Title: Warriors of Light and Shadow; Chapter 7: Fair Play

Author: Storm Bringer

Rating: PG-13

E-mail: the_storm_bringer@hotmail.com

Author’s Notes: Thanks go out to Bambi Star and Comet Moon for helping me bring you a better, richer, more grammatically correct chapter =)

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters in this story.

* * * * * *

"Someone’s watchin’ us again," muttered Ranma. She was walking down the street along with Usagi, heading home from school.

Usagi glanced over her shoulder, nearly tripping over a crack in the sidewalk for her trouble. Regaining her balance and making sure her eyes stayed firmly locked on whatever perils might lie ahead, she said, "It’s Rei."

Ranma rolled her eyes. "Should’ve guessed. Usually there’s an itch when I feel someone watchin’ me, but this time it was like my back was on fire." The redhead glanced back down the sidewalk. "She’s gone now."

"Of course," stated Usagi angrily. "They never stick around once they realize they’ve been spotted."

It seemed that one of Usagi’s former friends was always watching them of late. For the last week, at least one of them had always been around when the pair was headed to school, at school, and on their way home from school. There were a couple of times when they had been trailed while wandering around downtown as well. It was beginning to grate on both their nerves.

"I wish they’d just challenge us to a fight or somethin’ and get it over with," growled Ranma. Smacking herself in the forehead, she exclaimed, "I can’t believe I just said that! Challenges and fights with idiots are what I’m tryin’ to avoid."

Usagi was silent for several minutes. Finally she said, "I wonder what they’re waiting for."

"For us to drop our guard, of course. They know they can’t beat us in a straight out fight, so they’re hopin’ ta catch us at a weak moment. Feh! It ain’t gonna happen so they might as well quit with all this following us around crap."

Usagi replied nothing, keeping her thoughts on the matter to herself. Ranma was a good fighter, she knew that much from the incident at the school earlier that week, but she would stand no chance against more than one of the Senshi, and then it would still be close. Even if she herself helped in such a battle, it would still be six against two… Not good odds.

It seemed that Ranma was correct in her assessment of the situation, though. The Senshi showed no signs that they were about to descend upon the two of them in a flurry of super powered attacks, as Usagi had initially feared. They had just been skulking about all week, watching from a distance or the concealment of shadows. There was a permanent crick in her neck from always looking over her shoulder.

But it was Friday now, and she had a chance to relax. There were no prying eyes at home, not even Luna. The Moon cat had shown up once, but hadn’t gotten the chance to say a word. The second Ranma had laid eyes on the feline, she had freaked, screaming as though her worst nightmare had come to life. She had cowered behind the sofa while carrying on about the "terrible, horrible, awful" cat. It was all the excuse Usagi had needed to make sure Luna went out and stayed out.

She glanced over at Ranma, walking at her side in her black, boy’s school uniform, her brow furrowed in thought. What kind of father tossed his kid into a pit of starving cats? The very idea made her want to find the jerk and throw him into that pit so he could see what it was like. No wonder Ranma had left.

The pair continued on in silence until they reached home, each lost in their own thoughts. That silence was shattered violently when they opened the front door. A streak of white shot past Usagi and collided with Ranma, sending the pigtailed girl crashing to the ground with a startled cry. Usagi’s hand was on her brooch, the words of power that would transform her into Sailor Moon on her lips, before she realized it was her brother and not the enemy.

"Shingo!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing?!"

Her little brother wasn’t listening though. Dressed in a white gi Ikuko had purchased earlier that week due to his repeated requests, Shingo was perched atop a sprawled out Ranma.

"Can we practice now, Ranma? Huh, huh, can we, can we? I’ve been working real hard on that kata you showed me. Are you going to teach me something new today? Can you teach me that chestnut thingy?"

The barrage continued with Ranma trying to get a word in edgewise, but the exuberance of the young boy overrode her easily. Finally, Usagi grabbed her brother by the scruff of his neck and pulled him off of the prone redhead.

"Hey!" he exclaimed. "Lemme go!"

"That is no way to treat a guest, Shingo!" The young boy suddenly looked abashed. "Apologize to Ranma now!"

"No, it’s okay," said Ranma, standing up and dusting herself off. There was a strange smile on her face. "It’s good that he’s showing enthusiasm."

After they had returned from clothes shopping on Monday, Ranma had gone into the backyard and begun doing kata. One by one the Tsukino family had come to stand at the window and watch her, marveling at her grace and poise. When she had begun leaping thirty feet into the air and performing several series of mid-air kicks and punches, several jaws had collided with the floor.

The next day, Shingo had gone outside with Ranma; shyly requesting to learn the kata the redhead was doing at the time. Ranma had stared at the young boy for several minutes without saying anything before finally nodding her head and agreeing to teach what she could. The day after that, she had dragged Usagi out to learn a bit of self-defense, something the blonde had mixed feelings about.

On the one hand, it could help her out in future battles with whoever she was forced to fight. But it meant working hard, and sweating, and exercise; things Usagi disliked a great deal. She was already quite good at dodging; running around while trying to avoid being broiled, burned, or flattened was one of her best combat skills after all. Why did she need self-defense training? But Ranma had insisted, and her parents thought it was a good idea, so she went along with it.

"You’re not really going to make me practice on a Friday, are you?" whined Usagi.

Ranma’s face was split by a wide grin. "Of course we’re gonna practice today. And we’ll practice over the weekend too. Martial artists practice everyday."

"That’s right, everyday!" repeated Shingo happily.

"At least let me get something to eat first. I’m starving!"

"Don’t 'cha remember what happened last time you ate before practice?"

Usagi’s face twisted up at the unpleasant memory. Turning her back on what she thought was way too much cheerfulness over something like exercise, the blonde stomped into the house. She was headed up to her room to change into her workout clothes—grumbling about the unfairness of it all the entire way—when she caught sight of the front page of that day’s paper. In bold, black ink was the headline: SENSHI FIGHT OFF ANOTHER VICIOUS ATTACK!!

She paused and took a moment to look the article over. There was nothing new. An attack like this one had occurred pretty much everyday that week. Some type of monster popped up in the middle of a crowded area, started draining the energy of anyone unlucky enough to be nearby, and then the Senshi showed up and destroyed it.

From the sound of things, none of the attacking creatures had been very powerful. Certainly they held nothing on the Death Busters. Still, something about the entire situation nagged at the back of her mind, and it wasn’t just the empty feeling she got knowing the others were out there fighting without her, that she had been completely ostracized. No, it was something else. Like a feeling that something very big and very bad was about to happen.

Shrugging her shoulders uncomfortably, she set the paper back down. "Just paranoia," she told herself. Somehow, she wasn’t convinced.

* * * * * *

She floated in a place with no sound, no light, no anything. It was a void, one that existed deep within her consciousness. How long she had been there she had no idea; only that it had been for as long as she could remember and there was no sign that she would be leaving anytime soon. Curled up into a little ball, drifting through the emptiness, she waited…

Waited for what?

There was no answer to that question. She could not remember what it was she was waiting for. Her mind was fogged; trying to sort through her thoughts was like swimming through molasses. But there was something… She knew it was there just out of sight, just beyond her reach. If only she could get to it…

It was cold in the void. She shivered and drew her limbs in closer to her body.

A face, she could remember a face. A young man with eyes like thunderclouds and a cocky grin on his lips. She had loved that grin. Was this, then, what she waited for? The image of the young man wavered and vanished, drifting away from her like smoke on the wind. Feelings of loss clamped over her chest like an iron vise, and a small whimper escaped her lips.

Voices came to her then, drifting across the vast expanse of nothing to tickle her ears with distant reminders that this place where she now resided was not all that existed, that there was a world of light and sound out there somewhere.

"Are they ready?"

"Soon now, yes."

"And you’re sure this will work? They won’t break through the blocks you’ve placed on their memories?"

"Nothing is for sure, but I am confident that they will remember nothing that will endanger our mission."

The voices faded away, leaving her alone once again. She wondered whom it was the voices had been talking about. She felt sorry for those people. It was sad to have no memories. This was something she knew all too well.

It was cold in the void and she was very tired. Curling herself into a tight ball, she closed her eyes and dreamed of thunder and storm clouds and a shadow that fought with the ferocity of a dragon.

* * * * * *

"Oh man, it’s great to be a guy again!" Ranma beat one fist against his smaller, male chest and basked in the red-gold light of the setting sun. He had spent an entire week as a girl and had been beginning to believe that he would never be able to change back to a guy again.

Sitting on a short wall nearby, Usagi smiled as she watched Ranma perform a series of back flips, much to the surprise and delight of several nearby children and a few adults as well. Having gotten used to seeing Ranma as a girl though, it was a bit strange to see him as, well, a him. She had only seen him change once, in the bathroom when they had first met, and it was no less fascinating to see it a second time.

He looked a great deal like his female self, but there were obvious differences. No chest, broader shoulders, black hair, and his eyes became less blue and more gray. Eyeing him critically, Usagi felt that it would be difficult for someone who did not know of his change to match the male Ranma up with the female one. She was having a bit of difficulty equating this tall, muscular young man with the girl she had befriended a week ago.

"What’s it like?" Usagi found herself asking.

Ranma looked over at her. "Huh?"

"Changing from a girl to a guy, what’s it like?"

A thoughtful look passed across Ranma’s face as he considered the question. "Ya know what it feels like when your foot goes to sleep?" Usagi nodded. "It kinda feels like that, only different."

Usagi blinked. "That makes no sense."

"Heh, the entire thing doesn’t make much sense. My entire body tingles and it feels like I’m being…molded. Like clay or somethin’. I don’t know, it’s hard ta explain." A mischievous grin crossed his lips. "We could go to China and you could find out what it’s like first hand." He began to advance on her slowly and menacingly. "Let’s see… How ‘bout Spring of Drowned Dog, or maybe cicada? I’ve got it! I’ll toss ya into Spring of Drowned Boy and you’ll be just like me, only backwards."

Knowing that Ranma was only playing with her, yet still feeling a bit queasy about the whole idea of changing shape or gender when splashed with water, Usagi held her hands up before her in a warding gesture. "Uh, no, that’s okay. I think I’m fine just the way I am."

Ranma stopped his advance with a soft chuckle, but unfortunately for Usagi, warding away the pig-tailed boy with her hands had meant first releasing the grip she had held on the wall. Most people can sit just fine on a wall six inches wide, but Usagi wasn’t most people. With a startled squeal, the blonde lost her balance and toppled over backwards, her arms waving wildly in the air in an attempt to catch herself on anything that might happen to be there, such as a low flying bird. Luckily, her hands did manage to catch something and save her from a nasty bump on the head. Or rather, something caught them.

"You okay?" asked Ranma.

Usagi opened one eye a bit—her eyes had been shut because, as everyone knows, closing your eyes makes something hurt less—and looked up into the concerned face of the young man who had prevented her fall. For a moment, she saw only a man, forgetting completely that this was the same person who had lived at her house all week as a girl. The strong hands that gripped her wrists lowered her gently to the ground before letting go and she came back to herself.

"Yeah, I’m okay. Thanks." She smiled up at Ranma and he returned a cocky grin.

For a long moment, Usagi just stared up at Ranma, gazing into eyes that seemed to hold a raging storm trapped deep within their depths. There was strength there, hard and sure, but there was also something else hidden behind the gray clouds. Uncertainty and a strange sort of vulnerability lurked in the background, masked by the strength and fury of the storm clouds roiling in the forefront. She lost herself in that storm for a moment, finding that there was one other thing hidden amongst the driving rain and fierce winds. There was compassion.

Usagi suddenly noticed that the cocky grin had vanished to be replaced by a small frown. She realized with a start that something had been asked of her, something she had only half heard. Frantically she tried to recall what the question had been, but she came up blank.

"Um…yes," she answered sheepishly, hoping to cover her brief lapse. She surely didn’t want to have to explain that she hadn’t heard the question because she had been staring into his eyes.

Ranma simply nodded and gently took hold of both her shoulders. In one smooth motion he picked her up as effortlessly as he might a child and set her back down again on the other side of the short wall. A quick hop took the martial artist over.

"We’d better get going," said Usagi as she dusted herself off and pointedly avoided looking into Ranma’s eyes again in order to keep from being swept up by those fierce storm winds once more. Ranma nodded again and they set off down the street.

They were headed towards a fair being held in a nearby park. Since it was only Ranma and Usagi, Ranma had decided to spend the evening as a guy. Dressed in his favorite red and black Chinese garb, and with his katana balanced easily on one shoulder, he strutted down the street with a wide grin on his face looking as though he were Emperor of the World. The only other time Usagi ever saw him grin like that was when he was teaching Shingo. Well, when the female Ranma was teaching him, but that grin was the same on both of them. Cocky, arrogant, and quite pleasant to look at when you weren’t on the receiving end.

The park was decorated with paper lanterns strung from the trees and glowing softly in the descending twilight. Sounds of laughter and shouts of joy and good-natured displeasure rose into the air and mingled with the chirping of cicada. Delicious smells wafted through the air on a cool evening breeze and Usagi found her mouth watering uncontrollably.

"What do ya wanna do first?" asked Ranma, peering off towards a booth where children were trying to catch goldfish. There was a wistful look in his eyes.

Usagi noted the odd look and asked, "Is something wrong, Ranma?"

"Huh?" He looked down at her and his eyes seemed to suddenly snap back to the present. "No, it’s just…" he glanced back over his shoulder. "Nothin’," he said, turning back to her. "It’s nothin’." A wide grin split his face. "Hungry?"

Usagi clapped her hands together. "Yes! I want some ice-cream, and some yakitori, and… How did you know I was hungry?"

"There’s drool on your chin."

"Wha!" Usagi hastily wiped at her chin, but her hand came away dry. "There is not!" she snapped, but Ranma was already striding away. "That was mean," she whined when she had caught up with him. Ranma just chuckled.

They found several booths where Usagi was able to find plenty of food to fill her depthless stomach. Ranma did his fair share of pigging out as well, much to the pleasure of the food vendors. The pair was just polishing off a couple ice cream cones (apiece) when a wizened hand settled on Ranma’s shoulder. Turning around, the martial artist found the old man he had met in the ice cream parlor at the beginning of the week standing there.

"Good evening, young man," greeted the old man.

"Hey, old man. What’s up?"

Usagi hit him in the shoulder. "That’s no way to greet someone, Ranma!" She turned to the old man and bowed. "I’m sorry, he’s a bit crude at times."

The old man chuckled. "No harm done. I am indeed an old man. I saw you here and just thought I’d say hello. I see you still have your sword with you." He looked Usagi up and down. "And a beautiful lady on your arm as well. All a man could wish for, eh?"

Both Usagi and Ranma blushed. "We’re not—" they both said at the same time. "We’re just—" they continued in unison.

Guffawing loudly, the old man patted Ranma on the shoulder. "Whatever you say," he said with a sly wink. His mirth died as suddenly as it had arisen though. Staring up into the sky, he said, "It’s going to be a hot night. Watch yourself." Then he turned and walked away leaving Ranma and Usagi to exchange puzzled and embarrassed looks.

Something suddenly occurred to Ranma, and his head whipped back to face the old man. "Hey, old…" he began, but trailed off when he noted the old man had disappeared. "Where’d he go?!" he demanded, looking around frantically.

"He’s probably lost in the crowd. What’s wrong?"

Ranma stared at the river of people passing them by, puzzlement painting his features. "I met that guy once before, but I was a girl then. How did he recognize me as a guy?"

Usagi shrugged. "Well, there aren’t very many people wandering around with a sword, and he’s old so maybe he doesn’t remember that you were a girl the first time he met you. He could have really bad eyesight too."

"I guess…" It was obvious Ranma wasn’t convinced.

"Besides, what does it matter if he knows you’re both the same person?" continued Usagi. "It’s not like he’s much of a threat."

"You’ve obviously never had to deal with lecherous old men trying to get you to pose for dirty pictures."

"Huh?"
Ranma shook his head. "Never mind." Looking over the crowd one more time, he said, "I suppose you’re right. He doesn’t seem very dangerous." Despite his words, the corners of Ranma’s mouth were turned down in a small frown.

He had been so happy earlier, and Usagi didn’t like seeing his good mood dashed by a chance encounter with some strange old man. It was up to her, she decided, to cheer him back up. Grabbing Ranma by the arm, she began to tug him towards a booth where stuffed animals could be won by knocking down a stack of jars with a softball.

"Huh? Where we goin’?"

"You’re going to win me a stuffed animal."

"I am?"

"Yes, you are."

"Why?"

"Why not?"

Shrugging, Ranma allowed himself to be dragged over to the booth. By the time they left, Usagi’s arms were full of cute, furry, stuffed animals and the booth’s owner was exceptionally happy to see them leave before they wiped out his entire stock.

"Hey!" exclaimed Ranma suddenly, nearly causing Usagi to dump her armload on the ground. "There’s that old man!"

Before Usagi could say a word, Ranma was gone, disappearing from her side so suddenly she didn’t even see where he went. She looked around for him, but the crowd made it impossible for her to spot the martial artist, especially since she was forced to peer awkwardly over her pile of stuffed animals while standing on tiptoe. Making several angry comments on the subject of men, she started in the direction she thought he might have gone. Her search ended quite abruptly when she walked directly into something tall and firm. Stuffed animals made mad dashes for freedom as Usagi stumbled backwards, barely managing to keep her feet.

"I’m sorry," apologized the tall, firm thing she had run into. "Let me help you…" the voice trailed off. "Usagi?"

Usagi looked up at the man standing before her and a whole slew of emotions raced through her head at once. First there was anger, then embarrassment, and then sharp feelings of loss that stabbed at her heart mercilessly. Then her emotions stopped being separate, identifiable things and merged into one, thick mass that left her feeling nauseous. She wished she were somewhere else, anywhere else. She wished Ranma was here.

"Mamoru," said Usagi neutrally.

"What are you doing here?"

Anger surged up out of the mass. "What?! Just because you dumped me I can’t go out?! I have to sit at home hoping you’ll take me back?!"

Mamoru held up his hand defensively. "Usagi, that’s not what I—"

"I don’t care what you meant," interrupted Usagi. "I don’t even know why I’m talking to you!" Bending down, she began to gather up the stuffed toys she had dropped. She hoped Mamoru didn’t see the tears shining in her eyes. She wanted to forget about him, forget about the pain he had caused her and the love she had felt for him. That love was still there, she knew, hiding within her heart where it continued to defy the horrible fate destiny had wrought for her.

Mamoru bent down and began helping her. "We need to talk."

"We have nothing to talk about!" snapped Usagi, snatching a pink rabbit out of Mamoru’s hands. "You’ve made your feelings clear!"

"Usagi…"

"Are you coming, Mamoru? What are you doing over here?" Rei appeared behind Mamoru. "Everyone’s waiting for…" Her eyes fell on Usagi and she trailed off, a peculiar mix of anger, surprise, and, for some reason Usagi couldn’t fathom, pain lighting her features. "Oh," was all she said, her face becoming stone.

Usagi stood up, leaving half of her prizes lying on the ground while clutching the rest against her chest protectively. She took some small comfort in the softness of their fur against her bare arms.

"I have to go," she said, taking a step back.

"Usagi, wait," pleaded Mamoru, hesitantly reaching towards her. "Let’s talk, please. We can work this out." By now a crowd was beginning to gather, forming a curious ring around the three of them.

"Work what out?! The fact that you only loved me because it was your duty to love the Princess?!" Mamoru flinched. "The fact that all my friends have betrayed me?! How do you work out things like that?!" Muttering broke out amongst the crowd.

Mamoru’s hand fell to his side and a defeated look crossed his features. "I…I don’t know." Determination suddenly blazed to life in his eyes. "But this isn’t what you think it is and I know we can find a solution. We haven’t betrayed you, Usagi. We…" He trailed off, his gaze rising above Usagi’s head.

Usagi suddenly felt a strong presence at her back, one that brought reassurance and promised aid. She felt muscles relax that she hadn’t know she had tensed. A calm breeze slipped through her mind, brushing confusion away and leaving her feeling like she was in control of herself once again. There was the audible click of a sword being loosened in its sheath; a warning.

"Everything okay, Usagi?" asked Ranma, his voice carrying an odd note of anticipation.

"I’m fine now," she replied, never taking her eyes off of Mamoru. She saw something she thought might be jealousy cross his features. "I was just about to go look for you. I’m ready to go home."

Mamoru’s eyes snapped back to Usagi. Rei continued to gaze up at Ranma while biting her lower lip. There was a distant look in her eyes as though she was trying to remember where she had seen him before.

"Don’t go yet, Usagi," insisted Mamoru. "We still need to talk."

"We just did." Usagi turned around to face Ranma, moving so that she stood next to him. "Let’s go."

"Usagi…" Mamoru took a step towards her, hand extended to grab her shoulder. Ranma’s hand in the middle of his chest stopped him from taking another step.

"I don’t really think she want’s ta talk to you."

Mamoru glared up at Ranma angrily. "This isn’t your concern."

Ranma grinned. "Ya know, a lot of people seem ta be telling me that lately. Too bad I ain’t too good at paying attention to overbearing idiots."

Anger grew into rage and Mamoru opened his mouth to say something Usagi knew he would regret in the morning when he woke up bruised and battered. Despite the fact that she was angry with him and never wanted to see him again, she didn’t want to see Mamoru hurt, and that was definitely what he would be if he picked a fight with Ranma. Fortunately, whatever Mamoru was going to say was forever lost because at that moment several screams erupted from the far end of the fair. Everyone turned towards the cries in time to see a food stand learn to fly for a few, brief seconds.

"What the…?" muttered Ranma.

"There’s a large power over there," said Rei, half to herself. "Very large."

Staring at Usagi, Mamoru seemed torn between pleading with her some more and rushing off to fight whatever horror might be terrorizing the innocent people at the fair. Usagi took the decision from him.

"Guess that’s your cue to rush off and save the world," she stated bitterly. Turning on her heel, she turned and began walking away. Ranma followed and quickly caught up with her. Neither of them bothered to look back.

Mamoru watched them walk off, quickly losing sight of them in the crowd of panicked people rushing for the exit. "Dammit!" he spat before rushing off to find a secluded place to transform.

Rei followed, casting one last look over her shoulder. "I know that guy from somewhere," she muttered half to herself. "His aura, it’s…familiar somehow."

Mamoru heard her and asked, "Where from? Who is he?" His tone was insistent. As much as he hated to admit it, he was jealous that Usagi had apparently found another to take his place.

Rei shook her head. "I’m not sure. It’s just…he looks so familiar. With that sword and the pigtail, he reminds me of that girl, Ranma, whose always tagging along with Usagi." For an instant her eyes narrowed, then she shook her head again. "Nah, couldn’t be." But they looked so much alike that it was hard for her to completely shake the feeling that they were related in some way.

The pair ducked behind an abandoned booth and moments later Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Mars were speeding towards the unknown disturbance, both leaving their doubts and concerns behind with their alter egos. Ahead of them an explosion scorched the night sky. There were no innocents nearby; this area having cleared out quickly since it was so close to the attack. However, they could hear the panicked screams and shouts of the fleeing crowds grow more fearful at the sight of the flames rising up into the night.

They arrived on the scene just in time to see Sailor Jupiter crash headfirst into a nearby booth, reducing it to kindling. The fire had been caused when a booth containing a gas grill and several propane tanks had been used in a similar fashion by Sailor Venus. When she had crashed into the booth, she had torn the lines running from the tanks to the grill, causing the propane to ignite when it came in contact with the heat of the cooking surface. Venus was lying on the ground looking badly burned, but her magic had protected her from the full force of the explosion and she was relatively okay. Mercury was kneeling at her side doing what she could for her wounds.

The source of all this was standing directly in front of Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Mars. It was a girl dressed in what looked like a black leather bikini except her right arm and left leg were both wrapped in strips of leather that left none of the skin beneath visible. Her left arm was bare, as was her right leg except for a calf high boot that matched the one worn on her left. She had short, blue-black hair and her blue eyes seemed to hold all the heat and intensity of the fire blazing at her back.

This person was far different than the creatures they had been fighting recently. All their other battles of late had been against strange, twisted creatures that were obviously alien. They had been relatively weak too, and judging by the look of Venus and the slowly rising Jupiter, this girl was far stronger than they had been. This was not going to be easy.

"Who are you?" demanded Sailor Mars in a firm voice. There was no reason to be worried. Yet.

No expression crossed the girl’s face as she turned her gaze on the Senshi. Despite the flames that seemed to dance within her eyes, the stare she gave Mars was icy cold, hard and devoid of anything that might have been considered an emotion. Sailor Mars felt a chill run up her spine.

"I am Alecto, and I have come to destroy you."