Chapter 1

"No..." Ranma murmured, as the maternal presence left her. "Don't go..."

Confusion began to set in. Weightlessness had been replaced by an uncomfortable pressure against the front of her body, once the embrace of that maternal presence had disappeared. And then the silent void began to be filled with... noise. Lots of noise. Not just noise, but... voices? There were so many of them that their words became indistinct.

She opened her eyes, but had to squint as they adjusted to the light. However, it was enough for her to see that she was lying upon the floorboards of the dojo. Or, rather, what was left of them: because she saw the start of some kind of white stone not that far away, where the floorboards ended.

It wasn't long before most of her mental faculties began to function at optimal levels, and with it the need to pick herself up from the floor began to grow, so she could find out where she was and what was going on. However, while in the process of bracing herself, so she could push herself away from the floor, she became distracted by a sudden and distinct lack of noise.

When she looked up, what she saw made her pause. Before her stood more than a hundred people, none appearing to be any older than someone in their twenties, and at least some of their attire was unfamiliar if not unexpected. Many of them were pointing various kinds of devices in her direction, that were flat and — most commonly — rectangular in shape, as they observed her with varying degrees of shock. She seemed to be in the middle of some kind of Grecian shrine or temple, by the look of the architectural design, and beyond her spectators was an arched doorway whose doors were currently open to the outside. For some reason unknown to her, she appeared to be in a cordoned-off area, as she was the only one on her side of a fancy-looking guard rail made of the same white stone as the floor.

Not knowing what else to do, she pushed herself into a sitting position and raised a hand in an awkward greeting. "Um... hi?"

"The Maiden spoke!" Some woman squealed, breaking the collective silence.

The woman's excitement proved to be very infectious, since everyone around her seemed to erupt with activity. They were beginning to make noise again, for all the good it did to speak at once, except this time some of them were beginning to climb over the guard rail that separated her from them. She wasn't exactly sure what was going on, but she got to her feet and looked around for an escape route — just in case.

And then she heard a new voice over the din. "What in the world is goi—"

She turned around and saw a familiar-looking woman standing in a small doorway, who was staring at her in wide-eyed surprise, with a hand over her mouth. She reminded her of Nabiki, had she been a few years older, but there was also something... like herself about her appearance, too. Her eyes were hazel, and she had her long, brunette hair up in a high ponytail. She wore a voluminous white robe that gleamed in the light, which made her wonder whether she were some kind of priestess or if she had just gotten out of bed.

Whoever the woman was, she recovered quickly enough and began to beckon her through the doorway that she occupied. "This way!"

Ranma looked back at the crowd, which appeared to be growing larger and drawing nearer, and then she returned her attention to the woman. She figured that it would be easier to deal with a single person if they turned out to be a problem, so she decided to heed the woman by running past her, into an enclosed breezeway.

The woman stepped out of the doorway and pressed a panel on the wall, which made a metal door slide into place with nary a sound. Then she turned around, gathered her robes, and walked past her.

"Follow me," she directed, without looking back. "We must make haste."

Not knowing what else to do, Ranma followed her down the lengthy breezeway at a hurried pace. While it was lit by what appeared to be a single, glowing ceiling panel, several windows offered some light, too. When she paused to look out of one, she noticed that a lot of people had gathered outside, and that some of them were now pointing directly at her and getting the others' attention.

Since she was worried about the kind of situation that she had somehow found herself in, in addition to the unfamiliar sights, she quickly caught up to the woman and asked, "What's going on?"

"Not now," the woman replied as she reached a door, before she looked over her shoulder and gave her an apologetic look. "You'll be told everything once you're safe and prepared to hear it."

After the woman opened the door and entered what appeared to be the inside of a house, Ranma was only a step or two behind her, thinking that the response that she had gotten had sounded a bit ominous. It also didn't help her sense of foreboding, when she took a closer look at her surroundings: because each room she passed through looked rather spartan and unfurnished, with the odd futuristic-looking device making an appearance every now and again.

Her fears were realized when a weird-looking chair seemed to phase up through the floor upon entering the latest room, which the woman gestured toward before approaching one of the room's walls. Rather than take a seat, she watched with wide eyes as a small portion of said wall changed color and texture, yet remained flat as all manner of features began to take form. She figured that at least some of them were buttons because the woman had pressed one, but the rest she wasn't sure how to identify.

To her shock, the ghostly image of a young man suddenly appeared between the woman and the wall. He was life-sized, but only shown from the waist up. And if his visage didn't convey that he was all business, then his professional-looking attire certainly did, even though she was unfamiliar with the style.

"This is the Crystal Palace," the man calmly stated. "We have received your passcode and are reviewing it now for authentication."

Ranma stumbled over to the chair and sat down, her head reeling with the implications of what she'd just witnessed. While she'd never watched television all that much, she'd been exposed to enough science-fiction movies to know that she was — in all likelihood — seeing a hologram... and holograms tended to exist in futuristic settings.

"Your identity has been confirmed, Saotome Miyuki," the man stated a few seconds later, before he spared a moment to glance at something only he could see. "I have just been informed that your access to this channel comes with special orders. Shall I proceed with them?"

Miyuki nodded her head affirmatively. "Please do."

That seemed to end the conversation, because the man had simply said, "understood," before his image vanished. Ranma watched as Miyuki continued to stand there, with her back to her, wondering — and fearing — if they were related. If they were, then she might not be from her own generation or any before, considering the type of technology that she'd seen so far. And if she wasn't, then the amount of time that she'd spent in that seemingly-timeless state of serenity would have to be measured by at least a single generation, rather than the few years that she was now finding difficult to hope for.

Finally, the woman named Miyuki released a sigh, and the tension that had held her shoulders stiff and aloft began to fade. She turned to regard her, and in place of the austere expression was a look of sympathy. Rather than feel offended by that, or appreciative, it made a lump settle in her stomach: because it likely meant that her situation was worse than her own optimistic estimates, even though it was based more on personal experience with her own "luck" than actual evidence.

Miyuki bit her bottom lip for a moment, feeling indecisive, before she found herself blurting out, "How are you feeling?"

Ranma wasn't about to admit that fear was beginning to gnaw at her, so she hesitantly responded with a question, afraid of the answer. "How... should I be feeling?"

She got a wince in reply, and a somewhat pained expression persisted afterward. She found that less than encouraging, to say the least; even more so when she failed to answer her question verbally. That's not to say that she didn't look as if she were trying, but such a simple question apparently had a difficult answer, and she didn't find that to be a good sign.

However, even though she feared what she might learn about her new circumstances, she knew that she wouldn't be able to avoid them forever: after all, the greater the changes, the more likely that they would crop up to trample all over her expectations. Until she knew what was going on, she wouldn't be able to figure out what to do with herself in order to deal with it, and the last thing that she wanted was to be unprepared.

She decided that a different question might be easier to answer, and thus provide her with some helpful — yet potentially damning — information. However, before she could think of a question that her host might be able to answer, said host distracted her by kneeling before her and taking her hands in her own.

"Listen," she said earnestly, "I know you have questions, but someone far more qualified than I will answer them soon enough. In fact, any moment now a friend will arrive to take you to her."

Before Ranma could ask her who that person was, she felt something in the air that raised the hairs on her flesh. Miyuki seemed to sense it as well, because she got to her feet and moved to stand beside her. A second later, a moderately-visible sphere of energy appeared before them, and within it the image of a person began to quickly coalesce into something whole and real.

Miyuki bowed her head in respect to the new arrival. "I'm glad that you could come on such short notice, Sailor Mars."

Ranma sat in stunned, wide-eyed silence. While she hadn't ever paid any real attention to them, she'd known enough about the sailor senshi to identify the one in front of her. She had never expected to get involved with them, but now that she was... Just what had she gotten herself into?

Rei would have expressed her amusement at Ranma's reaction under different circumstances, but she opted to nod her head to acknowledge Miyuki's statement as she took in the sight of the redhead while outside of the crystal for the first time. "Thanks for taking care of her, Saotome-san. It's a real mess out there, but you shouldn't have much of a problem once their attention is diverted to the palace."

"Speaking of which," she added, as she reached over and pulled Ranma out of her chair, "we should make our tactical retreat."

"Wha...?" Ranma voiced as she found herself held about the waist, before looking up at the sailor senshi of Mars with confusion and uncertainty.

Rei smiled down at her reassuringly. "Relax. This will probably be a bit disconcerting for you, but everything will be alright."

Whether Ranma had a response to that or not, Miyuki watched in silence as they disappeared a few seconds later, using the same method to leave that Sailor Mars had used to arrive. Then she leaned on the back of the chair, closed her eyes, and released a long and heavy sigh.

"I wish you the best... uncle."

It had been an hour since Ranma had arrived at the Crystal Palace, and she had spent the entire time waiting in a guest room. Said room and its furnishings could easily be described with such words as: big, ornate and expensive-looking. It left little doubt that she was in a palace, but the expanse of the crystal-covered city that she could see beyond the nearly-wall-length window, as well as the food and refreshments, had also helped.

She had opted to lay on the bed, with her hands tucked beneath her head, after she had explored the room and had become tired of the view that the window had to offer. As she stared up at the canopy, she tried to prepare herself mentally for what she might learn. She had no idea of how much time she had spent in the crystal, and a lot of things — important things — could have changed irrevocably. When she had made that spur-of-the-moment decision to seek sanctuary within the crystal, had she made a mistake?

And that was the thing: the idea hadn't been her own. Even now she felt the presence of the one that she had gotten the idea from, that she had listened to as if it had been her own idea. She didn't know who or what the presence was, aside from it being female, but despite the current prospects of her situation she still felt that she could trust it. All that she knew for sure was that it was a very kind and motherly presence, and she couldn't find it in her heart to reject it. At the moment, she was being buoyed by love and reassurance, which made it possible for her to feel calm and relaxed.

Just as she began to consider trying to communicate with the presence, she heard one of the levers belonging to the large and old-fashioned double doors being handled. With a jerk back into alertness, she sat up and quickly slid off the bed, so she could stand and be more presentable for her guest. Since she was in the palace, she figured that she should act as properly as she knew how, so she didn't offend anyone unnecessarily.

The woman who now stood in the open doorway surprised her, like a lot of things seemed to be doing since her awakening a short time ago. At most she had expected another — or the same — sailor senshi to see her, but had assumed that some kind of royal official would have been more likely; she hadn't expected the queen herself — of all people — to see to her needs. However, as surprising as it was, she didn't feel the kind of nervousness that would make one stutter and act awkwardly. Rather, her presence felt familiar and welcoming, which produced quite the opposite effect.

Usagi had paused in the doorway, because she hadn't expected what she had discovered upon meeting the young redhead in person. She'd had her suspicions about who she might be, but her mother — the one housed in the moon palace's computer — had told her to wait and not to worry, instead of answering her questions. Now that the crystal from the Ginzuishou was no longer obfuscating her senses, she now knew that they shared a bond that went well beyond acquaintance and friendship. She didn't know the exact nature of their bond, but she knew enough for it to explain the girl's ability to use the Ginzuishou as well as she could. However, that still didn't explain why her mother was being mum about it.

Ultimately, it didn't really matter. With a casual grace borne from centuries of practice, she strode over to a now-bedazzled redhead and gathered her into her bosom, just like she had planned to do a very long time ago. She lost track of time as she hugged the young girl within her arms, as she thought about the girl's future and how she was going to make sure that she had a bright and wonderful one to look forward to.

After she finally withdrew, Ranma looked up at her with wide, expressive eyes. With her cheeks expressing a fetching shade of pink, she softly asked, "What was that for?"

Usagi smiled warmly. "Because I've felt you needed one ever since I learned about you."

"Now, come," she said, before Ranma had a chance to do more than worry about what she knew about her. She placed an arm across the smaller girl's shoulders and held the farthest one with a gentle grip as she began to lead her to a relatively small table surrounded by two high-backed armchairs. "We have a lot to discuss, and I was only able to spare so much time for you on such short notice."

When they were both seated at the table, Usagi spoke first in a casual and friendly manner. "Before we get into issues concerning the here and now, I'd like for you to tell me exactly what happened when you used the Ginzuishou to enclose yourself in its crystal. Depending on what you can tell me, it might give us an answer for why you were released from the crystal today."

Seeing that the girl across from her was uncomfortable and reluctant to answer, she tried to soothe her concerns. "I'm not here to judge you. You have my full support, and I want to help you as much as I can."

Ranma saw the sincerity in the queen's visage, and heard it in her voice, but — even with the presence insisting that she could trust her — she found it hard to open up on a subject that she had never shared with anyone before — or ever intended to, for that matter. So, it took her a moment to put her thoughts together, in order to put into words the thoughts and feelings that she had never planned on sharing with anyone.

"Well," she hesitantly began, "I... didn't know what else to do. I had all of these conflicting obligations and expectations... and stuff. I tried to work it all out, but... I couldn't. The longer I tried, even more problems got added, and things kept getting worse." She looked down at her hands and lowered her voice. "I was getting... desperate. I realized I needed more time, by myself, if there was going to be any hope of fixing anything, but I couldn't get away." She paused to take a measured breath. "When I felt the crystal coming, I was suddenly aware of this... presence, for lack of a better word. It told me that the crystal would give me the time and peace I needed to resolve everything, and since that's exactly what I'd been hoping for, I did what I'd wanted to do for a long time. I..." She lowered her head and whispered, "I... ran away."

"So, you needed to get away from your problems," Usagi deduced in a sympathetic tone. "From what I know of them, I understand completely. When I first learned about your circumstances, I was amazed that such a thing could happen — or be allowed to happen, for that matter. I was... very upset."

Ranma raised her head and smiled wanly at that. It was strange, really, because it felt like she was talking to a very old and dear friend, rather than a queen or a practical stranger. As far as she knew, she'd never had such a friend before... Yet, once she'd opened up and shared something very personal with her, not only did she find relief in it, but a sort of familiarity as well. So, rather than deny what she'd already admitted, she felt grateful for the sympathetic ear.

When Usagi was sure that her position on the matter was understood, she said, "You mentioned a presence. What can you tell me about it?"

"Not much," Ranma replied, as she scratched the side of her face. "I don't know about the crystal thing, but she seems very nice and I feel like I can trust her. Before you got here I'd just realized that I could try communicating with her, so..."

"Would you care to try right now?" Usagi suggested with a smile, having an idea of what kind of presence it could be. "At the very least it might allow us to understand why she made her presence known to you when she did, and why she suggested what she did to help you."

Ranma nodded her head once before she focused inward and posed the question. The answer that she received was both short and unenlightening, and her disappointment, confusion and minor annoyance was expressed by a frown.

With a hint of concern, Usagi asked, "Is something wrong?"

Ranma crossed her arms and grumbled, "She says she's 'a guide,' and that she won't tell me anything more than that until 'the time is right.'"

Usagi blinked her eyes at that. It didn't sound like a sailor guardian, like she had expected. Still, she could empathize with that kind of secrecy, and expressed as much with her visage because she'd had to deal with it on far too many occasions herself. Before she could ask a question about it, the redhead seemed to be mollified by whatever the "guide" must have added, perhaps even a bit touched.

Ranma released a sigh of both relief and resignation before she said, "She also says that she loves me, and intends to see me happy."

Usagi smiled and nodded her head. "I feel the same way."

Despite Ranma's sense of familiarity with the queen, even though they'd never met before, she still felt surprised by her statement. If both the queen and her so-called guide were to be believed, then they could be considered the first to ever really care about her, even if they had yet to live up to their claims. However, just hearing someone actually say such a thing allowed her to give them the benefit of the doubt.

"Really?" She asked with hope-filled eyes.

"Of course," Usagi affirmed, before her expression became sad and conflicted. "Which is why I'm reluctant to say what I have to tell you, even though you need to hear it."

She bit her bottom lip as she regarded the stiff-bodied and anxious-eyed redhead, who was no doubt trying to prepare herself mentally for the bad news that she had to deliver. However, she couldn't do it at such an impersonal distance, which had been the result of a habit that she had picked up as a queen. She felt that it would be better to tell her in a more personal manner, so she would be within range to be comforted physically.

So, she got up from her chair and went over to the bed to sit, and began to pat the space next to her invitingly. "Please, come here and join me."

Ranma did so slowly, who was caught between the fear and necessity of learning something significant that was all but guaranteed to be bad news. Her guide was there to support her, and told her that the queen had moved their conversation to the bed for the exact same reason, because she truly cared about her. It was reassuring to know, particularly with the effort that she had to put into keeping her nerves under control. She was also relieved by the fact that her sense of familiarity with the matriarch made it possible for her to sit close to her without feeling uncomfortable.

Usagi looked down into Ranma's eyes with compassion, as she tried to figure out exactly what she wanted to say, and how to say it. Even her long experience as a queen didn't make it easy to say what needed to be said. When too much time had passed, and she considered herself as ready as she could make herself, she reached over and clasped the young redhead's hands within her own.

"Oh, Ranma," she said softly, speaking the girl's name for the first time. "I don't know how else to say this, but... The day I covered this city in crystal... That was almost fifteen-hundred years ago."

Ranma felt the world drop out from underneath her, and something in her mind skipped a groove. She wasn't entirely sure if she'd heard right. "Wh-what...?"

Usagi squeezed the girl's hands and her look of compassion intensified. "You were inside of the crystal for nearly fifteen-hundred years."

"But..." Ranma tried to argue, to deny the possibility, but the implications and lightheadedness were making it difficult to do so, because she suspected that it really was possible. "That can't..." Her voice had already become faint and quavering. "No..."

Usagi's heart wrenched at the effect that her words were having, but she knew that the martial artist who had been born in the twentieth century had to face and accept the truth: that she was now living in the thirty-fourth century.

"I'm afraid it's the truth," she said, her voice strained by emotion as she looked into the now-wet and searching eyes that had wanted to hear anything else but that. "Even with humanity's lifespan now being one-thousand years on average, you're only one of a handful of individuals who have lived for as long as you have." Seeing the look of horror borne of realization dawning on her face, she couldn't help adding, "I'm so sorry."

Ranma was so overwhelmed by what she'd heard, that not only didn't she know what to do, but she had become too confused to even realize that she had begun to breathe shallowly from stress and anxiety. Before she knew it, she'd fainted from emotional distress for the very first time in her life.

Usagi collected the girl's limp body into her lap and cried silently. Her tears fell onto her crimson hair, where her chin was nestled. She remained that way until she heard a knock at the door, which told her that she'd used up all of the time that she had managed to open up for the poor girl that she didn't yet want to let go of, much less leave.

There wasn't much of anything that she could do while Ranma was unconscious, so she eventually responded to the summons at the door — even if reluctantly. However, before she left, she made sure to tuck the redhead into the bed and kissed her on the forehead. Then, before she reached the door, she paused to address the girl's supposed guide.

"I don't know who you are," she whispered, her hands clenched at her sides, "but mark my words: if I find out that you didn't have a very good reason for doing this, I'll make you regret it."

After the door closed behind her, said guide — who only Ranma could have seen at the time, had she been awake — was standing by the side of the bed nearest her charge, smiling sadly in the direction of the door.