Ice Squared
by Lerris Smith

Usagi was not herself, or perhaps she was more herself that she ever wanted to be. The free spirited girl seemed to fall away that day, and leave behind someone solemn and even regal. From her place guarding the veil separating one time from another, one reality from another, the last princess of Pluto hardened her resolve, even as the tears fell on her staff and then slid off onto the black marble floor. She kept telling herself, some things just had to be. Her rationality usually worked, but something in her could not stand to see the princess so sad, especially when she had a hand in that sadness.

Pluto knew that Mercury was as good as dead the first time she said the words after Luna gave her the key. Her actions, or in this case inaction were necessary. The star seed that held her eternal soul and linkage to her world was flawed, cracked by the ravages of time. Under better conditions Serenity's final act would have sent all their souls safe to this time, but the conditions were anything but ideal. She was dying before she even began the spell and even draining her own spirit to fuel the crystal was not enough for all of them. The rebirth of the Senshi of Mercury hastened the damage, and the final straw was a simple one. A youma drained her energy and left her in a coma. Nobody thought much of it then, that is until her Senshi transformation failed. That was not supposed to happen without a conscious act, and Mercury was anything but.

With a sad sigh Pluto took a red ruby almost the size of a ping pong ball out of the stasis cabinet. It glowed a dull red color. She mused that it had enough power to save the other, but that was not a choice she would offer. For that matter it was within Usagi or even Hotaru's power to save the other, but that too would not be allowed. There must be a Senshi of Mercury, for there was no future without her.

The time to act had come. With regret, they had gone off to fight a youma leaving the dying Senshi of Mercury to lie in the stasis field the silver crystal had made. The prince of the Earth lay nearby, collapsed from exhaustion from trying to fight a battle he knew he could not win. Usagi and Hotaru had each tried earlier as well, but their healing could do even less than the Earth prince's.

Pluto stepped through the portal into Rei's room and immediately opened another portal to her destination before dismissing her staff. She paused a moment to cover the Earth prince before gathering Ami into her arms and walked through.

As she stepped through the door a tear fell from the eldest Tendo daughter's face. Kasumi had tried so hard to project warmth, to remain positive despite the storm, yet not even she could keep her center now. The two fathers had gone to get drunk, and even Akane could not, could not stay and watch. Ranma was there though and doing things that scared Kasumi greatly and more than once had her taking hold of her little silver cross in fervent prayer. Oh she wasn't worried for herself, but Ranma was pale, so very pale. He had hardly slept between the book he kept studying and trying to somehow perform a miracle on her younger sister. No, that wasn't right, he had performed a miracle, for Nabiki was still alive more than two weeks after the doctor's said she would be dead. The cancer held at bay by whatever knowledge Ranma had pulled from the book he said he had stolen from Cologne. Kasumi privately suspected Cologne let him have it, if by nothing else making it easy to get. She didn't know what to think of that. On one hand, at least Ranma was actually helping. On the other hand the attempt seemed to be killing Ranma too.

She reached up to begin to finger her little silver cross again when she was broken out of her thoughts as she recognized a Sailor Senshi carrying a young blue haired woman. She pulled calm from the depths of her soul as she said, “Hello there, can I help you?”

A wry, yet sad smile crept onto the green haired woman's face. “Yes, take me to them.”

“Them?”

“Ranma and Nabiki. There is hope, of a sort.”

Kasumi pressed her lips together into a thin line and for a moment worry was echoed on her face. A moment later she tilted her head, perhaps in resignation, perhaps in hope, and led them inside and up the stairs, opening the door before them.

Ranma awoke from the hard wooden chair he was sitting in to see the green haired girl set a blue haired girl that looked a little like Akane down in the bed beside Nabiki. “Huh? What is going on?” Ranma said weakly.

Setsuna smiled. “Thank you Ranma. You do not understand yet, but you have helped a great deal. Without your strength, Nabiki would not have lived long enough to seriously consider the choice I have brought.”

He frowned as he let his aura sight briefly scan the pair and did not like what he saw. “Huh? Shouldn't your friend be in a hospital or something?”

Kasumi looked on in wonder and hope. Somehow there was hope, yet she didn't understand the why of it. The hope was tainted with fear, and that too made her wonder, but then fear concerning Nabiki was hardly new.

“Ami. Her name is Ami, and you already know that she is dying.” Surprise flickered on Ranma's face briefly before exasperation and tiredness returned. “Like with your friend medical science has no answers. There is no time. I must begin.” With that she brought the ruby out and held it in her hand. Its glow spread and enveloped the unconscious pair. She set the ruby between them and turned back to the others.

“What is happening?” asked the pigtailed boy.

“The crystal is the last of the great healing relics from the Silver Millennium, yet it doesn't have the power to heal them.” The lie, or half true as it was, slipped easily from her tongue.

Ranma and Kasumi frowned, but she continued, “Ami is a dear friend. As you can can probably guess she is a Senshi as well. The crystal has the power, if Nabiki allows it, to merge her soul with Ami's.

“What?” exclaimed Ranma as a faint “Oh my” echoed from Kasumi's lips.

“Peace. If it works, as I believe it will, both will live on, in a way. The power of a spirit freely given is tremendous. It can heal Ami's fractured star seed and together they will become the new Senshi of Mercury, or at least I hope so.

“What does that mean for my sister?”

Setsuna shrugged. “By herself she will die, that much is certain. Even now Ranma has almost spent too much of himself too fast to fight the cancer. It is rather like trying to empty a river with a spoon. Her body cannot be saved.” She mentally added, “since it would mean Ami's death.”

Ranma looked dubious. He starred at the green haired woman seemingly trying to see something that he wasn't sure was there. “I want to hear it from her. If your thing can do so much, it should be able to at least let Nabiki speak for a moment.”

Setsuna nodded and turned towards the bed where Ami and Nabiki had gotten up with Ami's back pressed losely against her chest. Ami's eyes remained closed and her face serene. Nabiki spoke, yet the voice was a little brighter, a little crisper than normal. “Most of what she told you is true, yet as always she hasn't told all of the truth.” She seemed slightly amused at that. She continued after a brief pause, “The truth is cancer, even such as mine, could be healed by two of the other Senshi or even this crystal.”

“What? Then what the heck?” Anger began to seep into Ranma's voice. Kasumi frowned, and of the two actions, the second disturbed Nabiki more.

Nabiki smirked, “Calm down Ranma-kun. You're starting to act like Akane.”

Ranma blinked. That smirk, it was Nabiki. It had to be. No one else had that smirk. Setsuna remained calm, seemingly unsurprised or at least hiding it well.

“As I was saying, she seldom speaks the whole truth.” She turned to the older woman and smirked. If Ranma wasn't mistaken, there was admiration in her gaze. She turned back to the others and continued, “Her true plan was to save the Senshi of Mercury which she must believe is critical to the future. I have wandered through the sea of her memories and now I'm talking funny.” She smiled and it seemed to be the wrong smile. Setsuna recognized it of course, but said nothing. Soon enough the Nabiki-esque smirk returned, although it seemed a little forced now. “The Senshi of Ice is needed.” The last was said with such certainty that even Ranma felt the truth of it. Her voice lightened and she brought forth her best smile which caused Ranma and Kasumi to smile in resonance. She continued, “Don't worry, I'll still be here. It is a fair deal, and Nabiki Tendo pays her debts.”

With that the red light enveloped them, until a silver white light flared from Nabiki and settled into the slightly younger girl. Nabiki's eyes closed and slumped into the wall as if the strings were finally cut.

Kasumi's quiet “Oh my” seemed to echo in the room as tears fell from the eyes of the blue haired girl as she blinked them open.

She gently pulled the arms from around her and set Nabiki's body down. She picked up a blanket from the bedside and covered her.

Ranma stared at the blue haired young woman and noted the changes. The face was still amazingly cute, yet it was different now. It seemed to be a blend of Nabiki and Ami's face and if he was not mistaken she was a little taller now, although not quite up to Nabiki's height. He looked at her ki and was amazed. He could still see parts of two distinct ki signatures. Moments later even that was gone, leaving behind one very intricate and complete whole.

Ami reached out and pressed a hand under his chin to close his mouth.

Ranma blinked.

“You were starring.”

Ranma was once more at a loss for words.

“Welcome back Ami.” came from the Time Senshi.

“No, my mother can still call me that, but I would like everyone else to call me Nabiki.”

“Why?” asked Pluto.

“Because much of me is her now. Because it is appropriate to honor her memory.”

Kasumi unconsciously nodded. She walked over to the girl who called herself Nabiki and reached her arms around her. “I'm glad your okay imouto-chan.”

“Me too nee-san. Me too.”

Nabiki gently broke from her sister's hug and walked over to Ranma who still seemed to be a bit lost in his own thoughts. She reached her arms around him and proceeded to give a very un Nabiki like hug to the pigtailed boy. “Thank you Ranma.” Tears of happiness streamed down her face as she remembered the hours, the days, he sat by her side tirelessly trying to help her. “We have much to do.” Ranma barely heard the words spoken as quietly as they were with her face embedded into his chest. She sniffed and said, “But first we need a bath.”

“Together?” Kasumi and Sailor Pluto laughed as Ranma acted as if it was the most outrageous idea in the world.

Nabiki's smirk warmed the room. An action that seemed to faintly surprise the Senshi of Pluto. She continued, “Sure, I'll be waiting...” She left the flustered Ranma behind as she sought the solitude of the furo. A part of her wished that the baka would have taken her seriously. The silence seemed deafening here, but then reinforced walls with soundproofing were a Nerima building code. A sigh escaped her lips. Things had not gotten easier. She hoped her mother would understand.