Disclaimer: All Characters from Ranma1/2 depicted in this piece of writing belongs to
Rumiko Takahashi & Viz Communications.
All Characters from Valkyrie Profile are the creations of Enix & Project Profile.
All characters from Ah! My Goddess does not belong to me either.
No copyright infringement is meant & no attempt to past this as my own creation is made.
No profit is made and this work may not be used for commercial attempts.

(What has gone on before)?
Lenneth Valkyrie was frolicking on top of Asgard Hill when she sensed the Death of a warrior
worthy of being chosen by her for the vocation of Einherjar of Heaven (or Valhalla if you want
to be more accurate.) On Midgard,

Ranma Saotome (or Saotome Ranma in Japanese) died after the battle with the Phoenix King
Saffron, a half god of Phoenix ancestry when he saved Akane Tendo (or Tendo Akane if in
Japanese) by giving his own chi to save her, inevitably killing himself as he was already
wounded badly and needed the chi to continue to survive.
He met Valkyrie at the edge between Life and Death and accepted her offer of joining Heaven as
an Einherjar, rather than become a lost soul wandering along the edge of Life & Death.
Ranma got turned into a target for ether blasts three times during his first day on Heaven,
first by Lenneth Valkyrie during training when she opened a can of whup-ass on him, then by a
runaway Urd after her sister Skuld and finally by Freya when he entered Valkyrie's room by
mistake and saw her in some very revealing underwear.

There are some scenes I left out...GO READ THE OTHER PARTS ALREADY!!

(Spoiler Warning!!)

Valkyrie Ranma Chapter 2: The never-ending cycle of reincarnation.
(12 years ago, Midgard, undisclosed area of Japan)

On the streets of a picturesque resort town of Japan, an animalistic young boy of 6 was
prowling the quiet streets, quite fortunate for those who frequent these streets as there
would otherwise be a lot less people who would roam these streets as they cant roam very well
when their guts are spilled onto the floor by a young boy with a dirty shredded gi and the
ability to form claws of chi.

The boy incidentally was looking for anything to eat and if possible, a lap provider and
source of pats. The boy prowled the streets expanding his sense of smell and sight to catch
the scent or sight of anything that means food or comfort or even better both. The boy then
smelled a familiar scent, one of his pride mates were here! This means food and protection or
even warmth, the boy followed the scent and saw an old woman who was wearing a kimono of
vibrant purple with butterfly patterns. Yowling with glee, the boy leaped over the walls,
towards the woman who was sitting in the porch in a medative trance.

(Seesrumnir, Asgard)

Lenneth Valkyrie was not in a good mood at all.

As the platinum-haired goddess was stomping her way down to Seesrumnir, the hall of Freya,
She recalled how Freya had sweet-talked her into taking task Freya was supposed to do, as a
result of a lost bet to Bast, the Cat Goddess.
" Even if she does look very good in her own Valkyrie Armor.
The promise of playing dress up with her is still not worth having to go down to Midgard on a
mission where there is no clear goal, and now I have to go to Freya's for a...bleargh disguise.
Saying my mortal form is too conspicuous in rural Japan. I'm not a gamekeeper! Why should I
have to watch out for Bast's felines?" And began ranting about the laws binding gods to their
promises, even if they were made when drunk on mead.
"This is the last time I am drinking eleven mead Frei bought from Alfheim, well at least if
Freya's serving them to me anyway." Thought Valkyrie as she rapped on the gates of
Seesrumnir and heard Freya call out " Come in Lenneth, I've been expecting you."

Valkyrie strode into the courtyard where Freya spends most of her time at whenever she's at
Seesrumnir, and true to her predictions, there was Freya, lying back on a chair carved out of
smooth marble while around her flowers were in full bloom and a myriad of soothing tunes can be
heard in the background. Several eleven servants moved to attend to her while others approached
Valkyrie. Valkyrie waved them away and approached Freya and was mildly surprised to see her
haggard and tired. Some of her hair was out of place and her eyes were closed. " She must have
spent some time on the disguise."

Freya opened her eyes as she sensed Valkyrie approach and her face lit up in a brilliant smile
" Hello Lenneth, nice to know you are as punctual as ever." Freya sat up and pointed her hand
towards her right.
Valkyrie followed her instructions and looked in the direction and saw a kimono of vibrant
purple and with patterns depicting butterflies. Valkyrie noticed the small size of the kimono
and stared at Freya
" How do you expect my frame to fit into that kimono made for someone half of my size, Freya.
Chop me in half?" stated Valkyrie indignantly.

Freya's smile grew wider as she said in a sing song voice "Well we could try that, though you
would probably prefer to take a disguise as an old woman, to blend in better in the resort town
that you will be heading to."
" Can't I go in my usual mortal disguise? Why must I take on the form of an old crone just to
find a cat-napper!" Complained Valkyrie.
" Sorry Lenneth, but a six feet two inches silver haired...um what's that term again? Ah yes!
Gaijin woman would be too conspicuous.
A four feet four inches seventy year old Japanese elderly citizen would not even raise an
eyebrow in that sleepy coastal resort town, and Bast really does not want to alert the
cat-napper about this. Sorry Lenneth" though the smile on Freya's face totally spoiled the
effect of her apology.

" Furthermore, don't you like it when I wear that old armor of mine, hmm?" purred Freya into
Valkyrie's ear, referring to her old armor from the days when she herself was a Valkyrie.
Valkyrie could not hide the grin when the mental image of Freya in the armor came to her mind
and the alluring effect it has on her " Just this once, Freya, just this once" she mumbled and
teleported to Midgard.

The town Valkyrie went to was exceptionally quiet that day, even for a sleepy resort town in
the afternoon."Just like the calm before the storm," thought Valkyrie to herself as she strode
through the town hunched back while taking the form of a seventy-year-old elderly woman.
She disguised her sword into a walking stick, and had put on the kimono Freya had prepared for
her.
" Made of Kirin, dragon and unicorn hairs, a perfect armor and capable of deflecting most
attacks, she must have spent the past 12 hours gathering the materials. I really should not
have complained about this. What is a little discomfort compared to the dangers she must have
faced."
Feeling guilt over the tantrum she had thrown, Valkyrie began to sit down on the porch of an
abandoned home to regroup her now confused thoughts and to think of a way to make up to Freya.

Her thoughts were interrupted as she felt a sudden maelstrom of emotions, frowning, she closed
her eyes to better feel the many stray thoughts currently scattered all over the psychic
"airwaves" in a manner of speaking. " I sense...fear...anger...pain...hunger...great hunger...
fear of a greater predator hmm...too simple to be human thoughts, if they are still sane or
not in a clear state of mind anyway. Yowling? Yes I have found Bast's felines." Valkyrie's
elation at finding her targets was replaced by righteous fury as she intercepted a much
stronger mental signal than the cats.

"What's this? Human thoughts? By Hel's guts! Such pain! From a child no less!
What sort of monster does this to an innocent child! I have seen lesser atrocities in
Nifelheim's torture cells! This man shall pay dearly for his crimes!" fumed Valkyrie as she
moved to deliver divine retribution to the one responsible for the pain she felt from the
Human child. Before she could she could even move, she heard a cat-like yowl and instinctively
readied her sword.

Spinning her head, she came face to face with a boy in a dirty and torn gi, his body covered
with scars and bruises old & new. His eyes a shining blue, and the look on his face simply
melted Valkyrie's heart as she saw the curious shine in his eyes and the mouth twisted into a
cat like expression that reminded her of kittens staring at their first ball of yarn. Putting
away her sword, she bent down and made come hither signs to the pseudo cat with her left hand,
while patting her lap with the right & forcibly suppressed her formidable aura that seems to
keep the cat boy at bay.

Needing no further encouragement from her, the cat-boy leapt into Valkyrie's lap with every
sign of delight, who was slightly surprised by the pseudo cat's quick acceptance of her.
Patting the boy's head gently, she managed to get the boy to relax his muscles and his mental
defenses, soothing him to slumber.
Valkyrie sensed the approach of yet another human as the boy was just going into an exhausted
sleep.

Expanding her aura to mask his approach, she continued to flare her aura as the intruder got
nearer, unnoticed by the cat boy, who had regarded the aura surrounding him to be friendly,
thus not to be worried about. The owner of the intruding presence soon came into the visual
range of Valkyrie and she regarded with a scowl the large man who was wearing a handkerchief
on top of his head. He reminded Valkyrie of Badrach, one of her own Einherjar. Badrach was a
mercenary and an all round crook when he was alive, and had survived many brushes with death
by abandoning his comrades, as Arngrim can testify & never really got into the good books of
Valkyrie.

His tenure as an Einherjar has somewhat cleansed him (due to his one good deed of saving an
orphan girl from slavery) and he could be trusted with minimal supervision, so long as the
task does not involve a large amount of anything valuable and the supervision is strict, still
his personality has not changed much. Only constant supervision, the promise of quick
retribution, and the influence of his somewhat more honest cohorts had allowed him to stay in
Heaven as long as he had.

The closer the large man came close, the more agitated the boy became.
Valkyrie steeped up the tempo of her patting to calm down the cat-boy while she stared at the
man who was now standing in front of her. She smirked inwardly as she noted the man's shaky
aura, mixed with fear & resentment, with fear as the dominant ingredient in this cocktail of
emotions. The man was meanwhile of two minds, one wanted him to leave the presence of this
dangerous old woman, evident by the aura she's giving out.
" An aura that dwarves even the Master's." thought the man with a shiver. The other part,
that exerts itself rarely, wishes to confront the old woman & claim back his heir and son.

The man finally chose to confront the old woman despite the danger, if only to ensure that his
plans for the future are not derailed. Deciding to disregard the fact of her overpowering
presence, he demanded in his roughest voice
" Old woman! Return my son to me. I am his father and demand that he be reunited with me!"
On seeing the woman merely stare at him further (failing to notice the sharpening of her
eyebrows and implied threat in her eyes," he repeated again.
" I said old woman! To return my urgle!" the man found his sentence cut short by a sudden &
painful tightening of his muscles, as if all of them decided to fail to function at this point,
and felt his air supply being cut short, while his vision started to fade out while and saw
flashes of light.

Valkyrie was enraged at the insolence of this man who dared to speak to her in such a crude
manner. Her anger was fueled further as she saw the man trying to desecrate her further. She
had decided to spare the man for now when she realized the boy needed comforting & yet this
bum decided to squander his undeserving good fortune by insulting her! Deciding that this lout
only understands the language of barbarians, he himself being one, she decided to introduce
him to pain beyond pain by tightening his muscles and magically enhancing his own senses,
focusing on all nerves that relay the feeling of pain to discomfort, while breaking down his
defenses for pain.
Valkyrie also made him lose temporary control of his bodily functions, reducing him to a
drooling, painful wreck for the next ten hours. She coldly stated to his mind
" Know this human!This is but a minor taste of what is to come should you continue your foolish
ways. I shall spare your pathetic life today, as this boy need not taste blood shed.
If you were the one who caused him much pain, know this! Every wronged strike against him shall
be repaid in ten times the pain. Every barbed phrase uttered upon him shall have it returned
twenty times upon you! This child is now under the protection of the Battle Maiden!
Begone, unclean one! The next time you lay eyes upon me shall be the last vision you shall
behold!"
And tossed the man into Low Earth Orbit with a psychic push. Turning to the now awake boy, she
quickly helped to sooth his pain with a few well placed healing spells and gentle words,
trying to repair as much damage in ten hours, compared to abuse inflicted over the course of a
few months...

(Eir's Infirmary, Asgard)

Ranma awoke as the brilliant sunlight of Asgard shone into his eyes.
Moving one of his hands to cover his eyes, his body tensed instinctively tensed for the morning
sneak attack Genma will likely commence soon and winced as his entire body protested over this
exertion. "Damn, the tomboy must have really unloaded on me last night. Wonder what I did for
her to be this mad, not that she's calm much usually. Oh wait. I'm already dead, so it's not
Akane's doing. That means...oh shit."

Cursed Ranma as his mind started to clear and the events prior to him ending up on this same
bed for the third time replayed in his mind. " Great, my first day here and I've pissed of
someone already, as if my so-called life (or is that after life?) Isn't messy enough." Sighing,
Ranma turned to his right and came face to face with the psycho chick that blasted him in the
middle of the road last night, and started to scream in panic.

Urd awoke to a throbbing pain in her head. Holding the offending appendage with her hands, she
squinted to avoid the piercing sunlight but to no avail. Groaning, she stared at the ceiling,
painted in soothing pastel colors and smelled the herbs, many she recognized her and began to
wince in pain as her body slowly began to regain the sense of touch.

"Damn! Those Elders really laid into me last night. Bad enough I got turned into a Pokemon,
but that thrashing Lenneth gave me had me feeling pain in places I didn't know I have! I really
should stay in Midgard for some time. Who was the kid I blasted last night? From her reaction
it's like I killed her baby brother or something. Those geezers really need to relax." Turning
to her left, she came face to face with the boy she blasted last night. The assumption that he
was here for revenge and the painful experience last night really shot her nerves, and she
screamed in panic as well.

Had anyone seen Nanami right now they would not recognize her, her normally implacable
appearance was transformed thoroughly as her hair was unkempt, her robes were crumpled and her
face was haggard and tired, the result of attending patients in the middle of the night.
While not needing sleep, she needs the rest to maintain her cheerful demeanor, and since the
infirmary was relatively under-utilized since the last Great War with the demons some 200 years
ago, she usually only got patients who suffered from training accidents, most whom never stayed
the night.

She was in the process of labeling the various equipment and potions when she heard the screams
of Urd & Ranma. Muttering curses under her breath that anyone who knew her would never expect
to hear from her, she stomped to the wards.

She stood outside the wards to take a deep breath, and then entered the rooms, to witness a
rare moment of two different individuals both utilizing the Crouch of the Wild Tiger
(tmGENMA) at each other at the same time. Bemusedly, she walked
between the two crouching figures & tapped both their shoulders at the same time, and was
rewarded with the sight of Urd & Ranma jumping into the air screaming. Nanami could not help
but fall over laughing at the sight, and she would have continued doing so had she not felt a
chill down her spine & saw both Urd & Ranma bearing over her with lidded eyes and snarling at
the Shrine Maiden.

Hastily getting on her feet, Nanami quickly apologized to the duo " Sorry about that Ranma-san,
Urd-san, but you were really amusing back there. Really, getting scared just because of one
bad incident with each other. Now, why don't you two get to know each other better in the
lounge? From the way you were bowing to each other, you two seem pretty healthy to me. Go on"
and proceeded to make shooing motions, directing them to the lounge.

Once seated in the lounge, several minutes of uncomfortable silence passed between Urd & Ranma.
Urd broke the tense atmosphere by uttering the first word "umm, Ranma...I like to apologize for
umm...blasting you last night, it was really an honest mistake! I was just chasing after Skuld
for laughing at me and umm...this is going to sound lame but I wasn't thinking straight at the
time so please, please don't pummel me anymore, or worse get Lenneth to do it. I'm really
sorry for what I did " Urd then proceeded to make puppy eyes at Ranma, who could only
sweatdrop and say "Umm...sure!" not really knowing how to react to this apology, having almost
nil prior experience in this situations.

Urd lit up at the acceptance of her apology, and decided to cement this budding relationship
with who was Valkyrie's obvious favorite since this would theoretically also by extension
establish a sort of friendship with Valkyrie. After all, any extra help would be nice when she
needs it, not to mention she's on thin ice with many of her fellow deities due to the incident
at Mirmir's Well. " So Ranma, how would you like to witness the training of the Valkyries?"
Ranma blinked at the plural and asked " Valkyries? You mean Valkyrie's not the only one?"

"The most powerful one, yes. Still, she's hardly the only one. She has two other sisters,
Hrist" Urd shuddered as she recalled the deadly & cold presence of the eldest of the Valkyrie
sisters "as well as Silmeria, whom, I never actually met but from what her sisters say about
her, is someone who would make a Care Bear look un-cute by comparison and likely to use it to
scam treats out of gullible shopkeepers. The others are those who were recruited from the
ranks of the Einherjar. This means that there is some 400 of them at last count & you may be
eligible for this. So, you interested in this, Ranma?" enquired Urd.

Ranma who was at this time trying to connect the description of Silmeria with a certain girl he
felt he remembered somewhere. Racking his brain for an answer, he only heard the part of
Training and Valkyrie's Sisters. "Yeah sure, might be fun you know. Not that there is much to
do in the first place." And allowed Urd to lead him to the Venue, the courtyard of Valhalla.

(Valhalla, courtyard)
Ranma & Urd arrived in time to witness the highlight of the training, the sparring match
between the two most outstanding valkyries for the day. The valkyries not participating in the
match formed a circle around the perimeter of the courtyard to keep the fighters within the
courtyard itself. From his view on top of a slope, Ranma and Urd could look over the
surrounding valkyries straight into the makeshift ring; both fighters were dressed in plain
gray armor, and wore the winged helmet that was their symbol. Ranma scanned the area for
Lenneth Valkyrie and found her sitting on an ornate chair that seems to be made of gold, with
murals carved onto it, depicting Ragnarok and the exploits of the gods, both pre & post
Ragnarok.

Her sapphire blue armor emphasized the ornate gold trimmings on her armor, while her helmet
shined brightly in the midday sun. Seated on her left was another Valkyrie, this one dressed
in armor that is jet-black, along with the ornate gold designs similar to Lenneth Valkyrie's
own that Ranma based on the descriptions given by Urd deduced to be Hrist From here, Ranma
could see her tapping on her sheathed sword, while her other hand was holding her chin,
apparently eager for the fight to start.

Ranma turned his attention to the fighters in the ring, and assessed the strength of the two
contestants. The one tying the red bandana to her arm was 7 seven feet 3 inches and had the
muscle mass to go with it. Her hair was golden blonde and untied, falling to her hips while
her face was feminine; it also resembles a pit bull complete with frenzied eyes and snarling,
snapping jaws. She punched her knuckles together and the action produced a sound similar two
boulders smashing together, while her legs made the entire courtyard shake as she stomped into
the ground "Ryoga's probably not as tough as she is" mused Ranma to himself.

Her opponent was considerably smaller than the giantess she is facing, the scene inevitably
reminding Ranma of the day in the Amazon Village where Ranma defeated a certain purple haired
Amazon. She had black hair tied into twin ponytails that reached just below her shoulders, and
was adopting a stance Ranma found very familiar, with some additional elements he could not
place. She had a blue bandana tied to her arm Alternating jumping on her left and right feet,
her upper torso positioned in a kempo stance. Ranma's eye's widened as he realized just what
style of fighting it was " Tendo style Anything Goes! But I've never seen it mixed with
Muay Thai before. Can it actually work?" thought Ranma to himself.

A valkyrie walked between the two combatants glaring at each other, looking at the two of them
for any signs of violations, the referee decided that it was fine and signaled for the large
bell to ring, then jumping off the ring towards safety. Both combatants immediately unleashed
their moves on each other, the larger blond swinging her arms in wide but carefully calculated
strikes, resembling twin wrecking balls that destroyed all in their wake, while her massive
legs moved with surprising speed, trying to catch her opponent with a kick that could shatter
boulders.

Her opponent moved with exceptional speed and grace Ranma did not expect from the Tendo School,
and dodged the moves thrown at her " She can't get close enough to attack her, so she's trying
to get her opponent to make a mistake for her to capitalize on." The chance came as the
pony-tailed girl leapt into the air and threw a blast of ether at her
(" No one seems to use chi in this parts" thought Ranma to himself) and as the larger
valkyrie slapped the ether blast away, the pony tailed girl grabbed her outstretched hand &
used it as a supporting platform to launch a series of kicks at the larger girl's face between
the eyes and her chin mercilessly.

The large blonde managed to toss the girl away and began to swing again,
trying to keep her adversary at bay while her head stopped ringing. Yet the smaller valkyrie
was not about to give up her advantage and began to close in, pelting the large blonde with
rapid kicks and punches while circling her to look for the opening to tackle her again and
finish the match.

It seems that the fight had degenerated into a test of stamina, as the contestant from the
red corner was being wore out by hit and run attacks, until it took a dramatic turn as a
visible red aura began to show around her, while the pony tailed valkyrie began to take an
ultra defensive stance, anticipating a very nasty blow to come barreling down on her, while
the crowd including Urd began to cheer for the finale.

" You should have given up when you could, bimbo!! Now, you will die!! Divine Assault!
Bursting Geyser!! " Boomed the giantess as she swung her left arm at her opponent,
unleashing a gout of red colored energy which hit the pony-tailed girl even as she jumped to
avoid it, and sent her crashing into the ground, forming a deep crater.

The referee was about to declare the winner when she felt a hand land on her shoulders.
Turning back to see whom it was she came to face with Hrist who shook her head to signify that
she should not pass judgment so soon. Turning to Valkyrie for advice, she saw Valkyrie mouth
out " Do as she says" & stepped back into the crowd.

The supposed winner, who was watching the entire proceedings was incensed by this and wanted
to protest loudly to the Valkyrie Sisters when she was silenced by a piercing stare by Hrist.
Cowed, the blonde valkyrie went back to her spot on the ring, complaining of the unfairness of
it all under her breath, while Hrist went back to her seat.

Just as the blonde stepped into the ring, she was blindsided by three chi blasts.
Disoriented by this unusual attack, the blonde staggered leaving herself wide open.
Her opponent who had already left the crater when the large blonde had turned to face the
referee now began a vicious counter-strike and was pummeling the larger woman with several
devastating kicks, punches and occasional blast of chi and ether thrown in.

The blonde managed to push the pony-tailed combatant away with some well-timed leg sweeps,
and prepared as well as she could for another Bursting Geyser Attack, only that her opponent
was faster this time "Not this time! Big, tall and ugly! It's my turn to show you some of my
moves! Tendo Anything-Goes Finishing Strike! Heaven's Gate!" and the pony-tailed combatant
disappeared, only to reappear in front of her opponent, and launched into a barrage of punches
that hit every vulnerable spot on the front of the body at the speed of 2 punches per second,
ending the pummeling with a punch that sent the gigantic blonde flying into Valhalla itself,
crashing through the walls, burying her under a pile of rubble.

"Sachiko..." said the referee to the victorious warrior, who was basking in the cheering of
the crowd."Yes Tanya?" replied Sachiko.
" You do realize that you now owe all together some 700 hours of work hours, including the cost
of repairing the wall you just totaled." Stated Tanya coolly.Sachiko's face paled as she
realized that she has yet again caused massive property damage to her workplace cum home
" Can't you just overlook that Tanya? I really would like to get some sleep sometime this year,
y'know" pleaded Sachiko.

" You break it, you bought It." retorted Tanya "The wall alone costs the equivalent of 30 hours
of your wages, not including the cost of the mural you just smashed last Thursday during that
fight in the grand hall. You were lucky they were planning to knock it down anyway as it would
mean at least 100 hours of overtime. You are lucky your competence prevents them from stripping
your position as a valkyrie." And Tanya strolled off, leaving a dejected Sachiko behind while
Urd moved to check on the fallen blonde.

"Hilda?" asked Urd as she poked the buried form of Hilda with a twig

"Urrrgh" moaned the pile of rubble.

"You alive in there?" asked Urd with a smirk on her face.

The pile of rubble, which somehow managed to pick up Urd's mocking tone, proceeded to make a
series of moans that would have sounded pretty angry, if the speaker had any strength left to
be angry.

Urd winced and replied, "Whoa, you eat with that mouth?"

A large arm broke out of the rubble and began choking Urd.

Ranma, who had not notice Urd leave, began to get up from his seating position and approach
Sachiko who was shuffling out of the courtyard slouching dejectedly determined to find out
more of this practitioner of the Tendo School. He had just within shouting distance of Sachiko
when he felt a pair of eyes watching him; turning around Ranma came face to face with Hrist,
her expression reminding Ranma of a snake ready to strike.

Narrowing his eyes, he leapt into the middle of the circle of valkyries who had not yet
dispersed and pointed at Hrist, making a public challenge to the Shaker. Hrist merely cocked an
eyebrow, stood up from her chair and teleported in front of Ranma.

The both of them glared at each other while waiting for Valkyrie to start the bout.
Ranma especially was very eager to get the fight started as he had a lot of stress to work out,
and he just decided to go for broke. Cause Ranma Saotome never loses.
Not twice anyway.

(Valhalla, inner sanctum 3 hours ago.)

Valkyrie stood in front of a suit of Valkyrie's Armor, complete with a sword propped by the
gauntlets. The dominant color was ruby red, along with the ornate golden designs also seen on
the armor ofthe other two Valkyries.

Two pieces of floating red armor were circling it, the symbol of the Original Valkyrie Sisters
while cracks and scratches, as well as burn marks were visible on the armor, yet it still
failed to mar the dignified shine of the armor, which still stood tall & resolute,
quietly awaiting the return of it's mistress.

Valkyrie reached out to touch the cracked surface of the armor, and saw it begin to repair
itself, the ruby red plate beginning to regain it's shine while the burn marks and other
blemishes began to fade and the designs glowed, as if it was newly forged from the ether fires,
while the floating armor pieces began to emit a reddish glow, and the humming sound made as
they circled the armor sounded like hymns sung in praise of their returning mistress.

"Why do you rejoice so? O Protector of Silmeria. Why do you restore your broken form, as
others would don in all their finery to welcome back their master. Do you feel that your
mistress has returned? Answer me if you can. I too long for her presence again. ever since the
day when she was cruelly wrenched from our side. For many millennia, I have scoured the myriad
realms for an inkling of her, and yet now she is returned to us. Or is merely my deluded mind
that sees Silmeria in the boy known as Ranma Saotome?
Tell me if you know. I beg of you, please. Tell me..." Valkyrie began to choke on her tears,
and felt a silk handkerchief dab on her face, wiping away the tears while another slender arm
hugged her waist in an attempt to comfort her " Hush now Lenneth, for this will be the last
time you will need to mourn for your sister." Freya whispered to Valkyrie.
The pair remained motionless except for Valkyrie's heaving sobs for a few minutes until
Valkyrie turned to face Freya and smiled at her " Thank you Freya. Just when I get tired of you
sleeping with others, you start doing this." And sighed in an exaggerated fashion. "Oh whatever
shall I do" Freya just smiled and said in the same tone "Well, it has been thirty years since
I last had a human lover. Perhaps I should see what they have come up with in the past three
decades hmm?" and they both laughed as Valkyrie's mood improved considerably.

As the laughter died down, Valkyrie asked Freya, " Has she agreed to come Freya?" and she
nodded and replied, " Yes, Hrist has agreed to see you, though she insists that she will not
attend the training session or the ensuing "sparring" match. Said something about actually
trying to find her reincarnation, instead of wasting her time with a certain blonde...harlot
I believe is the term she used. Only for your sake do I tolerate her, Lenneth. Do remind her
that I will not do so again" simmering with rage as she finished.

Valkyrie pecked Freya lightly on the cheek to placate her "Of course, my love. Only I may do so,
isn't that so? Hmm" Valkyrie whispered to Freya who broke into a small smile at this. " Now
you will have to leave Freya, Hrist is here, and I need to speak with her alone" Freya agreed
and strode out of the door, brushing past the entering Hrist and a mutual scowl was exchanged
between the two.

Hrist stalked up to Valkyrie and stopped, directing a cool gaze and calm exterior,
hiding the simmering rage she felt at her sister for her alleged indifference to
Silmeria's fate. The jet black and gold armor she was wearing reflected the light from the
rising sun, while she calmly rested her left arm on the hilt of Glance Reviver, while
alternating her line of sight between Valkyrie and Dainslef, her sword, currently still in
it's sheath.

Upon seeing her reaction, Valkyrie sighed and unbuckled Dainslef, resting it against the
armor rack holding Silmeria's armor. Seemingly satisfied, Hrist removed her hand from her
sword hilt and scowled as she noticed Silmeria's armor " For what matter do you seek me for
Lenneth? If is for the anniversary of Silmeria's death, I shall make it crystal clear to you.
I never engaged in frivolous sentimentalities and do not intend to do so anytime this few
centuries. This charade you put up every year to honor her only shows the shallowness of your
thoughts Lenneth! Join me in the search for her Lenneth! Together we can find her!" urged Hrist

Valkyrie merely shook her head as she pointed at Silmeria's armor
"Look at this Hrist. Silmeria's armor has started to repair itself, anticipating the day when
she will once again don it. Your search has ended for she has returned to us." Then stepping
aside to let Hrist have a closer look at the now restored armor. Its red armor plates were
shining brightly, illuminating the room with a crimson glow, while the ornate golden tapestries
onit looks almost alive.
Not a single blemish was seen on it, and the floating plates that serve as the defenders of
the wearer of the armor were moving faster than before, instead of the sluggish pace they were
at before this moment.
Hrist's eyes opened in shock while her jaws dropped
" Impossible! No amount of ether manipulation or forging could restore it before? Why now,
unless...Silmeria has returned! But how?" and turned to Valkyrie looking for answers.

"From what I have deduced, based on the restoration of Silmeria's armor & the gut feeling I
have...I would say that Ranma Saotome is Silmeria reborn of course, I could be wrong which is
why I seek your help in confirming whether the Saotome boy is indeed Silmeria." And Valkyrie
went silent to await Hrist's decision.

Hrist's reaction was to glare at Valkyrie incredulously as if Valkyrie had grown another head.
Valkyrie winced with embarrassment as she realized just exactly what her sister was so sore
about " you are still sore over the attack at the Seraphic Gate, are you not? Hrist." Said
Valkyrie in an apologetic tone "if that be the reason why you refuse to aid me. Tell me what I
must do to..." she halted in mid speech as Hrist raised her arm " It is not merely your
attacking me that I am angry about, Lenneth but the fact that you would actually work with that
Undead bastard Brahms, even only for the Seraphic Gate that really infuriates me! What has
possessed you to work with the one who not only kidnapped Silmeria's soul infront of us but
also managed to lose her during Ragnarok?" raged Hrist

Valkyrie held her head for a few seconds before replying in a tired and weary voice
"Hrist, by now you should know of the details of the war with the Undead all those years ago.
I hated Brahms for taking Silmeria then and I still do. Yet he did not destroy her soul then
nor did he harm her all those years when Silmeria was a hostage.
He was at the Seraphic Gate precisely to save Silmeria, whether to recapture her or otherwise
I did not know, but I do know that Silmeria comes first and any help from any source should be
used in full, EXACTLY AS YOU HAVE TAUGHT US, HIRST!!!" raising her voice to emphasize her point.
Hrist bit her lower lip, contemplating her options.
"Very Well Lenneth. I will help you to see if this Ranma is truly Silmeria. Hopefully, she is
and my search may finally stop." And Hrist released a deep breath, her face tired and weary,
and the strain of searching for her missing sibling showing on her expression.

Valkyrie released a breath of relief herself as the potential row was averted.
" Glad to hear it, Hrist. Come closer while I explain the details to you..."Valkyrie motioned
Hrist over to her.

(Valhalla, courtyard)

A murmur was could be heard from the gathered valkyries as well as some Einherjar who had came
to see the fight between the rookie Einherjar and Hrist. Valkyrie motioned for the
nearby valkyries to come closer to her, and whispered to two of the more burly ones to carry
the armor of Silmeria to the courtyard, while telling the others to find Eir, the goddess of
healing who should have returned from the conference of healing deities at Yggdrasil Central.

Ranma got into his most aggressive stance while waiting for the match to start, whereas Hrist
merely floated in midair, staring down on Ranma, a cold mocking look on her face as her eyes
scanned Ranma from head to toe assessing his skill and possible threat.
Hrist licked her lips as she said loud enough for all to hear "Not bad, a bit young but not too
shabby. Alas, you are a few thousand years too young for me." Putting a finger to her chin,
her face changed to a thoughtful expression
"Still I suppose that the challenge for marriage does not include a clause regarding age, so I
am obliged to accept it." Her face then underwent another change as she directed a leering
look that Ranma was more used to getting as a girl, particularly looking at the area below his
waist.

Ranma went "Ack" as he started blushing from embarrassment & felt a sense of déjà vu
"Not again, did I just make a marriage PROPASAL to someone older than my country? I really
should have checked their laws first. Damn it! Why do this things always happen to me?" Ranma
then looked at the surrounding valkyries noticed that something was amiss. Instead of the
surprise and shock usually seen when one of their more powerful members got a challenge or
proposal (the 2 terms meaning the same thing in the only society that still has such laws:
read Amazon), what he saw was barely hidden smiles & and some of them already cracking up.

Turning to face Hrist, he saw Hrist's expression change from leering to barely controlled
laughter. Realizing that Hrist had just made an ass out of him, his originally blushing face
turned red with anger & some embarrassment at being tricked so easily. He then broke into a
smirk, as he came up with what he taught was the most suitable retort

"Ha! I bet you just want to lay those wrinkly paws of yours onto a young stud like me.
Well too bad cause Ranma Saotome will never marry an old ghoul like you!" and began laughing
in an almost perfect imitation of Hrist's earlier raucous laughter, not noticing the sudden
drop in temperature or the sudden widening of the circle of valkyries who were scooting as far
as they could from Hrist, who had developed a twitch on her left eyebrow while saying
"old...ghoul. He called me an old ghoul" and narrowed her eyes, her stare promising loads of
pain in the near future.

Valkyrie simply shook her head and muttered
" Eir had better be quick about this. Ranma will definitely need her to patch him up after this,
if there is anything left to patch up anyway." And noticed Silmeria's armor being carried out
by two valkyries and placed beside the third chair that was unoccupied, the seat meant for
Silmeria. Nodding her thanks, she stood up and raised her right hand, yelling
"En garde" and bringing it down to signal the beginning of the match.

Both the fighters needed no encouragement to launch their own offensives, as they charged each
other intent on bringing down the other one. Ranma threw the first attack, his favorite
Kachu Tenshin Amiguriken attack, only to find it intercepted by Hrist's own punches and the
floating armor that encircles her and got a face full of ether energy in return as Hrist
blasted Ranma point blank.
Taking advantage of the temporary distraction, Hrist shaped her fingers into claws and began
to form lines of chi with it, in an attempt to ensnare Ranma with them, only to have the
maneuver countered by a sudden ether blast from Ranma.

Twisting herself to avoid the blast, she was silently impressed by Ranma's potential
"Only 1 day here and he already knows how to generate ether" taught Hrist to herself.
"His learning abilities certainly match Silmeria's own. Perhaps he is indeed her reborn...time
to find out for sure then!" and increased the ferocity and speed of her attacks.

Ranma for his part was having the fight of his life. His adrenaline was at an all time high,
surpassing even the rush in the fight against Saffron and so was the fear he felt when in life
threatening situations. He found her moves familiar and a certain nostalgic feeling for her
overpowering presence like how he felt when fighting his father when he still had respect for
Genma. He felt both elated and terrified as Hrist raised the ferocity and speed of her attacks
" Finally deciding to get serious eh Hrist?" he thought and unleashed a revised version of the
Hiryu Shoten Ha, using his own ether and chi to form the tornado and released it at Hrist who
was caught and thrown into the air while the chi and ether continued to deal damage to her.

The tornado rose to about twenty feet before it suddenly dispersed without a trace.
Hrist swung her sword Glance Reviver causally although those who heard of its power started to
panic, fearing its power may be unleashed in full. Ranma also felt the power emitting from the
blade as it began to glow brightly, and jumped to avoid a silvery black crescent shaped beam
Hrist fired. He attempted to close in and disarm Hrist but found that he could not get past
either the longer reach of her sword or the blasts she is throwing at him. He despaired at the
lack of possible chances to turn the tide of battle while he continued to dodge Hrist's attacks
unsuccessfully.

Things got steadily worse as she started making doubles of herself, who mimicked her attacks
and the number of blasts increased. Ranma's own Moko Takashiha attacks were either dodged or
reflected by the Glance Reviver and Hrist got a bored look on her face, yawning between attacks
which only served to fuel Ranma's anger further
"How the hell can I win if my ranged attacks cant hurt her and I cant get close enough to
disarm that damn sword? I need something to even out the odds but what!" and he spotted a
sword resting against a ruby red Valkyrie's armor. It seems to be calling out to Ranma and
somehow, Ranma felt that it would help him greatly in defeating Hrist and used his fading
strength to make a leap for the sword and managed to grasp the hilt firmly when he felt his
vision go blurry and his consciousness fade away...

Hrist felt bored &disappointed at the struggle Ranma was putting up. After pulling out
Glance Reviver, she had seriously outclassed Ranma & it became a one-sided affair when she used
her more familiar and deadly armed attacks instead of her average (by her standards)
unarmed skills.
" Lenneth had said that a battle against either of us should awaken the boy's dormant Valkyrie
nature, especially after spending time in Asgard where his memories should have been stimulated
enough that constant contact with us will restore the knowledge of his past as Silmeria,
why isn't it working? I have done all I could not to harm him too much, yet I find no sign of
Silmeria in him. Has Lenneth finally gone insane?" and turned an eye to look at Valkyrie,
while keeping a steady stream of blasts aiming at Ranma.

After brief observations yield no signs of possible insanity to Hrist's experienced mind, she
switched her concentration back onto Ranma and saw him diving for Silmeria's blade.
A smile lit up her face as she realized why Lenneth had placed the armor and sword there.
A shocked gasp was heard from the crowd watching the match as Ranma successfully took the sword,
unhindered by the floating armor that would prevent anyone but it's mistress from touching it.

The gasps and shouts of disbelief became louder as the armor faded from the rack and reappeared
on top of Ranma's unmoving form. A flash of red light erupted from both Ranma and the armor and
engulfed all of Valhalla while Hrist began laughing at the top of her voice with joy, while
tears streamed down her cheeks "At last! At long last the three of us can be together again!
Thank you Father for allowing this day! Praise Thy Name!" she thought with extreme joy and
gratitude over her triumphant laughter. Even Valkyrie who had planned for this could barely
keep her excitement in check, and was grasping the armrests of her chair so tightly they began
to crack from the strain.

(???)

Ranma opened his eyes and was surprised to find himself on a strange island that was floating
in mid-air. He saw plumes of smoke in the distance and saw the sky was blood red from the
flames burning everywhere. "Where the hell am I now? Now I know why pig-boy is depressed all
the time, considering the fact I am so depressed that I want to jump off this floating piece
of rock myself! Arrghh!" Ranma yelled in frustration and helplessness.

He then noticed something else that was peculiar " there's no sound at all! No wind no
crackling of flames no anything! Have I suddenly gone deaf?" Ranma snapped his finger to test
it. "Nope" thought Ranma as he heard the sharp click of his fingers "hearing's still fine." He
sighed in relief and began to look for a way out of wherever here is. Ranma saw a sudden flash
of sparks from the corner of his eye and he spun around in a defensive stance, awaiting any
sneak attacks.

When nothing failed to appear out of the blue in an attempt to disembowel him, he slightly
relaxed his stance until another spark shower appeared on the island next to his.
Recognizing the sparks as the ones produced by clashing steel, he quickly leapt across the
narrow gap of ten feet and headed for the other end of the floating island, hoping to help
anyone who might need it.

As he reached his destination, the scene there horrified him to no end.
A large man with wrinkled purple skin, sharp fangs and hip length spiky purple hair was
standing over the corpse of a young woman who looked between 16 to 20 years old with silver
red hair. Lying beside her were the exhausted forms of Valkyrie and Hrist. Their armor was
riddled with holes, cracks and burn marks and their helmets were soot stained and one of the
wings were torn off. Their eyes were open but just barely and their arms were twisted in
painful and unnatural shapes but their eyes were burning with hatred, directed at the purple
haired man.

He was wearing a sleeveless green vest exposing his chest with earth brown pants, along with a
pair of boots, blue on one leg, red on the other as well as arm guards of red & blue.
He was holding a blue crystal that was pulsating as if alive and Ranma could hear clearly what
he said, " I shall take the soul of your sister to end this pointless war. Hopefully, Odin will
learn that not all the realms come under his tyranny. Until than, she will be kept by me until
Raganrok comes." And started to leave while the Valkyrie sisters were helpless to stop him.

Ranma snapped out of his trance and rushed to the side of the fallen Valkyrie sisters
" Valkyrie! Hrist! Hang on!" and tried to help Valkyrie sit up only to have his hands past
through her with the same thing happening with Hrist.

As he watched helpless as both of them cry in pain at the lost of their sister, the silent sobs
and their defeated expressions reminded him of the nights when he cried for his mother when he
was young, and later for Ucchan when he was forced to leave her behind, of all the tears shed
for anyone who had shown him kindness.

He started thinking of the family living in the shrine in the mountains that had cared for him
when he was ten and separated from Genma, of the doctor who healed him for free thus inspiring
the respect he would later hold for all healers and most of all of the old lady in that town
that Genma had trained him in the Neko-ken.

She was the first he could remember who had shown him what a mother's love is, something he
would come to expect from his birth mother Nodoka but what he got was someone who would not
accept him for all that he is, curse and all, and felt overwhelmed by all the sealed memories
bursting out of his mental dam and broke down in tears.

"True. Lenneth always forgives us for any mistake we make, is that not so Ranma?" rang out a
clear melodious voice from behind him. Startled but not actually feeling any danger, Ranma
removed his hands from his face and rubbed his tear soaked eyes, determined to ignore it.

By now he could not care less about who saw him, or even if crying is manly, and wanted to
tell off anyone who was interfering with his private moments to mourn those he never had a
chance to, or even allowed to because of some archaic code that even his teacher failed to
keep. Had Ranma any other time this way, he would forcibly distract himself with some
self-punishing kata and later forget about it, but the scene had a profound impact on him.

He had never actually saw the death of an innocent before, and his emotions were so
uninhibited at this point all the suppressed emotions against the Art that he based his life on
and yet also destroyed it surfaced. "The very thing that destroyed us, isn't it Ranma? You
would expect it to give us some peace of mind yet it chose to throw peril after peril at us.
The very thing that you dedicated your life to also take everything you have, never returning
anything in return. Just demands, demands and more demands. Sad isn't it, that we spent all
our years giving our lives for something like that." Said the same voice.

Turning around to face the annoyance that kept voicing his thoughts, Ranma shouted, " Look,
whoever you are! I don't need you to..." his sentence trailed off as he came face to face with
the supposed dead girl in that red armor a few minutes ago. He looked around and was surprised
to see that the place had changed to the field he saw in that dream he had.
Closer observation revealed the girl to be an older version of the eight year old he dreamt
about and also, he realized, how his girl side would look with silver red hair and sharper
Nordic features, without the baby fat that made her look more cute than beautiful.

As Ranma once again noticed his surroundings, he found that instead of the burning
battlefield he was on just moments ago had changed to a field with stalks of plants that had
bushy white tops, which resembled a hybrid of wheat and dandelions which swayed in the silent
wind while their dancing pollen in the breeze reminded one of blowing snow.
Ignoring Ranma, the girl bent down to pluck one of the plants
"These are known as Weeping Lilies, their pollen carries a lethal poison, killing any mortal
who breathes it" the girl stated while plucking the pollen and blowing it " Yet, the three of
us always liked to meet here, whether for training or even a little chat, we meet in the one
place where many unsuspecting travelers perished. A celebration of life in a place of death,
ironic isn't it Ranma?' said the girl as she turned to face Ranma again, who was stunned with
disbelief at this surreal scene.
Ranma slapped himself to gather his wits, and the stinging pain allowed him to focus enough to
ask the questions " Just who are you, and why are you telling me this? Why have you shown me
all of this? What has all of this got to do with me? Answer me!" roared Ranma as his sorrow
turning to anger.

The girl's answer was to break into peals of laughter, which only served to enrage Ranma
further,who was seriously considering attacking her and yelled at her
"Answer me! Who are you! And quit laughing!"
The girl's laughter died down to a series of low chuckles as she wiped her eyes.
" Forgive me, but I really did not expect you to forget someone who had been with you for the
past eighteen years. Of course, I should have expected it if you couldn't even remember someone
(snort) who had tried to kill you, obviously my helping of you out of those (chuckle)
situations were not remembered by you, surprising how someone so good at martial arts would
have such a bad memory." and stopped laughing, though she still kept a knowing smile on her
face.

Ranma's face flushed with embarrassment and anger at the accusations " That's not true! I never
forget anyone before! Name them if you can, betcha you were just full of hot air eh?" and
Ranma adopted an arrogant pose with his chest strutted out like a peacock while flashing his
trademark arrogant smirk.

The girl, still smiling, merely said,
" Ryoga Hibiki and Ukyo Kunonji, remember how they made an unexpected entrance into your life?
Or have you forgotten about them too?" and chuckled when Ranma's blush got deeper.
"But that doesn't explain you! I got some impression who they were, but I never saw you in my
life! How could you have been helping me when I never saw you? Answer that!" confident that he
had just won a verbal battle by pointing out the glaring mistake in his opponent's argument.

The girl shook her head while she mumbled, "Ye Gods, lend me strength" and said " Ranma, you
are mentally about as dense as lead mentally outside a fight. Who do you think was the one that
gave you the hints in your head about Kirin's chopsticks, the way to counter the Shi Shi
Hokodan or how to survive when the perfect version was unleashed? Who was the one who gave you
the inspiration for the Soul of Ice technique Ranma?
Who told you to protect your eyes and neck as the cats descended upon you again and again in
that pit 12 years ago? Do you think that the so-called training Genma gave you could produce
all those victories when a defeat would have been the logical conclusion? How is it possible
that a youth of your age could slay Saffron without intervention? Does Genma recover from
wounds that would have fell any other human much less at your incredible speed?
Tell me, who was the one that prevented you from committing the cardinal sin of slaying your
own father, deserving he may be, when he doused you in the Nyannichuan. I did, Ranma."

Ranma turned a disbelieving look at her, and said, " If what you're saying is true, why should
you help me all this time without asking anything in return, and I still don't know who you are"
and continued to stare at her waiting for an answer.

The girl shot a hurt look at Ranma, and yelled, " How could you not know the face you stare
into on every surface& not know yourself? Has your heart been so blinded by the poison fed by
all those teachings that espouse the glory of violence, of perversity, of theft, of sloth that
you forgot the oath you took when you donned the armor of the Valkyries, when you conquered the
wonder sword Gram! Have you not remembered what you were?"

"Don't you DARE insult the Art girl! How would you know the hardships I went through for what
I have today? All my achievements are the result of hours & days of harsh training!
How could it be your voice I hear when I never saw you? What I see on every surface is
Ranma Saotome, a MAN! Not some weak GIRL! The cursed form is just that, a CURSE!
As in something you don't want! It's not ME!" and Ranma began to pant from his tirade.

By now the girl was clenching her fists so hard her palms began to bleed " And what was all
that for? Huh? Enduring all that pain, for what purpose? What do you fight for Ranma?
Why do I, a creation of your memories do not understand the purpose of your struggle?
Are you going down the path of your father, of Happosai or Cologne?
Do you wish to become those you despise? How can you avoid their fate without a worthy cause to
fight for? For your harem of fiancées, who often are no better than their captors?
For an ill-defined code, that has been all but twisted for the ends of a few? Noble it may be,
Ranma. Noble, yet it is foolish. Foolish nobility accounts for nothing in the end Ranma."
and turned mournful eyes at Ranma, pleading for him to come to his senses.

Ranma fell to his knees as he felt his world crumble around him, his strength leaving him as
his pride and faith in the Art was shattered
" Is this...what I've lived my life for?" he stuttered, "Has my dream of being a proud
honorable sensei just that? A mere... fantasy? Has my existence been for naught?
All my sacrifices...unnecessary, all the abandoned futures gone.
For empty promises of respect and...honor? Was my entire life based on a LIE?
What was I fighting for all this time anyway?
My own foolish pride? The...honor of a school I never chose to be in?
Was that all I was? Some unreasonable brawler who fought over the smallest of things
which snowballed into pointless feuds, when conflict could be avoided... A mere...TOOL!"

Ranma remained motionless for minutes until he began chuckling and soon broke into
full-blown maniacal laughter " Heh. My life, it was a life based on a comedy of errors!
And I was the fool who never knew better to leave when I could! Ranma Saotome,
his stupidity climaxing with a final pointless act of giving his life to someone who would
rather not have it! Ahahaha!! In life a naïve child, in death a gullible soul.
How the others must have laughed at my antics, how they must have howled at my helplessness."
And he continued to laugh until he collapsed from exhaustion. Panting, he turned to the girl
and asked, " Are you the girl known as Silmeria? If yes, then end my part in this tragic comedy
now and finish me permanently." And closed his eyes, waiting for the end.

"Open your eyes Ranma," commanded the girl.
He did as he said and stared into her eyes and heard her say,
"I cannot harm you more than Silmeria can harm you for I am nothing but the construct of
Silmeria's dying memories, thus I am the spawn of your consciousness as well.
I have in me the knowledge Silmeria has as well the spirit of battle her sword and armor
has gleaned over the millennia. Should you truly desire a new beginning, then accept me fully
and all the responsibility of again bearing the yoke of one of the Valkyries.
The road shall be perilous, but the cause will truly be worthy. Silmeria has been laid to rest
during Ragnarok. Let Ranma Saotome be laid to rest on Phoenix Mountain as well.
Should you accept, then know that Ranma Saotome will truly be gone in the mists of time."

Ranma never felt more certain. " I accept the offer. Let the fool I was finally rest.
I shall now be the master of my own destiny, the captain of my own soul.
I shall hack out a path to travel should there be none for me, I willingly chose to bear the
yoke of the destiny as the Valkyrie" and Ranma stood up with open arms to welcome his rebirth.

The girl morphed into the shape of the red Valkyrie armor, while the sword Gram floated
alongside it "I am gladden that you have chosen to don us once again, Mistress, or should that
be Master? Rest assured that we will not fail you again!" a series of disembodied voices rang
out followed by an explosion of red light.

(Valhalla, courtyard)

The crowd, especially Hrist, was eagerly awaiting the results of transformation.
Valkyrie relaxed her grip as she felt the ether streams start to die down, and Ranma's aura
manifested itself, though it is now mixed with the power of the Valkyries as well as Silmeria's
own.
"The rebirth is truly complete now. What kind of Valkyrie would Ranma make, I truly wonder?"
turning her attention to Hrist, she found her reaction similar to hers, only with the glint in
her eyes that signaled her impatience to try out Ranma's awakened powers. " They always were
alike in their taste of enjoying a good fight with a strong opponent, I never could work up the
battle lust they both have." Shrugging her shoulders, she turned her attention back to Hrist
and Ranma.

Hrist's eyes glistened with glee as she felt the power of Ranma awakening. The deflected shots
she had fired to test the protective red cocoon only piqued her interests further
" Such Power! She has grown tremendously since the War with the Undead. At last, I can finally
see just how strong she can be!" and eagerly charged her weapon while arching her body to
prepare for an onslaught of blasts that Ranma is liable to retaliate with.

The swirling tendrils of silver-red energy, surrounding the cocoon suddenly shot in all
directions leaving craters in the ground and causing the surrounding valkyries, Einherjar and
other myriad deities who had gathered to watch the fight to scatter for cover, with only
Valkyrie and the other stronger beings remaining in their positions, the tendrils bouncing off
their own protective shields. The ether storm finally ended with the cocoon splitting in two,
sending shockwaves that decimated several of Valhalla's walls and an armored figure emerged
from it. As the light surrounding it dwindled, allowing others to gaze directly upon it they
saw a Valkyrie armed in full battle regalia, while her luxurious silver-red hair flowed like a
waterfall until her shoulders, where a braid swayed as if alive. Her face had the features Hrist
and Valkyrie both possess, only lacking their distinct sharpness, and her sapphire blue eyes'
were tinged with the golden shine of Hrist's eagle eyes.
Pointing Gram to the sky, she declared, " I am Ranma of Valkyrie! Let it be known that as of
today, Ranma Saotome is laid to rest along with his legacy and baggage and that I do solemnly
swear to uphold willingly the responsibilities that come along with this vocation!"
Ranma than turned to face Hrist, sword held in the stance favored by the Aseir gods
" Ready for your education in humility Hrist?" taunted Ranma.

"Confident, but not overly so. I like her already." Thought Hrist.
Raising an eyebrow, she retorted " Education, whelp? You will be the one eating the dirt once
this is over." And both of them charged at each other in mid-air. To the untrained eye, all
that could be seen was two streaks of light, one silvery-black and the other silvery-red,
charging through and fro while the occasional stray shot of ether left the battlefield.

To those who could make out the lightning fast moves,
they saw hundreds of stabs, slashes & blasts exchanged in a matter of seconds with the tide of
battle swinging wildly between Ranma and Hrist. A loud explosion was heard later, both Ranma
and Hrist were flung in opposite directions and landed with a loud bang, adding more holes to
the ruined courtyard but both leapt to their feet after the initial impact, panting heavily.
Hrist was sporting bruises and a cut lip, while holding her side, gritting her teeth in pain,
while Ranma was no better off, the only difference being the smile on Hrist's face
"It is unbelievable how much she has grown! She executed some of my moves better than I did!"
shifting one eye to the sitting Valkyrie, she thought "One day, Ranma may even be a match for
Lenneth. Now for the final test!" and prepared for the most devastating move of a Valkyrie.

Ranma was coughing from the strain her body had gone through
"She's just as strong as I remembered! Well, I'm not going to lose now that's for sure."
she then mimicked Hrist's stance, preparing to unleash her own finisher at Hrist.

Both of them shouted their battle cries in unison
"It shall be engraved your soul! Divine Assault! Nibelung Velasti!" and both let loose with a
series of sword strikes, ending with a giant spear made by their own powers shaped as a dragon
&tossed them at each other. The two attacks collided and explosion flung almost all spectators
of their feet, while Valkyrie's chair was blown away, Valkyrie herself visibly straining to
absorb the impact.

As the dust died down, Hrist was standing while Ranma was flat on her back, though still alive
from the slight stirring from her prone form. " Impressive. Very Impressive indeed" mumbled
Hrist who then swayed for a few seconds before falling like a sack of wet mice out cold.

The crowd was silent for a few moments before quiet applause broke out,
which quickly grew into echoing cheers and thunderous applause, cheering for a well-fought
battle. Over the deafening applause, Tanya quipped to Sachiko
"Looks like we found someone more destructive than you are Sachiko! Maybe you ought to get to
know him or her better!" while Sachiko, who seemed oblivious to the implied insult mumbled her
agreement & chased after the entourage carrying Ranma and Hrist to the infirmary,
with Eir delivering first aid.

Valkyrie meanwhile dispatched some of her more experienced valkyires to oversee the repairs
while she moved to contact Freya at Yggdrasil Central.
She has a lot to prepare for the trip down to Midgard.

(Valhalla inner sanctum, Ranma's room)

Ranma awoke to the now familiar smell of ambrosia broth and the sound of medical equipment.
Squinting his still groggy eyes, he realized instead of the Spartan hospital bed he had grown
so familiar with, he was lying on a king-sized bed made covered with luxurious sheets he
remembered to made out Unicorn Hair, as were the pillow cases or the drapes pulled to cover his
bed.
He could smell a fragrance he recognized as flowers from Seesrumnir, while a soothing angelic
chorus played in the background. Since Ranma's only contact with such finery was in the
Kuno Mansion, or the palaces of his more bizarre foes he was understandably nervous about his
surroundings. Tossing aside the silk sheets and pulling open the Dragon leather drapes, his
jaws dropped at the grand sight greeting him.

A ceiling let in the starlight of the Asgard night made of polished semi transparent screens
that shone in rainbow colors, the walls were made of pure gold and had murals depicting the
achievements of the Aseir and other gods, with the most prominent space reserved for the
Valkyries own glorious tales. He noticed a training ground with all equipment he could
possibly need, while flowers grew in corners, along with miniature waterfalls creating a sight
for sore eyes.

The ground was covered in a well kempt carpet, and he noticed Elves who were busy preparing his
medicine. As his memories regarding the Elves became clearer, he realized that they were in
fact servants from their attire, and the way they respectfully kept their heads bowed to him.
"Probably the servants of Freya or Frei, their "gifts" to me I suppose." Ranma allowed them to
dress him in ornate robes of material he could not recognize, knowing that refusing them would
only terrify them, believing they have displeased him. "Damn it, I cant return them to Freya
without serious consequences for them, but what do I need servants for?" sighing inwardly,
Ranma was about to continue to brood when he heard a crash from the direction of the medcine
brewing Elves.

Turning his attention to that particular corner of the vast room, he saw the elves alternate
between directing worried looks in his direction, while scolding a bowing figure who was
wearing an apron, who was rubbing the back of her head and clearly embarrassed. Moving towards
her, he was pleasantly surprised to see it was the Valkyrie who had fought in the match this
morning. She turned to Ranma and started to stammer an apology
" Sorry about this, I'm just bad this sort of stuff Umm..." and tried to think of something
else to say.

Ranma felt a sense of déjà vu as he looked at the flustered Valkyrie,
" No harm done really." He assured her than added,
" By the way, is your family name Tendo?" The girl blinked and replied, " Yes. Sachiko Tendo is
my name. How did you know anyway?"

"Well, your fighting style for one. Not to mention you look like a mixture of Nabiki and Akane."
Said Ranma, while involuntary wincing when reminded of his chaotic life on Midgard.
" Who are Nabiki and Akane? Your earthly lovers or something? I died twenty years ago,
although I do know that Kumiko was having a daughter with my brother Soun."
While she scratched her head in confusion.

"She's Soun's sister? That explains the resemblance or the Tendo style Martial Arts."
Thought Ranma "So what are you doing here? You were a valkyrie this morning only." And Sachiko
mumbled something in return. "What's that again? Speak up will you? I can't hear you," pressed
Ranma.

"I SAID THAT I'M DOING TIME FOR PROPERTY DAMAGE!! SATISFIED?" yelled Sachiko who then covered
her mouth , realizing her mistake.

"Geeze, No need to shout you Macho Tomboy!" returned Ranma who ears were ringing from the
shout, and closed his eyes waiting for the blow that came with it whenever he made a remark
like that. After a few minutes, Ranma opened his eyes to see a confused Sachiko. Ranma asked
"You are not going to bash me for that tomboy remark?" his disbelief evident.

"No, why should I? Almost all of us are tomboys in the valkyries, with a few exceptions like
Valkyrie-sama herself. You can't be too feminine in a combat unit anyway." Sachiko said in a
matter of fact tone and added " How about I make up for that spilled broth, huh? I know the
best mead in all Asgard, if you give the permission, we can go there now." She offered.

"Sure" shrugged Ranma. He then patted his chest and exclaimed
"Hold on! I'm a guy?" did I get splashed by hot water?" and turned to Sachiko for answers.
" No, it's just that since you did not take on a girl form by yourself, but rather, the magic
of the Valkyrie armor did, you turn into a guy when it's exhausted or you remove it. Of course,
all of us can take different shapes, since we are basically made of Divine Materialize Energy.
Outside forms don't count much if you change according to what you think of yourself.
The Valkyrie armor is the exception rather than the rule, considering that it was made
exclusively for the female form. Of course, there are few things more powerful than that.
You lucky Bastard" she teased and dragged Ranma off to the Tavern.

(The Wayside, Asgard)

The Wayside was one of the more seedy establishments in Asgard, meaning it is one of the few
places where you can swear without the security tossing you out.
Dingy yellow lights are the main source of illumination, due to the fact that the owner likes
the atmosphere it produces while its patrons consists of mainly off-duty Einherjar and other
war deities or those who simply have a bad disposition and cant get along with the others.

Slurred insults were exchanged between several drunken deities, while mugs of mead, wine, sake
or simply plain old draft lager were guzzled or thrown at the next table.
While shouts of rage were not uncommon, especially those who came
here to drown their sorrows over getting suspended
(Urd has her name carved onto a particular table, being a regular of this establishment.)
the shouts from table 5 were especially loud.
After Badrach got his head smashed through the bar, no one else dared to raise any objections
of the shouts from that particular table.
The patrons sitting at this table were at a glance not as intimidating as the other deities
here, until you see just who exactly who they were after which you were advised to run as far
as you can since both Ranma Valkyrie and Sachiko Tendo were too smashed to care about small
things like mercy and both were very, very pissed.

While Ranma told Sachiko exactly what happened to him at the Tendo Dojo or what Genma had done
over sips of his mead, which soon turnedinto large gulps & "just one mug" gave way to
"gimme the damn barrel" Sachiko alternated between shouts of "Genma did WHAT!"
"Soun did WHAT!" "My nieces did WHAT to WHOM!!!" to apologizing to Ranma on their behalf,
yelling what she will do to them & demonstrating just how it will look like while Ranma cheered
loudly as Sachiko laid into any unlucky patrons who did not get away fast enough,
including Urd & Hilda. The former stopping over "One for the road" as she puts it while Hilda
swore to never let Sachiko near anything that containing alcohol,
including rum raisin ice cream.

Just as Sachiko was about to demonstrate how to break someone's ribs without using hands on
Badrach, who was stupid enough to confront
the pair again Freya entered the tavern and spotted Ranma and Sachiko in the corner. Casually
blasting a drunken samurai Einherjar who had tried to chat her up through the wall and ignoring
the protests of Bacchus, the God of Grapes and owner of the establishment, she moved to grab
both of them by their collars, while carefully avoiding their alcoholic breath and both Ranma
and Sachiko turned to face her.
While Ranma wandered who this beautiful blonde is, Sachiko smiled and slurred
" Heyyyy Freyyyaa, howsh it hanging? Arreeee yoouuu here to…" and had a ball gag stuffed into
her mouth by Freya, who berated them
" The two of you smell like a bootleg brewery, and I hate those places. Come on you two.
Lenneth's been waiting for you" and teleported them to Yggdrasil Central.

(Yggdrasil Central)
After a coffee drip later, both Ranma and Sachiko were holding their heads groaning in pain
from the mother of all hangovers.

" Okay, Ranma listen up. I have managed to apply for permission to bring you on an extended trip
to Midgard, with occasional reports back here in Yggdrasil Central. The Norns, consisting of
Urd, whom you already met, and Belledandy and Skuld will be our liaison officers on Midgard,
due to their extended stay there.
I already have arranged a safe house in the Tokyo Ginza strip, lowering the possibilities of
meeting any acquaintances on Midgard. Any Questions?" Valkyrie debriefed them in a deliberately
loud voice, smiling at the pair's agony."Yes Sachiko?" as Sachiko raised her hand
"Not that I'm not happy for a trip to Midgard Valkyrie-sama, but why am I tagging along?"
she asked suspecting she wont like the answer.

Valkyrie smiled an obviously fake smile at Sachiko as she calmly stated, " Well Sachiko dear.
You see, as per regulation, there must be one neutral deity to oversee if any divine laws were
broken, and one field agent to help the party along.
You will therefore be responsible for the miscellaneous…situations that will crop up,
something like a executive assistant."

"In short, I will be your gofer" dryly stated Sachiko.

"Glad to see you understand Sachiko, and since you have some…umm" Valkyrie checked her records
"Some 700 hours of overtime to pay for your property damage charges, meaning you will be with
us for 3 and a half months, unless you plan to work 24 hours, which will be a month and a half,
without rest. So you will be with us for some time. Nice working with you."
She turned to Ranma and said, " Come along Ranma." and guided him by grabbing his arm and
teleporting with him while Sachiko started the long flight to Midgard,
complaining about nepotistic bosses.

A few minutes later, Hrist appeared on the same spot where Valkyrie had left.
In her left hand was a list detailing Genma Saotome's crimes against the gods and his current
location. Her face twisting into a cruel smirk, as she mapped out the punishments she will
likely carry out on him, her only restriction that it must not be fatal or crippling, other
than that, it's anything goes. "I love my job, especially when it gets personal."
Hrist chuckled evilly than teleported to Midgard.

(Midgard, Tokyo, Ginza)

Ranma stood on wobbly knees as he tried to orientate his body after the teleportation, not used
to trans-plane travel, while a tall man with silver hair tied into a braid helped him. Ranma
hopped away from the man when he realized who was holding him
" Who are you and what have done with Valkyrie?" demanded Ranma.

The man simply rolled his eyes and said " Check my aura, Ranma, surely you are not still
blinded by the deceptions of the flesh?" and waited calmly for Ranma to react.
Ranma's eyes bugged out as he found the man's aura totally similar to Valkyrie. " Lenneth? But
you are a guy? You have a curse too?" exclaimed a shocked Ranma.

For the first time in his entire life, Lenneth Valkyrie face-faulted painfully. When he
recovered, he grabbed Ranma by his collar and yelled into his face plus his own version of the
Demon Head attack.
" Damn it Ranma! Haven't you remembered anything Hrist & I taught about our transformation
abilities?! I don't need a curse to change forms!" and then released Ranma.

Ranma massaged his neck while asking, " why turn into a man then? Why not a woman instead?" and
Valkyrie rolled her eyes again. Sighing,she told Ranma " I am trying to lead by example here
Ranma. You still despise your female form despite the need to adopt the form to perform
the duties of a Valkyrie properly, and don't try telling me being a woman is harder than being
a man. I took this form for fifty years straight once and know the workings of them both only
too well. Now Ranma, I need you to take your female form again, the new one that is, not the one
given by Jusenkyo. It will be harder for those who knew you to recognize you."

"You always have to be right don't you, Lenneth" she sighed and morphed into a Silver-red hair
gaijin woman.
Grabbing the hand of her "brother", they walked in the direction of the Main Commercial area of
the Ginza.

Unseen by them, a teenage girl in a blue school uniform had seen the entire exchange
" He's alive? And going out with a Gaijin man?" her look of confusion transformed into a
greedy smile " Nabiki will pay through her nose for this news." she then skipped all the way to
the Tendo Dojo.

(Nerima)

Genma Saotome was bumbling down the street drunk on sake with his friend Soun Tendo when the
two of them bumped into someone. As they fell on their butts, they looked up into the cold,
stony visage of Hrist as well as feeling the battle aura she is releasing " Oh goody goody,
more guests." Purred Hrist. Genma & Soun, who had years of dealing with
dangerous characters, decided that discretion is the better part of cowardice and tried to flee,
with emphasis on tried. They felt Hrist's iron vice grip, and the three disappeared into a
subspace Hrist had made just for them.

(End Chapter 2)

Author's notes: Sorry that the fight at the courtyard dragged on for so long,
but the scenes were necessary to introduce Ranma Valkyrie and Sachiko Tendo.
In the next chapter, the members of the Nerima Wrecking Crew will finally have a chance to
appear (NWC: Finally!) Oh , Hrist's name really does mean the Shaker,of what i'm not too sure.

As always, C+C is appreciated

Later.
JF_1999