[AMG/Ranma][Fanfic] Instruments of Change, Part Three
Mike Koos
She glanced around the room to see if anyone had heard her sigh.
Apparently, no one had. Being careful this time not to let anyone
hear her, Urd quietly snorted and went back to watching the
television.
Things had been unusually quiet since Ranmira had taken her
leave to go back out on assignment. Skuld hadn't wanted to start up
another argument, and Belldandy and Keiichi were... well, boring old
Belldandy and Keiichi.
But little Ranmira was turning out to be a different story.
Despite others' claims to the contrary - including whoever at
Ranmira's Goddess Relief Office had run the physical and psych tests
on her... those fools wouldn't notice a personality shift if it
walked up and stared them in the face - Ranmira had changed.
No. *Was* changing.
Maybe spending all that time as a hotshot Mortal martial artist
with no idea she was a Goddess or link to her own memories whatsoever
had led to Ranmira unknowingly absorbing some of the boy's traits
into herself.
That wasn't a bad turn of events; the 'original' Ranmira had
been a copy of sorts of Belldandy, as Urd usually described her, not
to mention being reserved and quiet. Ranmira had been given the role
as the Goddess of Change because the role required someone who knew
how to influence exactly the right amount of change at the proper
times, not spend and influence change needlessly or withhold change
for longer than was necessary. And Ranmira had done well at her job,
at that.
The role of Goddess of the Future had already been passed down
to someone who better met the qualifications - younger sister Skuld,
as Urd was now Goddess of the Past and Belldandy was Goddess of the
Present. To that end, the four sisters were grateful to hold
positions that had something to do with one another. None of them
wanted to spend much time apart from her sisters.
And they hadn't... at least not intentionally.
Ranmira's disappearance had perhaps affected Skuld the most; the
youngest of the four sisters became even more determined to make sure
there were no bugs in the system anywhere she went. She had no
desire to keep her feelings to herself as her older sisters seemed
intent on doing.
All four shared something of a semi-telepathic link with each
other, however, and could occasionally sense whenever one of them
exhibited a strong show of emotion - or worse, whenever one was
temporarily absent from that link...
It was the former that brought Urd's head up all of a sudden.
"Hey - did you feel that?" she asked Belldandy and Skuld. Keiichi
blinked.
"...What...?" hesitated Skuld. The sense had caught her
squarely off-guard.
Belldandy's sharp intake of breath told Urd she'd sensed it, as
well. "That was...... Ranmira." Expressing an emotion that felt
like... *anger*?
"Something's up." Urd's expression darkened. "I'm going to see
if I can't find out what's going on." She turned toward the
television set and walked into the picture tube, leaving the others
to make their own travel arrangements.
Anger. Definitely not normal behavior for her little sister.
Not only was Ranmira obviously changing in terms of personality, it
looked as though she might be changing faster than she should be.
Urd hoped Ranmira wasn't on the verge of lapsing into a
personality disorder.
An Aa! Megamisama / Ranma 1/2 Crossover
Instruments of Change
Part Three
written by Mike Koos
------------------------
Marller instructed her body to remain still while she kept a
nervous eye on Ranmira. Sure, she hadn't expected her little scheme
for putting one over on the young Goddess leading Ranmira to become
*this* angry and ready to blast her, but Marller had been in these
types of situations a number of times in the past. All she had to do
was wait for her opponent to fire off the energy the Goddess was
currently charging up and then make her move.
"*Marller*--!!" yelled Ranmira, as she projected a globe of
pure lightning at the demon.
Who made a dive for the sword Ranmira had blasted out of Kunou's
hands while this new attack blew a notable hole in the yard's outer
property wall. She scooped the sword up and, placing it back into
its scabbard, ran toward the newly-created exit. "Hey, thanks!"
Marller called without looking back. "Say hi to your sisters for me,
okay?"
Ranmira fumed. "Come back here! You've got to answer for what
you've done!" She broke into a run after her target.
It took two minutes for Akane to find her voice.
"...Nabiki-oneechan?" she asked, not taking her eyes from the hole
through which Marller and Ranmira had left the yard. "What just
happened?" Another second, and she was on her feet.
Nabiki could only offer her sister a shrug. Currently, the most
difficult questions to answer in this district were the ones wanting
an explanation for any of the weird occurrences that plagued it. Even
Nabiki had to admit she didn't have the answer to every last one of
those questions, much as she would have liked to. Jhusenkyou curses?
An infinite number of martial-arts challenges? One would-be fiancee
after another? A girl with unusual markings on her face - who just
happened to look like *Ranma* - throwing lightning at a woman who
also had unusual markings on her face? "You're asking me? Why don't
you ask Ran-- that girl?" Whoever in the world she happened to be...
The other paused. To do that, she would have to chase after the
strange pair, and for the first time Akane wasn't all that eager to
follow. "Okay, then. Any idea who they were?"
"What do you think?"
Akane closed her eyes and sighed. <Guess I'll have to go out
after all.>
Behind them, the image on the television in the family room
changed to static and a dull hum came from the set. <Oh. Right.>
Nabiki peripherally glanced back at it. <I left the TV on. I'd
better shut it off.> How would it look if the one person who always
told everyone to conserve electricity was seen leaving a television
running with no one watching it?
A pair of hands pushed themselves forward from within the
television screen.
What? Nabiki blinked. Blinked again. Rubbed her eyes to make
sure. Was she seeing things?
Considering all the nonsense she had to put up with, that was
always a good possibility.
But when she looked again, the hands were still there. Except
now the hands were attached to arms... shoulders, platinum-blond hair
- a head? Someone was actually pulling her or himself *out* of their
television? Startled, Nabiki gasped. <And here I'm supposed to be
the SANE one...>
"Impossible!" Akane had come to see what held her sister's
attention. "It's... a ghost! Or - or a demon!"
Nabiki wasn't sure why she refused to believe that. Akane saw
this 'ghost' as well, so her mind was either playing one incredibly
elaborate practical joke on her or there really *was* someone
entering their house through the television set.
The woman, who came to land neatly in a crouch, stood. Nabiki
took the opportunity to analyze what kind of person their new 'guest'
might be. Platinum hair, well-tanned skin that put their principal's
sorry attempt at a tan to shame. Green eyes that were alert and
already searching for information. A face which held a hint of a
devious nature...
On that face was a triad of amethyst markings: one large,
inverted triangle adorning her forehead, and one smaller triangle
tucked behind and to the side of each eye.
Markings quite similar to the ones Nabiki had caught a glimpse
of on the face of the girl that had taken Ranma's place. Now, *what*
was going on here?
Urd's expression fell slightly when she noticed Akane and Nabiki
staring at her. She shrugged. <Nothing I can do about it now.>
"Uh...," Urd sheepishly began, approaching the pair. "Have either of
you seen a... um, girl with red hair, braided pigtail, pass by here?"
Nabiki pointed toward the hole in the property wall. "She left
through that hole. She was chasing after a woman... I think her name
was 'Marller' or something like that." When the Goddess' lips formed
a tight frown, Nabiki figured she'd gotten the name correct, or close
enough.
<Marller. She's here,> Urd scowled. She could still sense some
of Ranmira's energy lingering on the edges of the hole she'd created.
<And little sister's out there somewhere fighting her all by
herself!> What in the Planes would make Ranmira angry enough to risk
fighting Marller alone? The demon was a problem even with Belldandy
and Skuld present!
"Thank you," she nodded, heading for the hole. "If she returns,
could you tell her her sister is looking for her?"
"Okay," Nabiki answered. Only after Urd had taken her leave did
the realization of what she had said strike Nabiki and Akane.
"*Sister*!?" they both exclaimed in unison.
Well, at least she wasn't another fiancee come to claim Ranma.
So far.
<I'd better get my camera,> blinked Nabiki. <I've got a hunch
I'll be needing it.>
Meanwhile, Akane's thoughts were racing. Was the Ranma they had
brought home with them from the training trip the *real* Ranma? If
not, then who was the girl? A substitute? Who was the woman who
claimed to be the girl's sister? Or the other woman - Marller? -
whom the girl had tried to blast? And the most crucial question of
all, where *was* the real Ranma?
She sat on one of the larger rocks bordering the koi pond and
peered in, any thoughts of joining the chase temporarily forgotten.
<Ranma...> This was rapidly becoming far too out of the ordinary...
even in a neighborhood where strange events were relatively common.
Elsewhere in the yard, a slightly-charred Kunou Tatewaki
continued to lie face-down on the ground in unconsciousness.
Urd found that there were barely any signs of the chase for her
to follow. <Well, if she was blasting everything trying to get
Marller, she'd be in for it.> Who better to know that than Urd? She
had earned countless reprimands for her reckless behavior in chases
with Marller. As far as she could tell, Ranmira was only chasing
Marller everywhere. <What are they doing? Playing *tag*?>
Whatever the case, she'd had to take a little over half a dozen
shortcuts to place her within range of her sister - as best as she
could estimate on the spur of the moment.
There; she could feel it, was coming closer to it. Ranmira's
emotional presence.
Little sister wasn't blasting things recklessly, but she was
upset enough to do it.
She spotted Marller running - running? - through the street
ahead of her, and Ranmira dashing after her. Urd sprinted to catch
up to her sister.
Urd snorted, but instantly regretted it as she was becoming
short on breath. <She's in better shape than I am?>
Ranmira registered surprise at the sight of Urd matching pace
with hers. "Oneesama!"
Urd took a few short breaths and switched to hovering. "Have
you been... *running*... like this... all over the district?"
A faint blush rose on the younger Goddess' cheeks. "I... it
appears I have."
"Guess you picked that up from your 'alter ego,' too, huh?"
Blink. "'Too?'"
"We'll talk about it later," Urd gestured toward Marller with
her head. "What I want to know is why you're out here chasing her.
We felt your anger, you know."
For a second a small measure of guilt replaced Ranmira's blush.
She was silent for half a block. "Marller... Do you remember the
Kunou boy I told you about?"
"The guy who hasn't got a clue? Yeah." <I could get him to
make up his mind, easily.>
Ranmira was attempting to keep her temper in check, Urd saw.
"She gave him the Dalanis Sword."
Urd paled. "She did?" No wonder Ranmira was upset! Not one
week after her restoration and Marller was already trying to ruin her
assignment by handing such a dreaded weapon to the innocent Mortals
around her!
So, what *else* was new? "Can I join in?" asked Urd. "I've
still got a few scores of my own to settle with her."
"Be my guest."
Urd loosed a force-ball the size of a softball at the fleeing
demon to make her presence known.
Marller swore under her breath. Why did it seem that no matter
where she popped up, Urd was always among the first to show up and
interfere? Ranmira was holding her shots - the kid was afraid of
damaging anything or anyone *but* her target - but Urd would not.
Time to show the little red-haired Belldandy wanna-be what a *real*
fight was.
She pivoted to her side, intending to fire off three blasts of
her own at her pursuers.
Urd, long since used to this tactic, saw the blasts coming and
prepared to push Ranmira out of their way... however, Ranmira was
already well out of the path of the blasts. <What? Don't tell me
she's got faster reflexes, too!>
A single bolt of lightning followed immediately by another was
Ranmira's response to the attacks. Both bolts came within inches of
striking Marller.
"Not bad," she yelled. "She's better than you, Urd."
Urd frowned and fired off a matched set of force-balls.
No sooner had Nabiki set her camera on the family room table
than she heard what sounded to her like Kasumi's voice, announcing
herself at the front gate.
Wait... wasn't Kasumi in the kitchen? When had she left the
house? And why would she announce herself at the gate?
"Oh! We have guests." That sounded like Kasumi, too; this time
from the kitchen. <Cute. Sis has learned how to throw her voice.>
She was going to have to tell Kasumi how ridiculous it was to throw
her true voice to the door and pretend it was someone else...
Naturally, it came as a surprise when Kasumi led two guests - a
young man and woman - into the family room and offered them seats at
the table before Nabiki reached the door. "Nabiki, Akane? I would
like you to meet our guests. This is Morisato Keiichi," Kasumi said,
indicating the young man, "and this is his friend, Belldandy. Those
are my sisters, Nabiki and Akane."
Keiichi fumbled a lame "Hello," while Belldandy merely beamed.
There wasn't much about Keiichi that stood out, in Nabiki's
opinion. It was Belldandy that caught her attention. Belldandy's
face had an innocent, almost angelic quality to it, helped in part by
the sandy-brown hair falling in curious angles about her face. Most
important of all was the fact that Belldandy also had three distinct
markings on her face, like the two 'sisters' that had come before
her. Belldandy was probably another member of the family.
So how did *Ranma* fit into this mess?
Nabiki was about to put her interrogation skills to the test
when a column of light rose from the koi pond, carrying within it a
young raven-haired girl in pink-toned clothing with a strange metal
hammer strapped to her back - and *another* variation on the by-now
familiar markings.
The girl levitated to the edge of the koi pond and lowered
herself until her feet rested upon the ground. She glanced about her
to gain her bearings and caught sight of Belldandy and Keiichi.
"Sorry I'm late," apologized Skuld. "I got a little lost on the way."
Keiichi studied her. Skuld, get lost? She knew the specifics
of the data related to Ranmira's assignment better than any of them!
There had to be a different reason for her being late. "So, how's the
ice cream at 131's today?"
"Great!" the young Goddess enthused. "I-- HEY! How did you
know I went there?"
"I can see the little pink plastic spoon sticking out of your
pocket."
At that, Skuld's face reddened in embarrassment. "More
importantly, how are we supposed to explain your entrance to these
two?"
Nabiki smirked. "Oh, that's nothing. I mean, considering that
your sister pulled herself out of the TV not too long ago..." She
intentionally let her voice trail away.
Only Keiichi seemed to show much of a reaction. "Oh, dear,"
Belldandy said at almost the same time as Kasumi. Nabiki found it
hard to believe that someone else could match Kasumi's voice so well
without trying.
"So who are you people?" Leave it to Akane to get right to the
point. "And what's going on here?"
Belldandy smiled again. "I am Belldandy, this is Keiichi, and
that is my youngest sister, Skuld," she gestured toward Skuld. "As
for your second question... we cannot answer that, at least not until
our sisters return. Please, I hope you understand."
Akane felt the same lack of desire to argue with Belldandy as
she had when she'd confronted Ranma earlier.
Nabiki frowned. Somehow, she could tell these three were going
to follow through with their promise not to reveal anything. Well...
maybe Keiichi could be persuaded. But Belldandy and Skuld? She
doubted it.
<Wait a minute,> she thought. <Belldandy and Skuld? Where have
I heard those names before?>
Ranmira was beginning to tire.
With Urd present, the chase had been escalated into a true fight
and she'd been forced to expend more energy than she had planned in
trading shots with Marller. When this was over, she was going to
need a rather long nap.
She was grateful for Urd's presence, though. Her eldest
sister's force-ball attacks were more powerful than her lightning
blasts in the long run. Urd could also charge her attacks faster
than Ranmira could and in higher numbers.
But Urd, too, was tiring. <Maybe even one of Skuld's goofy
inventions would be a big help right about now...> Urd chided herself
for thinking such a thing. <I *really* don't feel the need to be
blown up in my tracks right about now.>
Of course, since they were both wearing themselves out, Marller
would soon be able to cut the chase short and escape - she was fully
aware that if a Goddess used up too much of her power at once in this
plane, she could be left in a vulnerable position. Urd and her
sisters usually fell into a deep sleep while their powers were being
recharged, if there was no other way. But Urd doubted they were
going to encounter a large cache of sake for her or the chocolate
Ranmira favored, soon.
That was the reason why Marller had allowed herself to lead them
on this erratic chase through the streets of Tokyo; she was letting
them waste all their energy, and once they collapsed from
exhaustion... *then* she would vanish for parts unknown. Leaving
them in a pile on the street was more embarrassing and enjoyable than
anything Marller could think to do to them in their state of
vulnerability.
Urd knew that Ranmira wouldn't want to let Marller escape after
what the demon had done, so asking her to break off the chase was
out. Never mind that there would always be more chances to confront
Marller...
What could she do, then? Urd wondered. There had to be a way
for her to bring this to an end.
Marller was running up a flight of stone stairs ahead of them.
<Great. She's leading us into a closed area on purpose. More stuff
to damage and less space to fight.>
Only when the strange tingling sensation overwhelmed her did
Marller realize what she had done.
She had blundered into the courtyard of a Shinto shrine.
As Urd and Ranmira followed her up the steps, a priest
approached her. "Welcome to our shrine, Miss. Would you like to buy
a good-luck charm?"
Marller screeched and vanished in a turbulent cloud of sulfuric
smoke.
The priest was at a loss for words. "Congratulations," Urd told
him. "You've just exorcised your first demon."
Ranmira rolled her eyes in disbelief.
It was sunset by the time Urd and Ranmira found their way back
to the Tendo home.
They had taken a detour en route so that Urd could pick up a few
bottles of strong sake for her along with a handful of chocolate bars
for Ranmira from a shop, for a quick energy boost, a choice which
Ranmira tended to regret - it was always difficult to keep her eldest
sister from getting herself drunk.
"Can I have the third bottle now?" Urd asked her, the slight
slur with which she drew out her words barely noticeable.
Ranmira kept her eyes focused on the walkway ahead of them.
"I'll think about it. You know, it will be better if you keep sober."
"Some fun *you* are," the older of the two Goddesses snorted.
Already, Ranmira was reverting back to her Belldandy-emulation mode.
"Who said this was supposed to be fun? Marller could have
caused a lot of people to *die* with her scheme!"
"Party pooper," Urd maintained, having no adequate reply.
Ranmira closed her eyes and sighed. "I give up."
As they crossed through the front gate, Nabiki's voice came to
them. "Okay, then. Surely you can tell us when you think your
sisters will be back."
Ranmira glanced at Urd. "The others are here."
"Wonderful." Urd crossed the path that led to the family room
before Ranmira could stop her. "Well, you can rest easy, because
we're back." She staggered slightly and leaned against a wall brace
for support.
"Urd!" said a concerned Belldandy.
"She's drunk!" Akane thought to add.
"Not yet," Ranmira corrected her. "Actually, she's still quite
sober."
Akane took a proper look at the girl who had somehow taken
Ranma's place. The girl definitely resembled Ranma's female form,
except she appeared a year or two older and sported longer hair.
There was also the matter of the unusual markings the girl had on her
face, mirroring those on her reported sisters' faces.
"So," ventured Ranmira. "What is going on here?"
Nabiki stood up from her seat at the table and assumed the best
look of seriousness she could muster. "Your sisters and Keiichi were
about to tell us the answer to that very question."
"We were *considering* it," Keiichi countered evenly. "We
wanted to wait until the two of you returned to decide."
Nabiki and Akane fell silent. "They saw everything. Marller,
you, Urd coming out of their TV and Skuld coming out of that pond
over there. And they're persistent, too."
"If they've seen all that, we're going to have to tell them.
They'll never leave you alone if we don't," Urd cautioned Ranmira as
they joined Belldandy, Keiichi and Skuld at their side of the table.
Ranmira hmphed. "Well, if *someone* had been able to keep
Marller under control..." she growled.
Urd wasn't sure what to say. How was she supposed to deal with
the new person that her sister was becoming?
"Oneesama!" Skuld intervened. "You know it isn't her fault!"
Ranmira exhaled. "I know." She turned to Urd. "I'm sorry,
oneesama. I'm just shocked that Marller would put people at risk
like that simply to play tricks on us."
Urd nodded. <If only you knew...>
"This is all nice and fine," Nabiki decided it was time to get
to the point of this little gathering; intentionally delaying was one
thing, but family mini-dramas were rarely ever much for answering
important questions. "But this doesn't tell us who you are or why
you're here."
"Nabiki!"
"That's all right," Belldandy assured Akane, earning her a
curious glance from each of her sisters. "You both have a right to
know what this is all about."
<Finally!> "So what IS this all about?" Suddenly, Nabiki
recalled where she had heard the names 'Belldandy' and 'Skuld'
before. "You said her name was 'Urd?'" she singled out the eldest
of the four sisters.
"Yes."
That meant three of the sisters were named Urd, Belldandy and
Skuld. What unusual names... "Your parents named you after the
Goddesses that are supposed to govern the Past, Present and Future?"
"No."
"Ah." What else could it have been? There weren't that many
reasons to name one's daughters Urd, Belldandy or Skuld in this day
and age.
"You see... we *are* the Goddesses of the Past, Present and
Future."
Akane withdrew her breath. "Really?" She'd seen enough
extraordinary evidence today that she was inclined to believe
Belldandy and her sisters *were* Goddesses. "Then who is she? I
thought you... Urd said she was your sister." Akane glanced at
Ranmira.
"She is our sister," replied Urd. "Want to take this one, kid?"
Ranmira inclined her head in an approximation of a bow. "My
name is Ranmira, and I am the Goddess of Change. Because of that, I
am not always mentioned in the same sentences as my sisters. I
apologize for the mess I created earlier."
Well, she looked like Ranma, sounded like Ranma, and even had a
similar name... but she didn't *act* like Ranma. In fact, Ranmira
wasn't even upset that her sisters were better-known than she was.
"How can we be sure you're not Ranma and this is just some weird
practical joke all of you dreamed up?" Akane gave Ranmira a
suspicious stare.
"I am not Ranma, but I am a part of Ranma," the young Goddess
answered.
"Huh?"
Keiichi had to stifle a quiet chuckle at Akane and Nabiki's
puzzled reactions. Even after spending as much time with Belldandy,
Urd and Skuld as he had, it would be foolish of him to assume that he
could explain or understand everything the Goddesses knew of or did.
"Allow me to explain," Ranmira said. "I work at one of the
Goddess Relief Offices. It is the duty of the Relief Offices to
evaluate candidates and offer those who meet the qualifications a
wish."
Only Belldandy, Ranmira and Urd noticed Nabiki's attention perk
up on hearing the word *wish*.
"Ranma's mother was one of those chosen to receive a wish, and I
was assigned to offer her that wish."
Akane thought she knew where this discussion was heading. "And
then she wished to have you as her son?" Why else would Ranma... er,
Ranmira be present to take Ranma's place?
"No," Skuld shook her head. "Mrs. Saotome liked how well our
sister behaved and wished that she could have a son that behaved as
well as her."
Ranmira resumed speaking. "Hers was the type of wish that
requires one of us to personally insure that the wish turns out as it
was originally worded. Essentially, I became a part of Ranma's
'conscience' to help him develop into the person his mother wanted
him to be. That is why," she paused, "while I can be considered a
part of Ranma, I am not Ranma alone."
Nabiki smirked. There was an obvious flaw in Ranmira's story,
and she'd noticed it. "So, what happened? Where did you go wrong?
Anyone can see that Ranma doesn't act very much like you at all."
Sixteen years to turn Ranma into a complete gentleman, and had she
accomplished anything? Apparently not. In fact, it seemed as if
Ranmira hadn't done a single thing!
Skuld glared at her. "Because of an accident in our systems,
she lost her memory after becoming a part of Ranma! She couldn't
remember anything until we located her and her files last week!"
"Last week...?" breathed Akane. That was about the time when
Ranma's behavior abruptly changed...
"Yes, Akane. I was there." Skuld's expression softened. "In
the mountains. The night you malleted Ranma into the river."
Everyone else except Akane and Ranmira was startled by the news.
<Oh, good one, Sis,> thought Nabiki. Akane practically couldn't
make it through a day without bringing a mallet to bear on Ranma's
head.
"Two days later, we were able to restore Ranmira to normal."
That explained Ranma's sudden change in behavior, Akane
understood. "You were finally able to start honoring the wish?"
"Yes. Because of my... absence, Ranma could only learn how to
behave from one person--"
"His father," Nabiki and Akane completed Ranmira's sentence.
Ranmira's eyebrows furrowed. "Unfortunately, yes. Saotome
Genma. I have to contend with everything that he's done to the boy."
Akane couldn't help but feel sympathetic for the large task
Ranmira had ahead of her.
A moment of silence followed, which was broken when Kasumi
entered the room. "I apologize for the interruption, but I thought
you might like some tea." She placed cups of hot tea before
everyone, starting with their 'guests.'
Belldandy offered Kasumi a smile and demurely took a sip from
her cup. "Thank you, Kasumi-san. This is wonderful."
Kasumi blushed. "It's a blend of Darjeeling tea. We don't
usually keep much of it around, however... I'm the only member of the
family who seems to like it. Oddly enough, I had a feeling I should
serve it today."
"I don't know about that," replied Belldandy, "but Darjeeling
does happen to be my favorite blend of tea."
"Really? In that case, I'll prepare more, should you or anyone
else want some." Humming a cheerful tune to herself, Kasumi walked
back to the kitchen... leaving Keiichi, Nabiki and Akane to wonder
how two individuals could share such a distinctly similar voice.
Once again the task of restarting the discussion fell to Nabiki.
"Anyway... so what was the deal with that Marller woman and the
sword? It had to be something important for you to risk blowing your
cover the way you did."
Ranmira gave her an odd look for a second. Eventually, Nabiki's
mercenary practices would land her in serious trouble... and more
than once, assuming Nabiki never changed. "Marller is a demon."
<A demon? First Goddesses and now a demon?> Never mind that
Akane had believed Urd might have been a demon when she emerged from
the television.
"As for the sword, it is known as the 'Dalanis Sword.' If Kunou
had defeated you and I had not interfered, the dark power of the
sword would have led you to pledge your eternal love to him."
While Akane shuddered at the thought, Nabiki remained
suspicious. "That's all? All that confusion over another stupid
sword that makes people fall in love with whoever's using it?"
"No, of course not. But the less you know about the sword, the
better." Ranmira knew that the fact they continued to keep secrets
from Nabiki was a source of aggravation for her.
"Right. C'mon, you can tell us more."
"I cannot. Except that had Kunou been allowed to proceed,
Akane's heart would have been his forever."
Nabiki narrowed her eyes. "You already said that!"
Keiichi couldn't help but feel sorry for Akane and Nabiki... to
go through all this trouble to learn the truth - not just about Ranma
but their world, their Universe - and they were likely going to have
to lose their memories of this instance in the end.
He'd had to lose his memories of Belldandy, once.
Small droplets of soft light followed the contours of the lens
secured to Nabiki's camera, gathering in one spot close to the bottom
as if it were true condensation. None of the group noticed the light
flowing into the camera lens until a column of pure white light shot
forth from the lens, passing between Nabiki and Akane.
Nabiki drew back the hand she had been resting on her camera.
Urd and Skuld had already materialized from out of nowhere in front
of her; she reasoned that this 'light show' must be another member of
the family choosing to pay everyone a visit.
The Goddess Peorth landed on her feet with an extravagant
flourish.
She shook the strands of her black hair away from her face.
"Hello hello hello!" Peorth gushed. "I just thought I'd pop in to
see how my favorite group is doing..."
Keiichi promptly buried his face in his arms. <Why me? Why
now?>
Peorth quickly scanned the room with her eyes and found
something of interest. "Ranmira-chan! When did you get back?" she
inquired, making her way toward Ranmira. It was true; Ranmira did
work for a rival Goddess Relief Office - the same office that had
employed Belldandy - yet though that would make Ranmira her rival by
all rights, she hadn't been able to treat Ranmira as a proper rival.
It went without saying that because of her frequent work, Peorth
wasn't always in a position to keep track of current events. Not
that Ranmira's return had been a media-shattering news event...
"A week ago." Ranmira shrugged.
Peorth, too, cocked her head. "Sorry I missed it, kid. I--"
Akane and Nabiki were staring at Peorth in total shock while she
spoke. They barely registered what she was saying to Ranmira. That
face... that voice... how? No, it couldn't be!
They found their voices at the exact same time. "*Mom*!?"
(...to be continued...)
------------
Credits:
Written by: Mike Koos
Prereaders: Richard Beaubien, 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.
Note: As I'm posting this, we're temporarily having a few problems
with the server, so my page may not be available.
*****************************
* 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