I don't own Ranma ½ or any of the other Animés in this story.
I revise this chapter a little after reading a review. I originally had Ranma accept Soun's offer to take up the Tendo name. But someone pointed out the fact that if he did that Ranma would be putting the Tendos in danger. So I'm changing it so he does not accept.
Chapter Two
Going Home Again
Keiichi signed as he looked down at the paper in front of him. It wasn't that he hated school, but he never really liked science that much, unless it dealt with something like a combustible engine or something like that. A knock on the door pooled him out of his studies. "I'll get it!" He called out. Belldandy was busy cooking, Skuld was doing something scientific, and Urd was doing Kami-sama knows what. So that left him. ("Belldandy said something about a friend of her father's stopping by. I wonder if that's him or her.") He signed in frustration. ("Great, another God or Goddess, that's all I need.") Keiichi opened the door and was a bit surprised to see a boy, about his age, standing there. The one thing that surprised Keiichi more than anything else was the noticeable lack of the 'God Marks' on the boy's forehead. ("Human?")
"Ah, hello?" Ranma asked as he scratched the back of his head.
His words brought Keiichi back to the reality. "Gomen, what can I do with ya?" He asked.
"I'm looking for Belldandy. She kinda said I could stay at her place for a while," Ranma said. ("More like indifferently.") He silently added.
Keiichi arched an eyebrow at the boy's words. ("Belldandy's friend is mortal?") He thought. A bit of jealousy crept into Keiichi's mind as he looked over Ranma. ("He's better build and more handsome than I am.")
"Kei-san? Who's at the door?" Belldandy asked from the kitchen.
"It's me, Belldandy!" Ranma called back.
"Oh, Ranma-dono!" She quickly made her way into the entryway and bowed politely to Ranma. He returned the gesture. "I was wondering when you'd get here. Come let me show you to your room." She led Ranma away by the hand.
"Ah, I'll see ya later," Ranma said to the young man who opened the door.
Ranma signed and sat down his pack. With a loud crunch and crash it fell through the wooden floor. He looked around and noticed that no one has come to see what the noise was. He signed "The weight's too much for the floorboards. I'll have to leave it outside."
Ranma headed towards the entryway. "So you the guy dad got?" A voice asked him.
Ranma closed his eyes for a second then spoke. "I am." He turned to the voice. "And what about it, Urd Goddess of the Past?"
Urd was taken back by his words. ("So he knows who I am?") She composed herself before speaking. "Don't get too cocky. Just 'cause you know my name don't mean you're any good."
Ranma grinned evilly and tossed his bag to Urd. "Catch."
"Wha?" Urd caught the bag with one hand. But its weigh is unbelievable. After struggling to carry it, she dropped it to the floor. The bag promptly went through the floor. Urd looked up at Ranma. He was still grinning. "You just surprised me, that's all."
"Right," Ranma said.
Urd humped and positioned herself above the bag. "If you can do it so can I!" She grabbed it with both hands and heaved with all her Godly might. But she could barely move the bag.
Ranma humped, much like Urd had done, and lifted the bag without any problems. His grin did not fade as he turned and moved to put the bag outside. "So Urd, did your father choose well?" He asked. Urd, for her part, fumed.
Rei signed as she looked around her room. ("Ami's studying, check. Makoto and Minako are talking about boys, check. And Usagi's reading my Manga, check.") Everything was normal. But it wasn't. ("I can't shake this feeling that something's wrong. I just can't figure out what it is.")
"I have bad news," A voice said.
"Ahhhhh!" Usagi screamed out. She jumped about five feet into the air and then spun to face the voice. "Don't do that Setsuna!"
"Bad news?" Rei asked.
Setsuna nodded. "What kind of bad news?" Ami asked.
"The kind that could affect Crystal Tokyo."
"What do you mean?" Rei asked.
"I am sure that you have felt something," Setsuna said. She turned to Rei and received her answer, a nod.
"Hai, I've been feeling something," She stopped and tried to find the correct word. "I guess you'd said, odd. It's like there's a disturbance in nature."
"That is an accurate description."
"So what's this 'disturbance'?" Usagi asked.
"I do not know."
"Nani?" The girls cried out.
"What'd you mean you don't know?" Minako cried out.
"Whatever the disturbance is, it has the power to disrupt the Time Gates and Neptune's Mirror. As of now, I do not know what or who it is. The damage it has caused to the time stream is also unknown." Setsuna turned to Ami. "I would like you to use the Mercury Computer to see if there is anything unusual around Japan, Tokyo in particular."
"But if the Time Gates and Neptune's Mirror won't work, why use the Mercury Computer?" Ami asked.
"We must hope that science can succeed where magic has failed."
"What are we going to do?" Genma asked. Silence was his only answer. He finally turned to his wife. "Well?"
"There is nothing we can do. Saotome Ranma is no more," She said. She looked at the sword at her side and signed. ("Did Ranma have the right idea?")
"The boy must marry a Tendo! It is a matter of honor!" He thought for a second before an idea came to mind. "I might not be able to go to the courts and force him back into the family, but you can!" He pointed towards Nodoka.
"I will decline," She said with a sign.
"Nani?"
"What Ranma did was a very brave and manly thing. He chose to throw away his name in order to protect Nabiki and Kasumi. I will respect his decision."
"But…but…the pledge!" He cried out.
Nodoka turned to Genma, anger clearly visible in her eyes. With one swift movement she has her katana at Genma's throat. "The pledge is dead! Your desire to unite the schools has all but destroyed any chance I had to live happily with my son."
("She moved so fast and with such skill! Nodoka never did that before!") Genma thought.
"You are wondering were this skill came from, aren't you?" She asked. Genma nodded, making sure that he didn't touch the katana. "I was taught by my father."
"You haven't talked to your father since we got married! You never showed any skill with the sword around me or the boy," Genma said. He was very nervous. The katana was dangerously close to his neck now. "You always acted as if you couldn't use the sword."
" 'Acted' is a good word to use, husband." She re-sheathed the sword in one swift motion and turned away from Genma. "I am going to return to my father. Even if I haven't talked with him in years I need him now." She turned back to him for a moment and said, "Pray that the next time I see you I am still your wife."
"I don't like it, but dad said I'm your backup," Skuld said. "Here." She handed Ranma a pair of sunglasses.
"Sunglasses?" He asked.
"Put 'em on!" She ordered. Ranma did as she said. "They might look like normal sunglasses, but when you activate them they turn into a computer." She got up and touched a small button near the right side of glasses. Figures immediately began appearing on the lens. "We can talk to each other through the glasses, and they can calculate the amount of energy being given off by person. But."
"But they can't tell how much power a person's finding, right?" Ranma asked.
"Right. They can also help locate gods, goddesses, demons, and more or less anything that's supernatural."
"Skuld, you do know that I can sense just about anything supernatural in Tokyo if I try, right?" Ranma asked.
Skuld arched an eyebrow. ("Either he's kindin or he's really good.") She shrugged. "Maybe, but with this you can relax and let it warn you about someone attackin ya."
"Relax?" Ranma asked. "I cannot relax as long as there are gods playing with human lives." With that said Ranma got up and went to his room.