AN: I'm glad everyone seemed to like the last chapter. I didn't know how them being strait forward and honest, instead of sneaky like usual would go off.

On to other things, while this will eventually be a mega crossover, I don't know when I'll start that part of it.

Well enough rambling, on with the fic!

HELL'S ONE TRUE LOVE

CHAPTER TWO

RANMA'S ANSWER:

IT STARTS WITH A SIMPLE QUESTION:

WAIT A MINUTE, ARE YOU ACTULLY ASKING ME?

Ranma was speechless at the moment, trying to absorb and process all the information. As he sat there in silence, Hild watched on nervously.

"Ok, let's go over this slowly." Ranma started. "You're the ruler of Hell right?" Hild nodded. "And you own my eternal soul?" She nodded again. "And you've saved my life more times then you can count, so you wouldn't collect it?" Another nod to that. "Because once you get it, I'll be your helpless slave to your every whim and you wanted to know if we could have a relationship, and if I died before you found that out, you'd never be able to find out?" Again Hild nodded. "Just one hypothetical question before I answer. Say I went out with you, and it worked out," Ranma started, getting a look of fury from Akane as he did so "and then after we were together for a while, I died, becoming as your Daughter said, a mere puppet to your will. How could you deal with that? I mean, it sounds to me like even if I agreed to date you, and if we some how worked out, I'd end up breaking your heart in the end, because my death would lead to me ceasing to be me. I wouldn't be who you fell in love with, for I'd be a slave. And how could you continue to love that?" Ranma finished.

Hild looked at Ranma in shock. "I, I never thought of that." Hild said silently. She looked down for a minute, and then she looked up at him with what looked to be tears in her eyes. "Ranma I won't lie to you. When you die, as things stand right now, you will be even worse off then what my Daughter said. She called those whose souls I own 'Puppets to my will' there's a lot more to it then that. I don't really know how to explain it so you'll understand, no one, not even Kami-sama really gets and understands it. So I'm not even going to try to explain it right now." Hild said sighing. "But I do want to try to be with you, if you'll let me. We can worry about what comes later, later." Hild said, waiting for Ranma to answer her.

Ranma sat and seriously thought about it. Ok, the Devil was asking him out on a date, and she was more polite and hell, nice about it then anyone had ever been. He owed her. She said she owned his soul once he died, and knowing his father as well as he did, he didn't doubt that he had sold off his eternal soul to get more booze, and then she said she kept him alive, as to not collect it. And he really didn't doubt her about that. He knew he should have been dead by now, what with all the injuries he's suntanned and the battles he's been in. it looks like instead of a Guardian Angel, he has a Protective Demoness looking after him. She said in a round about way, he owed her his life and continued free will.

But the strange thing was, she wasn't using it against him. If he said no to the date, she'd probably just leave him alone till he died and she got his soul. She was letting him make the decision, instead of forcing him to her will. And she was the Devil? That was strange to him, he'd expect her to be more like the other women in his life, trying to bend him to her will. But she was just laying her cards out on the table, willing to go with what ever HE decided.

It was a really strange feeling to Ranma, to be able to make a decision with out any pressure from an outside force, which was a stressful thing in its own right. So he thought very carefully about this.

On one hand, he didn't really want any more women in his life, but on the other hand, she was being a LOT nicer then all the other women in his life. Another thing was she could handle all the problems thrown at her by the other girls and the Amazons, no problem. She had more power in her pinky toenail than Saffron, Herb and Himself combined if he was reading her aura right. And he could tell that her power was being suppressed by all that jewelry she was wearing. Right now she was utterly ridiculous in power level compared to him and everyone he knew. If she took off those pieces of jewelry, he honestly thought her bleed off power, not her true power mind you, just the wisps of her powers aura that would bleed off her, would destroy everything around her for quite some distance.

And that was a scary thing. The most powerful being he had ever met, and in fact a being who could possibly tie as the most powerful being in existence, if the legends were true, and right now he didn't think they were exaggerating one bit, was romantically interested in him.

'Why?' he thought. 'Why would she even be interested in me? I mean, what could I possibly offer her? The stories say that the Devil never did anything that wouldn't benefit it in some way. Then again the Devil was supposedly male.

Ranma opened his mouth, and said the one thing on his mind. "Answer me this, then I'll answer you. Why are you even interested in me? I mean really? What could I hope to offer you, other then my company?" Ranma looked like he had more to say, then he went silent.

Hild then looked at him. She knew he had been studying her power, and had allowed it. She showed him everything she was capable of. And it seemed to intimidate him a little. Well she had expected that much, but she knew that lying at this point was not an option. He took it a little better then she thought he would honestly.

Sighing, she formed her answer. "What does anyone want out of a real relationship, other then companionship and love? I hate to say it, but you've been around your friends and fiancées way to long. They've warped what a real relationship should be." Akane stiffened at that, yet said nothing due to fear. "I want nothing from you, save you. Really. I don't know why, but it was love at first sight for me, and you were only ten minutes old at the time!" Hild said then she chuckled. "Really, you do something to me, something that no being I've ever met has ever done to me, and I want more of it. That's what I want from you Ranma. For you to let me keep feeling this feeling for ever." Hild told Ranma with true emotion.

Everyone was watching this. The baring of Hild's, the Devil's, heart, to Ranma.

Ranma had no choice in the matter. Not really. He could see that this woman cared deeply for him. He could tell, even with his limited knowledge in the subject of love, that it was a more true feeling then any of the other women after him. It struck him as supremely funny, like a cosmic joke, that the women who held the most true love for him that he could see, was supposed to be a truly heartless monster. She sure didn't seem like it at the moment. She seemed like a woman scared to death of rejection right now.

Ranma then stood up, and said to Hild while offering her his hand, "Why wait for tonight? Let's go out now." He said shocking the entire room, Hild included. "Besides, if we wait for tonight, that gives everyone more time to wreck the date." Ranma said with a lopsided grin.

Getting over her shock, Hild took his hand and stood up as well saying "True. Well where do you want to go Ranma? As I asked you out, I'm buying."

"Well I don't know. I've never really been on a date." Ranma said.

"Me either, really." Hild said, slightly blushing.

"And you have two kids?" Ranma asked with out thinking in his shock.

"Um, all I've had are one night stands. Not dates." She said blushing redder then a tomato.

"Well I guess we'll have to learn how to date together." Ranma said laughing in his embarrassment.

And as he laughed, the others around him final processed that he was going out on a date with Hild.

AN: Next up, the others in the room first, then all of Nerima, reaction to Ranma's acceptance of Hild's offer for a date. And of course the date it's self. Ah, I'm having a blast writing this, so I hope you enjoy it as much as, if not more than, I enjoy writing it. See you next time.