Title: Warriors of Light and Shadow: Chapter 3: Fated Meetings

Author: Storm Bringer

Rating: PG-13

e-mail: the_storm_bringer@hotmail.com

Disclaimer: I don’t own the characters contained within this story.

* * * * * *

Usagi trudged down the street with leaden steps, the anger she had felt at being betrayed having evaporated long since, leaving only weariness and a feeling of emptiness in its wake. Her eyes were locked on the ground and saw none of her surroundings, she had no idea where she was or where she was going. It mattered little though. To Usagi, life had ended when Mamoru had rejected her, when Makoto had struck her, when her friends had betrayed her. In her own mind, Usagi was effectively dead.

Several people passing her on the street stopped to peer at her with worried eyes, a few even asked if she was okay or needed assistance with something. The pain that Usagi felt in her soul was etched deep into her face and people who saw her wondered what terrible horrors had been inflicted upon such a young and beautiful girl. Those few who tried to reach out a comforting hand were coldly rebuffed though.

Usagi didn’t know what she wanted, but this one time sympathy wasn’t it. How could these people possibly salve her pain anyway? None of them knew what true pain was nor, she hoped, would they. No, none of these people could help her. She was alone in the world and the weight of her suffering was on her shoulders alone.

High over head, thunder rumbled across the sky, carrying with it the promise of rain. Normally the sound of thunder would have sent Usagi scurrying for cover, but now it was just one more nuisance. And yet she paused for a moment and stared up into the cloud filled sky as she listened to the thunder rolling across the sky, felt it rumble through her being. There was…something. A drop of rain splashed against Usagi’s face and she dropped her eyes to the ground once again. It had just been idle fancy.

The rain was almost spontaneous, coming down in heavy sheets that had those unfortunate enough to be caught in it dashing for cover. Usagi was soaked to her skin in seconds, but she hardly noted either rain or the chill that was already seeping into her bones. She just kept walking.

"So there you are," said a voice that actually had the effect of making the rain seem warm.

Usagi’s head jerked up and she stopped dead in her tracks. Standing directly in front of her was Sailor Uranus, her arms crossed beneath her breasts and a disapproving look in her eyes as she stared at Usagi coldly. Usagi took a step back, but didn’t try to run away. She knew she could never outrun the Senshi.

"Did you think we would just let you be because you managed to elude us at the shrine?" demanded Uranus.

Usagi backed up another step, looking around and taking in her surrounding for the first time in an attempt to come up with some plan of escape. She was on a small, deserted side street, hemmed in on two sides by tall buildings. Beyond Uranus she could see a wide canal, but there would be no escape in that direction. If she just turned and ran there was no doubt in her mind that Uranus would catch her easily. She was trapped.

"I’ll give you one last chance to do this the easy way. Hand over the Ginzuishou, Usagi."

Usagi licked her lips. "The Ginzuishou chose me to be Princess! I won’t just hand it over!"
One moment Uranus was standing several feet away and the next she was in Usagi’s face. Her full-armed slap whipped Usagi around and caused her head to ring, and for a moment she lost all sense of the world. When her head cleared she realized she was kneeling in a puddle with mud staining her skirt and the bottom of her blouse. Rain dripped from her hair, her nose, her chin; it mingled with her tears and flowed into the puddle she was staring into. It suddenly seemed to Usagi that her tears had created that puddle, had created the very rain which now fell all about her.

"The fact that the Ginzuishou chose you was a fluke," intoned Uranus. "A cosmic accident. Surrender it now so that its rightful owner can be found. Or would you risk the entire world just so that you can play at being the Princess?"
Clutching her brooch to her chest with one hand, Usagi pushed herself to her feet and turned to face Uranus once again. She was surprised that she could meet the Senshi’s cold, hard eyes, but she did just that.

Mustering up as much dignity as she could manage considering the fact that she was dirty, wet, and hurt, Usagi said, "The Ginzuishou is mine. In my heart I know this is true. If you want it, you will have to kill me first."

Uranus’ eyes widened at this proclamation. "Fool!" she spat, drawing back her hand to strike again, this time with a closed fist.

Usagi stood straight and tall, and looked Uranus in the eye as she waited for the blow to fall. It never did though. Instead the Senshi froze, shock and surprise registering on her face. At first Usagi couldn’t understand what had happened. And then she saw the edge of a broken sword pressed firmly against the side of Uranus’ neck.

* * * * * *

Of all the places Ranma had expected to be that day, standing in the rain in the middle of a street while holding a broken katana to the neck of some strange girl in a weird outfit was not one of them.

Ranma had been standing on the bank of the canal staring into the murky waters and trying to figure out where to go from there. Her options were limited to…well, to be perfectly honest she had no options. Thinking ahead had never been one of Ranma’s strong points and so there she was, standing in the rain staring into the dark waters of the canal with no home, no family, no friends, and, when you boiled it all down, no real life to speak of.

She had expected to feel many things after breaking the chains that had kept her bound for so long. Anger, elation, maybe even a bit of regret. Instead Ranma only felt alone. Empty and alone. It was an odd sensation, one she wasn’t used to, and Ranma didn’t like it. But she did have her freedom, and that acted like a soothing balm to help ease the pang of loneliness that had settled into her heart.

The sounds of some type of commotion had pulled Ranma from her thoughts and she finally took notice of the rain that had been pounding her for the last several minutes. Ignoring the fact that she was soaked—being soaking wet was something Ranma had gotten used to over the years—Ranma looked around for whatever disturbance had managed to win its way through her introspection. Not too far from where she stood, Ranma saw one girl smacking another around and apparently trying to take something from her.

Despite what her mother thought, Ranma still possessed plenty of honor and she still considered herself a martial artist in all aspects. That meant that when she saw someone trying to steal something, it was her duty to try and stop him or her. This was easily accomplished by sneaking up behind the thief and attacker, and laying the edge of the broken sword along side her neck. No fuss, no muss, and so far no one had gotten hurt. A good start.

"Don’t," ordered Ranma when she saw the girl in front of her tense. She pushed a little harder with the katana in order to reinforce that command.

The blond in the skimpy outfit relaxed slightly, but Ranma was still wary. She had no idea who this girl was, but Ranma could feel an odd power radiating from her. It was unlike the ki she felt when battling with the likes of Ryoga, but it was equally as potent and possibly more dangerous. She was taking no chances.

"This is none of your concern," stated Skimpy—as Ranma had not so affectionately dubbed her—coolly.

"I’m making it my concern."

Glancing over the shoulder of his captive, Ranma took a moment to study the girl she had just rescued. Clutching something to her chest as though it were the key to heaven itself, the girl looked worn and bedraggled, frightened and confused. Ranma was somewhat surprised to see that she was still standing there. Most people would have fled the moment their attacker was no longer focused on them.

"Are you okay?" asked Ranma.

Meatball Head—as Ranma now referred to the girl due to her odd hairstyle—looked over at her and nodded. "I’ll…I’ll be all right."

"I wasn’t going to hurt her…too badly," said Skimpy.

Ranma turned his attention back to the first girl. "No, you were just going to steal from her."

Skimpy snorted. "You have no idea what you’re talking about. How do you know that this girl didn’t steal the brooch from me and I’m simply trying to get it back."

So it was only a brooch they were fighting over? Must have been a very valuable one. "My instincts tell me otherwise and I’ve learned to trust my instincts." Indeed, although he couldn’t say why exactly, Ranma felt that whatever Meatball Head clutched in her hand was definitely hers.

"Maybe you should have them fine tuned then." Skimpy suddenly switched topics. "Shouldn’t you be holding that thing to my throat instead of my neck."
Ranma smiled slightly. "Ever take your pulse? There’s a major artery running right down the side of your neck, but I’m sure you already know that or else you would have tried to make a break for it by now." She finally began to take note of how cold it was out here in the middle of the pouring rain. Ranma wanted this thing done with so that she could go curl up in a doorway or something. "So how do we end this with everyone still in one piece?"
"Usagi could give me the brooch," stated Skimpy.

"Or," said Ranma, pressing just hard enough with the katana to draw a bit of blood, "you could leave."

"It doesn’t seem like I have a choice."

"Good observation."

Skimpy was silent for several moments before finally nodding her head slightly. "I will leave."

Preparing herself in case Skimpy was the type who didn’t keep her word, Ranma drew the katana away, resting it against her own shoulder. Skimpy made no move to leave or attack, she simply turned around and looked Ranma up and down. She seemed slightly amused at what she saw, a small, bedraggled girl with a broken sword and a cocky smile.

"You trust that I will simply leave and not try to take you both. Why is that?"

Well, no, Ranma didn’t really trust her, but… "What choice do I have? I could stand here all day with the sword held against your neck, but it’s raining and I want this done with. I could kill you, but that’s not my style. Or I can just let you go and trust that you won’t try anything funny."

"Better to have killed me. I am an enemy. Trusting and enemy can get you killed."

"Maybe she’s not like you!" said Usagi suddenly. "Maybe she prefers to give people a chance before just killing them!"

Skimpy turned her attention to Usagi, giving the blond a cold stare. "If that is the case then you are both fools!"

Suddenly Skimpy was moving, reaching for the brooch Usagi seemed to be so fond of. Ranma had expected something though, and she moving as well. The blunt side of her katana came down hard on top of the girl’s wrist and she snatched her hand back with a pained grunt. Skimpy leaped away to avoid a half hearted thrust from the katana and Ranma put herself between Usagi and her attacker.

"I am Sailor Uranus," intoned Skimpy, glaring at Ranma angrily as she rubbed at her hurt wrist. "This day you have made me your enemy, girl." Then she was gone, leaping high into the air and onto the roof of nearby building.

"Just add your name to the list," muttered Ranma, watching Uranus leave. Suddenly she was angry with herself. "Great!" she spat. "The first day of what’s supposed to be my new life and I gotta go and get myself a new enemy! Someone up there must really hate me!"
"I’m sorry," said Usagi softly.

Ranma turned to face the girl she had just saved. "Huh? It’s not your fault. At least she didn’t want to marry me." A look of confusion crossed Usagi’s face, but Ranma ignored it. She wasn’t about to try and explain what she had meant. "I’m Ranma by the way." She stuck out her hand.

"I’m Usagi." The girl went to shake Ranma’s hand, but suddenly jerked her own hand back. "What happened to you?!" she exclaimed.

Ranma looked down at her hand in confusion and saw what Usagi was talking about. She had bound the gash in her palm with a strip of cloth cut from her shirt with the katana, but dried blood still covered her hand. The rain had washed some of it off, but it was still a nasty sight. It throbbed something awful too.

"Um…Accident with a can opener, it’s not too bad," she lied.

"Oh." Usagi didn’t look like she totally believed Ranma, but she let the matter lie. "Thanks for saving me! That was a really nice thing you did. Is there anything I can do to repay you?"
"It was nothin’. No need for payment or anything." The rain was beginning to slack off, changing from a deluge to a light drizzle, but Ranma was soaked and it was beginning to get cold. She still had to find someplace warm to spend the night. Hell, anyplace to spend the night. "Listen, I gotta go."

"Oh, okay. Is your home near here?" Something must have shown in Ranma’s face because Usagi suddenly became concerned. "What’s wrong?"

Ranma opened her mouth to lie, to tell this girl that yeah, her home was nearby, but she couldn’t do it for some reason. Maybe it was the pair of innocent blue eyes staring back at her guilelessly—Ranma saw hurt deep inside those blue orbs. Maybe it was seeing someone her own age with such a haggard, careworn face—Ranma saw herself in that face. And maybe it was just fate, but Ranma told the truth.

"I…don’t have a home," she said softly, her shoulders slumping.

"That’s terrible!" exclaimed Usagi. Reaching out suddenly, she grabbed Ranma’s wrist and began pulling her along as she began walking away.

"Um…What are you doing?" asked Ranma, following along for the moment because she really didn’t know what else to do.

"Taking you to my house," stated Usagi in a firm voice. "You helped me out and I can’t just leave you out in the rain like this. You can spend the night at my house. I bet my parents will even let you stay for a while after I tell them how you saved me from…" She stopped suddenly and turned back to Ranma. "Don’t say anything about Sailor Uranus, okay."

Ranma just blinked. "Uh…Okay, sure."

Usagi smiled. "We’ll just tell them some men tried to rob me and you saved me. My parents will let you stay for sure then, probably for as long as you want." Turning on her heels, Usagi once again began tugging Ranma along.

Stunned and not quite grasping what had just been said, Ranma trailed along behind Usagi. Having a place to spend the night would be great, she thought when some of Usagi’s words finally penetrated the fog that had enshrouded her brain. A voice in the back of her head was quite adamant about the fact that this was a bad idea and gave several reasons as to why. Ranma was too emotionally drained to listen, however. The other voice, the one talking about a roof to keep the rain away, good food, and a warm bed, was much nicer to listen to anyway. When the pleasant voice mentioned a nice hot bath though, the negative one went into hysterics. Ranma didn’t notice.

* * * * * *

The screen flickered fitfully for a second, then a gloved fist came down on top of it with a loud thump and it cleared up again. Displayed on the monitor was the image of a blonde girl with her hair done up in two rather odd ponytails. Her garb was equally strange, consisting of a white body suit adorned with red bows and short blue fuku. Red knee high boots, white gloves, and a golden tiara completed the outfit.

The screen was the only source of light in a room whose dimensions were lost in shadow. The harsh light faintly illuminated two men. One was a tall, obviously muscular man with features that seemed as though they had been carved from stone. He wore ornately worked gold and black armor that was obviously well cared for and the hilt of a massive sword thrust up over his right shoulder. The second man was slighter of build and had a hawkish appearance. Black and gold robes fell in folds about his wiry frame and he clutched an ornately worked staff in one hand.

The first man spoke "This is what stands between us and the Ginzuishou?" His voice was deep and carried more than a hint of contempt.

A second voice answered, this one an alto to the first one’s bass. "Not her alone, there are others."

A button was pushed and the image on the screen changed to that of another girl dressed in a similar fashion. Her outfit was predominately blue though. Again a button was pushed and the image changed. This continued until it returned to the first girl.

Snorting in derision, the first man said, "So there are seven of them, can they really be that powerful?"

The second man shrugged. "They do not look like much, but I have gathered some data on them. Many before us have made a grab for the Ginzuishou and all have fallen to these Sailor Senshi. Most were as powerful as ourselves."

The first man’s fists clenched. "This would not have been a problem in the old days, when our Empire was a force to be feared throughout the universe."

A sigh escaped the lips of the second man. "If these were the old days of the Empire, there would be no need for this."

This simple statement seemed to rob the first man of the very strength that held him upright. His fists unclenched and his mighty shoulders slumped. He ran a hand through long, straggly black hair as he stared at the girl on the screen.

"If there were only another way…"

"But there is no other way. You know this."

The first man nodded. "You have a plan?" It was more of a statement then a question.

"Yes." Another button was pushed and the faces of three new people appeared on the screen. Below each one was a series of words and numbers written in an unknown language.

The first man stiffened. "This is wrong."

"Is it so wrong for a few to sacrifice themselves for the many?"

"In this way, yes! You would steal their identities, make them little more than slaves. Every warrior has the right to stand and die like a man." His eyes roamed over the faces displayed on the screen. "Or a woman."

Anger filled the voice of the second man. "We do not have the luxury of honor right now! Our resources are severely limited! These three can harvest the energy we need to defeat the Senshi. They themselves may even be able to beat the Senshi!"

"It is still wrong."

The second man sighed again. "It may be wrong, but it is our only choice."

The first man nodded in resignation. "Our only choice," he repeated softly.

"Prepare yourself then, in one day’s time you must descend to the Earth. It will be up to you to capture them."

Surprise showed in the first man’s face. "Why not send one of the drones?"

"We do not have enough to spare at this time. One will be sent to keep the Senshi busy, giving you time to complete the mission."

"It will be a simple matter to collect these three humans. No challenge. I long for a decent fight."

"You may get more of a fight then you expect. These three are all decent warriors, that is why I have chosen them, but there is another you will have to be cautious of." Another image appeared on the screen, this time it was a young man. "He is only a human, but he is incredibly strong and well versed in the fighting arts. I suspect he will try and stop you since he is linked to all three of the others."

The first man studied the screen and smiled. "I hope so. I do indeed hope that this Ranma Saotome will dance with me."