SILVER SUN

A Sailor Ranko fanfic
by Jason Heinrich

Based on the Sailor Ranko story and webcomic by Duncan Zillman and Rebecca Heineman. With acknowledgments and thanks to Kevin D. Hammel and Arthur Hansen.


DISCOVERY AND LOSS

Angwyn Weaver lay on her back in the grass, gazing up into the deep blue sky at nothing in particular. She brushed a wisp of red hair out of her eyes and sighed contentedly, enjoying the warm Sun and complete, if temporary, freedom from responsibility. Today was her 16th birthday, and her parents had given her the day off from her chores to enjoy it as she wanted. So as soon as school had let out, she had caught the first transport into the city and come up to her favorite park.

The park sat in the hills west of the capital city of the Moon Kingdom, and Angwyn loved coming here, though she didn't get to do so very often. Her parents' farm was further west in the Haemus Highlands, and trips to the city took some time. While this meant she would have less free time today, she figured the view was worth it. Off to the north stretched the Sea of Serenity, and from its shore rose the grand crystalline palace of Queen Serenity and her royal court. Beyond the palace's sprawling and immaculate grounds was the city itself. Gleaming towers of colorful crystal and metal reached into the sky and transports wove between them like so many bees around their hives. Just visible on the southern horizon beyond the suburbs was a hint of green, marking the edge of the Plains of Tranquility.

Angwyn had already taken in the sights, and was enjoying her last few minutes in the park before she needed to head back home. A shuttle crossed her view and she watched it as it transected the crescent Earth, quickly gaining altitude. Just as it was about to disappear from view, a small flash marked its passage through the magical dome that made all the beauty around her – indeed, life on the Moon itself – possible. She couldn't see the dome itself of course. Centered at the palace, it stretched nearly 1500 kilometers from one side to the other, and was several kilometers high over the capital. Angwyn's family had gone camping on the north shore of the Sea of Serenity a few years ago, near the dome's edge. She remembered the stark contrast between the blue sky and sea and green tree-covered hills on the one side, versus the black star-filled space and dry gray dust on the other, just beyond the dome. She didn't envy the original Lunar settlers that had braved such a harsh and unforgiving place so many centuries ago, before Serenity had used the power of her Silver Crystal to create a new dome and bring life to the barren landscape. The settlement's original dome no longer existed – it had been dismantled after the new dome had been created – but the main complex of the settlement was now a museum in the middle of downtown.

But she wouldn't be visiting the museum today, she mused as she stood to her feet. Mom was making her favorite birthday pie, and there was no way she was going to be late to dinner. With a smile of anticipation, Angwyn headed back down the path towards the transport station.


Beryl had mixed feelings about the deal she had made with the creature that called herself Metalia. On the one hand, with Metalia's subtle influence, Beryl's popularity and power had soared in the last couple of years. She had once been a common peasant, but now people across the region looked to her for direction and inspiration. In fact, she was even aware of a petition to have her appointed as her district's official representative at the palace. While she had planned on the appointment as one step in her overall goal, she was nevertheless pleased that in this case at least, she actually had nothing to do with it. The petition was strictly a grassroots movement. On the other hand, when she was honest with herself it all felt a little shallow. Despite all the attention, there was only one person she really wanted to attract; and to date, Endymion, the Earth Prince, still hadn't acknowledged her existence.

That, and Metalia just creeped her out.

Her skin was starting to crawl even now as she rounded a bend in the underground passageway and came within sight of the cavern in which Metalia resided. She couldn't see her yet, but she didn't have to. She could feel Metalia's presence as she neared the chamber. Though no thermometer would register it, it was like something had sucked all heat, all joy – all life – out of the air.

Beryl stepped into the cavern and wedged her torch into a convenient crack in the wall before facing the shadows. She didn't introduce herself – it wasn't necessary – simply saying, "I felt your summons."

One of the shadows moved, turning to reveal a vaguely feminine profile. It was large, twice Beryl's height, and absorbed the light from Beryl's torch as if a bottomless hole had been torn in the air. Two amber points of light gleamed from the creature's head, marking its eyes, and a red diamond-shaped sigil glowed less brightly on its forehead. Roiling shadows stretched out from its head, making a ghostly approximation of hair.

Metalia wasted no more time on formalities than Beryl had. "I have felt a new threat growing, one that must be dealt with if you are to win your prince and establish your 'Dark Kingdom.'"

Beryl frowned. "What could be more of a threat to my reign than King Aethlius?"

Physically Metalia remained the same size, yet somehow she seemed to grow, filling Beryl's vision. Her ice-like presence likewise filled Beryl's mind. "The Earth King isn't the only power in the solar system."

"The Moon Kingdom?" Jealousy surged in Beryl's breast. "I'd heard rumors from the court that Endymion had his eye on the Moon Princess." Suspicions and uncertainty swirled around the icy fog in her mind, finally settling on one individual and blossoming into a cold hatred. "The Moon Queen wants to annex Earth into her kingdom through marriage! I bet she's influencing the prince with that stupid crystal of hers…"

The slowly moving shadows around Metalia's head became more agitated. "That 'stupid crystal,' as you call it, has more power than you can possibly imagine." Her eyes grew brighter, commanding all of Beryl's attention. "If you could obtain it, nothing could stop us." The blackness that was Metalia seemed to shudder at the thought, and Beryl blinked, suddenly aware of her surroundings again. "However," Metalia continued, "the Moon Queen isn't our primary concern at the moment. I have sensed another magic user: one strong enough to create a ripple in the fabric of space and time itself. This kind of power would rival even the Queen's ability. But we will deal with this new threat."

A scratching sound to her right made Beryl jump, and she watched with a mixture of fascination and horror as two boulders cracked open, spilling a thin, sticky mud on the floor. They're eggs, Beryl realized, as the creatures inside of them struggled more frantically for freedom. A spiked green elbow punched a hole in one, and its owner quickly made short work of the rest of the stone egg. Its companion was even more efficient. A bluish-gray blade stabbed through the side of the other egg and neatly bisected it across the top and down the other side. The two halves of the egg fell apart and a humanoid creature stood to her feet, the blade at the end of her arm shrinking and reforming into a clawed hand. Her green-hued partner kicked away a piece of stone shell that was sticking to her foot and stood as well.

"They are youma," answered Metalia to Beryl's unspoken question. "Creatures formed of the earth and brought to life with pure crystallized life energy. They are stronger than any human, nearly impervious to physical damage, and these two in particular can change form to blend in with humans unnoticed. They will find and eliminate our little problem before it becomes a danger to us."

Beryl glanced doubtfully at the creatures standing nearby, patiently waiting for orders from their dark queen. "If this magic user is as powerful as you say, are only two youma going to be able to eliminate her?"

"The ripple I felt came from the future, so she hasn't fully realized her powers yet. And I know she does not live in the Moon palace, or the Queen's presence would have hidden her."

"So she's unprotected," Beryl grinned.

"Indeed," Metalia responded. "But do not underestimate the task before you. Even with the magic user eliminated, you will need an army to defeat the queen and her warriors. I will teach you the magic necessary to create youma, but I will not spare any more of my life energy to animate them. You will need to find… alternate… means of obtaining the energy."

Beryl shuddered, and it had nothing to do with the chill Metalia's presence brought to the cavern. She had an idea of what she would need to do to collect the life energy her youma army would require.


A few hours later, Beryl stepped out of the cave system's entrance, flanked by the two youma Metalia had created. Without a word the youma split off, disappearing into the darkness, and Beryl was left alone in the moonlight. She glared up at the nearly full moon, its massive dome giving it the appearance of a giant cosmic eyeball in the sky, watching her every move. "You won't get away with this, moon wench," she spat. "Endymion will be mine, and once I have the throne of Earth, your precious Moon Kingdom will fall in line. The colonies of this solar system have claimed their independence from the Earth for long enough!"

She whirled, purposely turning her back on the silver orb in the sky, and headed back to the city. She had some sacrifices to make.


It was still about a ten minute walk from the transport stop to her house, but Angwyn didn't mind. The weather was perfect as always, and the transport had been running ahead of schedule, so she didn't need to hurry. Even so, as she turned off of the road she couldn't help breaking into a jog as she headed down the path to her house. Seeing the door to her father's workshop open, she changed course and poked her head inside.

The sterile workshop stood in sharp contrast to the small rural farm on which it sat. Its interior was a testament to technology, filled with machines and electronics in various states of assembly. Aiden Weaver himself sat at a bench, medium-length blonde hair tied back in its customary ponytail and arms buried halfway into… something. It was in too many different pieces at the moment for Angwyn to identify quickly. "Hey, Dad!" Angwyn called out.

Aiden glanced up from his work. "Oh, hi Ang!" he replied. "Wow, is it dinner time already?"

"Probably pretty close, but I haven't seen Mom yet. I just got back. Whatcha workin' on?".

"Oh, the Bowmans' milker broke down, and they asked me to take a look at it."

So that's what those tubes are, Angwyn thought, then grinned. "That's what you get for letting your neighbors know that you're a genius engineer."

Her father chuckled. "That's okay, I enjoy it." Angwyn had to agree. She'd picked up a love of technology from her father, who taught engineering at the University and had been a contributing inventor on a couple dozen different projects commissioned by the Queen herself. As one of only a few individuals who specialized in integrating magic with more traditional technology, he was frequently sought out by the royalty when they had systems that needed to be controlled through less conventional means.

Yet in spite of his high-tech career – or perhaps because of it – Aiden preferred to live simply, and derived a great deal of satisfaction from getting his hands dirty on his farm. And he wasn't above fixing farm equipment for a friend.

"Anything I can do to help?" Angwyn asked.

"No thanks," Aiden shook his head. "I think I found the problem. It looks like this seal wore out," he pointed to where the control module would have been attached to the main body of the milker if it had been assembled, "and moisture got in and corroded the connections. I should be able to clean those off and put a new seal on pretty quick." He smiled inwardly at the flicker of disappointment that crossed his daughter's face. "If you want, you can help me reassemble it after dinner."

Angwyn's smile returned. "Okay, thanks Dad! I'm gonna go see Mom. See you at dinner!" He watched her bounce out the door and down the path to the house. Getting up, he walked over to a drawer and opened it, pulling out a wrapped gift about the size of a shoebox. Somehow he doubted she would be back out to the workshop tonight.


"Well Cara, I think you outdid yourself tonight," Aiden gushed at his wife. "I already knew you made the best roast in the kingdom, but somehow you managed to kick it up another notch." The auburn-haired woman beamed at the compliment.

Angwyn was leaning back in her chair, with her hands crossed over her stomach and her eyes half-closed. "Mmmmm," she agreed with a contented smile.

Cara Weaver looked at the empty serving platter and crossed her arms in mock annoyance. "And I went to all the trouble to make my birthday pie, just to have you two fill yourselves up on the main dish."

Angwyn's eyes popped open and she sat up like a shot. "Oh yeah, pie! I'm good, Mom; I'll take a big piece!"

Aiden wondered where his daughter got her seemingly endless appetite and shook his head. Holding up his thumb and forefinger close together, he said, "Maybe a small piece for me Dear, thanks!"

As Cara headed back to the kitchen to retrieve the pie, Aiden stepped over to a hutch and pulled the wrapped package he had brought in from his shop out of one of its cabinets. He set it on the table as Cara returned through the kitchen door carrying the birthday pie with 16 candles around its perimeter. She set the pie in front of Angwyn as well, standing next to her daughter opposite her husband.

Aiden put his hand on Angwyn's shoulder. "Before we light the candles, there is something your mother and I thought you should know now that you're sixteen."

Angwyn was taken aback by her father's suddenly serious tone. "What's that?" She glanced back and forth between her parents and started to feel a little numb. By Serenity, she thought, I was adopted!

Cara looked at her husband a little uncertainly, and he nodded reassuringly at her. Closing her eyes, she waved her hand over the pie.

All of the candles popped into flame simultaneously.

Angwyn stared at the pie, then at both of her parents, then back at the pie. Then she burst out laughing.

Aiden gaped at his daughter. "What's so funny?"

"Trick candles!" Angwyn laughed, clutching her stomach. "You had me going there!"

Cara picked herself up off of the floor. "Um, dear, those weren't trick candles. They were regular, ordinary birthday candles, and I lit them."

Angwyn frowned, trying to understand what her mother was getting at. "Huh?" she asked intelligently.

"I can use magic, sweetheart."

Angwyn stuttered a bit, and her parents could practically see the gears turning in her head. "That... But... Whoa..." Then her eyes nearly bugged out of her head. "Hey! If you can use magic, that must mean we're..." She trailed off, unable to process the implication of what her parents had just revealed.

But her father shook his head. "No, as far as we can tell, your mother has no royal blood. Trust me, we did a very thorough ancestry search when we found out."

Angwyn frowned, looking up at her mother. "So could Grandma or Grandpa, or anybody else in your family use magic?"

Cara shrugged. "Not that I know of. But we know from the royal houses that wherever it came from, the ability can be passed down from one generation to the next. Perhaps it was a regressive gene, or maybe some members of my family did have the gift but didn't know it. I wouldn't have known either if it hadn't been for your father's research." She smiled at her husband, who returned it warmly. "But the point is," continued Cara, turning back to her daughter, "if this is genetic, then it's possible you can use magic too."

Angwyn sat there wide-eyed, not sure what to do or say. "Why don't you open your gift?" suggested Aiden, nodding at the wrapped box on the table.

Angwyn wasted no time tearing the paper off the box. Inside lay two identical round objects about the size of her palm. Each was made out of a gold-colored metal and had a slight curve, and in the center of the top sat a smooth red crystal. Two straps were attached to the bottom. Puzzled, Angwyn lifted them out of the box, noting how light they were. "They're beautiful," she remarked, looking up at her mother. "I've never seen jewelry quite like this before."

"That's because they're not jewelry," her father answered. She turned back to face him again. "I created these for your mother when she was learning to use her magic. They enhance your ability to sense and use your Spark: the source of a person's magical ability." He took one from her and tapped the red crystal. "This crystal glows when you draw energy from your Spark. It's actually how we discovered your mother's ability." He smiled faintly at the memory. "You were just a baby, only a few months old. I was working on a control feedback system for Royal Naval vessels and she had brought you into the workshop. I had been working with some crystals that would indicate when a system was being controlled directly through magic; I suppose so the regular bridge officers would know to keep their hands off. I asked her to bring some of the indicator crystals that I was finished with over to another workbench, and as she turned around she tripped on a piece of equipment."

"I was carrying you," Cara filled in, "and I was so terrified that you were going to be hurt. I think I must have instinctively pushed away from the floor with my mind, because I seemed to fall very slowly. I had plenty of time to turn before I hit the ground, and neither you nor I were hurt."

"I didn't see her fall," Aiden continued, "but I heard her cry out. When I turned around she was laying on the ground on her back with you safely in her arm. But what really shocked me was that the crystals she was carrying were glowing!" He scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "I'm a little ashamed to admit that my first thought was that the crystals were faulty."

Cara mock glared at him. "Yeah, his wife and daughter are lying on the floor, and he's worried about his precious crystals!"

"Well, you were obviously okay," Aiden defended himself, feigning a righteous air. "Besides, you should be thankful that I keep my shop spotless. You didn't even have to dust yourself off when you got up."

"It's the only thing on this farm you keep clean," Cara retorted.

Angwyn giggled and Aiden coughed, his cheeks slightly pink. He figured now would be a good time to get the conversation back on topic. "ANYWAYS, it didn't take me long to figure out the crystals were working perfectly, reacting to the presence of magic. Your mother wanted to explore her newly discovered skill, but was having trouble consciously accessing it."

"So you made these things to amplify her magic!" Angwyn interjected. Seeing her father's slightly annoyed expression from being interrupted, she folded her hands in her lap and said meekly, "Sorry."

"Close, but not quite right. As far as I know, no one has been able to amplify magic power through technology alone. Only a talisman could do that, and only the strongest magic users, like Serenity herself, would have enough power to create one in the first place. No, your mother's problem was that she couldn't feel her Spark, and without that, she couldn't consciously draw out the magic. As I mentioned earlier, I created these," he held up the device in his hand, "to increase her sensitivity to magic so she could find it." He thought for a second, then added, "They're sort of the magical equivalent of sticking a megaphone up to your ear to hear a quiet sound better. Obviously they worked. Your mother has been improving her skills ever since then, and she seems to have an affinity with fire. In fact," he concluded with a grin, "she's become something of a pyromaniac."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Cara deadpanned, juggling three fireballs.

"Right," Aiden sweatdropped. "I keep telling her she's going to burn the house down one of these days if she's not careful." He handed the device back to Angwyn. "You wanna see how they work?"

"Do I!" Angwyn exclaimed. She got up and headed outside with her father.

Cara started to follow her husband and daughter out the back door, but suddenly remembered something and turned around. The birthday pie continued to sit on the table, forgotten, the candles burned down to cold wax lumps on its upper crust. Well, at least I won't burn the house down that way, she chuckled inwardly, and turned back out the door to join her family in the yard.


"There you go," Aiden said as he finished strapping the devices onto Angwyn's forearms. "You wear them kind of like bracers, see?"

Angwyn mimicked a fighting pose. "I doubt they would hold up too good in real hand-to-hand combat, though." She grinned, "Too pretty."

Aiden just shrugged. "We never tried that, but you might be surprised. Those are military-grade indicator crystals there, after all."

Angwyn relaxed her pose and studied the bracers on her arms. "So am I supposed to be feeling anything different? 'Cause I don't."

Cara, who was sitting in the grass a couple of meters away, shook her head. "You haven't tried to find your Spark yet. First why don't you have a seat and relax; then I will guide you through some meditation exercises to help you focus within yourself."

Angwyn seated herself in the lotus position, closed her eyes, and blew out a deep breath. After several seconds her mother continued, "Now take slow, deep breaths. With each breath, draw it deep down into your abdomen. Feel the energy that comes from the breath, and focus on where it goes."

Aiden and Cara watched as Angwyn began her deep breathing, her chest and shoulders rising and falling in a rhythm slow enough that she didn't hyperventilate. She kept this up for several minutes, but eventually her brow started to furrow, and at last she slumped her shoulders and opened her eyes, blowing her last breath out in a huff. "I can't feel anything," she complained. "I'm not sure I inherited anything here. Sorry, Mom."

"Really?" her father asked softly. "I thought you were doing quite well." He pointed at the bracers. "Look."

Angwyn glanced down at her arms and gave out a sharp gasp. The crystals on the bracers were glowing dimly, barely visible in the sunlight. She shielded one of them with her other hand, just to make sure it wasn't a trick of the light. Sure enough, the crystal itself was glowing, though the glow was starting to fade. "But how?" she asked as she found her voice.

Her mother spoke up, "It looks like you're actually getting there, but you're trying to force it. Remember, the bracers will amplify your sensitivity to magic, but you need to relax! Let your breathing become automatic, and just be an observer."

Buoyed by her parents' gentle encouragement, and by the affirmation the crystals had given of her latent magical ability, Angwyn settled back into the slow deep breathing. After a couple of minutes she stopped being aware of what her lungs were doing, and for the first time she could begin to sense the flow of energy within her body. Ki, her mind automatically noted, as she traced her life energy to its greatest concentration deep in her center. And there, under the swirling ki and yet separate from it, she felt a different type of energy. A point of warmth, almost like...

A Spark! she realized. MY Spark! Is this really magic that I feel coming from it? What can I do with it? I wonder if I can draw some more out? She concentrated her focus on the Spark and began to mentally pull on the warm energy it was giving off. Surprisingly, it came easily, and the Spark responded by growing larger, brighter, and warmer. She continued to slowly draw more of the magic out, allowing it mix with the cool flow of her ki. She felt the power, the potential. She didn't know how she could use it yet, but the warm energy coursing through her was exhilarating.

Dimly at first, then more insistently, a physical sensation began to intrude into her meditation. The warmth from the magic suddenly became a little too warm, and with a yelp Angwyn jolted out of her trance. She instinctively yanked her arms up, revealing scorch marks on her pants where her hands had been resting on her thighs. The hands in question were surrounded by a yellow glow, which quickly faded. The crystals in the bracers, however, were glowing brightly this time. She looked over at her parents, and was even more startled to see the look of shock on her face mirrored on theirs.

Her mother found her voice first. "It took me several meditation sessions before I could manifest my magic," she whispered. "And you did it on your first try."

Aiden shook his head. "That was incredible, Ang. Do you think you can do it again?"

"Um, I'm not sure that I should." Angwyn rubbed her legs, gingerly at first, then a little more confidently once she realized her hands were no longer hot. "I think I burned my legs a little."

"Oh my," Cara gasped, jumping to her feat. "Come on dear, let's get you inside and put some ointment on those burns."

Aiden's mind was racing furiously. I've spent quite a bit of time around the royalty, and I've never heard of any of them being able to manifest their magic on the first try, not even the Senshi. What kind of power does Angwyn possess? And how are we going to keep it a secret? I can imagine the mob scene around here if people were to find out, and the last thing I want is for the Queen to take her away from us. Troubled and lacking any answers, he followed his wife and daughter back into the house.


The following day seemed to drag on forever for Angwyn, and very little of her lessons in school actually sunk in. She was too distracted with thoughts of the previous day's revelation, and the implications of her father's stern warning afterwards to not reveal her magic ability to anyone. Ever since she had touched her Spark, she had remained dimly aware of its presence, and it was all she could do to resist tapping into that power to see what she could do with it. So it was with an enormous sense of relief that she boarded the transport for home once the school day was ended. When the transport stopped at the end of her street, Angwyn was out of the door before it had a chance to finish opening. The driver just shook her head as she closed the door and continued on her route, wondering where the red-haired teen got all of her energy. I could use some of that myself, she thought.

Cara was hanging the laundry on the line when she spotted Angwyn coming down the path. She stepped in front of the door, forcing her daughter to come skidding to a halt to avoid running her over. "First," she said, leaving Angwyn's mouth hanging open with an interrupted question, "welcome home. I have some fresh cookies in the kitchen and you can have a couple, but I want you to hurry up and get changed so you can get your chores done." Her eyes twinkled as she added, "I'm not going to do your work for you two days in a row."

Angwyn smiled. "Okay, Mom. And thanks for taking care of them yesterday, by the way."

"You're welcome. It was your birthday after all. And I know you're anxious to practice your magic again, but make sure you get your chores done first, okay?"

"Sure," Angwyn replied. She sighed inwardly as she stepped into the house, making a detour through the kitchen to grab a handful of cookies. She had been itching all day to learn more about her new-found ability, but the farm work for which she was responsible usually took until nearly dinner. Oh well, she thought as she shrugged off her school uniform and slipped into the considerably more comfortable tunic and pants that she usually wore around the farm. Mom DID acknowledge that I wanted to practice with the magic, and she'll have more time to help me after dinner anyway.

Much to Angwyn's relief, the work that afternoon helped take her mind off of things, and before she knew it her father had returned home from the University and dinner time had come. As the family polished off the remains of the supper – Angwyn once again eating twice as much as everyone else – Cara pushed her chair back. "Everybody stay put," she said. "We have dessert tonight."

Angwyn and her father both raised an eyebrow, as dessert was usually a rare occurrence in their home. Their curiosity was quickly rewarded however, as Cara returned from the kitchen with the forgotten birthday pie from the day before. Aiden chuckled, "It looks like someone was a little distracted by her birthday gift last night."

Angwyn blushed and shook her head. "I can't believe I forgot about the pie. I'd been looking forward to it all day, too."

"Well, I certainly wasn't going to throw it out," Cara said as she set the pie on the table. "It's already cut, so go ahead and take…" She stopped when she realized a quarter of the pie was already gone.

"'Ank oo, Mum!" her daughter said, her mouth full. Cara just smiled and served herself a slice.


The table had been cleared and the dishes were cleaned up. Angwyn tucked her bracers into her belt, grabbed the bucket of scraps for the pigs, and headed toward the back door, stopping in the kitchen to talk to her mother, who was wiping down the counter. "I really want to try to learn how to control this magic, Mom, and I was going to practice after I fed the pigs, but I was wondering if you could come out and help me?"

Cara nodded. "Sure hon, but I'd like to spend a little time with your father first. I'll meet you out there in about half an hour, okay?"

Angwyn nodded. "Yeah, that's fine. I'll see you out there." She started to turn to the door.

"One more thing," Cara interrupted. "Your father wanted you to practice out behind the barn. Less chance of someone seeing you from the road back there." She chuckled. "He also mentioned something about having two pyromaniacs in the house now and getting you as far away from it as possible when you practice. I think he's still worried about us burning the place down."

Angwyn laughed as she opened the door. "I'll try to be careful."


"And that's why we may not be able to stay here on the Moon," Aiden concluded. He and Cara were sitting at the dining room table, having a somewhat unpleasant discussion about their future in light of Angwyn's remarkable magical aptitude.

Cara wasn't buying her husband's explanation. "But I know magic too, you know. If the Queen were to take Angwyn to the palace, she would certainly want me there as well. And as my husband, I'm sure she wouldn't separate us. We would still be together as a family, and Ang and I would get proper instruction on how to use our magic."

"Cara, you know that neither you nor I would be happy there. We moved out here to the country when we got married for a reason. Neither of us liked the fast pace of city life, and the court would be even worse, with all of its formalities and traditions."

Cara rubbed her forehead. "I know. It's just that I've never been off of the Moon, and the thought of relocating to Mars or Ganymede scares me half to death."

"Well," Aiden reasoned, "I already figured the Jovian moons were out of the question, since they're not terraformed. Those colonies would be worse than living in the palace. Can you imagine being cooped up in that museum downtown for the rest of your life? On the other hand, Mars is completely habitable, and not very heavily populated. We could find a nice, out-of-the-way piece of property there and effectively disappear."

"But what about your career?" Cara countered. She shook her head. "We would just have to give up so much."

Aiden reached over and rubbed his wife's shoulder. "One problem at a time. We don't have to make this decision right now anyway. Let's see how Ang's skill develops first."

Cara sighed and sat up straighter. "You're right." She glanced at the clock on the wall. "I need to get out there and help her pretty soon anyway."

At that moment a knock on the front door drew their attention. "That must be Seamus Bowman come to pick up his milker," Aiden commented. "I'll get it." He got up and walked into the living room and opened the door.

A tall, dark-haired woman with odd pale green eyes stood on the step, regarding him coolly. "I'm looking for the magic user," she said without preamble.

Though Aiden managed to keep his face neutral, he about panicked inside. Crap, how could they possibly have found out so fast? he thought. "I have no idea what you're talking about," he dissembled.

"You lie!" the woman snarled. "We sensed the use of magic energy on this property." Suddenly the woman transformed, her skin rippling into a pale green that matched her eyes, and spikes tearing through her sleeves from her elbows. The revealed youma brandished a sword from somewhere and pointed it at Aiden's throat. "WHERE IS SHE?"

Years-old self-defense training kicked in and Aiden shifted his weight into a ready stance. He had been captain of the martial arts team as a student in the University, but that had been a long time ago, and he had never actually fought in combat. He had certainly never faced a creature such as this. His hardened face belied the fear in his heart. "You won't find what you're looking for here," he said coldly. "Now get off my property!"

With a roar, the youma charged through the door, intent on skewering the human that had dared defy her. Aiden rotated neatly out of the path of the blade and grabbed her hand, giving it a quick pull and a twist. The shocked youma found herself disarmed and off-balance, crashing to the living room floor. In a flash, she flipped onto her back, driving her spiked elbow into Aiden's calf. With a cry of pain, Aiden brought the sword down, piercing the monster's chest with her own weapon. There was a strange crack, and the youma's eyes went wide with shock for a split second before she disintegrated into dust.

"What's going on?" Cara cried as she ran into the living room from the kitchen.

Aiden turned to her, grimacing at the pain in his leg. "Some kind of monster attacked me. Get the med kit: I need to stop this bleeding. Then we need to call secur-" He was cut off as a bluish-gray blade erupted from his chest.

Cara stared in horror as her husband's body slid off the bladed arm of a second youma and fell to the floor with a sickening thump. "Now," said the creature, "you will tell me where the magic user is."

Terror turned to rage as Cara locked gazes with the monster that had murdered her husband. Her eyes glowed red with fiery magic, and a brilliant ball of energy formed between her hands.

The youma grinned ferally. "Ah, so you're the one we're looking for. Thanks for making this easy." With a click the razor-sharp claws on her un-bladed hand extended several centimeters, and she crouched to charge her prey.

She never got the chance to make that charge. With a roar of anguish, Cara released the energy she had barely been containing. The last thing the youma saw was a blinding flash of white, then nothing at all.


"Man, I'm glad I still had this pail with me," Angwyn muttered as she dumped some water on the hay in the feeding trough, extinguishing the flames she had created from an errant fireball. "Gotta work on my aim for sure. I guess Dad was right about keeping me away from the house." She frowned as a little bit of smoke still rose from the hay. "I'd better put some more water on that just to make sure it's out."

She went back to the front of the barn and refilled the pail from the faucet there. As she turned to head back to where she had been practicing, a noise from the house caught her attention. Even from the barn she thought she heard shouting, and a cry of pain. "What in the world?" she wondered. She listened for a few seconds, and when she didn't hear anything else, she started down the path to the house.

She had barely taken two steps when she heard another cry, and the next thing she knew she was blown backwards as the house erupted in a brilliant fireball.

Angwyn lay on the ground for a full minute in near shock, shielding her face from the burning debris that was falling around her. Finally she clambered to her feet and stumbled down the path to the smoldering remains of what just a couple of minutes before had been her home. "Mom?" she croaked. "Dad?" Her cries became more insistent, as she frantically scanned the wreckage for any sign of her parents. Tears drew tracks through the dust on her cheeks. "MOM! DAD! DADDY!"

She rounded the front of the house, and stopped in her tracks as she saw the badly burnt body lying inside what had once been the front door. "No," she whispered as the brutal reality of the situation crushed her spirit, dropping her to her knees on the singed grass. The gentle warmth of the Spark within her erupted, fueled by unbridled emotion, and the uncontrolled magic surged outward with her cry of anguish, casting shadows even in the light of the Sun.


In a private dining room at the palace, Queen Serenity dropped her spoon.

Her daughter Pandia looked up sharply, as did Cytheria, the Princess of Venus, who had joined her friend for dinner. Sensing that something was amiss, Cytheria jumped to her feet in a literal flash, revealing the familiar orange and white fuku of the Senshi of Venus. "What's wrong, your majesty?"

Serenity took a deep breath. How could the two young women in front of her not have felt the wave of magical power that had just swept by? She concentrated for a moment, pinpointing the source of the disturbance, then exhaled. "Gather the other Guardians, Venus," she commanded. "We're taking a trip to the Haemus Highlands. I think I'm finally going to meet Sun."

Confused, Venus looked at Pandia, who shrugged, clearly as in the dark about her mother's cryptic comment as her friend. Serenity was already headed out the door, so Venus followed to carry out her queen's instructions.


Author's Notes:

And we're off, with the first full chapter of this story finally completed. Thank you for taking the time to read it, and I hope that you will consider taking a few more minutes to write a review if you are so inclined. Before anyone asks, Spark = Star Seed. This will be explained further in the next chapter.


Copyright Notice

The characters and stories of Sailor Moon and Ranma ½ are Copyright © Naoko Takeuchi and Rumiko Takahashi, respectively, and are used here without permission or license.

No claims to the above copyrights are made by the author of this work.

This work is for non-commercial use ONLY, and is produced for the enjoyment of fans only.

This work is the expression of the author and the depiction of the Sailor Moon and Ranma ½ characters herein are in no way represented to be a part of Sailor Moon or Ranma ½ as depicted by the original authors and copyright holders.