[FFML] [Ranma 1/2 Crossover] Storm Stallion Chapter 1 (Final Rough)

[DorianVal at aol.com]

Storm Stallion
 
By
 
Jeremy Harper
 
Disclaimer – The characters and concepts in this story belong to their  
original creators, and are used without permission.
 

Chapter 1 – Apotheosis 
 

“We’re being followed again,” Akane Tendo said softly to her  fiancé. 
 
 Walking along the top of the wire mesh fence that ran along the  canal, 
Ranma Saotome slowed his pace a trifle and rolled his shoulders, his book  bag 
hanging from his right hand. He looked down at Akane. “Same person?” he  asked.
 
 “Yes.”
 
 “I wonder who she’s following – you or me.”

“Well,  since it’s a girl, it’s probably you.” Akane’s tone was somewhat 
caustic. 
 
 “Tomboy wit. Ha.” Akane blew a raspberry at him while Ranma glanced  out of 
the corner of his eye before looking forward again. The girl was trailing  
twenty feet behind, a pretty little thing in a white and blue dress and matching 
 sneakers, trying very hard not to look like she was shadowing them and 
failing  miserably. She had long black hair, was shorter than Akane, and Ranma 
judged her  at least two or three years younger than they were. 
 
 “I wonder what she wants?” Akane said softly. 
 
 “Dunno.” Akane looked up at Ranma, alerted by the glowering cadence  in his 
voice. “But there’s one way to find out.” He dropped his book bag to the  
street and kicked off the fence, jumping backwards in a high, graceful arc,  
spinning so to face the girl. He swore when he saw she was running and all ready  
had a good lead. She must have bolted the exact moment he went airborne, but 
how  she anticipated him, Ranma had no idea. He knew damn well he had not 
telegraphed  his intentions. She ducked into an alley a second before he landed, 
and he  pursued, a tigerish blur of crimson and black. He rushed the alley’s 
mouth,  slapping a hand against the wall of the left hand house to help make his 
turn,  then jerked to a stop. Save for litter, dust and a stray trash can, 
the alley  was empty. 
 
 Ranma’s blue eyes narrowed as his mind calculated. The strange girl  was 
fast, but not amazingly so, and the alley was fairly long. There was no way  she 
could have escaped out the other end before he came in and saw which way she  
went. Frowning, he went down the alley, quick but wary, stopping at the  
t-section forming its end. He glanced both ways, concentrating with every sense  he 
possessed, physical and spiritual, and detected nothing. The girl was gone. 
 
 Perplexed and cross, Ranma walked back towards the canal, thinking.  This 
little stalker was perhaps more than she appeared. That did not surprise  him, 
since very rarely was anything in Nerima just what it seemed. He stepped  into 
the street, nearly colliding with Akane. Neither of them noticed the small  
puddle of water behind Ranma, a few steps away from the entrance of the  
otherwise bone dry alley. 
 
 “Where did she go?” Akane asked. 
 
 “No idea.” He glanced upwards at the rooftops and all around. “I  can’t 
even make a guess. It’s like she vanished.” Ranma shrugged and frowned. “I  don’
t like it.” 
 
 “Well, I don’t really blame her for running. You probably scared her,  
jumping at her like that.”
 
 Ranma snorted. “Tough for her. If she wants something from one of us,  she 
should just come out and say it, not skulk about like a wannabe Gosunkugi.”  
Akane glared at him in irritation, but said nothing; she agreed with his  
sentiment, if not with the tactless way he stated it. Ranma retrieved his book  bag, 
resumed his position on the fence and the two continued their way home.  They 
did not see the young girl peeking cautiously at them around the corner of  
the alley, pointing a small gray rod in their direction and adjusting with a  
fingertip the receiver in her right ear. 
 
 Akane kept an eye on Ranma. He was still frowning in thought,  occasionally 
scratching the back of his head. He suddenly noticed her attention  and 
frowned at her. “What?” Akane gave him an arch smile. 
 
 “Nothing. It’s just that I’ve never seen you thinking this hard, and  I’m 
waiting to see smoke pour out of your ears when the gears in your head start  
to strip.” 
 
 “Ha. And again, ha. You’re an absolute joy to be around,  Akane.”
 
 Akane laughed. “Seriously though, Ranma: a yen for your thoughts.” 
 
 “You value them that much?”
 
 Akane’s smile softened. “Sometimes.” Ranma looked at her for a moment  and 
nodded. “I dunno. Something about that girl is bugging me.” 
 
 “What, the fact that she’s following us, or that she hasn’t attacked  us 
yet?” 
 
 “Neither. Hell, if she did try to jump us it’d be a relief. That I  could 
handle.” Ranma frowned again, and bit his lower lip. “She’s familiar  somehow. 
I think I’ve met her somewhere.” 
 
 “Where?”
 
 “Dunno. I just feel like I should know her. Maybe I saw her in a  dream…” 
Ranma shrugged. “Like I said, it’s bugging me. Like an itch on your back  just 
out of reach. It also bugs me she managed to ditch me almost without  trying. 
How the hell did she do it?” Ranma shook his head. 
 
 Now Akane was frowning in thought. Suddenly her eyes widened and she  
stopped walking. “Maybe she’s another fiancée?” 
 
 Her words struck Ranma like a punch. He stumbled, nearly falling into  the 
canal before managing to right himself. He jumped down in front of Akane,  
looking at her in disbelief and shaking his head. 

“No… No  way. Pop couldn’t have. Even he couldn’t be stupid enough to 
saddle me with  another engagement on top of yours and Ukyo’s. Besides, that girl 
is too young.  She’s thirteen at the most!” 
 
 Akane crossed her arms beneath her breasts. “And are you stupid  enough to 
belief your father _wouldn’t_ engage you to _any_ sort of girl if he  was 
offered enough?” Ranma opened his mouth to retort but then snapped it shut  with a 
loud click of his teeth. He considered her words, trying hard to ignore  the 
insult, and then his mind leaped to thoughts of his father, sifting through  
memory of his past behavior. His face flushed red, then paled white as his anger 
 began to soar almost to murderous heights. His blue eyes smoldered. A low, 
feral  growl rumbled through his bared and grinding teeth. Akane took a step 
back,  frightened, not by his anger, but by its deadly intensity. “Ranma…” 
 
 Ranma took a deep breath and swallowed his rage, calling upon past  
masteries to seal it within a cold chamber of his soul. He could whistle it back  up 
easy enough, he reasoned, if he had need of it. He blinked, looked at Akane,  
and nodded to her. “You make a good point. Why don’t we get home and ask the 
old  bastard if he knows anything about this girl.” Without waiting for a reply 
he  turned hard on his heel and ran off. Akane watched him go, then shook her 
head,  as if coming out of a daze. “Ranma, wait up!” She chased after him. 
 
 The young girl stepped out of the alley and stared after the two, her  wide 
brown eyes stained with pain and longing. She wiped at them with the back  of 
her hand, then removed her earpiece, opened the satchel at her hip and placed  
the earpiece and gray rod in it, next to a small thermos. She looked again in 
 the direction Ranma and Akane ran off, and for a moment blue light shimmered 
on  her cheeks and forehead, vanishing when she shook her head. She returned 
to  alleyway, melding into the shadows.  
 

*****
 

Ranma entered the Tendo house without announcing himself, simply  shucking 
his shoes in the foyer and storming in. Akane trailed in his wake, her  lips 
pursed in a tight frown. “We’re home!” she called out as she hurriedly  kicked 
off her own shoes.
 
 “Welcome home!” Kasumi answered as she stepped into the hallway. “How  was 
your –“ Kasumi stopped herself with a gasp, bringing a hand to her mouth and  
taking a step back, the expression of barely reigned, volcanic rage on his 
face  startling her. Ranma’s look softened a trifle and he sketched a nod of 
apology  to her before entering the living room. 
 
 “What’s wrong?” Kasumi whispered to her younger sister when Akane  joined 
her by the living room door. 
 
 “A strange girl has been following us from school.” Akane whispered  back. “
Ranma tried to catch her today, but she got away. We were talking about  who 
she could be when I suggested that maybe she was another fiancée.” 
 
 “Is she?” 
 
 “I don’t know. Knowing Uncle Saotome it’s possible.” Akane, eyes  bright 
with worry, stared at Ranma as he walked up behind Genma Saotome, who was  bent 
over a shogi board with her father Soun, too focused on their match to  
notice the angry young man looming above them. “But I really wish I hadn’t said  
it. I don’t think I’ve EVER seen him this upset.” Kasumi could only nod in  
concerned agreement. 
 
 Nabiki looked up from the television, blinking when she saw Ranma.  She 
could feel the anger and resentment pouring off of him in palpable, crashing  
waves, and gave fervent thanks that it was not being directed at her. While she  
was a bit contemptuous of him, she also had a healthy respect for his prowess.  
She spared Genma and Soun a quick glance, wondering how anyone could be so  
obtuse as to not notice the smoldering time bomb lurking nearby. “Oh hell,” 
she  muttered to herself, grabbing her bag of snacks and retiring to the 
questionable  safety of the hallway with her sisters. “A thousand yen says that Uncle 
Saotome  doesn’t last longer than a minute,” she whispered to them.
 
 “Little sister, be serious,” Kasumi chided. 
 
 “Yo, Pop!” Ranma growled. “We need to talk.” 
 
 “In a minute, Ranma.” Genma reached for his farthest advanced knight,  then 
withdrew his hand, reconsidering. 
 
 “I’m serious, old man. This is important!”
 
 “Quiet, boy! Can’t you see I’m busy?” 
 
 Ranma’s hands clenched, their knuckles bleaching white. He took a  deep 
breath, opened them, then in a blur of motion seized the collar of his  father’s 
gi, yanking it back and twisting. Genma let out a squawk of surprise as  his 
son pivoted, heaved and hurled him through the open engawa doors, into the  
yard. Genma rolled as he hit the ground, coming to his feet near the koi pond,  
turning in time to see Ranma flying at him. Ranma put his father on the  
defensive with a jump kick, following with a hook kick immediately after gaining  his 
footing, forcing Genma to one side. Ranma maneuvered so they were both  
parallel to the pond and then closed the distance between them, lashing out with  a 
flurry of blows. “When I say I want to talk to you I mean I want to talk to  
you NOW!” Ranma gritted out between strikes. 
 
 Genma grinned at his son’s anger as he defended himself, successfully  
parrying the entirety of Ranma’s attack. “Absolutely, boy!” he growled back. “A  
good father always makes himself available when his son wants to talk.” He  
deflected a punch to one side and stepped in to take advantage of Ranma’s opened 
 guard, aiming a forearm strike at his temple. Ranma fell back underneath it, 
 rolling away, then surging forward with a side thrust kick. Genma slapped it 
 down and barely managed to avoid having his nose clipped by the high 
spinning  back heel kick that followed. “What the hell do you know about being a good 
 father, you panda?” Ranma demanded. 
 
 “About as much as you know about being a competent martial artist,”  Genma 
retorted, launching a sequence of punches, hoping to catch Ranma before he  
recovered from his missed kick. His son was too fast; the elder Saotome gritted  
his teeth from the pain caused by Ranma’s punishing hard blocks.  
 
 “Funny,” Ranma snarled. “Shame your punches don’t have the same snap  your 
words do.”  Ranma shifted from defense to offense, making his father  block 
and weave frantically, forcing him slowly back. “A girl’s been following  me 
around lately.”
 
 “Oh? Well, nothing wrong with that. Just further proof of how manly  you 
are. As long as you remember just who you’re engaged to, I don’t see what  the 
problem is.” Ranma roared in rage. He sent an elbow thrust beneath Genma’s  
guard, striking him squarely under the ribs, stunning him. “And that there’s 
the  problem: knowing who I’m engaged to!” Ranma shouted, hitting him again in 
the  same spot with a palm strike. Genma grunted and staggered back, gasping a 
bit.  Ranma did not follow up his advantage, instead flowing into the 
deceptively  relaxed fighting stance he favored, holding his ground. “She’s maybe 
twelve,  thirteen years old, with long black hair and a pretty, sorta sad face. 
Never  seen her before, but I got to wondering if maybe you had.”
 
 Genma had recovered from Ranma’s hits and set into a side guard  stance, but 
made no move to attack, watching the younger Saotome warily. His  breath 
rasped slightly, and he fought the urge to reach under his gi top and rub  at the 
bruise starting to form on his stomach. “I have no idea what you’re  raving 
about, boy.” 
 
 “I bet you don’t! What kind of dowry you bilk some sucker out of this  
time, old man? A takoyaki stand? Yaki-imo cart? Or maybe just a cheap hibachi  and 
a package of fish sausage?” A fierce, furious snarl slashed across Ranma’s  
mouth. “Spit it out before I beat it out of you, you old fool! What sort of  
trouble am I going to be in now?” 
 
 Genma’s eyes narrowed as he considered his son, then snorted  
contemptuously, dropped his guard, and looked directly into the flashing blue  eyes 
challenging him. “Ranma, I have no idea who this girl could be.” 
 
 “Bull.” 
 
 Genma shook his head. “No, it’s the truth. Admittedly, your  description is 
a bit vague, but I can say honestly that I never engaged you to  anyone that 
much younger than you.” 
 
 Ranma peered suspiciously at his father and grimaced. He knew Genma  was sly 
and treacherous, but could not lie to save his life, preferring to  conceal 
the truth through omission. He could equivocate, attempt to change the  
subject, or, if sorely pressed, revert to his cute, dumb panda act, but when it  came 
to telling falsehoods he was almost as bad as his son. Ranma did not trust  
him, but silently conceded to himself his father was telling the truth. “If 
this  ends up biting me, and I find out you had a hand in it…” Ranma trailed off 
into  unspoken menace. He sneered at the air of wounded innocence Genma 
assumed and  turned towards the engawa. 
 
 Ranma sensed the rush from behind. In truth he had been expecting it.  He 
dropped beneath the punch aimed for the back of his head, planted his hands  and 
mule kicked. He felt no contact and heard his father leap back as he twisted  
sinuously up to his feet. Genma stood facing him and at the ready, his  
expression stern and haughty. “Foolish boy!” he snapped. “Finish what you  start.”
 
 
 Ranma cricked his neck and swiped the tip of his nose with the  knuckle of 
his thumb. “Feh. And since when do you ever? Have it your way, Pop.”  Ranma 
closed in and attacked. 
 
 They exchanged blows for over a minute, neither Saotome yielding  ground nor 
attempting anything sophisticated, merely blocking and punching,  gaining 
speed the longer they attacked, rocking back and forth on their feet  like 
willows in a breeze, their arms blurs, their faces snarling masks of  concentration. 
Then in a blink it ended, Ranma breaking open Genma’s guard,  stepping close 
and striking him in the sternum with a one inch punch. Genma’s  eyes bulged 
behind his glasses, his face flushing deep red and his cheeks  billowing out. He 
reeled and collapsed in a heap. Wheezing for breath, he lifted  his head and 
looked blearily at his son posed above him at the ready, fierce  with the 
arrogance of a fighter who knows his worth. Pride lifted Genma briefly  above his 
pain. But sixteen years old, and all ready so skilled… he was lucky to  beat 
his son two out of five spars, now - how strong would Ranma be in another  ten 
years, he wondered. His vision wavered and he let his head fall back,  letting 
out a breath. He was not hurt too bad, knowing from past experiences he  
would be all right by next morning, but the need to rest was overpowering. 
 
 Ranma spun his fists over each other and settled into his relaxed  stance. “
You have enough, Pop?” Genma lifted a hand, conceding defeat. Ranma let  out a 
satisfied grunt, turned to walk back into the house, stopping when he felt  
the impact of Tendo sisters combined stare. Kasumi’s lips were pursed tightly,  
her eyes bright with concern and more than a little trepidation. Guilt 
stabbed  at Ranma, and it increased three fold when he noticed Akane’s expression  
mirrored her eldest sister’s, though tinctured with another emotion he could 
not  decipher, the presence of which brought a slight flush to his checks and 
made  him want to duck his head. Nabiki seemed amused, looking him up and down  
appraisingly, but he could sense the tension in her. Her arms were crossed  
defensively and she was leaning away from him, ready to run if he startled her.  
He ignored Soun’s mildly quizzical look – the Tendo patriarch’s opinions 
carried  little weight with Ranma, in comparison of those of his daughters. 
 
 Ranma looked down at the grass, feeling confused and ashamed, not  
understanding the Tendo sisters’ fear. It was not like they never saw him fight  with 
his father before. He looked back up and bowed to them. “Sorry about this,”  
he murmured contritely, then entered the house, unable to look at them. They  
made way for him wordlessly, and he retreated to the uncertain solitude of his  
room. 
 
*****
 

Ranma sat on the roof, watching stars wink into existence as the  darkness of 
the eastern night sky deepened and the shadows cast by the rapidly  vanishing 
sun grew. He had stayed out of sight for the rest of the day as he  wrestled 
with the feelings the Tendo girls had invoked in him. He did not regret  the 
thrashing he had inflicted on his father – if he concentrated, he could hear  
the fat panda now, talking with Soun, the occasional soft click of a shogi 
stone  being moved or swiped punctuating their dialog. Ranma made a face. Indeed, 
Genma  Saotome seemed no worse for wear after fighting his son, but then he 
had always  been, if nothing else, tenacious. Ranma heard Kasumi addressing the 
two  patriarchs, saying something about going out tomorrow night after dinner 
was  finished. Probably to the mahjong club she was a member of, since 
tomorrow was  Friday, he surmised. He sighed deeply, covering his eyes, rubbing at 
their  corners with middle finger and thumb, still unhappy with himself for 
scaring her  and Akane. 
 
 He uncovered his eyes when he heard a clank of metal and saw a ladder  
leaning against the gutter, and a moment later, as if his thought had summoned  
her, Akane was on the roof. Ranma arched an eyebrow – she usually left him alone  
when he retreated to this perch. She seemed to sense his surprise, and asked  
softly “Do you mind if I join you?” He gestured at the spot next to him  
indifferently and she came over and sat down, drawing up her legs and wrapping  
her arms loosely around her knees. He looked at her out of the corner of his  
eye, and admitted to himself she looked good tonight, having changed out of her 
 school uniform, into a golden tee shirt, jean shorts and white sandals. 
Ranma  sighed and reclined, pillowing his head with his arms, eyes on the stars, 
but  his attention focused on the girl next to him. 
 
 They said nothing for a while, the silence between them tense. Then  Akane 
looked down at him. “You know, you’re a very scary guy sometimes, Ranma.” 
 
 Ranma visibly winced. “I don’t know what the hell frightened you,” he  
snapped. “It’s not like you three have never seen me fight with Pop before.” 
 
 “True, but my sisters have never seen you that angry ever. I’ve only  seen 
you close to being that mad once – when Sanzenin kissed you way back when.” 
 
 Ranma winced again. “I was worse than that?” 
 
 “I could feel your anger pump higher with every step you took. By the  time 
we got back home I was amazed you hadn’t exploded.”
 
 Ranma looked away from her, shaking his head vigorously, then  sighing. “I’
m sorry, Akane,” he murmured, his voice so soft that Akane had to  lean 
towards him to understand. “I’m sorry that I scared you and Kasumi. I  didn’t mean 
it.” 
 
 Akane considered his apology. “What about Nabiki?” 
 
 Ranma looked up at her, grinning. “Nah - that I don’t regret. She  
_deserves_ a good scare every once in while.”
 
 Akane giggled. “Baaaka,” she drawled affectionately.
 
 “And proud of it,” he retorted, laughing. They were quiet again, this  
silence much more relaxed and companionable. “Did you believe what your father  
told you?” Akane asked. 
 
 “Yeah.”
 
 “Do you feel bad about beating him up?” 
 
 Ranma snorted. “Hell no. He probably deserved it for something else I  don’
t know about yet. The old man really pisses me off.” 
 
 “I’ve noticed.” Akane said dryly. “So… now what?”
 
 Ranma sat up, shrugging his shoulders and rolling his head. “Now I  try to 
talk to the girl and find out what she wants with me… or you… or  whoever.” He 
glanced over at Akane. “You wanna help?”
 
 Akane answered him with a smile. 
 

***
 
 They did not see the girl again until Monday, during the walk home  from 
school. Akane spotted her first, having apparently popped up from out of no  
where and following them from a distance, trying to seem that it was but a  
coincidence that she was traveling in the same direction as they. The way the  girl 
alternated between staring intently at Ranma and Akane or else looking  
conspicuously around at anything but them spoiled her efforts. Again she was  
dressed in simple white and blue – this time a collared blouse and slacks, with  
matching sneakers and a large black satchel slung over one shoulder.
 
 _Why is she following us openly, still?_ Akane wondered. _She knows  we’re 
aware of her. She’s either determined or stupid._ She considered the  
expression she had seen on the young girl’s face. _Determined,_ she decided.  _Now to 
find out why._ Akane casually whistled a brief snatch of tune, the  method she 
and Ranma had decided on using to signal their stalker was about. 
 
 Ranma waited for a moment, not missing a step as he walked the fence  rail 
as he stared out across the canal thoughtfully, before looking down at  Akane. “
I feel like ice cream. Wanna come with? I’ll buy.” 
 
 Akane feigned a suspicious glance. “Why are you being so generous?  Feeling 
guilty about something?” 
 
 “Can’t a guy be nice every once in a while? Come on, I’ll even buy  you one 
of those strawberry and banana parfaits you like so much – though why  you 
get ‘em, I don’t know. They’re way too girly for a macho chick like  you.”
 
 Akane struck the fence with her book bag, making it shiver. Ranma  wobbled a 
little trying to keep his balance. He glared down at her. “Hey! Knock  me in 
the water you can forget about me buying!” Akane sniffed imperiously. 
 
 “Jerk! A good dunking would serve you right. You’re lucky that I want  some 
ice cream right now. It’s been so warm lately.” Ranma flipped off the fence  
and landed neatly next to her, favoring her with a thoughtful, evil grin. 
 
 “In that case maybe _you_ should be the one to go into the canal.  It’d 
cool you off real good, believe me.” Akane’s eyes opened wide in alarm. 
 
 “Don’t you even _think_ of it, Ranma,” she growled, waving a fist at  him. 
Ranma held his hands up in placation. 
 
 “I’m kidding! I’m kidding!” he said with a laugh. “So, you want the  ice 
cream, or would you rather fight?” 
 
 Akane pretended to think over her options. “Ice cream,” she  answered.
 
 “Good choice. Let’s go.” 
 
 “All right… but just to let you know, I in no way consider this to be  a 
date.” 

“Like I’d be caught dead on a  date with _you_, tomboy,” he smirked. Akane 
gave him a light slap on the back of  the head, which made him laugh again. She 
glanced out of the corner of her eye  towards the young girl and nearly 
stumbled. The girl had stopped walking and was  now glaring at them. _No_, Akane 
amended, _glaring at *me*._ The girl was  trembling, her mouth screwed up in an 
angry frown, her fists clenched tight at  her sides. Akane firmly resisted the 
temptation to look directly at the girl as  she crossed the street with 
Ranma. _She’s angry with me for fighting with Ranma,  so that must mean she has an 
interest in him. Figures. She’s young, but not  *too* young.  Maybe she is 
another fiancée… I agree with Ranma about Uncle  Saotome not knowing about her… 
Could maybe Auntie Nodoka have something to do  with her? I don’t think so… 
Auntie’s a bit strange, but she also seems to  approve of my engagement to 
Ranma._ Akane blushed a little at that thought. _I  can’t see her doing anything 
to undermine it. But then again, we don’t know her  all that well yet._ She 
exhaled softly through her nose. _Hopefully we’ll get  some answers in a minute._ 
 
 The young girl watched Ranma and Akane round a corner onto an  adjoining 
street and leave her line of sight. She seemed to have gained control  of her 
temper, though she was frowning. She took a deep breath and looked over  her 
shoulder, as if wondering if she should end her pursuit for the day.  Suddenly her 
frown became fierce and decisive. She turned back towards the  direction her 
quarry had gone in. Blue light glimmered briefly on her cheeks and  forehead. “
If she hits him again…” she muttered, her hands clenching. Thrusting  a hand 
into her satchel, she started swiftly following their path. She turned  the 
corner, took three steps down the sidewalk, then stopped with a gasp. Akane  
Tendo was standing in her way, her book bag slung over a shoulder, smiling.  “
Hello there! Is there something I can help you with, Miss? You seem  lost.”  The 
girl turned to flee, but found her path cut off when a red and  black blur 
descended from the top of the nearby house. She gasped again, taking  a step 
back as Ranma appraised her with cool eyes, arms folded across his broad  chest. “
We need to talk,” he growled. The girl’s face, all ready pale, blanched.  
She swallowed visibly and began to blink, as if trying to hold off tears. Ranma  
faltered at this – he was, admittedly, annoyed at being followed by a 
stranger.  Too much sudden strangeness had occurred over the past months for him not 
to be  wary of such a thing. Still, this was a kid, and a girl to boot, and 
the way she  looked at him made Ranma feel like a bully. 
 
 “Ranma, ease off. She’s only a child,” Akane chided. Ranma grimaced  and 
looked across the street, scratching the back of his head, while Akane  circled 
the young girl to stand next to him. “Don’t be afraid, we’re not going  to 
hurt you. We just want to ask you a few questions.” 
 
 The frightened look vanished the moment the girl was addressed,  replaced 
instantly by the fierce glare she had favored Akane with before. “I’m  not a 
child! Don’t call me that. And why should I even talk to you, you… you…  
violent witch, you!” 
 
 Ranma snapped his eyes back onto the girl, his annoyance surging,  
submerging his guilt. “Don’t talk to her that way,” he snapped. The girl  flinched 
away from him, ducking her head so her black hair fell before her like  a veil, 
and she scuffed at the pavement sidewalk with the toe of a sneaker.  Again Ranma
’s anger receded, and he felt a shame similar to that he had  experienced a 
few days before when he had frightened Akane and her sisters, and  this guilt 
was made worse be the nagging feeling of familiarity he had about  this girl. 
He knew he had seen her somewhere before, but where and when he could  not 
place. It bothered him tremendously – he knew his memory was fractured and  
incomplete, but there was a sense of… _importance…_ about this girl, as if it  were 
completely and utterly wrong for him not to know exactly who she was.  Ranma’
s mouth curled into a tight frown as a shiver ran up his spine.
 
 Akane shook her head, taken aback by the young girl’s outburst and  trying 
to recover her composure. It was not the girl’s fierce anger that  surprised 
her, but the raw jealousy in the strident voice and flashing eyes.  _She_ 
definitely _does not like me. But what’s Ranma to her?_ She glanced over  at her 
fiancé, conflicting emotions clashing openly on his face as he looked at  the 
young girl hard, trying to cudgel up a source behind his feelings of  
recognition. “It’s all right, Ranma,” Akane murmured softly. “I don’t blame her  for 
yelling. We startled her.” 
 
 Ranma made a face. “So what? It’s not like she deserves to be  coddled. She’
s been chasing after us for over a week now. You’re too damn  empathetic 
sometimes times, Akane.”
 
 Akane arched an eyebrow. “And you’re not?” Ranma muttered something  
uncomplimentary under his breath, which she graciously chose to ignore. She  turned 
her attention back to the young girl, who was watching the pair of them  
warily, her lips pursed in a tight, petulant pout that looked quite cute on her.  
Akane looked at her closely – there was something a bit… off… about her  
appearance. The girl was not precisely Asian, but did not quite look Caucasian  
either, despite her pale skin. Eurasian, Akane decided hesitantly, but that did  
not quite fit. Akane shook her head again – the young girl’s ethnicity was 
not  really all that important. “What’s your name, miss?” 
 
 The girl frowned back resentfully in answer, then flinched and  relented 
when she felt the force of Ranma’s narrow eyed glare. Reluctantly she  whispered 
something. 
 
 “What was that? I couldn’t hear.”
 
 “I said Skuld. Are you deaf or something?” Ranma and Akane blinked  and 
looked at each other. _That’s an odd name,_ Akane thought. _Even by Nerima  
standards._ Ranma looked distracted, his expression distant. Does he recognize  it? 
 Suddenly he started and began to scan the sky. 
 
 “What’s wrong?” 
 
 “I thought I heard thunder…” 
 
 Akane looked around herself, frowning. “There’s not a cloud in the  sky. Don
’t start freaking out on me here, Ranma.” Ranma shook his head. The  young 
girl’s name echoed in the corridors of his thought. “Skuld…” he muttered,  
and again he swore he could hear a distant whisper of thunder.
 
 “So, Miss Skuld… would you mind explaining why you’ve been following  us 
around?” 
 
 “I have not!” Skuld protested. “I just happen to be going in the same  
direction as you two. If anyone owes an explanation it’s you two… or you in  
habit of accosting people minding their own business for no reason at all!”  Ranma 
rolled his eyes in disgust. Akane merely pursed her lips in thought.
 
 “Are you going home?” Akane asked. 
 
 Skuld hesitated. “Y-yes.” 
 
 “And where are you walking home from?” 
 
 The young girl bit her lip, hesitating for a longer moment. “The  junior 
high school!” she blurted out, blushing at the looks the two older teens  gave 
her. 
 
 “You mean Furiken Junior High?” Akane asked gently. Skuld looked at  her 
warily before giving a slight nod. “Funny. I’ve lived in Nerima all my life,  
and I’ve never heard of a Furiken Junior High.” Skuld’s blush deepened, and 
she  bowed her head, again hiding her face behind her hair. “Not to mention the  
fact,” Akane continued, gently but relentlessly, “junior high classes aren’t 
 dismissed for the day until an hour after the high school lets out.” Akane  
folded her arms and looked at Skuld firmly. “The truth this time, if you 
please:  why are you following Ranma and me?” 
 
 Skuld’s head snapped up, her brown eyes ablaze with anger and  frustration. “
I’m not following YOU anywhere,” she hissed contemptuously. She  checked her 
temper with a sharp breath, and her expression shifted from anger to  one of 
sadness and worry. She darted a look at Ranma than quickly turned away.  “I’m 
following him.”
 
 Ranma hissed, grimacing. Again he heard thunder, this time louder and  
nearer. He spared Akane a quick glance, but she gave no indication she had  noticed 
it, her own gaze locked on Skuld as she frowned. “Are you engaged to  me?” 
he asked the young girl bluntly. Skuld stiffened, then rapidly shook her  head. 
“Then why are you interested in me?” 
 
 Skuld did not answer immediately, keeping her head turned away from  him. 
Finally she spoke, her voice so soft and so low that by all rights Ranma  and 
Akane should not have heard her, yet her words were as clear and distinct as  
the dulcet chimes of a silver bell, the sorrow and longing in them touching the  
young couple to their core. “I’ve been watching you from afar for a long 
time  now. I shouldn’t be here. I know I’m breaking the rules that Yggdrassil 
set down  and that we agreed to, but I couldn’t help it. You’re so near now, 
and you’ve  been gone so long and I’ve missed you so much I couldn’t help 
myself!” 
 
 Ranma took a step away from Skuld. His heart was beginning to race  and 
again the thunder only he seemed to hear boomed through the air. Something  
pressed and strained in the dim recesses of his memory, but whatever it was it  
could not escape from the vault that contained it. “Skuld,” he said. Akane  
looked sharply at Ranma – there was an imperiousness, a note of command, in his  
voice that she had never heard before, the sound of which sent soft lightning  
playing through her nerves, making her shiver. “Skuld,” he repeated. “Who am I 
 to you?” 
 
 Skuld whipped her head to face him, tears streaming down her face.  “You’re 
my big brother, and I miss you so much!” Her hands flew to her mouth,  and 
with a sob she spun away and fled. Akane gaped after her, too stunned to  
respond, then heard the sound of a hard impact. Ranma had collapsed against the  
nearby house, leaning against it with his shoulder for support, shaking hard, as  
if in the throes of a fit, his breath coming so fast he was practically  
hyperventilating. Thunder rumbled, and finally Akane heard it. She looked up and  
saw that the once clear sky was now completely covered by dark clouds, 
lightning  crawling in their depths.
 
 “Ranma,” Akane whispered, taking a step towards her fiancé, her hand  held 
out tentatively. 
 
 “I’ll _kill_ him!” Ranma gasped, his hands clenching as he struggled  to 
master his raging anger, staring after the fleeing Skuld. “That goddamn,  mother 
_fucking_ panda! First not telling me about my mother, and now I find out  he’
s been hiding a _sister_ from me! I’m going to murder him!” 
 
 Akane bridged the distance between her and Ranma, laying her hand on  his 
trembling shoulder. “Ranma, please calm down! You’re making yourself sick.” 
 
 “I _feel_ sick! Why does he always pull shit like this? Selfish,  ignorant 
bastard… _Goddamn him!_”
 
 “Baka, use your head!” Akane snapped at him, more afraid for him than  
angry. The rage he had been in days before seemed but a candle flame compared to  
the apocalyptic emotions tearing through him now, and she feared what he may 
do  to Genma or himself if she could not calm him. “We don’t know if your 
father has  anything to do with this girl. We don’t know anything about her. We don
’t even  know if she’s telling the truth!” 
 
 Ranma grew still and he looked at Akane. She stared into his eyes,  and as 
she discerned the pain and confusion swirling in their azure depths, she  felt 
tears begin to prickle in her own eyes. “Do you think she was lying?” he  
asked. 
 
 “No… yes… I don’t know! She looks nothing like you, and she  definitely 
looks nothing like your father - or your mother, for that matter.  I’ve never 
seen anyone who looked quite like her.” Akane took a steadying  breath. “Ranma, 
we don’t know enough yet to make any conclusions. It’s not right  to blame 
Uncle Saotome until you know he had something to do with this.”
 
 Ranma stared hard at Akane for a moment, then snorted humorlessly.  “That’s 
good, coming from you. Wish you’d follow your own damn advice sometimes,  
Akane.”
 
 Akane flinched. Her hand clenched on his shirtsleeve as anger spiked  
through her, only to fade when the truth of Ranma’s retort struck home. She  stared 
down at her feet, unable to keep looking Ranma in the eyes. “I’m sorry. I  
know I get angry at you for things that aren’t your fault, and I’m sorry for  
it.” She glanced up at him through her bangs. “But I don’t think I’ve ever  
gotten mad the way you’ve been getting lately.”
 
 Now Ranma turned away, covering his eyes with his hand. “I’ve scared  you 
again,” he whispered.
 
 “Yes,” she whispered back, nodding. Ranma sighed. “I’m sorry, too,”  he 
murmured. He felt her rub his shoulder, this small, intimate act comforting  
him. Ranma sighed, dropping his hand from his eyes and letting it cover Akane’s,  
and he pushed himself off the wall. “You’re right. The panda will keep, for  
now.” His eyes hardened. Skuld was far down the street, but not yet out of  
sight. “She won’t.” He gently removed his fiancée’s hand from his shoulder,  
squeezing it softly before releasing it, and ran off in pursuit of the young  
girl. Akane watched him for a moment before following. Neither noticed the 
storm  above chasing after them all.  
 
 Ranma ran after Skuld with peerless speed, moving in great bounds,  his legs 
devouring the distance between himself and the young girl. Skuld slowed  for 
a moment, looking over her shoulder and crying out in distress at the sight  
of her gaining pursuer. “Wait! Don’t run! I wanna talk!” Ranma shouted. She 
did  stop running, but only for the quick moment it took for her to bend over 
and  slap the sides of her sneakers. That moment almost ended the chase, but 
just as  Ranma reached out to grab her shoulder a blue, shimmering aura enveloped 
her  feet, and when she started running again she seemed a bolt of white and 
azure  lighting racing along the pavement. Ranma stumbled to a halt, shocked. “
Holy…”  he whispered. _How the hell did she do that?_ Letting out a growl of 
 frustration, he resumed the chase, redoubling his efforts. He just managed 
to  keep Skuld in sight, and was vaguely aware that Akane was managing to do 
the  same with him. He hoped the girl would tire soon – he could run all day 
with  little effort, but there was no way he could maintain this level of speed 
for  long. The world around him blurred past, his entire concentration focused 
on his  goal. Skuld made a sharp turn down a right hand street, and when Ranma 
rounded  the corner he swore as he watched her run into the small park at its 
end and  lost sight of her amongst the flora. He cut his cursing short to 
save his breath  and continued running. Hopefully she needed to rest and was 
hiding somewhere on  the grounds. If not, then there was no way he could find her 
trail again. He did  not want that. She had the answers to the questions she 
called forth, and he  wanted them. Her name continued to toll through his 
thoughts. _Skuld… who are  you to me?_ 
 
***
 

Skuld blurred into a grove in the heart of the park, set her back  against an 
elm tree and desperately tried not to fall over from fatigue. Her  mouth was 
awash with copper, a ferocious stitch throbbed in her side, her feet  felt 
like they were on fire and every muscle in her body ached. She looked down  at 
her sneakers and let out a sound of dismay when she saw them blackened and  
smoking. _Great! Now on top of everything else my prototype acceleration  
generators are ruined._ She sat down in the grass, pulled her sneakers off,  scowling 
at them before throwing them across the grove. _Oh well. They were only  a 
kitbash anyway. They definitely need refinement._ She stripped off her socks,  
sighing at the feel of cool grass soothing her abused feet. She closed her eyes, 
 assuming a lotus position as she turned her energies inwards, returning her 
body  to balance and banishing pain and fatigue. While she yet had little 
proficiency  with evocations, no one could deny she had excellent body control. 
She was  definitely going to need an ice cream binge after this day, however. As 
she  continued her healing meditation she stretched out with her senses, 
sending her  awareness to search for Ranma. She found him at the edge of the park –
 he had  just entered it, slowing to a trot and moving in a methodical 
pattern. Searching  for her… great…
 
 Skuld’s face tightened. Her sisters were going to kill her… well, Urd  
would yell at her and call her a selfish brat – that she could handle -   but she 
just knew that Belldandy would give her that sad eyed stare and tell her  how 
disappointed she was with her actions, and for Skuld that was the equivalent  
of getting a thorough spanking. But she had not seen Ranma for so long, and 
when  she came to Earth to be with her sisters, to find out he was so close by… 
the  temptation had been too great. Even if he was manifested as an avatar, 
his true  essence sealed away in slumber, she still wanted to see him. She had 
broken the  rules Yggdrassil had set down, to make it easier for Ranma to 
fulfill his  obligation, for he was of one of the Outer Orders, and knew little of 
how to  deal with the mortals of the Core. Skuld could feel his true self 
stirring,  trying to rouse to wakefulness, and knew that one way or the other she 
was going  to Get It. Her best bet was to return to the temple as soon as she 
could,  confess to her sisters what happened, then stay far away and hope her 
brother  eventually fall back into complete torpor.  Skuld sighed and slipped 
out of  concentration, feeling tired but able, making a face when her stomach 
grumbled  at her. Right. Teleport, ice cream, then tearful confessions and 
righteous  scolding. Always good to have these things planned out._ She stood up 
and peered  around the elm tree shielding her, scanning the area for her 
pursuers while she  reached into her satchel and rummaged for her thermos. 
 
 Someone grabbed her from behind, slapping a hand hard over her mouth.  
Before she could react her satchel was torn from her and she was pulled back and  
thrown to the center of the clearing. She cried out when she hit the ground  
hard, but quickly recovered and scrambled to her feet. A man dressed in black  
stood before the elm tree, facing her, her satchel dangling negligently from 
one  hand. He was tall, thin but strong looking, with large hands and a sharp 
chin.  Eyes black as anthracite leered out at Skuld from a corpse pale face, 
crimson  runes writhing and burning across its cheeks. 
 
 “Demon!” Skuld cried out, backing away frantically. 
 
 “Yes,” agreed the man, as he stalked closer. “I am Asmodar, and you  are 
Skuld… young little Skuld, so pretty, and oh so helpless, when deprived of  her 
toys.” Asmodar tossed the satchel behind him. “You should not have strayed  
so far from your sisters, Norn.”  
 
 Skuld turned to run, but Asmodar was on her in an instant, seizing  her 
cruelly. She struggled, but could not break free from the demon’s grasp, his  wiry 
arms possessing terrible strength. He leered at her, and to her horror she  
saw his teeth were like a shark’s, white blades of razor sharp bone. He grabbed 
 a handful of her hair and pulled her head back, exposing her throat. 
 
 “I’ve been watching you, Skuld,” the demon crooned. “Watching you  follow 
those two mortals around like a brainless sheep, unaware of your  
surroundings, waiting for a chance. I nearly took it when you fled from the boy  some days 
back, but you teleported away before I could. I didn’t think you’d  return, 
but I decided to bide my time anyhow, and see now how my patience  rewarded me.
” A sinuous gray tongue emerged from the black hole of his mouth,  wetting 
his lips. “What terrors I will show you, before we are through.” 
 
 Skuld shivered, her stomach clenching in terror as her mind cast  about 
desperately for some defense. The demon was right about her lack of  sorcery, and 
most of her gadgets were in her satchel. “The doublet…” she  protested.
 
 “To be so naïve,” laughed Asmodar. “There are many things I can do to  you, 
my sweet, which will not trigger the doublet system.” He cocked his head  and 
gave her a coldly appraising look that nearly paralyzed her. “Sandalphon  
once told me it was a pity to harvest in the spring. I do not agree. Nothing  
compares to the taste of spring cherries…” His mouth dove for Skuld’s throat,  
and she screamed. Thunder crashed in the skies above, and a blur of red and  
black flashed through the clearing, tearing Skuld from Asmodar’s grip and  
knocking the demon to the ground. Asmodar bellowed in outrage as he stood. The  
mortal youth had attacked him, hurt him. The demon glared murderously across the  
clearing at the boy. He stood in front of the goddess, his blue eyes burning  
with anger and disgust. “How dare you…” Asmodar hissed.
 
 “You bet I dare,” The boy snapped back. “Just what the _hell_ did you  
think you were doing?” 
 
 “Fulfilling my function, as we all must do,” the demon retorted.  “Walk 
away now, boy. You are in waters far too deep for you.” 
 
 Ranma sneered, feeling his blood rush angry and quick through his  body. To 
stumble upon Skuld, so important to him in some mysterious way, being  
molested by this hideous pervert sent his barely reined anger to heights he  never 
imagined. With a wolfish howl he rushed the man, determined to cause him  pain, 
lashing out with a punch aimed to crush his nose. The man spat out a word  and 
a strange blur briefly enveloped his form. The sound of flesh striking flesh  
snapped through the clearing, and Ranma goggled. The man had caught and held 
his  punch with ease, as if it were but a gently tossed softball. Before the 
young  martial artist could react the man spoke another word. His free hand 
arced and  slapped Ranma across the face, the impact sending unimaginable pain 
exploding in  his head. He sagged to his knees, barely conscious, his head 
lolling on his  shoulders. 
 
 Asmodar laughed. “I warned you, boy.” With a negligent twist of his  arm, 
he sent Ranma flying to one side. He returned his attention to Skuld, and  saw 
her making a dash across the clearing. He bounded after her, seizing her by  
the hair just before she grabbed her satchel. She cried out in pain and  
desperation as Asmodar pulled her back. Suddenly, the demon was aware of a third  
presence in the clearing. He turned in time to see the other mortal Skuld had  
been following rushing him, fury bright on her face. Asmodar growled and again  
spat at a word. Again he blurred, and Akane gasped in surprise as her punch 
was  casually intercepted, Asmodar’s large, hairy hand grabbing her wrist. He 
jerked  her around, dragging her over next to Skuld, and twisted her hand, 
forcing her  to her knees. 
 
 Asmodar leered at the two young women, his tongue snaking out through  his 
shark-like teeth again to wet his lips; Akane stared in horror at the  demon’s 
inhuman features. “Indeed this is my lucky day; two rare beauties for  the 
price of one! And for you, little mortal chit, there is no doublet to give  you 
even a shred of protection.” Akane shook her head sharply, fighting through  
her pain and fear and punched Asmodar in the pit of the stomach. He gasped,  
staggering slightly, then with a curse threw Skuld to the ground and raised his  
hand to strike Akane. 
 
 Ranma struggled to sit up, trying to will away the shadowy veil that  
obscured his vision. His head throbbed, and it felt as if shards of glass were  
piercing his neck. The veil shredded and faded away, and he saw Skuld and Akane  
struggling in the grasp of Asmodar. Resurgent anger burned away his pain, 
though  his body still responded sluggishly. Again in the shadows of his mind 
something  strained and railed against confinement, its demands for release far 
stronger  now, yet it still could not break free. As he struggled with physical 
and mental  turmoil, he watched Akane punch Asmodar, seeing how only her 
awkward position on  her knees kept the man from being knocked away. Ranma heard him 
swear, watched  him brutishly throw Skuld aside, and felt fear turn his blood 
to ice as Asmodar  raised an open hand in preparation to strike Akane down. 
 
 Time ground to a near halt, micro-seconds stretching into eternities,  and 
in the depths of his thoughts Ranma heard clicks, like locks being opened,  and 
the rattling of metal against metal, as if chains were falling free. A howl  
like typhoon winds, fierce and joyful, cried out through his mind, and in the  
sky above thunder exploded in greeting. Electric blue light flooded his  
consciousness, and in this burst of satori Ranma _knew_ who Skuld was, what she  
meant. He remembered his power and his purpose, what he truly was, what duty  
demanded of him, and understood how it coincided with his desire, burning away  
all childish denials. The light of his rebirth faded, and looked out upon the 
 world with illuminated eyes. He saw, suspended between the moments, his 
beloved  younger sister sprawled on the grass, crying out in distress. He saw 
Asmodar the  petty demon, his face contorted in rage and pain, twisting the arm of 
Ranma’s  charge, hand lifted to strike her. He saw Akane looking up in 
horror, trying her  hardest to break free. A fiery wave of anger washed through 
Ranma, but instead  of allowing it to tsunami out of control, he seized it, rode 
upon its crest,  directing it to fuel his purpose.
 
 Time reasserted itself. Ranma was ready. 
 
 “_*STOP!*_” 
 
 At that shout, everyone froze, ceasing their struggles and looking  across 
the clearing. Ranma was on his feet, swaying slightly in his relaxed,  open 
stance. He was smiling, but the hot gleam in his eyes belied the humor in  it. 
Ranma licked the tips of two fingers then ran them over his swelling,  bruised 
cheek. In an instant the wound deflated, its color fading away, and was  gone, 
totally healed. Skuld sat up, letting out a happy breath of joy and  relief. 
Akane slipped from Asmodar’s suddenly slack grip and scuttled away  before 
gaining her feet. She looked at Ranma in wonder, instinctively aware of a  radical 
change in him, put unable to perceive its exact nature. _How did he do  
that?_ She wondered. _I know he heals fast, but I’ve never seen anything like  that 
before…_ Without knowing why, she was suddenly afraid. 
 
 Asmodar forgot about the retreating girl and the goddess behind him,  his 
attention focused on Ranma. Pain and anger clouded his perception, so he  could 
sense the sudden awakened power in the boy, but could not discern its  source. 
“What sorcery is this?” he growled, perturbed. Ranma laughed, and  Asmodar 
felt a small trickle of fear run through his depths, generated by the  purpose 
and wild mirth in the boy’s laughter. 
 
 “Come and find out, demon,” taunted Ranma. Asmodar’s brows arched.  “Come 
and fight me.” 
 
 “So you want another beating?” Asmodar snarled, forgetting his fear.  “I’m 
more than happy to oblige!”  He spat out a word as he charged, his  form 
blurring with impossible speed, lashing out at Ranma’s head with an open  hand. 
Silent and smiling, Ranma negligently lifted a hand and intercepted the  strike, 
easily taking hold of his opponent’s wrist. Now it was Asmodar’s turn to  
goggle in surprise, and he gasped when he saw Ranma’s azure eyes suddenly turned 
 a solid electric blue. Understanding and terror caromed through the demon, 
and  he struggled desperately to extract himself from his opponent’s hold, but 
it was  as if his hand was entrapped in concrete. 
 
 “Orlanth’s Whip,” said Ranma, and from the black clouds above a bolt  of 
lightning descended, striking Asmodar. The demon screamed, hair charring,  flesh 
blistering, clothing burning, and though Ranma still held his wrist the  
electricity did not harm the martial artist, instead dancing around him in arcs.  
The bolt finished its work, and as Asmodar began to drop Ranma buried his fist 
 in the demon’s stomach, lifting him off his feet. Thunder roared through the 
sky  on the moment of impact. Still holding the demon up, Ranma spun a full  
revolution and hurled Asmodar across the clearing, bouncing off a stout elm 
tree  and falling hard on the ground. 
 
 Skuld picked herself up, grinning from ear to ear as she retrieved  her 
satchel. Akane stared at the fallen demon groaning in the grass then back  over to 
Ranma. She felt so odd – dizzy and weak as if experience an onset of  
vertigo. Licking dry lips, she stepped back, trying to control her breathing.  Ranma 
stood slightly bowed, his bangs covering his face. When he looked up his  eyes 
had returned to their normal deep blue, but azure light glimmered on his  
face. Twin lightning bolt tattoos slashed down his cheeks, and a spiral adorned  
the center of his forehead. He canted his head slightly, eyes narrowing as he  
considered his defeated enemy, then took a step forward and launched into the 
 air, arching gracefully and landing before Asmodar. Akane gasped again, 
bringing  the heel of her palm to her mouth, for though he had flexed his knees 
slightly,  Ranma had not jumped across the clearing so much as he had _flown_. 
He leaned  down, grabbed Asmodar by the collar of his smoldering shirt, heaved 
him up and  slammed him against the trunk of the elm, holding him there. “
Little demon,”  Ranma growled, his eyes burning dangerously, teeth bared in a 
feral snarl. “Do  you know what I am?” 
 
 Asmodar struggled briefly and futilely, and was quelled by Ranma  slamming 
him again. He stared at Ranma, blearily studying the tattoos on it,  then 
shuddered. “You’re Orlanthi…” he stuttered out. 
 
 Ranma’s snarl momentarily became a grin. “Good. Now, do you know  _who_ I 
am?” 
 
 Asmodar blinked as he considered the question. Comprehension dawned  in his 
eyes, and he blanched snow white and began to tremble violently. “_*Storm  
Stallion!*_” he wailed, voice pitched high by fear. 
 
 “You should have stayed in Hell,” Ranma growled before dashing  Asmodar to 
the earth. “You should not have struck me.” He planted his foot on  the demon’
s left shoulder, grinding his heel into the joint, ignoring Asmodar’s  howls. 
“You should not have awoken me,” Ranma continued relentlessly, grabbing  
Asmodar’s arm and pulling it upward. “And you most definitely should _not_ have  
laid your filthy claws on my little sister and my charge.” He pried the demon’
s  fist open and took hold of his index finger. 
 
 “You can’t! The doublet!” protested Asmodar, abandoning all poise and  
pride. Ranma’s answering chuckle was a thing of dread.
 
 “I recall you saying to Skuld,” Ranma sneered, ‘before I interrupted  you, 
that there’s many things one can do without triggering the doublet. It  works 
both ways, demon. I’m gonna break you apart, slowly, molecule by molecule,  
and when I’m finally done I’m gonna put you back together again and start all  
over.” Ranma’s wrist tensed as he readied to break Asmodar’s finger.  
 
 “Ranma, stop,” Skuld called out. Ranma looked up at her. She had  drawn her 
hammer out of her satchel, and was staring at him, eyes wide with  concern. “
Don’t, big brother. Please. He’s not worth it.” 
 
 Ranma growled. “I will not let what he tried to do go unpunished,  Skuld.”
 
 “I know, and you didn’t. You struck him with the Whip. That’s  punishment 
enough. It’s incredible that he’s even coherent. And you’ve scared  him good –
 far more than he scared me.” Skuld’s eyes became imploring. “Please,  big 
brother. You’re not meant for such things; you’ll end up hurting yourself  
more than you will Asmodar.” 
 
 Ranma just stared at Skuld for a minute, his expression still fierce  and 
angry. Then he relaxed, and his sudden laugh was gentle. “Wonder of wonders,  my 
little sister is becoming wise about matters other than mechanics.”
 
 “Hey!” Skuld said in protest, but she laughed when she did, and she  and 
Ranma looked at each other fondly for a moment. Then Ranma sighed, becoming  
fierce again. He grabbed Asmodar by the throat and heaved him up again, holding  
him suspended in the air with one arm. “When you get back to Hell, you best 
get  on your knees and thank Hild for my sister’s forbearance, because that’s 
all  that saved you from my wrath this day. Now engrave these next words in 
your  soul: if I ever even _think_ you’re anywhere near me and mine again, I will 
make  you hurt, long and hard.” Ranma’s eyes narrowed and he smiled 
wickedly, as if  suddenly struck with an excellent idea. “And after I’m through, I’ll 
tell my  blood brother Zorak Zoran what you tried; anything he decides to 
inflict on you  will make my attentions seem like a lover’s caress. _Understand?_”
 Asmodar  nodded frantically, a torrent of supplication gushing from his 
lips. Ranma  silenced him with a sharp shake. “Good. Now hie yourself out of my 
sight.” He  threw down the demon, who instantly bounced back up to his feet and 
ran,  shimmering and fading from sight before he reached the clearing’s edge. 
Ranma  scowled after him, then turned towards Skuld, who in turn gave a happy 
squeal as  she ran up and hugged him.
 
 “I’ve missed you _sooo_ much, big brother!” Ranma sighed and embrace  her 
in return. 
 
 “I’ve missed you too,” he murmured, before taking hold of her by the  
shoulders and carefully peeling her off. “But I would be lying to say I was  
entirely happy with you right now. Roaring Chaos, Skuld, what are you doing here  
down on Earth? You’re supposed to be maintaining Yggdrassil, and you very well  
know we all agreed it was for the best that everyone stayed away from me while 
I  was in torpor.” 
 
 Skuld ducked her head for a moment before reluctantly looking up at  him. “I’
m sorry, Ranma. I couldn’t help it. You’ve been gone for such a long  time, 
and I missed you. Then Belldandy got herself bound to the Earth a half a  year 
ago-“ 
 
 “WHAT?” Ranma shouted, not believing what he just heard. “Bell’s here  too?
” 
 
 Skuld nodded in affirmation. “Urd, as well. All three of us are on  Earth 
now.” 
 
 “Empty Night,” Ranma swore with fervor. “How did all _this_  happen?”
 
 Skuld shot a fierce glare over Ranma’s shoulder at Akane, who was  watching 
their exchange, her arms wrapped around herself and shivering slightly.  Ranma 
did not notice, still surprised by Skuld’s news. “Belldandy’s stuck for  the 
same reason you are: a mortal made a stupid wish. Urd’s bound for being…  
Urd. Punishment for lying, not that she seems to mind being here, the  cow.”
 
 “Watch your mouth, young lady,” Ranma admonished. Skuld ducked her  head 
again, while he eyed her critically. “What of yourself? Are you bound,  too?” 
 
 “No. I came because Belldandy and Urd were attracting a whole lot of  bugs. 
We resolved the problem, and I decided to stay to make sure nothing else  went 
wrong…” She couldn’t bring her self to look back up at Ranma, knowing that  
he sensed she was not revealing the complete truth. Ranma just clucked his  
tongue and waited for her to continue with her explanation. “A lot of craziness  
happened afterward – I don’t know if you sensed it, when you were asleep, 
but  I’ll fill you in later – but after things settled down and I got 
comfortable at  the temple we’re living in at Nekomi I checked up on your location, and 
found  that you _finally_ stopped wandering all over the place…” She lifted 
her face,  her dark brown eyes brimming with tears. “Over sixteen years, 
Ranma. I haven’t  seen my big brother in almost a generation, and now you’re so 
close by… I  couldn’t help it!” 
 
 Ranma sighed, running a hand through his unruly black bangs. He was  about 
to speak when he heard Akane softly, desperately, call out his name. He  froze, 
then slouched, closing his eyes. “Orlanth’s bones…” he murmured before  
turning to go to his fiancée.   

“Ranma, what’s  going on?” Akane demanded, trying to keep the growing 
hysteria within her out of  her voice as she watched Ranma walked towards her. She 
did not quite succeed.  “How… how did you get those marks on your face? How 
did you call down that  lightning bolt? _What is going on?_” She flinched 
slightly when he reached out  for her, then gasped when he cupped her cheek, gently 
stroking her face. His  smile was regretful, and there was sadness and longing 
in his eyes. “I’m sorry  about this, Akane,” Ranma said quietly and kissed 
her. Her eyes widened in  shock, then rolled back as she fainted, collapsing as 
if boneless, a sigh  escaping her lips as she fell. Ranma carefully caught 
her before she hit the  sward. He held her tenderly, again stroking her cheek. “I
’ve wanted to do that  for a while, now,” he murmured. “I only wish you 
could remember it.” He released  a resigned sigh as his tattoos began to glow. He 
touched his forehead to hers,  whispering words of power as he carefully 
folded her memory back upon itself, so  that the events she saw from before he put 
her to sleep to just after he entered  the park would be an impenetrable haze. 
He sealed those memories away but  lightly, unwilling to compromise her mind 
any further – he found what little he  had all ready done distasteful enough, 
but necessary to protect her, considering  the frantic state she had been 
working her self into. Despite all the wizardry  and wild romance she had seen in 
her life, it was obvious she was not ready to  deal with this newest 
revelation. The memory charm was the work of moments, and  once finished Ranma rose, 
cradling Akane in his arms. He turned to face Skuld,  and the young goddess 
winced at his sternness. 
 
 “We’re going to have a talk about this, Skuld – you, me and our  sisters. I 
have to take Akane back home and see her settled, but I shouldn’t be  too 
long. You’re all in Nekomi, you said?” Skuld just nodded. “I’ll be there in  an 
hour, two at the most.” 
 
 “Okay, big brother,” Skuld answered, looking away from him. Ranma  nodded, 
walking past her and away. But just as he reached the edge of the  clearing he 
sighed, summoned a disc of gentle force to hold Akane suspended in  the air, 
and turned back to sweep Skuld up in a strong embrace. “And though I’ve  
slept these long years away, I’ve truly missed you too, little sister.” Skuld  
clung to him fiercely, crying a little. They held each other for awhile, then  
Ranma pulled away to kiss her on her the forehead, then each cheek, then softly 
 on the lips, after which they parted. Ranma returned to Akane, dismissing 
his  spell and carrying her away. Skuld took her thermos from her satchel, 
opened it  and tossed its contents in the air. The instant the cascade of warm 
water  touched her, she vanished. In the sky lighting crawled across darkened 
clouds  one final time before they leavened and began to dissipate, their labor  
finished, for their master was awake now, free and restored to his proper 
might. 
 

//////
 

Full Disclaimer – Ranma ½ is the creation of Rumiko Takahashi. Oh My  Goddess 
is the creation of Kosuke Fujishima. Other concepts and deities are the  
creations of, or are owned by, Greg Stafford. All are used without permission. 
 
Blame Karaohki for this. Not that she gave me the idea, or even knows who I  
am. On a whim I started rereading her work a few months back, the act of which 
–  God help me – got me interested in Ranma ½ again. Wish you were writing 
more, Ms  Geraci, but I know life happens. 
 
Like most of my recent fan fiction, this story has been kicking around in  my 
head for years. I actually started to write this one some five years back,  
but got nowhere with it – the fate of most of my pre-Deathless fan fiction.  We’
ll see where I go with this. I’d like to finish one long Ranma ½ story,  
before I’m through. 
 
Cheers,
 
Jeremy Harper  




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