FATE
A Ranma1/2 fanfic by PansutoTarou5925
-------------------------------------
Disclaimer to follow at end of chapter
-------------------------------------
"Ah," Chiyeko said, after Skuld had explained things. "So that
means I'm not really technically related to Gr-, uh, Sifu after all?"
"I guess," Skuld said. Truth be told, she didn't know what to call
the relationship between your mother's half-sister's cousin and
yourself anyways.
"This place has good ice cream, I've been here before," Chiyeko
said happily. The four of them had left school, Principal Ninomiya
having sent the class home until the room was fixed, and promising
Chiyeko that she was going to call her parents about this mess.
Skuld had decided to drag them off to the ice cream parlor as both
a peace offering and also to buy time for Urd. Her sister might not
like to acknowledge the fact that Hild was her mother - something
that even Sifu hadn't known until today - but she always
appreciated meeting family.
"I've got to go to the restroom," Skuld says. "Just order me a
double sundae with sprinkles, hot fudge, and extra strawberries.
Any flavors, I don't care. Plus a waffle cone, chocolate chip. And a
double scoop of chocalate in a bowl, with hot fudge on top." She
stuffed money in Sifu's hand and went into the ladies' room.
Chiyeko and Atasuke looked at Sifu incredulously. "She likes her
ice cream, what can I say?" she said, shrugging. She then turned to
the kid behind the counter, glanced at the flavors in the display, and
reached a quick decision. "Praline for me, with nuts and sprinkles."
"Just one scoop of strawberry," Chiyeko said. Ice cream was a rare
treat for her, especially since her mother embarrassed her whenever
they ate it together. By Ranma's standards, Skuld was a piker, and
Chiyeko figured that only a psychotic training regimen even demons
would hate kept her mother from putting on weight - from ice
cream, or any other food. She personally preferred a little less crazy
training, herself... on the other hand, she certainly trained enough to
have just a little more. "Uh, make that two. With hot fudge."
Atasuke simply ordered a single scoop of vanilla (with fudge) and
stood a bit closer to Chiyeko. He didn't like the looks that she was
getting from the counter worker.
-------------------------------------
"Urd, pick up Urd," Skuld grumbled into her cellphone. She had
dialed her older sister twice (and Belldandy once, in between, just
to fill her in on what was happening) and gotten voice mail. "Isn't
the third time the charm?"
"Hey Squirt, whaddya need?" Urd said, as obnoxious as ever.
"Need some time off from running herd on the kid?"
As tempting as it was to dump the situation entirely on Urd - both
the teenage demoness and the currently-on-Midgard Urd - she
knew that she really couldn't do that.
After all, she wasn't Urd. She smirked.
"No, nothing of the sort," Skuld said, and had an evil idea.
"Actually, we just wanted to have you come down and split some
ice cream with us." The look on Urd's face would be priceless; too
bad that she didn't have a camera here on Midgard.
"Ahh, I don't know about that," Urd said, clearly uninterested.
"Come on, Urd," Skuld said pleadingly. "I figured afterwards we
could go get drunk and think up pranks to pull on Keiichi."
"Hmm," Urd said, clearly interested now. Ever since their sister's
marriage, the rivalry the two had over the relationship had vanished,
to be replaced by the one thing that truly united the two Norns -
harassing Keiichi. "That sounds good. You have a videophone,
right?"
"Yep, and it's on." Skuld held the phone out, facing the wall; Urd
came through just a few seconds later and brushed herself off. She
took one look at her younger sister's face and frowned.
"Uh oh," Urd said.
"'Uh oh' what?" Skuld said.
"That face. You're playing some sort of trick on me..." Urd said,
then bent down to look under the stalls for Belldandy or (more
likely) Sifu.
"Am I really that transparent?" Skuld asked.
"Uh huh," Urd said, nodding.
"Well, let's not disappoint you, then," Skuld said, and dragged Urd
into the ice cream parlor.
-------------------------------------
Skuld smiled. The gods were with her (naturally) and Chiyeko was
seated in the near side of the booth, where Urd couldn't see her yet.
Perfect. "Well, this doesn't seem too bad..." Urd said, guardedly.
Skuld's smile turned into a smirk. "Prepare to be amazed." Sifu
noticed the two and looked over, smiling as she waved to her aunt
Urd. Chiyeko and Atasuke got up and looked, their jaws
dropping...
...much like Urd's. Skuld basically had to pilot Urd into the booth
herself, then sat down next to her, so that Urd was directly across
from Chiyeko. "Meet your cousin," Skuld said conversationally.
'There we go, I got you back for shocking me when I found out
Hild was your mother!'
"Wow, you really resemble Chiyeko," Atasuke said, as surprised as
his fiancee. "She mustn't take after her mother's side of the family,"
he observed. Inwardly, he was drooling; if Chiyeko grew up to look
like that, he'd never be able to thank his parents - or rather,
grandfather - enough for this whole arranged marriage thing. Ever.
"Atasuke, why are you crying?" Sifu asked, confused.
"Ice cream headache," he answered at once. "You can't eat it too
fast." Sifu looked at the as yet untouched ice cream and decided to
ignore that remark, instead choosing to push the chocolate ice
cream to Urd. Not that she noticed.
Urd opened and closed her mouth a few times before managing to
get something coherent out. "Well, it's obvious you're related to
my mother."
"Wow, Auntie Hild is your mother?" Chiyeko said, coming out of
her own shock. "That would be great. She's much cooler than my
own mother."
Urd smirked. "Oh, really? You've spent time with Hild?"
"Yeah," Chiyeko answered, her eyes lighting up. "First, she always
teases Mom about my Dad. Which is kinda cruel 'cause my father
was kidnapped or killed by Amazons or something," Sifu blinked. A
demon had been taken out by mortals? It must have been when she
was very young, or else she would have heard about it because of
the doublet system and the corresponding death of a god, "but, you
know, it's sort of like an old joke between them or something. And
then she takes me shopping, usually. My mom absolutely hates
shopping. She doesn't usually approve of the stuff Hild buys me
lately, either."
"My mother has interesting taste in clothes," Urd said, as she
started to eat her own ice cream. Skuld was already halfway though
hers, having started when Chiyeko started talking.
"Yeah, so do you," Chiyeko said, as Atasuke nodded slightly.
"Anyways, Auntie Hild's a lot more fun than my mother. I mean, I
like Mom, but sometimes I think that if you can't beat someone up
with it, she's not interested in it." She looked a little depressed. "I
think it's because my father died, and my mother never got over it."
She smiled again. "You must have had an interesting time growing
up with Hild as your mother."
"I was raised by my father, actually. I almost never saw my
mother," Urd said, the ice cream immediately turning bitter in her
mouth. The barrier between them because of Urd's loyalty to
heaven was the most depressing thing in her life.
Chiyeko blinked. "Why not?" she asked, with typical Saotome
thoughtlessness. Then her brain caught up to what she had said, and
immediately regretted bringing up what by all appearances was a
painful subject.
"Because I chose my father," Urd said, not really wanting to say
anything else. This demoness cousin of hers should be able to figure
out the rest.
"Ahh, messy divorce, huh?" Chiyeko said.
Urd smiled dryly. "You could say that."
Sifu leaned over to Urd. "She doesn't know we're goddesses," she
whispered. "Actually, I'm not convinced she knows she's a
demon." Urd blinked in surprise. That was strange.
She tapped her fingers. Last time she could think of a situation like
that was that Hercules guy. Well, it didn't matter, and besides, she
could learn more about her mother this way. "Got any funny stories
about my mother?" Urd said, leaning forward.
"Oh, sure!" Chiyeko said, "But you have to promise me you won't
tell her I told you this..."
Atasuke suddenly realized, with crystal clarity, that he was going to
be trapped with gossiping girls for at least an hour. Not that he was
going to complain, in this case...
-------------------------------------
Ranma stood on a rooftop not too far away, completely unaware of
the conversation her daughter was having right now. She was
waiting for someone she hadn't seen in two years, who had sent a
letter telling her to meet her here. "So there you are," she said,
sensing him arrive. Then she turned around to face him. "Pantyhose
Taro."
He frowned. "You know that's not my name... fem-boy."
Ranma smirked nastily. "The one you chose isn't any better, by my
estimation, Dai Taro."
"Yeah, but I chose it," the cursed boy said, smirking. "I'm in.
Always fun to beat around the Amazons." He stretched one arm,
then the other. "Of course, I always picked on the ones who were
already married."
"Beating up helpless mothers," Ranma said, shaking her head. "You
ought to be ashamed of yourself." Taro laughed, that irritating
laugh all his own that infuriated anyone who heard it. "Yeah, I
know, I beat up Shampoo after she was married."
"My only regret is that I didn't get to kill Happousai," Taro said.
"That little pervert never did change my name, right up until the
end. But I guess you did, right after he died and you became
grandmaster, so I suppose I owe you one. However distasteful I
might find it. So I'll join in your little catfight tournament."
"You shouldn't bullshit me, cowboy, you know you'd get a kick
out of beating up the Amazons anyways," Ranma said, rolling her
eyes. "But I thank you for your help anyways."
"As polite as ever, I see," Taro said.
"And you as well," she pointed out. "Neither of us love each other,
I know that. Anyways. I'm planning on talking to everyone
together tonight, now that you're here, and going over final plans.
Training, travel, the whole nine yards."
"I don't need any training," Taro said. He had grown older, fiercer,
and, to be honest, even more ruthless than before. If it weren't for
the fact that Ranma had spent the last seventeen years training
obsessively, she'd even admit he'd probably be better than her...
reluctantly. And only after a fight to prove it.
"I was talking about the others. They don't live to fight the ways
you or I do. Or Ryoga, for that matter."
"Piggy doesn't train like you or I do," Taro snorted.
"Only because of his kids. He does as much as he can, otherwise,"
Ranma pointed out, reasonably. "Anyways, I'll see you tonight, go
knock yourself out in the bars or something."
"Yeah, I'll go see if the women around here have improved in
looks. Last time I was here, the best looking ones were guys," Taro
said, disgusted. Then he grinned. "And if I see any kogals, I'll be
sure not to pick them up... they might be your daughter." He
ducked the ki blast Ranma threw at him and dropped off the edge
of the roof, laughing.
"What an asshole," Ranma said, shaking her head. "Well, at least
he's on my side."
-------------------------------------
"You know, for an evil demoness from the pits of Nifelheim, she's
not so bad, I guess," Sifu said reluctantly as she left the ice cream
parlor with her two aunts. "I mean, she's still an irritating jackass
and all, but I guess she's not really so terrible."
"Actually, I thought she was pretty nice," Urd opined.
"She's your cousin!" Sifu said. "You're biased!"
"Of course I'm biased. How could I disagree with someone who
shares my beauty?" Urd said playfully.
"She does look a lot like you," Skuld said, remembering the line she
told Sifu she'd steal. "Except younger, shorter, and in better
shape."
"Hey!"
Sifu laughed, remembering when she had told Skuld that. "I agree!"
"Don't start ganging up on poor old Urd here," she said, looking
down at Sifu with one eye, pretending to be angry. "Anyways," she
said, shifting gears, "it was nice to be able to talk to her about my...
about Hild."
Skuld nodded. "I know what it means to you, Urd."
"Thanks," Urd said, slapping Skuld on the back. "Now, about that
round at the bar, and harassing Sifu's dad..."
"I'm not hearing this," Sifu said, clapping her hands over her ears
theatrically. "Maintaining plausible deniabilty! I have nothing to do
with whatever you're planning to do to my poor father, and I won't
tell my mother you're planning anything." She skipped ahead, then
opened the door to the apartment building she was staying in.
"She probably suspects us of planning a prank anyways," Skuld
said.
"This is our sister we're talking about, squirt, she suspects nothing
of anyone," Urd said.
"Mom isn't that naive," Sifu protested.
"Yes she is, and you know it," Urd said, wagging her finger. "I
remember a boy who had a crush on you, and you convinced her he
was just a friend."
"He had a crush on me because of your love potion," Sifu said
accusingly. "And it took a week to straighten out."
"Details, details... that doesn't disprove my point, though... Keep
the light on for us, Skuld will probably need it."
-------------------------------------
"I'm hooo-ooome!" Chiyeko yelled as she took off her shoes,
announcing their return, then noticed the number of shoes in the
entranceway. "Wow, there some kind of party here tonight or
something?"
"First I've heard of it," Atasuke said, curious.
"Not really, just a reunion of old friends, you could say," a familiar
voice answered.
"Auntie Hild!" Chiyeko said happily, and ran over to her. "I haven't
seen you since-" She was cut off by one of Hild's suffocating hugs.
"-you were last in Kyoto!" Hild said, squeezing the poor girl.
Chiyeko managed to extricate herself from Hild's octopus-like grip
and bounced back. "Auntie Hild!" she said, "I'd like you to meet
my fiancee-"
"Atasuke Ono," he finished, hoping for a hug of his own.
"He's cute!" Hild said, then seemed to have finally heard Chiyeko.
"Wait, fiancee?" she asked, frowning.
"Old agreement," Chiyeko said by way of explanation.
"Yep. By our grandparents," Atasuke added helpfully.
"Well, at least we can't blame Ranma for it, right?" Hild said
happily. There was a glint in her eye that Chiyeko didn't quite trust,
and she decided to deflect her aunt's attention as quickly as
possible.
"Hey, do you know someone named Urd? She claims she's my
cousin," Chiyeko said.
"Urd?" Hild said, surprised. Her expression then turned into a
knowing smile. "She's not your cousin."
"She was pretty insistent on it," Chiyeko said dubiously.
"Trust me, Chiyeko, she's not your cousin," Hild said, patting her
on the head.
"She looks a lot like me, too," Chiyeko added, frowning.
"I do know Urd, though," Hild said thoughtfully. "Where did you
run into her?"
"At an ice cream parlor near the school, actually," Chiyeko said,
then decided to ask the most obvious question. "Auntie, why are
you here? And who else is here?" Chiyeko asked, gesturing to the
shoes.
"Oh, just old friends of Ranma's, lending a helping hand," Hild
answered playfully. "You know how she is about the Amazons.
Well, she wants to go and fight them."
"To get my father back, or to avenge him? She's not too clear on
that," Chiyeko said, "and I was kind of hoping someone would
clear that up."
"You will see your father again, don't worry," Hild said, then
walked over into the living room, Chiyeko and Atasuke following
behind, curious to see who else was there. "Hey! Chiyeko's home,
Ranma!" In the room were what seemed to be every person her
mother knew, from Ryoga and Ukyo to Taro and Shinnosuke.
Also, the principal was there.
"So there you are," Ranma said, walking over to Chiyeko and
mussing her hair. She gave Atasuke a quick glance before returning
her attention to Chiyeko, who had moved away and was fixing her
hair. Ranma smiled. "Skipping class, huh?" Ranma asked.
"Well, this monster kinda trashed parts of the school-" Chiyeko
said.
"-so the principal sent us home," Atasuke finished. "But I imagine
Ninomiya-san told you that."
"I know, she came straight here to tell me. Now, Chiyeko, could
you do me a favor?"
"I guess," Chiyeko said warily, wondering what her mother wanted
her to do. "What do you need?"
"Eh, Ryoga's kids are here, and I don't need them running wild
while we make our plans. I just need you and Atasuke to keep an
eye on them." She shoved a wad of yen into her daughter's hands.
"Go rent them a movie or something, I set up the TV in the dojo."
"Sure thing, obaba," Chiyeko said, sketching a short bow and then
leaving the room. She jumped up onto the rooftops and escaped,
Atasuke struggling to keep up.
"He's come a long way in a short time," Ranma noted. "When we
got here, he couldn't do that at all."
"So, Ranma, when are you going to tell her?" Hild asked, curious.
"Tomorrow," Ranma said, with an air of finality. She then turned to
the others and adopted a much more serious air. "So, let me tell
you what's going to happen..."
-------------------------------------
Chiyeko hopped down off the roof of the video store easily, and
waited for Atasuke to catch up. He dropped down, breathing hard.
"Honestly, how hard did your aunt train you?"
"Not hard enough," Atasuke said between gasps.
She grabbed his hand and pulled him inside the rental place. It was
a dim, dark collection of DVDs arranged in rows, and even some
old VHS tapes in the back, looking positively ancient. The whole
place seemed to have an atmosphere like it was one minute to
closing time, all the time. It was a creepy place, and Chiyeko
paused just inside the doorway to take it in.
"Can I help you?" a weak voice said, right next to her.
"Arrgh!" Chiyeko said, jumping away. She got a good look at the
guy who had startled her. "You're not a martial artist! How'd you
sneak up on me?"
"I'm the kind of person nobody notices much," the shop manager
said, smiling sickly.
"Gosunkugi likes to surprise people coming in the store," Atasuke
said. "He's been like this ever since I was a kid."
"I haven't seen you in a while, Atasuke," Gosunkugi said, as he
walked back to his countertop. "Is this your girlfriend?"
'What a creep,' Chiyeko said. "Actually, I'm his finacee."
"An old promise between our families," Atasuke said, adjusting his
glasses.
"Ahh, yes," Gosunkugi said, as if remembering something.
"Anyways, what can I do for you?"
"We actually just needed to rent a kid's movie or something,"
Atasuke said.
Gosunkugi shrugged. "They're right in the front, so help
yourselves." He sat down and turned on a TV by the register, then
unpaused the horror movie he was watching.
"What a weirdo," Chiyeko whispered to Atasuke.
"He's pretty cool once you get to know him," Atasuke said, used to
Gosunkugi's creepiness. "This one looks like it will keep the
attention of two kids," he said, holding up a brightly colored action
anime.
Chiyeko regarded it dubiously. "Better get another, just to be sure,"
she said, grabbing another disc from the same series. "You've never
tried babysitting Hibikis before."
"Why? What makes these kids worse than other kids?" Atasuke
asked, genuinely confused. His eyes lit up. "Oh! I get it! It's
because they're being trained in the martial arts, right?"
"No, it's because if you don't keep an eye on them they'll wander
halfway across town before you can track them down," Chiyeko
said, remembering the last time they had dropped by the Hibiki
house, years ago. The twins would be worse now - they could
move faster, and thus get lost quicker.
After paying for the rentals, they returned home to find Ryoga
Hibiki in the dojo with his twin boys. "Oh, good," Ryoga said,
seeing the two. He turned to his children. "Now you two be nice
for your big sister Chiyeko, right?"
"Ok, Dad, sure thing," Hideo, the oldest, said.
"Don't run off, either. It isn't fair to Chiyeko-chan if she has to run
halfway across town to find you," Ryoga said to his other son
sternly.
"I was only going for candy," Hikaru said unhappily.
"You mean you weren't kidding about having to track down the
kids?" Atasuke whispered.
"If you want food, ask Chiyeko to get it for you," Ryoga said. "The
pigs aren't here to help you wander off."
"Not that they always help in keeping them from wandering off,"
Chiyeko muttered.
Ryoga got up and walked over to the two of them. "Well, they're in
your hands now..." He trailed off, looking thoughtful for a minute.
"Atasuke, lead him back to where my mother and everyone is,"
Chiyeko said. "He'll get lost for sure otherwise." Confused, as he
hadn't had any prior contact with Hibikis before, Atasuke shook his
head and walked the short distance back to the house. She looked
at the twins and shook her head. "You know what, I bet the women
in your family don't have nearly as bad a time as you guys. They
probably ask directions once in a while." She picked up the first
disc, titled 'Deadly Martial Artist Space Gerbils', and wondered
briefly if she'd come out of this with her sanity intact, before
popping the disc in the DVD player and sitting back.
-------------------------------------
DISCLAIMER: Ranma ½ is the property of Rumiko Takahashi,
Shonen Sunday, Viz, and other parties; I make no claims of
ownership of any of the intellectual or other properties pertaining to
it. Oh! My Goddess belongs to Kosuke Fujishima, Studio Proteus,
Dark Horse, and other parties, and I make no claims of ownership
of any of the intellectual or other properties pertaining to it, either.
-------------------------------------
Author's Note: More work done! Hurrah and frabjulous joy!
A Ranma1/2 fanfic by PansutoTarou5925
-------------------------------------
Disclaimer to follow at end of chapter
-------------------------------------
"Ah," Chiyeko said, after Skuld had explained things. "So that
means I'm not really technically related to Gr-, uh, Sifu after all?"
"I guess," Skuld said. Truth be told, she didn't know what to call
the relationship between your mother's half-sister's cousin and
yourself anyways.
"This place has good ice cream, I've been here before," Chiyeko
said happily. The four of them had left school, Principal Ninomiya
having sent the class home until the room was fixed, and promising
Chiyeko that she was going to call her parents about this mess.
Skuld had decided to drag them off to the ice cream parlor as both
a peace offering and also to buy time for Urd. Her sister might not
like to acknowledge the fact that Hild was her mother - something
that even Sifu hadn't known until today - but she always
appreciated meeting family.
"I've got to go to the restroom," Skuld says. "Just order me a
double sundae with sprinkles, hot fudge, and extra strawberries.
Any flavors, I don't care. Plus a waffle cone, chocolate chip. And a
double scoop of chocalate in a bowl, with hot fudge on top." She
stuffed money in Sifu's hand and went into the ladies' room.
Chiyeko and Atasuke looked at Sifu incredulously. "She likes her
ice cream, what can I say?" she said, shrugging. She then turned to
the kid behind the counter, glanced at the flavors in the display, and
reached a quick decision. "Praline for me, with nuts and sprinkles."
"Just one scoop of strawberry," Chiyeko said. Ice cream was a rare
treat for her, especially since her mother embarrassed her whenever
they ate it together. By Ranma's standards, Skuld was a piker, and
Chiyeko figured that only a psychotic training regimen even demons
would hate kept her mother from putting on weight - from ice
cream, or any other food. She personally preferred a little less crazy
training, herself... on the other hand, she certainly trained enough to
have just a little more. "Uh, make that two. With hot fudge."
Atasuke simply ordered a single scoop of vanilla (with fudge) and
stood a bit closer to Chiyeko. He didn't like the looks that she was
getting from the counter worker.
-------------------------------------
"Urd, pick up Urd," Skuld grumbled into her cellphone. She had
dialed her older sister twice (and Belldandy once, in between, just
to fill her in on what was happening) and gotten voice mail. "Isn't
the third time the charm?"
"Hey Squirt, whaddya need?" Urd said, as obnoxious as ever.
"Need some time off from running herd on the kid?"
As tempting as it was to dump the situation entirely on Urd - both
the teenage demoness and the currently-on-Midgard Urd - she
knew that she really couldn't do that.
After all, she wasn't Urd. She smirked.
"No, nothing of the sort," Skuld said, and had an evil idea.
"Actually, we just wanted to have you come down and split some
ice cream with us." The look on Urd's face would be priceless; too
bad that she didn't have a camera here on Midgard.
"Ahh, I don't know about that," Urd said, clearly uninterested.
"Come on, Urd," Skuld said pleadingly. "I figured afterwards we
could go get drunk and think up pranks to pull on Keiichi."
"Hmm," Urd said, clearly interested now. Ever since their sister's
marriage, the rivalry the two had over the relationship had vanished,
to be replaced by the one thing that truly united the two Norns -
harassing Keiichi. "That sounds good. You have a videophone,
right?"
"Yep, and it's on." Skuld held the phone out, facing the wall; Urd
came through just a few seconds later and brushed herself off. She
took one look at her younger sister's face and frowned.
"Uh oh," Urd said.
"'Uh oh' what?" Skuld said.
"That face. You're playing some sort of trick on me..." Urd said,
then bent down to look under the stalls for Belldandy or (more
likely) Sifu.
"Am I really that transparent?" Skuld asked.
"Uh huh," Urd said, nodding.
"Well, let's not disappoint you, then," Skuld said, and dragged Urd
into the ice cream parlor.
-------------------------------------
Skuld smiled. The gods were with her (naturally) and Chiyeko was
seated in the near side of the booth, where Urd couldn't see her yet.
Perfect. "Well, this doesn't seem too bad..." Urd said, guardedly.
Skuld's smile turned into a smirk. "Prepare to be amazed." Sifu
noticed the two and looked over, smiling as she waved to her aunt
Urd. Chiyeko and Atasuke got up and looked, their jaws
dropping...
...much like Urd's. Skuld basically had to pilot Urd into the booth
herself, then sat down next to her, so that Urd was directly across
from Chiyeko. "Meet your cousin," Skuld said conversationally.
'There we go, I got you back for shocking me when I found out
Hild was your mother!'
"Wow, you really resemble Chiyeko," Atasuke said, as surprised as
his fiancee. "She mustn't take after her mother's side of the family,"
he observed. Inwardly, he was drooling; if Chiyeko grew up to look
like that, he'd never be able to thank his parents - or rather,
grandfather - enough for this whole arranged marriage thing. Ever.
"Atasuke, why are you crying?" Sifu asked, confused.
"Ice cream headache," he answered at once. "You can't eat it too
fast." Sifu looked at the as yet untouched ice cream and decided to
ignore that remark, instead choosing to push the chocolate ice
cream to Urd. Not that she noticed.
Urd opened and closed her mouth a few times before managing to
get something coherent out. "Well, it's obvious you're related to
my mother."
"Wow, Auntie Hild is your mother?" Chiyeko said, coming out of
her own shock. "That would be great. She's much cooler than my
own mother."
Urd smirked. "Oh, really? You've spent time with Hild?"
"Yeah," Chiyeko answered, her eyes lighting up. "First, she always
teases Mom about my Dad. Which is kinda cruel 'cause my father
was kidnapped or killed by Amazons or something," Sifu blinked. A
demon had been taken out by mortals? It must have been when she
was very young, or else she would have heard about it because of
the doublet system and the corresponding death of a god, "but, you
know, it's sort of like an old joke between them or something. And
then she takes me shopping, usually. My mom absolutely hates
shopping. She doesn't usually approve of the stuff Hild buys me
lately, either."
"My mother has interesting taste in clothes," Urd said, as she
started to eat her own ice cream. Skuld was already halfway though
hers, having started when Chiyeko started talking.
"Yeah, so do you," Chiyeko said, as Atasuke nodded slightly.
"Anyways, Auntie Hild's a lot more fun than my mother. I mean, I
like Mom, but sometimes I think that if you can't beat someone up
with it, she's not interested in it." She looked a little depressed. "I
think it's because my father died, and my mother never got over it."
She smiled again. "You must have had an interesting time growing
up with Hild as your mother."
"I was raised by my father, actually. I almost never saw my
mother," Urd said, the ice cream immediately turning bitter in her
mouth. The barrier between them because of Urd's loyalty to
heaven was the most depressing thing in her life.
Chiyeko blinked. "Why not?" she asked, with typical Saotome
thoughtlessness. Then her brain caught up to what she had said, and
immediately regretted bringing up what by all appearances was a
painful subject.
"Because I chose my father," Urd said, not really wanting to say
anything else. This demoness cousin of hers should be able to figure
out the rest.
"Ahh, messy divorce, huh?" Chiyeko said.
Urd smiled dryly. "You could say that."
Sifu leaned over to Urd. "She doesn't know we're goddesses," she
whispered. "Actually, I'm not convinced she knows she's a
demon." Urd blinked in surprise. That was strange.
She tapped her fingers. Last time she could think of a situation like
that was that Hercules guy. Well, it didn't matter, and besides, she
could learn more about her mother this way. "Got any funny stories
about my mother?" Urd said, leaning forward.
"Oh, sure!" Chiyeko said, "But you have to promise me you won't
tell her I told you this..."
Atasuke suddenly realized, with crystal clarity, that he was going to
be trapped with gossiping girls for at least an hour. Not that he was
going to complain, in this case...
-------------------------------------
Ranma stood on a rooftop not too far away, completely unaware of
the conversation her daughter was having right now. She was
waiting for someone she hadn't seen in two years, who had sent a
letter telling her to meet her here. "So there you are," she said,
sensing him arrive. Then she turned around to face him. "Pantyhose
Taro."
He frowned. "You know that's not my name... fem-boy."
Ranma smirked nastily. "The one you chose isn't any better, by my
estimation, Dai Taro."
"Yeah, but I chose it," the cursed boy said, smirking. "I'm in.
Always fun to beat around the Amazons." He stretched one arm,
then the other. "Of course, I always picked on the ones who were
already married."
"Beating up helpless mothers," Ranma said, shaking her head. "You
ought to be ashamed of yourself." Taro laughed, that irritating
laugh all his own that infuriated anyone who heard it. "Yeah, I
know, I beat up Shampoo after she was married."
"My only regret is that I didn't get to kill Happousai," Taro said.
"That little pervert never did change my name, right up until the
end. But I guess you did, right after he died and you became
grandmaster, so I suppose I owe you one. However distasteful I
might find it. So I'll join in your little catfight tournament."
"You shouldn't bullshit me, cowboy, you know you'd get a kick
out of beating up the Amazons anyways," Ranma said, rolling her
eyes. "But I thank you for your help anyways."
"As polite as ever, I see," Taro said.
"And you as well," she pointed out. "Neither of us love each other,
I know that. Anyways. I'm planning on talking to everyone
together tonight, now that you're here, and going over final plans.
Training, travel, the whole nine yards."
"I don't need any training," Taro said. He had grown older, fiercer,
and, to be honest, even more ruthless than before. If it weren't for
the fact that Ranma had spent the last seventeen years training
obsessively, she'd even admit he'd probably be better than her...
reluctantly. And only after a fight to prove it.
"I was talking about the others. They don't live to fight the ways
you or I do. Or Ryoga, for that matter."
"Piggy doesn't train like you or I do," Taro snorted.
"Only because of his kids. He does as much as he can, otherwise,"
Ranma pointed out, reasonably. "Anyways, I'll see you tonight, go
knock yourself out in the bars or something."
"Yeah, I'll go see if the women around here have improved in
looks. Last time I was here, the best looking ones were guys," Taro
said, disgusted. Then he grinned. "And if I see any kogals, I'll be
sure not to pick them up... they might be your daughter." He
ducked the ki blast Ranma threw at him and dropped off the edge
of the roof, laughing.
"What an asshole," Ranma said, shaking her head. "Well, at least
he's on my side."
-------------------------------------
"You know, for an evil demoness from the pits of Nifelheim, she's
not so bad, I guess," Sifu said reluctantly as she left the ice cream
parlor with her two aunts. "I mean, she's still an irritating jackass
and all, but I guess she's not really so terrible."
"Actually, I thought she was pretty nice," Urd opined.
"She's your cousin!" Sifu said. "You're biased!"
"Of course I'm biased. How could I disagree with someone who
shares my beauty?" Urd said playfully.
"She does look a lot like you," Skuld said, remembering the line she
told Sifu she'd steal. "Except younger, shorter, and in better
shape."
"Hey!"
Sifu laughed, remembering when she had told Skuld that. "I agree!"
"Don't start ganging up on poor old Urd here," she said, looking
down at Sifu with one eye, pretending to be angry. "Anyways," she
said, shifting gears, "it was nice to be able to talk to her about my...
about Hild."
Skuld nodded. "I know what it means to you, Urd."
"Thanks," Urd said, slapping Skuld on the back. "Now, about that
round at the bar, and harassing Sifu's dad..."
"I'm not hearing this," Sifu said, clapping her hands over her ears
theatrically. "Maintaining plausible deniabilty! I have nothing to do
with whatever you're planning to do to my poor father, and I won't
tell my mother you're planning anything." She skipped ahead, then
opened the door to the apartment building she was staying in.
"She probably suspects us of planning a prank anyways," Skuld
said.
"This is our sister we're talking about, squirt, she suspects nothing
of anyone," Urd said.
"Mom isn't that naive," Sifu protested.
"Yes she is, and you know it," Urd said, wagging her finger. "I
remember a boy who had a crush on you, and you convinced her he
was just a friend."
"He had a crush on me because of your love potion," Sifu said
accusingly. "And it took a week to straighten out."
"Details, details... that doesn't disprove my point, though... Keep
the light on for us, Skuld will probably need it."
-------------------------------------
"I'm hooo-ooome!" Chiyeko yelled as she took off her shoes,
announcing their return, then noticed the number of shoes in the
entranceway. "Wow, there some kind of party here tonight or
something?"
"First I've heard of it," Atasuke said, curious.
"Not really, just a reunion of old friends, you could say," a familiar
voice answered.
"Auntie Hild!" Chiyeko said happily, and ran over to her. "I haven't
seen you since-" She was cut off by one of Hild's suffocating hugs.
"-you were last in Kyoto!" Hild said, squeezing the poor girl.
Chiyeko managed to extricate herself from Hild's octopus-like grip
and bounced back. "Auntie Hild!" she said, "I'd like you to meet
my fiancee-"
"Atasuke Ono," he finished, hoping for a hug of his own.
"He's cute!" Hild said, then seemed to have finally heard Chiyeko.
"Wait, fiancee?" she asked, frowning.
"Old agreement," Chiyeko said by way of explanation.
"Yep. By our grandparents," Atasuke added helpfully.
"Well, at least we can't blame Ranma for it, right?" Hild said
happily. There was a glint in her eye that Chiyeko didn't quite trust,
and she decided to deflect her aunt's attention as quickly as
possible.
"Hey, do you know someone named Urd? She claims she's my
cousin," Chiyeko said.
"Urd?" Hild said, surprised. Her expression then turned into a
knowing smile. "She's not your cousin."
"She was pretty insistent on it," Chiyeko said dubiously.
"Trust me, Chiyeko, she's not your cousin," Hild said, patting her
on the head.
"She looks a lot like me, too," Chiyeko added, frowning.
"I do know Urd, though," Hild said thoughtfully. "Where did you
run into her?"
"At an ice cream parlor near the school, actually," Chiyeko said,
then decided to ask the most obvious question. "Auntie, why are
you here? And who else is here?" Chiyeko asked, gesturing to the
shoes.
"Oh, just old friends of Ranma's, lending a helping hand," Hild
answered playfully. "You know how she is about the Amazons.
Well, she wants to go and fight them."
"To get my father back, or to avenge him? She's not too clear on
that," Chiyeko said, "and I was kind of hoping someone would
clear that up."
"You will see your father again, don't worry," Hild said, then
walked over into the living room, Chiyeko and Atasuke following
behind, curious to see who else was there. "Hey! Chiyeko's home,
Ranma!" In the room were what seemed to be every person her
mother knew, from Ryoga and Ukyo to Taro and Shinnosuke.
Also, the principal was there.
"So there you are," Ranma said, walking over to Chiyeko and
mussing her hair. She gave Atasuke a quick glance before returning
her attention to Chiyeko, who had moved away and was fixing her
hair. Ranma smiled. "Skipping class, huh?" Ranma asked.
"Well, this monster kinda trashed parts of the school-" Chiyeko
said.
"-so the principal sent us home," Atasuke finished. "But I imagine
Ninomiya-san told you that."
"I know, she came straight here to tell me. Now, Chiyeko, could
you do me a favor?"
"I guess," Chiyeko said warily, wondering what her mother wanted
her to do. "What do you need?"
"Eh, Ryoga's kids are here, and I don't need them running wild
while we make our plans. I just need you and Atasuke to keep an
eye on them." She shoved a wad of yen into her daughter's hands.
"Go rent them a movie or something, I set up the TV in the dojo."
"Sure thing, obaba," Chiyeko said, sketching a short bow and then
leaving the room. She jumped up onto the rooftops and escaped,
Atasuke struggling to keep up.
"He's come a long way in a short time," Ranma noted. "When we
got here, he couldn't do that at all."
"So, Ranma, when are you going to tell her?" Hild asked, curious.
"Tomorrow," Ranma said, with an air of finality. She then turned to
the others and adopted a much more serious air. "So, let me tell
you what's going to happen..."
-------------------------------------
Chiyeko hopped down off the roof of the video store easily, and
waited for Atasuke to catch up. He dropped down, breathing hard.
"Honestly, how hard did your aunt train you?"
"Not hard enough," Atasuke said between gasps.
She grabbed his hand and pulled him inside the rental place. It was
a dim, dark collection of DVDs arranged in rows, and even some
old VHS tapes in the back, looking positively ancient. The whole
place seemed to have an atmosphere like it was one minute to
closing time, all the time. It was a creepy place, and Chiyeko
paused just inside the doorway to take it in.
"Can I help you?" a weak voice said, right next to her.
"Arrgh!" Chiyeko said, jumping away. She got a good look at the
guy who had startled her. "You're not a martial artist! How'd you
sneak up on me?"
"I'm the kind of person nobody notices much," the shop manager
said, smiling sickly.
"Gosunkugi likes to surprise people coming in the store," Atasuke
said. "He's been like this ever since I was a kid."
"I haven't seen you in a while, Atasuke," Gosunkugi said, as he
walked back to his countertop. "Is this your girlfriend?"
'What a creep,' Chiyeko said. "Actually, I'm his finacee."
"An old promise between our families," Atasuke said, adjusting his
glasses.
"Ahh, yes," Gosunkugi said, as if remembering something.
"Anyways, what can I do for you?"
"We actually just needed to rent a kid's movie or something,"
Atasuke said.
Gosunkugi shrugged. "They're right in the front, so help
yourselves." He sat down and turned on a TV by the register, then
unpaused the horror movie he was watching.
"What a weirdo," Chiyeko whispered to Atasuke.
"He's pretty cool once you get to know him," Atasuke said, used to
Gosunkugi's creepiness. "This one looks like it will keep the
attention of two kids," he said, holding up a brightly colored action
anime.
Chiyeko regarded it dubiously. "Better get another, just to be sure,"
she said, grabbing another disc from the same series. "You've never
tried babysitting Hibikis before."
"Why? What makes these kids worse than other kids?" Atasuke
asked, genuinely confused. His eyes lit up. "Oh! I get it! It's
because they're being trained in the martial arts, right?"
"No, it's because if you don't keep an eye on them they'll wander
halfway across town before you can track them down," Chiyeko
said, remembering the last time they had dropped by the Hibiki
house, years ago. The twins would be worse now - they could
move faster, and thus get lost quicker.
After paying for the rentals, they returned home to find Ryoga
Hibiki in the dojo with his twin boys. "Oh, good," Ryoga said,
seeing the two. He turned to his children. "Now you two be nice
for your big sister Chiyeko, right?"
"Ok, Dad, sure thing," Hideo, the oldest, said.
"Don't run off, either. It isn't fair to Chiyeko-chan if she has to run
halfway across town to find you," Ryoga said to his other son
sternly.
"I was only going for candy," Hikaru said unhappily.
"You mean you weren't kidding about having to track down the
kids?" Atasuke whispered.
"If you want food, ask Chiyeko to get it for you," Ryoga said. "The
pigs aren't here to help you wander off."
"Not that they always help in keeping them from wandering off,"
Chiyeko muttered.
Ryoga got up and walked over to the two of them. "Well, they're in
your hands now..." He trailed off, looking thoughtful for a minute.
"Atasuke, lead him back to where my mother and everyone is,"
Chiyeko said. "He'll get lost for sure otherwise." Confused, as he
hadn't had any prior contact with Hibikis before, Atasuke shook his
head and walked the short distance back to the house. She looked
at the twins and shook her head. "You know what, I bet the women
in your family don't have nearly as bad a time as you guys. They
probably ask directions once in a while." She picked up the first
disc, titled 'Deadly Martial Artist Space Gerbils', and wondered
briefly if she'd come out of this with her sanity intact, before
popping the disc in the DVD player and sitting back.
-------------------------------------
DISCLAIMER: Ranma ½ is the property of Rumiko Takahashi,
Shonen Sunday, Viz, and other parties; I make no claims of
ownership of any of the intellectual or other properties pertaining to
it. Oh! My Goddess belongs to Kosuke Fujishima, Studio Proteus,
Dark Horse, and other parties, and I make no claims of ownership
of any of the intellectual or other properties pertaining to it, either.
-------------------------------------
Author's Note: More work done! Hurrah and frabjulous joy!