Author's note:

Well, it took a good year, but I finally was able to finish the next 
chapter to Home/Heart, to anyone who even remember this series. If anyone 
needs previous chapters, let me know. I'm in the process of looking for a 
website to put these up on. Have fun!

A Humble Home for a Strong Heart

Chapter 11

Disclaimer: Rumiko Takahashi+Creativity = Ranma 1/2  . Naoko 
Takeuchi+Creativity = Sailor Moon. LaShawn Wanak+Ranma 1/2+Sailor 
Moon+Creativity=Fanfic that isn't meant to bring in money or fame--just fun.
  ---------------------------

"Hey, slow down!" Akane yelled as they made a final turn onto the street 
where Raye's temple was located. Despite the death grip Venus held on her 
hand, Akane was hard-pressed to keep up with the two running scouts. Her 
lungs were burning for air, her thighs felt they were going to slide off 
her bones and if they kept the pace they were at, she was pretty sure her 
arm was going to be yanked right out of its socket.

Along with the jumble of confusion as to what was happening, a part of her 
was genuinely alarmed. <A few blocks of running shouldn't wipe me out 
*this* much! Something is definitely wrong with me...> Before she could 
think more about it, though, Venus released her hand and Akane slowed 
gratefully to a walk, massaging the cramp in her side and making sure her 
lungs didn't leap out to immerse themselves in air. She had to force one 
more indignity to her panting body by climbing the temple's steps, where 
Venus and Mercury had stopped to stare at the scene before them.

Detransformed, Serena and Raye stood in front of the shrine, arguing. As 
long as Akane had been in this world, this seemed to be nothing new, but 
this particular argument seemed different. A tense undercurrent ran through 
their words that made anyone reluctant to step in and stop them. Beyond the 
arguing pair, the two cats sat hunched together, looking uneasy.

"--just can't up and do whatever you please when a monster attacks!" Raye 
was currently shouting. "You could've gotten hurt or worse!"

"But those people were in trouble!" Serena shot back. "What was I supposed 
to do? Try to top my high score on Sailor V until the monster drained me? I 
was fine! Besides, the Moonlight Knight and Akane were with me, and we did 
alright, didn't we, Akane?"

Ignoring Akane's uncomfortable look, Raye waved it off. "Maybe in her own 
world, Akane can beat up fifty boys with just her pinky toe, but here, it's 
different. You can't just assume she'll want to fight our enemies just 
because they show up and start trashing the place!"

"She did too want to help! You should've seen her!" Serena gushed. "She was 
great, and strong, and super helpful..."

"Akane's not one of us!" Raye snapped. "Her life was endangered in letting 
her fight. You can't have unprepared people fighting your battles for you. 
You're a *princess*, Serena, so grow up and start acting like one for a 
change!"

"But I'm also Sailor Moon too, you know, and--need I remind you--your 
*leader*..."

"Funny, you sure don't act like it."

"All I want is a chance to prove that, Raye! Okay, so I mess up a couple of 
times, but I'm supposed to learn from my mistakes, right?"

"Mistakes can be costly--"

"But most of the time, it's not! I got you guys to take care of me, and 
most of the time Tuxedo Mask shows up, though I don't know where he's been 
lately and instead it's been the Moonlight Knight, though that's okay 
because he's real dreamy, but he's not as good looking as Tuxedo Mask, 
though I guess because he wears that sheet all the time and it's hard to 
tell because it covers his face except for his beautiful, gorgeous eyes and 
how come you don't get all in a huff over him helping out but you yell at 
me because of Akane, huh?"

Raye took a moment to process that. "The Moonlight Knight's different, 
Serena. He's...well...um..." For a second, her eyes actually crossed. Then 
she shook her head with a growl. "Look, he's different, okay? We still 
don't know what the deal is with him. The point is, you weren't supposed to 
do anything until we got there. We're a team, Serena. We're supposed to 
fight together!"

"There wasn't time! I had to do something! You're always telling me to, 
'grow up, Serena.' 'Act your age, Serena.' And now you yell at me because I 
try to do something right for a change?! Come *on*, I'm not a child! I know 
what you're saying--"

"No, you don't!"

"Yes, I do! And I think you need to lighten up, Raye! We can always use 
extra help from other people, like the Moonlight Knight, even Akane. I 
think they make great allies--"

"We don't need to drag people into our problems right now...We do fine by 
ourselves--"

Serena rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right. Just like what happened at the North 
Pole. We didn't need anyone to help us get kil--"

*CRACK!*

It happened too fast for Akane to see. One moment, Raye and Serena were 
facing each other; the next, Serena was sprawled face-down on the ground 
with Raye standing over her. It wasn't until Akane felt the firm pressure 
of Venus's arm again the front of her body that she realized that she had 
taken a step towards the two girls, her fists clinched. Venus only spared 
her a brief glance, but her intent was apparent: don't interfere. Akane 
slowly stepped back, forcing her tightly-balled hands to return to her sides.

Raye herself appeared to be stunned at what had just happened. Her still 
up-raised hand trembling, her mouth worked several times before she was 
finally able to speak, her voice too high, like it was being forced through 
a small, small hole. "*Don't* *say* *that*!! What happened back then was 
way beyond our control! We didn't know what was going to happen! We weren't 
ready...we didn't know...we didn't...how *dare* you bring that up 
after...after..."

"We died?" Serena finished quietly, ignoring the soft gasps from Akane, the 
other Scouts and the cats. She rolled up to a sitting position, the red 
mark along her left cheek glaring like a warning beacon, but she made no 
move to cover it. "Raye, please. I know all about it. Don't blame yourself 
for what happened--"

"I HAVE TO BLAME MYSELF! WE ALL BLAME OURSELVES, SERENA! DON'T YOU GET IT? 
WE FAILED...FAILED! AND WE ALL DIED BECAUSE OF IT!!"

As abrupt as her outburst, Raye's hands flew to her mouth. She cast a wild, 
pleading look at the other Scouts, and Akane, who had forgotten how to 
breathe. Shaking her head, she began to back away, her eyes widened to the 
point they almost filled her entire face. "Who's to say it won't happen 
again?" She barely whispered. "We try to protect you, but it never feels 
like it's enough..."

"Raye," Serena began, but the girl had already turned and fled toward the 
heart of the shrine grounds, her hair streaming behind her, leaving Serena 
to lean forward with her arm outstretched as if to catch a few of the dark 
strands. Slowly, she instead brought her hand to her cheek--the redness was 
beginning to fade--and sighed softly, "Oh, Raye--"

Then slowly, almost stately, Serena rose to her feet and, head bowed and 
hand still to cheek, walked the opposite direction towards the shrine's 
living quarters.

Silence reasserted itself over the scene, only to be chased off a moment 
later by Luna's low mutter, "Oh, dear, dear, dear."

Her words seem to break the hold over them all as Venus and Mercury rushed 
forward, shedding their Sailor identities.

"Luna, did you know that was going to happen?"

"Well, I had a feeling, Amy, but I didn't know it was going to come to this!"

"Oh, come on, it was bound to happen! I'm surprised they weren't at each 
other throats sooner!"

"Mina, how can you say that?"

"How long she was holding it in? Oh, I knew I should have had a talk with 
her. I should have talked with all of you!"

"What's there to talk about, Luna? Raye obviously need to get some steam 
off her chest, so she did. I'm pretty sure she just needs some time now 
just to cool off, then she'll be fine."

"You call that *fine*? Raye is the most level-headed person besides Amy. To 
have her break down like that means that something is seriously wrong!"

"But Raye and Serena fight all the time! Okay, maybe this argument was a 
bit too strong in the emotional department, but you don't have to act like 
she's gone mental or something."

"Luna's right, though," Artemis quietly stepped into the conversation for 
the first time. "There is something affecting Raye--and she's not the only 
one. I've been watching all of you, and there is a definite change in all 
of you ever since the Battle with Beryl. Ever since your memories were 
restored, I have seen an increase in your behavior that's almost, well, 
fanatical. Lita's been running herself ragged trying to train herself to 
become a better fighter; Raye goes ballistic whenever Serena goes off by 
herself. Even Amy has  been--er, forgive me for spying," he excused himself 
to Amy as her face began to glow a faint pink, "but she spending more time 
studying the basics of martial arts than on her school lessons...whereas 
you, Mina...er...you've been...hmmm..."

Mina loomed over the hesitant white cat. "So we're all a little wiser after 
the North Pole incident. What's so wrong about that?"

"Maybe they have a point, though." Amy countered, rubbing her chin in 
thought. "I have to confess that ever since our memories were restored, 
there has been a growing desire in me for more information on how best to 
defend myself, as well as researching battle tactics in case it could be 
put to use. I've also found myself growing nervous whenever Serena takes 
off by herself. Perhaps there is some psychological merit to what Artemis 
and Luna are saying."

Mina whirled on her. "Just what are you trying to say? That we all should 
go see shrinks or something?"

"No, of course not," Amy exclaimed, waving her hands rapidly. "I was just 
saying that it would be a good idea for all of us to get together and talk 
about our feelings--"

"Talk, talk, talk, talk, TALK! All we ever *do* is talk!" Mina emphasized 
her words with a stamp of her foot. "So what if we got trashed at the North 
Pole? Big whoop! We're back now, aren't we? What happened in the past is 
over! Done with! It's time to wake up and smell the roses! I'm not going to 
spend my time moping around feeling sorry for myself...and I'm not going to 
turn myself into a fitness maniac. So why should Serena? She out of all of 
us had the most to lose, but you don't see her crying and whining about 
it--well, okay, maybe she does do that from time to time--but that hasn't 
stopped her from eating food and going shopping and having fun! So all of 
you can mope around and exercise and talk, talk, talk all you want. I'm 
going to go cheer Serena up by taking her out to get a super, duper, 
whuper, ice cream sundae! So there!"

And with a final stamp of her foot. Mina turned on her heel and marched off 
with her nose high in the air, looking rather silly if the mood had been 
lighter. As it was, Amy sighed morosely while Luna looked ready to bury her 
face in her paws.

Artemis's whiskers drooped miserably. "She's been like that ever since the 
North Pole incident. Moody one moment, going all out to enjoy herself the 
next. It's almost eerie to see her when she's like that...as if she's 
forcing herself to have fun."

"In a sense, she is," Amy replied as she knelt beside the cats. "After all, 
she had been fighting on her own as Sailor V and only joined up with us 
just before the fight with Beryl. Now that Sailor Moon is considered the 
leader, maybe she realized how much of a normal life she missed out on and 
is trying to make up for lost time."

"That's preposterous." Luna sniffed. "Sailor Moon still has a lot to learn 
about leadership. Mina isn't off the hook that easily."

Artemis sighed. "Be that as it may, the best thing to do when she's like 
this is to just let her do whatever she wants. Maybe she's right--we should 
all just relax and let the girls get a treat. I think they deserve it."

As the other two nodded, Akane asked, "But what about Raye?"

Three heads swiveled towards her and immediately Akane knew that throughout 
the entire episode, everyone had completely forgotten about her--a fact 
made readily apparent as Amy blushed deeply, Artemis looked away 
shame-faced and Luna really did hide her face in her paws.

"Oh, Akane! I didn't--I mean--oh, how mortifying! If I knew this was going 
to happen...oh dear!" the black cat moaned.

"It's okay, Luna." Akane bent down next to Amy. "You heard what the others 
said, it was bound to happen sooner or later..."

"But of course I knew!" Luna wailed. "My instincts knew! Why didn't I 
follow them?! To have the girls arguing like this is bad enough, but to do 
it in front of a guest?! Awful, simply awful! You must think us all a bunch 
of squabbling, unorganized, oafs!"

"No, of course not! It's not your fault. Please..." She looked helplessly 
at Amy, who sighed and took the distressed cat into her arms.

"Luna, she's right. There's nothing you could've done to stop them. They 
would have had that conversation sooner or later."

Luna sniffed. "Perhaps, but did they have to do it in front of Akane?" She 
was beginning to calm down. "I'm so embarrassed, I wish I can just vanish 
into thin air."

Amy's eyes widened and she shot to her feet, dislodging a startled Luna 
from her lap. "Oh! That reminds me! I think I found a way for you to go home!"

"WHAT?!" Akane chorused along with the cats. Artemis went on to add, "How 
did you do it?"

"Actually, I got the idea from something Akane said." Amy smiled shyly in 
Akane's direction. "We got to talking about people Serena should meet, and 
she said something to the affect of finding a way to teleport her friends 
over to this world. I don't know if Akane's friends have the ability to 
teleport, but I know for a fact that *we* do."

Luna blinked. "You mean the Sailor Teleport? Can that even be done?"

"Technically, it is possible." Amy answered. "But it does raise several 
questions. It was relatively easy for us to teleport to the North Pole. But 
to teleport to an entirely different dimension? It would be simple if we 
had coordinates to focus upon, like we did for the North Pole, but we don't."

"Is there a way to teleport without coordinates?" asked Luna.

Artemis replied, "Perhaps. Remember, we've only just discovered the Scouts' 
teleporting abilities, so who knows what they're capable of. It may be very 
possible to teleport to Akane's world using something that is native to her 
world--a strand of her hair, maybe, or a fingernail."

"Quite," Amy agreed, even as her frown deepened. "However, my other 
question is would it be possible for us to teleport without one of our 
number to supply power?"

"More to the point," Luna conjectured, "can you even teleport with someone 
who is not a Sailor Scout?"

"Mm...that's a tough question." Artemis conceded. "The Sailor Teleport 
combines all of your powers. Without Jupiter's power, it's hard to say what 
would happen. Perhaps the Teleport wouldn't work. Or maybe it would...but 
you may find yourselves in a different place. In somebody's house. In 
Australia. Perhaps in the Dinosaur Age..."

"Or maybe," Luna said with a disturbed expression. "you'll teleport to 
nowhere and cease to exist. No, it's too dangerous. We'll have to search 
for an alternate way to get Akane home. Unless we can access the powers of 
Jupiter, we just can't risk it."

Akane blinked. "But I thought I did have Jupiter's powers."

Everyone turned to stare at her. "What do you mean by that?" Luna asked.

Akane shifted under the cat's hard gaze. "Um, well, when I appeared here, I 
was wearing Jupiter's uniform. You guys showed me how to remove it by 
saying 'Jupiter Power'. Isn't that a form of using her power?"

There was a brief silence.

"I actually forgot about that." Luna replied with a very large sweatdrop on 
her head.

"Maybe, but she did that to return to the civilian garb." Amy pointed out. 
She looked at Akane. "Why don't you take out Jupiter's pen and say those 
words now to see what happens?"

Akane dug in her pocket for the oddly-shaped pen. She wasn't sure what to 
expect, but the thought of becoming a magical girl had a certain...appeal 
to her. She took a deep breath, then held up the pen and shouted, "JUPITER 
POWER!"

Nothing happened.

And then...nothing happened some more.

But after that...still nothing.

Akane scowled at the pen. "Why won't this stupid thing work?!"

"Don't worry yourself about it." Luna dismissed with a flick of her tail. 
"We knew it was a long shot. It couldn't possibly happen anyway."

But Amy shook her head, her forehead crinkled in thought. "I don't know if 
I agree, Luna. Technically, she *shouldn't* have been able to revert out of 
the Sailor uniform, but she did. So how was she able to access Jupiter's 
power then?" She took the pen from Akane and scrutinized it carefully. 
Akane realized that her expression was very similar to Ranma's when he'd 
tried to figure out a new fighting technique. "I'll have to study this 
further. It could be the key for sending Akane home. Let me take this to 
the computer..."

"I'll come with." Artemis said, a tad too quickly. "Perhaps I can remember 
something on how the transformation pens work." Amy nodded and they walked 
off, animatedly discussing quantum locations, hyperdexial physics and 
several other terms too technical to Akane to grasp.

A faint groan came near her feet and she looked down to see the only cat 
left massaging her head with a paw (or perhaps she was grooming it--Akane 
couldn't really tell), grumbling, "And of course, they leave it to me to 
deal with the others." She then noticed Akane and gave a deep bow of her 
head. "Oh, I am so sorry about this, Akane. On any other day, this wouldn't 
happen, but..."

"No, it's okay, Luna." Akane quickly assured, not wishing to have weeping 
cat on her hands again. "Really, I'm fine. But maybe we should find the 
others and tell them what's going on." Akane hated to sound as if she 
searching for something to do--what did one do with a miserable cat anyway?

But Luna pounced on the suggestion. "Yes, yes. Good idea. I better get 
Serena before Mina talks her into going for ice cream--and once Serena gets 
food on the brain, nothing can sway her from it. I must go now." The cat 
took a couple running steps, then looked back apologetically. "Would you 
mind waiting here for Raye? I would have you go look for her, but Ray gets 
so temperamental, and I truly don't want her to embarrass the Scout's 
reputation any further..."

"Um...sure?" But Luna was already bounding towards the temple's living 
quarters. Sighing, Akane settled down on the temple steps to wait for Raye.

After a moment, she grew restless and got up to look for her instead.

*			*			*

It was a rotten day for tension. The sky was the perfect shade of blue with 
the right sprinkling of puffy, white clouds. The air wasn't too chilly or 
overly warm, with the hint of cherry blossoms still lingering. It was too 
early for cicadas yet, but birdsong trilled faintly overhead in the gently 
rustling treetops. It was a scene of serenity, perfect for a temple 
setting, and Akane wasn't appreciating it one bit.

Her thoughts went over and over the argument Raye and Serena had. Why did 
they fight like that? Why didn't any of the others intervene? How would 
this impact her going home? Why did Raye slap Serena? Why was Raye so 
*angry* at Akane helping out in the fight?

What did Serena mean when she said they 'died'?

That made no sense. Obviously they weren't dead *now*. All of them had real 
flesh and blood--she had touched them and knew it was true. They either had 
to be remembering false memories...or maybe, just maybe, they actually were 
dead, and the only reason Akane could see and speak to them was that the 
accident that brought her here was more fatal than she thought...

Akane pushed that thought far, far away.

But *something* happened with their fight at the North Pole, something 
disturbing enough to put everyone on edge--a devastating secret she 
couldn't share because she wasn't there to see it, and no one seemed 
willing to tell her about it.

A thought pushed its way to the front. <Can you blame them? With Raye 
saying you not being one of them, she's all but calling you an outsider.>

<It's true, though. I'm not a Sailor Scout. So why did her saying that hurt 
so much?>

She found herself replaying the fight with the odd monster. Everything 
seemed to be going fine, until she tried to beam that monster with the 
stool. Sure, it was bolted to the floor, but that made no difference. She'd 
*expected* it to rip off the floor. She relied on her strength--needed 
it--to get things done. But now her strength, her gift that made her 
special, was gone. And without it, she felt bereft of what made her unique.

<But at least I still have my martial arts skills. If I lost those, I would 
be completely defenseless.> With that thought, a spark of anger ignited in 
her. <And at least I was able to help Sailor Moon with that monster, 
instead of standing by and letting her get slaughtered. And we *were* doing 
fine, too! If we had a little more time, we would've figured out how to 
defeat that monster without any of the others' help. So I don't know where 
Raye gets off yelling at Serena like that, much less slapping her. Sure, we 
ran out of ideas towards the end, but Serena was right--we were holding our 
own! And what thanks do we get? Serena gets slapped and I get ignored!>

<And that's what really is bothering you, isn't it?> Another thought 
snidely insinuated itself. <Once again, you've been bumped to the sidelines 
by those who call themselves *real* fighters. They think you can't handle 
yourself in a fight, always cutting in, saving the day, telling you to stay 
out of the way. Face it. You've been rendered to a 'standby' status. A 
passerby. A watcher. It's Ranma all over again.>

<It is *not*.> Akane angrily snatched up a stick that was lying on the path 
and began snapping it quickly into bits. <Ranma's a self-involved jerk who 
always butts in when he's not wanted. Raye and the others are concerned for 
Serena's well-being...>

<So concerned that they don't trust you?>

<They just don't want me to get hurt...>

<Oh, so now, you're not trusting your own skills.>

<I didn't say that!>

<But a second ago, you were doubting your own strength...>

"GRRRR..." Akane threw the crumbled bits of stick into the undergrowth. "I 
thought being on temple grounds were supposed to make you peaceful!"

A loud squawk broke into her thoughts, making her jump. Whirling, she 
caught sight of an enormous crow taking flight, its raucous cries splitting 
the tranquility of the grounds. Another harsh cry caused her to look down, 
just off the path, to a second crow--and Raye rising from behind the 
undergrowth, looking wildly about as her hand slipped into her uniform to 
bring out a skinny strip of paper. "Who's there?"

"Raye?"

The girl spun about, and seeing Akane, relaxed, though her voice still held 
a touch of sharpness. "Akane? What are you doing here?" Absent-mindedly, 
she brushed at her hair. Bits of stick tumbled out, and she frowned at 
them. Akane blushed.

"I think Amy found a way to get me home. Luna wants everyone together. I 
thought I'd come find you."

"Oh. Right." Raye scrubbed at her hair (and surreptitiously wiping her 
face, Akane noted), then slipped the odd paper back in her uniform. At her 
feet, the crow regarded Akane with its beady black eyes before squawking 
again and pecking on Raye's foot.

"Stop it, Daimos! I don't have any more food! You'll just have to wait 
until later."

The crow cawed once more, gave Akane a baleful look, then took wing after 
its...brother? Mate? She didn't know. Raye watched it until it disappeared 
into the treetops, then sighed. "I guess we shouldn't keep Luna waiting then."

An uncomfortable silence fell as they walked back towards the temple. 
Feeling awkward and unsure, Akane kept glancing sideways at the 
raven-haired girl, trying to discern what mood she was in. But Raye's face 
was a neutral blank, her violet eyes fixed firmly ahead. She was beginning 
to wonder if she should make some inane comment about the weather, when 
Raye's soft voice suddenly broke the silence.

"I'm sorry about what happened earlier."

"Huh?"

"The argument between Serena and me. I'm sorry you had to see that." She 
turned her eyes upon Akane, who was trying to look politely confused. "I 
don't normally lose control like that. I mean, Serena and I argue a lot, 
but never like that. I'm sorry. You must think I'm some kind of emotional 
freak."

"Of course not." Akane murmured, thinking, <I'm not the one you should be 
apologizing to.>

As if she read her mind, Raye continued, "Then again, I guess I should be 
telling Serena that instead of you, huh?" She gave a small laugh. 
"Sometimes I think when I argue with Serena, I lose all common sense."

Akane chuckled weakly, unsure of what else to say.

They walked in silence for a few more moments, then Raye burst out, "It's 
just that Serena doesn't *understand*! She thinks everything is fine now; 
we did our duty, so now we can go back to the way things were before. She 
thinks that she can handle things now that she's beaten Beryl, so we can 
relax. But we can't relax! We need to be on our guard even more now! But 
she doesn't see that!"

"Maybe she sees it differently? I mean, what if she feels that you guys are 
working too hard and wants you to take a break?" Akane lamely supplied.

Raye let out a short, derisive snort. "If it was up to Serena, every single 
day would be one long break. No--we're getting creamed out there because 
she's not taking it seriously enough. Just look what she did earlier! 
Thinking she could take on that monster all by herself! If you hadn't 
stepped in, she would've been laid out along with everyone else. It's like 
talking to a four-year-old!" She sighed. "I'm sorry you had to get caught 
up in all this."

"Oh, it's no problem. It's my duty as a martial artist to fight evil 
whenever I can." Akane said with a small amount of pleasure. She had often 
heard Ranma and his father boasting these words as often as they could, and 
even her father, when he joined in fighting the local ruffian, would utter 
these words solemnly, with his fist clenched and tears (manly tears, of 
course) streaming from his eyes. Akane herself found the boasting vain and 
silly, but she had harbored a secret desire to say them anyway, as long as 
they were in the right context. Now was such a time, and after saying them, 
Akane found herself straightening a little more, and even sticking her 
chest just a little more out as she filled with pride.

"Well, that's nice." Raye said, looking away. "It might be better, though, 
if you let us take care of things from now on. It's dangerous enough as it 
is without worrying about somebody getting hurt, especially with us so 
close to getting you back to your world."

Akane's pride whooshed from her like a rapidly deflating balloon. "Why 
should that bother you? If something happens, I'll deal with it. I *can* 
handle myself, you know."

"Yes, but Serena *can't*. She's got it into her head now that she can 
handle things by herself, and I'm afraid her overconfidence may have her 
challenging monsters without calling for backup and getting utterly trashed."

"There's a way you can fix that." Akane replied flatly, a bubble of 
irritation rising in her. "It's called training. If she does that, then 
fighting monsters will get easier for her as time goes by. Try it--you'd be 
surprised."

"We do train, thank you very much for the sarcasm. But we train as a *team* 
and we fight as a *team. Serena's gotta learn that. She doesn't need any 
more encouragement to try to fight on her own..."

"Encouragement?" Akane stopped, incredulity filling her voice. 
"Encouragement from who? Luna? That weirdo guy in the white robes? Me?!"

"Of course not you," Raye replied in exasperation, "though, to be honest, 
it didn't help matters any when you decided to join in that fight."

"Now, just a minute." Akane snapped, truly angry now. "First of all, it was 
Serena who made the first move against that monster, okay? And she was 
getting trashed because of it, just like you said. What was I going to do? 
Stand around and let her get killed? Second, that Arabian Knight guy showed 
up and was able to distract it, so we were able to put a dent into its 
defenses before any of you Scouts were able to come in to save the day! And 
if you ask me, we *were* a team out there. So I don't know why you're 
getting all huffy about it!"

"I'm 'huffy' about it," Raye replied a little too calmly, "because we can't 
trust this 'Arabian Knight'--we don't know what ulterior motives he may 
have. But those aliens connect him to us, and now they're going to connect 
you to us, too. I wouldn't be surprised if they're planning some sort of 
diversion involving you to get to Sailor Moon."

"Well, fine, then. Let them come! I've been kidnapped before! In fact, why 
don't I make it easier." Akane began to jump up and down, waving her arms 
and shouting, "YOO HOO? CRAZY ALIENS? YOU WANT ME? I'M RIGHT HERE!"

"Akane!" Raye grabbed her by the arms, hissing, "Are you nuts?! These are 
sacred grounds, but that doesn't mean monsters can't attack here!"

Akane glared at her. "Look, I was kicking boys' butts before school every 
morning! I've been shrunk into a doll, fought an eight-headed orochi, been 
kidnapped to China, been knocked unconscious and hypnotized several times, 
fought off ghosts, demons, and perverted little men. Not to mention that 
I'm engaged to a trouble magnet! I've taken my share of cuts and bruises. 
If I get knocked down, I'll get right back up again. I'm a martial artist 
and I can handle myself fine!"

Raye glared back. "Those aliens won't care if you're the greatest martial 
artist in the world. All your skills won't work against beings that can fly 
and blast you from above. This world is different, Akane; you've told us 
what you've done in your world, but I've yet to see you do them here. What 
that means, I don't know--perhaps this world caused you to lose your powers 
or something. What I do know is that while you are living under my roof, 
you are under *my* protection, just like Grandpa and Chad, and I'll do my 
best to keep you from getting hurt, even if it means keeping you from 
aiding us with your skills. In your world, you're a martial artist. Here," 
she leaned forward to pin Akane with her gaze, "you're just an average person."

Akane stared at her a moment; then, with a sharp twist, she broke out of 
Raye's grasp. "Fine then. If that's how you feel, then let's go find Luna 
so I can get out of your way if I'm *that* useless to you."

"Akane..." She heard Raye sigh. "You're not useless--"

"Like hell I'm not!" Akane retorted bitterly. "All my life I had to train 
to get to the level I'm at now, then all of a sudden, I find myself engaged 
to some weirdo who can literally run circles around me and with one punch 
knock me out. And it's not just him--there are others who are always 
challenging us, fighting us, trying to either marry me or kill me to get to 
him. And I feel like they're all so much *better* than me... *I'm* the one 
they always kidnap; *I'm the one who's always knocked unconscious; *I'm* 
always the one he has to save;...it's like all the training I received 
means *nothing*!

"Then I get here, and the one time I began to feel like a decent 
fighter--when I almost feel normal, like I used to feel--you're telling me 
not to fight anymore? What's the point of me even being around you guys if 
you won't let me pull my own weight?!"

"I never said I doubted your fighting skills!" Raye said, looking aghast. 
"What I meant was--"

"Of course you didn't say it, but you thought it, didn't you? Face it, the 
only reason why you won't let me fight is because I don't have special 
magical powers, so you just want me to stay out of the way like a good 
little girl until you get your friend back. Well, that's just fine with 
me." She whirled about and began marching off, suddenly finding herself 
fighting off a sudden burst of tears. "I never asked to be here in the 
first place--the sooner I get back to my world, the sooner I'll be out of 
your hair and you can go back to being a perfect team again!"

She paused, then turned to add, "You should be grateful. At least, while 
Lita's in my world, there'll are no scary monsters there to kill *her*."

As soon as the words left her mouth, she realized she had gone too far. 
Raye went completely still, her face draining rapidly of color. When she 
finally was able to speak, her voice was remarkably calm, but for the first 
time in the conversation, a touch of cold, hard steel laid beneath her 
words. "Lita is just as trapped in this as you are, but she has *nothing* 
to do with this. Be careful of what you say..."

Akane overrode her, knowing she was about to lose it, but helpless to stop 
the words from spilling out. "Oh come on! She has *everything* to do with 
this. I've been to her condo. I've seen how spotless she keeps her place; 
all her cookbooks and martial arts manuals. I've seen the pictures she 
keeps on her dresser--I've seen what she looks like. Who am I to take her 
place? That's what this is about, right? What if you couldn't find a way to 
get her back? What will you do--have me take her place? Me, some stranger 
who can't fight and definitely have no 'Super Jupiter' powers to defend 
myself?"

Raye stared at her, then said slowly, almost incredulously, "Akane, you're 
being jealous of a girl you've never met."

"So?! I know she's better than me! She looks better, she cooks better...she 
probably fights better too. How can I not be jealous? She's probably at my 
house now, cooking a full course dinner for Ranma, and Ranma's falling head 
over heels with her and he'll forget me and...and..."

"That's not true! Lita may have more crushes on guys than the rest of us, 
but she wouldn't do anything like taking away your finance."

"How would *you* know?!" Akane snapped, her tears drying as anger began to 
fill her again. "You don't know Ranma. He's got three girls already 
throwing themselves at him. What's one more to him? I wouldn't be surprised 
if the pervert found a way to engage her to him! And what if Lita decides 
to stay, huh? What if she doesn't want to come back? If she's just as 
screwed up as the rest of you over this 'North Pole' thing you keep hinting 
about..."

Raye approached her so fast that Akane nearly had no time to fall into a 
defensive stance. For a split second, she wondered if was she going to get 
slapped like Serena, but Raye instead grabbed her arms, forcing the smaller 
girl to look up at her. She growled, her voice belying her Scout element in 
its iciness. "Careful, Akane. You're in a strange place--it's okay to feel 
angry. You can rant and scream for all I care. But...I will *not* let you 
talk about things you have no right to talk about. You weren't there when 
it happened, so don't *assume* you think you know how we feel."

"I didn't *assume* anything," Akane retorted. Her arms were beginning to 
ache from Raye's iron grip. "Now let go of me!"

"Not until you hear what I have to say! You say that I'm keeping you down, 
making you feel useless. You tell me to admit that I don't want you around. 
Then fine--I don't want you to help us fight while you're here, Akane, but 
not because you can't fight. I never said you couldn't fight. In fact, I 
think that you're more than capable of fighting with us. You definitely 
have the martial skills to become a Sailor Scout. You said earlier that 
it's a martial artist's duty to fight evil.  But being a martial artist 
isn't the same as being a Scout. A Sailor Scout's duty is to fight evil, 
yes, but our first priority to protect the Princess. No matter what the 
cost. Being a Scout isn't all fun and games as you think, Akane. In fact, 
you've got some gall being jealous of Lita. If I know her, she'd be jealous 
of you."

Akane blinked at that, but Raye continued on. "You have boys chasing after 
you, a family who cares about you, a fianc�e whom I think you care a lot 
more about than you'd admit, and vice versa. But most of all, you have 
*freedom*. You can do whatever you want, be whatever you want. Go to school 
without worrying that you'll have to miss a test because a monster was 
rampaging in a different part of the city. So what you get kidnapped and 
all sorts of weird things happen to you? No matter what happened, you 
always came home fine, right? It's not as if you got seriously hurt...or 
killed."

Suddenly, Akane knew where the conversation was going. Part of her wanted 
to break from Raye's grip and run, covering her ears, but she could only 
listen helplessly, her curiosity pinned as tightly as her arms.

Raye herself seemed caught up as well, her violet eyes turned sadly inward. 
"We used to think like that, too. Sure, monsters were attacking us, too, 
but we defeated them. Not easily, but we defeated them. And when we learned 
that Serena was the Moon Princess we were looking for, we thought we could 
do anything. But then Beryl kidnapped Darien, who was really Tuxedo Mask 
and Serena's Prince in the past, so we decided to go rescue him. And while 
we were at it, let's defeat Beryl and the Negaverse. It all seemed so 
simple. We knew it was our toughest battle yet--probably one or a couple of 
us wouldn't survive, but inwardly, I think, we all were so confident, so 
assured, that we would all come out of it safely. We were Sailor Scouts, so 
it was our *duty*.

"But they proved us wrong. We weren't ready. When we teleported to the 
North Pole, they were waiting for us. They confused us with illusions, 
then, picked us off, one by one. Starting with the strongest..."

Raye's eyes suddenly focused hard on Akane. "Do you know at night, when I'm 
asleep, sometimes I can still hear Lita screaming? She says she doesn't 
remember doing so, only the pain. But I remember her screams when they 
surrounded her and lifted her up. God, so horrible... And the worst thing 
was that they were torturing her, killing her, with her very own powers! 
You'd think that whoever created our powers, they'd make it so that we'd be 
immune to our own powers! Lita didn't have to be electrocuted like that! 
She didn't have to force her power to the very limits, until it killed her! 
No one should have to go through anything like that!

"Yet we all saw it happen, including Sailor Moon. Especially Sailor Moon. 
She shouldn't have to see anything like that...she kept saying we weren't 
ready...and yet...

Her fingers tightened on Akane's arms as she continued. "After that, 
Mercury fell, then Venus. And as Sailor Moon and I were running away, I 
watched the light in her eyes dim more and more. It was then that I 
realized what was going on...and what being a Sailor Scout truly 
meant...and what I had to do. So I left her, Akane. I left her to die."

"I could have stayed with her, defending her with my very last breath--but 
what good would that have done? Being a Sailor Scout means more than just 
protecting the Princess. Sometimes...it means realizing that there's 
nothing you can do that can help her. The rest of us was only in the way. 
As long as we tried to protect her, Beryl would keep throwing her minions 
at us to slow us down. Toying with us. What she really wanted was Sailor 
Moon, by herself, to do what she pleased before destroying her. But I knew 
that Sailor Moon was the only one of all of us who was powerful enough to 
fight Beryl. So to give her the best possible chance, I left her. I did 
good, too. Took out the rest of those...those things before I went down."

She finally released Akane's aching arms and turned away, hiding her face, 
but she was unable to hide the bitterness from voice. "I thought that I was 
protecting Sailor Moon, that I was doing the right thing. But I was wrong. 
And what I remember most as I laid there, dying, was the look on her face, 
that look of horror and disbelief. I can never rid myself of that, even 
now, when things are all right. I abandoned her when she needed me most. 
But the fact is, I will always be leaving her like that. How can I protect 
someone who is a million times more powerful than me? Oh sure, we can all 
put up a good fight, but ultimately the Sailor Scouts will fall, and Sailor 
Moon will always face the major enemies alone. You talk about feeling 
useless, Akane. If I, with my so-called mighty, magical powers, can't help 
Sailor Moon when it counts...what makes you think *you* can?"

Raye fell silent at last, and Akane stared at her, feeling that she should 
say something, or at the very least, go over and comfort her. But she had 
no words to offer and certainly no comfort.

"You're wrong."

Both girls spun around. Akane had to blink her eyes several times--the 
afternoon sun was beginning to fall towards the horizon, turning the 
figure's blonde hair to burnished streams of gold. Though the face was 
almost cast in shadow, Akane could discern the expression as benign more 
than stern, the large blue eyes brimming in sadness and empathy. 
Silhouetted against the brightness, a warm breeze stirred about her, toying 
with her hair, tugging at her clothes. She reached out her hand almost 
imploringly--and a sudden, wild urge passed through Akane, though when she 
thought about it afterwards, she couldn't adequately express what she 
wanted to do; it hovered somewhere between bursting into tears or throwing 
herself down at the figure's feet.

Then the figure stepped forward and slightly stumbled on a loose rock, and 
Akane realized that it was just Serena.

"You're wrong." She repeated as she approached Raye, who stared at her 
wild-eyed. "You did help me when it counted. You didn't abandon me, Raye. I 
understand what you did."

"No, you don't!" Raye cried out, retreating from her. "How can you say 
that? I saw your face, Serena--I saw that look! I *hurt* you! I deserted 
you when you needed me the most! How can I deal with that...knowing that I 
couldn't be there for you...to protect you...like I'm supposed to?"

"But Raye," Serena replied in a gentle voice to keep the trembling girl 
from bolting off again, "You *were* with me. Don't you remember?"

"Of course I remember." Raye snapped bitterly. "That last fight with Beryl. 
You called us upon our powers. But we only came because you called, Serena, 
not of our own free will..."

Serena shook her head, "No, not that time. I meant before that. After you 
died. When all of you came to comfort me."

Raye's brow crinkled. "Comfort you? What do you mean?"

Serena raised her eyes to the rustling treetops, a faint smile playing 
about her lips. "When you died, I was all alone. I didn't know what to do. 
I wished it was all a dream so I could wake up and everything could be all 
right. But it wasn't. I knew I had to go on and find Beryl, but my heart 
wasn't in it anymore. All my friends were dead, Darien was probably dead 
too, and it all seemed just too much for me to handle. I wanted to stay 
sitting in the snow and let Beryl get it over with, because I lost all hope."

"But then," she turned a beaming grin upon Raye, "you appeared. All of you 
appeared. Amy, Lita, Mina, and you. And all of you cheered me up, telling 
me that I had to go on, to not to give up, and you guys would always be 
with me, no matter what happened. And you--yes, you--told me to get up and 
get going."

"I told you that?!"

"Uh huh!" Serena cocked her head. "Don't you remember?"

Raye's brow crinkled further. "No...I don't...but how did we appear? Where 
did we come from? Are you sure you weren't making this up?"

Serena shrugged. "I don't know. But what I do know was that when I saw you 
guys, I felt better. And that was when I realized that even though you 
died, you still watched over me. That's how it will always be, Raye. It's 
true that there will be some battles when the only one left standing will 
be me, but I can handle that, because it is never just me alone doing the 
fighting. It's all of us--all of our strength and our love. And as long as 
I know that you love me, I know that you will never, ever abandon me, Raye."

Raye stared at her, tears openly streaming down her cheeks. "Serena..."

Akane looked from one to the other, feeling very, very uncomfortable. She 
knew that she shouldn't be witnessing something so intimate, yet she was 
afraid to make the slightest movement that would call attention to her 
presence. Therefore, she jumped just as high as the others when the strange 
voice cackled out of nowhere:

"HEE HEE HEE HEE HEEEEEEEE! What a sweet, touching sight! Too bad it's 
about to end! HEE HEE HEE HEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!"

Raye spun about, her hand suddenly wielding the strip of paper Akane saw 
her holding before. "Who dare trespass upon these sacred grounds? Show 
yourself!"

"Forget that!" The voice hissed, seemingly coming from everywhere around 
them. "I'm not about to fall to your tricks, priestess. I'm just here for 
one thing: to get Akane Tendo!"

Raye and Serena turned to Akane, who squeaked, "Huh?! Me?!"

A thin ribbon snaked from out the treetops, wrapped around its victim, and 
snapped her up out of sight with a startled yelp. Akane cried out, 
struggling--then froze as she realized that not only was she not bound and 
swinging in mid-air, she was still firmly and safely planted on the ground.

"If you ever want to see Akane Tendo again," The voice boomed, unaware of 
its mistake, "have the Sailor Scouts come to the Windy Forest Park at 4 
o'clock sharp! Any later than that, and you can kiss your friend good-bye! 
HEEEEEE HEE HEE HEE HEE HEE HEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!"

The ear-piercing cackling faded away, along with the fainter cries of "Hey! 
Put me down! Ow! I'm not Akane! Owwie, oww...you're cackling in my ear! 
Don't bounce me so hard! Raye...help meeeeeeee..."

"Serena!!" Raye dashed forward, anxiously scanning up to see if she could 
catch any sight of accidentally-kidnapped girl. "We gotta go get the others--"

"THAT IDIOT! WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA TOTALLY MISTAKING SOMEONE ELSE FOR ME?! 
SERENA DOESN'T LOOK ANYTHING LIKE ME! HOW DARE--I Mean...er...heh, heh..." 
Akane put her hand on the back of her head as she observed the growing 
sweatdrop sliding down Raye's forehead. "Sorry. It's just that I'm so used 
to being kidnapped that...oh, never mind."

But as she and Raye ran back to the temple to notify the others, she still 
couldn't shake the feeling that somehow, she *should* have been kidnapped. 
That Serena was taken in her place felt, for some strange reason, a little 
disconcerting.

And, buried in the back of her mind, another odd feeling niggled at 
her--that voice, for all its screeching and cackling, sounded awfully 
familiar...

End of chapter 11
============================================================
LaShawn M. Wanak (lashawnw@ync.net)

"Do you hear that, Mr. Anderson? That is the sound of inevitability."
			Agent Smith in "The Matrix"

T-bone Corporations * In Touch With Yours Truly
=============================================================


             .---Anime/Manga Fanfiction Mailing List----.
             | Administrators - ffml-admins@anifics.com |
             | Unsubscribing - ffml-request@anifics.com |
             |     Put 'unsubscribe' in the subject     |
             `---- http://ffml.anifics.com/faq.txt -----'