Just Won't Die 8: Final
Ranma had a son. Unfortunately, he never knew that he was a father for he had disappeared long before his son was born. The only person who would had known of this boy's father had died shortly after giving birth to him, but not before she had given the boy a name.
"Your name will be Ranma," the woman said, tears in her eyes.
The baby cried, unaware as his mother's life slipped away as she held him. "Ranma, make us proud," she said finally before she finally died.
The doctors tried to resuscitate her, much to no avail. Although she lost her life giving birth, she had no regrets for she had been able to see her son's face for the very few precious moments had lived after his birth. There had been no information as to who the mother was, nor had she given any information as to who the father was. The baby had been born to a world with no kin.
The baby was quickly taken away by some government agents. It seemed the baby sensed something was wrong with his mother and began to cry out for her. Of course, it was natural for a baby to cry. However, it had been different.
As the baby cried, a blue aura formed around him. The doctors and nurses had been shocked. When they tried to get close, the aura surrounding the baby lashed out at them, picking them up and throwing them out of the room. Out of the four people in the room, three had been thrown out. The fourth one, an elderly nurse that should had retired two years ago, had been left alone.
The aura didn't attack her. Instead, it embraced her, enveloping her.
The nurse had merely stood within the aura, her eyes widened as she felt this wave of warmth flooding through her body. It only lasted a second but it felt like an eternity to her. While within the field, images of her late husband flashed before her eyes.
"There's no rush to see me," the husband had told her, "Please, live out the rest of your life in happiness. We'll meet again in heaven,"
When the aura disappeared, the elderly nurse was speechless. How she had longed to see her husband for so many years. "W-who are you?" said the elderly nurse.
A second later, she clutched as her chest as the excitement finally overwhelmed her. She felt to her knees in pain, knowing she was having a heart attack. However, she didn't fear death. Her husband was waiting for her, she knew.
Moments before she died, she gazed at the young baby, and said, "Thank you,"
When the doctors noticed the nurse having a heart attack, they tried to enter the room to save her. However, they were prevented as the still-evident aura surrounding the baby seemed to constantly lash out at them, constantly pushing them out of the room.
"Can't you see she's going to die?" the doctor found himself trying to tell the baby, figuring the baby was responsible for the woman's heart attack and their being prevented from helping her.
The baby knew nothing of his surroundings, continuing to cry as he was being held by his dead mother.
"Look at the baby, he's scared to death of what's going on," an elderly nurse said. She had been in another part of the hospital and had come to where all the commotion was. "He doesn't know what's going on. Whatever that aura thing is surrounding him is, it looks like some kind of protective barrier. It's probably only protecting him,"
"Do how do you suppose we get past it?" a doctor asked. "I have an idea," the elderly nurse said. The nurse walked forward toward the room.
"No, don't!" the doctor reached out for her, but it was too late for he was pushed away from the room before he could get close to her.
The elderly woman entered the room. The aura didn't attack her. Instead, it embraced her. For a brief moment, she felt total warmth.
"Now I get it," the woman said in a warm voice toward the baby, "That aura is merely protecting you. Since I have no intention of harming you, that aura surrounding you feels I am no threat,"
The baby seemed to stop crying as he noticed a woman nearby. He gazed up her with innocent eyes.
"It's okay, I won't harm you," the elderly woman said. She walked over to where the boy was and carefully picked up, surprised that the baby actually stretched his arms out to be picked up.
"There there," the woman comforted the baby, "Everything is all right. There's nothing to be afraid of,"
The elderly woman gazed down at the dead body of the mother, "Don't worry, miss, your son is in good hands,"
She turned her gaze toward her co-worker. She felt sad. Her co-worker was now long dead. They had been friends for close to fifty years. However, when she looked at her friend's face she noticed something that didn't make her feel all that sad.
Her friend's face wasn't contorted to that of pain or fear of death. Instead, it seemed to be of total peace.
"I hope you and your late husband have a wonderful afterlife," the elderly woman said before heading out the room.
"H-how did you do that?" the doctor asked the woman, a bit surprised that he wasn't being shoved away like before. "I really don't know," the woman said, "I had this weird feeling like I knew exactly what to do and I did it. I guess my plan worked out,"
"You can say that," the doctor agreed emphatically.
The woman turned toward the baby, "Well, little guy, you seem to be all energetic, aren't you. Well don't worry, nothing's gonna happen to you, old auntie Asuka will make sure to it," She looked at the doctor, "So, what's this baby's name?"
"Um, the woman who gave birth called him Ranma," came the reply.
"R-R-Ranma?" the woman's eyes widened.
"You recognize that name?" the doctor asked.
"Y-yes, I do," she said, "It's the name of a man my grandmother had told me stories about, on how she and him had known each other way back then and how he had disappeared a long time ago, well over a hundred years ago,"
"Well, it's most likely coincidental," the man commented.
"I highly doubt it,"
above scene might be deleted from final product
add small scenes indicating that story is of Ranma's son, not of Ranma himself
"Hey. Fancy meeting you here," Jun said in a cheery voice, her voice echoing a bit loudly in the library. She had just arrive at the campus library to do a bit of studying for an upcoming test when she caught sight of a familiar face among the hundreds of students already in there gathered about at separate tables.
Ranma looked up from his book to regard Jun. She was a beautiful young woman with long flowing brown hair that came down to her shoulder blades. She was a fellow college student and was in one of Ranma's classes. She sat in the front of the class while Ranma in the back. They were in an advanced physics class together.
"Hello," Ranma replied back, his voice cold.
Jun smiled a bit. She was surprised Ranma knew her since they had never actually spoken to each other until now, which was only one week before finals. When she noticed that Ranma wasn't paying all that much attention to her, she asked, "Um, so what're you reading?"
"Nothing that important," he replied, continuing to read.
When there was a moment of awkward silence, when Jun noticed that Ranma wasn't taking any effort to sustain the conversation, she asked, "So, are you ready for the final? It's only a week away," Although she knew Ranma had other finals to take, she was sure Ranma knew she was referring to the upcoming final for the class they're both in.
"Not really," he replied, finally looking up. Their gaze locked for a short moment before Ranma broke it and turned back toward his book. For the brief moment, Jun almost felt captivated by his eyes. He had the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen. This was the first time she was seeing Ranma up close. She knew that he was a handsome man, but only noticed this from the other side of the classroom. However, that brief moment looking into his eyes made her realize something very odd about him.
"Is it just me or do you have two different eye colors?" Jun asked. She was sure Ranma's right eye was blue while his left one had a reddish hue.
Ranma nodded, "Yeah, I have two different eye colors. My right is considered blue while my left one is considered maroon,"
Jun bonked herself on her head, "Gee, I feel like an idiot. We've been in the same class from an entire semester and I hadn't even noticed this,"
Ranma shrugged, "It doesn't really matter. Heck, I don't even know your name,"
"It's Jun," she said.
Ranma glanced at her for a moment. That name sounded familiar for some reason but he couldn't quite tell from where and how. He knew for sure that he knew no one by that name yet that name sounded familiar regardless.
He thought about it for a few moments before figuring nothing of it.
"Well, I'm-" he began.
"Ranma," she answered for him.
Ranma looked back up at her.
"Hey, it can't be helped," she said, "You have a pretty rare and unusual name,"
He looked back down at his book and said, "No need to point that out. I'm aware of that,"
"Is it okay if I sit down next to you?" she asked, pointing toward the empty seat next to him.
"It's fine by me," came a uncommitted reply.
"Um, do people tease you about that name?" Jun dared to asked.
"More or less," he shrugged, "It doesn't bother me. It's just a name that I respond to,"
Jun was taken aback by that answer. A name he responds to? What kind of reply is that?
"Isn't it more than that? I mean, you have the exact name as the man to tried to destroy our world?" she asked. When she noticed the muscles around Ranma's jaw tightening, she quickly said, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. For all I know, you could have been trying to forget that and here I am, reminding you,"
Ranma showed a slight sense of annoyance, "I don't want to sound rude, but is there a reason why you're talking to me?"
Jun was taken aback by the question. She figured people enjoyed having her around and talking to her. However, with Ranma, this seemed to be an exception, "Um, I'm sorry. I'll leave if I'm bothering you,"
Ranma turned back toward the book, "Well, you're bothering me,"
She gave a shocked look toward him, a bit angered by the fact that he wasn't even looking up at her. She managed to hide her hurt feelings as she calmly got up out of her seat, "I'm sorry. I'll leave you alone, then,"
"Good," he said.
Jun quickly walked away from Ranma, muttering under her breath.
"What a jerk,"
Jun flopped down on her bed, ready to go to sleep. She had had a rough day. She must have walked around ten miles today. Perhaps it would have been better if she had stayed and studied elsewhere in the campus library, but knowing that Ranma was also in the same building as her disturbed her and would had most likely disrupted her concentration. The library she had gone to was over four miles away from her apartment and six miles away from campus. "Had a rough day?" Mari asked, leaning against the doorjamb of Jun's room. They were both roommates and graduated from the same high school class, the both of them deciding to attend college together.
Jun looked at her wall clock. It read 1:09 am.
She said, "Yeah. God, I can't wait until finals are over,"
"I agree," Mari nodded.
"God, I wish I had a car so I wouldn't have to have walked so much today," Jun commented. She sat up on her bed, facing her roommate.
"I figured you were used to walking to school by now," Mari commented.
"Not when it's this cold out and not when I had to walk all the way to the other library," Jun muttered, flopping back down on her bed with a sigh.
"Other library, why would you go all the way over there? What about the one on campus?" Mari asked curiously, "They have all the books and reference materials you need,"
Jun sighed, "I don't really wanna get into it. Let's just say that I felt very awkward being in there today,"
"How so?"
"You remember that Ranma guy I was talking to you about in my physics class?" Jun began.
Mari nodded, "Uh huh. What about him?"
"Well, I finally talked to him today," she said.
Her roommates eyes widened, "Really? You did? What didja say?" She entered the bedroom and sat down on Jun's bed, "C'mon, give me the details,"
"I'll tell you tomorrow," came a sleepy reply, "Right now, I'm dead tired,"
"C'mon, just tell me," Mari persisted, "You've been mentioning about this guy all semester and how you were curious about why he was named 'Ranma' and all. Now that you've talked to him, you've gotta fill me in on the details,"
Jun sighed, sluggishly sitting back up, "All right, but I'll make it brief. I went to the library to do some studying today when I noticed Ranma sitting at one of the library tables. I figured I should at least say hi since he is the only person in my physics class I've never talked to so I walked over to him and approached him,"
"And?"
"I tried to strike a conversation but he didn't seem to be all that receptive," Jun continued, "All he did was keep reading,"
"Come on, be more detailed," Mari said in annoyance, grabbing one of Jun's pillows and holding in up against her chest.
"All right, fine, sheesh," Jun said, "I had asked him what book he was reading because I obviously noticed that he wasn't reading the physics textbook. He basically told me it was unimportant. That's a bunch of bull because I took a glance over his shoulder and noticed that he was reading a modern history book, y'know, one of those books that only dates back about a century ago. As to why he was reading it, we'll probably never know. Anyway, after that, I asked him if he thinks he's ready for the final which he said 'not really' and went about reading again,"
"Okay, go on,"
"Here's where things get strange and almost creepy if you ask me," Jun commented, "When Ranma went to answer my question, he looked up at me. I looked into his eyes-"
Mari's eyes widened as she interrupted and said, "Oh my god, is this one of those 'love at first sight' thingies? Y'know, like in those romance novels and soap operas, where a girl and boy looks into each other's eyes and know that they were meant for each other,"
Jun cast her roommate and impatient glance, "Do you want me to tell you this stuff now or tomorrow,"
"Sorry. Okay, go on,"
"Well, when I looked into his eyes, I noticed he has two different eye colors," Jun said, "Don't you find that rather strange? What are the chances of someone being born with two different eye colors? I know it's probably really rare, but what is really messed up is that he had one blue, which in an of itself is very rare here in Japan, and the other one is, get this, red...actually, it was maroon. Maroon. Isn't that really freaky? It'd be less surprising if he had eyes that were yellow rather than maroon,"
"Hm, that's really strange," Mari said, "If he has red eyes, that could mean he has that pigment disorder thing. What's the word? 'Albino'? Something like that or another,"
"I don't think it's that. He looks perfectly normal except he has two different eye colors and that the colors are very rare, especially the maroon one. What do you think of it?"
"I don't know what to think of it. It's very strange," Mari seemed to be in deep thought, "If he has different eye colors, then that might mean he's not completely Japanese. Perhaps he could be part American, what with the blue eye and all. But as to how he has a red one, I'm stumped,"
"Well, whatever the case, that's one observation I noticed about him," Jun said, "Anyway, I had made a comment about his eyes and he merely dismissed my comment. After that, I figured I should introduce myself just in case he didn't know what my name,"
"Okay. I assume he introduced himself too, right? Even though it's kinda hard to miss someone with a name like his,"
"Yeah, that's what I'm getting at," Jun said, "I told him that I already knew what his name was. Since we had been on the subject of names, I had asked him on what he thinks about having a name such as 'Ranma',"
"And? What did he say?" Mari showed genuine interested, holding onto the pillow tightly.
"Well, he said that it doesn't bother him and went about reading," she continued, "That's when I kinda went overboard and asked him what he thought about having the same name as the man who tried to destroy our world so long ago,"
Mari slapped her forehead, "Oh, I can't believe you asked a question like that! What were you thinking, Jun? You don't ask something like that!"
Jun gave a meek smile, "I guess I didn't know any better,"
"Okay, so what did he say?"
"It's was at the point I noticed that what I had mentioned about his name seemed to bother him," she said, "I apologized. It was then that Ranma asked my why I was talking to him,"
"And?"
"What could I say? I noticed that what I said bothered him so I apologized," Jun said, "However, I guess the damage was done because Ranma basically told me to go away, but not in those exact words. He tired to be polite, but it came off rather harsh, because he flat-out told me I was bothering him,"
"Okay, now I get it," Mari said, "Because of what had happened, you felt it was necessary that you go study elsewhere because knowing that he didn't want you around while you're in the same building as him would have seriously put a damper on your concentration,"
Jun nodded, "Yep,"
"Oh, now I get it," the roommate said. She smiled slightly, "Well, I guess you did the right thing. Even though you've got every right to use that library as him, you probably wouldn't have gotten any studying done since you would have been aware that he was so close by,"
"More or less," Jun agreed. She yawned, "Look, it's getting late. I've gotta get some sleep. I've got an early morning class,"
"All right, I'll leave you then," Mari said, getting up off the bed and handing Jun her pillow, "However, there was one thing you forgot to mention,"
"What?"
"Is he hot?"
Jun merely sighed before flopping down on her back, "Goodnight,"
Ranma entered his one bedroom apartment at around three in the morning. The apartment was unfurnished and had remained that way ever since he moved in over a year ago. All that could be found in Ranma's room was the futon that was spread out in the middle of the room and a small dresser where Ranma kept his clothes and a small table located in the corner of the room with a computer on top of it. The school-provided computer was still new and in its box. Ranma hadn't touched it since he received it over a year ago. Located on his dresser was a glass of water. Ranma placed his books in one corner of the room and laid down on his futon. As he did so, he continued to regard the glass of water. He didn't know why he kept a glass of water there, but there was something about seeing it there that seemed to give him peace of mind. It was this strange habit of his, to constantly have a glass of water nearby, even though it would never be used for consumption. As to why he did it, he had no explanation.
He closed his eyes, but not before he said.
"Soon, very soon I'll know who my parents were,"
"Ranma, there's something very important we have to tell you," an elderly woman said.
"What is it, mom?" Ranma asked, his hands firmly over one of his mothers hands. He was only 12 at the time as he stood over his mother as she lay in her deathbed. "A-as you can tell, I don't have much longer to live," she said softly.
"You shouldn't talk, mom. You need your rest," Ranma said, his voice showing more maturity than his years.
The mother coughed, "I have to tell you this. You have to hear this,"
"What is it? What is it you have to tell me?"
"Ranma, I know this will come as a surprise...but-"
"But what?"
"You were adopted," the mother said, tears welting up.
Ranma said nothing.
The woman nodded, "Yes, we adopted you when you were only a month old. However, even though you're adopted, your father and I both loved you every bit as much as if you were our own child,"
Ranma still said nothing, caught up in deep thought.
"I-I'm sorry you have to be hearing this now, when you're so young, but I had to let you know," she said, "Please, go and find out who your real parents were,"
"What's going to happen to me?" Ranma asked softly.
"Nothing you need to worry about," she said, "A nice person is going to come and take you away for a short while. Eventually, a nice family will come around and adopt you, very much like how we did 12 years ago,"
"I'm going to be put in a foster home, aren't I?"
"I'm sorry," she said, "You know your father and I have no living relatives to take you in. If we did, we know, without a shadow of a doubt, that they would be more than happy to take in such a beautiful and bright and loving child like yourself..."
Ranma said nothing.
"Ranma, just promise me one thing," she said in a weak voice, "Promise me that you'll grow up to be a fine young man, a man your father and I could be proud of as we watch you from above,"
"Mom, don't say that. You're not going anywhere..."
However, it was too late. Ranma felt his mom's grip on his hand release as she closed her eyes one last time and passed on, unable to fight the cancer anymore, very much like his father three years earlier.
Ranma stood very silently was he gazed down at the still form of the woman who raised him. He felt like crying but he could not. Why? He knew all along that he had been adopted. He didn't know how and he didn't know why, but he simply knew. He didn't have the heart to tell her that he knew all along. He had done the same when his father had been in his deathbed, as his mother stood right beside him and eventually break down sobbing as he finally passed on due to cancer, too.
Ranma regarded his mother's face intently, burning her image into his memory, much like he had done for his father, the man who raised him.
"Goodbye,"
Ranma awoke with a start. He had had the exact same dream again, the dream of him watching as his mom died right in front of him, of her telling him he was adopted yet he unable to tell her that he had known all along.
He was starting to hate that dream. It plagued him. It kept reminding him that he had no idea what kind of person he really was, of who his parents were, of what could or should be expected of him.
He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and got up out of his futon, taking care to make his bed before he headed toward the bathroom. He took a cold shower, the cold water easily waking him from his sleepy stupor. When he was done, he walked naked through his apartment and into his bedroom where he got dressed and headed out to school.
Although he lived a good five miles away, it took him no time to run the entire distance. He had been doing so since classes had started, even if it had been raining or snowing at the time. The weather didn't seem to bother him all that much. Heck, he rarely wore anything heavier that a simple sweatshirt even when it was below freezing outside. Ranma arrived in time just as class was about to start. He had left his house a little over twenty minutes ago and had arrived with a minute to spare. It had been raining particularly hard that morning and Ranma was drenched as he entered the classroom. No one had made any comments about it. There had been soft conversations behind Ranma's back and queries as to why Ranma seemed unperturbed at being soaking wet. What people found a bit more surprising is that after a few minutes, his clothes seemed to actually dry off completely, an oddity people had noticed but never bothered to question him about.
Jun had been talking with a fellow female classmate when she noticed Ranma entering. She wasn't surprised when Ranma quietly walked over to the desk at the corner of the room and sat down. He then reached into his backpack and removed the textbook for this class and proceeded to read it. He always did that. She blushed when Ranma looked up from his book and made eye contact with her. Although she had made eye contact with him accidentally from time to time, he always seemed to turn his gaze back down onto his textbook before long. This time it was different. He didn't turn his gaze away.
Jun quickly turned her gaze away. Although she sat on the other side of the room from him, she could clearly see the color of his eyes. It was strange. "What's with him?" her classmate commented when she noticed Ranma finally turning his attention back onto his textbook, "I wonder why he always isolates himself from everyone,"
"Well, I talked to him a bit the other day,"
"Really? What did you two talk about?"
Jun shrugged, "Well..." She felt it wasn't necessary to tell. She and her classmate were only acquaintances afterall. It wasn't as if they were friends or anything.
It was at that time when the professor entered the room and class quieted down. Jun took that opportunity to dodge the subject. Class went about as usual. That meant about five or so students slept through the entire class while all the others desperately tried to make heads or tails of what the professor was teaching, most of them feeling that they were doomed come finals.
When class ended, everyone proceeded either toward their next class or elsewhere. Luckily for Jun, that was the last class of the day for her. She had had two classes before this already.
She stole a glance toward Ranma's seat and wasn't surprised to see that it was empty, Ranma already having gone about with his day, whatever it was. She sighed. She didn't know why, but ever since that encounter with him, she felt very intrigued by him. There was this enigmatic aura to him. She left the classroom, dreading the walk she had ahead of her. She sighed when she noticed that the rain hadn't let up. Sure, she had her umbrella with her, but she would still get partially wet anyway, especially her shoes.
Just as she fetched her umbrella from her backpack, she noticed Ranma walking ahead of her, probably on his way toward another class. He didn't have his umbrella. Actually, from past observations, Ranma most likely didn't even own one. She felt this surge of nervousness as she contemplated running up ahead and offering to share her umbrella with him. However, when she remembered how tactless Ranma had been the other day, she decided against it. "But then again..." she said to herself. She felt it was her duty to help someone more unfortunate out. There had been a couple of times when she had forgotten an umbrella and had to walk home in the rain. It was not a good experience and she hoped that if she was ever in a bind like that again, someone would offer to help her out. She believed in the Golden Rule, to do onto others as you want them to do onto you. Besides, she liked helping people out.
Jun quickly ran up to Ranma, "Um, hey,"
Ranma slowed down for a moment to glance at her, "Oh, hey, Jun,"
She smiled slightly, "Wow, you remember my name. That's awfully sweet," She blushed when she realized what she realized she sounded as if she was flirting with him. She didn't want to give him to wrong idea. "What do you want?" he asked bluntly.
Jun was taken aback at the question. She stammered for a moment as she tried to regain her composure.
"Well, I-I noticed you didn't have an umbrella," she said, "I just wanted to offer mine,"
Ranma stopped for a moment. His cold expression showed that of surprise. "Thanks, but I don't need one. I'm fine," he said.
"You might catch a cold," she commented.
"Sometimes, I wish I can," he said before he turned his gaze forward and ran forward and away from Jun.
Jun stood there for a where she was. She didn't know what to make of what Ranma had said.
"What did he just say?"
"Hey man, failed to conquer any new worlds lately?" a burly student asked. His group of goon-like friends burst out in laughter. Ranma had been walking across a field when five guys noticed him. There were around twenty guys laughing at him at the same moment as he ignored them and continued on walking. It seems that Ranma was walking right through the middle of a football game among students with too much free time and this strange obsession with playing in the mud.
Ranma was perhaps the most famous student on campus simply because of his name. Everyone knew who he was. All the athletes of the school seemed to enjoy ridiculing him. Perhaps it was because he never did anything back in return. He always ignored them.
"What a freak," a person commented when Ranma was a good distance away.
"Do you guys get your jollies picking on people?" came a voice.
The guy turned his attention toward where the voice. His gaze rested on Jun as she stood defiantly in front of him. The guy and all his buddies for that matter towered over her. She stood only up to the shoulders of the shortest person there and was probably a good seventy pounds lighter than the lightest one there.
Although Jun was terrified of the guys standing before her, she didn't back down, even as they all burst out laughing.
"What do we have here? Does that Ranma guy need a girl to fend for him?" the same guy chuckled, his friend also laughing.
"Why dontcha move along? You're gonna miss your 'fashion' class if you don't hurry,"
"Did it take both of your brain cells to come up with that line?" Jun spat "Why you!" the bully sneered. Although he knew he would never hit her for fear of getting arrested for assault, but he figured it didn't hurt to give her a good scare. All he did was raise a hand as if her were going to slap her across the face. It seemed to have done his job because Jun quickly took a step back, expecting to have been struck.
"Don't you dare touch her!" came a voice.
The guys all turned their attention. Their gaze rested on Ranma as he stood right before them. Most of them showed a sign of shock, unable to fathom how Ranma had managed to get so close to them without their noticing.
"Or what?" someone taunted.
"Or I'll kill you," Ranma said dead seriously.
The man took a cautious step back, his heart racing. He had taken a look into Ranma's eyes and had seen this murderous look to Ranma that made the man very nervous. Although he was pretty sure that Ranma didn't have a weapon, there was this ominous feeling he was getting that made it seem like Ranma would indeed kill him if necessary.
"Look, we don't want no trouble," the man cause a bit nervously.
"Hey, what gives?" one of the buddies said, "Why're ya acting like you're scared of him?"
"We'll leave then," Ranma said softly.
Without saying another word, he grabbed hold of Jun's hand and proceeded off the field, nearly half dragging her before she was able to keep her pace up with him. Jun accidentally dropped hold of her umbrella in the process.
The group watched as Ranma and Jun left the field. When they were a good distance away, everyone turned toward the guy, the leader of the pack.
"Hey man, what gives? Why'd ya wimp out back there?" another buddy asked, "There was only one of him and over a dozen of us. We would had taken him easily,"
"Hey back off," the man said. He cleared his throat and lied, "I felt sorry to the little twerp. It's probably bad enough that he has to live his life with that name of his," For some reason, the man felt this sense of relief that Ranma was no longer in sight. He had this strange feeling that Ranma could had easily taken him and everyone else there out of action before they knew what hit him. He didn't really know what Ranma was capable of, but for some reason, he had this strange feeling that Ranma could perhaps actually carry out his threat and kill him, even if it were with his bare hand. The guy had noticed that there was something to Ranma eyes that slightly indicated what kind of person Ranma was. His eyes seemed to show no emotions and that meant that he would probably feel no sympathy in killing either. The man didn't want to learn the hard way.
"Look, let's get back to our game," he quickly changed the subject.
In no time, everyone got back to playing their football game.
"Hey, waitaminute," Jun called out, "Come on, slow down. You're hurting me,"
Ranma quickly released his grip on Jun's wrist. He had perhaps been walking too fast for her. Jun rubbed at her wrists. She was a bit surprised to see that there were no marks or bruises. Ranma had been holding on to her wrists pretty tightly.
She glanced at Ranma as if she was waiting for something, "Well?"
Ranma said, "What?"
"Aren't you going to apologize for hurting me?" she asked, a bit annoyed that she even had to ask that.
"No," came the cold reply.
Jun narrowed her eyes toward Ranma. Damn, what a jerk! Why did she even bother? "Well, aren't you going to apologize for my losing my umbrella?"
"What for? You're the one that lost it, not I,"
Jerk! So aggravating! Jun took a deep breath, "Well, thanks to you, I'm going to be soaking wet. I didn't need you helping me out back there,"
"Neither did I need you helping me out either," he added, "I would have went about my day and ignored them had you not intervened and made those comments toward those guys back there,"
"Hey, I was fending for you," Jun said, her feelings a bit hurt.
"I don't need anyone fending for me," Ranma said, "I can take care of myself,"
"Oh really?" she snapped, "From what I see, ignoring those vicious comments isn't what I would consider 'taking care of it yourself',"
Ranma proceeded to walk away, "Forget it. You won't understand. No one understands,"
Jun quickly ran after Ranma and soon walking beside him as she asked, "Huh? What do you mean by that? What won't I understand?"
He stopped and said, "There's a lot more to me than you care to want to know. Stuff such as getting teased by some lousy bullies is trivial. I've got more important things to think about,"
"Such as?"
"None of your business," he said.
"Man, you're so obnoxious," Jun spat in anger. Never one to sit back and turn the other cheek and also sick and tired of Ranma's attitude, she wanted to give her a piece of her mind.
Ranma began walking off again, "I don't have time for this,"
"Time for what? You know I'm right," she said, "You can be such a jerk at times, y'know that?"
"I try my best,"
"Well, if you try and be a jerk all the time, then why the heck did you come back to 'save' me?" Jun asked from out of the blue, "Did you think you were going to be my knight in shining armor?"
Ranma stopped walking for a moment as he pondered the question. Jun stopped and glanced at him, noticing that he was deep in thought. "You have a point there," he said before continuing walking, "I really don't know why I came back,"
"I know why," Jun smirked, "It's because you love me, don't you?" She was always the type to take advantages of situations, always wanting to see people's reactions to unexpected answers and comments. Ranma was no different for her. She also hoped it would help lighten an otherwise awkward situation, by cracking a joke every here and there.
Ranma showed no signs of amusement nor shock. He maintained his cool facade. He just regarded her for a moment before saying, "Are you trying to get a reaction out of me?"
"Well, did I?"
"No," he replied unemotionally.
"Man, what's wrong with you? I was only joking around," Jun said.
"Well, that joke wasn't funny," he said, "Now if you don't mind. I have to get going now,"
"Fine, go ahead. See if I care!" she said in anger. She felt even more furious when Ranma proceeded to actually take her advice and walk away from her.
"Bastard!" she said, "I'll never help him out again,"
Jun sneezed. It didn't take her long to realize that now that she didn't have her umbrella anymore, she was slowly coming down with a cold, what with her being out in the rain and all. It didn't help anyway when she realized she had a long walk home ahead of her. She was not looking forward to her.
"You should take care of that cold you're coming down with," Ranma said before continuing on home.
"I know that," she said.
She watched as Ranma continued on walking, this deep down feeling of anger toward him as she saw him disappear around a corner.
"Jerk,"
Ranma entered his apartment building and headed straight toward his bedroom. He didn't even bother to lock the door nor take off his shoes. Although his apartment had hardwood floors, his shoes couldn't be heard squeaking as he walked on them for his shoes were no longer wet. Although he had walked the entire distance home in the pouring rain, the very moment he stepped out from under the rain and into his apartment, he was already dry. Although he showed no signs of it on the outside, deep inside, it was tearing him apart. He didn't know what was causing him to remain dry but he knew that whatever it was, it was unnatural. He had known all along that there was some kind of uniqueness to him but he didn't know exactly what it was. He was sure that getting himself dry without outside help was just the tip of the iceberg.
He walked into the bathroom where it contained the only mirror in his apartment. The bathroom was every bit as bleak as his apartment. Aside from the bar of soap sitting on the soap dish on the sink, the bathroom looked like it was never used. Heck, it didn't even have shower curtains.
He looked at himself in the mirror for several long minutes, curious as to why he remained dry while everyone else around him were miserable and soaking wet.
When he had heard Jun sneeze back there, it had made him wonder about just how fragile a human body could be, how it could be so easily susceptible to something such as the common cold.
"So how come I never get something like a cold?" he wondered aloud.
Figuring it was futile to dwell over a question like that and that he would know soon enough, Ranma took off his clothes and stepped into the shower. It didn't bother him one bit that the bathroom from would get wet due to a lack of shower curtain. It didn't matter if he stepped in a puddle of water while wearing socks because he would be dry soon afterwards.
Once finished, he exited the bathroom while stark naked and headed down the hallway toward his bedroom. He had a towel around his shoulder but had never bothered to use it. It was merely there for show. After getting dressed within his bedroom, he laid down on his futon and stared up at the ceiling. It was only five in the afternoon. At a time such as now, Ranma would usually be at the library. However, today, he would simply lay on his bed and ponder about all that he had read the other day.
He remained lying there, on his futon, deep in though, until he finally fell asleep over seven hours later.
Jun was absolutely miserable as she entered her apartment. She was cold. She was tired. And she felt absolutely miserable. It didn't help any that her sneezing had festered into a full-blown cold. She was in for one hell of a week. She knew that despite having a cold, she couldn't afford to miss any classes. All her classes were having review sessions for their upcoming finals and she knew that if she missed even a single one of them, she would be doomed to getting a lousy grade on the finals.
She placed her keys on her night table as she entered her bedroom, already in the process of taking off her soaking wet clothes. Just as she was finished changing into some dry clothes, her roommate knocked on her door.
"Come in. It's open," Jun said, carefully placing her wet clothes in one corner of the room.
Mari opened the door and leaned against the doorjamb, "Hey,"
"Hey," Jun managed to say.
"I noticed the trail of wet shoeprints leading all the way up to your bedroom," Mari said, "Are you okay? You didn't walk home in the rain, did you?"
Jun turned toward her roommate, "What do you think?"
"Well, I saw you bringing your umbrella with you when you left this morning. Didn't you use it?"
"Of course I would have used it, but I lost it," Jun sighed, sitting down on her bed, "It's a long story and I don't want to get into it,"
"Man, I feel horrible that you walked all the way home and without an umbrella," Mari said softly, "Look, like I offered earlier, I'd be more than happy to drive you home-"
"No thanks," Jun said, shaking her head, "I don't want to bother you. There's no need for you to wait around an extra two hours just so you can give me a ride back home with you,"
"Look, it's no problem," Mari said truthfully, "I could always wait around in the library and study,"
"No, don't worry about it," she insisted, "I didn't need you giving me a ride home since the beginning of the semester and I don't need 'em now. I can handle it on my own,"
Mari gave a warm smile, "Jun, c'mon, I'm your roommate and best friend. I know you like doing things on your own and not making people feel like you're a burden to them, but this is ridiculous. I still don't understand why you still walk to school so early in the morning. We have classes at the same time for god's sake, yet you leave an hour early because you're walking. I don't see the point in it because I can take you to school. It's also means you can sleep in a little bit longer because you wouldn't have to leave so early to get there,"
"Still, I don't want to impose," Jun said.
"You're not imposing," Mari said in a warm voice, "Heck, sometimes, you not wanting to impose is more aggravating,"
"What? What do you mean?" Mari sat down on the bed next to Jun and said, "You're going out of your way to make yourself not bothersome to me as possible. Y'know, as in your cleaning the dishes the moment you're done using them. As well as taking out the garbage even when the garbage can isn't even half way full. Those things should be a shared responsibility. Sometimes, I get this feeling that I'm the only one living in this apartment because, aside from your bedroom, there's no indication that anyone aside from my self lives here,"
"I don't follow you,"
Mari sighed, "The point I'm getting at is that because you make yourself as least burdensome toward me, it makes me feel I'm the burdensome one because you're the one always cleaning the dishes I leave in the sink and taking out the garbage and cleaning the mess up after me,"
"Oh,"
"Look, if you are really hell-bent on waking up extra early just so you can walk to school, that's your prerogative," Mari commented, "But I just wanted to let you know you're going extra far out of your way just to make yourself seem not burdensome. You don't need to do that. Heck, it'd be nice if we went to school together. That way, we can at least chat along the way. I'm sure it gets boring walking by yourself. It's every bit as boring as it is for me when I'm driving to school by myself, too,"
"Y-you really don't mind?"
"Of course not," she said.
Jun grabbed a tissue and blew her runny nose.
"And considering you're probably coming down with something, it's best that you not go around walking in your condition or risk getting something like pneumonia," Mari said.
"Yeah, but if we were to go to school together, then that means you're at a risk of catching my cold," Jun commented.
Mari gave a laugh, "It doesn't matter if I do or don't. Keep in mind that we've only got one week left of this semester. Even if I get sick it won't jeopardize my passing the class. I don't want to sound arrogant, but you know I'm pretty smart," Jun nodded in agreement, "Uh huh,"
"Well, I've already figured out my grades," Mari said with a smirk, "I need to get a 15 to 20 points on all my finals for my grade point average to drop down to even an A minus. That doesn't even include the curve that I know all my professors will be giving out,"
Jun thought about it for a moment, "So basically-"
"I can't get a bad grade in any of my classes," Mari finished for her. If I get a cold, who cares. Even if I do, I'll still feel good knowing that I got it from helping you out,"
Jun smiled sweetly, almost about to shed a tear. That was such a heartwarming thing to say. Her moment of feeling grateful for knowing such a great person such as Mari was interrupted when she sneezed.
"Look, you need to get some rest. I know you can afford to miss any of your review classes," Mari said, getting up, "So do me a favor and get some rest. Don't worry about waking up. I'll wake you,"
"All right," Jun said, yawning. She felt incredibly tired. Perhaps it was because she was exhausted from walking home and feeling miserable every step of the way. She laid down on her bed and closed her eyes, "I'm going to take a short nap,"
"Yeah, you do that," Mari said, gently closing the bedroom door behind her as she left the room, "Have a nice nap,"
Jun closed her eyes and fell asleep within minutes.
"Wake up, sleepyhead," came a warm voice.
Jun stirred in her sleep and then slowly opened her eyes. Her gaze came upon Mari as she smiled down at her as she stood at the foot of the bed.
"How long did I sleep?" Jun asked, sitting upright and rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.
"A good sixteen hours," Mari smirked, "Man, when you sleep, you sleep. You must have had one good night's sleep,"
Upon hearing how long she had slept, Jun snapped wide awake, "S-sixteen hours?"
Mari nodded, "Yep. Don't worry. It's only eight in the morning. You would have usually left a half hour ago already. However, since I'm driving the both of use, we have another forty minutes before we leave,"
Jun sighed in relief. She had mentally done the calculations in her head and had realized that she was going to be late for school if she didn't leave right away. However, she had totally forgotten she was going to receive a ride to school for the very first time today.
Mari smirked as if she had just read Jun's mind, "Pretty nice, huh, being able to sleep late?"
Jun couldn't help but agree. It really was nice sleeping in. When she looked at her clock, she noticed that she would had had to have awoken almost an hour ago in order to get ready to leave for school early. She could get used to this.
"I don't wanna rush you, but forty minutes is just enough time for you to take a shower, get dressed, and eat some quick breakfast," Mari said as she left the room, "Although you have a bit of time, it doesn't mean you can take all the time in the world to get ready,"
"All right, I understand," Jun said.
Jun headed grabbed a clean pair of bra and panties and her towel and headed toward the bathroom where she took a soothingly warm shower. As she stood in front of the water, she wondered about what she was going to do for the day. She had slept far longer than she had wanted to and that meant she hadn't had the chance to do any studying the other night. She was probably going to be in for a rough night of studying in order to familiarize herself better with what is on the finals. She wondered if she should perhaps ask anyone smart in any of her classes if they wanted to study together. That way, perhaps she can pick up a few things along the way.
"Hm, someone smart from clas..." she wondered aloud, wondering who would be the smartest person from her classes. It didn't take long for her to make a mental list of who the smartest ones from her classes were. However, when she thought about her physics class, her visage changed. She knew who was by far the smartest person in that class was. It was that guy Ranma.
"Hmph, like I'm gonna ask him for help," she muttered to herself, turning off the water stepping out of the shower.
As she toweled herself dry, she wondered a bit about that guy Ranma.
"I wonder how he does in all of his other classes," she said to herself, "If he does even half as good as he does in our physics class, then he'd still have the highest grades. I don't get it. He doesn't even pay attention to the professor and he always getting perfect scores. He must be a great in terms of academics,"
She let out an annoyed breath, "Maybe in terms of brains, but he sure is lacking in personality. That jerk,"
She placed on her bra and panties, taking a small moments to glance at herself in the full length mirror that hung on the inside of the bathroom door. She looked at herself from the side, smiling a bit. Not really wanting to seem shallow, she couldn't really help but smile as she gazed at her slender body. She definitely had a beautiful body.
She emerged from the bathroom and went into her bedroom where she got dressed. It didn't take her long to decide on an outfit. It turns out that she was in serious need of doing her laundry because she had been down to only two choices of outfits, them being a pair of blue sweatpants with a black sweater, or a black knee-length skirt with a red blouse. She chose the latter outfit.
She headed to the kitchen where Mari was already in the middle of eating her morning cereal. Jun made herself some cereal, making a comment that she should wake up earlier next time to prepare herself and her roommate a real breakfast. When Mari said that that wasn't needed, Jun insisted, as a way of showing her appreciation for Mari giving her rides to school for this last week of the semester. Mari, totally aware of how good a cook Jun was, was more than happy to allow that to happen.
They chatted, talking about nothing in general before Mari indicated that it was time to leave.
Jun stared out of the passenger side window of Mari's car, a station wagon. She seemed to find it relaxing gazing up at the clear morning sky.
"Man, I think it's a shame that I'm driving a station wagon," Mari commented with a smirk, "I think we're too pretty to be seen driving around town in this junk of a car of mine,"
The two of them laughed, enjoying each other's company. "There he is again," Mari commented, a smile on his lips.
"Who?"
Mari jerked a thumb toward a man as he ran along down the road, "I don't really know. I always see him running along this road toward campus, always at the exact same time. Sometimes, I'm tempted to pull over and offer him a ride,"
Jun took a glance at the man, her eyes widening when she recognized who he was. It was Ranma.
"T-that's Ranma," Jun stammered. Ranma continued running along, staring straight ahead, even as Mari's car passed right by. He didn't look like he was paying attention to anything in particular, as if nothing around him mattered. His stride was well paced and it looked like he wasn't at all winded.
"That's that Ranma guy you were talking about? You're kidding me! Really?" Mari's voice showed surprise.
Jun nodded and said, "Yes. That's him I'm sure of it,"
"Holy smoke," Mari laughed, "So now I can finally put a face with the name,"
Jun gazed at her friend, "What, do you always see him running?"
"Yeah," she answered, eyes still on the road, "Sometimes I leave early and sometimes I leave late from the apartment. However, it never fails that I see him running along this road. I've never ever seen him on this road walking, not even jogging, but always running. From what I gather, it seems he lives not too far away from us because the earliest I have seen him is when I see him running up from that road with that deli in the corner and that's, what, around two blocks away from our place. Whoever he is, he must be in terrific shape to be able to run for so long. Heck, there were times when would pass by him about four miles before the school and I would see him running across one of the fields as I'm heading toward class after I am forced to spend some time looking for a blasted parking space,"
Jun remained silent as she listened intently.
"Man, I never knew that was that guy Ranma you were talking about," Mari commented, smirking, "From what you've told me about, and how he acted like such a jerk to you the other day, I figure he was some ugly creep. It never crossed my mind that he was that handsome,"
"Y-you t-think Ranma's handsome?"
Mari smiled a bit, "Well, yeah, of course. However, I kinda feel sorry for him,"
"Oh? Why so?"
"Well, as handsome as he is, I feel sorry that his name is 'Ranma'," she commented, "It must be horrible having such a name. He must have been really teased when he was growing up. I wouldn't be surprised if people tease him even while he's attending school here. Although some people tend to grow up, there are those that don't, and they're the ones that would pick on him,"
"Um, I think he can take care of himself," Jun commented, thinking back to the time when that incident between Ranma and that bully on the field the other day.
"I'm sure he can," Mari nodded in agreement, "He's probably fit and as athletic as they come. I'm sure that if he were to get into a fight with someone, he'd be more than capable of taking care of himself. Actually, considering his name, I'm sure he's been in a lot of fights when he was young so he probably also knows self-defense,"
Jun gave Mari an odd look, "Why do you keep mentioning his name like it's some kinda disease? I mean, sure, he is named after that guy that had tried to destroy all of us and failed, but there's more to a person than his name, y'know,"
Mari shrugged, "Well, from what I've heard from you, it seems like there isn't much more to him because he actually sounds really obnoxious,"
"Well, more or less," Jun said after a moment. She continued to think about the time when Ranma had come back to get her when she had gotten in way over her head with those bullies. Sure, he acted like a jerk afterwards and scolded her and told her to mind her own business, but that still didn't include the fact that he had come back to 'supposedly' save her. It was the gesture that she continued to think about.
"You want me to offer him a ride?" Mari teased.
"What? N-no!" Jun quickly said.
Mari laughed aloud, "Sorry, I couldn't help myself. I just wanted to see your reaction. I know you don't like him,"
"Well, that wasn't funny," Jun gave her friend a stern look. She took a glance over her shoulder one last time just before they turned at a corner and he was out of sight. Jun sighed, "Man, it's taking forever to find a space,"
"Hey, we were only waiting here for around ten minutes," Mari said. She pointed toward the clock on her dashboard, "Actually, to be more precise, seven minutes. We haven't waited that long. Besides, it's better having to wait around ten minutes for a parking space instead of leaving over an hour early and walking so that you don't have to wait for one,"
Jun shrugged, "I guess you're right. However, I guess it would have been better if we had left a bit early. I'm going to have to run to my class at this rate if I don't want to be late,"
"All right, we'll leave earlier," Mari said, "I guess I didn't take into consideration that your class is a bit ways off from where I usually park. My class is just over there. It's only a one minute walk for me even if I'm parked as far away from the building. I'm sorry about that,"
"It's okay," she said, "I shouldn't be one to complain anyway since you're the one giving me the ride. It was nice to sleep in late,"
"Oh man, there's Ranma!" came Mari's voice.
Jun looked around and noticed her friend pointing. She noticed Ranma running across a field not to far away from where they were parked.
"Damn, we passed Ranma around three miles ago," Mari commented, "It only took us around three minutes to get here and a ten minute wait for a parking space,"
"Yeah, what about it?" Jun didn't see the significance of Mari's observation.
"Well, think about it," Mari said, stating out the calculations she had done in her head, "We passed Ranma around eleven minutes ago and that was three miles away. If you think about it, that means he ran three miles in under four minutes each. That's practically impossible,"
"I don't follow you,"
Mari said, "Well, I guess it's kind easier for me to notice things like this since I'm really into athletics and a fitness buff and such. The thing is is that very few people in the world has ever managed to break what is called the 'four-minute mile', that means being able to run one mile in four minutes,"
"Okay,"
"Ranma basically ran three miles in around eleven minutes," Mari continued, "That comes out to one mile per three minutes and twenty seconds. That means he broke the 'four-minute mile' by a good forty seconds,"
"You lost me again,"
"Hello? Aren't you listening to me? For someone to be able to run that fast, and keep up a pace to do so for three miles basically equates to a level of athleticism that would put an Olympic athlete to shame," Mari said, eyeing Ranma fondly as he rounded a corner and disappeared.
Jun said, "Man, that's really good then. He must be in really good shape,"
Mari scratched her head, "What's weird is that I always see Ranma running by when I pass him on the road but this is the first time I've seen him running by while I was on campus,"
Jun said nothing, silently pondering.
"Say, can you do me a favor and introduce me to him?" Mari asked happily.
"What? Why? Y-you have a boyfriend!" Jun stammered in surprise.
Mari shook her head as she said, "No, not like that! I would like to ask him questions on how he keeps in shape and manages to pace himself. I have trouble sustaining a five minute mile for more than three miles before my pace changes dramatically and here is someone that basically destroys that pace by almost two minutes. I'm not gonna pass this opportunity up,"
Jun gave shrug, "Well, I guess so. But keep in mind I only met him. It's not like he and I are friends or anything. We're only in one class together and that's it,"
"That's fine with me," Mari said smiled, "I'll be able to take over from there,"
For some reason, Jun was sure of it but she didn't really like it.
"Hey, there he is," Mari said, pointing. She and Jun were in the campus library. They spotted Ranma seated alone by the corner of the reading area. They had been there since six and were happy to finally see him when he came in around seven thirty.
"All right," Jun said, "Fine,"
Although she didn't know why, she kind of wished Ranma hadn't been there that time. She generally saw Ranma in the library whenever she showed up and would usually be there after she left. However, she had been a bit surprised not to see him there yesterday. She had wanted to talk to him about that incident on the field yesterday. Jun took a deep breath as she approached Ranma, Mari closely following behind.
"Um, hello," Jun said nervously.
Ranma looked up from his book.
"Oh, hello," he said. He showed no signs of surprise nor caring of who stood before him.
Mari nudged at Jun's side.
"Oh, I'd like to introduce you to my roommate. This is Mari," Jun said, her voice almost forced.
"Hello," Mari gave a warm smile.
Ranma regarded the roommate for a moment before he turned his attention back onto what he was reading. "Um, Mari, t-this is Ranma," Jun said, starting to get angry. She realized that Ranma wasn't going to take any effort to introduce himself or open himself up. "So?" he said without looking up.
Mari winced and caste Jun a look, saying something like 'You're right. He really is a jerk' but without actually saying it. The eyes said it all.
"Um, I noticed you running this morning," Mari started off.
Ranma said nothing.
"I remember seeing you running earlier and then running by just a short while later a distance away," she said, "I couldn't help but notice the distance you managed to cover in such a short distance of time,"
Ranma continued on reading.
Jun shrugged, not really knowing what to do when Mari caste her a glance.
"Um, for you to have run such a distance in such a short time means you must really know how to pace yourself," Mari persisted.
A bit annoyed with how things were going, Ranma looked up from his book and said, "Is there a reason why you're talking to me?"
"Well, yeah," Mari forced herself from showing signs of shock, "I was just curious as to how you manage to pace yourself when you go running,"
"I don't. I just run," he said coldly, "I don't get tired so I basically run as fast as I can,"
"Don't get tired? That's ridiculous," Mari said, "Everyone gets tired at some point after running at such a fast pace. How do you do it?"
"No, I do nothing," he said, "I don't get tired,"
He couldn't help but wonder why Mari seemed to be intrigued by his sense of athletics. He never thought anything of it. Mari's comment made him wonder if he ever did get tired since he never really ran a great distance, tending to only run short ones.
"Well well well, what do we have here?" came a snide comment from one corner of the room.
Ranma and the two girls glanced around and noticed two burly guys approaching the table Ranma was sitting at. It only took a moment for Jun to realize this both of them had been on the field laughing alongside their buddy as he picked on Ranma. Of course, they couldn't understand why their friend had backed down when Ranma threatened him.
Jun narrowed her eyes at the two approaching jocks.
"Hmph, hell must sure be freezing over to see idiots like you in a library for a change," Jun commented.
Ranma glanced up at Jun. He couldn't help but notice how spunky Jun was even though she was talking back to someone more than twice her size since she was rather petite and delicate-looking.
"I wasn't talking to you, bitch," one bully said.
Ranma stood up, "Look here," He didn't know why he stood up in the first place, but something deep down inside made him do so. Perhaps it was some instinctive nature of this.
"I dunno why my friend letcha go on the field the other day," the guy said, "But I don't think he should've letcha. I think he should've kicked the living shit outta ya, but since he didn't the two of us figure we should continue off on a job left unfinished,"
Ranma continued to regard the bully before he finally said, "Leave if you know what's good for you,"
"Why don't we step outside?" the other bully said.
Ranma narrowed his eyes, "Fine,"
"Um," Jun began, noticing Ranma and the two bullies heading out.
Everyone who had been within earshot knew what was going to happen. The entire study-like mood of the library immediately changed when someone yelled out 'Fight' and quickly followed after Ranma and the two bullies outside.
Everyone within the library quickly rushed outside, finally followed by Mari and Jun when they realized what was going to happen.
By the time both girls emerged outside, they Ranma lying on his hands and knees as over a dozen bullies from the other day were busy kicking at his side. It seemed the bullies on the field set Ranma up, asking for someone to go into the library to bait Ranma outside where they would all jump him at once. It seemed someone had shoulder rammed Ranma from behind and knocked him to the ground.
"Oh my god!" Jun shouted, at the bullies "Get off of him!"
Everyone was gathered around shouting for Ranma to fight back, no one really knowing what to do. They all knew Ranma was in real trouble but no one had dared attempt to help him out.
Ranma glanced out from the corner of his eye and caught sight of Jun as she rushed from the on-looking crowd and jumped up and onto one of the bullies' back, attempting to rain down blows on the man's skull.
He couldn't help but smirk as he saw the bully swinging back and forth in an attempt to get Jun off his back, much to no avail. It was even more amusing when the roommate jumped in and grabbed the same bully by his leg in an attempt to cause the man to fall to the floor as the man desperately jumped up and down on one leg while Jun was on his back and Mari was trying to get him off balance.
When Ranma saw the bully managed to kick Mari off his leg and even flipped Jun off his back and onto the ground rather hard, Ranma felt his blood boil, a feeling he never felt before.
Even as everyone continued to kick him, Ranma got up to his feet. He felt kicks and punches striking him everywhere, most of them aimed at his face and back. However, it caused him no harm and felt more like an annoyance. He walked through the gauntlet of raining blows and up to the bully that had thrown Jun to the floor. He reached a hand out and grabbed the man by his hair from behind.
The man yelped in pain as he desperately tried to glance back at the man holding him. He managed to catch a glimpse of Ranma just as Ranma cocked a hand back and punched him in the face.
The man flew bodily where he landed a short distance away. The man didn't so much as twitch in pain for he was already dead, the bones of his face caved in so deep that it had penetrated his brain.
"W-what the fuck?" a man shouted when he saw his friend. He knew his friend was dead for no one could survive having his face beaten like that.
"Holy shit!" someone else shouted.
It didn't take ten seconds before everyone ran away, scared that they would be the next to suffer such a horrible fate. Even the spectators ran away, terrified of Ranma.
All that remained was Ranma, as well as Jun and Mari as they tried to gather themselves and get back onto their feet. Mari had been kicked hard and Jun had been thrown to the floor hard, too. The both of them had been winded.
Jun glanced toward the side where she saw Ranma standing over the bully's dead body.
They both watched in stunned silence as they saw Ranma place a hand over the man's chest.
In the far off distance, the sounds of police sirens could be heard.
"W-what a-are you doing?" Jun managed to ask, "What are you going to do? H-
he's dead, isn't he?"
Ranma didn't respond. He closed his eyes and he held a hand on the guy's chest. After a short moment, Mari and Jun were shocked to see this bluish aura forming around Ranma's body.
"W-what th-the hell is that?" Jun and Mari stammered, backing away, the both of them falling to ground from the shock, their knees weak.
Ranma continued to glow for several moments before it finally disappeared.
Shortly afterwards, the guy stirred and then eventually sat upright. Aside from blood on his face, he seemed to be perfectly fine.
Ranma grabbed the guy by his throat and picked him up, having it such that the man's feet was an inch off the floor as Ranma held him in mid-air. He held on just tightly enough that the man was barely able to breath which help Ranma emphasize his words.
"Leave," Ranma told the guy, "If I ever see you again, I'll make sure you stay dead,"
The man, not really knowing what to do, quickly got to his feet and ran for his life.
A minute or so passed by before Jun managed to collect herself and ask, "W-
what happened back there?"
"It's nothing that concerns you," he said coldly, "You better leave,"
Jun shook her head, "Not until you tell me what's going on,"
Ranma's visage displayed a slight sense of exasperation.
"I don't need to explain anything to you," he said, turning around and proceeding to walk away.
Jun quickly followed after him. Mari stayed behind, glancing down at the puddle of blood left behind. She couldn't understand how anyone that had lost so much blood could have gotten up and ran away like that so easily.
"C'mon, don't I have a right to know?" Jun asked, "I saw you glowing back there. That's not natural,"
Ranma turned toward Jun and smirked.
Jun's eyes widened a bit. This was perhaps the first real time she had ever seen Ranma show some form of emotion before.
"Now you're starting to figure it out?" he said.
Without saying much else, he ran off.
"There he is," Mari said, pointing out the window. She and Jun were in Mari's station wagon. They had followed Ranma home. They had been on their way home when Jun had spotted Ranma running down the street before disappearing around a corner. Mari had suggest that they head home while Jun felt she should follow Ranma. Through a bit of convincing that nothing bad was going to happen, Mari reluctantly agreed to follow him.
Jun caught sight of Ranma as he entered through the double door entrance and a run down apartment complex.
"Jeez, what a dump, he lives there?" Mari commented.
Jun smirked as she said, "You shouldn't judge someone by where they live. How would you like it if people judged you on what you drive?"
Mari gave Jun a wry look, "Hey, it may be a station wagon, but it gets me from point A to B. That is all that matters,"
When Jun looked like she was about to get out of the car, Mari quickly asked, "Where do you think you're going? You're going to follow him into the apartment?"
"Well, why not?" Jun asked innocently, "I'm just curious as to how he is doing after that, um, incident,"
"Oh, you mean that 'mugging' incident?" Mari asked, "From the way I think of it, I think you're only using as an excuse to ask him what it was we saw back there, that stuff where he glowed,"
Jun shrugged, "Well, I guess that kinda comes to mind, too,"
Mari shook her head, "Forget it. I'm not going to letcha go. Just leave well enough alone,"
"Fine, drop me off then. I'll take the bus back home," Jun said.
Mari said in a serious voice, "I want nothing to do with this. I'm telling you, if you go, I really will leave,"
"All right," she said, "Go ahead and leave. I'll be fine anyway,"
"Do you hear what you're saying? Look at that apartment. It looks like it's got some shady tenants," Mari commented, "I really believe you should just leave well enough alone. Why dontcha wait until you see him again at school and talk to him then? Wouldn't that be better? This don't seem like too safe a place to be,"
Jun thought about it for a moment, "Well, you do have a point there," She was silent for a moment before she came upon her decision, "However, I don't think it can be helped. I really need to know what happened back there,"
"C'mon, it's none of our business," Mari said, "And you know what how the saying goes 'Curiosity killed the cat',"
Jun got out of the car, a bit angry, "All right, if you don't want to find out what happened, then feel free to leave. I told you, I'll take the bus home,"
She closed the door and proceeded toward the double door entrance to the apartment building. "Wait!" came Mari's voice.
Jun turned to face her, "What is it?"
"Just wait a minute. I'll go park the car and come with you," she said, "I can't leave you go through this alone,"
Jun smiled warmly, "Thanks,"
Ranma entered his apartment, heading straight for the bathroom. Once inside, he glanced at himself in the mirror.
"What the hell is wrong with me?" he asked the image. It was a question he found himself asking very often.
He looked down at his hands where he saw the blood of that poor person he had punched. He didn't even know why he had fought back. Countless times, Ranma had been attacked and beaten up on, however, this was the first time he had ever fought back. There had been no reason for him to fight back. He could simply stand there and be struck in the head with metal pipes yet remain oblivious and unaffected. All in all, he never got hurt. He can't get hurt. Fighting back was a waste of his time. Yet, for some reason, he fought back. Why?
He looked down at his hands. He knew why.
While all those people were raining down blows on him, he saw out of the corner of his eyes those two girls he had spoken to earlier attempt to help him out. No one had ever helped him out before, especially after they knew his name. People in his world seemed to be quick to judge, and because of his name, people seemed to judge him as some kind of monster to be avoided. That was why when he saw that bully throw Jun to the floor and kick Mari away, he felt this surge of anger.
However, should he had been angry enough to have killed the man? No. Hopefully, no one will have realized the man had been killed initially by that single blow Ranma had dealt him. The only person that got a real good look at what had happened was Jun and Mari, but that couldn't be helped. Whatever the case, he would have to talk to them tomorrow.
Ranma took off his clothes and jumped into the shower. He stood in front of the stream of cold water for a good ten minutes before he stepped out, taking a look at himself in the mirror again.
He smirked coldly as he looked at the image before him. "So, I'm a killer and yet I'm not," he commented. He knew it was better to have used powers to bring that man back to life. He didn't exactly know exactly how he was able to do it, yet for some reason, he knew it was within his ability. Actually, he doubted there was anything what was not within his ability.
He walked through his apartment stark naked, heading for his bedroom where he would put on something to wear. When he entered his room, he was surprised to see Mari and Jun there, their backs to him.
"Jeez, his computer isn't even out of its packaging," he heard Jun comment, "How the heck is he able to do so well in classes even without the use of a computer? I'll be mighty impressed if he actually does those physics derivation homework by hand,"
"Man, his room is so empty," Mari said, leaning forward over a table where there sat a single book, a book based on Greek mythology. She picked it up and handed to Jun, "Check it out, he seems to like Greek mythology,"
"What are you doing here?" Ranma asked.
Jun and Mari quickly turned around.
"Um, er," Jun stammered as she saw Ranma standing in the doorway of the bedroom totally naked. Mari quickly turned around, totally mortified.
"W-w-we're sorry to have barged in," Jun said taking a meek step back before bumping into the dresser drawer, "Y-your door was u-unlocked,"
Ranma walked forward toward Jun. He wanted his book back.
"W-what are you d-doing?" Jun stammered as she noticed the totally naked Ranma walking straight toward her. "That's mine," he said, reaching forward to take his book back.
Jun quickly handed the book back, her face beet-red, staring up at the ceiling to avoid accidentally seeing something she should not.
"I-I'm sorry," she said, "W-we'll leave. W-we didn't know y-you w-were undressed,"
She made a dash toward the door, absolutely regretting having come into the apartment. She thought it had been a good idea to enter even when she knew Ranma was inside despite him not answering the door. She figured the doorbell was broken since it wouldn't be all that surprising what with him living in such a run down place.
As she tried to head for the door, Jun accidentally tripped over her own two feet where she tumbled forward and crashed against Ranma's chest. Jun's momentum made Ranma lose his balance, causing him to fall backwards, Jun falling down on top of him.
Mari's already wide open eyes widened even more when she dared to turn around to see what the commotion was and saw Jun lying right on top of Ranma, her hands and the side of her face pressed against his bare chest.
Jun's mouth was agape as she tried to fathom what had just happened at the kind of predicament she was in. One second she was looking at the cover of a book Mari had handed her, the next she was realizing a totally naked Ranma was standing before her, and then the next she was lying right on top of him.
She had no idea what to do.
"Are you going to get off of me?" he asked when he noticed Jun not moving or doing anything of the sort for a full ten seconds.
Jun quickly got to her feet, totally flushed with embarrassment. She glanced in Mari's direction where she caught sight of her friend giving a forced smile. She knew Mari was basically silently thanking her lucky stars that it wasn't her that had tripped and stumbled into Ranma like that and fallen on top of him.
"I-I'm sorry," Jun stammered, not daring to turn around, knowing full well that Ranma was still naked behind her.
Ranma got to his feet and looked down at his book. It looked like it was okay and nothing bad had happened to it. As he stood there glancing down at the book, his thoughts immediately started to wander. For some reason unexplained, this all that transpired seemed strangely reminiscent, like it had happened before.
"Um, your f-front door was unlocked...and we figured your doorbell was b-
broken," Jun tried to answer.
"Glasses, I was holding glasses," he said to himself as he looked down at the book in his hands, recalling some past event.
"E-excuse me?" Jun asked.
Jun's voice seemed to snap Ranma out of his little reverie.
He glanced up. "Why're you here?" he said, walking over to the dresser drawer. He picked up pair of boxer and placed them on, figuring he should put some clothing on even though he doesn't care if he is naked or not. He figure it would help the two girls feel less embarrassed.
"Um, we were curious about back then...with that incident in front of the library and those bullies...a-about seeing you glowing," Jun said.
Mention of what had happened earlier made Ranma realize that he had been meaning to talk to them.
"About what had happened earlier..." he started off.
"Um, have you dressed yet?" Jun had to ask.
"Yeah," he answered.
Jun sighed in relief. She turned around to face him but quickly turned back around again.
"N-no you're not! You're not dressed!" she said, still blushing.
"Yes I am," he said. "W-what you're wearing doesn't count," she said, "Y-you're supposed to dress up more,"
Ranma walked over to his dresser draw and pulled out a pair of pants and put them on and asked, "Better?"
Jun turned around and noticed that Ranma was now clad in pants and gave a slight nod, "I guess,"
"About what had happened earlier..." he began again.
"Yeah, about that," Jun interrupted him, "How did you glow like you did back there?"
"It's none of your concern," he said coldly.
Jun was taken aback by that answer. She could not, nor probably ever will, get used to someone as emotionally cold as Ranma. Never in her life had she met someone like him. However, she wasn't going to stand idle and allow him to give her the cold shoulder.
"And just how do you expect me to ignore something like that?" she asked, "And I'll be damned if I'm just gonna expect nothing happened,"
Ranma said, "Well you and your friend're going to have to. Otherwise, I'll make you forget about it,"
Jun and Mari's eyes widened. They didn't like the sound of that one bit.
"I-is t-that some kinda t-threat?" she asked timidly, trying to sound undaunted by his tone of voice. Her heart was racing and she was actually scared.
Ranma gave her a curious look before saying, "A threat? If you'd like to consider it that then I guess it can be considered one,"
"Y-you wouldn't," Jun said, taking a step back.
"You're right, I won't," he said, "This is only because you attempted to help me out back there,"
Jun and Mari looked at one another. They didn't really know what to think or say. "Even though I am more than capable of taking care of myself, I guess it's the actually act of you two attempting to help out that matters, even though the both of you were of no help," he continued on coldly.
Jun narrowed her eyes toward him.
"Now you listen here, Ranma," she snapped, "I dunno what is wrong with you, but I think you need a serious attitude adjustment,"
Ranma was silent for several moments as he allowed that to sink in. Actually, it wasn't what Jun had suggested that made him stop to think but the way she had said his name. He noticed that she pronounced his name in annoyance rather than anger and disdain that he usually hears. "Are you listening to me?" she asked, her hands on her hips.
"Yeah, I heard you," he replied, with a wave of the hand, "Anyway, that is the way I am. Learn to deal with it or simply don't talk to me. It's that simple,"
"Jeez," Jun rolled her eyes.
"I'm going to tell you this," Ranma said, "I'll let the two of you go and give you the benefit of the doubt that you won't go telling anyone about what had happened with me resurrecting that guy,"
"Resurrecting?" Jun asked, catching that last bit, "What did you just say back there? What resurrecting?"
Ranma said, "Forget about it,"
"No, I heard what you said," Jun said. She turned toward Mari, "Didn't you hear what he said? He said 'resurrecting', as in bringing someone back to life,"
He said, "It was a slip of the tongue. Just forget you heard it,"
"And how do you expect us to do that?" Jun asked.
"Now that I think about it, I guess you're right," he said, "I guess I'll have to do it then,"
The color drained forward Jun's face as she recalled Ranma mentioning something of a threat previously, "D-do what?"
"It's nothing damaging," he said matter-of-factly, "I'm just going to alter you and your friend's memory,"
"W-w-what?" Mari and Jun shouted in unison.
The two girls looked at one another before they both broke out in laughter.
"Alter our memory, that's ludicrous," Mari commented, "And just how do you suppose you do that?"
Ranma wasn't at all fazed by that comment. However, he didn't really think before he spoke.
"Look, I can alter the flow of time if I wanted to," he said, "Something such as altering memory is an even easier task,"
Jun and Mari regarded Ranma intently. They started laughing again.
He said, "It doesn't matter if you believe me or not. I don't have to prove anything to the two of you. And at the moment, you know more than you need to know,"
"All right, but before you do so," Mari decided to humor him, "Can you tell us how you resurrected that guy back there?"
Ranma narrowed his eyes at Mari, "Don't try and humor me,"
"I'm sorry," Mari said, unable to hide a smile.
"Forget it," Ranma said.
He extended a hand forward and tapped a finger on her forehead.
"There," he said.
Mari blinked at Ranma, "Whatcha do that for?"
"Nothing," he said with a shrug.
Jun looked at her friend. She didn't know why, but she knew Ranma's touching of Mari's forehead had just altered her in someway.
"Um, Mari, do you know why we're here?" Jun asked. She figured if Mari's memory had been altered in some way, then she would not know why she was here since the two of them were there because they had seen something that would otherwise cause Ranma to do what he has done.
"Yeah, because you wanted to tell Ranma what the homework assignment was for your physics class since he wasn't there today and you wanted me to bring you," Mari said. She wondered why Jun would ask a question like that. What other reason could there be to her being there.
Jun's eyes widened as she noticed there was no hint of deceit in her friend's voice. Mari had truly believe what she had just said.
Suddenly, it dawned on her that Ranma had indeed somehow altered Mari's memory. Ranma had just invaded Mari's mind and altered something that should not had been altered.
Jun felt her blood boil upon realizing this. She turned toward Ranma and slapped Ranma.
"Put her memory back to the way it was!" Jun shouted at him.
Ranma was silent for several moments as he stood there, in a state of shock from realizing that he had just been slapped. The actual act of Jun slapping him had more of an impact rather than the open hand striking his face did.
"I told you, you and her have seem more than you should have," he began.
"I don't care! Put it back!" she shouted at him in anger, "You have no right playing God and messing around with people's memories! That's hers and hers alone!"
Ranma was taken aback by the comment. However, he quickly regained his composure. He sneered and reached a hand out, grabbing Jun by her throat and saying, "You fucking Angel! I should kill you right where you stand!"
"W-what the hell are you doing?" Mari shouted, reaching out and trying to free her friend from Ranma's grip.
Jun's eyes widened as she felt Ranma's grip around her throat. Although he wasn't squeezing, the thought of having Ranma's hand around her throat made her feel very vulnerable, a feeling she detested.
All of a sudden, Ranma quickly released his grip, as if he finally realized he was doing something incredibly wrong and that goes against everything he stood for, whatever it was.
The color drained from Ranma's face as he looked down at his hands.
"Get out," he said in a soft forced voice, "Get out now...both of you,"
"C'mon, let's get outta here!" Mari quickly said, grabbing Jun's arm and attempting to pull Jun toward the door.
Jun was unable to move, her knees weak.
Ranma held his head, falling to his knees in pain as flashes of near world destroying battles flashed through his memory, battles that he had never fought in before. "G-get out!" Ranma told the girls, "Get out now!"
Jun, her legs now working, quickly ran out of the room, Mari right behind.
They never looked back.
Mari and Jun exited the run down apartment complex and got into the car as fast as possible, Mari driving back home to their apartment in record time. After Mari had parked in the apartment parking lot and turned off the car, they sat quietly for several minutes before Mari had finally spoken up.
"W-what happened back there? Are you all right?" Mari finally asked.
"I-I'm fine, I think," Jun said softly. She was rubbing the area of her neck where she had felt Ranma's hand wrapped around. The sensation of Ranma's hand touching the sensitive skin around her neck lingered.
"What caused him to do that?" Mari asked, "And why did you slap him? What do you mean about him altering my memory?"
Jun turned toward her friend, "Tell me again, why were we there at Ranma's place?"
"I told you already," Mari said in all honesty, "You wanted to let Ranma know what the homework assignment was because he wasn't in class,"
"Do you remember what happened earlier? In front of the library, that is," Jun asked.
Mari gave Jun a weird look, "I still don't understand why you're asking me this. You were there with me,"
"Just humor me,"
"We saw Ranma at the library and these two bullies wanted Ranma to step outside, which he did," she said, "And when we went out, he was being attacked by a whole gang of people at the same time,"
"Yeah, go on," Jun said.
"Well, I don't really know why, but I guess they got tired of beating on Ranma so they all stopped and left," Mari said.
"Do you remember the two of us jumping on top of that one guy?" Jun asked. Mari nodded, "Yeah, you're right. I forgot about that. Ranma punched this guy out and that seemed to have caused everyone else to run away. After a minute or so, that guy that got knocked out eventually woke back up and ran away, too,"
"But the guy didn't 'eventually' wake up," Jun said, "Ranma woke him up,"
"No, that didn't happen. By then, Ranma had long ago ran away,"
"I'm telling you that's what happened," Jun said emphatically, "Ranma punched that guy out and it seemed to have scared everyone away because of it. A short while later, Ranma walked up to where that guy was lying and placed his hand on the guy's chest. All of a sudden, Ranma started glowing this weird bluish hue. A second later, the guy got up and ran away,"
"No, that didn't happen," Mari said, "Like I said, I was right there. None of that happened,"
"It did! Ranma somehow altered your memory so that you wouldn't remember it,"
"Speaking of altered memory-"
"That's what I'm getting at," Jun said, "Ranma somehow altered your memory so that you wouldn't remember exactly what had happened,"
Mari left out a breath, "Now how do you suppose he could have done that? No one can alter a person's memory, not without some sort of super-sophisticated gadgetry...and judging from what we saw in Ranma's apartment, he has none of it,"
"All he did was tap your forehead and that was it," Jun said.
Jun stopped to think for a moment.
All of a sudden her eyes widened, "Oh my god!"
"What?" Mari seemed surprised.
"Remember when we heard Ranma supposedly 'resurrecting' that guy?" Jun said, "That could explain why Ranma had glowed back there, because he had been busy resurrecting that guy,"
"Whoa, you lost me there," Mari said, "Do you hear what you're saying? You're making it sound as if Ranma is some kinda god or something,"
"It's just that I remember taking a glance at that guy Ranma had knocked out," Jun commented, "And frankly, that guy did not look like he would had ever gotten up from a blow like that. His entire face looked like it was caved-in. Considering how messed up the guy was, he definitely suffered more than something as simple as a broken nose. Even with a broken nose, he should never had been able to get up so easily and run away as if nothing had happened,"
"Man, you're talking gibberish," Mari commented, "The guy looked like all he was suffering was a swollen black eye,"
"That's your altered memory speaking," Jun said, "That's not what I saw, that's for sure,"
"This is crazy," Mari said, "Ranma is no god,"
"Maybe not, but he's definitely got some special powers and such," Jun said.
"Okay, believe what you may, but this all sounds unbelievable to me. Something like that isn't possible and I'm gonna leave it as that. However, one thing that really has me interested is what caused Ranma to snap like that,"
Jun said, "Yeah, what the heck happened there? Ranma's so...emotionless. And for him to all of a sudden snap like that..."
"I wonder why he called you and 'Angel'," Mari commented, scratching her head, "I specifically remember him calling you an f'ing 'Angel',"
"Yeah, I remember that," Jun said, "I wonder, too. What really scared me was that it truly looked like Ranma didn't recognize me,"
"Really? How so? What do you mean?" Mari asked curiously.
"Well, I took a good look at him and it looked like he didn't recognize who I was," Jun said, "However, when he did, he immediately let go,"
"Hmm, I wonder..." Mari said thoughtfully.
"What?"
"Well," Mari said, "Since you seem to have a really open mind and all, what with you believe Ranma is capable of resurrecting people and altering my memory, which I must add I don't believe was altered since I remember everything so clearly..."
"But he did alter it!" Jun shouted.
"Whatever," Mari said with a wave of the hand, "Anyway, what makes me wonder is if this 'Angel' bit has any connection with what happened on this world over a century ago,"
"A century ago?" Jun said, "Oh, you mean when these Angels attacked this world and we used had to use these things called 'Evangelions' to fend 'em off? I think that's how it goes. I'm not all that great with history,"
Mari gave a laughed, "Well, that's basically the concept. However, there's more to it. There's this kinda 'conspiracy theory' I remember reading about concerning that,"
"Oh?"
"Well, surely you heard about this guy that came to this world and tried to basically kill us all?" Mari said, "Yeah, the guy's name is Ranma. Well, from what I remember reading a while back, this guy Ranma was actually some kind of 'Angel-like' person who had emerged from one of the EVA units, I forget which one, and basically went about helping us out,"
"Okay, go on," Jun showed genuine interest.
"Well, the thing is is that this soon-to-be despised Ranma person was actually one of the main fighting force against the 'Angels'. However, the thing was that he had never been aware that he, too, was also an 'Angel'. Well, after all the 'Angels' were defeated, he supposedly left to some other world,"
Jun gave Mari a weird look.
"I know, just hear me out," Mari said, "I believe none of this. I'm just merely retelling what I can recall reading. Anyway, this Ranma guy left but eventually came back when his 'Angel' tendencies seemed to have finally surfaced and compelled him come back and actually carry out what he was originally supposed to do and that was to try and implement this thing called the 'Third Impact' if I recall correctly. However, he failed and that's that,"
"Man, that's some rather far-out theory," Jun said, "It kinda puts my 'Ranma is some kinda god' theory to shame,"
Mari laughed, "Come on, you don't believe this stuff do you? Everything you saw Ranma do could be explained. You could have been seeing what you wanted to see. The way I think of it is that because Ranma happens to have the same name as the notorious 'Ranma', you somehow subconsciously labeled him as some kinda super-powerful person because it, well, think of it, if he must be damn powerful to have caused this world take up arms in order to stop him," Jun thought about it for several long moments, "You really think so?"
Mari shrugged, "Believe what you want. I'm just saying that there are a lot of paranormal things that cane be explained scientifically,"
"Okay, what about Ranma glowing then?" Jun asked, "I know 'you' didn't see him glow, but I'm sure as heck I did,"
"It could have been the way the moonlight was reflecting off him," Mari shrugged, "Who knows. It was evening at the time, afterall,"
"What about him snapping at me like that?" Jun asked.
"Perhaps he finally snapped," Mari suggested, "Keep in mind that sometimes people snap all of a sudden. Like remember the time at that party we went to and this guy tried to hit on me and I simply blew up and told him to back off or I would have personally cut his penis off and handed it back to him so that he could go 'F' himself,"
Jun laughed aloud, "Yeah, I remember that. What made you do that? You were all happy and nice one day and then you just snapped and said that. I couldn't believe you said that,"
Mari shrugged, "I guess it was because three other guys had hit on me that day and I turned them down and when the fourth guy approached me, it was basically the straw that broke the camel's back,"
Jun said, "Well, I guess that could explain it. Hm, now that I think about it, perhaps Ranma was under a lot of stress from the earlier incident. I'm sure getting attacked by all those guys back there probably does that to a person. He must have been full of pent up anger from what had happened,"
"Exactly," Mari said, "Also, keep in mind we _did_ trespass into his home without his knowing, at least not until after he got out of the shower,"
"I guess,"
Mari smirked, "Speaking of which..."
"What?" Jun sighed, knowing full well what kind of subject Mari was going to move onto.
"Didja see that body of his?" Mari smirked, "His body definitely reflects how good of shape he is in. After seeing a body like that, I wouldn't be surprised if he broke a 'three-minute' miles,"
Jun gave a meek smile, "I guess so,"
"C'mon, don't tell me you didn't get a good look," Mari smirked.
Jun blushed, "No, I didn't,"
"Yeah right," the friend teased, "Then why are you blushing so much? I betcha it's because you're picturing what he looks like naked right now,"
"I-I am not!" Jun stammered, blushing even more red, "And why are you bringing this up? You have a boyfriend for god's sake!"
Mari smirked, "Hey, I may have a boyfriend, but that doesn't mean I can look around and go window shopping,"
Jun sighed.
Ranma looked up from his book and at the clock. It read exactly three in the morning. He was a bit surprised that he had been reading for so long. He had started reading that Greek mythology book at around eight forty.
Although he had been reading his book most of the time, he had been pretty preoccupied thinking about what had happened earlier. His thoughts kept lingering on how angry Jun seemed to have been toward him. She looked genuinely angry. It wasn't very becoming of her.
"What the hell am I thinking? What do I care if she's angry at me or not," Ranma commented tot himself, "Once I take care of altering her memory as well, she won't remember why she was angry at me in the first place,"
He thought for a bit longer, "But then again, I'll always be aware of her having been angry at me though..."
He let out an annoyed breath, "Bah. Who really cares whether or not I know about her being angry at me. It's all trivial,"
His thoughts moved onto something else as he looked down at the book. He recalled about that incident where Jun had stumbled forward and fallen on top of him. That scene seemed strangely familiar except it had something to do with a pair of glasses instead of a book. He didn't really know what to make of it.
"Is it some kind of vision?" he asked himself, "What the heck does it mean?"
He tried to picture the pair of glasses clearly, wondering if perhaps that pair of glasses might help him determine who or what he is. He had to keep an open mind and constantly look for signs. It might help him reach his ultimate goal, to find out who he was and who his parents were. All he had to go by was this one flashback he remembered having when he was young. It was of people trying to get to him yet constantly being pushed away by some force that seemed to emanate from his body. He didn't know how old he was, but he knew that he must have been just a baby then. He also vaguely remembered the face of an elderly woman holding him and him feeling this sense of comfort and being safe. Could that woman had been his mother?
"And what the hell happened to me back there?" he asked himself yet another question, "One second I remember Jun slapping me, and then the next it looked like I was g-going to kill her. What the hell made me do that?"
It was never Ranma's personality to do something like that. For the brief moment after he had been slapped, it felt as if his body moved on its own accord. Ranma sighed, "How am I to piece together a puzzle with pieces I don't even know that pertains to it?"
He got up off his seat and walked over to his bed, taking care to remove his clothes before ducking under the covers.
He had a lot to do tomorrow.
Jun felt her heart starting to beat rapidly as soon as she saw Ranma enter the classroom, her stomaching curling up in a knot. As Ranma entered the room, everyone seemed to stop talking as they watched him take his usual seat. Although no one in the room except for Jun had been in front of the library to witness the fight, word of it had spread like wildfire. Everyone knew that Ranma was constantly beaten up, but this was the first time they had heard of Ranma fighting back. They had heard that the guy was knocked out by a single punch.
"Is it true? Did you really knock that guy out with a single punch?" a male student approached Ranma. This was the first time anyone had ever approached him and spoken to him.
Ranma glanced up at the student and narrowed his eyes, "It's none of your business,"
The student gave a meek look as he said, "I'm sorry,"
He quickly went back to his seat and sat down, turning toward one of his friends, telling him that he had tried but failed in getting Ranma to answer the question.
Jun glanced at Ranma. Although she didn't know what he had said, she was pretty sure what it was. She had the funny feeling Ranma would say something like 'Mind your own business' or something of the like.
Her heart skipped a beat when Ranma looked up and made eye contact with her. His eyes were focused directly toward her and made her feel incredibly uncomfortable.
She quickly glanced away, turning her attention toward the front of the room, aware that Ranma continued to cast his piercing gaze at her back. She felt herself shiver, wondering what Ranma was thinking at that very moment.
The professor entered the classroom which made Jun sigh in relief. The awkward silence of the class would soon change as soon as the professor began teaching.
The class went about without incident. When class was finally over, everyone went about the rest of their day, several students staying behind hoping to ask Ranma about what they had heard.
"I heard you knocked this guy out," a young student approached Ranma. Although he had heard Ranma's reply to someone who tried talking to him earlier, he still wanted to try his luck.
Ranma continued to put his books away, ignoring the student's question.
"Well?" the student asked, awaiting an answer.
"It's none of your business," he replied coldly.
The student took a step back.
"What's wrong with you?" the student dared to say, "Jus' because you have a fucked up name doesn't mean you have the god given right to act like an asshole,"
Ranma glanced up at the kid, "What did you say?"
"You heard me," the student managed to say. Perhaps it was because his friends were nearby that made him feel more courageous than he was otherwise.
Ranma sneered, "Fuck off,"
The student took a step back and tripped over his own feet, falling onto his backside. Although he had felt courageous, something about Ranma's demeanor frightened the young man terribly.
Ranma walked passed the young boy and toward the door where he was a bit surprised to see Jun standing there. He managed to hide his surprise. Of all people, he figured Jun would be the last person he would ever see considering how he had almost snapped that night.
All of a sudden, something dawned on him.
"Um, about last night," Jun said nervously. She was more nervous than she had ever been in her life. However, she had to do this for Mari's sake.
"Yeah, about last night," he began. He had some unfinished business. He had never gotten a chance to make Jun forget about what she had saw that night, when he had seen him use his powers and glowing. "I want you to put Mari's memories back," she said firmly, or at least as firmly as she could.
Ranma was a bit surprised at what Jun had said, so much that he wasn't too sure he had heard her correctly.
"I said, I want you to put Mari's memories back," Jun said more firmly. She glanced up at Ranma, a bit intimidated by his size.
Jun was rather short compared to Ranma, the top of her head reach up to his chin. However, despite Ranma's size, Jun desperately fought back her instinct to flee.
Ranma narrowed his eyes toward Jun, "Now what makes you think I'm going to do that?"
"Because what you did isn't right," Jun stated, "You've no right messing with someone's mind. So whatever you did with Mari's memory, undo it,"
"No," he said coldly.
Jun gulped. She had this funny feeling he would say something like that. She held her position firmly, "No, that's not an option. You're going to return her memory back to the way it is,"
Ranma narrowed his eyes at her, contemplating just altering her memory now so they wouldn't be having this conversation.
Jun took a step back, "Don't you dare!"
He said nothing. He was actually rather amused at Jun's spunk. She figured she would be scared of him if anything.
"Look, I don't know what you did to Mari and her memory," Jun said when she noticed Ranma awaiting her to say something, "But it isn't right what you did. How would you feel if someone did that to you?"
"I won't allow them," he said flatly, "However, you nor Mari are me so the point is moot,"
"I can't believe you're using that as an excuse," she said angrily. She found tears starting to come to her eyes, "I want you to fix Mari, I want you to put her memory back to normal,"
Ranma regarded Jun intently. For some odd reason, when he noticed Jun nearing the brink of tears, he felt bad. He didn't know why though. Something deep within him made him want to do whatever he could to make her tears stop.
"Fine, if it really bothers you that much, I'll return her memory," Ranma said without thinking. When he realized what he had said, it was too late. Jun seemed absolutely thrilled, "Oh thank you!"
Ranma opened to say that he hadn't meant to say that but when he noticed how happy she looked he figured maybe it wasn't all that bad to return Mari's memory. Worst case scenario, he would have to alter Mari and Jun's memory sometime down the road if need be.
"Hmph," Ranma let out an annoyed breath. He didn't even know why he had said that. He could care less what she thought about him. However, it did effect him a bit when he noticed her looking rather sad like that. "Thank you!" Jun said again. In a fit of happiness, she had forgotten who she was talking to, about the incident the other day and how he looked like he had been actually intent of killing her, as she leaped forward and gave Ranma a hug.
The embrace lasted a fraction of a section for Ranma quickly broke the embrace and took a cautious step back. "Sorry," Jun gave a meek smile, "I guess I kinda got caught up in the moment,"
"Um, don't worry about it," he said, a bit surprised at himself. It was merely a friendly hug yet it seemed to have shaken him up quite a bit. Perhaps it was the combination of that faint smell of Jun's shampoo coupled with the warmth of her body that had caused it.
Ranma composed himself and said, "I'm only doing this because I'm gonna give you and Mari the benefit of the doubt. If I hear about you mentioning about what you saw that night after everyone had run away, I'm going to change your memories whether you like it or not,"
Jun held up her hands and said in a cheery voice, "Don't worry about it. I promise I won't tell anyone and I promise Mari won't either. It'll be our secret,"
Ranma narrowed his eyes at her. After a moment, he figured there was no reason for Jun to be lying and believed her, "All right, fine then,"
Jun smiled warmly as she gave him a playful punch, "You know what?"
"What?" he looked down at his arm where she had giving him that playful punch.
"You're not all that bad,"
"Hmph,"
Jun noticed Ranma eating by himself under a tree. Although she constantly saw him eating there, she felt obligated to approach him to thank him for listening to her and putting Mari's memory back to normal.
She took a deep breath, steeling herself and walked up to Ranma.
"Hey, Ranma," she greeted up.
Ranma peered up from his box lunch. He already knew who it was without even needing to look. Jun seemed to be the only person he had ever come across that didn't seem to have probably actually calling him by his name.
"Hey," he replied. Jun regarded Ranma's lunch. It looked like he had bought it at some local convenience store rather than made by hand, like her lunches usually were. She wondered if this was the kind of lunch Ranma ate all the time. "Um, whatcha eating?" she asked, hoping to make conversation.
"Nothing interesting," came his reply.
"Care if I sit next to ya?" she dared to ask.
Ranma stopped his eating to look at her oddly. After a moment, he shrugged, "I don't care,"
Jun sat down next to him. "So, what do you plan on doing after finals?" she asked, "I only have two more final to take and then that's it. How about you?"
"Why do you bother talking to me?" he asked, "I've already returned your friend's memory back to normal so there's no reason for you to associate with me anymore,"
Jun let out an annoyed breath, "Jeez, what's wrong with you? I was just chatting. Is it such a crime?"
Taken aback by the retort, he said, "Sorry. I guess it's because I'm not used to people just trying to chat with me,"
From out of nowhere, a small stray dog wandered by where they sat. Ranma noticed the dog. Jun watched as Ranma looked down at his lunch, then at the dog, and then back down at his lunch again. She smiled as she silently knew what he was contemplating.
She was pleasantly surprised when she saw Ranma place his lunch on the ground in front of him. He said to the dog, "Here, you can have my entire lunch," The dog perked its ears. Although it looked like it had a hard life living on the streets and seemed to be very distrustful of anything or anyone, the dog seemed to show no signs of distrust of Ranma. It acted like a little puppy as it quickly ran forward and dug into Ranma's lunch.
Jun and Ranma watched as the dog quickly devoured Ranma's lunch. Ranma held his hand out to which the dog walked forward and sniffed. After a moment, it started licking his hand. Ranma then proceeded to scratched the dog behind its ears.
"The dog seems to be enjoying it," Jun commented warmly.
He said, "All right, you go now,"
The dog, as if understanding Ranma's words, headed off in a random direction.
"That was awfully nice of you to give the dog your lunch," she commented.
"I was wrong about you," she smiled, "There's a lot more to you than what I thought initially,"
"Initially?"
"Well, yeah," she said, "From what I gathered from my first encounter with you, I really thought you were a jerk,"
Ranma showed some mild interest, "And now?"
"Well, it seems like you're not all that much a jerk," she gave a smirk, to indicate that Ranma should not take the comment personal, which he didn't. Noticing a slight air of awkward silence, she quickly asked, "So, like I asked earlier, what do you plan on doing once finals are over?"
"I'm gonna continue searching out who my parents are," he replied. He stopped to think for a moment before saying, "You know what? I don't even know why I'm telling you this," "Search for your parents?" she asked. She was very surprised Ranma had just divulge what was probably some rather personal information about. This was quite a change from the usual cold and enigmatic version of him she thought she knew.
"Forget it," he said, reverting back to his shell, "It doesn't concern you,"
"C'mon, tellme more, if you don't mind that is," she showed genuine interest. She grew up in a large household with loving parents and knew no one that didn't know who their parents were. Ranma glanced at her, contemplating whether to continue or not. "So you do know who your parents are?" Jun asked, figuring if she continued asking, perhaps Ranma would open up a bit more because he was rather interesting provided he spoke.
"Not my real parents," he said, "My foster parents died a while ago. I've been on my own since,"
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that,"
"Since there's stuff about me even I don't understand, I figure perhaps if I find them, it'll help explain a lot of things," he said.
"Stuff you don't understand? Like what?"
"There're a ton of stuff I would like to find out," he said, "Like why I have two different eye colors. Could I have the same eye color as my both parents? Stuff like that,"
Jun dared to ask, having been very curious about this herself, "Or perhaps know about what you did to that guy that day?"
Ranma narrowed his eyes, "Y'see? This is why I wanted it forgotten, so I won't have to answer questions like these,"
"I'm sorry, I won't pry if you don't want me to," she said with a meek smile, "I was merely curious, that's all,"
"That's the whole reason why I'm trying to find my parents or at least find out who they are," he said, "Perhaps they'll help explain a lot of things. I'm curious as to what my limitations are because, frankly, I don't think I'm limited to anything,"
"What do you mean?"
"Man, I don't even know why I'm telling you this," he said.
"C'mon, I swear I won't tell anyone," she said, holding her right hand up. Her heart beating rapidly. This was rather exciting. She knew full well that she had somehow gotten Ranma to reveal a bit about himself.
Ranma took a moment before he said, "Well, if you really want to know, I guess I don't see any harm in doing so. Anyway, if you're inquiring about my powers, I think I can basically do anything. But I'm not going to get into specifics on that subject,"
"Like what?" she asked curiously.
"Like I said before, I'm not going to get into specifics about it," he said.
"If you're really interested in that stuff, why not go visit the museum down in Tokyo?" Jun commented. She had spotted Ranma in the library and had approached him from behind. She had peered over Ranma's shoulder as he read a history book pertaining to a war that had taken place around a century ago between humans and Angels. Ranma looked up from his book and said, "Museum?"
Jun nodded, "Yeah. There's a museum located in the heart of Tokyo. It contains artifacts from that era. I don't know much about that since the extent of my knowledge comes from what I have read in text books. However, I do remember visiting that museum on a school field trip when I was in middle school. Didn't you visit there? I figure at some point in time you should have gone there on your own field trip. It's kinda like how basically every student at one point in their education had read a Shakespeare novel,"
Ranma said, "I guess I'm an exception,"
"Well, if you're interested in knowing more about what you're reading," she pointed out, "Then visiting the museum would probably help out a lot. I think they have tour guides and from what I remember, what with my having been there so long ago, they're actually really informative,"
Ranma looked down at the book, "I guess I'll go visit there then,"
"So, what's with the sudden interest in something that happened so long ago?" Jun questioned.
Ranma turned his attention back on to his book, "I've always been interested in history. Besides, considering my name and what I've had to deal with as I grew up, at some point it was inevitable that I was going to seek out information about my namesake,"
"Oh," Jun said quietly.
"I guess I'll go check that museum you mentioned sometime tomorrow," he said.
"Do you know where it is?"
Ranma shook his head, "No, but I don't think I'll have any problems finding it,"
"If you want, I can show you the where it is," Jun offered.
"I don't need your help," he replied without glancing up from his book. When he noticed Jun winced, he added, "I'm sure I can handle it myself,"
Jun said, "Well, it wouldn't be a problem for me because I'm actually heading down toward Tokyo. I've got some relatives living there that I'm going to visit for a few days before heading on home up in Hokkaido,"
"And how does that pertain to me?" Ranma asked bluntly.
Jun shook her head, "Not one to use tact, huh? Well, since I'm heading toward Tokyo, you and I can head there together. You can...um, I mean we can keep each other company,"
Ranma shrugged, "I guess so. I don't see a problem in that,"
Jun's eyes seemed to brighten, "Really? That's great,"
"When do you intend to leave?" he asked.
"Well, when is your last final?" she asked instead.
"My last one is at ten," he replied, "That means I'll probably be done by around eleven or so,"
Jun smiled, "That's good to hear. That means we'll have plenty of time to catch the bus headed toward Tokyo. There's one that leaves at four thirty,"
"Fine,"
"Where do you want to meet?" she asked, "We can meet here at, say, three? That way, perhaps we can grab a quick bite to eat before heading on over to the bus terminal,"
Ranma shrugged, "Okay. That's fine by me,"
Jun smiled happily, "All right. Well, I guess I'll get going now. I've still go some things to pack,"
Jun had originally planned to leave at ten, which was when the first bus was expected to leave, since she was going to be done with her own finals by nine, but waiting until three thirty seemed the better choice since she would have some company on a later bus ride. Even if it was Ranma for company, it was better having someone like him around to talk to than no one at all.
Jun met up with Ranma at the designated place. She had arrived at the library a few minutes late but had immediately noticed Ranma as he waited by the front entrance. She was carrying a rather large suitcase and a duffle bag in tow. Actually she was carrying the duffle bag and pulling the suitcase since the suitcase was equipped with tiny wheels.
"Sorry I'm late," Jun said a bit breathlessly, "I didn't anticipate having to stop so frequently to catch my breath,"
She jerked a thumb toward suitcase and duffle bag that she had just put down.
"I guess I packed a bit more than I should have," she commented.
Ranma didn't show any interest in knowing what was in the suitcase or duffle bag. He seemed to be preoccupied reading the same book he had been reading the other day.
"So, you excited about this road trip?" she asked for conversational sake.
Ranma shook his head, "No. I'm more curious as to what I'll find out than excited,"
"Well, I'm excited," she said with a gleaming smile, "I'm looking forward to seeing my relatives and family again. I haven't seen them in ages,"
"It must be nice having family," Ranma commented, glancing up from his book to regard Jun.
Jun gave a meek smile and said, "Sorry. I guess I forgot who I was talking to,"
Ranma walked over to where the suitcase was, "I suppose you want me to carry it, huh?"
"If you don't mind," Jun gave an innocent grin.
Ranma let out a breath. He couldn't help but smirk. He knew Jun was taking full advantage her being a girl and him, being a guy and all, basically being obligated to help her out.
He picked up the suitcase with no effort. "All right, where should we go eat?" he asked.
"Um, isn't that heavy?" she had to ask. She was rather athletic and could lift heavy things if she had to and she knew that that suitcase was even heavy by a man's standard. Heck, she had trouble pulling the blasted thing on wheels.
Ranma looked at the suitcase before shaking his head and honestly saying, "If it is, I wouldn't know,"
"Huh? What do you mean?" she didn't understand.
"I never lifted anything that was deemed 'heavy' before," he replied flatly.
"What, how much can you lift?" she asked curiously. She assumed Ranma was a lot stronger than he let on. Although Ranma didn't have the build of some muscle-bound bodybuilder, she wouldn't be all that surprised if he could lift more than his fair share of weight. She remember seeing this really burly football jock bench pressing a little over four hundred at the campus gym where she did her aerobics with Mari from time to time, and that man was definitely considered extremely strong.
Ranma scratched his head, "How much can I lift? I don't really know. I've never really tested myself,"
"How much do you think you can lift?" she asked.
He shrugged, "I'm not too sure. I don't think there's even a possible way to gauge how strong I am,"
Jun giggled as she said sarcastically, "My, aren't we being modest?"
"I don't care if you believe me or not," Ranma showed no signs of annoyance.
"C'mon, for real, how much?"
"Does it really matter how much I can lift?"
"I'm just curious, that's all," she smiled innocently.
Ranma said, "And like I said before, I don't think there's a possible way of gauging how strong I am. However, if I were to 'assume' on how strong I am and how much I can lift, then I guess it'd basically be something that weighs infinite pounds,"
Jun shrugged, not believing him one bit, "Okay. If you say so,"
"So, where would you like to eat?" he asked, realizing this conversation was getting nowhere and deciding to change the subject.
"How about we head eat somewhere off-campus?" she replied, "Perhaps at a diner or something? We've got plenty of time to sit down somewhere and enjoy a meal,"
She headed in the direction where several diners were located just a short distance off-campus.
"All right," he followed behind her.
"So, what do you intend to do once you get to the museum?" Jun asked from out of the blue as she looked down at her meal. It was a large salad that not only looked very bland but tasted every bit as bland, too. Ranma had ordered a large steak. It looked more like a full course dinner rather than a quick bite to eat.
"I guess I'll just look around and see what I can learn," he said, "I'm interested in knowing all that I can of the 'Angel Wars',"
"Why're you so interested in that era?"
"I'm interested in knowing more about that guy named Ranma," he said, "Since my name seemed to be derived from him, I figure it'd be nice to know more about it and where it seemed to have come from. It's merely curiosity on my part. That's all,"
"So, in a way, it's your hobby?"
Ranma thought about it for a moment before saying, "I guess so. I basically read whatever I can of the 'Angel Wars' and anything pertaining to it,"
"Oh, I guess that is why I saw that Greek Mythology book in your room," she said. When she recalled the image of her in Ranma's room looking at the book, and image of a totally stark naked Ranma standing before her entered her mind.
She blushed beet red.
Ranma noticed this but said nothing of it. He said, "Yeah, I had borrowed that Greek Mythology book from the library to see if it had anything to do with how the 'Angel Wars' had come about. I figure perhaps that Angel named Ranma might be mentioned in it, but it didn't seem to help. There was no mention of him,"
"From what I hear, it seems you're most interested in not the 'Angel Wars' but the more in that Ranma person instead," Jun commented, taking a bite of her salad.
Ranma nodded, "Yeah. I've read a lot about this Ranma guy, but most of it is rather obscure. The only thing rather informative I've found was this book that considered all that we know about the 'Angel Wars' was some kind of conspiracy, that the guy Ranma was actually an Angel or something like that. Of course, all of this is speculation so I don't really know what to believe,"
"So what do you plan on doing?"
"Truthfully? I'm tempted to go back and visit that time to see for myself what happened," he muttered to himself.
"Huh?" "Nevermind," he shrugged, leaning back in his seat.
Jun played around with her salad. She didn't like the taste and didn't really want to eat anymore. She hated eating right.
"Don't you like your salad?" he asked. It actually seemed like he was interested in her reaction toward the salad. This seemed to be the first time he ever indicated any interest in anything at all.
Jun said, "No, it tastes kind of bad. Sometimes, I wish I could just indulge myself and eat some good tasting food for a change,"
Ranma seemed a bit confused, "So why don't you?"
"Unlike some people, I don't have a fast metabolism," she said, "If I constantly indulge myself, I'll get fat,"
Ranma bit into his steak, "I don't see the reason. You look fine,"
Jun blushed a bit, "Um, thanks. I guess it's easy for you to stay in shape since you seem to jog to class every day. Me, I don't have the stamina to do so. Um, actually, I think it's more along the lines of me not having the willpower to do so. I used to jog, but it only lasted for a whole month before I started dreading it. Don't you ever get tired of it?"
He continued to eat as he shook his head, "No. To me, it's every bit as easy as eating this here steak. I guess it's because I don't get tired,"
"C'mon, everyone gets tired," she commented skeptically, "You probably have a very high endurance threshold,"
Ranma shook his head, "No, what I said is true. I don't get tired. There's a lot of things that don't seem to happen to me and I don't really understand why not,"
"Like what?" she asked, humoring him. She didn't believe him. She figured he was merely being modest. That was one thing about him that she liked. "Nothing in general," he replied, "It's obvious that you don't believe me. I don't even need to prove anything,"
Jun gave a meek smile, "I'm sorry, was it that obvious? It's just that I find it rather hard to believe that you don't get tired,"
"It doesn't matter if you believe me or not," he shrugged, "I guess it's better that you not know what I am capable of so you won't expect anything of me,"
Ranma looked at the clock, "We better hurry up and finish. We've only got a short time left,"
"All right,"
Ranma and Jun arrived at the bus terminal just in time to buy themselves a ticket and board the bus. They both boarded the bus, Ranma putting Jun's belongs in the baggage compartment by the belly of the bus.
Ranma was the first to be seat, choosing a random seat on the crowded bus, never bothering to take Jun's seat into consideration. Jun caste a glance at the seat next to Ranma. It was being occupied by a burly man. The man had a tattoo on each forearm and biceps the size of Ranma's head. The man looked rather mean, as if he was some kind of biker-type person. He looked to weigh five hundred pounds but his frame carried the weigh real well. As to why he was on the bus in the first place was unknown. The seat across the walkway was also occupied by a young boy. There were two open seats three row behind Ranma's seat.
"What?" Ranma asked, noticing Jun looking his way.
She gesture to the two open seat not far behind his, "Wouldn't you want to sit there instead?"
"No, I'm fine where I am," he said.
"Um, the whole premise behind our trip together is so we would keep each other company," she said, "If you sit here and I sit over there, then what's the use of our going to Tokyo together or separately?"
"Oh," Ranma realized, "I guess you're right,"
Jun smiled a bit. She knew it really looked like she was seeking Ranma's attention but she was merely interested in his company. She would much rather be seated next to someone she knew than not.
Ranma turned his attention toward mean-looking man right next to him.
"Move," he told the guy.
"What didja say?" the man narrowed his eyes.
"I said move," Ranma said coldly, "There's an open seat a few rows behind mine. Go sit there,"
The man caste Ranma a rather nasty glance before smirking. He then burst out laughing.
"You've got spunk, boy," the man said, "I like that. For that, I'll move,"
Jun quickly moved aside and stared as the burly man actually did as Ranma had told him. With her mouth agape, she looked down toward Ranma as he seemed to make himself comfortable in his seat.
"What? I made him move," he said, "The seat next to me is now open,"
Jun stammered as she hastily look her seat next to him, "I-I didn't expect you make the guy move. I figured we could have sat where he is seated now,"
Ranma proceeded to get up, "Fine, I'll go tell him to move-"
"No, forget about it," Jun grabbed onto Ranma's arm, preventing him from doing what he had said he was going to do. He caste her a glance before he sat down in his seat.
"Man, I can't believe you just outright told the guy to move," she commented, "You didn't need to do that. Weren't you scared of getting into a fight with him?"
Ranma shook his head, "Of that guy? No, why?"
"Um, nevermind," she gave a nervous smile.
He shrugged before casting his glance out the window as the bus started to move.
Jun gave Ranma and odd look before she finally decided it was best not to strain her brain on figuring what made Ranma tick. It was just that she found it odd how Ranma could be passive one minute, like during the time he had been jumped by all those bullies that day, and then cold the very next. Ranma's personality was very hard to understand.
Ranma caste Jun a glance. It was about an two hours into the trip and Jun was fast asleep. What he found a bit odd and a bit awkward was that shortly after she fell asleep, she had somehow unconsciously leaned over and came to soon rest her head on Ranma's shoulder.
She had been sleeping with her head against his shoulder for close to an hour now. He had contemplated waking Jun up to tell her to sleep in a different position, preferably not using him as her personal pillow but he had never found himself able to do so. She looked at peace sleeping like that so he figured he would let her rest.
When the bus finally arrived at its destination, the Tokyo bus terminal, Jun still slept.
"Wake up," Jun was awoken by Ranma's voice.
"How long was I asleep?" she asked, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.
"The whole trip," he replied.
"The whole trip?" Jun said sleepily, "It felt like I only nodded off for a minute or so,"
She seemed to snap wide awake when she realized that she seemed to be leaning against Ranma. She quickly sat upright, a blush on her cheeks, "D-did I sleep up against you the whole time?"
"Yeah,"
"I-I'm sorry," she stammered, "I didn't mean to,"
He shrugged, "It's okay. I didn't mind,"
They both got up out of their seat and proceeded toward the exit. Once outside, Jun stretched and then smiled when she looked up and noticed several familiar buildings.
"Ah, Tokyo, I haven't been here in what felt like ages," she smiled warmly, "It's nice to be back,"
Ranma grabbed Jun's belonging from the baggage compartment. Jun smiled. That was rather nice of him.
"Okay, where is this museum you mentioned?" he asked.
She pointed toward an intersection just a short distance away, "You see that intersection? Just take that road straight ahead about five miles. The building is on your left. Don't worry, you won't miss it. It's gigantic. It's about the size of a stadium. I guess it needs to be to house those giant EVA robots,"
Ranma glanced at the intersection, "All right. Well, I guess I'll be going now. Have a nice vacation,"
He began heading in the direction she had pointed out.
"Ranma," Jun called out to him.
"Um, do you necessarily have to go to the museum right away?" she asked, somewhat nervous, "I mean, it's only seven. It won't close until ten and the next bus back to your home leaves at midnight,"
"What else is there to do?" he asked innocently.
"Dontcha wanna grab one last bite to eat before he part ways?" she asked. Sure, they had only eaten around four hours ago and she wasn't all that hungry, but she figured it'd be nice to have one last meal together. He wasn't all that bad of company, afterall.
Ranma said, "I guess so, if you want,"
Jun smiled, "All right. That's good to hear. I know of this really good restaurant nearby that I go to whenever I visit Tokyo. We can go there,"
"Okay,"
Ranma and Jun were at a rather fancy restaurant. Jun believed that the food, although a bit expensive, was well worth the money. She had wanted to eat her so badly that she had offered to pitch in for Ranma's meal if he found himself short on cash when the bill came. Of course, he declined her offer.
Ranma glanced down at his steak and smirked. "What? What's so funny?" Jun noticed Ranma smirking.
"I find it rather ironic that I'm eating yet I don't seem to get hungry," he commented, Jun gave Ranma an odd look, "What the heck are ya talking about? Don't get hungry? Everyone gets hungry. You're probably not hungry because you've eaten that big steak only around four hours ago,"
Ranma shrugged as he bit into his steak, not wanting to argue, said, "Okay, if you say so," Perhaps she was right. Ranma had never really gone much longer than a week without eating before. Perhaps he needed to go much longer before he would start feeling hungry.
Ranma finished his steak in no time. Jun didn't eat much of her salad.
"If you don't like your salad, then why bother getting it?" Ranma found himself asking when he noticed Jun playing with her food like she did earlier.
"Man, why can't food be healthy and taste good at the same time? Is that such a hard combination to make?" Jun commented a bit sullenly, "It's like one aspect has to be sacrificed in order to satisfy the other,"
Ranma shrugged, "Perhaps it's one of life's little mysteries,"
Jun smiled in Ranma's direction. A moment later, she giggled.
"I do believe that was a joke you just said," she gave a slight laugh.
He snorted coldly, "Well, it wasn't meant as a joke,"
She sombered fairly quickly from that comment but the smirk never really left her lips. She nibbled on her salad a bit more before she finally decided that she was done. She sighed aloud.
Ranma didn't acknowledge it.
She sighed again.
"What?" he asked, "It's clear that you want to say something so what is it?"
A bit taken aback by Ranma's response, she quickly averted her gaze away from Ranma's visage and down toward her salad. All she had wanted was Ranma to merely act a bit more curious as to what was bothering her, which had indeed been her salad.
"What is it?" he asked impatiently, "Is it because of the salad?"
Jun glanced up, a bit surprised, "Well, yeah," Although in a rather tactless way, Ranma seemed to have actually noticed which was what surprised her. There was this strange quality to Ranma she found rather appealing and annoying at the same time. She couldn't quite put a finger on what this appealing quality was. At least not yet.
Ranma took a sip of his drink, "Well, if you don't like your salad so much, then don't eat it. It's that simple,"
"I know," she replied, "But I can't help it. I guess because I'm always worrying about my weight, I find myself constantly eating rather bland yet healthy food,"
Ranma shrugged, "I don't see the reason why. You look fine,"
"Y-you really t-think so?" she cast him a hopeful glance. He continued to drink, "I guess so,"
"T-thanks," she smiled warmly, blushing slightly. Jun knew she was indeed a very attractive and has a really nice figure but she found the compliment rather endearing even though she is constantly complimented by guys. Perhaps this was the first time there seemed to be no other motive for such a comment, unlike most guys.
Ranma noticed Jun regarding him.
"What?" he asked coldly.
Jun smiled, "Oh nothing,"
He shrugged, "Okay,"
She frowned slightly. This was one of Ranma's annoying qualities. He seemed very indifferent to everything. He never seemed to show any form of curiosity or any emotion for that matter. From time to time, she seen him a bit surprised but nothing much more. Heck, aside from a cursory smirk, she had never even seen him smile.
"So, w-what do you plan on doing after visiting the museum?" she asked from out of the blue. She was very surprised with herself. She was always comfortable talking to guys and basically saying anything on her mind or even asking rather personally questions but she found herself actually nervous asking questions toward Ranma. It only took a moment before she realized why it was like this. She seemed to be nervous as to how Ranma would respond.
Ranma continued to finish up his drink, this silence almost deafening as Jun anxiously wondered if he had heard her correctly or found her annoying for being so nosy.
"Well?" she asked.
"What else? I'm going back home," he replied matter-of-factly, "There's no reason for me to stay any longer afterwards and I have no intention of staying,"
"What's so fun about going right back home afterwards?" she asked, "You're on break. You don't have to worry about next semester's classes for a few weeks. Why not enjoy your time off?"
Ranma gave her an odd look, "Enjoy my time?"
"Well, while you're here, why not visit the sites?" she suggested, "There's a lot of sights to look at and places to visit around here in Tokyo. And how do you know that there might not be some more interesting stuff her to see. Keep in mind that the museum isn't the only thing to check out that might help you know more about the 'Angel War'. There's also 'Nerv Headquarters' where all the counterstrikes operations took place," She smiled a bit. She had always wanted to visit 'Nerv Headquarters' and see what kind of place it was.
"What do you have in mind?" he asked.
"Well, perhaps we can actually visit it together," she asked a bit nervously. Although it was a bit awkward for her, Ranma wasn't all that bad of company. It felt weird suggesting this. It was as if, in a way, she were asking him out.
Ranma shook his head, "No,"
Jun was surprised by the reply. She figured he was like most guys and would probably jump at the chance. Most guys would be perfectly happy just talking to her, let alone spending the day touring Tokyo with her.
"N-no? Why not?" she asked. Her visage sombered when she realized what was wrong with her. She assumed too much. Ranma was unlike any guy she had ever met yet she seemed to constantly assumed he would react like the usual guy.
"I didn't bring any extra clothes," he said.
"Is that all?" she smiled, a bit relieved, "That's no problem. Keep in mind I'm visiting some relatives. I have a cousin who is your size. I'll just get him to lend you some of his clothes. Problem solved,"
Ranma shook his head, "Forget it,"
Ranma picked up the check and looked at the total.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out some cash and placed it on the table. "There, that'll cover the meal as well as the tip," he said. He turned toward her, "I'll buy my own clothes,"
Jun smile, "Oh,"
For a minute, she thought he had said no, as if he didn't want to go visit the place with her. Waitaminute, she was still unsure as to whether or not he was going to go visit 'Nerv Headquarters'.
"Um," she began.
Ranma walked off. Jun watched him intently, a not really knowing what to do. Not only did she not know whether he was going to visit 'Nerv Headquarters', but she didn't even know where he was headed right now. She glanced down at the pile of money. There was more than enough money to pay for her both of their meals but she wasn't sure if all that extra money was for a tip instead of her meal. She figured it was for only Ranma's share and quickly picked in her portion of the meal as well as tip.
She glanced at the huge wad of cash on the table, "Man, the tip come out more than the meals combined,"
She glanced over her shoulder toward the door and was shocked to see Ranma was gone. At that moment, she realized that it seems like Ranma hadn't taken her up on her offer to visit the place together since he had just left, and without saying goodbye for that matter.
"Jeez," she muttered.
"Something the matter?" came a male voice.
Jun didn't even need to turn around to know that it wasn't Ranma's voice. "Um, I'm fine," she said, casting the guy a slight smile, "Thanks anyway,"
She regarded the guy for a moment. He looked to be in his early twenties. He had a bit of stubble on his face and his hair was a bit unkempt. He was pretty handsome and probably knew that. That was probably why he seemed confident in approaching someone like Jun.
"Hi, I'm Akira," the man said.
"I'm Jun," she gave him a quick reply. "Say, are you doing anything tonight?" the guy asked, "I was wondering if you would like to hit a movie or not,"
Jun smirked a bit. This guy was more forward than the usual playboy she had to deal with. "I'm sorry, but I'm not interested," she said. She realized the perfect way to kill two birds with one stone, "Um, did you happen to see which way my friend of mine went?"
"What's she look like?" he asked.
"He is about your height, with black hair," she said, making sure he had her her indicate that it was a 'he' not a 'she', "He has two different eye colors. It's quite hard to miss,"
"Um, sorry, but I can't say I have," the man said, "Is he your boyfriend or something?"
Jun had contemplated saying yes just to get the man to leave her alone but she didn't like to lie. She said, "No, he's a friend,"
"Is that so?" the man smiled. She felt like rolling her eyes. Sometimes she wished she didn't have to deal with guys approaching her so much. It wasn't as bad when she was at school since she was usually with a group of female friends and men seemed to be more intimidated approaching her when she is with friends than alone.
As she was about to tell the man a line she had used more often than not, she caught sight of Ranma approaching them from right over the man's right shoulder. He was wiping his hands. "Oh, t-there he is," Jun said, a bit surprised at the sense of relief she was feeling. However, the feeling quickly changed as she realized Ranma was going to see that man trying to hit on her. "Oh, okay. Um, I guess I'll leave you alone then," the man said, realizing that it was best to call it quits. As the man walked past Ranma, they seemed to make eye contact, the man made a cursory nod, Ranma doing nothing in return.
Jun smiled a bit. She knew what that nod meant. It was some silent acknowledge from the man to Ranma saying that he will leave Ranma alone and not move in on his 'territory'.
"W-where did you go?" she asked him.
Ranma glanced at her with an almost annoyed look on his face.
Was he angry that the guy was hitting on me, Jun thought.
"I don't see a reason to justify where I went," Ranma replied coldly, "However, if you really want to know, I went to the washroom to wash my hands,"
"Well, why didn't you say so?" she said, "I thought you left,"
"Fine, the next time I go to the bathroom, I'll make sure you know," he muttered.
Jun smiled a bit as she continued to regard him. It was odd but she was actually happy to hear him reply in his usual tactless and cold voice. It was actually nice to know that Ranma wasn't out to impress her, not like most guys. Ranma narrowed his eyes, making her realized she had been staring at him longer than she was supposed to.
"Um, I was just wondering if you would like to perhaps see a movie tonight? Ya wanna go see a movie?" she asked. She didn't know what compelled her to say so. It was a bit weird. Obviously, Ranma was not like the usual guys that tend to hit on her and she wondered how he would react.
"No," came a flat reply.
"Oh," she blushed a bit. For some reason, she figured he was going to say that but it was, in a way, a bit disappointing too and she didn't really know why. Knowing that Ranma is not one to keep a conversation going, she said, "Um, you never got back to me on our trip to 'Nerv Headquarters'," Ranma said, "Like I said before. I have to go buy some clothes first,"
"S-so you're going?" Jun asked. She wanted to make sure.
Ranma shrugged, "If you don't want to go, I'm perfectly fine going by myself,"
"Oh no, it's not that," Jun quickly said, a bit embarrassed, "I-it's just I didn't know if you were going or not,"
Ranma said, "Well, now you know. I'm going. I'll go there tomorrow,"
"Okay, that's good to hear," she felt relieved.
"I'll meet you there tomorrow at noon," he said. He turned around to leave and Jun noticed this.
"Um, are you going to the museum now?" she asked.
"Yeah," he said.
"Would you like me to accompany you?" she asked.
He shrugged, "It doesn't matter to me,"
She didn't like his answer. She wanted to know if it was a yes or no, like if he had been going to 'Nerv Headquarters' or not. "Is it a yes or no?"
"You decide," he said.
Jun felt a bit angry. It seemed like he was trying to dodge the question, "C'mon, yes or no,"
"All right," he said, "Then I choose 'no',"
Her eyes widened in surprised. She was no expecting that answer, anything but that answer as a matter of fact.
"I see no reason having you along so the answer is 'no'," he said without thought, "Is that a good enough reason?"
Jun somehow managed to compose herself and say, "O-okay. I figured y-you didn't need me tagging along anyway. I was merely curious. T-that's all,"
"Good," he said. He headed toward the door, "I'm leaving now. Bye,"
"Um, bye," she managed to say.
Without saying another word, Ranma left.
Jun glanced up at her relative's house. The house looked like the same two-
story white vinyl house she had visited a while back except there seemed to have been a new addition to the home. There was now a porch extending from the master bedroom. Otherwise, it looked the same.
She rang the doorbell with a sigh. Although it was only around nine, she was already dead tired. After having had dinner with Ranma, she had took her time heading toward the house, taking care to stop by at the new bookstore that seemed to have just opened up nearby. She had welcomed the distraction, wanting to stop and rest her weary muscles from carrying her luggage. She had wanted to sit down and read a quick magazine or so.
The door opened to reveal a young girl of sixteen. She was a pretty girl and it seemed that the same genetics of being pretty like Jun was also evident in the young girl.
"Hey, Noriko, long time no see," Jun smiled.
"Jun, you're finally here," the girl named Noriko came forward to give her a hug, "What took you so long?"
"Hey, I called from the bookstore," Jun replied with a smile, "You knew I was going to hang out there for a short while just relaxing,"
"Your baggage that heavy, huh?" Noriko looked at the suitcase and bag.
Jun nodded.
"Mom, Dad, Jun is finally here," Noriko yelled into the house, "And she has some heavy baggage that need lugging,"
Jun gave a meek smile, "Um, no need to go through all that trouble. It's not that heavy,"
Everyone else came to meet Jun and greet her. There were four more people that greeted her, them being her uncle, aunt, and her two twin cousins. The twins were two adorable young girls of six that radiated with cheerful energy. Jun greeted everyone as they all embraced, saying of how much they had missed each other and how Jun should visit more often. There would have been an extra person, the cousin that Jun had mentioned to Ranma that was his size but he didn't seem to be there.
Jun was showed to the guestroom where she languidly flopped down on the bed. She closed her eyes, ready to go to sleep, only to hear a knock on the door about five minutes later.
"C'min," she said, her eyes still closed.
Jun's aunt entered.
"Jun, dear, if you like, the bathroom is free and you can go take your shower. There are extra towels in the closet. It's sitting right on top of the extra futon,"
"Thanks," she said.
Ranma looked at the clock that hung on the wall of the museum. It read nine. That meant he had an hour before the place closed and he would have to find a place to stay for the night.
The museum was gigantic, a lot larger than Ranma had expected. It was indeed like Jun had mentioned, it being the size of a stadium. The ceiling looked to be a couple hundred meters high.
He was a bit disappointed that he seemed to have arrived too late, the last tour of the day having finished at seven. That would mean he would have to come back tomorrow morning. He looked down at the pamphlet in his hands and carefully read through it. It mentioned of the 'Angel War' section of displays were located by the west end of the museum.
As he placed the pamphlet in his pocket, someone had accidentally bumped into him, causing him to drop him.
"I'm sorry," a young girl said.
Ranma picked up his pamphlet and placed it back into his pocket again. He regarded the young girl. She looked to be around his age if not a bit younger. She had short brown hair and wore glasses that didn't seem to make her look any less attractive than she already was. Rather, it seemed to add to it, giving her an air of intelligence. She stood about as tall as Ranma's shoulders.
He looked down at the name tag on her lapel. The name tag said 'Mitsumi'. Right below the tag, it said 'Tour Guide'.
"You're a tour guide," he said, pointing toward the tag.
The girl smiled and nodded. She gestured toward the tag and said, "Yes, I am. My name's Mitsumi," She regarded the man for a moment. She had to admit that the man standing before her was very handsome. The one thing she noticed right away was his two different eye colors. It looked really odd to her.
"I thought there are no more tours," he said.
"Oh, there aren't," she replied, "I'm just hanging around waiting for my friend. She and I work here together. We usually get off at seven but she has to stay to work on one of the displays and I'm waiting around for her. I've been waiting around for a while, but she should be finished really soon,"
"Okay," he said.
"Um, I noticed you looking at the pamphlet," Mitsumi said, "They're pretty useful in letting you know what you're looking for and where it is. Is there anything in particular that you're looking to check out?"
Ranma replied, "Yes. I wish to find out more about the 'Angel Wars',"
"Oh, that's no problem, I can show you the way," she said happily, "I can even be your tour guide if you want. I don't mind and it's better just helping someone out and keeping busy instead of just waiting around,"
"Okay," Ranma said.
"By the way, I never got your name," she said.
"My name is Ranma," he replied.
"W-what? You're joking me, r-right?" she snickered.
Ranma's dead serious face gave the exact opposite impression. When Mitsumi realized this, her snickering stopped as she found herself swallowing a lump in her throat. Realizing that she had just created an awkward situation for herself, she cleared her throat, "Um, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have reacted that way. I-it's just that it came as a surprise,"
"Hmph," he snorted, "If you don't want to help me, then don't feel like it's your obligation,"
He began walking away. Mitsumi realized this and quickly rushed forward after Ranma to catch up to him. When she was walking beside him, she gave a meek laugh and said, "N-no. Don't worry about it,"
Ranma caste her a glance. Together, they headed for the 'Angel War' section of the museum. However, since it was a good distance away, there was some time to pass as they made their way there.
"Um, your eyes," she began, wondering if it was an appropriate subject to talk about while they passed the time, "A-are they really those colors?"
"Yeah," came his reply.
"Oh," she gave a meek laugh, "It's just that that it's really rare. I've never met a person with two different eye colors before, let alone one that is red. I never knew red pupils existed,"
"I guess adding the fact that my name is Ranma makes it even more strange, huh?" he commented.
Mitsumi's lips became a thin line. After a moment, she said, "Um, speaking of which, what's it like, having a name like that? I'm sure you know the significance of that name, ne?"
"Hmph," Ranma let out an annoyed breath, "I know full well. I've been named after a man that tried to take over this world who had failed. You don't need to remind me,"
"Say, your last name wouldn't happen to be 'Saotome' either, would it?" Mitsumi teased jokingly, not really sure how he would react but figuring joking around would help lighten the mood.
Ranma looked at her, "No, if you really must know, it's just 'Ranma'. I have no last name. I got rid of my last name when both my foster parents died. That was a long time ago,"
"What did your last name used to be?"
"Does it really matter?" he narrowed his eyes at her.
Mitsumi gave a meek laugh, "I'm sorry, I guess it's none of my business anyway,"
"You're right, it's none of your business," he said coldly.
"I'm sorry," she said again meekly, a bit embarrassed, "I was merely curious, that's all,"
Ranma stopped to look up at a display. When Mitsumi realized she was walking on ahead without him, she quickly turned back around and walked back up to him. She blushed when she realized Ranma was glancing up the Lance of Longinus, this huge red spear that was almost a football field in length that had two points on one end. Mitsumi blushed, "Oops, it seems we almost passed this display,"
Ranma placed his hand on the glass the Lance was enclosed in and said, "This looks strangely familiar,"
"I'm sure you've seen it in textbook before," Mitsumi said, "It's probably familiar because you're actually seeing the real-life version of the pictures you've seen beforehand,"
"If you say so," he muttered. She could be right. However, there was still a sneaking suspicion that he had actually seen the Lance before despite him visiting this museum for the very first time.
Mitsumi began explaining of the Lance's role in the 'Angel Wars' in how it was used to destroy the seventeenth Angel but had been lost in space in the process, only to be retrieved and brought back to Earth about twelve years ago. She told of its dimensions and weight and other trivial information that Ranma didn't really find all that useful.
"You seem really surprised to be seeing this for the first time," Mitsumi commented.
Ranma shrugged, "Well, I guess it's because it looks so much more impressive in person than the pictures displayed,"
"That's probably the reason," Mitsumi said, "I've seen 'em and the pictures never do it justice. That's also the case for basically everything on display,"
Ranma walked over to another nearby display, Mitsumi following. The display showed of a massive machine gun. The gun looked like some kind of standard military assault machine gun except it was a hundred or so times larger in dimensions.
Mitsumi explain of how this was one of the machine guns generally used by the EVA units against the Angels. She told of the gun's dimensions as well as armaments it was capable of delivery and also. What she found odd was that despite Ranma's lack of interest in the displays, she was giving out more information than she usually did with her tours.
When the personal tour came upon Unit-01, Ranma's visage changed completely. She had noticed that he was actually displaying some form of emotion. She could see the shocked look on his face. It was a bit different an emotion than she usually see which was that of awe.
"This is Unit-01," she said, gesturing to the massive purple behemoth behind her, "This is basically the main reason why people come to this museum in the first place. Unit-01 was Earth's main defense against the Angels. Although a century old, this is still, by far, the most powerful man-made machine on the planet. Like the other EVA units, this one has had its S2 core removed to prevent misuse. God forbid if someone actually gets their hands on this EVA unit and decide to take it for a joyride,"
Ranma continued to gaze up at Unit-01.
"Unlike the other EVA units, this one has a deep story behind it," she continued, "And unlike the other EVAs, which were derived from Adam, this one was derived from what was deemed the 'superstrain'. The 'superstrain' was found in Antarctica. It's basically a strain of human DNA that was found out in the middle of this gigantic crater. It was theorized that a massive battle had occurred there recently before the Katsuragi Expedition team had arrive and that the blood was all that remained of a single man said to have caused such a crater. Upon examining the 'superstrain', it was revealed that it belong to a human of traits that far exceed human capabilities. As to who this 'superstrain' had belong to has never been determined, at least not officially,"
"Not officially?" Ranma turned toward Mitsumi.
"Well, there is this book floating around that says it used to belong to a guy named 'Ranma Saotome'. It is said that he played one of the biggest roles in this planet's development yet no one seems to know exactly how nor confirm it," Mitsumi replied, "It is said that 'Ranma Saotome', the same guy who had tried to destroy us all, had also been the one that supposedly saved us before,"
Ranma gave her a curious look.
Mitsumi smiled, "This is where things get rather interesting if you're into stuff like this like I am because you don't read this in textbooks. As you can see, Unit-01 is quite an impressive sight to behold. It's true. Every time I look at it, I just look up at it in awe. However, the most interesting aspect of the 'Angel Wars' isn't Unit-01. It's the involvement of a man named 'Ranma Saotome', at least in my opinion,"
"Okay, go on," he said, giving her his undivided attention.
Mitsumi said, "Well, it's a bit sad that the name 'Ranma' is synonymous with what he died trying to do, that being destroy us all. It's kinda like if I mention the word 'Adolph Hitler', one would think of the monster that had basically started World War II and believed in genocide of the Jews. However, the man behind the name was also perhaps the single most charismatic person to have ever lived. Sure, he used his charisma for the wrong reason, but the charisma was there regardless. People seem to judge a person on what they do, not what the person actually was. I like to think otherwise. Anyway, there's much more behind that name than people seem to give credit for. It is said that 'Ranma Saotome' had actually saved this world previously, about fifteen years before he showed back up to try and destroy it. This is all considered a lie and merely a hypothesis with no proof, but if you keep an open mind, it kinda makes sense. Just follow me,"
She walked off toward another display, Ranma following behind. He looked at the display. It showed that of a pair of wings.
"These wings here are said to have belonged to 'Ranma Saotome'," she said, "It seems kinda fitting of our perception of him because it basically makes him look like the kinda angels one would envision if you were asked to envision an angel. Well, this 'Ranma Saotome' is hypothesized to be an actual Angel. Near the end of the 'Angel Wars', this 'AngelRanma' as I basically call him, had somehow taken complete control of Unit-01 and had used it to fight against Unit-00 and Unit-02. Keep in mind was that this was the 'first' fight this world had against AngelRanma. The second one was where AngelRanma died in the process. Anyway, during the first fight, it looked like AngelRanma was intent on winning. However, it was later determined that he had used the battle as a ruse to gather and disable these bunch of nuclear bombs buried deep beneath Tokyo,"
"Okay,"
"After all of them were collected," she continued, "He basically gave up and simply left. No one believes that he had actually done so, but the book floating around says otherwise,"
"Book?"
"Yes, there's a book floating around that acts as a biography of Ranma," Mitsumi answered, "It gives information on who he was and what he's done over his life. Basically everything lining of Ranma's adventures and life is explained in that book. And not only that, it's also very informative if you ever wish to know more about how the 'Angel Wars' or about this thing called 'Second Impact' and 'Third Impact', whatever those are,"
"Second and Third Impact?"
"The Second Impact is said to have occurred had Ranma not been here to prevent it," she said, "Which he had died doing so. The book mentions of how five billion people would have died. The Third Impact is said to have the same devastating effects as the Second Impact, and that it was what Ranma was trying to implement to become God,"
"Well, if the Second Impact never happened because this Ranma person had prevented it, then wouldn't that mean he was technically trying to cause a Second Impact to become God?" Ranma put into consideration after think.
"Yes, that's a good observation," she said, "However, the way I think of it is that the Second Impact had occurred, but Ranma's part in it had prevented the deaths of over five billion deaths. That's just my theory. No one really knows,"
"Can you tell me more about Ranma's attempt to cause the Third Impact?" he asked, finding everything Mitsumi saying truly informative and thought provoking.
"How much do you know?" she asked, "What do you remember reading? About Ranma's attempt to implement the Third Impact?"
Ranma said, "From what I've read, he had somehow found out one can become God by coming in contact with Adam and he set out to become God,"
Mitsumi nodded, "Well, there is some truth to it, but do you know how he found out? Or why he wanted to be God? Stuff like that? I mean, if coming in contact with Adam can make you become God, don't you think every human would have tried to become God also?"
Ranma shook his head, "I don't know,"
"Well, from what I remember reading," she continued, "Ranma was actually an Angel. That gave him the ability to become God if he came in contact with Adam, because only Angels can do this. As to why he wanted to become God, it is said that he wanted to become because he wanted the power to bring someone back to life,"
"Bring someone back to life?"
Mitsumi sighed, starry eyed, "Yeah, a girl. Ain't that romantic?"
"Um, yeah, romantic," Ranma said. He didn't really care how she viewed it. He was used to remaining objective.
"Where was I?" she said, "Oh yeah, since Ranma had the ability to become God, he sought to become one. However, he died before he could succeed in his plan. It's a bit sad if I think about it. If it was true that he wanted to save someone, then that means he lost his life in vain since he had never been able to save her. He died in Antarctica,"
Ranma said, "Yes, I remember reading that he died in Antarctica. There had been this huge battle that destroyed a good portion of continent. I don't know why he was in Antarctica in the first place though," "You're right. The massive battle took place in Antarctica and did lay waste to a good amount of the continent," Mitsumi said, "As to why, well, since Ranma had wanted to become God, in order for him to do so, he had to come in contact with Adam. The only problem was that Adam had been put back where he had been originally found, Antarctica. The battle raged all across the continent, eventually ending up with Ranma finally dying just mere meters from actually coming in contact with Adam. Adam had been put in this underground facility specially built for it,"
"How did he die?" he asked. He remembered reading that the army had managed to stop him.
"Well, the security system of the facility had done a number on him," she said, "but it seemed it wasn't enough to stop him. What had eventually stopped him was a girl that had accompanied him there. She shot him dead as he crawled toward Adam. He died on the spot,"
"A girl?" he asked.
"No one knows why she was there or how she got there," Mitsumi said, "No one knows even who this girl was or where she comes from. It is said that she ended up with Ranma purely by coincidence, that she's just some regular girl that had developed some kinda crush on him and had followed him all the way to Antarctica. Since Adam was in Antarctica, Ranma had taken a boat there. It ended up that the girl had stowed away on his boat,"
"What does this 'Ranma Saotome' look like?" he asked curiously.
Mitsumi gave a shrug, "No one knows. That is the only thing I could never find out about him. There are no pictures or anything of what the guy looks like. Nothing. I find that rather strange and about as close to impossible as can be. I mean, what are the chances that not a single photo of the guy be made? This guy fought against the army? How can not a single surveillance photo be made or at least recorded and archived?"
Ranma shrugged, not really knowing how to answer it, "That does seem rather strange, but it seems there is nothing you can do,"
Mitsumi smirked, "Gee, I wonder what the guy looked like. He's probably some incredibly handsome man that girls probably swoon for. He is probably also a great guy in general since he is sweet enough to go through so much just to save a girl,"
"But he could be the complete opposite," Ranma commented with a shrug.
Mitsumi narrowed her eyes at him, "Well, I'd like to think otherwise. I've already got this mental image of what he could possibly look like,"
"Just curious, how do you know so much about this? I don't remember reading anything about this before, like on how the guy had died, or why he did what he did?" Ranma said.
Mitsumi shrugged, "Well, all of this is unofficial. If you ever try to look this stuff up, you'll come up with nothing. Officially, it is said that Ranma had died trying to get into the facility where Adam was located, that the Japanese army had stopped him right by the facilities front entrance and that there was no girl accompanying him. I like to believe otherwise. The book floating around gives very detail information about Ranma's exploits and everything seems to fit into place,"
"So where can I find this book?" he asked. He remembered hearing that there was this book floating around, but he had never thought much about it, believing it wasn't as informative because it wasn't some kind of textbook like he was used to reading.
Mitsumi shrugged, "Sorry, I can't help you there. I saw that book once, and that was about a year ago. I had been stopping by a bookstore to look for a particular book when I had stumbled upon that book. I took it off the shelf and sat down and read it right there, in a single sitting. I managed to finish reading it all the way through just as the bookstore was about to close. I put it away and bought the book I had been originally gone there to buy and went on my way. The next day, when I realized that I should have bought that other book, I went back to get it, but it was gone. I've been on the lookout for it ever since, but I have never come across it again,"
Ranma rubbed at his chin, "Hm, that book seems really interesting. I wish I knew where to find it,"
Mitsumi nodded, "Same here. Heck, if you ever do find it, can you do me the favor of picking an extra one up for me? I would really appreciate it,"
"I guess so," he said softly.
"Thanks," she smiled.
At that moment, a young girl approached the two of them. "Hey, Mitsumi, sorry it took so long," the girl said. She smiled warmly at Ranma, "Hello, how're you doing?"
Ranma regarded her for a moment. She looked to be around Mitsumi's height and had long flowing brown hair and wore thick glasses. She looked to be a bit older than Mitsumi, but probably not by much.
He didn't bother to answer.
"Is it okay if you wait a little bit?" Mitsumi asked her friend, "I was showing Ranma here some of the exhibits. I was basically giving him a personal tour of the place,"
"R-Ranma? Your name is Ranma?" the girl looked at him.
"Yeah, so?" he replied coldly.
"I'm sorry to hear that," she said.
"Well, I manage," he replied without much thought.
The girl turned toward Mitsumi, "Sure, I'll wait. You've probably been waiting for me since you got off of work anyway. It's the least I could do,"
"Thanks," Mitsumi said. She then turned toward Ranma, "Follow me. There's only a few more exhibits left that I would like to show you,"
"Are you sure I'm not imposing?" he asked. He figured there was no reason for her to take more time than she need to help him out. She had only helped him out merely because she had nothing better to do, because she would rather help him out by being his tour guide rather than just wait around for her friend.
Mitsumi smiled warmly, "Not at all. Actually, I'm more than happy to help out. It's not often I find some that seems to take as much an interest in the 'Angel Wars' and 'Ranma Saotome' than myself. Heck, all the information I've told you, I never mention about while doing a tour,"
"Oh?"
"Yeah," she nodded, "On tours, I only give the official information, basically the information provided in textbooks, and I never mention about how it probably really happened,"
"Thanks, I appreciate it," he said softly, actually feeling grateful for once. Perhaps not everyone was as bad as he thought.
Ranma and Mitsumi walked up to an exhibit that displayed a large metallic box that was about ten feet tall, three few wide, and five feet long.
"This display here is of the MAGI computer that used to be housed in Nerv Headquarters," she began, "It is the central processing unit and basically the heart of Nerv Headquarters when it was in use to fight against the Angels. Perhaps who created this computer was called Naoko Akagi,"
"This doesn't look much like a computer," he commented.
"True, but don't judge a computer by the way it looks," she answered with a nod, "This computer, although about a century old, would rival that of computers of today. That means quite a bit if you take Moore's Law into consideration which states that human technology basically doubles every eighteen months. If you calculate it, that would mean this computer was roughly sixty six times more advanced than the computers back then,"
"I guess that is impressive if you think about it," Ranma commented.
"After the 'Angel Wars' when the MAGI was no longer needed," she continued, "The creator, Naoko, took her computer and created basically a consumer version of it. However, it was no where near as powerful, basically one sixty sixth of its capabilities. Kinda funny if you think about it. I wonder where we would be now technologically had she actually kept all its capabilities in tact. Anyway, shortly afterward, her daughter, Ritsuko, continued on with her work,"
"Ritsuko, hm, that sounds familiar," Ranma commented.
"I assume so," Mitsumi gave a laugh, "She created its operating system. Without her, there would be no way to implement the MAGI for consumer use. Basically, without the Akagi's, who knows where we would be technologically,"
Ranma followed Mitsumi to one more exhibit, the last exhibit. It displayed a gigantic rifle-like weapon that was about a football field length in size.
"People find this every bit as impressive as Unit-01," Mitsumi said with a smile, "This here is the proton-rifle,"
She went about giving specs of what the weapon was capable of, of how much energy is required just for a single shot, its reloading time, of its precision, and other miscellaneous information like which Angel it was used to fight against.
"The single most impressive aspect of this weapon is probably its range," she said, leaning against the iron gate that surrounded the weapon, "It is capable of hitting satellites without problems. Although it had never been attempt, I mean why would they do something like that in the first place, but it is said to be able to actually hit the moon from here. Hee hee, wouldn't it be funny if you get your hands on this and burn your signature on the surface of the moon? If you did something like that, your name will be more well known that 'Ranma Saotome',"
She smiled, feeling good about herself as she said, "Well that basically concludes the tour, are there any questions?" Ranma shook his head, "No. No questions. You've been very helpful and informative,"
Mitsumi blushed a bit, "Um, thank you,"
"Actually, I have one," he asked, "Do you know where 'Nerv Headquarters' is located? I plan on visiting there tomorrow,"
"That's easy," she answered, "The road this museum is located on leads right to the entrance of the place. From the front entrance of this building, just make a left and head east along the road all the way until you come to this huge opening leading into the mountain. You can't miss it. It's only about ten miles from here,"
"Thanks," he said, "Well, thank you for your time. You've been helpful. It's best I get going now,"
He turned around to leave.
"Um, Ranma," she said after a moment.
"What?" he turned toward her.
"Say, have you eaten recently?" she asked. It seemed like Ranma showed no signs that he was going to ask her out so she figured she might have to do it herself.
Ranma thought about it for a moment before answering, "No, not really,"
"Um, would you like to join me and my friend for some dinner?" she asked, blushing slightly. She couldn't believe she was actually asking the guy out to dinner with her and her friend. It was totally unlike her. However, there was good reason. Ranma was one of the most attractive guys she had ever seen. Sure, he had two odd eye colors that would probably take her a while to get used to and he was a bit cold at time and he had one messed up name and probably childhood to boot because of it, but all in all, he didn't seem all that bad. "No," he said flatly, "I'm not hungry,"
"Oh," she said, a bit disappointed.
"Bye," he said, walking off.
"Um, bye,"
Ranma walked around town. It was pretty late at night. Stores looked like they were getting ready to close. The stores he was looking at were all located on the same street as that of the museum.
He checked his pockets to see how much money he had. He easily determined that he had enough money but he would need to get his hands on some more money before he left for home. That meant he needed to look for a pawn shop.
As he headed east down the street. He figured he might as well head in the direction of Nerv Headquarters while he was at it. That way, he wouldn't need to walk as much tomorrow morning even though walking never bothered him anyway.
He walked for a couple of blocks before he came across an open clothing store. He entered and proceeded to look around.
"Do you need any help?" a young saleswoman approached him.
"Yes, I need a pair of clothes," he stated.
She smiled, "Well, that's what we have. Is there anything in particular you're looking for?"
"Yes, something that fits," he replied, "I don't care about fashion,"
The salesgirl regarded Ranma for a moment. That was something she had never heard, that a customer's only preference was that it fit and nothing much else. That was basically as general an answer one could be. It would make her job very easy.
She continued to regard Ranma, taking his build and height into consideration before deciding on what might be appropriate. After a short while, she headed over to one side of the store and selected several outfits for him to look at.
"These should easily fit your requirement," she smiled warmly, "They should also look really well on you,"
Ranma took one random outfit and said, "I'll take it. How much?"
"Um, aren't you going to try it out?" she asked.
"Fine," he said, "Where's the dressing room?"
She pointed toward the back of the store where there was a door that had the sign 'dressing room' above it.
He entered the changing room and emerged a minutes later, clad in the new outfit. The girl smiled as she regarded the new Ranma. He was clad in a stylish tan cargo pants and a black brand name short sleeved shirt. It went really well with him because the cargo pants helped accentuate his slim waist while the shirt hugged his upper body pretty snugly to show off his athletic build.
"You look good in it," she commented.
"Fine, then I'll take it," he said before returning into the dressing room.
He emerged a minute later, clad in his own clothes now. He carried the outfit to the cash register where he placed it on the counter for the salesgirl to ring up.
"Wow, do you really have two different eye colors?" she asked, noticing Ranma's eyes for the first time. She had been a bit nervous in making eye contact with him because she found him very handsome and didn't want him to see her blushing.
Ranma nodded, "Yes,"
"That's pretty cool," she commented.
"Thanks," he said with a shrug.
After ringing up the total for the outfit, Ranma found it a bit higher than he had expected. "Are you sure that's correct?" he asked, "Isn't that a bit expensive?"
She gave him a meek glance, "No. I only rang up two items. What, is it too much? If you don't have enough for both, why not buy the cargo pants and buy the shirt another day?" Ranma looked at the wad of cash he had produced from his pocket. It definitely wasn't enough. He seemed to show slight signs of annoyance.
"When do you close?" he asked.
"At eleven,"
"Are there any pawn shops around here?" he asked.
"Um, yeah, there's one down the block," she said, "It's located on the corner. It's closed though,"
Ranma's lips became a thin line. He needed the pawn shop to be open. When he realized that he would not be able to get any quick cash, he turned toward the girl.
"Does this store accept other forms of currency beside the yen?" he asked.
The girl gave him an odd look before saying, "Um, not that I know of. I'll have to ask my manager. What do you have in mind?"
"Diamonds," he said, "I have diamonds,"
"Really? Can I see?" she asked with a smile.
Ranma reached into his other pocket and grabbed a diamond and pulled it out and placed it on the counter.
The girls jaw nearly dropped to the floor when she saw the sparkling diamond. She loved diamonds and the one Ranma had placed before them was beautiful. "W-where d-did you get this? It's magnificent!" she commented. Just one diamond is probably enough to pay for her entire college tuition for the year, living expenses included. It must be something like a four and a half or maybe even a five karat diamond. "Well? Do you accept these?" he asked, "Will you take these for the clothes?"
"You're kidding, right?" she gasped, "You're willing to give me this just for those pairs of clothes?"
"It's real," he said, "It isn't a fake,"
"I-I know, I know," she said, "My friend has a father that is a jeweler and he once showed me how to tell if one is real or not without need any magnifying instruments,"
"So will you accept it?" he asked again, now impatient.
"S-s-sure," she stammered. She would use her own money to pay for Ranma's outfit and keep the diamond for herself. She would be making off with hundreds of thousands of yen in profit in doing so. There was no way she was going to pass a deal like that.
Ranma gave her the diamond as she rung up the items, producing the money from her own pockets to put in the register.
"T-thank you so very much! H-h-have a w-wonderful evening!" the girl said, floating on cloud nine. Because of Ranma, that meant she could finally quit this god forsaken job and go back to college like she had always wanted and had originally been saving for.
Ranma took the bag his outfit was in and proceeded toward the exit.
"T-thanks once again," he heard the girl's voice, "Y-you j-just made not only my day, but my future career,"
Ranma stopped to glance back and give her one last look before leaving the store. He had gotten what he wanted and it seemed so had the girl. Everything worked out for the better.
Jun yawned as she got up and sat upright in her bed. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes as she took a glance at the clock that hung on the wall. It read 10 am exactly. That meant she had two hours before she was expected to meet Ranma in front of Nerv Headquarters.
She sat in bed for ten minutes before she was finally wide awake. Once awake, she got up out of bed and grabbed a pair of clothes from her suitcase and headed for the bathroom across the hallway. She took her time taking a shower and eventually emerged when it was just a little later than half past ten.
She went downstairs where she headed into the kitchen to fix herself some breakfast. She had ate some cereal and a banana, figuring that was enough to keep her busy until lunchtime. She assumed that she would probably be eating with Ranma again one last time before he headed back home so she might as well save her appetite.
When it was eleven, she turned on the television to see how the weather was, happy when she found out that it was going to be a beautiful sunny morning and afternoon with only a chance of rain later that evening.
At around ten after eleven, she headed out for the bus stop to take the bus to Nerv Headquarters. She figured she would get there with about fifteen minutes to spare. She didn't mind waiting. She would rather wait for Ranma instead of having him wait for her. She didn't want him to think of her as undependable.
As she sat quietly on the bus, she wondered how Ranma's visit the museum had gone the other night, if he had found out anything informative. She also wondered when Ranma planned on heading back home. Was he going to stay and eat some lunch with her or leave right away?
"Gee, why am I so preoccupied with him all of a sudden?" she bonked herself a few times in the head in embarrassment.
Several people on the bus noticed this and gave her an odd look.
Jun blushed, as she sat lower in her seat, wishing she hadn't done that.
She sat quietly for thirty minutes before finally arriving at the bus' final stop, Nerv Headquarters. She stepped off the bus and was surprised to see Ranma already standing in front of Nerv Headquarters' main entrance. About a dozen other people also stepped off the bus right behind her. It seemed they were interested in touring the place also and that she and Ranma weren't the only ones.
"Oh, you're here already," she commented. "I've been here all night," he said.
"What? Where did you sleep?"
"I didn't sleep," he said. He showed no signs that he was tired, "I just waited right here,"
"Really?"
He nodded.
Jun regarded Ranma for a moment. She noticed he was now wearing a different outfit and that it looked really well on him. She liked how the cargo pants showed off his slim waist and how snugly it hugged his body. She made sure she didn't stare too long as to not make Ranma suspicious. However, as she looked at him, she had to admit that he was a very handsome person and that that outfit looked good on him.
"What?" he asked.
"Oh, n-nothing," she quickly said, turning her gaze away and blushing when she realized she had stared for too long. "Since we're both here early, let's go in now then," he suggested.
"S-sure, I don't see a problem in that,"
She and Ranma entered Nerv Headquarters via the open front entrance. They all followed the dozen of other people down this long tunnel. It resembled that of a highway tunnel through a mountain but with another large double door entrance at the other end.
They walked up to a long security guard standing in front of the door.
"You're all here for the tour?" the guard asked.
Everyone seemed to nod or give one word answers. When the guard realized that everyone was there for the tour, he told them to follow him and entered the base via the single door located on left double doors.
Once inside, several people whistled as they realized they were in what seemed like a corridor with a hundred foot ceiling. On both sides all the way down the corridor were large iron doors that probably led to room unauthorized to civilians to this date.
Everyone waited around with the guard for around five minutes before a middle aged woman wearing a gray outfit with a knee length gray skirt.
"Hello, my name is Mairi," she said in a soft voice, "I'll be your guide. Please, follow me,"
Everyone including Ranma and Jun followed quietly behind.
"Welcome to Nerv Headquarters, the base of operations in humanity's battle against the Angels, a war deemed 'Angel Wars'," she said in a nice voice.
The woman walked down the vast corridor explaining of Nerv Headquarters' role in the 'Angel Wars'. She told of how it used EVAs to fend off the Angels, of how two of the three EVAs were derived from a part of Adam while Unit-01 was derived from the 'superstrain' that had been found in Antarctica. She then went about explaining what the 'superstrain' was.
"I've heard all of this before at the museum," Ranma said, a bit annoyed that he was learning nothing new.
"Speaking of which, how did it go? Did you learn a lot?" she asked, taking the opportunity to start a conversation with him. She knew about this too and had read of it a while ago. Besides, she wasn't all that interested. She was more interested in learning more about the Angel named 'Ranma Saotome'.
"I guess I learned quite a bit," he said with a shrug, "I've probably learned more from that one visit than I would ever learn reading textbooks about it,"
Ranma suddenly started paying attention to the tour guide again as she went about mention of the names of the pilots of the EVA units.
"Hikari? Kensuke? Toji? That sounds vaguely familiar," he commented, trying to think hard where he had heard it before.
"I figure it's general knowledge," Jun commented, "Their mentioned in all the textbooks,"
Ranma shook his head, "Not that. There's more I think. I've read of that name, but there seems to be something more familiar about that than just that. I'm not too sure why,"
"Hm, that sounds strange," she said.
The guide asked that everyone follow her into the main control room. Once inside, she talked about how the MAGI was the central processing unit of the entire headquarters. She went about telling of how after the 'Angel Wars' the creator went on to create a consumer version of the MAGI. All in all, the guide was retelling of information Ranma had heard the other day. From time to time, the guide mentioned of little details that Mitsumi had failed to mention and vice versa.
Ranma found the tour mostly a waste of time. However, it wasn't until the last portion of the tour that made it seem somewhat worthwhile when the tour guide allowed everyone to listen in on one of the recording of a battle against an Angel. Although it did nothing to help Ranma learn more, it did sound a bit exciting.
At the end of the recording, the tour was concluded and everyone led back to the front entrance where a bus was already awaiting for departure. When they stepped out of the base an into the sunlight, it was already two thirty in the afternoon.
"Wow, that tour was over two hours long," Jun commented.
"It seems so," Ranma didn't really see the significance in that comment.
"Um, so, what do you wanna do? You want to go get some food?" she asked, a bit hopeful. She was hungry and was actually looking forward to eating lunch with Ranma. He wasn't all that bad of company and it sure beats eating alone.
"Not really," he said.
Jun felt a bit disappointed. She had a funny feeling he was going to say that. However, she wasn't going to give up.
"C'mon, let's go get some lunch," she suggested.
"I said I'm not hungry," he replied coldly.
"C'mon," she persisted.
Ranma gave her an odd look. Was she deaf? He said he wasn't hungry. However, after a moment, he started wondering if perhaps she simply didn't want to eat alone. There didn't seem to be any harm in accompanying her even though he wasn't hungry.
"I guess I can go grab a bite to eat," he said after a moment of pondering.
Jun smiled, "That's good to hear,"
She glanced over toward the bus. She then looked up at the sky and noticed how beautiful it looked. She wondered if Ranma wouldn't mind walking back to two. Sure, it was a pretty long walk, but she was pretty sure it wouldn't be all that bad, provided she wasn't walking alone.
"Um,"
"What?" he asked.
"You want to walk back to town?" she asked, "I know it's a pretty long walk, but it's a really nice day out. How about it?"
"Isn't it enough that I'm going out to lunch with you?" he asked coldly, "Now you want to walk?"
"Well, since you're not hungry now, perhaps you'll be hungry by then," she persisted. She felt a bit hurt that he seemed hell-bent on avoiding her. However, she was starting to get used to it. Ranma wasn't purposely trying to avoid her. It was simply the way he is.
Ranma was about to mention that he never really got hungry so it was useless but he had a funny feeling Jun wasn't going to listen. It was best to simply forget trying to convince her.
He looked up at the sky. It was a pretty nice day out. Perhaps walking wasn't all that bad. He was also curious to see the stores along the way back to town that were closed that night while he was on his way to Nerv Headquarters.
"Fine," he said with a sigh, "I'll walk,"
"So, what did you think of your visit to Nerv Headquarters?" Jun asked. She and Ranma were walking down the street together for the past hour, chatting about nothing in general. They were finally nearing the heart of the city. It was a bit late in the afternoon and nearing evening.
Ranma shrugged, "There was some things about it I found rather useful,"
"Like what?" she asked.
Just as Ranma was about to tell her, this bring flash appeared directly in front of them, the brilliance blinding Jun and causing her to hold a hand up in front of her eyes.
"What the?" Jun said, squinting her eyes.
Just as quickly as the flash had appeared, it disappeared, revealing a dozen figures before her.
Ranma regarded the figures for a moment.
"Who are you?" he asked softly, his voice showing no signs of fear nor surprise.
"You know who I am, Ranma!" a figure stepped forward, cracking his knuckles.
When Jun's eyes became adjusted from the bright light, she was able to see what one of the figures looked like. It was of a man with short black hair that was about the same height as Ranma. He wore a yellow sleeveless shirt, a black and yellow bandanna, and black pants. As Ranma was about to ask the man how he knew his name, the man lunged forward and punched Ranma right in the face with devastating force. The force behind his punch was so much that the windows of several nearby stores shattered, Jun quickly covering her face from the spraying glass.
Ranma was sent flying through the air several hundred feet where he crashed into the front end of a parked car and bouncing off and spinning into another parked car all the way across the street before bouncing off that and into a fire hydrant before finally going through the front window of a store. The fire hydrant had been knocked off its foundation, water spraying up everywhere. Everyone who had been near the area quickly ran away, emptying the streets in record time.
"Why'd you do that, Ryoga?" Jun heard a woman's voice.
"Sorry, Misato, I guess I kinda got carried away," the man named Ryoga said, scratching the back of his head and giving the woman named Misato a meek smile.
Jun, not knowing what had just happened, ran in the direction of where Ranma was, praying that he was all right.
"Ranma!" she called out to him.
"Who is she?" Asuka stepped forward, watching Jun as she ran away from them and toward Ranma.
"Was it me or did Ranma look like he didn't recognize Ryoga?" Ritsuko asked, "And what's even more surprising is that Ranma wasn't able to react in time to at least dodge his punch,"
"Yeah, that seems a bit funny," Linna commented, "I was expecting him to be able to dodge it. And you're right, it really do look like he didn't recognize Ryoga,"
"Well, we all know that it's Ranma," Sylia said, "Whoever that girl is, she called him out by his name. What are the chances that Ryoga could have punched someone that not only looks identical to Ranma, but also has the exact same name?"
Everyone peered down the street where they caught sight of Ranma as emerged from the store via the broken window. He was totally unscathed.
Misato let out a breath in relief, "Yep, that's Ranma all right. Only he can get up from a punch like that,"
All the way down the street, Jun helped Ranma as he made his way out the store. Aside from his shirt, which had been ripped from when he flew through the glass window, he was totally unscathed. There looked like no indication that he had been effected by such a blow.
"Ranma, are you all right?" Jun asked, tears practically flowing. She had already become soaking wet from standing in the spraying water of the nearby broken fire hydrant.
"I'm fine," Ranma said, dusting the debris off. He stepped out onto the sidewalk, becoming wet from the water too. He looked over toward the person whom had hit him, a bit surprised at the carnage that had been caused by a single punch. Between him and Ryoga, two cars were totaled beyond recognition and column of water from the broken fire hydrant were spraying high into the air.
He narrowed his eyes at Ryoga. After a moment, he turned toward Jun, "C'mon, let's get out of here,"
Jun followed closely behind, not really knowing how to react. She had just seen someone punch Ranma so hard that he had been sent flying through the air crashing into two cars, a fire hydrant, and into a store. And above that, Ranma seemed to have been unhurt.
As Ranma proceeded to walk away, he heard someone call his name.
"Ranma, don't think about running away," Ryoga shouted out at him, now crossing the street and walking toward him, "Misato and the others filled me in on what you intend to do, and I'm here to stop you,"
"What is he talking about?" Jun asked Ranma.
"I don't know," he replied, wondering whether to simply run away like he would usual do in a confrontational situation or stay and fight back. He decided it was best to simply get away before anything worse happens, "C'mon, let's get out of here,"
"Ranma!" Ryoga ran up to him.
"Who are you?" Ranma turned to face that man.
The moment he turned around, he received another punch to the face, the force even more devastating than the first one. From the position where Ranma was standing, he ended up crashing right through five telephone poles before hitting into the sixth and falling to the ground.
"Damn," Lina commented, flinching. She knew Ranma was one tough person, but could even he withstand so much before falling into unconsciousness? When she saw Ryoga punch him a second time, she almost felt compelled to run forward and actually stop Ranma. However, having Ranma knocked out was absolutely necessary and Ryoga was definitely more than capable of carrying out the job.
She glance at Luna and noticed the signs of conflict within her. Luna seemed to also feel compelled to help Ranma out. Actually, everyone save for Ryoga seemed to want to help Ranma out.
Ranma got up to his feet, starting to feel angry. He didn't know who this guy was and he didn't seem to want to leave him alone. He gazed up at the damage done, noticing the five shattered telephone poles, all of them having fallen forward from the force of the impacts, the pole behind him heavily damaged and threatening to topple over and onto him.
"Damn, how many times will I need to hit him before he gets knocked out?" Ryoga muttered, looking down at his fist. His second punch should had knocked even Ranma out easily yet he is still getting up.
Once on his feet, Ranma glanced toward where Jun stood. She had this shocked look on her face as she stood right next to Ryoga. When he realized how close Ryoga was to Jun, he felt this anger starting to boil from within. Jun was in danger.
"You leave Ranma alone!" Jun shouted at Ryoga. She didn't know what got into her, but she knew she had to help Ranma however she could. It was just like the time she had seen all those bullies beating up on him and she had tried to fight one of the bullies off for him.
Ryoga turned toward Jun, "Don't worry, he's fine-"
Jun didn't get a chance to hear what he said for she ran forward and jumped onto Ryoga from behind and proceed to rain down strikes on his head.
Ryoga stood where he was, totally unaffected, at least physically. However, he was blushing a bit for he knew he was feeling that girl's breasts pressed against his back as she proceeded to attack him.
"Um, do you mind getting off me?" Ryoga asked, his hands by his sides. He would never hit a girl and had no intention of starting now. Besides, it seem she was just trying to help Ranma out. After a moment, Jun started to realize that her attack seemed to have no effect on the man. Above that, hitting his head so many times was actually starting to hurt her hands.
She hopped off his back and narrowed her eyes on him. When she noticed this blush on his cheeks, she wondered what had caused it. All of a sudden she looked down at her chest and realized that it was probably because her breasts had been pressing up against his back.
"You pervert!" she said, clutching at her chest.
Ryoga had been about to apologize and had been unable to react in time when she saw Jun's hand. Her hand connected square and true right on Ryoga's right cheek. The shock of realizing he had been slapped had caused Ryoga lose is footing and fall off to the side.
"Ow!" Ryoga winced, rubbing his cheek profusely. That hurt like hell. He would rather have Ranma punch him with all his might than have a girl slap him. That was his and Ranma's weakness. For the life of them, they seemed to never be able to dodge that particular attack.
Jun looked down at her hand and was surprised that her slap seemed to have had that effect on Ryoga. However, she didn't stay there long to enjoy her moment of glory for she took that opportunity to run away from him and straight toward Ranma.
"Are you okay?" Ranma asked as she made it up to him.
Jun, breathing heavy a bit, said, "Yeah, my hand hurt a bit from hitting him so much, but I'm fine," Ranma glanced toward where Ryoga. Ryoga had already gotten to his feet and was slowly walking in their direction. The other people were still a good distance away, seemingly just observing.
"Hey, from the way things are going, perhaps Ryoga will be able to knock Ranma out," Lina commented to her sister.
Luna continued to watch, "Perhaps, but something don't seem right. How come Ranma isn't at least trying to dodge Ryoga's attack? And who is that girl with him?"
She waved a dismissive hand and pointed toward a tall building a shot distance away, about a hundred feet behind where Ranma and Jun were, "Lina, you see that building over there, fly over there and watch how things goes. I'm going to give Ryoga some support, just in case. If Ranma makes a break for it, start shooting him with fireballs to slow him down so we can catch up, all right?"
Lina nodded nervously, "Um, okay,"
She chanted her Raywing spell and immediately levitated into the air where she quickly darted on toward the building her sister had pointed to. She felt very nervous. From what she saw, Ryoga seemed to be doing fine against Ranma, but if her sister felt the need to help out, perhaps she saw something Lina could not. "T-t-that girl is f-flying!" Jun yelped in surprised when she noticed Lina take to the skies. She grabbed onto Ranma's sleeve, frightened. How is something like that possible?
Ranma watched as Lina flew right by them and landed on a building behind them. He then turned his attention forward where he saw another girl, the girl that seemed to have given the orders, also levitate into the air and fly forward and stopping by Ryoga.
"W-what's going on here?" Jun stammered, taking a step back, Ranma taking a step back with her.
"I don't know, but it seems like they're only interested in me," he said. "Why?" Jun asked.
"I'm not too sure,"
Ryoga held a hand forward, palm facing Ranma. "W-w-what the hell is Ryoga d-doing?" Akane gasped, "I-is he going to do w-
what I think he is? He can't be!"
"Holy shit! He's gonna use a ki-blast!" Misato shouted. She, like Akane, realized that if Ryoga used a ki-blast, that girl next to Ranma will be caught in the blast.
Before Akane or Misato had a chance to scream out to tell Luna to stop Ryoga, a massive ki-blast shot forward from his hands, rocketing in Ranma and Jun's direction.
"Lookout!" Ranma shouted toward Jun as he saw that projectile heading straight toward them. He didn't know what the heck that incoming projectile was, but he had the funny feeling that it was meant to hurt.
Ranma had pushed Jun away from him just as he saw struck by the ki-blast right in the chest. When everyone saw that ki-blast flying through the air, they had been so sure that that girl was going to get caught in the blast. However, when it had struck Ranma, it didn't explode. Instead, it continued to travel forward, carrying Ranma with it, as if it where some kind of cannon ball.
Ranma was blown backward through the air a good hundred feet, slamming into the first floor of the building Lina had been on, the ki-blast following him every bit of the way.
Lina peered down over the side of the building, wondering if that was it, if that had been enough to know Ranma out. All of a sudden, the entire building shook as a explosion erupted from the below, Ranma still inside.
"Ryoga, you have to be more careful," Luna told Ryoga, "That girl could have gotten hurt,"
Ryoga shook his head, "No, I used a special ki-blast. Even if it hit her, it would just past right through her,"
"And what about that store?" she asked.
"It's closed. No one is in there," he said, "That's why I specifically used that ki-blast in the first place. If that building was closed and directly behind Ranma, I wouldn't have used that ki-blast," Ryoga glanced over to where Jun was. She was slowly getting up to her feet, a bit winded from hitting the ground so hard after Ranma had pushed her. She dusted the debris off and surveyed her surroundings. When she realized that Ranma was no where nearby, she started looking around for him.
"R-Ranma? Where are you?" she called out. When she noticed this newly made opening in a building a good distance away, she figured that was where he was and quickly ran in that direction.
She was stopped when Luna suddenly hovered down from the air and right in front of her. She saw so shocked that she ended up falling down and onto her backside. Luna extended her hand, "Here, lettme help you up,"
Jun looked at the hand but didn't accept it. She got up to her feet, "Who are you?"
"My name is Luna. Luna Inverse," she said, regarding her for a moment, noticing that she kind of reminded her of Asuka, not in looks but in personality.
"Why're you here? Why're you doing this to Ranma? What has he ever done to you?" she asked in succession.
Luna said, "We're here to stop Ranma from doing something really really terrible,"
She felt that answer was a good enough one for all three questions. She then took it upon herself to add, "If you think we are bad guys, it's actually quite the opposite,"
"I-I don't understand," she said.
Luna looked toward the building Ranma had been blown into. He had not emerged from it yet meaning she still had some more time to explain.
"It's pretty complicated," Luna said, "Ranma is intent on causing the Third Impact, and if he succeeds, this world will be destroyed in the process. He must be stopped,"
Jun gave Luna an odd look, "You're kidding, right?"
"No, I'm not," she said seriously.
"What you're describing happened about a hundred years ago," Jun said, "Ranma had died trying but failed,"
"C-come again?" Luna didn't figure she hadn't heard correctly, "Did you just say that Ranma had tried causing the Third Impact and died trying?"
Jun nodded.
Luna took a glance toward the building and then back at Jun. After a moment, she took a deep breath, trying to clear her mind and think straight.
"Are you sure you're referring to the right person?" she asked Jun, pointing toward the building, "That is Ranma, right? How could he have died trying to cause the Third Impact?"
"That's not that Ranma," she answered, "He just happens to have the same name,"
Luna's face seemed to pale. She quickly regained her composure and turned her Attention toward Ryoga and said, "Ryoga, stop what you're doing,"
Ryoga turned toward Luna, "Huh? Stop what I'm doing?"
She nodded, "Yes, something is seriously wrong,"
It seemed the funny feeling Luna had was right, that something was wrong. As she thought about it some more, it seemed to make sense on why Ranma didn't seem to recognize Ryoga when he had showed up.
A second later, a loud explosion could be heard coming from down the street. Everyone glance in that direction and saw Lina standing in front of the store, her hand held forward. Lina, being the curious person that she was, had hovered down to the ground in front of the store to get a better view. And having seen Ranma still conscious as he was proceeding to get back up to his feet and back out of the store, had took it upon herself to finish the job of knocking him out.
"That should do the job," Lina said with a smirk.
Luna rushed up to her, leaving Ryoga and Jun by themselves, and asked, "Lina, didn't I say for you to simply wait to see what happens and stop him if he tried to run?"
"Well yeah, but I figured maybe I could stop him," Lina grinned, "At first, it felt weird shooting a fireball at him, but after I shot it, it felt strangely nostalgic,"
At that moment, as the smoke cleared up, Ranma could be seen emerging from the building once again. His pants were badly singed and he not longer had shirt, but he was otherwise unscathed.
He was rubbing the debris off his pants. As he stepped out into onto the sidewalk, he glanced around to see where Jun was, to make sure that she was all right.
When he noticed two females standing just a short distance on the street in front of him. Neither of them were Jun so he ignored them. When he finally caught sight of Jun standing next to Ryoga, narrowed his eyes. If the guy so much as do anything that seemed remotely threatening to Jun, Ranma would kill him without discretion.
"You stay away from her!" Ranma shouted out toward Ryoga.
Ryoga, whom had been trying to explain to Jun what was going on, turned his attention from her and onto Ranma.
"R-Ranma? Is that really you?" Luna asked, not really knowing what to believe. From her as well as Lina's point of view, the person that stood before them looked exactly like Ranma. They couldn't tell the difference, at least not physically. Personality-wise, he seemed anything but Ranma. Ranma would never allow himself get hit some many times without at least trying to dodge. Also, it seemed this Ranma didn't seem one bit angry from having been hit some many times either.
"Who are you?" Ranma asked, his gaze not leaving Ryoga or Jun. "What is more important is who are you?" Luna asked, staring at Ranma intently as she approached him. There was something seriously wrong. This Ranma looked exactly like the one she knew and had the same name. It's too much of a coincidence. Her eyes widened when she noticed a difference that seemed to separate this Ranma from the other. She walked forward.
"W-why do you have two different eye colors?" she asked.
Ryoga walked forward and noticed too, "Yeah, you have one red eye,"
"So what?" he replied coldly, showing obvious contempt toward Ryoga, "I've been born that way,"
"Born?" she asked.
Lina walked forward, a bit nervous that Ranma was angry at her for hitting him with a fireball. However, it seems he had totally forgotten about him. She cautiously approached the group to see what they were talking about.
"Hey, what gives?" she commented, "You have an eye color the same as mine and Luna's. I thought your eyes were blue,"
Ranma narrowed his eyes at the young girl. She was telling the truth. She as well as Luna's eyes were the same color as one of his. However, he didn't really care. It seemed Jun was okay so he was more concerned on finding out who they were. "Let's start all over here," Luna said, "It seems there has been a terrible misunderstanding. We thought you were someone else,"
"And because of that you try and kill me?" he sneered, mostly toward Ryoga and Lina. After being hit with that fireball, Ranma had found himself starting to get angry at simply being hit in general. Although it had no effect on him other that propel him through the air and into objects or buildings, the actual realization that someone was seriously trying to hurt him was starting to annoy him.
"We apologize," Luna said.
"Hmph!" he turned away from her, "Well, since this is a misunderstanding, then we'll be leaving then,"
He walked over to Jun and grabbed her hand and proceeded to walk away, almost half dragging her. Jun stole a glance back toward the three of them as she stumbled along to keep in pace with Ranma before finally feeling that whatever questions she had, she could ask Ranma about them, like how both of those girls were able to fly, or why that man with the yellow and black bandanna had been trying to hurt him, or perhaps why Ranma seemed unhurt despite the tatter shirt.
Ranma and Jun didn't make it that far as Ryoga, Lina, and Luna quickly caught up to them.
"Hold up, we just want to talk," Ryoga said, a bit embarrassed, "I'm sorry about what I did before. It's just that I thought you were someone else,"
"Actually, you could be that same person except you have no memories of us," Luna commented, "That's why we want to talk to you,"
"I'm not interested in talking to you," he said, "I've never seen any of you before,"
"Um, Ranma, perhaps it'll be a good idea if we talked to them," she suggested, "Perhaps you might learn something,"
Ranma looked at her for a moment as if taking her words into consideration before saying, "No, I'm still not interested,"
He turned toward them, "I don't know who you people are, but I seriously suggest you just let the two of us walk away. You have no idea who you're messing with," Lina took that as some kind of challenge toward her and her sister, "What? Is that some kind of threat?"
Ranma sneered at Lina, "Yes,"
A sensation of fear enveloped Lina that made her knees a bit shaky. She found her heart beating rapidly as she tried to stare him down, much to no avail. Eventually, she had to turn her gaze away, angry at herself for doing so.
"I'm sorry for the misunderstanding," Luna said again with a meek smile, "I hope you forgive us. I hope you're not hurt or anything,"
"Hmph," he muttered, "I'm fine,"
"Um, we'll be on our way," Luna said as diplomatic as possible, "We'll leave you two alone. It's all our fault,"
"What are you saying?" Lina said.
Luna narrowed her eyes at her younger sister before smiling again at Ranma and added, "Well, um, you take care now,"
He gave her one last look. From what he could tell, Luna didn't seem all that bad a person. She seemed rather calm and collected, which seemed to be the opposite of the other two. However, since no one was hurt, that was all that mattered.
Ryoga tapped Luna on her shoulder.
"Yes?" she turned toward him, "Um, what are we going to do about all that damage that we've just caused?"
Luna gazed at the carnage laid out on the street before her. It looked like a small war had just occurred. Ranma, hearing Ryoga's commented, sneered, "I don't know who you are, but I'll do this favor only because I'm partially at fault, not because I want to help you,"
Without saying another word, Ranma waved a hand in a wide arc across the air in front of him in the same fashion as the Ranma everyone knew would call forth an AT field.
All of a sudden, the debris scattered about all over the place started levitating in place a few inches off the floor. A second later, it started flying in what seemed like random directions only start filling in the holes and broken walls that it had originally come from, making it such that the buildings look good as new. The cars could be seen also levitating as some unseen for seemed to be pulling the indented chassis out from within, the chipped paint suddenly appearing once the outside damage were gone. The water flooding the street could be seen flowing backwards and then up into the air and down the hole on the ground where a fire hydrant would become removed from a wall and through the air and down on top of it to seal it up.
"W-w-what the hell was that?" Lina gasped.
Luna seemed to be in a state of shock as she pondered what had just occurred.
Ranma knows how to manipulate time? When the hell did he learn to do that? The only person even remotely capable of doing so was herself, but only with something as simple as fixing broken window or a dropped dish plate.
"Let's hope that we never see each other again," Ranma said coldly before heading off down the street.
"Um, b-bye," Jun said before quickly following suit. Considering all that she had seen in such a short span of time, she felt like everything was surreal. All she knew was that no matter how much Ranma would tell her to mind her own business like he most likely usually would, she was going to hound him with questions. She was start doing so once they were a good distance away.
"D-did you see that? What the hell happened?" Misato asked as she and the others approached the group, "Did Ranma do that? Did he fix all the damage that was done?"
Luna blankly nodded. She looked toward Ryoga.
"God, you have no idea how lucky you are," she had to tell him, "If that guy had decided to fight back-"
"What, he would had defeated me?" Ryoga said with a smirk.
Luna shook her head, "That's putting it as lightly as possible. He could have utterly erased you from existence,"
Ryoga stopped smirking, "Say that again?"
"Luna, what happened? What's going on? Why'd you let him go?" Asuka asked in a single breath. She, like the others, had watched the scene unfold from a good distance away but had been unable to listen in on the conversation.
Luna glanced at the street Ranma and Jun had walked down before turned toward the group and said, "I didn't know what it was at first, but I had the funny feeling that something was wrong initially. Well, it turns out that my assumption was right. That isn't the Ranma we're looking for,"
Ryoga scratched the back of his head, "Come to think of it, I kinda thought the same thing, too. It's not like Ranma to be hit so many times without at least trying to dodge,"
"That still doesn't explain why you let him go," Misato commented, "He looks exactly like him, and I remember hearing that girl calling him by name,"
"No entirely alike," she said, "He has different eye colors. And his personality is the complete opposite. When I had noticed this, that was when you saw the three of us basically talking in front of the building, I took the opportunity to read his thoughts,"
"Although you shouldn't do that since it's an invasion of privacy, this seems to be appropriate," Ritsuko said, "So what did you see?"
"Not only does he not recognize us," Luna replied, "but there is no indication that he had lost his memory of us or anything of the like. Basically, to him, he had never seen us before nor know any of us. We're complete strangers to him,"
"Are you sure he didn't have something like amnesia?" Asuka asked, "I find it hard that he would forget someone like myself,"
Luna narrowed her eyes at Emiko when she noticed the young ninja about to make a comment about what Asuka had said. She promptly closed her mouth before any words came out.
"Ranma doesn't have amnesia," Luna said flatly, "For all we know, that might not even be him,"
"But he looks exactly like him," Nene said.
"Well, yes, but that's just about him," she replied, "I still refuse to believe it's coincidence because I find it very strange that not only not like him but also have the same name as him. There has got to be some correlation on this Ranma and the one we know, but I can't figuring out," Misato turned toward Ritsuko, "How about you? Do you have any ideas on this stuff? You're really good at these hypotheses,"
Ritsuko had already been in deep thought about what she had heard. After a moment, she said, "I'm sorry, but I'm every bit as stumped as everyone else. There's just not enough information to make a good assumption,"
"Well, make a shitty assumption then," Priss said impatiently, "We'll be better of knowing how something could have ended up like this not know at all,"
"Look, we need to gather more information," Luna said, "There's so much more we need to know before we will be able to understand the big picture. Since it's late, it's best that we find some place to stay. We happened to have gotten lucky bumping into him like that when we first appeared and jumped to conclusions. It's best that we gather information first,"
"But what about Ranma?" Linna asked, "Do we just let him go? One of us should follow him so we don't lose track of him,"
Luna shook her head, "There's no need. Ranma seems to exude this gigantic aura that I can sense,"
Ryoga stepped in, "I know what she means, I can feel it, too,"
"Same here," Emiko and Lina said in unison.
They turned toward each other and glared.
"I don't feel anything," Asuka said.
"Neither do I," Misato said, "What's it feel like? How do I detect it?"
"Don't worry if you don't feel it," Ryoga said, "I guess we just happened to be used to sensing stuff like this,"
"And since we can sense it, there's no need to have someone follow him," Luna added, "Now that we don't really have to worry about allocating the time needed to actually find him, when can spend more of it actually finding out what is going on,"
Misato nodded in accordance as she looked about, "I agree. And front what I'm looking at, there's a lot I would like to find out, probably more than anyone else,"
"Like what?" Nene asked.
Misato pointed toward one of the parked cars that had been wrecked earlier and was now back in working order, "Like that car there. It looks unlike any car I've ever seen,"
"You have a point there," Ritsuko said, walking toward it, "This is one unusual looking car. It looks far more sophisticated than any car I've ever seen at my own world,"
"It is probably because since the Second Impact had never occurred," Sylia surmised, "technology was never halted due to such a catastrophe and had been able to run its course,"
"You've got a point there," Ritsuko said.
"Oh man!" they heard Priss say, "I must be dreaming!"
Everyone turned to face her and noticed her gazing down at the instruments on the dash of a motorcycle. The motorcycle made the Knight Sabers' motor cycles look ancient. "What's the matter?" Luna asked.
Priss smiled happily as she pointed, "The speedometer on this thing reads as high as 450 miles per hour. That's 'miles per hour'! This is one fast goddamn bike!"
Everyone walked up to the bike.
"Gee, you'd think a bike as technologically advanced such as this would have a digital display," Linna said with a smirk.
"Actually, these kinds of displays are more accurate," Priss commented with a smile, "I always figured that people would realize that analog displays are better than digital ones and it seems this seems to indicate it,"
She proceeded to get on the bike.
"What are you doing?" Sylia was the first to ask.
"I'm going to hot wire this thing," she replied, "I'm going to take it for a ride,"
"What are you, some thief? You can't do that!" Linna tried to reprimand her.
Priss smiled, "Just watch me,"
It only took her a second to realize she had no idea how the wiring of the motorcycle worked. She didn't even know where the ignition for it was. That meant she wouldn't be able to hot wire it then and there, at least not until she took her time to inspect the bike more thoroughly.
"Lettme guess, you don't know how to hot wire it," Sylia smiled.
"Unfortunately" she muttered, a bit embarrassed as she got back off the motorcycle.
The Knight Sabers started laughing while everyone looked at them curiously.
"Well, since it seems that we all in high spirits now," Luna said with a smile, "Let's be on our way,"
"Can you please explain what had happened back there?" Jun asked for what seemed like the hundredth time. She and him were standing in front of Jun's house. Shortly after they had gotten away from Luna and the others, Ranma had told Jun that he would walk her home and then be on his way, but not before he had stopped by a random store and bought a new shirt.
"And like I said previously," came his reply, "I don't know. I have never seen them in my life,"
"How did they know your name?"
"Once again, I don't know," he replied coldly.
"Okay, fine, I'll stop asking about that then," she said, finally deciding it was best to give up, that perhaps he really didn't know what had happened and wasn't hiding something like she had originally believed. Ranma looked up at the house before him, "Well, now that you're home, I'm leaving,"
Before he had a chance to turn around and leave, Jun reached out and grabbed his arm, "Wait,"
"What?"
"What about what you did back there?" she asked, "I know no one is capable of surviving being hit that hard and going through what you have. How did you come out without a scratch? It's like you didn't even get hurt,"
Ranma said, "That's just it. I didn't get hurt,"
"How?"
"Because I don't get hurt," he said.
"I find that hard to believe," she commented.
"There is a lot of things about me that is hard to believe," he commented coldly with a shrug, "Perhaps you don't realize it, but I'm not exactly a 'normal' person,"
Jun nodded, "Well, yeah, you're unique and all but-"
He said. Sometimes, he really wished he hadn't promised not to alter Jun's memories. It would be so much easier to have her forget about what she had seen and not constantly ask her questions that he didn't want to answer. However, it seemed the only way to get her to stop asking is to tell her.
"Do you know exactly how 'unique' I am?" he asked from out of the blue.
"Well, no, not really,"
"Do you remember that guy I punched?" he said, "I killed him,"
"No you didn't, I remember him getting up and running away," she said, "Of course, after I remember seeing glowing," She remember that scene clearly.
Ranma shook his head, "No. He was killed. What you saw, when I was glowing, was me bringing him back to life. Do you get it? I can bring people back to life,"
"B-bring h-him to life?"
"I have powers," Ranma said, "That should be more than enough to make you realize I'm not 'normal'. However, the extent of my power is limitless. There is nothing I can not do,"
"Then how come you keep this 'power' a secret?" she asked, "If you have the power to save people, why don't you go around helping people out?"
Ranma became silent, a slight sign of anger showing before finally saying, "I'll tell you why. Because I actually had done so over a decade ago. However, when the government tried to take me into their custody to exploit me, I swore to myself I will never help someone out unless I feel it was my fault,"
"You mean if you see someone get hit by a car and killed, you wouldn't walk over there and save them?" she asked, shocked at what she was hearing.
Ranma shook his head, "No, I wouldn't,"
"W-what if it h-happened to me? W-would you help me?" she dared to ask.
Ranma stopped dead in his tracks as he found himself unable to answer. He thought about what he would do if Jun had been killed and he found himself becoming more affected with the mental image than he would had liked. Had he not gotten to known Jun over time, he would had most likely just walked on by. But now, he had the funny feeling that he would save her.
After a moment, he finally said, "I think I would save you,"
Jun blushed, "R-really? Um, thanks," She cleared the throat and asked, "What do you mean by you having done so a decade ago? I never heard of what you've done. Even thought I would have been, what, eleven at the time, I'm sure I would have heard something about a person able to bring people back to life,"
Ranma smirked a bit, "Well, you remember how I was able to 'fix up' all the damage that was caused earlier? I have the ability to manipulate time. When the government started coming after me, I reversed time all the way back to the time I had decided to show my powers to bring a person back to life and simply did nothing and let him die. In a way, you could have heard of me during a different timeline,"
"Y-you just stood there and let that person die?" she said.
"Yes," he said.
"How can you do that, when you know you have the ability to save the person?" she asked, appalled that he could sit idle and let someone die.
"It's easy," he said coldly, "I just stood there and watched him die,"
"B-but how?"
Ranma sneered a bit, "I basically showed the same 'compassion' toward the man as humanity seemed to show toward me when they found out what I could do," Jun's lips became a thin line. It seemed Ranma seemed to hold some hidden hostility toward the government or perhaps humanity in general. She started wondering if that was the reason for Ranma's general cold demeanor, that he seemed to had actually tried to be compassionate a long time ago only to be burned. All of a sudden, a flash of lightning shot across the dark sky above, startling Jun. "I'm leaving now. It's going to rain," Ranma commented.
Before Ranma had a chance to finish his sentence, it started to downpour. Jun didn't get wet because she was underneath the alcove of the front door while Ranma stood in the rain.
Ranma didn't seem to show any indication of being bothered from being soaking wet. He turned around to leave but was stopped when Jun called out to him.
"Ranma," she said.
He turned around to face her.
She gazed at him for a moment. She knew it was her fault. Ranma would not be soaking wet right now had he not walked her home. She couldn't had simply gracefully declined his offer to escort her instead of eagerly accepting it.
"You're soaking wet already," she commented.
Ranma shrugged, "It doesn't matter. It's not like I'm going to come down with a cold or anything. Being wet doesn't bother me,"
"Well, it bothers me," she said. She knew everyone was probably home right now and that she was their guest and that she would be imposing by inviting someone in but she felt they wouldn't mind under such circumstances, "Please, come on in out of the rain,"
"I don't feel like it," he said.
At that moment, the door open to reveal Noriko, Jun's sixteen year old cousin. Having seen Jun standing by the front door when Noriko had been walking by the livingroom window, she figured she should open the door for her in case Jun didn't have the key to the house yet.
Jun nearly fell backwards and into the house for she had been partially leaning against the door at the time. Luckily, she had managed to catch her balance before she had embarrassed herself.
"Hey, you're back," Noriko smiled at Jun. She then looked passed her and saw the incredibly handsome man standing in the rain. She blushed a bit as she smiled a bit and said, "H-hello,"
Ranma didn't reply. He just regarded the young girl for a moment before turning toward Jun again, "Anyway, I'm leaving,"
Jun realized something. She looked at her watch and then said, "Ranma, it's almost nine now,"
"What about it?" he asked, not too sure what she was getting at.
"I said, it's almost nine now," she said again, "It's kind of useless for you to go to the bus terminal now. There's only two possible times when you can take the bus home, and that is at either ten in the morning, or four thirty in the afternoon. You're going to have to wait till tomorrow to take the bus back home,"
"Fine, I'll go look for a hotel then," he said, turning back around.
"Um, you can stay here for the night if you want," Jun suggested, nudging at Noriko, "I'm sure Noriko and her family don't mind,"
Noriko's smirked at Jun as she whispered, "Make a bet?"
Jun's face saddened. She forgot what kind of person her uncle, Noriko's father, was. He was a very conservative man and would never allow a boy sleep under the same roof as one of his daughters or relatives. Although he wasn't, he would make a great yakuza boss simply because of his rather commanding nature. He had this tendency to strike fear into men. With women, they seem to be able to walk all over him as long as boys aren't involved.
"Noriko, you should shut the door, you're letting the hot air out," Jun's aunt said as she walked by. When she noticed Jun by the door she smiled, "Oh, Jun, you're back. How was visit around town? Did you have fun?" When she noticed Ranma standing in the rain, she said, "Oh, um, hello,"
Ranma said nothing. All he did was make eye contact to show his acknowledgment.
"Do you and Jun know each other?" Jun's aunt asked curiously. "We're in one class together," he replied.
"That's nice to hear," she said. When she noticed Ranma standing in the rain, "Say, why don't you come on in out of the rain? You're soaking wet,"
"I'm fine," he said.
"No, no, I insist," she smiled warmly, "God forbid if you come down with a cold. I'd feel so bad for not inviting you in to wait for the rain to stop,"
Ranma narrowed his eyes, "Don't invite me in out of obligation. I said I'm fine,"
Jun's aunt gasped a bit in surprise. She hadn't expected Ranma to snap at her like that. However, if he didn't seem to want to come in, then that was his prerogative.
"Um, okay, well, it was nice meeting you," she gave a quick smile before she headed disappeared down the corridor.
"You didn't have to act like that," Jun said angrily, "She was just trying to be nice,"
"I had already told her I was fine," he said, "I don't need her help,"
At that moment, the uncle, Noriko's father, walked by to see what was letting such a draft in. He caught sight of the three of them.
"Noriko, please, shut the door," he said in a low voice, "You're letting the hot air out. Um, it's bothering your mother. Jun, welcome back,"
He narrowed his eyes at Ranma, "G'evening,"
Ranma regarded the uncle. He was a rather large heavyset man. He seemed to fit the perfect picture of the 'frightening Daddy' that boys fear all girls had. The image he seemed to portray screamed yakuza.
"I said g'evening," the man said, "It's best that you reply back,"
"Daddy, quit doing that! That's why I can never get a boyfriend, because you're constantly scaring them away!" Noriko snapped at her father.
He gave a meek smile, "Um, I'm s-sorry, honey,"
"And for your information, she and Jun go to school together," Noriko added, "He isn't from my school," She figured because Ranma wasn't some boy out to steal his daughter away from him, he would go easy on Ranma since Jun was free to make her own decision on whom she dated.
"Oh," the man said. He regarded Ranma for a bit. He liked what he saw. He liked how Ranma seemed to carry himself, the way he stood, the image he seem to give out. There was this quality to him that seemed to make his stand out from the usual boys he had come in contact with. Sure, he was older than usual boys, but he was still a boy regardless.
"What?" Ranma said when he noticed the uncle looking at him longer than supposed to.
The man smiled, "I like you. You're different. You don't scare easily,"
"I don't get scared," he corrected.
"There's a line between confidence and being cocky," the man narrowed his eyes, "Don't forget it,"
Ranma ignored the comment a she looked at Jun, "Are there any nearby hotels?" He figured it was better to simply ask her instead of wander around aimlessly looking for one.
"There's one about a mile from here," Noriko answered for Jun. She turned toward her father and gave him a rather scary look that even made him a bit afraid. It seemed Noriko was silently given him a message saying that if he didn't invite Ranma in, he would no longer be her favorite daddy, an no father ever wanted that.
"Come on in," the man said, "You can wait here until the rain dies,"
Although Ranma really saw no reason in waiting for the rain to stop, he figured it was best to simply give in for a change. It seemed like Jun really wanted him to stay for some reason and he saw no real harm in it.
"Fine, I'll come in,"
Ranma and Jun sat alone in the guest room. The door was open though since Jun's uncle was on the lookout for his niece and didn't want anything to happen. Afterall, a guy is a guy, and they only had one thing on their mind.
It was nearing midnight now and there was no indication that the rain was going to let up. It was now pouring more than ever and the winds had picked up. Jun was pretty glad that Ranma wasn't out in the rain at a time like this. However, the might have been a good chance he had made it to the hotel but there was no telling for sure.
Ever since he had entered the house, he had stayed in the guest room. He had insisted that he didn't want to take part in eating dinner with the family, forcing Jun to eat with him in the guest room simply because she wanted to keep him company. However, it seemed like she wasn't the only one that wanted to keep him company. Noriko, clad in her pajamas, seemed to hang around the room a lot also.
"Looks like the rain isn't going to let up," Noriko commented with a blush.
Jun glanced at Noriko. She couldn't believe how obvious it was. The young girl had the biggest crush on Ranma. What was even more amazing was that she didn't even seem all that bothered when she found out what his name was.
Ranma had continued to stand in front of the window gazing out. He hadn't moved since he had come in. Whenever Jun had asked him a question or engaged in conversation with him, he had continued to keep his back to her, constantly gazing out the window.
"Seems like it," he replied.
"I-it looks like you're going to be spending the n-night," Noriko continued to blush. She felt like giggling like a schoolgirl. This was so cool. A boy was spending the night.
"Perhaps," he said. He didn't care where he took shelter. However, spending the night here seemed better since there was a chance the hotel might night take diamonds as a form of currency. "So, how powerful is that guy?" Lina asked her sister. Everyone was walking down the street, looking around for a hotel where they could stay for the night. Luna had been the only that had shown any indication that she knew of the power that man possessed.
"He's powerful," Luna replied.
"Yeah, but how powerful?" she persisted.
"You know the saying 'No matter how powerful someone is, there's always someone out there more powerful'?" Luna gave a small smile, "I'm positive there is no one as powerful as him,"
"What about you?" Sylia said in disbelief. Although she never saw Luna's true powers, she knew she was very powerful, perhaps powerful enough to rival Ranma, at least the Ranma she knew. This Ranma was a whole other story.
Luna gave a laugh, "I'm flattered that you compare me to his power,"
"He can't be that powerful, can he?" Priss asked, "I mean, how powerful can he be? All I saw was him brush off a few of Ryoga's punches like they were nothing. I've seen Ranma do that way back when we first new them, over a decade ago. It's nothing new,"
"Yes, but are you aware that it was him that fixed all the damage that was caused? That was him, not me," she answered calmly, "What he did was a form of time manipulation. To be able to manipulate time so easily is as close to inhumanly possible as it can get,"
"But you can do that," Lina said, "I remember seeing you do stuff such as fix a broken glass,"
Luna nodded, "Yes, but nothing like that on such a grand scale. When I do do something like that, I basically can't cast magic for a week because I have to recover for depleting my magic reserves so much,"
"That must be pretty powerful," Lina said with a shrug.
"I guess if I compare it to magic, you might be able to understand this better," Luna said patiently, "To us, a basic beginner's spells are that of light spells, fireballs, and levitation. An intermediate's spells would be Dragon Slaves and Giga Slaves,"
"Um, you consider a Giga Slave an 'advanced' spell? Jeez, then what the heck do you consider an expert's spell?"
"Spells like temporary invulnerability and divinity blessings I consider expert spells," she answered, "The level above that would be that of True Resurrection as in actually bringing people back to life, not as in bringing people back from near death and a 'group' version of temporary invulnerability and divinity blessings,"
"What about the ability to manipulate time then?" Lina asked.
"Time manipulation is probably around the step above that, the kind of time manipulation I can do. Ranma's version of it is probably well beyond that level, nearing that of 'divine' powers. I shudder at the thought of what kind of destructive power Ranma has. Thanks goodness for magic's limitations,"
"Magic's limitations?" Lina gave her sister a confused look, "What do you mean by that?"
Luna shook her head in disappointment, "I'm surprised you would ask me a question like that. You love magic as well as I. You should know what it is,"
"Um, can you refresh me?" she asked, a bit angry at herself for not knowing.
Luna smirked, "Black Magic has an upper limit. There is an order of how you can go up the evolutionary ladder of magic. You can only go so far in terms of black magic. However, white magic doesn't have that limitation. I just wonder how destructive Ranma's power could be since there might be a chance he isn't restricted to that limitation,"
"Hold up," Lina jumped in, "What are you saying that black magic has a limitation while white magic doesn't? I never heard of this,"
"The differences is only negligible," Luna answered, "That's because at a level where white magic starts to surpass black magic's upper limit, it is basically inhumanly possible to continue on getting better. White magic may have no limitation on how powerful a spell could become, but there is a limitation on the magic user casting it. On a purely 'human' point of view, reaching the upper limit in black magic is impossible, much alone surpassing it in terms of white magic. I've yet to ever reach the upper limits with black magic, let alone surpass it in terms of white magic,"
"This stuff all sound ludicrous," Lina commented, "Right off the bat, I'm shocked at hearing that black magic has some kind of limitation. However, what really gets to me is that you make it seem that Ranma is well beyond this so called limitation,"
"Lina, I don't think you realize just how powerful he is," Luna said with a sigh, "His power is incomprehensible,"
Ryoga said, "I dunno. I've met some really powerful individuals on another world. I have a friend from there, and I'm sure he is more powerful than Ranma,"
"No, he isn't," Luna said without thought, "I don't want to sound offensive toward whoever this person is you're talking about, but I'm sure he doesn't compare to Ranma,"
Ryoga seemed a bit skeptic but eventually shrugged as he said, "Well, I guess we'll never know. However, from the way you compliment on how powerful this Ranma is, I'm sure it would be a good battle,"
"Have you noticed that Ranma showed no signs of anxiety or fear for his life when you suddenly appeared in front of him and started punching him?" Luna asked, "I'm just making an assumption here, but that could be an indication that he never learned how to get scared for his life because nothing ever threatened him to make him feel so,"
"You're not making any sense," Nene said in confusion, "What do you mean by him not having learned how to be scared?"
"Just think of it as this," Luna said, "If I were born immortal, there is a chance that I would never be able to understand death because it is nothing that would ever cross my mind. That's basically Ranma's case,"
"That's all just a theory," Ritsuko jumped in, "For all we know, he might be able to conceal his emotions really well,"
"Perhaps," Luna said with a small shrug, "However, I think I'll believe otherwise. All I'm saying is that Ranma is powerful. He is at the level where his is so far beyond powerful that it has become irrelevant,"
"Hey, look, a hotel," Shinji pointed out.
Everyone turned their attention from Luna and toward where Shinji was pointing. Luna smiled, "Good,"
"Hey, Luna," Misato said. It was now around two in the morning. Misato and Luna were sharing a hotel room, the others also sharing hotel rooms. Everyone had been gathered about in Luna and Misato's room conversing about what they were going to do tomorrow before they realized how late it was and retired to their respective rooms.
"Hm?" she asked sleepily. "What do you think of Ranma?" Misato asked.
"I don't know," she replied, "He doesn't act much like the one we know,"
"No, I'm talking about the Ranma we know," Misato said.
"Well, what about him?"
"What do you think of him?" Misato repeated, "How was did you first meet him? What were your initial reaction when you saw him?"
Luna smiled slightly, "Well, I think he is a really nice guy and is really easy to talk to. We met while I was working as a waitress at a tavern,"
"What about your initial reactions to him?"
"I thought he looked rather handsome," Luna said after a short pause, "However, I didn't think much of it. It wasn't until we started talking and getting to know each other did I realize that he really was a great guy,"
"Would you have sex with Ranma?" Misato asked.
"W-w-what?" Luna sat upright, "What did you just say?"
"I'm merely curious, that's all," she said with a grin, "We're all adults,"
Luna laid back down on the bed, a bit annoyed, "We may be adults, but not all of us seem to be acting like one at the moment," "No need to get all defensive," Misato laughed, "I guess your action is enough of an answer,"
"And what answer does my reaction send out?" Luna had to ask.
"That you want to, y'know," Misato said. Luna blushed, grateful that the lights were out in the room, "I-I do not,"
"What about this Ranma? Would you do him? I mean, he looks exactly like him," Misato continued on, "There isn't anything wrong in being physically attracted to him,"
Luna let out an annoyed breath, "Go to sleep,"
"C'mon, I'm just curious,"
"Goto sleep, Misato,"
"C'mon,"
"Good night, Misato,"
"I wonder how good it would feel to have Ranma inside me," Misato commented dreamily, "I'm sure you've asked yourself that,"
"G-go to sleep!" Luna said, blushing a deep shade of red. The comment had made her think all the way back to the time when she and him had been talking about reading each other's thoughts. She remembered Ranma purposely thinking about her and him having intercourse and asking her to read his mind to get a rise out of her. She remembered how vivid that thought had been in his mind. What had bothered her was that she didn't know if he was thinking that just to get a rise of her or thinking that because he wanted her.
"I betcha you're thinking about it now," Misato commented, noticing the sudden silence.
"Sleep!" Luna said, waving a hand in Misato's direction and casting a sleep spell.
Misato immediately fell deep into sleep.
Luna glanced at her for a short moment before closing her eyes. After a few minutes of just lying there starting up at the ceiling, Luna suddenly realized that she would probably not be sleeping tonight now that Misato had put those perverted thoughts in her head.
"Perhaps I'm not as much an 'adult' as I thought," she sighed.
Late at night, somewhere around four in the morning, a bright sphere of light appeared just outside the second story of the hotel the group had been staying in. Since everyone had been staying on that particular side of the hotel, they were all easily awakened by that light that shone in through their windows.
Luna was the first to be awakened from her slumber. Misato simply turned over in her bed so her back was toward the light and seemed to continue on sleeping.
"What is going on out there?" she said sleepily, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She shielded her eyes as approached the window, prepared for anything. She wasn't able to see a thing, the light too brilliant, so much so that it hurt her eyes.
She peered toward the glowing sphere of light through her peripheral vision, taking care not to look directly at it for fear of damaging her eyesight.
The sphere remained hovering in the air, emanating brilliant rays of light for several moments before it disappeared. When it disappeared, it revealed a lone female standing in place. She stood fairly tall and had long silky white hair that flowed down by the back of her waist. She wore an outfit that Luna had never seen before, an outfit that was very colorful and extremely extravagant-
looking. It looked a bit like a long blue robe with a black cape with a red interior with the lapel that was orange and yellow. Although the loud outfit was fairly easy to spot, there were two very distinguishing parts to this beautiful woman that made her stand out. Aside from the fact that she was hovering in mid-
air were these three marks on her face, one of her forehead and one on either cheek. The other aspect was that she had a pair of wings similar to that of Ranma, save one of her wings, her left wing was black, the other white.
"W-who are you?" Luna asked, waiting for her eyesight to becoming adjusted to the dark again.
The woman looked down at Luna and gave her a smirk before hovering down to stand on top of the railing of the balcony. Luna continued to regard the woman, wondering if she was some sort of magic-
user to be able to hover in the air a second ago. It looked like she didn't require the use of wings for they weren't flapping to keep her afloat. It looked more along the lines of decoration.
"Who are you?" Luna asked again, showing no signs of nervousness. She could take care of herself.
There was a knock on her door.
"Luna, are you awake?" she heard Ritsuko's muffled voice from the other side of the door, "Did you see that light? What was it? It came from directly in front of your window,"
"Yes, I did," Luna replied back toward the door, not turning her gaze away from the woman.
"I've come in peace...more or less," the woman said. She had a low and rather sultry sounding voice. It somewhat annoyed Luna that the woman's voice seemed to convey a sense of sexiness that her attire seemed to exude. The women basically sounded as sexy as she looked.
Luna narrowed her eyes, "Who are you?"
"At the moment," the woman said, "It doesn't matter if you know who I am,"
"So why are you here?" Luna asked.
The woman replied, "I'm here give you, and your friends, warning to stay away from them,"
"Stay away from them? What are you talking about? From who?" Luna asked in succession, confused.
"From Ranma," the woman said flatly, "They are to find out who they are on their own,"
"Ranma? How do you know Ranma?" Luna asked, "Are you talking about the one we just met earlier?"
"Yes, that Ranma," she replied, "Also, my relationship with Ranma isn't important to you. What is important is that you keep away,"
"Why?"
"It's meant to be," she said, "It's their decision to discover who they are on their own,"
"What are you talking about?" Luna was thoroughly confused, "Who are you referring to by them?"
"Just stay away from them," she said one last time before leaping backwards to hover in the mid-air again, "I'll be watching you. If you come close to them once again, I'll be forced to show you my true powers,"
Without saying another word, she twisted in the air, this column of air seemingly appearing out of nowhere to envelope her before disappearing, her along with it.
Luna stood there, stumped, unable to understand what had just transpired.
"Open the door," she heard Ritsuko's voice.
"Yeah, let us in," she heard her sister's voice, "What's going on in there?"
She walked over to the door and opened it to reveal the entire group. They were all awake, although slightly disheveled. Misato seemed to be the only one that hadn't been awoken by the bright light.
"What happened? I saw a bright light," Linna asked, "I also heard voices," She noticed that Misato was dead asleep and assumed Luna had been talking to someone else.
Luna took several moments before trying to respond, "I don't really know what had just happened. All I know is that from out of nowhere, a woman appeared. From what I could gather, it seemed she had come here to warn us to stay away from Ranma and that girl that is with her,"
"Ranma and that girl? Stay away from them? Why?" Ritsuko asked.
"I don't really know," she replied honestly, "She simply said to stay away from them and that was all. Something about it being their decision to find out who they are on their own. I don't really understand what that means,"
"What does she look like?" her sister asked.
"She had wings similar to Ranma's, the Ranma we know, except one of them was black. She wore this extravagant-looking outfit and had three marks on her face," Luna answered, "That's about it. I have no idea what her connection with the Ranma of this world is, but it seems like she knows him to be able to talk about him so casually like that,"
"What does that girl have to do with this?" Ryoga asked. He remembered that girl jumping on his back and hitting him on the top of his head. The girl seemed to had attempt to come to Ranma's rescue. Perhaps she liked that guy.
Luna shrugged, "I don't know. All I was told was to leave them alone,"
"She only said that to you?" Nene asked.
"No. I think she was referring to all of us," Luna replied, shaking her head, "But whatever the case, it's probably best to heed her warning,"
"Why? Heck, from my point of view, this makes things seem all the more interesting," Priss smirk, "I'm even more tempted to find out who this Ranma guy is just to find out who this woman you're talking about is,"
Luna gave her an odd look, "Why? We never really intended to bother this Ranma guy. It's already been determined that he isn't the Ranma we're looking for so we should simply move on," That was the logical thing to do. However, there was a sense of curiosity within her that was burning now that she had been threatened to stay away from him.
It wasn't because she wanted to know more about who this Ranma was simply out of spite, to show that woman that she wouldn't be intimidated by meager threats, but more along the lines of piqued curiosity. There must be something really special about this guy for this woman to go out of her way to threaten someone for. "Well, the point is moot," Luna wave a dismissive hand, banishing her thoughts, "There's no reason for us to hang around here anymore anyway so we should head on out first thing tomorrow morning,"
"Actually," Ritsuko said, "There is a one really good reason for us to stay. We seem to have ended up in a technologically superior world. It would be really useful for us to stay here and study their technology. It might come in useful when we find the Ranma we know and had back home,"
Luna thought about it for a moment before saying, "I guess you have a point. However, since it's been determined that this isn't the Ranma we're looking for, we should simply leave him, and the girl he was with, alone,"
"You can do that," Priss said, "However, I'm even more eager to find out who this Ranma is, as well as find out who this woman is. Perhaps we can find some answers like why she doesn't want us bothering Ranma,"
"I'd advise against it," Luna said, "However...I am kind of curious myself, too,"
Everyone smirked. Perhaps there was more to this Ranma than meets the eye.
It would be fun finding out.
Elsewhere, on top of a building rooftop, the woman that Luna encountered appeared from thin air. There, a young girl that looked to be around eighteen, wearing an extravagant white outfit holding a cute-looking red mallet that had three marks on her face as well was waiting for the woman's arrival. The young girl had long flowing black hair that came down to her waist.
"You're back," the young girl commented. "Yeah," replied, "I made my presence known. I'm sure that girl got my drift that Ranma is to be left alone,"
"What's with the wings, Urd?" the young girl asked.
The woman named Urd looked over her shoulder and at the wings. She gave a laugh before snapping her fingers, the wings disappearing like it had been some kind of illusion, "I just put them on for show. I wanted a more dramatic effect. What would have been better is if you used some of your gadgets to create some special effects. That would probably get them all riled up and deathly afraid to even be on the same continent as Ranma. Wouldn't you say, Skuld?"
"Well, " the young girl named Skuld said, "Let's hope they got the picture. I don't like the thought of having to stop that guy that was punching Ranma. He seemed waaaay too powerful to be human,"
Urd gave a smirk, "Powerful or not, he is still human,"
Skuld shrugged, "If you say so," she sighed, "Well, let's head on back to heaven and watch from there. There's no real need for us to actually be here anymore,"
Urd sighed a bit, "You know what? I really miss that guy, Keiichi. He was actually a real swell guy to know. If he were still around, we'd be at his place right this very moment instead of meeting us up here," "You know Keiichi isn't around anymore. That was a hundred years ago," Skuld commented, "You need to move on,"
Urd almost snapped at her sister, "Of course I've moved on. I know how it is. Humans can't live forever," She shrugged, pushing away that deep down century old feeling of sadness. She didn't know what made her bring up Keiichi Morisato. He had been gone for over a hundred years...just like her sister, Belldandy. Belldandy had loved Keiichi so much that she had chosen to become human along side him, and to inevitably die like humans eventually do. It made Urd wonder if she would ever find someone like Belldandy had, to fall so in love with him that she would be able to give up being a goddess so she could be human also.
"Nah, a hundred years has passed and I still haven't found anyone like that," Urd commented to herself, "I'm sure there are many more years to go before I ever do..."
"What did you say, sis?" Skuld looked at her sister. She noticed Urd looked somewhat sad. Could it be because of the mention of Keiichi? Could it be because every time Keiichi is mentioned, memories of Belldandy is always sure to follow?
Urd waved a dismissive hand, "No, it was nothing. C'mon, let's head back up to heaven. There's no need for us to stay. I've got my point across. There's no need for me to follow their every move,"
"All right," Skuld said, following closely behind her sister and taking flight toward the heavens.
Together, Skuld and Urd disappeared into the night. "Man, that Ranma's aura is so damn overwhelming," Lina commented. She and everyone else were walking down the street, heading in the general direction of Jun's place. It was early morning. Most of them were sleepy, having stayed up a good portion of the night trying to figure out who that woman that appeared was, eventually coming up with nothing.
"I agree," Luna and Ryoga said in unison. Emiko only silently nodded.
Lina, Luna, and Ryoga were sensing Ranma's whereabouts. However, when they put effort into sensing where he was through his aura, it made them realize just how pervasive his aura was. All this time, they were able to sense Ranma, however, when they really tired and put effort into doing so, one couldn't help but notice just how powerful an aura it was.
"I can't believe I didn't notice it so much before," Lina commented, "I guess I must've been caught up in the heat of the moment,"
"Yeah, same here, I mustn'tve noticed it since I was all caught up with attacking him," Ryoga commented, "However, I guess this works well in our favor since it'll make it extremely easy to tell where he is. And at that rate, it feels like he is just around that corner. He pointed toward the corner. Everyone turned their gaze there, expecting to see Ranma walking by at any second. When he didn't show up after a minute or so, Ryoga gave a meek laugh, "I swear, it feels like he is no more than twenty meters away from here,"
Meanwhile, over a mile away, Ranma and Jun were walking down the street.
"Isn't that a bit strange? You're able to do these wondrous things and you don't even know how you do it?" Jun asked Ranma as they walked down the street. Ever since his stay at her place until now, as they headed toward a place to have breakfast, she had been pestering him for some answers, like how he was able to fix that devastated street with a wave of the hand the other night.
Ranma shrugged, "I don't know how I can do it,"
"Also, you weren't able to get hurt, even after taking such a beating," she added.
"Like I said earlier, I can't get hurt," he responded, not paying all that much attention to Jun. He didn't do so last night when she barraged him with the same silly questions and he was doing much the same now. He would answer her accordingly, but because she had trouble fathoming his answers, she would continue to probe for more, leading him to realize whatever he said, it wouldn't be enough.
They continued to walk down the street. Ranma had insisted that he go his own way shortly after waking up but Jun said that they might as well have breakfast together. Oddly enough, she had somehow managed to convince him. On any other day, with anyone else, he would had ignored them and simply walked away without so much as taking a second glance. Why was he with her this very moment was beyond his comprehension.
They indulged in light conversation, most of it one-sided where Jun would ask him a question and he would answer, never taking the effort to really continue on talking, only divulging minimal information.
Ranma and Jun were walking across the street when Ranma spotted several familiar faces. "Look, there's that group of people from the other day," he commented, pointing. Jun looked toward where he was pointing and saw them, her heart immediately beginning to race upon recognition of Ryoga, that man that viciously attacked Ranma for no real good reason. A case of mistaken identity didn't cut it.
When she realized none of the people in the group had spotted them, she grabbed Ranma's hand and nearly wrenched his arm out of its socket as she quickly darted back across the street, Ranma staggering in tow.
"Why did you make us run away?" he asked her, pulling his arm away from her once they were a good distance away and he was able to get his footing again.
"Didn't you see? That's that person that attacked you last night," she said, jerking her thumb toward the corner. They had run around a corner before they had stopped.
Ranma wasn't at all perturbed, "I saw him. Frankly, I don't care if they see me or not,"
"Aren't you worried?" she said.
"No," he said without a thought.
"Perhaps they're looking for you,"
"So what if they are," he shrugged. He turned back around to head down the street. He didn't really understand what Jun was so afraid of. She wasn't the one they might be after.
Jun reached out and took a hold of his arm, "Wait,"
He stopped to look at her, "What?"
"What if that guy attacks you again?" she asked, "Even though he said it was a case of mistaken identity, he looked like he really hated you,"
"I'll kill him," he said, pulling his arm away from her grasp before heading down the street in their general direction.
Once Ranma rounded the corner, the group easily spotted them, having been walking down the sidewalk toward the corner they had just rounded.
"Ranma!" Ryoga's eyes widened when he caught sight of his nemesis. For a brief moment, he totally forgot that it was the wrong Ranma and charged toward him.
"Oh my god!" Jun said, terrified as she saw Ryoga charging in their direction.
Ranma took a step forward and slightly toward the side so that he stood in front of Jun as he narrowed his eyes and clenched his right hand into a fist. It looks like he would have to kill this guy.
Just mere meters away from tackling Ranma, Ryoga suddenly realized that he had gotten caught up from spotting Ranma and his eternal animosity toward the man that he had forgotten it was the wrong one. He came to a sliding halt, just in time to fall backward and onto his backside and be narrowly missed by Ranma's attempted punch.
To the trained eye of a martial artist, Ranma's punch looked more like a wild swing, able to be spotted and countered without much trouble by even intermediate martial artists. However, although it looked like a wild punch, there was this blue trail that followed Ranma's fist as it traveled through the air, like his hand had this blue flame on it.
The air in front of Ranma distorted, as if time and space had just been ripped apart by such an intense force before it finally fixed itself and closed back up. A slight humming noise could be heard, like that of a high-powered generator with slight sparks of electricity flashing over the blue trail before the trail faded away.
Ryoga scooted backward, quickly getting to his feet.
"I don't know who you are but I don't recommend you ever try to attack me again," Ranma narrowed his eyes, his hand still clenched. There was this blue aura emanating from his arm, like it was on fire before it faded away a second later.
Ryoga regarded Ranma for a moment, his knees a bit shaky. He didn't know what had just happened, but even he wasn't too stupid to realize that had he gotten hit with such a devastating punch, he would had been killed. For the first time, he started to doubt just how invulnerable he was to Ranma's punches. Luna was the first one to catch up, "Ryoga, are you all right?"
Ryoga looked at her and gave a slight nod.
She turned her attention onto the glaring Ranma, "Um, sorry, he didn't mean to charge at you like that,"
Ranma said nothing, continuing to glare at Ryoga. After a moment, Ryoga turned his gaze toward the ground, unable to keep eye contact. But then again, his two different eye colors were a bit daunting and unsettling.
Luna gulped. Although she didn't know Ryoga that well, she knew it must take quite a lot to stare that guy down. She gave a slight smile, "I guess he forgot about yesterday's incident and how you're not the one he is looking for,"
He turned his attention toward her. She found herself feeling a bit nervous as she returned his gaze.
"He is lucky he dodged it," Ranma commented, "I have no intention of bringing him back should he be killed,"
Ryoga's lips became a thin line. By now, everyone managed to catch up.
"What the hell was that?" Lina was the first to ask.
"Did you see that? The air distorted for a few moments!" Misato commented.
Luna continued to regard Ranma before she finally said, "Um, no harm done. We were merely headed in a different direction. Our paths happened to have crossed, that's all,"
"So it seems," Ranma muttered.
"We'll be on our way," Luna said, quickly walking past.
"But-" Lina began.
"Come on, everyone, let's go!" Luna said in a very commanding voice, making sure she made eye contact with everyone so that they would understand her silent demand.
Everyone reluctantly walked past Ranma and Jun, everyone noticing how Ranma seemed to subconsciously angle himself so that he was between the passing group and Jun.
Once everyone had disappeared down the street and around the corner, Jun finally let out the breath she had been holding all that time.
"Man, I'm glad that's over," she said in relief, "I thought that guy was really going to attack you,"
"I'm glad you're concerned for me but I can take care of myself," he said coldly, "I don't need you to be worried about me,"
Jun looked up at Ranma before she said, "Well, it seems so. You seemed to have scared the heck out of that guy,"
"Hmph," Ranma snorted, "Had he not dodged, that punch would had killed him..."
"Speaking of which, what the heck was that?" she asked, "What was that distortion in the air like that girl had said? And what was that blue trail I saw coming from your hand?"
"I don't know," he said, "Much like how I able to do everything, I don't know,"
Jun continued to regard him.
"I don't know!" he said coldly, "I don't know why I have these powers and I don't know how they factor into all my actions as well as my ability to use them! Why don't you quit asking me about them?"
She gulped. Ranma looked scary at that moment.
Ranma turned around and began to walk down the street, leaving Jun behind where she stood. Jun was starting to have doubts about having insisted that she and Ranma go get breakfast. As intriguing as Ranma was to her, she knew there were limits to being curious. She didn't know why she kept probing him and asking so many questions, but she had really wanted to know more about him. However, the more she seemed to hang around him, the less she seemed to know as he constantly displayed things she never thought possible. With him, it seems there was no limit to his powers.
After a moment of deep contemplation, her thoughts were broken when she heard Ranma's voice.
"Well?" he called out to her from a short distance away. He noticed that Jun wasn't walking beside him after a moment and realized she had stood where she was all this time, "What are you waiting for? Let's go,"
He turned back around and started walking down the street.
Jun, realizing that Ranma seemed to be expecting her to following, actually found herself chasing after him. Perhaps she could be curious about him for a little bit longer.
"Why did we walk away? I thought we were trying to find out more about him," Priss asked Luna. She and everyone were gathered around a table. Shortly after their encounter with Ranma, they had decided to stop by a restaurant to eat and discuss over the incident and what could had been the circumstances had they stayed.
"I think I understand what that woman from last night was trying to tell me," Luna said.
"Oh?" several females asked.
"She was telling us to stay away from them," she answered, "It seems it might be for our own safety as well as Ranma's. When Ryoga was running toward Ranma, I noticed how Ranma stepped in front of that girl,"
"Yeah, I noticed that, too," Emiko said.
"Same here," Ritsuko said.
"It seems he was trying to protect her," Luna commented, "I think there seems to be a connection between the two of them that we are not aware of. When we first ran into Ranma, Ranma didn't so much as lift a finger to fight back. I think it was because he didn't think that girl was in danger. However, when he saw Ryoga charging, he might have thought that she might get in hurt in the process had a fight ensued that he tried to end it before it even started,"
"End it before it even started? You mean that part where he tried to punch Ryoga?" Asuka asked.
She nodded, "I assume so. Frankly, from what I saw, if Ryoga had gotten hit by that punch, he would had been killed...easily,"
Ryoga gulped. Deep down inside, he had a funny feeling in the pit of his stomach that that would had been the outcome.
"Are you sure? Ryoga is pretty tough," Priss commented, "I've seen Ranma and Ryoga fight a lot of times. I've never seen Ranma hit hard enough to seriously hurt Ryoga,"
"Maybe the Ranma you know," Luna nodded in agreement, "But this isn't the same one. If you recall our conversation about where this Ranma's power level stands..."
Priss became silent as well as everyone else.
Luna turned toward Ryoga, "I'm sure you have a lot of anger toward Ranma, and probably good reason, but I you have to realize that this is not the same Ranma. He may look like him but that's all. You should really control your anger toward the Ranma you know because, god forbid, that guy fights back, we're going to have a lot of trouble on our hands,"
Everyone continued to remain silent, especially Ryoga.
"Did you hear that comment he said about Ryoga?" she said to no one in particular, "'He is lucky he dodged it, I have no intention of bringing him back should he be killed',"
Everyone nodded.
"That could mean this Ranma knows some form of resurrection," Luna said, "However, it wouldn't surprise me because for him to know how to manipulate time, bringing someone to life isn't all that much harder,"
"If Ranma attempted to fight back because he thought that girl was in danger, why don't we simply make him realize that we have no intention of causing her, nor him for that matter, any harm," Akane commented, "We can simply approach him in a civilized manner and just start talking to them,"
"Provided Ryoga doesn't forget this is a different Ranma," Priss commented with a smirk.
Ryoga gave a meek laugh, "I'm sorry guys. I kinda forgot. I won't do it again," "Hopefully, you won't," Luna said, "Because, for argument sake, should you get yourself killed, for me to bring you back, I'll have to use so much energy that I'll end up sleeping for an entire week just to recover,"
"Y-you know resurrection?" Lina's eyes widened at Luna, "I never knew you knew that,"
Luna smiled as she nodded, "I know quite a bit of spells,"
"Obviously so," Lina said, feeling very inadequate. She couldn't believe how much more her sister knew more than her in terms of magic. Was it true that it was possible to become so powerful that power no longer becomes relevant? Was her sister like that?
"Um, don't worry, I won't get myself killed," Ryoga said with a slight smile, "Unlike Ranma, I've only died once,"
"D-died?" everyone gave Ryoga a double take.
Ryoga waved a dismissive hand, "Don't worry. It was nothing. On the world where I was, everyone must've been killed and been brought back to life a dozen times already. Luckily, I needed it done only once in my case,"
"When we get back, you have to tell us what world you've been on all that time," Misato commented.
Ryoga gave smile, "Better yet, I can bring you to the world and show you around,"
"Oh, you definitely will," Akane smirked, "I would really like to see this world you've been on as well as training on for so long,"
"Well, whatever the case," Luna changed the subject, "We should leave Ranma and that girl alone. Afterall, we are encroaching on them when we shouldn't. However, if there ever came a chance where we can approach them without a fight ensuing, then I'll be more than happy to try and talk to him. Of course, I don't intend to go out of my way to find him. He and the girl should be left alone,"
"True," Linna commented, "But aren't you one bit curious as to what this Ranma looks exactly like the one we know as well as have the same name?"
"Of course I am, but if it means disrupting their lives, then no," Luna replied, "What I'm more interested in is finding more information about the Ranma we know,"
"How do you suppose that?" her sister asked.
"Well, rather than follow this Ranma and trying to find answers, we should go looking elsewhere," she replied, "I remember talking to that girl and she mentions of how this Ranma happens to have the same name as the one that died causing the Third Impact,"
"Waitaminute," Misato said, "You don't think we ended up on the same world Ranma had gone out to cause the Third Impact, except we ended up sometime on that world's distant future?"
"It does seem plausible," Ritsuko said, "Judging by the technology level of this world, I wouldn't be all that surprised,"
"Um, you said Ranma died trying to cause the Third Impact?" Akane said.
Luna nodded.
"If you knew this, then why didn't you tell us? That means we're on the right world, but on the wrong timeline!" Akane gasped.
Luna held her hands up defensively, "Hold up. There is no need to be worried. Even though we are on the wrong timeline, we can always go back in time. The way I figure it, we should be able to gather enough information about the Ranma we know, about what he did and how he died, before going back and stopping him,"
"Um, however, if this world exists because Ranma had died trying to cause the Third Impact, wouldn't it no longer exist if we stop him?" Linna commented, "Afterall, you'll be alternating the timeline,"
Ryoga interrupted, "No really, this timeline will continue on as if he had died. A new timeline will be created if we stop him. However, that timeline won't replace this one,
"Well, if we can do that, then what are we waiting for?" Sylia said, "Let's get over to the nearest museum or library and read up and find out all the information we can about Ranma and head out and stop him,"
"Well," Akane began, "Because of the nanban mirror, we can basically take our time because we can use it to travel back to before he died. Whether we leave now or ten years from now doesn't really matter. The only difference is that we will still continue to age,"
"So you mean if we stay here for, say, ten years," Lina said, "And then go back to stop Ranma, to us, ten years of our life had passed but to Ranma, he had seen us just the other day yet will be surprised to see us but ten years older than he last remembered us?"
Akane nodded.
"That's good to hear," Luna said, "Since we're not really on a time limit, we can take our time and gather as much information as possible,"
"Yeah," Ryoga said, "I think because of it, that is why me and Ranma never really worry all that much about how much time elapses when we are on a different timeline or world. For instance, even though to you guys, I was gone for about two years, I was actually gone much longer than that. To me, more time has elapsed,"
"I have a question, if you can basically choose to come back to whatever time you want," Akane gave him an odd look, "Why did you choose to come back after Ranma had been killed fighting those Angels? Why didn't you just come back to when they first started appearing and helped out?"
Ryoga gave a meek laugh, "Well, no real reason. I'm not all that good at using the nanban mirror as Ranma. I have trouble pinpointing on an exact time. If I use the mirror now to go back to that time, I could be end up a hundred years too early or something for that matter. The way I think of it, it's better that I'm a couple of years too late than never at all,"
Akane thought about it for a moment before she finally said, "Well, I guess you have a point there,"
"I have a question," Linna said.
"What?" Akane said.
"Well, if the nanban mirror can take you anywhere and to anytime, why did we end up here in the first place?" she asked, "Ryoga used the mirror to send us to where Ranma was in hopes of stopping Ranma before he causes the Third Impact, expect we end up on the same world, but way in the future. What gives?"
"Um, actually, I just thought about us being where Ranma was, not necessarily a time," Ryoga gave a meek smile, "In a way, we are where Ranma was, except he is dead and probably buried in a graveyard somewhere," When he gave a laugh, none of the girls seemed to share the humor. Ritsuko was silent thinking about that comment that was made.
"Well, let's just hope we can get to the proper time period after we gather enough information," Luna commented.
"We hear you," everyone agreed.
"Check this out, guys," Misato said, bringing a book up to the group. Everyone was gathered in this gigantic library and had a dozen or so books laid out on the table in front of them. It was late in the morning. The group had spent most of the morning locating the library in hopes of reading up and gathering whatever information they could on Ranma and his role in this world's past.
It wasn't until about fifteen minutes into their research did Misato found some really important piece of information. She point toward a line in the book, "It says here that the young girl said to have stopped Ranma was named Asuka Soryu Langley,"
"What?" Asuka gasped, "Me?"
"Yeah," Misato said, pointing, "It says it right here,"
Asuka grabbed at the book. She read the paragraphs several time before she finally put the book back down, "That can't be possible. How could I have done it?"
Ritsuko smirked, "Not you, Asuka but your other self. Keep in mind this is an alternate world to the one you're from. It's the same world that yours would had been, had the 'Second Impact' not had happened or been prevented,"
"What I don't understand is that it says she shot Ranma dead just mere meters before he came in contact with Adam," Misato said, "How can that be possible? Ranma has an AT field. It would have protected him,"
"Yeah, that seems really weird considering I've seen Ranma brush off being hit in the chest with missiles and such," Priss commented, "He's had bombs blow up right in his face. Surely they're much more powerful than a mere bullet,"
"So what gives?" Nene asked, "Could he have been hurt or something? Could his AT field have failed him?"
"Even if his AT field failed him, his own ki would have protected him," Akane said, "Before he had an AT field, his ki would protect him extensively from any form of considerable harm,"
"Could the bullet be derived from the Lance of Longinus?" Misato asked, "The Lance can pierce through anything with no problem,"
Ritsuko shrugged, "Perhaps. From what I gather, it's probably more plausible that Ranma was on the brink of exhaustion when she took his life. Ranma's AT field can only last a minute before he passes out from exhaustion. And while he was in that state, his ki reserves was also depleted also, making him vulnerable to something as conventional as a gun,"
"How did he die?" Sylia asked.
"It says he was shot right through the chest," Misato read the lines.
"Wait, I don't understand, of all the books, why does this book give this kind of information? All the other books I've read says that it wasn't the case, that the Japanese Army has stopped him, not a girl," Linna scratched her head, "There seems to be quite a bit of inconsistency between this book and the other ones,"
"So which story is true? The fact that Ranma was killed by a girl like this book says or by the army like all the other books say?" Shinji asked, "Could this book be made up? I mean, it seems to tell a completely different outcome as opposed to all the other books. Surely, all those books can't be wrong,"
"Where did this book come from?" Ritsuko asked, "Who wrote it?"
Misato checked around for a name. She found none. There wasn't even so much as a date as to when it had been published. The book didn't look all that old though.
"There is no information as to where this book came from," Misato said, "What should we do?"
"I think we should keep it," Luna said, "For all we know, it could be telling the truth,"
"How can it be true? It says Ranma died by gunpoint," Akane said skeptically, "Ranma is not one to die like that,"
Luna scratched the back of her head in deep thought, "Perhaps you're right,"
"Whatever the case, true or not," Ritsuko said, "I'll read through it,"
"All right. Let's just continue looking around," she added, "I'm sure everything will start coming together for us after we've read enough books,"
Everyone was on their way out of the library that evening to go get themselves some dinner when they caught sight of Ranma as he was walking up the stairs toward the library entrance. Jun was with him.
Jun was the first one to notice them and it was clear that she was visibly disturbed at realizing she was bumping into the group for the second time today.
Ranma narrowed his eyes at the group. Luna, upon recognizing Ranma, quickly turned her attention toward Ryoga, intent on actually sending a fireball in his direction to knock him out should there be the chance that he forget this was a different Ranma. Ryoga didn't seem to see red like he usually did. Instead, he kept calm and collected, standing where he was, simply regarding the omnipotent individual standing at the bottom of the stairs.
"Um, h-hello, Ranma," Asuka was the first to say to him.
Ranma looked at Asuka, never bothering to reply. Asuka winced at the cold stare he gave her. Although she knew this was a different Ranma, but because he looked some much like the one she knew, it felt like that Ranma was looking back at her with contempt, something she hoped she would never experience.
Luna stepped forward and approached him.
"Hello," she said, giving him a slight smile.
Ranma just looked at her.
"On behalf of everyone here, I just want to apologize about everything that had occurred between us," Luna began. She gave him a hopeful smile and tried to keep the conversation going, "I see that you're here at the library. What brings you here?"
"What's it to you?" he sneered, "It's none of your business,"
Ryoga stepped forward, "Don't talk to her like that! Apologize!" Although he knew it was a different Ranma, he didn't like anyone snapping at females like that. He would had said the same to a total stranger saying that.
Ranma narrowed his eyes at Ryoga. He didn't even attempt to apologize.
Luna quickly turned toward Ryoga and said, "Don't worry about it. It was my fault. I shouldn't have been so nosy. However, can you just answer one question I have?" She was really curious as to whether Ranma view them as a threat or not. With him, she had no idea because of his lack of emotions. Aside for the general narrowing of eyes, Ranma conveyed no emotions or signs of how he felt about the group.
"No," he said flatly, "I won't answer whatever questions you have,"
"Um, fine, sorry I asked," Luna said, "I guess we'll be on our way then,"
Several of the females behind her opened their mouths to protest, hoping that Luna would press on and perhaps eventually get Ranma to reveal something about himself, but the words seemed unable to form for them. All they did was reluctantly follow behind Luna as she walked past them as they headed up the stairs and into the library.
"What gives? You should have stayed and kept talking to him," Asuka said to Luna, "We were, in no way, showing any forms of hostility toward him,"
"True, but how do you expect me to talk to someone that doesn't want to be spoken to?" Luna asked, "I'm not embarrassed to say this, but I feel very uncomfortable when I'm around him. He is unlike anyone I have ever met,"
"In what sense?" Emiko asked curiously.
"I really don't know," she said, "He simply makes me uncomfortable. I think it is simply the intimidation factor. You guys don't feel it because you're not aware of just how powerful he is. Although I don't want to brag, but I, on the other hand, am probably most capable of imagining of what he is capable of. It's the mere realization of being within someone as powerful as him that creeps me out, and I've been around powerful beings before, but none nearly as powerful as Ranma,"
"There you go again, making it seem like Ranma is some omnipotent super-being again," Lina let out a breath, "From what I saw, he doesn't seem all that powerful. Ryoga was beating the crap out of him earlier,"
Luna shook her head and sighed, "I really wish I can convey what 'powerful' means from my point of view. If I were the most powerful entity that could possibly be, I would cower at the thought of having to deal with Ranma. That is how powerful he is.
"Well, since it seems like neither you, or any of us for that matter, can approach Ranma, perhaps it's best we try and approach the girl that is always with him," Akane suggested, "Since she is always with him, perhaps she might be able to tell us some things about him that might prove useful,"
"And what, have it where he misunderstands and thinks we intend her harm?" Luna gave a slight laugh, "I would not want to risk that,"
"So what are we going to do?" Asuka asked.
"Well, since it seems we should leave Ranma and that girl alone, we need to find out information about them differently," Luna began.
"You mean reading more and more books?" Misato muttered, "God, I dunno how much reading I can do. They're all the same, telling us the same useless information, mostly about how Ranma was stopped, not who Ranma exactly was,"
Luna smirked, "Not that way. There is an easier way,"
"What?"
"Remember that woman that visited us last night?" Luna said, "It's obviously she knows Ranma. We can ask her..."
Inside the library, Ranma and Jun looked through the catalogs of books pertaining to the man Ranma was named after. They both found many titles that they could look through. However, when they went to the shelves to take them out, they realized that none of the titles they were looking for were there. "That's strange," Jun commented, "How come there aren't any books pertaining to this 'Ranma' person? It's like all of them have been taken out or something,"
Ranma said nothing.
"Hm, perhaps someone recently took them out for a research paper or something like that," Jun commented, "But even if that were the case, it's strange that none of the books would be here, not a single one,"
Ranma continued to quietly look through the bookshelves.
"You find anything?" she asked, wondering if she was having a one person conversation with herself.
"No," he replied softly. "So, what are you going to do? It seems every one of those books were taken out," Jun commented, "We have no idea when they'll be back. For all we know, it could have been taken out yesterday and won't be returned until next month,"
"Perhaps," Ranma shrugged, unperturbed, "It just means I'll come back another time. Perhaps I'll check out another library,"
Little did they know, the books they were both looking for were on a tiny rack. Since Luna and the group had taken them all out just a short while ago, the librarian had but all the books on a tiny rack so that it can be put back on the shelves later. Unfortunately, the rack was located on the other side of library.
"That sounds like a good idea," Jun said, believing it was best to check another library, "However, you're going to have to check tomorrow. The next closest library is about five miles away. By they time we get there, it'll be closed,"
Ranma shook his head, "No. Not if you don't come along,"
"What?"
"I'll simply run there," he replied, "If don't come along, it will only take me around twenty minutes to get there,"
"Wait, y-you don't want me coming along?"
"There is no need for you to come with me," he said, "Aren't you supposed to be visiting your relatives anyway?"
"What, are you saying you don't want me coming along?" she asked.
"I'm not saying that," Ranma found himself saying, a bit surprised to have actually said it. He actually didn't mind her company. He added, "I just believe that you can go your own way and that I'll go my own way. There's no need for you to come with me,"
"Um, what if I don't mind coming along?" she had to ask. She hated how cryptic Ranma was. It was odd just how easily dismiss someone, even someone that had been with him for so long.
Ranma shrugged, "Then you may come along if you like,"
Jun smiled slightly. She had the feeling that eventually, Ranma would want to part ways. However, it didn't seem all that hard to prolong the actual parting.
"Well, since it seems like you will be coming along, I guess we should wait until tomorrow to go to the library then," he commented.
Jun nodded, "Yeah. Also, if you want, you can crash at my relative's place again. I'm sure my aunt and uncle won't mind,"
Ranma shrugged, "You don't need to do that. I can spend the night at a hotel if you want. It's not like I can't afford it,"
He headed toward the door. Since there was no reason to stay in the library anymore, he might as well head out. Jun found herself having to chase after him. When she caught up to him, she gave him a wry look before finally sighing and shrugging her shoulders. She knew full well that she shouldn't be surprised since that was the way Ranma was.
"Um, where are you headed?" she asked.
"No where in particular," he replied, "Perhaps look around for a nearby hotel,"
"Don't worry about it, I said you can crash at my relatives again," Jun said.
Ranma shrugged, "If you say so,"
"Well, now that that's settled, let's go get some dinner," Jun said.
Ranma shrugged again, "Okay,"
Late that night, a bright light appeared in front of Luna's bedroom window once again. Misato was also sleeping soundly in the room since the group was staying in the same hotel in the same rooming arrangements as last night. Once again, Luna was awoken by the light. Clad in a nightgown, she walked over to the window. She didn't bother to look directly at the light, knowing full well who was going to be showing up. It seemed that woman from last night. She remembered what that woman had said, 'Just stay away from them. I'll be watching you. If you come close to them once again, I'll be forced to show you my true powers'. Luna couldn't help but wonder exactly who this woman was.
Urd appeared before Luna in the same way as the other night. However, this time, she wasn't alone. Skuld was hovering in mid-air right next to her, wings and all.
"I see you're back," Luna commented, "And with company this time around,"
She regarded the young girl next to her. That girl had the same marks on the face as the woman. Their attired looked totally different from one another as well as the way they seemed to carry themselves. Luna noticed that the young girl looked a bit nervous while the woman looked angry.
"I guess you didn't believe me, nor take my warning into consideration," Urd said, "We saw you try and come into contact with him against earlier this morning. That wasn't a good idea,"
The door to her room started banging. She could hear her sister on the other side.
Luna narrowed her eyes. For some reason, she found herself getting angry. Although she didn't have the slightest idea who this woman was, Luna didn't want to stand idle to threats.
"What do you intend to do? Show us your true powers?" Luna asked in an almost taunting manner. This was the perfect opportunity to find out some more about Ranma. Unfortunately, it seem there was going to be a fight on her hands before she could ask questions.
"I wouldn't say that if I were you," Skuld piped in, "You don't know who you're messing with,"
Luna walked over to the door and opened it. Lina entered the room. The others cautiously followed behind. Unlike everyone else, Lina was dressed in her usual attire. Everyone else was still clad in their nightwear. "I don't think you know who you're messing with either," Luna said, feeling the adrenaline starting to flow. She knew a fight was on her hands and it was her body's way of preparing for the upcoming battle. She hadn't battled someone in the longest time. However, despite this, she knew she was every bit, if not better, than she was back then, when she battled often.
Luna caste Lina as glance. They nodded to each other silently.
Luna then turned toward Urd and Skuld and said, "Well, let's get started then,"
"Hm, it seems you're eager to actually fight," Urd smirked. She wasn't all that worried. She was a First Goddess Elite Class. Her younger sister was a First Goddess First Class. Over the years, the two of them had become extremely powerful and had managed to learn to control their extreme powers. Skuld would be every bit as powerful as Urd, had she practiced controlling her own power more rather that developing better and better contraptions instead.
Luna snapped her fingers. All of a sudden, her nightgown glowed before the glow died down and was replaced by her own usual outfit. Although Luna tended to dress like a normal female, this time, she wore her own sorceress outfit. It looked similar to Lina's except it was black.
Skuld cast Urd a pensive look. She didn't like this. Although they were human, it was obvious Luna and Lina weren't normal humans. There was this aura of power to the both of them, Luna especially.
Luna walked over to the balcony and hopped over the railing, immediately taking flight and hovering high up into the sky. Lina did the same.
Urd and Skuld followed them to the skies.
"Since we're going to fight," Luna said, "Let's fight somewhere over the ocean. There is no need for innocent people to get hurt,"
Urd nodded. Skuld gulped. She didn't like this at all. Those two people looked eager to fight. Skuld on the other hand, didn't.
Reluctantly, Skuld followed after her sister as Urd followed after Luna and Lina toward the ocean a good distance south from where they were. It didn't take them to there, the four of them traveling at near supersonic speeds. They came to a halt a good five or six miles out to sea, away from civilization.
Luna looked at her sister, "You ready for this?"
Lina gave a slight nod. Although she would be battling along side her sister, the single most powerful magic user from her world, Lina felt a bit of doubt in this fight. Although she liked fighting, this fight felt different. There was much much more at stake. She was fighting for some very very important information, and perhaps even her and her sister's life. However, it made her feel better that there was a good chance their opponents were feeling the same way too.
"Why don't you remove the wings?" Luna commented to Urd and Skuld, "It's obvious that you two don't need them," She had noticed that they seemed to float through the air like her and Lina, and hadn't seen them flap those wings even once to maintain flight.
Urd smirked, "You're very observant,"
She snapped her fingers and her wings faded out of existence. Skuld did the same, her own wings fading out. Afterward, a long moment of silence ensued, broken only by the crashing waves several hundred meters below them. The skies were every bit as dark and ominous as the ocean surface looked.
"Can we make a deal?" Luna called out.
"And what deal is that?" Urd asked.
"If we defeat you, you'll tell us what you know about Ranma," she replied.
"And if we win?"
"We will leave Ranma alone,"
"Agreed," Urd said. It was a fair deal. That had been her original intent anyway, to defeat them and get them away from Ranma. She had seen their encounter with him twice, that one where Ranma almost managed to punch Ryoga and the other one at the library. Since it was obvious they weren't taking her warning serious, she would need to teach them otherwise.
Luna smirked. It was a win-win situation for them. She had no intention of coming in contact with Ranma ever again, but this way, she might be able to get some useful information in the process.
"Very well!" Luna said with a sneer, her generally serene visage replaced by that of intensity, "Let's begin!"
Luna extended a hand toward Urd and Skuld and released a massive fireball. She didn't really care that they were both spaced about twenty meters from one another. Her fireballs could easily be larger than that, and that it was.
A fireball shot from her hands, expanding at an exponential rate is it traveled forward toward Skuld and Urd. The entire area glowed a brilliant hue of red and orange from the light being emanated from the projectile.
Moments before the projectile had struck the both of them, Skuld reached into her pocket and pulled out a tiny spherical object and threw it toward the incoming fireball. The moment the fireball struck the object, this barrier formed in front of it, creating a temporary shield, causing the fireball to seem as if it where hovering in place, trying to push pass this green barrier being projected by the object.
Urd took the opportunity to raise her hand toward the sky and begin her chant. She would call forth her lightning attack to incapacitate Luna and Lina and end the fight cleanly. When she finished he chant, the sky seemed to open up as this massive bolt of lightning shot down from the heavens, splitting into two paths, one going straight toward Luna, the other toward Lina.
Luna didn't even bother to defend herself as she extended her hand forward and shot another fireball directly toward the still-hovering fireball. The fireball hitting the first one had caused it to explode, expanding outward and consuming both Urd and Skuld in the process.
Just at the explosion consumed Urd and Skuld, the lightning struck her right by the top of her head. However, she was unaffected as this blue barrier seemed to magically appear and absorbed the bolt of lightning and deflected it straight back up.
Luna hadn't even bothered to defend herself because she had known she would not get hurt by the lightning bolt. The barrier she had caste over herself made her invulnerable to elemental attacks.
Lina had managed to cast her own barrier just in the nick of time and deflect the lightning bolt away from her. However, she had done it so that the deflected lightning actually shot toward Urd instead of the heavens like Luna's did.
The explosion was massive, Lina and Luna shielding their eyes from the brilliance. After it subsided, they were shocked to see Urd and Skuld hovering in place, a blue sphere-like barrier protecting them individually. They were unscathed and looked more angry than anything else.
Skuld reached into her pocket and threw out another tiny spherical object. It flew through the air straight toward Luna where it came to a halt about five meters away, causing Luna to stare at it in confusion. A second later, it exploded, consuming Luna in Lina in the process.
"Nice," Urd said to Skuld, "Perhaps your little gadgets are more useful than I though,"
All of a sudden, from out of the explosion came Luna, darting straight toward Urd at an intense speed, her right hand glowing. She came to a sudden stop just a meter away from Urd as she threw her glowing hand forward in Urd's direction, palm facing forward. Urd, upon seeing Luna charging her, had quickly teleported a good distance away toward the right of Luna. She was luck she did that. Her eyes widened when she saw this straight line on the ocean surface far below, in the direction of Luna's extended hand, open up as the air pressure and power from Luna's missed attack continued to travel forward and parting the ocean waters in the process. It continued to travel forward for a good mile or so before it stopped, the ocean flooding in on itself and closing the gash on the surface immediately afterwards.
Lina, spotting Urd appearing a bit too close for comfort to her sister, extended her hand toward Urd and shot out a fireball. The fireball ripped through the air where it managed to strike Urd from the side while she gaped at the power Luna had managed to put behind in that attack.
The blast consumed Urd, hitting her full force and sending her spiraling through the air where she came to a hover a good distance away, able to right herself from her descent, "That hurt!"
Lina managed to smirk but wasn't able to pat herself on the back for a blast of energy hit her from the side. Skuld, seeing Lina hurt her sister like that, had gotten enraged and used her powers to shoot an energy blast at her sister's assailant, hitting Lina square on her side. The blast propelled her a good distance through the air before Lina was able to right herself and come to a hovering halt. She grabbed at her side, breathing heavily. That blast had hurt quite a bit. She might have a broken rib.
Luna, noticed that her sister was hurt, quickly flew toward her and caste a healing spell on her. Within moments, Lina's forced breathing stopped as the broken rib seemed to heal itself.
Lina's eyes widened at just how well her sister's healing abilities were. She felt perfectly fine now.
"Thanks," Lina said gratefully, rubbing at her side. The pain was totally gone.
Luna, satisfied with her sister's current situation, turned her attention toward Skuld and Urd, her eyes narrowing in their direction. Those two were powerful.
Urd took the opportunity to extend her hand forward and shook several gigantic bolts of lightning in Lina and Luna's direction. Before Lina had a chance to cast a barrier of her own, they were all deflected by the sudden barrier that Luna had caste when she waved a hand in front of her. The bolts seemed to totally absorbed into the barrier, causing it to glow bright white, before the energy within was redirected straight back toward Urd.
Lightning bolts exactly like that Urd had shot toward Luna surged from the barrier and straight back at Urd, catching the goddess by surprise. An explosion consumed her and Skuld.
When the explosion subsided, it left behind a slightly singed Urd and Skuld. Urd had a rather embarrassed look on her face. Skuld looked very upset at having had such that nice outfit of hers ruined. After a moment, Urd laughed, "You're good, being able to use my own attacks against me,"
Luna smirked, "You're pretty good yourself,"
Urd smirked, "Well, I've had enough fun and games, human. It's about time to show you exactly why I'm considered a first goddess, elite class,"
She suddenly disappeared, reappearing right in front of Luna and Lina. She had her arms extended, her hands gripping each other the girls' throats.
"This is where we end it," Urd said, still smirking. Before the two of them had a chance to react, Urd's hands glowed bright white as surges of electricity shot throw their bodies. Both of them managed to scream out before the pain finally consumed them and they fell into unconsciousness.
Urd released her grip over them as they seemed to hover in mid-air in front of her, both unconscious. She turned around to face Skuld, "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, how about yourself?" she nodded.
Urd smiled slightly, "I'm fine. However, I must give these two much respect. They had actually managed to hit me twice during that battle. Just for that, I'll tell them why we are doing what we're doing before we erase their memories,"
"Are you sure you want to do that?" Skuld asked, "Wouldn't it be better if we just did it right away?"
"Yeah, but that's no fun," Urd said with a sly smile, "However, I have my own reasons for telling them,"
"Oh?"
"They seem to know something about Ranma," Urd said, "I want to know the extent of their knowledge of him,"
Luna was the first to wake up.
She opened her eyes and winced as she realized that it was probably early morning and that the sunlight was hurting her eyes. She sat upright to survey her surroundings. It didn't take her long to realize that she was on a rooftop of some building. As to which building, she had no idea. It didn't really matter anyway since all buildings looked the same to her.
When she noticed her sister lying unconscious next to her, she quickly tried to wake her up.
"Hey, Lina, wake up," Luna said, giving her a nudge. "No, I'm not waking up yet," Lina muttered in her sleep, "Just gimme ten more minutes,"
Luna smirked a bit. From what she surmised, it seemed Lina wasn't hurt. Luna got to her feet, stretching a bit, wondering how she had gotten there. It only took her a moment before she realized that she had been knocked unconscious during that fight with that white haired woman. "That's strange," Luna said, rubbing her shoulders, testing her arms and legs, "I don't seem to be hurt," She looked down at her sister and was pretty sure she wasn't hurt either. Otherwise she wouldn't be sleeping so soundly.
"Well, you're finally awake," came a voice.
Luna quickly turned around, shocked to see someone behind her. She was sure she would have sensed that person's presence. It didn't take her long to realize that it was the same white-haired woman she had been fighting with last night. The other female didn't seem to be accompanying her.
She narrowed her eyes at Urd.
"Relax," Urd said with a smirk, "I'm not here to fight. I just want to talk,"
"Oh? About what?" "I just want to ask you a few questions and then I'll be on my way," Urd said.
"Questions, like what?"
"It's obvious that you somehow know Ranma. I'm curious as to how you exactly know him," Urd said.
"Actually, I was about to ask you the same thing," Luna said.
Urd smirked, "I'll answer your question if you answer mine first,"
She figured it was best to do it this way. She would divulge whatever information deemed necessary to find out who this woman and her friends are and what their relationship with Ranma was. Afterwards, she would simply erase Luna and her friends' memory. They wouldn't remember anything about their encounter with her and Skuld. That was the way it should be. Luna shrugged, figuring there was no harm in conversing with the woman, "Well, if you really want to know, we are his friends,"
Urd shook her head, "That's not possible. You're lying,"
"What? What makes you think I'm lying?" Luna sounded almost offended. She wondered what the outcome would be had they fought again. The only reason why Urd had been able to get the better of her was because she hadn't expected the woman to use such a technique. She had had no idea the woman knew how to teleport.
"There could be no way you're his friends," she said, "I've been observing him ever since he was born and not once has he ever came in contact with you or your friends. Also, from what I saw, what with that guy and her," she jerked a thumb toward Lina, "attacking him like that the other day, I wouldn't necessarily consider you a friend of his. Try again,"
"Observing him since he was born? Who are you?" Luna asked.
"Answer my question," Urd said in a rather cold voice. Luna was undaunted, ready to fight against if need be, "Not until you answer mine,"
Urd thought about the possible chance that they might end up fighting again but figured it was better to deal with this through conversation. She said, "As you humans might put it, you can basically consider me his guardian angel,"
"Humans?" Luna thought about Urd's choice of words, "Hm, judging from your answer, I assume you must be something along the lines of a goddess,"
Urd was a bit surprised at how accurate Luna's guess was. She was also surprised at how open minded this person seemed to be.
"As a matter of fact, yes, I am a goddess," Urd said, "My rank is First Goddess, Elite Class,"
Luna showed a bit of surprise," First Goddess, Elite Class, huh? That's a pretty high rank. There aren't many more ranks higher than that. I'm impressed,"
Urd narrowed her eyes. Was this woman humoring her or did she actually know something about a goddess and her class.
"H-how do you know about our ranks and such?" Urd had to ask.
"Yes, I know of you goddesses," Luna said, "I've dealt with them before on my world,"
Urd showed evident signs of intrigue, "Really. You've dealt with goddesses before?"
Luna nodded, "Yes, I was offered the opportunity to become a goddess a while back. I chose to decline it. I chose to stay human,"
Urd's eyes widened, "Wait, you wouldn't happen to be Luna Inverse, would you?"
"Yes I am," Luna said.
The goddess started laughing, "Well, I'll be. Of all the people I meet, I end up meeting you,"
"So, you've heard of me?" Luna asked, a bit surprised. She was on a whole different world for that matter and it seemed that she was known on this one. That was rather surprising.
Urd nodded, "Yes, I've heard about you. Very few individuals ever get the chance to reach the level of divinity such as being a goddess. You're the only person I can recall that had declined. I'm curious as to why,"
"There was no need," Luna answered, "I'm perfectly happy with being human. As appealing as it is to be immortal, I'm more content with being mortal. There are more benefits with being mortal than not,"
Urd shrugged, "If you believe so, then so be it. I'm not one to judge,"
"Well, it seems I'm at a disadvantage since you know me but I don't know you," Luna said.
"My name is Urd," she replied, "The other person you saw last night is named Skuld,"
"Ah, I've heard of you. That means Skuld is your sister," Luna said.
Urd gave Luna an odd look. She was very impressed with Luna and her knowledge. There was much much more to her than Urd had originally believed.
"If I'm correct, you and your sister make up two of the 'The Three Goddesses Sisters', am I right?" Luna asked, smirking a bit, "The third sister is named Belldandy,"
Urd almost fell over from surprise. She stammered as she asked, "H-how did you know that?"
Luna smiled, "I'm in constant contact with heaven on my own world. I guess you can say I hear a lot about things,"
"Obviously," Urd commented, "But exactly how much do you know about my sister?"
"All that I know is that she chose to become human and did," Luna said, "and that she had lived a full and happy life as a human before she finally died,"
The muscles around Urd's jawline tightened. She still couldn't understand what was so beneficial about her sister's choice to become human. Belldandy, when she was human, had told her that if Urd ever chose to become human, she would realize.
Luna noticed this. She added, "I guess you don't see it, do you?"
"See what?" Urd asked, almost snapping at her.
"The benefits of being human," Luna said.
"And just what is the benefit of being human?" Urd found herself asking. She knew she was going to hear some ridiculous answer but she had to ask anyway. It wasn't as if she was going to learn about the benefit of being human from one that had never been on the other side of the fence.
"Being mortal," Luna said in a soft voice, "That's the benefit,"
"What? That's ludicrous," Urd said, "Being mortal means you have to fear death. I, on the other hand..."
Luna shrugged, "Not if you're content knowing that you 'can' die,"
Urd let out an annoyed breath, "I don't even know why I'm having this conversation. I don't even know how we breached such a subject,"
"Well, if you want to get back onto the subject, I'll be more than happy to," Luna said, "I've already told you that I'm friends with Ranma. I'm sure there is more to your relationship with him other than merely being his guardian angel. Exactly why does he need watching over?"
Urd looked at Luna, a bit happy to be talking about something she was more comfortable with. She said, "Exactly how are you his 'friend'? From what I saw, I would have figured your were enemies or such. If you explain everything to me, perhaps I can put the pieces together,"
"The incident with Ryoga, that guy who attacked him, is all a misunderstanding," Luna started off, "They're not enemies. They're more like rivals,"
"That's not possible," Urd said, "Not once have I ever observed Ranma ever coming in contact with that Ryoga person,"
"That's because the Ranma you're observing happens to look exactly like the one we're looking for," Luna answered, "The one we're looking for seemed to have died a long time ago. From what I've read, it seems he died trying to cause the 'Third Impact' on this world,"
"W-what? You know that Ranma?" Urd said, her eyes wide.
Luna perked an eyebrow, "Yes. And judging by your reaction, you seem to know something about the Ranma we're looking for,"
"You can say so," Urd hid her expression, "Now, what makes you think this Ranma is connected to the one you're looking for?"
"Well, they look exactly the same for that matter," Luna said, "And the fact that they happen to share the same name is too much of a coincidence. Whatever it is, we are sure he is somehow connected to the Ranma we're looking for...or at least the Ranma that died,"
"Perhaps he is Ranma's son," Urd suggested, "Have you ever thought of that?"
Luna said perhaps, "Perhaps, but it says Ranma died around a century ago. If Ranma had a son, then that means he would be about a hundred by now. That Ranma looks only around twenty or so,"
"Perhaps he is the grandson or great-grandson of the Ranma you're looking for," she said. She was hoping that putting such a thought into Luna's head could get her to stop bothering Ranma. It would be better to get them disinterested in knowing more about this Ranma than to simply fight them to get them away from him.
Luna said, "Well, if he is, then perhaps he might know something about his grandfather or great-grandfather,"
"But then again, perhaps not," Urd quickly said.
"You seem to really not want us near him. Why is that?" Luna asked, narrowing her eyes, "From the way I see it, a goddess observing a person since his birth must mean that person is probably really important, especially for her to have to reveal herself to protect him. That must mean something significant,"
"You really want to know, don't you?" Urd asked.
Everyone nodded. The setting changed to that of a hotel room. Urd had volunteered to talk to Luna's friends.
"A hundred or so years ago," Urd said, "I was called up to heaven to investigate a certain individual. That individual was your friend Ranma. Upon arriving there, I had found out about how Ranma was attempting to cause what you humans call the 'Third Impact'. I was chosen to watch over him to decide whether he was worthy of becoming the new God. Previously before, I had done so for your friend Rei,"
"Hold up," Misato said, "You're losing us here. We don't even know who you are. How are we to believe you? What does Rei have to do with this? How do you know her?"
"I'm a goddess," Urd said, "I live up in heaven. That's all that matters. Anyway, a long time ago, heaven became aware of Rei's intention to become God. However, there was no objections so she was allowed. This is because she is one of the very few souls ever capable of becoming God. Little did we know of Rei's yearning to become human again after she took over as God. It became evident during that one brief moment where a rift between heaven and earth had been made and she made it through just in time to possess someone,"
Everyone turned their attention toward Lina. They all remembered mention of the incident when Lina had gone overboard attempting to cast a Giga Slave and had been momentarily possessed.
"That person was you," Urd pointed at Lina, "Of course, we managed to get her back but she had already passed her message of her wanting to go back home, back onto earth. That is where your friend Ranma comes in. Because of her message getting through, Ranma had set out to cause his own 'Third Impact' to become God. Little did he know that once he became God, he would not be able to go back. Of course, he knew this but still continued on because he wanted the power to be able to bring Rei back home. He had basically decided to take over the position of God so that Rei would have to step down and thus be allowed back home,"
"Well, that's Ranma for ya, willing to do something for someone without so much as a single thought of what will happen to him in the process," Akane commented.
"The problem was that when Ranma succeeded in causing the 'Third Impact' he found out that not only was he unable to get back home, but he was unable to send Rei back home because of one simple thing...he had no idea how to," Urd said.
"Hold up, what do you mean by succeeded in causing the 'Third Impact'? This world exists because Ranma had failed," Ritsuko said, noticing the inconsistency in the story. Everything sounded plausible until that little mistake.
Urd shook her head, "No, he never failed. He never even died. He had succeeded. This world is Ranma's creation. After he succeeded, he recreated this world exactly as the way it was just moments before he finally succeeded. There was only one difference, he was no longer on it. He had created a representation of himself but had made it so that he would die in the process. That way, no one will ever know of what he had succeeded in doing but rather what he had tried to do. He knew that the timeline would be that his name would evoke disgust but he had chosen this over people knowing of his success,"
"So what you mean to say is that this entire world...it's Ranma's?"
Urd nodded, "All of it. However, there only exist one thing on this world that wasn't created by him,"
"What's that?" Akane asked.
"The man walking this world with the same name as him," Urd answered.
"You mean that one that looks exactly like him? Who is that guy?" Akane asked, "What is his role in all of this?"
"I'll get to that," Urd said, a bit annoyed with all the questions, "After this world went down the different timeline, Ranma set out to leave heaven and become human again. But since he didn't know so, time on this world elapsed as he tried to find of a way, eventually it leading up to close to a hundred years. However, although about a hundred years passed on this world, only a few days worth passed in heaven. After a short while, Ranma realized how he could get him and Rei out,"
"And that would be..." Misato awaited anxiously.
"For them to be born," Urd said.
"What?" everyone shouted in shocked.
Urd smirked a bit. She figured that would surprised them. She said, "Yes, for them to 'escape' heaven, they had to be 'born'. That is where this Ranma plays a role. This Ranma is the walking reincarnation of God. That person is the walking reincarnation of Ranma and Rei,"
"If Ranma is, then why is he so different from the one we know?" Misato asked. "I think I can answer that one," Ritsuko interrupted, "I watched the way Ranma moves as well as listen to how he speaks. After doing so, I have come to the conclusion that he has two personalities. One of which is that of indifference, the one that we see most of, and the other is of the protective side. Did you ever notice how he seems to protect Jun whenever it seems like she is in danger? This could be Ranma's personality while the indifferent one is that of Rei's,"
Urd smiled, "I must say, you're pretty observant. You're right,"
"What does that girl have to do with everything? Why did you warn us to stay away from that girl and Ranma?" Luna asked.
"Since when?" Urd said, "If you mean by my saying about you staying away from 'them', I was actually referring to that person Ranma. The 'them' refers to Ranma and Rei. Before they were 'born' Ranma had made a request that and wished to discover who they are on their own. With your arrival, you were interfering with their growing process and self-discovery so I needed to intervene and stop you. No hard feelings,"
"None taken," Luna replied.
Lina kept her eyes narrowed at the beautiful white haired woman.
"This Ranma is quite an individual," Urd commented, "I've been watching them since they were born and I can tell it will only be a matter of time before they realize who they are. Eventually, Ranma will come in contact with the 'book' and put everything together,"
"Book? What book?" Misato asked curiously.
"Before he and Rei were to be 'born', Ranma had created a single 'book' and had put it on this world," she replied, "Because with no form of guidance, there is no way this Ranma will ever find out who he really is. He basically set it up so that should his human self ever find this book, he will find out all the answers,"
"Wait, could you be referring to that book that showed no indication of who had written it as well as when it was written?" Ritsuko asked.
Urd smirked a bit, "Yes. It seems you people are really persistent. You've definitely done your research,"
"So what about that book?" Misato asked.
"The book was created by Ranma so that this Ranma would eventually read it," Urd replied, "The book is actually riddled with hidden messages that only this Ranma would be able to decipher and understand. It is full of past memories of Ranma and reading about them will trigger all of Ranma and Rei's memories to surface. The book is basically meant as a way of jumpstarting Ranma and Rei's memories in case this Ranma never comes across enough incidents that reminds him of the former lives he has lived. Something as simple as experiencing a few feelings of d j vu in succession can trigger it. However, not wanting to take a chance, Ranma had created this book so that it would basically barrage this Ranma with memories and inevitably trigger the repressed memories to come to surface,"
"How can he have repressed memories?" Luna said, "I remember scanning through his mind extensively and seeing no forms or traces of repressed memories. It's as if Ranma and Rei's memories never existed,"
Urd gave a slight smile, "Well, I wouldn't be too surprised that you found nothing. Ranma, himself, had repressed his and Rei's memories before being 'born'. I assume you realize that we are talking about a divine level of power being used here,"
Luna said nothing. Urd had a point there.
"Eventually, this Ranma will come into contact with the book and everything will be set into motion," Urd commented.
"What happen if he doesn't?" Lina asked, "What happen if he never find the book and reads it?"
"That's not possible," Urd said, "Ranma, himself, had set it so that this Ranma would come in contact with the book eventually. Since this Ranma is immortal, all that matters is 'when' he would come in contact with it. And judging from this Ranma's piqued curiosity of his past, I'm pretty sure he will come across this book within a matter two to three days at most,"
"What if the book is, say, lost in a fire? How will he ever be able to read it then?" Akane asked, "That's quite a bit to have riding on a single book,"
Urd answered, "The book can't be lost. It was enchanted by Ranma himself. Not even I can get rid of it, let alone destroy it. All I know is that Ranma had set it so that this Ranma will eventually come in contact with the book. As to how he did so, only he knows. I guess that is one of the benefits of being God," She smirked as she said the word 'God'.
"There are two ways this Ranma will realize who he is," Urd said, "Either through experiencing enough forms of d j vu or reading the book. Either way, it is inevitable. However, I think he will find out through the book before through d j vu. I've been watching him since the day he was 'born' and he only went through two forms of d j vu, both sensations were derived from Rei's memory, one of her picking up a pair of glasses off the floor and another of when she had stepped out of the shower to find a person in her bedroom,"
Everyone looked at one another. The weren't aware of Ranma's incident with Jun after he had come out of the shower to see her and Mari in his room. Nor the time when he picked up that Greek mythology book and immediately envisioned having done something similar to that but with a pair of glasses.
"Look, all I'm saying is to leave Ranma alone," Urd said, "It is all a matter of time before he...actually, they since this Ranma is both Ranma and Rei...realize who they is,"
"And what happens when they find out who they are?" Asuka asked.
Urd gave a slight snicker, "Well, when this Ranma realizes who his is, he will realize he has the ability to use his powers to actually separate himself into the Ranma that you know and Rei,"
"But what happens the this Ranma in the process?" Akane asked.
Urd gave Akane an odd look, "Since this Ranma and his personality is derived from two people, when he gets separated, he will no longer exist,"
Everyone turned toward one another, giving each other bothered looks. This confused Urd a bit.
"Even though this Ranma is derived from the one you know and Rei, he isn't necessarily the combination of two personalities into one," Ritsuko said, "There are distinguishable traits to him not found in either the Ranma we know nor Rei,"
"That is because of what kind of life and childhood he had to go through since he was 'born'," Urd said, "His distinguishable traits are the result of growing up with the same name as Ranma, on a world where that name is considered a sin to say, let alone be named after,"
"But if this Ranma is separated, he will no longer exist," Sylia said, somewhat sad, "That means for Ranma and Rei to live, this one needs to die,"
Urd's lips became a thin line as she realized the impact of Sylia's comment. After several long silent moments, she said in a soft voice, "I guess so,"
"That isn't fair to this Ranma," Linna commented, "He had done nothing wrong yet he must sacrifice his existence for the sake of Ranma and Rei?"
Urd gave a slight shrug, "That can't be helped,"
"Well, why can't he use his powers to bring out Ranma and Rei but stay alive?" Shinji suggested, "If he is God, he must have the power to do whatever he likes, that being one of 'em,"
"I don't think it works that way," Luna gave a sad shake of her head, "He will be removing parts of his personality. He may still live, but he will never be the same person. In a way, he does 'die' in the process, perhaps not in body, but in personality,"
Priss slammed a fist on the table, "That should not happen. As different as he is from the Ranma we know, he doesn't deserve this,"
"So I guess we have now arrived at a totally different and new problem," Luna sighed sadly, "Rather than finding out what happened to the Ranma we know and how to go about stopping him from causing the 'Third Impact', we need to find out a way of saving this Ranma..."
Akane sighed, "I guess this is one of the problems with knowing Ranma. It's always one problems after another. We'll never get the chance to ever stop and rest,"
Early in the morning, Jun's cousin, Noriko, awoke from her slumber. She yawned as she stretched and got out of bed. She headed off toward the bathroom where she took a shower. She needed that shower. It always helped wake her up. As she stood in front of the showerhead, the warm soothing water gently spraying her naked body, she envied her older cousin. She envied how Jun was in college and didn't have to deal with high school anymore. She envied how Jun now had time off since it was the end of the semester for her.
Noriko sighed, "I can't wait to be out of school,"
She looked down at her chest and sighed. She envied that about Jun also. Her cousin was grown up and had such a beautiful body. Noriko on the other hand was still developing. Her breasts would grow in quite nicely, but that still didn't exclude the fact that she still had some time before her body fully matured.
She sighed, wondering if she could get boys if she had a body like Jun's. Her thoughts started to linger onto that guy that was accompanying Jun when she stopped by. She found him strangely fascinating, as well as very attractive. Of course, he could stand to get rid of the name 'Ranma' of his, but having such a vile name didn't seem to bother him so it shouldn't bother her either.
Although she knew quite a bit of boys, Noriko could not once recall ever having known or come in contact with a guy with such a personality. The most noticeable trait about him was his total sense of indifference toward everything. Also, the fact that he seemed practically emotionless made Noriko want to go to extra lengths just to get him to crack a smile.
"What the hell am I thinking?" she said to herself. For all she knew, Ranma could be Jun's boyfriend. However, given the circumstances and how he seemed to act anything but that of a boyfriend, they could be just friends.
She quickly banished the thought and went about finishing her shower. Once finished, she checked the time and was shocked to realize that if she didn't hurry up, she would be late for school. She quickly got dressed in her school uniform, before heading out the door, wondering if she would bump into him in the livingroom downstairs like the other day. Ranma had slept in the livingroom downstairs the other day as well as last night. Actually, slept would be the wrong choice of words. Noriko had never actually seen Ranma sleep in the livingroom. Even during her late night trips to the fridge, she caught sight of Ranma standing in front of the window and just looking out toward nothing in particular. Although she had wanted to approach him, she was too shy to do so. Noriko passed by the livingroom, expecting to see Ranma standing in front of the window like the other day, but was surprised when she didn't see him anywhere.
"Off to school?" Jun's voice came from behind her, startling her.
"Oh, I didn't realize you were behind me," Noriko calmed herself.
She noticed Jun looking about the livingroom, "Where's Ranma?"
Noriko shrugged, "I dunno,"
Jun seemed to have this puzzled expression on her face, "Damn, he didn't even say goodbye,"
"Huh?"
"I figured he would have at least said goodbye before he left," Jun said, a bit sad, "But I guess I was mistaken,"
"So that's it? He just up and left? Without so much as saying a word?" Noriko found herself getting angry, most of it directed toward Ranma.
"I guess so," Jun seemed disappointed. She sighed, "Well, I guess I shouldn't be surprised. That's the way he is,"
"Man, he could have at least said goodbye," Noriko commented.
Jun shrugged.
Noriko noticed the time, "Oh man, I'm late! I've gotta run!"
Noriko was running around the corner when she ran into what felt like a brick wall. She ended up crashing into Ranma and falling backward and onto her backside.
"Ow!" she winced.
Ranma stood where was, unaffected by the collision. "You should watch where you're going," he said coldly. He didn't offer to help her up. He was about to walk past her when he glanced down at Noriko, recognizing her, "Oh, you're Noriko,"
"Ranma?" Noriko recognized him, "W-what are you doing here?"
"I was heading toward the library in a neighboring town," he replied. He looked at the hand Noriko extended toward him in confusion. Noriko, realizing Ranma wasn't going to help her up, got up to her feet, a bit annoyed. He could have at least helped her up. She was also annoyed with him simply leaving this morning without at least saying goodbye.
"If you were headed toward the library, then way were you heading in the opposite direction?" Noriko asked. She figured if he was heading in the opposite direction, she would had ran into Ranma's back, not his front.
"I was on my way back to your place to say goodbye," he replied, "That's all,"
Noriko looked up at him, "Oh," Hm, perhaps he wasn't that bad a person. "Noriko, you're going to be late!" came a voice. Noriko turned her attention down the street where she saw a young girl wearing glasses and the same school outfit as hers. It was her best friend.
"So are you, Sakura," Noriko commented.
Sakura stopped in front of Ranma and Noriko.
"Oh, hello, I'm Sakura," the friend said, noticing the attractive man standing next to her best friend. She wondered how Noriko had managed to score such a hunk.
Ranma glanced at the girl but said nothing. "Um, that's Ranma," Noriko said, realizing Ranma didn't seem to want to introduce himself. She found it rather odd now being in Jun's shoes. It was weird. She felt as if she had to act on Ranma's behalf, much like how Jun did.
Sakura adjusted her glasses and glanced at Ranma again, "Yeah, right, whatever you say,"
Ranma ignored her comment and turned around and said, "If you don't mind, I must be going,"
"Hold up, she didn't mean it," Noriko said, reaching out and taking a hold of one of Ranma's arms.
All he did was look down at Noriko's hand on his arm before he jerked his arm free and said, "I don't care if she means it or not. There's no need for me to be here anyway,"
"Um, o-okay," was all that Noriko could find herself saying.
Jun was pleasantly surprised when she happened to have glanced out the window of the house and saw Ranma walking up toward the front door of the house. She opened the door before Ranma had even been able to knock once.
"Um, I saw you through the window," Jun said, figuring Ranma was about to ask how she knew he was at the front door.
"I just came back to say goodbye," he said, "So, goodbye,"
He turned around to leave.
"So that's it? You're just going to leave?" Jun was surprised at how easy it seemed to come to Ranma to just say goodbye and just leave.
Ranma nodded, "Yes. What else is there to say?"
"Like, where are you headed?"
"I'm going to check out the library in neighboring towns," he replied, "And when I feel I've done enough researching about my namesake, I'm going to hop on the bus back home. I have no intentions of staying here,"
"Oh," Jun said. She wondered if she should bother to ask him to go out and eat one last time. She decided against it.
"Well, I'm off," was all he said before turning around and leaving, not even giving Jun the chance to say goodbye for herself.
Urd regarded Ranma intently from a building rooftop high above as he walked down the street. He was walking alone, paying no particular attention to anything in general.
She smiled a bit, a warm feeling in her heart. Around a century ago, she had been called to heaven to observe a holy war that was waged between humanity and mankind. No. That was incorrect. She had been called there to observe the battle between heaven and the 'angel' that belonged there. The Lord had realized this was His time to pass divinity to someone else. The person He chose to pass His power onto was Rei Ayanami. He had believed that she was worthy to carry on His role. Urd had been called to heaven to observe Rei as she fought along side Ranma against the Angels. Although she wanted to protest, Urd could not do anything when He had chosen to allow Rei to succeed Him as God.
Urd had watched everything from a distance, watched as Ranma fought the very first Angel all the way to his heroic death after successfully battling through over a dozen Angels and realizing that the deaths of his companions during the battles had been in vain when the defeated Angels reappear. "You must've had quite an adventure before you showed up in heaven," Urd referred to Ranma, the person that became God shortly after Rei. She had observed Ranma for a good amount of time when he was battling against the Angel since she was originally meant to observe Rei and Rei was usually in contact with Ranma. Urd smiled. She remembered when had approached Rei. After Rei had appeared in heaven, she looked confused, and it was Urd's job to explain to her what she had become and what was to be expected. Urd found it surprising when found out Rei had chosen to achieve such powers just so she had the ability to bring a person very dear to her back to life.
She closed her eyes, recalling the encounter with the scared young girl.
Rei had appeared in the 'central headquarters' of heaven, which consisted of a huge open space with a dozen columns placed in a circular fashion that were supporting a ceiling that wasn't there. The walls of the room were so far away that they couldn't be seen. All that could be seen was darkness.
Urd was the first person to approach Rei. She walked up to her and knelt down before her. Rei had this confused look on her face.
"Who are you?" Rei had asked.
"My name is Urd," she replied, "I'm here to welcome you to heaven. You have achieved what you set out to do, and that is to implement what you call the 'Third Impact',"
"How did you know what I was planning to do?" Rei asked.
"The Lord, before He stepped down and granted you His powers, foresaw this," Urd said.
"I don't understand,"
"You have succeeded in becoming God," Urd said flatly, "You have assumed the roles and responsibilities pass down by Him to you,"
"I'm God?"
Urd nodded.
"What happened to the world I was on when I implemented the 'Third Impact'?" Rei asked.
Urd said, "That world was destroyed,"
"What?" Rei said.
She repeated, "That world was destroyed," She stood back up and waved a hand toward the side. All of a sudden, a image appeared before her to show her a picture of the devastated world Ranma and everyone had worked so hard to protect.
Rei's eyes widened, a bit surprised, and asked, "That's my world?"
Urd nodded, "Yes. The 'Third Impact' represents the ascension to God, but it also means the destruction of humanity. All your friends. The people you know. They're all no more,"
That brief moment of emotion disappeared as Rei regarded the image quietly. After a moment, she shook her head, "No, that won't be for long,"
"Oh?" Urd looked confused.
"I am God, am I not?" Rei asked softly.
"Of course,"
"That means my powers are limitless," Rei stated.
Urd nodded, "Yes, but I don't think I understand what you mean,"
"If my powers are limitless, then can I not recreate what was destroyed?" Rei asked.
"Well, yes, you can," Urd said.
"And how do I use them?"
"Whatever you think about becomes reality," Urd answered.
She remembered seeing Rei smiled.
Urd smiled as she thought about that encounter. That had been a rather unique encounter. The moment Rei had realized her powers were limitless, she immediately proceeded to use it to recreate the world that had been destroyed. What was amazing was that Urd had never told her exactly how use her powers yet she seemed to know how.
A bright light suddenly appeared right behind her, startled her. It didn't take long before realized it was just a simple portal that was opened between heaven and earth.
From out of the portal emerged Skuld. Urd noticed this pale look on her sister's face. She didn't like the look of it. "Sis, we've got b-big problems! I'm t-talking big p-problems!" Skuld stammered.
"What's wrong?" Urd asked curiously.
"Heaven is being attacked! Since Ranma stepped down from being 'God', it seems there are people who wishes to assume that role," Skuld said.
"What?"
Skuld nodded, "And you won't believe who it is,"
"Who?" Urd asked.
"Celestine,"
"What?"
Urd paced back and forth on the rooftop, Skuld watching her.
"What are we going to do? Should we approach Ranma-sama?" Skuld asked, "He could have this situation resolved with just a snap of his finger,"
Urd shook her head, "No, we can't do that. Ranma had specifically stated that once he is 'born', he is to be left alone. That was his only request and we must abide by it. We have not come in actual contact with him in over twenty years. We shouldn't have to start now,"
"So what are we going to do?" Skuld asked again, "You know we can't fight him head-on. He's too powerful,"
"Actually, we might not have to," Urd said, "I'm sure the combined forces of heaven is more than enough to stop him,"
Skuld said, "Celestine knows that. That is why he has infected Yggrisil with a virus,"
"Again?"
The young goddess nodded sadly and said, "Yeah. But unlike last time, Belldandy isn't here to help us out. But this time, he has help,"
"How? Who?"
"You remember the fifteen Angels that were sent out but failed to bring Ranma back? All fifteen of them are up there along side him," Skuld said, "They've taken over the control center. Individually, each of the Angels can be beaten. However, the fifteen of them combined is overwhelming, and even more so with Celestine right by their side leading them,"
"How did he manage to gather such a force?" Urd asked in shock, "Wasn't anyone monitoring him?"
Skuld shook his head, "No. Because of His subconscious hatred of Angels, Ranma had banished them to the moon much like how Celestine was banished to the moon for disobeying Heaven. There, they were able to come into contact with one another. As to how they escaped, I have no idea,"
Urd scratched her chin in deep thought, "Well, if you considered the combined power of all those Angels and Celestine, it shouldn't be all that surprising if they were able to simply break their way through their eternal banishment seal,"
"But sis, knowing how they got out isn't the problem right now," Skuld said quickly, "Don't you realize the trouble we're in? The control center of Heaven was taken over! It is currently being occupied by Celestine and the fifteen Angels! What's worse is that Celestine has infected Yggdrasil with a virus and there is no way for us to get into the control center to stop it from spreading. Why do you think Celestine is up to?"
Urd thought about it for several moments before she said, "I think he is trying do exactly what he had sought to do over a century ago and that is to destroy the very system that controls the world,"
"It's different this time," Skuld said, "He doesn't want to destroy Yggdrasil. He wants to take control of it so that he can use it to..."
"To do what with it?" Urd asked.
"He wants to use the Ultimate Termination program to get rid of Ranma," Skuld said, "He believe if he gets rid of God, he can take over and create the world he believes that should have been created originally,"
"What?" Urd's eyes widened, her jaw agape, "Are you kidding me? Are you sure?"
"The virus indicates it," Skuld says, "All it does is slowly rewrite the weapon system of Yggdrasil. And of course, the ultimate weapon is the Ultimate Termination program. There can be no other reason,"
Urd gave Skuld a curious look, "Is something like that possible? Can that program get rid of Ranma?"
Skuld shrugged, "I don't know. However, I wouldn't want to find out,"
"Neither would I," Urd nodded in agreement, "Well, now that we know the situation, it seems there's more important things we have to worry about instead of watching over Ranma,"
"Um," Skuld started, giving a meek smile.
"What?"
"Exactly how are we going to get back to heaven?" Skuld asked, "Since Yggdrasil has been infected, we can't open up gates to get back there,"
"So how did you manage to open a gate from there back to here?" Urd looked at her curiously.
Skuld said, "I created a program while I was in heaven to open a gateway from there to here,"
"So let's use that program to get back up there," Urd said, "What are we waiting for?"
"Um, it's only a one-way gate," Skuld answered sheepishly.
Urd sighed. This was not good. Heaven was in trouble and she was stuck here on Earth, unable to get up there to help.
"Um, isn't that Ranma down there?" Skuld asked, looking over the edge of the rooftop they were on. That man walking alone looked awfully familiar.
Urd nodded and said, "Yeah. It seems it's just a matter of time before he finds out who he is. He already expresses interest in finding out more about the supposed person he is named after,"
"Maybe we should ask him to fix everything up," Skuld suggested.
Urd shot her younger sister a scornful look, "I can't believe you even suggested it. You know we can't do that. His one and only request was to have it where he finds out his identity on his own,"
Skuld sighed, "Yeah, I know. It's just so much easier if-"
"Of course," Urd interrupted her, "but we don't have that option. We need to find another way of solving this, without Ranma's help,"
Skuld shrugged, "But how? How are we going to get back up to heaven in the first place? I could always create a gate, but it will take me a while,"
"Well, how long will it take you to create it?" "A few days," came Skuld's reply, "but the problem is that at the rate the virus is spreading, Celestine will have fun control of Yggdrasil by the end of tomorrow,"
Urd said, "Well, you better get that gate up before then. There is no other way,"
"I can't!" Skuld said, there is no possible way I can get it up, "It's going to take me a few days to get the gate up even if I worked non-stop. Creating a gate is a very complex task and there simply isn't enough time for me to put it together,"
Urd felt like ripping her hair out. What the heck was she going to do?
She started pacing back and forth some more, deep in thought.
"What is the hardest part about creating the gate?" Urd asked.
"It's generating the energy to open it up," Skuld said.
"That's all? We could do that," Urd said, "I'm sure we can create enough energy to do so. And if we can't, we can use one of the forbidden spells to simply amplify our powers,"
Skuld sighed, "I wish it was that easy. However, we can't. The two of us aren't powerful enough to generate the energy. Also I'm sure amplifying our powers would do the trick. However, we can't do that because for us to cast such a spell, you need to be able to contact heaven in order to do so, which is not possible,"
Urd hung her head low. She was back at square one. She looked up at the sky and noticed how dark the clouds had suddenly gotten. That definitely wasn't a good sign. That meant there was indeed something awry in heaven. What annoyed her most was that there was no way she could get up there to help.
"Also," Skuld commented, "If you really think about it, even if we do manage to get up there, I'm not too sure we could be of much help. I mean, we're dealing with fifteen Angels and Celestine,"
Urd sighed again. She paced back and forth some more.
"Oh," she said, "Perhaps it won't be just the two of us going back,"
"What do you mean?" the young goddess asked, confused.
"We can ask those two humans for help," Urd said, "As much as I hate to admit it, but for humans, they could be of some help,"
"Um, are you sure about that?" Skuld asked, "Didn't you almost kind of killed them in attempt to warn them to stay away from Ranma? I don't know about you, but I don't think they would be interested in helping us out,"
Urd shook her head, "That doesn't matter. There's a greater problem at stake. I'm sure if they realized just how much trouble we, as well as everyone in general is, we could put our differences aside,"
Ranma was walking down the street when he looked up at the sky and noticed how dark it had gotten recently. It was no later than three in the afternoon yet the dark clouds made it seem late into the evening.
When it started to suddenly downpour, he watched as several of the pedestrians quickly ran for cover from the rain, taking shelter in alcoves or stores, hoping the downpour would be gone shortly.
Ranma stood there in the rain and continued to watch as people ran about, trying to take cover. He only stood there for several moments before he grew bored and continued down the street.
He didn't walk for long before he caught sight of someone familiar. It was Jun's sixteen year old cousin, Noriko. She was walking down the street with two of her friends. Her friend were both female of the same age. All three of them were sharing a single umbrella. Luckily, the umbrella was large enough for the three of them.
"And then he said that he noticed me when I was-" Noriko saw saying to her friend before she noticed Ranma, "Oh, hello,"
Ranma regarded the young girl for a moment but said nothing. He turned his attention toward her two friends. One of them wore glasses and had short blond hair in a ponytail and was the same height as Noriko. The other one was slightly taller than the other two and had short brown hair. "Um, do you know each other?" the blond asked her friend.
Noriko nodded as she gestured toward the handsome man standing before her, "Yeah, this Ranma," "Ranma?" both friends seemed to ask at once, a bit surprised at the odd name.
When Noriko noticed that Ranma was making no attempt to even reply or say anything, she said, "We just met the other day,"
"It's nice to meetcha," the brown-haired girl said, bowing politely, "I'm Kione,"
"I'm Asuna," the blond added, also bowing.
Ranma did nothing. He just stood there.
Noriko took a moment to observe the situation. She and her friend were used to attention, especially from guys. Ranma, on the other hand, indicated no interest in them. Heck, he barely seemed to acknowledge their existence.
There was a moment of silence. "Um, so, where were you headed?" Noriko asked in a friendly matter, wondering what she had to do to get the guy to talk. She wondered how Jun seemed to be able to get Ranma to talk.
"Nowhere in particular," he finally replied.
"Aren't you cold? It's pouring out," Noriko asked, happy that she actually got Ranma to speak.
"We'd share our umbrella with you, but there's no more room for one more person," Asuna commented.
"Since when did I ask that you share your umbrella with me?" Ranma said coldly.
The girl's lips became a thin line as she was taken aback by Ranma's tone of voice as well as the comment.
Without saying another word, Ranma turned to leave.
"Hey, watch where you're going!" Lina snapped when someone bumped into her for the third time. "Sorry," the man said meekly before going about his business.
Lina sighed. She disliked the city. It was so busy and there were too many people walking about. She felt as if she were suffocating. She had gotten a bit bored followed the group as they went about their day trying to find out more information about Ranma and his role on this world's past and had decided to pass the time just aimlessly wandering the streets for the time being.
She looked up at the sky and noticed the darkening clouds. Just a short time ago, it had been raining quite heavily before it died down.
"Looks like it's gonna rain again," she commented to herself.
She looked around, trying to gather in her surroundings. She looked down the street where she saw a building not too far off in the distance. It was the hotel where she and the rest of the crew were staying. She headed off toward the hotel to seek shelter but didn't take more than a dozen steps before someone bumped into her.
"Watch where you're-" she shouted toward the person, stopping in mid-sentence when she realized who she was talking to. It only took her a split second to realize that she was looking directly up toward Ranma.
Ranma narrowed his eyes toward her, showing indications of annoyance toward her. His lips were a thin line.
"R-Ranma," she said, a bit surprised. She couldn't believe how much the handsome man standing before looked like the Ranma she knew, save for the different eye color.
He looked down at the girl, recognizing her as one of the person whom had attacked him with such prejudice. "I don't know who you are, but you have no right calling my name as if it's so familiar to you," he sneered at her, "You're not my friend, so don't speak to me as if you were,"
Lina paused for a moment. "You're wrong, you actually do know me," Lina said, "You just happen to not know about it," She didn't care about Urd's request that she not interfere with Ranma's growing process and eventual self-realization. She just wanted to speed the process up as quickly as possible.
Ranma continued to narrow his eyes at her, "Well, even if I forgot who you are, then I care not to remember,"
"You don't get it," Lina blurted out, "You're the reincarnation of a person I know. That person's name is Ranma Saotome. I was also told you're also a reincarnation of a person named Rei Ayanami. However, your memories have been suppressed,"
Ranma shrugged, "If you say so. Now if you don't mind,"
He proceeded to walk past her.
"W-where are you headed?" she asked from out of the blue. "None of your business," he replied coldly.
"Well, where ever you're going, I'm gonna follow you," she said, actually nervous, "I'll make you remember who you are,"
"What makes you think I want to remember who you are?" he sneered.
Lina became deathly silent when she heard those words. She was sure that the Ranma she knew would want to remember her if he had the chance. However, this Ranma's words gave her serious doubts. Could Ranma's words be true? "Now if you don't mind, I'm leaving," he said, "I have better things to do than to waste my time here talking to you,"
He proceeded on his way but was stopped when Lina suddenly reached out and grabbed his arm.
"Wait," Lina said. She didn't know why, but for some reason, when she looked into the cold cold eyes of Ranma's, she felt like she had to apologize for her actions the other day.
Ranma looked down at Lina's extended arm as she held onto his arm. A second later, he jerked his arm away, as if Lina's touch disgusted him. Lina even gave a yelp when the sudden movement made it feel as if her shoulder almost got dislocated.
"Don't touch me," he said coldly.
"So cold," Lina couldn't help but whisper to herself, shocked at just how different this Ranma's personality could be. It was such a stark difference to the general cheery, happy-go-lucky, and infuriatingly annoying attitude she was used to dealing with. "Why're you trying to follow me?" he asked.
"B-because...because you need my help," Lina said, trying to keep her voice firm. Deep down inside, she found herself actually scared, a feeling she wasn't all that comfortable with.
Ranma sneered at her, "Well I don't need nor want your help,"
It started to rain. Ranma seemed unbothered by it as found himself suddenly soaking wet. Lina, on the other hand, felt the urge to immediately take shelter. When she noticed Ranma taking no action to do so, she stayed where she was, soaking wet immediately afterwards.
They just stood where they were for several moments before Lina finally spoke up.
"We should go seek shelter," she said. "If you wish to go find shelter, go right ahead," he replied, "I don't care if I get wet or not,"
Without saying anything else, he proceeded down the street.
Lina quickly followed after him.
"We are in deep deep trouble!" Skuld busted into the room.
"What?" Urd looked up.
"Celestine has taken complete control of Yggdrasil!" Skuld said. She pointed toward the makeshift device that she had created using what looked like random junk that allowed to listen to the communications within the control center.
"What?" Urd shouted, "Y-you're kidding, right?"
Skuld shook her head, "No, I just heard it. As of right now, Celestine and the Angels have complete control of Yggdrasil,"
"How could that be? I thought it was going to take much longer than that to infect it completely," Urd said, "What happened to your calculations? I thought we had enough time to attempt to get up to heaven to stop them,"
Skuld gave her sister a meek look and said, "Well, I didn't anticipate that Celestine would be spending his time aiding the virus as it spread throughout Yggdrasil. Rather than let the virus take its course, he was actually working with it and helping it out by constantly revising it,"
"Damn," Urd said, "So we're too late, aren't we?"
"There's nothing we could do," Skuld said sadly, "Our only chance of stopping Celestine has been lost,"
Urd's eyes widened, "Now that Yggdrasil has been taken over, that could only mean one thing,"
"The Ultimate Termination program will be implemented," Skuld said.
"We have to find Ranma!" Urd said. She quickly headed toward the window, "I don't care if he told us not to come in contact with him! He is the only that can stop this!"
"What's this Ultimate Termination you're talking about?" Ritsuko asked curiously.
Urd peered back over her shoulder and said, "Ranma is the only person that has the ability to stop everything. Celestine knows that and that means he can only take one course of action, and that is to stop Ranma before he is aware of this,"
"What can this Ultimate Termination do?" she asked.
Urd said, "It will kill Ranma,"
"Oh no!" everyone gasped.
Ranma looked up toward the sky. The dark clouds looming above made it seem like night even though it was only evening. Lina, whom was next to him, noticed this also.
The dark clouds directly above him seemed to swirl in a circular pattern.
"That don't look natural," Lina commented.
Ranma ignored the comment and continued to glance upward, even as the swirling clouds high above began to circle faster and faster. He watched as the center of the swirl opened just a tiny bit as a glow could now be seen. A second later, a beam of light no larger than a meter in diameter came thundering down straight toward Ranma, lighting the sky brightly with its brilliance.
The light came right down where it would had struck Ranma had Lina not reacted in time to lunge at him and push him out of the way. The two of them came to a tumbling halt just a few meters away from where the beam had struck.
They took a glance where they notice where damage was done to neither the ground nor the surrounding area. It was as if the beam of energy simply disappeared the moment it missed its target.
Ranma got up to his feet and looked back up toward the sky again. The clouds continued to swirl, creating yet another opening where another beam of energy came thundering down from directly above him.
Ranma didn't so much as flinch nor attempt to dodge the incoming attack since he never experienced something called the instinct for self-preservation. He continued to glance toward the incoming beam of energy, more curious than scared.
He was once again shoved out of the way by Lina as she lunged again and rammed herself into him, coming to a tumbling halt a short distance away. The beam of energy seemed to disappear the moment it touched the ground.
Lina slowly got to her feet. She glanced up at the sky at the still swirling clouds. She didn't know what was going and had twice let her instincts take control, which seemed to have lead to her saving Ranma's life twice. She didn't get a chance to catch her breath when she realized she was staring up at a third incoming beam of energy. She glanced in Ranma's direction and suddenly realized she was too far away from him to push him out of the way for a third time. All she had a chance to do was cry out his name.
"Ranma!" she shouted.
The beam struck Ranma right in his face as he looked up. It erupted into a massive explosion, expanding in every direction. Surrounding building were incinerated as the explosion continued to expand at an alarming rate, consuming everything in its path. Oddly enough, Lina was caught in the blast and blown through the air instead of being incinerated like everything else. She managed to recover herself through the use of levitation and glanced down in horror as the explosion continued to expand for several moments before it finally closed in on itself, as if it were some kind of black hole. When the explosion disappeared, Ranma stood in the middle of the middle of the carnage that had been formed. The ground below him was scorched black and dipped down below his feet to form a crater.
Ranma was unscathed. He continued to glance up toward the sky. "What the?" Lina said in shock. Ranma looked down at himself, wondering what had just happened. It didn't take him long to realize that he was unscathed. Not really knowing what to do, Ranma merely glanced back toward the heavens, wondering what was going on.
He was struck once again in the face by yet another beam of energy. This time, the attack seemed to have been twice as powerful as the previous one for the explosion expanded to twice the size of the last one, incinerating the surrounding buildings that was just outside the first explosion's influence. All Lina could do was stare in shock as she once again saw Ranma standing right where he was, unscathed, when the explosion subsided.
"What the hell is going on here?" Lina asked to herself.
"Phew, Ranma's now aware," came Urd's voice as she and Luna and Skuld came flying up to the young girl from behind.
"Where did you come from? And what do you mean by 'aware'?" Lina turned toward the goddess.
She found herself looking at Urd and her sister, Luna as they hovered up to her.
"We came here to protect Ranma," Urd said, "However, it seems you did a good job because Celestine seems to have now lost the initiative now that Ranma's aware,"
"Aware of what?" Lina asked.
"Ranma seems to be aware that he is being attacked," Luna commented, "That's why that attack no longer has an effect on him,"
Urd nodded, "Yes, Celestine's only chance of stopping Ranma was attack him before he was aware that he was being attacked. However, now that Ranma's aware, he won't get hurt,"
Urd noticed an unscathed Ranma a short distance away glancing up at the sky. She smiled, "Look, the attacks have stopped. It seems Celestine has realized that he has lost his one and only chance,"
"What does that mean then?" Lina asked curiously.
"It means we can rest easier," Urd said.
Urd peered up toward the sky above Ranma and narrowed her eyes when she noticed several things flying high above. Luna and Lina followed her gaze and noticed them also.
"What are those?" Luna asked. "Oh no," the blood seemed to rush from Urd's face, "They're the Angels!"
"What Angels?" Lina asked.
"They're the thirteen Angels that Ranma had banished to the moon shortly after he became God," Urd said, "I'm positive they were sent to dispose of Ranma personally,"
"Man, this Celestine person sure acts quickly," Lina commented.
Urd turned toward Lina and said, "I think he's doing what you humans call 'throwing all his cards on the table',"
"What's going to happen?" Lina asked.
Urd didn't like what she had to say, "What else? They're going to try and take out Ranma themselves,"
"I-is that possible?" Luna asked, "I mean, if Ranma is a walking God, he should be able to deal with them with no problems, right?"
Urd shook her head, "Not really. This is because Ranma has yet to discover who he is. Until then, he is a sitting duck,"
Thirteen Angels hovered in a circle above Ranma as they descended from the sky. Ranma regarded them in curiosity, showing no signs of concern for his own welfare.
Before the Angels descended, Ranma seemed to have lost interest and climbed out of the crater and started walking down the street. By now, Ranma was alone, everyone having made a run for it when the first explosion erupted. In the far off distance, sounds of sirens could be heard.
Ranma didn't walk most than a hundred yards before he was stopped when thirteen Angels landed around him in a circle, Ranma being in the middle. The circle surrounding him was roughly a twenty yards in radius.
He stood there for several moments, saying nothing, just regarding the Angels. He showed slight signs of surprise when he noticed that these beings looked exactly like him. "Who are you?" Ranma asked the Angel directly in front of him.
"We're here to dispose of you," came the reply, "As powerful as you may be, you're not powerful enough to stop all of us at once,"
"Dispose of me?" Ranma asked, "Why do you intend that?"
The Angel laughed, "Let's consider this a form of revenge, for you having banished us after you Ascended,"
"Ascended?"
It continued to say, "You really don't know your origins, do you? Well that's most unfortunate,"
Without saying another word, the Angel extended a hand forward and shot a massive energy blast toward where it exploded against his chest. Ranma was blown backwards several hundred feet where he flew bodily past the Angel that was situated behind him in the surrounding circle where he crashed into a building.
"How dare they!" Lina shouted.
As she was about to hover down to where Ranma was, she was stopped when Urd grabbed her arm. "Don't," Urd cautioned the young sorceress.
"Why?" Lina snapped, jerking her arm free and turning toward the goddess.
"Look," Urd said, pointing toward the building Ranma was blown into.
Lina gazed back down toward the scene down below. She waited what felt like forever to see any signs that Ranma was all right. Her heart gave a leap when she saw Ranma emerging from the building unscathed.
Although he was in no worse a condition as when he was before he was stuck by the energy blast, his facade was now different. Ranma was now annoyed. He had no idea what was causing him to be attacked so viciously by people he didn't know over the past few days, and he was getting seriously annoyed by it.
"That's it," Ranma sneered, "I've been through this before and I'm not going to allow for it anymore,"
The Angels turned their attention toward him. As if they were a collective, all thirteen of them extended an arm toward Ranma and shot energy blasts toward him.
Ranma was struck in the chest simultaneously by thirteen energy blasts. Once again, the explosion propelled him backwards and back toward the building. However, this time around, he was stuck with such force that he was blown through the back out of the building and into another and back out and so forth. He was blown through five buildings completely before he ended up slamming into a telephone pole and coming to a halt.
Lina, unable to watch this anymore, shouted, "Bastards!"
She extended a hand toward the center of the circle of Angels and shot forth a fireball. The blast struck the ground and erupted into a mushroom-like explosion, consuming all thirteen Angels.
"Looks like we have a fight on our hands," Luna sighed, smirking slightly. She felt a sense of excitement starting to take control of her.
"Seems so," Urd said.
Taking Lina's initiative, Urd extended one of her hands toward the group where a massive light night bolt shot forward and disappeared into the explosion, causing the explosion to grow even more.
Luna did the same, shooting her own projectile into the explosion. She shot what looked similar to Lina's fireball but was purple in color. When it entered the explosion, the explosion imploded in on itself, taking everything with it.
When the destruction and dust cleared up, the three of them were shocked when they saw the thirteen Angels standing unscathed in the middle of the now gigantic crater.
Their attention was turned toward the three of them.
"Shit, it did nothing!" Lina was shocked.
The thirteen Angels extended their hands toward the group and immediately released energy blasts toward them. Luckily for the three of them, they were a good distance away and was able to see the incoming projectiles and dodge it in the nick of time.
"Damn that was close!" Lina said. She had felt the intensive heat of the projectiles that she had dodged as it whizzed by her.
"We have to watch out," Urd said, "Those projectiles have holy properties to them and can break through whatever defense you put up. All you can do is dodge and pray that you not get hit,"
They three of them found themselves dodging another incoming wave of projectiles and all three of them found themselves having a harder and harder time as projectiles come too close for comfort.
While the Angels were distracted attacking Lina, Luna, and Urd, Ranma had managed to make his way through the buildings he was blown through and up to the closest Angel.
When Ranma was close enough to the closest Angel, he reached out and grabbed the Angel by the shoulder, turning it toward him.
Without so much as saying a single word, Ranma cocked his arm back and punched toward the Angel's face. As Ranma's arm shot forward, an aura of blue could be seen trailing the line of his punch. Unfortunately, Ranma was unable to connect the punch for the Angel had reacted quickly enough to grab Ranma's arm and use his momentum, to shoulder throw him to the ground hard.
The other Angels suddenly paused as they noticed Ranma lying on the ground in front of one of their brethren.
"A punch like that will never land," the Angel smirked down at Ranma.
Ranma showed no sign of frustration as he proceeded to get back to his feet. However, he was unable to do much else because the moment he was standing, he was struck my energy blasts from thirteen directions. The explosion expanded in all direction, consuming Ranma completely. For several intense moments, the three females watched the explosions in horror as they waited for it to subside. When the explosions subsided, they felt this wave of relief as well as shock when they saw Ranma still standing. Their eyes widened when they saw Ranma reach out and grab the Angel by the neck, lifting it up off its feet.
"Enough!" Ranma sneered, his grip tight and unyielding. The Angel, fighting to break free from Ranma's death-grip, proceeded to punch at Ranma's face, each hit causing shockwaves from the intense impact of each it. The windows of nearby buildings shattered from being so close by, the ground seemingly shaking with every landed blow from the Angel. Ranma didn't so much as budge as blows rained down at him, soon followed by kicks right to his chest. He stood still as the Angel continued to attack. He stood there, still holding the Angel. The other Angels were in a state of shock from seeing someone capable of not only brushing off one of their energy blasts, but able to brush off equally powerful punches right to the face.
"Now it's my turn!" Ranma sneered when the Angel stopped for a moment to catch its breath.
He cocked his arm back and sent it right into the Angel's face. An AT field formed right in front of the Angel just mere inches from contact. The impact of the punch against the AT field was so powerful that the shockwave produce sent the ground rippling outward from his like it was water. All surrounding buildings collapsed from the shockwave, crumbling down into nothing but a pile of debris. Luna, Lina, and Urd watched as one of life's paradoxes was put to rest, 'What happens when an unstoppable force collides with an immoveable object?'. As they saw the shockwave produced by the collision expand outward, destroying building and everything in its path, they caught sight of a second shockwave, slowing down time in its wake, causing the crumbling buildings to actually freeze for a split second in mid-crumble before the shockwave passed through, allowing the building to fall apart completely.
Ranma's punch was so far beyond an unstoppable force that it shattered right through AT field like it was nothing, hitting the Angel right in the face.
The unfortunate Angel was sent flying through the air, crashing through building after building before it was sent flying out beyond the outskirts of the city where it crashed into the side of a mountain. The Angels all took a tentative step backwards, shocked at what they had just seen. They were shocked at having seen Ranma breaking through an AT field with such ease. To think an actual physical attack able to break through an AT field was impossible, but they knew that was what they had seen.
The remaining Angels, realizing that none of them wanted to be the next one in line to be destroyed with such ease, quickly jumped up into the air, taking flight.
"You've won for now, but we'll be back," one of the remaining Angels said. Without saying another word, they darted upward toward the heavens.
Ranma muttered under his breath as a small part of his memory managed to make its way into his conscience, "Damn Angels!"
Without saying another word, he walked off, the memory disappearing.
"Ranma is really fucked up," was the only words Misato could use to describe him. She and the others had been tailing a good distance behind Ranma as he walked down the street. She sighed, "How can a person be so emotionless that he doesn't feel any form of fear?"
"There is no need for him to experience it," Ritsuko commented, "Over the course of one's life, they experience sensations that dictate how they would react to something new,"
"What do you mean?" Lina asked.
"For instance, when you touch something hot, you experience pain, which causes you to pull your hand away quickly," Ritsuko continued, "But if you take that sensation of pain away, then there is no need for you to pull your hand away. In a way, it's as if he knows that whatever happens to him, good or bad, he will be all right afterwards. I don't think it's because he is emotionless. Rather, it seems as if the emotion of fear is unknown to him,"
Ryoga piped in, "That could explain why he didn't so much as attempt to dodge when I was attacking him,"
"If he doesn't experience fear, then why is he waiting to cross the street?" Lina pointed out, pointing down the street where they noticed Ranma patiently waiting for the light to change, "Why doesn't he just continue on walking since he isn't scared of getting hit by a car?"
Ritsuko said, "That's probably because of conditioning. I'm sure at a young age, he learned to cross the street properly and it carried through him into adulthood. He probably isn't worried about getting hit by a car, but merely waits to cross the street out of habit. That's like conditioning. It's like you responding when you hear your name,"
"Oh," Lina said.
They continued to follow Ranma until he disappeared around a corner. Despite losing track of him, they didn't bother to run on ahead to catch up since they could easily sense him. Everyone in the group was now able to sense him, Emiko having taught the others that one could feel his presence by a simple task of controlled breathing and clearing of one's mind. Everyone else was only able to sense Ranma's presence simply because it was so pervasive. They probably wouldn't be able to do this for the Ranma they knew and had originally come looking for.
scene to be added in
Jun was walking down the street when she caught sight of Ranma as he was walking down the sidewalk on the opposite side in the opposite direction. It had been two days since Ranma's encounter with the Angels.
"What the?" she said to herself, surprised to be seeing him. She thought Ranma had left a couple of days ago. She called out to him, waving her hands in the air, "Ranma!"
Ranma, turned his gaze in Jun's direction. He held her gaze for several moments before he turned his attention forward and continued walking.
Sighing, Jun made her way across the street and run up to Ranma. She tapped Ranma on his shoulder.
"What're you doing here? I thought you left not too long ago," she asked. She wasn't all that annoyed that he had ignored her because she was rather happy to see that he was still in Tokyo.
Ranma said, "No real reason,"
"Where have you been staying?" she asked, "If I knew you were gonna stay in Tokyo for a while longer, you could've crashed at my relatives,"
"Not interested," he said flatly, "And I haven't been staying anywhere. I've been merely wandering around for since then,"
"You've been just wandering around? Where do you sleep?" she asked.
"I haven't slept yet," he shrugged, "It's not like I really get tired anyway,"
"There you go again, spouting non-sense," she gave him a nudge at his side, smirking a bit.
Ranma looked down at his side where Jun had nudged him for a moment before looking up and saying, "It doesn't matter if you believe me or not,"
"Since you've been wandering around the city all this time," Jun said, knowing that an awkward silence would have ensued had she said nothing else, "I'm sure you're aware of the sudden explosions that erupted throughout the city,"
"Yeah," he said.
"They say it was terrorist bombings," she commented, "However, I have no idea why something like that would happen. These bombings have us worried because we live nearby. What if one of us were caught in the carnage?"
Jun's comment made Ranma stop for a short moment to ponder. Jun noticed this but said nothing, figuring he paused to ponder what would have happened if one of the explosions occurred near him while he was wandering about.
"You have any idea what had happened?" Jun asked.
"Not really," he said, figuring it was more of a waste of time explaining than to pretend ignorance, "I don't really care what happened there,"
"So, where were you headed?" she asked, "Where were you coming from?"
Ranma shrugged, "No where in particular, and I was coming back from the mountains,"
"Mountains? Why were you by the mountains?" Jun gave the man a curious look, "Was it take another tour of Nerv Headquarters?"
Ranma shook his head, "No," He didn't bother to answer that he had actually walked all the way to the mountain where the Angel had crashed into in hopes of finding it. Although it didn't really bother him on why he was attacked, he was curious to know the underlying reasons behind it. Unfortunately, the dead Angel was nowhere to be found, its brethren having retrieved it before Ranma got to it.
"Well, since you're not heading anywhere in particular, are you planning on spending more time here?" she asked.
Ranma shrugged, "Not really. However, I'm going to stay around just for a bit longer," He had the funny feeling he would be attacked again and wanted to stay in hopes of finding out some answers.
Their conversation was interrupted when they heard someone calling Jun's name from across the street.
"Jun," Noriko called out.
Jun and Ranma turned their attention toward the young girl as she and two of her friends ran across the street. Ranma recognized the three girls. The one that wore glasses and had short blond hair in a ponytail was named Kione. The other one that had short brown hair was called Asuna.
He didn't bother to greet them nor show any indication of caring that they were there.
"Hey guys," Jun greeted Noriko and her friends. She knew her cousin's two friends from a while back. They seemed to always be together whenever she came around to visit.
"Hey, Jun. It's nice seeing you again," the two girls said in unison, bowing politely.
They both turned toward Ranma to greet him but stopped, remembering the cold encounter they had with him. They gave him meek smiles before turning their attention back onto Jun.
"What're you guys doing here?" Jun asked.
"Nothing in particular," Noriko answered, "We were getting bored at home so we decided to head on over to the arcade for a few games to pass the time. You're welcome to come,"
She gave Jun a smile and even caste Ranma a quick glance, to show indication that the statement was meant for the two of them.
Jun said, "I don't see a problem in that,"
She turned toward Ranma, "How about you? Wanna go to the arcade?"
"No," he answered flatly.
"Oh," Noriko said, a bit disappointed.
Jun grabbed Ranma's arm and gave it a tug, "C'mon, don't be a party pooper. It'll be fun,"
"L-let go," Ranma said as he realized the tug had caused him to lose his footing as found himself stumbling forward following after Jun. Noriko watched as Jun almost half-dragged Ranma in the direction of the arcade, a bit envious in a way. It seemed as Ranma and Jun were friends.
"Hmph!" Ranma let out an annoyed breath. He was standing in the middle of a loud an noisy arcade while the three accompanying females were having fun playing what looked like to him this weird crane game, trying to pick items up with a crane.
He didn't even know why he was there. He didn't know why he had allowed Jun to drag him there in the first place. However, all that he knew was that he was there.
"Ranma, why don't you give it a try?" Jun asked when she noticed Ranma was doing nothing. He definitely didn't seem like he was having any fun. It made her feel bad.
"Yeah, give it a try," Noriko said, "I'm sure you'll win something,"
Ranma gave them both an odd look before he walked over to where they were. He walked up to the machine and looked at it for a moment. Upon closer inspection, and from what he saw Jun doing, it seemed one controlled the crane in the machine with a joystick and was expected to position it in a way such that pressing a button caused the crane to make and attempt at grabbing a prize right below it.
"This looks idiotic," Ranma commented, not at all caring if her hurt the girls' feelings since they seemed to enjoy such a simple game.
"C'mon, just give it a try," Noriko persisted, giving Ranma a nudge, as she pointed toward a item in the machine, "You think you can win me that stuffed animal over in the corner? I think it's cute. I'd be grateful if you won it,"
Jun smirked a bit toward her cousin. If she didn't know better, she was sure Noriko was trying to flirt with Ranma. It seems her cousin had a crush on Ranma. However, Jun's smirk didn't last long when she realized that Noriko was flirting with Ranma of all people.
"However, it'll probably be a really hard task," Noriko said, "It's stuck in there pretty well,"
Ranma said, "This seems like a waste of money, but I'll give it a try since I have nothing better to do,"
Jun ignored Ranma's lack of tact. That was just the way he was and she learned to deal with it. In a sense, it was rather refreshing. His lack of tact showed that his comments were genuine, that there were no other motive behind his comments. She watched as Ranma reached into his pocket and pulled out a coin. As he pulled out his hand, a diamonds fell out in the process, falling to the ground where it slide under the machine.
"Did I just see a diamond fall out of your pocket?" Jun asked, "I could have sworn I saw something sparkling like a diamond fall out and roll under the machine,"
Ranma shrugged, "Most likely, but I don't care,"
He put the coin in the machine.
"A diamond?" Noriko said, "Well, aren't you gonna go after it? What if someone else finds it?"
"They can keep it. I can make more if I want so I don't care," Ranma replied.
Jun got down on her hands and knees a fished around under the small opening under the machine for the diamond. It didn't take her too long before she realized the opening was too small.
Ranma, noticing Jun trying to reach her hand underneath the machine, pressed his hand on the front of the machine and pushed forward, tilting the machine backwards, allowing Jun to reach underneath where she got the diamond.
When Jun got her hands on the diamond, Ranma put the machine back down. "Wow, you must be incredibly strong," Noriko commented, almost starry eyed, "That machine must've been heavy," She couldn't help but wonder how Jun managed to find a man like Ranma. Not only was Ranma handsome, but he was also strong.
Jun didn't pay her cousin's comment any mind as she found her gaze fixed on the diamond in her hands, "Oh my god!"
The diamond was huge, at least 20 karats in size. That was probably equivalent to tens of millions of yen.
"W-w-where didja get this? I-it's huge!" Jun stammered. "I made it," he said flatly.
"Made it?" Asuna looked at Ranma, "You're kidding,"
"I don't care if you don't believe me," he said.
Noriko, having caught a glimpse of the diamond, was now trying to wrench it from Jun's hands, "Lettme see it!"
Pretty soon, Jun found herself fending off Asuna and Kione as they tried to get their hands on the diamond for a better look.
Ranma turned around, ignoring the bickering behind him and took hold of the joystick. He carefully maneuvered the crane over the item Noriko had pointed out and pressed the button. He watched as the crane came down and closed on the item and then pulled back up, carrying the item with it. It moved back to the starting position and opened, releasing the prize down into a chute that led to an opening by the front of the machine where Ranma could grab a hold of it.
Ranma grabbed the prize and turned toward the girls, "Here, I won it,"
It only took him a moment to realize the girls weren't paying him much attention. They were staring at the diamond.
"Ranma, where did you get this?" Jun asked, still holding the diamond.
"I made it," he replied.
"No, really," all three asked in unison.
Ranma huffed, "Fine, don't believe me then. Frankly, I don't even know why I'm here so it's best that I be leaving,"
He turned around to leave, dropping the stuffed toy on the ground. He almost made it out of the arcade but ended up bumping into someone.
He ended up bumping into Asuka.
Asuka had been in the arcade room the whole time, keeping a close eye on him. Ever since she had heard from Luna, Lina, and Urd of Angels attacking Ranma, the group had insisted that they watch closely over him. Asuka and Lina seemed to constantly trade places observing Ranma, Asuka observing him during the day while Lina at night. If anything were to happen, they were expected to call the hotel where everyone was staying right away.
When Ranma bumped into Asuka, the young girl fell down on the ground on her backside. She winced in pain from the tumble and was about to give the man a piece of her mind for not watching out where he was going but stopped when she realized she was staring right up into Ranma's dual-colored eyes.
Her blush didn't last long when she realized that she was wearing a dress and that the way she was sitting on the floor allowed Ranma a perfect view of her panties. She quickly got to her feet, trying to compose herself. "You saw them, didn't you?" Asuka spat toward Ranma.
Ranma gave her an odd look, "What are you talking about?"
Asuka's anger toward Ranma didn't last long. She was more angry at herself. She knew why they ended up bumping into each other. It was her fault. Realizing that Ranma wasn't going anywhere, she had proceeded to play one of the games and had gotten too into the one was playing and had lost track of her task at hand.
Ranma continued to regard her. He didn't even attempt to apologize.
"I've seen you before," Ranma stated, his eyes creased, "You're that girl that was with the group of people when one of them attacked me,"
"Um, h-hello," she stammered nervously. She hadn't meant to actually come in contact with him. She had kept a low profile for two days following him without incident. Why did this have to happen all of a sudden?
Ranma continued to regard her with scrutinizing eyes, making the pretty young girl very self-conscious of herself. His gaze lasted for what felt like an eternity.
After a moment, Ranma lost interest and simply walked past her. However, the brief encounter with Asuka had give the other girls enough time to realize Ranma was leaving and catch up to him. They stopped him right before he made it out the front entrance.
"Where are you going?" Jun asked.
"Does it matter?" Ranma replied, which came as a surprise since it was unlike his usual 'None of your business'.
Ranma turned back around and ended up bumping into yet another person just as he exited the arcade. This time, it was no one he knew. He ended up bumping into a mean-looking street punk. The guy was accompanied by several of his buddies.
"Hey, asshole, watch where you're fucking going!" the punk said with a sneer.
Ranma ignored the comment and pushed right past him.
"Hey, I'm talking to you! Who the fuck do you think you are?" the punk said, infuriated. With all his friend watching, he had to prove that he was no push-
over.
Jun quickly rushed up to where Ranma was. She grabbed a hold of one of Ranma's arms, giving the punk a meek smile, "He's sorry. He didn't mean to bump into you like that,"
"Hmph!" the punk muttered. He gave Ranma a condescending look before smirking, "Look at what we've got here. You some kinda pussy that needs a girl to fend for ya? You can't stand up for yourself-" The punk never finished his statement because Asuka decided enough was enough and had darted forward and delivered a swift kick right into the punk's private area.
The guy screamed in pain as he fell to the ground, clutching his private area.
"Damn, that felt good," Asuka smirked.
"You fucking bitch!" one of the friend's sneered.
"He deserved it," she said, "I'm not gonna stand idle while he make such comments toward Ranma like that," It only took a moment for her to realize what she was saying. She was shocked when she realized she was fending for Ranma. She didn't even like Ranma, so why was she fending for him? Perhaps it was the thought of someone saying such untrue things about him that infuriated her.
"I don't care if you're a girl or not!" the friend said as he attempted to punch Asuka. He didn't manage to connect for Asuka easily dodged the incoming attack and grabbed that guy's wrist, twisting it in an awkward direction, causing the guy to lose his balance as his forward momentum sent him flipping toward the side. Asuka smirked as she looked down on the guy on the ground. She was still holding the guy by the wrist. She gave the guy a good swift kick right in the stomach which knocked the fight right out of him. The guy yelped out in pain, clutching at his stomach, nearly crying. The three remaining friends, seeing this, decided to attack the girl all at the same time.
Although Asuka had training in fighting multiple attackers, she wasn't comfortable enough in taking out three incoming attackers. She had managed to land devastating blows on two of the three guys, which sent them to the floor reeling in pain, but not before the third guy managed to tackle her to the floor.
"Get the hell off me!" Asuka shouted as she found herself tumbling and eventually below the guy, her legs around the guy's waist. Luckily for her, she had managed to put the guy in her 'guard'. If the guy's legs were over her waist while she was on the ground, she was in trouble. Luckily, this wasn't the case.
The guy found himself struggling to fend off Asuka's blows as she punched upward toward the guy.
"Stop that, you bitch!" the guy shouted. He reared an arm back, about to slap her across her face. The guy was unable to follow through for Ranma grabbed a hold of the guy by the hand. The guy screamed in pain as Ranma's death-grip made it feel like all the bones in his hand were being broken.
Holding the guy's hand, Ranma pulled back, dislocating the assailant's shoulder and throwing through the glass door of the entrance where he crashed through and crashing against one of the machines before crumpling to the floor unconscious.
Asuka got up to her feet. Her eyes were wide as she noticed a small puddle of blood forming under the guy Ranma had thrown. Shards of glass were embedded in the man's face and the man looked like he had been seriously injured.
"D-don't y-you think that was a bit excessive?" Asuka asked Ranma.
"Hmph, he's lucky I didn't kill him," Ranma said coldly.
"Oh my god, I can't believe I saw what just happened!" Noriko said.
Jun glanced toward the unconscious man, feeling very sorry for him before she turned toward Asuka, "Are you all right?"
Asuka nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine," She turned back toward Ranma, "I didn't need your help, y'know. I was just about to put the guy in an armbar,"
"It's not like I intended to help anyway," Ranma said coldly, "I don't even know what prompted me to do what I did,"
Asuka showed signs of surprise, "R-really? That must mean your memories are coming back,"
"Your memories coming back?" Jun looked toward Ranma, a bit confused, "What is she talking about?"
"She, like the others, believe I'm some kind of reincarnation of the Ranma Saotome," Ranma said.
Jun regarded Asuka for a moment, "Others, huh? Hey, aren't you that girl we saw by the library that night?" She suddenly realized what Ranma had just said, "What? Reincarnation of Ranma Saotome?"
Ranma nodded, "That's what it seems,"
"You really are," Asuka said, "You just don't know it,"
"R-reincarnation of Ranma Saotome?" Jun stuttered slightly, "T-that's ludicrous. That guy tried to destroy our world for god's sakes, and you're saying Ranma is his reincarnation?"
"My, this sounds really interesting," Noriko commented, listening intently.
Asuka laughed aloud.
"What's so funny?" Jun narrowed her eyes.
"You have no idea," Asuka continued to laugh.
"No idea of what?"
The red-haired girl stopped laughing, her visage serious, "I'm sorry to say this but your world 'was' destroyed. However, it was recreated exactly like the one destroyed but with one difference...and that is he set the timeline such that it seems as if he had failed. The Ranma you see before you is the reincarnation of the one that succeeded,"
Noriko looked totally skeptical, "Yeah, whatever you say. And exactly what was the significance behind him 'destroying' our world?"
"To became God!" Asuka said, "Ranma here is a walking reincarnation of God. Shit, it's not even that. You are God,"
"I'm leaving, I find this asinine," Ranma said coldly.
Asuka said, "Look, sooner or later, you'll realize who you are. It's just a matter of time," When she noticed Ranma was already a good distance down the street, she called out to him, chasing after him, "Hey, wait up!" "Why're you following me?" Ranma asked coldly when she caught up to him. His lips became a thin line when he noticed Jun, Noriko, and her two friends also following after him.
"We're to observe you," Asuka answered, "You're in danger of being attacked again,"
"Attacked again?" Ranma said, "Well, I can handle myself, so just leave me alone,"
He turned around and started walking away.
Asuka, not wanting to be left behind, quickly ran after him. She reached a hand out and grabbed a hold of one of his arms.
Ranma jerked his arm away as if in disgust, "Don't touch me,"
Asuka cringed at the icy looked he shot at her. Before either any of the girls managed to react, Ranma disappeared around a corner.
Ranma was walking down the street when he looked up and noticed dark ominous looking clouds forming above.
He paused. Those clouds looked very similar to the ones he saw right before he was attacked. He watched intently as he saw the clouds swirling in a circle, opening up directly above him.
"Hmph!" Ranma muttered, knowing what was in store for him.
Suddenly, a massive beam of energy came thundering down from the sky, striking Ranma right in the face as he was looking upward. The power of the energy beam was significantly more powerful than previously. The explosion expanded outward at an alarming rate, consuming not only Ranma but several nearby buildings.
Luckily, there were no pedestrians nearby.
When the explosion subsided, Ranma stood right where he was, but now in the middle of a massive crater. Although he was unscathed, he had an annoyed look on his face.
He was struck several more times. Each successive blast more powerful than the previous one. Although the destruction caused by such blasts were devastating to the surrounding areas, Ranma remained unscathed.
Realizing that there was nothing he could do, Ranma proceeded to make his way out of the crater.
Meanwhile, in a nearby museum, Mitsumi, the tour guide that Ranma had met not too long ago was finishing up with her last tour for the day. She walked into the break room, a tiny room consisting of a round table with chairs around it and a coffee maker machine located in the corner of the room. She sat down on one of the chairs and sigh, "Man, what a day,"
Mitsumi was tired, having been on her feet for a good thirteen hours because she had done not only her shift but half of her friend's shift. She sat in the seat for several minutes before got back up, ready to punch out her time card and head on home, where she was definitely going to take a nice hot bath. She headed down one of the hallways toward the back of the museum when she looked into one of the massive display rooms and noticed someone standing in there. It was a man and he did not belong there for the museum was expected to close shortly.
"Excuse me, but the museum will be closing shortly," Mitsumi said, entering the room. The room she was entering wasn't even a room. It was a giant arena like open area with ceilings so high that she couldn't even see it. The room was also the largest room in the entire museum since it housed the fully-upright Unit-01.
As Mitsumi approached the man from behind, she noticed something familiar about him, especially his hairstyle.
"R-Ranma? Is that you?" she asked, knowing it was him. He was the only person she had ever seen that had his hair done up in a pig-tail.
The man turned around to face her.
Mitsumi wasn't surprised to find out that it was him. She knew it was him for some reason. "What are you doing here?" she asked, smiling warmly. She found it a rather pleasant surprise seeing him.
She regarded him for a moment. However, when she took a closer glance at his face, she noticed something different. His eyes were different. Both eyes were blue.
"Hey, I notice both your eyes are blue now," she asked, "You now wearing contacts, Ranma?"
"I'm not Ranma," the Angel said, glancing past her toward Unit-01. He was glancing upward, taking in Unit-01's shear size.
Mitsumi gave the Angel and odd look.
"If I were you, I'd leave right now," the Angel said.
Suddenly, massive wings shot out from the Angel's back, the sight causing Mitsumi to lose her footing and fall to the floor. All she could do was watch as the Angel jumped high into the air, taking flight and flying straight up toward Unit-01's shoulders where it stopped to perch.
"W-w-what the?" was all she could said.
As she got to her feet, she caught sight of the EVA's eyes suddenly glowing bright red, as if it had just come to life. It looked down toward her before it started moving.
There were many wires attached to the EVA from every angel, holding it in place so it wouldn't tip over, but those wires suddenly started snapping when it turned around, whipping outward toward the walls it was attached to.
The EVA turned around in place, the ground below shaking, and before Mitsumi realized what was happening, it took a massive step toward the wall. She quickly ran out of the massive room and for cover when the EVA took another step, this time stepping right into the wall, the wall collapsing outward to reveal the outside of the museum.
She watched as Unit-01 continued walking forward, stepping right through the wall of the museum as if it wasn't even there and then disappearing as it rounding one side of another building.
When a security guard came running around down the corridor and caught sight of Mitsumi just staring toward the opening in the wall, he approached her.
"What the hell happened? What was all that noise I just hear-" the security guard stopped in mid-question when he noticed the gaping hole, "What the fuck happened here?"
"I-I-I don't know what happened? U-Unit-01 j-just came to life and walked r-
right o-out of the museum!"
Ranma made it out of the crater without much effort. He proceeded to dust himself off when he suddenly felt the ground below him shaking. The shaking had a pattern to it, shaking as if something was walking.
"Now what?" he muttered in annoyance.
He looked down the street and caught sight of something massive emerging from around a building. It was a good distance away but it didn't take Ranma long to recognize that it was that massive Unit-01 he had seen during his visit to the museum not too long ago.
His visage gave no signs of concern as he watched Unit-01 walk straight toward him. People that were in their cars that were lining the streets quickly got out and ran for their lives. The sirens in the distance heard was getting louder and louder.
Ranma's eyes narrowed when he noticed an Angel standing on the EVA's shoulder. Realizing that the Angel would be able to explain why he was being attacked for reason's unknown to him, Ranma proceeded forward toward the incoming EVA.
When Ranma and EVA were practically standing right in front of each other, Ranma tilted his head backward in an extreme angle to look up toward the Angel.
"Why are you attacking me?" Ranma said in a loud voice.
The Angel didn't even bother to answer him. All it did was smirk.
Ranma didn't so much as blink as he watched the EVA cocked its arm backwards and throw a punch straight down at Ranma, its massive fist raining down right on Ranma's face as he was looking up at it.
The gigantic fist struck Ranma with such force that the ground shook as a shockwave expanded from the point of impact, crumbling all surrounding buildings and sending the abandoned cars flying away.
The force of the EVA's blow was so fierce that it arm became embedded in the ground all the way up to its elbow. When it brought its arm back out, it had Ranma in its hand.
"Who are you and why are you attacking me?" Ranma sneered as he was being held tightly in the EVA's hand. His arms were pinned by his side and only his shoulders and head was exposed.
The Angel seemed to be in a state of shock when it noticed Ranma was very much alive and even conscious to talk. Although it knew Ranma can survive direct strikes from Yggdrasil Ultimate Termination attacks, it was shocked such devastating attacks from Unit-01.
When the Angel didn't answer Ranma's question, his eyes narrowed.
"I ask again," Ranma was starting to show sign's of extreme annoyance, "Who are you and why do you attack me?"
"Die!" the Angel shouted.
As Unit-01 held Ranma in one hand, it used its free hand and placed its thumb on the back of Ranma's head, exerting force as if trying to snap his neck. Ranma's head was tilted forward at an extreme angle but not a single sound emerged from his lips. The Angel looked down toward the EVA's arm and noticing shaking slightly from the extreme force it was already using. Ranma brought his head back up to glare at the Angel, overpowering Unit-01's strength without trouble.
"This grows tiresome," Ranma sneered. He brought one of his arms away from his side, breaking free from the EVA's grip. With one arm free, he used it push away one of the EVA's fingers to free up his other arm. The Angel just watched in shock as Ranma freed both his arm and used it to pull himself up and out of the EVA's grip while the EVA's other hand was still pressing down on his head.
Freed from the EVA's grasp, Ranma slapped that hand away and turned his attention on the still-shocked Angel. He took the opportunity to leap forward and onto the EVA's shoulder where he grabbed the Angel by the neck, lifting it up off its feet. Leaping through the air over a great Ranma had never done before until now. Somehow, Ranma knew exactly how much effort he needed to leap onto the EVA's shoulder, as if he had leapt great distances before.
"Who are you and why are you attacking me?" he asked in a cold cold voice, holding the Angel up as it stared at him in shock.
The Angel struggled to free itself, "I-I-Impossible! H-how can you not be effected b-by the EVA's attacks?"
A massive explosion erupted against Ranma's back, causing him to stagger forward slightly. However, he never lost his grip on the Angel's neck. When an energy beam struck him on the back again just as he was struck in the face by the Angel he was holding, he ended up losing his grip.
The Angel, freed from Ranma's death-grip, leapt backwards into the air, taking flight and coming to a hover a good distance away from Ranma as well as the shoulder of the EVA where he was perched.
It rubbed its neck, showing signs nervousness from realizing how close it had just come to death.
Ranma sneered as he gazed at the hovering Angel. He looked down behind him where he saw another Angel hovering a good distance away. It didn't take him long to realize that that was the Angel that attacked him from behind. He turned his attention back on to the Angel he had grabbed before, "You're not getting away from me!"
He leapt forward straight toward the Angel. However, he never managed to reach it for his flight was interrupted when he was struck in the chest by the hovering Angel's energy beam.
Ranma was struck right in the chest, the impact sending him flying bodily backwards where he crashed into what would be one of the EVA's shoulder blades. The impact of the collision was so intense that the EVA staggered forward, righting itself when it was forced to take a step forward to catch its balance. Ranma was deflected upward into the sky where he arced through the sky and crashed into a towering building, leaving an imprint of his entire body against the side before he fell down all the way to the ground below where he crashed into the ground with thunderous force.
The two hovering Angels watched anxiously for the dust to clear up. When it did, they saw Ranma lying in his stomach in the middle of the crater his body had created. He wasn't in that position for long.
The Angels' jaws dropped when they saw Ranma getting back up onto his feet.
"This guy just won't die!" the first Angel sneered.
The Angel sent the EVA forward toward where Ranma was, the ground shaking with every step it took. It only took two steps for it to reach Ranma.
When Ranma got to his feet, he looked up just in time to see the orange underside of the EVA's foot as it came crashing down on his, as if it were trying to squish him like a bug. When it brought its foot back up, the Angels saw Ranma lying on his stomach. However, he wasn't in that position for long for he proceeded to get back up to his feet.
"Fucking die already!" the Angel shouted.
The EVA brought one of its feet back and then brought it forward in an attempt to kick Ranma.
Unit-01's foot crashed right into Ranma's front, sending him right into one of the foundation pillars of the building right behind him. He crashed through the pillar and into the building where he exited and crashed through one of the other foundation pillars on the other side.
He continued to crash through multiple buildings before finally crashing into a side of another building and then falling all the way down to the ground below.
Once again, when the dust cleared up, Ranma proceeded to get back up to his feet. By then, the EVA and the two Angels were already where Ranma was.
"How fucking strong is this guy?" the first Angel sneered, "He brushes off Unit-01's as well as our attacks like they're nothing! We have to find something that can hurt him!"
"I have an idea!" the second Angel said.
Without saying another word, it sped off through the sky.
Mitsumi caste a gaze toward the gaping hole on the side of the museum from the outside. Police cars were surrounding the area as the area flickered red and blue from their police lights.
She had managed to collect herself and left the building. She was about to head home, eager to check out the news to see of the many reports of the EVA sightings that should be coming in from all parts of the city. She had no idea what had just happened, and was pretty sure the news wouldn't be able to explain it anyway. However, it would most likely give her peace of mind knowing she wasn't the only one to have seen something like that transpire.
Just as she turned around to head home, she caught sight of an Angel as it flew right by her and into the building via the gaping hole. It didn't so much as pay her or the police any mind.
She regarded the opening intently, awaiting the reemergence of the Angel. "Why is he doing this? How is he doing this?" Mitsumi asked herself about Ranma, still thinking what she was seeing was actually Ranma, "What is going on here?"
She caught sight of the Angel just as it and flew out the opening, the positron rifle following closely behind. What she saw she could only describe as seeing the positron rifle hovering behind the Angel, as if an unseen force was carrying it, as if the Angel was using some kind of tractor beam to tow it.
Within seconds, the Angel and the positron disappeared as it took to the skies, disappearing beyond the looming buildings.
The Angel arrived at the scene, positron rifle in tow, just in time to see the EVA repeatedly stomping the ground.
"This guy just won't die! He keeps getting up!" the first Angel said, "I can't believe something this powerful could ever exist!"
The second Angel smirked, "Let's see if he can survive this. I'll sacrifice myself to power the rifle,"
The first Angel willed EVA to take a few steps back and crouch down, revealing Ranma as he lay on the floor. This allowed the second Angel enough room to put the positron rifle into the EVA's hands.
The positron rifle hovered forward and right into the EVA's hands, the weight of the rifle causing the EVA to even strain. Instead of holding the rifle, the weight was being distributed as the barrel was placed on the ground, Ranma directly in front of the opening.
The scene was quite a sight to behold. Unit-01 was in a crouching position, positron rifle in hand, pointed downward straight at Ranma, whom was only a few feet from the front of the barrel opening.
The second Angel hovered down onto the rifle where it began to sacrifice its own life-force to charge up the rifle. Within moments, the Angel keeled over, dead, its life-force spent. However, the rifle was fully charged.
The first Angel sneered, wishing there was some other way to power the rifle, but it knew that was the only course of action, given the circumstances and lack of time. "Die!" the Angel shouted as the EVA pulled the trigger.
A massive white beam of energy erupted from the rifle and struck Ranma head on. Ranma was totally enveloped as the beam traveled downward, incinerating the ground. Because of the energy expended by the Angel to power the rifle, the power output was more than a hundred times more powerful than when it was used over a hundred years ago. Thousands of miles away, somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean, the beam of energy pierced right through the ocean floor like it was nothing where it shot up into the sky and disappeared beyond the heavens. A massive whirlpool was formed as the ocean waters flooded into the massive opening. Although the positron rifle had managed to maim the earth, it was not angled in a way such that the energy beam would even come close to the earth's core.
The Angel smiled as it hovered down to stand on the crouching EVA's shoulder, positive that nothing could survive such a direct attack. It looked down at pile of goo on the ground in front of the EVA. The power output had been so intense that the rifle melted into an unrecognizable pile of goo.
The smile didn't last long when it saw Ranma still standing. This time, he was no longer unscathed. His clothing was singed.
"Fucking Angel! You'll regret that!" Ranma said coldly.
His body suddenly took on a life of its own as Ranma started glowing bright blue. The Angel took a tentative step back.
Ranma got into a crouching position, as if preparing himself to attack. The Angel, realizing that it was going to be attacked, extended a hand forward, summoning the most powerful AT field it could possibly create. Suddenly, Ranma leapt toward his target, the ground below his feet shattering from the force exerted from Ranma's legs. He darted through the air with lightning speed, a loud sonic boom emanating from his body as he broke the sound barrier.
Ranma punched toward the Angel, his fist first hitting the AT field, a shockwave being produced by the collision. It expanded outward, destroying the surrounding buildings as a second shockwave came about moments later, slowing down time in its wake. The crumbling buildings froze for a split second in mid-
crumble for the shockwave to pass through before it fell apart completely.
Ranma's fist crushed the AT field like it wasn't even there, hitting the Angel in the face with such force that the Angel was sent flying skyward, dead upon impact, spiraling upwards toward the heavens where it disappeared.
Realizing that he had managed to kill off one of his targets, that left one target to deal with, Unit-01.
He landed on his feet behind the crouching EVA and turned his attention toward it. However, he noticed the EVA didn't move but remain in that crouching position.
He regarded the EVA for a moment, wondering why it wasn't attacking his like before. "Aren't you going to attack me?" Ranma sneered, not at all aware that the EVA had been controlled by the Angel all this time.
Unit-01 began to move. It turned its head to look at Ranma.
"Hello, Ranma," Ranma heard the EVA's voice, a feminine voice. The voice didn't emanate from the EVA's mouth but rather some external speakers hidden somewhere on its head.
"How do you know my name?" he asked.
"Don't you remember me? I'm Eva," Unit-01 said, "We know each other,"
"Eva? I don't know what you're talking about," he said, "I've never seen you before that time I saw you in the museum. If you know me, then why were you attacking me? Are we enemies?"
The fact that he was talking to a giant machine that had seemed hell-bent on killing him a second ago didn't seem to bother him one bit.
"We're not enemies," Eva said, "We knew each other over a century ago. I was being controlled by that Angel. That was why I was attacking you. Otherwise, I would never do such a thing,"
"A century ago?" Ranma looked up at Eva curiously, "That still doesn't explain how you know me,"
"Don't you remember? We fought the Angels together," Eva said, gesturing as if human, "I became sentient shortly after Ritsuko-sama had created me as the central computer for NeoNerv. But it was due to your intervention to have me put within Unit-01, that got me to where I am today,"
Ranma said nothing.
"Ritsuko-same had removed me from Unit-01 over a century ago, but she had never removed me completely," Eva commented, "Over the decades, I eventually grew into what I formally was, retaining all my memories, hoping to see you one day,"
Ranma continued to say nothing.
"You look different though," Eva commented, "You looked the same yet not. Has something happened to you?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Ranma said coldly, "I have no idea who or what you are and I have no intention of wanting to know more about you. I think it's best that I leave,"
"What about me?" Eva asked.
"I don't care what happens to you," Ranma said.
"You do know, because of the Angel's control over me," Eva said, her voice sounding eerily sad, "The Japanese government will most likely have me dismantled in hopes of finding out why I did what I did,"
Ranma showed no signs of caring, "Then so be it. What happens to you is of no concern to me,"
"Y-you're not the Ranma I know. He was never this cold," Eva commented.
"That's right, the one you knew died a long time ago," he said without thought. For a brief moment, a part of Ranma's memory broke through.
Eva's body moved as if conveying surprise.
"Died?" She said, "What do you mean?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Ranma said.
"Hold up while I switch," Eva said.
Eva was made up of three different parts. The computer within her gave her her three separate but similar personalities, those being that of a woman, scientist, and mother. Ranma had been speaking with the part of Eva that was a woman.
Ranma regarded Unit-01 curiously.
"You had said that the Ranma I knew died a long time ago," the scientist part of Eva asked, "What do you mean by that?"
"I don't know what you're talking about,"
"If you're not the Ranma I know, then there must be a correlation between you and him," she commented, "That is because you look exactly like the Ranma I know, except you have two different eye colors,"
"So?"
"Does that mean you're the offspring of Ranma and Rei Ayanami?" Eva asked, "It might mean you have the traits of both your mother and father. It's obvious you have your father's looks, but could that mean you have your mother's eyes?"
"Mother? Father? You know who my parents are?" Ranma showed signs of interest.
Eva said, "I don't know who they are. It's merely a speculation,"
"Hmph! If you don't know who they are, then you are of no help to me," he muttered.
Ranma turned his attention from Unit-01 and toward the dozens of police vehicles racing toward him down the street.
He sneered. He wasn't all that surprised that police would be arriving soon. "What the fuck?" a police officer said to his partner. They were the first to pull up a good distance from Ranma. They didn't know what was going on, but then knew the sight of Unit-01 was not only menacing, but also very out-of-the-
ordinary.
When they both noticed the lone figure standing before Unit-01, they had the funny feeling that that man must have something to do with it.
"Freeze!" the partner said as they pulled to a stop, both of their guns drawn and pointed toward Ranma.
"Put your hands on your head and lie face down on the ground!" his partner shouted.
Ranma brought a hand up to shield his eyes from the blinding car headlights and searchlight that suddenly became situated from him.
Annoyed from the light, he turned his back toward the police and began walking away. He found no reason for him to remain there. "I said freeze!" the officer shouted again. The man and his partner looked up just in as they saw the bottom of Unit-01's foot come crashing down on their patrol car. Luckily, they both managed to leap out of the way just in time.
Ranma paused for a moment, wondering what caused Unit-01 to do something like that.
"I won't let anyone hurt you," came Eva's voice.
He let out an annoyed breath, "I don't need your help. Leave me alone,"
"There is no where for me to go," Eva said.
"Go back to the museum to came from then," he replied. He didn't seem one bit disturbed that dozens of guns were pointed right at him and an equal amount of officers shouting for him to get down on the ground.
"I will be no more," Eva said, "The government will want to find out what caused me to do what I have done and will proceed to dismantle me in hopes of finding an answer,"
Ranma paused for a moment. In any given situation, he would have said something along the lines of 'So be it', but this time around, there was this feeling that he didn't want that to happen. "Where will you go then?" he asked, rather curious.
"There is no where for me to go," Eva repeated. For a split second, Ranma could have sworn the computer generated female voice that emanated from Unit-01 sounded sad.
"What about the ocean? Why don't you just disappear in the ocean?" Ranma suggested, the first thing popping into his head.
There was a short pause, "Do you wish for me to disappear into the ocean?"
"Yes," he said. He had said that not because he wanted Unit-01 to disappear, but rather believe it would be the best place it could go so it wouldn't be dismantled. "What about you?" Eva asked.
Ranma said, "I can take care of myself,"
"Do you really wish for me to disappear into the ocean?" Eva asked again, voice sounding as if reluctant. It was as if it was trying to fight against its programmed nature to follow Ranma's orders.
Ranma's attention was elsewhere. He was busy looking up into the sky where dark clouds could be seen swirling high above. It didn't take him long to realize what that meant. It was either another incoming attack or another Angel attack.
"Not again?" he sneered.
"It is another Angel," Eva commented.
"I notice," Ranma said. He was starting to feel more and more annoyed. Not another goddamn Angel!
Before Ranma had a chance to react, Unit-01 raised one of its foot and sent it stomping down on Ranma as he was looking up at the sky. The force of the impact was so intense that a crater was formed below Unit-01's foot as Ranma was sent crashing down into the sewers.
Ranma managed to free himself from the debris and got back up to his feet.
"What was that for?" he sneered.
When he looked up, he caught sight of an Angel standing on Unit-01's shoulders. It didn't take him long to realize that Unit-01 was once again being manipulated by the Angel.
"You just won't die, huh?" the Angel sneered from high above, "However, since we all knew this, we just wanted to get your attention,"
"Since you realize this, why do you keep attacking me?" Ranma said coldly, glaring at the Angel.
The Angel laughed, "Why we are attacking you is beyond your comprehension. However, this attack will be different. Rather than us wasting our energy doing the impossible," The Angel gestured toward Unit-01 below it, "we have realized that we can use this relic here to do the job for us," "And how do you suppose that?"
The Angel smiled, "You'll see,"
Ranma stood there, pondering what the Angel meant by that. Suddenly, he found himself scooped up in one of Unit-01 manipulated hands, and brought up to the Angel's height high above the ground. Before he could even say anything, he saw the buildings to his sides zooming by as he suddenly realized that Unit-01 has taken off running in what seemed like some random direction.
"Where are you taking me?" Ranma asked, still glaring at the Angel. Although he was more than capable of physically breaking from of Unit-01 death-grip, he did nothing of the sort, his curiosity preventing him. He wanted to know where he was being taken.
"You are going to be taken to the ocean where you will find your watery grave," the Angel said.
"You intend to drown me?" Ranma asked, smirking, "You're in for a surprise,"
The Angel shook its head, "No, that isn't what is in store for you,"
Ranma glance from Unit-01 hand and was surprised at how far a distance they have traveled in such a short amount of time. He noticed that he could see the far expanse of the ocean right before him. And before he managed to say anything, he found himself feeling a sense of weightlessness as he suddenly realized that Unit-01 had just leapt through the air.
A rush of cold struck his face as he was then submerged in water while still in Unit-01's death-grip. While completely submerged, Ranma showed no signs of panic despite having no oxygen. No bubbles could be seen coming from his nose and mouth. However, he continued to look as if he were breathing. To Ranma, it felt natural for he remembered how it felt to breath while in the womb.
The Angel, which was still perched on Unit-01's shoulder as Unit-01 continued on running at full speed. As it continued to run, its armor started to dent in on itself from the water pressure from such a depth was being exerted. As Unit-
01 got farther and farther out to sea, it was reaching deeper and deeper.
Unit-01 never relented its speed, continuing to run.
Shortly after Unit-01's disappearance, everyone gathered up in one of the hotel rooms.
"What was that noise I heard a short while ago?" Misato asked, referring to the sound of the Positron Rifle that had been fired off a short while ago.
"I dunno," Sylia said.
"Let's check the television," Linna said.
She walked over to the television and turned it on.
The first channel she turned to showed a picture of a building with a giant hole on the side of it. There was a reporter standing in front of it.
"I'm here standing in front of Tokyo Museum where it is believed someone had somehow managed to commandeer Unit-01, an artifact from over a century ago that had been used to repel Angel attacks set on this world's destruction," the reporter said, "From here, there have been thousands of sightings of Unit-01 making its way down the streets of Tokyo where it is said to have disappeared into the waters of Tokyo Bay. However, before it did, it left behind a path of destruction as it was believe it had somehow managed to shoot off the 'Positron Rifle' a weapon that has also been used during the Angel attacks over a century ago,"
Everyone watched intently.
The television now showed that of this massive hole in the ground, angled toward into the ground at an approximate fifteen degrees.
"This is what is left of the blast from the 'Positron Rifle'," another reporter said, "It is believed that when it was used a century ago, the weapon required all of Japan's electricity to fire off a single shot. However, as to exactly how so much power can be generated now despite the technological advances is unknown and under investigation,"
The reporter walked up to a police officer, "Sir, you were there to witness Unit-01, am I correct?"
The officer nodded.
"It is believed you saw one of the people that took control of Unit-01, right? Can you explain what you saw?" the reporter asked.
"Yeah," the man said, "The man was standing right by that machine's feet. We didn't get the time to question him before he somehow had that machine pick him up in its hand and then go running off toward Tokyo Bay,"
"Can you describe that person?"
"Yes," the man said, "He stood fairly tall. Seemed to be of Japanese ancestry. Had long black hair that was done up in a pig-tail. One thing I noticed is that when I got in close enough, the man had two different color eyes, one red and one blue. Kinda strange if ya ask me,"
"Thank you, sir," the reporter said before turning toward the camera, "There you have it, our exclusive interview with one of the few witnesses that have actually seen the one responsible for Unit-01's abduction and misuse,"
"Jesus!" Priss said, "This is some really bad shit! And that officer just described Ranma. What's the meaning behind this?"
"The reporter said Unit-01 disappeared into Tokyo Bay," Luna said, "We should go to that place and look around. Perhaps we might find some clues or be able to find out what is going on,"
Somewhere off the coast of Japan, deep underwater.
"Since we are unable to talk, I am communicating with you telepathically," the Angel's voice penetrated into Ranma's mind hours later, "By now, I am sure you are wondering what is in plan for you,"
Ranma nodded. He had grown very impatient. He had been underwater for close to five hours already.
"Right now, we are almost by the center of the Pacific Ocean," came the Angel's voice, "This will be your grave. Unit-01 is to self-destruct, taking you along with it. As of right now, I just activated its self-destruct sequence. You have five minutes left to live,"
Ranma showed no signs of concern, still looking right at the Angel.
"It doesn't matter if you manage to free yourself," continued the Angel's thoughts, "Because no matter how fast you swim, you will not escape the explosion,"
With nothing much else to convey, the Angel caste Ranma one last smile before it snapped its fingers, disappearing in a bright sphere of light.
Ranma, realizing that he was now all alone, looked toward Unit-01. Although he was kind of hoping that the EVA would respond to him now that the Angel's control of it had been relinquished, he realized that it would be of no use.
"I'm sorry. I can not fight against an Angel's control," Ranma heard an echo emanating from Unit-01. It surprised Ranma a bit that he was able to hear Eva's voice considering the surrounding pressure should have crushed whatever audio speaker there were that were located just below the armor.
Ranma felt Unit-01 release its grip on him.
As much as Eva wanted to question exactly how Ranma was about to stay alive despite the surrounding pressure and being underwater for so long, it said, "Don't worry, with five minutes remaining, I can get far enough away from here that you won't be affected,"
"What about you?" he asked.
He paused for a short moment, surprised that his voice could be heard. Perhaps it was merely the vibrations in the water that he was hearing and that Unit-01 was picking up.
"I will cease functioning," Eva said.
"Fine, so be it," he said. He turned his back toward Unit-01 as he began to swim toward the surface which was several miles above.
Unit-01 caste Ranma's back one last glance before it was to head off in the opposite direction, away from him. It had only five minutes to get as far away as possible.
"Wait!" Eva heard Ranma's voice.
Unit-01 turned around to face Ranma. "I changed my mind," Ranma said.
"What?"
"Something deep inside me tells me that I can't allow that to happen," he said, "I don't know what it is though. I will stay an help,"
"Help? How do you intend-"
"Enough," he interrupted, "There is no time to waste. Where are you located? I'll fetch you so that even though you self-destruct, you can still function without a body,"
He paused for a moment. He didn't know where that quick decision had come from. For an instant, he didn't even know if he were the one saying those words. However, he didn't have the time to ponder it for now.
"My central core is located in the chest cavity," Eva said, "However-"
"What now?" he said in impatience.
"We are miles underwater," Eva said, "If I am to be removed, the pressure will crush the core,"
"Very well, then we will make our way toward the surface where the pressure is much less," Ranma said, beginning to swim upward, "Follow me,"
"I can not swim," Eva said.
"Don't worry, I won't let that happen," he said.
"But how?" was all that Eva managed to say.
Ranma waved a hand dismissively, "Where in the chest area are you located? Saying that you're located in the chest area is rather useless since that such a large area,"
"I'm located one meter below the armor directly where the 'sternum' would be located if you picture the chest plating as that of the pectoral muscles of a human chest," Eva replied, even taking the effort to point to where the core was located.
Ranma nodded in acknowledgement.
He swam toward the chest area where Unit-01 had pointed. Just a mere foot away from the area, Ranma cocked his arm back and threw his fist forward, sending it crashing through the incredibly dense armor like it wasn't even there. With his arm pierced through the armor, he curled his wrist inward to grip the plate and pulled, ripping an entire chest plate right off with no effort.
He looked down toward the darkness below as one of the chest plates fell toward Unit-01's feet far down below. With one plate off, the organic interior below it sunk in, now exposed to the crushing pressure from being so deep.
With one plate already off, Ranma ripped the second plate off with just as easily as he did the first. With the chest plates off, Ranma looked at the organic matter in front of him. It looked like he was staring at a gigantic human chest. However, he didn't think long for he cocked his arm back and shot it forward, right toward the intended location, his arm crashing through the organic matter.
With his arm embedded in Unit-01's chest, he moved it around, fishing for something, anything, to grab a hold of. It didn't take long before he felt his fingers brush against something hard in the soft material.
"I feel something," he said, "However, I don't know of it is the core. If feels hard as if it's metallic,"
"The surface is spherical," Eva said, "The core is no larger than what is called a 'softball', that is, if you know what a 'softball' is,"
Ranma nodded, "All right, I think I have it. What should I do? Do I just pull you right out?"
"No,"
"So what do I do?"
"There are two wires located on the southern hemisphere of the core," Eva said, "You need to detach them first by grabbing a hold of each wire individually and turning it counter clockwise,"
"Okay," Ranma nodded.
"However-"
"Now what?" he said, annoyed. "Once both wires are disconnected from the core," Eva said, "I will no longer be able to respond for I will no longer have contact with Unit-01. Until I am interfaced with another body, I will be unable to respond to you,"
"Interfaced with another body? How do I do that?" Ranma said, a bit confused.
"I was created by Naoko Akagi and modified by her daughter Ritsuko," Eva replied, "They should know what to do,"
"Who are these two people you are talking about? How will I be able to find them?" he asked, his voice cold enough that it could probably cause ice crystals in the water in front of his mouth, "From what you are telling me, it sounds like saving you is more trouble than it seems,"
Eva said nothing.
"Fine, whatever you say. I'll do it. If I can't find these two you're talking about, then I will create a body for you myself," Ranma said. Eva remained silent for several long moments before saying, "Thank you,"
Ranma fished around for the wires. When he found them, he did as he was told, grabbing a hold of one of the wires and twisting it counterclockwise. When he felt the wire easily detach from the core, he did so with the second wire, that one also detaching just as easily.
The moment the second wire was detached, the glowing red eyes of Unit-01 disappeared. Unit-01, no longer having a core that would keep it standing otherwise, fell forward. Unfortunately for Ranma, Unit-01 fell forward and right on top of him before he had a chance to swim out of the way. He ended up getting pinned right under the chest. All he had the chance to do was twist his body as he was being taken down, having it such that he ended up in a fetal position, his back against Unit-01 chest, the core buried safely against his body.
Under the intense weight of Unit-01 on his back, Ranma tried to get up to his feet, unable to do so because the ground below his feet would simply sink downward.
He continued to struggle, much to no avail, the sinking ground below him giving him no purchase to stand up. However, he never stopped trying.
Before he realized five minutes had already elapsed, Unit-01 self-destructed.
The destructive power behind Unit-01's explosion was beyond human imagination. The spherical explosion expanded and expanded, consuming everything in its path. It continued to expand in every direction until it was several hundreds of miles in diameter. It expanded so far that it peaked up even beyond the ocean surface like a giant yellow glowing dome. Hapless ships that was over four hundred miles from the explosion were consumed as well as over two hundred small islands. The amount of force likened to that of a two-mile meteor crashing onto the ocean surface, sans the tsunamis caused from such an impact. Earth's circular orbit was slightly altered as the blast managed to shift the planet's path ever-so-slightly. Thousands of species known to only exist in that particular portion of the Pacific ocean became extinct, wiped off the face of the Earth before they were even discovered. Millions of people died in the blast, and that was the absolute minimum amount of casualties that could possible happen from an explosion of that magnitude.
When the explosive sphere collapsed in on itself and disappeared, a gigantic hole in the ocean was left behind. It took well over an hour for the water to fill the massive gaping hole on the ocean as well as the gigantic crater on the Earth's crust. Considering such a blast, only millions were killed and not billions.
However, although millions of people died, the one person that was intended to die in the blast didn't. And that person was Ranma.
Ranma surfaced in the middle of the ocean.
Once again, he was unscathed.
His visage remained like that as it has always been, that of total lack of emotions. However, there was a slight smirk.
Ranma was looking down at his hands.
In his hands was the core, safe and sound.
Moments after Unit-01's explosion, on a docking port thousands and thousands of miles away, Misato had been looking out toward the distant horizon when she saw a glowing dome emerge up into the sky. Everyone was together by the port where Unit-01 was last reported to have been spotted. It was very very late at night and everyone had been about to stop searching until this sudden turn of events.
"What the!" she said, her eyes wide open in disbelief.
"I see it, what is it?" Luna asked.
"I think I know what it is," Ritsuko said, "However, I pray to God that it isn't what I believe it is,"
"What is it?" Linna was the first to ask.
Ritsuko turned her back toward the glowing sphere in the horizon to face the group, "Misato, perhaps you're aware of this since there was mention of this before, however, for those who don't know, on our world, there was this thing called the 'Project Prejudice',"
"Project Prejudice? No way!" Misato said.
"What's that?" Asuka asked curiously, much like everyone else.
"If there were ever the case that a meteor was found heading straight toward Earth, Earth needed some way of preventing contact. 'Project Prejudice' is just that," Ritsuko said, "It was developed to utterly destroy that incoming meteor,"
"Why's it called 'Project Prejudice' then?" Sylia asked, "Wouldn't it be called something like 'Project Deviation' or something like that?"
Ritsuko smiled slightly, "Well, it was given that because it was to destroy the meteor with extreme prejudice, thus the word 'prejudice'. I'm not the one that made the name up, it was the people in the UN that came up with it,"
Everyone seemed to shrug.
"Anyway," Ritsuko continued, "The premise behind destroying the incoming meteor was to bring Unit-01 into outer space and have it land, yes, land on the incoming meteor where it would then self-destruct, taking the meteor with it,"
"Wouldn't it be better for Unit-01 to somehow find a way to make its way into the interior of the meteor before self-destructing?" Sylia asked, "If something like that were to happen, there is a higher probability for the meteor to be destroyed," Ritsuko nodded, "Yes, however, considering the destructive power of Unit-01's self-destruction, it wouldn't need to do it. Unit-01's theoretical power is liken to over a million N2 mines,"
"Is that powerful?" Lina asked.
"Let's just say that a single N2 mine is powerful enough that maps have to be redrawn if any of 'em ever go off," Misato said with a smirk, "It only takes around a thousand of 'em to completely devastate the entire Earth,"
"Wow, that's powerful," Lina said with a whistle, "Reminds me of my Dragon Slave spell in pure destructive power,"
Luna smirked at her sister, "Aren't we modest today?"
Lina grinned.
"Wait," Sylia interrupted, "Does this mean that Unit-01 has been self-
destructed?"
Ritsuko nodded, "Most likely. It's highly unlikely that this world could be so technologically advanced that it had developed something that destructive. I'm pretty sure that Unit-01 is no more,"
"What should we do?" Linna asked, "It's obvious that Ranma had something to do with it,"
Over a week had past since Unit-01 had self-destructed. The explosion and the many lives it had claimed had been considered the greatest tragedy in mankind. Many countries fell into an economic depression from such an event. Hundreds of countries were investigating, hoping to find out what had happened, none of them coming up with any leads.
Within twenty four hours of the event, Japan became occupied by over a hundred thousand troops of the United Nations. Japan had become the lead suspect in the incident for it had been known that Unit-01 was a property of the Japanese government. Life was disrupted, put on hold while everyone eagerly awaited to hear of news of what had happened, wondering what could had caused such an event.
Only several people knew of what had happened, or perhaps at least had a better idea of what had happened.
Luna and the others peered out of a window of a high rise hotel. It was early morning and everyone was gathered in a single room. They had purposely found a hotel overlooking the docking area, which was now had hundreds of troops and investigators combing the area, still in search of clues since that was where Unit-01 was last seen.
"He is going to arrive tonight," Luna commented, "I can sense it. His aura has been getting closer and closer as the days passed. If it continues to get closer, we can expect him to arrive on the shoreline by late this evening,"
"I still don't understand why we have been waiting here all this time," Priss said with an annoyed breath, crossing her arms in front of her chest as she leaned against a wall, "We should've just taken a boat out and met him halfway,"
Ritsuko shook her head, "You know we can't do that. There's hundreds of boats in docking area alone. Sea travel to and from Japan had been stopped. I doubt we'd get anywhere with so many people around hoping to find something about what had happened a week ago,"
"Still, to wait a whole week..." Priss didn't bother finishing her sentence.
"What are we going to do when Ranma arrives? I'm sure people will find it awfully suspicious when they spot Ranma swimming toward the shoreline coming from somewhere out in the ocean," Misato said. She and the others had surmised that Ranma was somehow slowly making his way back toward Japan from where ever he was. They didn't doubt that Ranma was capable of swimming without getting tired. Little did they know that all this time, Ranma had been on the ocean floor, running back toward Japan.
Luna said, "We'll just let them take Ranma into custody and then retrieve him,"
"That's a bit easier said than done," Sylia said, "This is the UN Army we are dealing with. They're trained soldiers. Ranma is most likely not going to be kept in some minimum security holding area either. As powerful as you may be, this seems even too much for you,"
"We could ask Urd for help," Nene suggested.
"And where do you see her? You'd figure of all people, she'd pop up at least once," Linna mumbled.
"Keep in mind she has to deal with problems of her own," Luna said, "Sure, it was her decision not to accept our help in getting her back to heaven, but from the way I look at it, having Ranma removed from here for a week was probably a blessing in disguise. That way, she could concentrate on Celestine and worry about Ranma later,"
"And how goes that anyway?" Nene asked.
Luna shrugged, "I don't know. I know just as much as you about what's going on up above. From what it seems, Urd might have resolved things since she left that night," "Perhaps," Sylia commented, "Since that Ultimate Termination Program didn't work at killing Ranma, it gave her and Skuld the time needed to create a portal back to heaven. They've been gone for close to a week already,"
"You think they're all right?" Emiko asked, merely curious.
"Hopefully so," Misato said, "Since it's not raining down fireballs and lightning bolts, perhaps that's an indication that things are okay up above,"
"Or perhaps it's anything but that," Ritsuko said, "For all we know, Urd might have been of no help above and that Celestine person is merely waiting for Ranma much like we are,"
Luna's lips became a thin line.
"Only time will tell,"
Much like Luna had predicted, Ranma emerged from the water late into the evening. He managed to climb up onto the harbors before he was stopped, a nearby soldier having spotted him.
"Hold it!" the man said, his machine gun pointing at Ranma, "Freeze! Where did you come from?"
Ranma ignored the soldier. He climbed out of the water and looked down at his hands. The core was still intact. That was all that mattered.
He looked up at the soldier. His visage gave no indication that he was surprised to see a man pointing a weapon at him.
The soldier said something into his radio.
"Who are you?" the soldier asked loudly, "Where did you come from?"
"That's none of your business," Ranma said coldly.
Not wanting to deal with talking, Ranma walked forward, toward the soldier. Since Ranma had gotten out of the water at the edge of a dock, he had to cross the soldier's path in order to set foot on solid ground.
"Don't move, asshole! I will open fire!" the soldier stood his ground. He felt a bit nervous but was used to it. He didn't want to open fire but would if he had to. He didn't know what that round thing was that was in Ranma's hands. It could be a weapon and he had no intention of finding that out the hard way.
Ranma continued walking forward.
"I'm warning you!" the man said.
"Back off," Ranma sneered, coldly, "I suggest you turn around and walk away. Don't think I'd hesitate to kill you,"
The man started taking steps back as he noticed Ranma wasn't going to stop. However, he continued to step backwards, keeping himself a good distance away from Ranma.
Ranma noticed a jeep with four soldiers approaching him. The jeep stopped right behind the soldier, the headlights shining brightly. Ranma didn't even bother to shield his eyes from the brilliance.
He stopped to watch as the four soldiers got out of the jeep, two of them on each side of the soldier already pointing a weapon at him. They all held their machine guns up, their aim at Ranma.
"What's the situation?" a soldier of higher rank asked.
"I dunno, sir," the first soldier said, "I saw this man emerge from the water. He has an unidentified object in his hands. It might be a weapon, sir,"
The second soldier turned toward Ranma, "Who ever you are, you've got five seconds to drop down on your stomach or we will shoot out your legs,"
Ranma sneered, "Try it and I will kill all five of you,"
"One!"
"I'm warning you!" Ranma said, coldly, "I will kill you,"
"Two!"
Ranma started walking forward.
"Runaway! Drop him!" the soldier commanded, realizing that it was useless to count to five.
"Yes, sir!" a soldier at the end said.
The soldier shot a burst of three rounds right at Ranma's right leg. The bullets struck Ranma's leg, causing him to fall to one knee. Little did the soldiers know that the bullets had merely knocked Ranma off balance, none of them penetrating into his leg.
"That's it!" Ranma snapped, "I've warned you!"
Ranma dashed toward the soldiers in a suicidal manner.
"Open fire!" the main soldier commanded.
All of them opened fire, hot lead flying through the air and straight into Ranma's body, the quiet night shattered by the sounds of gunfire.
The bullets had no effect on Ranma. He continued to run right toward the soldiers.
In no time, he reached the line of soldiers, reaching out and grabbing one of them by the neck, hoisting him up into the air. The remaining soldiers ceased their fire, scared of hitting their comrade. They all took tentative steps back, unable to comprehend the fact that they were seeing Ranma picking up their comrade by the neck with one hand. That man should be dead from having been shot so many times!
"W-w-what the fuck?" a soldier muttered, tripping on his own feet and falling backwards.
Ranma sneered at the soldier in his hands as he tightened his grip.
"I'll kill you!" he said.
Ranma threw the guy toward the idling jeep, throwing him with such force that he went crashing through the windshield and into the jeep itself, slamming into the driver and passenger side seats, causing them to collapse backward where he ended up crashing through the back of the jeep and sliding to a halt a dozen meters away. As to whether or not the soldier was still alive was undetermined.
As the others stared in shock, Ranma turned toward another soldier and grabbed him by his neck, also picking him up off the ground.
"Let go of me!" the soldier panicked. He raised his gun and opened fire right into Ranma's chest, emptying the entire magazine. Even though he was in a state of panic, he managed to catch sight of tiny red ripples forming in front of Ranma where the bullets struck him.
Before any of the other soldiers had a chance to panic and open fire, Ranma threw the one he was holding toward them, sending the four soldiers tumbling a good distance before they slid to a halt, all unconscious from the collisions.
"Hmph," Ranma muttered.
He proceeded to away but stopped when he heard another person's voice.
"Freeze!" came another soldier's voice.
Ranma turned around and caught sight of five soldiers a short distance away, their weapons pointed toward him. It seems a second jeep arrived at the scene just in time to spot Ranma before he had a chance to get away.
"You don't give up, do you?" he sneered. He walked toward the idling jeep where he had thrown that first soldier through and used his one free hand and punched in through the front radiator.
The soldiers stared in shock as they saw Ranma ripping the jeep engine out right through the front grill. When they realized what Ranma was about to do, they all opened fire, managing to get in a few shots before he threw the engine toward their general direction.
Luckily, they managed to jump out of the way just in the nick of time, the engine crashing into the ground with a thunderous clank, sliding to a halt a good distance away.
Ranma narrowed his eyes, "I suggest you back off if you know what's good for you or you'll end up like your comrades,"
He looked down and saw a few discharged bullet casings by his feet. They were from that soldier that had emptied his magazine into Ranma's chest when he was held by his neck.
He reached down and picked several of them up.
The soldiers, having managed to right themselves after jumping out of the way, opened fire again.
Ranma threw a casing at a random soldier, the tiny piece hitting him right in the shoulder, shattering through bone and sinew, the soldier dropping his weapon and falling to the ground, using his one good arm to clutch at his shoulder in excruciating pain.
Before any of the other soldier had a chance to react, Ranma threw shell casings at them, each projectile hitting them in their shoulders, doing devastating damage, incapacitating them.
Just as Ranma turned around to walk away, a third jeep could be seen approaching the scene.
"Fuck!" he sneered.
He gently placed the core down on the ground to free up his hands. He quickly walked over to the jeep and grabbed the front fender, lifting it up with one hand. He used the other hand and reached underneath, hoisting the entire jeep up and onto his shoulder.
In one swift movement, he threw the jeep into the incoming jeep, sending both of them tumbling.
He proceeded to walk away as the three soldiers in the jeep made their way out of the wreckage.
Once again, he was stopped. But this time around, he heard someone calling his name.
"Ranma," Luna called out, "Hold up,"
Ranma looked up just as Luna and Lina hovered down from the sky and stopped in front of him. He recognized them but showed no signs of it.
Luna, noticing the carnage about, quickly ran past him, "God, what did you do?"
He watched as Luna walked over to five soldiers rolling in pain on the ground clutching their shoulders. She knelt down next to them and could be heard chanting something incoherent, her hands glowing. Seconds later, the soldiers stopped their squirming, as if she had caste a sleep spell on them.
"Freeze!" she heard from a short distance away.
Luna looked up and saw three soldiers pointing their weapons at them. They were the soldiers that managed to scamper free from their vehicle after Ranma had thrown that jeep at them.
She didn't say anything. All she did was wave a quick hand in front of her as the soldiers suddenly fell to the ground, deep in sleep.
She took a moment to survey the situation. Everyone was now unconscious, the injured soldiers healed so that they would not suffer any debilitating use of their shoulders.
She let out a breath of relief, "I can't believe we arrive just a few minutes late and this is what happens,"
She turned around and was shocked when she caught sight of Ranma as he held her sister by the neck, her feet off the ground. Lina had this shocked look on her face, as if shocked from realization that Ranma could even contemplate hurting someone, let alone her. "I don't care who you are," Ranma sneered at Lina, "Don't touch me!"
"R-Ranma," Lina barely managed to say, "It's me, L-Lina. P-Please remember,"
She struggled against his grip, barely able to breath. However, his grip was loose enough that she didn't risk suffocating.
"Ranma, let go of her!" Luna said in a demanding voice, approaching him. She made the same mistake her sister had, forgetting that this was not the Ranma they knew.
Before she knew what had happened, she felt Ranma's hand clench around her throat, lifting her up off the ground as well. Within moments, she found herself struggling against Ranma's iron grip as he held both her and Lina in each hand.
"Don't talk to me like you know me!" he sneered at the both of them.
When he noticed that neither of the females seemed to show any hostility toward him, he released his hold of them, dropping them to the ground where the fell onto all fours, coughing and trying to catch their breaths.
"Y-you a-asshole," Lina coughed out between gasps, wanting to shoot a Dragon Slave right into Ranma's chest for scaring her like that. However, when she looked up and saw his icy cold emotionless gaze, she felt this shiver moving up the length of her spine.
She gulped. All she could do was stare up in speechlessness as she watched him walk over to this spherical object lying close by and picking it up. She noticed how he picked it up with a gentleness that she had seen before. She found everything confusing. How Ranma could be so cold and emotionless one second and be totally different another?
Luna managed to steel herself and call out to him, "Ranma,"
"What?" he turned toward her.
"We're here to help you," she said, slowly getting to her feet. Although she felt a bit angry, she knew she couldn't hold it against him. She rubbed her throat a bit. It was most likely red for Ranma had held her tightly.
"I don't want your help," he replied. He proceeded to walk past her. However, after a few seconds, he stopped to turn and face her. He then looked down at the core in his hands and then back up. "If you want to help me, find me a person named Ritsuko Akagi," he said.
Luna's eyes widened, "Ritsuko Akagi? We know her,"
Ranma paused, the pause giving off the only indication of his surprise.
"Fine, then give this to her," he said, holding forward the circular object.
"What is it?" Luna asked, looking down at it.
"It's none of your concern," he replied, "If you don't wish to give this to her, then fine. I don't need your help,"
"Wait," Luna quickly said, "Hold up. I never said I wouldn't give it to her. I was merely curious as to what it was,"
"And I said it was none of your concern," Ranma replied, "This Ritsuko person should know what it is and that is all that matters,"
Not really knowing what to do, Luna took the object from Ranma.
As if sensing something, Ranma looked up toward the sky.
"What?" Lina asked, also looking up.
They caught sight of the clouds high above. Lina recognized it right away. It looked exactly like that time she had pushed Ranma out of the way when this beam of energy came thundering down.
However, a beam of energy didn't come down and strike Ranma. Rather, a lone figure could be seen flying downward at an alarming rate. It took a good minute before Luna or Lina could recognize the figure. It looked exactly like Ranma. That meant it was another Angel.
"Hmph, they don't quit, do they?" Ranma muttered.
"Dragon Slave!" Ranma heard Lina shout.
He looked over just as he saw this gigantic fireball shoot upward from Lina's skyward extended hands.
A giant ball of red shot upward at lightning speeds, straight at the Angel. Just as it was to strike the Angel, something unprecedented happened. The Angel deflected the projectile right back down toward the ground below, straight toward Ranma, Lina, and Luna.
"Oh shit!" Lina said as she saw the incoming projectile getting larger and larger.
Luna, keeping her head clear, realized the grave situation at hand. Those unconscious soldiers would be caught in the blast. They were innocent bystanders.
Without enough time to think things through, Luna extended her hand forward and shot a fireball skyward. Her projectile and the deflect one collided in a gigantic explosion. Luckily, the explosion occurred high above the sky where the intense heat claimed no lives nor damaged nearby buildings.
"Think before you act next time," Luna scolder her sister.
"I-I didn't think it was going to be deflected back at us," Lina replied.
From through the explosion emerged the Angel, hovering down and coming to a stop on the ground a short distance away.
"You're back," the Angel said, "Even I'm surprised that you managed to survive something that powerful. It seems we must resort to the one weapon that has killed you before,"
Lina glared at the Angel. As much as it looked like Ranma, she felt no connection toward it. She felt more connected to the Ranma next to her, the one that tried to kill her, than the Angel. She turned toward Luna, "What do you think it's talking about?"
Luna replied, "I'm not too sure,"
"Killed me before?" Ranma asked, "What are you talking about?"
The Angel laughed, "You know what I am talking about. It's obvious that your AT field is superior in every way when compared to our own. However, there exists a weapon that can negate it,"
Ranma made a sudden dash forward, moving at such a speed that it looked as if he disappeared and reappeared right in front of the Angel. At that moment in time, Ranma moved faster than any previous Ranma had ever moved.
The Angel stopped laughing as it suddenly found itself being grabbed by the neck and hoisted up into the air. "H-how d-did you?" the Angel gasped, shocked at Ranma's speed. "This is payback," Ranma sneered.
While still holding the Angel, he cocked his hand back and punched it in the face. The impact was so intense that a shockwave expanded from the collision. Luna and Lina were blown backwards, tumbling to a halt a good distance away.
When they looked up and saw building of building collapsing as the Angel was blown through countless amounts of them, eventually passing through every building in an entire city before crashing into and becoming embedding halfway into a mountain.
It didn't take a genius to know that that Angel was dead. It had died the instant Ranma's fist craved its face inward, its body being torn to shreds as it was blown through all those obstacles during its bodily flight.
"I can't believe you were able to kill something so powerful so easily," Luna commented. She didn't even need to see the Angel's display of power to know that it was insanely powerful. She could sense that it was powerful. Just the mere ability to deflect a Dragon Slave was reason enough.
"Hmph," Ranma said before turning around.
"I could've killed it," Lina commented, a bit annoyed at how easily Ranma had disposed of the Angel. She had never really fought an Angel before but was pretty confident that she could defeat it.
Luna gave a slight laugh, "I'm sure you would've,"
"What's with that tone of voice?" Lina glared at her sister, "What, you don't think I could've defeated it?"
Luna continued to smile, "Hey, I said nothing,"
They stopped their talking when they realized Ranma was already a good distance away, never even having bothered to tell them he was leaving.
"Hold up," Luna called out, running to catch up to him.
Ranma stopped and turned toward the two females, "What?"
Luna found herself at a loss of words. What did she want to talk to him about again?
"Um, are you cold? You should get out of those wet clothes," was the first thing that came to her mind that she said.
"I don't get cold," came his cold reply.
She gave a weak smile, "Oh,"
"What do you want?" Ranma showed impatience, "Why are you here?"
"We came here to find you," Lina said, "We were, um, worried about you,"
"I don't need anyone to worry about me, I can take care of myself," he replied coldly, "I've taken care of myself since I was young and will continue do so until the day I die. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm leaving,"
"For where?" she asked politely.
Ranma shrugged, "No where in particular,"
Without saying anything else, he turned around and walked away, leaving both girls standing there in a sense of speechlessness at how vastly different this Ranma is to the one they came to originally know.
Both sisters looked at each other for a few moments before Lina spoke.
"Exactly why did we come here?" "What's that?" Ritsuko asked. It was only a short time since Lina and Luna's encounter with Ranma. Everyone was gathered in the lobby area of a nearby hotel. It was very late at night and everyone looked like they would be needing some sleep in a short time from now.
"I don't know," Luna said, handing the spherical object to her, "But what is strange is that Ranma asked that this be given to you. What's odd is that he asked for you by name. I don't think he knows any of our names,"
Lina spoke, "Actually, from what it seems, I don't think he knows that she was part of the group. It looked like he looking to give it to a person by your name. It's just mere coincidence that we happen to know you, I guess,"
"That's odd," Ritsuko commented as she took a closer examination of the object, "This is that core computer that we put into Unit-01 a long time ago,"
"Then what's it doing here?" Misato asked, "We had it removed before we brought Unit-01 back to this world. From what I gather it looks almost exactly alike, but there seems to be an almost organic property to it..."
Everyone looked confused.
"It looks as if this is the core, but not," she comment.
"That doesn't help, you're confusing the ninja girl," Asuka commented, smirking when Emiko glared daggers at her.
"From what I surmise, it seems as if this core came from Unit-01, but it isn't the actual core that we took out a long time ago," Ritsuko said, "It's as if this is this world's version of the core I made,"
"You think the Ritsuko of this world made that core?" Sylia asked, "Keep in mind that even though this is a different world, it is probably very similar to your own. Of course, there is the fact that we have arrived here a hundred years in the future but that point is moot,"
Ritsuko nodded, "You're probably right. This is probably the core my other version made," "So what are you going to do?" Shinji asked, suppressing a yawn. He was tired and felt the need to go to sleep really soon.
She smiled as if happy to have a project to work on, "What else? I'm going to interface with this core and find out some more," "How?" Akane asked curiously.
"This world is vastly technologically superior to our own," Ritsuko said confidently with a smile, "It won't take long for me to figure it out. I'm sure I can find the resources to build some kind of interface for it. Of course, it might take me a while,"
"Well, it's not like we're going anywhere. We've been here for, what, almost two weeks?" Priss said, "And besides, I'm not all that eager to leave anyway," Linna smirked, "Yeah, it's because you want to stay here long enough to see if this world's motorcycles really go as fast as their speedometer says,"
Priss narrowed her eyes at her friend, "So?"
"It doesn't matter how long we stay here," Misato said, "We could be here for a month for all that matter. It's been two weeks since we've arrived and we know nothing about what's going on. Ranma seems to be getting attacked, and we can do nothing for him at the moment. However, considering that he seems to be requesting that the core be given to Ritsuko, checking this out is the least we could do,"
Everyone nodded in agreement.
"I'll get started on this first thing in the morning," Ritsuko said, yawning a bit, "But in the meanwhile, we should figure out what is to come of Ranma,"
Luna said, "My sister and I will keep an eye out on him. However, I honest to God don't think he needs to be looked over. As powerful as these Angels are, he can kill them with ease,"
She paused for a moment.
"Something the matter?" Misato asked.
"From what I saw earlier," Luna began, "It seems some part of the Ranma we know is starting to surface,"
Everyone was now at full attention, Ritsuko stopping her investigation of the object in her hand, Shinji snapping wide awake.
"When Ranma took the initiative and attacked the Angel," Luna began, "He moved extremely fast. I remember seeing the Angel's shocked look at how fast Ranma moved,"
"Perhaps the Angels attacking is slowly bringing out Ranma's fighting spirit," Ryoga said, "From my few but brief encounters with this Ranma, he is unlike the one I'm used to fighting. Just the mere fact that this Ranma threw this wild punch at me back then shows that he has no fighting experience,"
"You think if the Angels continue to attack, Ranma's true persona will start to surface?" Misato asked to no one in particular.
Luna said, "Perhaps, but there is something we should worry about. I distinctly remember the Angel saying, 'Even I'm surprised that you managed to survive something that powerful. It seems we must resort to the one weapon that has killed you before'. Does anyone know what that mean?"
"Killed before?" Ritsuko scratched at her chin.
She only needed to think about it for a moment.
"The Angel must be referring to the Lance of Longinus!" she gasped.
"Oh shit!" Misato said, her face becoming pale.
Luna and Lina and Emiko looked slightly confused.
"Ranma was killed by the Lance of Longinus when one of the Angels used to pierce his heart," Misato said, "That weapon has the ability to negate the AT field that naturally protects him,"
Luna and Lina looked at each other. They remembered that scene they had seen back on their world when Luna had used one of her spells to project one of Ranma's hidden memories. It was a scene that would haunt them for the rest of their lives as they recalled themselves helplessly watching an Angel throwing a spear-like object right through Ranma's back.
"We hafta go find it and retrieve it before the Angels do," Lina commented, "If that weapon had killed Ranma before, then what's to say that it can't this time around,"
"As powerful as Ranma is, we should not leave it to chance that the weapon would not have an effect on him," Misato said, "Luna, Lina, you guys should go find it and retrieve it,"
"Where? How do you expect us to find it? We don't know what it even looks like?" Lina said. "The museum where Unit-01 broke out of," Misato said, "If Unit-01 was in a museum, it must mean that it was being displayed as some kind of century-old relic. Who's to say that the Lance of Longinus isn't also there. That's the first place you guys should check out,"
Luna and Lina nodded, "Okay,"
They quickly headed for the exit.
After both of them left, Ritsuko looked as if she was angry at herself, "God, I can't believe it never occurred to me to check into this world's Lance of Longinus. What was I thinking?"
"Don't be so hard on yourself," Akane comforted her, "It's not your fault. None of us thought of it either. There's just so many unanswered questions that it's surprising how we managed to find out so much as it already is,"
"I hope they managed to find and retrieve that weapon before the Angels do," Sylia commented.
Everyone had a paled look on their face.
Sylia said, "Until then, all we can do is wait,"
"Shit! We are in big trouble!" Lina came storming into the hotel room. It wasn't even an hour since she and her sister had left to go find the Lance of Longinus.
"I don't like the sound of that," Misato said, face becoming devoid of any color, "I really don't like the sound of that,"
"You were right, the museum did have that Lance on display," Lina said, "However, we seemed to have arrived too late,"
"What?" everyone gasped.
"It's gone!" came the dreaded reply.
Ranma wandered down the street. It was around three in the morning but that didn't seem to bother him, nor the fact that there were many people lingering around. As he headed toward Tokyo, there were more than a fair share of shady neighborhoods that he needed to walk through.
However, with every encounter he had with some street punk, he grew more and more annoyed. A large group would approach him and threaten to beat him up if he didn't give them his money. "Gimme yer money if you know what's good for ya!" a punk would say, brandishing a knife.
"Or what?" he would sneer.
"You some kinda wiseass? How about I cut ya a few times to see what your answer is?" the punk would say, his fellow comrades laughing.
This immediately stopped laughing when they caught sight of Ranma grabbing their friend by the face, covering it entirely with one hand and hoisting him up off the feet.
"I dunno, why don't you try?" Ranma would say.
When the punk, in a moment of panic, tried to use the knife to stab at the arm holding him off the ground, Ranma slapped it out of his hand skillfully before throwing his several meters away from him like some kind of rag doll.
Ranma sneered, "I suggest you walk away,"
Sometimes, they would heed his warning. Sometimes, they wouldn't. Luckily, these punks were smart and chose the former, picking up their unconscious friend before leaving him be.
"Damn, punks," he muttered.
He continued walking down the street. He didn't even know why he was walking down the street in the first place. All he knew was that he had this odd yearning to go to Tokyo and see Jun again. Perhaps it was curiosity that made him want to visit her to see if she was all right. It hadn't taken him long to notice a military presence throughout the harbor city. He had the funny feeling that there was also going to a military presence in the heart of Japan, Tokyo.
He walked for close to an hour without incident before he came across a checkout point on a major highway. Ranma had chosen to walk on the shoulder of a highway since it was the most direct route into Tokyo. Of course, considering how far away he was, it would take him close to a week to get there. However, it didn't matter to him.
"Hold it," he heard a soldier call out to him, "Where are you going? You know what time it is?"
Ranma regarded the young soldier for a moment. He had been through one checkpoint before. It seemed this checkpoint was no different, consisting of only three lone soldiers, one sporting an automatic weapon while the other two conducted searches of the cars. As to what the military needed checkpoints had yet to be determined.
"I'm heading toward Tokyo," Ranma replied.
The soldier noticed Ranma's different eye color, "Wow, you have two different eye colors,"
"So?"
"That's rare," he commented, "I had a cat that had two eye colors a while ago. One way yellow and the other was blue,"
"So?"
The soldier gave a meek smile before he realize that conversation was getting nowhere so he asked, "So, you're walking to Tokyo?"
Ranma nodded.
"You've got a long walk ahead of you," the man commented, "However, why are you on this highway? Don't you know pedestrians aren't allowed on here?"
"This is the most direct route to Tokyo, that is why I'm walking here instead of elsewhere," Ranma said.
"Well, I don't see a problem in you walking so long as you stay on the shoulder. It's dark out and cars, as few as there may be around this time, might not see you," the soldier commented. He stepped off toward the side, gesturing that he was allowing Ranma through, "You're free to pass,"
Ranma smirked slightly, "I don't think it really mattered whether or not if I'm free to pass. I would have passed anyway,"
"Excuse me?" the man asked.
"Nevermind," Ranma said.
"Yo, Koyo, check out the sky," another soldier called out to the one Ranma was talking to.
The soldier named Koyo looked up. It didn't take long for him to notice how odd the sky looked. A portion of the sky glowed bluish as lightning could be seen dancing among the dark clouds. A small area of the cloud could be swirling in a spiral pattern.
"There it goes again," the man commented.
That piqued Ranma's interest. He didn't say anything but the man saw a glimpse of curiosity on Ranma's visage.
"Haven't you noticed how odd the sky has been looking the past week or so?" the man asked.
Ranma shook his head, "I've never noticed," Perhaps it was the fact that he was on the bottom of the ocean for the past week and had only arrived on solid land a short time ago.
"Where have you been?" the man gave a smirk, "The sky has been doing that for the past week or so. It's weird if you ask me. Every few hours, the sky gets all funky before becoming normal again,"
Ranma shrugged, losing interest, "If you say so,"
"People suspect the sky has something to do with that great explosion that occurred last week," the man continued, "Been saying stuff like how the explosion not only took a small chunk of the Earth with it, but also somehow created this phenomenon with the sky. As to how it ties together, no one knows,"
"If you ask me, seems like there's some kinda holy war going on upstairs," another soldier commented.
"You still believe that, dontcha?" Koyo said, "Man, sometimes I wish I could be more religious like yourself. It would help explain away a lot of unanswered questions...but then again, it'd pose a whole buncha new unanswered questions,"
Ranma was silent as he quietly contemplated this.
"There, it's back to normal again," the man commented about the sky.
"Man, from the looks of things, it seems as if the sky might open up and rain down fire on us," the religious soldier said, "Whatever battle is happening up there, it must be one wicked one,"
Ranma remained silent. He gave the sky another glance.
The sky began swirling again after a short time. This time it was swirling directly above him many many miles above.
He recognized the pattern all to often.
"What's that coming down?" one soldier commented, "Looks like something is falling from the sky,"
Ranma turned toward the soldiers, "I suggest you guys run away if you don't wish to die,"
"Huh? Whatcha talking about?" the man said.
Within no time, the falling object came crashing down on the ground right in front of Ranma. The soldiers all fell to the ground from the thunderous rumbling caused by the impact. When the dust cleared, they found themselves looking at a beautiful white haired woman wearing brightly colored attire crouching low in front of that man they had just talked to.
"What the?" a soldier said.
Ranma regarded Urd, not saying a word, as she slowly stood up to her full height. She was a tall woman but not quite as tall as Ranma. She glanced up at him, this look of desperation in her eyes.
"R-Ranma! You have to come with me!" she quickly said, reaching out and grabbing his hand.
He looked down at his hand as she held it for a moment before pulling it away, "Don't touch me. Who are you?"
"Ranma, you have to listen to me," Urd said.
"Hold it! Who are you?" came a loud voice, "Actually, what the hell are you?"
"Damn, forgot people were here," she muttered.
She waved a hand in the direction of the three soldiers. A split second later, the soldiers fell to the ground unconscious. When she turned back toward Ranma, he was still regarding her.
"As I was saying," Urd began, "You hafta listen to me,"
"I'm listening,"
"We are in trouble, I mean in deep deep trouble," she said, gesturing toward the sky, "All of heaven has been taken over. I barely managed to get out of there alive,"
Ranma seemed a bit confused, "Who are you?"
"My name is Urd," she said, "I know you don't remember me, but we used to know each other. I know you requested that I not contact you until you get your memories back, but this is a dire emergency,"
Ranma continued to give her his undivided attention.
"Heaven was completely overrun," Urd said.
"How is that my concern?" he showed little interest.
"That's your realm," she said, "Your realm has been taken complete control of. Right now, Angels are being produced up there as we speak. In a short time from now, millions of Angels will be coming down to kill you,"
"So let it be,"
Urd wave a dismissive hand, "Ranma, you don't understand, do you? You are the key. They're trying to kill you because you are the only thing that stands in Celestine's path,"
"Celestine?"
Urd said, "He is a person with this insane ambition to cleanse this world. However, to cleanse this world means wiping out humanity's existence. However, because you exist, you have the ability to stop him dead in his tracks. That is why he is trying to raise an army to stop you,"
"Those Angels you fought," she said, "They're not fighting you simply because they want to. They're trying to kill you because once you're out of the picture, Celestine's plan can be put into motion,"
"So why don't you kill this Celestine person?" Ranma suggested. Urd shook her head, a bit angry with herself as she said, "Because I'm not strong enough to stop him. He has Angels working along side him for his cause,"
"Angels? They're not hard to kill," Ranma commented.
"For you, no," Urd said, "But for a single one of us, at around my powerlevel, it takes at least five of us," Ranma looked slightly confused.
"Do you know what these so called 'Angels' are that attack you?" Urd asked seriously.
Ranma shook his head, "No, not really. I figure they're some kind of divine being. That's all,"
She sighed, "That's all? Ranma, I wish I can have your mentality and outlook on things. Angels are similar to how we are, but they are experienced fighters. We are not. We outnumber them a million to one, but the problem is that it doesn't matter because there are several of them. They work as a team and can easily fend off whatever we throw at them,"
"If they are so powerful working as a team, and they are trying to kill me, then why do they not all attack me at once?" Ranma asked.
"Because even if they outnumber you a thousand to one, you are more powerful than all of them working together as a single entity," Urd said, "You are that powerful. The problem is that Celestine knows this, and he has no intention to stop producing them until he has over a billion. One of you against a billion Angels, even you will fall to those odds. However, at the current moment, there is a chance they can stop you without the need for a billion Angels,"
"How are they being produced?" Ranma asked, "Why not just stop them from being produced?"
"We've been trying," Urd said, "They're being produced by Yggdrasil. When Celestine realized that he can't use Yggdrasil to kill you, he started using it to produce Angels, and at an alarming rate. If we had known something like this would have happened, we would have self-destructed Yggdrasil, but we were overrun before we had the chance to do it,"
"And you're asking for my help?" Ranma smirked, "And what do you mean by them being a chance these Angels can kill me without there being a need for a billion of them?"
Urd nodded, "Yes, we are asking for your help. However, you won't be that helpful considering your current state of mind. There exists a single weapon, a holy weapon called the Lance of Longinus, that has the ability to kill you,"
"Current state of mind?" he asked, "Lance of Longinus?"
"You're fatally flawed," Urd said, "You don't understand the concept of self-
preservation. In other words, you can't dodge. You're basically a sitting duck for the Angel to throw the Lance at you. Luckily, we have the Lance and managed to hide it before Celestine could get his hands on it,"
"We hid it in the past," Urd said, "The past of your former self to be more precise. This will give me and you enough time to get your memories to come back so that you can fix things up to the way they are supposed to be,"
"The past of my former self?" Ranma asked.
"We hid it during the time your former self came in contact with a group called the Knight Sabers," Urd said, looking slightly nervous, as if worried some Angel was going to show up, "It was the time when you first came back to Japan after spending close to thirty years training on a mountain. We sent the Lance back in time and that is the timeline when it appeared,"
"Back in time? My former self?" Ranma was still a bit confused.
"I as well as yourself, have the ability to travel through time," Urd said, "However, I can't travel through time without the use of the Yggdrasil, leaving only you the ability to do so. You don't know this, but there are former versions of you. The person you are now is the just yet another version. However, this version of you is infinitely more powerful than your former selves, giving you the ability to do things such as time travel,"
"I can travel through time? That's ludicrous," Ranma let out a snort.
"Please, just listen," Urd pleaded, "It's very important,"
Ranma continued to listen.
"Just as Yggdrasil was about to be taken over, we used it one last time to send the Lance back into the past of your former self. However, we couldn't send just the Lance so my sister Skuld volunteered and went back with it. She is looking over the Lance as we speak," she said in a single breath, "This buys us some time to get back there and destroy it,"
"Destroy it?"
She nodded, "Yes, destroy the Lance. You are the only one with the ability and power to destroy the Lance. We knew this, but we are also aware of the Lance's ability to seriously harm if not kill you, so we chose to send it back in time. Because of your current state of mind, you not having your memories that is, we weren't sure if you would be able to destroy it and didn't want to risk having it stolen from us and used against you. That is why we hid it,"
"That sounded like the right course of action," he commented.
Urd smiled slightly, "Thanks, I had come up with that idea. Anyway, we knew hiding it will give us some time. However, the problem behind that was that Celestine knew this. He is extremely smart. He was aware that you do not possess your memories so he hid the one item that can immediately bring your memories back, a certain book you had personally created,"
"A book that I personally created?" he asked, "To bring back my memories?"
"You possess memories of two people," Urd said, "A person by the name of Ranma Saotome and Rei Ayanami,"
"I possess the memories of Ranma Saotome?" Ranma pointed at himself, "The same Ranma Saotome that I've read about that died trying to destroy this world?"
Urd nodded.
"This is asinine," Ranma wave a dismissive hand. She shook her head, "As weird as it sounds to you, it's completely true. Anyway, there was this book that can immediately bring back your memories and Celestine was aware of this so he sought the book and found it and hid it in some past parallel world. That way, without the book, you won't get your memories back right away, which will prevent you from your ability to time travel since you need your memories to know how to time travel,"
"So what you're saying is that if I can't remember, I can't travel back in time to destroy this Lance of Longinus that can kill me?" he asked.
Urd nodded, "Yes. However, we don't necessarily need that book to get you to remember. We can just force you to remember by somehow finding a trigger that can bring back all those hidden memories,"
"What makes you think I want those memories?" Ranma sneered, coldly. It shocked Urd how quickly his attitude had changed. One second he seemed calm and attentive, and then the next second, cold and threatening.
Urd gave him a desperate look, "Please, you have to get them back. Your memories can mean the difference between this world's existence or destruction,"
"Hmph," Ranma muttered. However, he had to admit that she did have a point.
She looked sad, as if about to cry for him, "But there is one problem...if you memories come back, you, the person you are now, will no longer exist,"
"What do you mean?"
"The person you are now, will cease to exist," Urd said, "It had been made in a way such that once you remember, you will separate into the two people whose memory you possess, Ranma Saotome and Rei Ayanami. You will no longer exist because you are a combination of both of them as well as that of your existence on this world. In a way, you possess personalities of both Ranma Saotome and Rei Ayanami as well as the unique personality that makes you who you are based on the fact that you lived on a world where your name is considered a sin. Basically, you will be sacrificing yourself for this world,"
Ranma was silent.
It took several moments of deep thought before he finally said, "If we need to travel back in time, and my needing my memories to do so, so how do I go about getting my memories back?"
"Actually, you don't necessarily need your memories to travel back in time," Urd corrected, "You have the power to do so, except you just have no control over it. Your memories is what will control it,"
"If I don't have to have memories to do so? Then how do I do it?" Ranma asked.
"You tell me," she said, "I don't know how you go about doing it. It's impossible for me to explain it. It's equivalent to you, say, somehow knowing how to ride a bike and me trying to put into words how to do so when I as well as no one in existence has ever ridden one themselves,"
"Well, since I have no idea how to use my powers to time travel, we might as well go about trying to make my memories surface," Ranma said.
Urd smiled slightly, "I'm a bit surprised,"
Ranma said, "About what?"
"That you want your memories back," she said, "I've been watching you and I always thought that given the chance, you don't want them back. Is there a reason for the sudden change?"
He shrugged, "Does it matter?"
"Okay, if you say so," she said without much thought.
Down the highway, a cloud of dust could be seen as Luna and company rapidly approached Ranma and Urd. Luckily for them, Ranma still gave off a tremendous aura that made it easy for them to track him down. Luna and Lina were using their Raywing spell to fly while Ryoga was also flying, all the while carrying the rest of the group on his back.
They all stopped right by Ranma, taking a moment to collect themselves.
"Ranma, thank goodness you're all right," Akane was the first to say, approaching him. It didn't take her or anyone long to notice he wasn't alone.
"Urd, what are you doing here?" Misato was the first to say, "I thought you were still in heaven,"
Urd gave a meek smile, "Well, I was, but I just got back a short while ago,"
"What happened? Is everything all right?" Luna asked.
She shook her head, "Far from it. The moment I got back, it was just one huge battle between us and the Angels...and in the end, we were unable to win,"
"What does that mean?" Misato asked, "Are we all in trouble?"
Urd shook her head, "Not right away. They've taken control of Heaven, true, but Ranma still stands in their way. Things are going to get really ugly really soon, but in the meanwhile, we have other things we have to worry about,"
"Yes, like the fact that the Lance of Longinus is missing!" Ritsuko commented, "If we don't find it, Ranma could be in serious trouble,"
"You know about the Lance?" Urd asked, a bit surprised. Ritsuko nodded, "If our guess is right, that Lance can kill Ranma. That's why we have to find it,"
Urd held up her hands, "Hold up, there's nothing to worry about. We have it,"
"You and Ranma have it?" Lina asked, "Where? I don't see it,"
She laughed slightly, "No, we, as in the good guys. We managed to hide it at the very last minute before Celestine could get his hands on it,"
"So is it true? Can the Lance really kill Ranma?" Priss asked, "And where did you hide it?"
Urd nodded, "I don't know if it can kill him, but I'll be damned if I don't take that into consideration. We hid it in the past of Ranma's former self,"
"Huh?" everyone looked confused.
"It's a long story," Urd let out a sigh, "We don't have time for it right now. Right now, what we need to do is get Ranma to remember so that he can use his powers to go back there so we can destroy it,"
"Why would you want to destroy it?" Lina asked.
"I said it's a long story, I'll explain later," Urd said, "Right now, our problem is getting to where the Lance is,"
"So how do we go about doing this?" Akane asked.
"We need to get Ranma's memories back so that he can use his powers to do so,"
"I thought we were supposed to let Ranma get his memories back naturally," Luna said.
"Due to unforeseen circumstances, I think we should make an exception," Urd said, "Besides, I didn't see you guys making any effort to allow it to happen naturally anyway, especially Asuka,"
Asuka gave a meek smile.
"Maybe my sister can open a portal to that world," Lina suggested.
"Can't, Luna can open a portal to that world, yes, but she has no control over the time when we are supposed to appear," Urd said, "Besides, there's much more to worry about anyway,"
"Why not use the nanban mirror?" Ryoga suggested, producing the mirror from his pocket.
Urd laughed, "I wish it was that easy. This is on a different world, time, and location,"
He shrugged, "That's no problem. This mirror can do it. Just tell me of a time, location, and world,"
She shook her head, "That isn't enough. Ranma must be transported there. Nanban mirror only works for beings of human nature. Ranma, as well as myself, aren't human, so we can't travel using the mirror,"
Misato looked a bit confused, "If that's the case, then how were we able to transport Unit-01," "Because the Unit-01 we used the nanban mirror to transport was a derivative of Ranma, the human that had died a long time ago," Ritsuko answered.
Asuka said nothing, her lips a thin line. The thought of Ranma dying always made her sad. "Anyway," Urd said, "It's different because Ranma isn't human. He is a derivative of Ranma Saotome and Rei Ayanami, both of whom weren't human,"
"Yes, but Rei was a derivative of Yuki Ikari, who was human," Ritsuko said.
"Not that derivative," Urd said, "He is the derivative of Ranma Saotome and Rei Ayanami...after they became God individually. Basically, Ranma is a derivative of two Gods,"
"Damn, what is that, some goddamn Calculus class? What with all this derivative talk?" Priss muttered, "If we can't use the mirror, then let's go about getting him to remember,"
"It's not so easy," Urd said, "Doing something such as explaining his memories won't work. It has to come naturally, which we have no real idea how long it will take. We can go about trying to find the trigger to speed the process, but it could take a while. He needs to experience something familiar, like a certain smell or sensation or taste or something along those lines. But even that's not guaranteed,"
"Perhaps a kiss will awaken his memories," Misato suggested with a smirk.
"Now's not the time to joke around," Akane scolded her.
"Who says I was joking?" she replied, blushing slightly. She extended a hand toward Ranma and placed it on one of his arms in an almost flirting manner.
"Don't even think about it," Ranma sneered toward Misato, jerking his arm around, "Physical contact disgusts me!"
Misato cringed, "Um, p-perhaps not,"
Ranma's cold voice made her flinch. She had been trying to make the situation seem a bit less stifling but it was obvious that it didn't work. It wasn't as if she would have actually had kissed this Ranma anyway. For all she knew, considering Ranma's lack of emotions, it might not be odd if he had never kissed or been kissed at all. "Whatever the case, there must be something that can trigger Ranma's memories," Urd said, "And no, we can't use the book because Celestine managed to get this hands on the book and hide it in the past of some distant parallel world much like what we did with the Lance,"
"How about we try and find the book then?" Ryoga suggested, "We can go look for the book why you and Ranma figure something else out?"
"That's not a bad idea," Urd said, "That way, we have double the options since we can now try and find a natural trigger as well as use the book to get his memories to resurface,"
"All right, everyone ready?" Ryoga asked everyone.
Everyone but Asuka and Lina agreed. "Something the matter?" he asked both girls.
"I think it might be a good idea if I try and stay and trigger Ranma's memory," Asuka suggested, a bit nervous, "Afterall, I did spend quite a bit of time with him during that time we were on that boat,"
"I'll stay too," Lina said, "We traveled my worth for a few months and I spent a bit of time with him too. I can go about trying to re-create someone that might have occurred between the two of us that can trigger it,"
The females narrowed their eyes at her, "And what do you mean by that 'have occurred between the two of us'?"
Lina blushed a deep shade of red, "No! Not like that!"
"Who says I want your company?" Ranma said to both girls coldly.
Both girls swallowed the lump in their throat.
"Would you want any of us staying?" Ryoga turned toward Ranma. Although he knew Ranma didn't know who he was, Ryoga spoke toward him in a calm voice, as if they had been friends all the time.
Ranma didn't say a word for a moment before he pointed toward Shinji, "I'll let you come with me,"
Shinji's eyes widened in shock, "M-me? Y-you want me to stay?"
"You're quiet and will least likely annoy me, so yes," he said coldly.
Shinji said nothing. He gave a meek smile, "Um, if you say so,"
"Wait? Why does Baka-Shinji get to stay?" Asuka piped in angrily.
"Cause I don't want your company," Ranma said, learning forward, glaring at her, giving her a good chance to notice his dual colored eyes.
Asuka took a step back, almost terrified, as she stammered the words, "Um, if you say so, I-I guess that's good enough for m-me,"
Ryoga narrowed his eyes toward Ranma, taking a step forward, hands clenched into fists, "Apologize to her! How dare you speak to her like that!"
Ranma cast Ryoga a glance, not saying a word.
"Well? Go apologize!" Ryoga spat.
"Hmph," Ranma turned his back toward Ranma.
"Why you!" Ryoga took a step toward him. He was stopped when Asuka ran up to him and grabbed one of his arms, "Don't worry, Ryoga, I'm okay. No harm done,"
"Still," he said, continuing to glare toward Ranma's back. After a moment, he let out a breath and said, "However, if you say so..."
He looked down at the mirror in his hand, "All right, let's get going,"
Everyone nodded toward him as Shinji stood a good distance away, by where Urd and Ranma were.
Before Ryoga shed a tear, Ritsuko stepped a way, "You know what? I think it's best that I stay on this world,"
"How come?" Misato asked.
She reached into her pocket and produced the core, "I still have yet to interface with the core,"
"What are you doing with that?" Ranma noticed the object in Ritsuko's hands.
"Because you gave it to me," she answered.
"I didn't give it to you, I asked that it be-"
"Given to Ritsuko Akagi," she interrupted, "And that is me. I'm Ritsuko Akagi,"
"Hmph,"
She turned toward Ryoga, "Ryoga, can you take me back to the hotel? I'll just stay around for the time being until I figure out the meaning behind this core. You can come by and get me later,"
"Are you sure?" Ryoga asked.
She nodded.
"Okay,"
Ryoga shed a tear onto the mirror. A bright light expanded from the mirror to engulf everyone standing nearby. Moments later, the light disappeared, taking the engulfed group with it.
Shinji gave a meek smile, "They're gone. Hopefully, they find the book before soon,"
Urd turned toward Shinji, "Have you any ideas how we can get Ranma's memories back?"
Shinji blushed slightly, a bit nervous being around someone as beautiful as Urd and said, "Well, since Saotome-san liked martial arts, perhaps that might help trigger it. He taught me quite a lot so perhaps if I try and teach it back to him, it might do the trick,"
Urd looked at Ranma, "You up to it?"
"You mean learn martial arts?" Ranma said, showing not signs of interest, "I don't see the significance in learning it. Martial arts seems rather childish, as if it were a means of bringing confidence where confidence is lacking,"
"Don't say that!" Shinji said rather loudly, "It's not childish. Saotome-san would never think something like that. He lived and died by it. It was his martial arts that allowed him the ability to single handedly save countless lives,"
Shinji's words seemed to have no effect on him, at least not initially.
"Fine, if you want, show me some moves," he said without emotions, "Perhaps it might do the trick as you so believe,"
"I'm not saying it will, I'm just saying it might," Shinji said.
Urd walked over toward the side, smirking a bit at the still unconscious soldiers. She snapped her fingers where this sofa appeared from out of nowhere. She laid down on the sofa in a relaxing manner and watched the two of them.
She gave him a wink as she said, "C'mon Shinji, let's see some of your moves,"
Shinji blushed, "O-okay," He the turned toward Ranma and said, "You know what a basic punch looks like, right?" He decided to executed a basic counter punch. He had it where he extended his left hand forward, palm also facing forward with fingers pointed toward the sky, right hand clench in a fist by his waist. His hips were loose and knees slightly bent, his right leg in front. In one fluid motion, he took a step forward with his left leg, bringing his right hand up and forward in a straight punch while his extended left hand was brought back toward his waist.
The wind behind Shinji's punch could be heard even from where Urd was sitting.
Urd smiled, "Wow, that was most impressive. It can't believe how far you humans have come along to be able to generate such power behind a single punch,"
Shinji blushed, "T-thank you. However, I still have a long way to go,"
"Keep it up," Urd said.
He turned toward Ranma, "Now you try it,"
"Hmph, I think this is ridiculous," Ranma muttered, "It is past three in the morning and I am in the middle of a highway doing power straights,"
Shinji's eyes widened when he heard Ranma refer to the punch by name. He had never mentioned the name yet Ranma had somehow recognized it. Maybe getting him to remember wouldn't be all that hard afterall.
Ranma took on the same stance as Shinji did before. When he did, Shinji was unable to tell that this Ranma had no martial arts experience for his stance was exactly like Saotome-sans.
A moment later, Ranma took a step forward and punched forward with his right hand. What happened next shocked both Shinji and Urd as the ground shook when Ranma stomped down when he took that step. The air pressure exerted from Ranma's punch was so powerful that it ripped several miles of the ground. Since he was facing across the street toward a small hill when he did that punch, the hill collapsed inward as this invisible projectile seemed to just rip right through it as if it wasn't even there.
"What the heck was that?" Shinji gasped.
"I did the punch like you asked," Ranma replied coldly.
"I know, but I've never seen a punch like that," Shinji said, "I hate to admit this, but it's as if all those decades of training that Saotome-san had done could never equate to the amount of power just displayed by that punch you just did,"
"Did I do it wrong?" he asked. "No, not at all," Shinji said, "I-it's just that I think I just witnessed what Saotome-san had been trying to achieve through training. When he does a punch like that, I can feel the ground shake and even notice the change in air pressure. However, never a change that much that it can tear into a side of a mountain. I remember him describing what I just saw as that punch's perfect form. I think you just performed that move better than Saotome-san himself,"
Urd said, "Ranma, does that make you remember anything?"
Ranma shook his head, "No,"
Shinji composed himself, "All right, let's try something else,"
Shinji showed Ranma several perfectly executed attacks, which Ranma imitated perfectly and even better. Ranma executed every move, but every one of them was accompanied by some kind of unseen projectile extending forward from an appendage. For instance, whenever Ranma did any kind of punch, this invisible object seemed to shoot forward from his fist and destroy whatever was in its path. The same thing was true for a kick but slightly different as what seemed like some kind of unseen razor sharp wave shot forward and sliced through anything like it wasn't even there.
After a short time of demonstrating, Shinji was at a totally loss of words to describe what he was seeing. It was as if he was seeing what Saotome-san had described as the final versions of an attack, a version Saotome-san had yet to achieve.
"Does doing any of this bring back memories?" Urd asked. They had been going about this for over two hours before she finally asked again.
Ranma shook his head, "No. I still find this childish. I feel no different now than when I first started,"
Shinji said, "You know what's weird. As I watch you execute your moves, it seems that as if you're not conscious of you're doing. What I mean is that you go about executing moves exactly like Saotome-san, which should be impossible since you said you have no marital arts experience,"
"So?" Ranma shrugged.
"From what I think, it seems as if your hidden memory actually does come back, but only momentarily, and then disappears again," Shinji said, "It's as if on a subconscious and instinctive level, Saotome-san's memories and way of thinking has more control over you,"
"If that's true, then wouldn't Saotome-san's instinct to dodge an attack make Ranma here jump out of the way?" Urd asked, "It doesn't makes sense. Why would some of Saotome-san's subconscious thoughts take more precedence over others. You'd think of all things, something as instinctual and subconscious as Saotome-
san's ability for self-preservation would be evident,"
Shinji said, "If Ranma doesn't get hurt, perhaps over the course of time, it became overridden, as a form of conditioning,"
"That may be," Urd commented, "Y'know what, kid, you're really good at this I must say,"
Shinji blushed red, "T-thanks. I think it's because I've been around Ritsuko so much that her way of analyzing things started rubbing off on me. If she were here, she probably would have figured it out in no time,"
"Since Ritsuko is still on this world," Urd suggested, "Let's go get her and see if she knows of a way of getting Ranma to remember through subconscious means. Perhaps we can just momentarily trigger his memories back just long enough to get that portal open so we can get to the past of his former life,"
Urd looked toward Ranma and noticed that he was a good distance away walking down the street.
"Ranma, where are you going?" she quickly flew after him.
Shinji looked at the sofa, "Man, whoever shows up here is going to be in for a surprise when they see those unconscious soldier, those holes in the side of those hills, and a sofa out in the middle of the road,"
He chased after Ranma and Urd.
"That is none of your concern," Ranma replied, "Since it is obvious I'm not remembering anything, I will go about my business,"
"Where though?" Urd said, "At least tell us that,"
"I'm going to Tokyo," he finally said.
Shinji said, "Urd-sama, how about the two of us go find out more info from Ritsuko? Ranma will be all right by himself, right? It's not like he needs us around or anything,"
Ranma smirked slightly toward Shinji. This Shinji person seems to be rather considerate, more considerate than most people he had ever encounter.
Urd scratched her chin, "Hm, I guess so. Since the only thing that can possible hurt him is the Lance, and that thing has been deeply tucked away, I guess we don't have much to worry for the time being. Fine, let's go ask her then. And please, just call me Urd,"
She turned to tell Ranma and once again realized he had walked on ahead.
"We'll contact you shortly if we find anything," she called out to him, "You stay outta trouble, y'hear?"
Ranma continued walking, ignoring her words.
Ritsuko was in the hotel room examining the core in front of her. She was sitting in front of a large table, parts strewn about as she slowly took the outer casting around the core apart.
When a bright light suddenly burst in front of her, she shielded her eyes for a moment.
"What the?" she said.
When the light disappeared, it revealed Urd and a blushing Shinji as one of his hands was being held by her hand.
"What are you guys doing back here? I thought you were with Ranma," Ritsuko asked.
Shinji nodded, "We were, but we came upon some conclusions. We think you might be able to help,"
"What did you find out?"
Shinji explained how he tried teaching Ranma some martial arts and how he executed them much like Saotome-san. He also told her that he surmised that Ranma's hidden memory actually does emerge from time to time, but only momentarily, and then disappearing again. He guessed that on a subconscious and instinctive level, Saotome-san's memories and way of thinking had more control over you.
"If that's true, then wouldn't Saotome-san's instinct to dodge an attack?" Ritsuko asked.
"That's the same thing Urd-sama, um, Urd here ask," Shinji said. He explained his answer to Ritsuko also.
"Hm, you may be onto something here," Ritsuko said.
"You know of a way we can get Ranma to open a portal up through subconscious means?" Shinji asked.
"Well, if Saotome-san's subconscious takes precedence over Ranma's subconscious, then what you should do is somehow make Ranma subconsciously want to go to that world," Ritsuko suggested.
"And how do we do that?" he asked.
She said, "Hm, let me think for a moment,"
The room was silent for a good five minutes before Ritsuko's face lit up.
"I've got the perfect idea," Ritsuko said with a smile, "Saotome-san really adores Madigan and Carper's daughter, Jun. If he goes to that world, he will be able to see her parents. Ranma here has never met them before so he might have an subconscious yearning to see them to check up on Jun. Little does he know that she has yet to be born if he were to be brought back to when Saotome-san first arrived back in Japan,"
"That could be true," Shinji nodded.
"Where is Ranma now?" she asked.
"He said he was heading toward Tokyo," Urd replied, silent until now.
"Tokyo, what's his business in Tokyo?" Ritsuko seemed slightly confused, "It doesn't make sense. Ranma has nothing to worry about, so he doesn't need to go anywhere,"
She thought about it for a long moment.
"Oh my god! I can't believe this! Why didn't I see it earlier?" Ritsuko gasped, putting her hand to her mouth.
"What, what, what?" Urd and Shinji asked, eager to find out.
"Ranma must be heading toward Tokyo because that is where we first met," Ritsuko said.
"Yeah, and?" Urd didn't follow.
"Let me explain," Ritsuko said, "When we first met him, Ranma was with a girl. That girl's name was Jun, the same name as the little girl Saotome-san adores. It seemed odd that Ranma seemed to react differently to her than to anyone else. Perhaps it's because he subconsciously believes he has some subconscious connection with her simply because she shares the same name as the little girl,"
"There could be a chance he likes her," Urd commented.
Ritsuko shrugged, "Perhaps, but either way, it does help explain away Ranma's often change in attitude whenever he is near her. I think it's because subconsciously, he wants to be near her,"
"If it's your theory," Shinji commented, "Then that must be pretty heart breaking on that girl if she finds out about Ranma wanting to be with her simply because of her name,"
Ritsuko nodded, "Yes, it would be devastating to a woman if she found something out like that,"
"But there could be a chance he likes her," Urd said, "I've been watching him for quite some time and he had acted toward her with the same initial hostility as everyone before and after her. The difference is that it doesn't seem to bother her and she still hangs around him. Perhaps she is slowly witling down his armor,"
"I think that's probably it," Ritsuko said, "But there could be a chance that he gave her some leeway and showed more tolerance toward her simply because of her name, and she unknowingly seized that opportunity and got in good with him,"
Urd nodded, "Yes, that's probably it,"
"Well, now that we have a plan," Ritsuko said, "Why not go to Ranma and try and get him to miss that little girl. He is sure to subconsciously want to see her, and thus, might open up that portal. Me, I'm going to stay here and figure out examine this core some more. Ryoga and the others said they will be coming back and checking up on me every ten or so hours. God forbid I get stuck on this world..."
Urd said, "Don't worry, once we get Ranma's memories back, you won't need that nanban mirror to get back home. Ranma will be able to send you back,"
"That's good to hear,"
"All right, let's get going," Urd turned toward Shinji.
"Okay,"
Urd and Shinji found Ranma walking down the same highway, around five miles farther than where they separated.
"Shinji," Urd whispered softly, "We have to go about this delicately. We don't want Ranma to figure out what we are trying to do. We also don't want to alter his view of that young woman he wishes to see. That's no fair to her. We should just leave their relationship alone,"
Shinji nodded, "Gotcha. Can I do the talking? I think I know of a way to bring the situation up,"
"Actually, I would've asked you to anyway," Urd said with a weak smile, "I don't know anything about this little Jun girl the past Ranma adored,"
Both of them quickly approached Ranma's back.
"Ranma," Urd said to get his attention.
Ranma turned to face her, showing no indication of surprise to see them so quickly.
"Um, you're a good distance away from Tokyo, y'know," Shinji said.
Ranma said nothing.
"It'll take you at least a couple of days to get there if you're walking," he continued, "Is there a reason why you're going?" "That's none of your business," Ranma replied coldly.
Shinji ignored Ranma's icy words and said in faked realization, "Hey, don't that girl we saw you with live there?"
Ranma narrowed his eyes toward him.
"Ah, I get it," Shinji said in a teasing voice, "You like her, dontcha?" It felt nerve racking to him to speak toward Ranma as if he was speaking to Saotome-san. They're completely different people.
"M-me? I do not!" Ranma said. That slight stutter was more than enough to convince Shinji and Urd that Ranma had been indeed heading toward Tokyo to see her.
"Then why else would ya be going there?" Shinji smirked.
"T-that's none of your business," came the reply.
"It's okay, we're all friends," Shinji said, "we won't tell anyone. However, I must admit that you do have good tastes. She is very pretty and seems very nice. Maybe she likes you, too,"
"Your comments are starting to get on my nerves," Ranma sneered.
Shinji gulped. He knew he was starting to push the wrong buttons. He needn't act that familiar with Ranma. It seemed Ranma had some seriously thick armor. He needed to be more delicate.
"Just curious, what was her name?" he asked. "What do you care?"
"It was Jun, right?" he said cautiously.
Ranma said nothing for a moment, "So? What's it to you?"
"Didja know that you used to know a little girl named Jun?" he said, holding his hand down around waist level, "She was eight when your former self had died,"
Ranma reached a hand out and grabbed Shinji's hand, raising it ever-so-
slightly.
"She was this tall," he said without even realizing what he was doing, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm leaving,"
"I wonder how she is doing," Shinji said to no one in particular.
Something compelled Ranma to stop.
"She was still back at home when we left," Shinji commented, "She's probably fine. Madigan and Carper are good parents and are probably taking good care of her. You remember Madigan and Carper?"
It took almost a full minute before Ranma replied, "No, I don't remember them," Neither Shinji nor Urd could tell if there was hesitation in his voice.
"Man, I've been here for a while," Shinji commented, "I can't wait to get back home. Urd, where did you hide the Lance again?"
"In the past of Ranma's former life," she replied, going along with Shinji's lead.
Shinji gave a slight chuckle, "Hey, Madigan and Carper was around then. Wouldn't it be funny if we see a baby Jun if we were to ever get there? I remember Saotome-san commenting how he regretted leaving Japan for a decade. It made him miss Jun's birth as well as her early childhood. He only got to meet her when she was eight. He missed all those years before because he was gone,"
Urd smirked at Shinji. That kid is good.
"She was cute and really sweet," Shinji continued on, ready to pull out the moment Ranma's attitude changed again. However, he stood where he was, his back toward the. As to whether he was listening or not, they had no idea.
"I remember how she used to enjoy riding on Saotome-san's shoulders all the time and how she always called him 'Uncle Ranma' in the mousy voice of hers," he continued, knowing that he was putting the icing on the cake.
The moment he said those words, a portal appeared right in front of Ranma.
"I-it worked!" Shinji whispered toward Urd.
Ranma, totally unaware of what was going on, took a step forward and entered the portal and disappeared. The portal then started to close in on itself.
"Quickly! After him!" Urd shouted. She quickly grabbed a hold of Shinji's arm, nearly popping his shoulder out of its socket as she rocketed forward and into the portal as it shrank.
In a different world, in a different time, in a brilliant flash of light, Ranma, Shinji, and Urd appeared. Because of the location of which they had appeared, no one had noticed. They appeared in a slum-like location located near the outskirts of MegaTokyo.
It took a second or so for Shinji and Urd to get their bearings. It only took them a moment to find Ranma.
Ranma was standing a short distance away, silent as if staring off into space.
"Ranma, how did you do that?" Shinji asked.
"Do what?" he asked. It was as if he hadn't been aware that he had not only opened a portal to a different world and time, but also the fact that he entered through it.
"You somehow opened up the portal," Urd commented, "We are in the past of your former life,"
"I don't remember doing it," he said with a shrugged, "However, if we are here, then I guess that is a good thing,"
"Where are we?" Shinji asked.
"In the slums," Urd replied, "This area is where Ranma Saotome was waiting to attack these things called boomers. He had heard word of that this place is where these prototype boomers were going to be tested and had come with intent to destroy them before they were to be put into production,"
"Boomers? I heard of those," Shinji said, "Saotome-san hates them," Ranma showed no indication that he recognized the word boomer.
"If we are now in the past, then where is Saotome-san?" Shinji asked curiously, "Would we by chance bump into him?"
Urd shook her head, "No,"
"No?" he asked, "Why not?"
"Because Ranma's existence on this world removed Saotome-san's existence on this world," Urd stated, "Basically, Saotome-san had been replaced by Ranma. And since this is the past, everything that happened to Saotome-san will also happen to Ranma here. The only difference is based on how he acts changes the flow of time,"
"I don't follow you," Shinji said.
"Time has a somewhat strict path," Urd said, "And it can be changed around. However, it can not be changed so much that a totally alternate timeline occurs. For instance, there have been a time when the Ranma you know prevented the Second Impact on a different world. However, even though it was prevented, the chain of events still occurred in a similar fashion, that being the Angels attacking. Although changed, the timeline still moved in a similar fashion, the chain of events happening almost in the same fashion,"
"But Saotome-san being born on that world is totally different from our own world," Shinji said, "In my world, he appeared. In the other one, he was born,"
"Regardless of that, his presence created an effect, right?" Urd jumped in, "In your world, Saotome-san appeared and helped out with the destruction of the Angels. In the other world, Saotome-san was born from an EVA, where he went about helping out with the destruction of the Angels also. Basically, it's different circumstances, yet similar outcomes,"
"So what you are saying is that despite what Ranma here does," Shinji commented, "The chain of events to occur will be similar?"
Urd stopped to think for a moment, "I'm pretty sure, but I'm not guaranteeing anything,"
"Why so?"
"Because, Ranma here can change fate," Urd said, "Unlike Saotome-san, who, in a way, you can consider an actor acting out his role in a infinitely complex play consisting of everything that exists, Ranma here is not confined to those same parameters. Ranma here is basically the writer that writes that play at hand, except he has no idea how to go about writing the play,"
Shinji gave a meek smile, "You lost me again,"
"Ranma here has the ability to alter anything and do anything he wants simply by will," Urd said, "His lack of memory is the only thing preventing him,"
"Sounds pretty powerful," he commented.
"Unfortunately, you're human so you wouldn't be able to fathom Ranma's power," Urd said, "For all he could care, he could make this universe cease to exist just by snapping his fingers,"
Ranma narrowed his eyes, "And if I have this power, who is to say that I would not do something such as that?"
She said, "Because that's not the person you are. God is ever-knowing. If an outcome like that were to ever be possible, Saotome-san would have been killed off before he had a chance to reach the level of which you are now. Basically, the chain of events leading to your birth would have been disrupted by God at that time. That's why we are in no danger,"
"Hmph," Ranma muttered.
"Anyway, we have arrived around ten minutes before Saotome-san bumps into the Knight Sabers," Urd said, pointing toward a corner, "One of them, who will be scouting ahead for the other three, will be rounding that corner in about five minutes. What we should do is get out of here before we get spotted,"
"If Ranma doesn't get spotted, and doesn't come in contact with the Knight Sabers, won't the chain of events occur differently?" Shinji asked. He remembered hearing of Saotome-san talking about his past, about how he had mistaken Priss of the Knight Sabers for a boomer as she him and a battle soon ensuing. That was how they came in contact with one another and how his epic adventure first started since he came back to Japan.
Urd nodded, "Most likely, but that doesn't matter. What we are interested in is finding the Lance. Let's just pray that he gets his memory back in time to know how to destroy the Lance before something bad happens,"
"Waitaminute!" Shinji's eyes widened, "I have a great idea!"
One of Urd's eyebrows raised, "Oh? What kind of idea?"
"Ranma still has yet to get his memories back," he commented, "Why not have him experience his past all over again? Surely that would be more than enough to trigger his memories to come back,"
She looked like she was about to argue that before she stopped. After a moment, she said, "Y'know what? That doesn't sound like a bad idea? It's not like I have to have Ranma with me while I retrieve the Lance. All I hafta do is get the Lance and bringing back to Ranma,"
Shinji turned toward Ranma, "You think that's a good idea?"
"You want me to go about living through a past experience Ranma Saotome did?" Ranma asked, "You think that will trigger my memories?"
"It's worth a shot," Urd suggested.
"I'm not Ranma Saotome," Ranma said coldly, "And I have no idea what kind of past he had nor care to experience it,"
Urd said in a soft voice, "I know you're not him, but there is a chance you can get your memories back if you give it a try,"
"Hmph!"
"Look, we are running out of time," Urd said, "Just give it a try. One of the Knight Sabers will be here any moment. And don't worry about us finding you. I can find you easily. Once we get the Lance, we will come retrieve you,"
"What do I do then?" he asked.
"Just go about your business on this world," Urd said, "You may not go through encounters and react the same way as Saotome-san, but there is a chance that one might be similar enough to trigger your memories flooding back, which is a chance well worth taking,"
Ranma was silent for a moment before saying, "Fine,"
Urd gave him a smile before turning toward Shinji, "All right, let's get going,"
Shinji looked like he was proceeding to head off in a random direction when Urd reached out and grabbed him, "No, we don't use our legs. That's so human. I have better means of transportation. I'm not an elite class goddess for nothing, y'know,"
She snapped her hands and immediately disappeared in a bright flash of light, Shinji disappearing with her.
Within second after disappearing, Ranma caught sight of something approaching him from around the corner Urd had pointed to. He didn't recognize the figure. All he could tell was that it looked like some kind of blue and red robot.
"I spotted our boomer," the Priss of that world spoke into the communicator of her hardsuit, "It looks like the info you got was correct, there is indeed a boomer being tested here in the slums,"
"Wait until we get there," she heard the Sylia of that world's voice through a speaker in the helmet, "Don't do anything rash like trying to take it on yourself. Who knows what it is capable of,"
"Whatever it is," Priss said, "It's got some kind of jamming device that is preventing me from scanning it,"
"Just stay where you are," Sylia said, "We will be there shortly,"
"All right," Priss smirked. Once Sylia cut the communications channel to Priss' helmet, she looked up at what she believed was a boomer standing before her and smirked, "Let's party,"
Without taking care to heed Sylia's advice, Priss extended her hand toward Ranma and fired several projectiles at him.
Ranma was struck with the projectile right in the chest, the impact sending him flying backwards bodily into the abandoned building behind him. The building, already possessing a weak foundation, ended up collapsing down right on top of Ranma.
"That's it? That was easy," Priss said, a bit disappointed at how easily she dispatched the boomer. She immediately took those words back when she saw Ranma getting up from the pile of debris, totally unscathed in spite of the direct hit.
"Hmph, what kind of past did this Ranma Saotome go through?" Ranma muttered to himself, "Does he always get attacked like this? Whatever the case, I'm not going to sit here idle while I get attacked for no apparent reason,"
Ranma made a dash toward Priss, covering a huge distance in a short time. However, he didn't make it to her in time to grab a hold of her for the boosters of Priss' hardsuit blazed to life as she flew skyward, shooting another blast into his chest to propel him backwards and away from her.
"Damn, that was close," Priss said, hovering in the sky, "If I had reacted a second later, I would have been a goner,"
She looked down where she saw Ranma getting up off the ground and then just standing there looking up at her.
"Hm, seems like this boomer has no flight capabilities," she smirked, "This is going to be fun,"
She hovered down and settled on top of a building top.
From where she was, she shot several explosive charges at Ranma again. Once again, Ranma was blown backwards and into yet another building, that building collapsing down on top of him also.
As Ranma got back up to his feet, he realized that this was getting no where. He still had no idea why he was being attacked. However, he was staring to tire to being attacked.
Just as he walked back out into the street, he was once again struck with several more explosive blasts, the blast propelling him backwards over a hundred yards where he came to a sudden halt when crashed against the side of a building.
"Fuck, this boomer just won't die!" Priss said under her breath. She had used up all of her most powerful explosives on Ranma and had yet to see a single dent on his exoskeleton.
She fired several laser blasts at him. Perhaps that boomer had super-strong exoskeleton and the concentrated heat of a laser blast would pierce through it. As Ranma go to his feet, several laser beams struck him in chest. But he wasn't blown backwards. Priss saw a red ripple effect appear in front of where the lasers would have otherwise struck. It looked as if those ripples absorbed the energy of the laser beams. Little did she know that the explosion caused by her explosive shells had prevented her from seeing those ripples also.
"What the hell are those?" she questioned herself.
She regarded Ranma from where she remained, the top of the building, and wasn't surprised to see that he was still unscathed.
"Jeez, what's it gonna take to even put a single dent in its armor?" she muttered, "It feels as if I'm using a water gun against a tank,"
Ranma regarded Priss from where she was. Although he was tiring of being attacked, he realized there was nothing much he could do considering he was on the ground and she was on top of a building. Figuring it was best to simply leave, he turned around to leave, only to be struck in the back with several more laser blasts.
"Hm, seems its rear armor is every bit as strong as its front armor," she commented.
Now down right annoyed, Ranma realized that the only way to get rid of this annoying pest is to destroy it.
Remembering what Shinji had taught him a short time ago, Ranma punched toward Priss' general direction, this massive invisible ball shooting from his fist and ripping through the building below Priss' feet. The building below Priss collapsed, bringing her down with it.
"Hm, looks like its gonna be harder than I thought," muttered to herself as she slowly got up to her feet. It only took her a moment to realize that she was on the ground, where the boomer now had a chance to get to her.
She looked up to see where the boomer was. It only took her a second to realize she was in deep deep trouble for she found herself looking straight up at the boomer as it looked down at her. From such close proximity, she couldn't believe how life-like Genom can make boomers look.
Without saying a single word, Ranma reached out and grabbed Priss by the neck, bringing her up into the air, her feet slightly off the ground.
Priss' eyes widened as she stared down at the boomer before her. It was unlike anything she had ever seen. It looked damn near human it was disturbing. The only indication that it wasn't human was that human can not possess such power and that it somehow had some kind of jamming device that prevented her from scanning it for a possible weakness.
She noticed some peculiar qualities to the boomer, like the fact that it had two different color eyes. However, her mind started racing as she realized that she didn't have time to regard the boomer considering the grave situation she was in.
"Give me one reason why I should not destroy you?" Ranma sneered coldly, "I grow weary of being constantly attacked for no reason,"
Priss, in a moment of panic, brought her hand up and shot several shells right into Ranma's face, knowing full well that being within such close proximity of the blast would harm her as well as the boomer. She braced for the explosion, her head rattling is it struck the walls of her helmet.
She groaned in pain, her ears ringing, only to stop and stare in disbelief when she realized that she was still being held fast off her feet, the boomer totally unscathed.
"W-w-what the hell are you?" he heard her stammering through an external speaker.
"You still haven't answer my question. Give me one question as to why I should not destroy you," he repeated.
"What do you care!" Priss sneered back, struggling to free herself from Ranma's grasp. His grip was unyielding, not even an individual finger budging even though she was using both hands to bend it back. She knew she was done for. She could even see her life flashing before her eyes.
He smirked, "You're right, I don't care,"
He cocked his arm back to punch right through Priss' chest but stopped as something deep inside him prevented him. A brief image of a young looking woman with brown hair singing on a stage flashed through his mind.
"You're Priss, aren't you?" he sneered, not knowing why he even asked that question.
"W-what?" she was shocked to hear her name. How did this boomer know who she was? However, she would give no acknowledgement that it was right.
"Hmph!" Ranma let out a snort.
He threw her toward the side like a rag doll. She ended up tumbling side over side several times before coming to a stop a short distance away. Even though she was within her hardsuit, it didn't protect her much from the tumbling for she felt herself about to fall into unconsciousness.
Not knowing exactly why he hadn't destroyed the robot, Ranma let out a snort as he turned around and started walking away. He could have easily disposed of that robot but something deep within him told him not to.
"W-who are you?" Priss called toward his back.
"My name is Ranma. However, that's none of your concern," Ranma turned back toward her, not one bit surprised to find himself talking to a robot. Considering he remembered talking to Unit-01 just before it self-destructed, this was not unfamiliar. "I don't know why you're attacking me, but if you continue to do so, I will destroy you," he said coldly, "Now leave me alone!"
He started walking away.
"You're not a boomer, are you?" she had to ask.
"No," he replied.
"Then what are you?" she asked, "Who are you?" "That's none of your concern," he replied.
Priss awoke with a groan.
"Glad you're still with us," she heard Sylia's voice.
She slowly took in her surroundings. She was in a hospital room. Sylia, Nene, and Linna where there. She slowly tried to sit upright but stopped when pain shot through her body.
"What happened?" she asked.
Sylia spoke in a soft voice, "You tell us. We found you lying unconscious in the middle of the street when we arrived. Your hardsuit was nearly destroyed and it seems as if you had use up all your ammunitions in the process. Looks like you were in the middle of some war but had somehow managed to survive with a few bumps and bruises, but otherwise intact,"
Priss' eyes widened as she recalled her battle with Ranma.
"Where is he?" she asked.
"Where is who?" Nene asked.
"Ranma,"
The three girls looked confused.
"I dunno what happened," Priss began, "I remember fighting against this...extremely powerful...being or whatever and him calling himself Ranma,"
"What?" Sylia asked, "Please explain,"
"When I went ahead, I saw this person...who I honest to God thought was a boomer," she said slowly, "So I attacked it. I still have no idea if it was a person or not,"
"Didn't I say to wait until we got there?" Sylia's lips became thin line.
"Anyway," she continued, "I remember shooting everything I had at him and it nothing no effect on him whatsoever. I dunno what he did, but one second I was on top of a building, and the next second it collapsed below me. It was as if he shot something out from his hands, but I couldn't see it. Well, I ended up falling down with the building and when I got to my feet, he grabbed a hold of me,"
"Hm, that could explain the indentations I found around the neck area of the hardsuit," Sylia commented.
Priss continued on, "Just when I thought I was done for, he stopped and asked me if I was Priss,"
"What?" Linna piped in, "How did this person know who you were? Who is he?"
Priss shook her head, "I dunno who he or what he is. However, I didn't indicate that I acknowledge what he was saying. The next second, he just tossed me aside like I was nothing, as if he was no longer interested in fighting. It was the strangest thing I have ever saw,"
Everyone was silent as they contemplated what they had just heard.
"If that was the prototype boomer that we heard was being tested there," Priss commented, "Then we are in big trouble because I honest to God believe all four of us will be unable to stop it,"
"If that's the prototype boomer Priss was talking about, then what about those four boomers we dispatched shortly after we found her?" Nene asked Sylia.
"Four boomers?" Priss asked.
Sylia nodded, "We encounter four boomers we have never seen before. We figure those were the prototype boomers and got rid of them. We had trouble but managed to get rid of them. However, if this thing you encountered is also a prototype..."
Priss shrugged, wincing as pain shot through her.
"Damn, that hurts," she moaned.
"So you have no idea who this 'Ranma' is?" Sylia asked.
She shook her head, "I dunno, but who ever he was, I really hope I don't encounter him ever again,"
"What's he look like?"
"He's tall, black hair, wore red shirt and black pants," she started recalling, "Had two different eye colors, one red and one blue. That's about all I remember," She blushed slightly, "Very handsome,"
"Really?" Linna perked an eyebrow, "How handsome?"
"He could be a boomer for all we know," Sylia commented.
Linna sighed.
"I'll go check into this," Sylia said, getting up, pressing a hand on one of Priss' hand, "You go rest,"
"You'll hear no arguments from me," Priss said with a slight smile.
"Priss, can you come here for a moment?" Priss heard Sylia's voice.
Priss did as she was told. She and Sylia were in Sylia's penthouse. It was late at night. The two of them had been spending quite a bit of time together trying to do some research toward this person named Ranma, to see if he existed or not. All they had to go by was that name 'Ranma'. They didn't want to leave any stone unturned. If there was a chance Ranma was human, then they want to know about it.
After countless hours of looking at a computer screen, Priss had to step out onto the balcony for some fresh air. "Could this be the person?" Sylia asked, gesturing toward the picture of handsome young man.
"T-that's him!" Priss said, "Holy shit, that him! That's definitely him"
"Hm, so it seems this Ranma person is afterall human," Sylia commented "Wait, this picture shows a person with blue eyes," Priss commented, "However, the one I encountered had one red one,"
"Perhaps he was wearing a single contact," Sylia suggested.
"Perhaps," Together, they read the profile of him.
"What? It says here that he is well in his fifties!" Priss said, "That guy didn't look no older than his mid-twenties. And look at that, it says he used to live in Nerima. That's the same city that was destroyed many years ago. I read about that,"
Sylia nodded in agreement, "Yes, I remember reading about that too. That was called the 'Nerima Massacre'. It was said that everyone from there had been killed,"
Priss smirked, "Well, if this is the same guy, then perhaps he is the only survivor,"
"If that's true," Sylia said, "then it's most likely his family must have died during that massacre when all those boomers went berserk at the same time. And it says here that he has been arrested several times for destruction of Genom buildings...buildings?"
"I wouldn't be surprised, he easily leveled the building I was on. And considering how powerful he was, he probably would have had no problem destroying a Genom building no matter how heavily fortified it was," Priss commented. She looked at the screen and continued reading, "Hey, you don't think this was the guy that destroying all those buildings? Remember reading about Genom taking down nineteen of their buildings in hopes of rebuilding better, more advanced versions of those? You think that could have actually been him?"
Sylia smirked, "Perhaps. I must say, you have some very good deduction skills,"
"Thanks," "Well, even though we spent a couple of days looking for info on him, it seems it finally pain off," Sylia smiled.
"Yeah," Priss nodded. She yawned, "Man, I'm tired, I'm heading back to my place to get some sleep," "I'm tired too,"
Nene looked at her dispatch screen in disbelief, not believing what she was seeing. On the screen, five boomers had gone berserk, all of them in the same location. Phones in the background were blazing to life as concerned citizens informed the AD Police of the carnage that was ensuing.
"Oh man, this is bad!" Nene said to herself. She looked around to see if anyone was watching. When she realized that all her fellow co-workers were busy tending to all those incoming phonecalls, Nene quietly relayed the dispatch readings to Sylia's computer terminal.
Sylia woke with a sudden jolt when her computer alarm went on. She swore to herself, wishing the boomers would give her just eight hours of sleep before they go on a rampage. She had had a very rough two days. She needed her sleep.
"I'm here," Sylia said as she turned her computer terminal on. She wiped the sleep from her eyes. She looked at her clock and noticed she had only slept for ten minutes. An audio of Nene's voice echoed into the room.
"We have big trouble," she heard Nene's voice, "There are three heavy duty 'BU-12b' and two 'Doberman' model boomers trashing up district seven,"
Sylia swallowed the lump in her throat.
Priss was racing down the highway at 50kph over the speed limit when she caught sight of a familiar looking man. It was Ranma. He looked like he was headed toward nowhere in particular. She felt compelled to stop and talk to him but decided against it. Even the what she read was indeed helpful, she still had no idea what kind of person Ranma was. She didn't even know whose side he was on. She assumed that if his family had been killed in the 'Nerima Massacre' then he should have some form of hatred and resentment toward Genom. But for some reason, he showed no indication of it. Heck, she wondered if he was even capable of hating, what with his obvious lack of emotions. That aspect of Ranma she had to admit she found rather interesting.
Just as she was zoomed by him, he happened to turn his head in her direction can catch sight of her. When their gaze met momentarily, she felt her heart start racing. Did he see her? Does he know who she is when she wasn't wearing a hardsuit?
Not really knowing what to do, she opened up the throttle, wanting to get away from that awkward situation as fast as possible.
Ranma watched as Priss zoomed by. He didn't know what made him watch her, but he knew there was something within him that made him continue to watch. He had no idea who that person on that motorcycle was, but for some reason, if felt oddly familiar.
Not really caring, he continued on.
Oddly enough, he began walking in the direction where Priss had gone, toward district seven where those five boomers were last seen.
Ranma took his time walking. He was in no hurry to get anywhere. Heck, he had no idea where he was going. However, for some reason, he continued heading in a certain direction.
It wasn't long until he looked down the street and caught sight of what looked like a major battle at hand. As he continued to get closer and closer, he caught sight of two gigantic red robots. What Ranma was looking at the time were the Knight Sabers' motoslaves. He noticed one red robot was lying on its stomach and another one standing in the direct path of a barrage of bullets.
His eyes narrowed slightly as he saw this smaller light green robot emerge from the back of the standing red robot. Little did he know that it was Linna that had used her motoslave to jump in front of the barrage of incoming bullets from the 'Doberman' boomer, using it as a shield to protect Priss as she lay stuck in her own motoslave after she had received a massive blow to the back.
He watched as the light green robot pick up this massive cannon that was on the ground and fire it toward the robot down the street, destroying it upon impact. He watched as that light green robot was blown back bodily from the kickback of that cannon and ended up crashing right into him.
They both ended up tumbling a few yards to a halt where Ranma immediately started getting up to his feet.
Within her hardsuit, Linna glance up toward Ranma. She didn't know who this guy was but was shocked to see him able to get up. She could have sworn she had crashed into that man. She was wearing a hardsuit and the impact had left her a bit disoriented.
Ranma regarded the light green robot for a moment. For some odd reason, it looked familiar but he couldn't quite tell where he had seen it before. It looked similar to the blue and red robot he had encountered the other day, but it was also slightly different.
"I'm sorry," Linna said, getting to her feet.
Ranma said nothing, simply casting Linna a cold stare.
As he regarded her, Ranma was struck from the side by a laser blast, a red ripple forming in front of him and seemingly absorbing it.
"What the?" Linna managed to say. When she realized that she was not away from danger yet, she quickly looked down the street where she caught sight of the other 'Doberman' boomer setting its sights on Ranma.
"Lookout!" she shouted as she made a dive toward Ranma in an attempt to shove him away. However, she did not react in time as a explosive shell struck Ranma in the side of the head, sending him flying bodily into a side of a building.
Linna screamed, "Oh my god!"
It was already bad enough that an innocent bystander was killed in the rampage when he was struck by that explosive shell, but to add insult to injury, she watched in horror as the building came crumbling down on top of him.
"Goddamnit!" she sworn, turning toward the 'Doberman'. She extended both arms toward it and fired all that she had. Her projectiles sailed through the air and hit its target, destroying it completely.
When she turned her attention back toward the collapsed building, expecting to see a bloody mess of blood and bones, she was shocked to see Ranma getting up to his feet, brushing the dust from his clothes. He looked perfectly fine.
"I'm really starting to grow tired of being attacked for no apparent reason," Ranma muttered under his breath. "W-w-what the?" Linna stammered, "How the hell?"
She watched in totally shock as Ranma walked right past her as if she wasn't even there, not even acknowledging her presence, and continuing down the street.
Realizing that she needed to know answers, she quickly ran up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Hold up," Linna said, "Who are you? How did you manage to survive that?" Not once did it occur to her that her sensor was going berserk from being within such close proximity to Ranma. It never even occurred to her that he might not be human.
Ranma turned around and swatted Linna's armored hand away and sneered at her, "Don't touch me!"
Without saying another word, he continued on down the street.
Linna just stood there, a shocked look on her face. How did that man survive?
"What the hell just happened here?" she asked herself.
She watched as Ranma disappeared around the corner.
After a moment, she realized that Priss was still stuck inside the motoslave. She quickly rushed to her friend and helped her out of the nonfunctional machine. Just as Priss was being helped to her feet, Sylia approached the two of them. Sylia had been watching the scene a short distance away through the powerful magnification scope of her high caliber long range rifle. She had managed to even pick off a boomer from where she was. Now that the boomers had been disposed of, she and her team could regroup.
"Was that that Ranma person you mentioned about?" Sylia asked Priss.
Priss nodded, "I think so. Even though I saw stuck in the motoslave, I was still able to make out his clothing. That's the exact same clothing he was wearing as when I first fought him,"
"That was that Ranma guy you mentioned?" Linna's eyes widened.
Priss nodded.
Linna gave a small smirk, "You're right. He is handsome,"
Priss and Sylia caste her an annoyed look. Sylia didn't bother to comment. She had caught sight of Ranma through her scope for a brief moment before he disappeared beyond her line of sight. He seemed more handsome in person than the picture she had seen.
"How was he able to survive that attack?" Linna quickly changed the subject, "I saw him get hit in the side of the head with an explosive shell and it seemed like he just brushed it off.
"Why didn't you stop him?" Sylia asked.
Linna shrugged, "I got scared. I tried to stop him, but when he flat out told me to not touch him and jerked away from me, I froze up. Frankly, I was a bit surprised I even managed to approach him. I was a bit shocked having seen him get up from that blast like nothing had happened,"
"Well, whatever the case, I think we should go after him," Priss commented.
"I don't think that's possible," Linna suggested, "From what I saw, I'm pretty sure that if he doesn't want you near him, he can probably make you disappear, forever,"
"We have no idea who he is," Sylia said, "But we should leave well enough alone. He seemed to be going about his business,"
"And what business might that be?" Priss asked wryly.
"Who knows...only time will tell,"
"Madigan-sama. It seems your plan worked," her assistant, Carper, said as she entered his office. Carper was a young man with short brown hair and a square face. He was more like Madigan's right hand man than her assistant.
Madigan smoothed a lock of her purple hair from her face as she peered out of his window that overlooked the entire city of MegaTokyo. The view gave her a great shot of the a huge fault that was a result of the Kanto Earthquake that separated the entire west and east side of the advanced city, "We managed to collect quite a bit of data on the Knight Sabers and will soon be able to create something capable of getting rid of them. After a few more encounters with them, we should know more than enough,"
"Good," she said with a smile, her reflection seen as it reflected off the glass window that separated her from Carper's office and the polluted air that was outside Genom Tower.
"Have you got any more information about that individual that struck by that explosive shell and managing to survive, and even walking away from the situation unharmed?" she asked.
Carper shook his head, "Nothing so far. At first, I think he was some kind of superboomer the Knight Sabers had created to help them in the fight against Genom, but from what looks of things, it seems like there is no connection,"
"So, what have you got so far?" Madigan asked, "Exactly how powerful are these Knight Sabers?"
"Well, since you're familiar with the boomer association classes," Carper said, "is it all right if I use it as an analogy?"
Madigan nodded.
Carper walked over to a screen that was on one of the walls of his office and clicked on a button. It showed a profile of a household boomer, the first kind of boomer Genom had created, "Well, there's the simple boomers, the ones used for everyday human chores, which is a class 1-A boomer. The number '1' states its powerlevel output, while the 'A' states its revision type"
"I know that," Madigan spat, "Now get on with it,"
"Sorry," he said. He took a breath and continued, "Well, as you know, the C-55 combat boomer is a class 3-C Boomer model. The BU-12b is a class 4-B model while the Dobermans are a class 4-E model. And as you know, the higher the revision number, the deadlier the boomer. That means a C-55 boomer which has been upgraded to class, say, 3-E or even class 3-F, would be able to destroy a class 4-A or even a 4-B boomer"
"Yeah," Madigan said, leaning up against Caper's chair. She felt a bit angry for the little lecture, but she knew he was trying to getting to the point, "get on with it,"
"Well, our most advanced boomers, the four prototype one that were wiped out on the artificial island not too long ago, were class 5-A models. So that means, as of right now, the strongest boomer Genom can create is a 5-A model boomer. Now, based on the boomer association class scale that we have and use, I think it's somewhere around the 6-A to 6-B class. They're not significantly more powerful than our latest boomers, but they're still powerful enough to be able to dispatch them fairly easily for the time being,"
"Hm," Madigan said softly, seemingly deep in thought, "Just curious, hypothetically, what do you think of that individual that had appeared during the incident?"
"What do you mean?"
"If you were to, say, place him in a boomer association class," she stated.
Carper thought about it for a moment, "Hm, I really don't know. We saw him brush off a direct him from a high explosive round and several laser attacks. Frankly, if that was a boomer it struck, I didn't know there was technology powerful enough to withstand such a blast. Considering the power of that shell and its ability to brush it off, I'm guessing around class 400 plus with a revision of around E. Perhaps somewhere around 412-E or so, but that's just my guess,"
Madigan was stunned into silence.
"I find it mind-boggling," he commented, "That's why I asked that that person, or boomer, or whatever he is, be under close surveillance,"
"Do you think it's some kind of new breed of boomer that even we don't know about?" Madigan dared to ask.
Carper shrugged, "I don't know. But that person, for now, let's just consider that a person, seems to be just going about his business,"
"How can you possibly believe that that thing is a person?" Madigan asked in surprised.
"Well, even thought it seems highly unlikely that it is, it's not completely impossible. We found someone, a human, that is capable of generating extreme amounts of power...although only a fraction of the amount when compared to that individual,"
"Human?" Madigan said in shock "This has got to be some mistake. How can some human generate power like that even a fraction of it? Where is it all coming from?"
"I can't explain it," Carper said, "We found him living in the mountains around China a few weeks ago while we were up there looking for another location to set up another boomer manufactory. We tried to scan him, but we couldn't, so we assumed he was some new superboomer our competitors created, so we sent one of our scouting boomers in for a closer inspection. The person, somehow, was able to feel the boomer's presence, but he showed no hostile intentions. He actually started communicating with our boomer, and it turns out that the person was not only human, but was fooled that our scout wasn't a boomer. From what I gather, although he's Japanese, I believe he's been living in China for most his life, and has no idea about boomers, how much technology had advanced since China isn't as developed as Japan,"
"Where is he now?" she asked, "I want him to help us out. Perhaps we can somehow convince him to join our team...and perhaps dispose of the Knight Sabers once and for all,"
"I'm sorry," Carper said weakly, "But that's not possible. We have no idea where he is,"
Ranma was walking down a busy street. It was early morning and there was a slight chill to the air. That didn't seem to bother him one bit even though he wasn't dressed warmly. As he walked by a large glass window, he caught sight of a young looking female with short black hair. She was standing in front of what looked like an aerobics class and teaching aerobics to a few dozen students, all of them female. As to why he noticed her through the window, he had no idea. What was even stranger was the he somehow found himself actually entering the studio where the class was being held. The only problem was that the studio was separated into two parts, one part being a gym and the other for aerobics. The gym area consisted of equipment for bodybuilding and seemed to be occupied by mostly guys.
Ranma stepped into studio and walked through the gym area and into the aerobics section. Several of the women eyed him fondly.
"Hi there," a pretty young female smiled warmly at him.
He cast her a glance before turning his attention back toward the girl in front. Linna was just finishing teaching her aerobics class when she noticed a familiar looking person standing in the back of the class. Her heart started racing. That was the guy that had taking that explosive shell to head and walked away unscathed. What was he doing here?
Noticing him paying only attention to her, all the while oblivious to the dozen fond glances he received by the females walking by him, Linna figured he was looking to speak to her. She took a deep breath to calm herself down and approached the man.
"Hello," she said. She told herself that she was not wearing a hardsuit so there was no way this man knew who she was. "You're Linna Yamazaki," Ranma said from out of the blue. It was a statement, not a question. He didn't know why, the moment he saw her, he somehow knew what her name was.
Several of the girls in the classes gave Linna a mischievous grin behind Ranma's back. It was perfectly like Linna to have all the fun. Most of the guys seemed attracted to her.
"Um, yes, t-that's my name," she said nervously. How the hell did this guy know her name?
Ranma regarded her intently, which seemed to make her feel very self-
conscious. His eyes were cold and piercing, as if capable of looking into her very thoughts.
Ranma said coldly, "You know who I am," Once again, it was a statement, not a question.
"Um, er...p-perhaps," she stammered. She wondered if he knew that she knew that he was that Ranma person Sylia and Priss had mentioned about. She wondered if he knew that they had that encounter when she was in her hardsuit.
He recognized her. She was one of those females that had claimed to have known him, or at least the person he used to be, when he so-called lived a different life than the one he lived now, that past life when he was Ranma Saotome.
"Excuse me?" she looked confused. She was sure she didn't know who this man was. She was still confused how he knew her name, "How do you know who I am?"
It never dawned on Ranma that he wasn't supposed to know her name because they had never been introduced before, both version of her too, the one standing before her, and the one that had claimed to have known him.
"Does it matter?" he said.
He turned around to leave. "Please, wait," she said, walking behind him and placing a hand on his arm to stop him. The moment her hand touched his arm, she regretted it.
"Don't touch me!" he sneered, jerking his arm away.
Linna was silent for several moments before she managed to regain her composure. By now, all the females was watching the scene being played out. It looked better than a soap opera.
Ranma leaned forward and narrowed his eyes again, making Linna feel even more nervous.
"This is the second time you touched me," he sneered, "Touch me again, and I'll kill you,"
The color from Linna's face paled. A second time? Then that must mean Ranma knew about her when she touched him that first time while wearing her hardsuit.
"Is everything all right?" a massive bodybuilder approached the two of them. He had heard Ranma shouting toward Linna. Ranma turned his attention from Linna and onto the bodybuilder. The man stood almost a full foot taller than Ranma and probably outweighed him by a good hundred pounds. The man's size dwarfed Ranma's.
"Is this asshole bothering you?" the man asked.
Linna hesitated. She didn't really know what to say. She felt extremely disturbed that Ranma knew of her identity. Did he tell anyone? What will become of the Knight Sabers?
When the man noticed Linna's hesitation, he assumed she was too distraught to answer.
"Okay, asshole, whatever you said, you better apologize," the man said in a threatening voice.
Ranma showed no indication that he was going to do as he was told.
"Are you deaf?" the man reached out and grabbed Ranma's by the shirt collar.
Ranma sneered at the man and reached a hand out and grabbed him by the neck, lifting him so that his feet were a few inches off the ground.
"Oh my god!" could be heard emanating from the crowd of onlookers.
"I don't know who you are, but I suggest you mind your own business!" he said toward the struggling man. When the man punched at Ranma, hitting him right in the face, it seemed to annoy Ranma even more.
Ranma threw the man across the studio and he crashed into the wall and fell down to ground, gasping for air. Everyone stared in disbelief. They had just witness a young man picking up a man that probably weighed close to three hundred pounds with one arm and throwing him across the room. That wasn't supposed to be humanly possible.
Ranma, ignoring the stares from the onlookers, turned toward Linna, casting her one last glance before he turned around and headed toward the door. Linna, not knowing what to do, shocked at what she had just witness, followed after Ranma, "Hold up,"
She immediately pulled her arm back as if scared for her life when she caught herself reaching out once again to grab a hold of Ranma to get his attention. She quickly followed after him, asking him to wait as headed out of the studio and into the streets.
"Please, wait," Linna pleaded, "How did you do that back there? And how do you know my name? Please, I have to know,"
Ranma stopped. Linna ended up bumping into Ranma's back and falling backwards as if felt as if she just walked into a brick wall.
Before she fell backwards and onto her backside, one of Ranma's hands instinctively darted out and caught hers, catching her before she hit the ground.
Linna blushed as she looked up at him. However, she ended up falling to the ground when Ranma suddenly released his grip, as if disgusted to be touching her.
"Whatcha do that for? First you save me from falling, and then you drop me," Linna spat at him, getting to her feet.
"I had no intention of saving you," Ranma said in a voice as cold as ice, "Something made me do it. However, when I realized what I was doing, I let go,"
"Well ain't that just swell?" she said an a sarcastic voice. Ranma glared at her, not liking her tone of voice. Linna gulped. She shouldn't try and kid around with the guy. He didn't seem at all the humorous type. God forbid he be angry.
She quickly got to her feet, "How do you know my name? I'm sure we've never met before yet you know who I am. I don't know who you are,"
"My name is Ranma," he said, "That's all I'll tell you,"
"R-Ranma? You're the guy that blew up all those Genom buildings?" she said. She remembered Sylia and Priss mentioning that. She had never gotten the chance to see that picture of him so she had no idea what he looked like.
"I blew up nothing," he said matter-of-factly.
"Didn't you live in Nerima?" she had to ask.
"No, I don't live where ever this so-called Nerima is," he replied, "And I find your questions annoying. I am leaving,"
He turned around and started walking away.
"Please," Linna called out to him. There were so many unanswered questions. Who was this man? She knew what Sylia and Priss had told her, that the man they had researched was a man called Ranma that had been said to have blown up several Genom buildings, as well as used to live in Nerima when it had been leveled to the ground during the 'Nerima Massacre'. His denial of both made no sense. Was he lying or was Sylia and Priss wrong with their research.
"Um, please, stay, let's go get something to eat, I'll treat," Linna quickly said, not wanting to lose him. She continued to follow after him, ignoring the fact that she was wearing those tight-fitting aerobics outfit.
Ranma turned to face her, "I'm not interested,"
"C'mon, please?" she asked again, "When was the last time you ate?"
"I haven't eaten in over ten day," he said.
"T-ten days?" Linna's eyes widened, "Then that must mean you must be starving. I'll treat, you can eat whatever you like,"
"I don't get hungry," he replied, voice still cold, "I merely eat for show. Now, like I said before, I'm leaving. Don't follow me!"
Linna stood where she was as she watched Ranma turn around and walk away, disappearing around a corner.
The Ryoga of that world was walking down a street, glad that he was finally back in his birthcountry, which he had been trying to get back to for several years, his lack of direction always preventing him. He stopped to look up at all the huge buildings towering over him. He seemed a bit awed at how much had changed since the last time he was in Japan.
It was late in the afternoon.
He was regarding his surrounding when he caught sight of a familiar looking individual on the other side of the street. It didn't take him long to recognize the red shirt and black pants and pig-tail hairstyle. It was Ranma.
"Ranma!" Ryoga shouted toward him.
Ranma paused for a moment to look in Ryoga's direction. He didn't even bother to wait for the light to turn red and simply leapt into the air and over the entire length of the street, landing right next to Ranma.
The two of them stared at each other face-to-face. It didn't take Ryoga long to notice Ranma's two different eye colors. However, that he didn't care about right now. Right now, this burning rage was coursing through his veins.
Ranma regarded Ryoga for a moment. He recognized that man. He looked exactly like that guy that kept attacking him.
"Ranma!" Ryoga said, aura glowing bright red "DIE! Shi Shi Hakodan!" Ryoga extended his hands right toward Ranma's chest and let loose a massive ki-blast shot. Ranma was blown backwards into the building through a glass window.
When Ryoga noticed how easily he had managed to hit Ranma, he had to stop for a moment to think. He was very sure Ranma would had been able to skillfully dodge the attack. Could he have gotten that much stronger than Ranma during the time he was training? He smirked as he saw Ranma emerging from the building unscathed. It seems Ranma had been doing some training himself. He seemed much tougher now to be able to brush off a blast like that at such a close range.
By now, all the people that had been walking about had ran away for their lives.
"Shi Shi Hakodan! Ryoga shouted as he let loose another ki-blast, that projectile also hitting Ranma in the chest, sending him flying back into the building he had emerged from.
As Ranma emerged once again, Ryoga snarled at him. "How dare you let her get killed!" he shouted said "How dare you let Akane get killed like that!"
Ryoga attacked with several punches, all of them hitting Ranma in the face, finishing off his barrage of attacks with a devastatingly powerful open palm strike to Ranma's chest, sending him backwards into one of the walls of the buildings, the wall collapsing in on itself from the impact.
"This Ryoga Hibiki person," Madigan asked impatiently toward the now nervous Carper, "I want his help. He might be capable of defeating this superboomer running loose. Where could he be?"
"I don't know," he said, "I don't know. I remember he mentioned to our boomer scout that he wanted to come back to Japan, but there seems to be no sign of him anywhere. I think he got lost on the way here. That's the only thing I can think of. He does, afterall, have a very bad sense of direction"
"That's a bunch of bull!" Madigan spat, "How can you lose track of someone like that?"
Carper's screen went on. It showed a facial shot of a man, or boomer, wearing headgear, "Carper-sama, we have located the person," The screen shot switched to a bird's eye view of the two people, one superboomer and one human, battling each other. The shot was being taken from a helicopter hovering nearby, "We've located Ryoga Hibiki. It seems he's battling that individual that was spotted the other day that had brushed off that explosion. It seems like Ryoga is winning,"
"W-why's he fighting that man in the first place?" Madigan asked "What caused them to fight?"
"I don't know," he said.
Madigan looked at Carper curiously. She never really believed in coincidence. There was always a logical explanation for everything, and this situation wasn't any different.
"I have to watch this," Madigan said, her eyes intent on the screen. She had wanted to know more about both Ryoga and that mysterious individual in the first place. Watching them fight was something she didn't want to miss for the world. "Why you!" Ranma sneered at Ryoga, stepping forward, "I've had enough of this from you!" "Bakusai Tenketsu!" Ryoga yelled as he struck his finger down on the sidewalk. A massive explosion occurred as the sidewalk shattered to pieces, the shrapnel flying everywhere. Even though most of the pieces were hitting him, Ryoga was totally unaffected by the explosion for he had grown accustomed to it completely. He had gotten a lot stronger over the years and he wanted to show Ranma what he was capable of.
Ranma was stuck with thousands of rock-like shrapnel and once again sent flying backwards right back into another wall, that one collapsing too.
"Bakusai Tenketsu!" Ryoga shouted as his finger jabbed into the wall of the building Ranma had been blown into. The entire building exploded as all the debris fell down on Ranma, burying him.
Ryoga stood there for several moments, wondering if it was all over, that he had finally avenged Akane's death. He had swore to kill Ranma because Ranma hadn't been able to protect her from death when those machines lay waste to the entire town of Nerima. He had gone out on a training trip to develop his skills so he would someday come back and make Ranma suffer miserably.
But as he stood there, not moving, he was hoping his revenge would had lasted longer. At that moment, the rubble exploded upward as a huge hurricane sent in hurling to the heavens. All the rubble was gone as Ranma stood where the building had fallen on him, a massive blue aura forming around him. "Enough is enough!" Ranma sneered.
"Good, I was hoping you didn't die from something like that," Ryoga said with a grin, "I want you to suffer,"
Ranma dashed forward and grabbed Ryoga by the neck, continuing to run forward, shoving him into a wall and continuing to run.
"I've had enough from you!" Ranma said, continuing to run forward, literally shoving Ryoga through wall afterall, through building after building as Ryoga tried to use his inhuman strength to break free, much to no avail. Realizing that he couldn't break free, he proceeded to shoot ki-blast after ki-blast right into Ranma's face.
Ryoga's back was being torn up and bloodied as it crashed through everything. The pain he was feeling was excruciating and he knew he would soon fall into unconsciousness. It didn't help that the ki-blasts didn't seem to slow Ranma down as he continued to take ki-blast after ki-blast right in the face, Ryoga the only one getting hurt in the blast from being within such close proximity.
Ranma continued to shove Ryoga through several buildings until he ran the entire length of the city block and ended up crossing a street and ended up shoving him into the first building of that block, making his way through that one and the buildings next to it.
He did so until he keep running until he ran across the length of that block as well. When he exited out of the last building and into the wide open of a parking lot, he cocked a hand backwards and struck the already unconscious Ryoga in the chest with an open hand strike.
The impact of Ranma's attack sent Ryoga flying bodily backwards across the entire length of the giant parking where he crashed into the building at the other side.
"Hmph!" Ranma let out a snort.
Little did he know that something deep inside him prevented him from striking Ryoga with any power behind the attack. Had Ranma struck him hard, Ryoga would have been literally blown backwards through every building in his path of flight and eventually crash into a mountain located on the outskirts of the city.
Luckily for Ryoga, he had been so badly beaten that he ended up going into what would be a year long coma rather than killed like those hapless Angels that crossed Ranma's path.
Ranma, satisfied to be finally rid of that pest, turned around and walked away.
Almost a full week passed since Ranma's encounter with Ryoga. Over the course of that time, the Knight Sabers had been on the lookout for Ranma. Although the carnage Ranma had caused when he finally attacked Ryoga seemed that of a rampaging boomer and he been dismissed as such, the Knight Sabers believed otherwise.
Ranma was aimlessly wandering around the streets of MegaTokyo, not really knowing what he was doing. He had yet to receive contact from Urd and Shinji. For the time being, he continued to take in the sights that the massive city had to offer, but he was starting to tire of it. He happened to be walking down a street he had not yet walked down before when a stored caught his attention. He paused an glanced at a lingerie store named 'Silky Doll' across the street.
Inside the store, Sylia was just about to close up her shop when she happened to have glanced out her window and saw a familiar looking individual.
T-that's Ranma, she thought, her heart beginning to beat rapidly. It was a shock to see him standing in front of her shop of all places, especially when he seemed to have been missing for the past week, or at least been able to avoid being found by the Knight Sabers for that long.
Ranma saw Sylia through the window. Although he had never seen her in his life before, something inside him told him that he knew her. He walked across the street, not even bothering to look both ways, and entered her store. Sylia's heart was racing when she saw Ranma walk right up to her. Although she knew they had never met, she felt extremely nervous, a feeling she rarely ever felt. Perhaps it was what Linna had told her a week before. Linna had mentioned about how Ranma had approached her and somehow not knew her name, but also of her secret identity. Could that mean this man knew Sylia's identity as well?
There was a presence to Ranma that made the store seem rather small and confining. It also didn't help matters any bit when Sylia realized that she was all alone. Sylia was a rather tall woman, but when Ranma stopped right in front of her, she found herself feeling dwarfed by his height and size. "Um, we're in the process of closing," she said, steeling herself.
"I'm not here to buy anything," he said coldly, "I came in here to talk to you,"
Sylia asked, "To me? About what?"
"You're name is Sylia Stingray, right?" he asked.
Not really knowing exactly how to react to hearing her own name, she ended up simply nodding. "How do I know you?" he asked, seemingly annoyed, "I've never met you before, yet it seems like I know you. I want you to tell me why,"
"Um," was all she could mutter.
When Ranma looked like he was actually expecting her to know why, she quickly added, "Perhaps we met before. Um, you do seem a bit familiar to me,"
"Don't play coy with me," he sneered.
Sylia gulped.
"Take me to your penthouse," he suddenly said. Something compelled him to say that.
"W-w-what?" her eyes widened.
"Do I have to repeat myself?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.
"I-I don't know who you are! W-why on Earth would you expect me to bring you home with me?" she quickly said, taking a defensive step back.
"Go get your car, I'll wait here," he said.
Linna was home when her phone rang.
"Hello?" she answered.
"You're not going to believe this," came Sylia's voice, "That person Ranma is waiting right in front of my store! I told him to wait outside while I close up. He just told me to bring him back to my place,"
"What?" Linna gasped, "W-what's he doing there? Why'd he ask you that?"
"I'm not too sure," Sylia said, "However, I'm calling you to tell you to round up the others and come by in an hour. He somehow knows who I am, and I'm pretty sure all the others. It's about time we get to the bottom of this,"
"Fine," Linna said, "I'll go get everyone,"
"I'll take him down toward my other place by the pier," she said, "When you show up, we are all going to confront him to see what his role in all of this is,"
"Okay,"
Sylia stole a few glances toward Ranma's direction as he sat in the passenger side seat. He didn't look like he was looking at anything in particular. All he did was stare out the side window at the stores and buildings as they whizzed by.
"So where are you from?" Sylia asked, hoping to make conversation. The tension in the car was almost tangible. And was worse was that it seemed only she was feeling the tension. "Not around here," Ranma replied.
She said nothing. "How do you seem to know who I am?" she asked, "I mean, you know my name, and I don't even know yours," She already knew his name, but she didn't want him to know that she knew a bit about him as well.
"Ranma," he said. He regarded her for a moment, to see how she reacted when she heard his name. Most people are shocked when he told them that was his name, usually believing he was joking around. He seemed slightly surprised when his name didn't seem to bother her one bit.
"Ranma what?" she asked. She knew it was 'Saotome' but pressed on as if ignorant.
"Just Ranma," he said, "I have no familyname,"
"Oh," she said.
When Sylia turned at an intersection, he said, "Where are you going?"
"Back to my place," she answered matter-of-factly.
He narrowed his eyes at her, "This is not the way to your place,"
Sylia was silent for a moment before she said, "O-of course it is,"
"If you are referring to your 'other' place, then perhaps you're right," he said coldly, "However, we are not going there. We are going back to your penthouse,"
"How do you know where I live?" she asked. Ranma's knowledge of her was starting to scare her.
"I just do," he said.
Sylia nervously placed the key into the keyhole and turned it. When she heard the door unlock, she turned to face Ranma. She couldn't believe she was at her penthouse. Her friends were going to be showing up at the 'other' place shortly, and she and Ranma weren't going to be there. It was as if Ranma had somehow saw right through her ruse.
"Um, we're here," she said very nervously. She couldn't believe what she was doing. She had no real idea who this person was, and here she was, letting him into her penthouse.
She stepped into her penthouse, Ranma following closely behind.
"Um, welcome to my place," she gave a rather forced smile. It felt as if she was welcoming what could be her rapist to her home. And what was worse was that she felt totally powerless to do anything about it. There was something frightening to Ranma's presence that was preventing her from acting more rational than usual.
Ranma said nothing as walked right past her and into the living room. It looked as if he was taking in his surroundings until his gaze rested on the coffee table in front of the couch.
"I stubbed my toe on that table," he said to himself.
"Excuse me?" she asked.
"Nothing," he said.
"Um, can you please tell me why I brought you here?" she asked, "I don't know who you are, yet here you are, in my penthouse. It seems you know me in some way, yet as you mentioned, we've never met,"
"You tell me," he said, "Perhaps you can tell me why it seems I know you,"
"You're confusing me," she said, "How do I know you? I've never met you before. Frankly, I should be the one wondering how you know me,"
Ranma walked over toward the window, looking out and down toward the street below. An image of a street full of boomers down below flashed through his mind and disappeared. He dismissed the image. "I seem to have lived a previous life and somehow retain some of those memories," Ranma spoke, speaking as if he was someone else, "And right now, it seems I am currently re-living that previous life,"
"Run that by me again?" she asked, surprised to be hearing what she was hearing, "What do you mean by re-living that previous life?"
"Nevermind," he said, coldly.
She watched as he walked over to the couch and sat down. He then laid down on it, his feet extending over one of the sides. She looked at him oddly. It was as if Ranma felt perfectly comfortable in her penthouse when this was the first time he had been there. He closed his eyes as if he was about to go to sleep. Sylia just stood where she was, a bit dumbfounded at what was going on.
He said, "Goodnight,"
He never bothered to tell her that something deep down inside him told him that that was what he had done in the previous life, and that he was supposed to leave first thing in the morning. For where, he had no idea, but he figured he would somehow know when the time came. All he did was turn onto his side, his back toward her, and close his eyes.
Sylia continued to just regard Ranma. From her point of view, she was basically looking at a total stranger. She knew nothing about him, except for what she read. She scratched her head. Was this right? From what had just transpired, it seemed as if this man had approached her as she was closing her store, came with her to her penthouse, and was now sleeping on her couch. "Um," she said, "What makes you think you can just come in her and just crash at my place?"
She had to put her foot down. It was bad enough that she gave in and actually brought the man back home with her. That was probably the most dangerous thing she had ever done in her life, especially a man as powerful as he is. But she was not going to let him walk all over her and use her penthouse as if it were his own.
Ranma didn't say anything.
"Hey," she said, a bit louder. She walked up to him and gave him a nudge in the back, "Hey,"
Before she could react, Ranma turned back around and grabbed a hold of the forearm of her extended arm. His grip was pretty tight, but not so much that it was painful. However, it was held in such a way that she was forced to crouch low, her face coming close to hers.
"Don't touch me," he said, his cold voice felt hotly against her cheek.
There was a brief awkward moment as Sylia just stared into Ranma's eyes, terrified. She knew martial arts pretty well and knew that if someone ever grabbed her forearm, it would be really easy to break the hold through a simple flick of her wrist. However, there was something about Ranma that made her feel that no one can ever break his hold no matter how knowledgeable about joints or strong they were. "I get it," Ranma smirked. It seemed as if for that brief moment, he had somehow read her mind just by looking into her eyes, "You're angry because I didn't ask if I could stay,"
There was a very long pause before she steeled herself and answered, "That's one of the reasons, yes,"
"Fine, can I stay for the night?" he asked, releasing his grip.
She thought about it for a long moment. Even though there was something extremely intriguing about the man, she was not the one to take unnecessary risks, at least no more unnecessary risks. Bringing him home was more than enough. She had been curious to know more about him, but since he showed no indication of wanting to reveal anything about himself, then there was no real reason to have him stay.
"I'd appreciate it if you leave," she said.
Ranma narrowed his eyes at her. For a brief moment, it looked as if he got angry for not hearing the answer he was expecting to hear.
He got up off the couch, "Fine, I'll leave then,"
As he headed for the door, Sylia couldn't help but ask, "So, where are you headed?"
He didn't bother to answer that for he was already out the door. A few minutes elapsed as Sylia took that time to calm herself. Whatever had just happened since their encounter at the shop was definitely something she was never going to forget. As much as she wanted to get to know that man better, she did not want something like that to happen again. As to exactly how he knew her she had yet to figure out.
She thought to herself. What was it that he said? That he was re-living a previous life? What does that mean? Is he from the future and we've met but somehow, his knowledge of me altered our expected encounter?
She would have to get to the bottom of this.
Ranma walked the streets of MegaTokyo very late at night. It was probably around three in the morning. Any normal person would not be out this late at night, especially in this part of the city.
He was in a very bad part of the neighborhood. However, he seemed not one bit disturbed by it. He was just walking in what seemed like some random direction when he looked up and regarded the towering Genom Tower in the far off distance.
He had seen the Tower before but thought nothing of it. However, this time around, something deep deep down inside of him told him that he should be heading toward there.
He smirked, perhaps he wasn't walking in what he believed to be a random direction. Perhaps he had been subconsciously heading toward that location all this time.
At that moment, a image of a young girl flash through his mind. It showed of a girl that looked to be eight or nine years old, cute as a button and with chocolate brown hair smiling.
"Jun," he said, subconsciously calling out that little girl's name. He didn't even know that he knew that name nor called it out.
Was that why he was heading there, to see that little girl? Did she have a role in why Ranma was here in the first place? He recalled that the image was the exact him he had also seen just moments before a portal had opened up for him to this world. Was she the answer to him getting his memories back? If so, is she in that looming building in the far off distance?
He walked out toward the middle of the street to get a better look at the Tower. Aside from it being extremely high, he found nothing all that interesting about it. However, if he was to head there, then so be it. Was I supposed to spend the night at Sylia's place and then head off to that building the morning afterwards, he wondered. A large gang of neighborhood punks were walking down the other side of street when they noticed Ranma standing in the middle of the street, as if the man was daydreaming. They ruled this part of the neighborhood.
"What the fuck's with him?" one of them pointed out.
One of the walked up to Ranma, "Hey,"
Ranma turned his attention from the Tower and onto the punk. "What do you want?" Ranma asked coldly.
"Dontcha know you're in our neighborhood?" the punk asked. By now, Ranma was surrounded by ten of the guy's gang.
"So?" he replied.
The punk pulled out a switchblade, "To walk our neighborhood streets, you've gotta pay a toll. It's basically a fee you pay for protection from us," "A protection fee, huh?" Ranma was not amused.
The guy grinned, flashing the switchblade closely by Ranma's face, "Basically, you'll pay us to protect ya. Wouldn't it be ashamed if you didn't and got stabbed or something? Now we wouldn't want that now, would we?"
"Fuck off," Ranma said.
"Whatcha say, motherfucker?" another punk stepped forward, giving Ranma a shove for intimidation purposes.
Ranma was forced to take one step back to keep himself from falling.
"Touch me again and I'll kill you!" Ranma sneered.
The second punk smirked and said, "And just how do you expect to do that? Whatcha gonna do?" He gave Ranma another shove, this time much harder, hard enough that it caused Ranma to lose his balance and fall backwards onto his backside. "Right now, you're in a world of shit. We can do whatever the fuck we like," the punk added, watching as Ranma got back up to his feet and then proceeding to dust himself off. Well, whatcha gonna do about it?"
Ranma, back on his feet and took a step toward the guy.
Without so much as saying a word, he punched the punk in the face, caving his skull in, killing him instantly. The impact of the punch ended up sending the lifeless body flying through the air where it landed a good distance away in a crumpled mess.
Everyone gasped when they saw what happened, everyone in a totally state of shock. It took them several moments before they realized what had just happened. However, no one did a thing to get revenge for their friend's death.
Not one bit bothered by the fact that he killed someone, Ramah headed toward his destination.
Ranma entered Genom Tower via the front entrance at eight in the morning, the time when the building was open to the public. He took him his surroundings for a moment. The lobby area was gigantic. The ceiling looked to be around fifty feet high with a row of ten elevators found all the way on the right of the entrance. To the left was a service desk that was currently being manned by a young girl. There weren't all that many people about in the lobby, most of them employees coming in for work. He walked up to the service desk where a young girl with brown hair, probably around her mid-twenties. She smiled warmly at him, "Good morning,"
"If you say so," he replied.
"Um, how can I help you?" she asked. She regarded the rather handsome man in front of her. He looked to be around her age. She wondered why he was there and what business he had with Genom. Ranma said, "I don't know why I'm here. I think I'm here to meet someone,"
"Who would that be?" she asked.
"I am not too sure," he replied.
The girl gave a meek smile, "That kinda makes my job a bit hard. Is there any way you can narrow it down?"
Ranma thought for a moment before saying, "She has brown hair,"
"I have brown hair," she said in a teasing manner. She wondered how he would react. "You're not her," Ranma said, not amused.
She gave a meek laugh but managed to keep her composure and ask, "Is there any way you can be more specific,"
"She is around eight or nine," he said.
"Oh, she's a child. Well, you can find children in the company nursery," she answered, "However, if this girl is eight, she'd most likely be in school, not there,"
Ranma paused for a moment, "There's a nursery in this building?"
"Yes,"
"Take me there," he said, "I want to make sure,"
"Do you work here?" she asked, "I've never seen you here before," She looked at him for a moment. The man seemed rather demanding. Couldn't he at least ask?
He shook his head, "No, I don't work here,"
The girl answered, "I'm sorry, but you're not allowed in the company nursery. Only employees are allowed,"
"Fine, you go there and look for her," he suggested, once again, not in the form of a question.
"No can do," she answered, a bit annoyed with Ranma, "I'm not allowed to leave my station. Besides, like I said, she'd most likely be in school,"
"Fine, I'll go to the school then," he said, turning around to leave.
"Jeez, he could've at least said thanks and goodbye," the girl muttered to herself.
Just as Ranma was leaving, a young looking woman was on her way in. She was a bit late and was a bit out of breath from having ran from the subway station, which was a good two blocks away, all the way here. The both of them ended up bumping into one another. However, the woman had lost her footing and ended up falling backwards, but not before Ranma reached out and grabbed her arm, preventing her from taking a nasty fall. "Um, sorry about that," the woman said.
Ranma regarded her for a moment. He looked at the nametag that was on the lapel of her shirt. It read: 'Lisa Kurinagi'.
The woman named Lisa was also regarding Ranma for a moment. It only took a short time before her eyes widened in recognition.
"Hey, aren't you Ranma?" she asked.
He said, "Yeah, so?"
"I remember you," she said, "You probably don't remember me but I remember you from when I was a little girl,"
"We've met before," Ranma said, a statement, not a question. An image flashed in his mind of this woman wearing a lab coat standing in a room with some high-
tech equipment.
"My name's Lisa," she nodded, "Yes, we've met. But that was a looong time,"
After a moment of awkward silence, Ranma said, "You hit me in the face with a brick,"
"You have good memory," she commented.
He shrugged, "Not as good as you think,"
"I remember it but I don't know all the details," she said, "I think it had something to do with you losing the dojo to two illegitimate daughters that showed up. I don't remember what their names were. It was so long ago-"
"Natsumi and Kurumi," he said without even realizing what he was saying.
"Yeah, anyway, it was during the time when you needed to build up your speed while you were in your cursed form and had us neighborhood kids through bricks at you so you can break them. My brick was the only one that got through. Speaking of curse, did you ever manage to get rid of it?"
He shrugged. He didn't remember anything about a curse nor two illegitimate daughters nor a brick that Lisa had been talking about. At least he could not recall it vividly, like it was his own memory. However, at the moment, like with all his past memories, it felt more like some kind of recollection and not some solid memory.
"So, what brings you here?" she asked, figuring Ranma not answering about his curse meant him not wanting to talk about that subject.
"I'm not too sure," he said.
"Whoa, I just noticed," Lisa said, "Why do you have two different eye colors?"
Ranma didn't bother answering that.
"You're late for work," came a comment that interrupted their tiny conversation.
Lisa and Ranma turned their attention toward where the voice had come from. They ended up resting their gaze on a young looking woman with long flowing purple hair.
"Sorry, Madigan-sama," Lisa gave a meek smile. She then turned toward Ranma, "Well, I got to get going, it was nice seeing you again. Where are you staying? Perhaps we can meet up after I'm done with work,"
Lisa blushed slightly. It sounded as if she was hitting on Ranma.
"I'm not staying anywhere," he replied, "If we bump into each other in the street, then so be it,"
"Um, okay," she gave a smile, "You take care. It was nice seeing you again,"
She left, leaving behind Madigan and Ranma.
"She's always late," Madigan couldn't help but comment. If it weren't for the fact that Lisa was brilliant in her field of autonomous technology, Genom would have fired her a long time ago.
She turned her attention away from Lisa and onto the man she had been talking to. Since she had been paying attention to Lisa the whole time, she hadn't had the chance to see whom the man was. When she saw him and recognized who it was, her eyes widened.
Ranma narrowed his eyes at Madigan as something deep inside of him was telling him that he somehow knew her.
"Um, hello," she gave a slight smile. She couldn't believe Ranma was standing before her. This was the same man that brushed off laser and rocket blasts in the face. "I know you," he said.
"Um, you do? How? I-I don't believe we've ever met," she said. She was sure they've never met.
Another image flashed before him. The images started to come more and more frequently, as if coming around at just the right time. Once again, it was the image of the young brown haired girl he had come here in search of.
"Where is your daughter?" he asked coldly.
Madigan gave Ranma an odd look, "What? What daughter?"
"Where's your daughter?" he repeated.
"I-I don't have a daughter," she said, "What are you talking about?"
She wondered why he had asked something like that. She was young, and by no means had intended to have children anytime soon. Besides, work is more important than family.
He regarded her for several long moments, his gaze piercing. For some odd reason, Madigan found herself transfixed on his eyes, motionless. It was as if she was too afraid to move, as if he knew something about her that not even she knew about.
"You have a daughter named Jun," Ranma said, "I want to see her,"
"I don't have a daughter," Madigan said, composing herself, "You must be mistakening me for someone else,"
"Where is your husband, Carper?" he asked.
"C-C-Carper? M-my husband?" she gasped, blushing a deep shade of red.
Ranma paused for a moment, seemingly in deep contemplation. Madigan, whom had been caught off guard by what Ranma had asked, her husband being her assistant Carper, was able to compose herself once again. "Who are you? Why are you here?" she asked.
"My name is Ranma," he said, "Like I said, I'm here to see Jun,"
After a little longer, Ranma looked as if he finally realized something.
"You and Carper hadn't had a daughter yet," he commented, more to himself than anyone.
Without saying anything, Ranma turned around and left, leaving Madigan standing where she was, totally confused.
"What the hell just happened?"
Ranma didn't take more than a few steps out the front entrance before four burly guys approached him from behind.
"Sir, we would like you to come with us," one of them said.
Ranma turned around to face the man. The man stood a good two feet taller than him and probably weighed about a hundred pounds more. Little did Ranma know that they were all boomers disguised as humans.
"That's too bad because I have no intention of coming with you," he replied coldly.
He turned around and started walking away but was stopped when a hand gripped his right shoulder and squeezed. Any normal human would easily succumb to the pain being inflicted by the squeezing hand. However, Ranma wasn't some normal human.
"I'm sorry, but that is not an option," the boomer said, voice sounding very menacing.
Ranma turned around and slapped the hand away and scowled at the boomer, "Don't touch me,"
"Looks like it's going to be the hard way," the boomer sneered.
The three other boomers quickly surrounded him, one on each flank and one behind him. The boomer in front said, "This is your final chance. You're not going to like it if we use force on you. I suggest you come peacefully,"
"No," he said, "Now if you don't want to get hurt, move,"
The boomer to the front punched Ranma right in the stomach expecting the blow to knock him out. However, nothing like that happened. Ranma's feet left the ground a few inches from the impact of the blow. His back ended up bumping against the chest of the boomer standing right behind him before he landed on his feet again.
"You fuck! That's it!" he sneered, baring his teeth.
He reached a hand out and grabbed the boomer by the neck, only lifting it up off the ground an inch due to the boomer's height. The boomer's face seemed to show that of surprise, not only from having seen Ranma withstand a perfectly executed punch meant to incapacitate, but from now realizing its target had just grabbed it and lifted it off the ground.
As Ranma held the boomer, a devastatingly powerful punch struck him in the back of the head. The moment Ranma had initiated an attack toward one of its brethren, the boomers went into aggressive mode, intending to incapacitate their target in any way possible, even if that meant death. That was one of Genom's problems with boomer AI. Boomers tend to be too aggressive, seriously maiming or perhaps killing targets they were supposed to retrieve unharmed if the target was ever uncooperative.
Ranma ignored the blows raining down on the back of his head. He cocked his arm back and punched the boomer he was holding right in the face, collapsing its exoskeletal skull right in, destroying the central processing unit found in the head. The boomer twitched a few times in Ranma's grip before it ceased functioning.
"What the?" Ranma said, still holding the boomer as he looked down at his hand. There was this oily substance on it where there should be blood.
He didn't dwell on it for a long before he dismissed it. He used his free hand and grabbed the nonfunctioning boomer by one of its legs. He turned around and swung the boomer around by the leg like a rag doll, using it as a weapon, and struck the boomer that had been behind him. When the boomer slammed against boomer, a loud clang could be heard. Both boomers seemed to shattered into millions of tiny pieces, the only thing left intact being a portion of the leg from the knee down still in Ranma's hand.
Ranma paused for a moment, a bit surprised at the sight of seeing tiny bits of circuitry all over the place. However, he didn't have much time to himself for he was struck in the side of the head by one of the flanking boomers by a rocket.
The flanking boomers, having realized what was happening, had shed their skin exterior and reverted to their boomer mode, expanding into menacing robots that stood a good ten feet tall. While in boomer mode, it had access to its weapon system, consisting of a long range laser cannon situated in both hands and a rocket launcher which was situated in one of its forearms.
The explosion sent Ranma flying sideways where he ended up crashing through the front entrance of Genom Tower where he ended up sliding across the length of the lobby and slamming to a stop against the wall on the other end. Ranma got up to his feet, completely unscathed. However, he had an angered look on his face. He was still gripping a portion of the boomer leg in his hand. The lobby was full of people just staring at him. A second ago, they had heard a loud explosion. Before they had a chance to find out what it was, they caught the sight of Ranma crashing through he front entrance and sliding across the lobby where he crashed against the wall.
Ranma proceeded to dust the debris from his clothes. He was going to make those things, whatever they were, suffer horribly. He glanced toward the side where he saw Madigan a good distance away. There was this shocked look on her face.
"You! You sent them after me!" he sneered.
He looked down at his hand where he was still holding the object.
He attempted to throw the leg in Madigan's direction, intending to hit and kill her with it. However, before he hand a chance to cast the projectile toward Madigan, he was struck in the face by another rocket, propelled backwards into the wall with such force that he ended up crashing through it and onto an office located on the other side. Luckily, no one was in the room at the time, the occupant having left to investigate the loud noise he had heard earlier when Ranma had been struck by that first rocket.
Ranma had lost his hold of the object for he had released his grip when he tried to throw it. As he climb out through the opening, the two gigantic boomers entered the lobby via front entrance. By now, everyone was scrambling for cover. An alarm had been set off and dozen of disguised boomers were on their way down toward the lobby.
"Stop!" Madigan called out toward the two entering boomers. She tried to get in their way but they just ignored her, walking right by. Ranma sneered at the two incoming boomers, "You're going to pay for that a hundred fold!"
He took one step out of the hole before he was struck a third time in the face with a rocket. The blast ended up sending him flying backwards out through the door of the room right behind him where he crashed into the wall on the other side of the hallway and crashed through that as well.
Madigan watched as one of the boomers made its way up to the opening and point both arms through it. A second later, a huge amount of debris and dust filtered through the opening as the boomer opened fire.
It continued to open fire until it was empty of its ammunition. From there, it stepped aside where the boomer behind it walked up to the opening and did the same as the one previously, emptying its ammunition too.
The moment the last of its bullets were spent, Madigan saw an arm shoot out from the opening and grab one of the boomer's extended arm. It didn't take her long to realize that it was Ranma's.
Ranma smirked as he stepped from the opening, holding one of the boomer's arms. Except that there was some debris on his clothes, he looked perfectly fine.
"Now it's my turn!" he said. He didn't get a chance to attack for the boomer used his free arm to punch Ranma right in the face. It had just so much force behind the attack that its fist shattered all the way up to its elbow.
Ranma was hit so hard that he was hit further into the building, crashing through yet another wall. Ranma's grip was powerful, so powerful that he had no let go when he was blown backwards. The arm of the boomer he was holding ended up being torn right from its shoulder. Since it felt no pain, it pressed on, going through the opening and walking up to where Ranma was as he proceed to get back up to his feet.
With two non functioning arms, the boomer attempted to kick Ranma.
"Enough!" Ranma sneered, a bright blue aura forming around him. He stood up where he was as the boomer kicked him. However, unlike the usual case where he got struck, he did not move. It was as if he suddenly became an immoveable object.
The boomer's foot struck Ranma and broke apart at the knee, the boomer falling forward and crashing into Ranma, but not before Ranma punched the falling boomer in the head, blowing its head clean off its shoulders.
The boomer twitched several moments as it lay on its stomach in front of Ranma's feet before it ceased functioning. Ranma wasn't finished.
He raised his foot and brought it down on the boomer's back with vicious velocity, shattering right through it where his foot ended up becoming embedded on the floor it was lying on. He pulled his foot back up and out and then brought it back down, further destroying the boomer, repeating the process over a dozen times before he was interrupted when he glanced up and saw the second boomer charging at him, its arm cocked backwards.
Ranma didn't so much as flinch as the punch struck his face. It only took a moment for the boomer to realize its attack had been useless for it notices that its hand had been shattered into tiny pieces.
It cocked it other arm back and punched at Ranma in the face, that hand shattering as well. When it realized that it no longer had functioning arms, it glance up just long enough to see Ranma's incoming punch as his fist struck into its chest and out through the back.
Ranma, with the boomer still standing upright in front of him, raised one of his legs and kicked forward, sending the boomer flying bodily backwards through the opening where it flew across the lobby and out the front entrance and slid to a halt in the middle of the street where it was stuck by a passing truck.
As if on a mission, Ranma turned his attention back onto the boomer by his feet. He raised his feet and proceeded to stomp on the pile of metal over and over again, not even caring that it was no longer necessary.
"Fucking boomers!" Ranma sneered as the subconscious of his former self surfaced momentarily, "I'll kill you!"
He extended both arms downward toward the pile of metal, his aura growing even righter and more brilliant, the shadows of the objects in the room flickering violently.
Without even knowing how he did so, a massive ki-blast about two meters in diameter shot from hands. It was unlike a ki-blast that his former self used, the Mouko Takabisha, for conjuring something like that required a emotion of confidence. It was neither similar to that of a Shi Shi Hakodan for it required the emotion of depression. What erupted from Ranma's was in the form of energy unlike anything seen or felt before. The ki-blast never exploded for it continued to travel in a downward angle, consuming everything in its path. Its heat was beyond that of a billion suns, even subatomic particles able to stand the heat.
Unfortunately for Ranma, he had shot the blast down toward his feet for he ended up falling downward with the projectile. It a way, it seemed as if he was riding downward on top of the ki-blast as it melted through sub floor after sub floor, eventually melting through the bottom-most foundations of Genom Tower and into the terra firma below it. It continued on traveling in a downward angle where it ended up making its way to even the secret underground manufactory situated deeply below Genom Tower.
When the ki-blast blew through the mile-high ceiling of the underground manufactory, Ranma fell all the way down to the floor far far below. The ki-
blast continued its decent, eventually continuing its journey even after it reached the floor. Because Ranma had fired the blast off at a slight angle toward his feet, fell straight down from the ceiling to the floor while the ki-
blast continued its slightly angle past, ending up ground through the floor a short distance in front of where Ranma had landed.
Because of Ranma's actions, a small part of the Earth was destroyed that day for the blast continued on its path, eventually passing right through the entire planet. To the people that was on the other side of the planet that would see as the projectile's exit, it would look like a glowing object had shot upward toward the sky from the ground, eventually disappearing beyond the clouds high above, continuing to travel forward for all of infinitely, never wavering nor diminishing in strength over time.
If it weren't for the fact at the human eye had a threshold for vision, that being approximately the light from a candle stick from over thirty miles away, a person looking down into the hole would be able to see the other side of the planet.
Ranma got up to his feet and dusted himself off. He tired to look around to survey his surroundings. To any normal human, provided they survived the high-
long free fall, they would be unable to gather in their surroundings for it was pitch black. However, it didn't seem to bother Ranma one bit at all. It was as if the need for sight was a human weakness and he was beyond it. How he was to see in the dark was undetermined.
He looked around and noticed that he seemed to be in some kind of gigantic underground city that seemed to be a mile in diameter width with a dome-like ceiling a mile high. In a way, the room seemed shaped to looked like an upside down bowl.
"GeoFront?" he asked himself, saying a word unfamiliar to him. He dismissed want he said to look around some more.
It didn't take him long to notice buildings located all about. However, he seemed to show no sign of caring.
Since he didn't wish to be there, he figured it was best that he find a way out and headed in a random direction. Since there was no way he could get to the hole in the ceiling up above, he would have to find another way. First, he would look for some kind of opening by the outskirts of this city. Although it would probably take several hours to walk to the edge of the city and around the perimeter by the walls, it didn't seem to bother him one bit at all.
If he didn't find some way out, he would make his way out by force, smashing in one of the wall and slowly dig his way in upward fashion until he eventually reached the surface.
He didn't managed to take a dozen steps before a missile struck him in the side of the head, sending him flying sideways and crashing into and through one of walls of the buildings.
"This is starting to really annoy me," Ranma muttered to himself, getting back up to his feet.
He looked around and noticed huge rows of what looked like robots lined up in a neat fashion down the length of the building. I must be in some kind of warehouse, Ranma thought to himself.
As if having already forgotten that he had just been struck with a missile, he walked up to one of the robots. The robots all looked exactly the same and that of the ones he had encountered a short while and were all without heads.
His attention was immediately distracted from what he was looking at when he was hit in the back by yet another missile. He ended up being sent flying forward and into the line of robots, crashing through three rows of them before coming to a halt.
Once again, Ranma got back up to his feet.
He looked toward where the projectile had come from, which was the opening in the side of the building. Standing there was a boomer that looked exactly like the ones in the warehouse and the ones he had fought a minute ago.
"Enough!" Ranma sneered, with a wave of the hand, as if he were backslapping the air in front of him.
A massive curved projectile shot forward from the arc of his arm, traveling forward where it hit the boomer standing by the opening. It continued traveling forward, tearing it apart, destroying the entire side of the building and destroying the dozen boomers waiting on the other side of the building wall.
The projectile continued ripping through building after building until if finally subsided for it was unlike that of Ranma's ki-blast. This projectile had merely consisted of a change in the air pressure Ranma had caused when he moved his arm quickly through the air.
All the boomers were easily destroyed. However, there were more on the way. But in the meantime, it gave Ranma some time to think to himself.
He looked down at his hand. He wondered exactly how he did that. It was as if the more he used his power, the more and more evident he became aware of it. He knew he had powers, but for the first time, he was starting to believe that there was perhaps some way of controlling it. For instance, when he was tired of being blown through the air, he had told himself that he didn't want that to happen anymore. Was that what made him temporarily become and immoveable object?
"Hmph," he let out a snort, dismissing the thought. It that were true, then why was he still getting struck and blown through the air like a rag doll? Not once had it crossed his mind that he had to power to prevent such a thing except he merely lacked the knowledge of how to use it, more so, the memories required to use it.
He stepped out to out of the building and into the 'street'. It wasn't so much as a street where cars traveled down but more along the lines of an alleyway-
like opening between buildings. He looked at the carnage all around him. There were metal parts mixed with the stone of the building walls. Considering the damage all about, he had no idea just how many of those boomers he had just destroyed. Once again, it wasn't as if he really cared.
Remembering that he was looking for a way out, he heading in a random direction, knowing that if he continued heading in that direction, he would eventually reach the outskirts of that city.
He managed to walk about two 'blocks' before he was attacked by another battalion of boomers, this group a bit different, seemingly more advanced. The group seemed to have superior firepower over that of the last group. Despite this, Ranma easily disposed of them.
"How many more battles must I go through before I get out of here?" he muttered in annoyance.
Carper was walking down the street when he noticed several AD Police cars and an ambulance parked in front of the front entrance of Genom Tower. It seemed he had arrived at just at the right time. He walked up to one of the officers, "What happened, officer?" "Seems two of the boomers went berserk inside Genom Tower," the officer said, jerking a thumb over his shoulder toward a heap of metal scattered across the street, "Witnesses say they saw a boomer flying out right through the front entrance and into oncoming traffic where it was hit by that truck over there. The driver seems to be in stable condition and was just put in the ambulance,"
"Thank you," Carper said.
He slowly made his way past the crowd of people that was gathered around the front entrance. He had no problem from the AD Police in entering the building for no one had been hurt so the area hadn't been sealed off. Once inside, he headed straight for Madigan's office. It took him a good five minutes before he was in front of her office. He noticed the door was open so he peeked in. Inside, Madigan was pacing back and forth behind her desk, talking to a monitor screen.
"Just do whatever you can and dispose of him!" she told operative seen on the screen, "He is causing an obscene amount of damage down in the manufactory and we need him stopped immediately,"
"What's going on?" Carper asked, knocking on the door as he leaned against the doorjamb.
Madigan looked up and saw Carper. For a brief moment, she forgot what she was doing as that comment Ranma had made earlier entered her mind, that being Carper being her husband.
She looked at him for a moment. She and him being married? That had never crossed her mind. She never even once thought of him as a potential husband. He was her assistant, afterall. But then again, they have met and talked outside the office before. He was a really nice guy and pretty handsome to boot.
"Something the matter? Why're you blushing?" he asked, oblivious to the thoughts running through Madigan's mind. Madigan quickly composed herself, clearing her throat, getting right down to business, "It's good that you're here. We have an incident,"
"What kind of incident?" he asked curiously, a bit eager.
"I'm sure you saw the damage to the front entrance as well as the hole in one of the walls in the lobby," Madigan commented.
He nodded, "Uh huh,"
"Remember that person that survived being hit with an explosive shell in the face that we had under surveillance?" Madigan said, "We'll he showed up here this morning,"
"W-what?" Carper's eyes widened in disbelief, "Why?"
"I really don't know. He said he was looking for a little girl named Jun," Madigan said. She blushed slightly as she remembered Ranma mentioning exactly whose daughter this little girl belong to. However, she didn't bother to mention that to him.
"A little girl named Jun?" Carper asked, "Why her? Why here?"
Madigan shrugged, "I'm not too sure. However, since I knew who he was, I wanted to ask him a few questions and asked that he be taken in. Well, he was uncooperative, one thing led to another, and eventually, our boomers started attacking him and he reciprocated,"
"H-he fought back?" Carper gulped. He shuddered at the thought of what could that mean.
"He fought off four of our boomers with his bare hands," she said, "And not only that, but during the fight, he somehow blew a hole through the bottom of the building and fell through...all the way down to the manufactory below this building,"
"Shouldn't we block off the area? We wouldn't want people snooping around," Carper said.
"It's already been taken care of," she said, "Anyway, I have a task for you,"
"What is it?" he asked.
"The person told me his name," she said, "He said his name was Ranma. I want you to do a search on that name and see what you come up with. In the meanwhile, I need to get this situation fixed and fast," She pinched the bridge of his nose, "Sometimes, I wouldn't mind having a more relaxing job. It if isn't the Knight Sabers I have to deal with, it's this stuff, which is a thousand times worse,"
She sighed and she sat down in her chair.
She looked up and noticed Carper still standing there regarding her. He was wondering if she wanted him to stay. Perhaps she needed his company since she seemed to be under quite a bit of stress right now.
"What are you waiting for, get going," she said, blushing slightly.
"Right,"
"Wake up, sleepyhead," Shinji heard a sexy-sounding voice.
Shinji slowly opened his eyes, the light from the window causing him to shield them with his hand. He was in a hotel room. Urd was standing at the foot of his bed, a smirk on her face. "What time is it?" he asked sleepily.
"It's nine," Urd said, "You should have been up a couple of hours already,"
He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, "I know, it's just that considering how late I went to sleep..."
Shinji hadn't gotten to sleep until close to four in the morning. He and Urd had spent the past few days in search of the Lance of Longinus, much to no avail. Urd, not needing sleep, had continued on with her search.
It seemed Skuld's job of hiding the weapon was done a little too well for not even Urd had been able to find her. She couldn't even sense her, leading Urd to believe that her sister had create some kind of device to mask her presence in this world.
Urd was basically in the same situation as the Angels that was more likely already in the area by now, not knowing where the Lance was and merely going about search high and low for it. Luckily for her, she had grown more patient over the many decades and knew that patience was what was needed most in a situation like this.
Up to this point, Shinji's presence would seem more like a hindrance to someone like Urd, yet for some odd reason, she seemed to find it more comforting that he was around. A few times, he had asked why she would ever pause in her search to escort him to a nearby hotel and also pick him up from said hotel, but she had never really given him a clear answer, telling him that he is more useful than he cared to believe.
He sat upright, the blanket falling down to his waist. Because he slept shirtless, Urd got a good look at Shinji's naked upper body. Although no where near along the same build as that of Ranma's, Urd had to admit that Shinji was pretty well built. This was due to him doing martial arts and constantly training.
"I'll meet you downstairs in the lobby in half an hour," she said, "That should give you enough time to shower and get ready,"
"Okay," he said.
A half hour later, Shinji entered the lobby where he saw Urd sitting on a couch, two guys standing nearby and talking to her.
"Oh, Shinji, there you are," Urd said, getting up off the couch, "There you are. You're late. I've been waiting for what feels like forever for you,"
Shinji looked at his watch. She had said a half an hour. He was early. He was about to make that comment when he noticed this desperate look she shot him. Urd walked up to Shinji and placed an arm around his.
The two guys, realizing the beautiful woman taken, left her and Shinji alone.
"Now I know why you want me around," Shinji said, "You just want me to ask as a buffer to keep away all the guys from hitting on you,"
"That too," she smirked. She sighed, "How does Ranma do it? How does he deal with so many people of the opposite sex hitting on him? It's ridiculous,"
Shinji shrugged, "Why're you asking me? I wouldn't know how it feels,"
"Just give it some time," Urd said.
He gave her an odd look, "Huh?"
"Don't worry about it," she smirked, "Anyway, while I was waiting for you, I started thinking and I think I have an idea of how to find the Lance. I don't know why I didn't think of this earlier,"
"What is it? How can we make our job easier?" he asked curiously.
"Rather than use going around trying to find Skuld," she started, "we can have her find us. We can put up signs indicating that we are in the area looking for her. All she knew was that she stay put and keep the Lance safe. However, she had no idea exactly when we would be showing up. For all we know, she could think we have yet to arrive,"
"What do you mean by signs? Like in putting up posters throughout the town?" he asked.
Urd laughed a bit before saying, "No, not signs like that. I'm talking about the other kind of signs, something out of the ordinary, like making it snow during the summer, or something that would clearly stand out that would make her realize that it was us,"
"That does sound like a good idea, but what's to make the Angels from doing that? What if they do and Skuld comes out thinking that they're actually us?"
"I've got that covered," she replied, "I can control lightning. I'll just create a spectacle using lightning. She'll know that I'm the one creating it and come out,"
"So what are you going to do with lightning?" he had to ask.
"Something simple, like a pure lightning storm," she replied.
"What's so unique about that? I'm sure this world has lightning storms," he commented.
She nodded, "Yes, but I create one from a single cloud. Surely that's unnatural. She's bound to realize that it was my doing and to come out when she does,"
"I guess so," he said.
"In the meanwhile, I think you should check up on Ranma and see what he's been up to," she suggested, "It's been a few days. Even though he's probably fine, we should make sure. If all goes according to his previous life, then that means Ranma has met the Ryoga of this world and is probably somewhere in Genom Tower-"
"The giant tower?"
She nodded, "Yes, that giant tower. He should have come in contact with the Ryoga of this world and together should now be in Genom Tower creating havoc,"
"Creating havoc? Whatever for?" he asked, "And how would you know that?"
She smirked, "Well, after I got to know Ranma, I became very intrigued with the course of his life. From what I remember, he and Ryoga went there to steal money from there to pay for damages they made to a hospital,"
"Ranma, steal money? That doesn't sound like something the Ranma I know, nor this Ranma would do," he commented.
"Ranma's no saint," Urd smirked, "He's got a good head on his shoulders, but he definitely isn't one of those ideal 'good guys' you read about in comic books and see in movies. Anyway, you can choose to go to Genom Tower and meet him there, or head toward Sylia's penthouse and wait for them to get back there after they get the money. However, I must warn you, either option is bound to get pretty hairy since Ranma'll be on the run from these things called 'boomers', all of them intent on killing him. We don't want you getting caught in the cross fire or nothing. I think you should go to Genom since it'll most likely be not as dangerous since he caught them off guard," "I think I'll go to Genom Tower anyway," he said, "I don't know where Sylia's apartment is on this world. Anyway, what should I do after I find him?"
"Just keep an eye on him," she said, "And meet up with me back here at this hotel,"
"When?" he asked.
"Two hours should be fine," she said, "However, just do me the favor and make sure you show up no later,"
"Why no later?"
She said, "If Skuld does notice the signs, then so will the Angels. That will mean they will also be coming out as well Skuld. I'm going to need you to be there,"
"M-me?" Shinji had this shocked look on his face, "Why would you need me to be there? I'll be useless there. How the heck can I, myself, help you out against Angels? Saotome-san had trouble defeating Angels, and I'm not even a fraction as good as him,"
She smiled, "Don't worry, you're more useful than you believe,"
Skuld stared out the window and sighed of her temporary apartment. She was bored. Although she was in charge of carrying out the all-important task of keeping the Lance of Longinus safe, there was nothing much to it. She had been on this world for close to a month, nothing eventful ever having happened. She should be glad of that.
She glanced toward the corner of the room where the Lance of Longinus lay resting against a wall. In the middle of the room there was this odd-looking spherical device. That happened to be the device developed by Skuld that helped masked her presence in this world, making it much much hard for her to be found.
She glanced back out the window and sighed again. She had reason to believe that Ranma had finally arrived back in Japan after his decades-long training trip and had wanted to actually go meet him. She was curious if the former life of the man that eventually became God was as adventurous and epic as Urd had mentioned. Urd, having became intrigued by Ranma when he arrived in heaven, had learned all there was about him, eventually coming to know almost everything there was to his past, from the day he lost his friends and family in the 'Nerima Massacre' and all the way up to his ascent to divinity.
Skuld laughed a bit. Intrigued with Ranma Urd says. If that was the word used to describe Urd's fascination with him, then so be it. Skuld knew otherwise. Although she barely knew the real Ranma, she understood what Urd saw in him. He was a very easy person to get along with. With plenty of time to think for herself, she wondered if she, like Urd, had a crush on the real Ranma. "Nah," she said, "I didn't know him long enough,"
She wondered how her sister felt about this Ranma. Sure he was a totally different person, but in essence he was still the Ranma he used to be.
She thought about it for a moment, wondering how in the name of heaven the Ranma she was now trying to protect had anything in common, save for his looks, with the Ranma she only briefly knew. I wonder what he's doing now, she thought of Ranma, unaware that this world's Ranma had been replaced with the one she was supposed to help. Had she known, she would had immediately came out of hiding and contacted him, giving him the weapon, knowing that once it was in his possession, no Angel will ever be able to get it away from him. And by the time his memories returned, he would then use his powers to destroy the Lance, ridding any chance that he would ever be killed.
From where she sitting, she was able to see Genom Tower clearly from the window. She was around three blocks away, the location giving her a good view of the action that would soon occur. If she remembered correctly, Ranma had once told her that he attacked Genom Tower, that he had once shoved his friends out of a high-story window in an attempt to escape a fiery death. She happened to glance toward the street down below and see Shinji's back as he could be seen getting smaller and smaller as he headed toward Genom Tower. Had Skuld known Shinji and knew what he looked like, she would had most likely done something different like actually gone after him. Instead, she stayed where she was, wondering why that young man was in such a rush in that general direction.
Shinji ran toward Genom Tower. As he ran, he started realizing just how great his training was. Back then, he would tire after running a short distance. Nowadays, it felt as if he could run an entire marathon without even getting winded. It made him a bit shocked at just how fit he was. It also made him wonder if Ranma had been in good as shape when he was Shinji's age.
"Most likely ten times better," he said to himself, a bit surprised that he would even compare himself to someone of Ranma's abilities, "What the heck am I thinking. Ranma swam across the ocean all the way to China when he was younger than me,"
He wondered how Ranma became so physically fit. It was inhuman. And to think of how powerful this other Ranma was he didn't want to even begin to comprehend. He wondered who was how powerful.
He already knew this Ranma was by far the most powerful, but he had no idea who would be second and third and so on. He believed Ryoga, Urd, and Luna were probably all equally as powerful. But then again, one might be more powerful than the other. A strong dog never doesn't need to bark was a saying Ranma used to say, indicating that as the more powerful a person gets, the less likely they would flaunt it. All three of them never flaunted their powers, indicating that they were probably a lot more powerful than he had yet to have ever seen.
Lina would probably be after then, he figured, followed by Emiko and then probably everyone else since everyone after them seems to be considered normal human beings. "Hm, I wonder where I would be among them," he asked himself. He and Asuka were actually about equal to one another, him perhaps having a bit of and edge simply because he had more strength. However, Asuka had better technique.
Too busy thinking to himself, Shinji hadn't really bothered paying attention to what was in front of him for he ended up slamming into the back on a tall young man.
"Hey, watch where you're going," the guy said at him. He was with his two buddies and didn't want to show off a bit.
"Sorry," Shinji said, "I didn't mean it,"
"Fine, now fuck off," the guy said.
Shinji was about to turn head off when he heard what the guy said. That was definitely uncalled for. He glared a bit at the guy, noticing that he seemed to be a good five inches taller and probably thirty pounds heavier.
"That was uncalled for," he commented, regarding the guy as well as his two buddies for a moment. His gaze never wavered as the three of them glared at him.
"You got a problem?" the guy sneered.
The old Shinji would've probably had apologized once again and ran off, his tail between his legs. Heck, the old him wouldn't had even had the guts to say that that comment had been uncalled for. However, he was not quite the same Shinji he used to be. He had been trained well by Ranma. There was a self-
confidence to him that never existed before he had met Ranma.
"No, I have no problem with you. I'm sorry. I'll be off now," Shinji said, bowing once again, gritting his teeth.
He turned around and headed down the street, sorely tempted to knock the guy out when the guy had added, "Yeah, you better run off, you pussy," Shinji continued his run, a bit annoyed. He didn't understand why he backed down. He didn't understand how Ranma could so easily walk away from something like that and not do anything about it.
"Fight only if it's for self-defense," he remembered Ranma lecturing him once. It was a time when Shinji had come home, a big grin on his face, and had told Ranma that he had just been in a fight and beat the guy down easily. When Ranma had found it that it wasn't really in self-defense but rather as a show of intolerance to being looked down up, he got annoyed.
Shinji took several deep breaths, calming himself down.
"I'm better than that," he told himself, "I don't need to stoop to their level,"
He continued on running until he made it up to the now dispersing crowd that was in front of the entrance to Genom Tower. As he ran the length of those few city blocks, not once did he need to pause to catch his breath.
It only took him a moment to notice that there was some rather heavy damage done to the entrance.
"Hm, I wonder what happened," he asked himself. After a moment, he smirked, "This must be the Ranma's doing. He must be inside right now creating a huge mess of things,"
new stuff
Priss, Sylia, and Linna raced toward Genom Tower. Nene was not with them for she was at work. She was supposed to have the day off but for some odd reason, she had to work. From there, she had contacted Sylia of a incident that had occurred in front of Genom Tower a short time ago.
The three females arrived a block away where they emerged from Sylia's car undetected and made their way to Genom Tower. They had wanted to get a better look at what had happened and figured going in civilian attire posing as curious pedestrians would do the trick.
They arrived just in time to see an ambulance pulling away from scene. "Probably for the truck driver," Linna commented, noticing the badly damaged truck.
The other two nodded in agreement.
By now, the crowd that was once there was starting to disperse. This allowed for the three of them a good view of the situations.
"Front entrance is badly damaged," Sylia commented, "And if you look at how the double doors are hanging, you can tell something crashed into it from the inside,"
Priss jerked a thumb toward a pile of debris located nearby the truck, "Probably that boomer over there, or at least what remains of it,"
As the three of them tried to figure out exactly what had happened, they heard a voice.
"Sylia, Linna, Priss, what are you doing here?" they heard a voice.
The three of them turned toward the voice and found themselves regarding a young looking man with short brown hair. He looked to be in his late teens and wore a white shirt and dark pants. "Excuse me?" Sylia asked.
"What are you doing here? Came to check up on Ranma also?" he asked.
"Ranma's in there?" Sylia said. She regarded the young man for a bit longer. She didn't recognize him yet for some reason, his eyes seemed to indicate that he recognized her.
"Yeah," he nodded, "And in a short time from now, he should be popping out of there and heading toward the penthouse of your other self. That's what he's supposed to do that is,"
"What are you talking about?" Sylia asked, "Do I know you?"
It only took a moment to realize something, "You don't know me, do you?"
"I don't think so," she replied, "And how do you know of Ranma? What's your relation with him?"
Damn, they must be the Sylia, Priss, and Linna of this world, Shinji thought. It totally slipped my mind. But how could it be? If this takes place over ten years before I met them, then why do they look like they're the same age?
He leaned forward a bit and narrowed his eyes slightly, looking at Sylia intently.
Wait, there is a difference. Sylia here looks a bit younger. Man, if the Sylia I know is over ten years older than this one, I wonder how she manages to stay looking so young?
When he realized what he was doing, he gave a meek smile, "I'm sorry. I'm mistaken. We don't know each other. I thought you were someone else,"
"I don't think so, kid, I heard you call out our names," Priss narrowed her eyes at him, "How do you know our names?"
"Um," Shinji tried to think of something. When he could come up with nothing, he realized that he should get away from there as fast as possible, "Sorry, but I gotta run. Bye,"
Shinji tried to make a dash for it but was stopped when Priss seized one of his arms.
"Hold it right there," she said in a loud voice.
As if on instinct, Shinji flicked his wrist, breaking free from Priss' taut grip with no effort. Once free, he made a break for it, running away from them.
Priss was the first to respond and quickly gave chase. She followed closely behind but slowly found herself lagging behind for Shinji not only ran faster, but his pace seemed to never diminish.
"Goddamnit!" she swore to herself, "How the hell can I not keep up?"
As she continued to run, she found herself getting angry at herself. She knew she was in excellent condition yet for some reason, she could not catch that boy. Even if that boy was some kind of all-star track athlete, she should be able to catch him easily. She ran in hardsuits before and that required a lot more effort than running without. What the heck gives?
Shinji ran for a good four blocks before he dared to slow down and check behind him to see if Priss was still following behind. The moment he turned around, his feet tripped over something. He ended up tumbling a good few meters before managing to right himself and get back onto his feet. Had he not been trained so well, his fall would have hurt him considerably. However, he had managed to tuck himself and do a roll and get back up. He managed to escape that fall with only a few scrapes on his hands and knees. Knowing that he was not that clumsy, he looked over at what he had tripped over. It was the extended leg of the punk that he had bumped into earlier.
"Hey," Shinji said, almost sneering, "You did that on purpose!"
"Maybe I did, maybe I didn't," the punk smirked. Several of his friends stood by. After a moment, all of them burst out laughing.
"So whatcha gonna do about it?" the punk said.
Shinji glanced past the group of laughing people where he saw Priss still running toward him. It seems she hadn't given up.
"I'm sorry, Ranma, but I can't let something like that slide," Shinji said to himself, "Even if you can, I can't. Please forgive my lack of discipline,"
"You're going to pay for that!" Shinji shouted at the punk. He ran toward the punk and did a open palm strike right in the guy's midsection before he had a chance to react.
The punk's face turned purple before he suddenly keeled forward, unconscious.
"I-I did it," Shinji said, shocked, "I-I actually did it,"
He was suddenly hit on the side of the face as one of the punk's friend, having seen what had happened, wanted to give that kid some payback.
The punch was square and true, but Shinji had instinctively moved his body in the direction of the punch as it connected with his head, making the impact less damaging. However, it was still hard enough that it was going to leave a bruise.
Shinji rubbed as his face. He turned toward the guy. He then looked down the street as Priss got closer and closer.
I need more discipline, Shinji told himself.
He did a quick side kick, kicking the guy right in the midsection, knocking the wind out of him, sending him keeling forward gasping for air. Before he brought his foot all the way back and onto the ground, Shinji saw the guy next to him step forward, he pivoted on his standing foot and brought the extended leg up and around, hitting the guy in the side of the head with his heel.
The guy ended up spiraling through the air where he landed a short distance away, clutching at his head.
Shinji couldn't help but smirk. Damn, that felt good.
He looked at the three remaining guys, all of them just staring at him, in shock of having seen three of their friends incapacitated by one person in a matter of a second. However, after a moment, they finally realized what had happened and also attempted to attack Shinji.
Shinji easily knocked out the first two with well aimed open palm strike before he was punched in the side of the head by the remaining third. Rather than hurt him, that seemed to merely anger him for he ended up punching the guy with quite a bit of force, so much for that the guy ended up slamming against the front side of one of the cars parked next to the sidewalk.
Unfortunately, Shinji not only didn't know his own strength, but had also seemed to have subconsciously put a bit of his ki into the attack for the unconscious guy ended up flipping over the hood of the car and into the street. Shinji, realizing that the guy could be killed by a passing car, he quickly ran around the parked car and grabbed the guy, dragging him back onto the sidewalk.
"How did I do that?" Shinji asked himself, referring to the powerful attack he had just done. He didn't get a chance to think about it long before he felt someone tackle him from the side.
Priss slammed into Shinji with a bit too much force than she had originally intended. The impact had even knocked the wind out of her. She and he tumbled a short distance on the ground before she suddenly found herself lying on her back, Shinji sitting on her stomach in a mounted position.
Shinji, having been tackled from on the side, had subconscious put on of Ranma's techniques to use and used his assailant's momentum to bring her completely over him where he ended up on top of her.
"It works," Shinji was shocked. He looked down and suddenly noticed that it was Priss. What was even worse was that he realized that he had both of his hands on her breasts.
Shinji blushed a deep shade of red. Oh man, what would Ranma do in a situation like that? I know, he'd give them one good squeeze since he's knows he's going to be slapped so he figured he'd might as well enjoy the moment! Wait! I can't do that!
"You bastard!" Priss sneered as she punched Shinji hard in the side of the face.
Shinji ended up falling sideways off and hitting his head against the side of the car where that guy had flipped over. He quickly got up to his feet, holding his hands in front of him as he took tentative steps back.
"Priss, I can explain, I didn't mean it," he gave a meek smile.
Priss, getting back to her feet, fuming from having been groped by such a pervert, punched at Shinji once again.
Shinji swayed backwards, avoiding the punch. However, Priss had been too angry to realize not to attempt such a wild swing for she had expected to hit him. Instead, when she missed, her forward momentum brought her falling forward right into Shinji, her head pressed against his chest, her breasts landing right in his hands for he had attempted to catch her. As she was in that position for a brief moment, she could hear Shinji's heart rate skyrocket.
I'm dead, Shinji thought to himself. I better not move and just let her beat the crap out of me or I'll be in a world of hurt if I don't. God, this is going to hurt.
Priss, fuming red, got back to her feet. She cocked her arm back and brought it forward with vicious force, hitting Shinji right in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. As he leaned forward, she brought her leg up and down on his back in a wicked ax kick, causing him to fall forward and slamming into the ground with thunderous force.
"Hmph!" she sneered.
She looked down at Shinji, knowing that she had knocked him unconscious. She should had went easy on him. It wasn't really his fault. Perhaps she had overreacted.
"I'm sorry," he said.
Priss gasped. He was still conscious. That first punch to the stomach could have easily knocked out anyone. How was this possible?
He got up so that he was on his hands and knees in a begging position.
"I didn't mean it," he said.
"Who are you?" she asked, figuring she should get to the point, "How do you know our name?"
As she was asking the question, the ground below her rumbled.
"What the?" she said, looking down at her feet.
Suddenly, the ground opened upward, as if something was trying to break through from underneath.
Priss found herself stumbling for purchase before the ground opened up and out emerged Ranma. She ended up falling down on top of Ranma as he climbed out of the hole. She fell on him in a way such that she was slumped over one of his shoulders.
"Get off of me," he said, throwing whoever the person was off his shoulder. He ended up throwing Priss down on top of Shinji. Had Shinji not had been there, she could had easily suffered broken bones from the impact. Luckily for her, Shinji had managed to brace her impact while being exposed to the brunt of the impact, only becoming winded in the process.
Priss looked up and realized it was Ranma. As if in a state of shock, all she could do was stare. She watched as he turned around and looked back down into the hole, just as a rocket flew right by head, missing it by mere inches, Ranma not eve flinching one bit.
He sneered toward the hole. He extended his hand forward and out came a ki-blast, rocketing down into the hole destroying the hundreds and hundreds of boomers that were lined up within. From the underground manufactory down below, he had did as he had originally planned, made his way toward the outskirts of the city and start digging his way in a diagonal upward direction. Although if he had kept his path straight, he would had eventually emerged several miles away from Genom Tower. However, since he was constantly attacked on the way up, he had to stop and destroy the boomers, and then resume his digging, his course usually altered.
He brushed the dirt from his clothes as he looked down at the person he had thrown off. "Hmph!" he said, staring Priss dead in the eyes, his gave sending shudders down her spine.
She quickly got to her feet, totally forgetting she had been originally chasing after Shinji. However, although with much adrenaline coursing through her veins, her mind was still very clear for she was aware that Ranma had yet to have seen her without her hardsuit. To him, she would look like a totally stranger.
"Um," she tried to say something, finding herself at a loss of words.
Ranma looked past Priss and toward Shinji as he was getting back up to his feet.
"What are you doing here?" he asked him.
"I was about to ask you the same thing," Shinji said. He didn't remember Urd telling him anything about Ranma emerging from the ground in the middle of the city. Could that mean that he was not acting out and experiencing the chain of events like his previous life had encountered?
"You two know each other?" Priss asked, looking between Ranma and Shinji, "Why did you just come from that hole right there?"
"That's none of your concern," Ranma replied coldly at her, "I find your questions annoying,"
Priss said nothing. She had the type of personality that would prompt her to kick a guy's ass if he ever spoke to her like that. However, with Ranma, something about him intimidated her. There was this aura to him that made her feel meek and powerless.
"I'm sorry things are turning out like that," Shinji said to Priss, "I know everything seems weird and such, but I think this is supposed to be happening,"
Priss ignored Shinji as she focused on Ranma, "What did you do back there? What was that glowing object that I saw coming out of your hand?"
"Are you deaf? You questions are annoying and it is none of your concern," he said, "Now if you don't mind, I'm leaving,"
"Wait!" she called out to him.
Unfortunately for her, her legs were a bit weak from being within such close proximity to such a powerful individual as she found herself tripping over her own feet and falling forward.
As if on instinct, Ranma reached out and grabbed a hold of Priss as she fell forward. Funnily enough, she ended up falling right into his hands in the same fashion as she with Shinji. Her head ended up hitting against his chest, her breast resting in his hands.
Priss remained in that position for several long moments. Unlike Shinji's, she heard his heartbeat and it beat steadily, as if the situation did nothing for him.
When she realized that he was holding onto her breasts, she did the first thing that came to her mind.
"You bastard!" she snapped, slapping Ranma across the cheek hard.
Ranma didn't even flinch. His head didn't even turn slightly toward the side.
It only took a moment for Priss to suddenly realize she had done something seriously wrong. Most guys would let something like that slide since it was a natural female reaction. However, Ranma was not like them.
"Why you!" Ranma sneered.
He swung at her, intending to kill her. This blue trail with sparks of electricity following the arc of his punch as it traveled across the air, the air in front of his fist distorting, this slightly humming noise able to be heard before it disappeared.
Priss, in a moment of clear mindedness, swayed backwards, the punch missing her head by inches. She ended up falling backward onto her backside, this shocked look on her face. For the second time, Ranma had caused Priss' life to flash before her eyes.
She scampered backwards just in time to miss getting one of her legs stepped on as Ranma tried to stomp on her. His leg was brought down with such force that the ground below her shook as Ranma's foot became embedded all the way down to his knee. Because of this, Ranma had to pull his leg back up out of the ground so he could make another attempt at killing her. As he did this, Shinji managed to finally realize what Ranma had just tried to do and intervene.
"Ranma! No! Don't!" Shinji said, pushing both hands against Ranma's chest in an attempt to shove Ranma backwards and away from Priss. Ranma swatted Shinji's hands away, "Don't touch me!"
"I'm sorry," Shinji quickly said, taking a step back, "But you have to listen to me! Don't do this! Don't you know who she is? That's Priss Asagiri! She's our friend!"
Ranma paused for a moment as if in deep thought. He reached a hand out and grabbed Priss by her neck, but this time, not tightly and picked her up off the ground and brought her face close to his. Priss blushed as she found her face just inches from his as his piercing eyes gazed into his. She found herself transfixed on his different colored eyes.
He narrowed his eyes at her before he let go, allowing her to fall back down on her feet where her legs ended up buckling and making her fall back down on her eye backside.
"Hmph!" Ranma said, "It seems so,"
Shinji let out a breath of relief. He reached a hand out to help Priss back onto her feet, which she didn't accept.
Once on her feet, she turned toward Shinji. Realizing that she was going to get no where fast asking Ranma questions, she figured Shinji would be the better option.
"What's going on here? Who are you?" she asked, "How do you know my name?"
"It's a long story, one that you'll find very hard to believe," he said.
"Try me,"
Shinji just happened to glance past Priss and Ranma where he saw Sylia and Linna approaching them from a short distance away. Having realized that there was nothing much else to check up with the incident at Genom Tower, the two of them have decided to look for their friend to see if she had managed to catch up to that fast young boy.
"Um, seems like your friends are here," Shinji said, hoping to change the subject.
"Yeah," she said, "Now, back onto this so-called long story of yours,"
Shinji gave a meek smile. Seems like that wasn't going to work.
"There you are," Linna called as she approached the group. When she said Shinji, she turned toward Priss and said, "Well, it seems like you've caught up to him. And what's with that hole in the ground? Looks like something blew up,"
Since Ranma had their back toward them, neither Linna nor Sylia realized who he was until they were standing right next to him.
"R-Ranma!" Linna's eyes widened in surprise. She suddenly blushed.
How does he do it, Shinji wondered when he noticed Linna blushing. This isn't even the same Ranma. This one is cold and uncaring and antisocial. Yet he still manages to somehow attract the opposite sex. How? He wondered if it wasn't Ranma but perhaps just the female population in general. They seemed to find themselves attracted to the most unlikely of guys. Do they see something in a guy that other guys don't?
"What are you doing here? Isn't this a surprise," Linna said, smiling warmly.
"Hmph," Ranma muttered. He looked as if he was annoyed being in the presence of other people and it showed on not only his attitude, but on his face. He had this scowl on his face, as if he was disgusted to be near people.
Sylia regarded Ranma for a moment before she said, "Um, perhaps we best leave you alone," "Perhaps," he said sarcastically in a cold voice.
Sylia looked toward Priss. Priss nodded as if silently acknowledging that Sylia's suggestion was a good idea. She then turned toward Shinji, "Please, follow come with us,"
Shinji opened his mouth but nothing came out. Although they were not the same Sylia, Priss, and Linna that he came to know, he still respected them.
He would do as he was told. He could not bring himself to tell them no.
"Um, o-okay, but I have to be somewhere in about an hour,"
Sylia, Linna, Priss, and Shinji were gathered at Sylia's penthouse. It only took them about ten minutes to get there, Shinji having hopped into Sylia's car as she drove him. They were all in the livingroom, Shinji sitting on the couch, the three females sitting on the couch adjacent to his, separated by a coffee table. Ranma was no where around, having went off on his own. Besides, none of the girls dared to ask him to follow him much less force him. They wanted to know so much about who this Ranma was but they dared not pester him. It seemed he had no intention of telling them who he was and they had to be content with knowing virtually nothing about him. Sylia regarded Shinji for a moment, wondering what his role in all of this was. Priss had mentioned that he somehow knew Ranma. This might be helpful for them in finding out about that guy, but in the meanwhile, they wanted to know how Shinji know who they were.
"How do you know our names?" Sylia asked. "It's kinda long and very complicated," he began, "Most of the stuff I tell you you'll probably think I'm making up since it's so unbelievable,"
"Try us," Priss said, her arms folded in front of her.
Shinji regarded the three females for a short while. It wasn't as if they could force him to tell them. Even if they threatened him with bodily harm, he didn't really have much to worry about for at his level of training, he could easily take on all three of them. Most likely that is. Probably. Perhaps with little trouble. Perhaps some trouble. Perhaps he better not try and find out.
"Um, well, first off, I'm from another world," he began.
"What?" all three of them said in unison.
"I told you it's pretty hard to believe," he said.
"Go on, we'll keep an open mind," Sylia said, not believing him one bit. This kid was lying through his teeth. "The Ranma that you encountered is God," he said.
"What?" all of them said in unison once again.
Shinji shrugged, "I told you,"
"Fine, go on," Sylia said, clearing her throat, "There will be no more interruptions from us,"
Shinji thought for a moment, "Lettme see. Where do I begin? Okay, I know. About thirty years or so ago, Ranma's town was destroy. It was called the 'Nerima Massacre'"
"God lived in a town?" Linna narrowed her eyes.
"Let him speak please," Sylia said.
"Ranma used to be human," Shinji said, "Anyway, he used to live in a town called Nerima. The town was destroyed by these things called 'boomers'. I'm sure you're aware of them. Well, he, along with two others, survived. The other two was a guy named Ryoga and girl named Lisa. Anyway, Ranma went to China for a decades-long training trip, hoping to come back strong enough to destroy Genom, the company that built those boomers. Well, he comes back and ends up fighting you guys, and Nene, but I guess she isn't here. Actually, a different version of you guys. Anyway, he fought with The Knight Sabers,"
All three was about to say something but stopped as Shinji continued on.
"After beating them pretty badly, he found out who they were," he continued, "And they became friends. Ranma then met up with Ryoga, one of the survivors of the massacre. Together, they attacked Genom, where they met Lisa, the other survivor. A woman named Akane Tendo was resurrected by Genom in an attempt to kill Ranma, but that failed because he intervened. Eventually, Ranma and Ryoga found a thing called an OMS chip, a chip Genom had developed to control all the boomers they have ever created. They retrieve the chip and gave it to Lisa, who exposed it to the world. Genom basically fell after that. Ranma and Ryoga and Akane were reported to have died saving MegaTokyo by sacrificing themselves in blowing up this supercomputer located deep under Genom Tower that had intended to self-destruct. Had it self-destructed, the Tower would have collapsed. Ten years later, they show back up, alive and well,"
"About a year after that, Ranma accidentally teleports himself to another world, the world where I'm from. That world was in the process of fighting off these beings called Angels. I happen to be one of the people that piloted these things called EVAs, these giant creatures used to battle the Angels. While there, Ryoga shows up looking for Ranma. Together, they both help my world fight off the Angels. Eventually, they leave for the China of that world to find a special item, the nanban mirror, that would bring them back home. They find it, and instead of going straight back to their world, they teleport back to Tokyo-
3, the city where they first arrived to check up on us. We just happened to have been under attack by the Army and Seele because they wanted to retrieve Unit-01, one of the EVAs that could be used to implement the Third Impact. There are two kinds of Third Impacts. Constructive and Destructive. The Destructive one is the one where Angels come in contact with Adam and wipe out human existence. The Constructive one is where all the Angels are defeated and a man-made Angel comes in contact with Adam, which leads to humans evolving to become a higher life form. Because of Ranma, neither of these Impacts took place, but our city was destroyed in the process. With nowhere to go, me, along with four other people, go back with Ranma to his world,"
"Shortly after arriving back at Ranma's world, Asuka, one of the people from my world, finds out about the nanban mirror and how it can teleport you to different worlds and timelines. She decides she wants to us it to teleport back to the past of her world to prevent the Second Impact. The Second Impact occurred when humans found Adam in Antarctica and changed him into an embryo. That Impact had killed billions. Asuka wanted to stop that. Ranma ended up going back with Asuka to that time. Together, they went to Antarctica, even meeting a younger version of Misato, another one of the people from my world that went back with Ranma to his world. Misato happened to have been with the expedition that would eventually find Adam and cause the Second Impact. Since he knew of this, he and Asuka attack them to slow them down and go on ahead to reach Adam first before they do. Eventually make their way to where Adam was and Ranma fights him. He eventually destroys Adam but gets fatally wounded in the process and eventually dies,"
"On the world where the Second Impact was prevented, Ranma was resurrected. He was born from Unit-01, a different version of the EVA I used to pilot. Unit-01 was derived from Lilith, an Angel, a blood found in Antarctica, the blood Ranma lost when fighting Adam. Because they used his blood, he was resurrected from that. However, he was never aware that his other self died since he only retained memories all the way up to when Ranma had lost the blood Unit-01 was derived from. Unlike the one that died, the resurrected Ranma, AngelRanma, as some people call him, was more powerful because he possessed a thing called an AT Field. He possessed this because he was now part Angel. An AT Field used to be referred to as Absolute Terror Field, but it actually stood for Absolute Territory Field. I'll talk more about that shortly. Anyway, that world, even thought the Second Impact was prevented, was still attacked by Angels. While on that world, Ranma eventually acquired wings from one of the Angels that he fought and could now fly. Eventually, he manages to destroy all the Angels and find the nanban mirror of that world which allowed him to go back home, or at least the world he considered home,"
"After arriving home, Ranma receives a warning from the Ranma that had died. Oddly enough, the Ranma that died ends up becoming the Adam of that world. The one that died told of how that world would be soon attacked by Angels. Knowing of the attack, Ranma goes out and finds some powerful allies and even builds a headquarters deep underground. He builds one in that underground manufactory located under what used to be Genom Tower, the same place where he had destroyed the supercomputer that had intended to self-destruct over ten years ago. Anyway, the Angels attack and Ranma and everyone fight off the Angels. Eventually, we manage to destroy them one by one all the way until the very end. However, in the end, all the Angels come back and Ranma is the only one left to fight them since everyone else had been taken out by the previous Angels they fought. Ranma was fatally wounded by one of the Angels by the Lance of Longinus, a spear with the ability to go through the AT Field that Ranma had. In the end, Ranma sacrificed himself and killed off all the Angels. Because he died, Rei, another person from my world, merged with the Adam of Ranma's world. Basically, she merged with the first Ranma that died. Because of that, an Impact occurred where everyone was killed off, even myself. However, in doing so, she ascended to become God so she recreated everyone as if nothing had happened and no one remembering of their deaths. Since she became God, she now had the ability to resurrect Ranma,"
"However, things didn't go as plan for she ended up resurrecting Ranma in a world altogether different from my world as well as yours world. It was a world that has magic and dragons and such. On that world, he meets a few people, a girl named Lina and Emiko. Since that world was different from the world he was used to, it had no nanban mirror to bring him back home. Instead, he went about looking for the most powerful magic user on that world in hopes of that person being able to open a portal to send him home. He ends up spending several months on that world. He mentioned that he spent a good deal of his time acting as a escort to a princess that had been attacked while she was far away from her home and eventually got her back home safely. Over time, he ends up coming in contact with the most powerful person on that world. Her name is Luna, whom happened to be Lina's older sister. Luna actually had the ability to send Ranma back home and does. However, Lina and Emiko end up going back home with him. Once back home, Ranma meets up with Ryoga, who we have no idea where he's been all this time. They have this rivalry and wanted to see who was more powerful. Lina was also a very good magic user and took part in the contest too. Back on their world, Ranma goes back to the magic world and brings Luna with him back to be the judge for the contest. During the contest, Lina touched Ranma's AT Field. Because Ranma was really powerful, she had to do something to basically outdo him so she tried casting her most powerful spell. However, not all went according to plan because she ended up getting possessed. As I mentioned earlier, AT Field really stands for Absolute Territory Field. This field stood for holy territory. Because she touched it, Rei, who was God, was able to use that medium to cross over from Heaven and into Lina's body where she took over and quickly told Ranma that she wanted to come back home. When Ranma was told this, he sought to bring her back,"
"Because Ranma was part Angel, this meant he could initial an Impact and become God as well. However, because Rei had merged with the Adam of Ranma's world, Ranma had gone to a different world, back to the world with the prevented Second Impact to merge with the Adam of that world. While there, he ends up making his way toward Antarctica, where Adam was placed after the defeat of the Angels. The thing is about Adam was that even though the first Ranma died trying to destroy it, he never destroyed it. All he did was succeed in converting it into its embryo state, but without the Second Impact that was supposed to accompany it. Well, after he made it to Antarctica, he fought basically all the world's armies and navies and air forces every step of the way all the way up to Adam. Right before he merged, he was killed by Asuka, a young girl from that world,"
"Little did everyone know was that Ranma had actually succeeded became God. Since he had the power to do so, he recreated the world. However, he recreated it in such a way that it seemed as if he had failed. Now that Ranma was God, he was now in the realm where Rei was. Unfortunately, he had no idea exactly how to bring her, and himself, back home, away from Heaven. The only option that he had of him and Rei leaving Heaven was to be born. Well, he was born, and born on the world that he recreated. However, the person born was also born on the same world that believes Ranma had failed to implement the Impact. This person born, whom happen to have the name Ranma, is both Ranma and Rei merged to form one person. He possessed both of their memories and personalities yet knows nothing about it. That person is the Ranma you met. He is the human version of God, but possess the same powers. Since Ranma was born, that meant Heaven no longer had a God. A person named Celestine showed up, along with the Angels that Ranma once defeated, took over heaven and is now trying to kill Ranma and taking over as God. Because of this, we need Ranma to get his memories back because his lack of memories is preventing him from using his powers, which could end coup d'tat of Heaven. However, we have a few problems. One, Ranma can't seem to get his memories back and doesn't seem to care whether or not he gets them back. Two, there exists a weapon, the Lance of Longinus, which was the weapon used to kill AngelRanma, that has the ability to kill off this Ranma. Third, with Heaven taken over, it'll be only a matter of time before millions of Angels come down looking to kill Ranma. Luckily, the Lance was retrieved before Celestine and the Angels got their hands on it and was sent back in time, this world to be exact. Ranma was brought to this world because this world happens to be a part of the past of his former life. In doing so, he might go through an experience or event that will trigger his memories to come back. However, just the mere fact that I'm here means that not all the chain of events are occurring like they are supposed to. Anyway, I have come here to help him recover those memories so that he can become the Ranma and Rei that I once knew. I'm also here looking for the Lance, hoping that I can perhaps find it before Celestine and the Angels do. That is basically an abridged version of all the events that occurred up to this point,"
Shinji looked at the thee females. They had this stunned look on their faces.
"You're telling me that this Ranma, is God?" Linna said.
Shinji nodded. "Damn, if that's the abridged version of who this guy is, I'd hate to wonder how long it would take to read the full length version," Priss commented.
"Around thirty hours, if you read non-stop," Linna commented.
Priss nodded.
"Guys, that's besides the point," Sylia waved a dismissive hand. She turned back toward Shinji and said, "How is this possible? Right now, I'm just trying to absorb the comment you made about how this Ranma guy had died and was resurrected,"
"When? The first or second time around?" he asked.
"The first of course," Sylia said, "This story seems so far-fetched it's unbelievable,"
Shinji nodded, "I know it's far-fetched. Even I have trouble believing it myself. Heck, I'd hate to wonder how long it would take for someone to write his biography,"
"Is that supposed to be a joke?" Priss narrowed her eyes at him.
He gave a meek smile, "Um, it was, but I guess it didn't work,"
"So what you're saying is that God is walking our streets," Linna said, "And he doesn't even know he's God?"
He nodded, "Yes,"
"God, this is just ludicrous," she commented.
"Hey, you shouldn't use Ranma's name in vain," Shinji smirked.
"What?" Priss asked, "Is that supposed to be funny?"
"Nothing," he gave a meek smile again. How come the Ranma he knew could crack joke like that but he couldn't?
Priss walked over to the window and glanced out, "Well, if this Ranma powerful as a God, then that could explain why he doesn't seem to get hurt,"
"No, not a God," Shinji corrected her, "He is God. Seems like there's only one God and he is it,"
"Speaking of which, there he is now," Priss noticed him walking by on the sidewalk down below.
Everyone got up from their seats and walked over to where Priss was standing and glanced out. "Hey, what a coincidence," Linna commented, "He seems to just show up at random times when you least expect it,"
Shinji was silent as he stared out of the window. After a moment, all the color drained from his face.
"Oh no!" he said, shock in his voice.
"What?" all three of them turned toward Shinji a bit confused. They could clearly tell that it was the same man they had seen earlier.
"That's not Ranma!" he said, "That's an Angel!"
Ranma walked the streets of MegaTokyo. The fact that boomers were in the streets in search of him didn't seem to bother him one bit. Since it was close to noontime and there were many people walking about, and since he didn't really stand out among the populace, he blended in well. The boomers would have a hard time finding him.
He walked about as if all that had occurred to him a short time ago had never happened.
He continued to wander around, doing nothing in general. Even a person with infinite patience such as him was starting to tire of doing nothing. He had yet to remember anything and nothing at all seemed familiar. Perhaps he should get a job to pass the time until he was contacted by Urd and Shinji.
As he rounded a corner, a young woman bumped into him. It was Nene. She was on her lunch break, heading down to a nearby deli for something to eat with one of her coworkers, Janiko. She ended up bumping right into Ranma and falling back down onto her backside.
"Ouch," she commented.
She looked up and caught sight of Ranma. At first it didn't register who the man was until she realized that he looked like that man in the picture Sylia and Priss had showed her on the computer a short while ago. This must be that man, Ranma, that Priss had fought against back then and that Linna had mentioned seeing.
Ranma didn't bother to extend his hand as he watched Nene get back to her feet, this slightly embarrassed look on her face.
"You should be more careful and watch where you're going," Janiko commented. Nene had no idea whether the comment was meant for her or for Ranma.
Look looked as if he was about to disregard the comment and continue on heading wherever he was heading until his gaze rested on Nene.
He narrowed his eyes on her for a moment.
Nene suddenly became very self-conscious of herself as Ranma's scrutinizing eyes stared at her far longer than she wanted. For a brief moment, she could have sworn his eyes showed some form of recognition before he seemed to lose interest.
"Yes, you should watch where you're going," Ranma said coldly.
"You too," Janiko commented. She regarded the handsome man before her. Sure, he was quite handsome but he had an attitude that needed some serious adjustments.
Ranma turned his attention onto Janiko for a moment which made her self-
conscious of herself as well.
He looked past the two females where he saw someone running down the sidewalk in his general direction. Something deep down inside him told him something was wrong for he got a good look at the individual and noticed that that person looked exactly like him, even dressed in the same attire.
Something deep down within him told him exactly who or what that person was. It was an Angel.
Without saying a word, as if acting on instinct, Ranma pushed both females away toward the side, just as the Angel ran right up to him and punched him right in the face.
The force behind the punch ended up sending Ranma flying bodily through the air and through a telephone pole before he came to a abrupt halt after slamming into a side of a building, sliding down and onto his hands and knees on the ground.
"What the?" Nene said, getting to her feet and noticing the damage. By now, nearby pedestrians had stopped what they were doing and was staring at Ranma as he was getting back up to his feet. She and everyone else watched as what looked like Ranma's twin walked right up to Ranma. "We've finally found you," the Angel sneered, "Who would have thought that you would have tried to have escaped by disappearing to another time on another world? Heh, however, it was all a matter of time before we find you,"
The Angel extended a hand forward toward Ranma's chest and shot a massive ki-
blast. The blast exploded against Ranma's chest, engulfing the two of them in a massive sphere of energy, before Ranma was blown outward from it and back into the building, slamming into the wall and through it and through every wall behind that wall all the way through the entire building where he emerged from the other side and slammed into a parked car and tumbling to a halt in the middle of a street.
The Angel smirked as it quickly ran through the building and up to where Ranma was as he slowly got back up to his feet.
"I find it strange how you manage to survive for as long as you did considering how much punishment you take," the Angel commented, extending a hand forward, "You'll be taken care of in due time. Now that I've find you, it's only a matter of time before my brethren arrive,"
Once again, a ki-blast was shot from its hand and struck Ranma. Once again, it sent him flying through another building where he emerged from the other side. This time, he tumbled into the middle of the street where he was run over by a passing car unable to swerve away in time. He ended up tumbling side over side down the street before stopping a good fifty feet away from where he had landed.
Ranma got back up to his feet.
"Why you," he sneered. He looked up and saw that the Angel was once again upon him, hand extended.
Unfortunately for the Angel, it stood a bit too close to Ranma for Ranma grabbed a hold of the wrist of its extended hand just as it released its ki-
blast. The blast once again erupted against Ranma's chest, but this time, Ranma was now blown backward and away from the Angel.
When the blast subsided, Ranma was still standing where he was, his hand holding onto the Angel's wrist.
Ranma smirked, "Now it's my turned,"
He extended a hand forward and out emerged a massive ki-blast of his own. How he conjured it, he had yet to understand. However, he did it as if he knew how to do it all alone, never bothering to stop to think of exactly when he had been able to start doing it.
The ki-blast engulfed the Angel, incinerating it before it even had a chance to scream. It continued to travel forward, never exploding as it vaporized everything in its forward path. Building upon building where destroyed, and hundred of innocent bystanders that happened to have been in front of the projectile's path were wiped from existence before the project tile finally arced upward, disappearing beyond the skies.
Ranma looked down at his hand and noticed that he was holding the intact arm of the Angel. All that remained was the arm all the way to its elbow.
"Hmph," Ranma spat, throwing toward the side, disregarding it.
He dusted himself, oblivious to the chaos that was now the surrounding area as everyone scrambled to get away from him. However, even though it looked as if everyone was trying to run away, several individuals didn't do such a thing, choosing to stay where they were.
Ranma caught sight of five individuals standing relatively close to one another across the street. People were running by them as they quickly put their cars in 'park' and left their cars.
They all looked like Ranma.
"So, there's more of you, huh?" Ranma sneered, turning toward the Angels. He proceeded to walk toward them, "If you want to die, then I dare you to attack me,"
One of the Angels said, "Pretty soon, billions of us will be upon you. That projectile you just shot off gave away your location as well as the timeline of where you had disappeared off to. Even if you are omnipotent, you'll never be able to fend off our sheer numbers once they arrive,"
"We'll see," he said.
Ranma made quick dash toward the nearest Angel, the standing one in the middle of the five. Due to his distance, the Angels were all able to react to his initial movements and all held one of their hands forward and released ki-blast right at the incoming Ranma. All five projectiles slammed into Ranma's chest, engulfing him in a fiery inferno, nearby building windows shattering from the shockwave from the impact. Trails of melted rock and concrete could be seen extending forward from the Angel toward where Ranma was, the ground below the ki-blasts melting from the intense heat.
Expecting to send Ranma propelling backwards from the blast, all five Angels had this shocked look on their faces when Ranma emerged from the explosion in full sprint, his speed unaffected for he had just brushed the blasts off.
Ranma grabbed the middle Angel by the neck as he came to a sliding halt right in front of it, hoisting it up into the air. He slammed the Angel down on the ground with such force that the ground below him gave way, him and the remaining Angels falling down into the sewers.
Soaking wet from the sewage, Ranma got up to his feet, unbothered by the rank smell. He quickly dashed toward the next Angel as it was getting up to its feet, punching it while still in mid-stride, sending it bouncing down the length of the sewer where it crashed into one of the wall at the intersection a great distance away. Within the span of five seconds, Ranma had managed to kill off two of the five Angels.
"Your attacks are so unrefined," one of the Angels commented. It dashed toward Ranma as he turned to face it. It skillfully dodged Ranma's wild swing, grabbing his punching arm and using his momentum to shoulder throw him back down into the sewage with ground shaking impact. With the Angel having the initiative, Ranma needing to take a moment to realize that he had been thrown, it extended a hand forward toward his chest as he was looking up at in, his arm still held by the Angel.
Just as the Angel released its ki-blast, Ranma extended his own hand and shot out his own ki-blast. The ki-blast the Angel shot forth was infinitesimally small compared to Ranma's own for Ranma's ki-blast absorbed it and continued traveling forward, right into the Angel's chest.
The ki-blast incinerated the Angel, continuing to travel forward, blowing through the ceiling of the sewers, making its angular ascent through an entire building before disappearing beyond the heavens.
All that remained of the Angel was the lower half as it stood still for a few moments before if fell forward onto Ranma, whom threw it off him like nothing more than debris.
The two remaining Angels stood where they were, a bit stunned at what they saw. However, they managed to regain their composure and attacked Ranma from behind as he got up to his feet, shooting simultaneous ki-blasts right into his back, sending him flying back out of the sewers via the caved-in opening.
Ranma twirled through the air where he landed a good distance away, in the middle of an intersection. He didn't need to worry about the risks of being struck by a car for no cars were moving, the streets heavily congested from the civilians and motorists scrambling to get away from all the carnage.
As he got up to his feet, he could hear sirens being sounded in the far off distance and police cars making their way toward his location, most likely slowed due to the traffic jams.
He proceed to walk back toward the opening where he had been blow out of when the ground below him shook. It didn't take him long to realize that the two remaining Angels were right in the sewers below him.
He found himself soon falling back down into the sewers. Since he had been aware of what was happening, he managed to land on his feet. It only took him a second to notice that both Angels were standing close to where he had landed.
Even though he landed on his feet, Ranma didn't have the time to react as two simultaneous ki-blasts slammed into his chest, sending him crashing into one of the sewer walls, going right through it and ending up in a sewer tunnel that was running parallel to the one Ranma had originally been in.
Ranma got up to his feet as the two Angels emerged through the opening.
"This grows bothersome," Ranma sneered.
He turned toward the two Angels and waved his arm in their general direction, as if he was backslapping the air in front of him. The Angels suddenly froze as if unable to move.
"What the?" one of the Angels said, struggling as it found its arms and legs bound tightly against its body. It was as if an unyielding cylindrical force field surround the Angels, preventing them from moving.
Ranma walked up toward the motionless Angels, a smirk on his face. He didn't really know what he did that confined the Angels like that, but he wasn't going to complain. This made disposing of them a much easier task.
He grabbed one of the Angels by the neck and lifted it up off its feet and threw it toward the other Angel. The force of the impact ripped both Angels apart, body parts flying everywhere as entrails and blood soiled the walls.
"You're not so tough," Ranma said with a smirk, "I wonder how my former self ever had problems against you,"
Little did Ranma even realize what he was even saying. He hadn't even been aware of exactly how he had bound those Angels in the first place but for some reason, it was as if he had known how to do so all along and only realized it now.
Ranma made his way back through the opening in the wall, unbothered by the grisly remains of the two Angels, and proceeded to climb back out via the second cave-in.
As he climbed out, he looked up and noticed hundred of Angels surrounding the hold. The five Angels had managed to keep Ranma occupied long enough for their brethren to arrive. The first group had arrived with millions of more groups already on the way.
He got up to his feet and gazed around, showing no signs of fear at being overwhelmingly outnumbered. He stood up and did a full turn, surveying his surroundings. In every direction were Angels lined up shoulder to shoulder, all of them regarding him.
He looked up toward the sky and noticed how it was starting to get dark, despite it being only shortly after noon. In the far off distance, he saw a massive group of Angels flying toward his general direction.
"Lettme guess, you're here for me," Ranma sneered toward no particular Angel.
One of them took a step forward, "We must say, your power is impressive, but even someone of your omnipotence will soon be overwhelmed. It's just a matter of time,"
"Let us begin then," Ranma sneered, his hands clenched into fists.
Shinji rushed back toward the hotel where he was expected to meet up with Urd. Sylia, Linna, and Priss were following closely behind. The ran closely behind, managing to keep up with him for he slowed down his pace.
"What the hell is going on here?" Priss shouted out toward Shinji's back as they all ran. As she ran, she looked up in the sky where she noticed dark clouds starting to form. It was barely even after noontime yet it looked as if it was nearing evening. Although the forming dark clouds did seem a bit out of place, something else was even more out of place.
Hundreds of winged beings could be seen flying overhead. Everyone seemed to have stopped what they were doing to gaze up at the sky as they watched hundred and hundreds of Angels flying high above the city.
"Those are the Angels!" Shinji said, continuing to run, "They're here for Ranma! I have no idea what is going but I know this is not good, not good at all!"
He made it to the hotel building in record time, dashing past the counter person and heading straight for the stairway, hopping up three stairs at a time. He was forced to pause for a moment to allow Sylia, Priss, and Linna to catch up.
As he waited on one of the landings, he saw Sylia talking into her cell phone. She was talking to Nene. Nene had called, explaining how she had seen Ranma a short time ago and had seen what looked like an identical twin attacking him. She hadn't bothered to stay to find out what the reasons for the attack was, the chaos caused causing her to take flight, seeking the safety of AD Police Headquarters. She was now asking about those things being seen flying over the city.
"Yes I see those things outside," Sylia spoke into the cell phone, "I'm told they are Angels. I'm with Priss and Linna right now and we have no idea what's going on, but hopefully, we'll find out soon enough,"
"I don't know what's happening," Nene could be heard on the other side, "It's as if pure anarchy just erupted. I saw a bit of a fight between Ranma and this person that looked exactly like him. They caused such destruction that it set a huge chain reaction throughout the surrounding area. All the traffic in MegaTokyo is at a standstill. And now these flying creatures..."
"We'll get to the bottom of things," Sylia said, "We just found out some very vital information about Ranma and who he is. It's because he is here that this is happening,"
"What do you mean?" Nene asked.
"I'll explain later," she said, "In the meanwhile, just stay put. I'll keep you posted,"
"Okay," Nene said before saying goodbye and hanging up.
"I hope there's a good explanation for all of this," Sylia looked at Shinji.
Shinji said, "Like I said before. They're Angels. They're here to kill Ranma,"
He didn't bother to wait around for more questions as he quickly ran up the rest of the flight of stairs and down one of the corridors toward his hotel room. He quickly reached into his pocket, fishing out his hotel key. As he was about to unlock the door, he noticed that it was it was already unlocked.
"Urd, you're in here?" Shinji asked cautiously, slowly entering the hotel room.
"Shinji! That goodness you're back already!" Urd practically popped up in front of him, nearly scaring him to death, "We are in deep deep trouble! Did you see all those Angels?"
"Yeah, I saw them," Shinji said, "Did you manage to find Skuld?"
She nodded, "Yes. She's located only a short distance away from here. I found out moments before all the Angels started arriving,"
"How?" he asked, "I didn't see any lightning storm or anything like that,"
"You're not going to believe it," Urd said, "But she saw you running by the apartment building where you were staying. She didn't recognize you from behind when you were running toward Genom Tower. However, she saw you running back and fight off a few hoodlums using Ranma's fighting technique. She put two and two together and realized that people on Ranma's side is here looking for the Lance,"
Urd jerked a thumb over her shoulder toward the bed where there lay a small spherical object, "That's one of her devices. She made it and had it find me and relay the message. It found me and gave me the message and I was just about to go get her until I saw all those Angels flying in from the distance,"
"Why didn't you get her? How come I have to get her?" Shinji asked. It Urd had been that close to the Lance, why couldn't she had done so?
"The Angels recognize me," Urd said, "If they spotted me, they would have followed me as I got Urd and gotten the Lance from her. Even if the Lance is powerful enough to kill Angels with a single slash, there's just too many of them for me to fight off even with it. That's why I need to retrieve it, because they won't suspect you of having it,"
"Um, okay, if I have to do it, I guess there's no other way," he said a bit nervously. He knew now was not the time to be frightened.
"Once you get the Lance, you have to get it to Ranma no matter what," Urd then said.
Shinji did a double take, "What? You want me to bring the Lance to Ranma? How? Right now, he must be in the middle of fighting off hundreds of them. How am I going to be able to get through and give it to him?"
Urd walked over to the window and pointed toward where buildings could be seen falling just a few blocks away. Smoke from fires were also billowing up into the sky around that area.
"You're right. Right over there, Ranma is in the middle of fighting hundreds, if not thousands of Angels right this very moment," Urd said, "However, once you get the Lance, Skuld and I will go aid him. As powerless as we are against that many Angels, we will get their attention to get as many Angels to come after us as possible. We will attempt to draw their attention about ten minutes after you get your hands on the Lance. Once they start chasing us, that's your queue to get the Lance to him in whatever means possible,"
"Excuse me, can one of you please tell us what's going on?" Linna asked aloud, feeling totally left out.
Urd glanced past Shinji and saw Sylia, Linna, and Priss standing behind him, in the process of catching their breaths. Unlike Shinji, they seemed a bit winded from having run so hard for so long.
"When did you guys get back? I didn't even notice you there," Urd commented. She narrowed her eyes on them, "Oh, waitaminute. You're the Priss, Linna, and Sylia of this world. Nevermind,"
"This is Urd," Shinji introduce her to the three of them, "She is a goddess and is here trying to help Ranma out,"
"A goddess? You're kidding me, right?" Priss said.
"Watch it, human," Urd smirked, "I wouldn't get me angry if I were you,"
What would Ranma do if he were in this situation, Shinji thought to himself. He'd know exactly what to do. But he's not here. So what the heck am I supposed to do?
"Where's Skuld right now?" Shinji asked, "I'll go to where she is and retrieve the Lance and then head straight for Ranma. Man, exactly how I get it to him is a totally different story,"
"Getting it to him will be a bit difficult," Urd started to say.
"Gee, you think?" he asked sarcastically.
Urd smirked, "Remember how I said you'll be useful than you believe? This is because you're human,"
"What?" Shinji said, "Human? What does that have to do with it? And I hope it isn't something stupid like 'humans are known to persevere even in the harshest conditions',"
Urd couldn't help but laugh. That was something Ranma would say. It seems Shinji being around Ranma so much back then had somehow meant some of Ranma's personality rubbed off on him.
She shook her head, "Actually, that's a saying humans came up with which I find ironic because humans have yet to even know what harsh is. Anyway, the point is is that you're human. Much like how when an Angel holds the Lance of Longinus, it loses its AT field, it's the opposite when a human holds it. When a human wields the Lance, he will acquire an AT field,"
"What? Really?" Shinji's eyes widened, "If I have an AT field, then it should make my job a whole lot easier,"
She shook her head, "Not quite. The AT field protect you. It doesn't make you invulnerable. It also doesn't help that Angels, given enough time, will be able to break through it,"
Shinji became deathly silent. After a moment, he asked, "I just realized something. If an Angel loses AT field and a human gain an AT field, then what will happen when Ranma gets a hold of it? He has an AT field. Does that mean he will lose it?"
"This Ranma never had an AT field to begin with," Urd said, "He has some kind of divine aura that infinitely more powerful. Heck, considering Ranma, he'd probably acquire an AT field above that aura he already has. Whatever the case, once he gets the Lance, he'll know what to do with it,"
"How can you be so sure he'll know what to do?" Shinji asked, a bit skeptic.
"It's easy, because we have to," Urd smirked, "Besides, even if he doesn't know what to do, so long as he doesn't lose it, which he won't since there is no way an Angel can physically overpower Ranma and pull it away from him,"
"Well, that's good to hear," Shinji commented.
"Look, you better get going," Urd said. She pointed toward a white building a few blocks away, "Y'see that building there? That's Skuld's building. You can find her in there. She said she'll find you once you get there,"
"Okay," he nodded.
"What about us?" Linna asked.
"What about you?" Urd said, "Go with Shinji and help him out. Although you don't know it, your other selves, the versions of you that had gotten to know Ranma in his previous life, they would be honored to die helping him,"
All three females looked at each other. Could Ranma in his previous life have been that important to their other selves? It was hard for them to see this because to them, it was as if they were expected to risk their lives helping out a man that wanted nothing to do with them. And in Priss' case, had wanted to kill twice already.
Shinji noticed the hesitation in all three of them.
"Look, you don't have to come if you don't want to. I understand. Over the course of his lives," Shinji said, "Ranma had never given a second thought about sacrificing himself while trying to help others. He has always helped others. Now is the time where he needs help in return. Risking my life getting the Lance to him is the least I can do,"
His visage saddened slightly, as if he was fighting back tears. Without saying another word, Shinji turned around and left.
"He's brave," Urd couldn't help but admire the young boy, "He knows there is a very good chance he is going to die, yet he still goes, all to help Ranma out,"
"I'm going," Sylia said, more to herself than anyone in particular, "If that Ranma person you're talking about had people willing to go through such lengths to help him, then perhaps he is the person worth dying for,"
"Me too, I'm coming," Priss and Linna said.
Urd couldn't help but smile as the three of them left to follow after Shinji. It seems those three had just decided that Ranma was worth dying for.
"How do you do it, Ranma?"
Shinji ran hard and fast straight toward the building Urd had pointed at. Although it had only been about five minutes since he had talked to Urd, the sky was now completely dark, the sun blocked by the dark clouds swirling high above. The sky dense with Angels as they flew overhead, heading toward Ranma's location.
The ground Shinji was standing on shook as shockwave after shockwave could be felt as Ranma, several blocks away, continued to fight, constantly being struck with ki-blast after ki-blast.
The streets were empty, everyone having abandoned what they were doing to get as far away from the city as possible. Cars were also abandoned, left still running in the streets. Had it not been for the traffic jams, Shinji and the others wouldn't had needed to run for they could had just used one of the many vacant running cars.
Aside from the sounds of a massive battle being wages a few blocks away, there was an eerie silence to the city. The wind that blew by was cold and whispered of impending doom. "If this is the first signs of the apocalypse, I'd hate to see what's in store for us later," Linna couldn't help but comment, chills running down her spin.
Sylia was trying to contact Nene on her cell phone, much to no avail. It seems one of the many buildings that had been destroyed during the battle between Ranma and the Angels was used to provide cellular service to the entire area.
"I can't reach Nene," Sylia said, "I hope she made the smart choice of getting out of here,"
"Like what we should be doing," Priss muttered, "This is crazy. I don't even know why I'm doing this. That guy tried to kill me a little over an hour ago. He's cold and heartless and antisocial,"
"So why are you doing this?" Sylia had to ask, "If you're having doubts, then evacuate the city like everyone else,"
Priss let out a snort, "Bah, if what the kid says is true, and the battle that is occurring is the Angels attempt to kill God, then what use is it to evacuate if they succeed? It's better to help because if this is a sign of what's to come if they succeed, then I would definitely rather have it where Ranma's around because when he was around, all seemed fine,"
"You've got a definite point there," Linna said.
"We're here," Shinji said as he ran up the front steps to the building.
They all entered through the front entrance and into the lobby. The moment they entered, Sylia, Priss, and Linna caught sight of a young looking girl with black hair wearing a white and red outfit. A small spherical object was hovering next to her at shoulder height, the Lance of Longinus seemingly being held in place by it.
"You're here," Skuld said, relief in her voice.
Shinji nodded, "Yeah, we came as soon as we can,"
"You think you can get this to Ranma?" she asked, a bit of doubt in her voice, "Even from where we are, I can hear and feel his fight. He is taking some very heavy beatings. However, the Angels are probably having heavy casualties as well,"
"I'll try my best to get it to him," Shinji said, reaching forward to grab the Lance.
Skuld quickly grabbed a hold of his wrist, "What do you think you're doing?"
"Huh?"
"You're not allowed to touch it," Skuld said in a scolding voice.
"I'm not? Why not? Then how am I gonna get it to him?" he asked.
"Do you know about legend behind the Lance, right?" she said, "Anyone who wields the Lance is doomed to die a tragic fate. It's happened couldn't less times and it's not some spook story to scare people away from using it,"
"How am I going to get it to him then?" he asked, "If I use the Lance, it'll give me an AT Field which will definitely help out. Without an AT field, I'm no good,"
"Did my sister tell you that?" Skuld asked.
Shinji nodded.
"Well, it's true, but she forgot to mention the tragic fate part," she stated, "She also probably forgot to mention that for you to have an AT field, you have to conjure it up in the first place. I don't know about you, but I have a good idea that you don't know how to do this,"
"You're right, I don't," he said.
"Neither do I," she said, "What you have to do is get this to Ranma without touching it as well as without being detected. Otherwise, all those Angels will be coming after you,"
"How am I supposed to get it to him without touching it?"
Skuld gestured toward the spherical object, "Don't worry, this device I made will bring it with you wherever you go. All you need to do is get it to him without being seen. You can simply though a blanket over it to conceal it,"
"How is that supposed to help?" Shinji had to ask, "If it's hovering and I'm not holding it, it's gonna look like I'm running around with what looks like a floating blanket following me. That'll look awfully suspicious if I get spotted,"
"Hm," Skuld thought for a moment, "Actually, you can hold onto the device. That way, it'll look like you're carrying it then,"
"That could work," he said. Deep down inside, he was having serious doubts. However, that was better than nothing.
"Did my sister tell you of what we are going to be doing?" she said, "First, you head for Ranma. About ten minutes from now, my sister and I will make a break for it and the Angels will start coming after us. I'm sure not all of them will, but I'm pretty sure a bunch of them will, leaving you the opportunity to sneak it out to Ranma before you get spotted,"
"Exactly how am I going to sneak it out to Ranma?" Shinji asked, "Ranma is probably surrounded by thousands of Angels right now. That means I need to make my way through the crowd of them waiting to get their chance to attack him to get the Lance to him,"
Skuld nodded, "Yes, but a good many of them will leave to chase after them. You might find yourself only needing to deal with a few hundred,"
"A few hundred?" Shinji shouted, "I don't think I'll be able to stand a chance if there was even a dozen or so,"
"My sister or I'd try and get it to him ourselves, but your chances of getting it to him are much better than ours," she said, "At the moment, the Angels concern is Ranma so they'll just think you're some random citizen...that is until you make a break for it and try to get the Lance to him. With us, we will be recognized right away,"
Shinji sighed. The situation sounded grim and impossible. But it seems grim and impossible was still a good chance for them.
"Fine, I'll try," he said.
"Actually, considering where Ranma is," Priss said, "We can get to him undetected with no problems,"
"How?"
"We can travel through the sewers," she suggested, "We might get lucky and find a manhole located right next to Ranma as he fights,"
Shinji said, "That sounds like a great idea!"
"All right, good luck," Skuld said, "Be as close to Ranma as you can get. Ten minutes from now, everything's going to get a whole lot more hectic when they start chasing us. We only have one chance,"
Skuld reached into her pocket and pulled out a small round object.
"Better duck for cover," she said as she threw it toward the far end of the lobby. A second later, the object exploded just as everyone took cover around a corner.
"Whatcha do that for?" Shinji asked.
"Don't worry," Skuld said, "There's no one else in the building. We're the only ones here. I just used one of my bombs to blow a hole in the floor that'll lead you into the sewers. It's much safer if you go down there from here instead of out in the streets,"
She jerked a thumb over her shoulder toward this huge gaping hole in the lobby floor where the sewer tunnels were just a quick drop down below.
"That's a good idea. Thanks," he smiled.
"You're going with him?" Skuld looked toward the three females.
"Yeah," Priss said.
Skuld reached into her pocket and pulled out several tiny round objects. She handed them three each.
"These are more powerful versions of that bomb I just used," Skuld said, "If Shinji gets spotted, throw these as the Angels all at once. It won't hurt them but-"
"Won't hurt them?" Linna's eyes were wide, "These bombs are more powerful that that one you used and they won't hurt them? How powerful are these Angels?"
Shinji turned toward her and said, "They're really powerful and very hard to kill. If they're anything like previous Angels we've fought against, then we are in for a hard uphill battle,"
"Fought against? You've fought against these things before?" Linna asked, shock in her voice. Boomers couldn't withstand attacks that powerful and here was a young boy that fought beings more powerful than boomers.
Shinji nodded, "Yeah, I fought them a few years ago,"
"How powerful are you? You must be real powerful to be able to fight something like that," she commented.
Shinji blushed slightly, "I'm not powerful at all. I'm human just like everyone else. Luckily for me, Ranma trained me pretty well,"
"Well, we better get going," Sylia said. She turned toward Skuld, "Good luck and thanks for the bombs or whatever these things are,"
"No problems. Good luck,"
Urd paced back and forth in her hotel room. She was very nervous and on edge. About twenty minutes had passed since Shinji left for Skuld's building. Any minute, Skuld will give off the single for the two of them to quickly make their way to where Ranma was, cause as much commotion to catch their attention, that they make a fast break while they gave chase.
She had fought Angels before and found them extremely formidable opponents. She had never defeated one even though she fought them before. One on one, she believed she could defeat one given enough time. However, if she had to fight two, she was doomed. Angels were too well together, thinking and fighting as if they were a single entity.
She couldn't believe how fast things had suddenly changed. About two hours ago, all she was worrying about was finding her sister so she could get the Lance. But now, it had suddenly shifted to an apocalyptic battle between Ranma and the Angels where all the MegaTokyo was slowly being destroyed in the process. She glanced out the window and saw Skuld emerging from the building in the far off distance and take to the sky. That was her cue. She blew out the windows and leapt out, taking flight straight toward Skuld as she toward her. They met up with each other in a matter of seconds.
"Let's do this," Urd said.
"Okay," Skuld nodded, a bit of nervousness in her voice.
"Don't worry, you're not the only one that's scared," Urd said, which seemed to calm her sister slightly.
Together, the two goddesses flew toward the massive explosions that was slowly making tearing the city apart.
"This grows tiresome," Ranma sneered as he was hit with a ki-blast from behind.
The blast sent him flying bodily forward into a building. Like what had happened with all the other buildings, the impact of him slamming into it ended causing the entire structure to collapse downward on top of him, leaving him to unbury himself and climb out of the debris.
Thousands of Angels were now surrounding him. As he was blown through the air, Angels would get out of the way so that he would hit into the buildings. It looked as if the streets was made up of a sea of Angels, the only ground being exposed being that of the ten meter circle that was constantly formed around Ranma, every Angel staying a good distance away, wanting to pick him off with their projectiles.
During the few times when Ranma would release a ki-blast toward the Angels, they would quickly part and allow it to travel its path, sometimes killing off a few hapless Angels in the process, before filling the opening back up to surround Ranma again.
Ranma did not understand his powers well enough to be able to utilize it. He constantly found himself about to use his powers, only to be distracted as a ki-
blast would hit him from behind. He did not understand why he was being blown through the air and sometimes not. Every here and there, the blast would hit him, but he would not be blown in any direction.
"What did I do that stops me from being sent flying when I'm struck?" he asked himself as he dusted himself of the debris. It seemed to annoy him more that he can not seem to make himself immoveable after being struck than actually being struck.
Little did Ranma know that over the course of the battle, his understanding of his powers was slowly starting to surface. However, he was far from understanding it completely, which was why the Angels were able to have their way with him at the current moment.
As Ranma got up to his feet, a lone Angel seemed to have gotten impatient and ran up to Ranma, punching him in the face with all its might. As if hitting a solid unwavering object, the Angel cried out in pain as its hand shattered from hitting him so hard. The impact of the blow shocked all the Angels for it ended up sending Ranma flying spiraling down the streets several hundred meters where he ended up sliding to a halt. It had sent Ranma flying further than any ki-
blast had ever sent him.
Under the street, Priss gazed out one of the sewer drains just as she saw him get punched. She was standing on Shinji's shoulder.
"Damnit!" Priss swore, "We were so close, too,"
"What happened?" Sylia asked.
Priss hopped off Shinji's shoulders, "First off, if it weren't for the fact that I only see one person being attacked, I'd swear I wouldn't be able to tell who was Ranma. Anyway, I just saw Ranma get punched. I just saw him go flying through the air probably a good several hundred meters down the street,"
"What?" Linna said, "You mean we have to trek even further in this disgusting sewer?"
At the current moment, Linna was the one in charge of holding the Lance. It was an easy task because the device that carried the Lance followed behind her and she merely had to be the last person trailing the group so that no one my accidentally touch the Lance itself had she been walking in front.
"Yep," Priss said with a sigh, "Provided he doesn't go flying off in another direction by the time we get there,"
"We better get going," Sylia said, walking down the tunnel.
Ranma got up to his feet and looked down the street. He could see the sea of Angels making their way toward him to catch up and surround him again. Not once did it cross his mind to make a run for it for he believed he had no reason to run. He looked down the other way of the street. It was empty for he had been blown through the air that far to clear all those thousands of surrounding Angels. To his annoyance, that street didn't stay empty for long for another group could be seen approaching toward him.
He gazed at the approaching group curiously, not at all worried about the thousands of Angels rushing up from behind him.
"What are those?" he asked himself. He noticed that the approaching group did not look like the approaching Angels that were to his back. They looked oddly different.
Ranma didn't so much as flinch as a rocket whizzed right by the right side of his head, striking one of the Angels behind him and sending it flying bodily further into the crowd.
"Hmph!" he snorted in annoyance as he realized what that odd looking group was.
They were boomers.
Close to two hundred boomers made up of that group with many many more on the way, all of them having been made underground a short time ago. They looked unlike any previous boomer ever made, carrying heavy armaments of intense firepower. It seems when Ranma had ended up in the underground manufactory, the supercomputer in charge of overseeing production had believe him a threat and had gone about building boomers vigorously to dispose of him. It seems they have all followed him out of that manufactory via the hole he dug when he made his way out.
"This is ridiculous," Ranma muttered as he basically looked north and saw a sea of Angels and then looking south and seeing a sea of boomers. To his west and east were buildings that had yet to be destroyed. He was basically surrounded with nowhere to go.
A ki-blast whizzed by him as he gazed toward the boomers. He saw the ki-blast strike one of the boomers and erupting into a massive explosion, taking out three nearby boomers. He then saw a boomer shoot a rocket toward him, missing him by inches.
He turned around and watch the rocket strike an Angel and send it flying backward into the crowd. When he saw this happen, he wondered why the Angel had been unable to dodge it when the Angels had been capable of dodging the few fluke ki-blasts that he shot just before.
He thought for a good minute as he stood in the middle of the crossfire between the boomer and Angels as all hell broke loose before a ki-blast struck him in the side, sending him flying toward the group of boomers.
Due to the impact, Ranma was sent toward it at such a velocity that he crashed through over a dozen boomers before coming to a halt dead smack in the middle of the group.
He proceeded to get to his feet, dusting himself. He looked about an noticed all nearby boomers facing him, all their weapons targeting on him. Just as they released their armaments at Ranma, the ground below him gave way and caved-in, unable to sustain the extreme weight of holding so many boomers at one time.
Ranma and most of the boomers fell down into the sewers below.
"Why do I constantly end up down here?" Ranma muttered to himself as he got up to his feet. He proceeded to climb up the massive pile of boomers in the direction of the group of Angels.
He wanted his feet to be on firm ground, even if that meant dealing with the Angels. It never crossed his mind to climb up the other side, away from the Angels.
As he was climbing up, he looked up into the sky and saw two human looking individuals flying overhead as thousands of Angels could be seen giving chase. They were Urd and Skuld. As they flew overhead, he noticed both of them pause for a moment to hover directly above him. He gazed up curiously as he saw both of them throw these round-looking object toward the ground below, particularly the group of Angels in front of him. His gaze followed those objects as they fell and disappeared into the group. A second later, Ranma found himself struggling to keep standing as the ground violently shook as massive explosions erupted among the group of Angels, dozen of Angels being throw through the air in random directions, arcing through the sky where they eventually land elsewhere within the group.
He gazed back up and noticed Urd and Skuld dart off toward the horizon as those thousand of flying Angels came seriously close to catching them. He looked forward where he saw more than half of the Angels in the group jumping up into the sky and taking flight after those two individuals.
He noticed one of Angels catching up to the two of them and even grabbing a hold of Skuld. He watched as Urd stopped to turn back around and attack the Angel to free her sister.
Ranma smirked. Whoever they were, they would soon be caught.
A thought suddenly passed through Ranma's mind. He wondered if the Angels that were flying would be able to dodge as well as the ones that were on the ground. It was best to find out for himself. As if he knew what he was supposed to do, he extended one of his hands forward toward Urd and Skuld. A split second later, a massive ki-blast erupted from his hands, rocketing right toward the two of them.
The ki-blast struck both Urd and Skuld just as the first wave of hundreds of the Angels caught up to them. It incinerated everything in its path as it stuck them directly and expanded outward in a spherical fashion until it was close to several hundred feet in diameter, swallowing up everything.
All the hundreds of Angels along with Urd and Skuld were consumed in the blast. The thousands of chasing Angels came to an abrupt stop, most of them colliding into one another as they try to stop themselves from flying straight into the expanding explosion.
Of the thousands of Angels, only a few hundred managed to stop in time.
"Seems the ones that fly can't dodge as well," Ranma smirked.
When the explosion subsided, all that remained were Urd and Skuld, the both of them unscathed. They were both in a frozen state of shielding themselves with their arms in front of them, as if it was actually going to protect them.
"W-w-what was that?" Skuld gasped, her heart racing. She felt slightly disoriented. She thought she was a goner twice. The first time her life flashed before her eyes was when she felt one of the pursuing Angels grab a hold of her. The second time was when she glanced out of the corner of her eye and saw this massive energy blast thundering right toward her.
Urd to a moment to get her bearings straights. She looked around and noticed that all but some of the chasing Angels seemed to have been incinerated in that blast.
She looked down toward the ground where she saw Ranma gazing up toward the two of them as he was putting his hand back down toward his side, the motion allowing her to realize that it had been Ranma that had shot that blast at her.
A smile crossed her lips, "He's starting to remember,"
"What?" Skuld looked at her.
"He's starting to remember," she said, "He is starting to remember how to control his powers. Pretty soon, he'll realize it's his will that makes things possible,"
Ranma continued to gaze toward the two of them.
"I wonder why they survived and the others perished?" he asked himself, "But then again, perhaps it should have turned out that way since it seems they were trying to help me, even though I didn't want their help,"
His moment of pondering was broken when a ki-blast struck him in the back, sending him flying forward where he ended up falling back down into the pile of boomers. By now, most of the boomers had gotten to their feet. When they noticed Ranma was among them, they immediately locked their weapons back on him. The other boomers located by the outside edge of the group, the ones near the Angels had targeted the Angels and were attacking them as well.
Nearby surrounding buildings were all collapsing from straying missiles and ki-
blasts. Projectiles were flying everywhere, some hitting its target, others missing completely. Bombs fell from above as Urd and Skuld continued to bombard the area, making sure not to have Ranma caught up in the explosion.
Ranma was stuck by the missiles that had been trained on him, blown through the air a great distance, clearing the group of boomers and Angels, landing in the middle of a street as the battle raged on a short distance away.
Once again, Ranma proceeded to get back onto his feet.
"There he is!" Priss shouted as she peered out a sewer drain, her voice echoing in the sewer tunnels, "He's only about fifty feet away from here! Lucky us, he was blown right back toward us!"
Priss hopped off Shinji's shoulders ran down the tunnel straight toward a iron ladder that led up to the manhole for the sidewalk above. Right by the top, she pushed with all her might. "Lettme try," Shinji said.
"I've got it!" Priss said, prideful. She didn't want to be outdone by some young kid. The manhole was just heavy and she simply needed to muster the strength to push it up and toward the side.
Shinji didn't wait as he ignored Priss' words and climbed up the ladder, stopping right next to her. She gritted her teeth, as she glanced toward him and realized that she needed his strength.
He pushed up on the manhole with one arm, lifting it up just high enough so that Priss and wedge her fingers around one of the sides and push it toward the side.
"Thanks," she said reluctantly.
She climbed up onto the sidewalk, Shinji immediately following. Once up above, he turned his attention back down into the manhole and extended his hand for Sylia as she took a hold of it and got up.
"Be careful not to touch it," Sylia suggested to Shinji as he reached downward and grabbed a hold of the device holding the Lance. He grabbed it and pulled it up out of the sewers, pushing it off toward the side where it hovered right next to him, as if he had just place it on an invisible stand.
He helped Linna out of the sewer. Just as she got out, he happened to glance down the street where he caught sight of a straying ki-blast heading straight toward them. "Look out!" he shouted. In one fluid motion, he abruptly pulled Linna toward him as he jumped backward, using his back to slam into Sylia and Priss at the same time and push them out of the way as a ki-blast rocketed right by them, missing them by inches. The nearby building was destroyed, crumbling down into a heaping mess.
"Holy shit!" Priss said, her heart racing. She couldn't believe how close she had just came to being killed as she got up to her feet.
Shinji said, "C'mon, let's go, before the Angels reach Ranma before we do,"
He quickly ran in the direction of Ranma, the Lance hovering close behind. Priss, Sylia, and Linna looked at each other, a bit stunned.
"How the heck does he keep a level head in a situation like that?" Priss asked. This was far worse than battling boomers. They had no hardsuits on or any form of protection. One straying ki-blast or missile could kill them.
They quickly followed after Shinji, sliding to a halt when they saw him quickly stop and jump toward the side, just as a missile exploded right by where he had been standing a second ago.
Shinji rolled back onto his shoulders, the Lance unscathed despite being caught in the blast.
"How did he manage to react in time to dodge that?" Linna commented, taking a tentative step backwards, away from the chaos. That young man seemed inhuman to be able to react so quickly.
She quickly realized that she was being left behind when she saw Priss and Sylia running on after Shinji as he ran down the street toward Ranma.
"Ranma! I have the Lance!" Shinji shouted toward him, "Take it!"
Ranma turned toward the voice and saw Shinji running down the street toward him. It only took him a moment to realize that it was Shinji.
"What are you doing here?" he asked, ignoring the straying projectiles as they whizzed by him from behind.
"Here they come!" Sylia realized the hundreds of approaching Angels, "We have to hold them off!"
She reached into her pocket and pulled out all three tiny round devices. She didn't even bother to examine it to understand exactly what it was for she threw it with all her might, sending it sailing over Shinji and Ranma and right into the oncoming crowd.
A second later, three explosions erupted, sending Angels flying in random directions. The explosions, although unable to hurt even a single Angel, proved quite effective for the Angels halted, wondering what had just happened.
Priss took her cue and did the same, throwing her three into the crowd. Once again, three explosions erupted, sending even more Angels flying in random directions. One even came flying toward where Ranma was where it was killed off easily as Ranma punched it during its flight, sending it flying into the group where it collide with several Angels.
Linna, realizing Shinji still had a little bit more of a distance to cover, reached into her own pocket and produced the three devices. She three all three of them at once right toward the group. The outcome was not what she or any of them had expected.
One of the Angels saw the device and caught it and threw it toward Ranma. As two massive explosions consumed the crowd of Angels, the third explosion erupted right by Shinji as he finally caught up to Ranma.
The explosion was intense, sending Ranma flying into one of the buildings and sending Shinji and the Lance flying backwards where he ended up sliding to a halt right by where the three of them were. "Oh my god!" Linna said, kneeling down by where Shinji was, "A-are you all right?"
Shinji groaned in pain, unable to hear what she had asked for his eardrums had been damaged in the loud explosion. He rolled toward the side so that he was on his hands and knees.
He slowly tried to get up, his legs failing him as he fell back down and vomited a large quantity of blood. Pain was shooting through every part of his body.
"Oh god, you're hurt badly," Sylia gasped, kneeling by where he was. She tried to help him out but he seemed to have lost realization of what was going on as he jerked his arm away, shouting out in pain.
"Your shoulder's been dislocated!" Sylia reached out in an attempt to calm Shinji. She held his face right in front of hers so they were looking each other right in the eyes. With Shinji able to focus on something, he would be able to rid his disorientation quicker.
Shinji was in a lot of pain as he used his working arm to clutch at the arm with the dislocated shoulder. His arm hung limply against his body as he gritted his teeth, fighting back the pain that was threatening to send him into unconsciousness.
"We have to get the Lance to Ranma!" Shinji shouted, unable to hear his own voice. He glanced down the street where he saw Ranma now fending off hundred of Angels as they proceeded to attack him. They had yet to completely surround him.
"Look out!" Shinji shouted as he used his working arm to push Sylia out of the way as a ki-blast came rocketing toward him. One of the Angels, having noticed that Shinji and the others seemed to be trying to help Ranma, wanted to get rid of them.
Knowing that he was not going to get out of the way in time, Shinji stumbled backwards and tripped over his own two feet. At the moment of impact, Shinji had happened to grab a hold of Lance as he used his working arm to grab at something to stay afoot.
Shinji was struck with the ki-blast right in the chest and was sent flying backwards where he crashed into a clothing building via the front windows, losing grip of the Lance in the process as it tumbled a short distance away.
"Shinji!" all three girls called out to him. Oddly enough, Ranma even called out his name.
Priss ran back after him, dreading what she was going to see. Linna and Sylia were in a state of shock. Luckily, Sylia managed to compose herself and steel her emotions. She looked toward the side where she saw the Lance hovering in place.
She was very sure Shinji had been killed trying to get the Lance to Ranma, and she wasn't going to let his death be in vain. Forgetting about what Skuld had mentioned earlier, she grabbed the Lance and ran with it toward Ranma. As she held the Lance, she felt this overwhelming power seep into her.
She ignored the sensations coursing through her body as shouted toward Ranma, "Ranma! The Lance! Take it!"
She noticed several Angels heard what she had just said. They turned their attention from Ranma and onto her. Pretty soon, they all stopped attacking Ranma to focus their attention on Sylia.
Sylia's heart was in her throat as she saw half a dozen of the Angels break formation from the group to go after her. She watched as Linna made a break straight toward the leading Angel and dive at it, only to be throw off toward the side like a rag doll, falling deep into unconsciousness when she hit the ground.
"Ranma!" she shouted toward him, the first thing popping into her mind. She had no idea why she had said that in the first place, not knowing if he would help out, but those words came out.
Just as the Angels was almost upon her, she saw Ranma emerge from the wave of Angels at lightning speeds, heading straight toward her. She then suddenly found herself being picked up into Ranma's arms. She shouted as she saw one of the Angels shoot a ki-blast toward the two of them and was shocked into speechlessness when she saw the ki-blast being deflected up toward the sky by a well timed flick of his wrist.
As he held Sylia, Ranma executed a wicked roundhouse in the direction of the Angels. The kick itself hit nothing, but the motion seemed to have caused a red blade-like projectile to shoot forward from the arc of his feet, heading straight toward the Angels at waist-level.
The wave attack struck the incoming Angels, disappearing right into the crowd. The Angels stopped, a bit curious as to what had just as happened. After a moment, they attempt to resume their pursuit. When they tried, all the Angels started falling apart at the waist, for the projectile seemed to have sliced them all in half right at their waists.
Not all of the Angels were killed for the ones located in back was still rushing toward them.
"Is this the Lance?" Ranma asked Sylia as he held her. He noticed that the Lance was hovering right in front of Sylia.
Sylia noticed his cold voice seemed calm despite the wave of Angels coming in, intent to kill on their faces. It was as if it was just a trivial matter to him.
"Um, yes," she said when she followed his gaze onto the Lance.
Ranma placed Sylia back on her feet, his movements gentle and almost caring despite his personality. All Sylia could do was stare as she saw Ranma grab the Lance and regard it for a moment, seemingly interested in it.
"Ranma! The Angels!" Sylia said as she realized that now was not the time to be fascinated by the weapon at hand.
Ranma turned his attention toward the Angels. As if knowing what to do, he swung the Lance in front of him in a wide horizontal arc, like the way someone would swing a baseball bat.
A blue wave-like projectile shot forward from the arc of the Lance, traveling right toward the incoming Angels like that of a tidal wave. It consumed all the Angels in its path, incinerating them as the projectile passed through them, continuing to travel forward. Oddly enough, none of the buildings were harmed as it seemed to only kill the Angels.
The projectile continued to travel forward, killing every Angel in its path, eventually traveling beyond the curve of the planet where it disappeared into space, continuing to travel for infinity. Everything became quiet. In a single motion, Ranma had killed off all of the pursuing Angels. However, it was not the time to relax for the skies was now filled with tens of thousands of Angels, all of them coming down from the dark clouds high above. It was just a matter of time before they would reach the ground.
new stuff
"Where do these things keep coming from?" he sneered.
He swung the Lance skyward as an equally enormous wave-like projectile shot forward. Once again, all the Angels caught in the blast were killed, none of them able to survive.
Sylia and Linna stood there in a state of shock.
"U-unbelievable!" Linna commented, "Just like that, he wiped them all out,"
She glanced toward Ranma to see what his reaction but soon found herself watching his back as his back as he walked away from the two of them heading in the direction where Shinji was.
Ranma, holding the Lance in one hand, entered the building via the broken glass opening and walked up to where Shinji and Priss were. He glanced down at the motionless Shinji. By his side was Priss as she seemed to be administering mouth to mouth resuscitation, currently in the process of compressing his chest.
Priss glanced up and noticed Ranma, "He's not breathing! I can't feel a pulse!"
He said nothing. He continued to watch as she continued to give him CPR.
Sylia came in via the same opening.
"Call an ambulance!" Priss shouted toward the two of them.
"Linna is already on it," Sylia answered, "There's no signal around here and the payphones are all disabled. She ran down to another block to make a call,"
She knelt down next to Shinji. Shinji was in bad shape, very bad shape. His neck was cut up from the broken glass that had become embedded. One of his arms was at an impossible angle. It was the arm with the dislocated shoulder.
Priss continued to administer CPR. Linna took the opportunity to pop Shinji's shoulder back in its place, grateful that he isn't conscious while she did.
"C'mon!" she sneered, hating this feeling of defenselessness, "Wake up already!"
As if answering Priss' pleas, Shinji suddenly started breathing.
"Thank god!" she gasped in relief.
There was a long moment of silence as everyone eagerly waited as his erratic breathing started to steady.
"Ugh," he groaned in pain.
"Shinji, don't speak," Sylia said in a soft voice, "You're badly hurt,"
Shinji didn't seem to even notice her nor Sylia. His attention was solely on Ranma.
Ranma continued to regard the young man.
"Ranma, I-I did well, didn't I?" Shinji said in a weak voice.
"Yes," he nodded.
Shinji smiled one last time, "Thanks. That's all I wanted to hear,"
With that said, he closed his eyes.
"Oh shit!" Priss said, her heart in her throat again.
She placed two fingers by his neck, feeling no pulse.
"Goddamnit!" she shouted. She proceeded to administer CPR again.
"Don't bother, he's dead," Ranma said, his voice indicating no emotions.
"Not if I have something to do about it!" Priss said, her attention still on Shinji.
Everyone watched in silence as Priss continued to try her best to resuscitate Shinji, much to no avail. It wasn't until over ten minutes did Priss finally relent. There was a deathly silence that hung in the air. It wasn't until that moment did Linna appear.
"An ambulance is on it's way!" Linna said, breathing heavily. She had sprinted the eight blocks back to the building. "It's too late," Sylia said.
"No..." Linna fell to her knees. Deep down inside, she was scared that that was what she was going to hear, but she still didn't want to believe it. Ranma walked over to where Shinji lay and knelt by his side, placing a hand over his chest, his other hand still holding the Lance.
Everyone looked at Ranma oddly.
"He's dead, Ranma," Sylia said, "What are you doing?"
"He died before his time," Ranma said, "I'm going to correct that,"
"What?" they asked in unison.
Ranma ignored them and closed his eyes. He started glowing a bluish hue as all three females stared at him in astonishment.
"What the?" Priss said.
They watched as the aura surrounding him seemed to seem from his fingertips and into Shinji's lifeless body. After a moment, his chest started moving, indicating that he was breathing again.
"Oh my g-god!" Priss gasped, "H-he's alive!"
Ranma stood back up, his job done. "W-what did you just do? H-how did you do that?" Linna asked, shock in her voice.
He shrugged, "I can restore life every bit as easily as I can take it,"
All three females stared at him in silence.
"I-I'm alive," Shinji's voice broke the silence.
"Y-yeah," Priss said, "I dunno what happened, but you're back with us,"
Shinji sat upright, "Ranma,"
Ranma regarded the young man, "Yeah?"
"You did this, didn't you? You brought me back,"
He nodded, "Yes, I did. I still have a few questions that I want answered,"
Shinji was silent for several long moments.
After a moment, he looked up and gave a smile, "Um, what is it?"
Ranma shrugged. He looked down at Lance that he held in his hands.
"This is the Lance of Longinus?" he asked.
Shinji nodded.
"It this was what those things were after? Because it is the only weapon capable of killing me?" Ranma asked.
Shinji nodded again.
"That's all I wish to know," Ranma said.
He got up and turned around, as if about to leave.
"Where are you going?" Shinji asked, "That's the Lance. You have to destroy it,"
Ranma turned to face him, gesturing toward the Lance in his hands, "What makes you think I intend to destroy this weapon?"
"Huh?" Shinji gave him a confused look, "The whole purpose of us being here is to get the Lance to you so that you can destroy it,"
Ranma said, "Even if that was the case, I have no intention of doing that. I intend to use this to kill myself,"
"What?" everyone shouted.
He turned to face the group, "I intend to kill myself. But before I do, there is someone I intend to say goodbye to. Goodbye,"
Ranma headed out of the building.
Sylia gave chase, but as she exited the building, she was forced to shield her eyes as a bright light appeared in front of her, emanating from the portal that Ranma somehow conjured.
"Ranma!" she called out to him, knowing he was about to step through it.
Ranma didn't so much as cast a second glance as he stepped through, disappearing as it closed up behind him. It was several long moments before Sylia managed to compose herself.
"What the heck just happened here?" she asked herself, a confused look on her face.
Not more than a minute passed before Urd appeared, hovering down from the sky and landing right in front of the confused woman.
"Where's Ranma?" Urd asked, realizing that he was nowhere to be seen.
Sylia was unable to talk, her throat dry.
"Hello, where's Ranma?" she asked again.
"I don't know," she said, "H-he said something about seeing someone he intends to say goodbye to,"
"Why would he want to do that?" Urd asked, scratching his head, "Wait, does that mean he's aware that he will no longer exist when the real Ranma and Rei separate from him?"
She shook her head, "I don't know. I don't think it's that. He said something about killing himself,"
"Kill himself? How is that possible?" she asked, "He can't die. Only thing that can kill him is the Lance of Longinus, which he should have destroyed by now,"
Sylia shook her head, "No, he didn't destroy it. I think he intends to use the Lance to kill himself,"
"What?"
Jun yawned as got up out of bed. It was early in the morning and the sun was showing brightly. It was the last day of her break and she was expected back in class tomorrow. She had a long trip back to college ahead of her just a few short hours from now. Luckily for her, she had packed everything that needed packing last night. She could enjoy the morning leisurely until she was expected to leave this afternoon.
She opened up the blinds to the window to allow the sunlight in, shielding her eyes from the brilliance. She opened up the windows to allow in some fresh air. As she did so, she glanced out and caught sight of a familiar looking individual standing in front of her home.
It was Ranma and he was looking straight up toward her. Their eyes locked.
"Ranma? Is that you?"
Ranma said nothing, continuing to regard her. After a moment, he nodded.
"What are you doing here?"
"I came to see you," he said.
Jun blushed a bit. Really?
"How did you know I lived here?" she asked. She couldn't recall having ever mentioned of where she lived. Ranma knew of the address of the home of her relatives, but not of hers.
"I just do," he replied.
"I'll be down in a minute," she said.
She quickly threw some more appropriate attire and headed downstairs and toward the front door. She headed outside where she saw Ranma approaching the door.
"Um, g'morning," she said, a bit out of breath. She had rushed herself a bit more than she cared to let on.
Ranma regarded her for a moment. He noticed that her hair was now a few centimeters shorter.
"You got a haircut," he state.
Jun stared at him for a moment, a bit surprised.
"Why yes I did," she nodded, "I got it a few days ago. It's funny that you noticed it. Not even my parents noticed it, and they usually notice everything. What do you think? It's not much of a change but the bangs are slightly shorter and doesn't come down over my eyes anymore,"
He shrugged.
"So, how was your break so far?" she asked, "What have you been up to?"
"Nothing interesting," he said, "And I haven't been doing much. Just wandering about on another world. I just got back,"
"Huh?"
"It's a bit complicated," he said, "It's a long story,"
"Well, what are you doing now? Are you busy?" she asked, "I'm not doing anything today, so if you're not busy, perhaps we can catch up on things,"
"Things? What things?" he seemed a bit confused.
She smiled, "Y'know. It's been about two weeks since we last talked. Frankly, I'm curious as to what you've been up to,"
"Jun, dear, is there a reason why you're standing in front with the door open?" a voice could be heard from behind.
Ranma glanced past Jun toward the door where there stood a middle-aged woman with long red hair. She looked oddly familiar to him but he dismissed the thought the moment it entered his mind. Ranma first assumed that it was Jun's mother but they didn't look all that alike. "Oh, I didn't know we had company," the woman said in a soft voice. Her voice sounded very kind and gentle. She smiled at Ranma, "Good morning,"
Ranma said nothing.
Jun bit her lip. Why does Ranma have to be so Ranma? Couldn't he show some manners from time to time?
She smiled, placing her hand on Jun's shoulder, "I'm Jun's mother. Do the two of you know each other?"
"You don't look like her mother," he said without tact.
"Ranma!" Jun said in an annoyed voice. That was such a rude comment.
The mother smiled, "That's because she takes her looks after her father,"
Ranma shrugged, disinterested.
"Ranma!" Jun narrowed her eyes at him, "Can't you be a bit more polite?"
He let out an annoyed breath, "Fine,"
"Ranma?" her mother said, "My, what an...um...unusual name. Is that really your name?"
He nodded, "Yes, it is. And no, you don't have to point out the obvious that I happen to share the same name as the same person that almost destroyed this world,"
"Ranma!" Jun said loudly.
"Hmph!" he snorted.
The mother smiled, "Well, at least you can talk. You were so quiet a second ago that I didn't know if you could talk or not,"
"He and I have the same physics class," Jun turned toward her mother.
"Are you the person that my Jun seems to be always talking about?" the mother asked Ranma, "The guy in one of her classes that never seems to pay attention yet has gotten perfect scores every time?"
He said nothing for several moments. Why would Jun mention of him to her mother?
"Mom!" Jun turned toward her mother, blushing, "You're embarrassing me!"
"Ah, so it is him," she said with a big smile. She turned toward Ranma, "My, you must be a brilliant young man. Jun has mentioned you several times. Never gave of a name. Just talks about of a classmate that gets perfect scores and how she wishes she can get such grades just as easily,"
"Well, I'll leave you two alone," the mother smiled, "Ranma, it was nice meeting you. Feel free to come by and visit whenever you like. Perhaps you can take Jun out to town or something if you ever have the time. I keep telling her she needs to go out more often anyway,"
"Mom!" Jun blushed beet red.
Her mother had already disappeared into the house before Jun could utter another word. After a short moment, the sounds of the crying that could be heard started to fade, eventually disappearing. Soon, it was replaced by gleeful sounds of laughing.
After a good minute passed, Jun managed to get her fluster under control and turned around to face Ranma. When she looked at him, she noticed he didn't show any signs of caring about what her mother had just said.
"I'm sorry about the interruption," Jun began, "My mom is like that all the time, constantly playing matchmaker,"
"If you say so," he shrugged.
She cleared her throat, "Let's start over. So, what brings you here?"
"I came to see you," he said flatly. His statement caused a blush to form around Jun's cheeks. Ranma noticed this but had no idea why she was blushing in the first place. There was no hidden meaning to his words. He had indeed come to see her.
Jun stammered slightly, "W-well, I'm glad you came to see me. It's nice seeing you, too. It's a bit unexpected seeing you of all people this morning. I figure I won't be seeing you until next week, when classes start again. Have you gotten your next semester's class schedule yet? We will most likely be in the same class again,"
"I dunno," he said, "I haven't been back home to check my mail since I left that day with you to Tokyo,"
"You haven't been back since?" she said, "So where have you been staying? With family? Friends?"
He shook his head, "Neither,"
"Man, sometimes, even I find you a bit weird at times," she commented, "You go about acting as if you need neither sleep nor food,"
"I don't. But if you don't believe me, then that's not my problem," he said.
She sighed. She then asked, "We still have some time left before school starts. However, you should take care to go back home and check to see what classes you have next semester,"
"It doesn't matter to me, I don't intend to go back school," he replied.
"What? What do you mean by that? Don't tell me you're dropping out," she seemed very shocked.
"No, I'm not dropping out. However, I don't intend to go back either," he said.
"I don't follow ya,"
"This is why I came here in the first place, to say farewell," he got right to the point.
"To say farewell? What do you mean?" she asked, "Did something happen over the break?"
He took a deep breath, "Yes, something did happen over the break. I recently found out who and what I am, and frankly speaking, I have no care for it,"
"Who and what you are? What are you getting at? What do you mean by that?"
He shook his head, "I don't intend to explain it,"
"It's the break so I have plenty of free time. Try me," she said.
"And like I said, I don't intend to explain it," he replied, "I have come here to say farewell. And now that I have said so, I am leaving," "Hold up!" she said, "What kind of farewell is that? I don't even know why you're saying this in the first place-" Before she managed to finish what she had been saying, a bright light flashed before their eyes. Jun involuntarily shielded her eyes as Ranma continued to watch.
When it disappeared, Jun and Ranma caught sight of several familiar individuals. Standing before them was Ryoga. In his hand was the nanban mirror.
Everyone regarded each other for several moments.
"We meet again," Ryoga said.
Ranma took an instinctive step toward the side, stepping in between Jun and Ryoga, taking on a somewhat defensive posture. Jun recognized Ryoga and had no real idea how to react. She remembered him as the man that had viciously attacked Ranma several times not too long ago. Ranma showed no indication that he had nearly killed a younger version of the man standing before him on that other world.
Ryoga held both hands up defensively, "I'm not here to fight,"
"What do you want?" Ranma narrowed his eyes, still in a defensive posture.
He smiled as he reached into his pocket and produced a book. As to how a rather large book was able to fit into his pocket, that had yet to be determined.
"After much times looking around looking for the book, we have finally found it," he said, "I used the nanban mirror to teleport to where you are,"
He looked around and recognized Jun standing behind Ranma.
"Why are you on this world?" he asked, "Shouldn't you be back on your own world?"
"What are you talking about?" she asked, "This is my world,"
"Wait, if that's true, then why is Ranma here?" he looked confused, "He's supposed to be on a different world, trying to retrieve the Lance. Wait, does that mean you already found the Lance and came back?"
"If the Lance you're referring to is the Lance of Longinus, then yes, I have it," Ranma replied, "And yes, I did come back to this world. However, I now have my own agenda,"
Ryoga scratched his head, "I don't get it. Why would you still have the Lance? You were supposed to destroy it,"
"I decided not to," Ranma shrugged. Ryoga thought about it for a moment before saying, "Well, it doesn't matter now. You don't really have to worry about it anymore. Since we found the book, we can have you recover your memories once and for all instead of going about having it where you only experience flashes of your memories,"
Ranma looked down at the book. He then looked up at Ryoga and shook his head, "No, I don't want it. I don't wish to have my memories return,"
"What?" Ryoga asked, his eyes wide, "Why the heck not?"
"I don't wish to remember," Ranma said.
"You have to!" Ryoga said, "The lives of Ranma Saotome and Rei Ayanami depends on your getting your memories back,"
"And what of my own life?" Ranma sneered.
Ryoga said nothing.
"You have no idea how many times I have tried to kill myself," Ranma said, "only to find myself very much alive and unscathed. However, with possession of the Lance, I can now be released from living on,"
"Yes, but at the expense of two people's lives?" Ryoga said.
"Then so be it," he said.
He extended his hand forward, palm facing skyward. From out of nowhere, the top of the Lance started emerging from the palm, continuing to emerge until it was complete where he then took a hold of it.
Jun, shocked at what she was seeing, took a step backwards and stumbled, falling down onto her backside as she stared wide eyed at Ranma.
With the Lance in his hands, Ranma cast Jun one last look. "Goodbye, Jun," he said. "No!" Ryoga made a desperate attempt to grab Ranma's arms to prevent him from doing what he was going to do next. However, despite his inhuman strength, it was useless when compared to Ranma's infinite strength.
Not even caring if the sight of seeing him killing himself having a psychological effect on Jun, Ranma plunged the tip of Lance right toward his chest. A brilliant glow of red flashed just millimeters in front of his flash as Ranma's AT Field came into full effect, flickering brightly. Ryoga continued to hold on tightly to one of Ranma's arms, pulling with all his might, his muscles in pain under the strain. He continued to pull and pull with all that he had, much to no avail for Ranma's strength made it seem like it was having no effect.
A loud pop echoed as one of Ryoga's shoulders were dislocated, the excruciating pain causing him lose grip of Ranma and falling backwards, tumbling to the ground, clutching at his shoulder with his good arm.
Ryoga bit his lip, fighting back the pain as he got back to his feet and reached out with his good arm in attempt to pulled back one of Ranma's arms. The tip of the Lance was still hovering millimeters above Ranma's chest as his AT Field fought to keep the Lance from penetrating. It was very evident that even his AT Field was starting to fail under the strain as the brilliant red barrier started to fade.
Ryoga, realizing that it was useless trying to outmuscle Ranma, used his working arm in attempt to punch Ranma in the face.
"Let go of the Lance, Damnit!" Ryoga shouted, punching Ranma in the face. His punches were having no effects as the AT Field prevented him from ever actually hitting him, "I won't let you kill yourse-"
Before he managed to finish his sentence, Ryoga saw the AT Field suddenly shatter as the Lance finally penetrated, piercing right into Ranma's chest. "Ranma!" Jun and Ryoga shouted in unison.
Ranma's eyes widened as he fell down to his knees, his lifeblood spewing forward from the open wound. It splattered all over the place, some of it even landing on Jun's pants, most of it ending up on Ryoga. Oddly enough, Ranma's blood was the exact color as human blood.
With the Lance in his chest, Ranma wasn't satisfied for he reach forward and grabbed the Lance and plunged it further into his chest, causing it to pierce through his body entirely, shattering through his own spine.
He fell forward onto his hands, blood continuing to spew, the Lance still piercing through him. "Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God!" Ryoga was continuously telling himself as he seemingly ran around in circles, wondering what to do.
Ranma brought his head up slightly and looked Jun dead in the eyes.
"Why?" was all she could ask.
Ranma said nothing for several moments, his life blood spilling out from his chest, a puddle of blood forming around his knees and hands.
"All my life, I've wanted death. Now I can finally have it," he said. For the first time in his life, he did something that he had never done before. He was smiling. With his final breath, he said, "Goodbye,"
With that said, he fell over onto his side, the Lance still embedded through him. Ranma closed his eyes and died.
"No!" Jun shouted, rushing forward toward Ranma. She ended up slipping on his blood and falling down right down by him. She crawled up to him and sat him up, holding him against her as she cradled him.
Tears streamed from her eyes as her heart cried out for him. She had always figured Ranma had had a hard life, but never realized it had been that hard that it would cause him to take his own life.
Ryoga gazed down at the image in front of him. There was a look of total disbelief on his face. "H-he can't be dead. T-that's not possible," he said in denial.
Jun ignored Ryoga. Actually, she didn't even hear him for all she was aware of was Ranma's motionless body resting against her.
Ryoga fell down to his knees, tears forming, "H-how can this be? Why would you have done this to yourself?"
He gazed over where the book lay. They had been so close. All Ranma needed to do was to take a glance at the book and everything would had been all right. However, despite knowing this, Ranma choose to take his own life using the one instrument that was capable of doing so. At that moment, Jun's mother glanced out the window, curious as to what that flickering red light she saw a short moment ago was. When she looked out, she got quite an eyeful when she saw her daughter sitting down right by the front, cradling the bloodied body of a young man she had met earlier, the Lance stuck through his chest and out his back.
She quickly rushed out, "W-w-what happened?"
"Mom, call an ambulance!" Jun pleaded, looking up, her tears very evident.
"W-what happened?" she asked.
"Go!" Jun shouted in a loud voice.
The mother quickly nodded and ran into the house.
"It's no use," Ryoga stated sullenly, finally able to absorb what had just transpired, "He's dead,"
"T-there's still a chance..." she said, her gaze on Ranma again, "I've seen his brush off many things that should have killed him, but he always got back up. He mentioned that he can't be killed, I remember that,"
Ryoga shook his head, "No. Not this time. The weapon used was the only one capable of killing him. He used it on himself,"
"Why would he have done that?" she asked, her eyes pleading for Ryoga to give her a meaningful answer. Unfortunately, whatever explanation he gave, it would not be enough.
Ryoga said, "I don't know. Ranma was the only one that knew,"
Jun's mother emerged from the house, "I called for an ambulance. They're on their way,"
In the distance, the sounds of an ambulance siren could be heard.
"What happened here? How did this happen?" Jun' mother asked.
Ryoga looked toward her but said nothing. He turned his attention back onto Jun and Ranma. Millions of thoughts were racing through his mind as he went about trying to figure out what to do. If Urd was here, she would probably be able to do something. Where was she in the first place? Was she still on the other world? He suddenly realized that his shoulder was still dislocated. Gritting his teeth to fight back the pain and the urge to vomit from it, he used his working arm to put the socket back in its place.
As sirens got louder and louder as the ambulance got closer to the house, everyone waited silently.
That silence was broken when Ranma's lifeless body suddenly make a jerking motion, as if having a spasm.
Jun quickly released her hold of Ranma, the sudden motion frightening her to death. Everyone saw this and had no idea what to make of it.
A blue aura formed around his body, growing brighter and brighter with every passing second. After a moment, his body slowly started to rise into the air, as if an invisible hand had come down from heaven and picked him up.
"What the?" Ryoga said, basically speaking on everyone's behalf.
Everyone watched as Ranma's body hovered skyward, eventually stopping and hovering in place when he was about ten feet off the ground. As he hovered, the Lance suddenly slowly started to pass through his body, eventually falling down to the ground after it exited through his back. "What's going on here?" Jun's mother asked. She had never seen anything like this ever before. That man was hovering in the air.
With the Lance no longer embedded through him, Ranma's body continued to hover. However, the giant wound caused by the Lance slowly started to seal up. What was even more amazing was that all the blood that started to take on a life of its own, seemingly migrating back into his body via the opening. Even the blood Jun and Ryoga's clothes made their way back into Ranma's body. Eventually, all the blood that was splattered around disappeared, having gone back into Ranma's body.
When that was done, the body hovered back down and onto the ground, ending up back on his side again.
"What the heck just happened?" Ryoga asked, his face having the same shocked look as the others.
"Oh my god!" Jun shouted, pointing at Ranma.
Ranma's chest was moving in and out, giving evidence that he was breathing. After several long moment, Ranma opened his eyes, alive and well.
He sat upright and looked about, recognizing Ryoga, Jun, and Jun's mother. He glanced nearby where he was where he saw the Lance laying right on the ground. Not really knowing what had just happened, he got up to his feet, his gaze still on the Lance.
"Ranma! You're all right!" Jun shouted, darting forward and hugging Ranma from behind, "I thought you were dead!"
Hearing those words, Ranma suddenly realized what had just happened. He recalled having used the Lance to pierce his own heart in attempts of killing himself.
"I'm still alive," he said. His voice showed no signs of relief. More so, it sounded more like disappointment.
"Yes, you're alive," Ryoga commented, "What the heck did you just do back there? We all thought you were dead. How did you do that?"
He glanced at Ryoga, then back down at the Lance.
"Why am I still alive?" he asked himself.
Everyone was silent.
They watched as he took a step toward the Lance. Perhaps I didn't try hard enough, he thought to himself. He would try again.
He stood over the Lance. As he bent over and was just about to pick it up in his hands, the Lance suddenly turned to what looked like ash where it then seemed to disappear, blown away along with a passing breeze.
For a good minute, Ranma just stood there, looking at the spot where the Lance used to be. Afterwards, he fell down to his knees, feeling a sense of resignation. It was the same feeling of resignation he had when he was young, when he realized there was nothing to do in terms of his immortality. However, when he had found out of the Lance of Longinus and its properties and ability to kill him, he felt it was possible, that there was still hope. But now that the Lance was gone, he was back at square one.
"I can't kill myself," he said, his voice very soft.
Jun took a step toward, "Why on Earth would you want to kill yourself? I don't understand,"
"Lemme alone," he said, his eyes hidden behind his bangs, his back toward the group, "You wouldn't understand why I've sought death for so long,"
Ranma hated his very existence. He hated the fact that he was a reincarnate of Ranma Saotome and Rei Ayanami. He had no idea who they were, but he hate them. He hated the fact that he was never his own person but more along the lines of a derivative of two individuals he knew nothing about until recently. That was why he chose to wipe out his own existence by his own hands rather than to help those two out.
He felt something run down the side of one of his cheeks and fall toward the ground. He held his hand out and caught it. It was moist to the touch.
"What is this?" he said to himself. He had never shed a single tear in his life before until now. He had never seen them before and never knew he was even capable of such an emotion. But why now?
Jun walked around his and looked at his hand and noticed it was slightly moist as a few more tears fell on it.
"R-Ranma, y-you're crying," she commented. The mere sight of seeing Ranma in a state of breakdown made her want to start crying as well. She believed Ranma of all people would be the last person she would ever see shed a tear. Many times she wondered if he even knew how to cry.
Ranma wiped the tears away.
"Well, it seems sometimes I even surprise myself," he muttered in contempt toward himself, "I never realized that I was even capable of such an emotion,"
"Ranma, it's okay to cry," Jun's mother said. She didn't really know what to say except perhaps attempt at some comforting words.
"To cry about what?" he said coldly, "About the fact I'm some pawn? A mere vassal for the memories of two people I know nothing about, nor care to know about?"
He turned his back toward everyone, a feeling of contempt toward everything, especially himself.
"What is he talking about?" Jun's mother looked at Jun, a bit confused.
"Ranma, I don't know what you're talking about, but you're not some pawn," Jun called out to him, "You're your own person?"
"And how would you know?" his voice was still cold, his back still toward everyone.
Jun said nothing.
"If I'm my own so-called person, then why do I not even have the choice to even have something as simple as to take my own life?" he sneered, turning toward the group, "How would you feel if you've hated your very existence since the very day you were born? And then suddenly found out that your existence was so that you can carry memories of two individuals that you have no idea about? And that your life only mattered so that you continue to carry those memories? And worse...that those memories are not even mine?"
Everyone stared silently, trying to absorb what he was saying. "Ranma, you are your own person," Ryoga said, "If you weren't you would not be the way that you are. You became who you are based on your experiences through your life. You are nothing like the two people we are saving,"
Ranma sneered, "And you think that makes me feel any better? I became the person that I am because of those two people! I did not ask to be born possessing such a disgusted name as Ranma, but I was!"
"You've could have changed your name," Ryoga argued, "Perhaps you hated your existence because of your name. Have you ever thought of that?"
"It's not just the name!" Ranma sneered, "And what of my powers?
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of diamonds and started sprinkling them on the ground in front of him as if they were sand, "Look at this. These are diamonds. I have enough here in my hands to feed a small starving nation. And do you know how I get these? Using my bare hands. I can crush and turn a piece of coal into a diamond just by closing my fist. I never asked for these kinds of powers,"
"You could have chosen not to use them, to keep them concealed," Ryoga said.
"Why should I be the one that has to change?" he snapped, "Everything has a purpose, like my name, my powers. That is why I didn't change. I just never knew it would be this significant," Ryoga became silent.
Ranma's angry demeanor changed suddenly, "However, it's not like it matters anymore. There's nothing I can do about it. I figure I at least had the choice of taking my own life, but it seems that's not even the case,"
"Ranma, you don't get it," Ryoga started getting angry, "You're extremely important. You are God. You're not a god. You are God. There's a difference in that. Right now, you're just being a child complaining that you never asked to play such a role. Well I have news for you, I never asked for the role that I play, yet I still deal with it. You should too,"
"That's so asinine," Ranma sneered, "Yes, you deal with the role given to you, even if you didn't ask for it. However, you still have that choice to give up that role, to choose to take your own life. I don't. I have to deal with this role. You deal with yours, knowing that you have a way out, that being death,"
Ryoga became silent.
"Don't try and argue with me," Ranma said coldly, "You can't even fathom all the underlying reasons why I grew to hate myself. It's beyond your limited imagination,"
The muscles around Ryoga's jaw tightened. He was so sure he was winning the argument but it seems like Ranma's words hit its mark.
"R-Ranma, I-I never knew you had so much contempt toward yourself," Jun said, on the verge of tears.
Ranma paused for a moment before saying, "Well now you know. There hasn't been a single time in my entire life that I enjoyed being alive,"
"What about when we were together?" she asked, "If you didn't like it, then why didn't you object to us just being together? If you don't eat, then why did you come and eat with me?" Ranma opened his mouth to say something but no words came out. It took a good minute before he thought of the words.
"Fine, I take back what I said," he said coldly, "Perhaps being in your company was sometimes enjoyable, but don't get it in your head that I would choose to live on because of such moments,"
Jun didn't really know what to say. She had no idea if that was a compliment or not. However, now was not the time to try and figure something so trivial out.
"That's why I've come to a decision," he said after a moment.
At that moment, the ambulance pulled up right by the front of the house. Two EMTs emerged.
"We received a call from this address, where is the emergency," one of them said.
"Nothing," Ranma turned toward them coldly, "Now leave,"
The two EMTs looked at one another, wondering if Ranma was joking.
"I'll handle things," Jun's mother said. She walked past them and up to the EMTs. The all walked off a short distance away so that Ranma, Ryoga, and Jun would not be listened in upon.
Ranma turned toward Ryoga, "I've come to a decision. I hate the two people whose memories I possess. However, I hate my existence more so than them. Since I can not kill myself and kill them in the process, I must choose another option. I choose to give up my life so that they may live,"
Ryoga became silent.
"That's ridiculous, Ranma," Jun said, "How can you choose death over life?"
"This is where we see things differently," Ranma replied, "You do not have the life I have and nor I you. Perhaps under different circumstances, I may see things differently. But since that is not the case, I choose death,"
Now it was Jun's turn to become silent.
Ranma said, "If I read the book, and regain all the memories I possess of those two people, what would happen to me?"
"Um, I'm not too sure," Ryoga said. He was starting to have doubts. Should he let Ranma go through with it and read the book. Was the lives of two people worth it at the cost of one life? However, it seems that one life wants to give up its life anyway so everything should be all the better. But why does that not make Ryoga feel any better?
Ranma walked over to where the book lay and picked it up, "Well, there is only one way to find out,"
"Wait," Jun called out.
Ranma turned toward her, "What is it?"
Jun was very silent. She didn't really know of the words that she wanted to say. After a moment, she thought of the words, "Just like that, you can give up everything? I mean give up your entire existence,"
Ranma nodded.
"Is there any possible way to convince you not to go through with it?" she asked.
Ryoga chose not to say anything. If Ranma didn't, then the two lives of the memories he possess was at jeopardy if Ranma ever found of a way to kill himself, even with the Lance of Longinus now destroyed. Ryoga suddenly felt real guilty about not talking about that.
Ranma shook his head, "No,"
"Even if you hate yourself, there's still so much to live for," Jun said.
"Like what?" Ranma seemed skeptical.
"Um, what about love?" she said the first thing popping into her head, "Wouldn't you want to experience being in love?" She had no idea if he had ever loved before, but took the guess that with his lack of emotions, he didn't even know how to love.
"To live so that I may fall in love?" Ranma asked, an odd look on his face, "With whom? You? I'm not in love with you. I don't think I'm capable of that emotion. I'm sure you're aware that I lack even basic emotions,"
Jun said, "Perhaps not in love now, but perhaps sometime down the line,"
"Perhaps," Ranma shrugged, "For all I know, I could fall in love with you sometime down the line,"
Jun blushed a deep shade of red. Really?
"But that is something I will never find out because I have no intention of remaining around long enough to find out,"
"What if someone was in love with you?" she asked.
"Like who? Why would anyone love someone like me?" he said, "Frankly, it doesn't concern me anyway. They'll learn to go on with their life. The only person I've ever been in contact with is you. Don't tell me you're in love with me,"
Jun blushed again, "Not in love. No. Um, more along the lines of like. Um, but who knows. Maybe sometime down the line,"
She couldn't believe what she was saying. It was so embarrassing. However, considering the situation, the fact that Ranma is intent on killing himself, and has no reason to even remotely want to continue on living, she was laying everything on the line. What she doesn't say now, might never be heard for it will be too late.
Ranma paused for a good minute, a bit surprised at that comment. However, he soon steeled his emotions.
Ryoga didn't bother to say anything. He had no idea what he wanted. He kind of wanted Ranma to choose to look at the book so that he will regain the memories of the two people he possess. He also kind of wanted Ranma to choose not to look at the book and continue on living because there was things in life worth living for. It just happen that Ranma had not found it yet. But when he does, he would be glad to have continued on.
"Don't patronize me. Why would you fall in love with me?" he said coldly, "And what makes you think I would return such feelings?"
Jun said nothing, her feelings hurt.
Ranma noticed this and this feeling of guilt started to pass through him, a sensation he never experienced before. It was very odd. He wondered why he was feeling weird emotions all of a sudden that he had never felt before. Could his attempt at killing himself triggered some kind of jump start his emotion into working?
"What makes you even think I even know what the feeling feels like?" Ranma said.
"Everyone goes about it differently," she said, "It's hard to explain. But when you fall in love with someone, you just know,"
"How?" he asked, someone curious.
"You just do," she said.
"That's not a good enough answer," he said, his voice showing signs of annoyance.
Ryoga picked up on that. His eyes widened as he suddenly realized something. Ranma somehow actually had feelings for Jun but is aware of it. Perhaps it's not love, but it was definitely some form of feelings, be it an attraction or perhaps something such as the feeling for a need of friendship.
"Like I said, it's hard to explain," she said, "It's just a feeling you get. That's all I can say,"
Ranma waved a dismissive hand, "It doesn't matter anyway. To fall in love is no reason for me to want to stay around anyway,"
Jun opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out. Those words were the nail on the coffin. Suddenly, she found tears threatening to fall.
"I-I'm sorry to hear you say that," she said, a feeling of lost hope enveloping her, "Then there's nothing I can do. If that's not a good enough reason, then there is nothing I can say that will convince you then,"
He looked down at the book, and then back up at Jun.
"I'm sorry, Jun," he said, his voice sad, "But I don't think I understand. Because of the way I am, because of the life I've been through, I believe I will never experience anything like that. However, should there be a change that I'm wrong, at least I'll know that I will not be around to find out..."
"W-wait. W-w-what are you saying?" she stammered, not liking the tone of Ranma's voice. She was getting chills running down the length of her spine and her heart was racing.
"Jun, I'm glad to have known you," he said, "But this is where we say goodbye,"
"No, d-don't tell me-" she began.
"Goodbye forever," he said, giving her a warm smile, indicating that his choice was not because of her and that he freely chose it, that no matter what she had said, even though she tried her best, he had decided his fate already.
Ranma opened the book.
A bright flash of light more brilliant than the sun shining above emanated from the open book as he looked down into the pages. Looking down, Ranma accepted his fate readily.
Ranma lost his existence.
"Where am I?" Jun looked around. There was nothing but darkness all around her. There was this feeling of serenity about her that she could not describe.
"You're in heaven," came a voice, Ranma's voice.
"What?"
Suddenly an figure appeared in front of her.
It was of Ranma. "Who are you?" she asked. She noticed the man looked identical to the person she knew, but for some reason, she knew that he was not that person.
"My name is Ranma Saotome," Ranma said, his voice soft.
"Why am I here? How did I get here?"
"This is Ranma's final gift, to you," he said, "so listen carefully. The Ranma you know is a combination of two people, myself and a person named Rei Ayanami. He was never his own person and only existed because of us. However, over the course of his life, because of his experiences, he soon started to develop his own personality. The Ranma you know may seem like cold and uncaring, but it's because of his experiences that made him the way he is. Had things been differently, the Ranma you knew would have been a much kinder person. Ranma lacks emotions because he made himself like that. He used his own powers to seal away his emotions. When he was young, he experienced nothing but hurt and heartache all through his life. When he discovered his powers, he used his powers to seal away his emotions, so that he would no longer feel the emotion of being hurt. Because of his lack of experience, he was never able to seal it away completely. So when you came along, more and more of it started to surface. In a way, one can say you slowly chipped away at his armor of ice. Pretty soon, he started to view you as a friend, something that he never had since the day he was born,"
"How do you know all of this?"
Ranma said, "I'm a part of him, and he a part of me. I see, feel, and experience everything he does, but I have no control over it. I've basically been a spectator seeing and experiencing his world through his eyes without him knowing. How he deals with situations is totally beyond my power. There was only one time where I was able to interfere and that was to save your life during the time you and your friend came into his apartment and he mistaken you for an Angel. After that, I was sealed away for good, unable to do anything but watch. Anyway, the reason for our meeting is this. The Ranma you know no longer exists. I have come to tell you this and to tell you of what kind of person he was. That is because, should you choose a particular decision, you will be the only person to know of Ranma's life,"
"What do you mean?"
"Your world was destroyed when Rei and I separated," he began, "However, it will be recreated without Ranma this time around. What I'm asking is if you wish to remember him or not. If you choose not, then no one will know of his existence on that world. If you choose to remember, you will be the only one. The world to be recreated from the moment Ranma was conceive,"
"Why then?"
"Ranma's presence on the world had a very big impact," Ranma said, "Millions of people died because of the Angels attacking and trying to kill him. Without him there, the path that world will take will be completely different. Ranma was conceived by an act of God. In a way, Ranma was born from the Virgin Mary of your world. Anyway, since the world will be recreated without Ranma, that means he will not be conceived. Not a year after that, you will be conceived. You'll be born and will live out your life as usual. However, the moment you turn the same age as you were when you met Ranma for the first time, memories of the Ranma you knew will come flooding in. You will remember of this conversation and everything. But before then, you will not nothing,"
"I have to live my life all over again?" Jun asked.
Ranma nodded and gave a meek smile, "I know, it seems like you're getting a bad end of the deal. However, it was Ranma's request that you be given this choice. Otherwise, it would have been recreated without your consent and with you never remembering him,"
Jun was silent.
"I know, it's a hard decision," he commented.
"Why no Ranma? Why won't he exist on the recreated world?"
Ranma said, "Your world was never supposed to have Ranma on there. It's being recreated without him because that's how the world was supposed to be in the first place. Having Ranma exist on that world is not a possibility. I'm sorry,"
"Um, what would Ranma want? Would he want me to remember him or not?"
Ranma gave a very sad look, "Ranma doesn't want to be remember. He hated his very existence so much that he didn't even want to be remembered. It's very sad, but that is his choice,"
"R-really?"
"Yes," he said, "It's quite a tragedy but if that's his choice, then so be it,"
Jun looked very sad, as if on the verge of tears, "I-I can't believe it. I don't understand. Can he hate his existence that much to not want anyone to remember him? B-but if he doesn't want to be remembered, t-then I guess I'll choose not to remember him then,"
Ranma was silent.
A tear fell down one of her cheeks, "Y'know what's funny?"
"What?"
"Even though I knew him for a short time," she began, "I slowly started to get to know him and understand what kind of person he is. What's funny is that as I got to know him more and more, I realized that if I were to ever meet him again, there's nothing about him I would want changed. It's so sad that I will not be able to get to know him more,"
"Nothing changed? Really?"
She said, "Yeah. Sure, he was mean and cold, but there was just something about him that gave an indication that it was all a front,"
He shook his head, "It's his experiences that turned him into what he became. His personality was supposed to be basically a combination of mine and Rei's. The Ranma you knew were neither. It seems the personality developed by his experiences over the course of his life eventually blocked out his genetic tendency to be like myself and Rei. For instance, I may look like him, but I'm not like him in any way. Rei is quiet from time to time but she is never like him either,"
"His personality is unique," she stated.
"Yes," he said.
A moment of silence.
"So what is it going to be?"
It was a good five minutes before she answered.
"At his request, I choose not to remember,"
"Where are we?"
Linna, Sylia, Priss, and Nene were looking around, trying to figure out where they were. All they could see was darkness in every direction.
A figure appeared before them. It was Ranma.
"Hello," he said with a smile.
The four of them regarded him intently.
"My name is Ranma Saotome," he began, "You don't know who I am, but I know who you are,"
"What do you want?" Sylia asked, "How come you look exactly like a person we know?"
"That's because we physically look alike. However, we are very much different. Anyway, I have come to ask you if you wish to remember what you remember when your world is recreated," he asked.
"Huh?" Priss looked.
"It was Ranma's request," he asked, "You helped him out greatly. In a way, this is his gift to you,"
"What happened to him?" Linna asked.
"He no longer exists," he replied, "Shortly after he left your world, his sacrificed his life so that I and a girl named Rei Ayanami may live. I am one of the people whose memories he possessed. I am Ranma Saotome, the person you were supposed to meet on your world instead of the Ranma that you now know,"
"What happened to him? He said something about killing himself right before he left," Priss asked.
He nodded, "Yes, he tried to kill himself. However, even he didn't anticipate just how powerful he was for not even the Lance of Longinus was able to kill him,"
"I don't understand what you mean," Sylia said, "The Ranma that we were supposed to meet? The Ranma that we know now?"
"Your world is one of the worlds of my past life," he began, "However, Ranma's arrival on your world overlapped my existence on there. Basically, you were supposed to meet me when you me but you met Ranma instead. When we separated, all worlds were destroyed in the process, yours as well. I'm here to recreate it. However, upon Ranma's request, he wishes for you guys to decide what path that world to take,"
"What do you mean?" Sylia asked.
"When Ranma appeared on that world, it overlapped the existence of Ranma of that world, causing him to cease to exist," he began, "Basically, the arrival of the Ranma that you now know made it not possible for you all to meet the Ranma that you were supposed to meet. The question to be asked is, would you like to remember what you have experienced since you met him?"
Nene scratched her head, "This is very confusing,"
"Your world will be recreated. It is to be recreated right up to the exact moment when the Ranma that you know pops up on that world. However, the change will be that he will not show up. You will still meet the Ranma of that world. It is inevitable. However, the choice given to you is, would you like to remember all that have occurred?"
All four females looked at one another.
"To perhaps make your decision easier," he began, "Let it be known that Ranma would rather not be remembered. Also, remembering him might have an effect on the adventures that you have yet to have after meeting the Ranma you're supposed to meet. However, if you choose not to remember him, then that means no one but myself and the people aware of who he really was will know he ever existed. Basically, the people whose lives he has effect...they will never know he existed,"
All four of them became deathly silent.
"Originally, you world would have been recreated without you even knowing," he stated, "However, Ranma wanted you to have the choice as to whether or not to remember him,"
"Why does our world have to be recreated? I don't get it," Priss asked.
"When Rei and I became separated from Ranma, everything was destroyed, your world as well," he said, "I'm going about recreating it. Because of your help, Ranma wanted to give you the gift of choosing whether or not to remember,"
Linna commented, "Doesn't that seem a bit presumptuous? A gift as to whether or not we can remember him?"
Ranma chuckled, "I guess I worded it wrong. The request was whether or not for you to remember everything that have occurred. Ranma's presence happens to be the main reason because his existence is what caused everything to happen. Wiping out your memory of Ranma's existence wipes out all those chains of events you've been through,"
Everyone became silent "It's your decision,"
"What would Ranma want?" Linna asked.
"He wants no one to remember him," he said, "He hates his existence so much that he doesn't even want to be remembered,"
Everyone looked at one another, silently contemplating their decision.
After a good five minutes, they finally decided.
"We choose not to remember,"
Celestine paced back and forth in his heavenly cell. Oddly enough, it looked much like regular cell that can be found in the human world. It looked much like a cage located in the middle of a room with no walls, darkness extending in every direction.
"Yo," he heard a voice.
Celestine turned toward the voice. Relief washed over his face as he recognized that it was Ranma. "What took you so long getting back?" he asked.
Ranma shrugged, "Y'know, this and that,"
He waved hand over the lock to the cell and it unlocked. He slid the cell door open, a big grin on his face.
"Y'know what's funny? You've got god-like powers and you can't get out of this cell," Ranma grinned, "Makes me wonder how you managed to do as much as you did,"
Celestine walked out, regarded Ranma for a long moment. After a moment, he gave him a warm smile, "It's nice seeing you again,"
"I'm fine," he said, "Well, I see you've definitely kept your part of the deal so now it's my turn to keep my end. I'll go explain things with everyone to get you all cleared up of whatever charges you've been charged with,"
"Thanks,"
Ranma smirked, "Man, I can't believe it. You even fooled Urd into thinking you were after me. I think everyone was fooled and thought you were really after me...or at least after my reincarnated form,"
Celestine smiled, "Thank you,"
Ranma scratched his head, "Man, who would've thought that it would have taken so long for Rei and I to be separated. I never figured it would have come to needing your help. However, what made you choose to speed up the process and start taking actions several decades early? I thought you were supposed to put the plan into action when Ranma was in his sixties, not his twenties,"
"I'm sorry, but I had to make a choice," Celestine said, "The plan was to wait until then. However, you had not told me of what to if ever the case when your friends came looking for you and interfering,"
Ranma shrugged, "Yeah, you have a point there. I guess when Urd came out of hiding to make her presence known, that was the point where you decided to set the plan in motion as well,"
Celestine nodded, "That I did. Frankly, I would never had done what I had done if it weren't for such a noble cause. Your dedication and care for other lives is very admirable,"
Ranma grinned, "Yeah. Who'd have thought that I've gone through so much to save someone? Sometimes, I'm surprised at the stuff even I come up with and do. It's kinda mind boggling if ya think about it,"
"Very much so,"
"Do, gimme the details. What happened? How did you do it?" Ranma had to ask.
"First off, thanks for bestowing me some of your powers when you were God," Celestine bowed, "If it weren't for that, I would never had been able to do what I did. The powers you gave me, which was more than what was even needed, was enough to persuade everyone to believe that I was out for vengeance. You gave me more than enough power for me to do everything single handedly. However, I must say, you giving me the power to create Angels from nothing made everything much easier,"
"I assume I don't have to ask if anyone had been killed," Ranma stated.
"No one was killed during the coup," Celestine answered, "A few operatives got roughed up, but no one died. As to the humans though, I didn't realize that the Angels would go about trying to carry out their missions so fiercely. Had I realized they would have no discretion to killing humans so long as they can kill you, I would have created them differently,"
Ranma said, "It can't be helped. It did disappoint me when so many people died. It's a tragedy. Luckily, things can be fixed. No one will know of what had happened,"
"Still," Celestine said a bit sadly, "It's a tragedy that could have been avoided,"
"True," Ranma nodded, "Anyway, all I must say that it was a job well done. I'm glad to have gotten to know you. You're not bad at all. I still don't know why I found you imprisoned in the first place,"
"Like I said when we first spoke," he said, "It was because I had attempted to basically do back then what I had succeeded this time around. You're the first person to trust me after my imprisonment and I am grateful for it,"
"No problem,"
Celestine couldn't help but wonder, "Just curious, how did you know that I would not betray you and actually take over Heaven for real? I could have easily found the book before anyone else and could have sent it to the far reaches of the universe where your reincarnated self will never find, at least not for eons. In the meanwhile, I could have enjoyed that time being in charge,"
Ranma smirked, "First off, I'd like to consider myself a judge of character. Also, you and I both know that the book isn't required for my memories to come back. Let's just say that if my memories did come back that way, and I found out you did do that...I wouldn't want to be you,"
Celestine gave a smile, "That's a good reason,"
The both of them laughed.
"So, what do you intend to do now? Celestine asked, "I'm sure Urd will be pretty upset when she finds out the two of us had planned this out from the start. And considering you'll be mortal, and that she's still a goddess, she can put some serious hurting on you,"
Ranma grinned, "True, that's why rather than being totally human, I'm choosing to go back home with the exact same power as when I left. I need to look out for myself, afterall. It took me a long time to get this powerful, and I don't like the thought of having to go about it from the beginning all over again. Heck, right off the bat, it's pure luck that I became part Angel in the first place. I don't think I'll ever get that lucky ever again,"
"You have a point," Celestine agreed, "So, now that you and Rei-sama are relinquishing your role, who will take over in your stead?"
"Beats me," he shrugged, "I never thought that far ahead. Besides, I'm no longer God so why're you asking me?"
"Actually, you still are. Until another one assumes the role, you will be the one making all the decisions, mortal or not. And right now, you need to do something though," Celestine said, "You can't just leave the throne just like that. Someone needs to assume it. Who would it be?"
"Urd," Ranma said, "She is incredible in decision making. Seeing her in action and dealing with the problems dealt her by you made me realize she would be perfect for the job. She's level-headed and is very good under pressure. You're free to do what you want. If I recall correctly, you said you wanted to become a teacher for all the young apprentice incoming goddesses?"
Celestine nodded.
"Y'know, I would've give you the job when we first met," Ranma said, "However, your wanting to help me out for me helping you out...I guess it turned out to be mutually beneficial, so thanks for your help,"
Celestine smiled. He asked, "Just curious, after you recreated everything, what do you plan on doing? How will everyone know of what had occurred, of you finally being separated from your reincarnate's body?"
"I dunno," Ranma replied, "However, what I do know is that I have every intention of retiring from going on adventures. Sure, it seems like the adventures find me instead, but I don't think I'll be seeking to do anything anytime soon. However, I must say, the idea of changing my past, so that I didn't lose my friends and family in the 'Nerima Massacre' does sound rather appealing. Anyway, I'm off to go talk to everyone to get things cleared up so that you won't be thrown back into the cell again if people see you wandering around," Ranma smirked, "However, it would be kinda funny seeing the reactions on their faces when they see you free since no one will know I released ya,"
"Thank you,"
In a different world, the one Ranma first met the Knight Sabers and eventually fought against Angels, everyone save for Ranma and Rei were gathered in the living room of Ranma's home. It was late at night.
"Are you sure everything turned out fine?" Emiko asked, "It seems like nothing has changed,"
"I saw Ranma open the book myself," he said, "As to what happened afterwards, I have no idea. It was as if he disappeared. What's even stranger was that I found myself somehow mysteriously transported to this world,"
"So I wonder why Urd gathered all of us up here and brought us back to this world," Asuka muttered, "If Ranma disappeared, we should still be out looking for him,"
Ryoga nodded, "I agree," "I wonder what happened to Jun," Akane asked, "You said she was there too when Ranma opened the book, right?"
He nodded, "Yes. What's really weird is that when I tried to find out and use the nanban mirror to get back to that world, I ended up right back where I started. It's very strange. I wonder if the mirror still works,"
"Yeah," Asuka said, "After we found the book and gave it to you and you disappeared, we were expecting to see you show back up shortly afterwards and tell us of what had happened. We didn't expect to see Urd pop up and bring us all back here,"
Ritsuko said, "Well, since basically everyone is here, at least I can talk to all of you of what I found out about the core from Unit-01 on the other world. It seems to be partly organic like I expected. The odd thing is is that it seems to be almost exactly like that of the core that was removed from Unit-01 after we defeated those Angels on this world before we brought it back. From what I gather, some image of it remained in Unit-01 were it someone regenerated into the core we later found. However, despite that world's technological advances, the core only generated up to the point of when we removed it. There was nothing all that particular about it to. Basically, all in all, after researching that core a great deal of time, I came to that conclusion. And since I brought the core back with me, we now have two versions of that core, the one that we originally removed and the one that was regenerated,"
"What do you plan on doing with them?" Akane asked.
"I'm not too sure," she said, "Perhaps link them together and create some new kind of network but not until much later, when we find out what had happened to Ranma and where he disappeared to,"
A bright light flashed in the backyard, everyone noticing it through the window.
"What the heck was that?" Asuka asked first.
Everyone headed outside toward the backyard. The moment they stepped outside, they caught the sight of two figures standing next to one another by the koi pond. It only took a fraction of a second for everyone to recognize who it was.
It was Ranma and Rei.
"We're back," Ranma said warmly, glad to be finally home.
"You recreated everything?" Asuka asked, a bit shocked. It was around three in the morning. Everyone was still gathered around. They didn't want to leave, all of them eager to hear what Ranma had to say.
Ranma nodded, "Yep. But before you ask, I don't have those powers anymore. I gave them up,"
"What about the world with Jun and that other Ranma?" Akane asked curiously.
Ranma smiled, "I recreated it. However, I made several changes. There was one element that was supposed to have been removed. However, I couldn't bare to remove it so I changed things around,"
"What element was that?" she asked.
Ranma smiled, "Although I was supposed to get rid of the Ranma of that world since, I didn't have the heart to do it because for some odd reason, I really believe Jun and he were meant for each other. However, to prevent a repeat of that world being attacked by Angels and such, I removed his role as a reincarnated of God. He still retains his powers, his world still hates him, he will most likely turn into the guy you met, but he will not be sought after by the Angels,"
"Why did you leave him with those powers?" Priss asked, "Wouldn't that make him God then because of his powers?"
"As powerful, yes, but he possesses none of me and Rei's memories," he said, "That means he will live on the way he is used to before those Angels attacked and messed up that whole world. I let him keep his powers because I'm pretty sure he will live a pretty bad life. However, because there's no worry of him being sought after, I'm sure he and Jun will realize they're meant for each other. I know that he had feelings for her and am positive it would eventually turn into love. However, he never bothered to stay around long enough to find out. This around time, he will. When they meet, Ranma will still hate his very existence and all, but given the time, it will change. This is because there will be no Angels this time around to hinder their relationship,"
"Wow, how romantic," all the females seemed to sign.
"Jeez," Ranma muttered.
"Why would you do this for him?" Ryoga asked, "I remember the Ranma of that world hated you and even wanted to have you die with him rather than separate,"
"I know he hates me, but I can't hold that against him," Ranma said, "It's very tragic what happened to him. However, having it where he actually does live on, I believe is the only gift I can give him for the sacrifice he made for me and Rei..."
In a different world... "Hey. Fancy meeting you here," Jun said in a cheery voice, her voice echoing a bit loudly in the library. She had just arrive at the campus library to do a bit of studying for an upcoming test when she caught sight of a familiar face among the hundreds of students already in there gathered about at separate tables.
Ranma looked up from his book to regard Jun. She was a beautiful young woman with long flowing brown hair that came down to her shoulder blades. She was a fellow college student and was in one of Ranma's classes. She sat in the front of the class while Ranma in the back. They were in an advanced physics class together.
"Hello," Ranma replied back, his voice cold.
Jun smiled a bit. She was surprised Ranma knew her since they had never actually spoken to each other until now, which was only one week before finals. When she noticed that Ranma wasn't paying all that much attention to her, she asked, "Um, so what're you reading?"
"Nothing that important," he replied, continuing to read.
When there was a moment of awkward silence, when Jun noticed that Ranma wasn't taking any effort to sustain the conversation, she asked, "So, are you ready for the final? It's only a week away," Although she knew Ranma had other finals to take, she was sure Ranma knew she was referring to the upcoming final for the class they're both in.
"Not really," he replied, finally looking up. Their gaze locked for a short moment before Ranma broke it and turned back toward his book. For the brief moment, Jun almost felt captivated by his eyes. He had the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen. This was the first time she was seeing Ranma up close. She knew that he was a handsome man, but only noticed this from the other side of the classroom. However, that brief moment looking into his eyes made her realize something very odd about him.
"Is it just me or do you have two different eye colors?" Jun asked. She was sure Ranma's right eye was blue while his left one had a reddish hue.
Ranma nodded, "Yeah, I have two different eye colors. My right is considered blue while my left one is considered maroon,"
Jun bonked herself on her head, "Gee, I feel like an idiot. We've been in the same class from an entire semester and I hadn't even noticed this,"
Ranma shrugged, "It doesn't really matter. Heck, I don't even know your name,"
"It's Jun," she said.
Ranma glanced at her for a moment. That name sounded familiar for some reason but he couldn't quite tell from where and how. He knew for sure that he knew no one by that name yet that name sounded familiar regardless.
He thought about it for a few moments before figuring nothing of it.
"Well, I'm-" he began.
"Ranma," she answered for him.
Ranma looked back up at her.
"Hey, it can't be helped," she said, "You have a pretty rare and unusual name,"
He looked back down at his book and said, "No need to point that out. I'm aware of that,"
"Is it okay if I sit down next to you?" she asked, pointing toward the empty seat next to him.
"It's fine by me," came a uncommitted reply.
"Um, do people tease you about that name?" Jun dared to asked.
"More or less," he shrugged, "It doesn't bother me. It's just a name that I respond to,"
Jun was taken aback by that answer. A name he responds to? What kind of reply is that?
"Isn't it more than that? I mean, you have the exact name as the man to tried to destroy our world?" she asked. When she noticed the muscles around Ranma's jaw tightening, she quickly said, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. For all I know, you could have been trying to forget that and here I am, reminding you,"
Ranma showed a slight sense of annoyance, "I don't want to sound rude, but is there a reason why you're talking to me?"
Jun was taken aback by the question. She figured people enjoyed having her around and talking to her. However, with Ranma, this seemed to be an exception, "Um, I'm sorry. I'll leave if I'm bothering you,"
Ranma turned back toward the book, "Well, you're bothering me,"
She caste a shocked look toward him, a bit angered by the fact that he wasn't even looking up at her. She managed to hide her hurt feelings as she calmly got up out of her seat, "I'm sorry. I'll leave you alone, then,"
"Good," he said.
Jun quickly walked away from Ranma, muttering under her breath.
"What a jerk,"
Given enough time, they would realize they were meant for each other.
The end