"Where are we going?"
     It was a simple question, or so Akane thought.  A talk with
Ranmira and Skuld about Ranma and changing this alternate reality
back to the reality from which she had come had led to the two
Goddesses teleporting her... here, wherever this was.  
     Most of the architecture she passed gave her the impression of a
modern city, though with fewer surfaces and more polish - which
offered her no clues at all as to where she could be.  Asking
Yggdrasil was out, since she wasn't sure how Ranmira or Skuld would
react when they sensed her making a request.
     They had been walking for at least ten minutes, Akane had
figured.  She'd been silent for most of that time... wondering to
whom Ranmira had referred by saying, "I believe this is as good a
time as any to visit certain people."  This obviously wasn't the
temple, so that ruled out Belldandy, Urd and Keiichi.  It wasn't the
path she had once taken to Kami-sama's office, either.  That left
only one possibility as far as Akane could guess, and she did not
like that possibility.
     "We are on our way to visit your mother," answered Ranmira.
     Akane came to a complete stop in the middle of the walkway upon
which they currently stood.  "I am not going to see Peorth," she
flatly declared.
     "Akane," Ranmira spoke in a similar even tone, turning to face
her.  "Remember what we told you about resolving your personal
issues?  If we take you to see Peorth, then you should visit her. 
It's time you stopped avoiding her."
     <Right.  This from the person who's acting like her oldest
sister no longer exists,> Skuld thought.  Now wasn't exactly the time
to point that fact out, however.  Ranmira was perhaps less stubborn
than Akane; though they were both 'ignoring' certain people, their
problems could not be treated at the same time.

               An Aa! Megamisama / Ranma 1/2 Crossover
                        Instruments of Change
                             Part Fifteen
                         written by Mike Koos
                         --------------------

     "Why?  She never really cared about us," Akane was far from
convinced.  "Our family was nothing but an *assignment* to her.  Then
she faked her death, with no sympathy for any of us!  'Well, my job
here is over; now I'll leave and make sure all of you are miserable
while I do it.'"
     "That's enough, Akane," Skuld intervened.  "Did you ever ask
Peorth about her side of this?  I know her, and while she's not
perfect - none of us are, you know - I doubt she ever intended to
hurt you or your family."
     Akane knew she hadn't given Peorth much time to defend her side
of the whole affair at all, yet she wasn't about to forgive the
Goddess for anything.  Nothing short of an order from Kami-sama was
going to help her change her mind at this time, perhaps.  Peorth
*had* to be held accountable for her mistakes, no matter how much
time it took.
     "*Sure*, she didn't," the Goddess-candidate snorted.  "If she
felt any differently about it, would she have done the same things?"
     When Ranmira next spoke, she did so in a reserved, quiet voice. 
"Akane... tell me, would you go against Kami-sama's wishes?"
     "No.  Of course not."
     "Your superiors, or instructors?"  The latter, with a peripheral
glance at Skuld.
     "...No."
     "Even Peorth, irregardless of *how* she follows her orders, does
not disobey them.  As Skuld mentioned, we Goddesses are *not*
perfect.  We make mistakes.  Perhaps we make choices which aren't
exactly the best, or say the wrong things."
     "I can understand that.  But--"
     "We do not assume that we are perfect, either.  But you're
behaving as if you think Peorth would always know the right things to
do and say, and chose not to do or say them."
     Akane said nothing.
     "Okay, then, how about this?"  Skuld offered.  "Since Peorth was
ordered to leave your family and move on to her next assignment, how
could she have left without somehow hurting all of you?"
     Akane thought about it.  "She could have told us the truth about
who she was and why she had to leave."
     "Ask Yggdrasil for the rules those who work for the Goddess
Relief Offices must follow," Ranmira told her.  After Belldandy, she
was the only other member of the immediate family with experience in
working for the Relief Offices.
     While Akane made her request - better to let Akane have a full
set of the rules to examine - she explained.  "Normally, the person
who receives the ability to make a single wish is the only person to
know we are Goddesses.  As you know, we maintain a low profile in the
present-day world for several reasons.  If Peorth *had* told you
anything, her Office would likely request that you and your family
have your memories of it erased or blocked.  You would still be made
to believe that your mother had passed away, or disappeared."
     Akane pursed her lips.  No, that probably wouldn't have helped
at all.  But there had to be a way... a way Peorth could have
resolved the problem of leaving while hurting her 'new family' the
least.
     Somehow.
     Ranmira and Skuld, meanwhile, had walked through the entrance
arch in a 'property gate' formed by large bricks and iron rods, and
were climbing a small flight of stone stairs.  Akane scrambled after
them, not about to be left behind.  After all, she was the reason the
three of them were here, wasn't she?
     They hesitated at the door as she approached.  She opened her
mouth to ask the Goddesses where they were... but the words caught in
her throat.
     Ranmira motioned for her to step forward.  "Take the lead,
Akane."
     She did so, resting her hands on the polished door-handles. 
<They just want to make sure I don't run off,> she frowned. 
Hopefully, being in the lead would keep either Goddess from seeing
that frown.
     Akane pulled the wooden double-doors open in one complete
motion, and stepped into the building - entering a reception hall
easily the size of her school's indoor gym.
     Behind the desk immediately near the door they had just entered
waited a Goddess acting as a receptionist, one whom Akane surmised to
be in her twenties or early thirties.  She was more than likely
considerably older than that, of course; it was practically
impossible for Akane to gauge an immortal Goddess' age by appearance
alone.  The woman seemed to barely pay them any attention.
     Akane shifted her attention, then to the handful of hallways
that led out of the room.  Where should she go from here, if she was
in the lead, she wondered?  Even if she knew full blasted well who
they had come here to visit... why should they have to go through all
this trouble just to see Peorth?  Couldn't the Goddess have come to
them?
     She glanced back at Ranmira in time to see the Goddess of Change
give the receptionist a nod and receive one in return.  "We will be
taking the second hallway from the right."  Akane resignedly shrugged
and began walking in the direction of the hallway Ranmira had
indicated.
     The long hallway was lined with numbered doorways and the
occasional plant - which seemed somehow to be a part of the walls
instead of being separate, in pots - reminding Akane of an expensive
hotel or apartment mansion.  She'd seen the former a few years
earlier while attending the yearly regional championship of one of
the larger martial-arts tournaments, spending a few nights away from
her family elsewhere in Tokyo.
     Was this where Peorth lived?  Where had Skuld and her sisters
lived before taking up residence in a temple in the Mortal plane?
     Better to save questions like that for later, she mused. 
Letting herself become sidetracked with idle curiosity now would
weaken the unyielding front with which she wanted to greet her
would-be mother.
     "We're looking for number seven-nine-three," Skuld spoke into
her thoughts.
     "Mmm," she murmured, briefly glancing at the small metal numbers
glued to each door.  There were more than seven hundred and
ninety-three... apartments in this building?  She hadn't had that
impression when looking at the outside of the building.
     Finally, she found the right door.  "Okay.  This is it. 
Seven-nine-three.  Now what?"
     Skuld exhaled, rolling her eyes.  "Quit stalling, Akane.  Go
ahead and push the button for the chime."
     She hesitantly did as Skuld asked.  An all-too-familiar voice
answered the call.  "It's open.  Come in."
     Skuld and Ranmira escorted her into the apartment.  <Oh, I don't
want to run,> she thought, her lips forming the beginning of a tight
smile.  <It's time I got in Peorth's face and told her what I think
of her.>
     "Akane-chan?"  asked the woman who greeted them in the entryway.
"Here... let me take a look at you."
     Akane stared at her in shock.  Whoever the woman was, she
resembled Peorth in voice and facial features, but... she *wasn't*
Peorth.  And that could only mean...
     Her voice had suddenly become both high-pitched and hoarse. 
"M-Mom?"

                               ** ** **

     Long since bored with watching the game from her seat near where
the cheerleaders stood at the sidelines, Ukyou had taken to
peripherally watching Shampoo, who sat immediately next to her.  In
truth, she had very little interest in school sports; she suspected
that Shampoo didn't, as well.  The only reason they were present at
any of the games was to let Ranma know they were there for her - as
did Yuka, Sayuri, and Ranma's 'sisters,' though none of them had been
able to come today for one reason or another.
     Shampoo seemed to be staring intently at Ranma and her squad. 
<Maybe she wishes she could be as bouncy and energetic?>  Ukyou
thought with the mental equivalent of a smirk.  <What *would* she be
like if she was that kind of person?>  She followed Shampoo's gaze
back to Ranma, who was leading the other cheerleaders in a new
routine.
     Ukyou didn't care much for cheerleaders, either, but Ranma was
one exception to the rule.  If anyone could set up a squad worthy of
her respect, it would be Ranma.
     Ranma was indeed acting as the squad's captain today; their
regular captain had called in sick, and it was Ranma's responsibility
as second to take charge in circumstances like that.
     The Fuurinkan boys' basketball team was leading in the final
quarter with fifty-six points to the other school's - who cared what
their name was, anyway? - forty.  Ukyou wondered what the
cheerleaders were *really* accomplishing, other than inciting the
crowds and perhaps distracting the other team.  Oh, well.
     She realized Shampoo was saying something to her.  "Huh?"  asked
Ukyou.  With Shampoo's tendency to speak in a reserved, quiet manner,
it was easy to miss hearing her speak.
     "I said, you're wondering what worth the cheerleaders are again,
aren't you?"
     Ukyou frowned.  "All right - how could you tell?"
     A knowing smile crossed Shampoo's lips.  "You always have the
exact same look on your face when you do that.  I wouldn't be
surprised if Ranma has noticed.  You know how she feels about it."
     "Hmph," Ukyou sniffed, folding her arms.  Of course Ranma would
defend the cheerleaders...
     Nearly half an hour later, the game was over, and Fuurinkan High
School had won.  After remaining on the gym floor for another minute
or two to 'show off' - Ranma and captain Hiromi's own term for
whenever everyone on the squad did whatever they wanted without a
specific routine - Ranma sent the squad to the locker rooms, while
she remained behind to talk to her friends.
     Ukyou knew Ranma didn't care much for the design and colors of
her uniform.  Their principal had chosen the style himself, pairing a
brown, white and black jumper with a pleated, two-tone green skirt. 
That alone was the primary reason Ranma liked to say that the
uniforms made anyone who wore them look like inverted palm trees.
     Knowing the principal, Ranma might have guessed correctly.  But
Ukyou, long since tired of what their friend had turned into a
running joke of sorts, usually tried to distract Ranma from the
subject of her uniform before Ranma could complain.
     "Is something wrong, Ranma?"  Shampoo spoke up as Ranma
approached them.
     "Huh?"  Ranma blinked.  "Why do you ask?"
     "Yeah, Shampoo.  Why?"  seconded Ukyou.
     "I noticed that you seemed somewhat distracted out there for
most of the game.  It isn't like you to let your mind wander while
you're performing, so the obvious answer is that you're worried about
something."
     Ukyou shook her head.  "Shampoo...?  Don't tell me you're
training to become a psychiatrist or something..."
     "I am just working on being observant, Ukyou.  If you pay
attention during a fight, you might notice the one weakness that will
end the fight in your favor."
     "I know that.  That's not what I meant."
     Hoping to defuse another argument before it could truly begin,
Ranma intervened.  Ukyou and Shampoo were friends, but also rivals in
almost everything.  "She's right.  I *am* worried."
     Both of her friends turned to look at her.  "About what?"
     "Akane," she admitted, taking a seat on the bleachers beside
them.  "Last night, she ran out of the dojo like she was going to
cry, then Skuld and Ranmira told me that they would take care of it
and would be right back.  After that, all three of them disappeared. 
You saw how Akane and Skuld didn't come to school today."
     "Yeah, but--"
     "But I also think there might be something wrong with me."
     The comment brought a smirk to Ukyou's face.  "I've been saying
that ever since we met."
     "I figured that you would say something stupid like that." 
Shampoo rolled her eyes.
     "So what's wrong with a little humor?  It's not like *you*
really use it," retorted Ukyou.
     Ranma cleared her throat.  "Ever since I woke up yesterday,
everything that happened on Thursday - well, the memories, anyway -
it all feels weird to me for some reason.  Like I was watching
someone else go through the day for me, I guess.  I can't remember
all of it."  She paused.  "Akane and the Goddesses have been acting
really strange when they're near me.  Now, I'm not completely sure,
but I think they're avoiding me."
     "Are you absolutely sure about that?"  asked Ukyou.  "They're
Goddesses, after all.  They've got more things to worry about in the
world than just us.  And even if Akane isn't a full Goddess, she's
probably gonna be with them."
     "Akane could be upset that she might eventually have to leave
all of us behind, if and when she becomes a Goddess," added Shampoo.
     Ranma inhaled.  "I hadn't thought about that."  Her expression
fell.  It was an extremely likely possibility - Akane couldn't stay
*here* and be a Goddess, could she?  Perhaps she could... Belldandy
and her sisters lived in a temple with Keiichi somewhere near the
Nekomi Institute of Technology, but they were a special case.  As a
novice Goddess, Akane probably wouldn't have much say in her
assignments.  Even Peorth, a veteran Goddess, had had to go whenever
her supervisors and Kami-sama instructed her to go.
     Akane, who was the closest Ranma had ever come to having a twin
sister.  The youngest of the three Tendo sisters was a close friend,
just as much a tomboy as Ranma on many occasions, or so they liked to
believe.  They had often wondered what would happen if they took the
'twin sisters' idea as far as they could - dressing and acting alike,
even wearing duplicate haircuts.
     But now... Akane faced the possibility of that person
disappearing from existence.  If she failed her tests, there was a
chance they would force her to be genetically restructured so that
she no longer carried the powers and other factors that made her a
Goddess-candidate within her.
     Either way - whether or not she passed her tests and became a
Goddess - Akane would no doubt become a different person.
     Time to change the subject.  "Anyway, Nabiki said that maybe I'm
having problems remembering Thursday because of a blow to the head
during training, a fight, or something like that."
     Ukyou's eyebrows raised.  "That's a first.  Usually, we have to
calm you or Akane down because she's telling you things that make you
become paranoid."
     Ranma ignored the comment.  "But I haven't had any blows to the
head, or anything that might cause this."
     "If you're worried about it, Ran-chan, you should confront Akane
and the Goddesses the next time you see them."
     "I guess you're right," sighed Ranma, brushing the hair away
from her forehead.  "I'd better go give the squad their after-game
talk."  She smiled.  "They're probably wondering where in the world I
am.  Give me about ten minutes to get changed and all that, and we'll
go."
     After Ranma had sprinted away in the direction of the locker
rooms, Ukyou caught sight of another familiar person meandering in a
random path across the indoor basketball court.  "Ryouga!"  she
called, getting out of her seat in order to drag him back the
bleachers.  "What are you doing here?"
     Ryouga hesitated.  "Is...... did I miss Ranma?"
     "She went to the locker room.  She'll be back in a little bit."
     "Oh."  Ukyou studied Ryouga as they boy carefully chose a seat
nearby.  "I almost didn't think I'd get here in time.  I got lost on
the way."
     She frowned.  "Yeah, right.  Both Shampoo and I know you can't
get lost, anymore, not with the ring Ranmira gave you when she asked
the three of us to help protect Akane."  To emphasize her point, she
ran a finger along the outer edge of the ring half-hidden within
Ryouga's bandanna.
     "I can still get lost the normal way, Ukyou."
     A slight blush colored Ukyou's cheeks.  "Oh.  Sorry."
     "It used to be really useless for me to memorize directions or
take along a map.  I'd eventually wind up where I wanted to go, just
not *when* I wanted to be there.  And now that I *know* I won't have
that problem... I have to remember to memorize the directions or
bring a map."
     <It figures,> Ukyou thought, bemusedly.  <Take away his ability
to get lost and he STILL gets lost.>  "So, you came here to see
Ranma, huh?"
     It was Ryouga's turn to blush.  "Wh-what?"  he stammered.  "Uh,
no, I'm here for the game.  Er..."  Ryouga glanced about the now
almost-vacant gym.  "...What's left of it."
     "Right.  You're here to see Ranma."
     "I am not."
     Shampoo was again smiling.  "Everyone knows how you feel about
her.  Except for Ranma."
     "Yeah," Ukyou agreed.  "Ryouga, I'm not saying Ranma's stupid,
but when it comes to love, she's somewhat naive and clueless.  You're
in love with her; so are Gosunkugi and Kunou.  She only knows Kunou's
in love with her because the idiot tells everyone who his 'loves'
are."
     "Ranma only thinks of me as a friend," Ryouga said, absently.
     "Well, you want to change that, right?"
     He met Ukyou's gaze.  "What?  How?"
     Ukyou bit her lower lip.  Of course, it was possible that Ryouga
was just as clueless in matters of love as Ranma.  "Tell her how you
feel, you-- Ryouga.  Seriously.  No overwhelming her like Kunou does
- just tell her the truth.  If you don't tell her, someone else'll
get to call her his girlfriend, like Gosunkugi."
     Ryouga's voice rose.  "He can't!  I'll--"
     "You'll what?"  Ukyou asked evenly.  "Beat him up?  That's what
Kunou would do.  Besides, I'm sure Ranma will really appreciate you
beating up her student, someone who's far weaker than you."
     His anger drained away.  Ranma definitely wouldn't like that. 
In fact, it would probably drive her closer to Hikaru faster than
before.
     "I'll tell you what... if we can get you a date with Ranma, will
you tell her how you feel?"
     "A date with Ranma......?"  he repeated, imagining the
possibilities for a few seconds before wondering why Ukyou and
Shampoo were bothering to mess with Ranma's love life.  <Besides,
though, I'm not looking for a boyfriend right now.  You know that,>
Ranma had told Akane the night before.  <I'm way too much of a tomboy
for that.  Maybe... maybe in a few years...>
     Ukyou nodded as Ryouga repeated Ranma's words.  "That's why."
     "She calls herself a 'tomboy' to avoid having to deal with
certain things," Shampoo thought to add, "such as relationships.  She
knows very little about love, and she isn't sure how she should deal
with it.  Perhaps even scared, I think.  The fact that Akane may be
leaving all of us if she becomes a Goddess certainly frightens her."
     Ryouga knew that to be true; as P-chan he'd seen how close Ranma
was with her 'sisters,' especially Akane.  A scene formed in his
thoughts - one where he comforted a distraught Ranma, who was saddened
by the loss of her sister.  In his embrace, she looked up at him,
sniffled and told him how grateful she was that he had been there for
her...
     He forcefully willed that fantasy away.  The version of Ranma
that existed in his daydreams simply wasn't exactly the same as the
real Ranma.  Ranma was strong and proud.  Beautiful.  *That* was the
Ranma he loved, though he couldn't remember when he had fallen in
love with her.  All he knew was that he wanted her to be with him,
forever.
     "Ryouga!  Stop daydreaming!"  Ukyou's voice shook him out of
that line of thought.  "So, what about it?  Will you tell her how you
feel about her?"
     "I... I..."
     "I'll take that as a yes."
     "Well... HEY!"
     "Oh, hi, Ryouga-kun," Ranma greeted him as she returned, having
changed her clothes to her normal school uniform, her cheerleading
uniform carefully packed into the sports bag at her side.  "What's
going on?"
     Ukyou and Shampoo stood.  "We'll tell you about it on the way
home.  C'mon, Ryouga - you're walking with us."

                               ** ** **

     "But... how?"
     The woman who had been Tendo Hiroko in her most recent life
smiled.  "When an individual's life ends on the Mortal plane, that
individual is given a choice - to move on to another life, or to
'rest' for any number of reasons," Ranmira elaborated for Akane's
benefit.  "Fortunately, your mother decided to rest."
     "You were the reason for my decision, Akane-chan," Hiroko rested
her hands on her daughter's shoulders, gazing into her eyes.  "I
wanted to watch you live and grow.  When I learned that I would have
another daughter to love, then lost my life in that accident..." Her
voice momentarily trailed away.  "I couldn't bear to move on, knowing
that if I did, I wouldn't remember you at all until the next time I
returned here."
     Akane started.  Given what she knew about reincarnation, that
time could be anywhere from less than a day to perhaps a hundred
years.  Had she not been given the possibility to become a Goddess,
she herself might have moved on to another life by that time... even
though the thought was a bit unnerving.
     She was immortal for the time being as a Goddess candidate.  But
had she been given immortality from the process, or had she
previously inherited it from... from her 'other mother?'
     "Does that mean that here, you remember everything from all the
lives you've lived?"
     "I won't lie to you, Akane," Hiroko said in a somber tone.  "I
do remember things from the all of the lives I have previously lived,
including the children I have known.  But that doesn't mean I love
you, Nabiki and Kasumi less than any of them."
     She paused for a moment.  "I am disappointed in you, however,
Akane-chan."
     <Here it comes.>  "Because of Peorth, right?"  Akane asked,
trying to keep the defensiveness from overwhelming her words.  Hiroko
was her mother - her *true* mother - and deserved respect.
     Hiroko nodded.  "Akane, I knew what would happen as a result of
my wish.  Peorth told me that in order to fulfill it, she would have
to carry and give birth to you, then stay with you, your sisters and
father until her Relief Office decided the wish was fulfilled. 
Neither of us thought that anything like *this* would happen, mind
you."
     "You knew she would have to leave, hurting all of us, and you
chose to keep the wish, anyway?"
     A sigh.  "Akane."  Hiroko's voice was firm.  "Before you learned
of the truth about Peorth and my wish, did you ever think that I
didn't love you or anyone else in our family?"
     "No.  But why--"
     "If you were to ask your father or sisters, they might say that
they know I loved them, as I know they love me."  At Hiroko's
request, everyone took a seat in what Akane assumed to be what some
called a 'living room' - a casual arrangement of upholstered chairs
and wooden tables.  "Now, you probably would have preferred that I
wished not to lose my life... but when Peorth came to visit me, my
only thoughts were with you."
     Akane blinked.  "Me?"
     "Yes.  I wanted to make sure that you continued to live and be
strong, as you have."  Hiroko laughed.  "Ranma even looks to you as a
bit of a role model."
     <He looks to me as a role model?>  Akane thought.  <No, wait -
she's referring to the Ranma of this altered reality, isn't she?> 
She mentally sighed, wondering what her mother had thought of the
'original' Ranma.
     "...She even has your stubbornness," concluded Hiroko.
     "Is there something wrong with that?"
     "It depends.  There are situations where being rather stubborn
isn't necessarily a good thing, such as your refusal to have anything
to do with the Goddess Peorth."
     Akane folded her arms.  "Why should I have anything to do with
her?  After what she did to our family?"
     "She did what she was told to do, Akane.  What any Goddess would
most likely have done in her place."
     "Belldandy and I, as representatives of a Goddess Relief Office,
would have had to follow a similar procedure," Ranmira confirmed.
     "Genetically and officially, you are now Peorth's daughter as
well as mine," Hiroko said.  "I find it remarkable that you can enjoy
all the benefits of being a daughter of a Goddess, yet you turn your
back on the woman who is responsible for your becoming a
Goddess-candidate in the first place."
     Akane bit back the reply that came instinctively to her.  It was
admittedly easy to deny what connections she had to Peorth, and act
almost as if the Goddess didn't exist.  But when it came down to
defending her position, those denials had essentially become most of
her argument. 
     "I don't know how Peorth currently feels about this situation. 
But imagine how she feels; I know that if you were to decide you
didn't want anything to do with me, I would be hurt," Hiroko
continued.  "At least pay her a visit and talk to her, Akane. 
Please?"
     Akane fell silent.  Ranmira and Skuld had already told her that
resolving her 'problem' with Peorth was necessary if they were to
restore this reality to its correct state.  She had been prepared to
meet with Peorth, true - but to give the Goddess 'a piece of her
mind,' if that was the proper expression for what she wanted to do.
     But even she had to admit that how she had behaved in regard to
Peorth was somewhat irrational and stubborn.  Imagining Belldandy or
Ranmira in similar circumstances had helped Akane reconsider... had
she found fault with Peorth, or with what Peorth had been forced to
do?  How would she have reacted to another Goddess in the same
situation?
     "All right," she said at last.  "I'll pay her a visit.  A *real*
visit."

                               ** ** **

     "A date?  With Ryouga-kun?"
     "Yes," Shampoo answered her friend's question.  She and Ukyou
had privately agreed that the best way to get Ranma to honestly
consider the plan was for both of them to confront her with it. 
Having Ryouga present would hopefully make it a bit harder for Ranma
to refuse.
     For his part, Ryouga walked a slight distance behind Ranma,
looking as though he wanted to add a comment of his own to the
conversation, but was too embarrassed to say anything.
     "C'mon, Ran-chan!"  a grinning Ukyou prodded her.  "I know you
think you're too much of a tomboy to go on a date, but practically
every girl in our class has been on a date except for you.  Even
Shampoo, and you know how much of a stick-in-the-mud she is.  Right,
Shampoo?"
     Shampoo sighed.  "We saw how interested you were in listening to
Sayuri talk about the date she had with Seigo earlier this week. 
You're curious, aren't you?"
     Ranma's gaze drifted to her feet.  "But that's... that's
different!  Just because I listen to Sayu-chan describe her date
doesn't mean I'm interested in going on one myself."
     "The way your face is turning red says otherwise," Ukyou studied
Ranma's face.
     "U-chan!"  Ranma's blush increased.
     Ukyou laughed.  "It's not gonna hurt you to go on a date with
Ryouga.  Besides, if you're worried about people saying anything,
would you rather they keep saying Hikaru's you're boyfriend?"
     "Why do they have to think ANYONE is my boyfriend?"
     "Aside from that, you KNOW how your Dad'll have a fit when he
finds out you've gone on a date.  That enough is a reason to go."
     "I still don't know... I'm not ready to go on a date."
     "What's to be ready for?"  Ukyou persisted.  "You let Ryouga
treat you to dinner, then maybe go see a movie or something.  No
one's asking you to kiss or whatever.  Just go out with Ryouga and
have fun."
     "Well... if that's all I'd have to do on a date..."  Ranma
hesitated, glancing back at the boy following them.  "Oh, I'm sorry,
Ryouga-kun!  I didn't mean..."
     Ryouga offered her a weak smile.  "Ah, uh... that's all right,
Ranma-san," he fumbled for a reply.  "I, uh, know what you mean."
     While she stared at him, wondering what she should say next,
Ukyou placed herself between the pair.  "So, what do you think,
Ran-chan?  How about the two of you get together tomorrow afternoon,
and see what happens?"
     Ranma thought about it.  "I... guess so."  <U-chan's right - it
really won't hurt to go on a date just this once.  Not only that,
it'll give me a chance to ask Ryouga-kun how he feels about Akane.> 
"I'll give it a try," she said, brightly.

                       <...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?