TILL THE END OF TIME
Chapter 1
By: Garm
Disclaimer: I own none of the characters from any anime series and get no money off of them. They were created by people far more talented than me and that I could ever hope to become.
If you like the story let me know, if you don't let me know. I also need prereaders, so If you are interested please let me know. Sorry this took so long to get out. After I was sent to Iraq, I discovered I had a new set of priorities, LIKE STAYING ALIVE! But after I got back I just got so busy and even tried to start up again (thanks to those of you that still were waiting for more of the story and dropped me ideas!) That I actually lost track of what I was doing for certain things. I do have the story mapped out and written on paper but after looking back at it again after 2+ yrs. Some of it needs to be changed. So without further ado...
Normal? What's That!
"Go tell the Spartans, stranger passing by, that here, obedient to their laws, we lie" - SIMONIDES
Lights, brilliant, prismatic. Spiraling around me in an endless cascade of colors. I reach out to touch one only to have it elude my grasp like a wisp of fog before the morning sun chases it away.
They flitter about me like butterflies in a meadow during the warm spring months and whisper to me on winds of endless time.
How long have I been here in this half awake, half sleeping state? Days? Months? Years?...
I though that I would be happy in the end, saving my friends, the world...my love.
After what seems an eternity I still feel the deep pang of loneliness in my heart and an ache of regret in the very core of my soul of what I can no longer have and of what might of been.
What have I done to deserve this half living state... To watch as my friends, family...him. Grow old and pass on to a new existence, while I remain behind to only be able to watch from afar.
My ancestors call out to me but I cannot understand them nor can I join them being in the state I'm in. Neither alive nor dead.
I can feel their warm presence gently caress me as a wind on a summer breeze with a scent of lilacs to enrapture me with.
But I am as deaf to them as I am forgotten to the living. Oh what cruel fates are the gods to have me save everyone but not be able to join them in the end. If I could have a wish, I'd wish to forget. That way I could erase this emptiness inside of me if I am to continue staying here as I am now.
Could hell be any worse than this state of undeath I live in? I think not.
Actually it can, but only to those who really deserve it. Other parts of it can be quite pleasant if you know where to go.
...Is someone actually there! Y..you can hear me! Where are you!
That...is a secret! Sorry, sorry I couldn't resist saying it. Boy, Zellos is really rubbing off on me.
Who are you?
Ah! Where are my manners! The name is Shen Long!
...(The sound of crickets can strangely be heard in the background)
You don't recognize the name? Well that's strange? I could of sworn that this is the right universe for that name. Hold on a sec. I gotta check something on my palm pilot.
Palm pilot?
Let's see now...yadda yadda...physical manifestation through use of materia...yadda yadda...Ah ha! Here we go. Man I haven't use this name in a while! How about Bahamut?
You're Bahamut! The dragon summoning!
Oh yea, did I also mention I was an elder god?
Ummm I guess not by that reaction.
Look here's the deal. I heard ya bitching and I was in the neighborhood so I thought I'd drop by and see what I could do to help and in return I have a favor to ask of you. Kay?
...You sound and talk like nothing I expected.
What, you were expecting a deep, earthshaking voice and me to slur my r's ans s's, or maybe you thought I'd be doing a lot of thous and those with a deep sounding omnipotent voice. Sorry to disappoint ya but this is my voice unless I want to impress the locals and do a little role playing.
Role playing?
(Sigh) Look it would take to long to explain and that's not really important right now. Also before you ask me again why you can't see me let's just say I can be in many different places at once and some places need me more than others, so that's why I'm speaking to you directly through a mind link only.
So what's this deal you were offering me and the favor you want but I'm telling you now I'm not giving up my soul in exchange for anything,
Geeze, what's with you mortals and "I'm not giving up my soul this." and "Not giving up my soul that." or "I'll give my soul for this wealth or that power." It's like you all have a soul fetish or something and everything revolves around you souls. Well here's a news flash for ya! I could care less with what you do with that little bit of protoplasmic matter you all call a soul. If I were to even absorb every soul in all the multiverses it wouldn't do much more for me than give me a mild burp. So as you can see they don't do me any good.
I'm sorry if I offended you. Please forgive my impertinence. What is it I can do for you and how can you help me?
Look lady, I'm not the type of deity that blasts you into oblivion for not knowing how to act around me. Heck, there's probably only a handful of people that actually really know me. I wouldn't expect you to. Heh, I'd probably be more scared if you actually did know about me.
Any ways, here's the deal. I need you to goto a certain world in a particular universe and convince a certain person to speak to me. In exchange for this service I will give you your life back to start over again. Think about it, you will be able to feel and interact again with others. I will not take away your memories because I believe that is the only way you can grow as a sentient being. You must experience certain things, taking the good with the bad and cherish what you have...trust me I know.
What if I cannot convince this person to speak with you?
All I ask of you is that you try. Wither you succeed or fail does not matter, all I ask is give it your best shot.
To live again, to feel and talk to others...also to experience the pains and joys of life. I
accept your offer. Tell me who is it I must talk to and how do I communicate with you?
The name of the person is Ranma Saotome. He's about 18 yrs old and an extremely capable marital artist. Unfortunately he was raised by his father who's a complete idiot and his mother was out of his life for about10 years or so and she not all there herself with her ideas of manliness. He also suffers from his fear of cats due to the nekoken training and is cursed to turn into a girl when splashed with cold water but hot water will turn him back to a guy. Oh and he's got about 243 fiancees and not all of them human that his father engaged him to for either food or money but only knows about 3 of them right now. Got all that so far?
(Sigh)Guess not. O.K., listen here's the short version. He's a splinter fragment of my soul that got separated from me during a war with the Old Ones. Since he's only a fragment and not part of the whole, he draws weirdness to him like a moth to the flame because there is an imbalance of power around him. Nature tries to balance this out by creating unusual occurrences around him to try and burn off the excess energy he produces, which in turn causes him nothing but problems. In other words he's a chaos magnet.
I think I understand but if you're a god why do you need my help to talk to him? Can't you do it yourself?
Well you see that is part of the problem. I already tried to talk to him in his sleep and convince him but he just thinks that particular conversation was a tomboy induced food hallucination from something he ate earlier in the day. Stupid tomboy, trying to feed part of me that stuff she calls food!
Riigghhttt...I wont even ask about that last remark but I am curious. You seem to know what's going on with him as if your there? Also why can't you just appear before him and tell him yourself?
Hmmm...let's see now. Yea I'll just appear out of nowhere in front of him and tell him,"Hey you aint real! All that crap you went through and everything you tried to achieve was for nothing because you don't really exist! Your just a part of my soul that got blasted away from me in a war with the elder gods 10,000 years ago and have been drifting around the multiverse until just recently. Whereupon you were drawn to a certain Nodoka Saotome because of her strong desire to have a child but could not because she's sterile and got her pregnant, which allowed you to take on a physical form." Oh yea, that'll work rreeaallyy well! Why didn't I just think of that before now! And in answer to your other question since he is a part of me I have a direct link to him so I know, see and feel everything he does but I have no control over him since we haven't rejoined yet.
I guess the easiest way to describe my problem is to tell it like this. Imagine you have you pinky finger cut off, it's annoying and you can live without it but you rather have it back on.
Now you can't just put it back on your finger, you need help to reattach it to you and that's basically my problem. I need help to reattach something that's missing from me.
Oh and before I forget, if you need to contact me just think about me and say my name and I'll hear you. That's about all I can think of right now to tell you. Anything else you need to know?
I think I understand now. Well I guess I'm ready to go anytime your ready to send me. What do I need to do?
Just close your eyes and when you open them you'll be there.
That's it?
What were you expecting a light show or something. I can do that if you want.
No no this is fine.
Goodby my friends...Cloud. Till next we meet.
Swirling lights once again encircle and enrapture me with their warm comforting presence as if to bid me a final farewell. I close my eyes and feel myself drifting away as darkness envelops me in her warm bosom.
Good luck Areis. May your life be happier than your last...
...You know, I just realized that if I rejoin with Ranma I'll actually be getting his feeling and emotions integrated as well. Hmmm...Oh well I deal with it when it happens. What's the worst that can happen. Any ways while I'm here might as well have a look around. Last time I was here was about 10,000 years ago. Let's see I could go visit Serenity-chan or Tsunami-chan or even Hild-chan. Boy wont they be happy to see me! Of course I did take off kind of suddenly without telling anybody but that's war for ya, I'm sure they'll understand. He he this'll be fun!
Nerimia
"Ah..ah...AHCOO!"
"Oh my! Ranma, are you catching a cold?"
"Nah, I'll be fine Kasumi. Although it does feel like someone is talking about me though. That can't be good."
"Well just in case here's a nice hot bowl of chicken soup to help you Ranma."Kasumi quickly sets a steaming bowl on the table in front him with a beatific smile.
"Wow! Thanks Kasumi! You're the best!" grabbing his spoon with a twirl he quickly sets to vanquishing the contents their in until he realizes a 'presences of doom' behind him. Turning slowing, he gulps the last of the soup down as he faces his destiny.
His senses quickly take in all relevant information:
Akane? Check!
Red Battle Aura of Anger? Oh yea! Check!
Mallet-sama? You know it! Double Check!
Gonna get hit no matter what I say? Check! Check! And Check!
Koei pond or Air-Akane? Hmmm...She's pretty mad...Air-Akane! Check!
All this processing of course takes him less than a spit second to determine. Backing up quickly in hopes of trying to get more time to explain himself, he trips on the chair that he so recently occupied moments ago sending him crashing into Kasumi's bosom face first. Looking up he sees a red faced Kasumi.
"Oh my! Ranma if you wanted to go out with me we should really go on a date first!"
Reacting on instinct he quickly puts his arms out to back away from Kasumi only realizing too late where his hands went in his hast to move away from her.
'Hmmm...soft, round (I'd say about a D-cup) and warm.' Looking down at his hands he gives a final squeeze to confirms his guess.
"Mmmmm...OH! Oh my! Ranma we really shouldn't!"
'Yep their Kasumi's breasts alright.' Turning his head to look at his fiancee he determines. 'Uh huh... I am sooooo dead!'
"Now Ak-" BAM!
"You two-timing Pervert! Quit MOLESTING my SISTER!"
Quickly fading below him ranma sees the Tendo House with a new exit in the roof. 'Well that's another one I'm gonna hafta pay Nabiki for when I get back! Man the Kami's hate me! I wonder where I'll land this time. She must of been pretty mad this time, I'm heading out
of the prefecture. Hmmmm...looks like Jubann. Figures. From one weird place to another. Well, can't be any worse than where I left!'
Well did ya all like it? I know it's kind of a short chapter for 2+ years but all my chapters were predetermined a while ago. I just touched up a few things since then. Well It'll be a while before my next chapter but I promise you it wont be another 2 years. It's due to my job in the army. I do not have much time to myself. Well send flames or comments to thanks and see ya next chapter!