Before I start this chapter, I’d like to make one small change. Rayak and Winnowill were changed to humans for my story previously, and I would like to change that back. They are elves. Rayak is as he became after he took Winnowill’s spirit during the Rogue’s Curse ElfQuest story arc. Winnowill is as she was before Lord Voll was killed. If you aren’t an EQ fanatic, don’t worry, it doesn’t really make all that much of a difference.

Another note. *...* means mindspeak.

Door sat, his eyes staring blankly at the wall of stone opposite of his seat. He could feel the two close behind him, only a thin shield of rock between them. One, his mind absently registered, was Winnowill’s half-breed son. The other was a stranger, but the familiar presence of Two-Edge put the corners of Door’s mind at rest. More immediate were the intruders that had suddenly appeared in the entry cavern just minutes ago. Had Door the freedom to act, he might have alerted the Lady Winnowill, or challenged the strangers. Door’s only purpose was to control the rock portal he sat above though, only the corners of his mind having the freedom to pay attention to the world around him. If he had been able to, he could have told Lady Winnowill of every passage and nook the troll-elf Two-Edge had within the walls of their false palace. But Door continued to sit in his seat, his eyes unblinking, his flesh like the stone he shaped.

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"That statue is beginning to freak me out," Venus mumbled to herself. Her eyes narrowed at the man on his seat above the circle of smoothed stone wall. "Why would they build a statue like that anyway?"

"My readings say it is a magic focal point in this area. It seems to be more then just a statue. I think it has control over something."

"That is Door." The two sailor senshi whipped their heads around, their eyes meeting those of the speaker. She appeared to be almost six feet tall, and was dressed in a black gown that trailed behind her like a river at midnight. Her black hair shimmered with purple and green in the faint light as it fell to the floor. Her ivory white skin appeared almost unnatural, only the faint pink tinge to her cheeks proving she lived. A man, the same who had kidnapped their lost princess, stood a step behind the woman and to the side. They took their first true look at him, as he had been too far away to truly see before. His skin was much darker then the woman’s, and his black hair fell to his shoulder blades in soft waves. His clothes were made of scraps of leather and cloth, but gave him the appearance of a lord. His eyes were cold as they met those of the intruders. Large, pointed ears and eyes marked both, assuring all those present that human blood did not race through their veins.

"Nani?" Venus tentatively asked after several moments of silence. The sailor senshi and their two companions continued to hold their ready stances, in case the calm demeanor of their hosts were to suddenly collapse. The woman’s small smirk did not reassure them that it would last.

"His name is Door. He controls the opening between the outside and us. But I sense that is not what you have come here for."

"Where Usagi?!" Shampoo shouted in her heavy accent. Her eyes narrowed in anger as they met the woman’s unflinchingly.

"Usagi?" The woman turned to her associate slowly, questioningly. Without waiting for a reply to her question, she turned back, recognition in her eyes. "Ah! I had forgotten. The reincarnated Princess Serenity. She is quite well. She and my son are becoming acquainted."

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*What are you doing Winnowill? I am beginning to wonder if perhaps your thoughts are as shallow as a preservers, judging the rate you change your plans,* Rayak sent, his eyes still on the sailor senshi and their friends.

*Soul brother, can you not see? We worked so long to gather enough energy to reach the palace, while the answer was in front of us the entire time!*

*You cannot mean...*

*I do. We only need them to cooperate. With their princess in our grasp, I doubt they would deny us a simple trip.*

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"Where is she taking them?" Usagi asked, her head crammed next to Two-Edge’s so she could see below.

"A place we cannot go because of her damn rock shapers." Usagi turned her eyes to her guide. His voice was low with anger and his eyes narrowed.

"If she’s your mother, won’t the rock shapers listen to you too?"

"They only recognize her. Even if they were to recognize others, they know my status." A sneer curled his lip as his eyes followed the tall, dark woman out the chamber.

Usagi backed away from the peephole in fright as her kidnapper’s eyes suddenly met hers. She had encountered cold glares from former enemies, but this man’s eyes burned. He was after something, and she felt like he saw her as the key.

Two-Edge continued to crouch by the hole. Though Usagi had moved away and lost sight of the man, she knew the half-breed was glaring directly back at him.

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Ryoga felt like hitting his head against the wall. A dark part of his mind laughed, thinking that perhaps it might correct his awful sense of direction.

"Where the hell am I?!" His voice echoed through the twists and turns of stone, but no reply came.

‘How do you get lost if you’re following other people?’ he asked himself.

‘I don’t know!’ he answered. Sighing, Ryoga leaned up against one of the walls in the passage. He knew if he started walking, he would end up even more lost then he was now. He didn’t have any of his supplies either, having left them behind in Nerima.

"Guess all I can do is keep walking and hope I find someone before I starve to death," he said halfheartedly. "I’ve always ended up SOMEWHERE, and perhaps when I get there, they can help me get back here." Looking in both directions the passage gave him, he sighed again and slowly stood up. "Might as well hurry up. They might need my help."

"Who might need your help?" a female’s voice asked behind him. He jumped around, startled, noticing for the first time a third direction that had been hidden in the dim light. Out of the shadows stepped his tenshi, her golden hair up in a long braid and still dressed in her nightclothes.

"U...Usagi?"

"Do you know me?" she asked, her eyebrows furrowed.

"He came with your friends," a lower voice said from behind her. Ryoga squinted his eyes, trying to see who had spoken. As the speaker stepped out, Ryoga’s eyes opened wide in shock. The two from earlier appeared almost human for all but their eyes and ears. This one was clearly something else. His skin and shape reminded Ryoga of a drawing of a troll he had seen as a child.

"How did you get in here?" Usagi’s question brought Ryoga from his shock. He turned towards her, imagining in his mind how she would laugh.

"I don’t know. I just got lost." The troll-man frowned at the reply given, making Ryoga almost nervous. He put one foot behind the other, proving balance he would need if he were attacked, but his worries were needless.

"Winnowill has me trapped in here, her blasted rock shapers seal up every hole I make to escape before its wide enough for my hand. I can tunnel anywhere but out. By the High Ones, a person can’t just get lost and wonder in here!" Ryoga felt his cheeks begin to burn, and he only hoped the scant light hid his embarrassment. He wasn’t sure how to reply, but was saved as he heard his tenshi’s soft voice speak up.

"However he got in here, he’s here now. Do you think you could find your way back?" she asked hopefully. Ryoga shook his head, hating himself for making Usagi sad. He marveled at how quickly her depression slid away though, quickly changing to determination.

"Well, we’ve got to find a way out of here! Winnowill has my senshi and Shampoo, and I don’t even know what she wants yet!"

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Endless rock. The part of him that was free hated it. That part could only stand it when something was going on around him. But then that was a very small part of Door.

*I’ve got to get out!* The sending hit Door like a wave, startling him, as much as he could be startled. It was not Winnowill, so he would naturally ignore it. But something about the sending made him WANT to release the sender. He was only to respond to his Lady though, so he ignored the request.

*I need to get out of here!* The second sending was even stronger, and Door felt his order begin to collapse. Whoever the sender was, they were powerful. As he continued to try and hold to his orders, pressure from the sender began to build up on his thoughts. His eyes opened widely, the only movement he could perform after thousands of years of stillness.

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Two-Edge sat against the wall, his eyes closed. He had hoped there would be something in the human girl that he could use against his mother. Hours later, there was still no sign. He would stay with her for another day or so, guide her, make sure they kept as close an eye on her friends and his mother as they could, but after that he would return to his forge. If they didn’t find a way out, they would be stuck together for a long time anyway. Until his mother decided she wanted them for her playthings.

The girl, Usagi, had been thinking about what to do for a long time now. Frustration clouded her expression. There was no easy way out, and as far as Two-Edge was concerned, there was no way out. But it seemed she believed she would find what did not exist.

"Kuso!" The shouted curse brought Two-Edge from his thoughts. Across from him, where the one named Ryoga had been leaning, was now a large hole. The brighter light from the cavern outside illuminated the passage. Usagi’s and Two-Edge’s eyes opened wide in shock.

"What happened?!"

"I...I don’t know," he said softly, stepping forward.

"Someone mind helping me up?" a grumbled voice said from outside the opening. Usagi stood up and went to look out the hole next to Two-Edge. They saw that the opening was not exactly level with the ground outside. Ryoga had fallen and was now lying where the wall met the floor, his feet reaching up for the hole.

"Are you alright Ryoga?" Usagi ask, trying desperately to cover the growing smile on her lips.

"Ranma must have a hand in this. He always does," the poor, upside down boy grumbled. Rubbing his head, he turned onto his side, his legs hitting the ground. He stood up slowly, feeling the bump growing below his hand. "Damn it hurts," he mumbled again, sighing.

"Pitiful," Two-Edge mumbled. The human had taken a small bump on the head, and now he was moaning and groaning about it. There were other things to think about anyway, such as the cause of their new door. Two-Edge was about to jump out when, from the corner of his eye, he saw Usagi glaring at him. He raised an eyebrow at her, but said nothing.

"Some of us don’t have a rock for a head," she said, her voice like the thorns on a rose. She jumped out the opening and, as he watched, walked up to Ryoga and softly placed her fingers over the bump. "Are you alright?" she asked, her voice soft, no longer shaking with laughter or thorny sharp.

"H...hai, Usagi-san." Two-Edge couldn’t help but laugh at the bright red blush that covered Ryoga’s cheeks as he looked at the smaller female.

"We don’t have any ice, so we can’t keep that bump down."

"I’ll be alright, Usagi-san." Ryoga tried to force the blood to leave his face, but instead he could feel them heat up even further. Usagi stood so close to him, her fingers just now sliding away from the bump on his skull. He felt a strange feeling rise through his chest, her eyes holding him captive as she smiled up at him.

"Call me Usagi-chan, Ryoga-kun."

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Water fell from one pool to the next in a series of small waterfalls, the final one falling several feet before falling into a large pool. Furs of several animals were laid on the floor around the pool like a multicolored carpet. Steam rose from the surface of the water, warming the air around them and fighting back the chill the stone walls gave off.

Shampoo watched the several openings to the cavern. Along with Sailor Mars, she didn’t trust what was going on one bit. Mercury was too involved in figuring out the strange energy aura to be disturbed. Venus was too in awe of the beauty around her to be worried. It was Jupiter who first noticed the missing party member.

"Guys, have you seen Ryoga?" Venus looked over at the taller senshi, then around the grotto, shaking her head finally.

"When was the last time any of us saw him?" Mars asked, stepping forward to be closer to her teammates.

"Shampoo see when we leave cavern."

"I saw him last when we rounded that first corner after the first cavern. I looked back to see everyone was with us, and he was right behind you, Venus," Mercury said calmly. The glint in her eyes betrayed her worry, despite her relaxed appearance. First they had lost Usagi, and now a nearly complete stranger. Things were not going well.

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I know, not much of a cliffhanger, but after keeping you all on your toes for like two months, I figured I don’t have the right to make a huge cliffhanger. Gomen minna! I didn’t mean to take so long! I wanted to focus on Son Usagi for a while before anything else. Finished two chapters of that, and when Silver-chan started getting on my case for another chapter of AP, I guess I decided it was time to change fics for a bit.

Preview for next chapter (to make up for the lack of a real cliffie):

What is this palace Winnowill and Rayak want? Why does the energy of the "false palace" match that of the ruined Silver Millennium Palace? More secrets are learned as the truth behind the Serenity line is revealed. There may be more of a link between Usagi and Winnowill then either wants.

~Jade Nova

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