The little pig Ranmira held securely within her arms wanted very much to protest. Ryouga's thoughts were largely an unorganized blur. Due perhaps to some cruel twist of Fate - this couldn't be *Ranma's* fault again, could it? Then again... - almost an entire day ago he had mistaken an actual Goddess for his rival Ranma, and hurt her with a fist to the face. Now, after spending a day resting and recovering, this particular Goddess had him in her grasp. As if he needed even more bad luck. Where was she taking him? Away from the house, away from anyone who might happen to witness what she was planning to do in retribution? And what *was* she planning to do? He'd tried to beat up a Goddess, that's what they would say. He deserved it. He attempted to scream, to make some kind of noise, at least. Nothing. A wave of calmness washed over him. What? He wasn't supposed to be calm. Frantic. *That* was what he was supposed to be. Not calm. Not *now*. Another wave of calmness. Ryouga wondered why he was feeling so blasted calm as he fought the sense off. The one good thing - or bad thing, however he wished to look at it - about a calm state was that one's mind was free to think clearly. So. Since he had come to rely on the so-called 'severe' emotions such as anger, hatred, depression... these instances of calm couldn't be *his* doing, right? Then what... who... of course! Ryouga glanced up at Ranmira's face in time to see her mouth something he couldn't understand... not that he knew how to read lips, at any rate. Magic! She was putting some kind of spell or enchantment on him, wasn't she? Couldn't she have just used her divine powers directly if she had intended to subdue him without a fight? Oh... right. He was supposed to be fighting back. Protesting. Time for another attempt... All at once, he fell asleep. An Aa! Megamisama / Ranma 1/2 Crossover Instruments of Change Part Seven written by Mike Koos ---------------------- Ukyou awoke to the sound of her doorbell chiming... once, twice, maybe a few more times. She checked her clock - it was after eleven at night. Who would be ringing the doorbell at *this* time of night? Nearly stumbling on the way, she threw aside her covers and fumbled about her bedroom for her so-called 'giant spatula.' If someone was playing any sort of prank on her... they would be sorry, to say the least. Maybe even if they weren't trying to pull a late-night prank - she wasn't happy about being awakened late at night. Business was supposed to be taken care of during business hours. *Not* close to midnight. she asked herself. What if Akane had kicked him out, and he'd come here to see if his U-chan could put him up for the night? No. Akane was a 'Goddess candidate' now; she would probably be nice to him. And Ranma had a Goddess as a part of him, making sure he behaved properly. There would be little reason for any of the Tendos to throw Ranma out. But she could always hope, couldn't she? Waiting for her on the opposite side of the sliding door that served as the entrance to both her restaurant and home was a familiar face - a red-haired girl, her hair braided into an unusually long pigtail. "Ran--" Ukyou said excitedly, out of habit... but then the light caught the visitor's slightly different clothing, longer hair, the jewelry she wore and the amethyst markings on her face. This had to be the Goddess that was currently a part of Ranma, she realized. "Ranmira?" Ukyou hazarded. Ranmira nodded in response. "I apologize for waking you," she replied, having noted that Ukyou was wearing pajamas. "But there is something I would like to discuss with you and Ryouga." Ukyou blinked. "Ryouga?" The Goddess held the sleeping pig she carried out for her to see. "Oh." Ranmira knew that P-chan was actually Ryouga? That couldn't be good news for Ryouga. How long would it be before Akane learned the truth? Skuld, Akane and Ranma hadn't mentioned the exact reasons why Ranmira had been unable to make an appearance earlier, though Ukyou understood Ranmira needed to rest after expending too much of her power and even more so after being attacked by Ryouga. Well, having to fend Ryouga off could put a great deal of strain on anyone, she'd reasoned. Did the fact that the Goddess was holding P-chan *now* mean Ranmira planned to exact retribution on him? "Should I go heat some water? It's a bit easier to keep him from breaking things or getting lost when he's a little pig." "Yes, please," Ranmira answered. "I should be better prepared for him, this time." Ukyou allowed a smirk to play across her features. "I'll keep a few glasses of cold water around just in case." Then she sighed. "I hope he doesn't cause any damage while he's here. Rebuilding after things like that is expensive! I don't know how the Tendos or Cologne can manage to do it all the time." "They have likely found easier and cheaper ways to rebuild after having to do it often." "I guess," Ukyou shrugged. "And what does it matter if the material or work is low-quality? It's just gonna be trashed by the next fighter to come along, like *him*," she pointed a single finger at Ryouga, to which the Goddess didn't say a word. When the spell keeping Ryouga sedated ultimately wore off, he awoke to find himself in human form, fully clothed... Ranmira and Ukyou standing a slight distance away, intently watching him. How had he... *Ranmira*!? He bolted to his feet and tried to run away - only to crash straight into an invisible barrier. The invisible wall had him encircled. "You really think that's enough to hold him, if he broke through your barriers earlier...?" whispered Ukyou. "It should be enough," Ranmira whispered in response. "My barrier spells might not be as strong as my sister's, but I'm confident this will do." "I hope so." Panicking, Ryouga thought to try the only apparent route left to him... the floor. "BAKUSAITENKETSU!" he shouted, prodding the floorboards with a finger. The bakusaitenketsu hadn't been designed for use with anything but rock, though after a little practice, he'd managed to extend the technique to earth and wooden floors as well. Nothing happened. Obviously, her invisible wall had the floor covered. Probably the ceiling, too. There was no escape. They had him, and he was going to have to accept his fate like a man... Ranmira approached the 'cell.' "Ryouga-san, please calm down. I do not want to hurt you. I only wish to speak with you and Ukyou." Ryouga blinked. "You're not going to hurt me?" She nodded. "I am not the type to seek revenge. However, if I *did* wish to return the favor for attacking me earlier, I could simply turn you over to Urd or Skuld." Ryouga had no way of knowing what Urd might do to him - there was something to the platinum-haired Goddess that reminded him of Nabiki, which meant that Urd was someone to avoid crossing - but he did know Skuld had both a hammer and bombs, backed by a temper. Skuld hadn't been all that happy with him at the scene of the fight; she was liable to become angry the next time she saw him. "...Or Akane." The Eternally Lost Boy paled. "She doesn't... she doesn't know, does she?" "No," Ranmira told him. "But you must know it is inevitable that she will learn the truth." After a brief pause Ryouga slumped within his 'prison.' "Oh." Then he straightened, meeting the Goddess' gaze. "You want me to tell her, don't you?" "That would be the proper thing to do, though it is not my place to force you to do it. And given that Akane is undergoing a great deal of emotional stress due to learning the truth about her mothers and becoming a Goddess candidate, revealing the truth about her pet to her might worsen that strain exponentially." Ukyou still had a hand fixed on the shaft of her large spatula. "I know *I'd* be mad if you tried that with me," she announced. Ryouga withdrew. "Which is why I believe it would be best if P-chan were to leave for a while," concluded Ranmira. Ryouga sighed. "I think I can manage that." "I want you to stay, Ryouga-san. Not as P-chan, but yourself." "Huh?" Ranmira took a deep breath. "Allow me to explain. Will you promise to stay here and listen - not run away, attack anyone, or break things?" "......I won't. I promise." She released the barrier and led him to a seat at the counter. It unnerved him that Ranmira wasn't seeking to pay him back for hurting her... after all, most of the people he knew or encountered preferred to hold grudges. But not Ranmira. He had definitely hurt her, yet... This was reminding him of a dream he'd had once, in which he'd intentionally fought Kasumi for some reason he couldn't recall. She'd forgiven him, and for the remainder of the dream he had nervously jumped at anything, wondering what Kasumi *really* had planned... "How did you get me changed back and into my clothes?" Ryouga asked. "I thought I left my pack miles from here... unless you have it." These definitely weren't the same clothes he'd lost in the Tendo koi pond. "She cast some kind of spell to pour the hot water on you behind the counter and put your clothes on while we were out here. Nobody looked," Ukyou said, taking a seat beside him. "Oh." Ryouga was relieved. Ukyou briefly wondered if Ranmira knew about Ryouga's shyness toward members of the opposite gender. "First," Ranmira began, choosing to remain on her feet, "I would like to apologize for not being able to speak to either of you at an earlier time, but..." Her voice trailed away. Ryouga shrank under Ukyou's glare. Their host cleared her throat to break the tension. "I would like both of you - Hibiki Ryouga and Kuonji Ukyou - to secretly join Ranma in acting as Akane's guardians." "What!?" From Ukyou and Ryouga both. "As I mentioned, Akane is in the process of trying to become a Goddess. Until she becomes a full Goddess, or returns to being a Mortal, she is unfortunately quite vulnerable. That is why I would prefer if you, her friends, were in her corner protecting her from the additional dangers she may have to face." Ukyou gasped. "She... thinks of us as friends? Even though we're always doing whatever we can to split Ranma and Akane apart?" Ryouga opened his mouth to add a comment of his own, but nothing emerged. "She knows she can count on both of you when necessary." "S-she only thinks of me as a friend..." "Would you rather she found out you're her pet and hate you?" Ukyou snapped, turning on Ryouga. Fine time for the sap to let his emotions sway him... He inhaled. "N-no, of course not!" "Events might not necessarily turn out that way, Ukyou-san," Ranmira offered her a knowing nod. "Believe me, I know." Change and Chance could work together to lead to unexpected turns of events... Ukyou pursed her lips. "Maybe. But why ask HIM to be her guardian?" she asked, indicating the boy. "I'm sure you know how easily he gets lost!" "I do not! And besides, you'd probably just agree to help Akane to get close to Ranma!" Ukyou's voice was oddly, suddenly solemn. "No. There's no chance of anything like that happening." There, in her eyes, Ryouga saw a measure of sadness. He'd known that particular emotion far too long not to recognize it in others. Why would Ukyou be sad? He hesitated. "Uh, I'll do it." A decision he'd come to regret, no doubt, but he *had* pledged his life to protect Akane's. Even if it meant she might wind up hating him for all eternity... now there was a thought. What if people really could be reincarnated? Akane could carry a grudge against him across the span of several lives! "Me, too," Ukyou affirmed. Ranmira had been right; despite their rivalry for Ranma's affections, Akane *was* a friend. One who was - interestingly enough - becoming a Goddess. She had to admit, she found the idea intriguing. "Very well." Ranmira fixed them both with an unemotional gaze. "You should know that I have no way of knowing what you might or might not face, however. This particular situation doesn't happen that often." thought Ukyou. "Also, I ask that you do not tell Ranma or Akane that I have asked you to watch over Akane. I don't want either of them to think I am interfering, or have little faith in Akane." An uncomfortable silence fell upon the trio. "...Okay. But isn't there something you can do about his sense of direction?" Ukyou inquired. Ryouga frowned. Why did people always make comments about his sense of direction? It wasn't *his* fault he hardly ever found his way to wherever it was he wanted to go whenever he wanted to be there, was it? Ranmira gave the question a bit of thought. "There is." She concentrated; the marks on her face glowed faintly, and then a small, unassuming golden ring flashed into existence within the open palm of her hand. A few soft words in a language neither Ukyou nor Ryouga understood caused the aura surrounding the ring to increase in intensity - at the same time, Ryouga felt an odd sensation take hold of him and refuse to release him from its influence. She placed the ring in Ryouga's hands. "Wear this ring, and never take it off." The boy merely stared at the ring in confusion. "A ring?" Ukyou spluttered. "What will *that* do?" She wondered how Ranmira could retain her calm demeanor through seemingly anything. Although Ranmira was a part of the Ranma she knew, the Goddess was quite different... "Everyone has an internal compass of a sort which is attuned to the Earth's magnetic core," Ranmira stated, as though she were a teacher giving a science lesson. Which, in a sense, she was. "So Ryouga's internal compass..." "...Is slightly out of tune with the Earth. Several members of his family also share this misalignment. There are reasons I cannot fix Ryouga's problem directly, particularly without knowing why he and his family share this 'misdirection curse,' but that ring will reset his internal compass to its proper attunement for as long as he wears it." The expression on Ryouga's face brightened. "It will?" Ranmira nodded. "Yes. The ring is specifically keyed to you and has no effect on anything or anyone else. Do not lose it." "But..." The Goddess drifted toward an electrical outlet. "I really must be going now," she exhaled. "Tomorrow *is* a school day... correct, Ukyou-san?" "Er... yeah." Ukyou settled back against the edge of the counter. She had no real love for school, and when she compared her classes with the concerns of the Goddesses... how important could school be? Important enough, if Akane, Ranma and Skuld remained in school. Guess being a Goddess *didn't* get you out of school after all. By the time she looked up, Ranmira was gone - leaving two stunned people behind. "Uh... do you have any idea what we do now?" Ukyou glared at Ryouga. Wasn't *Ryouga* supposed to be the one getting punished here? she muttered to herself. "What?" "Nothing," she lied. "I'm going to bed. Let yourself out, okay?" He watched her walk back up the stairs to her room, then decided he would do as she asked. The ring was on his right-hand ring finger now. <"Wear this ring, and never take it off."> But was that actually the right thing to do? Maybe Ranmira had been lying. Maybe this ring was part of an inventive scheme for revenge the Goddess had created just for him. Ryouga closed the sliding door behind him. Why would a Goddess lie to him? Even Ranmira, who struck him as behaving more like *Kasumi* than Ranma. Of course, that thought made him feel even more guilty about having punched her. If it wasn't one curse, it was another... He stopped to bang his head against a nearby telephone pole. "Argh! I forgot to ask her if she could remove my curse!" In the room of the Tendo home given over for Ranma and Genma to use as their own, Ranmira emerged from a field of electricity that arced about one of the electrical outlets. For a full moment she leaned against the wall, catching her breath and attempting to calm her overactive pulse. She sighed. Climbing back into Ranma's bedroll, she shifted to the sleeping form of Ranma. Nabiki entered the command for her computer to start the process of shutting down. Oh, she'd had some interesting information to store in the online notebook this night. The only question was... what, exactly, to do with it? Until she had a suitable enough plan of action, the information would be safe on disk. She did keep a regular paper notebook filled with random data to throw snooping people off the trail, but computer files were so much more easier to secure and bury than a paper product. A computer file could be encoded and then compressed in several different ways - or more than once! - to be hidden away on a hard drive for family, friends or enemies never to find. Not that anyone had dared to mess with her computer... there was no evidence of that in the logs. But it was always better to be safe than sorry, as she liked to believe. Such practices were almost a necessity in this neighborhood... Now, then. What kind of plan would put this new information to its best use? Nabiki turned off the light atop her nightstand and eased herself backward onto the bed. There were times when it helped the imagination greatly to simply lie in the darkness and stare up into that pseudo-infinity. Would it help tonight, for such an important plan? She hoped that none of the Goddesses or Akane were able to read her mind. ** ** ** Skuld, Keiichi and Belldandy were waiting for them when they entered the temple's kitchen through their mediums. Ranmira carefully levitated away from the wall and the electrical outlet she had just emerged from, then descended until the soles of her boots noiselessly rested upon the ground. Akane, however, had yet to reach a similar level of control over her 'entrances and exits.' To her credit she had established more control over the process than her attempts the day before, helplessly flailing her arms about far less, but she continued to react impulsively to each situation. That was understandable; Akane was approaching her Goddess training as a martial artist, taught to react on instinct and impulse. How could someone who was known for a less-than-moderate amount of patience be expected to teach another who clearly would have to work hard to counter her existing conditioning? Skuld had wondered. Being a martial artist was indeed a plus when it came to certain aspects of being a Goddess - Akane would undoubtedly be able to sustain her use of power for longer periods of time than one would expect, for example - though in many other aspects, it was more of a hindrance than an aid. In entering and leaving her medium, Akane needed to learn to 'go with the flow,' as per the old Mortal saying. The more she concerned herself with every detail, not to mention her reaction to each of those details, the more likely she was to do something unexpected. Skuld supposed that was true. She rarely thought about her 'travels' at all, and could barely remember the lessons she had been taught in regard to the process. That meant none of her sisters were likely to recall the exact lessons, either. she asked herself. Given some time, Akane would learn the proper way of doing things as a Goddess. The only parts of the training left to worry about, then, was the tests of the spirit. And if someone like *Urd* could pass her tests of the spirit - though *how* Urd had, Skuld didn't know - her apprentice had a good chance of doing the same. Ranmira shifted into Ranma while Skuld helped Akane to her feet. Today was the day on which they would test portions of Akane's power and teach her a spell or two, at the same time giving Ranma a chance to visit the temple. They'd come directly from the school so as not to waste any time... Akane was quite eager to learn her first spell. Ranma seemed to waver slightly. "Are you all right, Ranma-san?" Belldandy asked him. "Just trying to get my bearings," the martial artist answered. "These location shifts can be a little confusing." Skuld took on a pensive look. "Oh, that's right. For you the change would be instantaneous, as if you'd been removed from one point in Time and placed in another." "If you put it that way... I like the sound of that more. You know? Time travel and all that, instead of me being stored away." Ranma shrugged. Images of being stored in a meat locker or placed in a box on some shelf somewhere always came to mind when he thought about it, even after Ranmira had assured him the storage procedure involved nothing of the sort. "Ranma." Akane decided it was an ideal time to introduce Ranma to the members of the 'family' he hadn't met. "This is Belldandy, and that's Keiichi," she said, gesturing to each of them in turn. Belldandy had an unmistakably angelic quality to her, from her features to the grace of her movements. Her long, sandy-brown hair was worn in a markedly different hairstyle, and her bluish-gray eyes were almost of a lambent quality... yet Ranma's thoughts insisted on comparing Belldandy to another person. Kasumi. Why? Belldandy did have a voice eerily identical to Kasumi's, he recalled. Aside from that, her behavior and the air she projected... those also resembled the same traits in Kasumi. Or was that the other way around? "Ranma-san? Is something the matter?" That voice, again. Had he not been watching Belldandy speak, he could easily have believed Kasumi was with them. "Not really..." he fumbled. "No. I... er, I just felt like I already know all of you very well." "Gee, I wonder why?" Urd spoke up from behind him, startling him. Thankfully, Skuld intervened before Urd could continue. "Maybe, maybe not. Can we drop this? We really should get started with Akane's next lessons, 'cause this might take a while." "You do have a point, Skuld," Belldandy admitted. And so the lesson began. Urd took a seat on the deck a few feet apart from where Keiichi and Ranma sat. "Akane? We will start with a basic restoration spell. From what we have been told of the situations you commonly face, you may find it useful." She drew a breath. "Since you aren't yet familiar with the languages of the heavens, I will instruct Yggdrasil to allow you to visualize the spell..." Closing her eyes, she called on her link with Yggdrasil to issue the necessary commands. Suddenly, a new voice rang out. "So THIS is where everyone is!" Everyone brought their heads up as one to see who the visitor to the temple's yard happened to be. A girl wearing a softball uniform with the letters "N.I.T." and "S.B.C." sewn across the front of her jacket - the Nekomi Institute of Technology Softball Club, Akane assumed - was striding up to them. Akane noted the presence of a bat-sized canvas case slung across one shoulder alongside the girl's sports bag. Keiichi found his voice. "Me-Megumi! Don't do that!" he protested. His sister laughed, her short-cropped brown hair making an attempt to follow the movement of her head. "You're such a wet blanket, Kei-chan. Why do you think I try to surprise you so much?" "Megumi..." But she was already walking out into the yard to where Akane, Belldandy and Skuld stood. "Hello! I'm Morisato Megumi, Keiichi's little sister. Who are you?" she asked Akane, while Keiichi simply rolled his eyes and sighed. Belldandy smiled. "This is Akane, a cousin of ours," she placed a hand on Akane's shoulder, "and the young man seated next to Keiichi is her friend, Saotome Ranma." Both Ranma and Akane were inwardly grateful that Belldandy hadn't chosen to introduce them as an engaged couple. Megumi studied Akane, then glanced peripherally at Belldandy. "Pleased to meet you, Akane-chan!" She offered one of her infamous grins. "Are you here for a visit?" It was a valid question, despite lacking a slight amount of tact; Megumi wouldn't have been surprised at all if more members of Belldandy's family came to stay at the temple for a while. There was certainly more than enough room, and Megumi couldn't help but like Belldandy and her sisters. Akane nodded in response, remembering her manners. "Yes. We were in the area and thought we should drop by." Ranma leaned closer to Keiichi in order to whisper an aside. "Does she know?" "That Belldandy and her sisters are Goddesses?" guessed Keiichi. "No. We're trying to keep it a secret." "Oh. Isn't that hard to do? I bet it's gotta be as hard as trying to keep my curse a secret." Keiichi shrugged. How hard could it be to avoid cold water if you were determined enough? "Maybe. But yeah, it isn't easy." "What are you two talking about over here, hmm?" Megumi was inching closer to them. "You're not talking about me... are you?" "N-no! It's nothing! Honest!" Megumi shook her head. "You've got to stop making it so easy for me, big brother." She turned her attention to Ranma. "You're Ranma, right? Kinda cute..." The blush that rose in the younger boy's cheeks only added to the effect. "*Ranma*!" Megumi giggled. "Don't mind her, Akane," her brother was saying. "She just likes to torment people." Megumi feigned a hurt look. "Kei-chan, how could you say such a thing about your dear little sister?" she scolded him. "All right, what do you want, Megumi? Don't you have a game today?" Keiichi asked, tired of the act. Megumi had already proven long ago that she could carry the back-and-forth game as long as he could. She offered him an indifferent shrug. "I thought I'd return the 6510 reference book I borrowed before going." Pulling the book from her sports bag, Megumi handed it to him. "Don't worry, Kei-chan," she whispered once close enough for Keiichi to hear. A feline grin crept into her features. "I'll be going soon. I know how you prefer to spend time alone with Belldandy--" "Megumi!" "Just kidding," Megumi giggled once more. Ranma idly watched the exchange from his seat on the deck, as did Urd. He'd been told beforehand how Keiichi and Belldandy came to be together, and that they truly cared for each other, but Keiichi was having difficulty admitting it to his younger sister. He supposed Keiichi might not have told his younger sister about his true relationship with Belldandy, either. As he thought about it, his relationship with Akane did have a parallel or two with the relationship between Keiichi and Belldandy. Not that he was sure he or Akane cared for each other anywhere near as much as Belldandy or Keiichi, yet they *were* linked... a Mortal linked to a Goddess. Or a Goddess candidate, anyway. Both Belldandy and Akane were immortal and had access to the wonders of the heavens. Why would either of them want to carry on a relationship with a Mortal? Well, perhaps the best way to find out - aside from asking Belldandy, of course - would be to ask Keiichi. Though... what to ask? The direct approach was out as long as Megumi was lurking in the yard - he would only succeed in inspiring her to torment her brother more, and further embarrass Keiichi. No, he needed to ask a more subtle question. Ranma knew full well that he had a problem discussing things like relationships with anyone else, which was the primary reason he hadn't been able to come to any conclusion as far as Ukyou or Shampoo were concerned. It wasn't entirely his fault that he had never been taught anything but fighting... "Say, uh, Keiichi? You ever thought about training in the martial arts?" Keiichi studied him for a second, wondering if Ranma was trying to start conversation or change the subject. "I'm... not really much of a fighter. I don't really have any need to learn how to fight..." Though, Keiichi had to admit, such skills would have probably been useful in some of the situations he'd had to face. "Well, I think it'd be cool to train to be a martial artist!" Megumi said. After noticing the disbelieving stares nearly everyone gave her, she added, "I don't have the time to devote to learning the martial arts, though. You're a martial artist, Ranma?" "Er... yeah. And so is Akane." Akane grimaced. "Really?" Megumi was impressed. "Wow. Maybe you two could show us what martial artists can do in a fight later, huh?" "Just come to our neighborhood and you'll see a fight eventually," Akane muttered under her breath, too low for anyone to hear. The gleam of sunlight playing off the plastic face of Megumi's wristwatch caused her to glance at the watch. Her eyes widened. "Oops! I'd better get going before they come to get me." She took a moment to grab her sports bag, then sprinted toward the temple gates. "Bye! See you later!" Belldandy and Skuld waited a few minutes to make sure Megumi was safely out of visual and audial range before returning to Akane's lesson. "Akane," Belldandy asked. "You should be able to visualize the restoration spell through your link with Yggdrasil. I would like you to access the system and place the spell into your mind's eye." As Akane concentrated on what she was hoping to do, the triad of markings on her face began to glow stronger, with more intensity. Yggdrasil was a vast system with an infinite amount of data to offer her; it was incredibly difficult to avoid the temptation to let her mind wander, to become lost among all that knowledge... Akane caught herself. She resolved never to access the system unless she was sure of what she wanted to find. Was this a test? Why give a novice such as herself, someone who might not even become a Goddess, what appeared to be full access to Yggdrasil? She found that the spell stood out like a beacon where Belldandy had placed it for her to grasp. Akane welcomed the spell into her mind. It *was* definitely in a language she could not understand, but Yggdrasil had the information necessary for her to learn it if need be. Spells such as this restoration spell were in fact like computer programs, in that they called upon Yggdrasil to aid in changing or restructuring the environment. Finally, she understood the spell, and how to use it. Akane glanced at Belldandy and Skuld to check their reactions. "Very good, Akane." Belldandy drew her attention to a small patch of dry grass next to one of the dirt trails leading through the temple's yard. "Cast the spell on that patch of grass." Akane concentrated on the task. How could she cast spells in a language she had yet to learn? a part of her mind inquired. Still, if it wasn't within her power to do so, would Belldandy have asked her to try? She reached past the words to find the spell itself. Magic wasn't precisely about words; the function of the words in a spell were to *guide* the caster so that he or she placed the proper power into the spell. That was the reason why spells were often kept in their original language - if the transcriber was not careful, the spell would be diluted or worse, ineffective. Though the power did not truly lie in the words, she would need their aid. She asked Yggdrasil to help her channel the spell into existence. Her mouth formed the words. A translation had already passed through her mind, making the goal of the spell clear. All she had to do was combine the elements of the spell and... Dead grass returned to life before her eyes. She'd done it. She'd learned a spell of the Gods and Goddesses. Akane felt both the sense of her joy at succeeding and the trace of powers which had combined to restore the grass... Nature's power, Yggdrasil's and her own. The feeling *that* left her was indescribable! She turned to look at Ranma. Ranma did not have access to the kind of magic she had, but why couldn't he share in her accomplishment? "You *do* care for her, don't you?" she heard Keiichi ask. Akane frowned, her euphoria waning. Ranma hadn't even been paying attention! The boy in question inhaled sharply. Whenever someone confronted him at point-blank range with the issue of whether he loved Akane or not, the first impulse his mind triggered was the instinct for survival. He had to distance himself from Akane, or else he would regret the consequences. "What!? No! I don't... she's a kawaikunee clumsy tomboy and--" Akane's standard procedure for events like this was to let her anger prove to Ranma exactly how wrong he was. "*RAN*-MA!!" she yelled, leveling a fist at him from where she stood. To her utter surprise a tight spiral of wind took shape there. The miniature tornado shot from her fist toward Ranma. Keiichi, having been in the line of fire far more times than he would prefer, had had the sense to dive out of the way when he saw the energies build around Akane's fist. But Ranma... Ranma remained frozen in place, dumbfounded. Since when had Akane been given a power like that? was the last thought that crossed his mind as the tornado slammed him through the stone wall behind him. Akane paled. "*Ranma*!" She ran into the temple to find the spot where Ranma had been thrown. He lay unconscious in the wreckage of the outer wall. "Ranma," Akane repeated her cry, softer this time. If Ranma died, it would be all her fault. She had blasted him from a distance with some kind of elemental power and sent him flying through a stone wall. Akane stopped to collect herself. Being careful not to move Ranma, she checked his pulse. His pulse was - thankfully - moderately strong. She made a quick scan for injuries while Belldandy and the others joined them. Outwardly, Ranma was bleeding from a few cuts and scrapes, though beyond that, she couldn't tell if he had any internal injuries. "Belldandy," she spoke haltingly, aware of the other's presence behind her. "Is there a way to see whether or not he's hurt internally?" "He will be fine," came the answer. "But how do--" Akane started to ask, but was silenced by Belldandy. "Akane, we will discuss your temper later. For now, I want you to cast the restoration spell on Ranma and the wall." Akane forcefully swallowed the lump in her throat. "Y-yes." She called once more upon the words and the power. Unknown to her, they linked with fragments of her guilt, desperation and hopefulness, changing the spell... The rubble from the wall stirred from around and underneath Ranma. Within seconds, the stone wall was reassembling itself from those fragments. Ranma's body, meanwhile, took on an unusual glow. Akane could feel the power undoing the damage to his body. The damage *she* had caused in anger. One of the reasons Akane had developed the habit of hitting him - whether with bare hands or assorted 'weapons' - or punting him to end an argument was because she knew Ranma could easily weather the 'attacks.' But could he withstand the power of a Goddess? True, Ranma did have Ranmira within him to help, but despite that Ranma was only a Mortal. He could be hurt. He could die. Provided they didn't end her candidacy over this instance, she was going to have to change some aspects of who she was. Akane felt the spell finish the task she had asked of it and opened her eyes. The glow enveloping Ranma's body was leaving him. Except... she could see that something unexpected had happened, as could the others. Ranma now had the body of a seven-year-old. <...to be continued...> ------------ Credits: Written by: Mike Koos Prereaders: Richard Beaubien, Kevin D. Hammel, Jonathan Ng, Shadowmane, Tom Williams, David Wills Special thanks to Christopher Angel for letting me discuss a few things with him. :) 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?