plain metal tip receded, and a ball of pure, flawless 
Flourite appeared. A forth Talisman brought into creation by the power 
of the Gates Of Time.

In front of her, Saturn's modified Silence Glaive hovered waiting for 
her. As much as it pained her, Sailor Saturn brought herself to a 
standing position, balancing on her one good leg. With a hand made pale 
through fear of what she was doing - and to some degree shock from her 
wound - Saturn took the Glaive. Within her hands, she could feel its 
new power, no longer as benign and innocent as her beloved Glaive used 
to be, she would never be able to forget the power she now wielded.

Taking the business end of the Silence Glaive, now a second Key to the 
Gates Of Time, Saturn inserted the business end into the Gates and 
again chanted.

"Key!
"Become the chain of caution!
"Under my power as a Guardian Of Time,
"Let only two unbind what one has made safe...
"SEAL!"

With a slight flash, the Gates Of Time sealed. So momentous a concept, 
so lightly expressed. In truth, the sealing was unspectacular. The 
Gates Of Time were a tool, designed for effect, not display, and like 
all good tools, they were designed to be safe. With the use of either 
of the Keys that now existed, she or Sailor Pluto could seal the Gates 
in an instant. However, only with their agreed cooperation could they 
together overcome the seal, freeing the Gates for use once more.

Waiting the days necessary for her leg to heal was difficult and 
boring. While it was made easier by the fact that she was outside of 
time and therefore would arrive back at the same instant she left if 
she desired, that did nothing to make it any less boring. All Saturn 
had for company was a closed Gate, looking for all the world like a 
heavy wood and iron gate of ordinary manufacture. That Gate and the 
black ball that held Pluto cut off from the flow of time.

Once her leg was healed and she was sure that she would be able to 
survive freeing the no-doubt enraged Senshi, Saturn readied herself. 
With her modified Silence Glaive, she had a weapon the equal or 
superior of Pluto, and with her martial skills, victory was assured. 
That was no reason to take chances, so Sailor Saturn was standing, 
braced and ready for action when she finally cancelled the spell.

Following the action she had commenced before she was imprisoned in the 
spell, Pluto's staff crashed into the ground. Rather than rising again 
to fight on, Pluto sunk to her knees and gasped. Cautiously, Saturn 
watched her until she was sure the woman was not going to rise. Taking 
a step closer, she realised that the mighty, invincible Sailor Pluto 
was crying.

"What?... Are you all right?..."

"Don't touch me! Just stay away! You don't understand what you've 
done!"

"I do! I've sealed the Gates Of Time! From now on, only together can we 
open them!"

There was a flash of hopeless anger in Pluto's eyes, but all too soon, 
that faded into grief again. "You've doomed us all. Only I can guard 
the Gates... Only I..."

Taking another step closer, Saturn started to reach out for the woman 
shoulder when Pluto spoke harshly. "Just go. Leave me alone. Just... 
Pray you realise what it is you have done before it is too late... Only 
I..."

For a moment, Sailor Saturn debated staying. She did not want to 
abandon the Senshi. Especially now that she realised what an incredible 
job she had actually done guarding the Gates through the oppressive, 
mind warping centuries. But Pluto did not want company, and she could 
not make any trouble with the Gates if Saturn was absent.

Content that the danger was contained, and somehow wishing she could 
have done more for her recently vanquished foe, Sailor Saturn nodded 
once, and disappeared.

When she arrived back in normal time, she was again in the park. Soon 
she was a normal girl on a normal day. Others may notice the change in 
the appearance in the Silence Glaive, but no-one would ever know its 
cause unless Sailor Pluto or Sailor Saturn revealed its secret.

Both Sailors were old experts at keeping secrets.

*	*	*

One thing Ranma had never appreciated before was the difference between 
being rich, and knowing what to do with a lot of money. Ever since he 
had lived with the Amazons, he had been rich. Rich in a purely monetary 
sense, of course, since he had always been rich in spirit no matter 
where he lived, thanks to his life with Akane. Now that he had some 
more friends, he began to appreciate what could be done with money.

Money, he found, did not have to be spent ostentatiously. Being rich 
was not necessarily about chandeliers in every room and a dozen 
servants. Being rich and having style, that was what made the money 
worthwhile. Somewhat to his surprise, Ranma had found that style was 
something that Michiru and Haruka had in spades.

Ranma would have been perfectly happy sitting, camped around a fire, 
nothing for a seat but the ground or a convenient log. No food but some 
simple rice. Of course, now that he was here, there was nothing wrong 
with have Rei over for dinner in much nicer surroundings. The Outer's 
House, as everyone seemed to be calling it, was the perfect place for 
entertaining, and Michiru certainly knew a lot more about dinner 
parties than he did. 

Dinner, cooked by Michiru and Ranma, had been served at a large, 
expensive wooden table. Soft candles had lit the meal, glittering off 
the inlaid gilding of their chopsticks. The cushions were soft, the 
music was softer, and the company was grand. Despite the quality of the 
accoutrements, the company was what really made the meal. True, Haruka 
and Michiru were there, but so was Rei, and that made all the 
difference from Ranma's perspective. 

At the end of the meal, they retreated to the living room, to share a 
pair of couches. Demonstrating yet another of his hidden talents, Ranma 
brought in a large block of ice, and proceeded to turn it into fine, 
shaved ice deserts. Settling back on the couch with Rei, Ranma smiled 
his thanks to his housemates. He could have taken Rei out to dinner, 
but somehow the home-cooked touch made it special, and the two girls 
had much more experience entertaining than he did.

Looking at the Rei reclining against Ranma's side, Michiru smiled and 
moved closer to her own partner. "Well, Rei, do you have any plans for 
the holidays?"

"Not really," Rei confided. "I've been spending so much time studying 
for exams this week, there hasn't been time to think about it."

"She's not kidding! I almost had to tie Ami-chan up just to stop her 
from dragging Rei-chan to another study session tonight."

"Hey! Thursday's exam is very important!" Rei said with mock 
indignation in her voice.

Seeing no-one else was going to offer any suggestions for Rei's 
holiday, Ranma spoke again. "Well... What do you think of a real 
holiday? We could swim to China and visit a few old friends..."

"China?!" The chorus was universal.

"China? But isn't that were that crazy girl Shampoo lives?"

"Shampoo's not crazy, Rei-chan. She was just a bit too enthusiastic. 
Honestly, I'm sure she didn't know what she was doing."

Concerned that Ranma - and therefore Hotaru - might be planning on 
visiting the woman that had nearly caused the end of the world, Haruka 
leaned forwards. "Come on, Ranma. I don't think that's such a good 
idea. After all, if she did that to you once, she might do it again."

"Haruka's right. What if she poisoned your food again, Ranma? Who would 
be able to save you this time?" Michiru's soft tones were cautious but 
concerned.

"Well, I... I'm sure Shampoo wouldn't do that again. After all, 
Cologne-chan could have done something pretty nasty to her after what 
happened. Besides, I was hoping Rei-chan would come with me. That way 
we could have a nice time hiking through the forest, seeing the sights, 
that sort of thing."

"Cologne? Wasn't she the old mummy that came and visited us just after 
we adopted Hotaru?" Haruka queried.

"Yes, dear. Did you know her, Ranma? We thought she must have been a 
friend of Shampoo's since she was from the same village. Oh! That 
reminds me! We actually have a few cheques for you from her. I was not 
sure why, but she insisted on sending simply huge amounts of money to 
us every month. All she said was that you came from the same village, 
and that made you sisters. Haruka and I were planning on putting them 
into a bank account until you were old enough to go to university..."

Michiru trailed away, looking sheepish. From the wistful tone of her 
voice, it was easy to recognise just how much she had longed for the 
time she would spend with Hotaru, watching the child grow into a woman. 
It was a dead dream now, but she could still think about it.

Even as Ranma opened his mouth, Rei beat him to the punch. "Yeah! I 
remember now! Cologne was Shampoo's grandmother or something. What 
makes you think we can trust her any more than we can trust Shampoo?"

That caught Ranma's attention, and he responded just a little sharply. 
"I'd trust Cologne-chan more than I'd trust these two any day!... 
Oops...  Michiru, Haruka! I didn't really mean it that way, but it is 
sort of true. It's just... Well, Cologne-chan is my oldest friend. I've 
known Cologne-chan her whole life. It wasn't until she was a grown 
woman that I left the Amazons and started wandering around again."

Michiru placed a hand over her mouth, eyes wide with surprise. "Ranma, 
I'm sorry. Sometimes it's difficult to remember just how old you really 
are. Cologne-san seemed so... old... It's hard to think of her as being 
a close friend of yours."

"Well it's true."

Trying to gauge just how well her significant other could trust 
Cologne, Rei kept probing. "How did you meet her? Did she think that 
you were another one of the little girls in the village like Chibi-Usa 
did?"

"Nope. I was her midwife."

There was silence. "You mean... You helped the midwife when she had a 
baby?"

"No. I was _her_ midwife. Like I said, I've known her since the day she 
was born. I'll never forget the day she opened her pretty brown eyes 
and smiled up at me. She was so tiny then... Just a little bit smaller 
than she is now."

All around, incredulous stares confronted Ranma. "You... You were the 
midwife? But... But..."

Grabbing a handy glass of water, Ranma doused herself and drew her 
small form to its full four-feet of height. "I'll have you know, Tenou 
Haruka-san that I am a full Mistress Healer of the Joketsuzoku 
Amazons!"

"This just gets weirder every minute, Ranma. I think you're going to 
have to count me in on this trip. Coming Michiru?"

"Of course! Do you think I could let you out of my sight with a couple 
of young girls like Hotaru and Rei around to tempt you?"

"Who said---"

Speaking right over Ranma, Rei began to join in the enthusiasm. Now 
that she knew that the two older girls - both powerful Senshi - would 
be coming with them, she was sure that there would be no danger to 
Ranma. If any of those Amazons tried something sneaky like Shampoo 
did... Well... Mars Fire, Earth Shaking and Deep Submerge would surely 
end any arguments quickly.

*	*	*

Hiking up the trail, sweat poured from her brow, and again the black 
haired, normally housebound priestess cursed the small girl in front of 
her. Long ago - days in fact - Ranma had taken all of the girls' packs, 
and was carrying them stacked on top of her own. The fact that Ranma 
still led the group, just burned in the difference between her and the 
others.

Rei and Michiru could not be considered couch-potatoes by any stretch, 
but Ranma was setting a pace in the rugged mountains that they could 
barely meet. Haruka, larger, stronger, with longer legs and plenty of 
athletic experience was still hard pressed, and that bothered her more 
than she cared to mention. She might have been able to take the 
indignity if Ranma had been sharing the baggage load with them, but 
instead, she was carrying it all by herself. 

Worst of all was the fact that Ranma was travelling in his girl form. 
Since they were used to the name, everyone called the small girl 
Hotaru, but the name did not seem to match the image they had of the 
girl. Until recently, Hotaru had seemed to be sick and weak. Now she 
could cover twice the distance each day they did - she liked to run 
around a lot while they walked - carry the packs, and still be the only 
one with energy left at the end of the day.

When the Outers had suggested hiring a four-wheel drive from a nearby 
city, Hotaru had rejected the idea out of hand. In her eyes, it was bad 
enough that they had skipped swimming from Japan to China, but to avoid 
all the walking? That was half the point of the journey. Hotaru had 
been willing to forgo the walk from the shore to the mountains due to 
the time constraints of Rei's school break, but that was the limit of 
her flexibility on the subject.

Visiting Cologne and Shampoo - while the target of their journey - was 
not the sole reason for it. Initially, Ranma had intended to spend the 
time romantically walking through the mountains of her childhood with 
Rei, but the inclusion of the Outers had surprisingly sweetened the 
trip.

Rei was often tired from the walking, and not as prone to conversation 
as Hotaru. This was the big advantage of having Michiru and Haruka 
there. Once Rei was starting to puff heavily from walking up hill at 
the same time as talking with the animated and enthusiastic girl, 
Hotaru would skip back down the line to where the others walked. Four 
days of hiking in the forest had given them a lot of time to talk about 
themselves, and that meant more to the three than they had realised it 
could.

Despite their closeness for the last three months, they had never 
really talked like one adult to another. After all, during the time 
that their bonds of love formed, Hotaru was an infant or a child. Now 
that she was grown and an adult (mentally if not physically), their 
discussions varied, and it added depth to the feelings that she already 
had.

The story that had most opened Hotaru up to real friendship was when 
the Outers talked about the difficult time they had dealing with 
themselves during their battles against the Death Busters. During that 
time, all Hotaru had seen was her own, limited and often biased 
observations. Now she was hearing it from a different point view, and 
some of the actions made much more sense. In many ways, the fact that 
two school girls could find the moral strength to make such hard 
decisions raised her respect for them more than the revelation that 
they had fought so hard. If the decision to risk people's lives had not 
been so hard, these would not have been the people she had grown to 
care for.

The Outers - and Rei - in turn learned almost the entire story of 
Ranma's life. Some of it made them laugh; some made them gasp in awe. 
All too often, the tragedy in his life made them cry, and they 
understood that it was only Ranma's unflagging good will and sense of 
hope and forgiveness that allowed him to be as sane and reasonable as 
he was today. 

Secretly, Michiru and Haruka also hoped that that same sense of 
forgiveness would someday extend to Setsuna. Ranma had adamantly 
refused to tell them what he had done to her. Since the party at Rei's 
house, they had not seen the Time Senshi for more then five minutes, 
and she had not been in good humour at that time.

Cresting a last hill, Hotaru zipped up next to Rei, took her hand and 
invited her to gaze down onto the Joketsuzoku village. From where they 
stood, they could see the small village laid out before them like an 
excessively detailed assembly of doll houses. Small figures walked 
around, a stream burbled nearby, and in the distance, Hotaru could make 
out the entrance to the valley of Jusenkyo. She pointed out everything 
that she recognised aside from how to reach the cursed springs. Simply 
being near them was danger enough. Hotaru had no intention of actually 
taking her friends there or allowing them to visit by themselves.

As they made their way down the side of the mountain to the valley that 
sheltered the village, Hotaru regaled her friends with stories of what 
life had been like. The parties, the games, the fighting and the fun; 
nothing had been quite the same as Amazon life, no matter where she had 
gone. One of the other things that ensured the Joketsuzoku would hold a 
special place in her heart was the way she had been treated as an equal 
there. No matter where she went, especially in the more "civilised" 
countries, she was treated like a child. With the Amazons, she had been 
a woman, regardless of her stature or appearance.

As they approached the gates to the village, Hotaru was glad that she 
had managed to convince Haruka to dress differently that morning. 
Coming from Japan, the girls were well aware how men often looked down 
on women; Hotaru had assured them that the sexism in an Amazon tribe 
would open their eyes. Also, unless Haruka wanted to keep lifting her 
shirt every two minutes to convince some young warrior that she was 
really a girl, it would be well advised for her to dress in something 
that... accentuated her feminine characteristics a little more.

Consequently, the group that appeared at the gates was a rather unusual 
one. Haruka and Michiru were wearing similar outfits - colour coded, of 
course. Each girl wore a bright, jungle patterned, one-piece swimsuits, 
some tight safari shorts and big hiking boots. The ensemble would have 
been uncomfortable if they had been forced to carry a pack, but since 
Hotaru was taking care of that, the clothing was actually quite 
comfortable in the constant heat of the day.

Rei wore a simple cotton shirt and shorts, also fighting off the heat. 
Hotaru, on the other hand, wore a bold, lime green Amazon pants-suit 
that she had mysteriously pulled out of her pack that morning. The thin 
black slippers she wore should not have been enough to protect her feet 
against the twigs and sharp rocks, but to all appearances, they worked 
as well as the other's heavy boots. Equally, the delicate silk and fine 
embroidery on the tight fitting green suit should have been ripped and 
torn after breaking ground through the bushes for them at times, but 
Hotaru looked a child fashion model as she lead them up the sentry.

<Hello,> Hotaru began in the Joketsuzoku's dialect, subtly different 
from the surrounding languages. <We are here to see the Matriarch, 
Cologne.>

Needless to say, the sentry was confused. Obviously a child, the girl 
was carrying a set of backpacks that was easily twice her height, 
almost certainly containing everything for their whole party. Just as 
strange was the fact that the girl was presenting herself as the 
leader, when it was clear that there were at least two adults with her. 
Thinking for a moment, the woman guarding the entrance to the village 
decided that she must be a guide or something... Perhaps...

<Ask the women what they want here.>

<Why not ask me yourself? They're with me, not the other way around.>

Glowering, the sentry took a step forwards. <Impertinent child! Your 
mother should have taught you more respect for a warrior of the 
Joketsuzoku before she sent you off here.>

Concerned by the angry tones and aggressive movement, Rei leaned close 
to her small, currently female boyfriend. "What are you saying to her?"

Not sparing the time to answer Rei, Hotaru took a stride forward to 
match the sentry and glared up at the much taller woman. <You're the 
one whose mother failed to teach respect! Are you too blind to 
recognise my ceremonial dress? Don't you understand the significance of 
this clothing?>

Startled for a moment, the sentry checked Hotaru's clothes again. What 
she had initially taken to be simply an interesting choice of colours 
suddenly made complete sense. Rather than being in maiden's pink or 
warrior's blue, this suit was in the green of a healer. Equally, the 
pattern of the stitching marked it as being more than an apprentice's. 
The fine, intricate gold stitching was reserved for a full Mistress, 
one of the rare, talented individuals that effectively ruled the 
village through their wisdom and influence.

<But... But... It's impossible... How could you even know?...>

Adopting an expression of benign wisdom and indifference that 
unconsciously mirrored the one that Setsuna so often wore, Hotaru 
smiled. There were few visitors to the village, and fewer people still 
would know what the ceremonial dress looked like, let alone would be 
able to make it. <That is not something you need concern yourself with. 
All you've got to do is take us to Cologne-chan and nothing's going to 
happen.>

The sentry bristled at the girl's aggressive, challenging tone, but 
slowly she retreated. Something was going on here, and the sentry did 
not know what it was. There were no Mistress Healers away from the 
village, and certainly there could be none as young as this, but... But 
she was here for Cologne, and the fact that someone dressing as a 
healer chose _now_ to come to the village was too unlikely to be 
coincidence.

<Your pardon, Mistress. I... Forgot myself. Please, come this way and 
bring your servants.>

As the sentry turned and walked off, three concerned girls came up to 
Hotaru and surrounded her. "What were you saying, Hotaru? What's going 
on? Why are you snickering like that?"

"Oh, nothing, nothing... She just asked me to come along and bring my 
servants."

"SHE WHAT?!"

The way the shout echoed throughout the village caught everyone's 
attention, and Rei had the good grace to blush. Grinning feebly, Rei 
waved one to all of the concerned warrior women facing them and then 
turned back to Hotaru. "What did you tell them about us, Ranma? I'll 
make you so sorry if you embarrassed me in front of all these people!"

"Calm down, you tomboy! When I told her I was actually a healer, she 
just figured you must have been my helper or something. Don't take it 
personally, I'm a good boss and all, you know."

While Rei fumed impotently, Hotaru set off at a brisk pace, making the 
Senshi follow her if they did not want to get lost. The sentry led them 
though the village, and Hotaru marvelled at just how little it had 
changed in the years, centuries, since she had been here. Many of the 
buildings were unfamiliar, having been pulled down for bigger or better 
houses, or even just changed for the sake of change sometimes. It was 
not until they stopped in front of one particular house that Hotaru 
sucked in her breath and realised just how familiar a building could 
be.

"That... That used to be my house... I made it not long after I first 
came here because I didn't want to live with the other young girls."

Looking up at the simple, wooden structure, the three girls 
accompanying her felt as though they had just been able to look into a 
piece of Ranma's mind. Finally, they could see things that she had only 
ever talked about before. Here was the house, the very same one, that 
she had built. Which meant that must be the log that she had sat on 
during her lessons, and off to the left would have be the competition 
circle. It was like seeing the characters of a book come to life for 
the first time.

<Cologne... Cologne-chan still lives here?> Hotaru's voice was choked 
with emotion.

<The _Matriarch_ has always lived here.> The sentry stressed her 
leader's title, offended at the casual way this stranger neglected it.

<Not always... She was born over there... Three houses down that 
street. I..." Memories made Hotaru's eyes tear slightly, but when the 
sentry opened the door leading to the house, Hotaru made herself 
follow. Having come so far, she could spend the rest of her time 
reminiscing with her old friend. 

After Hotaru stepped through the entrance, the sentry blocked the way. 
"Only Healer. No foreigner." Her Japanese was broken, but sufficient. 

Rei was tempted to argue - she was always tempted to argue with people 
that crossed her - but Michiru's soft hand on her shoulder stopped her. 
"Don't worry, Rei-chan. Hotaru-chan knows better than to eat anything 
she gets from strangers. And we're all just outside. We'll hear it if 
something happens in there."

"Humph! Eating food from _strangers_ is not what I'm worried about. 
It's the people she knows that worry me."

"Michiru's right, Rei-chan." Haruka continued in a quiet voice. "I 
don't think we have to be too worried about Hotaru-chan. Especially if 
you look at who's coming over this way."

Looking over her shoulder where Haruka pointed, Rei's eyes narrowed in 
anger, then she relaxed slightly. She might like Shampoo's company as 
much as a case of sunstroke, but if she was out here, she was not in 
there, working her wiles on the unreasonably kind and forgiving Ranma.

"Aiya! It Pervert Girl! What you do here?"

"Don't call me 'Pervert Girl', you bimbo! And it's no business of your 
what we're doing."

"This Shampoo Great-Grandmother house. Shampoo make her business, know 
if you making trouble."

"Us making trouble?!" Haruka burst out "You're the one that nearly got 
everyone killed!"

"What you say? Shampoo no even met you!"

"No, you haven't, but I happen to be a very good friend of Hotaru-
chan's. When you messed with Ranma's mind, you unleashed a... a demon. 
Because of your... stupid, childish actions, you almost killed everyone 
I know and care about in the world!"

Looking slightly abashed , Shampoo placed a finger on her chin. "Ahh... 
So that what happen to Husband. Great Grandmother no say. She say: 'He 
alive, but Shampoo may no see for too too long time.'"

"And that didn't bother you? The fact that you might have hurt him?"

"But Shampoo no mean to! Shampoo sorry, Shampoo punished. What more you 
want?"

"Its not the fact that you put everyone in danger. It's the way you did 
it to someone you claimed to love. How can that be love, Shampoo? Love 
is about sacrifice, not about wiping someone's mind so they _think_ 
they feel something for you."

Their shouting might have continued much longer but for the presence of 
another Healer coming out of Cologne's house. This one, unlike Hotaru, 
looked close to Cologne's age, and seemed to be built entirely out of 
wrinkles. Even her wrinkles had wrinkles on them. Aging gracefully was 
definitely not in this woman's vocabulary.

Seeing the village's current Mistress Healer, the sentry paled, 
realising the noise that the girls had been making just outside the 
Matriarch's hut. <My apologies, Mistress Healer. I should not have 
allowed them to make so much noise. I shall quiet them immediately!>

Slowly, the old crone shook her head. <Do not bother yourself. The 
Matriarch will not be troubled by it any more.>

*	*	*

When Hotaru entered the house she had once called home, the number of 
people who were in there surprised her. To judge by the robes that most 
of them wore, this could almost be a complete conclave of the village 
elders.

A frightening premonition cooled the blood in her veins as Hotaru made 
her way through the crowd. The crowd was too quiet, too calm for what 
she remembered a conclave to be. The old women, most set in their ways 
and burdened with hidden agendas, should have been constantly screaming 
at each other, trying to impress with bluster where logic and reason 
failed. If that was insufficient, it was also considered good politics 
to challenge your opponent and try to beat her into submission. Hotaru 
smirked slightly as she remembered how Amazonian politics were ill 
suited to the frail or weak of heart.

Finally making her way to the middle of the throng, Hotaru was faced 
with the truth of the gathering. The elders were obviously gathered to 
hold a last council with one of their own. A woman that looked as 
though she would not be holding that position much longer.

As the stir in the women finally broke through the inner circle, 
Cologne rolled her weary head to look at the disturbance. What she saw 
was enough to take her breath away, and it was only with great 
difficulty that she was able to regain her equilibrium and try to wave 
the girl away.

<Soap... Please... I never wanted you to see me like this.>

Despite the women all around, all ancient and venerated, Hotaru dropped 
to her knees and took the thin and frail hand that Cologne was trying 
to wave her away with. <C-Cologne-chan... What... What happened to 
you?>

Despite the illness that was obviously sapping her strength, Cologne 
managed a brief smile. <I got old. Some of us do that, you know.>

<No! You're not old. You can't be. We... We were running around 
together just a few months ago.>

<I wish... I wish I still could be. But... I haven't been too well 
lately.>

<Please, Cologne-chan. Don't do this. I know you'll be all right. You 
have to be.>

<We all have a limited time, Soap. My time is coming to an end. I 
didn't want you to have to seem me like this, because that was why you 
left us in the first place... But now that you're here, it means so 
much to me.>

Gently taking the small woman in her arms as though she was made of the 
most delicate china, Hotaru held her close and brushed away a tear that 
was sliding down Cologne's withered face. <If... If I'd known you were 
sick, I would have been here sooner, Cologne-chan. I'm sorry. I... I 
waited for Rei-chan and...>

<But you are here now.> Cologne's voice got weaker as a series of 
coughs wracked her body. <I... I saw you as a little baby, and I was so 
worried. I am so sorry for what happened to you. Shampoo did not mean 
any harm, you have to understand that. She's just too young to 
understand the consequences.>

Knowing the guilt of her great granddaughter's actions must hurt more 
than the failing of her ancient body. <It's OK, Cologne-chan. I 
understand. I'm not angry, Cologne-chan. I could never be angry with 
you. And I forgive Shampoo too. It was a mistake, but no-one is 
perfect.>

Cologne placed a hand against Hotaru's face and breathed deeply for a 
few moments. <I once... fought someone who was perfect... By a 
stream... In a clearing... But I lost... To the one I loved.>

Her own eyes filling with tears, Hotaru could not say anything. Cologne 
knew she loved her, and that was enough. Hotaru could feel the old 
woman weakening in her arms when a sudden surge went though her body, 
and the ancient Matriarch reached out and grabbed the hand of the woman 
who was going to be her successor. 

<Recognise her! Recognise her as my sister!> With surprising strength, 
she pulled the old woman closer. <Recognise Soap Onna Rope! She left 
the village on training, but she was always... one... of... us...>

The new Matriarch of the Joketsuzoku looked over at the head of the 
small, dark haired girl that held the body. She did not know of anyone 
that fit the description Cologne just gave, but they would honour the 
last wish of the passing Matriarch.

First one, then soon others gathered in the room left. In time, only 
Hotaru remained. As she felt the afternoon begin to change into 
evening, she released Cologne, her one real tie back to the days of her 
youth. To Hotaru, the time between losing Akane, and joining the 
Amazons seemed nothing more than a heartbeat, and Cologne was a part of 
that heart. The long separation had vanished the instant they were 
reunited. All that she could hope was that one day, when she passed 
from this world, Cologne too would be one of the many people she would 
see.

When Hotaru left the building, she encountered a group of four silent 
girls waiting for her. Dimly, she could remember Shampoo coming into 
the room while she grieved. Giving Michiru and Haruka a weak smile, 
Hotaru found herself held firmly by Rei. The priestess knew that losing 
a loved one was never easy, and from everything she knew, Cologne was 
one of Hotaru's closest friends, more like a daughter or sister than 
any other sort of friend.

Whispering quietly into Hotaru's ear. "I don't think Shampoo knows 
about your curse."

"She wouldn't. Cologne would never have told her." Looking up, she 
addressed Shampoo. "I'm sorry about what happened. But... I forgive 
you. And I know Ranma forgives you too."

Shampoo smiled and got a wistful look in her eyes. They could tell that 
she understood she would never see Ranma again. She did not know 
whether he was dead or alive, but her chances of marrying the man now 
were the same either way.

Once again Rei whispered to her. "You aren't going to tell her?"

"No. It's be easier for her like this. She still has some of her 
honour. If she thought I was alive, she would be bound to chase me 
forever." 

Standing up, she took Rei's hand and looked at the other two she had 
travelled with. "Come on. Let's go back to Japan."

"Let's go home. Together, as a family."

---
End Of Epilogue