Rudy Henkel
The Turner Of The Wheel
TurnerOfTheWheel@hotmail.com
Started: 4/22/01
This is a Ranma ½ and Ah! My Goddess crossover; it will possibly include other series at a later date. If you are not familiar with Ranma 1/2, then don't read this, there is no point.
Note that I use no Japanese language other than Kami-sama, (roughly used to refer to an ultimate god or being) I only use that because there is no convenient and satisfactory translation, and things like furo, which are specific to Japanese culture. This fic is written in English, I write in English.
Disclaimer
Ranma belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and some companies, Ah! My Goddess belongs to Kosuke Fujishima and some companies. Sailor Moon belongs to some other person and some other companies. None of them belong to be, but everything else in here is mine. And if you want to give me money for a reason unrelated to this fanfiction, that would be both legal and appreciated d8^) j/k. Okay, here you are:
" " Spoken Japanese
Spoken Chinese
# # Panda signs
' ' Thoughts
Angel 1/2 - Chapter 3: Pride
Ranma stood in front of the class, nervous and sweating from all the stares he was getting. Some were hostile, some were decidedly, well... not hostile; they were all intense.
"Class, we have a new student today, he's just returned from a training trip to China, say hello to Ranma..." the teacher paused as she looked up, "Ranma... Saotome."
Ranma bowed to the class, "Good morning, it is a pleasure to meet you," he said, smiling. 'Hmm, that's strange, I wonder if there is some sort of fainting bug going around...' he thought as several of the female students slumped to their desks, sighing.
'Perhaps, Ranma, but I don't sense any viral energies.'
Ranma shrugged, "Teacher, I was late, and I apologize. Should... should I go stand in the hall?" Ranma asked apprehensively, and was a bit taken aback by the reaction he got.
"NO!" came the response from the teacher and about half the class. The other half was beginning to look a little perturbed… The teacher continued, "No Ranma, that... that won't be necessary." 'Impure thoughts, impure thoughts! Teacher-student relationship inappropriate! You would lose your job! Oh gods, but he's so beautiful'
"Thank you teach... er, teacher, I'll try not to do it again." Another smile. "Teach!" He managed to catch her just before she hit the ground.
_______
"He's my fiancée Kuno-baby," Nabiki said with an uncommon smile on her face.
"Nabiki Tendo, methinks you are ill, for would you not normally charge me for this information!"
"Huh?" Nabiki blinked and stared at Kuno for a moment as her eyes re-focused, "oh, yeah... 5000 yen." She held out her hand, and Kuno happily obliged, relieved that she appeared to be acting as normal now.
"Is he truly, as he has spoken, the heir to the Saotome School of Indiscriminate Grappling? For he believes that his skill may provide a challenge for mine, which, needless to say, I find nigh on unbelievable. Is he one that may indeed be worthy of combat with my greatness? ... Nabiki Tendo?"
"Huh ... oh, yeah, he's good Kuno-baby. He's *real* good..." *sigh*
_______
'Maybe we should take her to the nurse, As?' Ranma queried, holding the teacher delicately in his hands.
'Nonsense. Just do what I taught you.'
'Ok...' was the dubious reply, Ranma focused inward for a moment, and pushed a bit of energy into the figure held in his arms.
*plik* *plik* Two eyes opened and looked up into those shining blue orbs. 'Am I... dead,' she thought with wonder.
Ranma quickly set her on her feet and backed away, "Heh, sorry about that teacher, you passed out for a moment. Are you all right?"
"Yes I'm fine... now."
Ranma glanced around the room. 'Huh, I wonder why all the girls are glaring at the teacher and all the guys are glaring at me.' *shrug* 'Ah well...' "Teacher, where should I sit?"
"You should sit..." the teacher paused, looking for the seat closest to her, "Masaki! Move to the back! Ranma, you can have Mr. Masaki's seat, next to Miss Tendo." the teacher said smiling.
"Ok..." Ranma answered dubiously, moving to the seat. 'I wonder why that poor kid had to move, he looks like a nice enough guy, maybe he broke a rule yesterday?'
'Perhaps, Ranma, it is best not to speculate too much on these things.'
_______
Akane sat watching the entire incident, silently fuming. 'Why that minx! She's a teacher! How dare she be making moves on my Ranma like that! My fiancée! My fiancée! My fiancée! My fiancée!'
Akane failed to notice that the last was spoken, no shouted, aloud, as she latched onto Ranma's arm.
_______
Ranma failed to notice Akane's mounting anger. He did not, however fail to notice, when she made her proclamation and latched onto his arm. Nor did he fail to notice when half the angry gazes moved from the teacher to Akane. Finally, he did not fail to notice when the glares directed at him redoubled in force.
'Gulp! Make that quadrupled!'
'Ranma I suggest a tension alleviation spell. But be careful, you haven't had much practice, after all.'
'Good idea, I'll do it, no problem! Um... how did it go again? Oh yeah!'
Ranma performed a quick series of words and gestures, and smiled as the class seemed to relax.
'Yeah, I did...'
A collective snore rose up from the classroom.
'it?'
'Ranma, Ranma, Ranma...'
_______
"Note, when integrating cosine squared, it is best to use the identity that cosine squared equals one plus cosine of two theta all over two..." the teacher droned on, interrupted only but the occasional thump of a student fainting in her chair.
Ranma paid drowsy attention to the board as class sluggishly continued. He was sleepy, but awake, thanks to his ever-present companion.
'Ranma! Eyes Open NOW!' she chided
'Huh? Oh, yeah, sorry As, I'm trying, really, I just feel really tired for some reason. Plus this calculus stuff is kinda...'
'AHEM'
'sorry, sorry, *kind of* dull. When am I gonna... going to need to integrate some half-angle thingy?'
'It is your duty, Ranma, as a student of this institution, to do your utmost to absorb the knowledge and wisdom put forth by your teachers, however confusing it may be. And don't say *thingy*'
'Yeah, I guess. I just really wish everyone would stop staring at me. . .'
_______
Lunch time. Ranma sits under a shady tree eating his lunch, or rather being fed lunch by a competing Akane and Nabiki.
"Here Ranma, have some more fish!"
"No, Ranma wants some more rice, don't you Ranma?"
"Heh! I'm sure it's all very good," 'jeez, I can't believe everyone is being so nice to me just because this is my first day,' he thought with a smile, then frowned when a few more girls dropped to the ground.
Ranma looked around the schoolyard, idly noting that the nearly all of the school's female population was surrounding the tree he was eating at. On the other side of the school, a bunch of guys were bunched together, apparently talking among themselves.
Ranma's thoughts were interrupted as a pickle was abruptly shoved into his mouth. Gagging on reflex for a moment, he quickly swallowed it, choking a bit as he did so. 'Strange,' he thought, 'the girls don't seem to be getting along very well.' He thought as he noted that the battle auras of several of the girls were slowly rising.
'They all probably want to eat with the new kid Ranma, I wouldn't worry about it.'
'Yeah, but why are they all girls?'
'I haven't the foggiest Ranma.'
Then Ranma noticed something out of the corner of his eye, something that happened far too often, something that he had come to fear. Someone was about to trip with a glass of water in hand.
It was over very quickly, a fallen student, and rushed apology that suddenly trailed off as a shimmering pair of wings spread into the air, and Ranma quickly got to her feet. Glancing around, she noticed a mixed reaction of amazement, awe and... disappointment. Several girls were looking around, trying to find, apparently, where Ranma had gone and failed, in a state of hormonal upheaval, to notice the transformed being in front of them.
'Oh jeez, As, should we tell them.'
'Might as well, this is bound to happen on a regular basis, based on our previous luck.'
'ok' "Hi, I'm Ranma Saotome, sorry about this."
_______
On the other side of the schoolyard, a council of war was underway.
"This is ridiculous!"
"stealing all the girls"
"damn pretty boy"
"gotta get him"
"how we going to do"
"I've just the thing"
The scheming was interrupted by the collective gasp that emanated from the schoolyard cherry tree. As the group turned to see what the commotion was about, another murmur of surprise broke out, and the majority of the group hightailed it over to the tree, to see what had caused the commotion. Oh yeah, and to check out who that gorgeous babe with wings was, too.
_______
"So, let me get this straight: You are Ranma, and when you get splashed with cold water you turn into an angel, and hot water changes you back?" asked a girl, Nabiki's age; Ayumi, if Ranma remembered correctly.
A nod and a nervous grin.
"Ok then."
"YOOOOOWWWWCCH!" exclaimed Ranma as he was simultaneously hit by no less than five cups of tea.
A groan of disappointment and raging hormones rose from the male student body, as the all looked in their lunches for some cold water.
*SPLASH*
Ranma, once again, found herself the victim of several splashings. Her shirt was now sopping wet, her ire raised, and her mood ruined. She lept to her feet, irritated and confused.
"What are you all doing?! Don't you have better things to do than splash me?!"
A stunned silence. The reaction was mixed; several girls, who had missed out on the chance before, doused Ranma in tea again. Several lips quivered as a few girls turned and ran, crying. The boys, with a few exceptions, were staring intently at Ranma's *ahem* assets, and so did not witness the outburst.
'Aw geez' "Hey wait! I'm sorry, don't cry!" Ranma yelled running after the few, the rest of the student body following.
_______
Makoto was not having a very good day at her new school. She was not having a very good life, really. After the major falling out she had had with her friends, she had decided to move to Nerima to keep tabs on the occasional demon sighting posted from there.
***FLASHBACK***
"They almost died because of you, Makoto!"
The sailor senshi stood around a pair of hospital beds. Two figures lay hooked up to life support. One a girl with long, blond hair, done into an interesting style. The other, a cute, short, blue-haired girl. Both apparently unconscious.
"Yeah! If you hadn't been so busy in that stupid martial arts tournament, we would have killed the thing no problem!"
"And now we don't even know if they'll be okay!"
"Get out of here, I don't even want to speak to you right now!"
***END FLASHBACK***
Makoto sighed. She knew they would of forgiven her eventually, but she could not forgive herself, could not erase the horrible guilt that lay on her shoulders.
And so it was that Makoto was not having a good first day at her new school. Furinkan High, she believed. She got through her first few classes okay, only because she didn't want to sleep and dream of those looks her friends had given her. Lunch arrived, and with it a reprieve. Makoto went outside, carrying her bento with her.
"Hey. Where is everyone?"
She looked around the yard. 'Aha.' Spotting the huge cluster of students over by the cherry tree, she quickly made her way over to see what the commotion was all about. Being taller than most, she was able to work her way in and see what the focus of attention was.
'Wow. He looks just like... no, he looks a hell of a lot better than my old boyfriend!'
She came just in time to witness the water-related fiasco and ensuing confusion. 'Wow! Are those wings real?! And what happened to the hunk?' A frown made it self comfortable on Makoto's face. 'I wish Ami was here to use her little computer.'
She looked up from her painful reminiscing as the mysterious boy shot past her after some crying girls, just in time to avoid being trampled by the rush of students following after him. *SPLASH* Make that her.
_______
Back in class after lunch, Ranma slumped in his chair. Sighing as he thought back to the events of just minutes ago, he slid farther into his seat.
'What is wrong with everyone around here, As? I know I haven't been around people very much, but still... I don't remember them being this weird.'
'I think I might actually have an idea, Ranma. I remember reading about this in my studies as an angel. A condition humans suffer from under certain conditions. It took me a while to come to this conclusion but I believe that those students... wish to mate with you.'
'Huh? You mean...' "WHAT!?"
A few heads turned, as most were already focused on Ranma. They saw a beet-faced young man leap from his chair to stare around the classroom. Frantically moving his gaze from one girl to the next, Ranma tried to stop the small trickle of blood from escaping from his nose. This failing, he did the only thing he could do, he took a little nap.
_______
Ranma awoke on a reasonably comfortable bed, facing the ceiling. He did not actually see the ceiling, however, as two faces interposed themselves between him and it.
"Na... Na... Nabiki? A... Akane?"
'Hmm... I wonder why he turned so red all of a sudden' was the thought of the younger sister.
'Yes! I knew the extra cleavage would do it!' was the self-congratulatory though of the other, accompanied by a smirk.
"Are you alright Ranma?" was the concerned question from both.
A soundless nod was all Ranma could manage, as he tried in vain to focus his sight somewhere other than the two sets of extremely... interesting stuff in front of him.
'Oh, honestly!' was Asuralle's exasperated thought as she quickly and easily wrested control from Ranma in his befuddled state of mind.
"Would you two get off of him? Honestly, throwing yourselves at him like that! I heard humans were helpless to their impulses, but this is too much!"
A look of extreme mortification and confusion alit on the faces of the two.
"Wait a second, 'at him?' What's going on?" asked Nabiki.
"Hmm... oh, yes. Asuralle, angel, at your service. Ranma was unable to keep his eyes focused in a proper location, so I stepped in for a moment."
"Oh."
'Wait he was staring at my breasts! That perv... per...' Akane tried to ignore the growing heat in her face and elsewhere, as images of Ranma doing more than just looking crept into her mind. "Ah! I'm such a pervert!" Akane began to beat herself with a mallet, as Asuralle looked on in confusion.
_______
*whisper* "Someone's taking on Kuno"
*mumble mumble* "New guy"
*gossip* "Nice butt"
*sigh* "He's so dreamy"
The school day had ended and the yard was packed, overflowing with hormonally charged and curious teenagers, waiting to see the fight. Word had quickly spread that the two would be fighting, and no one wanted to miss it.
"Ten thousand five hundred, ten thousand six hundred, ten thousand seven hundred!"
Nabiki smiled and put away the roll of yen in her jacket. It was amazing what these buffoons would pay for, she charged them for info about the afternoon fight, and they paid her all that money rather than waiting an hour or so to see it for themselves. And, as an added bonus, she got to see her fiancée in action again! Damn, it was good to be smart!
_______
Ranma stood expectantly, waiting for Kuno to show himself. Off to one end of the field, the girls stood in a cluster, gossiping excitedly amongst themselves.
"Wow! He's soooooo cute!"
"Yeah, I hope Kuno doesn't go too hard on him"
"Are you kidding!? A guy that dreamy just *has* to be good at fighting! It just wouldn't be right otherwise!"
"Well, this isn't anime... but I hope you're right"
A collective sigh rose from the group. On the other side of the field...
"Man, that wise ass new kid is really gonna get his ass kicked now!"
"Yeah, stealing our girlfriends! How dare he!"
"Um... guys... we didn't *have* any girlfriends" interjected on brave soul.
"Shut up Daisuke! We would have had if *he* hadn't come along!"
"But he's only been here a day"
"I said shut up!"
A hush fell over the crowd as the school champion, and buffoon, Tatewaki Kuno walked onto the field. He was garbed in his samurai clothes and his bokken was held still at his side.
"Today, I, Tatewaki Kuno have come forth to test the skills of Ranma Saotome, heir to the School of Anything Goes Martial Arts!"
A few snickers broke out amongst the males, but a glare from the heir in question silenced them.
"If he proves himself worthy against my mighty skill, I shall accept him as my worthy partner in training, for none have yet shown themselves to be worthy! Are you prepared, Saotome?"
A bow from Ranma was all the answer young Tatewaki needed, he raised his bokken high.
'Remember Ranma, beat him, but *don't* humiliate him. You know how these prideful types react to things like that.'
'Yeah, I know As, I know.'
Ranma shifted stance, Kuno rushed to meet him, and the battle was joined.
_______
Meanwhile, some 500 miles north of Tokyo, another conflict was taking place.
'Where the hell have you taken us now you misguided fool!?,' a voice screamed inside Ryoga's head.
'Geez, Ishy, don't be so cranky.' was the irritated response.
'Don't call me Ishy!!!!'
'Ok, ok, Ishtanbrae. Anyway, it's not my fault, I'm just following the directions people are giving me!'
'No, no you aren't, you can't even...' He stopped as Ryoga stopped once again to ask directions.
"Excuse me, which way to Tokyo?"
"Huh, well that's about 500 miles south of here young man," said the elderly farmer, tending his crops.
"Oh, thank you," said Ryoga with a dejected sigh. It was when he started walking north that Ishtanbrae *really* got mad.
'That's IT! I'm not putting up with this crap any more, I'm taking this show on the road! You know what, you keep yelling about this Ranma creep, but you are a *complete* *buffoon*!'
"Hey, wait!" Ryoga stumbled around the road for a minute as an inner struggle took place. When he regained his balance again, he turned around and headed briskly south, a very sinister smile lit upon his face.
_______
Kuno slashed, he blocked. Kuno thrust, he dodged. Quickly, Ranma darted between the blurring blade to land a light blow on Kuno's chest. He jumped back to clear the distance between himself and the kendoist.
'Be careful, Ranma! You're starting to get him frustrated!'
'Oops, sorry As. Old habits die hard I guess, heh.'
Distracted from his talk with Asuralle, Ranma failed to notice to shot from the kendoist in time to dodge. The bokken swung down towards his unprotected side.
'Oh shit!' he moved, but not soon enough, as a cry of pain escaped his lips as Kuno's wooden blade nicked his abdomen. 'That hurt!' Kuno' s look of frustration gave way to a victorious smirk.
"Aha! You are good, Ranma Saotome, but not good enough!" He raised his sword to the heavens, "Truly, I, Tatewaki Kuno," *OOF!* Kuno's speech was cut short as Ranma landed a double kick square in his chest. "Ah! I am pleased to see you still have fight in you, Saotome, it would have been disappointing otherwise."
"Heh! You're not too bad yourself Kuno-sempai!" Ranma said with neither mockery nor disrespect as he once more lept towards his opponent.
_______
// Note: If you are unfamiliar with Ah! My Goddess, I would recommend you take a moment to read the brief background at the very end of this chapter //
Not too far from there, in another part of Tokyo, an... interesting group of people sat down for lunch.
"I hope you are hungry, Keichii!" said a beautiful girl in an apron, a musical laugh fitting her too well as she twirled about the kitchen putting the finishing touches on the meal.
"For *your* food! Always, Belldandy!" said a smiling Keichii as he sat down at the table. She blushed and smiled at him, staring into his dark eyes...
KA-BOOM!
The brief romantic moment was shattered as the sound reverberated through the room.
"Oh dear, it sounds like Skuld's had an accident again." Said Belldandy, setting the delicious looking meal on the table.
"Ug." A moment later a white-haired woman stumbled into the room, peering about through squinted eyes.
"Geez, Urd, did you *just* wake up! It's three in the afternoon!" proclaimed an incredulous Keichii.
"So, I was up a little late last night." She stopped a moment, groaning and clutching her head, "What's the big deal." Shakily she sat down, willing the world to stop spinning.
"My, sister, it must have been an interesting night. I haven't ever seen you like this." Commented Belldandy pleasantly, without implying anything harsh or reprimanding.
"Yeah, well, three Immortal Mind Twisters will do that to you..."
"Goodness, your first day back in heaven and you went *there*, now Urd..." This time a slightly disappointed look did grace the face of the beautiful goddess. It had an affect on the elder sister; she winced under the glare.
"Oh!" said Urd looking up quickly, then grasping her head from the sudden movement. "While I was up there, father said he wanted to see you sometime today. No hurry, something about some angel." She shrugged.
"Oh." Belldandy paused, thought for a moment, then turned back to Keichii. "I'm sorry, Keichii, but I have to step out for a moment," she said, seeming slightly disappointed.
Keichii smiled at her reassuringly, "Don't worry about it, Belldandy. I'll be here when you get back."
She smiled again, and left the room. Off to see her father.
_______
Ranma saw two warriors standing, panting in the setting sun, silhouetted in the red glare. One was a samurai. He stood with his blade drawn, drawing long, shallow breaths. The other, a proud young warrior, held a long bo-staff, and seemed to glow with an inner light.
"Honorable warrior," said the samurai, "you have fought well and bravely. Let us acknowledge each other as equals in combat, and part in peace, for this challenge does not need a victor."
"Ha! I'm better than you'll ever be! Are you a coward, or just chicken! Fight!"
And so he did. One of the two won, Ranma couldn't tell which. It didn't matter. The other set out on a path of vengeance, and Ranma saw, in an instant, as it brought ruin to both warriors, who could have been friends.
The flash or a memory was over, leaving Ranma only a split second to dodge Tatewaki's blow. 'As! What was that?!'
'I'm not, am not, certain, Ranma. It was not me that sent these visions.'
'Then who the heck...' *swipe* Ranma avoided it in the nick of time. And, as unusual as it was, a thoughtful look came across his face. He shuddered as he saw again the vengeful eyes of the two proud warriors.
"Halt!" he shouted, with as much authority as he could. His voice sent reverberations through the area and, unbeknownst to him, several people blocks away paused in their actions for a moment, uncertain why. Tatewaki stood, in mid-strike, a look of familiar confusion on his face.
"Well, what is it Saotome! Why have you called a halt!"
"Kuno-sempai, we've both fought good and bravely, right?"
'Well, Ranma, *well*, not good!'.
'Whatever, As, I'm busy.'
"I've shown that I can help you, at least in sparring. We don't need to keep this up, it's just ridiculous. Let's just say we're equal, and leave it at that."
A look of perplextion contorted his face, then was gone. "Ha! I knew it! You know you are no match for me on the field of combat, so you wish to end the match!" Tatewaki accused.
Ranma gritted his teeth, barely restraining himself from beating Tatewaki to a pulp. But then, those eyes in his mind came back to him. He felt the hate again. And he made himself stop. "This challenge doesn't need a winner, Kuno-sempai." Ranma felt strange saying that, because he had always desired victory. But he felt the hatred, and knew it wasn't worth it. "We came here to see whether I could be your partner in training. I've proven that I can be. It is more than honorable that we stop now."
Kuno didn't talk for a long time, staring thoughtfully at Ranma. 'This warrior wishes to acknowledge each other as equals? Trying to make a mockery, no doubt, of myself! But... I sense nothing but honesty from the man. He is genuine. And truly, I know the way of the samurai. There is no honor in fighting a pointless battle to make only enemies, and no companions.' "Very well, Ranma Saotome." Kuno, with a sudden movement, thrust his bokken deep into the ground. He walked forward briskly to Ranma, and... bowed. And Ranma did the same in turn. Tatewaki, turned, stared at Ranma again for a moment, then grabbed his bokken and left the field.
"I did it," was the weak statement from Ranma, before he fell to the ground, unconscious.
__________
Belldandy opened the huge office door and stepped in lightly, barely making a sound.
"Father? You wished to see me?"
HMM? OH, YES. MY DAUGHTER. THERE IS A INTERESTING OCCURANCE WITH A REBORN ANGEL I WANT YOU TO LOOK INTO. DO YOU KNOW ABOUT JUSENKYO, DAUGHTER?
"No father, I do not."
IT IS MY WILL THAT YOU KNOW OF THEM, AND THE ASSIGNMENT AS WELL.
Belldandy found her mind flooded with a sudden influx of information concerning a set of cursed springs, and fallen boy, and a risen angel.
"Asuralle!" Belldandy shouted with glee.
A grin broke the face of the father of all. YES. THAT IS WHY I CHOOSE TO GIVE THE ASSIGNMENT TO YOU. KEEP URD BUSY ON IT AS WELL. SHE MADE QUITE A MESS LAST NIGHT AND I DO NOT WISH TO SUSPEND HER LICENSE AGAIN.
"Yes father, I will, father." Belldandy said quickly, eager to be off and greet her long lost friend.
A gentle smile this time crossed his face.
VERY WELL. IT IS MY WILL THAT THIS MEETING END.
__________
Finish of Chapter 3 (7/7/01)
__________
Chapter 4: Envy
Amazons! Amazons! Amazons! Ryoga reaches Nerima! Or... at least his body does... What does Belldandy have to say about her new assignment? What does Ranma have to say about being an assignment?! And why are all the girls carrying thermoses around school with them now? Find out, in the next installment!
P.S. Sorry about the wait, I actually have a job now. =p Working literally 55 hours a week, decent money though. Which is nice, considering I'd get arrested if I got money for this. I will really, really try to get the next chapter out soon.
__________
Ah! My Goddess Background:
Keichii is a college student at Nekomi Technical Institute who had trouble with women. He believes it is because of his lack of height. Belldandy is the beautiful and kind goddess of the present, sent to grant Keichii a wish, because he has a good soul. Keichii, thinking this is a prank from his classmates (Cause goddesses can't be real), wishes for Belldandy to stay with him forever. The wish is granted, and Belldandy moves in with Keichii. A very, very slowly blossoming romance forms between them. (They are about as open about their feelings as Ranma and Akane in canon, but without the violence, and more WAFFy moments). Eventually, Belldandy's two sisters come to stay with them. Skuld, goddess of the future, is a childish, techno-geek, who loves trying her new inventions. Urd, goddess of the past, is half-demon, into love, sex and alcohol. She loves experimenting with potions trying to get her sister and Keichii closer together.
The Turner Of The Wheel
TurnerOfTheWheel@hotmail.com
Started: 4/22/01
This is a Ranma ½ and Ah! My Goddess crossover; it will possibly include other series at a later date. If you are not familiar with Ranma 1/2, then don't read this, there is no point.
Note that I use no Japanese language other than Kami-sama, (roughly used to refer to an ultimate god or being) I only use that because there is no convenient and satisfactory translation, and things like furo, which are specific to Japanese culture. This fic is written in English, I write in English.
Disclaimer
Ranma belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and some companies, Ah! My Goddess belongs to Kosuke Fujishima and some companies. Sailor Moon belongs to some other person and some other companies. None of them belong to be, but everything else in here is mine. And if you want to give me money for a reason unrelated to this fanfiction, that would be both legal and appreciated d8^) j/k. Okay, here you are:
" " Spoken Japanese
Spoken Chinese
# # Panda signs
' ' Thoughts
Angel 1/2 - Chapter 3: Pride
Ranma stood in front of the class, nervous and sweating from all the stares he was getting. Some were hostile, some were decidedly, well... not hostile; they were all intense.
"Class, we have a new student today, he's just returned from a training trip to China, say hello to Ranma..." the teacher paused as she looked up, "Ranma... Saotome."
Ranma bowed to the class, "Good morning, it is a pleasure to meet you," he said, smiling. 'Hmm, that's strange, I wonder if there is some sort of fainting bug going around...' he thought as several of the female students slumped to their desks, sighing.
'Perhaps, Ranma, but I don't sense any viral energies.'
Ranma shrugged, "Teacher, I was late, and I apologize. Should... should I go stand in the hall?" Ranma asked apprehensively, and was a bit taken aback by the reaction he got.
"NO!" came the response from the teacher and about half the class. The other half was beginning to look a little perturbed… The teacher continued, "No Ranma, that... that won't be necessary." 'Impure thoughts, impure thoughts! Teacher-student relationship inappropriate! You would lose your job! Oh gods, but he's so beautiful'
"Thank you teach... er, teacher, I'll try not to do it again." Another smile. "Teach!" He managed to catch her just before she hit the ground.
_______
"He's my fiancée Kuno-baby," Nabiki said with an uncommon smile on her face.
"Nabiki Tendo, methinks you are ill, for would you not normally charge me for this information!"
"Huh?" Nabiki blinked and stared at Kuno for a moment as her eyes re-focused, "oh, yeah... 5000 yen." She held out her hand, and Kuno happily obliged, relieved that she appeared to be acting as normal now.
"Is he truly, as he has spoken, the heir to the Saotome School of Indiscriminate Grappling? For he believes that his skill may provide a challenge for mine, which, needless to say, I find nigh on unbelievable. Is he one that may indeed be worthy of combat with my greatness? ... Nabiki Tendo?"
"Huh ... oh, yeah, he's good Kuno-baby. He's *real* good..." *sigh*
_______
'Maybe we should take her to the nurse, As?' Ranma queried, holding the teacher delicately in his hands.
'Nonsense. Just do what I taught you.'
'Ok...' was the dubious reply, Ranma focused inward for a moment, and pushed a bit of energy into the figure held in his arms.
*plik* *plik* Two eyes opened and looked up into those shining blue orbs. 'Am I... dead,' she thought with wonder.
Ranma quickly set her on her feet and backed away, "Heh, sorry about that teacher, you passed out for a moment. Are you all right?"
"Yes I'm fine... now."
Ranma glanced around the room. 'Huh, I wonder why all the girls are glaring at the teacher and all the guys are glaring at me.' *shrug* 'Ah well...' "Teacher, where should I sit?"
"You should sit..." the teacher paused, looking for the seat closest to her, "Masaki! Move to the back! Ranma, you can have Mr. Masaki's seat, next to Miss Tendo." the teacher said smiling.
"Ok..." Ranma answered dubiously, moving to the seat. 'I wonder why that poor kid had to move, he looks like a nice enough guy, maybe he broke a rule yesterday?'
'Perhaps, Ranma, it is best not to speculate too much on these things.'
_______
Akane sat watching the entire incident, silently fuming. 'Why that minx! She's a teacher! How dare she be making moves on my Ranma like that! My fiancée! My fiancée! My fiancée! My fiancée!'
Akane failed to notice that the last was spoken, no shouted, aloud, as she latched onto Ranma's arm.
_______
Ranma failed to notice Akane's mounting anger. He did not, however fail to notice, when she made her proclamation and latched onto his arm. Nor did he fail to notice when half the angry gazes moved from the teacher to Akane. Finally, he did not fail to notice when the glares directed at him redoubled in force.
'Gulp! Make that quadrupled!'
'Ranma I suggest a tension alleviation spell. But be careful, you haven't had much practice, after all.'
'Good idea, I'll do it, no problem! Um... how did it go again? Oh yeah!'
Ranma performed a quick series of words and gestures, and smiled as the class seemed to relax.
'Yeah, I did...'
A collective snore rose up from the classroom.
'it?'
'Ranma, Ranma, Ranma...'
_______
"Note, when integrating cosine squared, it is best to use the identity that cosine squared equals one plus cosine of two theta all over two..." the teacher droned on, interrupted only but the occasional thump of a student fainting in her chair.
Ranma paid drowsy attention to the board as class sluggishly continued. He was sleepy, but awake, thanks to his ever-present companion.
'Ranma! Eyes Open NOW!' she chided
'Huh? Oh, yeah, sorry As, I'm trying, really, I just feel really tired for some reason. Plus this calculus stuff is kinda...'
'AHEM'
'sorry, sorry, *kind of* dull. When am I gonna... going to need to integrate some half-angle thingy?'
'It is your duty, Ranma, as a student of this institution, to do your utmost to absorb the knowledge and wisdom put forth by your teachers, however confusing it may be. And don't say *thingy*'
'Yeah, I guess. I just really wish everyone would stop staring at me. . .'
_______
Lunch time. Ranma sits under a shady tree eating his lunch, or rather being fed lunch by a competing Akane and Nabiki.
"Here Ranma, have some more fish!"
"No, Ranma wants some more rice, don't you Ranma?"
"Heh! I'm sure it's all very good," 'jeez, I can't believe everyone is being so nice to me just because this is my first day,' he thought with a smile, then frowned when a few more girls dropped to the ground.
Ranma looked around the schoolyard, idly noting that the nearly all of the school's female population was surrounding the tree he was eating at. On the other side of the school, a bunch of guys were bunched together, apparently talking among themselves.
Ranma's thoughts were interrupted as a pickle was abruptly shoved into his mouth. Gagging on reflex for a moment, he quickly swallowed it, choking a bit as he did so. 'Strange,' he thought, 'the girls don't seem to be getting along very well.' He thought as he noted that the battle auras of several of the girls were slowly rising.
'They all probably want to eat with the new kid Ranma, I wouldn't worry about it.'
'Yeah, but why are they all girls?'
'I haven't the foggiest Ranma.'
Then Ranma noticed something out of the corner of his eye, something that happened far too often, something that he had come to fear. Someone was about to trip with a glass of water in hand.
It was over very quickly, a fallen student, and rushed apology that suddenly trailed off as a shimmering pair of wings spread into the air, and Ranma quickly got to her feet. Glancing around, she noticed a mixed reaction of amazement, awe and... disappointment. Several girls were looking around, trying to find, apparently, where Ranma had gone and failed, in a state of hormonal upheaval, to notice the transformed being in front of them.
'Oh jeez, As, should we tell them.'
'Might as well, this is bound to happen on a regular basis, based on our previous luck.'
'ok' "Hi, I'm Ranma Saotome, sorry about this."
_______
On the other side of the schoolyard, a council of war was underway.
"This is ridiculous!"
"stealing all the girls"
"damn pretty boy"
"gotta get him"
"how we going to do"
"I've just the thing"
The scheming was interrupted by the collective gasp that emanated from the schoolyard cherry tree. As the group turned to see what the commotion was about, another murmur of surprise broke out, and the majority of the group hightailed it over to the tree, to see what had caused the commotion. Oh yeah, and to check out who that gorgeous babe with wings was, too.
_______
"So, let me get this straight: You are Ranma, and when you get splashed with cold water you turn into an angel, and hot water changes you back?" asked a girl, Nabiki's age; Ayumi, if Ranma remembered correctly.
A nod and a nervous grin.
"Ok then."
"YOOOOOWWWWCCH!" exclaimed Ranma as he was simultaneously hit by no less than five cups of tea.
A groan of disappointment and raging hormones rose from the male student body, as the all looked in their lunches for some cold water.
*SPLASH*
Ranma, once again, found herself the victim of several splashings. Her shirt was now sopping wet, her ire raised, and her mood ruined. She lept to her feet, irritated and confused.
"What are you all doing?! Don't you have better things to do than splash me?!"
A stunned silence. The reaction was mixed; several girls, who had missed out on the chance before, doused Ranma in tea again. Several lips quivered as a few girls turned and ran, crying. The boys, with a few exceptions, were staring intently at Ranma's *ahem* assets, and so did not witness the outburst.
'Aw geez' "Hey wait! I'm sorry, don't cry!" Ranma yelled running after the few, the rest of the student body following.
_______
Makoto was not having a very good day at her new school. She was not having a very good life, really. After the major falling out she had had with her friends, she had decided to move to Nerima to keep tabs on the occasional demon sighting posted from there.
***FLASHBACK***
"They almost died because of you, Makoto!"
The sailor senshi stood around a pair of hospital beds. Two figures lay hooked up to life support. One a girl with long, blond hair, done into an interesting style. The other, a cute, short, blue-haired girl. Both apparently unconscious.
"Yeah! If you hadn't been so busy in that stupid martial arts tournament, we would have killed the thing no problem!"
"And now we don't even know if they'll be okay!"
"Get out of here, I don't even want to speak to you right now!"
***END FLASHBACK***
Makoto sighed. She knew they would of forgiven her eventually, but she could not forgive herself, could not erase the horrible guilt that lay on her shoulders.
And so it was that Makoto was not having a good first day at her new school. Furinkan High, she believed. She got through her first few classes okay, only because she didn't want to sleep and dream of those looks her friends had given her. Lunch arrived, and with it a reprieve. Makoto went outside, carrying her bento with her.
"Hey. Where is everyone?"
She looked around the yard. 'Aha.' Spotting the huge cluster of students over by the cherry tree, she quickly made her way over to see what the commotion was all about. Being taller than most, she was able to work her way in and see what the focus of attention was.
'Wow. He looks just like... no, he looks a hell of a lot better than my old boyfriend!'
She came just in time to witness the water-related fiasco and ensuing confusion. 'Wow! Are those wings real?! And what happened to the hunk?' A frown made it self comfortable on Makoto's face. 'I wish Ami was here to use her little computer.'
She looked up from her painful reminiscing as the mysterious boy shot past her after some crying girls, just in time to avoid being trampled by the rush of students following after him. *SPLASH* Make that her.
_______
Back in class after lunch, Ranma slumped in his chair. Sighing as he thought back to the events of just minutes ago, he slid farther into his seat.
'What is wrong with everyone around here, As? I know I haven't been around people very much, but still... I don't remember them being this weird.'
'I think I might actually have an idea, Ranma. I remember reading about this in my studies as an angel. A condition humans suffer from under certain conditions. It took me a while to come to this conclusion but I believe that those students... wish to mate with you.'
'Huh? You mean...' "WHAT!?"
A few heads turned, as most were already focused on Ranma. They saw a beet-faced young man leap from his chair to stare around the classroom. Frantically moving his gaze from one girl to the next, Ranma tried to stop the small trickle of blood from escaping from his nose. This failing, he did the only thing he could do, he took a little nap.
_______
Ranma awoke on a reasonably comfortable bed, facing the ceiling. He did not actually see the ceiling, however, as two faces interposed themselves between him and it.
"Na... Na... Nabiki? A... Akane?"
'Hmm... I wonder why he turned so red all of a sudden' was the thought of the younger sister.
'Yes! I knew the extra cleavage would do it!' was the self-congratulatory though of the other, accompanied by a smirk.
"Are you alright Ranma?" was the concerned question from both.
A soundless nod was all Ranma could manage, as he tried in vain to focus his sight somewhere other than the two sets of extremely... interesting stuff in front of him.
'Oh, honestly!' was Asuralle's exasperated thought as she quickly and easily wrested control from Ranma in his befuddled state of mind.
"Would you two get off of him? Honestly, throwing yourselves at him like that! I heard humans were helpless to their impulses, but this is too much!"
A look of extreme mortification and confusion alit on the faces of the two.
"Wait a second, 'at him?' What's going on?" asked Nabiki.
"Hmm... oh, yes. Asuralle, angel, at your service. Ranma was unable to keep his eyes focused in a proper location, so I stepped in for a moment."
"Oh."
'Wait he was staring at my breasts! That perv... per...' Akane tried to ignore the growing heat in her face and elsewhere, as images of Ranma doing more than just looking crept into her mind. "Ah! I'm such a pervert!" Akane began to beat herself with a mallet, as Asuralle looked on in confusion.
_______
*whisper* "Someone's taking on Kuno"
*mumble mumble* "New guy"
*gossip* "Nice butt"
*sigh* "He's so dreamy"
The school day had ended and the yard was packed, overflowing with hormonally charged and curious teenagers, waiting to see the fight. Word had quickly spread that the two would be fighting, and no one wanted to miss it.
"Ten thousand five hundred, ten thousand six hundred, ten thousand seven hundred!"
Nabiki smiled and put away the roll of yen in her jacket. It was amazing what these buffoons would pay for, she charged them for info about the afternoon fight, and they paid her all that money rather than waiting an hour or so to see it for themselves. And, as an added bonus, she got to see her fiancée in action again! Damn, it was good to be smart!
_______
Ranma stood expectantly, waiting for Kuno to show himself. Off to one end of the field, the girls stood in a cluster, gossiping excitedly amongst themselves.
"Wow! He's soooooo cute!"
"Yeah, I hope Kuno doesn't go too hard on him"
"Are you kidding!? A guy that dreamy just *has* to be good at fighting! It just wouldn't be right otherwise!"
"Well, this isn't anime... but I hope you're right"
A collective sigh rose from the group. On the other side of the field...
"Man, that wise ass new kid is really gonna get his ass kicked now!"
"Yeah, stealing our girlfriends! How dare he!"
"Um... guys... we didn't *have* any girlfriends" interjected on brave soul.
"Shut up Daisuke! We would have had if *he* hadn't come along!"
"But he's only been here a day"
"I said shut up!"
A hush fell over the crowd as the school champion, and buffoon, Tatewaki Kuno walked onto the field. He was garbed in his samurai clothes and his bokken was held still at his side.
"Today, I, Tatewaki Kuno have come forth to test the skills of Ranma Saotome, heir to the School of Anything Goes Martial Arts!"
A few snickers broke out amongst the males, but a glare from the heir in question silenced them.
"If he proves himself worthy against my mighty skill, I shall accept him as my worthy partner in training, for none have yet shown themselves to be worthy! Are you prepared, Saotome?"
A bow from Ranma was all the answer young Tatewaki needed, he raised his bokken high.
'Remember Ranma, beat him, but *don't* humiliate him. You know how these prideful types react to things like that.'
'Yeah, I know As, I know.'
Ranma shifted stance, Kuno rushed to meet him, and the battle was joined.
_______
Meanwhile, some 500 miles north of Tokyo, another conflict was taking place.
'Where the hell have you taken us now you misguided fool!?,' a voice screamed inside Ryoga's head.
'Geez, Ishy, don't be so cranky.' was the irritated response.
'Don't call me Ishy!!!!'
'Ok, ok, Ishtanbrae. Anyway, it's not my fault, I'm just following the directions people are giving me!'
'No, no you aren't, you can't even...' He stopped as Ryoga stopped once again to ask directions.
"Excuse me, which way to Tokyo?"
"Huh, well that's about 500 miles south of here young man," said the elderly farmer, tending his crops.
"Oh, thank you," said Ryoga with a dejected sigh. It was when he started walking north that Ishtanbrae *really* got mad.
'That's IT! I'm not putting up with this crap any more, I'm taking this show on the road! You know what, you keep yelling about this Ranma creep, but you are a *complete* *buffoon*!'
"Hey, wait!" Ryoga stumbled around the road for a minute as an inner struggle took place. When he regained his balance again, he turned around and headed briskly south, a very sinister smile lit upon his face.
_______
Kuno slashed, he blocked. Kuno thrust, he dodged. Quickly, Ranma darted between the blurring blade to land a light blow on Kuno's chest. He jumped back to clear the distance between himself and the kendoist.
'Be careful, Ranma! You're starting to get him frustrated!'
'Oops, sorry As. Old habits die hard I guess, heh.'
Distracted from his talk with Asuralle, Ranma failed to notice to shot from the kendoist in time to dodge. The bokken swung down towards his unprotected side.
'Oh shit!' he moved, but not soon enough, as a cry of pain escaped his lips as Kuno's wooden blade nicked his abdomen. 'That hurt!' Kuno' s look of frustration gave way to a victorious smirk.
"Aha! You are good, Ranma Saotome, but not good enough!" He raised his sword to the heavens, "Truly, I, Tatewaki Kuno," *OOF!* Kuno's speech was cut short as Ranma landed a double kick square in his chest. "Ah! I am pleased to see you still have fight in you, Saotome, it would have been disappointing otherwise."
"Heh! You're not too bad yourself Kuno-sempai!" Ranma said with neither mockery nor disrespect as he once more lept towards his opponent.
_______
// Note: If you are unfamiliar with Ah! My Goddess, I would recommend you take a moment to read the brief background at the very end of this chapter //
Not too far from there, in another part of Tokyo, an... interesting group of people sat down for lunch.
"I hope you are hungry, Keichii!" said a beautiful girl in an apron, a musical laugh fitting her too well as she twirled about the kitchen putting the finishing touches on the meal.
"For *your* food! Always, Belldandy!" said a smiling Keichii as he sat down at the table. She blushed and smiled at him, staring into his dark eyes...
KA-BOOM!
The brief romantic moment was shattered as the sound reverberated through the room.
"Oh dear, it sounds like Skuld's had an accident again." Said Belldandy, setting the delicious looking meal on the table.
"Ug." A moment later a white-haired woman stumbled into the room, peering about through squinted eyes.
"Geez, Urd, did you *just* wake up! It's three in the afternoon!" proclaimed an incredulous Keichii.
"So, I was up a little late last night." She stopped a moment, groaning and clutching her head, "What's the big deal." Shakily she sat down, willing the world to stop spinning.
"My, sister, it must have been an interesting night. I haven't ever seen you like this." Commented Belldandy pleasantly, without implying anything harsh or reprimanding.
"Yeah, well, three Immortal Mind Twisters will do that to you..."
"Goodness, your first day back in heaven and you went *there*, now Urd..." This time a slightly disappointed look did grace the face of the beautiful goddess. It had an affect on the elder sister; she winced under the glare.
"Oh!" said Urd looking up quickly, then grasping her head from the sudden movement. "While I was up there, father said he wanted to see you sometime today. No hurry, something about some angel." She shrugged.
"Oh." Belldandy paused, thought for a moment, then turned back to Keichii. "I'm sorry, Keichii, but I have to step out for a moment," she said, seeming slightly disappointed.
Keichii smiled at her reassuringly, "Don't worry about it, Belldandy. I'll be here when you get back."
She smiled again, and left the room. Off to see her father.
_______
Ranma saw two warriors standing, panting in the setting sun, silhouetted in the red glare. One was a samurai. He stood with his blade drawn, drawing long, shallow breaths. The other, a proud young warrior, held a long bo-staff, and seemed to glow with an inner light.
"Honorable warrior," said the samurai, "you have fought well and bravely. Let us acknowledge each other as equals in combat, and part in peace, for this challenge does not need a victor."
"Ha! I'm better than you'll ever be! Are you a coward, or just chicken! Fight!"
And so he did. One of the two won, Ranma couldn't tell which. It didn't matter. The other set out on a path of vengeance, and Ranma saw, in an instant, as it brought ruin to both warriors, who could have been friends.
The flash or a memory was over, leaving Ranma only a split second to dodge Tatewaki's blow. 'As! What was that?!'
'I'm not, am not, certain, Ranma. It was not me that sent these visions.'
'Then who the heck...' *swipe* Ranma avoided it in the nick of time. And, as unusual as it was, a thoughtful look came across his face. He shuddered as he saw again the vengeful eyes of the two proud warriors.
"Halt!" he shouted, with as much authority as he could. His voice sent reverberations through the area and, unbeknownst to him, several people blocks away paused in their actions for a moment, uncertain why. Tatewaki stood, in mid-strike, a look of familiar confusion on his face.
"Well, what is it Saotome! Why have you called a halt!"
"Kuno-sempai, we've both fought good and bravely, right?"
'Well, Ranma, *well*, not good!'.
'Whatever, As, I'm busy.'
"I've shown that I can help you, at least in sparring. We don't need to keep this up, it's just ridiculous. Let's just say we're equal, and leave it at that."
A look of perplextion contorted his face, then was gone. "Ha! I knew it! You know you are no match for me on the field of combat, so you wish to end the match!" Tatewaki accused.
Ranma gritted his teeth, barely restraining himself from beating Tatewaki to a pulp. But then, those eyes in his mind came back to him. He felt the hate again. And he made himself stop. "This challenge doesn't need a winner, Kuno-sempai." Ranma felt strange saying that, because he had always desired victory. But he felt the hatred, and knew it wasn't worth it. "We came here to see whether I could be your partner in training. I've proven that I can be. It is more than honorable that we stop now."
Kuno didn't talk for a long time, staring thoughtfully at Ranma. 'This warrior wishes to acknowledge each other as equals? Trying to make a mockery, no doubt, of myself! But... I sense nothing but honesty from the man. He is genuine. And truly, I know the way of the samurai. There is no honor in fighting a pointless battle to make only enemies, and no companions.' "Very well, Ranma Saotome." Kuno, with a sudden movement, thrust his bokken deep into the ground. He walked forward briskly to Ranma, and... bowed. And Ranma did the same in turn. Tatewaki, turned, stared at Ranma again for a moment, then grabbed his bokken and left the field.
"I did it," was the weak statement from Ranma, before he fell to the ground, unconscious.
__________
Belldandy opened the huge office door and stepped in lightly, barely making a sound.
"Father? You wished to see me?"
HMM? OH, YES. MY DAUGHTER. THERE IS A INTERESTING OCCURANCE WITH A REBORN ANGEL I WANT YOU TO LOOK INTO. DO YOU KNOW ABOUT JUSENKYO, DAUGHTER?
"No father, I do not."
IT IS MY WILL THAT YOU KNOW OF THEM, AND THE ASSIGNMENT AS WELL.
Belldandy found her mind flooded with a sudden influx of information concerning a set of cursed springs, and fallen boy, and a risen angel.
"Asuralle!" Belldandy shouted with glee.
A grin broke the face of the father of all. YES. THAT IS WHY I CHOOSE TO GIVE THE ASSIGNMENT TO YOU. KEEP URD BUSY ON IT AS WELL. SHE MADE QUITE A MESS LAST NIGHT AND I DO NOT WISH TO SUSPEND HER LICENSE AGAIN.
"Yes father, I will, father." Belldandy said quickly, eager to be off and greet her long lost friend.
A gentle smile this time crossed his face.
VERY WELL. IT IS MY WILL THAT THIS MEETING END.
__________
Finish of Chapter 3 (7/7/01)
__________
Chapter 4: Envy
Amazons! Amazons! Amazons! Ryoga reaches Nerima! Or... at least his body does... What does Belldandy have to say about her new assignment? What does Ranma have to say about being an assignment?! And why are all the girls carrying thermoses around school with them now? Find out, in the next installment!
P.S. Sorry about the wait, I actually have a job now. =p Working literally 55 hours a week, decent money though. Which is nice, considering I'd get arrested if I got money for this. I will really, really try to get the next chapter out soon.
__________
Ah! My Goddess Background:
Keichii is a college student at Nekomi Technical Institute who had trouble with women. He believes it is because of his lack of height. Belldandy is the beautiful and kind goddess of the present, sent to grant Keichii a wish, because he has a good soul. Keichii, thinking this is a prank from his classmates (Cause goddesses can't be real), wishes for Belldandy to stay with him forever. The wish is granted, and Belldandy moves in with Keichii. A very, very slowly blossoming romance forms between them. (They are about as open about their feelings as Ranma and Akane in canon, but without the violence, and more WAFFy moments). Eventually, Belldandy's two sisters come to stay with them. Skuld, goddess of the future, is a childish, techno-geek, who loves trying her new inventions. Urd, goddess of the past, is half-demon, into love, sex and alcohol. She loves experimenting with potions trying to get her sister and Keichii closer together.