Devil's Door

A Ranma Nibunoichi x-over

by Matthew Talbain

Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma Nibunoichi, nor do I own Ah! Megami-sama. Nor do I own Rurouni Kenshin. But that comes later...

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I apologize for disclaiming Rurouni Kenshin so early in the story when the Kenshin elements aren't going to occur for a little while. This chapter begins three days before the funeral. Note for my reviewers:

I had no clue you guys would like this that much. Seriously. I guess I'll have to keep it up. Now...ON TO THE STORY!

------------Chapter One: Stories--------------

It was a beautiful day in Azabu-Juuban. It was the kind of day that many people enjoyed to the fullest.

A day where couples strolled through the park, basking in the sun's glow with each other. A day where many girls staked out various arcades, intent on gaining a boyfriend. A day that one particular young woman intended to take full advantage of.

Michiru Kaiou sighed happily as she soaked in the furo, letting the warm water sluice over her skin as she stared at the ceiling. She hadn't had much opportunity to relax like this in a long, long time. Setsuna had said that the senshi could relax for a while with the defeat of their last enemy, Metallia. So Michiru took that to heart, and just soaked in the furo.

She hadn't just relaxed like this since she'd last seen HIM. Michiru smiled and shook her head, climbing out of the tub and toweling herself dry. As she dressed, she took the time to make a mental note of where her family was. Haruka was busy in their bedroom, working on her homework. The noise downstairs told her that Hotaru was watching her favorite show, some martial arts thing from Nerima. But Setsuna...

A loud knock on the door answered Michiru's unspoken mental question. Hastily tucking in her shirt, she opened the door and stepped out, as Setsuna stood before her, with something in her hand.

"This came in the mail for you today."

Michiru took the envelope, which was marked in a vaguely familiar handwriting, as she and Setsuna walked downstairs. She took the time to look in on Hotaru, who was watching the television, bouncing up and down in her seat and yelling things like "Go!" and "YEAH!". Michiru shook her head and smiled, glad she was a part of this family. She sat down at the table and began to open the envelope.

Setsuna, for her part, was outwardly calm and collected as she drank her coffee. It was, after all, an auspicious day for all of Juuban. But not for her. She, as the senshi of time, could see various futures and aid them in coming about. She had made it her duty for one particular future to come about. As such, she had taken the time long ago to memorize how every branch in the path she wanted would go. After Metallia's defeat, there should have only been four. Two in which Mamoru and Usagi split up irreparably, one in which a fight between Usagi and Rei split the inner senshi up for good, and the last, and worst, one was a future in which Hotaru's health worsened steadily, eventually killing her, with the Outers soon following out of heartbreak.

But all of those were now impossible. Mamoru and Usagi seemed cemented together, though Usagi's parents never let her out alone with the man. Hotaru's health was steadily improving, and Rei and Usagi seemed closer than ever. But none of that was why Setsuna was staring at Michiru's envelope like it was the plague. She was staring at that envelope because she'd never seen it coming. She should have, no matter what. But she hadn't. She waited intently for Michiru to open it, waited for her to read it, and watched for her reaction.

Hotaru was jumping up and down now, cheering as her hero, Ranma Saotome, once again defeated Ryouga Hibiki. She loved watching this show, Nerima Wrecking Crew. It had started a few months ago, from some uknown company, but it had taken off. Now, everyone knew the names Ranma Saotome and the rest of the crew. In fact, it even had a cult following. Hoatru had seen it at her friend Chibi-Usa's house and had fallen in love with Ranma long ago. Everyone believed it was just a show, but Hotaru and the inners all knew it was real. They'd been through Nerima enough times to know that much.

Today's episode was an adventure in which Ryouga had learned a blast attack, a technique named Shi Shi Hokodan. Hotaru had been worried at the beginning, seeing Ranma try his hardest to pull off the technique and failing. She'd been on edge as the one-week deadline came heart-stoppingly close. And she cheered when Ranma revealed to Ryouga his own attack: the Mouko Takabisha. Even with Ryouga's Perfect Shi Shi Hokodan, Hotaru was sure Ranma would win this one. And he did.

Hotaru cheered and giggled as she switched off the television, the show over. She started to head upstairs when she heard a loud, agonized wail from the kitchen. Instantly, she turned around and ran as fast as she could to the kitchen. A loud series of thumps told her Haruka Ten'ou, her Haruka-papa, had heard the scream too.

Both stared as Michiru clutched a piece of paper to her chest, sobbing pitifully on the floor. Haruka was the first to react, kneeling to the floor and pulling Michiru's head to her shoulder, wrapping her arms around the sobbing woman. Michiru instantly threw her arms around Haruka's neck, crying into the crook of her love's neck as the piece of paper fell to the floor.

"He's dead, Haruka. He's dead, he's dead. He can't be dead, but he's dead!"

Haruka was confused. She'd never heard Michiru even speak of a man other than Mamoru, and here she was crying as if her lover were dead. Haruka nodded to Setsuna, who bent over and picked up the envelope. Hotaru was currently hugging Michiru and whispering that everything would be okay.

Setsuna began to read.

"My dear daughter Michiru, I would first like to apologize for not writing to you more often. I am sorry your father disowned you, and want you to know I love you very, very much. It is so hard for me to tell you this, but recent events have taught me that a mother should spend every moment she can with her children, lest they be taken from us before we have a chance to even tell them that we love them."

Setsuna stopped, and a cold sense of dread began to wash over Haruka. Michiru's sobs were ebbing slowly, and Hotaru was now focused on Setsuna, who took a sip of her coffee and read further.

"I would like to change the way I have behaved. I am ashamed at myself for distancing myself from my own daughter because of sexual preference. A very important person to us both taught me that no matter the circumstance, we should love unconditionally our family. I have danced around it enough. Ranma is dead, Michiru."

Michiru's sobs had ebbed completely, and Haruka began to put the pieces into place. Hotaru's eyes had widened at the word "Ranma", but continued to watch Setsuna. Michiru, too, turned to Setsuna, making it obvious that she had only read that far.

"Ranma has done many unbelievable things, my daughter. So many that it would be impossible to list them all here. I shall name only the important things. Michiru, there is a show on television, a show called "Nerima Wrecking Crew". It is a show a friend of Ranma's, Nabiki Tendo, started to make some money. It is actually a collection of videos made by Nabiki of Ranma's various adventures. Ranma was a world-class martial artist. He defeated a Chinese prince, he fought a ghost-cat. But his greatest achievement, and the cause of his death, was the defeat of the god Saffron."

At this, Setsuna herself started. She sat down, and began to read a bit further.

"Ranma defeated Saffron at the cost of his own life. Enclosed is a DVD that Soun, Nabiki's father, made of the day Ranma died. I am so sorry, Michiru, and I know you loved Ranma very much. I was only reunited with him weeks ago, and now he is torn from me once more. This is why I apologize for being such a horrible mother. My love for Ranma was tainted by a curse and that damned pledge, and I never told him I loved him. And now he's gone. I don't want that to happen again, Michiru. I love you so much. Love always, your mother, Nodoka Saotome."

At that, Hotaru's own eyes shaded with tears. Haruka lifted Michiru up in her arms, and sat her down on the sofa. Setsuna walked in with the letter and its envelope and handed them both to Michiru. As Haruka stroked Michiru's hair, the aquamarine-haired woman extracted a mini-DVD and handed it to Setsuna, who placed it in the DVD player. Setsuna gasped as a certain pigtailed figure appeared on the screen, glaring at a winged figure in the distance.

"It can't be him!"

Nobody paid attention to Setsuna, their eyes all riveted on the battle on the screen. They all gasped and stared as Ranma, again and again, refused to give in. They watched in anticipation as he fired his Hiryu Shoten Ha, leaping into it himself. But finally, they all bowed their heads as Ranma set the whirlwind aflame. Before their very eyes, Ranma's body began to burn as he headed for Saffron. And suddenly the flames were replaced by ice, and Ranma latched onto Saffron. Michiru and Setsuna began to whisper "No!" repeatedly, rapidly, as Ranma's body began to freeze with Saffron's. And they both screamed as Ranma and Saffron were speared by a giant icicle as the whirlwind died. And the DVD ended.

Hotaru was in tears, Michiru was crying in Haruka's neck once more, and Haruka was staring at the screen, wondering how the hell a human being could gain such powers. However, Setsuna caught her attention as the older woman suddenly slumped to her knees, her face cradled in her hands as she sobbed.

Soon, everyone in the house was staring at Setsuna. The ice queen, crying? It was impossible. Yet there it was. Hotaru walked up and hugged the crying woman, who hugged back and smiled.

"Setsuna-mama, don't cry. It's okay."

Setsuna nodded, and sat down on the sofa, Hotaru in her lap, and smiled sadly.

"I'm very sorry for scaring you like that, everyone. But...it was him. It had to be him. And I lost him again, without ever getting him back."

Hotaru started and looked up at her.

"You mean, it wa-"

Hotaru was cut off by Setsuna laying a finger across her lips, and Hotaru began to tear up again, wrapping her arms even tighter around Setsuna. Setsuna looked up and sighed.

"I have to explain this to the rest of the scouts. Give Usagi a call and tell them to meet us over here. I'll explain all in time."

--------------Kaiou Residence, Fifteen Minutes Later----------------

Five young women and one man met at the door of the Kaiou house. Usagi Tsukino, age 17, knocked hesitantly at the door as she turned to her friends. It was a bright, sunny day, and all of her friends but Ami looked morose and sad. In fact, they all looked as though they'd been crying. She shook her head and wondered what was going on as the door opened.

All of them walked in and sat down. Usagi was just about to ask the others what was wrong when Haruka walked in alone. She looked up and sighed.

"Sorry for makin' you wait, guys. Michiru, Hotaru, and Setsuna'll be down in a bit. Michiru's brother died a few days back. She just got the letter this morning."

With that, she pointed at the much-crumpled piece of paper and sat down in her armchair. All the senshi started. Michiru had a brother! Mamoru shook his head. No wonder Haruka had laid off teasing him this time. Usagi felt sad for Michiru. Everyone began to fidget, and three of the seven people were lost in their memories, each one holding their own piece of paper.

Rei Hino hugged her knees as she remembered him. It had been so painful, watching him cope with that awful technique. No poor boy should have had to go through that. But Ranma's father had forced it upon him. Rei sighed. When she had first seen Ranma, he had been in her grandmother's lap, and he'd been purring. After that, Rei's grandfather had stepped out and explained to Rei what had happened. And when Ranma woke up, they became each other's very first friend. When his father had showed up, weeks later, he'd dragged Ranma away, kicking and screaming. Luckily, Ranma had remembered the shrine's address, and the two had remained in contact. But now, Rei's first friend had died. Kasumi, who Ranma had taken to visit Rei some time ago, had sent her the letter this morning. Rei sighed and clutched her knees tighter.

Makoto Kino let a single tear fall to the floor she stared at, her hands crossed in her lap. Ranma had been her first friend, and her first boyfriend. She remembered fondly how he and Ryouga had always fought, how she and he would lead Ryouga home afterwards. She remembered their first kiss and, though she'd surprised Ranma with it, how he reacted. He'd stayed her penpal and had sent her letters quite often, at least once a week. She remembered how she'd broken up with him, saying she'd missed him and couldn't stand loving a man she couldn't hold. She'd regretted it, knowing she'd hurt him. Three weeks passed, and Ranma never sent her a single letter. After three weeks, though, he told her he would respect her decision and that he'd always be her friend. The letter had been stained with tears. Just like the one in her pocket, the one from Ranma's friend, Kasumi, was.

Minako Aino buried her head in her arms, her body prone on Michiru's floor. It had been so long since she last fought alongside him. She remembered Ranma from her days in England. It had been so fun. At first, they done nothing but fight. Ranma had accidentally found out about Minako's secret and laughed, insulting the fact that a city was being saved by a girl. Instantly, the two were battling it out, Ranma's father mysteriously absent. And suddenly, the fighting turned into rivalry, which turned into the two fighting demons alongside each other, each in their own costume. Sailor V and the Wild Horse, England's saviors. There had been no youma or criminal that could stand up to them. But one day, his father arrived and dragged Ranma away. If he hadn't had her address, she'd never have seen him again. But now, he was gone. That nice girl, Kasumi, had sent her a letter about it. And Minako missed him.

A patter of footsteps told everyone that Michiru, Setsuna, and Hotaru were coming down the stairs. Setsuna instantly kicked Mamoru and Usagi out of her armchair and sat down, taking a deep breath as Michiru and Hotaru sat down on either side of Haruka.

"You're all wondering why I called you here. Well, earlier, Michiru received a letter from her mother, Nodoka, telling us that Michiru's brother, Ranma, died some days ago."

Michiru nodded. All the senshi were rapt with attention, though Rei, Makoto, and Minako were all wondering about Michiru's brother. Each were thinking the same thing. "Ranma was Michiru's brother!"

"With this letter came a DVD showing Ranma's last battle, a battle against the Phoenix God, Saffron. And I was surprised. For as I watched the battle, I realized that Ranma was...he was a man from the Silver Millenium. One that we all killed."

Silence reigned in the room. Makoto, Minako, and Rei shook. They had known him in the Silver Millenium? And they'd killed him! How? Anyone who knew Ranma couldn't help but like him, even if they hated him. Only hallucinating idiots could TRULY hate Ranma. Everyone waited for Setsuna to finish.

"To explain this, I need to tell you a story about the origins and history of the Silver Millenium. In the beginning..."

-------------Morisato House, Nekomi--------------------

Skuld flipped Banpei's switch, hopping from foot to foot as, once again, her latest invention revved up. The gears began turning, an engine began purring. Skuld activated the second switch on her latest Banpei model's back, and the purring of the engine turned into a roar. Banpei's latest body began to vibrate at high speed, and suddenly, he took off!

Straight through Keiichi's roof. Skuld scratched her head as the entire household peeked in on her. She chuckled and wiped the ash off of her face.

"Hehe...he wasn't supposed to take off like that..."

Belldandy smiled and shook her head while a mumbling Keiichi grabbed his toolbox and headed up to the roof. Urd snorted and just shrugged. As she began to head for her room, she heard Belldandy's voice lilting through the late nighth.

"Come on, Skuld-chan. You can sleep in my room tonight. Now, it's bedtime for you."

"Okay, oneechan..."

Just as she said that, the telephone rang. Urd, being closest, picked it up. In seconds, her facial expression went from disinterested and bored to disbelieving.

"F..Father! Are...are you certain! He...He's BACK!"

The voice on the other side confirmed it, and continued. Urd's face turned into a joyful, relieved grin, and she put the phone down when Kami-sama hung up. She turned and ran through the hallway.

"Bell! BELLLL! HE'S BACK!"

Skuld and Belldandy looked up at the figure in Belldandy's doorway. Skuld snorted and laid back on her futon.

"Who, your last boyfriend?"

Skuld's eyes widened when Urd not only uncharacteristically ignored Skuld's barb, but wrapped her arms around Belldandy and began to cry.

"He's back, Bell! He's back, and Father says I gotta help him with his reawakening in three days."

At thie, Bell started and grabbed Urd's shoulders.

"It's him! He's...he's really back!"

Urd only nodded, and Belldandy began to cry. She smiled sadly and hugged her knees, tears falling rapidly as she pulled a picture out and hugged it to her chest. Skuld's puzzled expression deepened.

"Who? Who's back?"

Urd smiled and hugged Skuld, surprising the hell out of the young goddess, before she pushed her to the bed and began to tuck Skuld in.

"Let me tell you a bedtime story this time, and it'll explain everything. You see, long, long ago, in a time there are no records of, there were only gods. There were no demons at all, only evil gods. And during this time, humanity prospered in an era known as the Silver Millenium. Each planet had their own kingdom, but all kingdoms answered to the queen of Luna, the moon. Now, each of the first rulers of these planets was gifted and represented by a god. Each of those gods, however, bowed their will to Hild-sama, who gifted Luna's queen with her own power. At the time, Hild-sama and Kami-sama loved each other very much, and Hild was the queen of Heaven, second in power only to Kami-sama. But both were very immature at the time, and did not realize the makings of war stirring in the Heavens. Both were so interested in the Silver Millenium that Kami-sama crafted the Silver Imperium Crystal for the royal line of Luna, while Hild crafted the Silence Glaive for Saturn's protectors. Both ordered the creation of the Neptune Aqua Mirror, the Uranus Space Sword, the Garnet Rod for Pluto, and the Crystal Sword for Venus. Kami-sama, so deeply interested in the Silver Millenium, chose a planet to bear him as a child. He was born as the son of Chronos, the king of Pluto, during the rule of the very first Selena. He retained all of his memories and powers, but his connection to Asgard was dampened by his temporary mortality. He lived a proud and gentle life, but frequently snuck away to a fountain in the court of Neptune, where he met Hild-sama in her own human form, the princess of Neptune. During one of these trips, he and Hild-sama conceived a child, a child of immeasurable destiny. Kami-sama and Hild-sama both let their godly traits out whenever they met, and so this child, when it was born, was a god. Or so Hild-sama and Kami-sama thought, at first."

"The child bore the marks of both Hild and Kami-sama. But he was not a god. Hild and Kami-sama both allowed their mortal forms to die with their child in a transport crash, choosing to let their child grow in Asgard. Time passed, and the Silver Millenium continued to prosper. A thousand years passed, and the child, whom they had named Voden, grew into a power to rival their own. Some of the other gods, jealous of the child's power, began to plant seeds of corruption into the hearts of the Silver Millenium's enemies. Hild-sama, seeing this, took them and placed them in the confines of Nifleheim as evil deities, the greatest punishment ever. But she had punished herself, for travelling to the then-barren Niflheim had turned her into a demon. But Kami-sama failed to notice this, as he had found in his son an even greater power than hid own. Somehow, when he and Hild were born mortal, they acquired a genetic code. Kami-sama's genetic code, in addition to his own power, had traits of Mercury, Venus, Luna, Uranus, and Pluto, while Hild's held her own plus Gaia, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and Neptune. They held these traits because of inter-kingdom marriages before them. As they now had genetic codes, when they conceived Voden, he inherited the traits of all of those planets. As each line held the powers of their planet's god, he, too, was born with the inherent abilities of those gods, plus his mother and father. And instead of one trait overwhelming the others, the genetic nature of his birth caused them all to combine and grow together. Kami-sama and Hild found this and decided to teach their child, still only an infant though a millenium had passed, about responsibility and love. They placed him in the womb of the queen of Neptune during the reign of the last Selenity."

"At the time, Neptune's queen was married to Pluto's king. She had lost her first husband, who had given her a beautiful daughter, Michelle, some time earlier. When Michelle was only two, Voden was born as a mortal by the name of Connor. He had no knowledge of his powers, and he grew up quickly, a proud and loving young man who cared deeply for those around him. He became a brilliant fighter by the time he was sixteen. But he wasn't only a brilliant fighter. He was a wonderful friend and brother. Belldandy and I, having been born by then, had decided to see what our big brother would be like as a big brother. We placed ourselves in the wombs of the Plutonian king's wife and mistress. I was in the wife, Bell was in the mistress. He was a wonderful big brother, and protected us both dearly. And he was also, apparently, a great little brother. Now, each planet had a Sailor Senshi, a protector of great power. Each senshi was a princess from the planet she represented, with one exception. As Connor was Michelle's brother, he frequently met the senshi after she joined them. He became a dearly loved friend by all of them but one. Her name was Setsuna. She wasn't a princess, she was simply the Guardian of the Gates of Time. And she hated him."

Skuld, rapt with attention, had her head in Belldandy's lap. Belldandy was smiling sadly, remembering those days with a wistful expression as she stroked Skuld's hair.

"Why?"

Urd started. She looked at Belldandy and Skuld and blinked.

"Why'd Setsuna hate Connor?"

Urd laughed and shook her head, remembering the reason and just chuckling.

"Because Setsuna could see the possibilities of the future in the Gates of Time. She was the daughter of the Goddess of Time and a mortal, and was born with the power to control the Gates of Time. And so she could see just about anything. But she couldn't see ANYTHING that involved him, except the past. And she hated not knowing anything. She had known mostly everything for over a thousand years. Now, Connor, or Voden, is my older brother. He was born only ten years before me. Belldandy was born of a different mother at the same time he was born as a mortal, as Connor. But she and I grew up quickly, while he remained an infant."

Skuld looked puzzled, but shrugged and let her hair get brushed by the sad Belldandy.

"Belldandy and I decided, when we saw Setsuna mistreating our older brother, to do something about it. But Kami-sama stopped us with a message in the stars. He, too, had seen it, and made us wait and see what Connor would do. And he did what Bell and I least expected. He kissed her."

Skuld stared at Urd, who just took a sip of some sake and returned to the narrative.

"As the Senshi of Pluto, she had certain duties she needed to perform. She was, as were the rest of the senshi but one, pledged to the Queen of Luna. Sailor Saturn was pledged to the Princess of Luna. But Sailor Pluto's duty bade her attend the Imperial Ball once a year with an escort. As Connor had come of age, she was duty-bound to attend the ball as his escort, a duty she did not look forward to. As they travelled, by royal airship, she decided she'd like to try to verbally torture him. We, as princesses, were there as well. And we watched him stand up, walk over to her, and let her abuse him. She insulted his honor, his manhood, and everything else she could think of. He was civilized, and treated the conversation like it was just that. We watched as he began to turn her heart around. And, without warning, he just bent down, kissed her, and told her that he believed he had the most beautiful woman at the ball for his date. She smiled throughout the whole thing. They never kissed again, at least not to our knowledge, but she was almost inseparable from him for every single day after that."

"After that, we decided to reveal to him what he really was. We received Father's approval, and he joined us. We all appeared to him and Setsuna during one of his training sessions, with her as his sensei. Father simply walked up and touched them both on the forehead, and Connor remembered everything, and knew more. Connor told Father that he was not a god, but he did not know what he was. Father replied, telling Connor that he was the true Death, the embodiment of Judgment, Right, Guidance, and Justice. He was, by simply existing, guiding the souls of the dead to Asgard for judgement. And that night, Connor made a choice none of us saw. He chose to remain human. Setsuna was overjoyed that her best friend would stay with her. And Father smiled and allowed Connor to use his powers on a smaller scale, though Setsuna did not know that. Connor simply smiled and Father left. We became his younger mortal siblings once more. But the war in Asgard finally erupted. Four of the weaker gods, calling themselves Plague, Famine, Destruction, and Death, were envious of Connor's power, and took this as an opportunity to kill him. They used two of his best friends, Beryl and Aria, against him. Beryl's jealousy of the Princess of the Moon was accelerated by Plague. Aria's homeland was scorched by Destruction. And this marked the beginning of a war in Midgard and Asgard both. Kami-sama was so absorbed in battling the evil gods that he did not notice the battles on Midgard unfolding."

"Beryl assaulted the various kingdoms under the influence of Metallia, one of the first demons Hild sealed away. Beryl, locked away from her own body, could only watch as she murdered one after another the parents of her closest friends. And her only chance to help was torn away from her."

Skuld yawned and hugged Belldandy's knees, looking expectantly up at Urd.

"Connor had, unbeknownst to all in the system, begun to change into an alternate form in order to battle the various monsters in and around the Silver Millenium. This alternate form was a silver-haired man with a single black wing. An incredibly sharp transformable scythe as his weapon, he began to judge those around him and destroyed the monsters who attempted to kill his friends. But the senshi had been looking for him. Destruction had used that guise himself to scorch Aria's homeland. And he had soon after used the same guise to report to Beryl that the deed had been done."

"This sealed his fate. He was charging across a battlefield one day in his mortal body, protecting the senshi from an attack by a fleet of Beryl's youma on the plains of Venus when the four gods mercilessly pounded him. In his mortal form, he could not stand the assault and so he transformed. Just as he finished and prepared to face the gods, he found that they had disappeared. He shrugged and began to finish the battle, finishing the last of the youma with his scythe. He began to walk to his transport, forgetting what form he was in, when a temporal blast nailed him. He was being attack by the Sailor Senshi. Belldandy and I, in our mortal forms, did not know that he was Connor, and so we leapt out of the transport and began helping the senshi, hitting him with whatever we could. Aria, a Phoenix from Mars, helped us."

"We killed him. He could not fight back, because he knew we did not know it was him. And he could not run, because his power was drained from the battle. All he could do was die. Before our very eyes, we watched the Silver Demon, as he was called, become the man our lives had revolved around. Destruction appeared above us, laughing maniacally. He changed into the very form we had killed, the Silver Demon, and showed us that we had murdered the wrong man. He was then joined by Plague, Famine, and the false Death and combined with them into the form of Apocalypse. He began to summon the end of Creation as the silver light of the Imperium Crystal echoed through the system, sending the Senshi, a prince from Earth, and the Lunar princess forward in time. Apocalypse was separated into four once more, and Kami-sama sealed them and the evil gods in Asgard into Niflheim. Hild-sama, too, went to Niflheim, to keep watch over the demons as one herself. But neither Asgard nor Niflheim could find the soul of the Fallen God."

Belldandy had cried herself to sleep, and Skuld yawned loudly and smiled as she fell asleep. Urd nodded, finished her sake, and went to prepare for her brother's reawakening...

-------------------Tofu's Clinic, Three Days Later---------------------

Fourteen people waited in suspense in the waiting room. A mother and daughter held each other's hand, each one praying to the heavens above it was true. An ex-girlfriend prayed for the chance to right a past wrong. Two sisters waited expectantly by the door. An old friend paced irritably while another sat subdued. A young fan and daughter looked out a window hopefully, her hands crossed in prayer. Two newer friends held each other, each hoping to see him once again. An old rival looked forward, hoping for a real chance to apologize. A best friend from long ago sipped a cup of coffee, her hand shaking with nerves. A daughter sharing another's body prayed her father was alright. An old friend-turned-murderer hoped her friend would forgive her.

All their eyes were riveted on the door as it began to open. Tofu Ono entered the room, shaking his head in wonder.

"I don't believe this. I saw his body for the autopsy! He couldn't have lived! But..."

Everyone looked at Tofu angrily. Tofu hastily caught his breath and looked at everyone present, doing his best to ignore Kasumi's presence.

"It's Ranma all right. There's no doubt about it. He's got all the scars I remember, plus a big new one, but it's him. I have no idea how, but...Ranma is alive."

A commotion behind him made him turn around and back into the crowd. Fifteen pairs of eyes behld the figure before them. He was six-foot-three, and his shirtless chest revealed countless scars that his recent death had brought into a stark red color compared to his tan skin. The doctor had removed the pigtail's binding, letting his naturally spiky hair flow around his shoulders and in front of his eyes. But to everyone in the room, the greatest changes lay in his face and on his back. Every person in the room bore enough divine blood, or had ethereal vision, to the extent that they all could see that Ranma now had a pair of wings and and x-shaped mark slashing from his forehead across the bridge of his nose. Another pair of slashes, one under each eye, helped contrast the one in the center of his face. His cobalt eyes, swirled with black and red, looked around the room puzzlingly. He looked at each face in the crowd, speaking the names in his mind as he matched them to faces.

"Mother? Michan? Kasumi, Nabiki, Kuno? Reichan? Mina-chan? Mako-chan? Setsuna? Urd, Bell? My little Firefly? Ari-chan? Doc? And...who...? 'Nami-chan, is that you?"

Everyone in the crowd nodded as he spoke their names, smiles of joy and love breaking out into each of their faces. Two of the members of the crowd, Hotaru and a cyan-haired young lady leapt from their seats and hugged his knees, as he bent down and kissed their foreheads. He lifted them both up as he stood, smiling broadly. Suddenly, a frown crossed his face and he looked at everyone assembled. He chose his words carefully.

"Who am I?"

-------------------Author's Note---------------------

Fuuuuuuuck meeeeeeeee, that's a longass chapter. I can't believe there was so much to put here. And there's more I wanted to put! Yeesh. R&R.

Oh, yeah, list of the fourteen people carrying Ranma. Somebody sent me an e-mail askin' for it, so I decided to put it up here:

Nodoka Saotome

Kasumi Tendo

Nabiki Tendo

Tatewaki Kuno

Rei Hino

Makoto Kino

Michiru Kaiou

Setsuna Meiou

Minako Aino

Urd

Belldandy

Hotaru Tomoe

Aria/Saffron

Guess the last one. Go on, just guess.