Orbits in Decay
Chapter 1:
An object in motion, unless acted upon by countering forces, will stay in motion; this is in a vacuum, as in normal atmosphere, the very air itself will inevitably contribute to present countering forces to the afore-said moving object.
- High school explanation of Newton's First Law
Akane rested her head upon the small table that was set up in her dorm room, taking a few moments rest from the textbooks in front of her. It had been four years since the near-wedding between Ranma and herself, but, even now, she still felt the same as she had that very day...
~~~FLASHBACK~~~~
The smoke from the Happodaikrin cleared as the fighting paused. Many eyes widened as they noted the tuxedo-clad redhead leading over the equally still form of her mother.
"RANMA!!!" Akane shrieked, disregarding the blood to cradle her fading fiancee to her. "Don't die, I need you."
Her voice a hoarse hiss, the tiny girl replied. "d...don't be sad, 'kane. i'll w...ch over ya', jus' fr...om a little far...ther 'way." Her lips curled into a truly beautiful smile, even with the blood that burbled from one corner. Her eyes seemed to loose focus, then a look of awe suffused her features. "Kami," she said in a breath, "this is a sur...."
"I love you," Akane cried as the spark began to fade from her one-and-only's sapphire orbs.
With her last breath, the redhead answered. "i know, anata. see ya again..."
And then, Ranma Saotome, Heir and unacknowledged Grandmaster of Anything-Goes, followed his mother into the last adventure a person can know...
Leaving the one he loved to weep.
~~~~END FLASHBACK~~~~
She sighed, letting the ache dull once more before she straightened. It had taken over three hours before anyone could make her release the by then stiffened body. She had sat there, unseeing, as the various martial artist feuds and competitions had suddenly ended around her. It seemed that the sight of someone who could defeat an embodiment of a phenonix laying dead in their midst due to their own egos did much to defuse the chaos.
She had to chuckle. Defuse, heck; by the time that the two urns had been placed in the family shrine alongside her mother's, most of the people that had participated had _finally_ gotten a clue. If even Tataiwaki realizing that the girl he loved and the guy he hated were the same wasn't enough, the poor guy found the strength to admit that he had made a serious breach of honor and had since become a wandering monk. He still visited the family when he came by and had went out of his way to try to assist anyone he encountered who had a Jusenkyo curse - surprisingly, a much higher number than many thought.
Kodachi, well, she was a lot worse off. The girl had shrieked once, then sagged to her knees, babbling about her mother. It turned out that the late matriarch had died from an explosion herself; the only one who was close enough to see it was a six year old 'Dachi. Until last year, she had been in a sanitarium, by her own insistence, to try to come to grips with her long buried and misplaced guilt. The Black Rose no longer, she was now known as 'The Blue Rose Kodachi,' due to her research in crossbreeding her new namesake, which she called the Wild Horse Heaven's Way, or Ranma Tendo, rose.
The four holding Happosai were now considered heroes. In the brief moment that the ancient letch was in shock from his deed, they had simply ripped him apart in a violent display of the ancient art of quartering a victim. With his death, the four had the strength to finally start to see what the Art that they paid lip service to really was: A way for their strength to help people who couldn't protect themselves. Each of the four had since gone on to various jobs in the troubleshooting or detective fields, building upon that beginning and, in a way, paying back a debt they felt they held to Ranma's memory.
Kasumi. Who knew why, but that scene galvanized her into pursuing the one person that she had wanted. Within the first year, she had become Ono Kasumi and had been pregnant with her little Ranko. She and Niisan now owned the Dojo, building it back up to the glory it had held two generations ago.
Nabiki, the Ice Queen, had in the space of the same time had become the newest head of an organization that donated their talent to helping people to overcome odds and come together, no matter what. In the past three years, her second-oldest sister had helped over two hundred couples to their happiness, with no signs of slowing down. Her old smirk had morphed into a smile that rivaled Kasumi's for the sheer brilliance that shone whenever she managed to fulfill another assignment.
She was just beginning to focus upon her own accomplishments, when her stomach let out a growl worthy of Ranma's. She chuckled and flipped open her cellphone.
A voice cut through the air. "You have reached the Goddess Helpline," someone sounding eerily like Kasumi said. "I shall be over shortly for a wish consultation."
The short haired woman blinked for a moment. 'Weird,' she mentally murmured.
"It isn't so strange, Tendo Akane," the Kasumi-voice stated from behind her. "May I come in?"
With a movement like a ratchet, Akane turned to come face to face to see a woman who, except for her European features, could easily pass for Kasumi, barring three small things.
1) The woman's hair was a steel gray to her sister's brown,
2) The woman had strange tattoos on her face and
3) The woman was COMING OUT OF THE MIRROR ON HER WALL!!!
Ignoring her startled admirer, the near-Kasumi gently tugged herself until she was clear of the silvered surface, then sat herself on the edge of the glass as if an invisible shelf hung there, allowing her the time to straighten out her flowing garments.
This simple act caused the smaller woman to come of her shock-induced haze. "Who are you?" she squeaked.
The woman smiled benignly and handed her a card as she said in that same voice, "Gomen. I am Belldandy, Goddess of the Present. I am here to give you a wish."
***************************************************************************
Not soon after, Akane and Belldandy were sitting across from each other in the darker corner of one of Akane's favorite haunts, chatting quietly with each other.
"You say that a cousin had told you about me?" the mortal woman asked, her eyes wide. "As in..."
The pale haired goddess, now in a more normal outfit, smiled cheerily. "Of course, Akane-san," she replied. "Though there is no _real_ relation, all of us do act as if we were one large family. She is the head of your own group of deities."
Akane blanched. "Ameratsu," she gulped, "is your cousin?"
Belldandy nodded, her smile widening. "She was tickled to find out that you were to be chosen to receive this and asked me to grant it. So, do you have an idea of what you want?"
The darker-haired mortal sighed. "I don't know, Bell-sama," she replied a moment later. "The only times I've ever encountered magic, it's been really bad on the one who receives it."
The goddess waved a hand. "This time, Akane," she reassured the girl, "whatever you decide to request, we will do everything we can to make it so that it will turn out for the best."
The younger girl firmed her resolve. "So," she sighed, "how do we do this?"
"Just say the wish that is in your heart," the megami sitting across from her responded.
Akane jerked her head in a short, sharp nod. "I wish," she stated, "that I could have a chance to be beside Ranma, as an equal, to show him that I love him and have eternity to be there."
From all around her, light seemed to suddenly exist; bright, but in no way blinding or even harmful. A deep, fatherly voice seemed to speak from within her, as much as from everywhere around. -TENDO AKANE,- this all-encompassing presence inquired, -TO GRANT THIS, I MUST ASK YOU: WHAT IS TRULY IN YOUR HEART? ARE YOU WILLING TO FACE THE TRIALS THAT I MUST GIVE YOU?-
She gulped. "I am," she answered.
A second voice, female, chuckled and spoke to the first. =I WILL HELP HER, 'KAMI-SAMA'. IT HAS BEEN A WHILE SINCE A MORTAL HAS WISHED TO BE WITH A LOVED ONE AND EVEN LONGER SINCE IT HAS BEEN PHRASED IN _THAT_ WAY.=
The first voice chortled, filling her with a rare joy. -VERY WELL, THEN.- the male presence replied. -WE WILL MEET SOON, TENDO AKANE. BE YE WELL.-
The all-encompassing brightness began to fade, but the female entity spoke once more. =GO WITH BELLDANDY, AKANE-CHAN,= she stated. =YOU MUST PREPARE YOURSELF. THE TESTS WILL BEGIN IN THE MORNING.=
Blinking her eyes, she noted the goddess smiling at her. "That," she stated, with no trace of irony, "is a big wish, Akane."
****************************************************************************
Akane stood upon shaky legs as she regarded the sidecar attached to the classic motorcycle. "Belldandy?' she asked the goddess, who was now garbed in riding leathers. The slightly unnerving image of someone so, well, holy, garbed in silver studded black leather was giving her the willies.
"Yes, Akane?" the Norn encouraged as she tugged the half-gloves on.
The mortal woman swallowed a lump. "Why do we need to take a motorcycle?" she squeaked, then cleared her throat. In a more normal voice, she continued. "Wouldn't we catch a sunbeam or have angels lift us to the heavens?"
Belldandy chuckled musically. "Of course not," she chided. "My sisters and I live with my husband at a temple nearby. Why should we have to use any higher powered travel than this old Harley?'
Her eyes wide, Akane slid into the sidecar. "You live on Earth? Why?"
The goddess slipped on her helmet, hiding her features. "Well," she finished, "my Keiiichi _is_ a mortal."
Overwhelmed, the youngest Tendo girl fainted.
***************************************************************************
TBC...
Author's notes: Here is one that was so old, I didn't find it until I checked an old diskette. It was one I had contemplated for a long time, started, then lost the rough draft for over FIVE YEARS! It's a little alternate beginning, based upon the simple fact that, in the right circumstances, even the strongest can be caught napping.
Plus, I could just _see_ someone like Belldandy wearing a full set of black leather, couldn't you??
Chapter 1:
An object in motion, unless acted upon by countering forces, will stay in motion; this is in a vacuum, as in normal atmosphere, the very air itself will inevitably contribute to present countering forces to the afore-said moving object.
- High school explanation of Newton's First Law
Akane rested her head upon the small table that was set up in her dorm room, taking a few moments rest from the textbooks in front of her. It had been four years since the near-wedding between Ranma and herself, but, even now, she still felt the same as she had that very day...
~~~FLASHBACK~~~~
The smoke from the Happodaikrin cleared as the fighting paused. Many eyes widened as they noted the tuxedo-clad redhead leading over the equally still form of her mother.
"RANMA!!!" Akane shrieked, disregarding the blood to cradle her fading fiancee to her. "Don't die, I need you."
Her voice a hoarse hiss, the tiny girl replied. "d...don't be sad, 'kane. i'll w...ch over ya', jus' fr...om a little far...ther 'way." Her lips curled into a truly beautiful smile, even with the blood that burbled from one corner. Her eyes seemed to loose focus, then a look of awe suffused her features. "Kami," she said in a breath, "this is a sur...."
"I love you," Akane cried as the spark began to fade from her one-and-only's sapphire orbs.
With her last breath, the redhead answered. "i know, anata. see ya again..."
And then, Ranma Saotome, Heir and unacknowledged Grandmaster of Anything-Goes, followed his mother into the last adventure a person can know...
Leaving the one he loved to weep.
~~~~END FLASHBACK~~~~
She sighed, letting the ache dull once more before she straightened. It had taken over three hours before anyone could make her release the by then stiffened body. She had sat there, unseeing, as the various martial artist feuds and competitions had suddenly ended around her. It seemed that the sight of someone who could defeat an embodiment of a phenonix laying dead in their midst due to their own egos did much to defuse the chaos.
She had to chuckle. Defuse, heck; by the time that the two urns had been placed in the family shrine alongside her mother's, most of the people that had participated had _finally_ gotten a clue. If even Tataiwaki realizing that the girl he loved and the guy he hated were the same wasn't enough, the poor guy found the strength to admit that he had made a serious breach of honor and had since become a wandering monk. He still visited the family when he came by and had went out of his way to try to assist anyone he encountered who had a Jusenkyo curse - surprisingly, a much higher number than many thought.
Kodachi, well, she was a lot worse off. The girl had shrieked once, then sagged to her knees, babbling about her mother. It turned out that the late matriarch had died from an explosion herself; the only one who was close enough to see it was a six year old 'Dachi. Until last year, she had been in a sanitarium, by her own insistence, to try to come to grips with her long buried and misplaced guilt. The Black Rose no longer, she was now known as 'The Blue Rose Kodachi,' due to her research in crossbreeding her new namesake, which she called the Wild Horse Heaven's Way, or Ranma Tendo, rose.
The four holding Happosai were now considered heroes. In the brief moment that the ancient letch was in shock from his deed, they had simply ripped him apart in a violent display of the ancient art of quartering a victim. With his death, the four had the strength to finally start to see what the Art that they paid lip service to really was: A way for their strength to help people who couldn't protect themselves. Each of the four had since gone on to various jobs in the troubleshooting or detective fields, building upon that beginning and, in a way, paying back a debt they felt they held to Ranma's memory.
Kasumi. Who knew why, but that scene galvanized her into pursuing the one person that she had wanted. Within the first year, she had become Ono Kasumi and had been pregnant with her little Ranko. She and Niisan now owned the Dojo, building it back up to the glory it had held two generations ago.
Nabiki, the Ice Queen, had in the space of the same time had become the newest head of an organization that donated their talent to helping people to overcome odds and come together, no matter what. In the past three years, her second-oldest sister had helped over two hundred couples to their happiness, with no signs of slowing down. Her old smirk had morphed into a smile that rivaled Kasumi's for the sheer brilliance that shone whenever she managed to fulfill another assignment.
She was just beginning to focus upon her own accomplishments, when her stomach let out a growl worthy of Ranma's. She chuckled and flipped open her cellphone.
A voice cut through the air. "You have reached the Goddess Helpline," someone sounding eerily like Kasumi said. "I shall be over shortly for a wish consultation."
The short haired woman blinked for a moment. 'Weird,' she mentally murmured.
"It isn't so strange, Tendo Akane," the Kasumi-voice stated from behind her. "May I come in?"
With a movement like a ratchet, Akane turned to come face to face to see a woman who, except for her European features, could easily pass for Kasumi, barring three small things.
1) The woman's hair was a steel gray to her sister's brown,
2) The woman had strange tattoos on her face and
3) The woman was COMING OUT OF THE MIRROR ON HER WALL!!!
Ignoring her startled admirer, the near-Kasumi gently tugged herself until she was clear of the silvered surface, then sat herself on the edge of the glass as if an invisible shelf hung there, allowing her the time to straighten out her flowing garments.
This simple act caused the smaller woman to come of her shock-induced haze. "Who are you?" she squeaked.
The woman smiled benignly and handed her a card as she said in that same voice, "Gomen. I am Belldandy, Goddess of the Present. I am here to give you a wish."
***************************************************************************
Not soon after, Akane and Belldandy were sitting across from each other in the darker corner of one of Akane's favorite haunts, chatting quietly with each other.
"You say that a cousin had told you about me?" the mortal woman asked, her eyes wide. "As in..."
The pale haired goddess, now in a more normal outfit, smiled cheerily. "Of course, Akane-san," she replied. "Though there is no _real_ relation, all of us do act as if we were one large family. She is the head of your own group of deities."
Akane blanched. "Ameratsu," she gulped, "is your cousin?"
Belldandy nodded, her smile widening. "She was tickled to find out that you were to be chosen to receive this and asked me to grant it. So, do you have an idea of what you want?"
The darker-haired mortal sighed. "I don't know, Bell-sama," she replied a moment later. "The only times I've ever encountered magic, it's been really bad on the one who receives it."
The goddess waved a hand. "This time, Akane," she reassured the girl, "whatever you decide to request, we will do everything we can to make it so that it will turn out for the best."
The younger girl firmed her resolve. "So," she sighed, "how do we do this?"
"Just say the wish that is in your heart," the megami sitting across from her responded.
Akane jerked her head in a short, sharp nod. "I wish," she stated, "that I could have a chance to be beside Ranma, as an equal, to show him that I love him and have eternity to be there."
From all around her, light seemed to suddenly exist; bright, but in no way blinding or even harmful. A deep, fatherly voice seemed to speak from within her, as much as from everywhere around. -TENDO AKANE,- this all-encompassing presence inquired, -TO GRANT THIS, I MUST ASK YOU: WHAT IS TRULY IN YOUR HEART? ARE YOU WILLING TO FACE THE TRIALS THAT I MUST GIVE YOU?-
She gulped. "I am," she answered.
A second voice, female, chuckled and spoke to the first. =I WILL HELP HER, 'KAMI-SAMA'. IT HAS BEEN A WHILE SINCE A MORTAL HAS WISHED TO BE WITH A LOVED ONE AND EVEN LONGER SINCE IT HAS BEEN PHRASED IN _THAT_ WAY.=
The first voice chortled, filling her with a rare joy. -VERY WELL, THEN.- the male presence replied. -WE WILL MEET SOON, TENDO AKANE. BE YE WELL.-
The all-encompassing brightness began to fade, but the female entity spoke once more. =GO WITH BELLDANDY, AKANE-CHAN,= she stated. =YOU MUST PREPARE YOURSELF. THE TESTS WILL BEGIN IN THE MORNING.=
Blinking her eyes, she noted the goddess smiling at her. "That," she stated, with no trace of irony, "is a big wish, Akane."
****************************************************************************
Akane stood upon shaky legs as she regarded the sidecar attached to the classic motorcycle. "Belldandy?' she asked the goddess, who was now garbed in riding leathers. The slightly unnerving image of someone so, well, holy, garbed in silver studded black leather was giving her the willies.
"Yes, Akane?" the Norn encouraged as she tugged the half-gloves on.
The mortal woman swallowed a lump. "Why do we need to take a motorcycle?" she squeaked, then cleared her throat. In a more normal voice, she continued. "Wouldn't we catch a sunbeam or have angels lift us to the heavens?"
Belldandy chuckled musically. "Of course not," she chided. "My sisters and I live with my husband at a temple nearby. Why should we have to use any higher powered travel than this old Harley?'
Her eyes wide, Akane slid into the sidecar. "You live on Earth? Why?"
The goddess slipped on her helmet, hiding her features. "Well," she finished, "my Keiiichi _is_ a mortal."
Overwhelmed, the youngest Tendo girl fainted.
***************************************************************************
TBC...
Author's notes: Here is one that was so old, I didn't find it until I checked an old diskette. It was one I had contemplated for a long time, started, then lost the rough draft for over FIVE YEARS! It's a little alternate beginning, based upon the simple fact that, in the right circumstances, even the strongest can be caught napping.
Plus, I could just _see_ someone like Belldandy wearing a full set of black leather, couldn't you??