I don't own any of Rumiko Takahashi's or Jack Chalker's works. They are just borrowed.

Ranma of the Dancing Gods

Chapter 2.2: Love from the ashes part one

Nodoka ran up the stairs to Kasumi's room and opened the door quietly and with trepidation. She didn't immediately see Ranma. Akane and Nabiki looked at her and slowly stood up, strain apparent in their faces. Kasumi remained protectively hugging Ranma, tear tracks on her angelic face. When she saw that Nodoka was unarmed, she smoothed a strand of the bright red hair and stood between Nodoka and her child. The mother plainly could see that this girl could be fiercely territorial and knew that she had not yet earned her trust. "Kasumi. Please let me see my child, I swear on my personal honor that I would never…harm my own child. We need to work together if we are to save Ranma."

Kasumi took in Nodoka's words and slowly moved to embrace her. "Please tell me that my…that Ranma will be okay" Nodoka returned the embrace and whispered to Kasumi's ear, "He will…daughter." The girl's eyes widened.

Nodoka then spoke to everyone, "Let me see Ranma and then I'll tell you what we are going to do." Kasumi relaxed and moved to one side, briefly gripping her hand and looking intently into her eyes with a strength that belied her housewife exterior. Then Nodoka looked at her daughter. She gasped at the otherworldly beauty and again at the horrific expression on her face. She was torn between the desire to hold her child in a comforting embrace and an imperative to kneel and worship her.

She tore he eyes from Ranma and stiffened her posture. "Nabiki go get a cart load of charcoal and arrange for more, at least two more loads. We need to set up a large bonfire in the yard and to make it as hot as possible. Akane, get that pile of concrete blocks from behind the dojo and stack them in the shape of a kiln big enough to rest Ranma inside comfortably."

"But Auntie it'll burn her…" wailed Akane. "No child, Ranma could walk on the sun and be unhurt by the fires. Now get busy, we have less than four days to get everything done." Nabiki and Akane left to do her bidding and she turned to face Kasumi. "Daughter, I'll pass on to you the rest of the instructions because I cannot risk Ranma's brother and sister by accompanying you. I'll handle Genma and your father when they show up. The rest is up to you and your sisters." Kasumi nodded, and then stared slack jawed at Nodoka.

"A…Auntie did…did you say Ranma's brother and sister?" Nodoka put an index finger to her mouth and with a shaky voice said, "I didn't misspeak my self, now let's talk strategy," ending on a firm note.

Akane had built a passable structure in the yard by a little past midnight, just a double wall of interlocked blocks high enough to shield the rest of the yard from the worst of the expected heat. Nabiki had only gotten a half cartload of charcoal but was promised three full loads to be delivered an hour after daylight. They covered the bottom of the kiln with blocks laid sideways for circulation and dumped all of the charcoal over that. It looked rather meager to Nodoka, but Akane came running into the yard with lumber scraps liberated from a construction site. A few loads of short two by fours had an apparent bed ready for lighting.

At this point, Kasumi carefully carried Ranma to the pyre and lay her down on the bed of charcoal and wood scraps, under Nodoka's guidance. Nabiki poured naphtha and heating kerosene around the edges and lit a small torch, which she then handed to Nodoka. "Boseiai-sama I pray that you are right." She said as she touched the torch to the soaked charcoal.

Ranma's form seemed to waver in the bright flames as they flared up, then died down to the blue and red of a very hot fire. The woman and girls were relieved to see that she was apparently unharmed. After a few minutes, her face lost the rictus of horror and relaxed into an expression of peacefulness, as if she were laying on a downfilled futon and not in a fire suitable for forging a sword.

Nodoka spoke, "Girls, let's take turns keeping the fire going and get rest as we can. It is a long time to two o'clock when Ranma can come out. Then we will have to act quickly.

In the house, Happosai groaned and looked up to see Boseiai standing over him. A weak "Pretty lady" escaped his lips. "Happosai." She intoned, "You owe your very soul to the child that you have abused. You still have a part to play in this little drama, so be prepared to redeem yourself." She touched his forehead and he found himself in the middle of a gray misty plain. He still bore a slightly confused look but was slowly coming to himself and settled down to a meditative position to wait, heal his body and to heal his spirit.

Genma and Soun entered the yard about an hour before sunrise. Nodoka was there as if she had Genma radar. 'Now, I really wish I had my katana. Well, husband gets a goodbye treat and Soun will hopefully listen to reason.' "Genma! Where have you been, I have been in need of pillowing and you were nowhere to be found. Go home and clean up and I'll be right there." Genma's eyes lit up with sudden sobriety and lust, followed by his dust trail. Nodoka sighed, 'Sacrifices must be made for the greater good.' "Soun, come on in and have something to settle your stomach before I leave to see to my husband's needs." He followed her inside where he took a strong sleeping draught in the guise of stomach medicine. He slept the instant his head touched his pillow.

Back out in the yard, she pulled Kasumi to the gate. "Daughter, you know exactly what to do, you have the maps and supplies ready. Its up to you, I now have to go and distract my husband the rest of the day. He will be so full of himself that he'll forget that he even has a child, for a while. It's a shame that he is too wary for a sleeping draught." She hugged Kasumi and left to do her marital duty one last time.

Kasumi went to Nabiki and spoke, "Its up to us now, I just hope that we can get away from Nerima unremarked."

Nabiki replied, "Yeah, sis, there's the next cart of charcoal, earlier than they said and just in time. Let's get shoveling.

Authors responses:

Trugeta: Thanks for your encouragement and comments. Yeah, I figure that he would be considered as a kami of sorts in the same way that the Sanjiyan Unkara would due to insane lifespan and powers.

Wonderbee31: I've always thought of Nodoka as being capable of more than the minimal characterizations. Why else would greedy, corrupt Genma be so ready to pee himself when she is around. I'm curious if your earlier review was intended for another story, Ranma won't lock, even as a kauri (male or female) yet.

Jerry Unipeg: Thanks for reading. Nodoka's character, or spirit makes her a daughter of the heart.

Ron: You too.

Dragon Man 180: Kuno won't be the problem, after the ultimate weakness point, he is only good for laughs

Ranko:Thanks for the encouragement

gODDess: Yours being the only vote so far, you win.

John Tannius: The well worlds are a series that I never picked up on. I read the RotDG, Flux and Anchor, and the demon series (ending with the Ninety Trillion Fausts). If you want to do a crossover, my votes go to Flux or RotDG as Chalker's best work. He passed away earlier this year to a sudden illness. A great shame.