Ranma the Prophetess

by ejhawman

Updated 7/7/10. Final epilogue.

28. The Fall of Jusenkyo

Chapter 28: The Fall of Jusenkyo

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

Ukyo felt a tremor through the ground. "This place is still a little unstable after that earthquake," she said. "We should be more careful..."

Tatewaki Kuno was carrying Sailor Mercury, who was still dazed after the fight at the nexus. "Tis better to move forward. We know only the enemy lurks behind us, but our comrades in arms are somewhere ahead. And we risk being buried even if we stand still."

The sealing of the entrances to the nexus chamber had trapped the Senshi and Nerimans in two tunnels; they had spent a few minutes trying to meet up again, fighting their way through two packs of youma to do so. Now they were making their way around the nexus chamber, looking for a safe spot away from any youma.

Venus didn't like moving forward blindly. "Mercury? Do you feel up to tracking the others? I don't want to miss them by a wrong turn and end up in Beryl's face without them."

Mercury activated her visor and hit a few keys on her computer from her position in a fireman's carry on Tatewaki's back. "There's supposed to be a large cave up ahead. The prisoner room is that way too, about two hundred meters beyond."

That was an important goal to Tatewaki; he had come in hopes of winning Akane Tendo's love by rescuing her family. He picked up the pace. "Onward! We shall free the captives and get them safely back to their home before we finish this battle against evil!"

"Wait up!" Venus said. "We don't want to walk into another collapse!"

"Maybe the collapse has meant all the unstable earth around here has already fallen," Neptune speculated. "Things might be safer now."

Venus' communicator beeped. It was Jupiter. "Hey, Pluto, are you there? We want to the end of the tunnel like you said, and there's a split. Which way do we go?"

There was no response for a minute. "Ummm... maybe Ranchan's busy," Ukyo said. "Mercury, can you find them?"

"Now THIS worries me," Venus said as Mercury consulted her instruments. "If even Pluto can't answer..."

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

Jupiter looked down the two tunnels before her, unwilling to move without Pluto's advice. Ryoga wasn't so cautious. "Let's just go this way," he said, starting down the right tunnel.

Jupiter grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back. "Oh, no you don't! You're famous for getting lost, and we don't need to be any more lost than we are right now. We wait for Ranma."

"Feh. I don't get lost anymore, HE saw to that. And I'm not hanging on his every word. I'll find my own way."

Jupiter was saved when her watch beeped. But the voice was Venus, not Pluto. "Ummm ... Pluto must be in a fight right now," she said. "What about your map? Are you getting close to the prison yet? There should be a bunch of tunnels on it in that area."

"Ummm... we kinda lost it," Jupiter admitted sheepishly. "How close are you? Can Mercury get a fix on us?"

"You guys are at a Y-junction, right?" Mercury said. "Go left. That should be the fastest way to us. Watch out for youma. There are a few on your way."

"Gotcha!" Jupiter snapped her watch shut. "You see? We can't wander around blind here. At least now we know where we're going."

"Yeah, sure," Ryoga said sullenly, following Jupiter back to the junction and down the other path.

It soon opened into a large room, its far end lost in darkness. Ryoga pulled out his flashlight and tried to light the way ahead of them. There seemed to be a formation of rocks ahead they would have to move around. "They're probably hiding behind those," Jupiter said. "Do we go around? Or surprise them by going over?"

"We go THROUGH!" Ryoga ran up to the rocks and jabbed a finger for a Breaking Point strike. unfortunately, the finger merely sank into the 'rocks'. They did not feel like stone. More like leathery flesh. "Uh ohhh..."

The formation roared and came to life, turning to face them with a massive horned head. It focused blue eyes on the two and roared again. Jupiter didn't recognize the species, but she knew what she was facing. "A DINOSAUR!"

Ryoga had little more respect for room-sized monsters than for a destructible formation of rocks. "Let me handle this. HYAA!" He lashed out with his umbrella, only to have it bend, then with fists and open palms.

Everything just seemed to make the dinosaur angrier. It rammed into Ryoga, throwing him ten feet back. Beign tough himself, he simply got up and dusted himself off. "Okay, maybe this will take a while..."

"That's probably my cue," Jupiter said. "SPARKLING WIDE PRESSURE!"

The powered-up attack had no effect at all. Indeed, the creature's horn now glowed with power, then began crackling with lightning of its own generation. The blast knocked both of them off their feet and left them tingling.

"Just our luck, it has lightning powers," Jupiter said. "RRRUUUUNNNN!"

They ran, heading back into the tunnel, then turning the left way Ryoga had tried to go originally. They paused some distance up the tunnel, looking behind them. "We should be safe from it now," Ryoga said. "It's too big to follow this way."

Jupiter turned her gaze to the darkness ahead. "Yeah, but now it looks like we gotta go the long way."

They feared they were trapped when they came to a collapsed section, but it proved possible to climb over the rubble. On the other side the eventually merged with a larger tunnel. Jupiter turned and headed up the other branch.

"Now it looks like you're coming down with my old sense of direction," Ryoga said. He pointed the way forward, continuing as they had been going. "Shouldn't we keep heading this way?"

"I have to wonder if Ranma really cured you permanently," Jupiter countered. "We had to change directions, so we were going AWAY from Ranma. Now we gotta change back to go TOWARD him again."

"If you say so," Ryoga said, following her. "I'm still kinda new to this sense-of-direction thing. I'll trust someone who's always had one."

"Well, it is kinda confusing down here," she said. "But at least there aren't too many curves around here."

Some distance up the tunnel Ryoga stopped her again. He peered into the darkness. "I thought I saw movement up ahead."

"Time to light things up. SUPREME THUNDER!" The bolt arced a long way down the tunnel, revealing (and stunning) a pair of humanoid figures.

They raced ahead to get a better look. The stunned figures were youma. Jupiter charged up to finish them off. "SPARKLING WIDE... uhh..."

She paused as more youma emerged from a side tunnel just ahead. Two, four, six, ten ... they just kept coming. Several were armored in metal or crystal, with barbaric weapons.

"Oh crap."

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

The left side of the cave as they entered was fallen. Dust still clouded the air. "Looks like this was that tremor," Venus said. "What a mess."

A few glowing rocks on the intact side gave dim lighting to the cave. From their arrangement, there had been more on the fallen side. The dust absorbed much of the low light they provided. Ukyo shone her flashlight around the place, handing a few more around to the group. These helped them make out details of the cave, and showed a body against the intact wall.

"AKANE!" Tatewaki Kuno rushed to her, cradling her in his arms. "Akane! Light of my life! Oh gods, please, do not let this be the end of her..."

"Whaaa..." Akane said weakly. "Whadd're you doin' here baka... thought you'd be dead..."

The Kuno boy hugged her tightly. "Thank the gods! Akane, I shall never let you go again. To think, if they had slain you, they would in that instant have slain me as well, for I could no more live without you than if my heart were ripped from my chest..."

His sister bonked him. "The youma need do nothing to her, if you keep holding her so. You will crush her in that sort of grip." She then grabbed Akane's gi and shook her. "Was my Ryoga-sama here? Was he involved in your battle? Is he under that pile of rubble?" She turned toward the rubble, a worried look on her face, unable to dig quickly with only one good arm, the other having been dislocated and reset earlier.

Venus could admire these Kunos guy for wearing his heart on his sleeve, but really didn't want to be subjected to their emoting at a serious time like this. An instant later she was willing to forgive them as she spied a figure much more important to her near the edge of the rubble farther on in the cave.

"SAILOR MOON!" Venus and Mercury rushed to the side of their princess, brushing off dust, checking for breathing and pulse. She sighed in relief as she found them. "Princess... If Sailor Moon is out like this, then... what about..."

"RANCHAN!" Ukyo was suddenly a flurry of action, digging in the rubble to free another body. "Ranchan... what happened to you... Help me! Everybody! Help me get him loose!"

Neptune and Venus moved to help. Ukyo soon pulled him free and began brushing the dust off. He was covered in scrapes and bruises. "Ranchan... no... don't die on me..."

"He's detransformed," Venus said. "And a guy. What happened here? Did that general do this?"

Ukyo was in tears. Venus realized it was the first time she had seen the okonomiyaki chef cry. "He... he said the curses are broken in death... please, Ranchan... please don't be dead..." She held her ear to his chest, listening for a heartbeat.

Mercury scanned him with her computer. "He's alive,' she finally said, "just barely. No broken bones, but his vital signs are very weak. I think it's safe to move him. We need to get him to a hospital right away. I'm not sure he'll make it without care."

"What about Sailor Moon?" Venus asked.

"She looks better," Neptune said. "Maybe she was just energy drained..."

Mercury turned her computer on the Moon Senshi. "She looks okay. She's just exhausted, I think. She needs to rest and recover energy."

"All right," Venus said, assuming command. "We're pulling out for a while. Can you map out -"

"HUMANS!" A shout came from the tunnel Venus' group had entered from. Several youma had appeared there. "DIE!"

"Dammit!" Venus pointed a finger. "Crescent Beam!" She held the beam for several seconds, bombarding the tunnel entrance. She began to feel faint herself. "We have to move! Now!"

Tatewaki Kuno started carrying Akane Tendo on his back. Venus and Neptune took Sailor Moon between them. Ukyo dragged Ranma as best she could. "How do we get out of here?"

"There's only the one entrance left!" Mercury said. "The others are blocked! We have to fight our way back to the last branch!"

"Dammit!" Ukyo swore. "If Ranchan were awake, he could tunnel..."

"How many youma are around here?" Venus said. She moved to look over Mercury's shoulder at the map displayed on the computer. Senshi communicator transponders were marked in blue. Venus did not like the angry red youma dots all around them.

"Lots," Mercury confirmed. "We have to move fast if we want to get away!"

"What's that one?" Venus said, trying to move as fast as she could while she and Neptune carried Sailor Moon between them. She had noticed a purple dot in a complex of rooms not far away.

"A portal," Mercury said. "But we don't know where it leads -"

"Away from here!" Venus said. "That's good enough for me!" She opened her watch. "Mars! How are you guys doing?"

"We started heading for Japan, as Pluto ordered," Mars said. "We haven't had anything we couldn't handle so far. We stopped to let you guys catch up. We seem to be in a safe place at the moment."

Venus grit her teeth. They were not going to like this. "Don't wait up for us. We're running on empty, we can't deal with all the youma around us, and there's a portal nearby. We'll lose pursuit on the other side. We'll have to contact you when we can."

The communicator was silent for a few seconds. "The portal we're going to isn't Tokyo. I think it ends up in Osaka prefecture..."

Venus cursed again. "Well, get out anyway. We can make our way back to Tokyo later. Right now we have to get away from these youma."

"Understood. Be safe..."

Venus closed her watch. She hefted Sailor Moon on one shoulder. "We're going to get cut off if we don't get moving fast. I just hope that portal doesn't drop us in the middle of the Pacific..."

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

"You gotta be kidding!" Uranus raged. "We come all this way and now we're just going to LEAVE? We should stay and finish them!"

"That's not what we came for," Mars countered. "We came for the Saotomes and Tendos, and we have them. We can come back and defeat them once and for all some other day."

"So naive. They'll be ready for anything we can throw at them next time. We won't get another chance like this." She started heading back the way they had come.

Nabiki stood in her path. "Your chance is GONE," she said sternly. "They're already on alert. You guys aren't going to get through now."

"And Ranma told you to help us get back to Japan," Kasumi said. "After all I've seen him do, I think he knows you'll be needed."

Uranus shook her head. "I don't know what you've seen him do, but he hasn't exactly done a great job running this show that I've seen. I think he's out of his depth right now." She gave Mars a hard look. "You can see these guys back to Japan. You know the way. I don't think you'll face anything you can't handle alone. I'm going to help the main team." She slid past Nabiki, only to be blocked again by Shampoo.

"You no leave," the Amazon warrior said. "Ranma say you come with us, you come."

"I'd think you'd want to go with me. You're a warrior, aren't you? You've been with them from the beginning. You know how important it is to beat these guys. What do you say?"

Shampoo was unmovable. "You no go."

"Try and stop me."

Seconds later, Uranus was flat on the ground, Shampoo straddling her, holding a sword at her throat. "You is thousand years too early to challenge Amazon womans. You come."

Uranus glared in anger, then averted her gaze. "Feh. Fine. Have it your way. I still think we should go now."

They were interrupted by cries of fear from the tunnel in the direction Uranus had wanted to go, back toward the prison and core area. All present turned to see Ryoga and Sailor Jupiter running toward them at top speed. Dozens of youma were behind them.

The whole party joined in. Nabiki struggled to keep up with Uranus. "Well, Ranma said you'd be needed. Go on. You hold them off."

"Yeah, right." Nabiki took the quick dismissal as an admission of defeat. Ranma had apparently been right again. She wished she could be there when he stopped doing that.

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

Beryl looked through her crystal ball, a smile creeping across her face as she saw one group of Senshi being chased far away. Likely they would make it to a portal, but at least they were getting out of her realm. They would not find getting back in so easy, now that she knew they could teleport. She had ways of dealing with that.

She shifted her view to the teams tightening the noose around Venus' group. They were herding them toward Magnetite's labs. There should be no way out from there. Many of those now at the lead had been equipped by Magnetite himself with metal or crystal armors and weapons. That should be more than enough to defeat whatever powers were brought to bear against them.

A small group of youma now entered the throne room, a captive held between them. A captive Beryl had been waiting for. "Queen Beryl-sama! We bring the human as ordered."

"You are late." Beryl rose from her throne and stalked toward the group. Tuxedo Mask was covered in dust. Blood flowed from a cut on his head. She cradled his face in her hands, looking into his eyes. They were unfocused. "And he is injured! This is unforgivable!"

"Queen Beryl-sama! There was an earthquake, we were caught in a - AUGGHH!" The youma was not allowed to finish its explanation. Beryl wasn't interested. She dissolved the youma to dust with a blast of dark power.

She motioned other youma attendants to pick him up. They followed her to a specially prepared side room, where they laid him on a cushioned dais. Beryl began passing her hands over the still human form.

He shifted, dirt disappearing, cuts beginning to close up. His clothing changed, tuxedo replaced by enamelled armor, blackened steel chased with silver decorations. His cape became black inside and out.

"Endymion... at last, after all these centuries... now, you are mine..." Beryl became lost in her incantations, forgetting the pursuit of the Senshi for the moment. They were safely dealt with. She had a more important matter before her now. She finally had her prince to do with as she pleased.

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

"Are you sure there's no youma down here?" Venus asked. She moved carefully down the branch tunnel, expecting an ambush at every step. There were several doorways down its length.

"There are no youma signs ahead," Mercury confirmed. "The portal should be in the last room on the left."

Venus looked into the room immediately to their right. It had bookcases, cabinets, diagrams on the walls, benches packed with strange apparatus. There were many crystal objects or assemblies, frequently glowing. Other benches had glassware filled with various colored liquids. "This has got to be some kind of laboratory. Kodachi, can you whip up any medicines with this stuff? Or more of your poisons?"

The Kuno girl held up a jar filled with a yellow powder, indicating the label. "Can you read these markings?"

"Can't you? I don't know anything about chemistry. Not going to like taking that in high school..."

"It certainly isn't Japanese," Neptune offered. "Or any human script, I think. The Dark Kingdom must have its own language."

"One we don't have time to learn," Kodachi finished.

"Right, right..." Venus ducked out of the lab and continued down the hall.

Another room contained a large cylindrical apparatus, hinged to open and covered with magical symbols and circles. It seemed further surrounded by a dark shield and a web of humming energies. "I'd have to think something dangerous is in there," Ukyo speculated. "Probably some super-youma they're working on. Maybe we can sabatoge it ..." Her eyes began scanning the room, looking for something vulnerable, like a power cable.

"No time," Mercury said. "The youma are getting closer. We have to get out!"

They rushed down the hall, fortunately meeting no surprises. The chamber on the left at the end was covered in glowing magical circles and patterns, with a portal against one wall and some crystal apparatus nearby. "Well, this looks kinda special. Maybe it goes somewhere really dangerous. Full of monsters or something."

"Or a plane of existence full of energy. We'd be fried if we went through." Mercury was trying to scan the portal with her computer and visor, to no avail. "It's no good. There's too much interference. I can't see what's on the other side."

"Only one thing to do, then. VENUS LOVE-ME CHAIN!" Venus sent her chain through and pulled it back. It was unaffected.

"What is that?" Mercury took the chain in hand to examine it. "Summoned metal? Probably magically charged. I don't know if it means anything about what would happen to us..."

"Do not be so timid," Tatewaki Kuno said impatiently. He thrust his sword through, then his arm. Both came back intact. "Nothing to fear."

"Right, then," Venus said. She plunged through.

The cave on the other side was chillier than the tunnels they had been in, though not as bad as the open ice of the polar region. The cave opened into a mountain crag above a moonlit valley. The floor of the valley seemed to be a bamboo swamp. There were no youma in evidence.

Venus returned through the portal. "All clear. Let's go!"

Mercury summoned enough strength to fog the corridor before going through. Tatewaki Kuno dropped off Akane at the portal and closed the steel double doors. Unfortunately there was nothing to bar them with. He held his blade at the ready. "I shall go last. Make haste!"

They did. On the other side, the group surveyed the scene. "So where do you think we are?" Venus asked.

"It's a swamp..." Neptune mused. "All the other portals were to populated areas. There must be something they want here."

"Maybe a training or testing ground for youma?" Mercury offered.

Ukyo looked carefully at the valley floor. Recognition dawned. "Jusenkyo! All these pools with bamboo poles in them... that was Ranma's description of Jusenkyo! Come on!"

"Hey!" Venus yelped as Ukyo grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her back through the portal, opening the communicator watch. "Do you MIND!"

Ukyo ignored her for the moment. "Mars! Uranus! Are you still down here? Is Shampoo still with you? Pick up!"

Mars' voice came back, out of breath. "What's happened? Are you going to be all right?"

"The portal we found goes to Jusenkyo! We need to know how to get to the Amazon village!"

Now Shampoo's voice responded. "South end of valley, road to west. Three mile. Ask for soap and lotion."

"Gotcha!" They darted back through the portal and rejoined the others in the crag.

The sky was clear enough to make out stars. Ukyo tried to remember her celestial navigation. "There's the Big Dipper... that must be north... we're on the west side, so... this way!" She started moving south, Neptune helping to carry Ranma again.

They had gotten barely fifty yards when a harsh voice came behind them. "Halt! You shall not escape the wrath of Gamon!"

Ukyo turned to see a figure in crystal armor, holding a blade with motes of orange light dancing along its length. Tatewaki Kuno could not pass up the chance to be noble. "You shall not pass me. Come, creature! Face your doom!"

"Die well, brother," Kodachi said as she rushed down the valley. "I shall enjoy sleeping in your room from now on!"

The two swordsmen met blade to blade, sparks erupting at the point of contact. Kuno felt the heat radiating from his opponent's weapon, and the hilt of his own growing unbearably hot. The wrappings burst into flame, the blade bent and broke, leaving him open to a vicious slash to the chest. "Ha! Your weapon's magics were inferior! As your skills shall also prove to be!"

"A notion I must disabuse you of... on the morrow." He turned to catch up with the others.

The ball of sea-green energy flew past him without warning. Neptune had not called out her attack this time; perhaps after using it so often in the last few hours she no longer had need. It crashed against the youma's armor, but did not destroy it. It began to regain its feet.

"Oh, no you don't!" Ukyo rushed to the youma and whacked it with her spatula. It went rolling down the mountainside into a pool. Seconds later a rabbit hopped out. Ukyo beat it mercilessly and covered it in rocks. "That ought to hold you for a while."

The group took no chances, moving as fast as their burdens allowed. "What did Shampoo mean, ask for soap and lotion?" Venus asked.

Ukyo shrugged. "She must have as much dirt on her as we do. God knows I need a bath." She looked down at Ranma, seemingly dead weight in her arms. "Hold on, Ranchan. Just stay with me, we'll be safe and warm soon..."

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

"We're almost there!" Mars said breathlessly. There was only darkness ahead, but Mars knew the portal was in that darkness, and safety beyond. "It goes into a bakery! Get ready to block the entrance!"

There was still a small army of youma following them, but they had opened up some distance. Mars turned and fired one last blast to keep them back a few seconds longer. "Burning Mandala!"

"World Shaking!" Uranus' blast followed the rings of fire. Together, the attacks thinned the herd of youma, taking out a few unarmored ones, but there were several in crystal or metal armors or carrying shields. The wave paused, then resumed the advance.

Ryoga had a way to slow them down more forcefully. He poked the sides and roof of the tunnel, causing the earth to erupt, blocking the tunnel with rubble. "That should stop them." He now found himself in a pitch black tunnel. "Ummm... where is everyone?"

A feminine hand grabbed his own wrist and led him to someplace a bit warmer than the Dark Kingdom. The lights were on, revealing the back room of a bakery. Mars was leading his way. Soun and Genma moved to cover the portal behind him with a large metal cabinet.

"WHAT DID YOU DO?" Uranus exploded. She grabbed Ryoga by the shirt and slammed him against the wall. "The way is blocked! How are we supposed to get back with the others now?"

Ryoga was not about to be fazed by a girl's anger. "Martial arts move me and Ranma learned a while back. Long story."

"He can use the same move to get around the block," Jupiter said, trying to defuse the situation.

"If they don't clear it first," Mars added. "Which they will. We should get a move on."

Uranus released Ryoga and seemed to calm down. "You can at least tell me about stuff like that." She stalked out to the street, following the Tendos and Saotomes.

"Geez," Ryoga mused. "Where did Ranma find her? She seems a little high-strung."

"I think she isn't actually supposed to be with us..." Mars admitted.

On the street outside, the civilians were looking disappointed. "This doesn't look like Tokyo," Kasumi said.

"We're near Hiroshima," Ryoga said. "I recognize the place." He started heading toward the waterfront.

"Ranma said it was around Osaka," Mars said. "And the place we want is up the hill."

"Haven't been here since you got a sense of direction, have you?" Nabiki smirked. Ryoga merely scowled.

They were all groaning from the climb when they reached the gates of the academy. Anthy was waiting just inside. "Welcome to Ohtori Academy. Is this all of you?"

"Half of us had to get out another way," Mars said.

"Need phone," Shampoo said.

"It's almost dawn as it is," Anthy observed. "You look exhausted. When was the last time you got any sleep?"

"I'm about ready to conk out," Nabiki said. "Where's the cheapest motel in this town?"

"The east dorm is unoccupied right now. I'm sure you can stay for a night without anyone noticing."

That was the best news Mars had heard all day. A warm shower and bed were her idea of heaven right about now.

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

In a vault in the Dark Kingdom, a heavily shielded containment vessel hissed and opened. Its occupant gingerly stepped out from its rest.

Magnetite was looking much the worse for wear. His uniform was scorched, his face and hands looked rubbed raw. He felt far worse: Most of his energy had been stripped away. He could barely walk as it was.

He grimaced as he recalled the battle. His ploy of using Sailor Pluto's body as a shield for the energies of the guinzuishou had been partially effective, just enough to allow him to channel a teleport. It had still been hideously expensive under the circumstances, but it was the only way to survive. For the moment. He might yet fall to Beryl's wrath.

As far as he could determine, though he had injured a few Senshi, he had killed none, captured none. He could not go before Queen Beryl without the Senshi imprisoned or dead. But without power, he could not face them again.

There were two youma in the hall, standing guard at the doors to the room where he had tuned an adjustable portal to Jusenkyo. The doors had been knocked down. "What has happened here? The Senshi -?"

"Ah. Lord Magnetite," the youma on the left sneered at him. There was no respect in her voice. "I can't imagine Beryl will be happy with you. It seems thanks to you, the Senshi were able to escape. When were you going to tell the Queen about this portal?"

*So they DID go through here,* he thought. "I informed the Queen of it before I set it up. She approved of it. How many youma have gone after them?"

"Half a dozen, but they have all come back with some type of magical infection. We await the further orders from the Queen."

There were sounds coming from his other labs, sounds that should not be there. "These are MY laboratories. I will not have clumsy youma barging about. I shall have the Queen withdraw you."

"The Queen is indisposed. Some business of hers and someone named 'Endymion'. You will have to wait until she is finished."

*So the Earth prince has been delivered to her.* He could well imagine what Beryl was doing with him. A potential new rival, just when all the old ones had finally left the scene. He had to move quickly and deliver the Senshi or proof of their deaths. Fortunately, with Beryl occupied there should be no one to challenge his authority here. "That leaves me in charge here. I will ensure these rooms are secure."

The youma searching his labs were not happy, but bent to his authority. Lucky for him that obedience was ingrained; right now, with the little recovery his survival chamber had afforded him, he was little more powerful that any one of them. He listened patiently as they grudgingly gave him a report on the situation.

The picture they painted just seemed to get worse and worse. "So let me get this straight... we haven't killed ANY of them for certain? They have escaped with the prisoners, and there has been no word from our converts?"

"That is so," the lead youma reported.

"It sounds to me as if Beryl will have plenty of targets for her wrath," Magnetite mused. "But Beryl does have Endymion, and the invasion has been repelled. I would not expect them to be back via the portals they left through. They must also recover their own strength. We have time to prepare a counterattack. And we know where they live, or lived, so they must remain on the run. The ones that went through the portal here, in particular..."

He had opened the portal to Jusenkyo following the descriptions of Happosai and Mousse. After an initial trip, he had created a small cave to hide the portal and moved the other end in there for security, then done a perfunctory investigation of the area. He had wanted to do a more thorough investigation, especially as he began to remember more about the pools - in particular, that he had set them up, and the map of the power loci he had used.

Power! He still needed it badly. And the power of Jusenkyo was still fundamentally Dark Power, still compatible with him. And as long it it was there to be had...

"Remain on guard here. I will search out the Senshi. They will not be able to leave the region quickly. And we may have possible allies in the area..."

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

Dawn breaks over a remote valley in China, sparkling the morning frost. It is a cold clear winter day, usually one of the more peaceful days in this place of violence and death. This is the off-season for tourists generally, and those who seek to train here also prefer warmer months. But today is not to be one of those peaceful days. Indeed, it is to be the most violent day in memory.

The dead spirits of the Pools of Jusenkyo are about to go about their normal daily spiritual business when a man appears at the edge of the pools, coming not from the road to the south but the slopes to the west. His clothing is of military cut, but strangely not one of the Mao suits that are standard for this country. None desire to take this man as host: all sense the aura of darkness about him. None has been here long enough to know who he is, but they know he walks a road of doom.

Their dread is soon proven well founded. He stands at the edge of the springs, peers strangely into the air, eyes settling on the spirits within view, one by one. He sees them, his gaze going right through them, and he sneers at them. He stretches forth a hand, sending tendrils of power to interact with the lines and patterns of force that form the magical substructure of the cursed springs. Under his caresses, those patterns begin to unravel like a badly knit scarf.

The first sector, covering perhaps a dozen springs, dissolved in chaos; the man drinks in the energies released, and the souls as well. Panic spreads among the rest. Animals run to and fro frantically, their instinct to flee as from a forest fire, but they are trapped, bound to their springs. The intelligent beings are in a worse position: they know they cannot escape, and if this man means to eat all of them, then there is nothing they can do but pray for some angel to come and save them. And so pray they do.

After the second sector has gone their prayers are answered. The angels come. They float to earth on suitably large wings, one dark of skin and one light, both carrying spears. The dark one is first to speak. "You there! ...How do you make lights like that?"

The man does not pause his work until he is finished with the sector. Then he turns and looks hard at the newcomers, studying them with that penetrating gaze. "Bird men?" he mutters. "Really? Some taint of the Springs...?" Aloud to the angels, "Just a little trick I picked up. And who might you gentlemen be?"

"I'm Koruma," the dark one says.

"I'm Masara," the light names himself. "We're from Mount Phoenix." He points to a tall mountain beyond the southern road and river, a few miles from the valley.

"Ah. I see. You may call me Magnetite. I come from a kingdom far to the north. I am interested in studying this region - these springs, and the people who live near them. Do you know anything of magic, or chi abilities? With all the martial artists that come here, I would think a few..."

"Not really," Koruma says. "You'd have to ask our chamberlain, or Lord Saffron."

"Lord Saffron has a lot of power," Masara says. "He can do something like those lights you did."

"Lord Saffron couldn't do something like that!"

"When we were kids, dummy! Before he was reborn!"

"Oh, yeah."

The human, if human he truly is, shines a charming smile at the angels. A strange glint appears in his eyes. "Mount Phoenix... because a phoenix drowned there? It has a spring like the ones here? I would not have thought the enchantment extended that far. Although... if the water table shifted... I suppose it might be possible... I should like to visit your Mount Phoenix. Take a look at your pools."

The two angels look at each other. "Do you think we should?" the Koruma asks.

"We're not supposed to lead strangers to us!"

"But this guy may be like Prince Saffron. They might be alike."

"He's still a stranger."

"I was a resident of these parts once," Magnetite says easily. "Long ago, I admit ... much seems to have changed... and this Prince Saffron of yours sounds like a man I might have much in common with..."

"Child," the dark angel says. "He's still a child right now."

The man nods. "Then perhaps there are things I can teach him." He smiles again.

"Well..." The two think it over for a minute. "I guess it can't hurt."

The spirits are relieved as the evil man leaves in the company of the angels. But the more intelligent ones now fear an even greater calamity may befall them. They pray again, pray for the return of one of their own, one who always used to remain in the area, but after taking a new host some months ago has strangely not been seen again.

If only the Prophetess were still here...

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

The chamberlain's eyes bugged out when he saw who was in his library. "A landling! Here!" He gestured to Koruma and Masara. "Arrest him! Take him to the dungeon!"

"But we led him here," Koruma said.

"Yeah, he can make fires just like Lord Saffron!" Masara added.

"Fires? Like lord Saffron? Ricidulous." He turned back to the hall. "Kiima! We have an intruder!"

"They speak true," Magnetite said. He cast a simple elemental cantrip, generating flames to encase his hands. "I know something of sorcery. A good bit that might interest you."

Kiima came in from the hall, her expression severe. "We would only be interested in seeing you gone, landling! You must not defile the halls of the people of the sky!"

"In that case, I belong here as much as you do," he said, stepping out the door to the balcony. It served as a landing pad, having no railing. The drop was at least a hundred feet. Magnetite simply levitated off of it.

The bird-men gawked. "How... how do you do that without wings?" the chamberlain sputtered.

"As I said, I know something of sorcery. Particularly the sorcery that gave your people their wings. I can help you with your little... problem."

The chamberlain paused. If this man could fly, he could be accepted as an equal. But he was still an outsider. "Our problems are not for outsiders to involve themselves in. We can handle our own affairs."

"The problem itself comes from outside," Magnetite said smoothly, "and so it is natural that one who knows matters well beyond this mountain can understand better."

"What problem?" Koruma said, exchanging glances with Masara.

"The dry well," Magnetite answered. "The waters that permeated this mountain have recently dried up, have they not? Your records indicate they were flowing a few decades ago, but now the well is empty. And you need it, don't you?"

"We can get plenty of water from nearby," Kiima said.

"Water, yes, but not with enough magic in it. Your records said your leader, Lord Saffron, required the pure waters of the mountain to undergo his transformation to adulthood and the fullness of his power. This mountain is a locus of power in the area, and so its waters were charged enough to provide for him. But how will he change now, with the waters gone?"

"Hrmph. So you know of our travails. Very well. We were hoping to use the waters of Jusenkyo..."

"But none of the springs is powerful enough," Magnetite said. "You will need another locus of power."

"Jusendo," Koruma said, looking at the chamberlain. "You mentioned a place called Jusendo that one time, didn't you?"

"You thought it would have enough power..." Masara said.

"Have you forgotten EVERYTHING you were taught about keeping our secrets?" the chamberlain burst out. He calmed down and returned to Magnetite. "Yes, Jusendo. The true ultimate source of the waters of the cursed springs of Jusenkyo. It should have enough concentrated power of allow Lord Saffron to change."

"Ah. And do you know where it is, exactly?"

"Ummm... ahhh. no, not exactly. Its location has been lost for thousands of years. But we have some leads! We have been searching for a map..."

"I am your map," Magnetite offered. "I know where Jusendo is. I shall lead you right to it... if you permit."

"Really?" a new voice asked from above. A child's voice. Magnetite turned to see a bird-boy of about ten fly down, dressed in rich silks. "Then you shall take us immediately."

The other bird-men knelt at the boy's arrival. "Lord Saffron!" the chamberlain pleaded. "Forgive us! This outsider..."

"Will be the key to our peoples' salvation, if his claims are true. Gather an escort! We leave at once!"

Kiima wasn't sure they should be trusting someone who just arrived, but Lord Saffron's will could not be questioned. "At once, my lord."

Saffron grinned in anticipation. The time of his transformation would soon be at hand, this year certainly, perhaps as soon as a few months. He was relieved it would not have to be delayed to find Jusendo. If what the stranger said were true, he would be due a reward. Of course, being an outsider who knew entirely too much about the affairs and weaknesses of his people, that reward would be a swift death...

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

Michiru yawned and rubbed her eyes. After last night, she still felt half dead. Well, at least it was better than being ALL dead.

The village hut had several cots, all full of people, all still asleep. She had been dead on her feet coming in to the Amazon village. Fortunately they seem to have been expected. An elder and a middle-aged woman had woken in the middle of the night to help them tend to their wounded.

One girl - she believed it was the one they had called 'Akane' - was bandaged about the waist, her right arm in a sling. A boy, Kuno-san, slept next to her, almost on top of her. She wondered if they were engaged.

Ukyo was in a similar position with Ranma, sleeping at his side. He had been cleaned up, and seemed to have only scrapes and bruises, no bandages. Both were breathing steadily.

Kodachi's arm was also in a sling. All of her fellow Senshi had detransformed, as Michiru had; they had a few bandages, but nothing that indicated broken bones. Good news, at least for them. She hoped the other group had fared as well.

The elder came in, looking somewhat like Cologne, a shrunken gnome on a staff. "Ah. You're awake. Feeling better?" Her Japanese, at least, was as good as Cologne's.

"A little, thank you. Is there any breakfast here?"

"Lunch, actually. You've been out half the day. I imagine you will all be ravenous after your exertions. I'll have Soap bring some food."

"Soap? That's a name?"

"My granddaughter. The one who helped bind your wounds last night." She indicated a bandage on Michiru's arm. Michiru recalled having taken a claw slash there at some point. "I am Lo Shun."

Michiru giggled. "Oh! When Shampoo-san told us to ask for Soap and Lotion, we thought..." She remembered her manners. "I am Kaioh Michiru. Pleased to meet you. I hope we won't be a burden on you..."

"It's no trouble. So, you are the famous sailor-suited warriors of love and justice that Cologne has been telling us so much about? How is the old bird, by the way? Why was it her great-granddaughter who called us to warn us of your coming last night, and not Cologne herself?"

"She... didn't get out with the others? I'm not sure where she would be, then. I don't know everything that was happening..."

"Ah. The fog of war. I shouldn't worry too much about it. They won't be able to convert her. The most they can do is kill her, and it's not like we had much time left."

By the time Soap had brought in the food, the others had begun to stir. Tatewaki Kuno quickly demanded better care for Akane. "Are there not better medicines available? And intravenous drip? An oxygen tent? I will spare no expense. Akane Tendo shall be stronger than ever before."

"Does this look like Beijing General Hospital to you?" Lotion asked. "We're a small rural village. We've done what we can. And your girlfriend looks to be in fine shape."

"I'M NOT HIS GIRLFRIEND!" Akane exploded. "And I'm not fine! I have broken bones. If there are any scars on my face..."

"Psh. I survived worse when I was your age. At least you weren't shot or stabbed."

"Perish the thought!" Tatewaki said. "Twould be an unthinkable tragedy. The world can ill afford to lose such a unique snowflake."

"A unique... snowflake? Hah. That should be an insult. In my experience the truly unique people your age, the ones who stand out and are seen only once in this world, are the UGLY ones. Her face, I've seen on any number of people."

Minako had to throw in her opinion. This subject was her area of expertise. "But it's so tragic. Beauty is so short lived. We have to have fun with it when we can!"

"It will fade for you, maybe," Lotion said, "as it faded for me. And it will show up in someone else. Your face has graced thousands of women before, and will show up in thousands to come. Beauty like yours is always with the world. It's nothing special."

"You're sounding like my grandma," Minako said. "Why is it old people always try to be such downers?"

"I think she's saying it's a renewable resource..." Ami mused.

Ukyo was looking over Ranma. "It sounds like he's breathing well now. Is he going to be okay, do you think? Any internal injuries or anything we should know about?"

"None that we could find," Soap said. "He's especially strong, as Cologne reported. He seems to be perfectly healthy, he just needs rest." She turned to the others. "As for the rest of you... The Council will want to know everything that happened and where everyone is, once you all wake up."

Ami looked at Usagi. "That might be a while. She always wakes up late..."

"I hear she's been known to sleep till noon on Sundays," Ukyo sighed.

"It won't help their recuperation to wake them before they're ready," Lotion said. "Well, we can start with those of you who can move. If we finish before your princess wakes up the Council can come here."

Minako followed Lotion out the door, tiredness falling away quickly. She was very excited to know just what was going on.

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

The common room of the dorm was full of people who did not belong there. People who did not want to be there. People who would not say any longer than they had to.

The three Senshi, now in civilian attire, seemed divided, the younger two against the older one, one Nabiki had not heard of before. She didn't seem to hold the more experienced ones in high regard. Or Ranma, especially. Nabiki liked her already.

Their breakfast, or lunch given the lateness of the hour, had been nothing more than food and drinks from the campus vending machines. Makoto stood up and stretched as she finished hers. "Not much of a meal. I can't wait till we get back home. I need some home cooking." She looked at the Saotomes. The previous night there hadn't been much time for introductions. "So, you guys are Ranma's parents? Pleased to meet you. I'm Makoto."

"Pleased to meet you, Makoto-san," Nodoka said. She turned to Haruka. "And you?"

Haruka was too polite to get angry at her fellow Senshi with outsiders present. Her glance at them seemed entirely calm. "Should we be telling them who we are? We ARE superheroes. I'd think we kinda want to maintain secret identities..."

"A bit late for that," Nabiki said. "We've known about them for a while."

"Well, I'd prefer to keep things professional, myself. You can just call me Uranus."

"I can respect that," Nabiki nodded. She could always find out details like name and address later.

"Well, pleased to meet you, Uranus-san," Nodoka said. "I understand you all have been working with my son? Please, could you tell me what has happened to him? He was splashed with water, and changed into this... woman..."

"The curse of Jusenkyo," Rei said. "It's kind of a long story. Your husband was affected by it too..." She trailed off, expecting Genma to pick it up.

Nodoka knew better. "He's too embarrassed to talk about it. I find it's better to hear about things about him from others."

Haruka rolled her eyes at this. *This family is a real piece of work...*

Rei plunged ahead. The explanation took a few minutes. "... so now, Ranma has a curse that Shampoo was supposed to get."

Nodoka had simply nodded her way through it. "Magic. I have been following the news about you girls, and the youma, and there was talk of magic, but I wasn't sure what to make of it. Thank you for explaining it, Rei-san." She turned to her husband again. "I knew I shouldn't have let you go so easily..."

"Let him go?" Haruka asked.

"He was afraid I might pamper Ranma too much. We came to an agreement. He would raise our son until he was a proper man."

"Yeah, he told us," Makoto said. She wished Ranma had given them some idea what to say to her in case they met, but he had seemed convinced they never would. "Well, other than the curse, he's totally a man. And he's trying to get the curse cured somehow. I wouldn't worry about it."

Haruka didn't think politeness meant telling blatant lies. She just had to phrase things carefully. "Honestly, I only just met the guy. Gal. Whatever. Seemed a pretty good type. But from someone who's supposed to know everything that's coming, I was thinking he's have us all together in one place instead of some of us here and some there. I guess I expected more of him."

"Well, I've known him for a few years," Ryoga countered. "He may be a jerk at times, but he would always give it his best when there was a problem. I wouldn't worry about how things are going now. This is just a setback."

"That's right," Rei said. "If things aren't perfect now, it must be the best he could have done."

"That cuts both ways, doesn't it?" Nabiki pointed out. "You don't have his power any more than I do. I can't say he might have seen a better outcome, but you can't say he didn't."

"Nabiki," Kasumi said, "I know you don't like some of his decisions, ever since that affair with you..."

"Affair?" Nodoka perked up. "You had an affair with my son?" This actually made her look more relieved.

"She was never serious about it," Kasumi said before Nabiki could put in her own indictment. "Ranma knew it. Though, he could have been better about breaking it off ..."

"Then... is he with anyone now? Any of you?" She looked over the Senshi. "Or the others with him?"

"His fiancee is Kuonji Ukyo-san," Rei said. "She's with the other group now."

"His fiancee should be a Tendo!" Soun declared. "That was agreed years before the Kuonji claim!"

"He's got claims all over," Ryoga said. "That womanizer..."

Nodoka seemed to be ecstatic. "Oh, my son is so manly!"

Haruka was starting to wonder if Ranma had bigger problems she ought to be aware of. She gave his mother a measured look. "Ahhh hahhhh..."

"Well, we can sort out Ranma later," Nabiki said. There were now matters she felt could not be put off. "We can't stay here. The youma are going to get through that blockage at some point. We should blow town as fast as possible."

"Where will you go?" Rei asked. "You got kindapped from your own home..."

"Because of that CREATURE," Nodoka said acidly. She turned to her husband. "You should have made certain he was dead."

"We thought we DID!" Genma protested. "If we find some better way, we'll be sure to use it."

"Is there anyplace we know of that he didn't?" Nabiki asked, looking to her father and Genma.

"I'm afraid not," Soun shook his head sadly.

"It's not like this is really a problem," Ryoga offered. "I'm familiar with just about everywhere."

"You've BEEN everywhere in Japan," Nabiki corrected him. "That's not the same as being familiar. You'd have to be able to find your way around them. You could hardly find your way out of a bathroom until recently."

"But he has a point," Genma said. "We shouldn't be afraid to stay someplace new to us. Someplace with no portals or youma activity."

"If Ranma were here, he would tell us where to go," Makoto pointed out.

"But he's not," Nabiki said. "He's with the other group in China right now."

Shampoo had been silent so far; now she spoke up. "Shampoo call village." She headed out to the lobby to use the phone.

"That's right," Rei said. "We need to talk to everyone and find out how they are and what happened to them."

"Things were pretty confused for a while," Haruka said. "We didn't get a good picture of what was going on."

"Once he does give us directions, we'll need to take a bus or train," Nabiki said. "How much do we have to pay for it?"

Nodoka looked in her purse. "I'm sorry. I only have a little grocery money on me. If I'd known we'd need more..."

"I was afraid of that." Nabiki pulled a credit card from a pocket. "Just this once I won't charge interest. Just pay us back when we get home."

Nodoka was surprised. "You have your own credit cards? And you're still in high school?"

"Ahem," Soun said. "Those are MY credit cards. She just carried them because... er... well..."

"She manages our money better than you do, Father," Kasumi finished.

"What's really going to kill us is getting Akane home," Nabiki said.

"And my son," Nodoka said.

"He walked from there once, he can do it again," Nabiki said coldly. "I'd like to get Akane here before she misses any school. I hope they have a truck they can take ..." She looked questioningly at Genma.

He was, as usual, not helpful. "Not that I saw. There were no roads within fifty miles anyway."

At that moment Shampoo waved from the lobby and held up the phone earpiece. "Is Venus. Want to talk."

"Finally," Rei sighed. "We're about to get some answers..."

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

Most, but not all, of the village council were women. Only Lotion looked to be close to Cologne's age, though none of the others could be under seventy. Their faces all seemed to be locked in permanent scowls, as if viewing any dealings with outsiders with distaste. Minako got the impression they were judging her, and none too favorably.

They all sat in an arc of chairs around an office with a fireplace to provide warmth. One of the councillors sat at a desk to one side, taking notes. It looked like any formal war meeting, except no one wore a uniform.

Lotion had taken her seat in the middle of the arc. All of the councillors listened intently as Minako, Ami, Michiru, and the Kunos tried to recall every detail of the battle. They began with the two-pronged invasion and broke down into telling individual viewpoints after their scattering, then became more unified again as they reached the latter stages.

"I recognized the Jusenkyo valley from Ranma's descriptions," Ukyo said. "I got in touch with Mars -"

"You nearly yanked my arm out of the socket to do it," Minako objected.

Ukyo was too weary to counter the accusation. "... and Shampoo gave us directions to here. And that's all we know right now."

"Mmm hmmm," Lotion hummed. "Did you ask anything about their status? Who was present, injuries, deaths, that sort of thing?"

"There wasn't time. We wanted to get away from the portal as fast as we could."

"Understandable," Lotion said. "Well, when Shampoo warned us of your coming last night, she also reported who was with her." She took a paper from the desk and began reading from it. "Mars, Jupiter, Uranus. Someone named Ryoga. Three Tendos, two Saotomes." She looked up. "That leaves Cologne unaccounted for."

"And Tuxedo Mask," Minako said. She turned to Ami. "Did Ranma mention him at all?" The others simply shook their heads.

"Given where the rest of you ended up, he's probably lost in some random city somewhere," Lotion said. "Cologne will be easier to find. She certainly hasn't shown up here so far. If she hasn't made her way to the other group by now, she may be their prisoner."

"Or dead," a man said. "They're probably angry at not getting any confirmed kills by now."

A chill passed through Minako in spite of the warmth of the fireplace. It was true that they were in a dangerous business, fighting a war in which any or all of them might die, but so far none of them had. She had begun to think none of them would.

A child of about ten ran in breathlessly, knelt before the council, and spoke rapidly. The elders listened, then Lotion sent her back out. "It's a report from our lookouts at Jusenkyo," she explained to the Japanese. "We expected them to send youma through looking for you, so we are keeping an eye on the portal. From what's been happening there, we may have picked up a complication."

"Just before dawn, they reported a man at the edge of the pools using fireworks," the man at the desk said, reading from reports. "He was picked up after dawn by two bird-men and flown south to Mount Phoenix. Just before noon, he was seen with a dozen bird-men, including a child, moving north up the valley. They seem to have stopped at the mountain northwest of Mount Kensai."

"That could be Magnetite," Minako said. "We lost track of him after Sailor Moon got split off from us."

"But if he's got flying youma with him," Ami asked, "why doesn't he have them fan out to search the whole area by air?"

"We don't think they were youma," Lotion said. "The report said he went to Mount Phoenix. That mountain is the home of a legendary tribe of bird-men. The mountain has a pool or well of cursed water at its summit, imprinted by one of the birds that fly there. For centuries, the people living there have drawn drinking and bathing water from it. It is no surprise that they have developed birdlike features."

"It *is* troubling that they aren't searching widely," the man in the circle said. "They have settled at the mountain and are standing guard. The general must want something there, and has gotten the bird-men to help him get it."

"So these bird-men you speak of may be subverted?" Tatewaki Kuno guessed. "Or perhaps they are unwilling accomplices? It seems the Dark Kingdom must be short of youma if they must recruit. Our visit has had its impact."

At that moment the desk phone rang. The man seated there talked briefly into it, then spoke loudly to the room: "Shampoo." All attention was suddenly on him as he spoke in Chinese to Shampoo, taking notes quickly.

After a few minutes he tore off the top sheet and handed it to Lotion. "Still no sign of Cologne," she said, reading the report. "No notable injuries to their people. They don't think they can go back home. They want to ask Ranma what to do next."

"I'll handle it," Minako said, taking the phone. "Shampoo? It's Sailor Venus. Can you put Mars on? Thanks. ... Rei-chan? It's Minako."

Rei sounded relieved. "Minako-chan! Kami, it's so good to hear your voice. How are you guys?"

"Eh, we've been better. Akane's hurt, broken arm, some ribs, they have her bandaged up. Kodachi had a dislocated arm, it's in a sling now. Ukyo took some needles in her leg. The rest of us are pretty much just tired."

"What about Ranma? And Usagi? Just tired too?"

"Yeah, Ranma looked like he was nearly dead for a while there, but now he's really bouncing back. They say he'll be fine soon. Usagi, well, you know her, sleeping all day on a normal day -"

"Put Mamoru on."

Minako turned to the door to find Usagi herself standing there. "Ummm, looks like she just got up, actually. Here, talk to her." She handed the earpiece over.

"Hello? Rei-chan? Get Mamoru." Usagi's voice had an edge to it, very urgent.

"He's not with you? He isn't with us..."

"Well, WHERE IS HE?"

"HOW SHOULD I KNOW, BAKA!"

Minako grabbed the phone away before Usagi could get into one of her shouting matches. "He's probably in some other city, like we all were before we met up!"

Usagi steamed almost visibly for a few seconds. "Well, we all know who to ask about THAT," she finally said, and stormed back out.

"Uh oh," Ukyo said, following quickly after her. "Usagi!"

"Just great," Minako sighed. She brought the earpiece up again. "I'm not sure which one of them will kill the other just now..."

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

Usagi marched across the village grounds back to the infirmary. Ukyo tried to calm her down. "Now, Usagi, he's still very weak. It won't be good for him to slap him around any -"

Usagi noticed a small bowl of water, probably a dog dish. She grabbed it and went inside the infirmary, heading straight for Ranma's bed. "WAKE UP, YOU LAZY JERK! WE NEED YOU! MAMO-CHAN NEEDS YOU! HE'S LOST AND YOU GOTTA FIND HIM!" She splashed the water all over his face.

Ranma got wet.

Usagi and Ukyo stood there for a moment as the fact registered. Eyes bugged out. Jaws dropped. Usagi broke down in hysterics. "NOOOO! CHANGE! YOU GOTTA CHANGE! HOW AM I GOING TO FIND MAMO-CHAN IF YOU DON'T CHANGE! AAHAHAAAHHHGGGGHHHH! MAMO-CHAAAAAAANNNN!"

Ukyo left the moon princess to her tears. She bolted straight back to the town hall.

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

It was ten minutes before Usagi was able to speak semi-intelligibly. The council, and her Senshi, sifted through her babble to figure out what had happened in that cave. "So me and Akane got into this big cave and Magnetite was there, and then Ranma was there, and we started fighting, and Akane got knocked out and I got hit and the next thing I know Ranma was running Magnetite in circles around the cave, and he did that tornado thing and Magnetite got pinned to the ceiling and he told me to fire so I fired. And that's it."

Lotion tried to make sense of her words. "That's all? You just fired and that's the last thing you remember?"

"Well, yeah, basically."

"And that caused the ceiling to collapse."

"Collapse? What are you talking about? Why would it do that?"

"When we found you, the cave had collapsed," Minako said. "You and Akane nearly got buried. Ranma DID get buried, we had to dig him out."

"Huh. Must have been after I passed out, I guess. But that wouldn't - unless... oh no!"

"What?" Ukyo's glare bore into Usagi.

"The last time I used Moon Healing Escalation on some Jusenkyo-cursed people, they were cured. If Ranma got sucked up into the tornado..."

"Then he would have been in the beam as well!" Minako finished. "So he got cured!"

"But didn't you NOTICE?" Ukyo said. "Or did all that light blind you?"

Usagi looked sheepish. "Errr... I guess I kinda shut my eyes..." Everyone groaned at this.

"Cologne told us about the other incident where you cured those cursed people," one of the council women said. "But she also said that Ranma claimed it wouldn't have worked on him."

"At the time, at least," Lotion said. "Perhaps Sailor Moon merely needed to grow in power."

"We are all a lot stronger than we used to be..." Ami offered.

"And I did go full out for about five minutes," Usagi said. "I used up everything I had."

"And passed out," Minako added. "So. Ranma is cured. Now what do we do? Without him we can't see what the Dark Kingdom will do. Or what Beryl will do to find the rest of us in Japan."

"We are better off not relying on him," Tatewaki Kuno opined. "We must now do as true warriors do, and know our enemy."

The elders nodded approvingly. "We have our scouts keeping an eye on them. Our people are preparing to defend against an assault."

"Better we make an assault of our own. I should be honored to lead it. ... Would you happen to have any magic swords?"

Now the elders looked annoyed. "Once, long ago," a woman said. "They were all destroyed in battle. Magical weapons and items of any potency suffer the same fate as any other military asset of notable usefulness. They get targeted for destruction by the enemy, and sooner or later the enemy succeeds."

"Like with the guinzuishou," Ami mused. "It got broken up, before we found all the pieces."

"Against Mount Phoenix men, magical weapons will not be necessary," Lotion said. "We do not wish to cause them harm in any event. The true enemy is the general with them." She turned back to Usagi. "You say you caught this Magnetite in your attack. Was it enough to kill him?"

"It had to be! I kept going for five minutes! At least! And I saw... ahhh... yeah. I saw two bodies up against the ceiling before I passed out. So there! He was dead!"

"So they have yet another general," Minako said. "I hope they don't have a dozen more left. I'm getting tired of facing them."

"Well, it won't hurt to do a reconnaissance in force," Lotion said. "I suggest you prepare yourselves. We'll send a squad of our best warriors for reconnaissance. You can go once we know the situation better. For now, try and get more rest.

"I am quite rested. I shall prepare myself for battle. I should like to get a warm-up session before I lead the assault."

"You do that," Ukyo said, patting Kuno on the shoulder. "You can take point against them. Akane will be so happy when you get yourself killed."

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

"Well, that's that, I guess," Rei said wearily as she hung up the phone. "No more Ranma. Well, no more Pluto. We're stuck on our own."

"So I guess we go with the Tendos," Makoto said. "How long do you think it might take to get the other guys back from China?"

"Maybe WE should go to THEM," Haruka suggested.

"That sounds like an extraordinarily bad idea," Nabiki said. "All of us going to China? We don't have that kind of money. We have to stay on the run."

"I'm not suggesting YOU go," Haruka said. "You can hide out wherever." She motioned to the other Senshi, Shampoo, and Ryoga. "The rest of us can go fight."

"I'd rather have you guys with us in case the youma come after us."

"Why would they bother? They only needed you to lure us. Stay low for a while and you'll have nothing to worry about."

"That's probably true," Ryoga said. "It doesn't make a difference to me either way. I've been to Jusenkyo, I can always go back."

"And you want to go home, right?" Makoto pointed out. "You can't do that until Beryl is defeated."

"That means invading them again," Haruka said. "Which we won't be able to do at their portals now. They'll be too heavily defended. We have to teleport in again, and for that all Senshi have to be together."

"We go," Shampoo said flatly. "Claim Shampoo prize."

"Prize?" Rei asked. "Wait... you mean YOUR prize? The curse? But they said Ranma isn't dead."

"Ranma no dead, no is cursed. Lady have no host now. Shampoo can get curse."

"Are you sure that's what's happened?" Nabiki said. "If you get all the way there and the pool still doesn't work for you..."

"It must!" Genma said vehemently. "My son is CURED at last! He is finally a TRUE MAN!" He seemed much more relieved since hearing the news, holding his wife close.

The front door opened. Anthy walked into the foyer. "Good afternoon, everyone. Did you enjoy your night?"

"Not nearly enough," Rei said quickly, "but it will do. Thank you for having us."

"It's no problem. Are you about ready to leave?"

"We are. Where can we find a bus or train station?"

"At the west end of town, a bit toward the north. You can take a bus to Osaka and get a train back to Tokyo."

"Well, we won't be able to go back home until the youma are all defeated," Nabiki said. "And these guys all want to head to China to get back with the others."

"It would be easier if we could go back through the Dark Kingdom," Haruka said. "Might take fifteen minutes through those tunnels. But I guess that's out of the question since they're so full of youma..."

"Well, that might not be a problem, if you really want to go that way," Anthy said.

"Oh?" Nabiki raised an eyebrow. "Unless you can make them invisible..."

"Well... sort of. Has any of you taken a theater class...?"

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

The cave was about as large as the one Magnetite had fought Sailor Moon and Sailor Pluto in. It was dominated by two huge bronze statues, a phoenix and a dragon, over a large stone basin. They were essentially giant faucets, connected at the base to a common pipe leading to a reservoir nearby, enchanted against corrosion and deterioration. Even their paint looked fresh, though it could not have been renewed in recent decades: the phoenix vibrant in red, orange, and yellow, the dragon resplendent in green, blue, and indigo.

The key tool now on the head of the phoenix had its own enchantment, heating the water flowing through the neck to blood temperature. The hot water now cascaded from the beak onto the large cocoon the boy Saffron had woven about himself, giving it a constant flow if thermal and magical energy. Biomass had been necessary as well, which Magnetite had provided in the form of a local girl that had been keeping suspiciously close to them, possibly an observer from a local village. He had noticed several scattered around the valley as Saffron's entourage had made their way over. Magnetite guessed the villagers would not be happy at the loss of one of their own, but that was hardly a concern for him.

The cocoon had hardened and was now very smooth, appearing much like an egg, as of a creature gestating at the very beginning of life. It made little difference to Magnetite, however. He cared only for the results: the chamberlain had said Saffron would emerge fully grown and radiating with power. Power that Magnetite would then claim for his own. "You say this will take three days? What if he is woken early? Would that be fatal?"

"Fatal for us," the chamberlain said. "Lord Saffron will be at his full power by the end of today, but his new body will need to settle before he achieves full control."

"We will stand guard to ensure there is no problem," the guard captain, Kiima, said. "You may enjoy your stay at a guest room in our village..."

"That will not be necessary," Magnetite said. "My own accommodations are near at hand, and I still have business outside today." He noticed Kiima holding what looked to be chicken's eggs. "And what would those be for? May I see them?"

She threw a group of eggs at him with enough force to break if they hit. Magnetite, of course, had a telekinetic grip on them almost before they left her hand; he slowed them just enough for him to catch them unbroken. He examined them with both mundane and mystical senses. The contents were not exactly embryonic birds. "Psychotropic compounds? Let's see... an effect on memory and loyalty? Hah. Nice try. But you will have to deal with me as an equal. Although I do still have things to do outside at the springs. It should take me a good few hours, perhaps. I will return when the time is right."

Kiima could only scowl as Magnetite walked back out through the winding tunnels to the pools of Jusenkyo. She had actually been trying to save the newcomer's life. Lord Saffron might not kill him if he were their slave. Now... she could only sigh. "Such a waste..."

Magnetite marveled at the tunnels on his way out. It had been a minor lie to say that he was quite familiar with Jusendo; in fact all he truly knew was that it was a locus of power, a logical place for someone to try to control the flow of the aquifer if they wished to dry up the springs. All these caves and pipes were new to him, as was the whole world since he had awakened.

Outside, Magnetite made his way back to the foot of the springs, the spirits there quailing in distress as he prepared to seal their doom. "Yes. Cower in terror. The final hour of this place has come. You have served your purpose. Now serve me once more. Return to me all the power I once gave you!"

This time, the angels stood quietly by and did nothing as the light show resumed. The heavens did not even have the grace to weep as Jusenkyo itself died.

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

The Senshi had decided not to transform until battle was imminent; they preferred to remain warm in their winter clothes until then. Tatewaki Kuno was being loaned a sword and coat, making him look like just another warrior. He grated at not being able to identify himself boldly to the foe.

"Always hogging the spotlight," Akane said from her bed. "Baka. Serves him right if he gets killed."

"You can't really want him dead," Ukyo said. "You're not that heartless."

"Well, not DEAD," Akane admitted. "But out of my life."

"You aren't going?" Minako asked Ukyo.

"I want to be here when Ranma wakes up. It'll let him know he doesn't have to worry about me. Don't worry, we'll be along together."

Minako strode out into the village. Everyone in their group was doing their own things, preparing in their own way. The hut next door was where the villagers made and stored medicines; Kodachi was there, helping the herbalist prepare a large batch of something. The smells were nearly overpowering to Minako. "Ugh. Whatcha got cooking? Some weird herbal medicine?"

"Oh, just the usual stuff," Kodachi said. "Poisons, paralytics, narcotics. My arm should not be an impediment to me in this battle if I have the proper tools. And they have shown me such interesting formulas. They have some rather unique herbs growing in these parts..."

"With the kind of groundwater they have here, I bet they do." Minako knew 'don't drink the water' was good advice to travellers to many places. This looked to be one of those places.

She strolled on to watch Tatewaki sparring against some of the village women. He was not holding his own very well, being repeatedly knocked on his butt. "You know, Ranma told me you hold back against women," Minako told him. "You don't have to do that for these guys. They're pretty strong."

"So it seems," the kendoist acknowledged. He got up and readies for battle again. "Come, young ladies. Is it too much for a man to ask that he borrow the proper tools for his job?"

"You not worth Amazon sword," one girl said, holding out a crude wooden club. "You not fight better, you got to take this."

"Then it seems I must earn my blade by entertaining a few ladies with my skills. Prepare then to be dazzled by the prowess of the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High!"

Minako briefly considered warning him what he might be in store for if he actually won his blade - it would mean defeating one of these women, which Ranma had said would in effect be a betrothal. "Hmmm. Maybe I ought to pray for him... for Akane's sake."

Michiru was with Lotion outside the town hall. "Lotion-san... there's a question I've been meaning to ask."

"Anything, child."

"All these centuries you've had the powers of Sailor Pluto used by your people. I was wondering what you've done with them, what impact you've had on history."

"Impact on history? What impact?"

"Did you have anything to do with the Communists winning your civil war? Or making sure certain dynasties came to power, preventing evils from arising? Couldn't you have found a way to stop the Mongols? so many tragedies in this world, and your prophetesses must have seen them coming..."

"Oh, they saw. They saw and we did the only thing that mattered. We kept our people a going concern against all that would destroy us. That's as much history as we've affected."

"That's all? Surely it wouldn't have been difficult to send a few people out every so often to give advice, or reveal secrets, or..."

"Or what? What do you think we could have done with these powers?"

"They could change the world!"

Lotion scoffed at that. "Change the world? That's the problem with the world, especially these days, isn't it? IT'S ALWAYS CHANGING! So many idealistic young people like you trying to 'change the world'. And too damn many of you are succeeding! I'm happy to live out here, in a place where things haven't changed too visibly. In the cities, the more civilized parts of this country... well, you know what this century has been like for us."

"She's sounding like my grandmother," Minako muttered.

"I may know the bad times only from history class," Michiru said, "but things are getting better. We have peace and prosperity..."

"Aye, there's been that in the past too," Lotion said. "And there's all these new toys and gadgets. Telephones, airplanes, movies, all that rot. Hasn't changed human nature. I don't see anything coming that will. You want to talk about changing the world, well, the 'world' is PEOPLE, and they don't change. We've had a few decades of peace, but they'll find some reason to fight again."

"But that's just why we need Pluto's powers!" Minako now jumped into the fray with passion. "If we can head off the bad times..."

"Is that how you did it in your ancient magical kingdom? Seems it didn't work out so well. Where did this Dark Kingdom come from, anyway?"

That gave Minako some pause. "We don't know. There had been a thousand years of peace before then, and then suddenly, the Earthlings rose up. We were surprised, they had been coming along so well, and then suddenly Beryl was there, leading everyone against us..."

"Hmmmm. I do seem to recall Cologne mentioning a vision your Ranma had once. About how the Lady was killed. Betrayed by a lover, I think it was. Just goes to show, you can't be too careful. Can't fully trust anyone."

"Those with the greatest powers, are under the greatest burdens..." Michiru mused. "Queen Serenity had consorts, but no King. She couldn't get too attached to anyone. And Pluto... if she had never loved..."

"I couldn't live like that," Minako shuddered. "If Pluto could, she wouldn't be human. I guess I can't blame her."

"But nothing like that ever happened to you?" Michiru asked Lotion. "No enemies ever tried..."

"Seducing our Prophetess? She was the greatest secret of our village, no outsiders ever knew, and they always avoided actions that might lead to challenges. Not that they could be defeated anyway, even by any of us. I guess it would be harder to do that in a large kingdom that it has been for us in a small village in the middle of nowhere..."

The runner girl came again, firing off a rapid stream of Chinese. Lotion's brow furrowed. "He's at it again. The general is doing something at Jusenkyo."

Minako steeled herself. "Probably something worth stopping. Let's get to it!"

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

The back room of the bakery had been set back to normal, meaning the portal against one wall was exposed again. The youma set to watch the gate, and work the bakery in human guise, were surprised at who entered through the back door. They were even more surprised at who the returning youma had.

"You got her?" The manager went up to the unconscious captive. He took Sailor Moon's chin in his hands, looking her over, trying to make sure she was the real thing. "You were gone so long, the Queen gave you up for dead."

"Took us longer than we expected, but we got her," the leader of the returning team said. "We chased her halfway to Osaka. Killed the others with her. Cost a few of my team. But I'm sure Queen Beryl will want to question her."

"I heard the real one was somewhere else, and the one here was only a decoy," the manager said. "But Queen Beryl hasn't given any change of orders. She must still want both of them. Go on." He motioned to the portal. The group dragged Sailor Moon back into the Dark Kingdom.

The tunnel inside had been cleared. There were a few youma on watch near the portal. They wore pieces of armor that did not seem integral to them, and carried weapons, which they had seen few youma do. Like the bakery team, they were amazed that some of their comrades had survived an encounter with the Senshi. "You got her! How?"

"Wore her out. She didn't have much stamina." The leader looked at the two guards' weapons. "Pulling out the heavy stuff, aren't we?"

"You missed out. The Queen ordered Lord Magnetite's armory issued. Too late now, it's gotta be empty."

"Well, obviously we didn't need it." The captors continued on, carrying their charge deeper into the Dark Kingdom.

There seemed to be no further youma on lookout all the way to the central areas. The way ended at a collapsed section. They set down the erstwhile Sailor Moon, who stood on her own strength. "Dead end," Rei said. "I guess we go back to that last right..."

Ryoga scratched his face. It was covered in white clay; his hair was under a skull cap. "I can't wait to wash this stuff off. It itches."

None of the Senshi had transformed; Anthy had explained it would keep their magical auras low, there being a good chance of magic sensors about. "Those guys back there couldn't have recognized us," Makoto said. "Or else there's a team on our trail..."

"Someone's bound to blow our cover eventually," Haruka said. Her own disguise involved a leotard, a lot of paint, some clay to distort her face, and a strange headdress. She did not even want to ask what she was supposed to be.

"Shampoo ready for anything!" Her Sailor Moon disguise had been fixed up a bit, her makeup touched up, the sword she had been carrying now in Haruka's hands.

Ryoga pulled out their map. Nabiki had forced them to hang up on the call to Shampoo's village before the international calling charges got astronomical, but they had managed to get some details on the path from Ami. "Okay, go back to the last right, then follow around a big cavern..."

They followed the right branch to a crossing. This was marked on the map; they went straight, taking them eventually to a large cave glowing with eerie light. A raised pathway wound its way among pools glowing electric blue, with equally bright trees and bushes growing out of them. "Are these real plants?" Makoto asked. "They're so bright... I don't see any bark or wood..."

"Maybe they're crystal formations," Rei said, looking at one up close. "No... I can't see any kind of surface. It's like they're made of light."

They hushed up as they approached a pair of masculine youma in crystalline armor waiting on the path. Both were armed, one with a sword, the other a polearm, blades made of some greenish glowing metal. "What's this?" one asked. "A prisoner?"

"Standing orders," Haruka said. "Queen Beryl still wants her."

The youma gestured behind him and too his left. "That way's been cleared. It'll get you to the throne room faster."

"Got it," Haruka nodded. They resumed carrying Shampoo through the cavern.

Ryoga kept one eye behind them. "Dammit. Those guys are still watching us. We're going to have to go left before we get out of sight." Their plan had called for them to go right at this cavern.

"You can always cut a tunnel back to the right path," Makoto pointed out.

They followed the left way out to another mid-size tunnel, which eventually led to another large cavern. It was also well lit, filled with ovoids, many covering the floor, some embedded in the walls, others hanging from the ceiling. There was a foul stench throughout the place. Makoto felt ready to lose her lunch. "Ugh. This place is going to make me sick."

"All these eggs..." Rei marveled. "I always wondered where the youma came from..."

"Or cocoons," Haruka said. "Maybe Queen Serenity forced them into hibernation or something."

Ryoga pulled off a bandana, ready to charge it with chi. "We should destroy them," he said. "Cut down the odds against us. Or else they'll just have another army ready to throw at us."

"Not yet," Rei said. "We have to make it through to the others. There's probably attendants here that would warn of us if we started a rampage right now."

"It doesn't feel so cold here," Makoto said. "I think this place is warming up."

"That might be it, too," Haruka said. "If these eggs were preserved because they were frozen, they'd have to be thawed."

"I don't like the idea of just leaving them." Ryoga looked around, tensing as if ready to unleash an attack. "I don't see any attendants..."

"Just because we can't see them doesn't mean there are none," Rei pointed out. "I guess we'll have to let them wait for a while. It's more important to get to full strength."

They resumed their progress to the far end of the cave. Ryoga gave one last look back. "I wish we had some grenades..." He shook his head. "Ah, we'll make do."

They continued through the tunnels, praying their disguises held out long enough to get to China.

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

Ranma sat up suddenly, gasping for air. "Huh-huh-huh... what -"

"Yipe!" Ukyo flinched back, then brightened when she realized what had happened. She gave her fiancee a glomp. "RANCHAN!"

"Ack!" Ranma pulled Ukyo off, still trying to breathe. "What happened? What's going on?"

"You're cured, is what's going on. You don't change into that prophetess anymore."

"I'm... cured?" He searched around, started getting up out of bed.

Ukyo stopped him. "Easy, Ranchan. You still need your rest. Let me get it." She went to a basin and drew a bucket of water, which Ranma splashed on himself. As advertised, he remained male.

"I'm cured! I really did it... It worked! It actually worked! I'M CURED!"

Ukyo picked up on his words. "It worked? You planned this? Wait, of course you did. But couldn't it wait?"

"Why would I want to wait?" Ranma said, again trying to get out of bed. "Let me up! I'm fine!"

"The old ladies here think you should stay in until tomorrow, at least. And you might have waited until Beryl was defeated."

Ranma scratched the back of his head. "Yeah... I'm just kinda surprised I'm alive at all. I couldn't see anything after the battle, so I figured I was gonna die..."

Ukyo embraced him again, more gently this time. "It's okay, Ranchan. I know you did your best. Now we just need you to get well again and we can kick the youma's butts back to the north pole!"

Ranma looked around the room. "This doesn't look like a Tokyo hospital..."

"We're in Shampoo's village. Ummm... what do you remember, exactly? We found you in a collapsed cave, and Usagi said you'd fought Magnetite..."

"Ranma rubbed his temples, trying to concentrate. "Yeah... I did a Hiryu Shoten Ha to pin him against the ceiling, and told Sailor Moon to fire, and she did. Then the ground just blew up under me and I got thrown up against him. That's about all I know."

"But didn't you know that was going to happen? Couldn't you have moved?"

"I knew I was gonna get killed one way or another before the night was out. That was the closest I could see to a way that I might live through. I wasn't sure it would work, but... well, a man's gotta do what he's gotta do." He found his clothes piled on a chair, freshly washed from the night before.

Properly clothed, the two headed outside. "So who else is here? Akane and Sailor Moon were with me..."

"Venus, Mercury, Neptune, and the Kunos," Ukyo counted off on her fingers. "All the rest were in Japan. They got out someplace called Ohtori Academy. They couldn't go back home, not with the Dark Kingdom knowing about it. I think they wanted to lay low for a while..."

"Not your friends." This came from a middle-aged woman standing outside the medical building. "They call again, say they coming through the portals. We try convince to wait. Shampoo want prize."

"That doesn't sound too smart," Ukyo said. "Oh... Ranchan, this here's Soap. She was a great help to us last night. And her grandmother, Lotion."

Ranma looked from Ukyo to Soap and back again. "Soap and Lotion? What is it with this village?"

"Where is your grandmother?" Ukyo continued. "We should probably talk with her..."

"Went to Jusenkyo. With your friends. Short time ago. Youma there. Big fight, I think."

"Not without me!" Ranma started rushing toward the village gates, only to have Ukyo pull him back.

"Not so fast, buster. You just got up, you should take it easy. And aren't you hungry?"

Ranma suddenly rubbed his stomach. "Ah, yeah... I probably need a bite to eat. Is there a kitchen or something around here?"

Soap pointed to one of the buildings. "You find food there."

Ukyo led Ranma there by the arm. "Don't worry, Ranchan, I'll have you fixed up with some okonomiyaki in no time."

Ranma had a gleam in his eye. "And if we're going to fight, you'll want some of your special ingredients..."

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

Tatewaki Kuno chafed under the burden on his shoulders. "Dammit, woman! I am not a mule!"

"Ranma always said you were," Usagi said absently.

Lotion gave Kuno a bonk. "Faster! Keep up the pace! Or are you tiring out already? My great-granddaughter has better stamina than this!"

"Then why is she not being the dutiful daughter and carrying you?" Kuno asked.

"She beat you. Besides, her burdens are heavier." The girl in question was weighed down with metal weapons and armor pieces.

Kuno grumbled further under his burden. He swung his club in frustration. "Unconscionable that a warrior such as I should be denied a proper weapon. To be used as a mount-!"

No one paid him much attention. They were focused on Jusenkyo, now just ahead. As they crested the final rise of the road before the valley, they met the runner girl on the road. She was with a heavyset man in army uniform. A short exchange followed between him and the Amazon leader before he turned to the Senshi.

"Honored visitors! I am being Jusenkyo area guide. Many visitor I show to springs. Try to explain about curse." He frowned. "Few listen." He looked out over the pools toward the flashing lights. "That one not even come to me. Go straight to Mount Phoenix." He gestured to the southern ridge. Minako made out a much taller mountain beyond it.

"He lead bird men up valley," the squad leader translated for the lookout, who pointed at the mountain at the northwest end of the valley. "They go in there. Is many doors in cliff face. They go in. Bird mans now stand guard, he stand there making fireworks."

"What could be in that mountain that's so important?" Minako wondered.

"Is Jusendo," the guide said. "Source of water of Jusenkyo springs. All come from there. Very few know."

Ami began working her computer. "It's a major magical node," she said. "There's a lot of power in the mountain. But... something's wrong." She turned to the pools on the valley floor. "There's no magic in the pools," she announced.

"Magic in the mountain, but none in the pools?" Minako asked. "But how?"

"I don't know yet. But those pools down there are ordinary water. There's no curses."

Nevertheless, they took no chances, staying on the slopes of the mountains away from the water. They followed the border of the springs north and west, more of the springs becoming visible as they went. Soon they began to make out flashes of light coming through the forest of bamboo poles.

"I bet there's magic *there*," Minako said.

"It's being drained!" Ami exclaimed. "The general is drawing it in. The magical substructure is unravelling... the curses! They're being dispelled!"

"Whaaat?" Usagi asked what they were all thinking. "Why would they do that? Didn't Ranma say they created the pools in the first place?"

"Perhaps they have no more use for them," Michiru suggested.

"That doesn't make sense," Minako said. "Curses like that would be so useful to them. They helped defeat the Moon Kingdom with them, didn't they?"

They continued to their destination, a spur with a good view of Mount Kensei, then northwest end of the valley, and a high-ground view of the middle of the springs. From there they could get a good view of the man in the middle draining the power of the curses. The Amazon squad leader pulled out a pair of binoculars for a closer look at their quarry, then handed them off to Usagi.

"Magnetite," Usagi said confidently, anger creeping into her voice. "I'd hoped I finished that creep."

"They're sure tougher than any of us," Minako said. "Probably tougher than Ranma, too. I guess he must have been buried under all that rubble too."

"Should have finish him," the Amazon leader said.

"We didn't see him," Michiru said. "We had no reason to dig once we had Ranma out."

"No..." Lotion was starting to look horrified. "Nooooo... the spirits..."

"Spirits?" Usagi asked.

"The spirits of the springs... of the creatures that drowned there... he's drawing them in!"

"It's true," Ami said, starting to look horrified herself. "There's dead spirits in the springs that are still magical... but the ones he's draining..." She shut her eyes and averted her head.

The others crowded around her small computer screen, looking at the scan. There seemed to be bright motes of light attached to some of the springs, others being sucked into the vortex that drew the magic to Magnetite's position. "Is he... EATING them?" Minako started to turn green.

"Quick!" Usagi demanded of Lotion and the guide. "Which one is Pluto's spring?"

Lotion pointed with her staff to the section that was still magically charged. "In there. We've long known the spirits are bound to the springs they drowned in. The Lady seems to be the only one who follows whoever has her curse at the time. That was why only one could have it at a time. If Ranma is truly cured..."

"Then she's still there!" Usagi said. "Our Pluto could still be there! We've got to save her!" She made a fist, determination giving her features passion. "MOON PRISM POWER! MAKE UP!"

"VENUS POWER! MAKE UP!"

"MERCURY POWER! MAKE UP!"

"NEPTUNE PLANET POWER! MAKE UP!"

The Senshi charged out over the springs, following the Amazon squad. The guide found it ominous that none of them tripped and fell in any springs on the way.

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

The heat increased as they headed further down the tunnel. The next cavern was a forest of fungi, with mushrooms as big as houses. A few steam vents here and there seemed to be the source of the heat. The stench here was almost overwhelming. "I'm not sure we can get through this way," Makoto said, gagging.

"Hold your breath," Ryoga said. They rushed ahead as fast as they dared.

There was movement in their path. They were mushrooms about three feet high, bouncing along like some vertical inchworms, caps tilting back and forth as they moved. One of them stopped near them and turned as if to follow them.

Makoto tensed up. "These things are giving me the creeps," she said. "It's just so WEIRD."

"Queen's business!" Haruka told the mushroom in a commanding voice. "We are not to be disturbed." That seemed to scare the mushroom into moving on.

They were glad when they reached the far end of the cavern and started to get away from the stench. The next cavern beyond was filled with leafy plants and vines. There was little light here. "I wonder how these grow without sunlight," Makoto said. "Mushrooms I understand, but this stuff should be in a greenhouse."

"I don't think they use chlorophyll," Haruka said. The leaves were purple, blue, brown, black, but no green. At least the forest was drier than the previous caves.

"I don't like this place," Ryoga said as they made their way through. "We can't see far enough. There could be anything hiding in here..."

The leaves began to rustle. Wind began to blow, whistling through the branches and small holes. The sounds quickly became a voice. "Ssssstoopppppp... ssssstoppppp... yyooooouuuuuu dooo nottttt beeeelonnnnnngggg..."

"Queen's business," Haruka said again. "Transporting a prisoner."

"Keep going," Ryoga said in a low voice. They tried to push ahead, but the plants ahead of them began moving en masse, forming a wall. A wall with a face.

"Innnntrrrudderrrrrssss..." The face was looking angry. "Youuuu arrrrre notttt offf ussss... youuu arrrre nottt youuummmmmmaaa..."

"I guess we're blown," Ryoga said, preparing to rush the wall. Suddenly the nearby branches started beating on them. Vines reached out and grabbed at their arms and legs.

Haruka used the sword to hack him free. More vines grabbed her own limbs, forcing her to drop the sword. She was pulled back, being engulfed by the brush.

"Haruka!" Rei grabbed Haruka's arm, but did not have the strength to match the plants. She, Jupiter, and Shampoo were all grabbed and pulled into the forest.

Ryoga was temporarily free. "Hang on! I've got this!" He pulled off two bandannas and stiffened them with chi, dual wielding them to hack away at the plants. He almost had Makoto free when the trees whipped and threw razor-sharp leaves at them, giving him pause. Some gas had also been released. He began coughing too violently to keep fighting.

Vines snaked around his ankles and pulled him off his feet. He was soon suspended from a branch, being cocooned by vines. The noise of the group's stuggles subsided as they all became hemmed in.

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

Magnetite was not worried when the spears and arrows clattered off of his shield. Nor when the laser beam splashed against it. The blast of ice weakened it slightly. The green energy ball nearly took it down. None of it broke his concentration. He finished the sector before turning to face the Sailor Senshi and what appeared to be a band of local allies.

They were all standing atop bamboo poles. With the element of surprise out of the way, Sailor Moon indulged in a dramatic speech. "The dead should be allowed to rest in peace! You who do unspeakable things to their spirits! All the ghosts of Halloween won't forgive you, and I sure won't! I am the Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon, and in the name of the Moon -"

"And Mercury!"

"And Venus!"

"And Neptune!"

"I will PUNISH YOU!"

Magnetite looked around, trying to guess where the other Senshi were hiding. "You may as well bring out the rest of your friends. I know they're hiding around here somewhere."

"We don't need them to beat you! I almost did it before, and this time you're going DOWN!"

"Meaning they aren't here right now," Magnetite said confidently. "Dead? Injured? Lost? No matter. Even were they here they would not be enough. My strength is more than recovered. Your Sailor Pluto mentioned, I believe, that I was responsible for creating this place, and I have reclaimed what is mine. With the magic I have absorbed I am now as powerful as Kunzite ever was." He held up his hands and sent streamers of power between them. Motes of light also danced around him, surrounded by ghostly silhouettes of people and animals. "And these spirits... having fallen into the springs, they are mine as well. I am sure they will make many fine youma."

Sailor Moon seethed in rage. "They will go free," she vowed. "As for you, I might consider going easy on you if you tell me where Tuxedo Mask is."

"Tuxedo Mask? Do you mean your Prince Endymion?" He chuckled. So, they didn't know what had happened to him. No reason to tell them he was in Beryl's clutches; a minor lie was in order. "As it happens, I don't know either. I imagine he is lost somewhere in the world as all of you were. You shouldn't worry, though. When I bring you before Queen Beryl, we will have plenty of time to look for him ourselves..."

"Enough talk!" the Amazon squad leader yelled. "We fight!"

"Ah. You wish to fight." Magnetite leaped atop one of the bamboo poles, matching his opponents. "I believe this is how it is done at this training ground, isn't it? We fight from pole to pole until one of us falls." He extended a hand, ready to fire a wave of power to knock everyone off of their poles.

The Senshi expected this; they dropped off of their poles as the Amazons' formation broke up, their numbers making their way across the poles to surround Magnetite. Sailor Venus tried to get at Magnetite's footing. "VENUS LOVE-ME CHAIN!" The chain snaked out and wrapped around Magnetite's pole, forcing him to start leaping as the chain lashed out pulling down each pole he landed on.

"SHABON SPRAY!" "MOON TIARA ACTION!" "DEEP SUBMERGE!" The other Senshi made their moves to gain the advantage, Mercury to fog the battlefield, Neptune firing directly at Magnetite to keep up the pressure, Moon cutting down each pole he leaped to. The fog was dense enough to obscure the poles of one spring from those of another, forcing him to the ground between springs. The Senshi were magically able to see farther in it, allowing them to stay ahead of him.

"The fog of war!" Magnetite laughed as he abandoned the poles for the moment, making it a ground battle. The Senshi, none too sure in their footing on the bamboo, came down to match him. "But isn't this a bit inconvenient for your allies?"

It was true. Mercury looked around the area and noticed the Amazons moving without their usual coordination - they could not see any farther than Magnetite. Lotion called out something in Chinese, then Japanese. "Hold positions!"

Mercury saw what she was hoping to do. "We should try and herd him toward them!"

Magnetite was already ahead of her reasoning. "You hope to lead me into an ambush? I think not. Let's clear the air." He performed a short chant, made a few passes with his hands, and a great wind blew the fog away, leaving the field visible once more.

"You see the power of the Dark Kingdom?" he taunted, jumping again to the bamboo. "Your powers are narrow, each a master of a single element. We who gained power under Queen Beryl and the great Metallia have broader powers, allowing us to master all the elements. I take it none of you have wind power? Or, perhaps, proper earth magics?"

"We have what it takes to beat you!" Venus swung out her chain, grabbing for the bamboo he stood on again. In fact, the end of the chain was moving fast enough to cut right through - but again he was hopping among the poles, falling backward.

"We've got to bring him down," Sailor Moon said. "MOON TIARA ACTION!"

This time her tiara flew low over the surface, cutting down a swathe of poles. Venus got the idea. "Everybody duck!" She began circling her chain above her head and let it play out, clearing all the bamboo within a hundred meters. Magnetite continued to fall back.

"Just like a lawnmower..." Neptune said.

"Cut him off!" Lotion yelled. "Don't let him back up too far!"

The tiara sailed out again, cutting down the poles in an arc running behind Magnetite. After a few passes, there was a circle of bare ground too wide for him to simply jump. Venus moved her 'lawnmower' forward, cutting down the island of bamboo Magnetite had to work with. But when the last pole was down, he was left levitating over where it had been.

He gave another laugh of contempt. "Very well. You prefer the poles cut. Let me show you how big a mistake you just made." He began chanting and gesturing again.

The Senshi braced themselves, trying to be ready for anything. The Amazons did not want to wait for his attack. With a great cry, they rushed across the no-man's-land to swarm him, but did not get there before the wind returned. This time it blew in a cyclone, lifting the cut bamboo trunks and slivers, filling the air with a deadly could of projectiles. The Senshi screamed and hugged the ground as their costumes were shredded, their skin lacerated by dozens of small cuts.

The Amazons were a bit better protected, carrying shields and wearing breastplates and in some cases arm and leg guards. One of them took a chance and threw a spear at the Dark Kingdom general. It passed close enough to his head to make him aware of his vulnerability. He retracted the wind to a shielding glove around himself, making further thrown attacks futile.

He still needed to immobilize his opponents. "A good commander makes proper use of his terrain. And this terrain is ripe to be used... thus." The chants and motions were different this time. The ground beneath the Senshi and Amazons turned to mud.

The Senshi scrambled away to avoid getting dirty. The Amazons were not afraid of cleaning a little mud out of their clothes - and did not appreciate the danger this mud posed. Several of them sank up to their knees and suddenly found themselves immobile as the mud gripped them with a life of its own.

Magnetite decided to give that life some shape. A gesture brought some of the Jusenkyo spirits now under his control swirling before him. "Go now. Try out some new bodies for a while." The motes of life went forth and inhabited sections of mud beyond the Senshi and Amazon parties. The paths between the pools began to form into mud creatures, forming a circle around the humans and moving in menacingly.

"Now we are on more even terms numerically," Magnetite said. "You have your army, I have mine. In fact, I outnumber you. And I have you surrounded."

"Guys, I don't like this," Venus said. "He's got us cut off!"

It was true. The Senshi had been reduced to standing on a ring of ground surrounding one of the pools. All the pools around it had now merged into a small lake filled with islands which were rapidly assuming human and animal shapes, much larger than life. The pools were becoming a lake, too deep to wade and too wide to jump.

That left swimming. One of the free Amazons tried it - only to turn into a rather strange thing when she hit the water. The Senshi gasped. "The water!" Neptune said. "It's cursed! He's been falling back to the pools that still had curses!"

"What the heck is that thing?" Sailor Moon asked.

Venus tried to hazard a guess. "An elephant... crocodile... crane... a couple of things I don't want to know..."

The mud golems were now uncomfortably close to the Senshi, reaching out with arms and wings and tentacles. "If they can grab us, they've got us prisoner," Mercury said. "We have to stop them!"

They tried their attacks, with some success: Sailor Moon's tiara could cut gashes in a mud creature, but was too small to cut anything in half. Venus tried to use her chain to bisect things, but it merely sank into the creatures and was pulled out with no lasting effect. Only Neptune's power blasts were able to disrupt a large mud form completely - and Mangetite had plenty of power and ground to work with, enlarging the lake as more pools were joined. The mud army continued to grow.

"Give it up, Sailor Moon," Magnetite advised. "You are now at my mercy. You so-called 'warriors' are beaten by a superior enemy with greater resources and better command of the basics of military science -"

A bag came flying at his back, exploding against his wind barrier, breaking it. Magnetite was left vulnerable to the kick to the head that followed. He went spinning head over heels toward the lake, barely recovering in time to avoid getting dunked himself.

"Like surprise?" Ranma asked.

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

"Ukyo! And - RANMA!" The Senshi had, in fact, seen the two moving into position behind Magnetite. They must have arrived some minutes ago and risked a delay to circle around. Now that their attack had been sprung they could make a proper greeting.

"Sorry we're late," Ranma said. "Had to grab a bite to eat." He stood at the edge of the lake, facing the levitating Magnetite. "I figure we'd pick up where we left off."

Magnetite hovered inches over the cursed lake. "Good show. "I suppose it was too much to hope for that you did not survive your exposure to the guinzuishou." He flew up and over Ranma and Ukyo, landing on another pole off to one side and slightly behind them. "Very well. I believe you know how this is supposed to go. Shall we?" He assumed a stance of his own, preparing to make further magical passes to bring more elemental magic into play.

"So what's the plan?" Venus called. "How do we beat him?"

"Heck if I know," Ranma shrugged. "I was just gonna wing it."

"But you've always had a plan... eep!" Sailor Moon quickly shut up when she realized what her slip.

Too late. Magnetite had caught her admission. "Ahh. I see. There is something different about you now, isn't there? You have no magic aura now. The curses are dark magic, of my creation. The light of the guinzuishou would have purged it. You can't change into her anymore! Now you are at a grave disadvantage without future sight. You are welcome to try, of course, with all your friends and allies, but you will find you cannot defeat me now."

"Put up or shut up!" Ranma dove at him, and the two began bouncing among the bamboo poles again, much like the training session so long ago against his father that had led to all of this.

"We've got to help him! MOON TIARA ACTION!" Sailor Moon threw in her tiara to provide some interference against Magnetite. Venus lashed out with her chain, Mercury with her new ice blast, Neptune with her energy balls. The Amazons threw whatever they still had. Against any other foe, it would have been overkill.

Magnetite was like nothing they had faced before. He pumped dark power into his limbs again, multiplying his speed and strength, and fired power blasts occasionally, forcing his ranged assailants to move, occasionally striking them. Another of the Amazons was struck near her feet, sending her flying into the cursed lake. Magnetite moved to grab at them, one after another, using them as shields for a time. His ability to fly allowed him to ignore the poles, swooping around the battlefield at his leisure.

After several minutes of this, he paused. His opponents did likewise, having mostly run out of energy themselves by this point. Even Ranma was breathing hard, standing none too steadily atop a pole. "You see?" Magnetite taunted. "You are fighting a losing battle. I have superior resources. Break off while you still live."

"I CAN beat you," Ranma said. "There IS a way. I know it."

"You FEEL it," Magnetite said. "You GUESS at it. You do not KNOW. Not as you would have, not the details."

Ranma swore under his breath. Magnetite had a point. Sailor Moon had nearly died taking him down before. Now she was at least fifty meters away across water she dared not swim. At that range Mangetite could dodge all day. There would be no point in her wasting her energy channeling a healing attack until Ranma could get Magnetite pinned. But it was looking as if he had no means to do so. "If only I had the curse still..."

"Ah, indeed. Well, you could, actually. Surely you must recognize where you are right now. What spring you stand over."

Ranma looked around at the contours of the spring, its position in the field, and realized he was back where it had all began. The Lady's spring. Right below him.

"What are you waiting for?" Magnetite continued. "Dive in, and let us see if you can fight me as an equal again."

"HE DOESN'T HAVE TO!" Ukyo rushed forward, another large bag on her spatula. She threw it at Magnetite, but instead of following up with a charge herself, she dodged toward Ranma. Her intention was plain to Magnetite; he simply extended a hand and fired off a gust of wind, reversing the direction of the bag. It proved to be filled with rubberized noodles and some rather sticky batter. Suddenly Ukyo was immobilized in her own trap.

Magnetite chuckled as Ukyo struggled in vain to inch toward the spring. "So noble of you. Trying to spare your lover from bearing the curse a second time. Take it upon yourself to protect his pride. Alas, it won't work. The choice is his." He turned back to face Ranma. "So what will it be? I would say I have all day, but..." He glanced at the setting sun. "It seems that day is almost over. I suppose I should give you a bit more incentive."

He extended his hands again. Ranma was ready to dodge any attack, but the stream of crystal shards Magnetite sprayed in an arc above him left only one direction open: down. The choice of direction was made easier still when a few errant shards cut off the bamboo Ranma was standing on.

He fell toward the spring, again, this time able to grab at the shortened bamboo shaft as he decended. He did not try. He splashed into the spring once more.

When he came up for air, he was still Ranma Saotome, Man Among Men.

Various cries of "Noooo..." echoed from the Senshi and Amazons. Sailor Moon was simply puzzled. "But... if I cured him, wouldn't it be like the others? Their springs still worked, didn't they?"

"The spirit of the Lady..." Lotion was crying. "Only one can have her curse, her powers, at a time - for unlike the other springs, her spirit followed the one who had her curse. We had hoped that Ranma's cure would have been similar to a death, and her spirit would return here. But if it has not..."

"Then HE has it," Venus said, fixing her glare on Magnetite. "You drew her spirit before we got here."

Magnetite gave another contemptuous laugh. "A good guess, perhaps, but no. Her spring was dead when I got here. It had to be YOU, Sailor Moon. The light of the guinzuishou freed her spirit from all bindings. From young Mister Saotome here... and from this world."

Sailor Moon had gone pale. "Nooo... I didn't... I didn't think... I didn't mean to ..."

"She wanted to be free," Lotion said. "Cologne told us you had realized she wanted to be free. And now she is. Her war is over at last." She began chanting a prayer in Chinese.

"It seems you will have to win this battle as you are," Mangetite gloated. "Or would you rather retreat to fight another day? Bear in mind I can hardly let the Sailor Senshi go, now that they are within my grasp. But as you no longer qualify as one of them..."

Ranma dragged himself out of the cold water and resumed combat stance. "Nothing doing. I'm with them to the bitter end." He looked over to Lotion, still chanting her prayer. "Hey, old lady! Help me out here!"

"What would you have ME do?" Lotion asked. "Do you think all of us age as well as Cologne did? She was the strongest of us. I am nowhere near her power. I fear I would not be any help to you."

Ranma cursed again. "Dammit... if only the old bat hadn't gotten herself killed..." He sighed and steeled himself for another round of fighting.

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

In a fallen cavern deep in the Dark Kingdom, the rubble stirred. With painstaking effort, a very old warrior worked her way free. She stood up unsteadily, her breathing still ragged.

"Alive... by all the gods, alive."

She wanted dearly to sit down and wait for her strength to recover, but to do that properly she would need food and water. Nor was this place safe - youma were still crawling all over the place, clearing blockages and tidying up, hunting for possible intruders.

The others still needed her. Ranma most of all. The war would go on.

Slowly, gingerly, she made her way out of the cavern and back toward the fray.

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

Notes:

Reading over the Saffron arc in Ranma, it seems Takahashi paid no attention to the timing of events. That flock of birds that carried Akane from Tokyo to Jusenkyo must have moved at supersonic speed. Of course, timing issues get lost against such wallbangers as Akane getting all the water in her body vaporized, leaving her a doll instead of a lifeless organic/mineral paste. Oh, how naive fanfic authors were back then, treating Ranma as an example of mature fiction, simply because SOME anime and manga was mature. If only we had known it really WAS aimed at children too young to know better...

Hoping the next chapter will be final. Obvious stuff happens.