Ranma's slightly-battered alarm clock abruptly came to life, sounding the refrain of one of her favorite songs. Her eyes bleared open - if only a fraction of the way, and she almost succeeded in fumbling for the radio's off button before it occurred to her that she did like the song. Getting up and preparing for school could wait, she decided, listening to the song and staring idly at the room about her. She frowned. That alone was one of the reasons to be grateful that her mother was once again a part of her life - Ranma knew that her father would never let her go on such a trip. Not if she wasn't going to spend somewhere over half a day concerned with little more than the martial arts. He would never simply let her have fun like a normal person, or allow her to be treated as such. But now that she had her mother back... there was hope. Thank goodness Nabiki's efforts - combined with Ranmira's information - had made it possible. Ranma dragged herself out from under her thick comforter and sat on the edge of her bed, curling her bare toes into the long-since compressed fibers of her carpet. She extended both arms into the air, stretching as far as her body would allow, while yawning. Well... time to get dressed, put together whatever work she was supposed to have done yesterday, and... wait. Something about yesterday's memories felt... distant, hazy. All the rest of her memories were perfectly normal. So why did her memory of the day before feel weird? She could remember what she had done and seen, but the actual motivation... it seemed as if she might be watching herself run through a day of her life. Weird. Really weird. Oh, well; maybe Skuld or Ranmira could explain what was going on. She certainly hadn't been drunk, and nothing of the sort had happened while Ranmira was a part of her. Ranma set the issue aside for the moment. Unless what she recalled of the previous day was wrong - a cover-up for something else? - she couldn't remember anything *bad* happening to her. ...A conversation with Ranmira about something in the dojo, though she'd apparently forgotten most of it. Something about Akane and leading different lives. Had she made a wish to change her life and forgotten it? No. No, that wasn't it. Ranma admonished herself as she removed her pajamas. Why would a wish only affect a day and leave the rest of her life alone? And what would she wish for? Her life wasn't perfect, but there were very few things about it she would change. Maybe she'd wished to change someone else's life. That might explain the haziness. She drew a bra from her underwear drawer without giving the process much thought and fastened it around her chest. Whose life would she have changed? Her mother or father? Nabiki, Kasumi, Akane or Uncle Soun? Shampoo, Ukyou or anyone else she knew at school? Or anywhere else? Ranma slid her closet open and took her uniform from its clotheshanger. She sighed. Trying to figure this mess out would probably give even Nabiki a headache. An Aa! Megamisama / Ranma 1/2 Crossover Instruments of Change Part Fourteen written by Mike Koos -------------------- "So... how has the training been going, Akane? Any idea if or when they'll make you a Goddess?" Nabiki asked, waiting her turn to brush her teeth in front of the sink. Akane removed her brush from her mouth. "Fine. And no, I don't know." Ranma chose that moment to enter the bathroom. The scarlet- haired girl, like Akane and Nabiki, was fully dressed in her Fuurinkan High girls' uniform except for her shoes. "What do you think you're doing, barging in here like that? There are *girls* in here, you know!" Akane snapped. Ranma blinked, clearly confused. Nabiki gave her sister a puzzled look. "What are you talking about, Akane?" Ranma asked her. "I know 'there are girls in here.' That's why I came in. You think I'd come in here if there were *guys* getting ready in here?" She cringed slightly, though enough for Akane to notice. Nabiki smiled. "You might if you thought the guy was cute," she teased. "Or if he was your boyfriend." The blood rose in Ranma's cheeks. "Oneechan!" she exclaimed, flustered by the mere suggestion that she do something so forward. Recomposing herself, she added, "And I *don't* have a boyfriend!" "Heh. The two of you are so easy to provoke." Akane stared at Ranma, realizing what had happened. She shuddered. Ranma was now a complete girl, memories and all; Akane knew that the only thing she could do was treat Ranma as that person. "Stop that, oneechan," she scolded her older sister. Ranma turned to look at her, still a bit confused. "Where else am I supposed to get ready for school?" "I'm sorry, Ranma," Akane apologized. "I've just... had a LOT of things to think about this past week." Ranma reached across the sink for her toothbrush and the toothpaste. "From what Ranmira's told me about it and all I've seen you go through, it looks like a lot of work. I'm not sure I'd want to train to be a Goddess." "It's probably not too different from training to be a martial artist. The ideals, anyway. You're giving Ranmira a considerable ability and teaching her how to use and control it," offered Nabiki. "It's not the same!" Ranma argued the point. "*Anyone* can be a martial artist if they're willing to dedicate themselves to it and train. To be a Goddess, you have to be born with the power in you, like Akane was." Akane winced. That she had been born with the power to become a Goddess within her was a reminder of the woman who had pretended to be her mother... Peorth, who officially was her mother just as much as Akane's original mother. Akane would not accept that fact, however; although genetically she was a potential Goddess and Peorth's daughter, she insisted that only her original mother was her true mother. For that reason, she forced the thought from her mind. "Can we talk about something else?" Both Ranma and Nabiki gave her curious glances for a second, then Ranma shrugged. "Oh, by the way - did anything... um, weird happen yesterday?" Nabiki thought about it. "Not really. No more than the usual weirdness. Why?" "I don't know for sure, but it's like what I remember from yesterday is a little hazy." Akane inhaled, and hoped neither Ranma nor Nabiki had heard her do so. How much did Ranma remember of the day before, when her previous self had tried to cope with her new reality? She hated being unable to tell Ranma or anyone else what a recent outbreak of bugs in Yggdrasil itself had done to their reality. There was no sense in upsetting everyone over a problem that might soon be fixed. And Ranma... she deserved to live a 'normal' life - even if only for a short time - free of some of the concerns she'd previously had. Ranma deserved to spend some time with her mother, 'sisters' and friends without worrying about whether something she experienced here would hold true in her original reality. "I've never heard of anything like that happening - not unless you spent a lot of time drinking, yesterday, and we all know you didn't. Akane?" Nabiki inquired. "Are you *sure* you didn't do anything else while you were in that computer Wednesday night, like mess with Ranma's files? Hmm?" "What? Of course I didn't!" Akane told herself. "Besides, I doubt they'd be happy if I thought about messing with anyone's files." "You might ask Skuld about it when she gets here, anyway," Nabiki said as an afterthought to Ranma. "Just in case something *is* wrong with you." "I'm fine." "Of course you are, little sister." Akane closed her eyes. "Kasumi?" Nabiki asked as she, Ranma and Akane took their seats at the family-room table for breakfast. Skuld had already arrived and taken her seat; for some reason, the Goddess of the Future seemed to like arriving at the same time, early each morning. "You didn't see anything weird happen yesterday, did you?" Kasumi paused while setting a plate of fish before Ranma. "Hmm... I don't think so. Why do you ask?" Ranma glanced at Nabiki as if to ask the same thing. "Ranma says that what she remembers of yesterday is a little hazy, and she's not sure why." "Oh?" Kasumi blinked. She placed the palm of her hand to Ranma's forehead. "Have you been feeling ill, Ranma?" "No." Kasumi drew her hand back, then peered closely into Ranma's eyes. "Well, you don't look or feel sick to me." The panda seated at the opposite end of the table raised a sign. [She's only trying to get out of her obligations.] Everyone ignored him. Nabiki turned her attention to Skuld. "There isn't anything wrong with Ranma, is there?" "No; I can't sense anything wrong with her," Skuld chose her words carefully, staring intently at Ranma to add weight to her claim. Ranma *was* well - as far as she could sense - but she didn't want to trigger Nabiki or Kasumi's suspicions. "I could've told you that," grumbled Ranma. "Quiet," Nabiki shushed her. "Did anything important happen yesterday that you're having trouble remembering?" "I......... no. Not that I know of." "Okay. So if it happens to you again, it's something to worry about. Otherwise... maybe it's just something caused by a blow to the head during practice." Kasumi sighed. "I do wish you would be more careful, Ranma." "I am, oneechan!" Ranma protested. "I haven't had any blows to my head in any of my fights or while I've been training Ranmira!" "You shouldn't be fighting at all." Another sign. [Don't listen to her, Ranma.] When Kasumi and Nabiki gave him a look of disapproval, Genma hid the sign and raised a smaller sign. [Eh-heh...] Akane leaned closer to Skuld. "Why is everyone so worked up over Ranma?" she whispered. "Akane, they view her as a younger sister, and treat her with the same concerns as they treat you. You probably just haven't really noticed it until now," Skuld whispered back. "...Oh." Skuld was correct, of course - she was obviously having trouble with viewing Ranma as anything or anyone other than the young man she had known. Now, the only people who were aware that boy had ever existed were herself, the Goddesses and perhaps the demons. Could she deal with a Ranma who was her sister, not her iinazuke? How *did* she feel about Ranma - the Ranma to whom she had been engaged without her consent? She had never truly thought about the matter seriously, for long... worse, after learning she had the potential to become a Goddess, she hadn't given it any thought at all. If she became a Goddess, she couldn't keep her engagement to Ranma, could she? Or if they did remain engaged to each other, how long would that relationship last? At best, she would have to watch Ranma grow old and die while she barely aged at all, assuming she became an immortal Goddess. Was that fair for either of them? Belldandy and Keiichi must have similar concerns, Akane reasoned, though they seemed to be ignoring them. Maybe they had found a solution or way around those problems? She made up her mind to ask them about it in private when she had the opportunity. Nothing else of note happened during the rest of the meal. Ranma, like Nabiki, quickly ate her food and pulled a manga book out of her bookbag to read while waiting for everyone to finish. Nabiki peripherally watched her for a moment, raising an eyebrow in mild interest before excusing herself from the table. "Well, I'm going now," she announced. "Uh...," Akane cleared her throat. "Nabiki, can Ranma walk with you this morning?" Ranma looked up from her manga. "Huh? Why?" "Yeah. Why?" Nabiki seconded the question. Akane's mind raced to come up with an excuse that wasn't quite a lie. At least, nothing her older sister would easily detect and dissect. "Skuld and I have to take care of a few things before school." Ranma stood, shoving the manga back into her bookbag. "In other words," she said wryly, "you want to talk about things without either of us there." "They're probably gonna talk about us," added Nabiki. "Well, we'll just have to talk about you behind your backs. C'mon, little sister - let's go." She headed for the hall, hiding a frown. What if there *was* something wrong with Ranma, and neither Akane nor Skuld were telling them? Ranma hesitated. "Just a minute. Kasumi?" "Yes?" "I'm going to be late coming home today - the swim and cheer teams are both having meetings this afternoon." Akane's eyes widened. "Okay," Kasumi smiled. "I'll be sure to set aside something for you if you're not home by dinnertime." "Okay. Thanks, oneechan." "She's a *cheerleader*!?" "Yes," Skuld replied without breaking stride. "Actually, she's her team's second. Oh, and she's on the volleyball team as well as the swim team, too." Akane considered this. Ranma going out for volleyball she could justify - she was on the team, herself. Being on the swim team just meant Ranma could still swim and she couldn't. But cheerleading? That was so... unlike Ranma. She said as much. Skuld breathed a weary sigh. "Akane, you're never going to get used to the idea that she's a different person now, are you?" She relented, her features relaxing somewhat. If only Kami-sama had chosen someone with more patience or who would understand how to deal with Akane, to be Akane's teacher... "Go ahead - I know you want to check Yggdrasil about it." Her apprentice nodded, turning her head so that no one would see the triangular markings on her face - a small amethyst triangle tucked behind and below each eye, and a larger triangle adorning her forehead - glow for a second. Ordinarily, people wouldn't pay too much attention to the markings... but if those markings were glowing, then they would attract attention. Ranma was indeed the second of the cheerleading team, some steps short of being the captain. She'd heard rumors that the captain of the cheerleading team at Seishun Academy was using something called 'Combat Cheerleading' to help the Seishun teams win - in short, taking out members of opposing teams during games with furtive attacks, using batons and other tools as weapons. The latter had reminded Ranma of Kodachi, and since she believed that purposely disabling one side of a fight you weren't really a part of while the fight was in progress wasn't much better than disabling one's opponent before a fight, she decided to join the Fuurinkan High Cheer team. With Ranma as a member, the team had gathered a reputation, of course. Ranma was developing her own form of 'Combat Cheerleading' - but only for fighting fair. Akane bit her lower lip. There had been times when she'd believed Ranma could be made to do anything simply by giving it some kind of connection to fighting or the martial arts. This Ranma apparently shared some of that trait, though Akane still had difficulty picturing her as a cheerleader. Akane thought. ** ** ** "I can't believe I forgot my lunch," Skuld muttered. What was worse was that she hadn't discovered she'd forgotten it until sitting down in a remote spot in the school courtyard to have lunch with Ranma and Akane. She had hoped to speak to Akane alone for a few minutes. The Goddess-candidate had been staring at Ranma nearly the entire morning, as if she had yet to accept that Ranma had changed. Ranma hadn't noticed, but surely someone else had, and no doubt there was gossip making something of it by now. Her attempt to pull Akane aside for a private talk had been foiled when Ranma followed them, wondering why they weren't eating lunch with their friends. Skuld hadn't wanted to tell her they were going to talk about things without her present again; Ranma was probably already suspicious and worried something might be wrong with her - no small thanks to Nabiki. Skuld mentally shrugged. Did Nabiki enjoy inspiring paranoia in others? "Everyone forgets their lunch sometime," said Ranma. "Hmph." Skuld told herself. Akane was about to add a comment of her own when an unexpected voice called to them. "Ranma-san! Akane-san, Skuld-san!" The three of them turned to find Ryouga, walking toward them. Skuld's expression instantly darkened. "What are YOU doing here?" she leveled her coldest glare at him, enough to set him backpedaling a few steps. The fact that her older sister had asked Ryouga to help Ranma protect Akane and used her power to fix his sense of direction was the reason why she hadn't thrown a bomb at him... yet. He did have the ring Ranmira had given him, annoyingly enough - though he'd had the idea to wear it as a part of the yellow-and-black striped bandanna around his head instead of on any of his fingers, for some reason. "I... I-I, uh...," Ryouga stammered. He nervously took in the anxious stares of the three watching him. "I s-saw you sitting over here when I came into the yard, and thought I would... thought I would say... hello." "Well, you've said it," Skuld's voice dropped another two degrees, "so you can go away now." Ranmira might be as forgiving as Belldandy, but Skuld wasn't about to forgive Ryouga for attacking her sister. Ranma studied her. "Why are you acting like that?" "Because I haven't forgiven him for trying to hurt my sister!" Ryouga heard Ranma's sharp intake of breath, and saw her widening eyes focus on him. "Ryouga-kun? Did you...?" He shook his head. "N-no! I didn't do anything to her sister! Uh, the only sister of yours I've really met," Ryouga forced himself to meet Skuld's gaze, "is Ranmira. But I would never try to hurt her." It was Skuld's turn to start in surprise. After all the lectures she'd given Akane and Ranma about assuming things were the same here as they were in their original reality, she was doing precisely the same things. Since Ranma was a girl without a curse, chances were that Ryouga didn't bear a grudge against her or view her as a rival... and therefore, wouldn't have attacked Ranmira, mistaking her for Ranma. She wasn't about to completely revise her opinion of him, however. Something about Hibiki Ryouga always set her senses on alert - was he hiding something, she'd wondered? A secret worse than his sense of direction that would *possibly* put Akane at risk? So now what? Maybe this Ryouga hadn't tried to hurt her sister, but... An apology would put him at ease. Skuld wanted him to know that she would be watching him every chance she had. "Okay. But until I find out for sure what did or didn't happen..." Ranma sighed, taking Ryouga by the wrist and leading him a handful of yards away to talk. Akane moved to follow them, until she sensed the energy displacement that indicated someone was teleporting to a spot nearby. She glanced toward the source of the displacement - a spot hopefully obscured from everyone else's sight by a few bushes and two trees - just as Ranmira materialized within a brief flash of golden light. "Oneesama?" asked a surprised Skuld. Ranmira smiled, bringing the small paper sack she had brought into view and offering it to her sister. "You forgot your lunch." Skuld sniffed. "Oh, don't start." The older Goddess laughed. Akane watched the exchange with interest. Most of the time, Ranmira behaved primarily like her older sister, Belldandy. But whenever she was with Skuld, signs of a more mischievous Ranmira began to appear. Was the young Goddess simply acting like Belldandy, as Urd had indicated? If so, then what kind of person was Ranmira, without that act? A giggle she recognized as Ranma's drew her attention. Ryouga was essentially the same boy she had known... shy, considerate and a capable fighter. From where she stood Akane could see that Ryouga was behaving the same around Ranma as he had around her. Hesitating, the boy hid a hand behind his head and offered a nervous laugh for Ranma's benefit. Akane mused, absently. Then, a sudden thought occurred to her. Ryouga had been Ranma's friend and persistent rival. It often seemed that he and Ranma were fighting for some odd reason or another, Ryouga threatening to 'kill' Ranma, though if it came down to a fight for something important, Akane knew they could count on Ryouga's help. What kind of relationship, then, did Ryouga have with Ranma in this reality? She asked Yggdrasil to send her Ryouga's complete personal history, as she had already done with Ukyou, Shampoo, and a few others. Ryouga met Ranma at an all-boys school, which Ranma was attending disguised as a boy. Her father had insisted that she pass herself off as a boy as often as possible; not only did it help ease his shame of having only had a daughter rather than a son, but a little gender confusion was occasionally helpful in providing a way out of certain problems, particularly the legal matters. When Ryouga challenged the disguised Ranma to a fight, Ranma waited for him. Ryouga made it to the lot before Ranma left, and they *did* fight... Ranma won the fight, but only after a chance move by Ryouga ripped apart both Ranma's shirt and the bindings she'd used to hide her chest, showing Ryouga that he had been fighting a girl. He'd lost his concentration, then, and an angry Ranma had defeated him. A day passed before Ryouga overcame his shock and confusion. He had fought a girl, and now he had to apologize to her, even if the entire school believed she was a boy. Honor and sensibility demanded he set things right with her... a gentleman would never strike a girl. By that time, however, Ranma and her father had departed for China. Ryouga managed to track and follow her - in his own fashion - all the way to Jhusenkyou, while working up the courage to apologize. While he stood on the edge of a ledge overlooking the pools of Jhusenkyou, the ledge crumbled. Ryouga fell into the Ei-Ton-Nii-Chuan, receiving a curse that transformed him into a small black pig whenever he was splashed with cold water... Akane withdrew her breath. <*What*?> Later, Ryouga tracked Ranma back to Japan, and to the Tendo home. He'd entered the home late at night - during a rainstorm - and found Ranma's room... but when Ranma had awakened and found him standing beside her bed, she'd come to the conclusion he was there to do something terrible to her. She opened one of her bedroom's windows and punted him through it, back into the rain - and without his umbrella. Akane - who had been jolted awake by the commotion - joined Ranma in checking the yard and street, but it wasn't until they returned to Ranma's room that they found Ryouga, in pig form. They soon adopted the pig as their pet, naming him 'P-chan.' One other note in Ryouga's history caught Akane's notice. Ryouga had fallen in love with Ranma, though Ranma had yet to notice that fact. She reviewed her own memories. The small pig she'd taken in as her pet... P-chan, who'd watched her change clothes, listened to her secrets and seen her while she was vulnerable... that had been Ryouga, using his curse to worm his way close to her! And Ranma had known, somehow. What other reason would he have for calling Ryouga 'P-chan' and 'pig?' Why hadn't she seen the truth? Why hadn't Ranma told her the truth? Why hadn't *Ryouga* told her? "How DARE he!" she seethed. Ranmira and Skuld were immediately beside her. "Akane?" "Ryouga," she gestured toward the boy in question, telling the two Goddesses what Yggdrasil had revealed to her - and what she assumed the Ryouga of her original reality had been doing. "Wait," Skuld brought her hands up. "That... *pig*... was him?" She made a face. "And I thought he was cute!" "I knew you would eventually learn the truth about Ryouga, Akane," Ranmira said softly. "But I had hoped Ryouga would be the one to tell you." Skuld and Akane's eyes were on her. "You knew?" they blurted in unison. "Because Ranma knew Ryouga's secret, so did I. Ranma promised Ryouga that he wouldn't reveal that secret to anyone, due to honor and the fact that he was responsible in part for Ryouga receiving his curse. Once Ryouga became P-chan, Ranma was bound by his promise not to tell you." "But why didn't you tell me...?" "Akane, you know the reason why I didn't. Ryouga had to tell you, of his own will--" Skuld frowned, interrupting her sister. "Yeah, but he never told anyone, and he never will! Look at him!" At the moment, Ryouga was patiently listening to whatever Ranma was saying, unaware of their new audience. "Now, he's taking advantage of Ranma, and she doesn't even know it!" Akane paled. Ranma *was* the innocent one in this reality, wasn't she? The no-longer cursed girl had no idea her *pet* was actually someone else she considered a friend... though that 'friend' did not have the nerve to tell Ranma what he was doing or had done. Thoughts of what Ryouga might have seen as P-chan - from either her or Ranma - raced through her mind, causing her anger to rise with every possibility. Did he even have any guilt at all over playing the role of their faithful little P-chan? Apparently Skuld was as angry as she. The Goddess of the Future pulled a softball-sized sphere from her pocket, a metal sphere with odd cylindrical projections of varying heights. She scowled, preparing to heave the bomb... "NEO SKULD--" "No." Skuld glanced over her shoulder to see that Ranmira had rested a hand upon the bomb she had been an instant from throwing, both to keep her from doing just that and to disarm it with a short burst of magic. The thin wisps of smoke rising from underneath Ranmira's hand were proof of that. "Oneesama!" "No," Ranmira sternly repeated, shaking her head slowly. Ryouga and Ranma were staring at them now; satisfied that whatever reason had caused Skuld to draw one of her infamous bombs was no longer a problem, they went back to their conversation. "You could've hurt Ranma, anyway," Akane added. "Akane." Ranmira's voice kept the same even tone she had used with Skuld. "Both of you. I want you to promise me that you won't do anything to Ryouga or let him know that you know about his secrets. We are not supposed to interfere." Skuld pouted, stuffing the disarmed bomb back into the 'pocket' from which she'd drawn it. "Okay. But he'd better confess soon." "Akane?" Ryouga handed Ranma a thin, small box wrapped carefully and neatly in brown paper. Akane could see her accept the gift with an innocent smile, could read the words, "Thank you, Ryouga-kun," on Ranma's lips as Ryouga bid her good-bye. Or tried to, given his shyness. After another awkward moment, he was again walking on his way to who knew where. "I... promise." Ryouga had to reveal his secret soon. He *had* to, if he deserved any of the respect and honor she and Ranma had accorded him. Akane noticed that Ranma was approaching. "What's that?" she asked Ranma, pointing to the package in the other's hands. "Hm? Oh." Ranma glanced down at the package. "Ryouga said it was a box of candy from Hokkaido. Want some?" Out of Ranma's sight, Akane clenched a fist behind her back, letting her fingernails dig into her palm as a reminder not to let her temper run loose. How often had Ryouga given *her* presents, and she accepted them without realizing why he was giving them to her, other than thinking he was simply being nice? As Ranma thought now, judging by her expression. "Why are you encouraging him, Ranma?" Ranma stared at her for a second. "I'm not encouraging him. If he wants to be nice to me, why should I tell him not to? He used to want to beat me up, you know." she thought. ** ** ** "You're showing too much strength too soon," Ranma warned from the sidelines, where she and Skuld were watching Ranmira spar with Akane. The change in opponents had been Ranma's idea, to keep Ranmira from becoming comfortable with fighting only one opponent. "Remember that it's better to match your opponent, gauge and estimate what they're capable of doing while you're fighting. Assume that they're also gauging you; if you show them your best at the beginning of a fight, they can easily come up with a way to counter and defeat you." Ranma had discovered that she fit the role of a teacher well enough, although she'd never taught anyone how to fight before, and her only real models for martial-arts instructors were her father and Mr. Tendo. What had previously been late-afternoon training sessions had become evening sessions. It made more sense to save the training until after dinner, once everyone had finished their homework or whatever else needed to be done. Beside her, Skuld quietly fretted. She'd joked about the possibility of Ranmira being a martial-artist, but in truth, she disliked the thought of her older sister training to become a fighter or martial-artist... even if the decision had been Kami-sama's. The only thing knowing how to fight had done for Ranma, Akane and everyone else they knew was make it rather easy for them to find challengers. Ranmira had claimed that this training would help her learn to control all the abilities she'd gained from Ranma, perhaps condition her body and reflexes better, and that all of this did not mean she would be looking for a fight. If she had wanted to condition her body and reflexes, couldn't she have taken up gymnastics, Skuld wondered? And wouldn't the mechanics of all these moves and techniques be listed in the Yggdrasil databases? Ranmira had never been a fighter. What use could learning these skills be? They certainly wouldn't be much help in fighting demons - that was better accomplished from a distance, with the use of their powers, or so the sisters' encounters with Marller or other demons had suggested to Skuld. Going after bugs in the system did not require a knowledge of how to punch or kick, either. Skuld frowned. No, she could see no use for the training at all. Akane and Ranmira stood a little over a yard apart from each other, both watching their opponent warily while they chose their strikes. Watching, hoping to guess what their opponent would try next and the proper way to counter it, all at once. Skuld found herself wondering how all this watching and gauging would work against someone fighting unfairly or one who insisted on overwhelming everyone with his or her power right away. Soon, Ranma took Akane's place. One-on-one training was better than observing and commenting from the sidelines when it came to martial-arts instruction, in Ranma's opinion. If necessary, she could show Ranmira the result of her movements and mistakes, rather than mention it and wonder if Akane would follow through on an example she'd just made or let Ranmira correct it. Ranma knew that to someone who didn't know who they were, it would almost look as if identical twin sisters were sparring against each other. Her mother's wish for a daughter and something called 'The Vanity of the Gods' had given her a copy of the scarlet-haired Ranmira's appearance and voice, just as Peorth claimed Mrs. Tendo had resembled her. It had probably helped that Ranmira had been a part of her for nearly seventeen years, too. Aside from the fact that Ranma did not share her "twin's" facial markings and almost knee-length braid of hair, she was also a quarter of a head smaller and appeared a year or so younger. Both she and Ranmira each wore a cream-colored gi - Ranmira had simply reformed her clothes into a duplicate of Ranma's gi, though Ranma seemed to look more as if she belonged in the gi than Ranmira did. The training session resumed, with Ranmira making fewer mistakes against Ranma than she had in sparring with Akane. At least, until the curious squeal of a pig distracted Ranma. Akane's gaze immediately shot toward the dojo's main doors ahead of Ranma, knowing what she would see there... a small, black pig with a yellow-and-black bandanna tied around his neck, shuffling into the dojo. A squeal for every shuffle. "*P-chan*!" Ranma's expression brightened. Snatching P-chan into her arms, she happily hugged him to her chest. "Look, Akane," she said, turning about so that Akane could see what she held. "P-chan's come home!" Akane did her best to hide her grimace from Ranma's eyes. Skuld, on the other hand, wasn't as secretive. Neither of them wanted to *help* Ryouga continue masquerading as someone's pet. According to Ranmira, Ranma had known that Ryouga was using his curse to maneuver himself near Akane, into her arms. Akane had taken to reminding herself of every moment she'd had 'her P-chan' near her. Hand-feeding him little portions of fish at the breakfast table. Letting him cuddle against her, underneath her covers! Oh, she had been a royal *idiot* all this time... She wondered just how much Ryouga's lies had driven Ranma up the wall. Had he not told her merely because of his promise, or had she been far too insistent on not seeing the truth that he didn't have the heart to tell her? Now, Ryouga was worming his way close to an unaware Ranma and *Akane* was the one who knew what was secretly going on. She understood how Ranma must have felt, watching her hold Ryouga close to her chest and insisting that Ranma not pick on her poor little P-chan; that *this* Ranma was happy her pet had returned was playing havoc with whatever anger Akane wanted to maintain. Akane sent Skuld a look of helplessness. Had Skuld come to the same conclusion? They couldn't tell Ranma the truth, not directly - Ranma would most likely either deny it to the end or take the news badly. No doubt it would be the former, Akane guessed. Ranma was still too stubborn. Even if they took her and her pet up to the bath room, and dropped P-chan into the hot water while Ranma watched, she might not 'see' it. With Ryouga in the bath, in front of her, Ranma might think her P-chan had disappeared and begin searching for him. It was a pity Ranma couldn't access Yggdrasil and see the truth for herself. Ranmira was watching them all, seemingly unconcerned... if only in appearance. She'd been right... Ryouga *had* to be the one to reveal his secret. Time to try attacking the matter from a different direction. "Ranma," Akane said, deliberately forcing an offhand tone. "I was wondering... what... uh, what do you think of Ryouga? How do you... how do you feel about him?" Ranma blinked. Why was Akane asking that? "Ryouga-kun?" she hesitated, absently rearranging P-chan within her arms. "Well... um...... he's a nice guy, I guess. A friend." P-chan glanced up at her, though her attention was on other things. "But don't you notice how he's always tongue-tied around you, and giving you gifts?" persisted Akane. "Ob-- er, I'll bet he's in love with you." She and Skuld watched with some satisfaction as the pig's eyes widened past their limits. Somehow, there had to be a way they could maneuver Ryouga into dropping his act. Ranma's cheeks colored slightly. "No... no way!" she spluttered. "I mean, I g-guess he *is* sweet and *maybe* a bit c-cute, but... I know Ryouga-kun. If he felt that way, he would've told me. Um. Besides, though, I'm not looking for a boyfriend right now. You know that." One end of her lips curled upward, though Akane thought she sensed a note of sadness hiding behind the smirk. "I'm way too much of a tomboy for that. Maybe... maybe in a few years..." Her voice trailed away as she noticed that Akane was staring blankly at her, mouth open. "Akane?" The Goddess-candidate shivered, closing her mouth. "I........." She looked at Ranma, then shivered again. All of a sudden, she turned and scrambled awkwardly in the direction of the dojo's main door. "Excuse me." Ranma started after her. Akane had sounded as though she were about to cry. Had Akane developed feelings for Ryouga, but believed he wouldn't even look at her because she thought he was in love with Ranma? In that case, Ranma knew she'd have to talk to Ryouga about it - assuming he wasn't already lost somewhere between Tokyo and Kyushu by now. But first, she would have to make sure she wasn't misinterpreting Akane's feelings. Ranma had hardly ever thought about love; until the Tendo home became her home, she had lived a largely isolated life. Nothing but the martial-arts for the only child of the Saotome family. Someday, Kasumi had told her, Saotome Ranma would be swept off her feet by a young man. She would want to live her life with him, martial-arts or no. Someday, she might even have a child of her own to watch over. To train in the martial-arts, but not in the reckless and callous manner her father insisted on using. That wouldn't happen for several years, she had insisted, and reassured herself now. If it did happen. Ranmira and Skuld reached the double-doors before she did. "We'll take care of this, Ranma," Ranmira stated, holding up a hand before her. "Yeah," added Skuld. "You stay here with Ry-- uh, *P-chan*. We'll be right back." Ranma glanced down at her pet pig. She had forgotten that she still held him. P-chan had always been amazingly well-behaved... "I hope Akane's okay. Don't you, P-chan?" she asked as the two Goddesses stepped out into the yard. P-chan nodded. Akane had huddled herself in the farthest corner of her bed, against the wall. She was in the process of drawing her knees up to her chest when Skuld knocked on the bedroom door. "Akane?" Ranmira had asked her sister to be the one to speak up, as they guessed Ranma was what had upset Akane, and since there was no easy way to tell Ranma from Ranmira by voice alone... mannerisms, perhaps, but not voice. "...Come in." Skuld pushed the door open. "Are you all right, Akane?" she put the question to Akane, carefully studying her apprentice. Akane hadn't been crying, as her tone had implied, but she *was* wavering between being upset and sad. "She's... so different. More than I thought she would be." Why was Akane refusing to let go of the issue? "We told you to expect that," Skuld said. "I know that. But I thought she'd be mostly like Ranma is when he's a girl." Akane sighed. "Obviously, she's... Well, she's a cheerleader. She's starting to think about relationships with boys. And everyone treats her like a sister, and she's so happy..." "But you would rather she be the 'original' Ranma." "I don't know! I'm not sure!" "Now do you see the extent of what the bugs can do, Akane?" Ranmira asked her in an even voice. "One bug alone can send reality spiraling down any number of different paths. They can even affect us." "What? But before, you said we existed 'slightly removed' from the timelines and realities in this plane..." "It isn't easy for a bug to alter the history of a God or Goddess, although it can be done. You, however, are more vulnerable than a regular Goddess, since your original parents were Mortals. Imagine what would happen if your original mother - if history were altered in such a way that you were never born?" "I..." Akane fell silent. A moment passed before anyone spoke again. "Akane, do you want this reality to be restored to its former state?" She nodded. "I... guess so." "Are you sure? Do you want the former Ranma back, knowing how happy you said she is here?" "...Yes." "Good." Skuld took a seat on the end of the bed opposite Akane. "Because we need you for the final step in the process." "Me?" "Yeah. Many of the details of the original reality have already been approximated from what I and my sisters have told the restoration programmers. But because you are an unchanged part of that reality - a part quite close to everything that was changed - we can extrapolate all the necessary details of that reality from your cells. In fact, if we need to, we can read the whole of your life and the lives of anyone with whom you've ever come in contact." "You can do that? Isn't that... an invasion of privacy?" "Yes, it is," replied Ranmira. "That's why we do not use this process unless it is truly necessary. Also, you need to have resolved any issues or problems which you might have." Akane understood the implications of the latter sentence. There was no 'might have,' in truth; they were sure she *did* have issues to resolve. "Like what?" Ranmira reached forward, taking hold of Akane's right hand. "Come," she said. "I believe this is as good a time as any to visit certain people." <...to be continued...> ------------ Credits: Written by: Mike Koos Prereaders: Richard Beaubien, Kevin D. Hammel, Jonathan Ng, Andrew Norris, Shadowmane, Tom Williams 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/Ah-My-Goddess/ Instruments-of-Change/ 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?