TRTSS37: Hero! – by Ocramed
Disclaimer: Ranma ½, Sailor Moon, Star Trek and other properties belong to their respective owners.
Note: This is a multi-genre story.
Part 21: "Akane's Story" (I)
Japan: Nekomi, Chiba Prefecture.
The alarm blared on the clock, as Akane Tendo, aka "Mrs. Saotome" wakes up. She absently stretched her arms, and reached the other side of the bed, only to realize that her husband was not in bed.
"Huh," Akane said, as she opened her eyes fully, after realizing that it was now morning time. She looked over to the other side of the bed, and sees a note, with a white rose, on the other pillow. Growling, Akane picked up the rose with one hand, and the note with the other, and red the note:
Akane: I have to get up early to help stop a potential alien invasion of Earth by an alien dark god. I will be back soon as possible. Love always, Ranma.
Akane sighed, as she places the rose and note onto her nightstand, and then gets up out of bed. She then puts on her robe, and goes out of her room, and into her son's room. She took a peek into her son's room, only to see a pair of shinobi, members of the rogue organization known as "The Hand", on the verge of kidnapping her son…
"What?" Akane said, as she bursts into her son's room.
The pair of shinobi stopped their actions, allowing Akane to act.
"Ha!" Akane yelled, as she plucked "Mallet-sama"—the name of any mallet that can be spontaneously produced by a Japanese girl or woman—from pocket space, and lobbed it at the ninja closest to her child's bed.
KLONK!
As one ninja fell, the other decided to attack Akane herself. This proved to be a mistake on the part of the attacker, when he, with sword drawn, decided to utilize a speed-attacker vector. Akane responded by meeting the attack head-on.
First, she removed her robe, and tossed it at the intruder. The intruder instinctively sliced through the material in response.
Second, Akane twists her body to avoid the shinobi's cutting arc. She then performed a left cross that sends the shinobi through the wall of her son's bedroom.
WHAM!
With a satisfied nod, Akane immediately goes to her son's bed side…
"Kenma?" Akane said gently. "It's time to get up…"
Young Kenma Saotome stirs, or attempts to. Akane chuckled. Her son was SO much like Ranma, in terms of being able to sleep through a hurricane…or a brawl.
As Akane focuses on her son, the first shinobi stirs awake from the blow to his head. He then creeps to his feet, and pulls out a "kusari-kama" (a hooked-like blade weapon, with extendable chain, that was typically used by shinobi) from his own pocket space, and creeps behind the youngest of the Tendo sisters…
Without turning to look, Akane used a back-fist to knock the offender cold…
POW!
And out of the house via "Air Akane"…through the ceiling and beyond the roof.
BLAM!
Kenma wakes up just as her mother straightens her mightgown.
"Momma?" Kenma said, as he rubbed his eyes.
"It's time for you to get up, young man," Akane said with a smile.
"Oh," Kenma said, as he notices the damage in his room. "Momma, what happened?"
"Um, a vermin problem happened," Akane said. "But don't worry, Mommy took care of it."
"Ohhhhhh…"
"Anyway, it's time to get up," Akane said, as she reached into her son's nightstand, and pulls out a tooth brush and toothpaste tube. "Oh, and use the guest bathroom while Mommy straightens your room."
"Okay," Kenma said with a yawn and a shrug, as he rolls out of bed. He reached for his toothbrush and toothpaste tube from his mother, before leaving his room for the guest bathroom.
Akane sighed, as she looked at the damage done in her son's room. Try as she might, Akane knew that as long as she was married to Ranma, she will always face the possibility of having to deal with intruders in her home. In fact, during the previous week, Akane had to deal with an Auton—a plastic-based sentient lifeform—who had attempted to invade Japan through a Toy Fair and Expo that she had took her son to with his cousins. She had to remind herself that while fighting toy soldiers and Barbie dolls appeared to be silly on the surface, Autons were hostile to humans. The fact that an Auton would use toys to attack humans made her response to the Auton's attack all the more satisfying…
Still, Akane did hope to one day have a normal life, where she could be a proper wife and mother, even if her husband was a womanizing jerk.
As Akane went over her thoughts, she receives a page alert through her secured, and quite modified, "smart phone". She pulls it out of pocket space, and looks at the incoming alert…and frowns.
Just then, Kenma's bedroom mirror glows. Akane was not concerned about this particular occurrence since it was expected, based upon the alert she was just received.
"Brunhilde?" said the Norn of the Present Belldandy, as she fully emerged into Kenma's room.
Akane sighed, as she faced the friendly Bell. She hated the idea of sharing her life-force with an ancient Nordic goddess, being proudly Japanese and all. This had occurred when Ranma and "the other wife" had brought back the Norse gods from their final Ragnorak, by binding them to their mutual friends and family, as a means of rooting the Norse to "Midgard" (i.e. Earth). As a result, Akane's Norse identity was Brunhilde, the leader of the Valkyrior of Asgard. As Brunhilde, Akane's sole mission was to secure the mystic Norse hammers of "The Worthy", the offspring of Lord Cul, older brother of Odin, also known as "The Serpent". From what she knew of Cul, he had been a tyrannical ruler of the Norse during a previous cycle of Ragnorak, who used the tenets of fear, not honor, to rule the Nine Realms. Odin chose to side against his brother after Cul, learning of a prophecy that the scion of Odin would rise to reign supreme over a golden age of both gods and men, murdered his brother's son and took his brother's daughter as his bride. That daughter, Mondis, goddess of the Moon, would bear a daughter named Skaldi, goddess of winters, who would enforce Cul's cruel rule. It took the efforts of Mondis' true husband, Ran, god of storms, to convince Odin to turn against his brother, even after being killed after Cul merged with the Migard Serpent Jormungander to increase his power. Ran's sacrifice, and Mondis' suicide, would be the catalyst for Odin to go against Cul. However, even after all that Cul had done, Odin could not kill his own brother. So, upon the completion of that cycle of Ragnorak, Odin convinced the Norn sisters to erase Cul and the Worthy from the memories of Yggsdrasil, the World Tree, so that they would be forgotten during subsequent cycles of the gods. Unfortunately, when the cycles were abolished, with the ending of the reign of "Those-Who-Sit-In-Shadows", embodiments of the archtypes of the gods, the Norse gods of previous cycles would be reborn again, with the help of Ran (now Ranma Saotome, who also goes by the name "Thoran", as the present wielder of the sacred Mjolnir, the hammer of Thor) and Mondis (now Usagi Tsukino, who also goes by the name "Thordis", in honor of her older brother, who is Thor). Unfortunately, Cul and his Worthy also returned to the fore…
Thankfully, the children of Thordis, collectively known as "The Mighty", consisting of American Dream (aka Stevie Rogers), Iron Girl (Antonia Stark), X-23 (aka Jane Howlett, aka "Laura Kenny", aka "Talon"), Sailor Hulk (aka Liz Banner), Fire Fox II (aka Naruto Uzumaki), Spider-Bunny (aka Benji Parker), Neo-Sailor Moon (aka Chibiusa, aka "Rini Chiba"), The Tengu (aka Usagino Saotome, aka "Kenji Strange"), Speedy II (aka Nodoka Saotome, aka "Mia Darden"), defeated their counterparts, and thus restored peace to the realm.
Now, it was up to Akane Tendo, as Brunhilde, to deal with the aftermath through the so-called "Secret Avengers", vis-à-vis the recovery of the mystic hammers of the Worthy…
"I know," Akane said with a sigh. "I just got word that Sin and her 'Skeleton Crew' is on their way to intercept the Hammer of Nul, the World Breaker."
"I see," Belldandy replied with a nod. Nul, having possessed the Hulk, has adopted the Gamma Goliath earthly form, even after the Hulk freed himself from the possession of Nul. Making matters worse, Nul's rampage was tearing through Eastern Europe, specifically the heart of the Vampire Nation, not to mention the…
"I'm just glad that my old team, the Defenders, is already on the case," Akane said with a nod. "Going through vampire territory is bad enough, but Nul is about to rampage through into Transia, to get to the Wundagore Mountains, will be catastrophic."
"Oh, dear," Belldandy said with a look of horror. "If Nul goes to that awful place, he could awaken Lord Cthon."
"Precisely," Akane said. "It may be that Nul wants to either draw more power, or cause more chaos. That's why he needs to be stopped as soon as possible."
"Then, you will need this," Belldandy said, as she presents to Akane a Rune-laced warhammer, which was floating within a clear, crystal structure. The hammer itself was large enough to be used by two hands. It had fine leather wrapped around the handle that ended at the circular knob that looped into a donut. The head of the hammer was large, made from Uru metal, making it almost as strong as Promethium. On one side of the head was perfectly flat, while the other side was pointy like a four-sided pyramid. Runes were etched on a squared surface, which seemed to glow softly…
"That hammer," Akane said. "It looks like Nul's."
"The Dwarven Forge masters were able to recreate the original process that created the hammers of the Worthy," Belldandy said, as the hammer floats towards Akane. "It's been designed to reabsorb the essence of Nul upon his defeat."
"I see," Akane said, as she touched the crystal structure that contained the hammer…
FLASH!
The hammer disappears, which is now imprinted on Akane's hand as a Rune.
"Huh?" Akane said, as she looks over at the strange tattoo on her palm.
"When you are ready, the hammer will reappear," Belldandy said. "But I give you this warning: the hammer is designed to absorb Nul into itself, based upon the level of rage the World Breaker can muster. I know that you have grown over the years to master your emotions, but if your rage exceeds Nul's, then you will be absorbed into the hammer, and become a part of its properties permanently. Do you understand?"
"Humph," Akane said. "I bet SHE purposely set things up so that SHE can have Ranma all to herself."
"The All-Mother has no ulterior motive to any of this," Belldandy said. "In fact, she was the one insisted that Prince Ran take you as wife. I am disappointed in you for thinking that the All-Mother would engage in malfeasance."
"I'm sorry," Akane said with a sigh. "It's just that…I still having gotten over the fact that Ranma has another life he could go to whenever me and him get into a fight…"
Pause.
"And that Usagi is so much better than I am in martial arts."
"Do not sell yourself short, Akane," Belldandy said. "You are the leader of the Valkyior, after all."
"No, Brunhilde is the leader of the Valkyior; I'm just a young, Japanese housewife who teaches martial arts to local kids part-time."
"Oh, Akane," Belldandy said, as she shakes her head. "You ARE Brunhilde. She, like you, loved Ranma Saotome, who was searching for a way home across the sands of time itself. So, she gave up her godhood and station to place her personage on the path of reincarnation. First, as Eowyn of Rohan, she fought along Ranma's side against Sauron. She would be reborn again as Io, who spurned Zeus advances to be with Ranma, who trained Perseus against the Titans. She would be reborn again as Wealtheow of Denmark, during the time of Camelot, who became Ranma's bride well-after she could not bear a child for him…"
Pause.
"Throughout the ages, Brunhilde would be reborn where Ranma's presence would be most felt, whether as an African Princess, or as a Court Lady during the Chosun Dynasty, she was there for him. And now, Brunhilde has a new identity in this day and age: Akane Tendo, aspiring martial artist and wife of Ranma Saotome."
"But…why don't I remember any of these…encounters?" Akane said with wonder and fear. "And does Ranma know? Does Usagi knows?"
"We are just now clearing out the old files from the Yggsdrasil World Tree System," Belldandy said. "As for the others: I do not know with Prince Ran knows, but I am sure that the All-Mother knows about this situation."
"I see. Well, there is nothing that I can do about it until I complete my tasks for the day, starting with Nul…"
Akane took out her bamboo practice sword from pocket space, and taps the end unto the floor.
FWOOSH!
As Akane is transformed, she could feel her mind expanding into new memories. She could remember everything that happens as Bruhilde, but it was more akin to remember something that she has read, rather than what she has experienced. As this went on, Akane grew paler, blonder and taller. Her musculature increased slightly, as her locks of hair flows past her waist before magically wrapping into a pair of twin braids. Her night gown changes into a pair of leather pants, and a leather halter top with silver breast plate and bodice. Her slips changes into a pair of rugged leather boots…
And when the transformation was over, Brunhilde walked the Earth once more.
"How do you feel, sister?" Belldandy asked.
"I feel…fine," Brunhilde said, as she looked at her metal sword, before sheathing it on her back. "I know the wisdom that thou wish to part to me, Sister Belldandy, but I have to worked through my personal angst. I know who I am, even if a part of me doesn't want to accept this."
"I know," Belldandy said, as she hands Brunhilde her pack. "You will have all the things that you will need for your assignment. In the meantime, I will watch over your son."
"Thank you," Brunhilde replied, just before she placed two fingers upon her lips to whistle.
Tweet-tweet!
"And I will have word with my husband and the All-Mother about this new information you have given me," Brunhilde said. "And do not fear; I will remember my station."
Just then, the sound of a horse could be heard outside.
"I must be off," Brunhilde said, as she opens her son's bedroom window. "Oh, and let the police know that we had a kidnapping attempt.
"I will."
"See you soon."
And, with that, Brunhilde steps out of the room completely…
"Auntie?" said a familiar voice.
Belldandy turns to see a confused little boy, who was holding his toiletries in hand.
"Ah, Kenma, you're here," Belldandy said gently. "How are you doing this morning?"
"Where's mommy?" Kenma asked.
"Well, your mommy is out to save the world," Belldandy said, as she took Kenma's toiletries from him. "Now, get dress, so that I can fix you breakfast…"
Outside, about the treeline, Brunhilde is on her flying steed (a pegausus), as the Valkyrie looks down at her house. With a deep sigh, the warrior turned to her first task of the day.
"Onward, Victory!" Brunhilde called out. "We have a demon to slay…"
Tbc.