All
my life
I needed someone to need me
So I do my very best to
please him
But the more and more I care
The more of him other
girls share
When I need a hand to hold
That's the time he
leaves me all alone
Just keeps me, keeps me crying myself to sleep
-The Supremes
Asking for too much
Chapter 1
She stared, somehow unable to blink, unable to move as their verbal battle continued. It was, as always predictable. Akane was trying to be nice to him, trying to…ugh… cook something, and as usual it wasn't fit for human consumption. Ranma, of course, could never keep his mouth shut and again the argument would continue; he'd then say something stupid and the mallet would be produced from hammer space. It was, as always, predictable… and yet… there was something about it now that made her stare. Something about it that glued her eyes, not to the incident itself, but the ones participating within.
Had they always been like this? Had they always argued as such? Had Soun and Genma been right? Had they seen what no one else had? Sad as it was, they had been; because right here, right now, in the middle of what was going to become nothing short of spousal abuse, there it was, exactly what they had seen so long ago… Intimacy… and like an open book it spoke volumes… It was there in her scream. There in his insult. Within her scowl. Within his brace. Even within the cry of "Ranma no Baka!" it was there. All those actions spoke of hatred, but in their expressions and in their vaguest of movement it was there. How could she have missed it for so long? She'd know they'd liked each other, you'd have to be blind not to see, but this… this was so much more than mere friendship. Their argument had been an interpretive dance, one that spoke of passion, lust and above all else love…
Could she be like that? Could she of all people be as intimate with another human being; most of all could she have been that intimate with him? If things had gone differently; if circumstances had permitted her, could she have been the one in Akane's place? Could she have been the one to receive his warmth? His love? Could she have shared the elation of his successes; and comforted him in his defeats? Could she have been the loving, caring Nadeshiko in his life, forever waiting upon him? Or would she have conformed to the first love of his life, becoming the female warrior that set his days and nights ablaze with passion? Maybe it wouldn't have happened either way. Maybe she wouldn't have had to conform or change. Maybe he would've accepted her just for being exactly who she was…
It was a beautiful thing to wonder, but in the end it made no difference. She would never have the chance. Ranma already had his warrior, his damsel, his uncute tomboy, and no matter what anyone ever did, would do, or would try to do, he would never separate from her. In the end it was Akane who would be by his side. Akane who would comfort him. Akane who would share in his passion… She didn't stand a chance, probably never stood a chance. The way their lives had been shaped seemed almost pre-ordained, as though the Kami themselves had decided their fates. Everything was meant to get them closer together, meant to test their bonds, and ultimately to cement those bonds into a monument everlasting. She would never know that kind of love, never partake in the intimacy of those bonds… and in the innermost regions of her heart, it hurt… for more than she would ever admit…
"Would you like that to change?"
A voice… calm and collected, smooth and sultry, firm and confident. It was a voice she had never heard before, never recalled, and yet she had been expecting it… Why she had been expecting it was something she didn't know, neither did she know exactly why she wasn't even remotely fazed by the sight of the (rather handsome) man who floated six feet above her… Perhaps it was the constant strain of adventures she'd been on in her life; or perhaps it was the fact that such occurrences in Nerima were just common place nowadays, but whatever the reason she felt… relaxed. The resonating thoughts of Ranma had quieted, and all emotional conflict ceased. It was just her and him, a human and a … whatever-he-was-supposed-to-be.
"Would you like for that to change?" he asked again, "It can happen, if you want it to… I am after all a first class Kami."
She stared… a chance? Or some form of ruse? Was this really happening? Was she really being given the opportunity? …No… there was something else… There had to be something else…
"Who are you? Why are you here? Why do I even get this chance?"
She knew what she was risking by unleashing the barrage of questions, and yet to not ask, would be risking so much more. There were so many things that were just … wrong with this situation. A Kami, out to help her? Why her? And more importantly; why now? If there had been a time for his help, it would have been at the beginning; at the moment when they first met… when she first fell in love…
The Kami smiled benevolently, "My name is Malo, first class Kami of the otherworld. I am here simply because I wish to be, and I am giving you this chance merely because I can… of course if you don't want it-"
"No!" she yelled, "I want the chance. I… I want…"
Malo's smile changed into a grin, as he placed his hands against her shoulders.
"I know what you desire. And I will be sure to deliver."
His hands closed around her eyes, slowly, gently, and within the darkness of her lids she saw a light; one that called and beckoned to her. Without thought, without hesitation she followed… followed to the brink of unconsciousness…
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Malo was grinning, the same grin that hadn't left his face since he'd been in the Ningenkai. Now he was back on the Kami Plane, it seemed to grow all the wider. He had often wondered why exactly most of the Kami had chosen to abandon the ningen, in this modern age. Why only Kami-sama, and the handful of others, chose to interact and even intervene in the ongoings of the ningen. He himself, Malo first class Kami of Grey Chaos, could not fathom being an entity of divine proportions and not interacting with his roots.
The ningen were without a doubt the creatures with the most potential in any realm of existence, and more importantly they were just so much fun! Take for example his most recent undertaking, Jusenkyo. Eleven thousand years after he'd started its creation it was the source of legend. "The Accused training Grounds of Jusenkyo Springs" and so many creatures had given themselves to its creation. Granted most of them were careless, like that girl he'd saved after she'd lost that ball… and that piglet who couldn't find its owner… … and that duck that flew west instead of south… … … and that cat who, well, he'd never actually figured out why that cat fell into the spring, but he hadn't complained at the time… When he thought about it aside from his own brand of magic there really wasn't anything that qualified for those springs to be called accursed, after all he'd pretty much saved all the creatures that fell in… except that yeti… the fact that the damn thing had stolen both his lunch, his pet and his ride always left a bad taste in his mouth… But hey, it turned out to be just as fun as the rest of them!
And thus the reason as to why he was undertaking something else; something that most people, hell, most Kami wouldn't even think of doing. He was going to grant a young onna's desire, simply because it was fun. Granted the repercussions of granting said desires were going to be anything but fun, considering every Kami of love was definitely going to hunt him down after he invaded their turf (except, of course, Diana, Artemis, Ala and Aedos, who the heaven knew where they'd went), but all in all it was worth it.
Malo gave a soft chuckle as he floated over the white sands of time. Inevitably he was going to have to change the course of the realm itself, and to do that he needed help. It was time to see the Sisters of the Ordained; after all, Fayte and Destiny still owed him a favour.
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+Important+
VOTE NOW!
Head to my profile and vote for the Ranma who you want to be in the story. Even if you read it and don't feel like leaving a review, just vote. Each Ranma has a different storyline attached, and a different girl that he'll be paired up with. In other words you're voting on what I write. Depending on the number of votes I may extend the intro, or I may get into the story immediately. The poll is blind until the end.
Fans of Changing who we are, I've been stuck on the story for a while, so if you have any ideas for the story, as random as they may seem, please give 'em to me. I'll be sure to credit you with the continuation.
Names of the Kami listed.
Aedos- Roman Goddess of Modesty
Ala- Nigerian Goddess of Morality
Artemis- Greek Goddess of Chastity and Virginity
Diana- Roman Goddess of Chastity and Virginity