[AMG/Ranma][XOver][Fanfic] Instruments of Change, Part Nine

[Mike Koos]

"Nodoka!?" Genma spluttered, already glancing about the family
room for a means of hiding himself... there, the koi pond. A few
steps from the deck outside the room. All he had to do was leap in
and the woman would only find a cute - if somewhat overgrown - panda,
not the man she would be expecting to see. Though the Goddess and
Akane would never let him lie to his wife, of course, even if he
could make it past Ranmira to reach the pond. "She's come here?"
No; he was doomed. Ranma was safe while the Goddess stood in
his place, but Saotome Genma had a fate to face...
"Nodoka?" Akane asked, attempting to ignore Genma's abrupt
lapse into panicking. She had heard that name before... but where?
Should she risk an exploration of the Yggdrasil databases, she
wondered?
A quick check through her recent memories revealed the answer.
"Ranma's mother?" Ranmira had mentioned that Nodoka was the person
to whom she had most recently offered a wish - of which Ranma was the
end result.
The Goddess nodded.
Genma rounded on her. "You lied," he snarled. "You told me you
weren't going to bring her here and then you went ahead and brought
her here anyway! So much for the word of a Goddess."
Akane withdrew her breath. Who was Genma to lecture someone
about *lying*? So this was what Ranmira had been discussing in
private with the man - Ranma's mother. "If you recall, Mr. Saotome,
I said that I would not contact her as long as you made an effort to
reverse the damage done to your son; I have not seen much evidence of
any effort," Ranmira said, matter-of-factly. "But I didn't contact
Nodoka or ask her to come here, however."
"You didn't...?" The three could hear Kasumi greeting their
visitor at the front door.
"No."
"Then who--" Genma slipped once again into panic. "Not that it
matters, now. She'll insist that both Ranma and I commit seppuku...
oh, I am so ashamed..."
Akane blinked. "Why in the world would she do that?" The man
ignored her, continuing to snivel.
Ranmira breathed a low, exasperated sigh. "Settle down, Mr.
Saotome!" she ordered in an outburst that surprised even her.
"Akane, I would like you to watch Mr. Saotome while I ask Nodoka why
she has come here. Make sure that he doesn't go anywhere."
"Okay." Akane moved to stand beside the elder Saotome, making
sure that the man saw the look she shot his way, promising dire
consequences if he tried anything. For added effect she drew her
debugging hammer and propped it against her shoulder as a soldier
would a bayonet.
Ranmira thought for a second about scolding Akane for her
obvious show of force, but relented. Genma, even more so than Ranma,
was influenced by displays of strength. Hopefully, the threat of
Akane using her powers or hammer on him would keep Genma from doing
something foolish.
Confronting Nodoka, on the other hand, was a different matter
entirely. The woman she remembered from their meeting seventeen
years ago and from Ranma's early years fit the default profile of a
person selected by the Goddess Relief Offices to receive a wish - a
considerate, kind person, perhaps slightly down on her luck... but
possessing the conscience and conviction to not put a wish to ill use.
Nodoka had an undeniable sense of honor; while she had made the
mistake of allowing her husband to take Ranma away, Nodoka remained
the perfect counter to Genma's irresponsibility.
Ranmira walked into the hall with the hope that Nodoka hadn't
changed much from that image. Who knew how not being able to see her
son for over a decade had affected Nodoka?

An Aa! Megamisama / Ranma 1/2 Crossover
Instruments of Change
Part Nine
written by Mike Koos
----------------------

On first glance, the woman who was holding a conversation with
Kasumi in the foyer was the same person Ranmira recalled, save for
the hints of age in the woman's otherwise youthful face and the few
strands of gray visible within her short auburn hair. Nodoka was
dressed in a well-worn kimono and carried something long and thin
wrapped tightly in a towel propped against her shoulder... much like
Akane had held her hammer.
A weapon? Ranmira hesitated. Only a sword would be shaped like
that, if it was indeed a weapon. And one of the few reasons the
woman would have brought a sword with her was... <Oh, dear me!>
She stepped forward, gently clearing her throat as she walked.
"Mrs. Saotome." Ranmira hoped her nervousness wasn't showing in her
voice.
A flash of recognition played across Nodoka's eyes for a second.
"Do I know you, young lady?" The scarlet-haired girl *did* seem
familiar to her, though Nodoka could not remember where they had met
- if, in fact, they had.
Ranmira offered her a quick bow. "My name is Ranmira. Nearly
seventeen years ago, I offered you the chance to make a wish..." She
mentally kicked herself. <Wait - that's not exactly what I wanted to
say!> "Umm...," she backtracked. "I'm sorry. I'm a little nervous."
"You..." Nodoka blinked. "I remember. But you can't be the
same person. Seventeen years... you... were the same age, then."
She carefully studied Ranmira. "You look younger than seventeen."
Ranmira nodded. "Mrs. Saotome, do you recall what I told you
about myself?"
"I..." For seventeen-year old memories, the memories were
startlingly clear. Then again, the circumstances had been somewhat
unique. "You said that you were a Goddess."
"Yes."
"Why are you here?" Nodoka cautiously put the question to her.
"Because you wished to have 'a son like me,' I technically
became a part of Ranma's conscience. Consider me to be Ranma's
guardian angel, in a sense."
Nodoka's features visibly relaxed, putting Ranmira more at ease.
"I... see."
Now, for the hard part. Ranmira steeled herself. "There is a
lot I must tell you - about Ranma, and your husband. But first...
you should know that I am aware of the pact made between you and
Genma. Do you plan," she indicated the bundle resting against
Nodoka's right shoulder, "on using that sword if you find that Ranma
does not live up to that agreement?"
"......I expect my son to do what honor demands of him," came
the neutral response.
"I cannot allow you to force Ranma to take his own life."
Nodoka had wished for Ranma to be her son to begin with; why should
she want him to kill himself, even if Ranma currently didn't live up
to either the wish or - through certain viewpoints - the wording of
the pact?
Nodoka stared at her. "Honor is very important to me. It must
be important to Ranma as well, if he is to be a respectable man."
"Mrs. Saotome, Ranma has both honor and respect. A person can
be honorable and respected without the threat of death lingering over
his or her head," indicated Ranmira, as she met the other's gaze.
"Do you mean to tell me that after all these years of not being able
to see him, you would ask your only child to surrender his life?"
"Genma and Ranma signed the contract," Nodoka said after a brief
pause.
"Genma may have signed the contract, but Ranma had only been a
baby at the time. He was certainly in no position to make important
decisions for himself. Nor did Ranma deserve to have this
requirement placed upon him." Ranmira silently wondered whether or
not her argument was working - particularly since she was running out
of ideas. If it became absolutely necessary she could declare Ranma
officially under her *complete* protection; Ranma was her charge,
after all. But that was only an option if Nodoka insisted on
following through with the possibility of having Ranma commit seppuku.
As she watched, she could see signs of an internal conflict in
Nodoka. Was Nodoka's love for her son at conflict with her need for
honor? Ranmira wasn't sure.
"I never wanted Ranma to give up his life." The woman's voice
was subdued, though a note of sadness was beginning to make its
presence known. "That contract was only supposed to be my guarantee
that Ranma wouldn't..." She took a few seconds to recompose herself.
"I knew my husband well. Once he had the idea to take Ranma away on
that stupid 'training voyage,' he would try to do it regardless of
whether I gave him permission or not. Even if that meant kidnapping
Ranma and running away with him. I had thought that with the
contract, I would have some kind of guarantee that my son would be
taught the things he truly needed to know... and not just how to
fight. For all I know, that man would be perfectly happy to turn
Ranma into a martial artist at the expense of all else." Anger
flashed through her eyes for a brief instant.
"I didn't know this 'training voyage' would last until Ranma was
sixteen, though. All those years... I should have realized it from
the wording on that contract. As time passed, it became easier to
lock away how I felt about it and think of the contract as an actual,
legal business document. A promise that for once, Genma would
actually honor..."
Ranmira knew all too well many of the empty promises Genma had
given others throughout Ranma's life. Not even Ranma knew how many
times his father had offered him to be married to someone or as
payment for some kind of favor. It wouldn't do to anger Nodoka now
by telling her the things her husband would do for his own sake,
however.
"Where is Ranma now?"
"That will take a bit of explaining," sighed Ranmira.

The Goddess took her time in escorting Nodoka to the family
room, choosing to give the woman a condensed version of Ranma's life
and curse - as well as the events that had happened since Skuld
restored her memories - while placing her faith in Akane's ability to
keep the would-be head of the Saotome family from going anywhere
before Nodoka could confront him. If Genma never had to answer for
the things he had done throughout his life, what reason would there
be for him to change?
"Your wish to have Ranma be a perfect gentleman is still valid,
unless you choose to cancel it... or until you decide that the wish
has been fulfilled," she concluded.
"But until that time, you remain linked to Ranma."
"Yes."
Nodoka smiled, almost chuckling. "A part of me wishes you could
stay with Ranma for the rest of his life, keeping him out of my
husband's schemes and what-not... but that wouldn't be fair to you."
<Or Ranma,> thought Ranmira. In truth, she hadn't actually
considered what she would do once this 'assignment,' as the Relief
Offices neutrally considered them, was ended. Most likely she would
move on to her next assignment, though now that she had become
personally involved in the lives of her charge and those he knew...
well, this hadn't been a normal case to begin with, given how she'd
spent most of the time unaware of anything.
She peered around the frame of the door that led to the family
room. Akane had placed Ranma's father in an armlock, she saw,
restraining her new strength to keep from hurting him. Ranma's
knowledge indicated to her what type of hold Akane was using along
with its effects - and how to break the hold, if anyone applied it to
her. <If only I had had time to teach her a Calming spell.> Ryouga
had been subdued by one such spell; the same spell would have much
more of an effect on Genma, making him easier to contain without
using physical force.
"Release him, Akane," she spoke calmly. Nodoka crossed the room
to stand before her husband as Akane relaxed her hold.
"Well, *husband*," Nodoka gave him a withering glare. "It
appears our son has seen quite a few interesting times because of
you. Do you have anything at all to say in your defense?"
She could see in Genma's eyes that he believed she wanted him
dead on the spot. Should she risk drawing the katana she carried
within the wrapped bundle on her shoulder to see if that would make
him speak? No... that tactic was more likely to have the opposite
effect on Genma.
The appearance of a column of pure light rising from the still
waters of the koi pond saved Genma from having to come up with a
response for the moment.
"Akane! Oneesama!" Skuld exclaimed, attempting to run into the
family room even before she was free of the vortex she had created...
and only halfway succeeding. She stumbled forward and caught herself
before she reached the deck. "Akane." Skuld took a second to catch
her breath as she sat upon the elevated walkway.
Akane wasn't sure if she liked the implied urgency of this
'visit.' "Skuld? What's wrong?" she asked.
"...Kaede. She's fighting Ryouga and Ukyou. Or Ukyou, anyway."
Skuld had yet to forgive Ryouga for attacking her sister, Akane
knew, and the Goddess candidate wondered how Skuld felt about
Ryouga's participation in this fight. "Who's Kaede?"
"Kaede is... your demon."
Akane's eyes widened. "'My' demon?" Since when did she have a
demon?
Skuld nodded. "We'll explain that when we get there." She
grabbed Akane and Ranmira by the wrists and prepared to teleport them
to the scene of the fight.
"Wait... there's something I need to do," Ranmira pulled her
wrist back, sprinting toward the hallway door. "Kasumi-san?" she
called in the direction of the kitchen.
Kasumi joined them a few seconds later. "Yes, Ranmira-chan?"
Ranmira paused to whisper something to the eldest Tendo sister,
then walked back to where Skuld and Akane stood. "Okay," she said.
"Skuld?"
Nodoka, Genma and Kasumi shielded their eyes as the trio
teleported away in a brilliant flash of golden light.

The first sight that confronted Akane when she rematerialized
was what appeared to be herself, firing violet globes of electricity
at Ukyou - who was having trouble fighting back.
She narrowed her eyes, trying to get a better look at the other
Akane. This Akane was the same height as her, same build, same brown
eyes and short bluish-black hair... but *not* the same facial
markings! Her duplicate's markings had a sinister feel to them. On
her forehead, a pair of magenta lines angled toward her nose in a
rough V-shape, reminiscent of eyebrows furrowed in anger. Below and
to the rear of each eye were two small triangles of the same color
placed next to one another.
"Is that... Kaede?" Akane peripherally glanced at Ranmira and
Skuld. "Why does she look like me?"
Skuld tore her attention away from the fight. "Each God or
Goddess has a corresponding demon with which we are 'linked,'" she
replied. "This link is known as the 'Doublet System.' Because we're
linked, if my corresponding demon were to be destroyed, I would be
destroyed as well... and vice versa."
A system of balance, realized Akane. She chose her next words
carefully. "But I'm not really a Goddess."
"You are, in a sense. You already have your Goddess
classifications, and for some that's good enough," Ranmira continued
from where her sister had left off. "As for why Kaede shares your
appearance, Mortals also have their own corresponding demons, which
are assigned to do things like wreak havoc in the life of the person
they represent, even if they have to pretend to be that person to do
so. Fortunately, the link between Mortals and their demons isn't as
strong as it would be under the Doublet System, so a Mortal can have
his or her demon be removed without risk of death."
"So, I can get rid of her?" Akane shot a glare in Kaede's
direction. The idea that Kaede might be pretending to be her,
wrecking her life, was beginning to incense her.
Skuld shook her head. "Probably not. I'll bet she just found
out you've become a Goddess candidate and was promoted to the Doublet
System."
"Oh." Akane had a pensive look to her face as she returned her
attention to Kaede. No wonder Kaede was boldly making her presence
known. She couldn't fight Kaede without endangering her own life -
not that she felt she could seek out Kaede and intentionally destroy
her, regardless of anything the demon might have done in her name.
But then... maybe Kaede had the same reservations about fighting her.
Ukyou had found herself at a disadvantage in this fight since
her spatulas would easily conduct the electrical energy Kaede was
throwing in her direction. She'd learned the hard way during a
training journey several years past that her combat spatula made for
an embarrassingly effective lightning rod. Her smaller throwing
spatulas were also cut from the same conductive metal, which meant
that she couldn't keep them in hand for long.
While her weapons were sheathed, the material of her bandoleer
dampened their ability to attract or conduct electricity. The
problem here lay in the fact that Ukyou's style of fighting depended
largely on these and other weapons, somewhat like the style Mousse
employed in certain aspects. Unlike Mousse, however, Ukyou had
neglected to train for situations in which she couldn't use her
weapons.
Her opponent seemed to have recognized this from the start and
had bombarded her with an endless array of pulses. And Ryouga? The
fool was frozen off to one side just because this... demon? happened
to look very much like Akane. <Useless,> she scowled. <I've NEVER
been able to count on that idiot in any fight!>
Kaede had to relax her attack sooner or later to avoid wearing
herself out, Ukyou knew. That was the moment when the demon would be
on the receiving end of an uncomfortable amount of throwing
spatulas...
"*KAEDE*!!"
The call shook them both from the fight. Ukyou and Kaede
pivoted to find Akane running toward them. "Akane?" the two
combatants said in unison.
Ukyou gave her opponent a smirk. "So I was right."
Before Kaede could answer, Akane positioned herself to confront
her. She took to levitating into the air - a move which Kaede
copied. "What do you think you're doing?"
Kaede shrugged. "Well, I'm linked to a Goddess now, so I
thought I'd have some fun."
"I'm only a Goddess candidate."
"Really?" Kaede asked, eyes widening. "That means you can go
back to being an ordinary Mortal..." She began to pout. "I don't
want to go back to being an 'ordinary' demon!"
"I'm so glad you care," Akane said through her teeth. "Now,
what are you doing here?"
Ukyou, satisfied that the marks on Akane's face were the ones
she recalled, was the first to speak up. "She was pretending to be
you. Some other demon was here; she made Kunou think you're
possessed."
"Wonderful."
"This other demon - what did she look like?" Skuld inquired.
"Er..." Ukyou reviewed her memories. "Blond hair. Permed, I
think--"
"It was Marller," Kaede cut her off.
Ranmira exhaled. "It figures."
Akane was surprised to sense a hint of anger from the Goddess of
Change. "Her, again?" Just as Skuld was currently holding a grudge
against Ryouga, Ranmira was upset with Marller for what the demon had
tried to do with a certain sword. Though, as Akane understood it,
Marller had been making a pest out of herself to the four sisters
longer than she could imagine.
How old was Kaede, then? Was the demon the same age as her, or
had Kaede's appearance been changed to match hers when they were
'linked?'
The demon's voice reminded her of the situation at hand. Ah,
well, she'd have to save that question until a later time. "Yeah."
>From the distaste with which Kaede spoke, Akane guessed she didn't
care much for Marller, either. "And before you ask, I don't know
what she was doing here."
"But *you* were still here to impersonate me and annoy
everyone," Akane leveled her accusation at Kaede.
Kaede folded her arms, defiantly switching to Akane's voice.
"So?"
"Cut that out!"
"I don't have to. What are you going to do about it? Fight--"
Akane chose that instant to give her double an example of the
elemental power she'd discovered she could call upon. She
intentionally kept the attack minimal - thoughts of what she had done
to Ranma as well as Belldandy's reprimand kept her from merely using
her powers without thinking. The attack knocked Kaede back... but at
the same time, Akane had neglected to consider that a wind-blast
wasn't exactly a good thing to use if you were floating in the air,
and was thrown backward as well by the force of her own blast.
"...me?" Kaede shook off her slight daze. For all its worth,
Akane's attack hadn't really hurt her. Was Akane testing how far
they could fight each other with the Doublet System in place? Or was
she *afraid* to put up a real fight because of the risk of death?
Knowing Akane, it was more likely the former. "I should've known you
were gonna do that."
She closed on Akane, tossing a few of her dark energy blasts at
the Goddess candidate, who managed to dodge all of them.
Ukyou watched in amazement as the fight proceeded only a few
dozen yards above them. "Why are they fighting up there?" she
wondered aloud.
"So they don't have to fight in a small space or risk hurting
people or property."
Ranmira, Ukyou and Skuld turned to look at Ryouga in surprise,
as this was the first time any of them had heard him speak since he'd
frozen at the thought of having to fight someone who looked like
Akane.
<Sure,> thought Skuld, glaring icily at him. <*NOW* you're
worried about hurting someone!> She kept her patience, though;
neither Ranmira nor Belldandy would appreciate it if she just
happened to throw a bomb or two at the Lost Boy.
Skuld abruptly realized she could sense a trace of unusual yet
familiar power connected to Ryouga where there had been nothing of
the sort the last time she had seen him. <Could it be a bug?>
Perhaps no one would mind if she *accidentally* flattened him with
her debugging hammer while trying to catch a bug... She drew out one
of the specialized visors she used for finding bugs and fitted it
around her eyes.
"I was wondering when you were going to snap out of it," smiled
Ukyou.
Ryouga snorted. "Funny." He met Ranmira's gaze. "Is there any
way we can help Akane?"
Ranmira noted that her sister was staring intently at Ryouga
through a visor. She shook her head slowly, in a negative. "Not
yet. This is something Akane must try to do alone, for now." Akane
would undoubtedly have to confront Kaede many more times than this.
She needed the experience, and needed to know her opponent.
"Why am I not surprised?" Ukyou sighed.
Akane, meanwhile, was finding it progressively easier to dodge
Kaede's attacks. <Either she's tiring, or I'm getting better at
evading,> she mused while retaliating with her own blasts at every
opening.
She hadn't been able to avoid all the blasts; by her own count,
she had been hit roughly two or three times. Yet even though the
blasts had caught her full on the chest or in her gut, she couldn't
discern any lingering effects from the energy, including a sense of
pain. How would an ordinary person be affected by the blasts, a part
of her mind wondered? Would Ranma be able to shrug off a fight
against Kaede? Or... his own demon, whoever he - or she - might be?
<We can't sit here blasting each other all day until we both run
out of energy.> Was there a way for her to tell how much energy she
had left? Surely, given that she had expended what seemed like a lot
of energy at the temple, she couldn't have that much left. And then
there were her limiters, keeping that power weak.
"Whatever you do, don't take them off," Skuld had warned her.
Why? What would happen if she took the limiter earrings off? Akane
didn't feel like running the risk of breaking another rule, so she
let the issue drop.
She decided to try a new tactic: frustration. If Kaede was
anything like her, she could use the demon's temper against her.
Akane increased the speed of her blasts, intentionally making them
narrowly miss Kaede... then, stopped returning fire and merely dodged
the attacks as they came.
<Thank Ranma for showing me how annoying this can be.>
The tactic worked. Soon, Kaede stopped to catch her breath.
"Okay, THAT'S IT!" she yelled. Raising her arms to the sky, she
summoned one of the special powers she had learned.
Dark clouds rapidly rolled in to obscure the sky, crackling with
the same kind of dark energy Kaede used. Akane assumed a defensive
stance while Kaede laughed. "You think THAT will protect you from
the power of my Dark Lightning Barrage!? You've gotta be kidding!"
Dozens of bolts of violet lightning shot downward from the
clouds... each striking Kaede, who tumbled to the ground in a
smoldering heap.
Akane blinked.
Ukyou, Ryouga and the two Goddesses blinked.
The clouds reversed their course and vanished.
Akane descended, landing between her friends and Kaede, making
it clear by the way she carried herself that she was waiting for
Kaede to make the next move.
Across from her Kaede struggled to pull herself to her feet.
<How did... *that* happen!? That wasn't supposed to work like that!>
She hastily gauged her condition and remaining power. <Argh! Just
great! That move cost me most of the power I had left, and I had to
hit myself with it!> Spending a large amount of her overall power
fighting Ukyou had left her with far less energy for a fight with
Akane than she would have preferred. As if she had *truly* been
prepared for a fight with someone wielding Goddess-level powers...
"Fine!" she spat before teleporting away. "I'll let you win
this time. Akane, you'd better make it to Goddess status so I can
*really* let you have it!"
"Don't you mean let yourself have it?" Akane threw a retort
toward the dissipating cloud of sulfur that marked where Kaede had
stood.
After a minute she walked to the nearest utility pole and
wearily leaned against it. "Can we go home now? I'm beginning to
feel like I could sleep for a month."
"You've used up a large amount of your power, so you should go
home and rest, Akane," Ranmira told her. "You did well today."
Akane's thoughts were still revolving around her confrontation
with her demon. "Er... thanks," she said, hesitantly. No one had
won the fight... all she and Kaede had done was waste their powers
against each other. They'd left the fight in a stalemate. For one
who had been trained to be a martial artist, a stalemate was
generally frowned upon.
But if they did take the fight to a higher level... eventually,
one of them would hurt the other. They would end up trying to see
who could throw the most powerful attack at her opponent... until one
of them brought the Doublet System down on them both.
From the descriptions she'd been given, the encounters Ranmira
and her sisters had with Marller were of a more volatile nature. How
did *they* keep things from going too far?
"Ryouga, Ukyou-san, I would like you to walk Akane home, if it's
not too much trouble," she heard Ranmira say.
"Hey! Can't I teleport home?" Akane protested.
"As much as I would like to have you return home quickly to make
sure nothing terrible happens between Mr. and Mrs. Saotome, I would
rather you didn't expend any more energy today unless absolutely
necessary."
Akane caught the dubious look that Skuld wore. <Probably
worried about the thought of leaving me in Ryouga's care,> she
figured. "I... agree with her, Akane. Take it easy for the rest of
the night." Skuld pursed her lips. "I'm sure Ukyou and Ryouga will
make sure you get home safely. Right?" Her voice dropped several
degrees as she spoke the last word, narrowing her eyes in Ryouga's
direction.
Ryouga shrank from her glare. "Right." Didn't the young
Goddess know that he would do anything he could to keep Akane from
being hurt? After all, Ranmira had asked him to be one of Akane's
guardians... oh, wait. Did Skuld know he and Ukyou were acting as
protectors for the Goddess candidate?
"Won't you be coming back with us?" Akane asked, since Ranmira
hadn't included herself or Skuld in the group bound for her home.
"We have a few things we need to do, first. Go ahead without
us. We'll be there as soon as we can."
Akane wearily sighed. "...Okay."
The two sisters watched Akane and her guardians leave. "I
suppose you would like to know why you detected my power on that ring
Ryouga is wearing?" Ranmira waited until Akane was out of earshot to
ask Skuld.
"Yeah!" Skuld's eyes flashed. "He... oneesama, he tried to beat
you up! He hurt you, and you turn around and help him like that?"
"Skuld, you know how I feel about matters like this. Besides
which, his intent was not to hurt me, but Ranma."
"Same thing."
"No, it isn't." Ranmira's gaze traveled above the shape of the
city skyline. "Ranma is better able to take a punch than I am."
Skuld frowned. "That doesn't make it better."
"Maybe; maybe not. That's why I'm giving him a chance to
partially redeem himself by acting as a guardian for Akane alongside
Ukyou."
"HIM!?" Skuld nearly shouted, incredulous. "You asked *him* to
*protect* her?"
Ranmira's response was more quiet than hers in comparison.
"Ryouga and Ukyou are the best choices for guardians. They are also
her friends, and I would trust her life in their care just as I would
with Ranma."
This time, Skuld didn't object, at least not in a manner Ranmira
could detect. "Please, don't tell Akane I asked Ryouga and Ukyou to
help protect her," Ranmira added. "I do not want her to think that I
have no faith in her... or Ranma."
"That explains why those two were here," Skuld said, allowing
her features to relax. "I think I'll follow you for now. There's a
couple of things I want to ask Akane."
Ranmira hesitated. "I'm going to the temple. I need to ask
Belldandy to restore Ranma to his proper age."
"Huh? Why? I thought you were gonna take advantage of his
being a child to teach him how to behave?"
"I've run out of time," the scarlet-haired Goddess explained.
"Now that Mrs. Saotome has come to see her son, I'm not sure she will
want to wait the time it will take training Ranma to meet the
conditions of her wish."
The pair fell silent while a bicyclist passed them. "But...
then it might take a lot longer for this wish to be fulfilled!"
Skuld realized. She felt a lump forming in her throat. It wasn't
fair! If she had *known* a few wishes would lead to all this, she
would have attempted to talk her sisters out of applying for
positions at the Relief Offices!
"Not necessarily," the other corrected. There was a slightly
distant look to Ranmira's sapphire eyes, her expression unreadable.
"I'm going to try to graft the necessary knowledge onto Ranma's
existing knowledge, and patch a few other things as well."
Skuld inhaled sharply. "Will that work?" Machines, she could
understand. But the Mortal mind? That was one of the few machines
for which she couldn't fully compensate.
"Only if Ranma is willing to work with me."
<Oh, oneesama,> Skuld sighed to herself, after biting back the
comment that immediately came to her mind.

(...to be continued...)

------------
Credits:

Written by: Mike Koos
Prereaders: Richard Beaubien, Kevin D. Hammel, Jonathan Ng,
Shadowmane, Tom Williams, David Wills

With apologies to Takahashi Rumiko and Fujishima Kosuke...

All parts of this series are available at the RAAC archives at
ftp://ftp.cs.ubc.ca/pub/archive/anime-fan-works
or from my WWW pages at
http://www.anime.usacomputers.net/~makoto/index.htm
Comments and questions welcome.

*****************************
* Mike ('Kino Makoto') Koos * "I can do nothing to stop you.
*---------------------------* Your background music is too
* email: mak...@mother.com * strong for me."
***************************** - Whose Line is it Anyway?
www: http://www.anime.usacomputers.net/~makoto/index.htm