She hesitated at the very edge of the walkway leading to her front door, running a hand through her scarlet hair and anxiously giving it a slight tug, just to feel the slight twinge of pain the move invoked. Oh, how she hated the need to extend her senses through every part of her property, one inch at a time, to - hopefully - make sure there hadn't been anything *new* added to her mediocre little home since she'd departed for her vacation. Really, when the whole of more than one plane of existence *was* out to humiliate or kill her... there could be anything lying in wait for her within these property limits. Being a demon meant one had to live with a good measure of paranoia, by default. Nemi opened her eyes and sighed. As a lower-ranked Mortal's counterpart demon, she didn't qualify for any sort of home security system, magical, technical or otherwise. She wasn't sure if anyone would miss her if she were to be destroyed; certainly, there wouldn't be any major consequences if that happened. The vaunted Doublet System did not apply to 'lesser' demons like her. She warily rested a foot upon the path. When nothing materialized, ensnared her or exploded, she began to edge forward. Her status also had bearing on her normal power and sensory levels, annoyingly enough. Nemi knew that for all her efforts, she still wasn't able to sense every form of trap or magic that might be used against her... among other things. Unfortunately, she had to get back to work - and the first step in doing just that required her to actually enter her house. Her assigned Mortal often made her job terribly easy, though. Saotome Ranma tended to trigger a great deal of chaos, whether directly, indirectly or even unintentional... which enabled her to take a decent vacation every now and then. Not to mention the boy's - or girl's - entanglement in a bizarre romantic comedy of errors, always a worthwhile source of entertainment for a succubus. At least in *that* department, she was higher-ranked - Nemi had a high level of power and magic for her class, and was one of the few succubi who knew how to actively swap genders. Those were probably the main reasons why she had been matched with Ranma... although she'd always wondered if that meant someone had known Ranma would receive a gender-changing Jhusenkyou curse, even before the boy's birth. Ah, well; it didn't matter. In the next moment, Nemi had slipped through her front door and dead-bolted it shut. she thought, plopping into her semi-favorite lounge chair. Time to check the VCR for details on what had happened in Ranma's life during her little vacation... Fast forward. Whole video sequences and the relevant text flashed and were gone. She frowned. The boy had a connection to Urd's family, through missing-in-action Goddess Ranmira? So *that* was where the Goddess had been? Why hadn't *she* sensed Ranmira's presence in Ranma? Akane, inadvertent daughter of Peorth and now a full Goddess herself. Huh. Ranma didn't exactly seem thrilled with her at the moment, or the other Goddesses. Nemi smiled, making tsking noises with her tongue. She'd sensed a ripple expanding outward at the points when Ranma's reality was changed and then restored, but hadn't thought it important enough to rush home or otherwise return. Oh, yes, there was something interesting she could do with this turn of events... An Aa! Megamisama / Ranma 1/2 Crossover A Goddess' Dilemma Part One written by Mike Koos -------------------- It was commonly believed that a Goddess had no end of concerns to trouble her. No matter how cavalier or thoroughly serious they behaved, those who counted themselves among divinity were considerably more aware of every detail of the Planes than Mortals, knowledge which was necessary to keep the whole of existence in proper working order. Yggdrasil could hardly be likened to a Mortal laptop computer, charged with maintaining certain tasks in a house or business, after all. The notion was laughable. In truth, each Goddess' concern was often their designated domain - leaving many of the fine details of reality in the care of Yggdrasil - and whatever tasks were assigned them, such as debugging or working for one of the Goddess Relief Offices. They were instructed to avoid all forms of direct involvement or meddling with Mortal affairs. For a new Goddess who had believed herself to be little more than a relatively ordinary Mortal girl, Akane wasn't sure if she could ever properly adhere to that 'rule.' She'd finally admitted - in Skuld and Ranmira's presence, no less - that she did indeed care for her iinazuke, Ranma... but the events which followed had quickly spiraled out of her control. That issue of control was possibly part of the whole debate. Ranma had been upset - not with her, but with the idea that she'd insisted on a change in reality without even bothering to consult... *her*. Was it a good idea to continue their relationship if Akane had no apparent problem with using her powers and abilities as a Goddess to affect him or any part of his reality, he'd essentially asked? Sure, she figured Ranma's pride might also be wounded by the fact that she was now more powerful than him, at the very least; Ranma always had to be the best. Even if it meant he had to compete against her. Akane snorted. She had known she wasn't the best, after Ranma clearly proved that many times. Yet she couldn't admit it publicly... her own pride saw to that. Tendo Akane had an image to maintain. Besides, she had no intention of fueling the guy's ego. Why, eventually, in situations such as when she'd accidentally eaten Happosai's special soba, Ranma was threatened enough by the thought that she might be stronger or better than him at something related to the Art, that he would go to insane lengths just to prove otherwise. But... in this case, was Ranma right? What influence might her status as a Goddess have upon their relationship? Soon after her 'argument' with Ranma, Akane had teleported herself to the beach, where her mother - or rather, Peorth - had taken the family every year during her childhood, to calm herself and think. There was far less chance she'd run into anyone who knew her, here... except possibly Ryouga. She didn't particularly want to encounter him, either. Had she more or less screwed everything up? Wasn't this the same kind of dilemma Peorth had faced? Oh, how she'd resented the Goddess for leaving her family in such a fragile state, though Peorth hadn't had an alternative. Now she was the Goddess without a choice, Akane believed. Would discussing a shift in realities with the alternate Ranma have accomplished something other than risk making Ranma believe she wasn't entirely sane? Not that she'd expect that Ranma to want to change anything, really. Akane kicked idly at a mound of sand. Did Ranma actually believe... consulting his female counterpart could have helped matters at all? Or was he hoping that something else might happen? ** ** ** A martial artist always faced the risk of learning a lesson at the cost of pain, in any form. Saotome Ranma knew that he had come to live from fight to fight, other aspects of his life such as personal problems counting with exponentially less priority than whatever challenges he faced in the name of the Art. Unfortunately, all but ignoring those details - or even the Universe and Reality - hardly ever inspired any of them to fix or resolve themselves for the better. Ranma had realized *that* fact during the insanity following the moment when he met the Goddess of Change. Probably well before that, actually, though he'd never bothered to check what happened. The thought hadn't occurred to him. React without thinking. Didn't Akane also tend to behave the same way? What would have happened if Akane had fought the urge to mallet him, that night in the mountains, a few weeks or so ago? If Skuld had not been curious enough to check into Akane's... genetic structure? How might everything have changed if Akane *wasn't* a Goddess-in-training? Ranma had developed something of a dislike for 'what-if' questions; occasionally, even the act of wondering apparently triggered more problems and challenges to confront. Still, his relationship with Akane was an issue Ranma needed to examine. 'Alternate' Ranma, at least, had shown him an example why. Debating possibilities merely left him with far more of a restless night, however. Ranma turned within his bedroll, studying whatever details he could determine of the opposite wall in the darkness. The room was thoroughly empty, unlike what he recalled from just two days ago; his father and mother were now living at the home his mother had maintained all these years. Everyone insisted he continue to stay here, rather than join his family. Did he want to remain with Akane - not just as a friend, but as an iinazuke? Assuming they would even be allowed to... to marry, Ranma amended. And all that chaos! Already, he'd been blasted, turned into a child and had reality written all around him. Keiichi and Belldandy had probably experienced much more, so why did they stay together? Love, definitely. But was there anything else, other reasons why nothing had been able to break them apart? Ranma told himself. Without Akane or Skuld learning about any part of it, if possible... or becoming involved. Except... he was hardly sure of the temple's address. He'd only visited Keiichi's home once, and Ranmira had been the one to teleport there and back, not him. Well, maybe if she dropped by, tomorrow, he could ask her about it... In the morning. Ranma thought, as he felt his eyes finally begin to close with weariness. Why hadn't he ever found an alarm clock to use, like the one his counterpart had owned, especially after his father had left? For all he knew, he'd been thinking about everything long enough that there was less than an hour or two of sleep before sunrise. Genma had refused to allow his son a clock; a *true* martial artist conditioned his body to wake and sleep at the proper times each day, after all. It didn't matter to him that preparing for school ideally required Ranma to get up *earlier* than 'normal.' He sighed. Thank goodness there was no school in the morning. On days like that, he had a slightly better chance Akane might not decide she needed to wake him up in some aggravating fashion. Sleeping in was beginning to feel like a wonderful idea. And since there wasn't anything... anything important he needed to worry about tomorrow... He certainly didn't need to rush asking Ranmira for the address of the temple, either. Within another handful of seconds, Ranma was quite unconscious to the world, his snoring echoing loudly throughout the almost-vacant room. Nemi allowed herself a moment to enjoy the slight thrill that often played through her with the successful use of her powers. Granted, all she had done was offer a sleep suggestion to an already-tired Ranma, but still... She rose to her feet, slowly sauntering toward Ranma from the corner in which she'd been sitting, then knelt beside him. "Poor kid... you've been through a lot," Nemi soothed, brushing Ranma's hair away from his forehead. The boy's thoughts had told her what her own video record hadn't. "Well, we'll show them what happens when you mess with Saotome Ranma, hmm?" ** ** ** Unable to resist what could well become a manic grin, Hiroko nudged her sleeping husband. "Wake up, dear." Her only response was a grunt from Soun. She exhaled; Soun had indeed been something of a heavy sleeper, despite his martial artist background, though never as lethargic as he seemed to now be. Hiroko was well aware, as a result of watching her husband and family from the heavens, exactly how her passing had influenced and changed each of them. She paused at the sudden overflow of warmth in her chest that simply studying Soun as he slept triggered. Keeping a distant watch over all the people for whom she cared could *never* compare to actually being with them... If not for the strange sets of events revolving around Akane and Ranmira, Hiroko knew she would never have received the chance to resume her life. Another change, perhaps. Did Ranmira's presence alone as the Goddess of Change cause such things? And Akane... what was she going to become, as a Goddess? Would she follow Peorth's example and choose more of an administrative career over managing one or more specific domains? Hiroko shook her head. She had time to wonder about what might happen later - or ask Skuld, she supposed, not that the Goddess would be able to tell her. The Goddesses, including Akane, were waiting in the family room. Memories continued to drift about her mind's eye, of those times in the past when she'd had to try waking her husband in the mornings. She wondered again why, if his training insisted that he be ready to face any sort of threat at an instant's notice, was Soun such a difficult man to wake? Still... "Dear," she said firmly, taking a few crouching steps back just in case. "The Master is waiting." That did it. Immediately, Soun scrambled out of his bedroll, kneeling and blubbering for forgiveness at the foot of the only person in the room. "I'm sorry, Master! I didn't mean to sleep! I--" He fell silent at the sound of laughter... his wife's laughter, a part of his mind registered, though Soun was not ready to believe that. Raising his eyes, he found exactly what he had expected - and perhaps, he knew with a guilty twinge, hoped - to see. "Good morning, dear," Hiroko laughed again. Soun sighed. What in the world was she doing? Didn't she know how much seeing... *her* tore at him? "Don't do this, Peorth." Blink. Hiroko mentally kicked herself. "But... I'm not--" "No," insisted Soun. He turned away from her and began the process of rolling up his bedroll for storage. "I will admit I didn't expect you to dishonor my wife's image like this." Hiroko froze, hearing the quavering in his voice. How could she convince him she was the true Hiroko, after he'd definitely been hurt by Peorth's act? Soun had always been so wonderfully emotional... Now, however, she was beginning to draw a blank. "I..." "I'd never do anything like that," another voice somberly announced from the door. Both Hiroko and Soun raised their heads to glance in the direction of the newcomer, though it was Hiroko who spoke. "Peorth-sama..." The Goddess couldn't resist a smirk. Soun, meanwhile, was studying both women in turn. What *was* going on here? Something about this... encounter didn't feel like any sort of deception to him, nor an attempt to prey on his emotional vulnerabilities. All the Gods, Goddesses and demons were probably aware about him and the state of affairs in this household by now. But if that was indeed Peorth who stood inside the sliding door's frame - and she did wear the unusual clothes the Goddess had worn the other night - who was the other Hiroko look-alike? If she was a demon, wouldn't she have reacted much more adversely to the presence of a Goddess? "Tendo-san," Peorth managed, trying to maintain her semi-distant composure. "We'll discuss everything downstairs during breakfast... but for the moment, all you need to know is that yes, she is your wife. The 'true' Tendo Hiroko." She didn't feel the need to get into the debates as to whether or not substituting for a Mortal caused one to be just as much that Mortal as the person him or herself; that type of argument gave her headaches. Hiroko could only nod as Soun returned his gaze to her, still unable to think of anything appropriate to say. "I think I'll give you two some time alone," Peorth concluded, excusing herself. Goodness knew the two deserved it. "Remember, we've got a lot to talk about, downstairs. Later." She slid the doors shut behind her. Nabiki often found herself frustrated at the prospect of not keeping ahead of information she felt she should know, by all rights. Granted, she'd expected to miss quite a bit in regard to the Goddesses - it wasn't as though any of them, even Akane, were about to share the secrets of life, the universe and everything with her, or whatever. *This*, on the other hand... this turn of events directly involved her family, and that meant she had a right to know. In advance. Why, for example, was Peorth seated casually at the family table, with no one else seeming to mind? Especially Akane, who'd evidently been the most upset with the Goddess. Yet Akane was being perfectly civil toward Peorth, sitting next to her, and even... chatting with her from time to time. Did it have something to do with the fact that apparently someone had allowed her mother to return to life and her family, wondered Nabiki? Worse still, everyone *except* her seemed to have known that this was going to happen, including Akane and Kasumi. Blast it, how were they expected to explain why their mother was apparently alive and well after passing away several years ago? She settled for trying to level a glare in Peorth's direction. For some reason, she didn't honestly feel angry with Ranmira or Skuld... though Nabiki was hardly about to forgive the eldest of the Goddesses in the room, regardless of whether or not Akane and Kasumi had done just that. Her mental grousing was cut short as her mother and father all but glided into the family room. Nabiki stared, then, after catching herself, gave a barely audible snort. She was - truthfully - grateful to have her mother back, if that was actually the case, but... why did she have to be the last to learn of it? Ranmira cleared her throat. Time for the official account, then. "Where is Ranma?" the scarlet-haired Goddess asked, casting a quick glance over the assembled people. A minor blush tinged Akane's cheeks. She turned her head down, facing her breakfast. "He's upstairs... I think." "I'll ask him if he wishes to join us," Ranmira sighed, puzzling at Akane's behavior. Had she had an argument with Ranma? The 'alternate' Ranma had been rather upset with the whole lot of them over the loss of her reality; how much of that had filtered into Ranma proper? "After all that has happened, I would prefer to give him some time to himself... but he does need to know everything that we're about to discuss." She rose, stepping back from the table, and weaved her way into the hall without much thought. Existing as a part of Ranma had caused her to be as familiar with the entire house as he was. Ranmira had to shake her head to avoid letting herself drift into those copied memories. Although she technically had never personally experienced most, if not all of them, she could revisit them as vividly as though they *were* hers. The same predicament held true for the skills Ranmira had inherited from her charge, along with 'random' instincts, and that was why Kami-sama had asked her to begin training with Ranma as her teacher in the martial arts. But was this who she was supposed to be? She'd idolized her older sister, Belldandy, wanted to follow in the same path... Belldandy the Respected and Loved Goddess of the Present, who seemed to effortlessly breeze through whatever tasks were handed her with efficiency, all the while never losing that gentle composure and demeanor Ranmira had admired. Ranmira had done her best to be that sort of Goddess, though her tendencies to 'fade into the woodwork,' as Urd had once put it, drew less attention to her than she'd hoped. Even Peorth did not treat her as a serious rival, much as she did Belldandy, despite the fact that Ranmira also worked for the same Goddess Relief Office as her older sister. True, she *was* a different person, a younger Goddess with far less experience in everything than Belldandy, but... The Goddess of Change was well aware she had changed, now - being unable to recognize the influence of her own domain would be foolish. So... who was she? What kind of individual, of Goddess, should she be, if who she had been before becoming part of Ranma was no longer an option? Ranmira again shook her head. She'd been puzzling through the entire mess for a handful of days, and had yet to form anything that she considered an actual conclusion. Her danger sense flared briefly the instant she edged her petite fingers into the door-ring of Ranma's bedroom door. One had perhaps visited here, inside the room, but the lingering 'presence' was a few steps from completely faded. Ranmira extended her senses outward in every direction, hoping to learn more about the intruder regardless of her fear that it was already too late. If only Skuld were here, with her mechanical array of scanners... the traces would undoubtedly be gone by the time her younger sister climbed the stairs and pulled out her gear. She carefully eased the door open and slowly stepped into the room, stopping roughly at the middle. The most recent traces of Ranma's presence were centered within his bedroll; Ranmira reasoned that the boy hadn't left the house, or even his room. He had been teleported somewhere else. Kidnapped, by a demon, or willingly accompanied? But... why? And what could a demon want with Ranma? Soun was the first to break the apprehensive silence that accompanied Ranmira's report of what she had discovered. "Ranma-kun... has been *kidnapped*?" he echoed. The youngest of the four Goddesses present immediately shot to her feet, drew her scanning goggles from storage and set them in place before her eyes. "I'll see what I can find," she proclaimed. "But since this probably happened in the middle of the night or earlier, I won't make any guarantees." She peripherally threw a glance in Akane's direction as she hurried out of the room. If only Akane hadn't left the house late the previous evening to - as the newly-instated Goddess had claimed - think about a few things. Skuld wasn't at all fooled; Akane may have ended up doing just that, sure, but she'd no doubt had an argument with Ranma. The only other reason Akane might have for leaving the house at that time was to 'have fun,' or go out on a joyride with her new powers, whatever she had. Skuld snorted. Akane was more responsible than that, though. Now, how well-developed was Akane's ability to sense demons at this point? Ranmira, meanwhile, was trying to restore some measure of calm in the family room. "Yes, I know how important it is that we find Ranma, especially if he is with a demon," she raised her voice, hoping to forestall an impulsive rush to do something. That, she wanted to avoid. Akane, most of all, had to be fighting her own desires to begin a search... or something. "However, until we learn what exactly has happened and who may be responsible, we should continue with what we were about to do." Again, Nabiki wondered why Ranmira seemed to be assuming control more often than before - that part of Ranma within her, influencing her? Why wasn't Peorth, eldest of all the Goddesses present, taking charge? Peorth clearly wasn't the *smartest* Goddess... Skuld was arguably the most intelligent Goddess Nabiki had met, though not the most mature, by any means. With that thought, she quickly turned her attention back to Peorth, to find that the older Goddess was watching her without emotion. Was Peorth reading her mind? Ranmira wasn't about to give her time to worry about it. "First, as most of you are aware, Hiroko Tendo has been given permission to resume her life with her husband and family." "But how are we going to explain this?" Nabiki found herself nearly exploding. "Everyone knows Mom passed away. They're not gonna believe anyone claiming to be her now *is* her." Ranmira adopted the infuriatingly enigmatic, warm smile Nabiki had come to despise, no matter which Goddess offered it. "The Ultimate Force will account for everything, if it hasn't already." The 'Ultimate Force.' Belldandy had already given her a cursory explanation of the 'process;' how the heavens' super-super-super- super-mega-computer could... *nudge* reality to make sure certain things happened. That did little to assure Nabiki everything was to turn out okay... hadn't the files defining Ranma's own version of reality been so easily rewritten by that same computer? It was so easy to imagine a single one or zero being modified in her file - if Yggdrasil actually worked that way - resulting in a radical change in her, her life, her world... all perhaps without her being the slightest bit aware of a difference. What if her mother had wanted her to be a certain type of person, just as Ranma's mother had wished for him? Could a God or Goddess just... revise her program like that? Nabiki shuddered. "Second, as Akane is now a full Goddess, she will be moving to the temple with us in order to continue her training and evaluations." Ranmira bit her lower lip, allowing a second for everyone to consider her words. Soun looked ready to protest, until Hiroko rested a hand upon his forearm. "We have to let her go, Dear." "Kami-sama has requested that in the meantime, while Peorth-obasama is on suspension, she take Akane's place in this household and pretend to be Akane," finished Ranmira, who steeled herself for the outbursts she knew were about to come. Nabiki's cry was the loudest. "*What*!?" "I have already addressed everything in full with Peorth and the Goddesses," her mother stated in a tone that indicated she wanted no arguments. She owed them all a great deal - particularly Kami-sama Himself, although she would never be able to thank Him in person, Hiroko supposed. Both the Tendo and Saotome families had been influenced by the Goddesses, in fact, with Ranmira assigned to help guide young Ranma. Frowning, Nabiki turned to look at her would-be sister. The Goddess averted her gaze and stared instead at the surface of the table, cheeks coloring a pale shade of pink. Explaining the return of her mother was one thing, Nabiki mentally groused, but trying to pass a completely different person off as Akane was ridiculous! And to ask them to accept *Peorth* in the role? As if acting on cue, Peorth proceeded to shift forms, her body shrinking and melting into a mirror image of Akane's - and for the first time, Nabiki saw Peorth and Akane were wearing roughly the same blush, to her distaste. How in the world was the Ultimate Force going to resolve all this? Didn't anyone care about the additional chaos and problems these 'additions' were going to cause? Peorth stood and made her way to the head of the table, where she offered everyone a proper bow. "I don't want any special treatment," the Goddess said, hesitantly. "I insist that none of you treat me any different than you would Akane." The predatory gleam in her one-time daughter's eyes caused her to grimace. she could almost hear Nabiki's thoughts. What, she wondered yet again, was she getting herself into? ** ** ** "...wake up. C'mon, little sister, wake up!" A voice. She strained to open her eyes, in spite of the... whatever it was clouding everything and making it tough to move; she couldn't recall the word. Some sort of detached feeling, maybe. Something felt... wrong. "Oh, good - you're awake." What? Were her eyes open, now? She wasn't sure. Slender arms pulled her tightly into a hug. "I'm so glad you're okay, Rhea!" "Hah?" Was that her voice? The blur holding her slowly resolved into separate colors and distinct shapes. A red-haired, blue-eyed young woman, who did look - somehow - familiar to her. And those markings on her face... "You okay, sis?" the woman asked, switching to holding her at arm's length. She had to consider that, and stopped to check herself. "I... guess I'm okay, but... I can't remember anything." Her mind was strangely blank. The woman helped her stand. "I figured this might happen. You see, those Goddesses tried to kidnap you and brainwash you into thinking you're just an ordinary Mortal." "I'm not?" "Of course not! You're my little sister, Rhea. You're a demon, like me. I'm just glad I discovered what those Goddesses were trying to do and was able to save you." Rhea caught sight of her reflection in the nearest full-length mirror - there were at least three or four mounted to each wall. And the ceiling, too. Weird. She was an almost identical twin of her sister, except younger and smaller. Somewhere around seven Mortal years of age in appearance, she assumed, though she wasn't sure how she knew that. More evidence of the Goddess' tampering? Same face, blue eyes, red hair... and her own version of those facial markings. "They make me look angry," Rhea murmured, gingerly touching her forehead with a single finger. Her sister smiled. "All demons have those marks. They're a sign to everyone in the Planes not to mess with us." Rhea seemed ready to argue the point, but thankfully, let the issue drop. She'd never bothered to learn the full details about the marks, herself. "Why would Goddesses want me t'think I'm not a demon?" Pause. "Well... I'm not completely sure. At the time, I only wanted to get you away from them before they finished. I didn't think about asking them why they were... experimenting on you." She sat upon the end of the bed. assumed Rhea. "Now that we're together again, why don't we find out? We can teach those foolish Goddesses a lesson, too. It's what's expected of a demon, sis." Rhea blinked. That did sound appropriate, didn't it? Slowly, she began to adopt her own smile. "Okay..." <...to be continued...> ------------ Well, here it is - the first part of the much-awaited sequel to 'Instruments of Change.' ^_^ I have no guarantee when the next part will be released, however... my RL schedules are still rather lousy. Something I want to make clear: I do NOT have it in for Ranma, Akane, or any of the other characters in Instruments of Change or A Goddess' Dilemma. Or any of my other stories. ------------ Credits: Written by: Mike Koos Prereaders: Richard Beaubien, Kevin D. Hammel, Bill Heineman, Tom Williams, XStylus With apologies to Takahashi Rumiko and Fujishima Kosuke... All parts of this series are available at the RAAC archives at ftp://ftp.cs.ubc.ca/pub/archive/anime-fan-works/ or from my WWW pages at http://www.fanfic.net/~makoto/ Comments and questions welcome. * Mike ('Kino Makoto') Koos: makoto@cal.net * http://www.fanfic.net/~makoto * * "I can do nothing to stop you. Your background music is too strong * for me." - Sam Johnson, Whose Line is it Anyway?