Rain
Part 5
Patching up with Ranma?
+++++++++++
Urd frowned as she stood in front of the Tendo dojo. She was in
her uniform again, and was once again a sixteen-year-old girl. "Well,
here goes." She strolled forward and opened the gate.
Kasumi was walking by with a basket of clothes in her hands at
that moment. She paused and looked at the girl for a moment before
setting them down to greet her. "Hello. Can I help you?"
"Um, yeah. I need to talk with Ranma, and Akane too," said the
girl with a small smile forming on her face.
"Oh, you're here for Ranma?" asked the girl sweetly. She paused
and realized that the girl had asked for Akane as well. "How odd," she
muttered as she blinked. "I'll get them for you."
Urd nodded and stood waiting patiently for a moment. A few seconds
later, both teens appeared before her. They were obviously still angry
with each other. "Um, hi."
"What do you want?" snapped Akane irritably.
"I kinda came by to apologize," said the goddess sheepishly.
Akane looked at her for a moment dumbly. "Huh?"
"What for?" asked Ranma in confusion.
"This whole mess is my fault. I kinda splashed you with this when
I ran into you the other day," said the girl as she held up a small
veil of liquid.
Ranma tensed up as he looked at it.
Akane just stared at the girl, not sure of what to say or do.
"It's a lust potion," said the girl with a small smirk forming on
her face.
"Lust potion?" muttered Akane.
"Yeah, that's why he was acting weird yesterday, and why he kissed
me like that. It was all my fault," said Urd as she blushed.
"Don't worry about it, this kind of stuff happens to me all the
time," said Ranma as he waved the comment off. "It was an accident
right?"
Urd was about to open her mouth, when the sky above rumbled
angrily. She seemed to reconsider for a moment and looked up. "Um, no
it wasn't."
Akane glared at Ranma for a moment. "What did you do now?"
"I didn't do nuthin!" said the boy in defense of himself. "I ain't
never seen this chick...well, maybe I have. I don't remember her
though."
Both Urd and Akane looked at him dumbly for a moment. "Well,
anyway. I was trying to help loosen him up a bit. I figured you two
needed a little help, that's all. It kinda backfired," said the
goddess as she brushed the comment aside for a moment.
"What?" muttered Akane as she turned to face the girl. "You were
trying to get us together?" That was definitely a new twist.
"Um, yeah. You two caught my attention for some reason, I can't
explain it. I was trying to help out. It won't happen again."
"Good!" replied Akane as she frowned at the girl.
"You probably won't see me around again," said the girl as she
turned away. "See ya."
"Huh? Why not?" muttered Ranma dumbly. He felt panic inside his
gut for some reason. "Hey! Wait up!" He called as he rushed out after
her as she walked out into the street.
"The only reason I came to that school was because of you," said
Urd as she smiled at him. "I'm not supposed to interfere again."
"What do you mean by that?" said Akane as she followed after her
fiancee and caught up with them.
"Look. I've said too much already. I just didn't want to leave you
two mad at each other, that's all," said the girl as she started
walking again. "Just forget about it."
"Well, that was weird," said Akane as she turned back to the dojo.
Ranma was standing in the middle of the street, watching her go.
He looked back at the gates of the dojo, and then back down the
street. He gave a frustrated grunt and rushed after Urd.
+++++++++++
Nodoka turned the corner and stared at the scene emotionlessly for
a moment. "Oh dear."
"Heh. Told you," commented Fujin as he strolled up next to her.
"They sure are going to cause a lot of trouble with this," said
Raiden as he appeared opposite his brother. "I can hardly wait."
"This grows dangerous. How many others know of this?"
"Urd doesn't know, that's the best part," said Raiden cheerfully.
"What?" stuttered Nodoka.
"Our brother, he is hidden from eyes who once knew him. Only after
Kami-sama told us of him were we able to find him," said Fujin.
"Well, let's get going, before we miss anything," commented Raiden
as he vanished in a flash of light.
"Right," agreed Fujin as a whirlwind swallowed him up.
"This isn't a game," growled Nodoka angrily. Her words went
unheard and she turned back into the home in disgust.
++++++++++++
"Hey! Wait up!" cried Ranma as he followed after Urd in the
street.
She paused and looked at him in surprise. "What are you doing
here?"
"I dunno, I just thought I should follow you," he said dumbly.
"Well stop it," she snapped.
"Hey! How do I know your name?" said the boy as he moved in front
of her.
"How the heck should I know?" she replied. Irritation was becoming
clear on her face. "Look, I'm not supposed to be around you."
"Why?" asked the boy in confusion.
"It's complicated," she muttered with a small sigh.
"Oh," he replied with a small shrug. "I don't think that's right.
Nothing's happened right?"
Urd smirked at him for a moment. "Don't you have a fiancee? Or
two?"
"I ain't marrying none of those girls! Those are Pop's fault!
Stupid old man!" growled Ranma irritably. "Especially not that
tomboy."
"Pop?" said Urd with a sudden interest forming on her face.
"It's a long story," muttered Ranma with a heavy sigh.
Urd looked up at the sky for a moment, it was clear, and not a
single cloud was overhead any longer. "I suppose I've got some time."
++++++++++
The pair ended up in a small cafe, two cold drinks were in front
of them as they sat at a small table near the back.
Ranma was frowning. He was sitting across from the goddess, who
was laughing so hard that tears were running down her face.
"And then she shows up and tries too kill you, you call her cute,
and now she wants to honor this engagement? Bwahahahahahaha!"
Ranma blushed and nodded his head, he was now beginning to regret
telling her all of this.
She pouted at him and managed to catch her breath. "Come on, don't
feel bad! It's just that...it's so funny! Bwahahahahaha!"
"It's not that funny," he grumbled irritably.
"Yeah, it is," said Urd as she continued to chuckle.
Ranma smiled and stirred the drink that was sitting in front of
hem for a moment. "I suppose that looking back on it, it kinda is
funny."
"I'm glad you're beginning to see it," replied the girl as she
leaned in and smiled at him again.
Ranma gasped as he stared at her for a moment. "That smile..." he
thought to himself.
Two feminine voices suddenly broke the silence. "Hello Urd."
The goddess froze in place and did not move. "It...couldn't be..."
Ranma turned around in surprise and blinked. Two girls were
standing behind him, one next to the other. They were looking at each
other in surprise. Both of them were beautiful women in their early
twenties. One was a Japanese woman with short brown hair, the other
was a gaijin with long blonde locks and blue eyes.
"What the heck are you doing here?" said the Japanese woman.
"You too?" muttered the gaijin too herself. "We both came to visit
at the same time? How nice!"
The Japanese woman growled and pulled up a chair next to the pair.
"Who's this guy, a new boyfriend? He's cute."
"Hmmm, careful Urd. I might have to steal this one away," said the
blonde cheerfully as she pulled up a chair as well.
Ranma was silent, and Urd was still frozen in what looked like
terror.
"What the hell are you two doing here?" she said as she finally
snapped out of it.
"Come on. Can't we come and visit our old dear friend on occasion?
I heard you got booted out," said the gaijin happily.
"Look you airhead," snorted the Japanese woman angrily.
"Um, Venus and Benten? Right?" said Ranma as he looked at them.
All three goddesses turned towards the boy and blinked.
He was scratching his head, and trying very hard to think of how
he knew that. "Dang. It's happening again."
"He knows?" said Benten as she raised her eyebrow at Urd.
"I don't think so," said Urd as she narrowed her eyes at the boy.
"He says he knows me, but he doesn't remember. Does that sound
familiar to you?"
"No?" muttered Venus as she looked at the boy.
"Come on, we'll talk somewhere else," said Urd to the two women as
she stood up. "It was nice talking too you again, Ranma." She leaned
in and kissed him before she realized what she was doing. After a
moment, she jerked upright and stared down at him dumbly. "Huh?"
Benten and Venus simply smirked to themselves as they watched the
scene quietly.
Ranma simply sat in silence as they trio walked out of the room
and left him sitting there. After a moment, he put his fingers up too
his lips and blinked. "Huh?"
"Well, this is interesting," said a familiar voice from beside
him. He whirled around and stared at the two copies of him sitting at
a nearby table.
"Hello again!" said Fujin.
Raiden nodded and spoke up again. "I never knew Urd worked so
fast."
Ranma stood up and walked over to them. "Who the hell are you? I
know this has something to do with you!"
"Now, don't get mad at us. We had nothing to do with that," said
Fujin calmly as he sipped at a cup of tea.
"Who is she? I know you know something," said Ranma as he sat down
with them.
"That we do, but we aren't allowed to tell you," said Raiden with
a cheerful smile.
"Something is going on here, I'm missing out on it, and it's got a
lot to do with me," said Ranma as his brow furrowed and he leaned back
in his chair.
"You're wrong. It has everything to do with you," said Fujin with
a dark looking smile on his face.
"But you can't tell me what that is? Right?" said Ranma with a
small snort.
"You do catch on fast," said Raiden.
Ranma glared at them both, but found himself unable to be angry
with them. Finally, he stood up and walked away, leaving them alone.
"Boy, if he thinks this is messy..." said Fujin with a small
chuckle.
"I'm getting impatient. I don't like being this indirect," said
Raiden with a small frown. "How much longer?"
"We'll give Yamma a few more days to break down before we really
start pushing him," said Fujin calmly. "We're in a hurry, but not that
much of a hurry."
+++++++++++++
Urd glared at the two goddesses standing in front of her with
sheepish grins on their faces.
"Wow! That's a cute one! When did you decide to take a mortal
lover?" exclaimed Venus.
"I must say, I never expected this of you, Urd," said Benten
cheerfully.
"He isn't a mortal lover! You perverts! Mind your own business!"
snapped Urd irritably.
"Oh? I suppose he's free then?" said Venus as she turned her head
back the way they came. She licked her lips and smirked.
"You keep your claws out of him! He's off limits!" snapped Urd.
"Not to me he isn't," said Benten calmly.
Urd glared at the both of them for a moment. "He's not in the
system."
"What?" said Benten.
"I said he's not in the Yggdrasil system," said Urd calmly.
"Um? So?" said Venus dumbly.
"That isn't possible you ditz," said Benten as she suddenly became
serious and turned towards Urd again. "Even we're in the system."
"That's right, meaning someone is hiding his file, or he's just
not in there. Either way, he's a big secret, and we can't mess with
him," said Urd calmly.
"That means he's either got a very important destiny, he's a War
God, or a Hoard Ruler in hell," said Benten with a small frown. "I'd
say that any one of them is highly unlikely."
"I should have been notified if a higher lord of hell was in the
area," said Benten as she turned away from them.
"I don't think that's it," said Urd calmly. "It's most likely that
he's a mortal with something important to do. His file was hidden too
keep meddling demons away from him."
"That could be," said Fujin as he appeared with his brother at his
side in the middle of the conversation. "But how does Mara know about
him then?"
Raiden turned and looked at his brother in surprise. "Hey! You're
right! How does she know?"
"You two?" said Urd in shock.
Benten growled at them and stepped away, six new arms appeared at
her sides and she took up a complicated martial arts stance. "What the
hell do you two want?"
"We've been watching that boy as well," said Raiden calmly.
"I'll admit that everything you've said makes sense, and I never
thought about it. Mara shouldn't have any idea that he even exists.
Why is she sniffing around him then?" agreed Fujin.
"You two know something?" asked Urd dumbly.
"If we did, what makes you think we could say?" said Fujin calmly.
"Perhaps we should consult Atmaterasu?" said Benten as she folded
one set of her arms over her chest and frowned.
Venus nodded, rune like markings appeared on her forehead and
cheeks.
"No. There's no need. We're more than enough to handle the likes
of her," commented Raiden.
"Still, something about this is bothering me," said Urd.
"It should I suppose," said Fujin with a small shrug.
"What the heck does that mean?" snapped the goddess irritably.
"It's nothing, he's not off limits though. I can say that much,"
said Fujin cheerfully. "You can do what you like. I have the word of
the Almighty himself on that."
Urd blinked and looked at the pair for a moment. "What?"
"You heard us, even we aren't stupid enough to lie about that,"
said Raiden calmly.
"So, you do know something," said Benten with a vicious looking
smirk on her face.
"Now that...is a secret," said Raiden as he vanished in a flash of
light.
The trio of goddesses looked at Fujin and he shrugged. "What can I
say, he's discovered anime." He then vanished in a small whirlwind.
"Um? So, now what?" asked Venus dumbly.
"I guess I go home now," said Urd with a small shrug. She turned
and started walking away.
Benten sighed and turned her head towards Venus. "Come on."
"Okay!" said the goddess cheerfully.
++++++++++++
Ranma was walking slowly towards the dojo. A look of dumb
confusion was on his face. "She kissed me," he muttered under his
breath as he walked.
"Well, can I try that?" said another familiar voice.
"What the hell do you want?" snapped the boy as he noticed Mara
standing beside him.
"Oh, nothing," she said as she held out a small flower too him.
He took it and looked at it for a moment. "Thanks I guess."
"So, you're having trouble understanding what's going on?" said
the woman calmly as she kept up his pace and walked beside him.
"So what if I am?" he muttered.
"I can make it all make sense," she said calmly. "If you come with
me, I promise you'll understand everything." She smiled at him and
grabbed his shoulders. "Would that be so bad? We could be together
again."
"How many times do I have to say no?" he said with a slight
wavering in his voice.
"Until you change your mind and say yes. I know you really want to
say yes," said the demoness as she pulled him into a gentle hug. "Come
on, all your problems will melt away, and you'll be with someone who
really loves you."
"Mara, let me go," said the boy calmly as he pulled her arms off
of his neck.
"Why should I?" she said mischievously. "Come on, at least let me
show you my offer." She whispered the last part into his ear
seductively.
"Mara, no," he said firmly. "Let me go."
"You don't want to hurt me, and I don't want to hurt you either.
Not like those others. Come with me, please," she said as she clutched
him a little tighter.
"I said let me go!" roared Ranma as he spun around and jerked free
from her grip. The sky above suddenly became very dark, and a burning
anger was apparent in his eyes.
"Ranma? Who are you talking too?" said Akane as she walked up to
his side and blinked.
He stared forward in confusion, the demoness was nowhere to be
seen. All that remained was a small black flower lying on the ground.
It looked like a jet-black daisy. "Huh? I..." stammered the boy in
confusion. "She's gone?"
Akane growled at him. "Where the heck have you been anyway?"
He paused and looked at her, a frown forming on his face. "None of
your damn business." He strolled past her coldly, leaving her standing
in the middle of the sidewalk.
"What? Ranma you jerk!" she snapped as she turned around to exact
her revenge for the comment. She paused when she realized that he was
nowhere to be seen. "Huh? Now where did that jerk go?"
She never noticed the ripples in the small puddle where the boy
had been standing.
+++++++++++
It was late evening, everyone had gone to bed, and Nodoka was
sitting in the living room of the Tendo's home. Her Katana was resting
against the wall nearby. Happosai was sitting calmly beside her,
smoking his pipe lazily.
Ranma walked down the stairs and paused when he noticed them
sitting quietly together. "Huh? What the heck are you doin up still?"
"Waiting for you boy," said Happosai calmly. Nodoka was still
silent, and the boy noticed her jaw clench tightly.
"I was just..." started Ranma, but he was cut off as the old man
raised his hand.
"Going out to practice those new techniques you've been learning,"
he said calmly. "Like how you escaped from Akane today for example?"
He quickly closed his mouth and stood at stopped walking. He
merely stood there looking at the pair.
"You will speak to no one of what we are about to tell you. Is
that understood?" said Nodoka calmly.
He nodded dumbly and sat down across from them. "What's going on?"
"Ranma, you are not human," said Happosai. He then took a small
drag from his pipe and closed his eyes.
"What?" said the boy dumbly.
"You were reborn sixteen years ago, you are not a man," said
Nodoka calmly. She stared at him, and he noticed a strange light in
her eyes. "Your powers are a result of your true heritage surfacing at
last."
The boy made a small choking noise and backed away from them,
scrambling across the ground. "What? What the hell are you talkin
about?"
Nodoka hung her head and sighed. "You will grow stronger, as you
remember more of your past."
"No way! It ain't true! I'm..." Ranma was cut off by the glare
Happosai was giving him and fell silent.
"Ranma. We cannot reveal too much at this time, but know this. You
are not a man, you are a god. Your power will tell you more as you
grow stronger."
"I ain't no stupid god! I don't even like no stupid temples and
stuff! I ain't never even prayed or nuthin!" countered the boy
angrily.
Happosai chuckled at this. "Of course you haven't. Why would a god
need to pray?"
The boy closed his mouth and stared at him dumbly. "It's true,
ain't it?"
Nodoka smiled and nodded. "Yes it is."
"But what about...?" he was cut off again as Nodoka raised her
hand to silence him this time.
"Do not worry about anything else now. Many of the answers will
come to you in time. For now, merely remain as you are for a little
longer. The time will come when that is not possible."
The boy sat down across from them and glared at them. "Who is
Urd?" His voice was forceful for the first time in the entire
conversation.
"That is not for us to say," said the woman in reply.
"Raiden, Fujin, Urd, Venus, and Benten. All of them," said the boy
calmly as he glared at them.
"Yes," said Happosai.
"It is best if you avoid Raiden and Fujin for now, as for the
others, they do not know who you truly are. I suggest you keep it that
way for now," said Nodoka carefully.
Ranma looked up at her for a moment, and nodded. They sat in
silence for a long moment, and he looked up at them again. "Mara?"
"That is your choice," said Happosai calmly.
The boy stood up and walked out into the yard, leaving the pair
alone.
"Mara?" asked Happosai carefully.
"I don't know how she discovered this. At first it was
problematic, but he has a strong will," said Nodoka calmly.
"What is more problematic, is how did she discover this?" said the
old man with a small frown.
"Indeed, Amaterasu has been informed, she is taking it up with the
proper channels," said Nodoka with a small nod.
"Then it is not our concern any longer," agreed Happosai.
Nodoka merely nodded.
++++++++++++
In the wilderness of Japan, Ryoga Hibiki stood up from the center
of a snow-covered field. He clenched his fist and stared at it for a
moment. "I've found a way," he muttered to himself. "Get ready Ranma,
I've finally found a way to beat you!"
He walked out of the frozen forest and in an instant he had
traveled from subzero temperatures and into a tropical jungle once
again. Behind him, the ice had already begun to melt away in the heat.
Oblivious to his direction, he made a bee line straight for Tokyo.
+++++++++++
Urd sat alone in her room, her chemistry set sitting unused as she
lay sprawled out across her futon with an odd looking smirk on her
face.
"Not off limits huh?" she said with a small chuckle. "I don't see
any problem at all then. That guy seemed kinda uptight, maybe I could
teach him to loosen up a bit. Those girls might be a bit upset at
first, but they'll thank me for it later."
++++++++++++
Keiichi shuddered as a sudden chill ran down his spine. He sat up
and glanced towards Urd's room. "I just got a really bad feeling." He
turned and saw Raiden and Fujin on either side of him, sleeping just
as loudly as before. "Then again, there always seems to be a bad
feeling around this place." He frowned and lay back down again.
TBC...
+++++++++++++++
Next Time: The Frozen Heart of the Lion.
Part 5
Patching up with Ranma?
+++++++++++
Urd frowned as she stood in front of the Tendo dojo. She was in
her uniform again, and was once again a sixteen-year-old girl. "Well,
here goes." She strolled forward and opened the gate.
Kasumi was walking by with a basket of clothes in her hands at
that moment. She paused and looked at the girl for a moment before
setting them down to greet her. "Hello. Can I help you?"
"Um, yeah. I need to talk with Ranma, and Akane too," said the
girl with a small smile forming on her face.
"Oh, you're here for Ranma?" asked the girl sweetly. She paused
and realized that the girl had asked for Akane as well. "How odd," she
muttered as she blinked. "I'll get them for you."
Urd nodded and stood waiting patiently for a moment. A few seconds
later, both teens appeared before her. They were obviously still angry
with each other. "Um, hi."
"What do you want?" snapped Akane irritably.
"I kinda came by to apologize," said the goddess sheepishly.
Akane looked at her for a moment dumbly. "Huh?"
"What for?" asked Ranma in confusion.
"This whole mess is my fault. I kinda splashed you with this when
I ran into you the other day," said the girl as she held up a small
veil of liquid.
Ranma tensed up as he looked at it.
Akane just stared at the girl, not sure of what to say or do.
"It's a lust potion," said the girl with a small smirk forming on
her face.
"Lust potion?" muttered Akane.
"Yeah, that's why he was acting weird yesterday, and why he kissed
me like that. It was all my fault," said Urd as she blushed.
"Don't worry about it, this kind of stuff happens to me all the
time," said Ranma as he waved the comment off. "It was an accident
right?"
Urd was about to open her mouth, when the sky above rumbled
angrily. She seemed to reconsider for a moment and looked up. "Um, no
it wasn't."
Akane glared at Ranma for a moment. "What did you do now?"
"I didn't do nuthin!" said the boy in defense of himself. "I ain't
never seen this chick...well, maybe I have. I don't remember her
though."
Both Urd and Akane looked at him dumbly for a moment. "Well,
anyway. I was trying to help loosen him up a bit. I figured you two
needed a little help, that's all. It kinda backfired," said the
goddess as she brushed the comment aside for a moment.
"What?" muttered Akane as she turned to face the girl. "You were
trying to get us together?" That was definitely a new twist.
"Um, yeah. You two caught my attention for some reason, I can't
explain it. I was trying to help out. It won't happen again."
"Good!" replied Akane as she frowned at the girl.
"You probably won't see me around again," said the girl as she
turned away. "See ya."
"Huh? Why not?" muttered Ranma dumbly. He felt panic inside his
gut for some reason. "Hey! Wait up!" He called as he rushed out after
her as she walked out into the street.
"The only reason I came to that school was because of you," said
Urd as she smiled at him. "I'm not supposed to interfere again."
"What do you mean by that?" said Akane as she followed after her
fiancee and caught up with them.
"Look. I've said too much already. I just didn't want to leave you
two mad at each other, that's all," said the girl as she started
walking again. "Just forget about it."
"Well, that was weird," said Akane as she turned back to the dojo.
Ranma was standing in the middle of the street, watching her go.
He looked back at the gates of the dojo, and then back down the
street. He gave a frustrated grunt and rushed after Urd.
+++++++++++
Nodoka turned the corner and stared at the scene emotionlessly for
a moment. "Oh dear."
"Heh. Told you," commented Fujin as he strolled up next to her.
"They sure are going to cause a lot of trouble with this," said
Raiden as he appeared opposite his brother. "I can hardly wait."
"This grows dangerous. How many others know of this?"
"Urd doesn't know, that's the best part," said Raiden cheerfully.
"What?" stuttered Nodoka.
"Our brother, he is hidden from eyes who once knew him. Only after
Kami-sama told us of him were we able to find him," said Fujin.
"Well, let's get going, before we miss anything," commented Raiden
as he vanished in a flash of light.
"Right," agreed Fujin as a whirlwind swallowed him up.
"This isn't a game," growled Nodoka angrily. Her words went
unheard and she turned back into the home in disgust.
++++++++++++
"Hey! Wait up!" cried Ranma as he followed after Urd in the
street.
She paused and looked at him in surprise. "What are you doing
here?"
"I dunno, I just thought I should follow you," he said dumbly.
"Well stop it," she snapped.
"Hey! How do I know your name?" said the boy as he moved in front
of her.
"How the heck should I know?" she replied. Irritation was becoming
clear on her face. "Look, I'm not supposed to be around you."
"Why?" asked the boy in confusion.
"It's complicated," she muttered with a small sigh.
"Oh," he replied with a small shrug. "I don't think that's right.
Nothing's happened right?"
Urd smirked at him for a moment. "Don't you have a fiancee? Or
two?"
"I ain't marrying none of those girls! Those are Pop's fault!
Stupid old man!" growled Ranma irritably. "Especially not that
tomboy."
"Pop?" said Urd with a sudden interest forming on her face.
"It's a long story," muttered Ranma with a heavy sigh.
Urd looked up at the sky for a moment, it was clear, and not a
single cloud was overhead any longer. "I suppose I've got some time."
++++++++++
The pair ended up in a small cafe, two cold drinks were in front
of them as they sat at a small table near the back.
Ranma was frowning. He was sitting across from the goddess, who
was laughing so hard that tears were running down her face.
"And then she shows up and tries too kill you, you call her cute,
and now she wants to honor this engagement? Bwahahahahahaha!"
Ranma blushed and nodded his head, he was now beginning to regret
telling her all of this.
She pouted at him and managed to catch her breath. "Come on, don't
feel bad! It's just that...it's so funny! Bwahahahahaha!"
"It's not that funny," he grumbled irritably.
"Yeah, it is," said Urd as she continued to chuckle.
Ranma smiled and stirred the drink that was sitting in front of
hem for a moment. "I suppose that looking back on it, it kinda is
funny."
"I'm glad you're beginning to see it," replied the girl as she
leaned in and smiled at him again.
Ranma gasped as he stared at her for a moment. "That smile..." he
thought to himself.
Two feminine voices suddenly broke the silence. "Hello Urd."
The goddess froze in place and did not move. "It...couldn't be..."
Ranma turned around in surprise and blinked. Two girls were
standing behind him, one next to the other. They were looking at each
other in surprise. Both of them were beautiful women in their early
twenties. One was a Japanese woman with short brown hair, the other
was a gaijin with long blonde locks and blue eyes.
"What the heck are you doing here?" said the Japanese woman.
"You too?" muttered the gaijin too herself. "We both came to visit
at the same time? How nice!"
The Japanese woman growled and pulled up a chair next to the pair.
"Who's this guy, a new boyfriend? He's cute."
"Hmmm, careful Urd. I might have to steal this one away," said the
blonde cheerfully as she pulled up a chair as well.
Ranma was silent, and Urd was still frozen in what looked like
terror.
"What the hell are you two doing here?" she said as she finally
snapped out of it.
"Come on. Can't we come and visit our old dear friend on occasion?
I heard you got booted out," said the gaijin happily.
"Look you airhead," snorted the Japanese woman angrily.
"Um, Venus and Benten? Right?" said Ranma as he looked at them.
All three goddesses turned towards the boy and blinked.
He was scratching his head, and trying very hard to think of how
he knew that. "Dang. It's happening again."
"He knows?" said Benten as she raised her eyebrow at Urd.
"I don't think so," said Urd as she narrowed her eyes at the boy.
"He says he knows me, but he doesn't remember. Does that sound
familiar to you?"
"No?" muttered Venus as she looked at the boy.
"Come on, we'll talk somewhere else," said Urd to the two women as
she stood up. "It was nice talking too you again, Ranma." She leaned
in and kissed him before she realized what she was doing. After a
moment, she jerked upright and stared down at him dumbly. "Huh?"
Benten and Venus simply smirked to themselves as they watched the
scene quietly.
Ranma simply sat in silence as they trio walked out of the room
and left him sitting there. After a moment, he put his fingers up too
his lips and blinked. "Huh?"
"Well, this is interesting," said a familiar voice from beside
him. He whirled around and stared at the two copies of him sitting at
a nearby table.
"Hello again!" said Fujin.
Raiden nodded and spoke up again. "I never knew Urd worked so
fast."
Ranma stood up and walked over to them. "Who the hell are you? I
know this has something to do with you!"
"Now, don't get mad at us. We had nothing to do with that," said
Fujin calmly as he sipped at a cup of tea.
"Who is she? I know you know something," said Ranma as he sat down
with them.
"That we do, but we aren't allowed to tell you," said Raiden with
a cheerful smile.
"Something is going on here, I'm missing out on it, and it's got a
lot to do with me," said Ranma as his brow furrowed and he leaned back
in his chair.
"You're wrong. It has everything to do with you," said Fujin with
a dark looking smile on his face.
"But you can't tell me what that is? Right?" said Ranma with a
small snort.
"You do catch on fast," said Raiden.
Ranma glared at them both, but found himself unable to be angry
with them. Finally, he stood up and walked away, leaving them alone.
"Boy, if he thinks this is messy..." said Fujin with a small
chuckle.
"I'm getting impatient. I don't like being this indirect," said
Raiden with a small frown. "How much longer?"
"We'll give Yamma a few more days to break down before we really
start pushing him," said Fujin calmly. "We're in a hurry, but not that
much of a hurry."
+++++++++++++
Urd glared at the two goddesses standing in front of her with
sheepish grins on their faces.
"Wow! That's a cute one! When did you decide to take a mortal
lover?" exclaimed Venus.
"I must say, I never expected this of you, Urd," said Benten
cheerfully.
"He isn't a mortal lover! You perverts! Mind your own business!"
snapped Urd irritably.
"Oh? I suppose he's free then?" said Venus as she turned her head
back the way they came. She licked her lips and smirked.
"You keep your claws out of him! He's off limits!" snapped Urd.
"Not to me he isn't," said Benten calmly.
Urd glared at the both of them for a moment. "He's not in the
system."
"What?" said Benten.
"I said he's not in the Yggdrasil system," said Urd calmly.
"Um? So?" said Venus dumbly.
"That isn't possible you ditz," said Benten as she suddenly became
serious and turned towards Urd again. "Even we're in the system."
"That's right, meaning someone is hiding his file, or he's just
not in there. Either way, he's a big secret, and we can't mess with
him," said Urd calmly.
"That means he's either got a very important destiny, he's a War
God, or a Hoard Ruler in hell," said Benten with a small frown. "I'd
say that any one of them is highly unlikely."
"I should have been notified if a higher lord of hell was in the
area," said Benten as she turned away from them.
"I don't think that's it," said Urd calmly. "It's most likely that
he's a mortal with something important to do. His file was hidden too
keep meddling demons away from him."
"That could be," said Fujin as he appeared with his brother at his
side in the middle of the conversation. "But how does Mara know about
him then?"
Raiden turned and looked at his brother in surprise. "Hey! You're
right! How does she know?"
"You two?" said Urd in shock.
Benten growled at them and stepped away, six new arms appeared at
her sides and she took up a complicated martial arts stance. "What the
hell do you two want?"
"We've been watching that boy as well," said Raiden calmly.
"I'll admit that everything you've said makes sense, and I never
thought about it. Mara shouldn't have any idea that he even exists.
Why is she sniffing around him then?" agreed Fujin.
"You two know something?" asked Urd dumbly.
"If we did, what makes you think we could say?" said Fujin calmly.
"Perhaps we should consult Atmaterasu?" said Benten as she folded
one set of her arms over her chest and frowned.
Venus nodded, rune like markings appeared on her forehead and
cheeks.
"No. There's no need. We're more than enough to handle the likes
of her," commented Raiden.
"Still, something about this is bothering me," said Urd.
"It should I suppose," said Fujin with a small shrug.
"What the heck does that mean?" snapped the goddess irritably.
"It's nothing, he's not off limits though. I can say that much,"
said Fujin cheerfully. "You can do what you like. I have the word of
the Almighty himself on that."
Urd blinked and looked at the pair for a moment. "What?"
"You heard us, even we aren't stupid enough to lie about that,"
said Raiden calmly.
"So, you do know something," said Benten with a vicious looking
smirk on her face.
"Now that...is a secret," said Raiden as he vanished in a flash of
light.
The trio of goddesses looked at Fujin and he shrugged. "What can I
say, he's discovered anime." He then vanished in a small whirlwind.
"Um? So, now what?" asked Venus dumbly.
"I guess I go home now," said Urd with a small shrug. She turned
and started walking away.
Benten sighed and turned her head towards Venus. "Come on."
"Okay!" said the goddess cheerfully.
++++++++++++
Ranma was walking slowly towards the dojo. A look of dumb
confusion was on his face. "She kissed me," he muttered under his
breath as he walked.
"Well, can I try that?" said another familiar voice.
"What the hell do you want?" snapped the boy as he noticed Mara
standing beside him.
"Oh, nothing," she said as she held out a small flower too him.
He took it and looked at it for a moment. "Thanks I guess."
"So, you're having trouble understanding what's going on?" said
the woman calmly as she kept up his pace and walked beside him.
"So what if I am?" he muttered.
"I can make it all make sense," she said calmly. "If you come with
me, I promise you'll understand everything." She smiled at him and
grabbed his shoulders. "Would that be so bad? We could be together
again."
"How many times do I have to say no?" he said with a slight
wavering in his voice.
"Until you change your mind and say yes. I know you really want to
say yes," said the demoness as she pulled him into a gentle hug. "Come
on, all your problems will melt away, and you'll be with someone who
really loves you."
"Mara, let me go," said the boy calmly as he pulled her arms off
of his neck.
"Why should I?" she said mischievously. "Come on, at least let me
show you my offer." She whispered the last part into his ear
seductively.
"Mara, no," he said firmly. "Let me go."
"You don't want to hurt me, and I don't want to hurt you either.
Not like those others. Come with me, please," she said as she clutched
him a little tighter.
"I said let me go!" roared Ranma as he spun around and jerked free
from her grip. The sky above suddenly became very dark, and a burning
anger was apparent in his eyes.
"Ranma? Who are you talking too?" said Akane as she walked up to
his side and blinked.
He stared forward in confusion, the demoness was nowhere to be
seen. All that remained was a small black flower lying on the ground.
It looked like a jet-black daisy. "Huh? I..." stammered the boy in
confusion. "She's gone?"
Akane growled at him. "Where the heck have you been anyway?"
He paused and looked at her, a frown forming on his face. "None of
your damn business." He strolled past her coldly, leaving her standing
in the middle of the sidewalk.
"What? Ranma you jerk!" she snapped as she turned around to exact
her revenge for the comment. She paused when she realized that he was
nowhere to be seen. "Huh? Now where did that jerk go?"
She never noticed the ripples in the small puddle where the boy
had been standing.
+++++++++++
It was late evening, everyone had gone to bed, and Nodoka was
sitting in the living room of the Tendo's home. Her Katana was resting
against the wall nearby. Happosai was sitting calmly beside her,
smoking his pipe lazily.
Ranma walked down the stairs and paused when he noticed them
sitting quietly together. "Huh? What the heck are you doin up still?"
"Waiting for you boy," said Happosai calmly. Nodoka was still
silent, and the boy noticed her jaw clench tightly.
"I was just..." started Ranma, but he was cut off as the old man
raised his hand.
"Going out to practice those new techniques you've been learning,"
he said calmly. "Like how you escaped from Akane today for example?"
He quickly closed his mouth and stood at stopped walking. He
merely stood there looking at the pair.
"You will speak to no one of what we are about to tell you. Is
that understood?" said Nodoka calmly.
He nodded dumbly and sat down across from them. "What's going on?"
"Ranma, you are not human," said Happosai. He then took a small
drag from his pipe and closed his eyes.
"What?" said the boy dumbly.
"You were reborn sixteen years ago, you are not a man," said
Nodoka calmly. She stared at him, and he noticed a strange light in
her eyes. "Your powers are a result of your true heritage surfacing at
last."
The boy made a small choking noise and backed away from them,
scrambling across the ground. "What? What the hell are you talkin
about?"
Nodoka hung her head and sighed. "You will grow stronger, as you
remember more of your past."
"No way! It ain't true! I'm..." Ranma was cut off by the glare
Happosai was giving him and fell silent.
"Ranma. We cannot reveal too much at this time, but know this. You
are not a man, you are a god. Your power will tell you more as you
grow stronger."
"I ain't no stupid god! I don't even like no stupid temples and
stuff! I ain't never even prayed or nuthin!" countered the boy
angrily.
Happosai chuckled at this. "Of course you haven't. Why would a god
need to pray?"
The boy closed his mouth and stared at him dumbly. "It's true,
ain't it?"
Nodoka smiled and nodded. "Yes it is."
"But what about...?" he was cut off again as Nodoka raised her
hand to silence him this time.
"Do not worry about anything else now. Many of the answers will
come to you in time. For now, merely remain as you are for a little
longer. The time will come when that is not possible."
The boy sat down across from them and glared at them. "Who is
Urd?" His voice was forceful for the first time in the entire
conversation.
"That is not for us to say," said the woman in reply.
"Raiden, Fujin, Urd, Venus, and Benten. All of them," said the boy
calmly as he glared at them.
"Yes," said Happosai.
"It is best if you avoid Raiden and Fujin for now, as for the
others, they do not know who you truly are. I suggest you keep it that
way for now," said Nodoka carefully.
Ranma looked up at her for a moment, and nodded. They sat in
silence for a long moment, and he looked up at them again. "Mara?"
"That is your choice," said Happosai calmly.
The boy stood up and walked out into the yard, leaving the pair
alone.
"Mara?" asked Happosai carefully.
"I don't know how she discovered this. At first it was
problematic, but he has a strong will," said Nodoka calmly.
"What is more problematic, is how did she discover this?" said the
old man with a small frown.
"Indeed, Amaterasu has been informed, she is taking it up with the
proper channels," said Nodoka with a small nod.
"Then it is not our concern any longer," agreed Happosai.
Nodoka merely nodded.
++++++++++++
In the wilderness of Japan, Ryoga Hibiki stood up from the center
of a snow-covered field. He clenched his fist and stared at it for a
moment. "I've found a way," he muttered to himself. "Get ready Ranma,
I've finally found a way to beat you!"
He walked out of the frozen forest and in an instant he had
traveled from subzero temperatures and into a tropical jungle once
again. Behind him, the ice had already begun to melt away in the heat.
Oblivious to his direction, he made a bee line straight for Tokyo.
+++++++++++
Urd sat alone in her room, her chemistry set sitting unused as she
lay sprawled out across her futon with an odd looking smirk on her
face.
"Not off limits huh?" she said with a small chuckle. "I don't see
any problem at all then. That guy seemed kinda uptight, maybe I could
teach him to loosen up a bit. Those girls might be a bit upset at
first, but they'll thank me for it later."
++++++++++++
Keiichi shuddered as a sudden chill ran down his spine. He sat up
and glanced towards Urd's room. "I just got a really bad feeling." He
turned and saw Raiden and Fujin on either side of him, sleeping just
as loudly as before. "Then again, there always seems to be a bad
feeling around this place." He frowned and lay back down again.
TBC...
+++++++++++++++
Next Time: The Frozen Heart of the Lion.